MESSAGE

FROM THE

WORD

WHO WAS THAT GUY IN THE EMPTY TOMB

Revelation 1:12-18

SERIES:  Easter                                                                                                         2005

            Several years ago twenty pastors and their wives had the privilege of visiting Israel together.  It was the trip of a lifetime.  We visited Jerusalem, the Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea, walked the path of Jesus, experienced the feel of David taking on Goliath, and traced the road to the cross.  One of the most interesting parts of our trip was spending time at Gordon’s tomb.  It is considered the most likely location of where Jesus was laid to rest after His crucifixion.  It is a large hole carved into the hill, just under a mound that has three indentions which cause it to look like a skull.  There are two lesser known locations of where Jesus could have been buried, both of them are also empty.

            The importance is not which of the locations was where Jesus was buried.  The importance is not whose body was in the Shroud of Turan.  The important fact is that regardless of which tomb Jesus was placed in and which linen Jesus was wrapped in, they are both empty today. 

            Today is Easter.  It is still a day in which the ACLU allows people to take it as a holiday.  It is a day for families and friends to gather, for people to dress up, for delicious meals, and for going to church.  It is also a day for celebration.  The message of Easter is at the heart of the controversy over church and state in our society today.  It is best seen in the fight over the cross in the official seal of Los Angeles.  In the seal, there were seven separate symbols.  Honored were the oil industry, fishing and agriculture, and the entertainment industry.  The largest symbol on the seal was Pomona, the Greek goddess of agriculture.  Entertainment was symbolized by the Hollywood Bowl.  Over the Hollywood Bowl was the smallest of all the symbols, a tiny cross representing the influence of the missions.  A suit was filed, not to remove the largest of the religious symbols, but it’s smallest.  Why would this be so?  In that answer rests the battle taking place today.  The goddess Pomona is a religious symbol that makes no demands on people.  It is non-authoritative religion.  The cross, on the other hand, makes demands on us.  It signifies the reality of sin and the exclusiveness of the empty tomb.  The cross and the empty tomb symbolize the exclusiveness of Christianity.  It demands that we make a commitment.  In our world of diversity, it cannot continue to stand.

            As we come to our message, we will see why Christianity is different than any other faith system.  It does matter what you believe.  We read,           REVELATION 1:12-18                     It is not sufficient to believe something, what you believe must be right.  This is the heart of the Easter message.  Who was this Jesus who came out of the tomb nearly 2000 years ago?  John tells us.

            FIRST, WE SEE HIS CHARACTER.  There is always the question of legitimacy when one seeks to demand allegiance.  Throughout the history of humanity, many have arisen to tell the world they are the boss, only to discover that others were there to usurp their power.  Many can still remember when President Reagan was shot that there was a news conference in which Alexander Haig, then Secretary of State, announced that everything was under control and that he was in charge of the White House for the time being.  This came as a shock to Vice-President Bush who really was in charge of the White House.  If Christians claim that Jesus is the sovereign Lord of the universe, what is there to back up that claim?  What is it about the character of Christ which gives this claim credibility?  In this passage, four character qualities emerge which give Jesus the right to His claim.

            First, Jesus is the first and the last.  This may sound strange to us, but it would not have been strange to the readers.  We read                        ISAIAH 41:4, 44:6, 48:12                  Isaiah is quoting God and claims that there is only one “first and last” and it is Him.  Jesus is laying claim to deity.  His claim to exclusive right to rule the universe is that He is God.  This is the point of contention between Christians and Jews.  There are a great many issues over which we agree.  However, Christians accept the claim of Jesus that His is God and Jews reject that.  There is coming a day when Jews around the world will fall at the feet of the Messiah, but that day is still future.

            Second, Jesus was dead.  This is the story of Good Friday.  There is no way anyone can imagine the agony Jesus went through.  Even those who have suffered incredible physical torture cannot imagine the suffering because the greatest suffering Jesus endured was His being rejected by the Father.  I must admit that I do not understand the trinity.  I do know this, the Father and the Son had shared fellowship for eternity.  For a brief moment in time the Father turned His back on the Son.  We read        II CORINTHIANS  5:21                 `The Son did not take on sin, He became sin.  Every sin ever committed, every sin to be committed was not just laid on Him, it was absorbed into his very being.  He became sin and the Father had to turn His back on Him.

            Jesus did not pretend to die, He died.  We read          MATT. 27:45-50                 Had the para-medics arrived, they would have pronounced Him dead.  This was not an act; it was an action on His part to battle death.  We read          HEBREWS 2:14,15               This is important to know.  All of the Apostles except for John were martyred.  They died vicious deaths.  It would be easy to turn to God and say, “I’m having a bad day, you do not understand”.  However, God does understand.  He knows what it is like to lose a child.  He knows what it is like to be betrayed by a friend.  He knows what it is like to experience unimaginable agony.  If you are going through a rough time, even facing death, God knows what you are going through.  He has been there. 

