Open your Bibles, if you would, to Luke chapter 24.
Luke chapter 24.
If you're using the Pew Bible, it's on page 884.
! Luke chapter 24.
We're in our home stretch, really,
this final chapter of the Gospel of Luke.
We've been working through Luke for the last four years,
off and on.
And we come now at last to this final chapter,
which is perhaps the most exciting
and the most important chapter in the Gospel of Luke
is the culmination of Christ's ministry
and this resurrection that we'll look at this morning
comes to meet us and remind us of who Jesus really is.
If you joined us just a couple of days ago on Good Friday,
we had a chance just to share with you
some of the reasons why the cross had power.
What was it about the cross that was necessary
and what did the cross accomplish for us?
And maybe those of you who've been part of the church
for a long time, you've heard this message,
you've heard this text preached,
maybe for decades, time and time and time again.
But it's been my prayer this morning
that we would come to this text
and be reminded in a fresh way of the wonder
and the essential nature of the resurrection.
Why does the resurrection matter?
Does the resurrection matter?
Was it really important?
If the cross accomplished all that it accomplished,
was the resurrection necessary?
Of course, the resurrection was necessary.
And because the resurrection is necessary
and kind of lays that final foundation
of true hope in God,
it has been that truth,
that doctrine that has been assaulted
going all the way back to the beginning.
From the very first century,
you remember in this final week
of Jesus' public ministry there in Jerusalem,
Jesus is actually confronted there
by a group of Sadducees who,
if you remember,
they didn't believe in the resurrection.
And of course, as the church got started,
the doctrine and the truth of the resurrection
had been assaulted and had been put down
from the very beginning.
The apostle Paul deals with this
even in this message to the Jews and the Gentiles.
In 1 Corinthians 1, verse 23,
he draws attention to it.
He says,
To the Jews, this gospel was a stumbling block
into the Greeks' foolishness.
This crucified Savior that was resurrected from the grave
was a stumbling block for Jews
and was absolute insanity for the Gentiles.
Later, in his letter,
Paul's letter to the church of Corinth,
he spends an entire chapter,
chapter 15,
trying to help the church
understand the significance of the resurrection.
Did it matter?
We'll come back to this chapter a couple of times
throughout our time this morning,
but in verses 12 and 13 of 1 Corinthians 15,
he says this,
Now, if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead,
how can some of you say
there is no resurrection of the dead?
But if there is no resurrection of the dead,
then not even Christ has been raised.
Then Paul's address to the unbelievers in Athens,
in Acts chapter 17, verses 31 and 32,
we find the apostle Paul in the Areopagus.
This is a gathering place of the elite thinkers,
the philosophers of that day,
and the apostle Paul is proclaiming the gospel,
and he says in verses 31 and 32,
he says,
He has fixed a day
on which he will judge the world in righteousness
by a man whom he has appointed,
and of this he has given assurance
to all by raising him from the dead.
Now, when they heard of the resurrection of the dead,
some mocked, but others said,
We will hear you again about this.
The essential nature of the resurrection
built into the gospel,
and even though it was a stumbling block for the Gentiles,
the apostle Paul knew it was necessary.
Of course, the church of Thessalonica,
the hope of the resurrection,
helped them endure the hardship that they would face.
And then to the church of Rome,
Paul reminded them of this doctrine
that was essential for salvation
in Romans 10, verse 9, when he says,
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart
that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
A belief in a confidence,
a knowledge, and a faith in the resurrection
is essential for salvation.
So it should be no surprise then
that this truth, this doctrine
of the resurrection of Christ
has been assaulted from the very beginning.
And the church has been confronted
by those various heresies
that have sought to bombard the church
and try to strip it away from this essential truth.
There was a heresy known as docetism
in the first and second century
that claimed that Jesus only had a physical body,
and so thus suffering death
and resurrection was only an illusion.
This, in the second century,
transitioned to the Gnostic heresy,
which claimed that the physical world is evil
and that salvation comes through secret
or spiritual knowledge.
For them, the resurrection was just symbolic.
It was not physical.
So it stripped the resurrection of any power.
Arianism, in the fourth century,
claimed that Jesus was a created being,
not co-eternal with God,
and thus, while not directly denying the resurrection,
it robbed the resurrection of its purpose in power.
From the very beginning,
from the first century on,
the church has dealt with this assault
to the resurrection.
