A Daily Walk

John Randall: Pastor John Randall with a question for you to consider. Let me ask you this morning a question: what obstacles stand in the way of you coming to Jesus? What holds you back from surrendering your will to God's will?

For some of you, perhaps you have reverted to old habits, practices of sin, which prevent you from following Jesus with all of your heart. For others, pride has hindered your path to following him. You may believe that compared to other people, you appear put together on the outside, yet you feel that emptiness, that void inside of your heart. And let me say this to you: only God himself is big enough to fill that void in your life.

Guest (Male): Welcome to a very special A Daily Walk. We'll be joined by Pastor John Randall in a moment. Well, this weekend, Christians all over the world are recalling the great sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross. And the good news is that he is alive.

But what does this great truth mean for your life today? More than you may realize, because the tomb is empty, your life no longer needs to be empty. You can experience joy, fulfillment, and life everlasting. Here is Pastor John starting us off with this good news.

John Randall: I've been waiting for today. I have some incredible news, amazing news, really, to announce to you. I've been waiting for this moment, and it's this: it's Resurrection Sunday morning. The tomb where Jesus was buried is empty. He is risen from the dead. He is alive and well.

You know, we gather here this morning, as we gather every Sunday morning, to remember and celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And the story of Jesus did not end with a crucifixion, for three days later, he rose from the dead. And this morning, I'd like to read to you a portion of scripture out of the New Testament in the Gospel according to Matthew, Chapter 28.

And it reads this way: "But the angel answered and said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead, and indeed he is going before you into Galilee; there you will see him. Behold, I have told you.'"

"So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring his disciples word." The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foundation of Christianity upon which every biblical doctrine must be established. It stands as the greatest sign of God's power to the world.

The resurrection sets Jesus apart from all other individuals who have claimed to be spiritual leaders throughout history. At this moment, the decaying remains of Buddha can be visited at the foot of the Himalayan mountains. The remains of Muhammad are buried in Medina, Saudi Arabia. Charles Darwin is interred at Westminster Abbey in London.

However, the grave of Jesus was emptied over 2,000 years ago, and it remains empty to this day. Jesus alone has conquered death. And although the resurrection took place over 2,000 years ago, it has altered the history of the world. As you examine the evidence for Jesus' resurrection from both biblical and even secular historians, you realize that it is the best established fact in history.

In fact, the empty tomb was too notorious to be denied. The resurrection could not have been maintained in Jerusalem for a single day, for a single hour, if the emptiness of the tomb had not been established as a fact for all concerned. But the most important part of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is not only how it has affected history, but listen friend, how it can impact your eternal destiny.

Because Jesus died and rose from the dead, he has provided salvation, the hope of heaven, to everyone who believes. And before this service comes to its conclusion, I'm going to give you an opportunity to get up from your seat and stand beneath this platform to pray and receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, to have your sins forgiven, to receive the promise of eternal life in heaven.

This morning, we can look back with complete confidence, absolute certainty, knowing that Jesus is alive. But on that first Resurrection Sunday morning, the disciples found themselves in a much different place. In fact, although the disciples heard what Jesus said, they did not remember what Jesus said.

At one point when Jesus was confronted by the religious leaders of the day, they demanded a sign. And Jesus responded in Matthew Chapter 12 and he said, "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

Again, Jesus being confronted by the religious leaders, this time in John Chapter 2, verse 19, he said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." They heard what Jesus said, but also remember they saw what Jesus did. On three separate occasions, Jesus demonstrated his power over death.

He raised Jairus' daughter back to life. He raised the widow of Nain's son on the way to being buried. He restored Lazarus, who had been in the tomb for four days, when he called him by name: "Lazarus, come forth!" The disciples had heard, they had seen, but they didn't understand. They didn't yet believe.

On the day that Jesus was crucified, a man named Joseph of Arimathea along with the religious leader named Nicodemus came to ask the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate for the body of Jesus so that they could place it in a tomb. Since Jesus died only three hours before the Sabbath, it was important that they get him into the tomb in order to have the burial process.

