This Is Not A Funeral

A funeral procession is forming, the tears are real, and Jesus is stumbling under the weight of the cross, yet he turns to the mourners and says something shocking: stop weeping. That one command reframes Good Friday with Sunday certainty, and it becomes the heartbeat of our message, “This Is Not A Funeral.” 

We walk through Luke 23 and Luke 24 as a historical account rooted in eyewitness testimony, not vague spirituality. We talk about Simon of Cyrene carrying the cross, the crowd expecting a burial, and the cultural reality of professional mourners. Then we sit with the crucifixion itself and why the cross is not defeat for the Christian, but victory that secures deliverance. If you’ve ever wondered whether Christian faith is built on feelings or facts, we tackle that head-on and point to the evidence of the empty tomb. 

From there we anchor the “good news” in 1 Corinthians 15: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose on the third day. We also explore what separates Christianity from other faith claims, emphasizing credibility, witnesses, and the meaning of the resurrection. The message closes with a vivid reminder that death could not hold Jesus, the grave could not keep him, and we should not live like we serve a dead God. 

If this encouraged or challenged you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find it. What part of the resurrection story feels most personal to you right now?

Transcript

Worship And Opening Praise

SPEAKER_00 0:00

You are the wisdom of music, you are the song that I sing, you are the melody, you are the harmony, praise your name I will praise. You are the Lord of Lords, you are the mighty God, you are the King of all kings. So now I give back to you the song that you gave to me. You are the song that I sing. No, you are the words in the music, you are the song that I sing, you are the mercy. You are the Lord of Lords, you are the mighty God, you are the King of all kings. So now I give back to you the song that you gave to me. You are the song that I sing. Amen. You are my strength when I am weak, you are a treasure that I seek, you are my seking you as a precious jewel. Lord to give up a be a fool, you are my holy nocious name. Jesus I say your name, Jesus, precious lambs your name.

