Very early on the first day of the week they came to the tomb. It was still dark, although the first glimmers of the new day were beginning to shine on the horizon. The gospel writers tell us that a group of women, including Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Joanna, Salome and others arrived carrying the spices that they needed to anoint Jesus’ body in a final act of tenderness and devotion. But when they arrived, they found that the stone that had been placed across the entrance to the tomb had already been rolled away and Jesus’ body was gone. Mary Magdalene in dismay immediately left the group and rushed to tell Peter and John who, it seems, were not with the rest of the disciples. Peter, you may remember, had left the other disciples in order to follow Jesus to the courtyard of the high priest on the night of Jesus’ betrayal. And there, three times, he had denied even knowing His Lord. Similarly, John had stayed close by in Jerusalem. John 19:26 says that even after the other disciples had all fled, he remained close enough to be addressed directly by Christ in the moment of His crucifixion. And so Peter and John we know were not with the rest, and likely staying perhaps even together somewhere in the city.
And with Mary on her way to find them, Peter and John, the remaining women went into the tomb and there they saw two angels who told them that Jesus had risen from the dead. And with great joy, they went to tell the rest of the disciples, perhaps going to find them all the way back to Bethany on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. Meanwhile, Peter and John raced to the tomb with Mary Magdalene not far behind them. In the tomb, they saw the graveclothes in which Jesus had been wrapped after His death lying neatly in place, but of Jesus’ remains there was no sign. Soon they left the tomb, no doubt in deep distress at what they must have assumed at this point was the latest indignity being inflicted upon Jesus and upon those who love Him. Mary Magdalene, you will remember, for her part lingered at the grave, perhaps to be alone for a time with her grief. And there she met a man she did not at first recognize through her tears. Thinking Him the gardener, she asked if He knew what had been done with Jesus’ body. And then he spoke her name – “Mary.” And suddenly, she saw who this man truly was and her tears of sorrow turned to tears of joy as she clung to Jesus, risen from the dead, as though never to let Him go again.
But Jesus had work for Mary to do. And so He sent her with the good news back to the disciples. Luke 24 tells us that at that time, Jesus also met two other disciples on the road to Emmaus that day. And when those two reached the main group of disciples to share what had happened, they found out that Jesus had also appeared to Simon Peter. And while they were all still talking excitedly about these events, Jesus Himself came and stood in the midst of them. “Peace to you,” He said. “Why are you troubled and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See, My hands and feet, that it is I Myself. Touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And He explained to them, reminding them that this is what the Scriptures had promised would happen – that the Christ would suffer and die and on the third day rise again. And then He commissioned them to preach the Gospel to all nations beginning with Jerusalem.
Those are the facts. Familiar. Wonderful. Harmonized as best I can from the various details of the Gospel records. Familiar, certainly, but no less thrilling for all of us who are followers of Jesus. And we are right today to pause to celebrate them. But, while the Gospel accounts relay the history as I’ve just summarized it for you of the resurrection and what took place on that day, they do not spell out in much detail the implications of what happened on that day. But the resurrection of Jesus Christ is not only good news because, like Mary and the disciples, we love Him and we are happy He is not dead. The resurrection of Jesus is good news because being alive again from the dead, the resurrection changes everything. The resurrection changes everything.
And if you would take your Bibles in hand once again, I’d like for you to turn with me to 1 Peter chapter 1. First Peter chapter 1, verses 3 through 9, which is one place where the implications of the resurrection of Jesus are spelled out for us. First Peter chapter 1, verses 3 through 9. There are four implications of the resurrection in the passage that I want to highlight with you. First of all in verse 3, because Jesus rose again, we have new life. New life. Secondly in verses 3 through 5, because Jesus rose again, we have new hope. New hope. Thirdly also in verse 5, because Jesus rose again, we have new security. New security. And finally in verses 6 through 9, because Jesus rose again, we have new joy. New joy. New life, new hope, new security, and new joy because the tomb is empty and Jesus lives. The resurrection, I hope you’re already beginning to see, really does change everything.
Before we unpack those themes, as always, let’s pause first of all to pray and then we’ll read God’s Word together. Let us pray.
Lord Jesus, we pray now that You would, by Your Word and Spirit, open our eyes, change our hearts, give to the spiritually dead new life, give to all who love You faith to cling to You with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the end of our faith, even the salvation of our souls. For we ask this in Your name. Amen.
First Peter chapter 1, beginning at verse 3. This is the Word of God:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
Amen.
