In a book called “Through the Windows of Heaven,” the authors tell us this:

Science says if there is any such thing as infallible proof, it is the repetition of the same experiment. With that in mind, hear this:

• Jesus rose from the dead, and Mary Magdalene encountered him—experiment one.
• The women encountered him—experiment two.
• The disciples encountered him—experiment three.
• The apostles encountered him—experiment four.
• Five hundred people saw him after the Resurrection—experiment five.

Each one of these … is the repetition of the same experiment. They all encountered the same phenomenon. What was it? He was alive! And that’s what changed the history of the world…

Let me share with you on this Easter morning the witness of one of those apostles just mentioned. His name is Luke—a man of science, a physician friend of Jesus…

But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 3 So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. 5 The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.” 8 Then they remembered that he had said this. – Luke 24:1-8 (NLT)

Folks, I want you to know today that the words of those angels to the women who came to the tomb very early on that first Easter morning … is a message for us, too! What did they say? Here it is…

WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AMONG THE DEAD… Do we really believe, on this Easter morning, what we say we believe? Does Jesus truly have power over death or not? Does Jesus have power over death in our lives or not? This is why the angels (God’s messengers) that first Easter morning asked the women (Luke 24:5-6a) that question:

“The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead!”

‘Do we believe it?’ is one question we could ask today. But, I’d like to ask an even more pointed question: ‘Do we live like we believe it … or are we still ‘looking among the dead for someone who is alive?’

Folks, how we live out our faith makes a real difference! We can come to Easter worship and say ‘He is Risen!’ all we want to. But … do we really believe it? Do our lives show that we believe it? Are our lives a witness?

The great gift of Easter is that Jesus conquered DEATH. But, where the rubber meets the road for us—still—is at that time of our earthly lives. How will we handle it?

This week has been a rather challenging one for me … for many reasons. Besides being Holy Week and having a least a couple of extra worship services … I’ve also had two funerals this week. And those two funerals have had something in common. Both were men … and both were 54 years old! Let me tell you, turning 53 years old this summer, this hit home for me! (Maybe you’ve had that experience, too…)

I want to tell you something, I wouldn’t want to be a pastor … even attempting to preach a funeral … without the Gift of Easter! IF JESUS HADN’T BEEN RAISED FROM THE DEAD … WE WOULD HAVE NO HOPE BEYOND THIS LIFE—PERIOD! Can you even imagine?

• Life would be without HOPE (HOPE = nonexistent)…
• Life would be without LOVE (the real kind)…
• Life would be one long … very bad … day…

We may as well throw up our hands right now; if Jesus had not experienced resurrection … life would be that dark! So how are we living our lives? If you are not currently living your life like you believe the Easter story … then let me ask: WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AMONG THE DEAD…

… FOR SOMEONE WHO IS ALIVE? The GOOD NEWS of Easter is still … HE IS RISEN! We can say it … but—AGAIN—where the rubber meets the road is if we’re able to LIVE OUR LIVES BASED ON THIS FACT! And, how much does what Jesus did on that first Easter (not to mention Holy Thursday & Good Friday) really mean to us … personally? Are we thankful … and are we living our lives like we are?

Folks, don’t ever forget what you’ve learned about prophecy during this Lenten series… Yes, prophecy is both forthtelling & foretelling … but it is also that third thing: PROPHECIES ARE THE PROMISES OF GOD! Contrary to what I shared with you at the beginning of this message, here is THE REAL EXPERIMENT #1 – the witness of the prophets…

• Psalm 16:8-11 (NLT) tells us: “I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. 9 No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety. 10 For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave. 11 You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.”
• Psalm 49:15 (NLT) tells us: “But as for me, God will redeem my life. He will snatch me from the power of the grave.”
• And Psalm 86:12-13 (NLT): “With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever, 13 for your love for me is very great. You have rescued me from the depths of death.”

800 years prior to that first Easter—God was already promising what he would do … through the Psalmist! So, folks, what does it mean—TO US!—that Jesus has risen from the dead? Here’s what it should mean to all of us:

• Death has been conquered; we no longer have to fear that great unknown in our lives…
• Anything that stands between us & God (the Bible calls it ‘sin’)—that could negatively affect our eternal relationship—has been conquered…

On Friday night, I talked about some of the things that the power of God was able to transform on that first Good Friday—sacrifices, our relationship with God, the Cross… The transforming power of God is absolutely incredible! Today, I want to tell you about the most amazing transformation that God makes possible—the transformation of the heart…

• God can take a life that doesn’t believe … that only doubts … and change it into a life that is full of faith!
• God can take a life that struggles under the oppression of all kinds of things that can consume us & won’t let go of us … and free those lives to live fully for him!
• God can take the most awful part of our lives … or the most awful life … and transform it into something beautiful … for eternity!

And, all that is possible … because Jesus was resurrected from the dead. This is why we no longer have to fear … anything! This is why God can remake us—can transform our lives with his LOVE! CHRIST IS RISEN, FOLKS! A life filled with HOPE is ours for the taking! There’s the GOOD NEWS of this day! And, that can be the GOOD NEWS of the rest of your life…