The Lamb Lives!

Easter Morning

March 27, 2016

Mark 16:1-8

The Lamb Lives!

In the name of the Father and of the ☩ Son and of the Holy Spirit.

They weren't there for His beginning, for He has no beginning. He was created them in the beginning of this world. And since then, He has sent them to drop bombshells on His world.

I'm talking about Christ and His angels. The Lord sent an angel to the Virgin to tell her that she would carry God's Son in her womb. And nine months later, His angels announced His birth.

But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born for you in the city of David. (Luke 2 HCSB)

But just as at the beginning of His life, angels dropped the mysterious bombshell on confused people at His resurrection. Like the shepherds, the Marys and Salome weren't expecting what the angels told them.

“Don’t be alarmed! You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has been resurrected! He is not here! See the place where they put Him.” (Mark 16:6 HCSB)

Neither the shepherds or the people of Bethlehem or the Marys or the people of Jerusalem were expecting the news that Jesus was alive and well. But not because they hadn't been told.

Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; One will come from you to be ruler over Israel for Me. His origin is from antiquity, from eternity. (Micah 5:2 HCSB)

From then on Jesus began to point out to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day. (Matthew 16:21 HCSB)

Why had they been told that God's Son had to be born, die, and return to life? Because without His suffering and death, our sin would destroy us. We see this destruction all around us and yes, even inside of us.

But the Lamb has been sacrificed and is now alive again. Jesus' resurrection is the Life that makes all other life alive. And so the angels were sent to speak this life to us: the Holy Lamb of God who has no beginning or end, who sacrificed Himself to take away your sin, has come back to life just as He promised. So we no longer fear death. So we no longer fear life because He is alive and forgives our fear, our sin, our pride.

He is not in the tomb for the Lamb lives forever and ever!

God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us,

so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God! Amen!

2 Corinthians 5:21