This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on April 7th 2024 by Colin. For the audio & video please click here. For the worship please click here.
Death Resurrection & Hope - Part 2
Last Sunday
was Easter and we looked into the Resurrection of Jesus. We usually run through
the Easter meeting and have big breakfast. We do not spend enough time on the
most important event in history. A famous archaeologist spoke on National
Geographic channel that he discovered the family tomb of Jesus and found bones
in it. He also stated that finding the bones of Jesus is not a problem as it
was the Spirit that was resurrected. Later that program was shut down. Satan
always tries to disprove the resurrection of Jesus in many ways.
Matt 27:63-65 - 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.”
Jesus was
called a deceiver, and the Pharisees thought the disciples would steal his
body. So they requested Pilate for the tomb to be made secure. Pilate told them
to take a guard. Most of the time, our guards are either sleeping or checking
out their phones. But here, the Bible refers to 16 trained soldiers who guarded
the tomb.
Matt 28:2-4 - 2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
On the third
day, when Jesus rose, the guards witnessed it.
Matt 28:11-15 - 11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.
In these
verses, we can see the devil’s strategy. When the guards went to report what
they have witnessed, they were given a large sum of money and asked to lie.
From the first Easter, people have been trying to deny, disprove, discredit the
resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus is very important. All the four gospels
speak about certain things about the resurrection. There were angels at the
time of Jesus’s conception, just before birth, birth, resurrection, and
ascension. There were eye witnesses like Mary Magdalene, Jesus’s disciples who
met Jesus after resurrection. The
disciples didn’t believe that Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus had to convince
them. Today, we are going to look at the account of Easter.
Luke 24:13-16 - 13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
1. Disciples were disheartened.
On the day of
Resurrection, two of Jesus’s disciples were going to a village called Emmaus.
On their way, they were discussing everything that happened to Jesus. And when
Jesus himself came up and walked along with them, they couldn’t recognize him.
Luke 24:17
17 He asked
them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast.
2. Disguised Jesus
Both the disciples were
kept from recognizing Jesus. One of the disciple named Cleopas asked Jesus if
he was the only one who does not know the things that have happened in the last
few days. If we were in the place of Jesus our reply would have been different.
“ Of course, I know. I was the one who suffered and was crucified.” But that
was not how Jesus replied. Instead, he asked them what those things were.
Luke 24:19-24 - 19 “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”
As the
disciples explained the events that took place, Jesus gently rebukes them.
Luke 24:25 - 25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
The believers
have believed one part of the prophecy and neglected the second half.
Luke 24:27 - 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
Jesus explained everything to them through the scriptures.
3. Revelation through scriptures
1)
Genesis
3:15
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring[a] and hers; he will crush[b] your head, and you will
strike his heel.”
This is what God said to Adam and Eve after they
ate the forbidden fruit. Here the offspring is Jesus. “strike on heel” is the
suffering that Jesus went through and “crushed” is defeating the death on the
cross.
2)
Genesis 22:2-13
2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only
son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him
there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
3 Early the next morning Abraham got up
and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac.
When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place
God had told him about.
In this passage, we see that
Abraham was quick to obey God. Some of the theologists say that at this point,
Isaac was a young man and not a small boy. We can see that Abraham was willing
to sacrifice and Isaac was willing to obey. Jesus told Cleopas and others that
Isaac was representative of Jesus.
3)
Exodus 12: 12-13
12 “On that same night I
will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both
people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I
am the Lord. 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses
where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No
destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.
God commanded Israelites to
sacrifice a lamb and put that blood on the door posts. This way, the angel of
death passed over their houses. This was celebrated as Passover, a festival to
the Lord. The lamb that was sacrificed was a representation of Jesus. When we
put our faith in Jesus who has sacrificed his life, we are saved from eternal
death.
4)
Isaiah 53:1-5 – this passage talks about Jesus.
V9 - He was assigned a grave with
the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
This verse talks about the tomb
of Joseph of Arimathea.
This way Jesus walked them through many more scriptures where he
showed his representation in many events – when Moses lifted up the pole with
snake on it, people looked at it and were healed of the diseases, Isaac was
taken to hill, Moriah which was later called Golgotha, the place where Jesus was
taken to be crucified.
4. Transformation of Disciples
Luke 24:28-32 - 28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
As Jesus was going farther, the disciples urged him to stay with
them as it was evening. Jesus agreed and when he sat at the table to eat with
them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to them. As he began to
give it to them, the disciples eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus. But
Jesus disappeared immediately. The disciples realized that their hearts were
burning because of the truth explained to them by Jesus. Because of that,
without finishing their meal at once, they got up and started going to
Jerusalem.
This is exactly what happens to us. When we read the word of God,
it has the power to transform our hearts and energizes us.
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