He Is Risen!

Surprises. There are basically two kinds of surprises. There are the welcome surprises,

and then there are the unwelcome surprises. Welcome surprises are you get your taxes done,

and you've got a sweet refund. Do I have an amen? Or if you're playing Monopoly and you fall on the

chance thing, you get the card that says, go to go and collect $200. That's a welcome surprise.

An unwelcome surprise is when you have your taxes done and you owe money more than you expected and

maybe more than you planned on, yours truly. Or you're playing Monopoly and you fall on the chance

thing and you get the card that says, inheritance tax, pay $200. That's an unwelcome surprise.

But perhaps the greatest surprise of all is Easter. Easter is the annual celebration

of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and it's a game changer.

All throughout the ages, since the first century, the Christian church has been proclaiming that

Jesus Christ is alive today and changing lives. He is alive. He's risen. He's risen indeed.

Now for many of you in the room, when we started the service and you heard me say, he is risen,

you responded, he is risen indeed with every fiber of your being because you have come to know the

risen Jesus personally. You know him. You have experienced his mercy and his grace.

He has changed you. He has changed you. He continues to change you for his name's sake.

The first time you heard the good news of Christ's death and resurrection and you had ears to hear,

you welcomed it. The surprise of the resurrection was welcomed good news because you realized at that

moment Jesus had died and was raised for you. But let's just be honest, even if you're a Christian,

you can have some doubts, you can have some hard experiences where you're condemning yourself for

sins you've committed. And maybe even if you just remain silent about Jesus, well,

got a surprise for you today. So there's some in this room that give a hearty yes and amen

to this surprise news of the resurrection of Jesus. It's welcome news. But for others of us in this room,

it may not be as welcome. You may be skeptical about the resurrection. And that's not necessarily a bad

thing. It's just that you're like, hey, dead people don't come back to life three days later. That's

impossible according to the laws of nature. Well, maybe there's a surprise for you this morning.

I'm glad that you're here. Maybe you're not skeptical. Maybe you're just a little bit more

pragmatic. So your thinking goes something like this. Hey, you know what? I'm a pretty busy person.

I'm working hard during the week. And if I'm going to plan my Sunday morning, I got stuff to do.

And in that stuff to do, Jesus just doesn't fall into the mix. It's not that I don't believe he

existed. He's just not that important to me. Well, for the pragmatists in the room,

I have a surprise for you this morning. And then there are the searchers among us.

Every three to five years, you find yourself giving yourself fully to something new.

Maybe when you were in school, it was your grades. Maybe it turned into environmentalism.

Maybe it became the cause of sex trafficking. Maybe it became your career. Maybe it came raising

children, having a family. But every three to five years, you're turning to something new in order to

scratch that itch deep inside of you. I've got some good news for you this morning.

And then there are the guilt ridden among us.

You have deep levels of shame and guilt for real pain that has been inflicted on you or you have

inflicted upon others. It's real. And so there are things that you have experienced that you are so ashamed of

that you will never tell anyone until all the way up to your death.

Your greatest fear is having these shameful happenings exposed.

So here's how you get by. You find ways to hide the shame and numb the guilt.

And in so doing, you keep people just far enough away.

We'll have good news for you this morning.

Someone already sees it all

and wants to come close.

Jesus died and was raised

for skeptics, for pragmatists,

for searchers,

and for the guilt ridden.

He came for you and me.

And not only did he die,

he was raised.

And this

resurrection

is to be a welcomed surprise

announcement.

Jesus is alive today.

Changing lives.

We heard that from Billy Johnson already.

So here's how we're going to move forward this morning.

I'm going to walk you through

an eyewitness account of the resurrection of Jesus.

It's given to us by a guy named Luke.

The Gospel of Luke.

He was a first century doctor

and he was a very careful historian.

And you'll see that as we go through this account.

And what this eyewitness account claims

is that Jesus was dead

and now he's alive

changing people.

And you're going to see it as a series

of surprises.

And after we're done walking through that,

I'm going to summarize it

and then I'm going to say,

here's some things to think about

on your way out.

So let's walk through Luke's account

in Luke 24.

