EASTER SUNDAY PREACHING

As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a

white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
Dont be alarmed, He said. You are looking for Jesus the
Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See
the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter,
He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him,
just as He told you.
- Mark 16:5-7
Introduction:
Today, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
death. The Bible narrates this story as Jesus dying on the cross
and waking up from the death on the third day. What makes this
story more special is the fact that none of this was coincidence.
Jesus knew it all. Jesus knew that He would die and He knew that
He would rise up from the dead.
Many gods and goddesses of other religions have likewise
performed miracles, signs, and wonders.
They have also
displayed great deal of wisdom and affection. But what separates
Jesus from other gods? It was His resurrection. All other gods and
goddesses died but no one came back from the dead. It was only
Jesus who did this.
This is the story of Easter. This your story.
Establishing:
However, despite the claims of the witnesses of Jesus
resurrection, many people, until now, still doubt the story. For
them, it is so good to be true. But how can we be so sure that the
Easter story is not just another parable or myth? Today, we shall
lightly study some proofs that would make this matter clear for all
of us.
1. The empty tomb of Jesus (www.christianity.about.com)
The empty tomb may be the strongest proof Jesus Christ
rose from the dead.
Two major theories have been
advanced by unbelievers: someone stole Jesus body or
the women and disciples went to the wrong tomb. The
Jews and Romans had no motive to steal the body.
Christs apostles were too coward and would have had to
overcome the Roman guards. The women who found the
tomb early had earlier watched Jesus being laid away;
they knew where the correct tomb was. Even if they had
gone to the wrong tomb, the Sanhedrin could have
produced the body from the right tomb to stop the
resurrection stories. Jesus burial clothes were left nearly

folded inside, hardly the act of hurrying grave robbers. If

Jesus did not rise from the grave, where was His body?
Nobody could have produced it because the truth is: Jesus
is alive!
2. Large crowd of eyewitnesses (ibid.)
A large crowd of more than 500 eyewitnesses saw the
risen Jesus Christ at the same time. The apostle Paul
records this event in 1 Corinthians 15:6. He states that
most of these men and women were still alive when he
wrote this letter, about 55 A.D. Undoubtedly, they told
others about this miracle. Today, psychologists say it
would be impossible for a large crowd of people to have
had the same hallucination at once. Smaller groups also
saw the risen Christ, such as the apostles, and Cleopas
and his companion. They all saw the same thing, and in
the case of the apostles, they touched Jesus and watched
Him eat food.
The hallucination theory is further
debunked because after the ascension of Jesus into
heaven, sightings of Him stopped.
3. Many died for Jesus (ibid.)
Countless people have died for Jesus, absolutely certain
that the resurrection of Christ is a historical fact. Tradition
says ten of the original apostles died as martyrs for Christ,
as did the Apostle Paul. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of
early Christians died in the Roman arena and in prisons for
their faith. Some people may die for the truth but surely,
nobody will die defending a lie when he knows that it is a
lie. The fact that many have sacrificed their lives for this
truth only goes to prove that what they have seen is the
truth. Jesus is alive!
Application:
Now, the thing is: how will all these make sense to us as
youths? Do they mean something? Now that we know that Jesus
arose from the dead, will our lives improve?
1. JESUS VICTORY IS OUR VICTORY
Death swallowed by triumphant Life! Who got the last
word, oh, death? Oh, death, whos afraid of you now?
Isaiah 55:57 (MSG)
Because Jesus triumphed over death, our salvation is
assured. The argument is simple: how can you believe
that Jesus can save you if Jesus cannot save Himself?

Because we share the same victory with Jesus, we are

more than conquerors! We become unstoppable and
limitless. No school project is too difficult; no sickness is
incurable; and no poverty can stop us from reaching our
dreams. Because Jesus was able to conquer everything,
including death, then we can likewise be successful and
triumphant in everything we do.

2. WE ARE EMPOWERED TO SHARE THE GOSPEL

With great power, the apostles continued to testify to the
resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon
them all. (Acts 4:33)
Again, the argument is simple: You cannot share an
unfinished work.
We can only boast on something
finished. Some people who did not finish college find it
difficult to boast about it, especially when applying for a
job. Why? Its because they were not able to finish their
studies. The same principle applies. We cannot share the
love of God demonstrated by His death on the cross if
Jesus was not able to finish His work. Nobody will believe
us. But because Jesus faithfully finished His mission, we
receive the power to share His love to other people.
3. JESUS IS RETURNING
For the Son of Man is going to come in His Fathers glory
with His angels, and then He will reward each person
according to what he has done. (Matthew 16:27)
Interestingly, John 20:7 gives us a clear detail that the
napkin which was placed over the face of Jesus when He
was buried was not just thrown aside like the grave
clothes. It was neatly folded and was placed at the head
of the stony coffin.
In order to understand the significance of the folded
napkin, one has to understand a little bit about Hebrew
tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the
Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this
tradition. When the servant set the dinner table for the
master, he would make sure that it would be exactly the
way the master wanted it. The table would have to be
furnished perfectly and the servant would wait just out of
sight until the master had finished eating. The servant

would not dare touch that table until the master finished
eating. After the master dined, he would rise from the
table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard,
and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table.
The servant would then know to clear the table. In those
days, the wadded napkin meant, Im done! However, if
the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin
and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not touch
the table because the folded napkin meant, Im
coming back.
Challenge:
Indeed, Jesus is coming back! He came as a Servant but
would return as a King. He came as the Lamb of God but
would return as the Lion of Judah! He came as a Saviour
but would return as a Judge. Are you ready when He
returns? Are you ready to be judged according to the
work that youve done? But dont worry. That is exactly
why Jesus came. Because what we have done is not
enough to save us, He did exactly what we could not do.
When you face judgment, there is only one question: did
you accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour? If
your answer to this is Yes, Jesus will reply, Dont worry,
son. You will no longer be judged according to your action
but according to my finished work. EVERYTHING HAS
BEEN PAID IN FULL. IT IS FINISHED.