The Festival of Christ's Resurrection St. Mark's Ev. Ltuheran Church

4-4-99 Watertown, WI

St. John 20:1-10 Pastor Jensen

The Empty Tomb: God's Assurance to You

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"

So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

St. John 20:1-10

When someone says to you, "It's empty." That's usually not good news. When a member of your family looks into the cupboard or refrigerator and reports back, "It's empty" that's not good news. When you look in your bank account and are forced to confess, "It's empty!" . . . that's not good news. When someone makes a promise to you, it is not good news if someone else then tells you, "Oh that promise, it's empty!" If in a moment of solitude you were to examine your life and came to the conclusion, "It's empty." that also would not be terrible news.

The word "empty" doesn't usually mean "good" and the words "It's empty" usually don't mean good news. How ironic, therefore, . . . how blessedly ironic it is that the best news we have ever heard . . . the best news this world has ever heard . . . is "It's empty."

Listen once again to this great, good news. Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

The Mary, and the other women, and Peter and John all came to the tomb that morning expecting to find a tomb with a body in it, Jesus' body! But, besides some burial clothes, it was empty! And when talking about Christ's tomb, "It's empty!" is the best news they had ever heard. It's the best news we could ever want to hear. Christ's resurrection...the empty tomb...is the greatest news we could ever hear because the empty tomb is God's assurance to us and to the world. The empty tomb is God's assurance that . . .

1)Christ has spoken no empty words & 2) You do not have an empty life.

1) God's Assurance that Christ Has Spoken No Empty Words

During His earthly ministry Christ had spoken many words indicating who He was and what He had come to do.

· He had told the people that He had a heavenly origin. He had said, "I have come down from heaven." Jesus had told them, "I am from above. I am not of this world."

· He had told the people, not only was He from heaven, but He was God Himself. He had said, "I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am." He called himself the great "I am" the changeless, eternal God. He declared Himself the Son of God, equal with the Father and the Spirit when Phillip had requested, "Lord show us the Father and that will be enough." Jesus replied, "Don't you know me Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, `Show us the Father'? Don't you believe that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me?"

Were those empty words, false claims? Were these the meaningless, empty words and delusions of a young man who needed professional help? The empty tomb tells us that they were not empty words. God the Father raised His Son to assure us these claims of Christ were true claims. The empty tomb is God's assurance to you and to the world that Jesus is the Son of God.

Jesus had also spoken many words indicating His purpose for coming into the world. He had given two very succinct mission statements, "The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." "The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many."

Save the lost?! All the lost? Give His life as the ransom payment for all people for all their sins? To the human mind that mission seems like mission impossible. The skeptical sinner within us wonders whether those could be empty words, empties promises.

Could He complete such a mission? Could He keep such a promise. Indeed, Jesus, while on the cross, had stated that He had fulfilled His mission statement. He cried out, "My God, My god, why have You forsaken me." With those words He stated that He, the innocent Son of God, had been forsaken by God. He stated that His mission of saving the lost, ransoming the human race, had been completed as He said, "It is finished." Then He indicated that the heavenly Father had once again accepted Him and had accepted His sacrifice in the behalf of all people. He declared so when He said, "Father into your hands I commit my spirit." With these phrases . . .these words . . . Jesus declared the mission impossible the mission completed.

That is what Jesus declared, but was His mission really completed? Or were they merely empty words? Many who witnessed the crucifixion considered them empty words, words with no basis in fact. Many today still consider those words empty. We, however, know those words were not empty. We know they were full of truth and grace. The empty tomb assures us. The empty tomb assures us that Christ has spoken no empty words. He has made no empty promised, not on the cross . . . not anywhere.

God raised His Son to assure you that Jesus' words about being forsaken on the cross were true. He has been forsaken for you, in payment for your sins. God made that tomb empty to assure you that when Christ said, "It is finished!" it was; the work of redemption was complete. God raised Jesus to assure us that He had accepted His sacrifice. While Christ was on the cross, God the Father had been silent. He spoke no words. He did not tell the crowd gathered there that Jesus was His Son. He did not tell them that He was well please with Jesus and His work of redemption.

On Calvary the Father was silent for God had determined that, when it came to announcing the completed work of salvation, an action would speak louder than a word. God took that action early on that Sunday morning when He raised His Son. He raised His Son. He emptied that tomb and now by that empty tomb God assures you that Jesus is your Redeemer, the one who has saved you.