Danielle read a good chunk of it.

She read through verse 7.

I'm going to walk you through chapter 24

verses 1 through 12.

In your Black Pew Bible,

I think it's page 1051

or pretty close to that.

Luke 24.

So here's how we're going to walk through.

We're going to see first a scene

that should not surprise you.

And then we're going to move to another scene

where it's a tomb surprise.

Wait on it.

And then an angelic surprise.

Wait on it.

And then a people surprise.

A series of surprises that culminate.

It's all about Jesus is alive.

So 24.1, we read,

but on the first day of the week

at early dawn,

they went to the tomb

taking the spices they had prepared.

Who is this they?

Well, Luke tells us.

Look at verse 10.

Now it was Mary Magdalene

and Joanna

and Mary the mother of James

and the other women

with them

who went back to the apostles.

They're on their way to the tomb.

And the reason why

they're on the way to the tomb

is hinted at

because they're carrying spices.

They're burial spices.

So here's what has happened.

Jesus died on a Friday.

And then came Saturday,

which for the Jews at the time

is called the Sabbath.

It's the last day of the week.

Nobody worked on the Sabbath.

And then came Sunday,

the first day of the week.

And so Jesus was crucified on a Friday.

These women didn't have time

to prepare their body.

They couldn't prepare his body

for burial

because it was a kind of a work.

So they had to wait out the Sabbath.

And then first thing on Sunday morning,

they're back to the tomb

in order to prepare his body.

But here's what you need to know

about these women.

These women

have been traveling with Jesus.

They're from Galilee.

Some of them have been

with Jesus for three years.

They had witnessed his miracles.

They had heard his teaching.

They had experienced him personally.

They knew the sound of his voice.

They themselves were helped

fund his itinerant ministry.

They were committed.

And so these are the same women

who just days before

had watched Jesus be crucified.

They watched him die.

They watched his body

be taken down from the cross.

And they watched,

chapter 23, verse 55,

Luke is very specific.

They see where his body was laid.

They saw the tomb.

They know where he's at.

And so these women

are going to the tomb.

And it shouldn't surprise you

that these women

are grieving.

And not just grieving,

their hope has been crushed.

Because this was the guy

just a week before

Jesus was welcomed into Jerusalem

to crowds singing his praises

like he's a returning king.

They were thinking,

this is the Messiah,

the Christ,

the long-awaited one.

But now their hopes

have been crushed.

It's all changed.

He's dead.

And so maybe

you know what it's like

to have the very thing

that you were banking

all your hopes on

pulled right out

from underneath you.

That's what these women

are experiencing.

So it's no surprise here.

These women are grieving.

They're crushed.

It's hopeless.

They're just going to do

what they need to do

to prepare his body.

They're fully expecting

to find the dead body of Jesus

where they had left it

on Friday.

So no surprise here.

Now we start entering

the surprises

with verse 2.

And what we first run into

are some tomb surprises.

You ready for this?

Look at verse 2.

And they found the stone

rolled away.

So they walk up

to where the tomb was.

And remember,

they knew where it was,

2355.

And the stone

had been rolled away

in front of the entrance

of the tomb.

It would have been

hundreds of pounds.

The only way to move

a stone like that

is by rolling it downhill

or by levering it.

And what it was for

was to block

the entrance of the tomb

so no animals

could get inside,

so no grave robbers

could get in there.

And so they walk up

in surprise.

The stones rolled away.

Here's how they were feeling.

Just imagine you go home

after the service today

and whether it's a house

or an apartment,

you left your house

with a front door lock

and you come to your house.

Front door is wide open.

Surprise!

That's a sample

of how they're feeling

right now.

What's going on?

It's an alarming surprise.

And then we have

another surprise

in verse 3.

Not only is this tomb open,

they go into the tomb

and they do not find

the body of the Lord Jesus.

It's an open

and empty tomb.

Which is even more surprising

than it being open.

So,

in verse 4,

we read,

while they were perplexed

about this,

it was confusing to them.

You'd be confused too.

You're coming to the tomb

because the one

that you'd set your hope on

has died.