            Third, He is alive.  This is the Easter story.  One of the distinctions between both Christianity and Islam and Judaism and Islam is the focus on life.  The heart of Islam is to die a martyr.  Lest you think I am making that up, just understand this.  Most Moslems believe they will go to Paradise.  However, there is only one person who is guaranteed to go to Paradise in the Koran and that is the one who martyrs himself for Allah.  This is why it is so easy for terrorists to find suicide bombers.  They combine a guarantee of Paradise with the massive sexual fantasy of 72 virgins and young men line up at the gates.  That is not true in either Judaism or Christianity.  The focus for both religions is on life.  We are told that,                        DEUT. 30:19; JOHN 10:10                     Life and death.  We celebrate life.  The story of Easter is life.  He was dead, and is now alive.

            Fourth, He is eternal.  We all have heroes.  We all have people we look to as role models and as pillars of strength.  For some it might be a parent or a grandparent.  For others it might be a politician or a religious leader.  In our hearts, we just assume they will be there for us.  Remember back when John Kennedy was shot.  Camelot was supposed to go on forever  When Pastor Jack Hayford announced his retirement as the pastor of the Church on the Way, his son-in-law, Scott Bauer, was appointed as his successor.  Shortly after assuming the pulpit, Scott finished preaching at one of their mid-week services, stepped away from the pulpit, collapsed, and died from a brain embolism.  He was in his forties and people expected him to be around for a long time, but life is fragile and temporary.  We read,      JAMES 4:14              This is one of the frustrations of life.  This is why we come to God.  He is outside of the bounds of time.  He doesn’t get sick, go on vacation, or die.  He is eternal. 

            Whether you believe in the Easter story or not, you must understand that your decision is a step of faith.  You either have faith that the Bible is true, or you have faith that the Bible is a bunch of fables.  Here is the key to the decision.  What was the character of the individuals reporting the story?  What is the character of Christ?

            SECOND, WE SEE HIS AUTHORITY.  This is a direct result of His character.  Mark Twain wrote the classic book, The Prince and the Pauper based on this theme.  The prince was bored with ruling and found a begger boy who looked just like him, so they switched positions.  The entire story revolved around the reality that princes and paupers are seen by people differently.  Whoever was seen by people as the prince received attention.  The one seen as the pauper was ignored or mocked.  Position matters!  Because Jesus is the one who has overcome death, His authority is great.

            He has the authority to demand obedience.  He has the authority to expect people to heed His command.  We read, “I HAVE THE KEYS OF DEATH AND HADES…”  The greatest fear we have is of the unknown.  For centuries, men and women have asked, “what happens when we die”?  Jesus has the answer to that question.  The answer is this, “ANY THING HE WILLS”.  He has the keys and He lets out who He wants and He keeps in who He wants.  This is why His call is so critical.  We read                   MATTHEW 11:28-30       Those who follow Him will receive a pass out of jail.  Remember the thief on the cross?  Because he turned his life over to Jesus, he was released from an eternal destiny separated from God.  How can this be?  It is a result of the authority Jesus has because He conquered death.  We read         ROMANS 1:3,4         His resurrection proved His deity.  Because He is God, He has the authority to make those decisions.

            There are some who fight that.  We have organizations in our nation who seem to have no other purpose for existing than to remove God’s authority from our culture.  Let me read you the words of George Washington from his first inaugural address.  We read,

