tThis morning, as I prayed and prepared for this teaching, I found myself thinking about how many times in my own life God has met me in moments when hope felt distant. There have been times when prayers felt heavy, when the road of faith seemed difficult, and when the world itself felt uncertain. Yet again and again, the Lord has reminded me of one unchanging truth. The tomb is empty. Easter is not just a day on the calendar. It is the reminder that the same power that raised Jesus from the grave is still at work today in our lives, in our church, and in this very moment. So today we come to the very heart of the Christian faith.
We come not merely to an event recorded in history, but to the defining moment of eternity itself.
We come to a holy mystery where heaven and earth collide, where divine love is poured out, and where the destiny of humanity is forever changed. Before there was a crown of thorns, there was the eternal plan of God.
Before the nails were driven into His hands, grace had already been written into the story of creation.
From the foundation of the world, God knew the cost of our redemption, and He chose love anyway.
What we witness at the cross and the empty tomb is not God reacting to human failure, but God fulfilling His promise of salvation. The crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus Christ are not two separate stories; they are one divine act of redemption.
They are the hinge upon which all of history turns and the lens through which all Scripture must be read.
At the cross, we see the depth of human sin and the greater depth of God’s mercy.
At the resurrection, we see death defeated, hope reborn, and the future of all who believe secured forever. The cross without the resurrection would be tragedy, an innocent man suffering under the weight of injustice.
The resurrection without the cross would be triumph without justice victory without atonement.
But together, they reveal the wisdom, holiness, love, and power of Almighty God.
Together, they declare that sin has been judged, death has been conquered, and redemption has been accomplished. So today, as we stand in the shadow of the cross and in the light of the empty tomb, we do so with reverence and expectation.
For this is not merely a story to be remembered, but a truth to be received, a power to be experienced, and a hope to be proclaimed. The apostle Paul declared,1 Corinthians 2:2 “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” And again from, 1 Corinthians 15:14 “If Christ had not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” Therefore, today we stand at the intersection of suffering and glory, death and life, judgment and mercy.
For this is holy ground. We do not rush. We do not sensationalize. We listen with reverence, for in this story we see our sin judged, our debt paid, our death defeated, and our future secured. The crucifixion of Jesus was not an accident of history nor merely the result of human hatred. It was the eternal plan of God. Scripture tells us in Revelation 13:8 that Christ is “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” Before there was a sinner, there was a Savior. Before there was a fall, there was a plan for redemption. Humanity’s problem was not ignorance but sin. Not weakness but rebellion. The holiness of God demanded justice, and the love of God provided a substitute.
The cross stands as the place where justice and mercy kissed. And before nails pierced His hands, anguish pierced His soul. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus fell to the ground and prayed, Matthew 26:39 “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will” The cup was not merely physical pain. It was the cup of divine wrath the full weight of sin, judgment, and separation. In that moment, we see the true humanity of Christ, trembling yet obedient, sorrowful yet resolved. Salvation was costly, it was not cheap grace; it was grace purchased with obedience unto death.
Jesus was betrayed with a kiss, denied by a friend, abandoned by His disciples, and condemned by false witnesses. He stood silent before His accusers, fulfilling the words in Isaiah 53:7 “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth” The King of Glory was mocked with a crown of thorns. The Judge of all the earth was judged by sinners. The Innocent One was declared guilty so that the guilty might go free.
Crucifixion was designed to humiliate, torture, and destroy. Victims were stripped naked, exposed to shame, and left to die slowly. Yet God transformed this instrument of terror into an altar of redemption. Jesus was nailed to the cross between two criminals, fulfilling prophecy and identifying fully with the sinful and rejected. Above His head hung the charge: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” What Rome intended as mockery, heaven declared as truth.
From the cross, Jesus spoke these 7 sentences that echo through eternity: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
“Today you will be with Me in paradise.”
“Woman, here is your son… Here is your mother.”
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
' I thirst.”
“It is finished.”
Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.”