But I want you to understand this morning,
the resurrection matters.
The resurrection matters.
And because of the resurrection,
we can have hope.
Paul describes this again
in 1 Corinthians 15, verse 17,
when he says,
If Christ has not been raised,
your faith is futile,
and you are still in your sins.
Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ
have perished.
If in Christ we have hope,
in this life only,
we are of all people the most to be pitied.
Without the resurrection,
Paul says in this chapter,
1 Corinthians 15,
your preaching is in vain.
Your faith is in vain.
Your hope is in vain.
If your hope is in this life only,
then let's eat and drink,
because tomorrow we're going to die.
What's the point?
This morning I want us to understand,
and we will see from our passage today,
five reasons,
and there are many,
but this morning,
we're just going to look at five reasons
why the resurrection matters.
So if you're there with me,
Luke chapter 24,
I'm going to read the first 12 verses,
and then we'll begin our time this morning.
It says,
But on the first day of the week,
at early dawn,
they went to the tomb,
taking the spices they had prepared,
and they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.
But when they went in,
they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
While they were perplexed about this,
behold,
two men stood by them in dazzling apparel.
And as they were frightened
and bowed their faces to the ground,
the men said to them,
Why do you seek the living among the dead?
He's not here,
but has risen.
Remember how he told you,
while he was still in Galilee,
that the Son of Man must be delivered
into the hands of sinful men,
and be crucified,
and on the third day rise.
And they remembered his words.
And returning from the tomb,
they told all these things to the eleven,
and to all the rest.
That was Mary Magdalene,
and Joanna,
and Mary the mother of James,
and the other women with them
who told these things to the apostles.
But these words seemed to them an idle tale,
and they did not believe them.
But Peter rose and ran to the tomb.
Stooping and looking in,
he saw the linen cloths by themselves.
And he went home marveling
at what had happened.
The passage opens in these first three verses
with this group of individuals.
We find this personal pronoun,
they, that's used in four different ways
here in the first three verses.
They went to the tomb.
They found the stone rolled away.
They went in.
They did not find the body.
Well, who is the they?
We need to refer back
to the previous chapter.
In the last few verses,
give us a clue
who these individuals are.
In Luke 23, verse 55,
it says,
the women who had come with him from Galilee.
And in 24, verse 10,
we find Mary Magdalene, Joanna,
Mary, the mother of James,
and other women who were there.
It's the women who came from Galilee
who are there at the tomb.
And they've already prepared for this day.
As we find in Luke 23, verse 56,
it says,
after having seen the tomb
where Jesus was laid,
they returned and prepared spices and ointment.
They had seen how Joseph
and Nicodemus had prepared the body in haste.
And so they could do a proper burial,
they also prepared over the next day and a half
so they could be ready in devotion.
And they come at early dawn,
as we find here in Luke 24, 1.
They come to prepare the body.
Matthew says it was towards the dawn.
The Gospel of Mark says,
very early on the first day of the week,
the sun had not yet risen.
And John's account is,
while it was still dark,
somewhere between 3 o'clock in the morning
and 6 o'clock in the morning,
these women came in devotion to prepare the body.
This is their last respects.
They want to show honor to Jesus' body.
But the last time they saw Jesus,
there was a problem for them.
A problem that we find in Matthew 27,
verses 59 to 61.
It says that Joseph took the body
and wrapped it in clean linen,
shrouded and laid it in his own new tomb,
which he had cut out of the rock.
And he rolled a great stone
to the entrance of the tomb and went away.
This becomes the burning question
as we find in the Gospel of Mark.
They ask themselves,
who will roll away the stone from the tomb?
But in Luke 24, verse 2, we see,
and they found the stone rolled away.
Problem solved.
Jesus raised from the dead.
The stone was still intact.
How he did not need the stone to be removed
in order to leave the tomb,
but we find from Matthew's account
how that stone was rolled away.
Matthew 28, verse 2, it says,
And behold, there was a great earthquake,
for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven
and came and rolled back the stone
and sat on it.
Why was the stone rolled away?
Well, the stone was rolled away
to demonstrate and to prove
that God's truth is accessible.
God's truth is open.
God's truth is available.
God's truth is public.
It was verifiable.
It was open.
Of course, Jesus' life in ministry
were also accessible.
But in the defining moment,
which would validate his message
and his ministry,
in the culminating end of his life here
in the resurrection,
it was made public.
