No frills, this is a simple harmony of the Resurrection accounts. Today is about your relationship to the Risen Christ! Can you say, "He lives within my heart?"
No frills, this is a simple harmony of the Resurrection accounts. Today is about your relationship to the Risen Christ! Can you say, "He lives within my heart?"
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Hey, everybody. Well, this has been a remarkable week of study for me, and I hope that you've been blessed by the messages and Scripture readings from the previous nine podcast. But today's the day that gives meaning to all that's happened before in Passion Week, as Paul the Apostle said it. If there be no resurrection of the dead, your faith is empty. His vein is meaningless. That's from first Corinthians 15 13. If Jesus doesn't come out of the grave, then all we have is a very good man who is dead. And if he didn't come out of the grave, how can any of the rest of us believe that we have life after death? So it is all important that we remember his resurrection in today's podcast. Our pianist is giving us an extra treat by playing a couple hymns. Here's the first well, that was wonderfully here. One of my favorite him for Easter is he lives that him talks about are seeing Jesus even when the rest of the world's blind him. The first verse says, I serve a risen savior. He's in the world today. I know that he is living whatever men may say, I see his hand of mercy. I hear his voice of cheer and just the time I need him. He's always near, and that's what today is about. It's not about seeing beautiful stained glass. Frescoes of Bible stories in Our Windows is not about Sunrise Services, with breakfast afterward is about the resurrected Christ Alive in my Heart. And so this morning, let's open the scripture. Well, as with my crucifixion message, I don't want to dress up these accounts with too many of my words. This day of remembering the resurrection should be a day of refreshing, not a day of poring over and studying words. So I'm just going to take the gospel accounts and lace them together into a common narrative for you, adding words only when clarification is needed. Oh, and just a word about what's next, since the gospel accounts tell us about Jesus appearances for 40 days after his resurrection, the final message in this Passion Week Siri's will be one from this Sunday, and we'll cover all the appearances of Christ until his ascension. But for today, let's start with Sunday early a. M, it says in the Scripture in the end of the Sabbath, That is, Saturday at Sunrise Mary Magdelin, out of whom Jesus had cast seven devils, and Mary, the mother of James and Salome. I went to see the CEP liquor, for they had bought sweet spices that they might come and anoint his body. And behold, there was a great earthquake for the aims of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door of Jesus Tomb and sat upon it. The angels countenance was like lightning in his reign. In white is snow and for fear of him, the guards of the CEP liquor shook and became a dead men. Now, as the women were coming to the tomb, they said among themselves, who shall roll us away? The stone from the door of the CEP liquor for the stone was very heavy. But when they arrived, they saw that the sun was already rolled away. And so they entered Aceh Plecker and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. Well, at this point, the women are confused. But Mary Magdelin jumped to a conclusion and ran from the tomb to tell the disciples what they had seen and it came to pass as the remaining women were much perplexed there about behold two men appeared to them in shining garments and as they were afraid and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said to them, Do not be afraid. He seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified. He has risen. He is not here, My Seiki, the living among the dead. Remember how he spoke to you when he was yet in Galilee saying the son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified on the third day rise again. And they remembered his words. And as they considered these thoughts, the angel said to them, Behold the place where they laid him. Now go your way quickly Tell his disciples and Peter that he has risen from the dead and that he goes before them into Galilee. There, shall you meet him As he said under you. And they went out quickly and fled from the Sepulchre for they trembled and were amazed and had fear and great joy. And they ran to tell the disciples. In the meantime, Mary Magdalene had run back and came to Simon, Peter and John, the beloved disciple and said to them, they have taken away the Lord of the CEP liquor, and we know not where they have laid him. Then arose Peter and John and ran together. Mary Magdelin turned and followed far behind. But John Out ran Peter and came first to the Sepulchre er and stooping down, looking in saw the linen clothes lying. Yet he went not in. Then came Simon Peter, following him and went into the CEP liquor and saw the linen clothes lie and the napkin that was about his head not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then John went, and also when he saw and believed. But Peter departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass for as yet they knew not the scripture that he must rise again from the dead. Then they went away again unto their own homes. But Mary stood without at the Sepulchre, weeping, and as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the sepulchre and saw two angels in white sitting the one at the head and the other at the feet where the body of Jesus had lain and they said to her woman why we pissed now? She said to them because they have taken away, my lord, and I know not where they have laid him. And when she had thus said she turned herself back and saw Jesus standing and knew not that it was Jesus, Jesus said to her woman, Why we Bristow whom Seiki she supposing him to be the gardener said to him, Sir, if you've born him hints, tell me where you have laid him and I will take him away. Jesus said to her, Mary she turned herself and said to him, Ra Bone I which is to say Master Jesus, then said to her, Don't cling to me for I'm not yet ascended to my father. But go to my brethren and say to them I send to my father and your father and to my God and your God. In the meantime, the other women were returning by different way to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them saying all hail and they came and held him by the feet and worshiped him, then said Jesus to them Be not afraid. Go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee and there shall they see me than the other women returned from the Sepulchre and told all these things to the 11 and to all the rest. And Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had spoken these things to her, and their words seemed to them as idle tales. When they had heard that he was alive and it's been seen by the women, they did not believe it. While all this was happening, some of the CEP liquor guards awoke from their stupor and came into the city and told the chief priests everything they had seen. So the chief priest gathered all the elders and had taken council and decided to give a large sum of money to the soldiers and told them, say his disciples came by night and stole him away while we slept. And if this come to pilot the governor's ears, we will persuade him and keep you from punishment. So they took the money and did as they were taught, and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. Now, as the morning wore on toward noon, Jesus followers spread the word of the empty tomb and the claims of the women. Later that day, two of Jesus followers went to a village, called him a US which was from Jerusalem, about three score furlongs or half a mile. