The Empty Tomb

The message was brought by Rev. Eddie Foster on April 9, 2023.

Mark 16:1-8 and Matthew 28:5-7 are the background scriptures.  5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.

The angel announced good news to the women with the instruction to not be afraid. The resurrection is not bad news. When you get afraid, remember the empty tomb.  HE IS ALIVE is the message from the tomb. Don’t seek the living among the dead.  COME AND SEE is another message from the tomb.  The women could see the evidence. Jesus wasn’t there. The resurrection is a historical fact. If there is any help for you at all, come and see Jesus.  GO QUICKLY AND TELL is the other message. Spread the news. Jesus is the hope for the world. 

Why is the resurrection key to Christianity?  If we’re confident in the resurrection, we can trust God that he will accomplish everything he said he would.  It shows us the living Christ, the ruler of Christianity. It makes us certain of our own resurrection one day. Death is not the end. There’s a future life. The power of Jesus Christ is there to bring us to life spiritually.

Jesus is the Son of God.  He came to save sinners. He was crucified in our place; he suffered rejection, a thorny crown, being beaten and bruised for our iniquities. He became poor so that we could be rich. Jesus went through a lot to pay our sin debt.  He was our substitute, our sin bearer. He died once, never again to be smitten. He arose on the third day conquering death, hell and the grave. You have been tried and convicted, sentenced to death and Jesus holds the key to pardon.  He alone sets the captives of Satan free. He has that power!

What’s so special about the resurrection?  It’s for our justification.  What is that?  It means that after we’re saved, after accepting Jesus as Savior in repentance from our sins, that God looks at us through his SON and sees us just as if we’d never sinned.  He no longer sees our sin; it’s forgiven and forgotten.  And it’s all through the blood of Jesus.

The empty tomb predicts our triumph.  The Lord is coming again, for us!  The tomb is ever open reminding us Jesus is not there. He’s alive forevermore and willing to save us.  Try Jesus.  You’ll find him to be all you’ll ever need in this life and the life to come.