And the reason for it to be made public
was so that in this public spectacle,
in confirmation of all that Jesus had said,
Jesus and God is inviting those who would see
to observe and believe.
He's inviting those who, through faith,
would see the evidence of all that Jesus had spoken,
would look into this empty tomb,
would remember his words,
and would believe.
The accessibility of this truth
that was available to anyone
who lived there in the first century.
We know this was public
because these women came.
And they see and they observe for themselves
that the stone is rolled away,
the tomb is empty.
We know it was public
because Peter and John would come
towards the latter part of this passage.
They too would look in
and marvel at the empty tomb.
We know it was public
because the soldiers saw it.
We know this from Matthew's account.
In Matthew 28, verse 11,
it says,
while they were going,
behold, some of the guard went into the city
and told the chief priests
all that had taken place.
We also know that this was public
because the religious leaders
would have seen it.
In Matthew 28, verses 12 and 13,
when they had assembled with the elders
and had taken counsel,
speaking of the chief priests,
they gave a sufficient sum of money
to the soldiers and said,
tell the people,
his disciples came by night
and stole them away
while we were asleep.
They knew the tomb was empty,
not only in hearing from the soldiers,
but in confirming for themselves.
They needed to manufacture a story,
and this was the story they manufactured.
We also know this is public
because the people in Jerusalem
would have seen it.
In Matthew 28, 15,
so the soldiers took the money
and did as they were directed,
and this story has been spread
among the Jews to this day.
Those who went and observed the tomb,
those who heard this story
would have propagated the same message.
It was public.
It was open.
It was available.
We also know it was public
because Jesus would appear to Peter
and then to the 12
and 500 disciples at once,
as we find from 1 Corinthians 15.
It says,
For I delivered to you
as of first importance
what I received,
that Christ died for our sins
in accordance with the Scriptures.
that he was buried,
that he was raised on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures,
and that he appeared to Cephas
and to the 12.
Then he appeared
to more than 500 brothers at one time,
most of whom are still alive,
though some have fallen asleep.
Then he appeared to James,
then to all the apostles.
Last of all,
as to one untimely born,
he appeared to me.
The resurrection proves
that the truth of God,
his resurrection especially,
is public.
It's open.
It's available.
It's accessible.
And it invites the observer,
those who would understand
and learn the details
of his resurrection,
it invites us to believe.
It invites us to have faith.
Second, we see in verses 4 and 5,
the resurrection matters
because it proves
that Christ's sacrifice
was acceptable.
His sacrifice was acceptable.
Notice with me in verse 4.
While they were perplexed,
speaking about the women,
behold, two men stood by them
in dazzling apparel.
And as they were frightened
and bowed their faces to the ground,
the men said to them,
why do you seek
the living among the dead?
He is not here,
but he has risen.
The women have made their way
to the tomb.
It's a small enclosure
that was cut out of the rock.
And so they make their way
into the tomb
to get a closer look.
And to their amazement,
the tomb is empty.
And then all of a sudden,
two men in dazzling robes
come and are standing by them.
This word for dazzling
is the word to glisten,
to flash, to gleam like lightning.
It's the same word
that Jesus uses of himself
when he speaks of the lightning
that's going to streak
across the sky
at the coming of the Son of Man.
It's going to be obvious.
This brilliance
in the wee hours
of the morning
certainly would have caught
these women off guard
and struck fear into them.
And as they are afraid,
they fall to the floor
in recognition
of the presence
of these heavenly messengers
and they bow their face
to the floor.
They know immediately
that these are angels.
There they are
in the presence
of this tomb.
They had been present
in the tomb
just as they were present
to the shepherds
there at Christ's birth.
At Christ's birth
and now
at Christ's resurrection.
Remember,
at his birth,
the angels would sing
on the hillside,
glory to God
in the highest
and on earth,
peace,
goodwill
to men.
The angels
who represented
God,
his message,
who have now come
to make the words
of Christ known.
They have ministered
to Christ
throughout his ministry.
Gabriel, remember,
he came to Mary
at the very beginning
to announce
the birth of Christ.
And then, of course,
the angels
who announced
the birth
of Christ
to the shepherds.
The angel
who ministered
to Christ
at his temptation
in the 40 days
in the wilderness.
And then the angel
who strengthened Christ
there in the garden
of Gethsemane.
there before
his crucifixion.
