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“They departed and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”

Alleluia! ΙΗϹ Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

᛭ INI ᛭

(5. Oops!: What are you afraid of?)

What are you afraid of? What are you most afraid of losing? Who are you most afraid of losing?

We’re afraid of all sorts of things. The 24-hour news cycle—really panic cycle—is all about keeping you afraid. And our flesh is naturally afraid. There’s always something we’re afraid of. Afraid of sickness. 2020 or getting a diagnosis anyone. Afraid of financial ruin. Gas anyone? Afraid of destruction. War in Ukraine or Iran anyone? Afraid of death. You or those you love anyone? Afraid of dying. We may not be afraid of death itself, but the process of getting there.

(4. Ugh!: Such fear is a fruit of unbelief.)

We’re afraid of all sorts of things, but we’re afraid of the wrong things, too! We shouldn’t be afraid of any of those things I just mentioned. We should fear the LORD. We should be afraid of our sins. But we’re not—not enough to stop, anyway…

Our fear of what’s going on in the world or our lives, the lives of our loved ones, the fear of death, is all a fruit of unbelief. We doubt that there’s anyone at the wheel of the universe. The Lord’s promise—“I will never leave you nor forsake you”—falls on deaf ears and stony hearts. We want the LORD to run the world, manage our lives, do things differently, because, after all, “I’d certainly do a better job of running things.”

Such fear and unbelief is sin, the sin of wanting to be like God. But He’s God; you’re not. This separates you from the LORD. Just as it did in the beginning. Adam and Eve hid from the LORD out of fear. “I heard the sound of you walking in the Garden in the cool of the day, and I was afraid because I was naked.” (Gen 3) And you have every reason to be afraid of God. Because you might be able to put on a good show of strong faith for your kids or your neighbors or even your pastor, but the LORD knows the truth. Doubts, unbelief, rears its ugly head all the time. “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” (Heb 4)

(3. Aha!: Why even be afraid?)

The women in our Gospel were afraid. They worried about who’d roll away the stone. They were afraid of the angels. The fled the tomb because trembling gat hold upon them. And finally “they didn’t tell anyone anything because they were afraid?”

And why even be afraid at all? Because of sin we are “enslaved to the fear of death our entire life” (Heb 2) We “fear those can only kill the body and after that have nothing they can do,” and we don’t “fear Him who can throw both body and soul into hell” (Mt 10)

But why? I mean, yes, sin. But in terms of what’s really true. Why? Why were the women afraid? Why are you afraid? We believe, but often lack confidence, in the real, true, historical fact, beyond a reasonable doubt, that ΙΗϹ OF NAZARETH, WHO WAS CRUCIFIED, IS RISEN!

(2. Whee!: ΙΗϹ OF NAZARETH, WHO WAS CRUCIFIED, IS RISEN!)

Yes, ΙΗϹ OF NAZARETH, WHO WAS CRUCIFIED, IS RISEN! There’s no reason to doubt. It’s beyond a reasonable one anyway. I don’t have time this morning to hash all that out, but as it stands our faith doesn’t rest on fantasy or fiction. To use the language of 2 Peter: when the Word of God is made known to us, we are not following “cleverly devised myths.” (2-Pet 1) We follow the testimony of eyewitnesses.

And not just one or two, though by God’s standard that might be enough. “By the testimony of two or three witnesses a matter will be decided.” (Dt 19) No, the LORD piles on the witness, and sometimes they were initially hostile witnesses! There were four women at the tomb, who eventually saw the risen Christ. There were the Eleven Apostles. Christ also appeared to His stepbrother James, to His other followers, and also to more than 500 people at one time. He appeared finally to Paul.

The angel preached the entire ministry of Christ in few sentences. “You seek ΙΗϹ of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.” He lived a holy life, as recorded. He was, in fact, crucified and He really did die, no matter what Islam may claim about His supposed look-alike who was killed in His place. He was dead. His burial place seen and known to many. He also appeared to many after His death. Both events (Christ’s death and resurrection) were easily falsifiable at the time they happened not some 600 years later…

Anyway, ΙΗϹ OF NAZARETH, WHO WAS CRUCIFIED, IS RISEN! And

(1. Yeah!:) This means that you can live without fear now and forever!

Again, many saw Christ dead and raised, and not all those witnesses were friendly to Christ at first. His step-brother James initially thought Christ should be institutionalized for being out of his mind. (Mk 3) Paul also was at first a “blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent,” (1-Tim 1) His constant reason for being a Christian was that the risen Christ appeared to Him! Besides those two, the women and the Apostles, Christ’s closest friends and followers, weren’t initially the best witnesses either. They were afraid! But then they weren’t! Not even of torture and death! Why? They were all claiming this fact and truth: ΙΗϹ OF NAZARETH, WHO WAS CRUCIFIED, IS RISEN!

Because that means something. (This is where faith comes in.) It isn’t just knowledge. Even the devil knows Christ rose from the dead. Faith trusts what Christ’s death and resurrection means. And the fact is this: ΙΗϹ OF NAZARETH, WHO WAS CRUCIFIED, IS RISEN, and all of it FOR YOU!

He lived a holy life in your place, from His birth in Bethlehem to His youth and adulthood in Nazareth. All of it without sin FOR YOU. He lived a fearless life in your place! He was then “delivered for your transgressions.” (Rom 4) He paid for your fear, for He is “the propitiation for our sins, and not for our sins only, but for the sins of the whole world.” (1-Jn 2) He died, then He came back to life. And that means your innocent verdict, your forgiveness before God, for Christ “was delivered for your transgressions and raised for your justification.” (Rom 4) Therefore, why be afraid of anything?

“Perfect love”—the love of Christ—“casts out fear!” (1-Jn 4) Your sins don’t need to worry you—Christ paid for them. You don’t need to be afraid of dying—Christ will just raise you from the dead. The Christ who died for your sins and came back to life is the one who promises: “I will never leave you nor abandon you.” (Heb 13) “I am with you always.” (Mt 28) As pledge and proof of this He has baptized you, whereby His lives in you. He gives you His Word, whereby He renews you. He gives you His body and blood, for “whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me and I in Him, has eternal life, and I will resurrect Him on the Last Day.” (Jn 6) He can keep these promises—His resurrection proves that.

After all that, there’s no reason to be afraid! “What shall separate you from the love of Chirst?” (Rom 8) Nothing in the universe! Not because you’re so fearless all the time, but because ΙΗϹ OF NAZARETH, WHO WAS CRUCIFIED, IS RISEN, and all that FOR YOU!

Alleluia! ΙΗϹ Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

᛭ INI ᛭