Christ's Resurrection--The Wonder of It All!

Easter Sunday, 4/4/10
Luke 24:1-12


Christ’s Resurrection—The Wonder of It All!
I. Not the wonder of fear and unbelief
II. But the wonder of joy and faith


There are always at least two reactions to fantastic news—either doubt that borders on denial or euphoria over the impact on the good news in our lives.

So let’s give it a try. I’ll share some fantastic news with you and you see what your reaction is.

The first bit of fantastic news is that this morning our President has announced that our country’s national debt has been eliminated and that our country will experience a budget surplus for the foreseeable future. Now that’s fantastic news! Imagine the impact such news would have on our lives. So, what’s your reaction? Doubt bordering on denial or euphoria over the impact of that news on your life? I don’t think I need to ask for a show of hands. Any of us old enough to know what our country’s debt is denies that such news is actually true.

But what if the news were this: Your wealthy relative who recently passed away had his will made public the other day and he left you with $100,000. While there might be a little doubt in your mind until that amount is actually deposited in your savings account, your heart and mind would be filled with joy. Imagine all the good things you could do with that kind of money. It would allow you to get out of debt, get some things done that you’ve been putting off, give some gifts to people you love and enjoy a much-needed vacation.

In one case your wonder about the news led to denial and in the other case it led to joy.

The news of Christ’s resurrection met with the same two reactions. We see one of them in this morning’s text. We see the other in our hearts and lives this morning.

So that we don’t fall into the same fear and despair as Jesus’ disciples did on Easter morning, let’s review Christ’s resurrection—the wonder of it all! As we do so, may the Holy Spirit increase our joy and faith over this astounding news.

Part I.

Sometimes our wonder fills us with fear. We spend sleepless nights wondering what’s going to happen to us or our loved ones. We wonder about health issues and financial issues and educational issues and relationship issues. And, to be honest, we’re afraid. We don’t know how things will turn out. We don’t know what the future holds.

Imagine being one of the disciples or one of the women who closely followed Jesus to Jerusalem for the last Passover Jesus ever celebrated. They came with such high hopes for Jesus and for themselves. With the way things had started on Palm Sunday everyone was thinking that Jesus was going to establish his kingdom on earth and all would be well for those who followed him. But look what happened. In five short days things went terribly, horribly wrong. The worst thing imaginable happened. Jesus was crucified. He was dead. Buried in tomb. Imagine the fear that gripped the disciples and the women day and night over the last day and a half.

All of them were still gripped by fear and unbelief that Easter morning. The women went to the tomb at the crack of dawn to give him a proper burial. His body had been laid in the tomb in haste on Friday before the Sabbath began so now they were returning to embalm it properly. It’s the least they could do for Jesus. They had loved him so dearly.

And the fear in the hearts of the disciples was even greater. They were hiding in a room somewhere in Jerusalem. I suppose they feared that they might be the next victims of Jesus’ enemies. Just as bad, they were haunted by the way they had utterly failed Jesus. They had scattered at the first hint of trouble. None of them had stood up to defend Jesus. Worst of all, their hopes and dreams about Jesus had been dashed. He was dead and now they didn’t know what to do or where to go from here.

In their doom and gloom the women made their way to the tomb to perform their last act of love and devotion for Jesus. They expected to see the stone blocking the entrance, but our text says, “They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. The men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!’” The angels shared the most glorious news ever heard by human ears. Jesus had died but was alive again! The Savior whom they were mourning was actually alive! Christ’s resurrection—the wonder of it all!

But even with such wondrous news, not much changed. The women went and told the disciples and this was their response, “But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed like nonsense.” They were filled with the wonder of unbelief.

The wonder of Christ’s resurrection didn’t change much for the women either. The Bible states that Mary Magdalene returned to the tomb, and when Jesus appeared to her, she thought he was the gardener and asked him if he had removed the body. Peter, too, went to the tomb and looked in. But “he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.” Yes, the news of Christ’s resurrection filled them all with wonder—the wonder of fear and unbelief.

But that was the exact opposite of what our Lord intended. He wanted the news of his resurrection to fill them not with the wonder of fear and unbelief, but with the wonder of joy and faith.

Part II.

For a moment let’s go back to opening words of our sermon and recall your reaction to the good news that you had inherited $100,000 from your wealthy relative. The news filled you with joy and immediately that joy started to make applications of how you would use that inheritance.

That’s always the way it is with joy over good news. For instance, what was your reaction when you found out that this year you will receive a tax refund? Immediately you began planning how you would use it—pay some bills, buy something you’ve had your eye on for quite some time, or save it for a vacation.

It’s the same way with good health news. When the doctor informs you that your surgery was a huge success and that you should soon return to life as you knew it, you’re filled with joy and you begin making plans to once again do the things you had enjoyed before your health took a turn for the worse.

The good news of Christ’s resurrection works the same way. It brings us joy and instills us with a deeper faith. First, the joy. The resurrection assures us that what Jesus died to win for us on the cross is actually ours—forgiveness for all our sins. Because of his resurrection we’re certain that his death paid for the sins of the whole world and thus, you can be sure that he paid for yours. What joy!

The joy of the resurrection of Jesus is also a joy of knowing that eternal life is ours. Just consider all the wasted time and effort of people around the world who can only hope that they might enjoy the life after this one. Unfortunately, they’re sadly mistaken if their hope is in anything other than Jesus Christ. But because of Christ’s resurrection eternal life with your God in the bliss of heaven is yours. What joy!

And in even in the midst of life’s disappointments and failures, heartaches and frustrations, you know that nothing can separate you from the love of God. That’s because the resurrection of Christ assures you that he did redeem you to be his own forever. What joy!

But the resurrection of Jesus also fills you with faith—faith that your God will deliver on all of his promises to you. Since God kept the greatest of his promises to you—the resurrection of Jesus—won’t he keep every lesser promise he has made?

Just what does he promise you? First, strength to face each day. As Christians, we say with the Psalmist that we lift our eyes and look for help from the Lord, the maker or heaven and earth. Even when life is at its darkest, we know that the Lord is still on our side, strengthening us through his word to meet the temptations and struggles of each day. Because of Christ’s resurrection, we can put our faith in him!

We also know that he’s there to guide us through every day of our lives until we reach life with him. None of us knows what will happen tomorrow. The future is hidden from us. But to our God, who lives in a timeless present, the future is crystal clear. He will guide us through every day of our future. Because of Christ’s resurrection, we can put our faith in him!

In fact, the best is yet to come for us. Yes, I’m speaking about heaven, but I’m speaking about more than that. Christianity is the only religion that does not teach an uncertain spiritual existence after this life. Christianity proclaims the resurrection of our bodies on the last Day so that we will enjoy life forever with our God not only with our souls, but also with our glorified bodies. He promises us exactly what we long for every day—a perfect life with the bodies he has created for us. Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? It would be too good to be true if it weren’t for Christ’s resurrection. The One who raised himself has also promised to raise and glorify us. Because of Christ’s resurrection, we can put our faith in him!

It’s been correctly stated that the Christian is an optimist. That statement is true because of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. So what problems have you brought with you today? Your relationship with someone else? Your health? Your finances? Work? School? Stress? No matter what it is, the solution is found in Christ and his resurrection. His resurrection means your life today with him is absolutely secure. His resurrection means your life forever with him is absolutely secure. Christ’s resurrection—the wonder of it all! May that Easter wonder fill our hearts with Easter joy and faith! Amen.