They quickly wrapped the body of Jesus, placed him in a tomb carved out of a rock situated in a garden near the location of Jesus' crucifixion. It was, by the way, a borrowed grave, which makes sense; he was only going to need it for a couple of days. But then they placed a large stone over the entrance.

And behind that stone and within that tomb lay all the hopes and dreams of Jesus' disciples. Listen, at that moment, everything felt hopeless. Without Jesus, life had lost its meaning. The religious leaders who had falsely accused Jesus had him put to death. They remembered his predictions about coming back to life, his resurrection from the dead.

In fact, they were so concerned that the disciples of Jesus might try to steal the body and claim that he had risen from the dead, they had temple guards sent to protect the tomb, and they had it sealed with a Roman seal from potential grave robbers. The Bible says that after the Sabbath day had ended, that a group of women prepared to visit the tomb, bringing spices and ointment to further anoint the body and complete the burial process.

Yet as the women made their way to the gravesite, they questioned among themselves, "Who will roll the stone away?" And what they didn't realize was that before their arrival, the Bible says in Matthew Chapter 28 that an angel of the Lord had descended from heaven and come and rolled the stone back from the door and sat on it.

And his countenance was like lightning and his clothing as white as snow, and the guards shook for fear and they became like dead men. In other words, all of the obstacles that the women were worried about were eliminated before they ever arrived. The stone that stood in their way had been removed.

And let me remind you that it was not removed so that Jesus could get out, but the stone was removed so that we could look in and see that it was indeed empty. Let me ask you this morning a question: what obstacles stand in the way of you coming to Jesus? What holds you back from surrendering your will to God's will?

For some of you, perhaps you have reverted to old habits, practices of sin, which prevent you from following Jesus with all of your heart. For others, pride has hindered your path to following him. You may believe that compared to other people, you appear put together on the outside, yet you feel that emptiness, that void inside of your heart.

And let me say this to you: only God himself is big enough to fill that void in your life. Through his death on the cross, the obstacle of our sin that would keep us from a relationship with God has been removed. And this morning, the God who created you is seeking to draw you to himself with loving kindness.

There is grace for you this morning, there is mercy, there is forgiveness, there is freedom from the bondage that you may be in if you will turn to Christ and receive him. The Gospel of John records in the 20th Chapter that a woman by the name of Mary Magdalene, who became a devoted follower of Jesus after he had delivered her from seven demonic spirits, she was the first to arrive at the tomb early Sunday morning before the sun had risen.

And when she reached the tomb, she noticed that the stone had been rolled away and the tomb was empty. She thought perhaps the body had been stolen, so she quickly went and informed the disciples of her discovery. And when Peter and John heard the news, they immediately ran to the gravesite to see it for themselves.

It is worth noting that in John's Gospel, he does mention that he outran Peter to the grave. Can you imagine that? Just forever, it's going always say, "By the way, I did get there first." I just want to be clear on that. But the Bible says that when Peter and John arrived at the tomb, that John looked inside, but Peter went inside.

They carefully examined the linen grave clothes that lay neatly folded where the body had been placed. And the neatness of the tomb suggested that the body had not been forcibly taken. The Gospel of Luke tells us in Chapter 24 that when Peter left the gravesite of Jesus, that he didn't understand what had happened.

But John, on the other hand, believed and remembered the words of Jesus. Peter and John then returned home, but Mary went back to the gravesite a second time. And the Bible states that when Mary Magdalene returned, she broke down. She just began to weep. Mary had been there at the foot of the cross.

She watched firsthand the cruelty, the death of Jesus, how he was brutally murdered in front of her. It was more than she could bear. And to make matters worse, it appeared that the body had been stolen. Life for Mary at that moment seemed incredibly unfair. She was left with unanswered questions and confusion, and all that she could do was cry.

Have you ever experienced a day like that in your life? When the world felt so confusing, so dark, when nothing seemed right, everything felt hopeless, all was falling apart, things were bleak. Maybe today here in this parking lot, you're feeling as low as you have ever felt before. Maybe you've endured significant loss in your life.

