4/5/26 “The Living Among the Dead”
“The Living Among the Dead”
Luke 24:1-12
If you’ve been staying up on current events, you may have noticed that NASA has a handful of astronauts joy-riding around the moon right now...
Apparently, though, the spacecraft isn’t going to land on the moon during this particular mission...
You’d think they’d want to....
....maybe pull in at a Kwik Trip and gas up before coming back to earth...hit the restroom, perhaps?......grab a Big Buddy and some glazers for the ride home....
I also heard there’s a New Buc-ee's being built on the moon...
Oh, it’s true... A guy on the internet was talking about it...he even had “classified” pictures....
....You know it's true if it's on the internet, right?
In all seriousness, though....According to NASA, this mission is one that will apparently pave the way for future moon landings....
....and those landings will pave the way for a lunar space station....
...which will supposedly pave the way for future missions to Mars....
Who knows, we might even run into this guy.... 😊
(Show picture of Marvin the Martian)
One NASA spokesperson said that these lunar missions fall under the larger plan of searching for signs of life in the Universe....
Didn’t Captain Kirk, Spock, Bones, and Scotty already do this quite some time ago?....
But isn’t it interesting how mankind is obsessed with finding life in the Universe....despite there being no signs of life whatsoever?
The high-powered James Webb telescope has discovered water on other planets...and a few gases here and there that also exist on earth....
.....but no signs of life.
Interestingly, though, There is a pretty cool planet twice the size of earth called 55 Cancri.....
What’s so special about this planet, you might ask?
Ladies, listen up.
One-Third of this entire planet consists of diamonds!
Now....guys... going to Jared to buy your lady a diamond ring is impressive...
....but if you really want to score some points....just hop a spaceship to 55 Cancri and bring her back a diamond the size of a house! ....no chores for you for awhile!
Unfortunately though, with our current propulsion technology, it would take over a million years to get there and back....
....she might get a bit upset if you’re gone that long! 😊
But....As far as we can tell....the universe seems to be....for lack of a better word...dead.
It is only here on earth that we find the rarest thing in the universe – life.
It’s crazy fact, but....Galactically speaking....wood is far more rare than diamonds...
...wood is only found on one, relatively small planet in the Milky Way....a planet called Earth...
A world the Bible teaches had a beginning....was created by God...specifically to support life....
...And we see that in the unbelievably precise levels of materials & measurements needed in order for life to exist at all....
But....Our universe is full of dead matter...yet we continue to scan it for life.
Why?....Why do we do this?
Today’s passage from the gospel of Luke contains a similar question...
But instead of searching for life amongst the stars....
A few women were looking for the body of Jesus in a garden cemetery....a quiet neighborhood of exclusively dead people.
Now...to their credit... the women were naturally assuming that Jesus was just as dead as when his lifeless body was taken off the cross...
.....and brought it to the cemetery just a few days earlier...
Yet...Jesus was not dead...in fact, he was quite alive....
...and it is that reality that we – as His followers – celebrate today....
It’s not the Easter Bunny that we honor this morning....
It’s not Candy in a Basket that we celebrate today...
.....especially those chocolate bunny bars that are hollow...what a rip!
.....if I spend good money a chocolate bunny...it better have some guts...you know what I’m saying?
We aren’t here to celebrate any of those cultural counterfeits this morning...
We’re here in thankful praise....to give glory to the King of kings...and Lord of lords!
We are here to worship the only person in history who walked out of their own grave!
We are here to glorify the one individual who single-handedly changed the way we look at truth, morality, salvation, love, and grace....
....not to mention who is – and always will be – the most influential person in all of history....
You know....He’s the reason our calendars say 2026 !
Think about it....what happened around 2,000 years ago?....
....yeah, a man died....and then....3 days later, he came back to life....
The resurrection will always be the most significant event in the history of the world....with hundreds of people who encountered the resurrected Messiah.
Definitely worth a calendar re-boot, if you ask me.
Yes....we are here this morning to lift up one name.....and one name only....
the name of Jesus, Amen?
Our passage for today from the gospel of Luke begins by describing how a group of women made their way to the tomb where Jesus had been taken on Friday...
We know there were at least 3 ladies:
Mary Magdalene (perhaps the closest female follower of Jesus)
Joanna (An influential & resourceful individual)
...and Mary the mother of James. Matthew’s gospel refers to her as the ‘Other Mary’...to distinguish her from Mary Magdalene...and Mary the mother of Jesus.
