Lamoille Valley Grace Brethren Church
April 5, 2026

      • Psalm 18:46LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • Psalm 18:49LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

  • Christ Is Risen

      • Luke 24:1–7LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • 2 Corinthians 9:6–7NASB95

  • Luke 23:50-24:12
    All You Have to Do …
    The French mathematician Auguste Comte was talking about religion one day with the Scottish essayist Thomas Carlyle. Comte suggested they start a new religion to replace Christianity, based on positive thinking and mathematical principles. Carlyle thought about it a moment and replied, “Very good, Mr. Comte, very good. All you will need to do will be to speak as never a man spoke, and live as never a man lived, and be crucified, and rise again the third day, and get the world to believe that you are still alive. Then your religion will have a chance to get on.”[1]
    The historical fact of the resurrection is what sets Jesus apart from all other religious leaders.
    Interrogative Sentence:  How did the people who witnessed the events of the Christ’s resurrection respond to this pivotal event?
    Proposition:  Godly people will respond properly to the resurrection of Jesus.
    Transitional Statement:  Luke shows us 3 groups or individuals who responded in different ways to Christ's death and resurrection.

    I.  Joseph of Arimathea (23:50-54)

    A.  Who He Was

    Luke 23:50–51 NASB95
    50 And a man named Joseph, who was a member of the Council, a good and righteous man 51 (he had not consented to their plan and action), a man from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who was waiting for the kingdom of God;
    His Name
    His Position – Prominent member of the council or Sanhedrin in Jerusalem.
    His Character
    • good = benevolent, profitable, useful.
    • righteous
    His Stance – secret follower along with Nicodemus (John 19:38-42). We might ridicule Joseph for his secretive discipleship. But let’s not be too judgmental…
    Who Said That?
    During his years as premier of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev denounced many of the policies and atrocities of Joseph Stalin. Once, as he condemned Stalin in a public meeting, Khrushchev was interrupted by a shout from a heckler in the audience.
    “You were one of Stalin’s colleagues. Why didn’t you stop him?”
    “Who said that?” roared Khrushchev. An agonizing silence followed as nobody in the room dared move a muscle. Then Khrushchev replied quietly, “Now you know why.”[2]
    His Home - not much is known about Arimathea. It was a city of the Jews (Luke tells us). Ramah? The Seat of Deborah (Judges 4:5).
    His Hope - He was waiting for the kingdom of God.

    B.  How He Responded

    Luke 23:52–54 NASB95
    52 this man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 And he took it down and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had ever lain. 54 It was the preparation day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.
    He Asked for Jesus' Body – criminals not buried. Often left on the crosses to until they rotted off. He had to gather up courage (Mark 15: 42-47) to ask for Jesus’s body. Probably because of the fear of the Romans as well as the fear of his colleagues in the Sanhedrin.
    He Cared for Jesus' Body – 100 pounds of spices, $15,000 to $25,000.
    He Buried Jesus' Body - If he did it personally, then he would have been considered unclean for the sabbath (7 days). (Numbers 19:11-13)
    Faith and Hope
    During World War II, a pharmacist’s mate, Wheeler B. Lipes, Jr., performed a lifesaving appendectomy on Seaman Darrell Dean Rector aboard the submarine, Sea Dragon. Maneuvering behind enemy lines in the Pacific, the closest thing to a doctor on board was pharmacist’s mate Lipes, a lab technician by training, who had witnessed an appendectomy.
    Facing certain death if not operated upon, Rector agreed to Lipes correcting the situation. Without surgical instruments, Lipes used a knife blade for a scalpel, a tea strainer to administer ether, and spoons from the galley to keep the incision open during surgery. The crude tools were sterilized with alcohol from a torpedo.
    Surgery was performed in the officer’s quarters on September 11, 1942, the first appendectomy aboard a submerged submarine. Rector resumed his responsibilities in thirteen days.[3]
    Sometimes we don’t know what we are capable of until we called to do something out of the ordinary. Joseph was called to care for the pre-resurrected body of his master, Jesus. He rose to the occasion.
    Application?  Closet follower of Jesus? May you gather up the courage you need to show your love for Jesus Christ no matter what your friends, co-workers, the government, or your family might think.

    II.  The Women (23:55-24:10)

    A.  Who They Were

    Luke 23:55 NASB95
    55 Now the women who had come with Him out of Galilee followed, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid.
    Luke 24:10 NASB95
    10 Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles.
    Mary Magdalene — follower who had seven demons cast out of her (Mark 16:9).
    Joanna — is also notable because she was the wife of Chuza, one of Herod Antipas’ estate managers (Luke 8:2-3). She also had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses. Witherington, B., III. (1992). Joanna (Person). In D. N. Freedman (Ed.), The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Vol. 3, p. 855). Doubleday.
    The other Mary (wife of Clopas, mother of James, Joses, and Joseph),
    and certain other women like Salome — possibly the mother of the apostles, James and John.
    What about Mary, the mother of Jesus? She was not present because she would have been mourning in her home for 7 days according to Jewish custom.

