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Luke 24:1-12; 36-48
OH, WHAT A MORNING!
Intro: Our Bibles are filled with statements about the morning. We are told that our Savior prayed early in the morning.
Joshua, in the Old Testament, is pictured as a man who rose up early in the morning. Think of that morning in Gen. 22 when
Abraham rose up early and took Isaac to Mt. Moriah to sacrifice him. What a morning it was for Jacob when he awakened from
sleep in the morning and set up a pillar of stones in honor of God at Bethel. It must have been a glorious morning for Daniel
when the first rays of sunshine lit up the city of Babylon after that night in the lions den. Imagine how beautiful was the
morning for the disciples after they spent that terrible night on the Sea of Galilee in that storm. Yes, all of these were
great mornings. However none of them can compare to the morning that is discussed in the passage we have read this morning.
I would like for us to spend some time today looking at that great morning when our Lord, Jesus Christ, conquered death,
Hell and the grave forever. There has never been a morning like that before, nor shall there ever be one like it hereafter.
Oh what a morning it was when Jesus rose again! Oh what a morning it was when He pulled the stinger from death and gave life
eternal to all those who will place their faith in Him. Oh, what a morning that was! Now, please understand that the resurrection
of the Lord Jesus has effects that reach down to this very day. You see: HE IS ALIVE this morning! Please join me for a few
minutes as we journey through these verses and think on the thought: Oh, What A Morning!
IT WAS A MORNING OF:
I. V. 1 SOLEMN REFLECTIONS
A. As the morning began to dawn on the first day of the week after Jesus had died on the cross, some women came to the
tomb to finish anointing the body of our Lord for His burial. This anointing process had been started by Nicodemus and Joseph
of Arimithea on the day our Lord died, John 19:38-42. While these women were heading to the tomb, our Lord's disciples were
locked up inside the Upper Room trembling in fear that the same kind of death that Jesus had met awaited them also, John 20:19.
Certainly, these women were sad and the disciples were scared. Just as the Jesus has said, the Shepherd had been smitten
and the sheep had scattered, Mark 14:27.
B. Why were they so upset? They had all believed Jesus to be the Messiah. They had placed their faith in Him and they
had expected that He would set up His Kingdom, throwing off the Roman yoke of bondage. Even though He had told them of the
cross and of the resurrection, they had never grasped the message, or the meaning of Christ's words. Now, He is dead! The
One that they had placed all their hopes in was gone. This man Who had so radically changed their lives by His power and had
demonstrated the love and power of God to them had died a violent and humiliating death. Surely, it was a sad day for His
followers!
C. As I reflect on the sadness of the disciples, I can understand their grief! Even Paul spoke about it in 1 Corinthians
15:12-19. He tells us that if Jesus were dead this morning, then we all have reason to grieve! If Jesus is dead, then we are
all headed to Hell and none has hope beyond this life. And, even in this life, we are most miserable!
I. It Was A Morning Of Solemn Reflections
IT WAS A MORNING OF:
II. V. 2-12 STARTLING REVELATIONS
A. In the midst of their sadness on that morning, God the Father took great pains to minister to the needs of their hearts.
Aren't you glad that the Lord cares when you hurt? He moved in several mighty ways to encourage the hearts of these saddened
believers. Note a few of the things He did:
1. He rolled the stone away from the tomb - v. 2; Mark 16:2-3; Matt. 28:2. (Ill. Not to let Jesus escape, but to allow
man the opportunity to look in!)
2. He sent an angelic messenger with the good news that Jesus was alive from the dead - v. 4-7; Matt. 28:2-7; Mark 16:5-7.
(Ill. Never has the world heard a message like that one! It still reverberates through the halls of time and will through
out eternity - He is Alive!)
3. He had a word of encouragement for Peter, who had denied Him - Mark 16:7.
4. He met Mary Magdalene outside the tomb -
John 20:11-17. (Ill. She had a great love for the Master - Mark 16:6.) (Ill. Great love begets great love - Luke 7:47;
1 John 4:19)
5. He left a message for His followers inside the tomb - John 20:5-8. (Ill. The oriental custom of the napkin. When a
man with servants was eating a meal, he would use his napkin to signal them during the course of the meal. If he left the
table and wadded his napkin up, it meant that he was finished and would not be back. If, however, he neatly folded the napkin,
it told his servants that he was stepping away for a moment, but he would be back! Jesus was telling His disciples, "I
may be out of your sight right now, but I'll be right back!")
