Run - Sit - Walk

Luke 24:1-12 The Resurrection, not the end of the story, just the beginning.

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? 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, ⁹ and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 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. ¹¹ But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them. 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.

The angels at the grave said:  “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? ⁶ He is not here, but He has risen.”  We too should not seek the living One among the dead. We should not seek Christ in the things He died for. On the cross, Jesus bore the sin of all mankind. When Christ was raised He did not carry those sins with Him. The price was paid, once for all. When we take our burdens to the cross; when we confess our sins to Him there, Jesus says: “Father forgive them.” He says: “It is finished.” Hebrews 8:12 quotes God’s declaration:  “For I will be merciful to their iniquities, And I will remember their sins no more.”  If we believe that Christ is risen, we should not seek the living among the dead. We who are alive should not act as though we are dead.  

Ephesians 2:4-10 says:  God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),  and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.    We are seated with God and Christ in heavenly places. Why then would we return to the dead things of the world? The resurrection though is not the end of the story. Rather it is just the beginning. Christ was not just raised 2000 years ago. He is risen!  We who are raised with Him may be seated with Him in heavenly places, but that also is not to be the end of our story. Rather it is just the beginning. Being raised with Him, we are created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. 

In the text, when the women went to tell the apostles what had happened and what they were told, it says:  These words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them. 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.   To much of the world, the resurrection seems as nonsense. They prefer to continue to live in the dead things of the world. We, like Peter should run each day not to seek the living among the dead, but rather in faith to see the risen Christ. We should run to the heavenly place where we are seated with Him. In His presence we should become the new creation He desires us to be. We should walk each day in the power and the revelation of the new creation we are in Christ. We should be those who are the living among the dead, doing the good works of God through Christ.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit; the resurrection may seem like nonsense to the world, but to me it is marvelous. Thank You that the resurrection is not the end of the story, but rather just the beginning. Each day may I run to Your presence, not seeking life among what is dead, but rather being raised with You, may I sit with You in heavenly places. By the power of the resurrection, may I walk each day; may I be the living in the midst of the dead in the world as I do the good works You have prepared for me and prepared me for.  Amen.