Promises Made! Promises Kept! (St. John 20:1-10)

As we celebrate Easter … Jews from around the world are concluding their celebration of Passover.  

In it, they remember their deliverance from Egypt.  

We know the story …

The Jews had to sacrifice an unblemished lamb, and put the blood of the lamb on their doorposts.  

When the angel of death “passed over” — any house that had the blood of the lamb on the doorposts was “passed over” and the first born in the house was spared.

In any house that did not have the blood of the lamb on the doorpost, the first born died — from  the first-born of Pharaoh to the poorest family.  

This led to deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt under the leadership of Moses.  

But remember … blood had to be shed — the blood of the lamb.

After the Exodus, God set up a series of sacrifices so that the people — God’s people could have forgiveness of their sins … 

— but we know that these sacrifices looked to the one final and perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary … the event that we observed on Good Friday.

The facts are clear … Jesus Christ HAD TO DIE for the sins of those who believe in him.

We know that Good Friday was the darkest day in all of history … Jesus Christ … fully God … and fully man … was put to death … CRUCIFIED …. on the Cross of Calvary.

Now, if the story ended there, it would be pretty sad.  

In fact … it would be downright depressing.  

The fact is that we know that the story does not end with the events of Good Friday and we wouldn’t even be here today.

We read the good news in our Gospel lesson this morning from John 20 and you can read it in all the other Gospel accounts.  

For example in Matthew 28:1-7 we read: 

““Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.  And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.  His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.  And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.  HE IS NOT HERE; FOR HE IS RISEN, AS HE SAID. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.  And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”” 

Notice clearly the words from verse 6: 

““He is not here; for He is risen, AS HE SAID.””

Jesus made a promise and he kept that promise.

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The women had gone to the tomb … to further anoint the body of Jesus for burial.  

They had to do it quickly on Good Friday because the Sabbath was about to begin at sundown.  

In fact, as they went to the tomb on Sunday morning … the first day of the week … the Gospel of Mark tells us that they were concerned as to who would roll away the stone for them.

But when they got to the tomb they got some unexpected good news … the stone was already rolled away … then

““— the angel said to them: ““He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.””  

Notice again the words: ““as He said.””

Jesus had told his disciples exactly what would happen as they went to Jerusalem.  

In Matthew 20:18,19 we read: ““Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.””   

He had told them this on numerous occasions …

But it was ONLY after the resurrection that they fully understood what he meant.  

And so again … promises made and promises kept.

““He is not here; for He is risen, AS HE SAID.””

Think about this fact … generally … when bodies go into the grave they don’t come out.  

There is a finality to the situation. 

Yes, Lazarus was raised from the dead … but he eventually died again … as did the others who Jesus and the Apostles raised from the dead.  

But Jesus was alive.  And the truth is we serve a risen Savior.  

Only Christianity has this.  

Only Biblical Christianity has a Savior that died for our sins and rose from the dead and is alive today at the right hand of God … waiting to come again in victory and judgement.

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We know that the resurrection is the hinge on which Christianity swings.  

Without the resurrection — there is no Christianity … it simply DOES NOT exist without the resurrection.

Paul summarizes all the witnesses to the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:

““For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.””

So there were a multitude of witnesses to the resurrection. 

Here is how Paul addresses those who said that there was no resurrection — 1 Corinthians 15:12-19: 

““Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?  But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen.  And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.  Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up — if in fact the dead do not rise.  For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen.  And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!  Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.  If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”” 

Look at consequences if Christ is still dead — our preaching is empty … our faith is futile … we are false witness of God (i.e. we are liars) and … most importantly … we are still in our sins.   

This last item is extremely important — that if Christ is not risen from the dead we are still in our sins.  

WHY? 

Because the resurrection of Christ from the dead tells us that God accepted his sacrifice for our sins on our behalf.  

The resurrection is proof that the sacrifice of Jesus was all that was needed so that we can have forgiveness of our sins.

And look at what 1 Corinthians also says if there is no resurrection … 

— we are to be pitied — because of the resurrection of Christ we have a future hope … 

… but if he is not risen, then we don’t have something that we think we have … and THEREFORE we are to be pitied.   

In other words … we are truly deluded … just like all the other false religions of the world … 

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But NOT US — NONE of the other religions and faiths have a living Savior.  

