Philippians 3:10 “I want to know Christ, and the power of his resurrection…”

Jesus’ resurrection involves power. Of course, there must be immeasurable power, indescribable power, unearthly power to bring a man back to life after he has been dead for three days. But the power of Jesus’ resurrection does not work only on Jesus. It works on us, too. It’s why Paul wanted to know Christ.

The power of Jesus’ resurrection is the power that makes us spiritually alive. A dead Christ inspires no faith. It can inspire fear. That’s the effect it had on Jesus’ disciples. They locked themselves behind closed doors because they were afraid they would be the next to go, the next to be arrested and executed.

A dead Christ can inspire grief, depression, hopelessness. Poor Mary Magdalene weeps alone at Jesus’ tomb. She is beside herself because not only is her Friend and Master dead. Now they have desecrated his tomb and taken his body away. She has no proper place to mourn her loss.

At most, maybe a dead Christ can inspire curiosity. I once visited Rome, and I visited the Vatican. There you can see the mummified remains of four popes on display, each one kept under a glass case inviting the stares and the photographs of millions of visitors every year. I was curious to see the centuries-old bodies, too. But my interest was like the interest a person takes in the sideshow at the circus. During their lives these were some of the wealthiest, most influential, most powerful people on earth. But their dried and shriveled remains inspired no desire to know them, to trust them, or to follow them anymore.

Without a living Christ, this is what we are left with in this world: Fear of our own death and the sin for which we have to answer ourselves; grief, depression, and hopelessness; a life filled with losses beyond our understanding or control; and the occasional curious sideshow to distract us from the misery we live today, and the misery we fear will follow.

A Christ who takes my place under God’s judgment, dies on a cross for my crimes, and then walks out of his grave alive three days later with all the power and promise of heaven–that invades my soul and takes over my heart! Here is someone who invites more than my admiration or imitation. This is a man who deserves my complete trust and utter dedication. More than deserves it, he creates it.

With his gospel the living Christ inserts faith right through my ears and eyes. He plants it deep inside my mind and heart. I want to know Christ because his resurrection has the power to make me spiritually alive. It fills me with faith, and from that faith flows a new life full of love, and hope, and joy. That’s the power I want to know!

Matthew 28:5 “The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here…’”

The first words these women who came to Jesus’ tomb heard in their Easter sermon is “Do not be afraid.” Shall we list some of the things that might have contributed to feelings of fear?

One, they were coming to a grave, and places with dead bodies like funeral homes and cemeteries have a tendency to make people feel a little uneasy to begin with.

Two, the grave was open and empty. They saw the very-dead body go in. Now it’s gone. I’ll let your own imaginations run with that one for a few moments.

Three, they are immediately confronted by a white, shiny being from another world. The first thing they see in the tomb is a spirit. That’s what an angel is. Whether a ghost or an alien, I am guessing that if you came face to face with a spirit creature from another world, you might not act exactly cool, calm, and collected at first.

There is more to that last reason for their fear. Nothing in the four Bible accounts of Jesus’ resurrection suggests these women thought they were seeing a ghost. Aliens and extra-terrestrials were a completely foreign concept to First Century Jews. But angels, spirit-messengers from God, were a part of their history and their faith. It didn’t happen often, but when God sent angels to deliver a message like this, people were afraid. God sends an angel to Mary to announce the coming birth of Jesus, and the angel has to settle her first: “Do not be afraid.” God sends an angel to shepherds near Bethlehem to announce that Jesus has been born, and the first words he says? “Fear not,” “Do not be afraid.”

Angels are the good guys. Why the fear? It’s not about them. It’s about us. Contact with angels confronts us with the “holy.” They bring us face to face with absolute sinlessness, goodness, and love. When we are standing face to face with such a creature, all our sin and failure, all of our spiritual inadequacy, suddenly become impossible to deny.

If a woman were standing next to a supermodel, she might suddenly become more self-conscious of some of the flaws in her figure or face. If a man were standing next to some finely chiseled athlete a head taller than him, someone who has lived his life in the weight room, he might lose a bit of his swagger.

How we look on the outside is superficial, practically meaningless. Who we are on the inside, sinful or holy, makes all the difference in the world if someday we want to hang out with God and his angels instead of the devil and his demons.

Our lives don’t measure up. Mine doesn’t. I know that yours don’t either. But that is exactly why we need to go looking for Jesus. That is the point. He hasn’t put together a club for people like Mary Poppins–practically perfect in every way. He has come to be the friend of sinners– not to approve of them, but to love and rescue them. He has the medicine our souls need. It’s why we celebrate this day he rose! So as you look for Jesus, look without fear in your hearts.

Matthew 28:5-6 “You are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come, and see the place where he lay.”

These women at Jesus’ tomb were looking for Jesus, who was crucified. In other words, they were looking for a dead body. Does your family celebrate memorial day? When I was a kid, my mom’s side of the family got together on Memorial Day for a picnic at Aunt Mabel’s house. Then we all went out to the cemetery to put flowers on Grandma Bell’s grave in the afternoon. Maybe you go to one of the parades that honor our fallen heroes, the soldiers who gave their lives to protect our country. Memorial Day honors the dead.

Easter is not Memorial Day. We don’t fly the Christian flag at half-staff . Jesus is not our dead hero. It’s true he was dead. “You are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.” His death accomplished more than the most celebrated soldiers in history. His sacrifice didn’t save a platoon, a city, or a nation. He saved the world–past, present, and future. He saved you. He saved me. Like a soldier who jumps in front of a friend and takes a bullet to spare him, Jesus jumped in front of us, and took a cross to spare us the eternal hell that was aimed at our souls. His death completely settles the score for our sins–all of them. Yes, we look for Jesus who was crucified, because his death on a cross takes away the sins of the world. That’s the reason we even have Christianity, and that cross is the main symbol of our faith.

But Jesus isn’t dead. Maybe you’ve heard this trick question from history class. “Who is buried in Grant’s tomb?” Don’t think too hard. The body of President Grant is entombed there. But some insist that no one is “buried” there, because the tomb is above ground.

Here’s another question from history. “Who is buried in Jesus’ tomb?” The answer is “nobody,” nor is anybody entombed, stored, or otherwise housed in that cave. Jesus’ tomb is empty, because Jesus is alive, which the angel reminds us is “just as he said.”

At least four times before he died Jesus promised he would rise from the dead. Even his enemies understood the claim. That is why they placed a guard around his tomb. Before Jesus gave his promise, the Prophet Isaiah promised it 700 years earlier in the fifty-third chapter of his book. Before Isaiah, Jesus’ great ancestor David promised it a thousand years earlier in Psalm 16. If you are looking for Jesus, look with his promise in mind. Then you will be looking for a living Lord, not a dead hero.

So if you were looking to read some nice words about Christianity’s dead founder at Easter, some profound insights from his life and legacy, I’m sorry, but we don’t do that around here. This isn’t a eulogy. No such dead person exists.

But if you want to find a real, live person who will love you as a friend and brother, save you from yourself, give your life meaning and purpose, and give you a brand new life and body after the one you’re using now wears out, breaks down, and dies, well, read on.

This living Lord Jesus, body and soul, rules your world from his throne in heaven. He lives in the words he has left behind for us to know his love and power. When we trust those words, he even comes and lives in our hearts. Look for him with his promise in mind and you will find him, and with him more gifts and blessings than you could have ever thought possible.