Jesus is Risen - Luke 24

Pastor Dan Walker, PhD, MDiv

Introduction: Celebrating the Victory of the Resurrection

Happy Easter to everyone! Jesus is Risen! We celebrate Easter to remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Jesus was crucified by Roman soldiers on what we call Good Friday, but three days later, on Sunday, He rose from the dead.

The resurrection of Jesus is one of the most established facts of ancient history. We could spend many messages talking about all the evidence of the resurrection. But this morning, we’re going to look at why the resurrection was so important.

1 Corinthians 15:17 (ESV) And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

The resurrection of Jesus is at the core of the Christian faith. It was prophesied throughout the Old Testament and prophesied by Jesus Himself. We have multiple eyewitness accounts of the death and resurrection of Jesus in the New Testament.

Why would our faith be futile without any salvation if Christ was not raised? If Jesus was not raised, obviously, He would still be dead. The Messiah who came to save us from our sins would still be in the grave.

If Jesus was still dead, then God did not accept His sacrifice for our sins. So, there would be no forgiveness and the Son of God would be dead. This would be in direct contradiction to the whole of the Bible.

Hebrews 10:12 (ESV) But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,

Jesus offered Himself for all time, a single sacrifice for sins. God the Father accepted His sacrifice and raised Jesus from the dead. He now rules and reigns in heaven as Lord of Lords and King of Kings.

Romans 4:25 (ESV) who [Jesus] was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Jesus was crucified for the sins of the world, yours and mine. He was raised for our justification, for our salvation, so that our sins could be forgiven. How do we receive that salvation?

Romans 10:9 (ESV) because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

We confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead in order to be saved. The wonderful news of Easter is that Jesus is alive today. No matter what you’re going through this Easter, Jesus is here to give you hope.

Jesus can help you overcome whatever problems you may be facing in life. Today we’re going to look at the story of the resurrection from the Gospel of Luke. The message begins with this powerful truth: Jesus died for you.

Jesus Died for You

Luke 23:50–51 (ESV) Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God.

Most of the Jewish leaders were complicit in the crucifixion of Jesus. They did not believe that He was the promised Messiah. Joseph, however, did not go along with the crowd of his peers.

He was looking for the Messiah to usher in the kingdom of God. So, Joseph expressed his faith with a courageous and bold request. He stepped forward when others stepped back.

Luke 23:52–53 (ESV) This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid.

Joseph risked upsetting both the Romans and the Jewish leaders with his request. Yet, he was following the promptings of the Spirit. It was all part of God’s plan for Jesus to be buried in a new tomb cut in stone.

These types of tombs were very expensive to build. They held many generations of a family. This tomb was undoubtedly prepared for Joseph’s family, but had never been used.

Luke 23:54–56 (ESV) It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning. The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

The death of Jesus had been observed by the Roman soldiers. It was witnessed by the disciples at the crucifixion. Now Joseph and the group of women saw His lifeless body placed into the tomb.

No one expected Jesus to rise from the dead. All of Jesus’ disciples were discouraged and fearful about what would happen to them. All their hopes for the future seemed to have been dashed.

But Sunday was just around the corner. Jesus died for you, and His death was not the end.

Responding to the Love Shown at the Cross

Jesus willingly laid down His life for you, so you could be forgiven and saved. With His death, He carried out God’s plan to make a way for you to know your Creator. Jesus gave up His life because He wanted to live with you forever.

This was the only way for that plan to be fulfilled. Without Jesus’ death, every human being would be doomed to spend eternity in hell, apart from God. God sent His Son Jesus into the world to die for you, so that you could be saved.

Jesus would have died for you if you were the only person on the planet. That’s how much He loves you. But Jesus’ death is not the end of the story.

Jesus Rose from the Dead

Luke 24:1–2 (ESV) But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb,

In Luke’s account, it is now Sunday morning at early dawn. The women who had watched Joseph put Jesus’ body into the tomb on Friday now came back to the tomb. They had prepared spices to anoint the body, as their custom was.

