Christianity Was Never Built on a Coffin Lid — E.A. Johnston

Christianity Is Built on the Resurrection

We are celebrating Easter, and it is indeed a celebration, friends. We have something to celebrate that other religions cannot. What is it that separates Christianity from other world religions? Why it's the fact.

We serve a resurrected Savior. He is risen. Christianity was never built on a coffin lid. And that's the title of my message today, friends. Christianity was never built on a coffin lid. Our text today can be found in the Gospel of John in chapter 20.

You can turn in your Bibles there now. We must ask ourselves, why do we celebrate Easter? What is its purpose? Is it a time just to go out and buy a new dress or a colorful tie? Is it a religious day that there's an obligation just to honor?

Why exactly do we celebrate Easter? I want to look at four reasons why, and I will list them now and then elaborate on each as I proceed. Number one, why he suffered. Number two, why he died. Number three, why he rose again.

And number four, why he ascended. I believe if we can get our minds clear on these four reasons, then we'll have a better understanding of why we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Let us first go to our passage of scripture and give God honor as we read his holy word.

We will begin in John 20 in verse 1. Here now is the word of God. And may the spirit of the Lord be pleased to attend the reading of his holy word. The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.

Then she runneth and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, they have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.

I will pause here, friends. Imagine the horror of the disciples as they receive this news. It's not yet good news to them, for they believe the body of Jesus has been stolen, possibly abused. Horrible thoughts run through their minds as they think of this insult to injury, to the dead body of Christ.

Peter and John run like the wind to the grave side of Jesus to find it empty. Let's pick up the narrative now in verse 3. Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre, so they ran both together, and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.

Then stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying, yet went he not in. Then come Simon Peter, following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.

Then went and also the other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw and believed. Let me pause here again, friends, so we see Peter and John, their fear slowly turning into faith. They see not disorder in the tomb from a robbery, but they see order from a risen Christ.

The napkin is neatly wrapped, the words of Christ run through their minds, where he had comforted them a little earlier. A little while, and ye shall not see me, and again a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.

So as they remember Christ's words to them, their faith is strengthened, as they begin to comprehend what has transpired here. But they lack conviction in their belief. They've yet to see the risen Christ, for when they see with their own eyes the resurrected Savior, they then can proclaim the gospel with conviction, even unto death if need be.

But now they're still weak in their faith, as verse nine declares. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.

But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping. And as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the sepulchre and seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

And they say unto her, woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they've laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back and saw Jesus standing, and knew not it was Jesus.

Jesus saith unto her, woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, sir, if thou hath borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself and saith unto him, Rabboni, which is to say, master. Jesus saith unto her, touch me not, for I'm not yet ascended to my father. But go to my brethren and say unto them, I send unto my father, and your father, and to my God, and your God.

Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her. I will stop there. I want to take this time now, friends, to dwell upon why he suffered.

Christ’s Physical Suffering on the Cross

For we must understand this entirely for us to appreciate what Christ has done for us on the cross. On the cross, four things took place which bear our attention. First, there was the physical suffering of that terrible cross.

To die on a cross was a scandal. It was the cruelest of deaths. So cruel that history tells us of a merciful prince who first strangled those to be crucified before fastening them to a cross to alleviate their pain and suffering, but the Romans were cruel in their executions.

The pain that Christ suffered was immense. He'd already been beaten, spit upon, mocked, and now cruel hands nailed the prince of glory to that ignoble cross. He wore a crown of thorns upon his head. This was to carry the mocking out in full, and that Jesus was nothing more than a mock king.

The religious leaders of the Jews stood beneath him, mocking him with their lips, enjoying their day of victory over this Jesus who'd caused them so much embarrassment and gave them so much trouble. Now they had their catch, and they dare him to come down from the cross.

See, they say to the bystanders, this Jesus is nothing. He's a liar. He cannot come down from the cross. He is not the son of God, but an imposter. Look at him. What a joke. They spit at him and walk away in disgust.

Others pass by and ridicule him as well. He is a spectacle on that cross, an object of ridicule. And on top of this is the very fact that Jesus on the cross is in an intense physical pain, friends. His blood turns to wood, a scarlet color, as it runs down to the foot of that cross.

His precious blood poured out for sinful man, Calper's hymn so aptly states, there is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins, and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.