You just want to

put spices on his body

and give an honorable death,

burial,

and you walk up

and all of a sudden

the thing's open

and there's no body inside.

Where's the body?

Who took the body?

And why would anybody

take his body?

The tomb surprise

is a confusing surprise.

surprise.

And if you were there,

you would have been

as confused

as they were as well.

And then something happens.

More surprises.

An angelic surprise.

And this angelic surprise

is a surprising appearance

as well as a surprising question

as well as a surprising connection.

So look at the surprising appearance.

Verse 4,

While they were perplexed about this,

behold,

two men in dazzling apparel

stood by them.

It's a surprising appearance

of two angels.

And you know they're angels

because of their dazzling apparel.

They were shining.

This word dazzle

is the same word

that describes Jesus'

radiant glory

at his transfiguration.

They were radiating light.

And notice,

they're radiating light

next to these women

in the tomb.

Literally,

they are bringing light

into the dark tomb.

They're bringing clarity

to their confusion.

Angels,

when they come on the scene,

they make announcements.

We see that in the gospel of Luke

that the birth of Jesus

is announced by angels

at the beginning of the book.

And here at the end

of the gospel of Luke,

we have angels

announcing his resurrection.

And so,

we have the surprise appearance

of these angels

and the women.

They're afraid

and they bow their eyes.

they don't want to look.

They don't want to look.

And now,

there's this surprise question

and announcement.

Look at verse 5.

They say,

and as they were frightened

and bowed their face

to the ground,

the men,

the angels said to them,

why do you seek

the living among the dead?

Why do you seek

the living among the dead?

Here's how to think about it.

They're kind of like,

duh.

What are you doing here?

Why do you think

Jesus would be here?

Why are you seeking

the living one

in a cemetery?

It's a surprising question.

And they go on to say,

he's not here,

but has risen.

He's alive.

In the original language

that this was written in,

that verb has risen,

scholars call it

a divine passive.

And here's what that means.

These angels are saying

that God has raised him

from the dead.

And so for their questions

about who stole his body,

these angels are saying,

nobody stole his body.

God raised him

from the dead.

These angels are kind of

like saying,

hey, let's just set

the record straight

so there's no confusion.

He's not here.

Dead people are in tombs.

He's not dead.

He's alive.

He's alive.

And if that were not,

there's now this

surprising connection.

And we see that

in verse 6.

He is not here,

but has risen.

You see the word remember?

Remember how he told you

while he was still in Galilee

that the Son of Man

must be delivered

into the hands of sinful men.

and be crucified

and on the third day,

rise.

It's a really important connection

that they're making here.

These angels are saying,

duh, he's not here.

He's risen.

Like he said he would be.

He's fulfilling the divine must.

These angels are making a connection

between what Jesus foretold

and what Jesus has fulfilled.

He foretold.

He foretold

that he was going to die.

And not just that,

he foretold

where he would die.

He foretold

who would kill him.

He foretold

how he would be killed.

And not just that,

he foretold

not that he would just die,

but that he would be raised.

And not just raised,

he foretold

when he would be raised

on the third day.

What do you think it means

when angels

quote you?

Because this is what

these angels are doing.

Do you remember what he said?

And they basically

quote him verbatim

from

Luke 9 and Luke 18

where Jesus foretells

his death and resurrection.

What does that mean?

That means that his word

is all authoritative.

And what these angels

are showing us

is that Jesus,

what Jesus foretold

about himself,

he has fulfilled.

In 922 and 1831,

he does foretell

where he's going to die

and who's going to kill him

and how he's going to die.

And he also foretells

that he's going to be raised

and when he will be raised.

And what the angels

are saying here in 24-7

is it's been fulfilled.

Remember?

It's happened.

It's a very specific fulfillment.

Let me give you

some perspective on this.

Back in the day,

this guy named Joe Namath

who was a quarterback,

he publicly guaranteed

that his underdog

New York Jets

would upset

the juggernaut

Baltimore Colts

in the 1969 Super Bowl.

And then he delivered on it.

They actually won.

They actually won.