We know from the other Gospels that when Jesus’ body was put into the tomb, a large stone was rolled over the opening. The tomb was guarded by Roman soldiers who did not want anyone to steal the body. But when the women arrived at the tomb, the stone was rolled away.

And the Roman soldiers were nowhere to be seen.

Luke 24:3–4 (ESV) but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel.

The women went into the tomb and discovered that it was empty. There was no body, and they had no explanation for what had happened. As they were trying to figure things out, suddenly two angels appeared to them.

Luke 24:5–6 (ESV) And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.

The women were frightened by the angels, as everyone is. So, the angels began to help them understand what had happened. The angels announced that Jesus had risen from the dead and was no longer in the tomb.

The stone had not been rolled away to let Jesus out. The stone was rolled away so the women could see that Jesus was no longer inside. Jesus had risen from the dead.

Living in the Power of the Resurrection

Jesus had predicted multiple times that He would rise from the dead on the third day. Yet, when His death was so gruesome and seemingly final, none of His disciples expected Him to come back to life. The evidence of the resurrection, however, is overwhelming.

Jesus was the first human being to ever rise from the dead, never to die again. He died with a natural human body, subject to death. He rose with a glorified eternal body, never to die again.

Someday, those who believe in Jesus will receive that same kind of glorified eternal body. The Gospel is not so much about Jesus being crucified, because thousands of criminals were crucified by Roman soldiers. The Gospel is really about the miracle of the resurrection.

Jesus is alive today, so we must believe in the resurrection.

Believe in the Resurrection

Luke 24:6b–7 (ESV) Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.

The angels reminded the women of what Jesus had told them. His crucifixion was not an accident; it was part of God’s plan, known beforehand. Jesus prophesied that He would be crucified by sinful men and would rise on the third day.

In the emotion of the events of the last few days, the women had forgotten Jesus’ words.

Luke 24:8–9 (ESV) And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

As the angels spoke, the women remembered what Jesus had previously told them. Everything that He had said had come to pass. So, the women returned from the empty tomb and told the rest of the disciples what they had discovered.

Luke 24:10–11 (ESV) Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.

When the apostles heard the story, they did not believe the women. They thought that in their sorrow, they had made up a story to make themselves feel better. The apostles knew that crucified people do not come back to life.

They had also forgotten Jesus’ words about rising again.

Luke 24:12 (ESV) But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.

Peter did not walk slowly to the tomb; he ran. When he looked into the tomb, he saw that there was no body. Only the grave clothes were there.

This verse says that Peter went home marveling at what had happened. Peter had not seen Jesus and had not been visited by an angel, but he believed that Jesus had risen from the dead. That is the only logical conclusion that can be drawn from the empty tomb.

Confessing Faith in the Risen Christ

Let’s revisit a verse we discussed earlier.

Romans 10:9 (ESV) because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

None of us were there to see the empty tomb. None of us have had angels tell us that Jesus rose from the dead. None of us have seen Jesus alive with our own eyes.

Yet, Jesus said to doubting Thomas that blessed are those who believe without seeing. The resurrection makes sense of the entire Bible. Believing that Jesus rose from the dead is essential to being saved.

Conclusion: Hope for Today and Eternity

The resurrection speaks not only about eternity but about our daily lives here and now. The Bible tells us that the same power that raised Christ from the dead is available to us today. God’s resurrection power is at work in the lives of believers.

There may be situations in your life where you feel something has died. Something that God promised may seem delayed or impossible. God is able to resurrect dreams that seem dead or dormant.

Jesus is alive, and He wants to give you hope in His plan for your life and His plan for your eternity. The best news on the planet, the good news of the Gospel, is that Jesus is risen. Jesus is alive.

📘 Continue the Journey

Reflect deeper and apply this week’s message with the Message Study Guide — perfect for personal devotions, family discussion, or your Life Group.

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