Perhaps you're overwhelmed by grief. Maybe depression has taken hold of your heart. Maybe you've been abused. Maybe there's some addiction that has trapped you. Maybe you're facing the repercussions of poor decisions that you've made and things have deteriorated so much that you don't know what else to do.

You need to know today that Jesus is alive. The Bible says that the Lord is near to those who have a broken heart. He sees you, he knows you, he knows your name and he loves you and he wants to turn your sorrow into joy if you will turn to him. In Mary's moment of her deepest sorrow, Jesus was there.

In one of the sweetest scenes in all of scripture, Mary was honored as the first person to see the risen Lord. And Jesus spoke to Mary and he said, "Woman, why are you crying?" And Mary probably had been crying for so long she couldn't see, eyes swollen, and she didn't recognize Jesus.

The Bible says she thought he was the gardener, and she said, "If you've taken his body, tell me where he is and I'll take him." And in that moment Jesus said her name, "Mary," and she recognized him in that moment. When Mary saw Jesus, everything changed. Initially, she felt hopeless and was walking in that direction. But after seeking Jesus and seeing him alive, she now had hope, she had purpose.

Friend, I don't know what condition you're in today, but I do know this: all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And there is none righteous. We all need a Savior, we all need Jesus. We cannot make it to heaven without him. That's why he came and died and rose again.

Jesus said in John Chapter 14, verse 6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no man comes to the Father except through me." Jesus then instructed Mary: "Go and tell my disciples that I'm alive." This was the first of five appearances that Jesus made on Resurrection Sunday. Later on, he appeared to a company of women who were filled with fear and excitement, and they also were told to tell the disciples.

Then the Bible indicates at some point during that Resurrection Sunday, Jesus appeared to Peter privately. Peter, who had said he would never deny the Lord, had failed, and yet Jesus came and found him. In fact, Mark's Gospel tells us that when the women were instructed to go tell the disciples, that the Lord said, "Go tell my disciples and Peter that I've risen from the dead."

Why so specific? Because Peter had failed. He needed to know that Jesus was alive. Perhaps in recent days in your own life, you've consistently denied the Lord. And yet fellowship can be restored if you will repent, if you will turn to Christ. Later that evening, Jesus then appeared to two men on the road to Emmaus who were discouraged.

They had walked away, seven miles outside of the city. Yeah, they heard the reports that the tomb was empty and some women came back, said they saw some angels, but they didn't find the body. But they didn't care. They just walked away. All their hopes, all their dreams, everything they thought that Jesus was going to be didn't end up coming to pass like they thought, and so they walked away.

And as they were walking away, listen to me, Jesus came and walked with them. Friend, maybe you've walked away. Maybe there was a time when you used to read your Bible, a time when you were part of the family of faith, when you were serving the Lord, worshipping the Lord in prayer, in fellowship.

But for some reason you have walked away. Oh, you know about the cross, you know about Easter. That's why you're here. And yet you've walked away from the Lord. I want to tell you something today: the Lord wants to call you back. If you are a prodigal son, a prodigal daughter, a prodigal grandfather, whoever you are, if you have walked away, the door is open for you to come back, but you have to take the step.

No one's going to force you to do that. The Lord says, "I stand at the door of your heart and I knock, and if you'll open the door, I'll come in, I'll have fellowship with you." The Lord will never force his way into your life, but he beckons you, he calls you. He seeks to draw you to himself.

Can you hear the voice of the Spirit of God today? Something's going on inside of you right now. There is a conviction of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment to come. And that is the Spirit of God seeking to draw you back from destruction. Will you come back today? Will you respond to his love?

Maybe you've been putting it off, but God knew you would be here today. Maybe somebody invited you, and you're here for a reason. This is a divine appointment. These men, when they saw Jesus alive, they ran back and joined the rest of the disciples and confirmed all of the reports of him being alive.

The Bible tells us that then it was evening, and Jesus then made his way as the sun was setting to where the disciples were hiding. They were behind closed doors, and it says the Bible tells us that Jesus passed through the doors, didn't need to open, just went right through it. And the disciples were in shock, and they saw Jesus.