These words reveal forgiveness, salvation, compassion, substitution, humanity, victory, and trust, The cross is not silent, it preaches. When Jesus cried, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” He was quoting Matthew 27:46. In that moment, the sinless Son bore the full separation that sin causes. God did not cease to love the Son, but the Son experienced the judgment that belonged to us. This was substitution, Christ stood in our place. He became sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
“It Is Finished” From the Greek word tetelisti means “paid in full.” The debt was canceled; The law was fulfilled. The sacrifice was complete. Nothing could be added. Nothing needed to be repeated. Salvation was accomplished. When Jesus breathed His last, the curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom. The way into God’s presence was opened not by human effort, but by divine sacrifice.
Jesus truly died. His body was pierced, His blood poured out, His heart stopped. He was wrapped in linen and placed in a borrowed tomb. The stone was sealed. The guards were posted. Hope seemed buried. Holy Saturday represents the silence we all experience, the waiting, the confusion, the grief. But God is often most active when He appears silent.
Then early on the first day of the week, the women went to the tomb and found the stone rolled away. An angel declared, Matthew 28:6 “He is not here; He has risen, just as He said” The resurrection was not a spiritual metaphor. It was physical, historical, and witnessed. The tomb was empty. Death was defeated. Then Jesus then appears to Mary Magdalene, to the disciples, to Thomas, and to more than five hundred believers. He ate with them. He spoke with them. He invited them to touch His wounds. The same Jesus who was crucified now stood alive forevermore.
The resurrection declares: Jesus is the Son of God, the sacrifice was accepted Death has been conquered, our faith is secure Our future resurrection is guaranteed Because He lives, we shall live also. We are not saved by works, rituals, or morality. We are saved by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ. The resurrection is God’s receipt that the payment was accepted. Sin no longer has dominion. Death no longer has the final word. The same power that raised Christ from the dead now lives in us believers. The cross calls us to die to self. The resurrection calls us to live for Christ. Christianity is not merely believing in the cross it is carrying it.
Friends, we do not leave the cross behind when we come to the resurrection, nor do we linger at the empty tomb as spectators. We live every day in the light of both. The cross tells us who we were, sinners in need of grace. The resurrection tells us who we are becoming new creations destined for glory. Together they shape our identity, our worship, and our hope. When we look to the cross, we remember the cost of our redemption. We remember that sin is serious, that love is sacrificial, and that forgiveness was purchased at an immeasurable price. The cross humbles us, it silences pride, It strips away self-righteousness. At the foot of the cross, all ground is level, and all boasting is excluded.
And when we look to the empty tomb, we remember that the story did not end in death. The stone was rolled away not so Jesus could get out, but so the world could see in. Resurrection power shattered despair, overturned finality, and proclaimed that God always has the final word. The resurrection declares that what God promises, He fulfills; what God begins, He completes. To live as resurrection people means we refuse to let death, fear, or suffering define us.
We may walk through valleys, but we do not walk without hope. We may grieve, but we do not grieve as those who believe death is the end. Because Christ lives, our suffering has meaning, our obedience has purpose, and our future is secure.
The resurrection also sends us. We are not called merely to admire the risen Christ but to follow Him. Just as the Father sent the Son, the risen Son sends us the church. We go bearing witness that forgiveness is available, chains can be broken, and new life is possible in Jesus Christ.
The gospel we proclaim is not advice it is news. Good news that death has been defeated and salvation has been accomplished. And finally, the resurrection fixes our eyes on what is yet to come. The risen Christ is the first fruits of a greater harvest. What happened to Him will happen to all who belong to Him.
One day, graves will open, tears will be wiped away, and death itself will be no more. Until that day, we live faithfully between promise and fulfillment, carrying our crosses with confidence, knowing a crown awaits. So friends, stand firm. Preach Christ crucified. Live in the power of the resurrection. Let the cross shape your love and the empty tomb shape your hope. For this is our confession and our song:
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
Amen.