Jesus

has publicly guaranteed

in Luke 9

and Luke 18,

he's publicly guaranteed

where he would die,

Jerusalem,

by whom he would die,

sinful men,

the way he would die

by crucifixion,

and that he would be raised

on the third day.

It's one thing

for Joe Namath

to get lucky

and win a Super Bowl.

It's another thing

for Jesus Christ

to foretell his death

and resurrection

and then to fulfill that

according to God's loving plan

to rescue sinners.

That's what this is all about.

Jesus' death

and resurrection

was a must.

It was a must

for skeptics

and for searchers

and for pragmatists

and for the guilt-ridden

to rescue us

it is a surprising connection.

The words Jesus foretold

have been fulfilled.

Now, if Jesus was right

about his own death,

if what he said

was right about his own death

and his own resurrection,

it begs the question,

what else did he talk about?

Well, did you know

he talked about

the nature of man?

He talked about

men and women

enjoying food.

He talked about

men and women

being in relationship

with each other.

He also talked about

that at the core,

men and women

have a sin problem.

There is this well

within us

that bubbles up

things like

sexual immorality,

like envy,

like hatred.

In Mark chapter 7,

Mark 7 · chapter mention

Jesus is very clear.

What defiles

a man and a woman

is what comes

from inside of you.

Our hearts

are sinful

at their core

and out of our

sinful hearts

we commit sins.

sins.

They defile us

before God,

says Jesus,

and that defilement

before God

has a judgment

on it.

We read elsewhere

that the wages

of sin

is death.

Our sin

deserves

death

according to

our Bibles,

which reminds me

something else

about Jesus' death.

death.

He foretold

where He would die,

by whom He would die,

and how He would die.

He also told us

why He would die.

In the Gospel of Mark,

Jesus says,

I came

not to be served,

but to serve

and to give my life

as a ransom

for many.

You see,

the death

that Jesus died

isn't just

a historical event,

it accomplished

something.

Recently,

there was a woman

and her guy

that were taken

hostage in Africa,

and someone

paid a ransom payment

and they got rescued.

They were released.

A ransom payment

is a payment

that liberates

captives

from slavery.

And when Jesus

talks about

His life,

His death

as a ransom,

His death

liberates

sinners

from the

slavery

of sin

and frees

them

so that they

can experience

the fullness

of life

in obedience

to God.

Another way

of thinking

about it

is like this.

Jesus' death

payment

was for sin.

Jesus'

resurrection

was the

declaration

that that payment

has been received

and accepted.

Jesus'

word

proves true.

true.

And what

these angels

are doing

is,

it's not just

surprising

that they

showed up,

it's not just

surprising

that they

say,

hey,

why are you

looking for

the living

among the

dead?

What's amazing

is that they're

making this

connection

between what

Jesus foretold

and what

He's fulfilled.

the resurrection

is declaring

that God's

plan has

been accomplished.

Let's look

at the last

surprise.

The people

surprise.

It's in

verses 8

through 12

and I won't

be long,

I just want

to point

some things

out to you.

In verse

8,

the women,

they hear

what these

angels say,

they've just

quoted Jesus,

they've made

the connection,

verse 8,

and they

remembered

Jesus'

words.

Back in

the gospel

of Luke,

when Jesus

foretells

His death

and resurrection,

Luke is

very clear

to say,

the disciples

didn't get it

at all.

They didn't

understand what

He was saying.

And what we

have right now

is these

women are

understanding

what Jesus

has said.

He truly

did die for

sin,

He truly

was raised

from the

dead.

The empty

tomb is

the fulfillment

of what

He said

must happen.

And so

their conclusion

in verse

8,

something's

dawning in

their hearts.

He's alive.

He's alive.

And in

verse 9,

they return

to the upper

room where

the disciples

were and

they tell

them everything.

They tell

them about

the empty

tomb,

they tell

them about

the two

angels,

they tell

them about

the connection

they made

or the

fulfillment

of Jesus'

words.

They say,

He's alive.

He's alive.

They haven't

even seen

Jesus.

They know

He's alive.

There's a

change going

on here.

The people's

surprise is a

surprising change.

These women,

just minutes

before,

went to the

grave thinking

that they're

going to put

spices on a

dead body.