Now don’t you love that Peter begins the body of his letter to the churches, to the Christians in Asia Minor, in verse 3 don’t you love how he begins singing. He begins singing. It’s a doxology, isn’t it, in verse 3? He’s about to unpack why the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead matters so very much, and he doesn’t start with a series of propositions or carefully nuanced affirmations and denials making fine theological distinctions. Does he? No, Peter starts with praise. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!” Worship, Peter wants us to see, ought to be the heart of our response to the glorious fact that Jesus is alive. As helpful as it can be, our priority this morning is not to defend the resurrection. It’s not to explain the resurrection. It’s not to describe the resurrection. It is to adore the “God of peace who brought again from the dead the Lord Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd of the sheep.” If our minds have been enlightened and our convictions sharpened and our understanding deepened but we do not rise with Peter to bless the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, then we will not yet have begun to penetrate into the wonder of the mystery that Jesus lives.
But you’ll notice that Peter does not simply summon us to worship to bless the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He actually helps to kindle, to ignite the fires of worship in our hearts in this amazing passage by showing us these four glorious blessings that flow out of the empty tomb into every believing heart. Notice for a moment with me the logic of the passage. Can you see how everything that Peter talks about here depends on the resurrection of Jesus Christ? Look at the passage with me. We are “born again,” he says, “to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” verse 3. And that living hope that comes from the resurrection, he then further explains is an “inheritance kept in heaven for us,” in verses 4 and 5. And then because of this living hope that flows from the resurrection, Peter says we now rejoice, in verses 6 through 9. So the resurrection is the cause, and new birth and new hope and new security and new joy are the necessary, inevitable effects in the heart of every believer.
And by the way, did you notice how these four themes together describe the whole Christian life? Did you notice that? From its beginning in the new birth to our preservation, our perseverance, our perseverance, to our joy amidst sorrow to our hope of heaven – the beginning, and the middle and the end of the Christian life are all described here as the fruit of that first Easter Sunday morning. Everything you enjoy, every blessing of the Christian life, Peter says is yours because Jesus rose again. No wonder he starts with a doxology. No wonder praise ought to be our great goal this morning.
New Life
And so with that as our goal, let’s look for a moment at the first of these four resurrection blessings. We have new life, Peter says, because Jesus rose again. We all know, I’m sure, that the ancient Egyptians mummified their monarchs in an effort to prepare them for immortality. Pharaoh Ramses II was born around 1278 BC, the third pharaoh of the ninth dynasty of ancient Egypt. His remains were discovered in 1881 and they had been stored in a museum in Cairo until in 1974 those remains had to be sent to specialists in France for urgently needed preservation and maintenance work. The problem was that at that time Egypt’s laws required that anyone living or dead have a passport in order to leave the country. And so after 4,000 years of not getting around very much, Ramses II was issued a passport and flew to Paris, which I suppose in the minds of many people in our post-Christian age is about as close to resurrection as any of us are likely to get.
But look at verse 3. Whatever the case with old King Ramses, Peter says Jesus is the King who did in fact rise again. And because He did, even we – you and me – even we can have new life, not just at the end of the ages but actually breaking into our experience here and now. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” New life – do you see it? Born again through the resurrection. That phrase “born again” bears a little reflection, I think. Peter is not talking – just to be clear – he is not talking about a revivalistic tent crusade crisis moment of personal decision. Being born again is not another name for turning over a new leaf or taking your religion more seriously at long last. Neither is born again simply a code word used by pollsters and sociologists for a particular segment of the Republican party.
Remember Nicodemus. Very few people ever took their religion more seriously than the Pharisee, Nicodemus. And Jesus told Nicodemus – John chapter 3 – “You, Nicodemus, you must be born again.” Nicodemus’ problem wasn’t that he needed to tighten up his theology or double down on his religious practices or be more regular at synagogue or more conservative at the polls. That’s not what Jesus was saying to him. Nicodemus’ problem is the same as our problem – my problem and your problem by nature. What’s our problem? Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1 – “We are dead in trespasses and sins.” Dead. Stuck. Spiritually unable. Helpless. We cannot deliver ourselves from the predicament in which we find ourselves. Sin has condemned us. It has killed us so that we can’t rescue ourselves. Spiritually speaking, we are no more alive by nature than Ramses II.