And here again,
the angels are here
to carry a message
and to minister
the message
in the service
to God.
Jesus,
who was the beloved son
and whom the father
was well pleased.
But on the cross,
he had endured
the wrath of God
for sin.
And Jesus would cry,
my God,
why have you
forsaken me?
And the question
on the cross,
perhaps,
in the minds
of those
who were standing
there would be,
is this the end?
Has God forsaken
Christ forever?
And the angels
are here,
the servants
of the Most High
who are serving
Christ again,
now,
as messengers
of his word.
And Jesus'
sacrifice
was acceptable.
and here
are those angels
demonstrating
in a visible
way
that the service
and sacrifice
of Christ
was accepted
by God.
We find from
Ephesians 5,
verse 2,
it says,
and walk in love
as Christ loved
us and gave
himself up
for us,
a fragrant
offering
and a sacrifice
to God.
Christ's sacrifice
was well-pleasing.
It was acceptable
to God.
And in Hebrews
chapter 9,
verses 11 and 12,
it says,
but when Christ
appeared
as a high priest
of the good things
that have come,
then through
the greater
and more perfect
tent,
not made with hands
that is not
of his creation,
he entered once
for all
into the holy places,
not by means
of the blood
of goats
and calves,
but by the means
of his own blood,
thus securing
an eternal redemption.
How was that possible?
Well,
it was possible
because the sacrifice
of Christ,
this once-for-all
offering
of the precious
blood of Christ
was accepted
by God.
The resurrection
proves
the accessibility
of truth.
The resurrection
proves the
acceptability
of Christ's
sacrifice.
And in verses
6 and 7,
we see the resurrection
matters because it
proved that Christ's
word was dependable.
His word
was dependable.
Notice in verse 6,
it says,
he is not here,
but has risen.
Remember how he told you
while he was still
in Galilee.
The son of man
must be delivered
into the hands
of sinful men
and be crucified
and on the third day
rise.
Jesus had prophesied
at least on three
occasions that he
would be delivered
over,
that he would be
crucified,
that he would die
and rise again.
and according to
his very word
to these women
there in Galilee,
Jesus had done
exactly as he said.
The word
of the prophets
and the word
of Christ
were dependable.
Paul,
in speaking to the Jews
in Antioch
and Pisidia,
would use the
prophets
in his
gospel
proclamation
to help affirm
that it was the
prophets who would
talk about
this resurrection.
In Acts chapter 13
verses 34 to 35,
the apostle Paul
in his sermon
says this,
and as for the fact
that he raised him
from the dead,
no more to return
to corruption,
he has spoken
in this way,
I will give you
the holy
and sure blessing
of David.
Therefore,
he says,
also in another psalm,
you will not let
your holy one
see corruption.
These two phrases
that are lifted
first from Isaiah
chapter 53
and the second
from Psalm 16,
the apostle Paul
uses these phrases
to describe
this future
prophetic word
of how Christ
would see
resurrection.
He would come
to life
and Jesus
was alive
and Jesus
was the
resurrection
and the life
as he had promised
Mary and Martha
just a few months
earlier at the grave
of Lazarus.
And Jesus
remains the living
God.
And as the living
God,
he is active,
he is present,
he is eternal,
and thus he is
powerful,
the source of life
and sustainer
of life.
Jesus will say
in John 11,
25,
I am the resurrection
and the life.
Whoever believes
in me,
though he die,
yet shall he live.
it's because of
the dependable
word of Christ,
this confirmation
of resurrection
that Jesus
raised from the dead
and now extends
to us this promise
of eternal life
for those who
would believe.
And we can trust
this dependable word
because of the
confirmation
of this resurrection
of Christ himself.
He becomes
the first fruits
of resurrection.
And so the effects
of the resurrection
are to be experienced
today in newness
of life,
this life not just
for the future,
but a life that we
can enjoy today
as we find in Romans
chapter 6,
verses 1 to 4.
What shall we say then?
Are we to continue
in sin that grace
may abound?
By no means.
How can we
who died to sin
still live in it?
Do you not know
that all of us
who have been baptized
into Christ Jesus
were baptized
into his death?
We were buried
therefore with him
by baptism into death
in order that
just as Christ
was raised from the dead
by the glory of the Father
we too might walk
in newness of life.
The life that Jesus
purchased for us
was not just a life
for eternity
but a life we can
begin to enjoy today.
