Luke 24:1-5 – Not Finished Yet – Bible study

Luke 24:1-5 Not Finished Yet (Easter) I want to tell you a story. Its a true story and it is an important story. To save as much time, after I read the opening text, I will not read many Bible passages, although I will refer to several, until near the end of the message. At that time, I will finish reading this text. Luke 24:1 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain [others] with them. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. 3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: 5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them The story divides into chapters. I. Chapter One-Gods Greatest Creation A. This creation wasnt a man or a mere angel. B. It was a being by the name of Lucifer. 1. Lucifer was created before us. 2. Lucifer was created higher than us. 3. Therefore, Lucifer was and is greater than us. C. \#Eze 28:14\ God called Lucifer a cherub. Eze 28:14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 1. A cherub is of an order higher than the angels, and the Bible says the angels are a higher order than us \#Heb 2:7\. That leave us way down on the totem pole. 2. Cherubs appear to have more power, more abilities, and a higher rank in Gods kingdom. 3. That same verse said of Lucifer that he was anointed and that he covereth. a. "anointed" means he was appointed and empowered by God for a task. b. "covereth" means to defend as to fence in, hedge in, or to cover for protection. c. It appears that Lucifer was created and gifted to protect something. (1) I know of nothing that really needed protecting, but God made a protector anyway. (2) I would suppose that Lucifers job was to protect God and His glory. (a) Maybe that is why Satan likes to make traitors of people. (b) Hes the first and biggest traitor of all. D. \#Eze 28:12\ God said he was full of wisdom and perfect in in beauty. Eze 28:12 Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 1. If you are full of wisdom, you cant hold anymore. (a) That doesnt means that Lucifer was all wise. (b) If he was, he wouldnt have gotten himself and us into the mess he has. (c) It means anything that is created can only hold so much. (d) God gave Lucifer all the wisdom he could hold. (e) It just wasnt enough. (f) Perhaps that is the reason God does not fill Christians with wisdom but with the Holy Ghost. (1) If God just put wisdom inside of us, we too could reach our limit. (2) By putting God inside of us, we have all the wisdom that God has. 2. Lucifer wasand as far as we knowstill is the perfection of beauty. (a) Satan does not look anything like our artists conceptions. (b) We have never seen beauty perfected, but Satan is it. (c) Sad that one can be so beautiful on the outside yet be so corrupt and evil on the inside. (1) I suppose that is one reason why the devil likes to take some of the most beautiful and twist them into the most ugly, hateful people in the whole world. (2) Maybe it makes him feel better about himself. E. There is much more I could say of Gods greatest creation, but what we must know is that he turned away from God. 1. He sinned and was cast out of Gods kingdom. Eze 28:15 Thou wast (past tense) perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. a. In that day, Lucifer, son of the morning, became Satan, prince of darkness, and set himself up to overthrow God and everything that God loves. b. Even more, Gods greatest creation took 1/3 of heavens hosts with him! c. In that very moment, Satan rejected God and all God stands for. 2. Yet, perhaps for reason incomprehensible to mere men, God has not judged Satanat least not totallyas of yet. a. And while God did cast Satan out of heaven, he gave him the ability to roam the earth; in fact in time, God referred to Satan as the "the prince of this world." b. That does not sound like much punishment, does it. c. Today, God allows Satan to rule over every THING that can be touched, heard, seen, smelt, and tasted. d. And more, God appears to have given him dominion over a spiritual world and empire that our senses do not perceive at all. 4. But God is NOT FINISHED YET. II. Chapter Two-Gods Greatest Love. A. I will not dwell on this but for a second, for most of you already know of Gods greatest love. B. It is us. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 1. The world is not s reference to a place but a people. 2. Jesus did not die for the planet. 3. Jesus died for the people on the planet. 4. God will soon chunk this planet, but those that He died for will be Gods forever. III. Chapter Three-Gods Greatest Disappointment A. That might be an overstatement. 1. Afterall, disappointment implies surprise or a setback. 2. God was not surprised, and there was no setback. B. In Satans rebellion against God, he desired to overthrow God. 1. Of course, Satan cannot overthrow God. 2. I honestly do not know if Satan knows that or not. 3. It seems to me that for someone who was filled with wisdom, he seems to be a little bit touched. C. But since Satan cannot overthrow God, he directs all of us vile and violent venom at the part of Gods creation that God loves the most, mankind. 