There is a choice before you today. Everyone on earth is faced with it. What will you believe—the lie that Satan promotes or the Lord? Pilate was confused. He’d heard so much he asked “what is truth?” Think about what began at Easter. It was a time of accomplishment and because of that a time of the beginning of something new. The tomb was discovered empty and Jesus had risen from the dead. What will you believe?
Matthew 27: 62 Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,63 Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.64 Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.65 Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can.66 So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.
They felt Jesus was in error even calling him a deceiver. See how the devil works! If there is anyone we can trust it is Jesus Christ.
Matthew 28: 2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. 11 Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.12 And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,13 Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.14 And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.15 So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
Look at the measures taken. Jesus had been subjected physically to the worst torture a person could endure. Most would not have survived the torture prior to the cross. Jesus was dead, completely dead, and his enemies were still scared. The disciples had scattered in defeat. The Sanhedrin didn’t really believe they would do something with his body. In their heart they knew. Jesus walked on water and more. He subjected himself to the cross. They saw the power he had in his death. It brought a Roman Centurion to his knees at the feet of Jesus as proclaimed that truly he was the Son of God.
The Sanhedrin went to extreme measures and convinced Pilate to put guards at the tomb. How foolish. If death couldn’t hold him, how could soldiers! They tried every way to keep Jesus in the tomb. The devil has tried his best to confuse people. There is no length that sinful man has not gone to deny who Jesus is—AND they called him a deceiver. Now his name is a curse word. It’s a slur against God and nothing more. They wanted to cover up the truth from those who had an opportunity to believe.
There is not another truth. Either Jesus died as a man and went to the tomb or he died as Savior and rose from the grave. It has been infallibly proven that Jesus died an innocent death for the guilty. He took our sins and our death. Regardless of how many guards were there, they could not hold him in the tomb. No matter how many lies you want to buy into, you have to betray your heart to believe them. One truth exists.
I guarantee you the soldiers looked into that tomb and saw the two angels inside. They saw that Jesus had come through those grave clothes and wrapped the face cloth neatly to the side. Their duty was to report what they knew. Reporting anything less than the facts could have cost them their lives. They told the Sanhedrin and the priests what they saw. They would have told about the angels and the earthquake. This would have scared even the Sanhedrin. It scares the devil when we believe the truth and see how hopeless we are without God. The real truth of Easter is that Jesus died for our sins and rose again. Because of that we can be saved from an aimless life. We don’t have to go to hell. We can go to heaven if we believe.
The Sanhedrin ordered the soldiers to lie. The devil knows the truth. The demons of hell know the truth—Jesus died and his blood atones for sin. He rose again. The devil influenced the Sanhedrin and told them to tell a lie. The soldiers were given money. He will give you anything to get you to buy the lie. I’m beseeching you to believe the truth and not the lies. Jesus is alive and has the scars to prove how much he loves us. The soldiers were ordered to lie and it was the beginning of one generation to another of people buying into the lie that Jesus is not the Son of God and that he never rose from the dead. The devil’s lie is still working. People would rather believe the foolishness told them than the truth. Satan wants the light of the gospel hidden. He will tell us anything to keep us from believing Jesus. He’s selling the lie. Don’t keep falling for it. Many are. Our high schools are full of homosexual couples and our colleges are full of people who think all sorts of sins are ok. The lie of Easter is the seed to all sorts of sin and wickedness. If you don’t believe Jesus has risen, you don’t believe he died for your sins. If you don’t believe he’s God’s Son, you will believe there is no God.
To many people, authority lies in self, in Hollywood or Washington DC. If you believe that you’ll go to hell. One second after death you’ll see truth. Buying the lie will cost more than you can ever pay and turn you into something you never thought. You can see how fallen the world has become by listening to just the language in use by many people today.
The emptiness of the tomb and the expanse of the empty cross are greater than the outreach of the lie. Buying the lie will take all you have and then some, taking your soul into eternity without God. The truth remains. Paul said in II Timothy nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure…. Calvary and the empty tomb are the foundation of our salvation. This stands regardless of the lies. They do nothing against the Lord. They only harm those who believe them. You are being coerced by the devil himself to believe the lie. It’s time to stop believing the lie and believe the truth. Jesus involved us all on Calvary. Believe truth and sensibility. The truth of God is not affected by the lie of the devil.
There are two Easter stories. In one the disciples slipped in and stole the body of Jesus. They took it somewhere else or revived him because he wasn’t really dead. You’ll end up with nothing. Believe that lie or believe the other story—Jesus died on the cross for your sins. He arose from the dead. You cannot deny that in one ear the devil is telling you his story and in the other you hear God telling to believe him. The truth will straighten out your life giving you a tomorrow worth living for today.
What about it?
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 