And now

they've just

left the

grave.

The burial

spices are

still in the

grave.

And now

they've left

announcing

He's alive.

Grieving to

joy,

hopelessness to

hope.

But it

doesn't end

with these

women.

There's a

chain reaction

going on

because in

verse 12,

Peter has

heard what

they said,

and it's not

surprising by the

way that the

guys kind of

first say,

kind of like,

whatever,

I don't think

what you're

saying is true.

You see that

in verse 11,

but these

words seem to

them the

apostles in

idle tale.

Not

surprising.

But Peter

thinks about

it.

And he

bolts.

Can you

imagine what's

going on in

Peter right

now?

I'm guessing

he was thinking

something like

this.

These women

come back,

they're all

excited,

they relay

the account,

and I'm

guessing something

like this starts

bubbling up in

him.

Is it true?

Is it true?

The last

time in the

gospel of

Luke that

we saw

Peter,

do you know

what he was

doing?

He was

weeping

bitterly.

And he was

weeping bitterly

because he had

just denied

Jesus three

times,

just like

Jesus said

he would.

And so

when he

hears this,

that the

tomb is

empty,

that Jesus

is alive,

just like

he said

he would

be,

could you

imagine what's

going on in

him?

Seriously?

Is it true?

He

hightails it

to the

tomb,

he goes

into the

tomb,

and he

doesn't see

Jesus,

the angels

aren't there,

all that he

sees are the

burial linen

cloths lying

by themselves,

and that's all

he needed.

He went home

marveling at

what had

happened.

Could you

imagine what it

would have been

like to be

Peter after

denying Jesus?

the shame,

the guilt,

the isolation,

and here

he's marveling.

Surprise!

He's alive,

changing people.

The empty

tomb is like

this catalyst

of change

that changes

people.

It starts

with these

women,

it goes

to Peter,

and then

we see

in Acts

this gospel

message of

Jesus who's

died and

been raised

from the

dead.

It starts

spreading to

Jerusalem,

to Judea,

to Samaria,

to the ends

of the earth,

and it's

landed in

Kenosha.

Jesus is

alive,

changing people

today.

If you read

the rest of

Luke 24,

you would read

a lot more

of the surprises

of Jesus.

There are some

things that he

does and says

in the rest

of Luke 24

that you're

just like,

he's amazing.

This is amazing.

So let me just

recap.

We started off

with no surprise.

These women

were grieving

and hope

fallen,

hope crushed.

And then there

was the tomb

surprise that

resulted in

confusion with

these women,

and then there's

the angelic

surprise where

clarity resulted.

the connection

to Jesus'

own words.

And then there's

the people

surprise,

changed lives.

Can it be

true?

Here's how you

can sum up

these 12

verses of

Luke 24.

You've already

heard it.

Jesus is

alive.

He's alive

today,

and he is

still changing

people.

He's changing

people from

people who are

hopeless to

people who are

hopeful,

for those who

are ashamed to

being marveling

and full of

happiness.

Hey, does this

news that

Jesus is alive,

does that

surprise you?

And if it

does, is that

a welcome

surprise or is

that an

unwelcome

surprise?

If you're a

skeptic in the

room, I'm

so glad you're

here, it's

not bad to

be a skeptic.

You're

thinking.

But let me

just put it to

you this way,

just by way

of suggestion.

Let's boil it

down.

If Jesus

wasn't raised

from the

dead, then

his words

prove

folly,

who

were terribly

mistaken.

Those of us

who banked

our lives on

him were

terribly

mistaken.

We acknowledge

that.

But if

Jesus truly

was raised

from the

dead, his

word is

proven true,

which means

there's no one

like him.

He's one of a

kind.

he was

either raised

from the

dead or

he wasn't.

And so if

you're a

skeptic in

the room,

I've got two

questions for

you.

The first

one is

this.

Could a

supernatural

explanation of

the empty

tomb actually

be the best

explanation for

the empty

tomb?

And then

second,

how do you

explain the

empty tomb?

How do you

explain the

empty tomb?

