October 18, 2010
HE LIVES NOW
Luke 24:1-12
Blake Barnes
Central Truth
Christ has taken on your sins and my sins, atoned for them, and He still lives today.
Key Verse | Luke 24:6–7
"He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again." (Luke 24:6-7)
Luke 24:1-12
The Resurrection
1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.
Dive Deeper | Luke 24:1-12
Two summers ago, I went to a camp named Kanakuk Colorado (now named Camp Kivu). I learned intensely about my faith there. I went to a session called "Institution." That year, they had a new speaker by the name of Mike Aleckson. He was a near genius about the reason, logic, and understanding of who God is and why exactly he believed in Him.
Before camp I had never fully understood the gospel. I knew the whole "Jesus-died-on-the-cross-for-my-sins" gig, but I never really understood the significance of His resurrection. It always seemed like a side note to me. Overall, my faith was there, but my knowledge was incomplete.
During camp Mike went through the history and background of Christianity. About halfway through the second day, Mike said something that caught my attention: "Without the resurrection, my faith would not exist." It was as if I awoke from my partial slumber, and now I really listened. Mike continued by stating that the importance of the crucifixion was the atoning for man's sins. Further, the resurrection was the promise that Jesus Christ was alive and with us every day. Christ will come back for us.
Why would we worship and serve a God who cleaned our slates of sin and then left us to fend for ourselves? He died and rose to live with us now—to guide us through our hardships and forgive us for the sins we commit each day.
Discussion Questions
1. How does Christ living in you affect your day-to-day life?
2. Do you notice that He is not dead, but with you at all times?
3. Have you ever tried to picture a life without assistance or guidance from Him? A life on your own? Take a few minutes to thank Jesus for His presence in your life.
FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. If you put something in your drawer and went back to get it and it was gone, what would you think and do?
2. What did the women find when they went to the tomb of Jesus? What had happened?
3. When the women believed that Jesus was alive again, what did they want to do?
4. Go tell someone that Jesus is alive!