Penal Substitution and the Weight of Sin

Listen, friends, Christ hung on that cross because of the broken law of God by sinful man, God the Father had to have satisfaction for that broken law. There had to be a payment for sin. Christ did that for me.

Glory to the Father. This is why he suffered. Then there was the battle going on with the powers of darkness. As he hung on that cross, all hell came against him on that cross. Demons mocked and laughed.

Satan thought it was the greatest victory he ever had. But he was soon to learn it was to be his greatest defeat. The next aspect was the greatest weight upon Christ on that cross. And that was the weight of sin.

Jesus, the substitute for sin, the innocent Christ bore my wretched sins on that day, friend. He bore your filthy sins as well. Your sins, my sins nailed him to that bloody tree. And the most terrible aspect of suffering came to Jesus as he had to experience the turned face of the Father because God is holy and he cannot look upon sin.

Jesus cried out about the ninth hour, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? But God could not look upon sin, and the turned face of the Father brought intense suffering to Jesus on that cross, friend.

The Resurrection as Christianity’s Foundation

Well, why did he rise? Why are Christians different from Muslims? Why are Christians different from Buddhists? Listen, friends, Buddha lived, died, and was buried. Confucius lived, died, and was buried.

Muhammad lived, died, and was buried. Jesus lived, died, and was buried. But he rose again. We serve a risen Lord. Christianity was never built on a coffin lid. This is what separates Christianity from other world religions.

Christ’s Ascension and Lordship

We serve a risen, living Christ. And that leads me to my last point of why we celebrate Easter, and that is why he ascended. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. And he earned that right by way of a bloody cross.

We serve a risen, living Lord. He is Lord, he is Lord, he is Lord. And if you want him, friend, you better go to him there and bow to him. Submit to him, give all you have to him, and utter total subjection to his lordship.

Because if you don't bow to him now, friend, you will bow to him on a future day when he makes his enemies his footstool. We serve a risen Lord. If he's not your Lord, then he's not your savior. If you were celebrating Jesus' Easter and you were an unconverted church member, then you sit upon a foundation of carnal security.

Repentance, Regeneration, and Saving Faith

If you were here to celebrate Jesus and you were not truly saved, then it's a mock celebration. You've got nothing to celebrate. You've yet to be converted. You might as well celebrate Buddha or Confucius or Muhammad.

Because if you're not joined in a living faith to a living Lord, there's no need for you to celebrate something which you do not possess. Your sins must be washed in the blood of the lamb. And you must be born from above, repentance and regeneration are marks of a true believer in Jesus Christ, friend.

But the greatest thing that can happen to you today is for you to come savingly to Christ and then have a reason to celebrate Easter. I want to take this time now for you, you, friend, to look at the Christ or the cross.

Look at him, see him hanging there, look at that blood-stained cross. Listen, friend, I know I'm a sinner and I need a sin substitute in the person of Jesus Christ. And so do you, friend, so do you. God declares in Isaiah 45, 22, look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is none else.

Listen, friend, the only way you're gonna get to heaven, the only way to get to heaven is to get under the blood of Jesus Christ. He's the only remedy for sin. You cannot approach God by your good character.

You cannot approach God by your good works, your best character, and your best works, or just filthy rags in his holy sight. God requires perfection to get into his heaven. And you are not perfect, friend, neither am I.

No one is save Jesus Christ, and no one can get into heaven but by saving faith in Jesus Christ, you must be born again. You must be born from above. I believe some folks have joined the church today because they made a decision to become a Christian.

But the trouble is, they've never been awakened to their lost condition. They've never been convicted of sin, and they've never been born again through the supernatural act of regeneration upon the heart.

You don't get saved by believing in a Bible verse, friend. You get saved by believing in the Christ to the Bible. Listen, friends, the gospel is for the hungry. It's for the weary. It's for the thirsty.

Christ’s Invitation to the Weary and Thirsty

Let me ask you a question, dear friend. Are you hungry for God? Are you weary of your sins? Are you thirsty for Christ? Then come, come to Jesus and lay your burden down. It is my prayer that you don't hear the voice of this poor preacher, but by God's grace, you hear his voice as it comes to you in majesty, power, and authority.

Listen now to the words of Jesus. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart. And ye shall find rest unto your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

All that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. And the Spirit and the bride say, come. And let him that heareth say, come. And let him that is a thirst, come.

And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.