This newness of life
through the power of God,
the dependable word
of God
that we can enjoy
for those
who believe.
We also see
in verses 6 and 7
the resurrection matters
because it showed
that God's power
is unstoppable.
God's power
is unstoppable.
The first phrase
of verse 6 is
he is not here
but he has risen.
And at the end
of verse 7
it says
he was delivered
into the hands
of sinful men
and crucified
and on the third day
he rose.
The greatest enemy
of humanity
is not Satan.
The greatest enemy
of you and I
of all of mankind
is sin and death.
Sin that we inherited
from Adam
that we gained from him
because of his initial sin
that was then transferred
onto us
and because
we are inherently
sinners
we sin.
Sin is the thing
that separates us
from God.
Sin is what leads us
inevitably
to death
not only in a physical way
but also
in a spiritual way
as we find
from Romans 6.23
the wages
of sin
is death
but
the gift
of God
is eternal life
through Jesus Christ
our Lord.
Why?
Because
of the resurrection.
His resurrection life
has purchased
for us
life
with God
through faith
in his son.
Jesus conquered.
Jesus
was ultimate.
Jesus
was powerful.
And love
his statement
in John chapter 10
where Jesus
says this
he says
for this reason
the father loves me
because I lay down
my life
that I might
take it up again.
No one takes it
from me
but I lay it down
on my own accord.
I have authority
to lay it down
and I have authority
to take it up again.
This charge
I have received
from my father.
Jesus was not
a victim
of some
tragedy.
Jesus
walked
head long
into
crucifixion.
He laid
his life down
so that he could
raise it up again
so he might
offer us
victory
and deliverance
and salvation
over sin
and death
once for all
only for those
who believe.
He is the savior
of the world.
He did destroy
the ultimate enemy
of sin
and death.
We find from
Hebrews chapter 2
verses 14 and 15
it says
he himself
likewise
partook
of the same things
that through death
he might destroy
the one
who has the power
of death
that is the devil
and deliver
all those
who through
fear of death
were subject
to lifelong
slavery.
Jesus died
in our place
so that we
could enjoy
resurrection life
through him.
He conquered
and that conquering
power
is the same
conquering power
that we have
access to
through the work
of his Holy Spirit
we find in
Ephesians chapter 1
verses 15 and 21.
Paul will pray
for the church
when he'll say
for this reason
because I've heard
of your faith
in the Lord Jesus
and your love
for all the saints
I do not cease
to give thanks
for you
remembering you
my prayers
that you might know
what is the
immeasurable
greatness
of his power
towards us
who believe
according to the
working of his
great might
that he worked
in Christ
when he raised
him from the dead
and seated him
at his right hand
in the heavenly places
far above all rule
and authority
and power
and dominion
and above every name
that is named
not only in this age
but also in the one
to come
Jesus Christ's power
is unstoppable
and because of his
resurrection power
by his grace
and through his Holy Spirit
he gives us access
to enjoy
that same power
the power
to live a life
that is growing
in likeness to Christ
the power
to kind of live
a life
that begins
to demonstrate
a heart of love
and faith
towards him
and love
towards one another
it's a power
to overcome
the power
of sin
in our life
and to live
in a way
that is pleasing
to God
power to grow
and power
to suffer
the power
of God
through the power
of his Holy Spirit
living within
and finally
the resurrection
matters
because it proves
that the gospel
is credible
the gospel
is reliable
notice
beginning in verse 8
it says
and they remembered
his words
and returning
from the tomb
they told all these things
to the eleven
and to the rest
they remembered
this word
in the Greek
is a passive
which means
they were recipients
of this remembering
it wasn't an active
remembering
it was a reciprocal
kind of remembering
it was a work
of God
on their life
to help them
finally remember
help them finally see
help them finally compute
all of the factors
that were in front of them
now they're beginning
to make sense
these women
needed
an awakening
they needed sight
they needed the work
of the spirit
in their life
to open their eyes
to remember
and to see things
for how they were
up to this moment
they couldn't put it together
all the evidence
was there
and Jesus
clearly states
that the work
of the spirit
was necessary
to do
this work
of remembrance
John 14 26
says
the helper
the holy spirit
whom the father
will send in my name
he will teach you
all things
and bring
to your
remembrance
all that I have
said to you
that work
of the spirit
to help them
remember
and guess what
and they
remembered
they remembered
and this flood
of emotion
