EASTER SERVICE April 16, 2017 10:30 AM.
Message delivered by the Rev. Jeremy B. Stopford, Pastor

THIS MORNING’S “SPECIAL”: “An Egg Funny”
One Easter Sunday morning as the pastor was preaching a children’s sermon, he reached into his bag of props and pulled out an egg. He pointed at the egg and asked the children, “What’s in here?”
“I know, I know!” a little boy exclaimed, “Pantyhose!”

INTRODUCTION Dr. Luke, the beloved physician, like a good medical student is a stickler for detail. Our passage shows that vivid detail in which he shows what made the first Easter so special! PRAYER

1. “first day of the week” (v. 1) Acts 20:7 the FDOTW was the day for corporate fellowship; 1 Cor. 16:2 the FDOTW was the day to take up special collections for missionaries. And the gospels, like here: a change took place in what would be “the church” – the sabbath (Saturday/23:56) was no longer the main day of the fellowship week.

2. “very early” (v. 1) “at dawn” (Matt. 28:1); “just after sunrise” (Mk. 16:2); “early on the first day, while it was still dark” (Jn. 20:1); in the morning (Luke)
What do you do “in the morning”?
Job 1:5: “So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them [his children] and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did regularly.”
Ps. 5:3: “My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.”
Ps. 143:8: “Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You.”
These are some of my favorite. What do you do first thing? Is God on your heart – you are on His! Seek FIRST – a time of day & an attitude of heart!

3. “WHO” (23.55; 24:1; 24:10) “the women” (23:55 – knew exactly where the tomb was); MM, Joanna, Mary mother of James, and the others (24:10 see 8:1-3 – how disciples/and Jesus made ends meet) – see also Acts 4:32ff the mindset of the early church as exampled by a disciple named Barnabas; PLUS Salome (Mk 16:1); John zeros in only on MM (20:1)
Point: the first eyewitnesses to the resurrection were…women – these were the people who in their society and in this time frame were set apart as lowest class. But God has a way of turning things upside down! He has a way of changing every life – any life – to become vessels that bring joy to Him – and to whom He brings joy. Easter morning can do that for you, too!

4. “spices” (23:55,56; 24:1) CF Mk. 16:1 “to anoint Jesus’ body – only 2 mentions of their intent. But why? Ps. 16:10 says “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.” Peter quoted this on the day of Pentecost to show the centrality of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus in regards to true faith. Point: the ladies were trying to curb the stench of the decaying body. They did not believe in the resurrection of Christ. They were human like us. And they had to be shown truth!

5. “stone” (24:2) “rolled away” Diff. Emphases: Matt.: girls & guards saw this via earthquake (28:2) – no Jesus inside; guards were hired to lie, that disciples stole body (28:11ff); Mark “who will roll the stone away”; John: MM sees stone rolled away, runs to Peter (20:1-2). The empty tomb was both alarming, yet a trigger toward true faith in the risen Savior!

6. “angels” (24:4) “clothes that gleamed like lightning”.
Illustration: I’ve met 2 angels – a nurse at Bassett, and the one I married!
Reminds us of the transfiguration, where the description was of Jesus Himself. Moses also shone in Exodus – but because he had been with the Lord. Jesus shone by His glorified nature. Note these – like all Biblical angels – were men. But the ladies were in on something BIG – Jesus was arisen!

7. “THE THREE WHY’S OF EASTER” (24:5,)
“Why do you look for the living among the dead?” (Luke 24:5) and,
“He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?” (Luke 24:38)
What do these questions do for the observers of the first Easter? Point them to the RISEN LORD! Point them to the heart of TRUE FAITH!
True faith is not in a creed, a church, or a religion. True faith is in a PERSON – AND IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE RISEN, LIVING LORD JESUS!

CONCLUSION. Dr. Luke is vivid with description in this brief narrative.
What is the key word for each point – the first day of the week, very early, who are the first observers, what about the spices and the stone, and the angels, and the why’s?
What is the key word? TRUST! Jesus invites us – through the carefully woven eyewitness of Dr. Luke – to TRUST in the resurrected Savior as our Savior.
For there is no other!
Is He your Savior this Easter Sunday? Aren’t you glad that He is?