He is Risen
Text: Luke 24:1-12
Core Idea: Jesus is not in the tomb. He is alive. And that means His promises are true, His work is finished, and His grace is still available to us today. So come to Him, trust Him, and go tell others that Christ is risen.
INTRODUCTION
Good morning, Lighthouse. Happy Easter. If you’re visiting us today, we’re so glad that you’re here. Whether a friend has invited you or you’re simply exploring the Christian faith, we want you to know that you are truly welcome here. We’re thankful that you chose to spend this morning with us. And my prayer for you is that today wouldn’t be just another Easter where you see Jesus as a figure from the past, but as the living Lord who is present even now – that this wouldn’t simply inform your mind but awaken your heart. Last week on Palm Sunday, we saw Jesus enter Jerusalem as the Promised King, the Humble King, and the Weeping King. He was welcomed with praise but misunderstood by the crowds, who could not see Him for who He truly was. And yet, even as He entered the city, He knew exactly where this would lead to. He knew He wasn’t walking toward a throne but toward a cross, not toward celebration but toward suffering, not toward being crowned but toward being crucified. And now, a week later, everything had unfolded just as He said it would. He had been rejected and killed on the cross – the One who came to bring peace had been laid in a tomb. Now, if we were there at that moment, it would’ve felt like the end. All the hope and all the anticipation for a new Kingdom would’ve been crushed. But today, we’ll see that the cross wasn’t the end of the story – because on the third day, something happened that changed everything. Then, with that in mind, please turn your Bibles to Luke 24:1-12. And I’ll invite Eli and Aiden to come up and read the passage for us.
1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you, while He was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” 8 Then they remembered His words. 9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
Thank you, Eli and Aiden, for reading the passage for us. And children, I hope you enjoyed that video. Let me share three things we see in the lives of these women:
· THEY EXPECTED DEATH
· THEY FORGOT HIS WORDS
· THEY COULD NOT STAY SILENT
1) THEY EXPECTED DEATH
Look with me at verse 1. Here, we read that the women took the spices and went to the tomb. Now, why did they bring spices? Because Jesus had died. In their culture, this was part of the burial custom – a way to honor the body and cover the stench of decay. In many ways, this was a final act of love and devotion. Then, what this tells us is that these women weren’t coming to the tomb expecting a miracle – they were coming expecting death. They came to mourn and pay their respects because in their minds, the story was over. In fact, they weren’t the only ones who thought that Jesus was dead. If you look at Chapter 23, Joseph of Arimathea believed Jesus was dead – which is why he asked Pilate for the body. The Roman soldiers believed Jesus was dead – which is why they took Him down from the cross. Pilate believed Jesus was dead – which is why he released the body. The disciples believed Jesus was dead – which is why they were hiding in fear. No one was standing outside the tomb saying, “Just wait – He’ll be out any minute now.” No one expected the resurrection. And that matters because sometimes we assume that people back then were primitive and naïve – that they would believe anything. But that’s simply not true. They knew what we know – that when people die, they stay dead. They knew that death was final – that it was irreversible. And these women, like everyone else, had conceded to that reality. But what makes this so striking is that Jesus had already told them this would happen. Luke 18:31-33: “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock Him, insult Him and spit on Him; they will flog Him and kill Him. On the third day He will rise again.” In fact, He said this not once but three times. The first half came true – He really was betrayed, crucified, and killed. But when that happened, no one believed the second half. They saw the cross – but they couldn’t see beyond it. They saw the grave – but they couldn’t imagine victory over it. In other words, they had His Word – but death felt more real than His Word. Now, it’s important to point out that these women were sincere in their devotion. Their love for Jesus was genuine. But we must recognize that sincere devotion can still be misguided – which is why love for Jesus must be joined with the truth about Jesus. And what this passage tells us is that Jesus is not one of the dead heroes from the past – He’s the living Lord in the present. He is alive – which means that we can’t come to Him the way we go to a cemetery. Think about it. When you visit a gravesite of someone you loved, you may bring flowers. You may think about the person. You may even feel deeply moved and cry a bit. But it’s not personal. You’re not talking to them – you can’t talk to them. You’re not interacting with them – you’re interacting with their memory.