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass that while they commune together and reason, Jesus himself drew nearer and went with him. But their eyes were blinded, so that should not know him. He said to them What manner of communications air These that you have one to another as you walk and are sad. And then one of them whose name was Cleophas answering, said to him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem and has not known that things which are come to pass in these days. He said to them what things they said to him concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty indeed, and word before God and all the people and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death and have crucified him. But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel. And beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done. Yea and certain women also our company made us astonished which were early at the Sepulchre. And when they found not his body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels which said that he was alive and certain of them, which were with us, went to the CEP liquor and founded. Even so, as the women had said. But him they saw not. Then Jesus said to them, Oh, fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory and beginning at Moses and all the profits expounded them in all the scriptures, the things concerning himself and as they drew near to the village where they went and Jesus Maeda's, though he would go on further. But they constrained him, saying Abide with us for it is toward evening and the day is far spent. And he went in to Terry with them and it came to pass. Has he sat at meat with them? Jesus took bread and blessed it and break and gave to them and their eyes were opened and they knew him. And then he vanished out of their sight and they said one to another. Did not our heart burn within us while he talked with us, By the way, and while he opened to us, the scriptures and they rose up the same hour and returned to Jerusalem and found the 11 disciples gathered together and them that were with them. And they, at the gathering of the disciples, said The Lord is risen, indeed and has appeared to Simon, and they told what things were done in the way and how he was known of them and breaking of bread. Then midday turned to evening and Jesus followers came and went running about the city, telling friends and family the latest accounts. But all of the disciples except Thomas gathered in a home together that Sunday evening, when the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews. As they sat at meat came Jesus and stood in the midst and said to them, Peace be to you. But they were terrified and a fried ID and supposed that they had seen a spirit. He said to them, Why are you troubled? Why do thought to rise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet that it is I myself handle me and see, for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy and wondered, he said to them, Have you hear any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish on a piece of a honey comb. And he took it and did eat before them, then said Jesus to them, peace be unto thee as my father has sent me. Even so, send i you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, Receive E the Holy Ghost who so ever send you remit their omitted to them. And who so ever since you retain, they are retained. This was the final recorded appearance of Jesus on his Resurrection day. It was a miraculous and world changing day. Not only were there appearances of Jesus on that day, but when the earthquake at Jesus Resurrection. It says that many bodies of the saints which slept, arose and came out of the graves and went into the holy city and appeared to many. But Thomas, one of the 12 disciples called Did. Imus was not with them when Jesus came that day. The other disciples therefore said to him, We have seen the Lord when he said to them, except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails and put my finger in the print of the nails and thrust my hand into his side. I will not believe So. What do you believe? As we close out the message this morning, I remember I was reading on Facebook that some reporter made note in a White House briefing regarding the Corona virus lockdowns, that this would be the first year in history that we aren't celebrating Easter. Well, I don't know what he means by celebrating Easter if he means rolling eggs on the White House lawn or wearing new outfits to church for big passion play extravaganzas in the nation's megachurches. No, In those terms, there won't be any of those kinds of Easter celebrations But my friends, the resurrection of Christ will still be celebrated today in my heart is going to be celebrated in my home with my family and by my church family. We're not bound to buildings and programs to celebrate Easter. We do not define our Easter celebration with painting eggs and dressing up or even gathering together. The resurrection is celebrated today as it has been celebrated for 2000 years in the hearts of those who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ their savior from judgment. Their resurrected Lord. They're one mediator between God and man, their master, confidante and friend. I pray that you know my Jesus today and can celebrate with me the resurrection. Let us pray, Heavenly Father. Although we're in separate places today, our hearts are united by our faith in you. We have not seen the nail prints in your hands or the spear thrust gash in your side with our physical eyes. But we have seen your resurrection in our spirits. We believe and we celebrate so that we can say he lives. He lives Christ. Jesus lives today he walks with me and talks with me a long lives narrow way he lives salvation to impart. You asked me how I know he lives. He lives within my heart. Let's conclude with that song.