Reading Luke’s Crucifixion Account

This Is Not A Funeral

Faith Built On Evidence

The Road To The Cross

Why Jesus Stops The Weeping

The Cross As Victory

The Gospel In 1 Corinthians 15

Why Eyewitnesses Matter

When Hell Loses Its Grip

Live Like Jesus Is Alive

Invitation To Believe And Be Baptized

Anderson George 2:34

Good morning, everybody. Oh, you could do better than that. Good morning, everybody. Good morning. Y'all need to pray for me. See, back where I am from, a Sunday like today isn't a regular Sunday. See, it's a Sunday above all Sundays because we acknowledge and we remember specifically that the grave is still empty. And because of that, you know, it's in me to get super excited. I am ready to run around the sanctuary hollering and screaming and shouting that the grave is still empty. But I need to remember that you are still trying to get accustomed to the accent and words coming out of my mouth. And so if I get too excited, I'm going to lose you. And so to not lose you, I'm asking you to pray for me that God keeps me just the right amount of excited. So that the words are understandable and he gets glory. That's one. I also uh need to thank John for singing so many songs and all the verses in the songs this morning. Uh, I I really enjoyed it. And I said that just to apologize because I'm going to change whatever song he was going to sing for invitation and put Judy in notice that she now needs to find song number 381. 381. Years I spent in vanity and pride. For everybody else, meet me in Luke chapter number 23. Luke chapter number 23. We will commence at verse number 26 and we will just read for a bit. Luke chapter 23. Commencing at verse 26. Scripture says when they led him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus. And following him was a large crowd of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting him. But Jesus turning to them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. Meet me in verse thirty two. Two others also, who were criminals, were being led away to be put to death with him, when they came to the place called the Skull. There they crucified him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. Verse thirty-five. And the people stood by looking on, and even the rulers were sneering at him, saying, He saved others, let him save himself, if this is the Christ of God, his chosen one. The soldiers also mocked him, coming up to him, offering him sour wine, and saying, If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself. Now there was also an inscription above him, this is the king of the Jews. One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at him, saying, Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us. Verse 46. And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. Having said this, he breathed his last. Verse 50. And a man named Joseph, who was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, he had not consented to their plan and action, a man from Aritmathea, a city of the Jews, who was waiting for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. And he took it down and wrapped it in a linen cloth and laid him in a tomb cut into the rock where no one had ever lain. It was the preparation day and the Sabbath was about to begin. Now the woman who had come with him out of Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was prepared. Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes. And on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment. But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. But when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. If you read all of that with me, say amen from this pericope of texts, I want to tell you that the Samonic title on this morning is This Is Not a Funeral. This is not a funeral. Luke is the author of what we just read, and Luke writes with a particular perspective. In fact, if we were to read Luke chapter number one, verse number one, Luke says, For as much as many have set forth in order a declaration of those things which are believed amongst us, even as they delivered them unto us, who from the beginning were I witnesses and ministers of the word, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto you in order, most excellent Theophilus. The things concerning Jesus, whom we most believe. Luke writes to tell us that what he is recording is actually an eyewitness account. That is to say, this is the things that he got from the witnesses themselves, the things that was carefully investigated and researched. This is not a fairy tale. This is history. This is the facts as they happened. Luke is writing history. So that means that what you're reading is not just a spiritual account, it's an historical account as well. We are reading what the witnesses saw, we are reading what the witnesses experienced, we are reading what the witnesses would have touched, would have felt, would have seen. We are reading a historical account. And that's important because our faith is based on evidence. My faith in Jesus Christ is not simply because someone else told me my faith in Jesus Christ is not built on the fact that I simply feel it in my heart. I was hoping we didn't sing that song today, but we did. He lives, he lives. Christ Jesus lives today. He walks with me and he talks with me along life's narrow way. He lives, he lives. Salvation to impart. You ask me how I know he lives. He lives within my heart. That sounds cute, but that's not how I know he lives. I don't know simply because I feel it. What you may be feeling is simply uh you may be feeling uh indigestion. I can't trust what you're feeling. I don't believe he lives because I feel it. I believe he lives because I have a historical account and the record says the grave is empty. I believe it because the eyewitnesses told me that on Friday they hung him. On Friday evening, they buried him. On Saturday, the place was quiet. On Sunday, they went to the tomb and the stone was rolled away and nobody was inside. I believe it because there's evidence. My faith is built on evidence. Luke, as he gives us the story, tells us that after Jesus is betrayed by Judas, after he's tried by Pontus, Pilate, and Herod, there is a procession. And this procession is a procession that a criminal would normally take as he goes to the place known as the skull. Only the worst of the worst would find themselves going on this procession to the place called the skull. And Jesus finds himself like one of the worst, and he's now carrying his cross. But because he has been beaten, because he has been scourged, the weight of the cross is too much for him to