INTRODUCTION:

Early in the morning on the third day the women came to Jesus' tomb with burial spices to complete the preparation and found the unexpected. The stone had been rolled away. They were filled with mixed emotions and questions. What had happened? Where was the body? Who had taken Him? But one of the most important questions should be, why was the stone rolled away. It is evident that it was not so Jesus could come out. In His glorified state He could pass through the stone. No, it was rolled away so the women could go in and see that it was empty. It was for our benefit. HE had risen. HE is alive.

The Cross and the Resurrection are central to Christian faith. Without the resurrection all else would loose its meaning. Paul writes to the Corinthians saying, "If Christ had not risen then our faith is in vain, (empty or worthless). Without the resurrection Jesus becomes no more than another does in a long list of martyrs who died for a cause. Without the resurrection we become no different that any other religious cult or sect. The resurrection proves that Jesus is who He said He was. It validates His divinity. It sets Him apart from others like Buddha, Mohammed, etc. He is the living Son of God and only way of salvation.

I am not going to debate the fact of the resurrection. Volumes have been written about it. I want to focus on what the resurrection means to believers. It is an offense when I hear preachers misquote Scripture. For example, I'm sure you have heard it said from Rom. 10:10, "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that Jesus died for your sins, you will be saved." That is misleading and places the force of new life on the dead and not the living. Scripture says, "�believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved." Emphasis is placed on the resurrection. If all we preach is the cross we are preaching only half a message and rob the believers of the power and essence of a regenerated life.

From our text we find that the resurrection includes several important implications to those who follow Christ.

1. We Must Heed His Commission. (vv.19-21)
   • Jesus is our example. He was always going to the people. He instructed His disciples to "Go and Tell." Today we say "Come and Hear." As Jesus went, so must we.
     
   • Jesus came to seek and save. His purpose was to reconcile the world back to the Father. We must also be about our Father's business.
     
   • Jesus came as a light in darkness. It is incumbent upon us to let our light shine in this world of darkness.
     
   • Jesus was set apart by God to complete a task. We have been set apart by Jesus to continue His life and work.

2. We Must Have His Power. (v.22)
   • We cannot carry on the commission without the power of the Spirit. It is no mistake that the Spirit is linked to the commission. Without the power of the Spirit we show forth our own righteousness which is as "filthy rags."
     
   • "Receive" is the translation of the Greek word, lambano" which means "to take hold of" and differs from dechomai also translated "receive" which is more passive as in something "offered to you." Here it is a must and must be taken voluntarily in order to fulfill the commission.
     
   • In our text, the Spirit is not given to console the believers be cause Jesus is gone. It is given in order to continue Jesus' presence in the world.
     
   • If we are to be of service to our Lord, it is essential we have the Power of the Spirit. Without the witness of the Spirit it is impossible to please God.

3. We Must Hold Forth His Forgiveness. (.23)
   • This verse is reminiscent of Matt. 16: 19 where Jesus tell the disciples they are given the keys of the kingdom. Although this verse has been construed by many it is the essence and simplicity of the gospel message. It is not saying we have the power to forgive sins, as some would assume. It is the key to the truth of the gospel. The message of the gospel is that God has FORGIVEN man.
     
   • The power of the Spirit enables us to forgive others as Christ has forgiven us. Our natural tendency is to hold a grudge. If we forgive we don't forget and without the leadership of the Spirit that will not change.
     
   • Forgiveness is the message of the gospel. When we forgive others, that is accounted to our record in heaven. When we fail to forgive, that is also accounted to our record. We must hold forth His forgiveness to others.

4. We Must Herald His Presence. (vv.24-31)
   • The resurrection presents us with a Living Lord. Jesus had appeared to the disciples in the closed room. But Thomas wasn't there. He missed out by missing a meeting. But the disciples were quick to tell Thomas they had seen the Savior. Thomas, like many today, would not believe unless he touched the wounds of Jesus. He had to see for himself. The world is being robbed of the Father's salvation and forgiveness because they cannot see Jesus in most believers. We must show forth Jesus' life in us.
     
   • We must not be silent. When we fail to speak and tell others of our Lord, we are no different than the disciples locked up in a room because they were afraid of the people, the religious people. We have a resurrected Lord and if we have not experienced resurrected life we tend to be silent.
     
   • Because of the resurrection, Jesus is available to others. We must proclaim and show forth His presence through our lives. We must allow Christ to live His life through us and if He is lifted up, He will draw all men to Himself. Are we presenting a Living Savior or simply one who died for a good cause?

Conclusion:

We must understand that forgiveness is in the BLOOD, but new life is in the RESURRECTION. God, by His very nature, is love. His love is a forgiving love" and we are told. First, to love God with our entire being and secondly, to love our neighbors. For us to accomplish this we must HEED His Commission, HAVE His Power, HOLD FORTH His Forgiveness and by every means HERALD His Presence.

If you are not a Christian I want you to know that God loves you and has forgiven you in His Son, Jesus Christ, and has provided you new life through the resurrection. I invite you to acknowledge Jesus Christ as your Redeemer and believe that God has raised Him from the dead. When you have done that, God, who cannot lie said you would be "born anew." If you are a Christian but have yet to experience resurrected life, I humbly encourage you to trust Him to do what He said He would and to not depend on your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your steps.

I trust this has been a blessing to you. Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and you will realize that we are more than conquerors through Christ who gives us His strength.