                        “SUCH BEING THE IMPRESSIONS UNDER WHICH I HAVE, IN OBEDIENCE TO THE PUBLIC SUMMONS, REPAIRED TO THE PRESENT STATION, IT WOULD BE PECULIARILY IMPROPER TO OMIT IN THIS FIRST OFFICIAL ACT MY FERVENT SUPPLICATIONS TO THAT ALMIGHTY BEING WHO RULES OVER THE UNIVERSE, WHO PRESIDES IN THE COUNCILS OF NATIONS, AND WHOSE PROVIDENTIAL AIDS CAN SUPPLY EVERY HUMAN DEFECT, THAT HIS BENIDICTION MAY CONSECRATE TO THE LIBERTIES AND HAPPINESS OF THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES A GOVERNMENT INSTITUTED BY THEMSELVES FOR THESE ESSENTIAL PURPOSES, AND MAY ENABLE EVERY INSTRUMENT EMPLOYED IN ITS ADMINISTRATION TO EXECUTE WITH SUCCESS THE FUNCTIONS ALLOTTED TO HIS CHARGE.  IN TENDERING THIS HOMAGE TO THE GREAT AUTHOR OF EVERY PUBLIC AND PRIVATE GOOD, I ASSURE MYSELF THAT IT EXPRESSES YOUR SENTIMENTS NOT LESS THAN MY OWN NOR THOSE OF MY FELLOW CITIZENS AT LARGE LESS THAN EITHER.  NO PEOPLE CAN BE BOUND TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND ADORE THE INVISIBLE HAND WHICH CONDUCTS THE AFFAIRS OF MEN MORE THAN THOSE OF THE UNITED STATES.  EVERY STEP BY WHICH THEY HAVE ADVANCED TO THE CHARACTER OF AN INDEPENDENT NATION SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN DISTINGUISHED BY SOME TOKEN OF PROVIDENTIAL AGENCY; AND IN THE IMPORTANT REVOLUTION JUST ACCOMPLISHED IN THE SYSTEM OF THEIR UNITED GOVERNMENT THE TRANQUIL DELIBERATIONS AND VOLUNTARY CONSENT OF SO MANY DISTINCT COMMUNITIES FROM WHICH THE EVENT HAS RESULTED CANNOT BE COMPARED WITH THE MEANS BY WHICH MOST GOVERNMENTS HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED WITHOUT SOME RETURN TO PIOUS GRATITUDE, ALONG WITH A HUMBLE ANTICIAPTION OF THE FUTURE BLESSINGS WHICH THE PAST SEEM TO PRESAGE.  THESE REFLECTIONS ARISING OUT OF THE PRESENT CRISIS, HAVE FORCED THEMSELVES TOO STRONGLY ON MY MIND TO BE SUPPRESSED.  YOU WILL JOIN WITH ME, I TRUST, IN THINKING THAT THERE ARE NONE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF WHICH THE PROCEEDINGS OF A NEW AND FREE GOVERNMENT CAN BE MORE AUSPICIOUSLY COMMENCE…I SHALL TAKE MY PRESENT LEAVE; BUT NOT WITHOUT RESORTING ONCE MORE TO THE BENIGN PARENT OF THE HUMAN RACE IN HUMBLE SUPPLICACTION THAT, SINCE HE HAS BEEN PLEASED TO FAVOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WITH OPPORTUNITIES FOR DELIBERATING IN TRANQUILLITY, AND DISPOSITIONS FOR DECIDING WITH UNPARALLELED UNANIMITY ON A FORM OF GOVERNMENT FOR THE SECURITY OF THEIR UNION AND THE ADVANCEMENT OF THEIR HAPPINESS, SO HIS DIVINE BLESSING MAY BE EQUALLY CONSPICUOUS IN THE ENLARGED VIEWS, THE TEMPERATE CONSULTATIONS, AND THE WISE MEASURES ON WHICH THE SUCCESS OF THIS GOVERNMENT MUST DEPEND”.

            I read through every presidential inauguration speech and nearly every president had similar comments.  Two presidents opened in prayer.  Our nation was founded, not on a particular denomination, but on the understanding that the God of the Bible ruled over the affairs of men. 

            THIRD, WE SEE THE RESPONSE.  Whenever the boss speaks, a response is required.  In this passage, we see two responses asked of by the Lord. 

            Our first response is to fear not.  Fear is a normal response to anyone who came into the presence of God.  We read                 VERSE 17              Moses came into God’s presence and down he went.  Every time someone came into God’s presence, they were struck with fear.  Jesus came to change that.  No longer do we need to fear.  One of the most repeated commands in the Old Testament is “FEAR NOT, FOR I AM WITH YOU”! 

            Our second response is to worship Him.  John fell at His feet.  That is the heart of worship.  We acknowledge that He is greater than we are.  Rick Warren opens his # 1 best selling book, The Purpose Driven Life by stating, “It’s not about you”!  We serve Him, He doesn’t serve us.  Why?  John writes VERSES 12-15                     You might wonder what all this means.  It is explained in verse 20 where we read              VERSE 20                    Jesus walks among the churches pruning the wicks and keeping them lit with oil.  In other words, He oversees the churches.  Remember our study in Colossians where we read,          COLOSSIANS 1:18     He is the head and we yield to what it says.

            This is why Easter is different.  It is because Jesus is different.  He was not a religious leader.  He did not come to begin a new religion.  He came as God in the flesh so that He could die on the cross, bring about forgiveness and reconcile sinful man to a holy God.  The resurrection proved that He was God by showing that He was the Lord even over the grave.