Although the disciples had heard the testimony of others who had seen Jesus, they still didn't believe until Jesus showed up. Maybe that describes you. Maybe you've heard the testimony of friends or parents or others, but you haven't yet put your faith in Christ as your Savior. Why not today? Are you unbelieving?

Jesus made his way into the room where his disciples were hiding, and he provided for them several things. Listen to this. He provided for them peace. John Chapter 20, verse 19, Jesus came and he stood in the midst and he said, "Peace be with you." The moment Jesus arrived, the disciples would experience his peace.

Friend, are you at peace today? Are you at peace with God? Are you experiencing the peace of God? Maybe you are a person who is completely anxious. Even being here today, you're sensing a sense of panic, as so many do in our culture. Listen, God wants to bring you a peace that surpasses all of your understanding.

He is the answer for your anxiety. He is the peace that you need. For the Bible says he is the Prince of Peace. He could provide that for you today. Jesus said, "Peace be with you." But not only did he provide peace, but he also showed them proof. The Bible says that he showed them his hands, showed him his side, and the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.

Oh, they had witnessed Jesus beaten beyond recognition of a man. They heard the sound of the scourge striking his back. They observed and heard the nails piercing his hands and feet. They witnessed Jesus die, enduring the most horrifying death imaginable. They knew the location of the gravesite where he was buried.

But now, three days later, as he rose from the grave, he came in and appeared to them. And the disciples, and the Bible says at least 500 witnesses all at one time saw Jesus alive. In 1st Corinthians 15, Paul mentions that these 500 witnesses, many of them were still alive at the time of his writing, which was 30 years after the resurrection.

You know, someone pointed out that if you were to take 500 witnesses who saw Jesus alive after his death and burial and place them in a courtroom, and each had 500 people testify just for six minutes, including cross-examination, you would have an amazing 50 hours of firsthand testimony.

Adding to this testimony of the many other eyewitnesses, you would have the largest, most lopsided trial in history. The evidence is in, friends. He is alive. He is alive. Is somebody excited about that? Come on. It's one of those awkward things. Do you clap? Do you not clap? Do you clap? I don't know. If not, we'd be clapping the whole time because we're so thrilled that he's alive.

Consider this: almost every disciple who followed Jesus died a martyr's death because they would not deny that Jesus was alive. The proof was too overwhelming. Folks, if you need evidence today of the proof and the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, here's what I want you to do. All I want you to do is look around.

This is all the proof that you need of the fact that Jesus is alive, because there are people filling this parking lot whose lives have been transformed by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Look around!

Guest (Male): Jesus provided peace and proof of the resurrection, but he also provides purpose as well. We'll hear about that in a moment as A Daily Walk continues with Pastor John Randall. This is our resurrection special. We hope you were blessed and encouraged by it. If so, why not share the program with someone?

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John Randall: Jesus provided peace. He gave them proof. But he also gave them a purpose. Jesus said to them, "Peace to you, as the Father has sent me, I also send you." John Chapter 20. The men who had seen the risen Savior were given a purpose: to share what they had witnessed with the world.

Friend, what is your purpose? Why are you here? What is the meaning of life? What is the purpose of your existence? And most importantly, where will you go when your life comes to an end? You know, many people have never really taken the time to consider these most important questions.

But some of those look back later on in life, wondering why relationships have fallen apart, why they feel so empty. That even though they've achieved everything that they were pursuing, they made all the money they thought they wanted to make, all the goals, and yet for all of this, listen: without the hope of heaven, it doesn't matter, friend.

Every single one of us is going to have an appointment with death. And there's only one of two places that you can spend your eternity, and the Bible makes that clear. Jesus said it: there is heaven and there is hell. There is eternal separation from God and there is joy inexpressible and full of glory in the presence of God. Which place will you go? It all depends on what you do with the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This will determine your eternal destiny.

Guest (Male): Thanks again for joining us for A Daily Walk. Wherever you may be this Easter weekend, remember Jesus is alive. And through faith in him, you can live and be forgiven. That is good news to celebrate. This program is made possible through your generosity and brought to you by Calvary South OC.