Only Biblical Christianity does.  

Jesus is alive … and coming again!

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We also see proof of the resurrection in the lives of the disciples.  

Think about it … following our Savior’s arrest … they were hiding for their lives fearing that the authorities would come after them next.  

But AFTER the resurrection … and the coming of the Holy Spirit … we know that the disciples … including the replacement for Judas, and then later Paul … became the greatest evangelistic team the world has ever know.   

They went to all the known world … proclaiming the good news that Jesus was the Messiah — the Savior of all who would believe in him … and HE WAS ALIVE!!

He was NOT in the grave …

We also know — and again, this is further proof of the resurrection —  that all of the disciples, with the exception of John, died a martyrs death — they all died for the risen Christ.  

The question might rightly be asked, who would die for a dead man?  

In other words … would they have gone to their death if Christ was still dead … if he was still in that tomb?

Spurgeon said: “The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is one of the best attested facts on record. There were so many witnesses to behold it, that if we do in the least degree receive the credibility of men’s testimonies, we cannot and we dare not doubt that Jesus rose from the dead.

The resurrection is a fact better attested than any event recorded in any history, whether ancient or modern.”

And J.C. Ryle said:  “There is a resurrection after death. Let this never be forgotten. The life that we live here in the flesh is not all. The visible world around us is not the only world with which we have to do. All is not over when the last breath is drawn, and men and women are carried to their long home in the grave. The trumpet shall one day sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible. All that are in the graves shall hear Christ’s voice and come forth–those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of damnation. This is one of the great foundation truths of the Christian religion. Let us cling to it firmly, and never let it go.”

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This is all history. Verifiable … without a doubt … history. 

But what does it mean for us as 21^st Century Christians?

What does all this mean to us as we live in a world that is increasingly hostile to us as Christians?

There are many … but I name just a few.

Because of the resurrection we are united with Christ by faith.

Romans 6:5 tells us: ““For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection …””

There is this INSEPARABLE union between us and the risen Christ. 

As we read in Galatians 2:20: ““I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me …”” 

The benefit (AND BLESSING) of the resurrection of Jesus and being united with him by faith, MEANS that we are not alone … we are NEVER alone … because we have his Spirit living within us.

As he was preparing his disciples for his death he said: 

““And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever —  the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.””

And just prior to his ascension he said: ““ and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.””

Think about this … the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives within all who believe in him as Savior and Lord. 

Another of the promises that our Savior made and kept.

And it is this Spirit that enables us to live for Christ in this increasingly hostile world … AND … if we have to … suffer for our faith in Christ.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit we can remain steadfast in our faith regardless of the opposition. 

As Paul writes to his beloved Timothy: ““Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God,””

And lastly (and there are more benefits and blessings of the resurrection) — since we are united to Christ by faith we are … in a word … immortal!

Prior to our Savior’s raising Lazarus from the dead, he said: “““I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.””

WOW … think on those words: ““He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.””

The destructive powers of death no longer have dominion over us. 

Paul tells us in Romans 6:8,9: 

““Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. DEATH NO LONGER HAS DOMINION OVER HIM.””

Again … another promise from the Scriptures.

The Apostle John emphasizes this good news in 1 John 5:11, 12: ““And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”” 

Now, along with this immortality is our bodily resurrection … that just as Jesus was raised from the dead … so will we.

We confess it each week in our Creeds … ““And I look for the resurrection of the dead, And the Life of the world to come.”” 

Or as the Apostles’ Creed says: ““I believe … The resurrection of the body;””

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It’s been almost a year since my Rachel went to be with the Lord. 

But, I know it was not the end … but the beginning for her AND also I know that I will see her again … because that is a promise that God has made to me and for all that die in Christ.

Because … for the Christian … the resurrection of Christ means that we have victory over death. 

Death is not the end.

Again, in 1 Corinthians 15 we read:

““So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.””

So … yes … my friends, the good news of promises made and promises kept is of the utmost importance.  

This resurrection day … as we think back to the events almost 2000 years ago … let us remember the events that changed the world … 

— the death of Jesus for the sins of those who believe in him and his glorious resurrection!

And it is my prayer … that all who are gathered here this day have truly trusted in Christ as Savior and Lord!