    B.  How They Responded

    Luke 23:55–24:5 NASB95
    55 Now the women who had come with Him out of Galilee followed, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes. And on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment. 1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; 5 and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead?
    They Observed - they went to the tomb and watched Joseph and Nicodemus place Jesus’ body in the tomb.
    They Prepared - They didn’t have much time before the sabbath began, but they had all the spices ready before sundown, and then rested for the sabbath. This is commendable devotion.
    They Wondered — perplexed - anxious about it.
    They Listened — to the angels
    They Remembered — How did all of Jesus’ followers miss this? The women remembered and acted as a result.
    Luke 24:6–8 NASB95
    6 “He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, 7 saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” 8 And they remembered His words,
    They Announced
    Luke 24:9 NASB95
    9 and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.
    Transformed by the resurrection, they are the first heralds of the resurrection. what an honor for these faithful, devoted women who served Jesus often behind the scenes, but were essential to His ministry.
    The Church Behind Bars
    Chuck Colson, exhausted from an over-booked schedule, arrived in rain and fog at a prison in remote Montana on the day before Easter, 1988. He was to speak at two services that morning, and the first went badly. Dog-tired and dry, his preaching lacked enthusiasm, and he sensed that he wasn’t reaching the men at all. Between services, he went to the chaplain’s office, sank to his knees beside the desk, and earnestly asked the Lord to take away his frustration, exhaustion, and despair. But as he rose from his knees, he felt no different and was too tired to greet the inmates as they began assembling. Waiting as long as possible to enter the service, he was surprised to find the room packed. As he took his seat, one of the inmates rose to give a testimony.
    “Ten years ago when Chuck Colson came to this prison,” the man said, “I was in my cell. I had no intention of coming to the chapel to hear him. I knew he was a phony, and I wanted nothing to do with Christianity. But everyone in the prison seemed to be talking about the visit. The governor was coming with Colson, as well as a lot of television and newspaper reporters. If Colson can get the governor to come to prison, I thought, I might as well see what he is all about.”
    Then the man turned to Colson and said, “I listened to you preach, and I was impressed, but I wasn’t buying it. When the meeting ended, I headed for the door. Somehow you were there before me, and you cut me off at the pass. You looked right at me and asked, ‘Do you know Jesus Christ as your Savior?’ I looked back at you and said, ‘No.’
    “I’ll never forget—” the man continued. “You looked me straight in the eye and said, ‘Well, why are you here, then? You’d better get with it.’
    “That exchange haunted me. It was the beginning of my spiritual journey. Soon after I gave my life to Jesus, and everything has been different ever since.”
    The inmate, having given his own heart to Christ, had begun to evangelize inside the prison. One after another, prisoners had come to Christ.
    “You see all these men, Chuck? This is the body of Christ that has grown up as a result of that meeting ten years ago. The church is alive inside this prison.”
    Amid thunderous applause, the inmate proceeded to give Chuck a collection taken in the prison for Prison Fellowship’s ministry.
    “I felt their vitality flood into me,” Chuck later recalled. “I had come to them weary and worn out, and the church inside the prison—planted without my knowledge ten years earlier—replenished me with its love and faithfulness. Just at the point of need, the power of the resurrected Christ flowed from one part of His body into another.
    “That Easter I had proof once again, in His living presence among a band of Christian inmates, that Jesus Christ is risen again.”[4]
    Application — Don’t despise the support role you may have. God can use you powerfully behind the scenes as He did with these women. Be devoted to Jesus and use your gifts to minister for Him.

    III.  The Apostles (24:11-12)

    A.  They Doubted the Report

    Luke 24:11 NASB95
    11 But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them.

    B.  They Investigated the Evidence

    Luke 24:12 NASB95
    12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened.
    Why Can You Refute Christianity?
    Josh McDowell entered university as a young man looking for a good time and searching for happiness and meaning in life. He tried going to church, but found religion unsatisfying. He ran for student leadership positions but was disappointed by how quickly the glamour wore off. He tried the party circuit, but he woke up Monday mornings feeling worse than ever.
    He finally noticed a group of students engaged in Bible study, and he became intrigued by the radiance of one of the young ladies. He asked her a reason for it. She looked him straight in the eye, smiled, and said, “Jesus Christ.”
    “Oh, for heaven’s sake,” he retorted, “don’t give me that garbage about religion.”
    She replied, “I didn’t say religion; I said Jesus Christ.”
    The students invited him to intellectually examine the claims of Christ and the evidence supporting Christianity. He accepted their challenge, and after much study and research, finally admitted that he couldn’t refute the body of proof supporting Christianity. McDowell received Christ as his Savior, and his research became the background for his book Evidence That Demands a Verdict.
    One of the major factors in his conversion to Christianity was his inability to ignore the historical resurrection of Jesus Christ, a point he made later to a student at the University of Uruguay who asked him, “Professor McDowell, why can’t you intellectually refute Christianity?”
    “For a very simple reason,” replied McDowell. “I am not able to explain away an event in history—the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”[5]

    C.  They Marveled at the Truth

    Luke 24:12 NASB95
    12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened.
    Application
    Jesus Christ is Risen!  Do you need to gather up courage like Joseph?
    Jesus Christ is Risen!  Do you need to remember and announce it like the women?
    Jesus Christ is Risen!  Do you need to investigate and marvel like the apostles so you can tell the world?
    [1]Morgan, R. J. (2000). Nelson's complete book of stories, illustrations, and quotes (electronic ed.) (251). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
    [2]Morgan, R. J. (2000). Nelson's complete book of stories, illustrations, and quotes (electronic ed.) (153). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
    [3]Jones, G. C. (1986). 1000 illustrations for preaching and teaching (83). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.
    [4]Morgan, R. J. (2000). Nelson's complete book of stories, illustrations, and quotes (electronic ed.) (248–249). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
    [5]Morgan, R. J. (2000). Nelson's complete book of stories, illustrations, and quotes (electronic ed.) (250). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

      • Luke 23:50–51LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • Luke 23:52–54LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • Luke 23:55LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • Luke 24:10LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • Luke 23:55–24:5LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • Luke 24:6–8LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • Luke 24:9LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • Luke 24:11LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • Luke 24:12LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • Luke 24:12LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

  • The Power Of The Cross
  • Christ The Lord Is Risen Today
  • Worthy
Lamoille Valley Grace Brethren Church
pastorethan@lvgbc.net
8028883339
http://www.lvgbc.net
26 members