6. He revealed Himself to other disciples as they traveled - Luke 24:13-35.
B. There were many other things that took place on that resurrection morning that marked it as a great and glorious day.
For us, 2,000 years removed from the resurrection, the message has not changed one bit! We still need to hear the good news
that Jesus has risen from the dead! He is alive today and there is hope for tomorrow!
(Ill. That person who is trapped in sin and sees no avenue of escape needs to know that Jesus made a way to set you free!
You need to know, dear friend, that if you come to Jesus for salvation or for help that He will be there to hear you, to save
you and to help you through this life. Everyone in the building needs to know that Jesus is alive!)
C. Thank God for the proof that Jesus lives! There is a song we sing sometimes around Resurrection Day that says this:
I serve a risen Savior, He's in the world today;
I know that He is living, whatever men may say;
I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer;
And just the time I nned Him He's always near.
He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me
along life's narrow way.
He lives! He lives! Salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart.
I. It Was A Morning Of Solemn Reflections
II. It Was A Morning Of Startling Revelations
IT WAS A MORNING OF:
III. V. 36-43 STUNNING REALIZATIONS
A. While the disciples were cowering in the Upper Room out of fear for their lives, something miraculous happened in their
presence. Jesus, the One Who had died just three days before, was standing in their midst! They were terrified and thought
they saw a ghost. However, Jesus had some news to tell. He showed them the nail holes in His hands and in His feet and to
prove that He was real, He offered to let them touch Him and then He sat down with them to eat. Most of the disciples hadn't
believed until this moment, now they are convinced, Jesus is alive!
(Ill. The statement: "And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered..." means that it seemed too good
to be true. They were beside themselves with joy and couldn't believe what they were seeing! It was an exciting moment for
the disciples of our Lord.)
B. This is what needs to happen in the lives of many people living in our world today. Men need to realize that Jesus
Christ is more than a baby in a manger or some poor old fellow Who got Himself crucified. He is more than a story in a dusty
old book. People need to understand that Jesus is alive! He is real and that He is the only hope people have of missing Hell
and getting to Heaven, John 14:6; Acts 16:31. We need to grasp the truth this morning that it was not some bonnet wearing,
basket toting, egg hiding bunny rabbit that dies for you and me and then arose from the dead. This day is about Jesus! It
is about the fact that He died for our sins while we were yet sinners, Rom. 5:8. It is about the fact that He was buried and
then three days later, He kicked the backdoor out of the tomb for ever and made a way for you and me to enter into eternal
life by our merely trusting Him as our Savior!
(Ill. Who is Jesus to you? Is He just a story on the page of a book, or is He real in your heart this morning? You see,
just knowing about Jesus and what He did will not save your soul. You have to know Him in a personal and real way before you
can be saved from your sins and from an eternity in Hell! Who is Jesus to you? It is a question that must be faced by all
men. Jesus posed it to His disciples, Matt. 16:15:16, "Whom say ye that I am?" Peter had the right answer, do you?
Another question that needs to be asked and answered is the one asked by Pilate in Matt 27:22, " What shall I do then
with Jesus which is called Christ?" What is your answer to these important questions this morning?
I. It Was A Morning Of Solemn Reflections
II. It Was A Morning Of Startling Revelations
III. It Was A Morning Of Stunning Realizations
IT WAS A MORNING OF:
IV. V. 44-48 SPIRITUAL REPERCUSSIONS
A. As they ate that first Resurrection Morning, Jesus began to tell His disciples that God's plan was to save the world.
They had been called by the Father to be witnesses of that and they were to spread the news that a great spiritual victory
had been won when Jesus arose from the dead.
B. When Jesus arose from the dead, old enemies that had plagued man since sin entered into the world were forever defeated
that day. Let's take a moment to notice a few of them right now.
1. Death - Imagine the struggle that ensued early that morning as death had to give up the Prince of Life! No more would
death be able to claim the victory and sting with human race with its bitter curse. Jesus entered into deaths domain and rendered
it helpless. Now, for the child of God, death is merely the doorway from this land of sorrow to that Heavenly land of splendor
where every tear shall be wiped from every eye and the saints of God will live forever in the glorious presence of our exalted
Savior! (Ill. 2 Cor. 5:8; 1 Cor. 15:54-57.)
