Below is an excerpt of the sermon entitled “The Empty Tomb” from Pastor Mike Ray, preached on Easter Sunday, 2021.
If you have a Bible, would you please open up just for a moment to the book of Matthew. Matthew Chapter number 28. And we’ll look at God’s Word this morning. A good many people have had vaccines. They feel safer. They’re back. The people have waited things out, and it’s just like a big reunion today. So, thank you. Thank you for being so special. Please be in prayer during the service that God will speak to all of us.
Matthew 28, and I’ll read the passage out loud. You may remain seated.
Matthew 28:1–2: “In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. 2. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.” They estimate the stone weighed one and a half to two tons.
All right. There we go. That’s the background. “Rolled it back.” The stone was rolled back, and he set upon it. Matthew 28:3–9: “His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: 4. And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. 5. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. 6. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. 8. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. 9. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.” Matt. 28:19–20: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
Father, bless now the reading of thy Word. Speak to our hearts. Still us. In Jesus’ name, we ask, Amen.
If you could travel back in time to in a Bible story, which story would you want to travel back to and see in person? I got to thinking a lot this week. I think I would want to travel back and sit in front of the empty tomb for three days just watching. I would want to be there when the stone was rolled back. And when Jesus walked out of that tomb alive, that’s the one I think I would want to be at.
Some places are very famous today for who is buried there. For instance, Mount Vernon, George Washington. John Kennedy, Arlington National Cemetery. Westminster Abbey, Winston Churchill. But there’s one tomb that is very famous for who is not buried there. And it’s a little tomb in Jerusalem. We just call it the empty tomb. We don’t have to say anything else about it.
It’s empty because He’s not there. One country preacher preached on Easter morning. Here’s what he said: “I’m preaching this morning on He done got up and went .” Probably he’s from Louisiana. Mrs. Brown, who’s here today, taught Sunday school at our church for over 45 years. When our kids were in her class, she gave away empty tombs. I said, “You’re giving away what?” Every kid gets an empty tomb. I said, “How are you going to do that?” She gave out those little tan-colored Cheerios, and each kid got a Cheerio. And They said, “What is this?” She said, “It’s an empty tomb. Look, He’s not in there.” And I thought, “That’s a pretty good Sunday school teacher.” So today on the way out, you get one Cheerio! And that’s what we’re going to do.
One little boy was riding home with his daddy. And the dad said, “Son, what did the angel say when he rolled back the stone from the tomb?” The little boy thought and he said, “Tuh duh!” And I think that’s probably good, too. Before there was an empty tomb, of course, there had to be a Calvary. Before the positive, there was a negative. Before the glory, there had to be suffering. It all started when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. He left a heavenly city, a perfect city where he was worshiped. He came inside of a human body so he could feel hunger, tears, hurt, temptation, pain, rejection so one day He could look at us and say, I’ve been there. I know how you feel. At age 30, as a carpenter, He finally announced, “I’m not just a man, I’m God.” And he began healing blinded eyes and crippled legs and feeding the hungry and preaching. He began changing fishermen into preachers and prostitutes into Sunday school teachers, and transforming lives. He began preaching the word of God, and not everyone believed Him and not everyone liked it.
And of course, the Bible said they crucified Him. They spit upon Him. They plucked His beard, nailed nails in His hands and feet. They plucked His beard out, nailed the crown into His head, and whipped His back. 361 lashes with a Roman cat-of-nine tail. He carried the cross up to the hill as they nailed His hands and feet. They stabbed Him in the side with a spear there on an old rugged cross.
Two thousand years ago, God did a miracle. He took the sins of the world past, present, future, even ours. Though we weren’t born yet, he took all the hell we deserve for our sins and put all of that judgment on Jesus. Six hours He felt the fires of Hell for every one of us. And at the end, He said, “It is finished.” He paid the payment for every person. His blood was shed enough that every person who accepted Him as Savior could be saved and go to Heaven forever. And that’s the crucifixion story.
But today we celebrate the fact that He didn’t stay dead. He came out of the grave alive.
Hopewell Baptist Church is an Independent Baptist Church in Napa, California pastored by Mike Ray. It is Bible-based with a warm, friendly atmosphere. Hopewell dedicated to bringing the water of life to the Napa Valley and beyond.
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