Hear It, Remember It, Believe It

Luke 24:1-12

April 4, 2010 – ©Rev. Dr. Linnea E. Carnes

Introduction

One afternoon a father and his 5-year-old son drove past a cemetery together. Noticing a large pile of dirt beside a newly dug grave, he pointed & said: “Look, Dad, one got out!” The father laughed, but said that every time he passes a cemetery, he is reminded of the One who got out. [PreachingToday.com, “One Escapes from Grave” (Phil Callaway, from the April 16 entry of Men of Integrity (March/April 2006)].

Today we remember and celebrate the One and Only who got out alive – Jesus Christ.

Some of you have heard this story many times. Some of you have never heard it before. Some of you may never have been to a Celebration of the Resurrection.

Hear the Good News

The story of Easter is such Good News and so important that we need to tell it every year.

Luke 24 tells us that it was the first day of the week – Sunday. The women came to the tomb to bring more spices for Jesus’ body. Jesus died on Friday and was placed in a stone tomb. However, because Friday evening was the beginning of Sabbath for the Jews, they couldn’t finish putting spices on the body. They had to wait until Sunday morning.

A large stone had been rolled across the entrance to the tomb and could have been a problem for the women. But the stone had already been rolled away. When they entered the tomb they saw that the body of Jesus was gone. Then “suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.” [v.4]. The women bowed down, afraid to look at the men, who we believe were angels.

They said, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!” [v.5b-6].

Why do you look for the living among the dead? Jesus is not here; he has risen!

The women had seen Jesus die on the cross. They had come to the tomb on Friday and saw Jesus’ body placed in the tomb and then placed spices on his body. They knew that Jesus was dead on Friday.

Could it really be true that Jesus was alive, that he had risen? YES! Hear the Good News of Easter! Jesus was dead, but now was alive! Death lost! Life wins!! Jesus got out alive!!

Remember the Good News

The angels said, “Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ Then they remembered his words. [v7-8].

Jesus’ disciples had heard him say three times, “‘The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.’ But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.” [Mk.9:31-32]. They heard the Good News, but didn’t understand it. They were afraid to ask Jesus what he meant, so they just forgot he ever said it. Since dying never sounds like good news, they didn’t remember it.

We need to remember that Jesus Christ died for us, for the forgiveness of our sins. Without his death, we cannot be made right with God, our Father. Our sins separate us from our holy God. Without his death on the cross we are lost.

Because Jesus died, he could be raised from the dead. And having been brought back to life, we have the hope of new life. Because he died, we have life.

Pastor Bill Hybels told how he had seen a newscast about a big Vietnam veteran’s parade in Chicago. Part of the commemoration was a mobile version of the Vietnam Wall. Like the original, it bore the names of all the soldiers who had died in Vietnam. Hybels said one newscaster asked a vet why he had come all the way to Chicago to visit this memorial and to participate in the parade. The soldier looked straight into the face of the reporter and with tears flowing down his face said, ‘Because of this man right here.”

As the soldier continued to talked, he was pointing to the name of a friend that was etched in the wall. He traced the letters of his friend’s name in the wall. The soldier said, “This man right here gave his life for me. He gave his life for me.” As the news clip ended, the sobbing soldier let the tears flow as he stood there tracing the name of his friend with his finger.

It was hard for that man to get his heart and mind around the sacrifice of his friend so he kept retracing the story. We have that problem, too. There is, of course, someone who gave his life for us. [PreachingToday.com, “Retracing the Story of Christ’s Sacrifice” (Lee Eclov, in the sermon “Blasphemy!” PreachingToday.com)].

We too need to remember what Jesus has done for us. We need to hear again the Good News. Easter is a time to hear the story and remember that Christ died for us and was raised to life so we can have life.

Believe the Good News

In Luke 24:9-11, the story continues.

When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 

The disciples too had heard the Good News. Jesus had told them what God was going do for them. But they had forgotten what Jesus said. They didn’t remember what he had told them. So when the women came back from the tomb, and told them the angels said that Jesus had risen, they didn’t believe them.

The disciples too had seen Jesus die. They knew he was dead when he was laid in the tomb. After what he went through, he didn’t just recover in the tomb. He couldn’t have pushed the stone away from the tomb. And really, these were just women saying this. Men knew better than to believe women’s silly stories. They wanted some hard facts.

Peter then ran to the tomb to see for himself. What he saw left him wondering – but not really believing. The angels didn’t appear to him. There were no voices telling him that Jesus had risen. He needed more evidence.

Peter heard the Good News but didn’t remember.

Some people come to church on Easter to hear the story again. They may remember the story from the last Easter, but they want to hear it again. Maybe this time it will make more sense. They do not yet believe. They want more evidence.

The disciples got the evidence they needed to believe that Jesus was alive when he appeared to them in a locked room. Peter later said, “You rejected the Holy and Righteous One … and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.” [Acts3:14-15].

In 1 Corinthians 15:3b-6, it says, “Christ died for our sins, just as Scriptures said. He was buried and he was raised from the dead on the third day, as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the twelve apostles. After that, he was seen by more than five hundred of his followers at one time.”

The evidence was in. Jesus had risen from the dead. His followers had seen him alive. They even ate and drank with him before he ascended to the Father.

Preacher and author Frederick Buechner wrote: "The earliest reference to the Resurrection is Saint Paul's, and he makes no mention of an empty tomb at all. But … in a way, it hardly matters how the body of Jesus came to be missing because what convinced the people that he had risen from the dead was not the absence of his corpse but his living presence. And so it has been ever since." [Communication Resources, “The Wired Word,” April 4, 2010].

When we experience the transforming life of Jesus in us, we know he is alive! And if we believe that Jesus is alive, then we live like Jesus is alive!

Believing in our Risen Lord changes us. Life has new meaning because Jesus is alive in us when we believe.

Celebrate the Good News

Those who believe, don’t come on Easter Sunday just to hear the Good News, so they can remember it for another year.

Hearing and remembering isn’t enough. It’s only Good News if you believe it.

Believe the promises of Jesus, who is life:

“I have come that [those who believe in me] may have life, and have it to the full.” [Jn.10:10].

“I am the way and the truth and the life.” [Jn14:6].

“I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.” [Jn11:25-26].

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.” [Jn.3:36].

“Because I live, you also will live.” [Jn.14:19b].

· Those who believe the Good News, come to celebrate the Risen Christ.

· Those who believe the Good News come to sing alleluias to the One who got out alive.

You have heard the Good News!

Remember the Good News!

And remember that it’s only Good News if you believe it.

· Jesus Christ, who died for your sins, has risen! He is alive!

· Christ is risen! — He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

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This sermon is copyright ©2010 by Rev. Dr. Linnea E. Carnes, Immanuel Evangelical Covenant Church, Chicago, Illinois.