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Rejoicing together in the empty tomb & the living Savior!
Well, good morning, he has risen. He has risen indeed, yes he is. I am grateful for the opportunity to have service in a building this morning. Have you ever been to a sunrise service that was outside on Easter Sunday morning?
It works well if it's Easter is like today in the middle of April and it's a warm day. I got up this morning and saw that it was 27 degrees outside and that was at about, well, when I saw it, it was like 6 or 6 .30 and I thought, might be a little chilly for an outdoor Easter sunrise service, but nevertheless, glad that you made it this morning and looking forward to a good day of rejoicing in the resurrection.
We wanna begin the service today with a hymn that's a prayer regarding the risen Christ. It's number 51 in your song supplement book. By the way, in the bulletin, if you didn't already notice it, there's a green sheet of paper that gives you the order of our service this morning.
So you'll need that because after we sing and have a word of prayer, then there is a responsive acclamation of the resurrection that we share together. So let's go ahead and stand together as we sing number 51 supplement book, O Breath of God, a prayer regarding the risen Christ, that we may know him.
O breath of God, come fill this place Revive our hearts to know your grace And from our slumber make us rise That we may know the risen Christ Word of God so clear and true Renew our minds to trust him And give to us the bread of life That we may know the risen Christ Love of God so unrestrained Refresh our souls in Jesus' name Let us reflect your sacrifice That we may know the risen Christ God the father, son, and the spirit Make us one in holiness Let us unify That we may know the risen.
Let's pray, and so father, I pray today that it would be our desire, our longing of heart to know the risen Christ, that the fact that, the reality that Christ is alive, that Christ did rise from the dead, that he lives today, that that would make a huge impact in our lives, not only for eternity, but for now, for this life, for the time being.
So father, I pray that we would know, not only in our minds, intellectually, we'd know in our hearts experientially, the risen Christ. I pray that you would bless this service this morning and use it to be an encouragement to our hearts.
Today we pray, in Jesus' name, amen. Thank you, and you may be seated. So in your bulletin is that green order of service, and there is this responsive acclamation we want to share together this morning.
So I'll begin, and you, you have the bold parts, all right? So let us exclaim that the Lord is risen. The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures.
Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. This is the day that the Lord has made. The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
The Lord is risen, amen, and so he is. And you picked up, I trust, when you came in a song sheet, and we want to sing the song, The Day of Resurrection. The day of resurrection Earth tell it out abroad
The Passover of gladness The Passover of God From death to death, from this of it Hearts be pure from evil, a world resound in triumph And all that is therein, let all things seen and unseen
Their notes in gladness, for Christ the Lord has risen Our joy hath no end We want to read the different gospel accounts of the resurrection, begin with Matthew's account in Matthew chapter 28, and verses one through eight.
Your copy of scripture, and encourage you to follow along. Always good to read for yourself that which is read publicly, Matthew 28, and the first eight verses. It says, now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.
And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning and his clothing as white as snow.
And the guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. But the angel answered and said to the women, do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen as he said.
Come, see the place where the Lord lay and go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead. And indeed, he is going before you into Galilee. There you will see him. Behold, I have told you.
So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to bring the disciples' word. This time, Mike Gottemoeller is going to share a reading.
Mike?
Where's thy sting? He dies. The friend of sinners dies. Lo, Salem's daughters weep around. A solemn darkness fails the skies. A sudden trembling shakes the ground. Come, saints, and drop a tear or two.
For him who groaned beneath your load, he shed a thousand drops for you, a thousand drops of richer blood. Here's love and grief beyond degree. The Lord of glory dies for man. But lo, what sudden joys appear!
We see Jesus the dead lives again. The rising God forsakes the tomb. In vain the tomb forbids his rise. Cherubic legions guard him home and shout him welcome from the skies. Break off your tears, ye saints, and tell how high your great deliverer reigns.
Sing how he spoiled the hosts of hell and led the monster death in chains. Say, live forever, wondrous king, born to redeem and strong to save. Then ask the monster, where is thy sting? And where is thy victory, boasting grave?
I want you to take your hymnal and turn to number 272. 272, we'll sing eventually all four stanzas, sing a couple stanzas, and then hear Luke's record of the resurrection, and then we'll sing the stanzas three and four.
Number 272, good Christians, now rejoice and sing. Good Christians, now rejoice and sing. And Luke's gospel, Luke chapter 24, Luke 24, and the first 12 verses. It says, now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they and certain other women with them came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared, but they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.
Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, why do you seek the living among the dead?
He is not here, but is risen. Remember how he spoke to you when he was still in Galilee, saying, the son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and the third day rise again?
And they remembered his words. Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the 11 and to all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary, the mother of James, and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, and their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.
But Peter arose and ran to the tomb, and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves, and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened. Stanzas three and four of Good Christians Now Rejoice and Sing.
