HE IS NOT HERE! HE IS RISEN!!

TEXT: LUKE 24:1-39.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not a resuscitation, it is the new creation beginning. Easter is not just an event, it is a revelation:

We need intimacy with Jesus Christ to heal our emptiness. The resurrection of Jesus Christ conquers our fears, removes or doubts and forgives our failures. Let us learn:-

WHAT HARDENED ON THIS DAY 2,000 YEARS AGO?

• Jesus Christ the son of God rose from the dead on the third day.
• The resurrection of Jesus Christ happened on the first day of the week-Sunday.
• This day of today is called the resurrection Sunday.
• The ground begun to rumble an earthquake shook the center of hell.
• Death was overcome and the saints of old were risen from their graves.
• Life reigned triumphant, now we serve a risen Savior!!
• Christians ought to have a positive outlook on life because we know that Jesus is risen from the dead!!

THE SHOCKING DEFINITION OF RESURRECTION!! 

What the resurrection does not mean:

1. Resurrection is not resuscitation of a dead body.
2. Resurrection is not the reviving of a person whose heart has stopped beating or who has stopped breathing or whose brain has ceased to function to resume the kind of life they had before.

What resurrection does mean:

1. The Greek word, “anastasis” is used almost exclusively of Jesus resurrection and the future resurrection of all the dead.
2. In Acts 26:23, Paul says that “Christ was the first to rise from the dead.”

• Jesus is the first fruit from the dead means He is the first to rise from the dead never to die again.
• Lazarus, Jairus daughter, the son of the widow of Nain, were not first fruit from the dead for they died again!! But Jesus rose never to die again.

Jesus’ earthly body was transformed, not only at the cellular or atomic level, but deeper.

• God is going to destroy this present universe and create a new heaven and earth where there is never been a fall or sin.
• God reached forward and brought back into this universe that resurrection life and recreated Jesus’ body as the first act of creation of that new order of things!!

The Bible declares that God “Exerted” His mighty strength when He raised Christ from the dead-Ephesians 1:19-22.

• That is why Jesus “rose” with a different kind of body.
• This body that Christ rose with has different characteristics and properties.

Characteristics of His resurrected body.

1. He could pass through walls.
2. He could appear instantly many kilometers away.
3. His body was not hindered by gravity.
4. He could pass through outer space without a space suit.
5. His resurrected body and our resurrected bodies will never be capable of dying again.
6. It cannot experience pain-Rev. 21:4, “There will be no more pain.”

EASTER IS NOT JUST AN EVENT, BUT AN EXPERIENCE.

There is an inner void in you and me.

Christianity is not a mere religion, it is a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

• Religions are man-made and are always based on people’s efforts to please God.

The world around us is world of outer relationships. We develop friendships and families.

• But God, our creator sees us as precious treasure and He longs to have a close relationship with us.

The Great physist Blaise Pascal saint, “There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every person that only God can fill.”

• None of us can be truly satisfied without Jesus!!

You need intimacy with God.

• Intimacy is a heart to heart relationship or transparency.
• In intimacy we become one with God, one is the Spirit, our desires become His desires.
• Our oneness with God results in our wholeness. We are incomplete without God.
• When we get restored to God’s presence, healing and wholeness take place.
• Easter is much more than a date on the calendar. It is a walk with God, being set free, made whole.

JESUS’ RESURRECTION MEANS YOU CAN HAVE-

1. Courage that conquers fear.

After Christ was crucified, the disciples were afraid they would be the next to be arrested and killed.

• After Christ was crucified, the disciples were afraid they would be the next to be arrested and killed.
• They locked the doors whenever they met together.

But Jesus Christ came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

• He showed them His hands and His feet and His side.
• “The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the LORD”-Luke 24:42.
• Their fear was replaced by joy!!

     2. A hope that removes your doubts.

1. The Apostle Thomas was sceptic. He lived by the scientific method which says, “If I can’t feel it, see it, hear it or smell it, I won’t believe it.”
2. When Thomas heard others talking about Jesus’ resurrection, he told them, “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands and unless I put my hands on His side, I will not believe”-John 20:25.
3. Jesus Christ gave Thomas a special visit to confirm His resurrection-John 20:27-28.

• If you have doubts and fears Jesus will meet you-come to Him with your troubles.

      3. Grace that forgives your failures:

1. Peter denied the Lord three times, but Christ gave him a second chance-John 21:15-19.
2. Whatever ways you may have failed, the Lord already knows about them. He is ready to forgive you.

• He is the Lord who forgives. Don’t delay in getting right with Him!!

CONCLUSION.

• He is not here, in the tomb, He is risen indeed.
• Only a living Christ can forgive sin and save the lost.
• He rose up from the dead, never to die again.
• An empty tomb is there to prove that Jesus Christ is risen, He ascended to heaven, He is coming again.
• Blessed and happy are they that put their trust in the risen, soon to come Lord. Maranatha!!