“On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 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 wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’8 ”Then they remembered his words.”
Luke 24:1-8 NIV
It’s a powerful thing to understand what happened during Easter.
A great preacher, Dr. S. M. Lockridge, an African American pastor, delivered a famous sermon called: It’s Friday but Sunday is coming! It’s only 3 minutes long but it’s a message of pure, profound truth and I want you to hear from the lips of this great preacher and then I will come right back.
It’s Friday but Sunday is coming!
In this sermon, he was preaching about the Calvary, it was Friday but Sunday is coming.
I want to preach the good news today! Today is Sunday! It’s Easter Sunday and Jesus is coming! Just like He said He would! He’s coming again!
The greatest and most historical events of all was when Jesus Christ died at the cross. He went through all that suffering because he loved you and me and wanted us to be saved!
There is no Easter Sunday without horrible Fridays! The sky grew dark, the earth began to tremble! The veil was torn in the temple. Jesus was hanging on that cross. Heaven was weeping, hell was rejoicing!
The perfect man, Jesus Christ was dying a terrible death. Satan thought he had destroyed Jesus on that Friday. Satan thought that the battle was won for hell on Friday. But three days later, a mighty Angel was dispatched from heaven, he rolled the stone away and Jesus Christ stepped out of that tomb.
When He died on that cross He was a silent lamb but when He rose from the dead and stepped out of that tomb He was no longer a silent lamb. He was the Lion of tribe of Judah and He was roaring with resurrection power.
The message is: He is not here in the tomb, He is risen! It’s Sunday, it’s Passover Sunday, it’s Easter Sunday, our Savior has humiliated hell, our Savior overcame Satan, He has defeated the strategies of hell against you, against your family.
He has taken your sins, and your shame and pronounced that you are forgiven, you are a child of the Highest God!
It’s Sunday and Jesus is coming again! Do you believe it?
It was Friday, a “Black Friday” but in that “Black Friday” there was no cheap products on sale, because Jesus was paying the price of our sins with His own blood. It was very expensive the price of your salvation and forgiveness.
When Jesus died on the cross, a lightning flashed, thunders roared and darkness came as nails were put into the hands of Jesus and nails went through his feet and Jesus was hanging between heaven and earth. Suffering for us.
I have a question for you. Do you know what is the most sinful place in the history in the world? Do you have any idea?
Maybe you say that was Sodom and Gomorrah, maybe the ancient Egyptians, or Ancient Rome or the Red-Light district in Amsterdam or maybe even Brazil during the carnival?
The most sinful place of the history of the World is the Cross.
Jesus became the most sinful man that ever lived.
Do you know why?
The scripture says “He became sin for us” 2 Corinthians 5:21
He had never known sin! All of sudden He not only had the sins of all the people of that generation but He had the sins of all mankind upon him.
Every person that will ever live and that has ever lived, Jesus had their sins upon Him. He became guilty of every single sin ever committed.
Try to image someone pure and innocent, a person that has never had a single dirty thought, and all of sudden He is guilty of every sin ever done.
His suffering was a thousand times worse than any man who had ever been crucified.
He was suffering not only physically but spiritually!
In that moment of pain He cried out “My God My God why have you forsaken me? Mark 15:34
Jesus was so sinful that His own father abandoned Him.
Our sins: immorality, sexual perversion, alcohol addictions, drugs, idolatry, falsehood, gossip, lies, all of it was placed on Jesus on the Cross. All my sins and your sins were upon Jesus on the Cross.
In the video we just watched, I love the line when the preacher says: It’s Friday, The world is winning, people are sinning and evil is grinning.
But I want to say: it’s Sunday!
They may be smiling, and winning and sinning but I want to say: It’s Sunday now and Jesus is coming and we better get our hearts ready, we better get our families ready, because He is coming soon! Jesus is coming soon.
I want you to know that we don’t only celebrate a resurrection that happened 2,000 years ago, but we celebrate another resurrection that is coming for those who have passed in the Lord: your mother, your father, your child, your wife, your husband, people that you love, people that you miss, people that you think about, people whom I preached in their funeral.
One of these days we will see this other resurrection!
“in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” I Corinthians 15:52 NKJV
The trumpet is going to sound and we are going to be with the Lord where there is no death, no more crying, no more sin, no more pain, for the former things will be passed.
I want to remind you that an Angel is going to chain Satan and throw him in a lake of fire and sulfur in which I will never go to because Jesus is Alive, It’s Sunday, Jesus is coming!
Calvary was a tremendous temporary victory for satan and all hell.
2,000 years ago, when they put that crown of thorns on His head and stabbed Him in His side, and pierced his abdomen, everyone said : Jesus Christ was defeated and all of hell was laughing and all of heaven was weeping but three days later, at the dawn of a new day, Jesus Christ came out of that tomb and Jesus Christ defeated satan, he defeated hell, He defeated the grave, He defeated death, He defeated sin and shame!
That Calvary was on Friday but today is Sunday!
Before His crucifixion the soldiers beat him three times. After beating Him up they took him across Jerusalem carrying a heavy cross.
On the way – Jesus stumbled and fell. He was weak from the loss of blood.
The soldiers compelled an African to help Him carry His cross.
It was an African that helped Jesus bare His cross. Mark15:21
It was not an European, or Jewish or white man that helped Jesus. But Simon of Cyrene – from Northern Africa.
Jesus belongs to all people, He died for all of us, but an African helped Him carry His cross.
The people that were watching were laughing and mocking at Jesus.
They said: He saved others why can’t He save Himself?
Come on! You worked great miracles, you healed many, you raised Lazarus from the dead! Why can’t you save yourself?
Those people did not realise what God had promised in Isaiah: “For the transgression of my people He was punished” Isaiah 53:8
Jesus was to die the death of the cross and it was only through that death that the world could find forgiveness and salvation.
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Acts 4:12 NIV
There is no other way to salvation! The only way that you can ever get to heaven is by way of the cross.
If Jesus Christ had not gone to the cross you could never have your sins forgiven! You could never reach heaven.
Only through the cross can we find our way back to God.
That’s why it’s important that Jesus stayed on the cross.
The only way back to God is through Jesus Christ.
You and I had broken God’s law. We deserved death. We deserved judgment. We deserved hell.
But God said “Wait a minute, I will give my son. I will let him die. I will let him take the judgment and hell for you.”
If you put your trust in my son and repent from your sins, I will forgive you!
I will change your life!
I will give you peace, joy and satisfaction that you could never find any other way.
The most relevant message in the world today is the fact that Jesus died for you.
He died in your place. He shed his blood for you and without repentance of sins we cannot be saved or forgiven.
When Jesus was on the cross two murders and thieves were dying with Him.
One of them was mocking Jesus, but the other one of them was silent and he rebuked the other thief and said:
“But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Luke 23:40-41 NIV
He said: We are sinners and deserved hell, we are dying justly. We deserve to be crucified but not this man in the middle. He is the Son of God !
“Then the criminal said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:42-43 NIV
He recognised his sins, He confessed that Jesus was the son of God and cried out for salvation!
What did Jesus answer? Today you will be with me in paradise. Salvation is today! This is the most important decision of your life.
He loves you and is willing to forgive and forget all of your past and write a new story for your life!
If you put your trust in Jesus and repent from your sins, He will forgive you! He will change your life!
May the Lord bless and keep you