You see, Pilate and the Sanhedrin had put their seal of approval on what they had done. They put a seal on the tomb in order to keep the tomb occupied. Yet God would not let that tomb remained occupied. He would not let Pilate's seal of approval stand. God wanted to put His seal of approval on what Christ had done. The resurrection is God's seal of approval on Christ's work. The Resurrection is God's guarantee. God's assurance to us that Christ has spoken no empty words, was that tomb empty.

2) God's Assurance that You Don't Have an Empty Life

The empty tomb assures you that Christ has not spoken any empty words. It assures you that He is who He claimed to be: the Son of God. It assures you that He has saved the world. Therefore, the empty tomb is God's assurance that you do not have an empty life.

What would our lives be like without the empty tomb? What would our lives be like if Christ had not been raised from the dead? What would our lives end up being if we forgot about the empty tomb or didn't apply it's blessings to our lives? They would be empty. We would be born never really understanding why. We would grow. We would wander about saying all kinds of things that really didn't mean a thing. We would spend our lives doing all kinds of things that didn't matter, things with no purpose, no permanence. We would spend our lives with no comfort, no certainty and no real future. Not much of a life. Pretty empty. The empty tomb, however, assures you that's not the description of your life.

On that first Easter morn, Christ's first disciples thought they had empty lives. Mary came to that tomb sad and broken-hearted with no hope. So did the other women. They came with their spices expecting to find a dead Jesus. Because they expected to find Jesus still dead in the tomb, they came not knowing what the rest of their lives would bring them. They didn't know what they were to do. Although Peter and John a few days before thought they knew the meaning for their lives. Christ death had left them afraid as they hid behind closed door for fear of the Jews. They were afraid and confused. Life didn't make sense anymore. It was empty.

What a difference the empty tomb made in their lives. Once the initial fear and doubts wore off, the message of the empty tomb filled their hearts with joy. It assured them that no matter what happened in their lives their Jesus, the living Lord, was in control. What's more, the empty tomb assured them that their lives had a purpose. They had lives in which they could serve the living Savior. That life of service began as they were sent to tell the other disciples the good news of the empty tomb.

God's assurance is the same for us. We have a living Lord, Jesus Christ and that means our lives are not empty. We have lives with a purpose, lives that serve a living Savior. We also have lives in which we are greatly cared for by our living Lord.

A few minutes ago we sang that well-known and dearly loved hymn: I know that my Redeemer lives. [Christian Worship, hymn 152] As you sang that hymn did you happen to note just how many blessings are ours because that tomb was empty. Just look at all the daily blessings we have because Jesus lives!

He lives to bless me with his love; He lives to plead for me above.

He lives, my hungry soul to feed; He lives to help in time of need.

He lives to grant me rich supply; He lives to guide me with his eye.

He lives to comfort me when faint; He lives to hear my soul's complaint.

He lives to silence all my fears; He lives to wipe away my tears.

He lives to calm my troubled heart; He lives, all blessings to impart.

He lives and grants me daily breath; He lives, and I shall conquer death.

He lives my mansion to prepare; He lives to bring my safely there.

And that's just the short list of daily blessings that are ours because of the empty tomb! Take those blessings with you today. Apply them to your life. Use those blessing from your living Redeemer. The Savior will make your present life anything but empty. He will make you life most full. For the One who has spoken no empty words . . .the One who makes no empty promises . . . has said that He came so that you might have life and have it to the full.

By the message of the empty tomb, by Christ's resurrection, God has assured us that our lives here are not empty. They are full. How full? So full that they will continue hereafter in heaven, but then there of course is even greater comfort about your future life. The empty tomb takes away that empty feeling we have when we face death or when we stand in front of the casket of a loved one who has died in Christ. The emptiness is taken away when we remember that the empty tomb means Christ has spoken no empty words. He has made no empty promises and He has promised that at death He will say to every one of His children that same thing He said to the thief on the cross. "Today, you will be with Me in paradise." The emptiness is taken away when Christ's fills us with His comfort and peace and the certainty of heaven.

Yet, the empty tomb assures us that our lives are even fuller than that. For the Jesus who has spoken no empty words also says His resurrection has paved the way for your resurrection. He says, "Because I live, you also will live." He says, "I am the resurrection and the life." He says that you have a full life now and forever. He says His empty tomb assures you that one day your tomb also will be empty. Amen.