The Empty Tomb
Little Philip, born with Downs syndrome attended Sunday School the other 8-9 years old children didn't know how to act with him, but the teacher began to show through her kindness how to show care and patience. They tried but were not fully convinced.
The Sunday after Easter the teacher bought egg box containers and asked all the children to go out into the garden to bring as many objects they could find that represented new life. One by one they brought their boxes to the front, the boxes were opened, one showed a flower bud, butterfly, new leaves. Then one was opened but there was nothing inside, so you can imagine the other children saying "Well that's not fair someone didn't understand what the teacher asked"
Just then Philip spoke up, "That's mine" another child said "Oh you never get anything right Philip, there is nothing there its empty" Philip said " I did do it right, I did do it right, its empty - The Tomb was empty!
The class went silent, and from that time on Philip was fully accepted by the class.
Not long after this event, little Philip became very ill and died, which caused the class much sorrow. At the funeral all the 8 year olds from his class marched to the front of the church with their Sunday School teacher, but they didn't come with flowers but each laid an empty egg box at the front, for Philip was no longer there but with Jesus.
This is much the same today with the majority of people who view the Empty Tomb, the Resurrection of Jesus as fantasy, illusion, its despised or rejected or ignored.
There is nothing new under the sun, down through the ages since this greatest event in human history occurred it has been dismissed. The 'experts' advise that Jesus swooned and did not really die, He wasn't physically raised just His soul who lived on, these and many other excuses are put forth to evade reality.
Easter has just become a time for spring flowers, rabbits and eggs, just as Christmas has for presents and Santa Claus so the reality of what truly happened is hidden from view.
Well eggs, bulbs, dormant plants and rabbits cannot represent new life as in the Resurrection, it is entirely different. For in these items there is a germ of life in all of them, but there was no life in the body of Jesus in the grave.
Christ's body was a dead body, there was no life in it, the body was buried, the religious leaders told Pilate to make sure He was not stolen away to make the lie that He would be resurrected 'true '. So they posted guards at the entrance to the tomb.
There was the soldier who pierced his side with a spear when blood and water came forth which attested his death, His legs were not broken while still on the cross, as was the custom, to quicken the death of the crucified because Jesus was already dead. No Roman soldier would allow a living body to be taken down from the cross, that is why Jesus was speared in the chest to make doubly sure.
Before the cross Jesus had been beaten, tortured, flayed with the whip till His back was like a ploughed field, He was punished more than any man even before the excruciating agony of the cross.
There was NO LIFE in JESUS when they put Him in the tomb. HE WAS DEAD
Resurrection is entirely different from restoration - Jesus raised people from the dead when He was on earth, like Lazarus and Jairus's daughter but they were restored to their same body, and would, in the passing of time, die again in that same body, which would stay in the grave because it is a sinful body. Jesus did not awaken out of the sleep of death, He did not put back His old garments, His physical body, which still bore the scars of the nails and the piercing of the spear was now a glorified resurrected body. He was the sinless substitute for our sin, taking the punishment we deserved, His blood paid God's ransom price for our freedom. His body could not remain in the grave because it was without sin
On the third day God raised Him from the dead, the evidence that He accepted Christ's sacrifice for our sin. His body had gone through death and came out the other side a completely New Creation.
This New Creation opened the way for a totally new realm of life. He was seen by His disciples and many others, He had the same body for they saw His wounds, He spoke to them, gave them food on the beach in Galilee, but He was changed. He came into a room as if from another dimension yet instantly disappeared from sight. His body was transformed, a New Creation.
We are descendants of the first creation - Adam, who sinned against God bringing the curse of sin and death into the world. We are all sinners who belong to the old creation, destined to die. All who do not repent of their sin will taste the wrath of hell.
But Jesus died to bring an end to the old creation of sin and death. Resurrection is the most important event to ever take place on the earth. When Christ came back from the dead He entered a new realm which no one had never entered before, the New Creation.
So the question we must ask ourselves is what creation are we in, the old creation of Adam leading to everlasting death and hell, or the New Creation in Jesus Christ leading to everlasting life.
We are in one or the other. All are born into the old creation of Adam through our parents, but only if we are Born Again by the Spirit of God can we enter the New Creation, and this can only happen when we turn to Jesus and repent of our sin. Jesus said "Unless a man is Born Again he cannot see the Kingdom of God" John 3
We mus know the Lord Jesus personally, we can go to church all our life and even be a Minister or Priest who knows about God but does not know Him and be lost. We can read our Bible do good works and all the things that outwardly make us look the part, but if we are resting on our own efforts we will be lost, we must be Born again.
Only those who come humbly to Jesus to confess their sin can find forgiveness and be Born again.
So which Creation are you in ?
Welcome to Dunk's Green Free Church
Dunk's Green Evangelical Church is the last remaining independent village church in the Tonbridge and Sevenoaks area. First established in 1838, today's church remains true to its founders' original vision -- to preach the full Gospel of Jesus Christ and to encourage local people to seek and trust Him alone for their salvation.
Enquiries: epastor@dunkschurch.org