carry, and he falls underneath that weight. And so the Roman soldiers find a Cyrene named Simon, and they make Simon carry the cross the rest of the way. Now it wasn't just Simon on the road, it wasn't just Jesus on the road, it wasn't just the Roman soldiers on the road. Everyone knew that Jesus was about to be crucified. Everyone knew he was about to be killed, he was about to be put to death, and so the roads are filled with people who are preparing for a funeral. There are people because Jesus is on his way to the cross, they are preparing to mourn and to lament and to cry and to groan. And normally in those days, they had a group of women whose job it was to simply cry. They were called professional mourners. You would pay, you're looking at me funny, you would pay these women to attend your funeral service, even though they don't know the person who died. You would pay them to attend and to cry and to holler and to scream and to make noise. Now, if I had time, I would explain to you part of the reason why they were professional mourners and they would make this loud commotion at the funeral is so that everyone else would be looking at them and not the bereaving family. They took the shame from the family that was grieving. So everyone is now attentive to these professional mourners, actually giving the grieving family time and freedom to grieve in peace. I like that idea. We should get professional mourners again. But I'm telling you about this because the women mentioned in this text who were mourning and lamented are more than likely professional mourners brought by the Roman soldiers. And so as Jesus is on his way to the skull, the place of the skull, as he's on the way to be crucified, as he's on the way to his death, there are some persons who women who are mourning and lamenting and hollering and crying. And Jesus stops in the midst of everything. You all should see this. Jesus stops in the midst of everything after buckling under the weight of the cross, after being beaten, having so many things on his mind and on his body, he stops, turns to these women, and he tells them, Daughters of Jerusalem, do not mourn for me. He said, Daughters of Jerusalem, stop acting like it's a funeral. Daughters of Jerusalem, there is no need to cry. There is no need to mourn. There is no need to lament. Don't miss this. Jesus says this on Friday before he goes to the cross. He is saying in advance, this is not a funeral. I know what you're going to see, but I'm telling you in advance, there's no need to cry, there's no need to weep, there's no need to mourn because this is not a funeral. This may be Friday, but Sunday's coming. This is not a funeral. I don't know what you're crying for. I want you to get this church. He is beaten, he's bruised, he's about to be hung high, and he says, I don't know why you're crying. Because this is not a funeral. And we could go through the rest of the text. They lead him to the place of the skull. They place nails in his hands and in his feet. They attached him to a cross and they dropped that cross in a hole so that he's suspended between heaven and earth. Let me tell you who they crucified. They crucified God's anointed one. They crucified him who had no sin. They crucified the lily of the valley, the bright and morning star. They crucified the rose of Sharon. They crucified the man who opened blind eyes. They crucified. The man who unstopped deaf ears. They crucified. The one who loosed tied tongues. They crucified. The one who made lame men walk. They crucified. The one who healed lepers. They crucified. The one who walked on water. They crucified. The Lord who was able to tell the wind and the wave be still. They crucified. The only one who was able to speak to death and make dead people come back to life. They crucified our Lord and our King. But it wasn't a funeral. Because my faith, my faith is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. That is to say, if he had not gone to the cross, if his blood was not shed, if he did not hang high and bled dry, for me, I would not be free. I would not have hope in heaven. My hope is built on what he did. The cross had to happen. I don't mourn the cross. I mourn that they killed him, but I don't mourn the cross as a child of God. I celebrate God's deliverance for me because of the cross. Your missus, your missus. For us, the cross is not a symbol of defeat, it's a symbol of victory. For us who believe, our faith starts with his life, continues in his ministry, but it looks at the cross and follows to the grave. Your faith must include the cross, your faith must include that Jesus in my place died on the cross, and that's what you lament that he died in your place. But you ought to be able to also celebrate that God had a plan to send the Lamb of God in my place. Because if it had not been for Jesus, if it had not been for the cross, there would be no you, there would be no me, and if there was, our story would be different. So when you say thank Jesus for the cross, when you say thank you, Jesus, it also has to mean that you're thanking him for what he did on the cross. Is not a funeral. The fact that he tells them, Don't mourn, also means that he was saying, This is not the end. This is not the end, as much as they heard him say, Father, into your hands I commend my spirit as much as they saw him breathe his last and give up his spirit. That was not the end. Because in your Bible, after chapter 23 is chapter 24. Chapter 23, they betrayed him, they beat him, they crucified him, and they buried him. But chapter 24, early Sunday morning, they went to the tomb and they found that the stone was rolled away and there was no one inside. Early Sunday morning, the ladies went to finish preparing the body of who they believed was dead as part of a funeral ritual. But they couldn't finish the funeral ritual because there was nobody in the tomb. Jesus was trying to tell them on Friday that Sunday was coming. When he said stop weeping on Friday was because he was going to be risen on Sunday. When he said don't mourn on Friday, was because he knew the grave would be empty. On Sunday, death couldn't hold him, the grave couldn't keep him, and the devil could not win a victory over him. That's the Jesus that we serve. Now, I don't just want you to celebrate and get excited with me that the grave is still empty. I want you to understand that this is what our faith is built on. Meet me in First Corinthians 15. 