If you're a

pragmatist and

you're thinking

about your

Sunday mornings

and how you

want to spend

them, you're

determining what

matters most and

how you want to

spend your time

and what you

want to get

done, my

question to you

would be this.

In light of

today's passage,

could it be that

you just haven't

realized what

your greatest

need is?

That Jesus

himself has

said that

the biggest

problem you

have is not

outside of

you, it's

inside of

you, that

you have

sin at the

core of

who you

are.

And the

good news

is that

God has

made the

most practical

solution to

that for

your biggest

problem by

sending Jesus

as a payment

for your

sin.

So pragmatically

speaking, it's

the best solution

to your biggest

problem.

And if he's

alive,

he doesn't

fit into

your schedule,

you fit into

his plan.

He's that

glorious.

If you're a

searcher, you've

just been moving

from one thing

to the next.

You're just

trying to scratch

the itch.

Do you remember

the angels'

question to the

women?

Are you

looking for

the living

among the

dead?

Are you

trying to

scratch the

itch through

your career,

through a

cause, through

your children,

by more and

more comfort?

Is that where

you're trying to

find life?

Among the

dead?

Doesn't give

life?

Maybe you're

here this

morning because

God has been

wanting you to

hear this.

maybe you

have been

searching not

for an it,

but for a

who.

Jesus, who

is alive

today and

can scratch

your itch.

For the guilt

ridden.

Jesus pays

his death,

paid for all

the sin and

guilt you

have

accumulated

and will

accumulate.

In fact,

he already

sees you for

who you are.

He sees

through the

walls, he

sees through

the layers of

protection,

and not only

does he see

through that and

see you as you

are in all of

your shame and

guilt, he's

able to

forgive you and

set you free

from your shame

and guilt.

And not just

able, he

wants to.

He wants to

set you free.

Jesus is alive

today and he

is changing

lives and he

can change

yours.

He's a

friend of

sinners.

sinners.

If his

death is

God's way

of paying

for our

sin, then

his resurrection

is God's

announcement

that that

sin payment

has been

fully accepted

and it's

being offered

to you right

now.

Today, God

is offering

you full

forgiveness in

Jesus and

you don't

earn it, you

receive it as

a gift.

That's what

it is.

And for

those of you

in the room

who already

know Jesus

personally, you

hear the words

he is risen and

up from your

soul comes he's

risen indeed.

If you're a

doubting

Christian, you

find yourself

wondering, is

this all

true?

Let the

good news of

Easter Sunday

strengthen your

resolve.

He is

alive.

It is

all true.

He is our

living hope.

He is our

living confidence.

And if you

are a

self-condemning

Christian,

you sinned

this morning

against your

kids, you

sinned early

in the week

against someone

else and you

just keep on

replaying it

through your

mind again and

again and

again.

You, the

very one who

Jesus shed his

blood to ransom,

are condemning

yourself over and

over again.

You need to

remember that the

Jesus who died

for you is

alive for you and

he is interceding

right now according

to 1 John 2

one as your

advocate.

And as you

sin, he says,

done, paid,

my blood.

He is

alive

interceding for

you.

He is our

living hope.

He is our

living assurance

before the

Father.

God is

a quiet

Christian.

The thought of

speaking of

Jesus is scary

to you.

Do you

remember what

happened to the

women when they

remembered the

fulfillment of

Jesus' words?

They left the

grave and they

told those whom

they were closest

to that he is

alive.

the resurrection

is a catalyst to

evangelism.

To go tell that

he is alive, he

is risen.

You see, this is

good news.

It's not just good

news for you, it's

good news for your

neighbors.

It's not just good

news for your

neighbors, it's good

news for everyone

living in the city

of Kenosha.

This news is what

they need to hear.

It addresses their

greatest problem and

it's not just for our

city.

this news changes

the world.

You can't keep

silent about the

resurrection.

He's alive and he's

changing lives.

The resurrection of

Jesus, it's the

greatest surprise of

all.

And it's the most

welcome news of all

for sinners like you

and me.

So just one more

time.

He is risen.

God, thank you so

much for this

historic account of

the resurrection of

Jesus.

It does our heart

well to recall it.

Jesus, you are

alive.

Change our lives.

In your name we pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.