July 25 2025

Friday July 25

“He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!”

Luke 24:1-7

1 Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. 5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, 7 saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.' "

Today we move into chapter 24 of the Gospel of Luke. The fact and the truth of the resurrection of Jesus cannot be underestimated! John Stott said, "Christianity is in its very essence a resurrection religion. The concept of resurrection lies at its very heart, and if you remove it, Christianity is destroyed." Paul put it this way in 1 Corinthians 15:17: “If Christ be not risen, then our faith is vain.  It is empty. It has nothing to it. And we are yet in our sins”. Yes, the Bible teaches, and the gospels affirm, and the witnesses affirm, and history affirms that Jesus Christ indeed rose from the grave early that Sunday morning 2,000 years ago after His crucifixion on the cross. As important as His death was on the cross as He paid the price for our sins, it's just as important that He rose from the dead.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ affirms to us that He is indeed the Son of God, just as He claimed to be Romans 1:4: “And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead”.  It also proves that His sacrifice for sin has been accepted and that the work of salvation is completed (Romans 4:24-25). Those who trust Him can "walk in newness of life" because He is alive and imparts His power to them (Romans 6:4; Gal. 2:20). Our Lord's resurrection also declares to us that He is the Judge who will come one day and judge the world (Acts 17:30-31).

It is no surprise, then, that Satan has attacked the truth of the Resurrection. The first lie that he spawned was that the disciples came and stole Christ's body (Matthew 28:11-15), but it is difficult to imagine how they could have done this. To begin with, the tomb was carefully guarded (Matthew 27:61-66); and it would have been next to impossible for the frightened Apostles to overpower the soldiers, open the tomb, and secure the body. But the biggest obstacle is the fact that the Apostles themselves did not believe that He would be resurrected! Why, then, would they steal His body and try to perpetrate a hoax?

A second lie is that Jesus did not really die on the cross but only swooned, and when He was put into the cool tomb, He revived. But Pilate carefully checked with the centurion to see whether Jesus was dead (Mark 15:44), and the Roman soldiers who broke the legs of the two thieves knew that Jesus had died (John 19:31-34). Furthermore, how could a "cool tomb" transform Christ's body so that He could appear and disappear and walk through closed doors?

The message of the Gospel rests on the death of Jesus Christ and His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-8). The Apostles were sent out as witnesses of His resurrection (Acts 1:22), and the emphasis in the Book of Acts is on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul put it plainly in 1 Corinthians 15:17-19: “And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”

This explains why Luke climaxed his book with a report of some of the appearances of Jesus after He had been raised from the dead. He first appeared to Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18), then to the "other women" (Matt. 28:9-10), and then to the two men on the way to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-22). At some time, He also appeared to Peter (Luke 24:34) and to His half-brother James (1 Corinthians 15:7).

That evening, He appeared to the Apostles (Luke 24:36-43), but Thomas was not with them (John 20:19-25). A week later, He appeared to the Apostles again, especially for the sake of Thomas (John 20:26-31). He appeared to seven of the Apostles when they were fishing at the Sea of Galilee (John 21). He appeared several times to the Apostles before His ascension, teaching them and preparing them for their ministry (Acts 1:1-12).

When the believers discovered that Jesus was alive, it made a tremendous difference in their lives. And it has transformed millions of lives since then like mine and yours!

“He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!”

God Bless!