And sadly, this is how some of us come to Christ. We come to Him with respect – but not with expectation. We come to Him with routine – but not with relationship. We remember what He has done – but we don’t engage with who He is right now. In other words, we treat Him more like a memory than a living Savior. Here’s how this gets played out in our lives. Some of us reduce our faith to ritual. We show up on Sundays. We sing. We pray. We go through the motions. But our hearts are distant. We’re not really expecting Him to speak. We’re not really listening. We’re not really responding. We’re just placing our flowers – and walking away. Others come with sentiment – but not surrender. We feel something when we think about the cross. We’re moved by Jesus’ sacrifice. But admiration hasn’t led to obedience. We’re touched – but not transformed. Some of us only come to Jesus in crisis. Just as people visit the gravesites of their loved ones when they’re weighed down by life, we turn to Jesus only when life falls apart. But once things settle, we drift away again. There’s no ongoing relationship – just occasional visits when we’re overwhelmed. Others come with offerings – but not with themselves. We give our time, money, and service. We stay busy doing things for Him. But we never actually give Him our hearts. We don’t sit before Him. We don’t listen. We don’t open our lives fully to Him. We bring our “flowers” – but not our lives. And if we’re honest, some of us don’t really expect anything from Him anymore. We don’t expect Him to change us. We don’t expect Him to answer prayer or work in power. So, we keep our distance from the Lord and cling to what’s tangible – things we can see and control, things we assume are more real and necessary. Brothers and sisters, this is what it looks like to treat Jesus as if He’s still in the tomb. We may not say it out loud – but we live like it. Now, if this describes you today, I invite you to look to the empty tomb again because it reminds us that Jesus is not dead – He is alive. And if He’s alive, He can’t be someone you visit occasionally – He must be someone you walk with daily. If He’s alive, He is not silent – He is speaking to us today through His Word. If He’s alive, He is not distant – He is present with His people. If He’s alive, He is not powerless – He is actively at work in your life. I pray that you would have ears to hear this because I wonder if this is why some of you feel so discouraged. It may not only be because life is hard – it may be because your circumstances have become more real to you than Christ Himself. The reason you feel spiritually drained may not only be because you’re busy – it may be because you’re trying to live without actively feeding on the hope that belongs to you in Christ. The reason you feel joyless, burdened, and restless may not only be because your responsibilities are many – it may be because you’ve been relating to Jesus as dead instead of alive. So, let me ask you: Are you relating to Jesus as if He’s alive? Or are you just visiting Him like a memory? These women came to honor a dead Savior – but they were about to encounter the risen Lord. And the same invitation stands before us today. Then, don’t come to Jesus just to put down your flowers, service, money – only to walk away unchanged. Come to Him to hear His Word, speak to Him, and enjoy Him because when you meet the living Christ, everything will begin to change.
2) THEY FORGOT HIS WORDS
Verse 2: These women arrived at the tomb expecting to complete a burial ritual. But instead of a sealed grave, they found the stone already rolled away. And immediately, their minds didn’t go to resurrection – they went to confusion. Think about it. If you visited the grave of someone you loved and found it disturbed, your first thought wouldn’t be, “He’s alive! She has risen!” You would think, “What happened here? Who did this?” And that’s exactly what was happening here. Verse 4: “While they were wondering about this.” That word “wondering” means to be perplexed, be at a loss, or be completely confused – which means that they were trying to make sense of something that didn’t fit into their categories. And before they could even process it, two angels stood beside them. Understandably, the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground. Then, the angels asked in verse 5, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” This wasn’t just a question – it was a correction. It’s as if they were saying, “You’re looking in the wrong place because you’re thinking in the wrong way.” And then they said, “He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you, while He was still with you in Galilee.” Remember. That’s the key word. The problem wasn’t that Jesus hadn’t spoken – the problem was that they had forgotten what He said. The angels weren’t giving them new information – they were simply reminding them of what they already heard before. Jesus