Text:

Luke 24:5-6:

5: And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?

6: He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,

 

Theme:

What Ya’ Lookin’ for?

 

Introduction:

• “Doctor Luke”, as old preachers would sometimes refer to Luke, the author of the Gospel of Luke, writes this Gospel not as an eye-witness of Jesus’ ministry. He writes instead as one who documents the accounts of those others who have heard and witnessed Jesus and His miracles.
• Luke was believed to be a Jew of Gentile origin who was fluent in the language of Greek.
• The 24^th chapter of the Gospel of Luke depicts the women going to the tomb of Jesus to dress his body on the first day of the week.
  • Wouldn’t it be nice if we were that thoughtful on the first day of the week.
    • We think about sleeping in, doing work around the house, watching the ball game, etc.
  • They came with their PREPARED spices.
    • We should want to come to church in our best clothes, in our best mind, to give our best sacrifice…all for Him.
• When they arrived at the tomb the found that the stone was rolled away
  • It is a blessing to see when God moves the STONE away.
    • An obstacle that we expect is the one that God moves in order that we may know that it is He.
• They went into the tomb, found that Jesus was not there and then realized two angels standing next to them.
  • Matthew writes that they were standing outside of the tomb, an earthquake occurred, an angel came and rolled away the stone and then sat upon it, the keepers died instantly, and, then, they were invited inside to see that Jesus was not in there.
  • Difference in accounts. Why?
    • Could be different stories told to the writers. We know how rumors get turned around.
    • Could be that the women are different and it is really two different accounts of two different stories.
    • Does it really matter? Jesus ROSE!!!!!
  • The question in reference to the different accounts is resolved by the question in our theme:
    • What Ya’ Lookin’ for?
  • If you are looking for all of the details…they are not there.
  • If you are looking for everything in one account…you won’t find it.
  • If you are looking for truth…The bible, the Word of God…is truth!
  • If you are looking for Jesus…He is the Word!!
    • What Ya’ Lookin’ for?

Body:

• The angel(s) did not ask the women this question. Instead, they went a step further.  They knew that they were looking for Jesus.  So, they then asked:

“Why seek ye the living among the dead?”

• This question does three things:

1. Identifies Jesus as LIVING

• In the Old Testament, we find God identified as living
  • Joshua 3:10, “And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you”
• In the New Testament, Jesus is identified with His Father as LIVING
  • Matthew 16:16, “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

2. Acknowledges a difference between the living and the DEAD

• LIVING
  • Having Life –>
    • Blood flowing through the veins
    • Full of spirit
    • Existing in God’s Word, Will and Way
    • John 20:31, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”
  • DEAD
    • Without Life –>
    • Not breathing
    • No spirit
    • Existing outside of God’s Word, Will and Way
    • Colossians 3:3, “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”
    • The Tragedy of Life and Death
    • Romans 8:10, “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness”
    • The flesh must die
    • So that the Spirit can live in us and be our life

3. Recognizes that the living and the dead DON’T “hang out” TOGETHER

• The living live through Christ:
  • 1Corinthians 15:22, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”
  • Luke 20:38, “For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.”
  • Hebrews 10:20, “By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh”
• God does not want anything dead!
  • Matthew 22:32, “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
• If you want to live, why hang out with the dead

“Why seek ye the living among the dead?”

• The question is not left without an answer:

“He is not here, but is risen”

• What ya’ lookin’ for and what ya’ find are sometimes very different
  • Sometimes in our search we are led to find things other than Christ – suffering, confusion, pain, loneliness, tiredness
    • 1Peter 4:13, “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.”
  • We have to learn to go THROUGH and not just go TO
    • John 4:4, “And he must needs go through Samaria.”
    • Jesus had the mentality of going THROUGH
    • We tend to have the mentality of going TO and can’t see pass our problems.
  • However, the angel gave an answer to not their own question but to the one that the women had originally…where is Jesus?
    • “He is not here, but is risen”
    • I am so glad he rose!
      • 2Timothy 1:7 tells us, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
      • Since Jesus rose from the dead:
        • We have power
        • We have love
        • We have a sound mind

Conclusion:

• But we knew it anyway!

“remember”

• God tells us…the Bible tells us…our experience tells us…WE JUST DON’I LISTEN!!!
• It’s not God’s fault…It’s our fault
• What Ya’ Lookin’ For!!! >>>   We knew it anyway!
  • Jesus was born
  • Jesus lived
  • Jesus died
  • Jesus rose again
  • Jesus went to Glory…I am gonna go someday!!!

#103