1. The story is given in \#Ge 3:1-5\. a. That is just five verses and it should give us an idea as to just how easy it was for Satan to defeat mankind. b. With just one seed of doubt and two lies, Satan tricked mankind into joining him in sin and rebellion against God. 2. But Satan did not stop there. a. Every moment of everyday for at least 6,000 years, the devil has deceived mankind into going deeper and deeper into sin, the most addictive and painful sins that exist. b. The devil has spurred on violence, war, drug abuse, slavery of all kinds, sickness, earthly catastrophes, betrayal, neglect, abuse, and insult at every chance he has had. c. The devil has defeated mankind on every front. (1) He is smarter than we are. (2) He is stronger than we are. (3) He has more forces than we do. (4) He has more authority than we do. (5) He is a spiritual being while we are physical. (6) He is already in his eternal state while we are in our temporal. (7) He is not limited by the laws of physics while we handicapped and hobbled by them. (8) The angels are in class higher than humans and cherubs are in a class even higher than the angels. 3. Any human being who thinks he can go up against Satan and even survive is a foolish person. a. He is the anointed cherub that covereth. b. He is the prince of darkness. c. He is the prince and power of the air. d. And he is our pledged enemy. D. But with Gods greatest creation doing this to Gods greatest lovefor reasons which mortal minds perhaps cannot understandGod appears to have very little if anything to stop him. 1. Oh, God gave the Old Testament law, but even the Bible itself says that it was weak, too weak to have mankind overcome either sin or Satan. 2. It did not nothing to hinder the devil, to stop him, or to deliver man from Satans reach. E. But God is not finished yet. IV. Chapter Four-Gods Greatest Warrior A. At long last, God did something. 1. God sent Jesusnot a man, nor an angel, nor even a cherubbut the second Member of the eternal Godhead into this world. 2. But God sent Jesus as a human being. 3. Again, I really do not know what Satan thought. a. Even with the deficits that sin had created within him, surely he knew he could not defeat God b. But Jesus was God in flesh. c. Satan has proved his superiority over the flesh every day for thousands of years. d. "Perhaps," Satan thought, "while God is in the flesh, I have a chance." e. And Satan when after Jesus with all of his fury and force. B. Satan attacked Jesus on two fronts. 1. First, He tried to kill Jesus. a. If Satan could kill Jesus, he would win by default for there would be no Savior to redeem mankind. b. I believe Satans attacks started before Jesus was born. (1) The Bible tells us nothing about it if it was so. (2) But I think the devil would be too smart not to have attacked this vulnerable pregnant lady. c. The Bible does describe at least some of the devils attacks once Jesus was born. (1) Herod, killing the babies of Bethlehem, was one of the first. (2) There were probably others, but the Bible specifically mentions three other attempts to kill Jesus. (a) Satan convinced those of Nazareth to attempt to throw Jesus head first off the side of a mountain \#Luke 4:16-29\. (b) At least twice, Satan filled the hearts of the religious leaders in Jerusalem to stone Jesus \#John 8:59, 10:31\. d. All of these attempts failed, sometimes with Jesus simply walking through them. e. I dont know of anyone who really knows what that means, except that Jesus walked through them. 2. At the same time, God allowed Satan to try to trick Jesus into sinning. a. If Satan could tempt Jesus into sinning, he would win by disqualification for Jesus would be unfit to be the Savior. b. That had worked so well on Eve in the Garden, he must have hoped it might work on Jesus too. c. But Eve was easy compared to Jesus. (1) Satan pulled out his best bribes, but Jesus resisted them all. (2) Satan appealed to Jesus prideand found He had none. (3) Satan tried to anger Jesus but could not. (4) He sowed seeds of doubt, but they would not take root. (5) Satan offered Jesus shortcuts, but He refused them. d. And these are just the temptations that you and I can see and imagine. (1) What temptations do you suppose the devil offered in places where you and I cannot see or imagine? (2) And yet Jesus succumbed to none of them! C. The devil must have been about to despair, when he caught a break. 1. One of Jesus own, an inner disciple, showed signs of discontent. a. Could he get Judas to do to Jesus, what he had done to God? b. Could he get Judas to betray Jesus? c. The answer turned out to be, "yes," and it was quite easy. 2. Judas would sell Jesus, but things did not go as planned. a. During the Last Supper, Jesus let on that He knew Judas plan. b. Everything would have to be sped up. c. Judas fetched the Jewish guards while Satan lulled the disciples into a deep sleep. 3. Soon, Jesus was arrested. a. Satan must have watched with bated breath. (1) Would Jesus just walk out of the prison? He had done similar things before. (2) Would angels come to deliver Him? Satan knew by name those God would likely send. b. But God did nothing. (1) What kind of a Warrior is this? (2) At the devils suggestions, Jesus was slapped, stripped, and mocked. (a) Still, God did nothing. (b) Satan continued. (3) He whispered, "Plant thorns in His brow for a crown, drape a purple robe on His shoulders, and pretend He is a King. (4) I can hear the voices of the men as they laughed out loud, but I suspect the loudest cackle of all could not be heard with human ears, the crowing of the devil himself c. But still, as far as any could tell, God did nothing. 