Easter Dawn

Easter Dawn   

April 15, 2001 

Luke 24:1-11   

Reasoning Through the Resurrection  

Introduction:  The account of the resurrection according to St. Luke is devoid of the spectacular. There is no earthquake, no rolling away of the stone, any terrified soldiers, or even the appearance of angels. Luke presents for us the reality of the resurrection as it happened, as a cold, hard fact. Luke gives us reasonable evidence that the resurrection is a reality; he uses reasoning as proof of the resurrection. We need this account for our world today, as we can not have a reappearance of the risen Lord. Today is the first Easter of the 21st Century. How will the world today be convinced of the reality of the resurrection?  Let's consider the evidence.

The cold fact of an empty tomb v. 3 "And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus."

Many great religious and spiritual leaders have walked the face of this earth. Buddha Mohammed, Confucius, Abraham, Moses; just to mention a few.  They each share a common legacy. If you would go to their tombs you would find their bones, as they are all dead. You can not say that concerning Jesus Christ. When you go to His tomb, His grave, you will find it empty.

The empty tomb is a cold hard fact that confirms the resurrection. His body is no longer there. It has risen. What happened to the body?  The tomb is empty! A skeptical and doubting world will have to answer that question. We have an answer. The tomb is empty because Christ is alive. He is risen from the dead.

The logic of the situation v. 5  "And they said unto them, Why seek the living among the dead?"

We as Christians do not worship a dead Christ. We worship a living Lord. That is the logic of the situation. Why would you seek the living among the dead? They can not rise. They can not speak. They can not handle. They can not answer prayer. They can do nothing for they are dead.

Christ, to the contrary is alive forever. So why seek Him among the dead? Such logic should be extended to our prayers. If Jesus were dead then our prayers would be simply words spoken to the wind, or, at best, spoken only to ourselves. But when we speak we address a living and triumphant God. For what is prayer other then a heart to heart speaking with a living and triumphant Savior. Why would we seek Him among the dead? He is not there He is risen and living. He lives eternally to save us and to hear us when we pray. The logic of Easter suggests nothing else!

Trust in the words of Jesus vv.6-8 "…remember how He spake unto you when He was yet in Galilee, saying the Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again. And they remembered His Words"

The resurrection did not happen as a fluke. It was predicted by Jesus countless times on many occasions. He had promised His disciples, on the third day that He would rise from the dead. He told them, "destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up"(John 2:19) And the Scripture is quick to remind us that this He was speaking of His own body. {John 2:21}

Jesus' predictions all came true. He promised us a resurrection and that is precisely what we got. He guarantees each and every promise. We can trust Him at His Word. When He makes a promise to us He is duty bound to keep His Word. He can do nothing less then keep His promises. Because He lives He will hear our prayers and answer them according to His perfect plan and design for your life. This you can count on Jesus will keep His Word!

Conclusion:  How do you react too an experience like the first Easter?  Can we today shard the women's experience? By faith we can!  Rejoice, then this day, He is risen, He is risen indeed hallelujah!