“A father
knelt down beside his little boy's bed. It
was time for prayers, hugs and kisses, and tucking in. The little boy began the childhood prayer he had repeated so
many times before: Now I lay me down to sleep; I pray the Lord my soul to
keep. If I should die before I wake Pray the Lord, my soul to take. This time
the words got mixed up. Unwittingly,
the child spoke words of the greatest wisdom.
He prayed, "If I should wake before I die." Embarrassed, he
stopped. "Oh Daddy, I got
all mixed up." Wisely, his dad responded tenderly, "Not at all, Son,
that's the first time the prayer was properly prayed. My deepest longing for you is that you make wake up before
you die." The child drifted to sleep, but the father turned the prophetic
words about in his mind. "If I should wake before I die. That's
it!" he exclaimed. "That's
the promise and hope of Easter. This is the time to come alive and live forever!”
from Bible Illustrator.
What
does the resurrection give to us today?
What does it mean to have a risen Savior? It means that at the end
of every contract of death there is a “release clause.”
When the one who has a release clause fulfills their contract with
death, then that person will become like Jesus.
They will be released from the power of death.
Death must release you. There are many worldwide religions today, but
only one has a risen Savior and only one has a release clause.
The fact of the resurrection of the Lord is the hope that propels us to
live above our means. Our means
and ways are the ways that lead to death and hopelessness, but the way of the
Lord is the way that leads to hope beyond the grave.
This hope of the living Lord is the proof that we need to continue to
live with God throughout this life and the life to come.
Scripture Text:
Mat. 28:1 In the end of
the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first [day] of the week, came
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. 2 And, behold, there
was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and
came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead [men]. 5 And
the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye
seek Jesus, which was crucified. 6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he
said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly, and tell his
disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you
into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. 8 And they
departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to
bring his disciples word. 9 And as they went to tell his disciples, behold,
Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet,
and worshipped him. 10 Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my
brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.
The Resurrection
of Christ means that we have a release clause…
1.
A New Day has dawned. There
is a new day for you and me. Just
when it seems that time is up and hope is gone then the Lord comes back. The Lord said on the third day that there is another day
after D (death) Day. Just when it
seems that death has invaded your life and won the victory then God comes in
the door. There is life in the
tomb. So, now the tomb is empty.
2.
A New Beginning. Just
when it seems that you have nowhere to turn then the Lord gives you another
opportunity. Just as our teachers
have given us the makeup test. Or
the boss gives us another opportunity to do the job right.
Your friend gives you another chance to make things right.
God gives you another life to live.
He forgives your sin and problematic life.
The message of the empty tomb is the make up life.
This make up life is given to those who read the message, believe it,
and accept it for your life.
I remember that my fifth grade teacher Mr. Tilson
had given us a test one day. He
had always stressed the importance of reading the instructions before
beginning and we should always do what the instructions said. He handed out this lengthy test.
Before I began I carefully read the instructions that day, and then I
discovered the “release clause”. The
release clause told us to sign our names on our papers and sit quietly until
everyone was finished. It told us
to not fill out any of the questions on the test.
Could it be true? Could
this be all that there was to this test?
I took Mr. Tilson at his word and signed my name and stopped taking the
test. After everyone was
finished, Mr. Tilson revealed the purpose of the test.
For those who had read the instructions and had faith they had received
a release from the stress of the test. But,
those who tried to complete the test without following the instructions had
missed an opportunity to be released.
The
resurrection is the release clause. The
great Teacher released Jesus from the power of the grave. The Father gives to all who read the instructions, believe
them, and follow them a great release from the power of the grave.
Have you received your new beginning?
Don’t try to pass this test without first reading the instructions or
you will miss the new beginning that God wants to give you today.
3.
A New Hope. Just when
it seems that you have used up your last option the Lord comes back and says
wait a minute the game isn’t over yet.
“All these questions have the same answer.
What
is it that gives a widow courage as she stands beside a fresh grave?
What
is the ultimate hope of the cripple, the amputee, the abused, the burn victim?
How
can the parents of brain-damaged or physically handicapped children keep from
living their entire lives totally and completely depressed?
Why
would anyone who is blind or deaf or paralyzed be encouraged when they think
of the life beyond?
How
can we see past the martyrdom of some helpless hostage or devoted missionary?
Where
do the thoughts of a young couple go when they finally recover from the grief
of losing their baby?
When
a family receives the tragic news that a little daughter was found dead or
their dad was killed in a plane crash or a son overdosed on drugs, what single
truth becomes their whole focus?
What
is the final answer to pain, mourning, senility, insanity, terminal diseases,
sudden calamities, and fatal accidents? By now you've guessed correctly: the
hope of bodily resurrection “ from Bible Illustrator
4.
A New Promise. The
promise is to those who read the instructions, believe, and follow them.
When it seems that you are going to be lost forever He will raise you
from the dead the way that He raised from the dead.
You have been released to be who God created you to be.
You were created to be his. Now
accept His payment for your sin. He
died so that you won’t have to die anymore.
You will wake before you die.
5.
A New Joy. Wouldn’t
it be wonderful if one day you were reading your instructions for filing you
federal income taxes and discovered the “release clause”?
In the release clause you were told that someone had paid all of your
taxes for the year. The clause
would go on to say that since you were chosen all of your debts had been paid.
What rejoicing? What rejoicing it must have been for the women who discovered
that their crucified Lord had been released?
What joy it could be for you and me if we discover that we too have
been released from the payment for our sin.
That payment for sin is our death.
But, He has already paid it all. Now
we are released from all of our sin debt. Rejoice in the Lord and again I say rejoice.
The resurrection of the Lord from the dead is the proof of our release
from the sting of the grave. He
is alive and so are we!
6.
A New Life. Not only were all of your debts paid, but also all the
money that you had spent throughout the years of your life was going to be
given back to you. You had just
been given a new life. Now that
you have received all this money and had no other bills to pay you have
opportunity to spend your money in any way you so choose.
Will you believe your debts of the past, present, and future have been
paid? If you will believe then
you will be the recipient of a new abundant life.
You can live with Him or without Him.
With a brand new life you have all the opportunity in the world to be
what you want to be. Since you have given your life to Him then you can be who He
wants you to be.
7.
A New Mission. Can
you imagine the joy you have to be able to call all of your family, friends,
and neighbors to tell them about the “release clause”.
The ladies who went to the tomb that day returned to Jerusalem to tell
the disciples that Jesus had been released.
Then Jesus sent out all of his disciples to tell all that everyone
could be released from the death payment.
Jesus has paid it all and He was released. What a joy! What
a new life! What a new beginning!
What a new promise! What a
new hope! What a new mission! Tell
them all He is alive and they too will live if they will believe and follow
Him throughout their life.
The resurrection means that you have been given a
release clause. You have been
released from the power of sin, death, and the grave.
Have you read the instructions? Have
you believed that this release is possible?
Have you followed the direction from the Lord who died for you and rose
from the dead to show you the proof of the clause?
Death is not the end.