I often feel a bit sorry for this Mary...how would you like to be forever known as ‘The other _________” (Insert your name)
“The other Andy”....Not much of a ring to that! 😊
These 3 women....and probably others with them....made their way to the cemetery where Jesus was taken in order to finish preparing the body for burial.
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus – the two men who took Jesus’ body off the cross....
They began the traditional burial procedure on Friday...
....but because it soon transitioned to Saturday – Sabbath law would have required that everyone wait until Sunday to finish the burial preparations.
So....Sunday arrives...It’s the third day after Jesus had died....
.....the women come and find the tomb.
They notice that the large stone - which would have weighed about 3,000 pounds – had been rolled away...
....but there was no body in the tomb.....
Then...we get to verse 4 (Luke 24:4)....what a great verse.
“While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.”
Yeah.
Can you imagine?
Two angelic beings – radiating “Thor-like” lighting – suddenly standing beside you.
The ladies – understandably – were frightened.
Verse 5 describes how they fell to the ground....like ALL of us would have
...and the two radiant men deliver a question for the ages: “....”Why do you look for the living among the dead?”....”He is not here; He has Risen!” (Luke 24:6)
Folks....ladies & gentlemen...we are being told the same thing today.
Why are we putting so much effort into searching for E.T. out there in deep space....
....when we should be spending our time & effort searching out a deeper relationship with the savior.
Why are we looking for comfort and peace in the abundance of our possessions...when Jesus tells us that He has come to give us true life....
....life in spiritual abundance!
Why do we want to become desensitized through Jack Daniels....rather than being justified through Jesus Christ?.... .....The only person who can offer true peace of mind...true joy....true love.
....Things that the world forever pursues...but never finds....
Why do we look for deliverance in the dead things of life...
.....rather than establishing a relationship with the one person who offers real life!
Getting back to our passage for today....verses 6-8 are an angelic short-course in messianic prophecy.
The angels remind the ladies how Jesus predicted His own death...and His own resurrection.
Matthew writes about this in his gospel, saying “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” (Matthew 16:21)
Chapter 8, verse 31 of Mark’s gospel is almost word-for-word as that of Matthew’s regarding Jesus....and the prophecies he made concerning his own death and resurrection....
Mark continues in verse 32 (Mark 8:32-33) “He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
One would think that after such a strong rebuke, Peter would have remembered why Jesus had such strong words for him in the first place...right?...
....that Jesus was destined to die....and then be raised to life 3 days later.
Peter – without realizing it – was allowing Satan to speak through him...echoing the time when Satan directly tempted Jesus in the wilderness....
Peter’s motivation was born out of selfish desire...he didn’t want to see his beloved teacher suffer and die...
Whereas – Satan's motivation was much more nefarious....
His was trying to – through the voice of a trusted disciple – persuade Jesus to change his mind about going to the cross....to alter course....to disobey the divine command of sacrificial atonement...
....to forego the sole mission in which he came to earth to accomplish.
....a mission that held the fate of all humanity in the balance.
Without Jesus dying on the cross...all of mankind would be destined for a place of eternal torment and regret....a place the Bible calls hell...a place mankind was never meant to experience...
...But because Adam disobeyed God in the garden, we – also - are born with that same stain of sin....born in desperate need of salvation....born in desperate need of a savior.
Folks, Jesus had free will.
...He didn’t have to sacrifice himself on the cross...
As the choir sang on Friday night, He could have called ten thousand angels to come and take Him back to heaven...at any time.
But he didn’t...Praise God he didn’t!! Amen?
Verse 8 (Luke 24:8) tells us that the women “remembered his words”....
Sometimes, we also need a refresher course as well, don’t we?
Especially as we get older, we tend to not remember things so well, right?
Many of you have already experienced how the pastor can easily forget to do something if he doesn’t immediately write it down....or enter it into his calendar.
Well....we can also forget about some of the teachings contained in God’s word as well, if, we aren’t consistently spending time reading the Bible......
Just as the women...and - apparently – all of the disciples....forgot the words of Jesus regarding his death and resurrection....
....We too are capable of forgetting important teachings contained within the pages of this book.
....and just as the words of Jesus were so important 2,000 years ago...they are just as important for us today.....they are immutable....unchanging over time.
Folks...that’s why if you have one of these (Bible) at home....it should never have a layer of dust on it.