Praise we in songs of victory That love and life which cannot die And sing with hearts uplifted high Alleluia, alleluia Thy name we bless, O risen one, accord The life laid down is now restored Alleluia, alleluia
And then John's account in John chapter 20, on 20 and verses one through 18. It says, now the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.
Then she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, they have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him. Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb.
So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter, and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there, yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb, and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself.
Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also, and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not know the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.
But Mary stood outside by the tomb, weeping, and as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
Then they said to her, Woman, why are you weeping? She said to them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him. Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking? She, supposing him to be the gardener, said to him, Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.
Jesus said to her, Mary. She turned and said to him, Rabboni, which is to say teacher. Jesus said to her, Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to 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 to her. And then on your song sheet again, I'm sorry, before that song sheet, Beth, Beth, Bril is going to come with the reading, Beth.
Jesus lives, and so shall I. Death, thy sting is gone forever. He who deigned for me to die, lives the band of death to sever. He shall raise me with the just. Jesus is my hope and trust. Jesus lives and reigns supreme, and his kingdom still remaining, I shall also be with him, ever living, ever reigning.
God has promised, be it must, Jesus is my hope and trust. Jesus lives, and by his grace, victory over my passions giving, I will cleanse my heart and ways, ever to his glory living. The weak he raises from the dust, Jesus is my hope and trust.
Jesus lives, and I am sure, not shall err from Jesus ever. Satan's wiles and Satan's power, pain or pleasure, ye shall never. Christian armor cannot rust,. Jesus is my hope and trust. Jesus lives, and death is now, but my entrance into glory.
Courage then, my soul for thou, has to crown of life before thee. Thou shalt find thy hopes were just. Jesus is the Christian's trust.
Thank you, Beth.
And now that song sheet, I know that my redeemer lives. This is to the tune of Jesus Shall Reign. I think you're familiar with that tune. And let's stand, shall we, as we sing? We'll sing stanzas one, two, and then six, seven, and eight.
Lives, he lives, who was dead, who saves All glorious in the sky, lives exalted thereon He lives, my kind, wise, heavenly friend Lives and loves me too, and while he lives, I'll sing He lives, my prophet, priest, lives and lives I'll conk my mansion to prepare He saves, lives all glorious, my Jesus, still the same Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives I know that my redeemer may be seated
And then we look at Mark's account of the resurrection in Mark chapter 16, and verses one through six. Notice in all of these accounts, there are some things that are similar, and then there are some things that are unique to each of these gospel writers, which is as we would expect.
They're writing from four different perspectives, four different individuals, and they give us a fuller picture of this event of the day. Mark 16, verse one, now, when the Sabbath was passed, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome brought spices that they might come and anoint him.
Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen, and they said among themselves, who will roll away that stone from the door of the tomb for us? But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, for it was very large.
And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. But he said to them, do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.
He is risen. He is not here. See the place where they laid him. Just a brief prayer. Our Father, bless these thoughts to our hearts today as we reflect on those who sought Jesus but initially did not find him.
We pray in Jesus' name, amen. You know, during Jesus' earthly ministry, he was often sought after, and he was sought after by a variety of people for a variety of reasons, but mostly pretty much self-oriented reasons, and they consistently found him when they sought him.
Think with me about some of these. For example, the very first record, the earliest record of Jesus' existence on this planet involved people seeking him. The shepherds, they got the message that Jesus had been born in Bethlehem, and after the angels departed from them, they said to themselves, let's go find this child, and they went seeking for him, and they found him.
And then Luke's, then the other record, Matthew's record of that same birth of Christ follows quickly with the visit of the Magi, who were seeking the one who was born King of the Jews, came to Jerusalem looking for him, and didn't find him there, but the star guided them on to Bethlehem, and those who were seeking him, these Magi, they found him.
But then also we read next of his parents, his own parents seeking him. Remember this in Luke chapter two, the next event after the birth narrative is this event when Jesus is 12 years old, and his family had gone to Jerusalem for a festival for the feasts, and after the thing was over, they all left to go back to Nazareth, and this would have been a caravan of people, a whole bunch of people from Nazareth traveling together, the women with the women, and the men with the men, and having a great time of traveling until the end of the day, and Joseph and Mary came together for the night, and Mary says, where's Jesus?
And Joseph says, I thought he was with you. He wasn't with you? No, he wasn't with me, I thought he was with you. And they couldn't find him until they went back to Jerusalem and sought for him, and then they eventually found him in the temple, disputing with the doctors and so forth in the temple.
In Mark chapter one, one of the earliest things that Mark records for us in chapter one, verses 35 to 37, is that his disciples sought for him the day before this event up until sunset. Jesus was dealing with people who were sick and had various diseases, but it says in verse 35, in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, Jesus went out and departed to a solitary place, and there he prayed.