4. I wonder if it was possible that Satan got caught up in his own rage and excitement. a. Is it possible that he was not just encouraging others to cast themselves into the cruelty of sin; but he himself was also swept away? b. I suspect so. (1) I suspect Satan enjoyed every strike of the whip on his back, (2) I suspect he delighted when Jesus fell beneath the cross. (3) I suspect he gloated as Jesus was nailed to the beams. (4) I suspect he marched with excitement around the suffocating body of Jesus. c. Gods greatest Warrior? (1) "Ha!" he no doubt cried out! (2) His fiendish flesh may have crawled with joy as he watched deaths tenacles wrap themselves around the body of Jesus, slowing crushing the life out of Him. (3) Demonic chill bumps must have run up and down his spine as he watch the grave grab the feet of Jesus and pull Him downward. d. I suspect Satans only disappointment was that death came so quickly. (1) Satan would have preferred it much slower. (2) He would have wished Jesus to hang there for days, for years, even for centuries. (3) Perhaps he like found some comfort in telling himself he had worn the earthly body of Jesus to such a frazzle that even weaker mortals He was crucified between. (4) And he knew deaths chains were wrapping so tightly that no one could loosen their eternal grip. D. And through it all, God did nothing. 1. This was Gods greatest Warrior? 2. This was the battle of the eternity? 3. "Why," said the devil, "This was no more difficult than tricking Eve or luring Adam! He was easy to defeat!" 4. Oh, the sky grew dark for a few hours. 5. The earth even shook when He died. 6. But he had won. 6. The Messiah, Gods Warrior, was dead. 7. His body was laid in a cold, damp grave. 8. There was no doubt of it! E. But God was not finished yet. V. Chapter Five-Gods Greatest Surprise A. I dont know when Satan first realized it was not over. 1. Perhaps it was not until he heard what the religious leaders said to Pilate, speaking to him of a resurrection. 2. Perhaps it was sooner, maybe when he calmed down enough to remember the prophecies, to realize that in his own haste, he HIMSELF had helped to fulfill the Scriptures, causing Jesus to be crucified on a tree. B. Whatever it was, he knew he must move quickly. C. Jesus must NOT leave that tomb. 1. He gave Pilate the idea to seal it and set a guard, and he likely did the same. 2. Satans strongest and his evilest set watch around the tomb, hoping to repel any powers God might send. 3. By the sheer numbers along, I imagine Satan blanketed the hillside of Golgotha. 4. And when all was set, he himself, the anointed cherub that covered, likely sat in front of the tomb or perhaps on top of that rock which had been used for a door. 5. With all of the forces of evil gathered on that spot, a spirit of gloom, of despair, of sheer evil must have hung heavy over it. 6. And Satan probably smiled, for in all the days since he had first sinned against God, for whatever the reason, God had let Satan go unchecked. a. Satan had won victory after victory and now on this day, he likely feared very little. b. God may have talked big, but He had done nothing, or so the devil thought. c. But God was not finished yet. D. Just before the sun began to crest over Israels mountains, the ground beneath Satans feet began to tremble and the sky began to lighten with a brightest that Satan had only seen in the heavens. 1. The holy glow of heaven hurt his eyes, and a cold chill ran across his now trembling body. 2. Being a spirit himself, he peered inside the closed tomb. a. The tomb now set exactly as it had been; except now, it was totally empty! b. The now empty wrap of sheets, still held in place by the hardening ointments, now sagged some in the middle. c. The shroud that had been laid over His face, was folded and left at the head. d. It was empty, deaths chains broken into a million pieces were scattered along the cave floor! e. Human eyes would never see them, but they were visible to him. 3. "How could this be?" he was about to demand, but before he say a word, the stone through which he was peering, began to slid up the hillside. a. That heavenly glow quickly filled the small cavern. b. "This cant be," the devil screamed to himself. "Graves dont open!" (1) But the Grave, like Death, had lost its grip. (2) With shattered arms, all he could do was whimpered and crawled away. c. Satan turned to look at what was happening on the outside of the tomb. (1) Two angels were descending. (2) Demons were fleeing. (3) The Roman guards lay past out on the ground. (4) In the far distance, he heard the sobbing of women as they approached the tomb; but he knew they would not cry for long. d. Satan bowed his head and slinked back to the dark pits of hell. (1) He was defeated, and He was damned. (2) He will make a show of it; but he knows, all is lost. (3) As he filtered through the stones, I hope he heard clearly what the angel told the women. Luke 24:5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen: Chapter Six is not yet complete, but it is entitle Gods Greatest Opportunity. It is not about an opportunity FOR God. It is about an opportunity FROM God, to you. You can have Jesus death on the cross pay for your sins. If you do, you will a new life, both on this earth and for all eternity. It will not be a sinful life. It will be a new kind of living, the kind of living God intended you to have all along. You and you alone get to write that chapter.