Easter

Good morning, and happy Easter. I'm filming today at Arlington Cemetery in Sandy Springs, Georgia. Over the years, I've done several Easter sunrise services here. It's a beautiful place, and I thank them for giving me permission to film my Easter sermon here today.

I think filming in a cemetery is absolutely perfect on this holy day, this day when we see Jesus walking out of a cemetery, defeating death in the grave for all who follow him. I spend a lot of time in cemeteries. Since last Easter, I have officiated 36 funerals.

Since last Easter, this world has been in chaos. Plans have had to change, lives have been disruptive, many have been hurt and confused and even isolated because of the pandemic. Our world is hurting, and thank God for Easter.

Let me read of that first Easter morning from my friend's Mark version. It's in chapter 16. He says, "When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. Very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They'd been saying to one another, 'Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?' When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. But he said to them, 'Do not be alarmed. You're looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there's a place they laid him.'"

The tomb that first Easter Sunday morning was empty. It still is. Jesus was alive, and he still is. That day long ago still resonates across all time and space.

Today I want us to look at a fascinating byproduct of that first Easter. Matthew tells us about some interesting events in chapter 27. I read verses 52 and 53, where we are told, "The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many."

If you're not familiar with the section of scripture, let me repeat verse 53 from Matthew 27. It says, "After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many." If you ever needed a good plot for a movie, this is it. That day, many graves were opened, and many who were once dead went into Jerusalem. Can you imagine the knock on the door?

One thing that is important to notice here is not all grades are empty. Not everyone has come to life. Verse 52 of Matthew 27 tells us that, and I quote, "many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised." We need to know that it is only the saints that were raised for a brief while.

The Greek word used is hoggios. It means sacred, or blameless, or most holy. To today, we would use the word believer. Here we are shown that Jesus being raised from the dead enables his followers to do the very same.

First Corinthians 15:20-23 puts this in perspective. Verse 20: "But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order, order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back."

Back to the story from that first Easter. Grades of the saints are opened, and many who were dead have headed to town. What's happening here? Why is this occurring?

You know, I believe it's a victory lap. I believe God is showing off. He's showing off his power over death. I love it when God shows off.

I love it too when I see dead saints walking. Did you catch that? I love it too when I see dead saints walking. I better explain myself.

But before I tell you a few stories, let me read to you from Ephesians chapter 2, verses 1 through 7. It's about us believers. Ephesians 2: "Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil, the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He's the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature, we were subject to God's anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. It is only by God's grace that you have been saved."

Now verse 6: "For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us." Verse 7 says, "God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness towards us, as shown in all he has done for us who were united with Christ Jesus."

That's what the word says. If you're a believer, this is talking about you. Once you were dead because of disobedience and your many sins, but because of Easter, you're forever changed. I love seeing change.

My friend Philip was a fighter. He was in Malaysia, and he lived on the streets, and he would fight all the time. He was always in trouble. He had no family, he had no future, and he wanted to better himself.

He wanted to come to America, but he felt he first needed to learn English. He signed up there in Malaysia for a class to learn English. The class was in a church. They used the Bible to teach English, and Philip became a believer.

He is dead to his old self. He is resurrected, if you will, a new man, walking and believing to this day.

My friend Bell is in heaven now. When she first came to church, she had a reputation, and her past was known to many. People wondered why she here. She became a believer late in life, and I got to baptize her. The old was gone, and the new had come; she was new.

You know, there are stories everywhere. Here at Arlington, there are thousands of them. We celebrate Easter, and we know that we will see our loved ones who were believers once again. So this cemetery is a comma, not a period; a launching pad, not a landing spot; a portal, not a pit.

Years ago, in south Mississippi, at the funeral of my great-grandmother, a man came to the church for her service, and the service had concluded. No one was there, so he hurried to the cemetery to maybe catch them at the graveside service. It was over. The only person left in the cemetery was the gravedigger, filling in the grave.

The man came up to the gravedigger and said, "Is this Miss Kate's final resting place?" And the gravedigger said, "No, sir, it's a getting up place." That's good theology, and that's the truth. For believers, cemeteries are getting up places because of Easter.

I hope you have the best of days. I hope you look around and see people walking that are dead to sin, alive to Christ. I want to thank my friends at Arlington for allowing me to be here. I want to thank my wife for filming this and making sure it gets to you. I want to thank you for watching, and I hope that you would send this to your friends and to your family, and we would celebrate Easter together.

Let's pray. Father, thank you for that first Easter, and thank you that it means as much today as ever. It is our prayer that we are all believers and we have victory over the grave. If not, it's our prayer that those that don't know you come to you. This world needs revival; this world needs Easter.

Father, thank you for coming for us, for dying for us, for living for us. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. God bless you. He is risen. You