1 Corinthians 15. Beginning at verse number one. Gospel means good news. He says, This good news which I am preaching to you, you also received, and it is the good news in which you are now standing. That's to say that this is what you believe. The good news, I haven't told you what the good news is yet, but the good news that I'm preaching to you is the good news you have received, and the good news in which you presently place your faith, in which you presently stand upon, by which, verse 2, you also are saved if you hold fast the word, the good news, which I preach to you, unless you believe in vain. Then he says in verse number three, here's the good news. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he raised on the third day, according to the scriptures. Here's what I believe: Christ died, Christ was buried, but he rose again. The reason why I sing is because Christ died, Christ was buried, but he rose again. The reason why I come to worship is because Christ died, Christ was buried, but he rose again on the third day. The reason why I have communion and I partake of these emblems is because I believe Christ died, Christ was buried, and he rose again on the third day. The reason why I am a Christian at all is because I believe Christ died, Christ was buried, but on the third day he rose again. The grave is still empty. I'll tell you one more thing. I'll tell you one more thing. What separates Christianity from every other faith-based religion, every other system of belief, are two things: the historical evidence of Christ and what the historical evidence means. The reason. Because you would try believers of Islam and you would ask them why do they believe that Allah is their God and that Muhammad is their prophet, that they should place faith in, and they would tell you, we believe this because uh Prophet Muhammad got a vision and was told to write it down, and and and we believe that that is what happened, and that's all to their case. However, if you would ask a believer of Christ and you would have put them on the stand, they could say that while I wasn't there, I have the record of the eyewitness. An eyewitness testimony is the greatest testimony that you could have. I have someone who was there. I have someone who saw, who heard, and who was able to touch the historical reality of Jesus. I have the apostle John who said in 1 John, that which we have seen, that which we have heard, that which our hands have handled, this is whom we talk about. I have Luke, who says, Everything I write, I got from an eyewitness. I have Peter, who believes, not simply because he was a follower of Jesus, but because he was an eyewitness. Here's an eyewitness account. Peter is able to tell me that he did not believe immediately. He didn't believe when Mary went to the tomb and saw it was empty. Mary saw the tomb empty and went and told Peter, Jesus is risen. Peter runs to the tomb with John, but he didn't believe. Peter is an eyewitness testimony. My faith is built on the credibility of the witnesses and their historical account. I don't just believe simply because, but I believe because the evidence said he was born of a virgin, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, was buried, and the devil thought he won on Saturday. On Saturday, hell, the grave and death, they're all laughing. I could picture it in my mind now that they met for supper. Hell met death, met the grave and the devil for supper. And the devil told them that I've been fighting this battle since Genesis. So I need you guys to make sure you have it locked down. Says Death, is he dead? Death looked and said, I got him. And then the devil looked to the grave and said, Grave, is he in there? And the grave said, I got him. And then he said, Hell do you have him? And hell said, He's in here. By hell I mean Hades, where the departed souls go. Hades said, I should use Hades. Hades said, we have him. And the devil laughed and said, Let's eat. I'll meet you in the morning at 9 o'clock. 9 o'clock, they met for breakfast. The devil is still laughing, but he could tell something is up. He realizes that death looks funny. He looks at the grave and the grave looks funny. He looks at Hades, and Hades looks funny. So he speaks to Hades first. He says, Hades, do you still have him? Hades says, I seem to have lost him. And the devil said, That's fine, that's fine. He may be lost, but he may still be dead and buried. So grave, do you have him? And the grave said, He's not here. The devil said, Alright, that's fine, that's fine. He may not be in Hades, he may not be in the grave, they may just have moved him, he is still dead. And then he said, Oh, death, do you have him? Death said, I got up at 6:15. And I went looking, and he wasn't there. I saw some ladies around the tomb. They didn't see him either. I don't have him. And Satan began searching and then heard the news that the angels reported, he is not here, he is risen. My faith is built on a risen Savior. My faith is built on the fact that the grave two thousand years after is still empty. And it empty because death couldn't hold him, the grave couldn't keep him, Herod couldn't harm him, nothing could offhold him. That's the Jesus that I serve, the Jesus that is able to do beyond anything that I could think, imagine, or even conceive. The Jesus who has power over death, who has power over the elements, the Jesus who has power over my life. That's the Jesus that I serve. And to that Jesus, we ought to say, to him belongs the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Your Jesus isn't dead, he's alive. Don't live like you serve a dead God. Don't sing like you serve a dead God. Don't act like he's dead. The God I serve is not dead. He's alive, and the evidence says he is reigning and ruling. All of this happened not just on Sunday, but from Friday, when he said, This is not a funeral, this is just a bend. But I'll be back again. Let's all stand, let's all stand. If you are not yet a Christian, I want you to know that the historical evidence says there was a real man named Jesus of Nazareth who came, who lived, who was crucified, was buried, and the evidence then said he got up. If you search for yourself, the grave is still empty. And while there are many things you could conclude, the only right thing to conclude is that he got up. That's why the grave is empty. And I'm telling you now that that is cause for celebration, that is cause for you to put your trust in him. So if you're not yet a Christian, you could become one now by believing that Jesus died, was buried, but got up on the third day. You could do that now while we sing. You walk forward, give me your hand, we'll baptize you today, and you can be part of this risen family and reigning king. Do that while we sing. 381. Yes, I spent in vanity.