THANK GOD FOR THE EMPTY TOMB
John
20:1-10, 1 Peter 1:3-5,8-9
GRIEF
AND CONFUSION RESULTING FROM LACK OF KNOWLEDGE
V:1.
"Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb,
while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. "
A. Sometimes our worries are unnecessary if we would pay attention to the Word.
1. The Word prepares us for practical
situations.
2. In Matthew chapter 26:16, Jesus told His
disciples that He was going to die
in Jerusalem .
3. In Matthew 17:21-23, Jesus told His
disciples that He would be killed, but be
raised on the third day.
B.
The disciples heard the Word, but refused to believe what they heard. Matt 16:22 .
1. They spent a whole weekend in fear and
grief because they didn't take the Word
seriously.
2. They were blinded by their own view of
Jesus so they could not see the
mission of Jesus.
3. They saw the horror of Jesus death on
the cross but not the glory surrounding it.
C. Dedicated
disciples are prepared to worship the Lord in good times and in bad times.
1. Mary Magdalene and several other women
prepared to worship the Lord by
anointing Him with spices for His
burial.
2. The women got up early Sunday morning
before daylight and went to the tomb.
3. This is an example of putting God first
at the start of our day.
4. This is an example of preparing to serve the Lord
while the world entertains
themselves.
5. We should come to church to worship and
not to be entertained.
D.
When you are prepared to serve and worship the Lord, you can expect God to
bless you in unexpected ways.
1. They came knowing the tomb was sealed,
but found it open.
2. They came expecting to find a dead Jesus
but found no body.
3. They came expecting to unwrap a body,
anoint it and rewrap it, but found
no need.
4. They came looking for Jesus dead in the
tomb, but found Him alive outside the
tomb.
RUN
TO TELL OTHERS THE GOOD NEWS
V:2.
" So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus
loved, and said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb,
and we do not know where they have laid Him."
A.
Still confused by the evidence of an empty tomb, the women did not consider the
the Words of Jesus that supported the
evidence.
1. When you are confused, you will spread
your confusion to others you come in
contact with.
2. The women took their confusion to Peter
and John.
B.
We had the compassion of the women to go to the tomb, which prompted the men
to follow.
1. God puts men and women together because
they compliment each others
weaknesses and strengths.
2. The knowledge of one Christian can call
to action the abilities of another.
3. Based on the report from the women, the
men laid aside their fears and
grief to go to the tomb and see for
themselves.
OUT
RUNNING OTHERS WITH OUR FAITH IN JESUS
V:3-5.
" So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the
tomb.
4
The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than
Peter and came to the tomb first;
5
and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did
not go in. "
A.
Once the men got moving, their competitive spirit kicked in them.
1. John outran Peter to the tomb.
2. They both wanted to see the evidence
for themselves. Why didn't
they run together?
a. Everybody runs the Christian race
at their on pace.
b. It does not matter how fast you
run, just complete the race.
3. When we serve Jesus it is important
that we hurry on to the task.
B. John arrived at the tomb first, and viewed
the evidence of an empty tomb
from outside the tomb.
1. John observed the linen wrapping lying
in place.
2. Where one stops, another may continue.
LET
YOUR LOVE FOR JESUS DRIVE
V:6-8.
" And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and
he saw the linen wrappings lying there,
7
and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen
wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself.
8 So
the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw
and believed."
A.
Once Peter arrived at the tomb, he went in and observed the linen wrapping in
one
place and the face cloth that covered
Jesus head, folded, but in another place.
1. The boldness of Peter to go into the
tomb, prompted John to follow.
2. Two people can observe more than one.
3. Two people can confirm each others
conclusions.
B.
Two can compare what they witness with
what they heard.
1. They had a credible story to tell the
other nine disciples.
2.
The trip to the tomb may have reduced their fears and brought
them closer together.
3. The trip to the tomb may have given them
a better respect for the
testimony of the women.
4. Some times God will use our uncertainties
to draw us closer together.
C.
What did John believe after seeing the empty tomb?
