He is not here: for he is risen!
The Life of Christ:
-He was born of a virgin
-He was rejected by the Jews.
-Betrayed by a friend.
-Sold for thirty pieces of silver.
-Was accused falsely.
-Was smitten and spat upon.
-Was hated without cause.
-He suffered.
-Was crucified with sinners.
– Was mocked and insulted.
-His side was pierced.
-He died by the hands of sinners.
-And he rose in triumph!
Five different Scenes
1. Jesus eats the Passover with His Disciples
Matthew 26:17 ¶ Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?
18 And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.
19 And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.
20 Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.
21 And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
22 And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?
23 And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.
24 The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.
25 Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.
26 ¶ And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.
30 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
2. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane
Matthew 26:36 ¶ Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
43 And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.
44 And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
45 Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
46 Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.
Luke 22:43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
3. Judas betrays Jesus, the Disciples flee from Jesus, and Peter denies Jesus
Matthew 26:47 ¶ And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people.
48 Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.
49 And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.
50 And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.
51 And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest’s, and smote off his ear.
52 Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.
53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
54 But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?
55 In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me.
56 But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.
Matthew 26:69 ¶ Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.
70 But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.
71 And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.
72 And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.
73 And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee.
74 Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.
75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.
4. Jesus is Crucified
Matthew 27:33 ¶ And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,
34 They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.
35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
36 And sitting down they watched him there;
37 And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
38 Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.
39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,
40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.
41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,
42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.
43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.
44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.
5. Jesus is Risen
Matthew 28:1 ¶ In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.
8 And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.
Luke 24:11 And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.
12 Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.
Why the cross and what was so significant about the resurrection?
If it were not for what took place on the cross and Jesus rising from the dead, Our faith would be vain.
Because of the cross, there is Hope.
What took Jesus to the Cross?
– Our sin took Jesus to the cross!
Sin enters a perfect world.
Genesis 3:1 ¶ Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6 ¶ And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
What took place here in the garden?
1. The devil appeared in the form of a serpent.
2. He appeared to Eve.
3. He questioned what God had said. (yea, hath God said)
4. Eve spoke to the serpent.
5. The devil contradicted what God had said. (ye shall not surely die)(ye shall be as gods)
6. Eve looked upon the tree.
7. Adam and Eve disobeyed God.
8. Their eyes were open and they knew good and evil.
9. They hid themselves from the presence of the Lord.
What took place within Adam and Eve when they disobeyed God?
1. There was shame.
2. There was separation.
3. They were defiled.
4. They were no longer pure.
5. They lost there holiness.
6. Their entire nature was changed.
One sin was enough to destroy the purity, the perfection, the holiness, and the life of man.
This sin was not only the taking and eating of the fruit, but was the act of turning away from God to Satan.
The sin was the condition of the soul.
Man lost the divine relationship with God and became sinful.
There are three things connected to this sinful state:
1. Corruption
2. Mortality
3. Separation
Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Why the Cross?
Why did Christ have to bear the Cross?
Why did Christ have to die?
When man fell, he not only became a creature of sin but there was separation and no way to get back to God.
Man was LOST!
There was no way for man to redeem himself.
2Peter 3:9 ¶ The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Jesus went to the cross because of you and me.
The death of Christ becomes our eternal hope.
He became and is:
1. Our Ransom
-He is our redeemer and has paid the price of our redemption.
1Peter 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
1Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
-By the payment of this ransom, we can be freed from the curse of sin.
The Price of Sin has been paid and we can be set free through the finished work of Jesus Christ.
2. Our Propitiation
1John 2:1 ¶ My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
-Only through the atoning merits of the blood of Jesus Christ, we have been (or can be) reconciled to God.
-We can approach God with full confidence that the price has been paid.
3. Our Substitute
Christ took upon himself the sin of all man.
He became our substitute.
He paid the price of sin in my stead.
2Corinthians 5:15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
2Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
4. Our Advocate
The death of Jesus Christ on earth made it possible for Him to be our advocate in Heaven.
He shed His blood and died, paying the price for our redemption, and He rose in triumph overcoming sin and death.
He is now at the right hand of the father as our representative, our intercessor, and our advocate.
Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
Jesus Christ died in our stead, His blood was shed to atone for our sins, and all who accept this work of redemption are thereby reconciled to God.
Why the Resurrection?
If it were not for the resurrection:
-There would be no Hope.
-The work of Salvation would not be complete.
-There would not have been victory over sin and death.
What does the resurrection mean for us?
1. Jesus Christ conquered sin and death.
2. He was not and never will be defeated.
3. We serve a risen Saviour. The grave could not contain Him. Death could not keep Him.
4. We are no longer in bondage to sin if we put our trust in the risen Saviour.
What is key about the resurrection after the cross?
1. Christ conquered death
2. There is and was victory over death
3. There is victory because of the resurrection
4. The resurrection is proof of a Living, Holy, Almighty, and Just God
5. The resurrection was necessary because the cross put Christ to death on our behalf.
6. Because of the resurrection there is forgiveness, life, hope, and purpose for all that believe.
1Corinthians 15:12-22
12 ¶ Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
20 ¶ But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life, he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.
Romans 6:4-11
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
-Our sin was nailed to that cross. The price was paid in full. Our old man (sin and self) was crucified with Christ.
Have I laid my burden at the foot of the cross and accept the finish work of the cross (death to sin)? We can not stop Here……..vs 8 if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we should also live with Him. (there is life in Christ)
Because Christ arose from the dead, death is conquered; it has no more dominion over Him.
We can experience that true life only through Jesus Christ our Lord.
2Corinthians 13:4 For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.
Revelation 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen, and have the keys of hell and of death.
Do you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour?
Have you come before Him in repentance and are you willing to surrender your will to His will?
Have you experienced the true life that comes only from God, through Jesus?
What are you facing in your life?
Are you battling depression?
Are you in a relationship that does not seem to be working out?
Are there things in your past that have caused deep hurt?
Are you faced with bitterness and unforgiveness?
Are you grieving because of a loss of a love one?
Are you in a place where you feel that there is no hope?
Jesus is our Hope!
Will you give him you burden, your pain, your bitterness, your relationships, your loss, and so on….
Will you allow Jesus to cleanse you, to forgive you, and to fill you with new life?