The Resurrection: An Empty Promise

Soon Christians will again ponder the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and , as with all things regarding Jesus there is always more than we might first  suspect.

 "And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb empty"Luke:24:2-3

The Bible gives believers many promises, all them offer so much hope and encouragement. Even in difficult times  we can take hold of those things found with in the pages of the Holy Bible, they are certain, and in spite of the doubts expressed by the culture around us there is a "knowing",  a difficult to explain certainty that what God has said is truth.  His promised are good and He will fulfill them all to each and any who will receive them, yet paradoxically the greatest promise to us is rather empty, it is the promise that the Tomb of Jesus is empty .
With out the Resurrection of our Lord the whole Bible is merely a collection of stories that emerged out of a small nearly insignificant people group living in the mid-east. The resurrection of Jesus changes  all of that. Jesus' resurrection verifies  that the Bible is, just what it says it is, the Word of God and that Jesus is Who He said He is.The Son of the living God.
The Resurrection is the most significant moment and event in all human history not just Biblical history but all history thus far.The Resurrection of Jesus changed all things forever.

Nothing Without It

Many Christian look to the cross as that moment in which they vest so much hope, and rightly so that they do, for upon the cross Jesus worked out and accomplished humanities salvation,  but without the resurrection the cross has no meaning. If Jesus is not resurrected then the cross was meaningless.The resurrection demonstrates the power of the cross. If there is no resurrection then Jesus was just another martyr. The fact the tomb is empty shows us that something greater was and is at work. The resurrection shows us Jesus' divine identity. Jesus is not the Son of God because He was resurrected, but rather,  He is resurrected because He is the Son of God.This is what Paul was speaking of in his epistles to the Roman Christians

"And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:" Romans:1:4

Being the very Son of the living God shows us all that not even the grave, death, has power over Him, nothing could stop Him from accomplishing our salvation. The grave is empty Jesus has fulfilled the promise of life and all good things for us , if we will but freely receive it.  

Looking ahead to the incarnation of Jesus , his death and resurrection David  led by the Holy Spirit wrote,

"For you will not leave my soul in hell; neither will you suffer your Holy One to see corruption." Psalm:16:10

There again is that empty promise which is the assurance of all the promises of God , if there is no empty tomb there is no promises to be acted on. Paul speaking regarding all that God has for us.

" For all the promises of God in him are yes, and in him Amen, to the glory of God by us".2Corinthians:1:20


If Jesus "is not"  there can be no fulfillment to theses promises , but the resurrection show us that Jesus "Is"

More Then Can Be Seen

That early morning when the disciples came and  found that Tomb empty  , they did not comprehend that the emptiness they peered into , was more than they could have seen with the human eye, they were first hand witness of  God fulfilling all that He has for us. 

If they, and we, could have viewed that tomb, the slab , and grave wrappings which were about Jesus, if  they, and we, could, with the eyes of Spirit see it  would have been evident  that this  cave was and still is  filled beyond measure with eternal blessings that the Lord has now made possible for us our in Himself . That tomb was anything but empty, it was full of blessings, more then can be seen.

The Power of the Resurrection

Paul, wrote about his desire to experiencing  all these blessings, all through Jesus' resurrection.

"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead." Philippians:3:7-11

Paul was willing to cast off anything that would limit or prevent him from grasping all that Jesus has secured for each of us.He knew that all things of this life were meaningless and would in the end fade away, but what is eternal in Jesus and will never fade away. Paul would face suffering , death and hardship to take hold of these things.He knew that all the promises of God were all through Jesus and the Apostle would not let go his desire to fully be in all that God has given in Jesus, Paul would not let go of Jesus ,because Jesus would not let Paul.

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians:3:12-14

 

The Stone Rolled Away

When the disciples came to the tomb early that first day of the week, they found the stone rolled away, so that they could look within.This stone was moved through God intervention, it was done so that they and we, can see that the tomb is empty, that He is gone, it was not so Jesus could get out, but to demonstrate and prove to us that He is alive. That the empty promises are now fulfilled, that it is accomplished for us all.

 "And they found the stone rolled away from the Tomb empty"Luke:24:2-3

This speaks to us about how it takes the intervention of God to show us that Jesus lives, God through the Holy Spirit must "roll away the stone" of our carnal harts and minds  all our misconceptions and ideas, God Himself  must  roll the stone of our  ideas,  thoughts and carnality away, anything that would keep us  from seeing that Jesus lives. It is an act of Grace.

"But God has revealed them to us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God" 1Corthians:2:10

"which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy Apostles and Prophets." Ephesians:3:5

"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!" Romans:11:33

God moves in our lives by the Holy Spirit  and draws us , all humanity, to come to the tomb of Jesus and look within, and see that the Resurrection is an empty promise is full of  eternal blessings all in our living Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Rev.Todd Crouch, Pastor

The Fountain of Life Church a Congregation of Grace Communion

Washington, Pennsylvania.

The Fountain of Life Broadcast heard on the RKP Radio Network 1710 & 1670 AM in Washington and North Franklin, Pa. and on 1710 AM in Bentleyville , Pa. And online around the world at www.rkpradio.com