CHRIST'S VICTORY OVER DEATH

At the entrance of the empty tomb

Isaiah 65:17-25; 1 Corinthians 15:19-26; Luke 24:1-12

Introduction

The women found the tomb empty and remembered what Jesus told them, ‘The Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and rise on the third day?” Luke 24:7 (HCSB)

Indeed! Christ is risen. Central to the Christian faith is the empty tomb we reminisce about today. The resurrection of Jesus is the climax of all that He came to accomplish for us. "...“Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last, and the Living One. I was dead, but look — I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades." Revelation 1:17-18 (HCSB). Christ's resurrection is our assurance that we will also be raised after this earthly life. As Jesus said to the criminal on the cross, 'today, you will be with Me in Paradise,' the resurrection is actual proof of God's willingness to fulfill His word in Isaiah 65:17-25.

Defeat of Death

"He will destroy death forever. The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from every face and remove His people’s disgrace from the whole earth, for the LORD has spoken." Isaiah 25:8 (HCSB) If Jesus had not risen, He would have been remembered as a man who lived a righteous life on earth. His life and death would have had little impact on humanity and death would still be our battle. The world would still be waiting on the Messiah to set us free from death and wipe away the tears and remove our disgrace. The resurrection means, the atonement of Christ has been accepted and through Him, we have eternal life (Rom. 5:21).

Christ's Victory; Our Victory

Our individual conversion and acceptance of Christ's resurrection is the solid faith we need to be saved (Rom. 10:9). Because Christ lives, we (Christians) also live to face tomorrow. Freedom from the spiritual death we deserve has been granted. We have access to eternal life now because of the indwelling of Holy Spirit and have the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. Sin has no grip as death has no sting on us because we (Christians) choose to submit to the Holy Spirit as our guide (1 Cor. 15:55). The Spirit fights against the sinful desires of our flesh (Galatians 5:17–18). The Spirit also produces Christlike character, evidence that the Spirit is conforming us to Him (Galatians 5:22-26). Life transformation is a testimony of the power of the resurrection.

In the empty tomb of Jesus Christ with Rev. Dr. Anokye Nkansah

The Church and Christ's Victory

The church has the task of sharing the resurrection of Christ to bring people to the faith (Acts 2:41). The body of Christ is to proclaim the good news of Christ’s resurrection to build up the universal church. There are people who as yet do not know that Christ went to the cross to die for them personally. People may doubt and deem it as nonsense (Luke 24:11) but others with time like Peter (Luke 24:12) will come to accept the amazing grace of the resurrection. In difficult times, it is our responsibility to remind this hurting world of who we have placed our hope in, lighting our paths. Christ Jesus is not dead. His body was raised to life by God. One day, we will get to see Him.

Conclusion

If Jesus had never walked out of the tomb, we would still be searching for someone or something to place our hope in. Therefore, our search halts when we come to Him. There will be a time in the future when Christ will call believers into a new existence (John 5:28–29). Because of the resurrection, the grave is not the final destination but a transit. Though we may grieve when we lose those around us, believers will always be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:17). We have hope in His victory over death and that one day we will be with Him in a place with no more death.

Christ is victorious over death. Christ is risen, He is risen indeed.

The empty tomb is there. Beloved, I have personally seen this empty tomb and I testify to this.

Shalom aleichem...