And Simon and those who were with him, as Peter and the other disciples, they searched for him, expected him to keep on keeping on with this public ministry of healing and casting out demons and so forth.
They searched for him, and when they found him, they said to him, everyone is looking for you. They searched for him, and they found him. They found him praying in a solitary place. A couple chapters later, in Mark chapter three, in verses 31 and 32, we read about Jesus' relatives.
His mother and his brothers came looking for him, and he was very busy in the work of the ministry, and earlier in this passage, we read that he was so busy that he didn't have time to eat, and this caused his relatives no small concern.
But in verse 31 of Mark three, we read that his brothers and his mother came and standing outside, they sent to him calling him. They came seeking him. The multitude was sitting around him, and they said to him, look, your mother and your brothers are outside seeking you.
They sought him, and they found him. They found him instructing the masses. In John six, we read the account of the feeding of the 5 ,000, or what follows the feeding of the 5 ,000, where a multitude of people came looking for Jesus, and it seems quite evident that they came looking for him because they wanted to keep on eating, and they sought him after he fed the multitude by the Sea of Tiberias, and they found him in the city of Capernaum.
And then there's this wonderful little story of Zacchaeus, the wee little man who sought after Jesus in Jericho in Luke chapter 19. The crowd was so great, and this man was so small that he was quite certain that he wouldn't be able to see him, but he climbed up into that sycamore tree, the Savior for to see, and sure enough, he who sought the Savior, he who sought Jesus, and those crowded streets of Jericho found him after climbing that tree.
Now, you think about those instances, and certainly many more that could be cited, and the motives for seeking in almost all of these occasions was largely self-oriented, and not necessarily selfish, as in sinful, but there was something within themselves that needed to be satisfied, and that's why they sought after Jesus.
I mean, think of the shepherds, for example. What was their motive in seeking Jesus? Well, they had just seen this incredible event on this hillside, and a bunch of angels came and said that this Jesus is born in Bethlehem, and you go and you find him, he'd be lying in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes, and they heard this story, they saw this incredible, incredible scene before them, and they said, let's go see this thing which has come to pass.
They wanted to go and verify the incredible story that had just been told them in this angelic visitation. Now, the magi, they came seeking after Jesus, and they seem to be an exception, don't they? Their motive seems to be exclusively to worship him.
There's no hint or indication that they had any self-oriented motive for seeking him. Maybe just to be the first among their peoples, I don't know, but everything we have record of the magi visit was a pretty noble motivation.
But then his parents, they went seeking him in Jerusalem. What was motivating them to seek him? Well, if you're a parent, you know full well the motivation. They were filled with fear. What's happened to our son?
Where could he be? Will we ever find him? And so they sought after him to satisfy their very understandable fears that had controlled them. The disciples that came to him when he was out in that solitary place, what was their motive for coming to seek after Jesus?
Well, they wanted him to carry on in the ministry. There were all kinds of people seeking him, and this would be a wonderful way to keep promoting Jesus in his ministry if he would be found of them. His relatives who came to him when he was teaching the masses and didn't even have time to eat, they thought that he had maybe lost it a little bit, that he was a little bit beside himself.
He wasn't even taking time to eat, wasn't taking care of himself. And so they came to minimize their own embarrassment that Jesus, our relative, is gone a little crazy here. And then the multitude, after the feeding of the 5 ,000, what was their motive in seeking after Jesus?
A full tummy. They found this one who could take a few small fishes and a few loaves of bread and multiply it and feed everybody till they were satisfied. Well, we want this guy around all the time. We don't have to worry about inflation.
We don't have to worry about empty shelves. I mean, if we find anything on the shelf, he can take it and multiply it, and we're good. So the multitude. And then there's Zacchaeus. What was his motive for climbing up into that sycamore tree?
Oh, he just wanted to satisfy his curiosity.
Who is this?
What's so special about this individual? That comes into town and everybody crowds him and throngs him. All of these motives were essentially self-oriented, the Magi being, of course, an exception. But here in Mark chapter 16, after Jesus' death, there's all those cases of people seeking him and finding him.
But here, after Jesus' death, he is sought and he's not found, at least not initially. He's not found. We read that in verse six of Mark 16, that they came to the tomb and the angel says to these women, don't be alarmed.
You seek Jesus of Nazareth. He is not here. He is not here. You've come seeking him, but he is not here. Now, who is it that's doing the seeking here? You know this story very well. We just read it four times.
You have these different women, these various women. Mark records the names of Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome. And there were other women as well in this party that came on that Easter Sunday morning, the morning of the resurrection.
And notice the timing of their coming. Very early in the morning on the first day of the week. This indicates their earnestness, their eagerness. I mean, think about your morning already today. I mean, it's an hour earlier than our normal Sunday school start.