Now look again at verse 3 – “according to His great mercy, the blessed God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ “has caused us to be born again.” What is the cause of new life when it erupts into a dead sinner’s heart? Not our decision, not our calculation, not even our choice. If we are to have new life, it will only be caused by the mercy of God the Father who causes us to be born again. And that mercy will reach us – notice this carefully in the text – “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Easter Sunday happened to give new life to dead sinners. Listen again to Ephesians chapter 2 at verse 4 this time. “God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even while we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with Him.” Jesus is the engine. And if we are Christians, we are cars in the train all linked to Him. So that when He rose from the grave that first Easter, He pulled His people like an engine pulls the train along with Him up out of spiritual death, up into newness of life.
Brothers and sisters, you are a Christian today not because that’s what your mama taught you, not because of some moment of personal crisis, not because you came to understand things differently and saw the good news about Jesus in a new light. All of that is certainly true at one level, but you are a Christian today ultimately because Jesus rose again. You are a Christian today because of Easter Sunday. Because He lives, you live. We have new life because Jesus rose again.
New Hope
Secondly, we have new hope because Jesus rose from the dead. God has caused us – look at the text again – “to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.” It is a living hope, Peter says, because we have a living Savior. Death could not defeat Him, and because He now lives, as we believe in Him, it will not hold us either. That is the Christian hope. And if you look down at verse 4, Peter explains a little more about it. It is, he says, “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” In the Old Testament scriptures, you will remember the inheritance of God’s people Israel was the Promised Land. That was their inheritance, the land. And interestingly, the opposite, the antonyms of all three words that Peter uses to describe our inheritance are used to describe what happened to Israel’s inheritance in the land. It was perishable. It was in fact defiled by their sin and rebellion and so they lost it. It faded in all its glories.
But when you trust in Jesus Christ, who triumphed over death, yours will be an inheritance, Peter says, that can’t perish, it can’t be defiled, and it will never fade away. He’s talking about heaven, isn’t he? He’s talking about new creation. And our hope in that destiny in New Testament categories – let’s be clear about this – it’s not an aspiration. It’s not a wish; a vague longing for something that is at best an outside possibility. That’s how we tend to use the word “hope” – isn’t it? “I hope it won’t rain for my family’s Easter Sunday afternoon gathering, but I’m not sure. I hope, but I’m not sure.” Well when we talk about hope, generally it’s laced with uncertainty, but when the Bible talks about the Christian hope given to us because Jesus rose from the dead, it’s actually not talking about a feeling of hopefulness; it’s talking about the certainty of the thing hoped for. And Jesus’ resurrection is the guarantee of that destiny. If you’re a Christian, there is no question, there is no ambiguity, there is no uncertainty at all about your destiny. Yours will be resurrection glory! And it’s a certainty only because the tomb is empty and Jesus lives. We have new life. We have new hope because Jesus rose again.
New Security
Thirdly, Peter says we have new security because Jesus rose again. We’ve already begun to see something of that theme in the passage when we said that our hope is sure and certain and guaranteed – not because we secured it by our best efforts or our good works, but because Jesus secured it by His resurrection from the dead. That’s why Peter goes on to say in verse 4 that the inheritance for which we hope “is kept in heaven for you.” Do you see that phrase? “Kept in heaven for you who, by God’s power, are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” The inheritance that Jesus has secured for us is kept in heaven, it is imperishable, undefiled and unfading. Nothing can diminish the glory that awaits because Jesus lives. But that’s not all. We ourselves here on earth are also being kept and guarded for our inheritance. Because Jesus lives, the same power that raised Him from the dead is at work to keep you and to guard you and to secure you and to preserve you forever. Both sides of the equation are ensured and guaranteed by God. You are kept for heaven. Heaven is being kept for you. You are doubly secure. Doubly safe. Your destiny doubly guaranteed, but only because the tomb is empty and Jesus lives.
New Joy
New life. New hope. New security. Now finally Peter says we have new joy. New joy because Jesus rose again. “In this you rejoice,” verse 6. In this – salvation guaranteed by the power of God, secured by the resurrection of Christ, in all this you rejoice. Now let’s be clear. Christian joy is not a mere reaction to circumstantial pleasures. Christian joy is a settled gladness of heart deriving deep satisfaction from the lavish grace of God in Jesus Christ that comes to us because He rose again. That’s Christian joy. And you’ll notice this joy is incredibly realistic. Do you see this in the text? It’s not glib or saccharine or superficial or fake or worked up or pretended. “In this you rejoice,” he says – right now, today – “you rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials.” So their rejoicing is present tense and so is their grief amidst various trials. “Now,” he says, “you have been grieved.” In other words, Christian joy is a real world joy that is not touched by trials; it can coexist in the same heart at the same time right alongside real grief. When a person is born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, that new birth creates in them a capacity for both at once, for both joy and grief at the same time. Grief in circumstances. Grief in painful trials. Grief in remaining sin festering in our own hearts. Grief that this world around us is not the way it is supposed to be. And yet nothing, not even grief like that can touch that settled joy that rests upon and flows out of the fact of the empty tomb.