Your joy...your peace...your faith....your eternal destiny depends on what you do with the words contained in this book.
There’s a recent CCM song called ‘Dusty Bibles’.....it reminds us why this world is so broken....why depression and anxiety are rampant....why suicide is an epidemic affecting countless families....
....why our culture has bought into the depravity & lies of the enemy....not only bought into them....but we celebrate them!
Listen to these lyrics: “We got dust on our Bibles, brand new iPhones...No wonder why we feel this way....we walk with our eyes closed, blind leading blind folks....and I’m done with those idols....and dusty Bibles.”
When’s the last time you sat down....tuned out all of the distractions....prepared your heart....and read a chapter in the Bible?
I know some of you here this morning do this every day...Praise God.
I also know that in a crowd this large...that some of you here this morning haven’t done this for a very long time....maybe never.
If that’s you this morning...first of all, praise God you’re here....
This is exactly where you are meant to be at this moment in time...
Maybe – like the old U2 song goes – you’re searching for truth....but You Just Haven’t Found What You’re Looking For.
You've been looking for purpose in the murky waters of existential ideology....
You’ve been searching for deep spiritual meaning in your life...but you keep coming up short....or you keep getting distracted by worldly affections....
You have that ache in your heart as a constant reminder of how you are meant to be living for something – or, more specifically.....someone.... greater than yourself....
This book is a reminder of who that person is.
His name is Jesus...and he wants to have a relationship with you.
He wants to heal the hurt...to mend the emotional wounds....to draw you out of the turbulent sea of heartache – and gently place you upon the calm & beautiful beaches of redemption..
....a place where you will find purpose....clarity of mind......freedom from addiction....peace in your heart....
....and a deep-settled joy that will remain in your heart, regardless of your external circumstances....
This book will introduce you to that person who can make all of this a reality in your life.
It does come with a disclaimer, however.
The disclaimer is that by reading this book....it will change your life....Forever.
If you truly approach this book with an open mind...and an open heart....
The Holy Spirit will draw you to himself....you will be convict ed you of your sin....
And before you know it....You’ll find yourself on your knees asking the God of the universe for forgiveness....
....In response – he will offer you life everlasting...He will offer you eternal salvation....he will offer you peace – right here, right now.
....And....It’s not a works-oriented system....God’s economy of grace doesn’t function that way....Jesus already did the work for you while He was on the cross....
It’s a system predicated upon a change of desire in your heart....a supernatural motivation to live for your savior...
A life of aiming to please him in all that you do....because of what he did for you.
After the disciples heard what the women said about their experience in the cemetery....Peter makes his way to the tomb....
He sees that the stone had been rolled away...
And in verse 12 (Luke 24:12) we read “Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.”
Peter was confused...dismayed....disheartened....
But soon after this, Peter – and the other disciples – would see their master again.
Jesus – in his resurrected body – would visit his beloved pupils....
He would show them the nail scars in his hands....his pierced side.
It would be a reunion for the ages....one that would inspire the vast majority of these men to go on to die as martyrs for the cause of Christ....
These men knew that what they were preaching was the truth...even if the unbelieving world didn’t want to hear it.
In fact....Even though the world needs Jesus....It doesn’t want to hear about him....
Why?....because following Jesus requires submission to an authority higher than we are....
Man – in his prideful heart - has always wanted to be his own god....but Jesus calls us to bow to the eternal God of the universe....not to our own fleshly desires....
This will never sit well with mankind....just ask the Chicago Bulls!
...Today, we’re making machines that will undoubtedly – at some point – be worshipped like gods...
Artificial Intelligence has the potential to become the great ‘golden calf’ of our generation....
Revelation chapter 13 even warns us about a futuristic inanimate object – an image - being given the ability to speak and think on its own...
Folks....don’t place your faith in the limitations of scientific inquiry...or in the current winds of cultural morality...or in the human heart – for it is easily deceived.
live radically.....
....live in rebellion to the expectations that society has levied upon you....
....live with purpose....live with peace....live with Joy....
...Live in gratitude for what Jesus did for you on the cross....and in celebration of how He defeated the grave!
Don’t fall for Satan’s counterfeits of the real thing!
Don’t follow the crowd.
Don’t swim with the current.
Don’t ignore the yearning in your heart that’s calling you to seek out the savior
....and....most importantly....Don’t die with the regret of never having established a saving relationship with your creator.
In summary.....Don’t look for life amongst the dead things of this world!
Let’s pray.