2. Hell - When Jesus entered death for mankind, He descended into a place called Hell. He went to the paradise portion
of that land of the dead, Luke 16:19-31. This was the same place that the redeemed thief on the cross went to when he died,
Luke 23:43. Jesus went down there and proclaimed liberty to every person in that place who had died looking forward to His
coming in faith, 1 Pet. 3:18-19. Then, when He arose from the dead and ascended to His Father in Heaven, the Bible tells us
that He took those souls with Him to the Father in Heaven, Eph. 4:8-10. Now, all those who believe in Jesus go directly to
the Father when they leave this world. Hell has forever been removed for the child of God!
3. The Grave - Another enemy that died that day was the grave. All his life, man lives in fear of that moment when he
will lay down his body in death. As one of our members and I were talking the other day, we are ready to go to Heaven, but
we will always fight for that next breath! However, I am afraid that we have the wrong perspective when it comes to the grave.
That hole in the ground is nothing more than a place to store this old worn out, sin-ridden carcase until the day of the resurrection!
When we lay this flesh down in death, our spirits ascend to the Father in Heaven, 1 Cor. 5:8. The next time we see our bodies,
they will be glorified and will be like His body, 1 Thes. 4:13-18; 1 John 3:1-3. One of these days, the grave will have to
give up the body that has been placed there and that body will be forever changed into one just like that worn by our Savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ.
(Ill. Instead of weeping at the side of a departed saint, we ought to shout ourselves hoarse. They have outstripped us
and are already home with Jesus in glory. My what a blessing to know!)
4. Sin - Another enemy that died that day was sin. Now, in truth, sin had been taken care of three days earlier on the
cross, but the resurrection of Christ from the dead is the Father's "Amen" to the sacrifice of the Son on the cross.
You see, a dead Savior can save no one! But One Who is alive can save all who come to Him by faith - Heb. 7:25. That is a
big verse and promises great things to everyone who will believe its message. Folks, sin doesn't have to defeat you! Jesus
won the victory over sin on the cross and nailed its coffin lid shut when He arose from the dead. You can be free by faith
in Jesus.
5. Satan - I'll mention just one more enemy that took a beating that day. His name is Satan, the devil, old slew foot,
the dragon, the accuser of the brethren, that old serpent, whatever name you want to call him, the outcome is the same. He
is the enemy of God and of the people of God. He tried every way he could to short-circuit Christ's plans to go to the cross,
(Ill. The babies in Bethlehem; the storm on Galilee; the Temptation; the oppression in Gethsemane, etc.) However, Jesus endured
every temptation, He weathered every storm and made it to the cross. When He cried "It is finished!", Satan heard
the foundations under his kingdom begin to crack. Three days later, when Jesus arose from the dead, Satan witness the total
destruction of every plan and every scheme. He saw his power broken and himself judged. He was defeated forever by the Lord
Jesus!
(Ill. Let me read you what the Bible says about the devil's future - Rev. 20:1-3, 7-10! Glory! Victory has forever been
won over the devil!)
C. Do you understand it yet?
Because Jesus lives, You and I can be saved by the grace of God.
Because He lives, we can have our sins washed away forever.
Because He lives, we can go to Heaven when we leave this world.
Because He lives, the grave has no power over those who believe.
Because He lives, eternal live is our present possession.
Because He lives, one day we too will live with Him in that heavenly city.
Because He lives, I'll never have to take a step in this world alone.
Because He lives, there is hope, there is help and there is a home awaiting us in eternity.
Because He lives, I am alive.
Because He lives, my sins have been removed as far as the east is from the west.
Because He lives, my name is written in the Lamb's book of life.
Because He lives, God is my Father.
Because He lives, sin has no more dominion over me. Because He lives I am saved forever.
Oh, the list could go on forever. Until we had exhausted all the vocabulary and language of men. What we need to understand
this morning is that HE LIVES!!
Conc: I ask you, have you come to the realization that Jesus is alive and that He is Who you need? Do you understand what
will happen if you die without Him? Do you realize that there is no other way into Heaven than through the Lord Jesus Christ?
Did you know that He loves you? Did you know that His death was for you? Did you know that His death will not mean anything
to you until you bow before Him in repentance and humility and confess you sins unto Him? Did you know that you could do that
very thing this morning and be forever saved today? You can! All you have to do is come to Him. All you have to do is believe
in Him! All you need to do is leave where you are sitting and come before the Lord today and be saved by grace!
Oh, what a morning that was when Jesus rose again! Why not let this be the morning when you allow Him to fix whatever
is wrong in you heart today? Hey, He lives and He lives for you!
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