And did you notice that in verse 7, part of the purpose of God in these grievous trials that come our way is even spelled out for us. Do you see that in verse 7? What is God doing in allowing the joyful Christian heart to be grieved? They are all, Peter says, “so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” God is doing a refining, purifying, sanctifying work in us by the trials that we endure. And knowing that, Peter wants us to see, is cause for joy even when trials make your tears begin to flow. Because Jesus rose again, we know what the world cannot know. We know that none of our sorrows, none of our sufferings are aimless, pointless, useless things. No, God is at work in us, we know, to prepare us even through our trials for life with the risen Christ so that when He returns we will be ready to live with Him forever. And in the meantime, verses 8 and 9, we trust an unseen but living Christ and receive “the outcome of our faith, the salvation of our souls.” And so right now we rejoice, he says, “with joy that is inexpressible and full of glory.”
Alright, so do you see that there is new life, there is new hope, there is new security, and new joy all flowing from the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Now don’t you need a new start? Don’t you? A new start? A new beginning? A new life? You need to become a new you! The truth is, you are dead in your sin, dead under the wrath and curse of God if you are not a Christian. But because Jesus rose again, there is new life available in the mercy of God. You must be born again. You, you, you must be born again! You must look to the living, risen Christ and call out to Him. He is the fountain of the mercy of God.
New life. You can find it nowhere else. And don’t you need new hope in hopeless times? Not a forlorn hope, a desperate hope, a blind or foolish hope, a naive hope. You need confidence, don’t you, that no matter what comes, God is working His purposes out as year succeeds to year. You need to find a way to face tomorrow confident that you are being kept by the power of God. But you know, that kind of hope can only be found in Jesus Christ who defeats death and brings life and immortality to light. To have a living hope like that in dark days means to trust a living Christ. And what about new security? Don’t you need new security, friends? You can know that you are safe, really safe, not because you are strong or smart or spiritual. You can know that you are safe because sin and death and Satan were defeated on the day the stone was rolled away. If you will trust in the risen Christ, today you can say, you can say, “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future, and life is worth the living just because He lives.” And don’t you need new joy, new joy? This world is full of joy-killers, isn’t it? Turn on the news and feel your joy leach away. Right? But when you trust the risen Christ, not even grief, not even grief can do that to you. In fact, the very sufferings that grieve us, Peter says, are actually refining us, strengthening, deepening true faith in us, preparing us – all of us who trust in Jesus – to be with Him in risen glory of our own that is the mirror image of His. And in the meantime, he says that that faith that God is at work strengthening and deepening and refining, that faith in an unseen but risen Christ, that faith is a fountain of joy. A fountain of joy.
So let’s face it, Christians are mysteries to the world. Aren’t they? We are baffling creatures. Weird. We have new lives amidst the decay of the old. We have new hope when all around is change and decay. We have new security when there seems to be every reason to be afraid. And we have new joy even when sorrow strikes. And Peter says, you know, the key to unlocking the baffling mystery of how that is possible is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. It’s Easter Sunday. That’s the explanation for all of it. Jesus rose from the grave on the third day. “Doubt may lift its head and murmur, scoffers mock and sinners jeer, but the truth proclaims a wonder, thoughtful hearts receive with cheer. He is risen! He is risen! Now receive the risen King!” It’s the only explanation, you know, for the blessings of the Christian life in a difficult world like this one. It’s got nothing to do with the Christian and everything to do with the Christ in whom the Christian trusts. The resurrection of Jesus – it really does change everything, doesn’t it? The question I have is whether it will bring that kind of change into your heart and into your life this Easter. The risen Christ invites you to come to Him that you might know resurrection life for yourself.
Let’s pray together.
Lord Jesus, we bless You. We praise You that You live. That You live. That You are the One who died and is alive again forevermore. And that You are at work in every believing heart, even in the midst of trial, through trial, to refine us and strengthen faith and deepen joy, not weaken it. Thank You for new life and new hope and new security and new joy flowing like a river out of the empty tomb into all our hearts. How we pray for anyone here who knows nothing of that. Lord Jesus, would You take hold of them and grant to them now new mercy and new life. Take away their hearts of stone; give them hearts of flesh. Cause a spiritual resurrection within them, we pray, for Your honor and glory. Amen.