He Has Risen

Good morning. Please follow along with me as I read today's scripture. John chapter 20 verses 1 through 9 this early on the first day of the week while it was still dark Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple the one Jesus loved and said They have taken the Lord out of the Tomb and we don't know where they have put him. So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb both were running but the other disciple outran Peter and reach the tomb first. Event over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there, but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there as well as the cloth that have been wrapped around Jesus's head. The cloth was still lying in its place separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple who would reach the tomb first also went inside. He saw and believed. They still did not understand from scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.

You know, the reason we do a Easter Sunrise Service isn't just to get everybody out of bed a little earlier. It's to celebrate what we just read about the women going to the tomb early that first Easter morning and finding that empty tomb.

you don't we can only imagine the joy that they felt as they started to finally realize what was going on is it soaked in but it first they didn't know because just hours before when they were heading to the tomb, you know, they were still grieving the loss as they were walking their they were thinking about that. They were thinking about the challenge of moving the stone. But then they're morning turn to Joy that first Easter. you know in all the gospel accounts the every writer record the first thing that the visitor tooth tomb saw was the fact that the stone has been rolled away.

I want to ask this morning, but why was the stone rolled away?

Well now you might say that it's a pretty silly question because obviously the stone was rolled away seen the Jesus come out of the Tomb, right? That's What we all think about that. You know, the stone was rolled away because Jesus had written had risen, but you know, I'm not sure if that's why the stone was rolled away. Cuz you know after all if we look a little farther into scripture a little bit later on that same Sunday evening in John chapter, 20 verses 19 and 20. It says on the evening of the first day of the week when the disciples were together with doors locked for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them and said peace be with you after he said this he showed them his hands in his side. The disciples were Overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Okay, all the disciples are meeting in this locked room that no one really knew where it was because they were afraid of what the Jews were going to do to each of them now that they had just sacrifice their leader on a cross. What would they do to them? So they're meeting trying to figure out what their plan is best to go forward in a locked room and Jesus just appears there. Well, Jesus can just appear in the middle of that room. Did he really need the stone rolled away so that he could get out. I don't think so. It didn't have to happen. I mean he wasn't trapped in there by that stone. I think that the stone was rolled away that morning so that the visitors to the tomb could go in. I think that's why it was rolled away that open Tomb was not a means of his exit but it was a means of their entrance they needed to be able to go in. You know the women went in and saw that Jesus wasn't there.

Peter and John Then followed and went in and saw the same thing. And I fully believe that God rolled away that stone not so that Jesus could rise, but so that we could truly know that he is risen. Because this that stone had never been rolled away if Jesus would have just came out as he was perfectly capable of there always would have been the question, right? That's well. No one really saw the tomb was empty. So did he really come out of it? Did he not really come out of it, but the empty tomb. ins all those arguments Yeah, it was rolled away. So that that empty tomb could be visible to everyone both those who believed in those who didn't believe to testify to the fact of the Resurrection. You know many people have tried to explain away. What happened that first Easter morning? But the tree still stands that the tomb is still empty. We serve a risen savior. And you know, it's because of the Rex resurrection of Jesus Christ that you and I have the hope that we have is Christians, you know. A new life that we can find as Believers in him when we fully put our trust in him and fully believe. That Christ did indeed rise from the dead and that's why we can look forward with the Hope knowing that we can one day live in heaven and spend all eternity with our heavenly father. Living life as God intended it because of the Resurrection.

mean look at Joven You know the amazing thing to me is I kept looking at this this week was to think.

Jobe said this long before Christ was even born.

Republican Job chapter 19 verses 25 through 27 Jobe says as he's just faced all these horrible calamities in his life. He says I know that my redeemer lives. And that in the end, he will stand upon the Earth and after my skin has been destroyed yet in my flesh. I will see God I myself will see him with my own eyes. I and not another. How my heart yearns Within Me?

Isn't it amazing that that truth in that reality? That is so close to what we read in the gospels was said by jove a long long time before Jesus was ever even born.

But you know to me it just testifies once again to the truth of scripture and how God inspired it all.

But what we want to focus on this morning is that the resurrection caused those who visited tune that morning? To run into going to tell others that Christ is risen. He is risen indeed.

I want us to each think about this morning of how should the resurrection affect us. How does it impact our life? How does it motivate us to share that same hope with other people?

You know, it's my prayer that that same realization that joke came to as he had just went through all those different things in his life. He had basically lost everything. He still Proclaim that my redeemer lives. And he looked forward to that day when he would see God face to face.

It's my prayer that this Easter we will all come to that same realization that joke did Please pray with me.

Heavenly father as we come to you this morning Lord. We just thank you for that realization Lord that my redeemer lives. And Lord, I pray that you will just help us no matter what we're facing in life Lord to hold tight to that. Hope that comes from knowing that Christ has conquered sin and death Lord that he Fought that battle Forest Lord that he died on the cross for our sins so that we may one day be with our Heavenly Father in heaven. and Lord, I pray that you will just help us to have a passion to share that with others and help them to have the hope that we have within us. We pray that's all in your most. Holy name. Amen. Now this morning we're going to do a responsive reading that you can find it in your Hymnal some pages 13 through 15. Or it will be up on the screen so you can follow along there too. If you want to and then at the end of that we will do communion with your covid-19 friendly communion cups that we have there.