had already told them that He would be delivered, crucified, and raised on the third day. But in the moment of grief and confusion, His words slipped from their hearts. And if we’re honest, we’re no different from them. We too forget. We forget what God has said when life becomes overwhelming. We forget His promises when fear rises. We forget His character when circumstances confuse us. We forget His faithfulness when suffering continues. Now, what exactly did these women forget? They forgot that Jesus didn’t just say He would die – He said He must die. Luke 9:22: “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” That word “must” changes everything because it means that the cross wasn’t a tragic accident – but that it was necessary. Then, why did Jesus have to die? Let me show you. Jesus said in Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Jesus had to die in order to serve as the Sacrificial Lamb for His people. We were in bondage to sin – and His death was a payment. He had to give His life to set us free. Luke 22:19-20, “And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ In the same way, after the supper He took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you.’” Jesus had to die in order to serve as the substitution for His people. Our sin was placed on Him – and His righteousness was given to us. He took what we deserved so that we could receive what we never deserved. One more passage – John 10:11, “I am the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” Jesus had to die in order to serve as the Good Shepherd for His people. Because of His love for us, He wasn’t going to leave us in our sin. So, He stepped in to protect us, save us, and make a way for us – that’s the cross. But Jesus didn’t just say He must die – He also said He must rise. Why? Because the resurrection is the proof that the payment was accepted. Think of it this way: If someone is imprisoned because of a debt, there are only two ways to get out – they can either serve the full sentence or pay the debt that’s owed. To put it differently, if they get out, it means that the debt must have been fully paid. In the same way, if Jesus had remained in the grave, it would mean the debt was not fully paid. But because Jesus came out of the grave, the empty tomb is God’s declaration to the world: “Paid in full.” Sin has been dealt with, judgment has been satisfied, and death has been defeated. This is why the resurrection is not optional to the Christian faith – it’s essential. Without it, we have no assurance – but with it, everything changes.
Now, if you’re a Christian, you believe that Jesus died for you – but the truth is that some of us still live as if we’re on trial. We still carry guilt and shame that Christ has already dealt with. We still question whether God really accepts us. We still punish ourselves for what Christ has already paid for. But the resurrection tells us that the verdict is already in. You’re not waiting to be accepted – in Christ, you already are. God is already satisfied with you all because of what Christ has accomplished on the cross. Brothers and sisters, when we forget His Word, we will live as if the gospel is no longer true for us. We’ll start living like orphans instead of sons and daughters. We’ll start striving instead of resting. We’ll start fearing instead of trusting. So, what do we need to do? We need to remember. This takes effort and intentionality because we’re naturally good at forgetting. This is why we need to read the Word, hear the preaching of the Word, sing the Word, and even taste the Word in the Lord’s Supper. This is why we gather like this – because we forget. But when we remember, everything will begin to change. That’s what happened to these women. When they remembered, the same tomb was no longer a place of death but a place of hope – no longer the end of the story but the beginning of something new. And that’s what the Word of God does in our lives as well. It may not immediately change our circumstances – but it’ll change how we see them. We won’t interpret suffering as abandonment but as refining grace. We won’t interpret delay as neglect but as God’s wisdom. We won’t interpret hardship as punishment but as loving discipline. We won’t interpret uncertainty as chaos but as God’s sovereignty. We won’t interpret silence as absence but as an invitation to trust. We won’t interpret weakness as failure but as a place where His power is made perfect. All that to say, when we remember His Word, we’ll begin to see our lives not just through what we feel but through what is true. Then, let me ask you: What truth have you forgotten? What promise have you stopped holding onto? Friends, the resurrection tells us that if Jesus can fulfill His promise to walk out of the grave, every word He has spoken is trustworthy. So, don’t interpret your life through your circumstances – interpret your circumstances through His Word.