And yet here you are, you got up earlier today and went through your Sunday morning routine that much earlier with or without a great deal of enthusiasm, but you at least did so because you wanted to be here for this morning service.
Well, these women, very early in the morning, before sun even rose, while it was still dark, they made their way to that garden tomb. But this was the day after the Sabbath. As early as they could possibly make that trip,.
They made it.
And it was, of course, the third day after Jesus' death. Verse two also tells us that the place of their seeking was the tomb. They came to the tomb. Now, this is a place, stick with me here, this is a place where finding him should have been no problem whatsoever.
Think about it. Let me just drive down the road here, and to the right side of the road is Calvary Cemetery, and I don't think there are any mausoleums in there, a lot of grave sites. Go a little further, cross Lincoln Highway, and then you come to Riverside Cemetery, and there are some mausoleums in there, and you go into those cemeteries, you go up to, you drive up Route 40, and you got Oak Knoll on both sides of the road, and if you were intending to find someone who's buried there, that would be the place to find the body.
And you could be pretty sure, you could be very sure that you find the marker, that's where the person would be, well, at least the body, what's left of the body, that would be a very certain thing. So they came to the place where they were quite certain they would find the body of the Lord Jesus, the tomb.
Why are they there anyway? What's their motive for seeking him? You think about all those self-oriented motives that we already recounted in many of the others, but look at their motive, in the end of verse one, they came and they brought spices that they might come and anoint him.
There was nothing self-oriented about this whatsoever. They came to minister to the body. Their motive to do so was stimulated by their love and devotion to the one whose body they assumed still lay there in that garden tomb.
They had this undying devotion to the one whom they had witnessed die. This was their motive, and this was all of their motive. And what was the outcome of their seeking? In verse six, he's not found.
He's not found. So this is the one time, again, the Magi accept it. This is the one time that Jesus is sought after for the purpose of ministering to him with no thought of self-satisfaction whatsoever, and he's nowhere to be found.
You could cite a few other examples, I'm sure, but this is amazing, isn't it? This is the one time when there's this great sacrifice to be made and to have been seeking after him in this time of grief and sorrow simply for the purpose of ministering to his body, of serving him, and he's not to be found.
This really fits well with what Jesus says of himself, doesn't it, in Mark chapter 10, where he said the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto but to minister. Even in his resurrection, he didn't come to be ministered unto.
He wasn't found that his body might be ministered unto with all of the spices and so forth. So they came seeking after him, but he's not found. And yet, in contrast to all of those other accounts of seeking him where they did find him, if they had not found him, if the shepherds came to Bethlehem and they found this stable and they found a manger, but there was no baby there, the magi came and they heard this prophecy, he's to be born in Bethlehem of Judea, and they went to Bethlehem of Judea and they never found him, or his parents went back to Jerusalem seeking for him and they did not find him, and on and on through the rest of these accounts, would there not have been deep disappointment?
Imagine the disappointment of those shepherds, for example. They were told, you go there and you'll find him, and they go and he's not found. What disappointment, what confusion would be left in their minds?
But here, here, they seek after Jesus and he's not found, and yet there is no disappointment. He's not here because he is risen. He's not going to be found by you here in this tomb because he is alive.
He is risen, he is risen. Think of the blessing that came to the hearts and the minds of these women who came seeking after Jesus to anoint his body and yet to be the first to be told he's alive. He is not here, he is risen.
I think that the greatest blessings come to you and to me as followers of Christ who seek the Lord not for what we can get out of him, but for what we can give to him. We seek the Lord to serve him, not so we ourselves can be so greatly benefited, but simply because we love him and are deeply devoted to him, even as these women who came seeking him but did not find him, and were blessed abundantly and richly because they heard the message, he is not here, he is risen, even as he said.
Lord, bless these thoughts to our hearts today. And let's take our song supplement again and we'll close this service with number 40 in the supplement, In Christ Alone. Let's stand together as we sing, shall we?
In Christ alone my hope is found. He is my light, my strength, my song. This cornerstone, this solid ground. Firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of love, what depths of peace when fears are still, when strivings cease.
My comforter, my all in all. Here in the love of Christ I stand. In Christ alone who took on flesh fullness of God in helpless babe. This gift of love and righteousness scorned by the ones he came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died the wrath of God was satisfied. For every sin on him was laid. Here in the death of Christ I live. There in the ground his body lay light of the world by darkness slain.
Then bursting forth in glorious day up from the grave he rose again. And as he stands in victory sin's curse has lost its grip on me. For I am his and he is mine. Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
No guilt in life, no fear in death. This is the power of Christ in me. From life's first cry to final death. Jesus commands my destiny. No power of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck me from his hand.
Till he returns or calls me home. Here in the power of Christ I stand. Let's close in prayer and as we pray we'll also give thanks to our God for his gracious provision.
