The Cross and the Empty Tomb
by Greg Johnson
http://www.lovinggodfellowship.org
The cross and the empty tomb. What do they mean? Why are they so significant to us today?
The Cross
In the 1800’s Ralph E. Hudson wrote the chorus to the sacred hymn "At the Cross." He wrote "At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, and the burden of my heart rolled away. It was there by faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day!"
It is at the cross that we realize how much God loves us. God’s Word, the Bible says "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8 NIV) God showed us at the cross how much He loves us. He sent Jesus, His son to earth to die on a cross for us. Jesus was born to die. Jesus was born to die so that we can have eternal life!
Beloved, we have done nothing to deserve such love. We can do nothing to earn such love. It’s an unconditional love that God has poured out on us. He loves us and accepts us "as is." "While we sere still sinners," Jesus died for us. He could have called ten thousand angels to His rescue and escaped the cross, but God’s love for us kept Him fastened to the cross. It wasn’t the nails that kept Him there. It was God’s love for you.
It’s at the cross of Christ that we experience forgiveness of sins. Our sins are what placed Jesus on the cross yet we hear Him say from the cross "Father forgive them." Every sin that we have ever committed is what nailed Jesus to the cross and He died for the forgiveness of sins. We are no more innocent than the crowd that shouted "crucify Him." We are no more innocent than the ones who condemned Him to death. We are no more innocent than the Roman Soldiers who beat Him. But yet we are forgiven.
It’s at the cross we are justified. The Word of God says "Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!" (Romans 5:9 NIV) God’s Word declares "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (Romans 3:23 NIV). "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23 NIV)
Beloved, we all have sinned and we all deserve the penalty of sin which is death. But God who is full of love, mercy and grace sent Jesus. Jesus bore on the cross every sin we have committed and He took our punishment for us. Jesus shed His blood to justify us. It’s only by the blood of Christ that we are justified. Being justified does not mean we are not guilty. We are guilty, but by the blood of Christ we are declared blameless by a just God and there is no death penalty! Praise be to God! We are justified through the blood of the Lamb!
It’s at the cross we are reconciled to God. As sinners we deserve God’s wrath, but God reconciles us to Himself through Jesus and what He did for us at the cross. It’s at the cross where God draws us to Him. At the cross God loves us. At the cross God forgives us. At the cross God justifies us. At the cross God draws us close to Him. We are reconciled to God through Jesus! Thank God for the Cross! We must constantly spend time at the cross. We must visit the cross daily.
George Bennard wrote the hymn "The Old Rugged Cross." Listen to the words of the chorus: "So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross. Till my trophies at last I lay down; I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it some day for a crown." Beloved on your journey from earth to glory, cling to the cross of Christ. As you do, God will draw you close to Him.
The empty tomb
As we spend time at the cross and visit it daily, we go a little further and we peer into the empty tomb. Praise God the tomb is empty! Death could not hold it’s prey! Up from the grave He arose! Jesus is alive and we serve the risen Lord!
We are saved through Jesus’ life. God’s Word says "For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!" (Romans 5:10 NIV) Jesus said "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." (John 11:25-26 NIV) The empty tomb points to the resurrection of our body! Praise God, we get new bodies that are incorruptible and imperishable.
The Christian Post published an article on April 13, 2006 titled "Most Americans Reject Resurrection of the Body." The article stated that a survey was done by the Cripps Survey Research Center at Ohio University. They asked the question "Do you believe that, after you die, your physical body will be resurrected someday?" The results: 36% replied "yes"; 54% said "no"; and 10% was undecided.
What does God say? God’s Word is the only absolute truth we have to base our decision on.
Jesus said "And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:39-40 NIV)
The apostle Paul said "I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:50-58 NIV)
"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 NIV)
Beloved, according to God’s Word, we will be resurrected out of here. Those that have died in the faith will get their new bodies first. Than we that are alive will get new glorified bodies. Ones that don’t grow old. Ones that don’t wear out. Ones that don’t forget. Ones that don’t get sick. Ones that don’t have to have surgery. Ones that we don’t have to exercise to keep them in shape. Glorified bodies! Christ like bodies!
I believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and I believe that it points to every believer’s resurrection that is to come. Hallelujah! Because the tomb is empty, your redemption draws near! The trumpet could blow today and you could be airlifted out of this world! Be encouraged with these words beloved!
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