3) THEY COULD NOT STAY SILENT
Verse 9: “When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others.” The word “told” here means to announce or proclaim. In other words, they didn’t just share information – they declared something important. Why? Because something had changed within them. They had seen the empty tomb. They had remembered His words. They now knew Jesus was alive. And when that truth settled into their hearts, silence was no longer an option. Have you ever experienced something like that? You had something so good happen to you that you just had to tell somebody. “Guys, do you know what I got for my birthday gift?” “Mom, dad, they accepted me!” “Honey, I’m pregnant!” “Hey, the doctor said the cancer is gone!” There are moments in life when news is too good to keep to yourself. And that’s what we see here. For them, the resurrection wasn’t just a truth to believe – it was news to announce. But here’s what’s interesting. Verse 11: “They did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.” Even after hearing the truth, the disciples struggled to believe. This should be encouraging because it shows that unbelief is not new. When you share the gospel today, people may respond the same way – “That doesn’t make sense.” “That’s too good to be true.” And yet, that didn’t stop these women. They spoke anyway because their responsibility wasn’t to control the response – their responsibility was to tell the truth. And because they did, one person responded – verse 12: “Peter got up and ran to the tomb.” Isn’t it interesting that Peter was the first to get up and run to the tomb? Why do you think that is? Think about what Peter did. Just days earlier, he had denied Jesus three times. The man who said, “I will never fall away. I’m ready to die with you,” – that Peter denied even knowing Jesus under pressure. Luke 22:60-62, “Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will disown Me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly.” Can you imagine the guilt and shame he must have felt the moment his eyes met Jesus? That moment must have stayed with him – leaving him crushed under the weight of his failure. But when he heard that Jesus was alive, something stirred in him. “Could it be?” Hope began to rise in his heart because if Jesus was alive, maybe his failure wasn’t final. If Jesus was alive, maybe there was still a chance for forgiveness. So, what did he do? He ran. He didn’t hesitate or overthink. He didn’t stay where he was. He ran to the tomb because if Jesus was alive, it meant that his story wasn’t over. And look what happened to Peter – verse 12: “He went away, wondering to himself what had happened.” In verse 4, we saw that the women were wondering about the empty tomb – but this is a different Greek word from the word “wondering” we find here in verse 12. In verse 4, the word is aporeo – which means to be at a loss. But in verse 12, the word is thaumazo – which means to be amazed or be astonished. Seeing the empty tomb, Peter found himself strengthened in his faith. And this is often how faith works – it doesn’t come fully formed in a moment. It always begins with a step – a step toward the risen Lord.
Then, let me speak to those who haven’t yet given their lives to Jesus: Maybe you’re like Peter – uncertain, questioning, not quite sure what to make of all this. You hear this and part of you wonders, “Could it be true?” But another part of you hesitates – and you’re not ready to commit. If that’s you, notice what Peter did. He didn’t have everything figured out. But he took a step. He ran toward Jesus. And that’s what I invite you to do today. You don’t need all the answers. You don’t need to resolve every doubt. But you do need to take a step toward Jesus. Don’t stay where you are. Don’t let doubt keep you from seeking Him. Come and see. Open the Bible, ask your questions, and seek Him honestly because God promises that those who seek Him will find Him. And what you’ll discover is that Jesus is not just an idea to consider but a person to know. He’s the One who lived the life you could not live, died the death you deserved, and rose again to give you life. You don’t have to clean up your life to come. You can come just as you are. So, I invite you to take a step toward Jesus today because you’ll find that the One you were unsure about is the very One your heart has been searching for all along.
Now, for those who are believers: This passage calls us to speak because if Jesus really has risen from the dead, silence is not an option. The gospel is not advice to consider – it’s news to announce. If this truth has truly gripped your heart and changed your life, then declare with your lips the good news of the risen Lord. It doesn’t have to be perfect or eloquent. You don’t even have to have all the answers. Just share what you know. And it’s true – they may not respond well. Some will say it’s nonsense. But who knows? You never know what God might do with your words. You never know whose heart He might awaken through your faithfulness. You never know who might hear the gospel and run to Jesus. So, speak boldly, share joyfully, and invite humbly because God may breathe life into someone through you.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, Jesus is not in the tomb. He is alive. And that means His promises are true, His work is finished, and His grace is still available to us today. So come to Him, trust Him, and go tell others that Christ is risen.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) What do the women’s actions (bringing spices) reveal about what they expected to find at the tomb? In what ways do you find yourself relating to Jesus more like a memory than a living Lord? Where in your life have you stopped expecting Jesus to act?
2) What role did “remembering” Jesus’ words play in helping the women understand what happened? What is one truth or promise from God that you tend to forget when life gets difficult? How does forgetting God’s Word affect how you interpret your circumstances?
3) Why do you think the women couldn’t stay silent after encountering the empty tomb? What holds you back from speaking about Jesus – and how can you take one step forward this week?