and faith
and hope
began to ignite
their hearts
and what does
it lead them to
it leads them
to testimony
it leads them
to witness
it leads them
to proclaim
this work
that they saw
here at the tomb
up to this point
the words
had been hidden
but now
this gospel
seems credible
this gospel
is verifiable
and even though
these words
as we find
seemed like
an idle tale
in other words
it was too good
to be true
God would take
the beginnings
that seed
of faith
that was planted
in their hearts
and the words
of Christ
and begin
to develop
that so that
by the time
we get to
Acts chapter 1
we see
the beginnings
of this church
so small
120 believers
now begins
to propagate
this message
and this work
of God
in their lives
this testimony
of the gospel
that has become
very credible
verses 9
it says
and returning
from the tomb
they told
all these things
to the eleven
and to the rest
that was Mary Magdalene
and Joanna
and Mary the mother
of James
and the other women
with them
who told these things
to the apostles
but these words
seemed to them
an idle tale
and they did not
believe them
but Peter rose
and ran to the tomb
stooping
and looking in
he saw the linen
claws by themselves
and he went home
marveling
at what had happened
of course
the fragile faith
this words
that were too good
to be true
would develop
into the strengthening
power of God
working in their life
to help them
be people of faith
it transformed
their life
it helped them
to be a unified
group of individuals
it helped them
to speak
with courage
it helped them
to love one another
it helped them
to suffer well
in very difficult times
especially
at the beginning
of the start
of the church
and as a result
we find
this church
that began
as just 120 believers
would bear fruit
and for 2,000 years
we have experienced
the blessing
of this credible
gospel witness
in the lives
of those
who have gone before
who have demonstrated
their faith in God
through good times
and hard times
and this will continue
to endure
until Christ comes
and it's because
of the credibility
and the power
of the resurrection
that Paul concludes
his chapter
in 1 Corinthians
chapter 15
in this way
he says this
therefore
my beloved brothers
be steadfast
immovable
always abounding
in the work
of the Lord
knowing
that your labor
is not
in vain
your labor
in the Lord
is not
in vain
because
their preaching
was no longer
vain
because of a resurrection
that happened
that the hope
that they would experience
would continue
after death
that this life
wasn't all
they were going
to live
the apostle Paul
concludes this chapter
with a certainty
of the credibility
of the resurrection
and what it would produce
in the lives
of true believers
and those who would be
filled up
with a desire
to be steadfast
and immovable
in continuing
to proclaim
like these women did
this message
of the gospel
wherever they would go
I wonder this morning
have you placed
your faith
in Christ
not just
in his death
but especially
in understanding
the power
of his resurrection
and all that
is available
to us
because of
his resurrection
power
the power
of the resurrection
to lead us
to real life
not just
eternal life
but life today
have you come
to a place
of recognizing
your sin
your need
for God
have you
confessed your sin
have you
recognized
that he is the Lord
as Paul says
in Romans
chapter 10
verse 9
if you confess
your sin
he is faithful
and just
to forgive
your sin
and to
cleanse you
oh that's
1 John 1 9
sorry
Romans 10
9
if you confess
with your mouth
thank you
getting some help
here from the front
if you confess
with your mouth
that Jesus is Lord
and believe
in your heart
that God raised
him from the dead
you'll be saved
have you placed
your faith
in Christ
have you confessed
it with your mouth
do you believe
not only that
Jesus died
but that he rose
again
and for those
of us who have
placed our faith
in Christ
in that way
is there
an ongoing
testimony
of a life
that is steadfast
a life that is
resolute
a life that is
robust
and confident
because of
the dependability
of the word
of God
and because
of the hope
we have
after this life
to lead us
to Christ
is there
a ministry
of confidence
in the fact
that God's work
the Lord's work
will never be in vain
praise the Lord
for his resurrection
God thank you
for sending your son
Jesus
thank you for his work
on the cross
thank you that
you have accomplished
this on
our behalf
and I pray this morning
Lord
if there's anyone
who does not know you
as their savior
that you would
convict their hearts
and lead them
to yourself
thank you that
your truth
is accessible
but Lord
I pray
that just as
these women
needed the Holy Spirit
to inform
their hearts
I pray
that you would
do the same
for us
inform our hearts
convict us of sin
lead us to yourself
in Jesus name
Amen