1. Did John believe that body had been
moved?
2. Did He believe the story of the women?
3. Did John believe that Jesus had come
alive again?
4. Did John believe a miracle had taken
place?
5. Sometimes we believe what we see, but
may not understand the
significance of what we see.
CONTINUE
STUDYING THE WORD.
V:9-10.
" For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise
again from the dead. So the disciples
went away again to their own homes. "
A.
Having witness the evidence of the empty tomb, Peter and John did not
connect that with the Words of Jesus.
1. Sometimes God leaves us in a state of
confusion to draw us into a deeper
study of the Word.
2. Peter and John had the evidence of an
empty tomb, yet they still did not
know that it was the fulfillment of
Jesus promise to them.
B.
The Word of God is always the cause of our personal meditation.
1. It is up to each believer to take time to
read the Word and to spend time
meditating on what was read.
2. Reading
does not always give an understanding of the Word.
3. Observation is the first part of
meditation.
a. The stone covering the tomb was
rolled away.
b. The body of Jesus was not in the
tomb.
c. The linen that was used to wrap the
body was lying in place.
d. The napkin that covered the face of
Jesus was folded up in another
place in the tomb.
4. Investigation is the second part
of our meditation.
a. Who moved the stone?
b. What happen to the body?
c. Where were the Roman guards
that were assigned to guard the tomb?
d. If someone stole the body of Jesus, why
would they take time to
remove the linen wrapping and then
place the face cloth neatly in a
another place in the tomb?
e. What would be the purpose of removing
a body from a tomb?
5. Application is the third part of
our meditation on the Word.
a. How does the events of this chapter in
the Bible agree with the rest of
the Bible?
b. All things work together for the good
of those who love the Lord
and are call according to His
purposes.
c. How does the empty tomb work for our
good?
d. Was the empty tomb the purpose of God?
e. It is very important that we apply all
of the Word of God to our
lives.
f. We should leave no question unanswered
if we want the best understanding
of the Word.
THE
MERCY OF GOD
1
Peter 1:3-5
3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His
great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 to
obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade
away, reserved in heaven for you,
5
who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be
revealed in the last time.
A.
This is the answer to the empty tomb.
1. Jesus said, If I be lifted up, I will
draw all men to me.
2. Jesus was lifted up on the cross by
evil men to die for sins of all men.
B.
Jesus death on the cross is the
atonement or payment for our sins, past,
present and future.
1. Jesus resurrection from the dead is the
victory over Satan that God
promised in the Garden of Eden.
2. Faith in the death and resurrection of
Jesus is the way God provided for
eternal life for all believers.
3. The Purpose of the empty tomb is the
evidence of God's mercy for us.
C.
Through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus each believer
is born again into the living hope.
1. We ought to be grateful for the death and
resurrection of Jesus.
2. We should live like heaven is our home.
3. This journey through life is preparing us
for our final eternal
destination with Christ in Heaven.
THE
GRACE OF GOD
1
Peter 1:8-9
8 And
though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now,
but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of
glory,
9
obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.
A.
Faith comes by hearing and not by sight.
1. We have never seen Jesus, but we have
the testimony of the Word.
2. We have never seen Jesus, but we have
the testimony of Apostles who
were eye witnesses to Jesus life,
death and resurrection.
3. We have not seen Jesus but we have the
testimony of the Holy Spirit
that indwells us.
4. We have not seen Jesus, but we have our
own testimony of what He has
done in our lives.
B.
We believe in Jesus because He has drawn us into an intimate knowledge
of Himself.
1. We believe in Jesus because we know the
change in ourselves since
we came to know Him.
2. We believe in Jesus because we see the
truth of His Word in nature
and in ourselves.
3. We believe in Jesus because He sacrificed His life that we might have
eternal life.
THANK YOU JESUS FOR YOUR LOVE
Rev.
M. Mitchell
Asst
Pastor of Greater Macedonia Baptist
Church
For
more lessons follow me on face book and
visit
my blogs, www.revmmitchell.com and goodnewsrevmitc.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment