Do Not Get Stuck At The Tomb

Devotional

Day 1: The Tomb is a Place of the Past

The women went to the tomb expecting to find death, but Jesus had already moved on. They were devoted to Christ but were misinformed, stuck in the events of a previous day. Heaven is always moving forward, not backward. God is not working in your past seasons but in your present and your future. Do not search for life among things that have expired. [50:05]

“Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” Then they remembered his words.
Luke 24:5-8 (NIV)

Reflection: What is one "tomb" from your past—a disappointment, a hurt, or a season God has clearly moved you from—that you find yourself looking back at, much like Lot's wife? What would it look like to consciously choose to fix your eyes forward on what God is doing today instead of what was?

Day 2: Remember What God Has Said

In times of tragedy and confusion, it is easy to forget God's promises. The disciples knew Jesus' words but their pain made them forget the promise of resurrection. Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. When emotions rise like a tide, God's word is the anchor for your soul. His promises stand true even when circumstances say the opposite. [58:30]

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
Romans 10:17 (NIV)

Reflection: When a current difficulty feels overwhelming, which specific promise from God's word can you choose to hold onto and remember, even if your present reality seems to contradict it?

Day 3: You Cannot Carry Burial Spices into a Resurrection

The women brought spices meant for a dead body, but Jesus was alive. What was necessary in one season becomes a hindrance in the next. You cannot bring the baggage, fears, or identity from a past season into the new life God has for you. Just as a winter coat is obstructive in summer, holding onto the old obstructs the freedom of your new season in Christ. [01:05:51]

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

Reflection: What is one "burial spice" or piece of "old clothing" from a past season—a habit, a mindset, or a fear—that you need to throw aside to fully step into the new thing God is doing in your life right now?

Day 4: Turn Away from the Tomb to See Jesus

Mary Magdalene was crying at the tomb, focused on death, and did not recognize Jesus standing nearby. Her breakthrough came when she heard Him call her name and turned away from the tomb toward Him. When our eyes are fixed on our loss or disappointment, we can miss the living Christ who is with us. Your breakthrough is found in recognizing His voice and turning toward Him. [55:19]

Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
John 20:16 (NIV)

Reflection: In what area of your life are you currently focusing on the "tomb," and what might it look like to intentionally turn your gaze away from that disappointment to seek the presence of the living Jesus?

Day 5: Go Tell Someone the Tomb is Empty

The women did not stay at the empty tomb; they left to tell the others the incredible news. The resurrection life we have in Christ is not a secret to be kept but a story to be shared. Your personal testimony of how God has moved in your life has great power to bring hope to others. Your breakthrough can be someone else's answered prayer. [01:13:46]

When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others.
Luke 24:9 (NIV)

Reflection: Who in your life needs to hear the hope that your story provides, and what is one practical step you can take this week to gently and lovingly share how God has brought you out of a past season?

Sermon Summary

The resurrection rewrites every graveyard of expectation. The narrative follows the women who came to the tomb expecting a dead body and found an empty place instead. The empty tomb exposes a common spiritual trap: devotion can coexist with wrong expectations. The text contrasts sight and faith — the disciples had seen crucifixion and burial, so their vision anchored them to Friday instead of allowing them to live into resurrection. Angels confront that misdirection with a question: why search for the living among the dead? That question reframes sorrow as misplaced sight and calls attention back to the promises Jesus had already spoken.

The message presses four practical moves. First, the tomb represents finished seasons; staying there preserves what God intends to bury. Second, remembering God’s Word matters because pain dulls memory and faith comes by hearing. Third, an actual transition requires leaving the tools and marks of the old season behind — burial spices, linen wrappings, and old identities obstruct resurrection motion. Examples from Lazarus, Mary Magdalene, and blind Bartimaeus show that resurrection demands active response: hear the voice, throw aside the cloak, step out and follow. Finally, the empty tomb compels testimony. The women ran to tell the others; resurrection is not private victory but public proclamation that will seed hope in others.

The theology is simple and urgent: life moves forward. Heaven does not wait on human grief or stalled expectations. God raised Christ and calls people into new creation now; the old has gone. Spiritual progress requires remembering the promise, abandoning funeral habits, answering the call, and telling others that death has been overcome. The result is not mere optimism but a reorientation of living by faith rather than by sight — a daily practice of leaving yesterday in the tomb so the new can be lived fully today.

Key Takeaways

1. Don't stay stuck at the tomb Grief and disappointment can fix the mind on what ended rather than on what God has begun. When past images dominate imagination, faith shrinks to the size of yesterday’s evidence. Choosing to leave the tomb means refusing to live by sight and resetting expectation to God’s promised future. [28:33]
2. The tomb is a place of the past Tombs mark seasons that have closed; devotion to what once was will stifle new movement. Love for what God did yesterday can become a prison if it hardens into an expectation that nothing new will come. Identifying which tombs still hold attention frees the heart to receive what God is doing now. [44:57]
3. Remember and stand on God's word Hardship erases memory; scripture restores it. Faith is renewed by hearing and rehearsing God’s promises, not by rehearsing the evidence of loss. Returning to God’s word recalibrates vision from what is seen to what is promised. [57:47]
4. Drop burial spices; embrace resurrection Practical symbols from old seasons become dead weight in new seasons. Letting go of former identities, rituals, and baggage allows movement into the freedom God offers. Resurrection requires action: remove the grave clothes, throw aside the cloak, and walk into the new. [64:09]
5. Tell others: the tomb is empty Resurrection produces proclamation; testimony transfers hope. A private miracle that stays secret cannot overcome communal despair. Sharing the emptied tomb invites others to leave theirs and follow into life. [71:51]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[23:50] - Proclamation & Kids Dismissal
[25:45] - Scripture: Luke 24 Introduction
[27:17] - Opening Prayer and Theme Introduced
[30:08] - Psalm 118 & Resurrection Perspective
[35:47] - Women at the Tomb (Luke 24:1–12)
[44:28] - The Tomb as Past; Leave It Behind
[64:09] - Practical Steps: Remember, Release, Proclaim

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading: Luke 24:1-12 (ESV)
But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 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? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 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, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 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.

Observation questions

What were the women expecting to find when they went to the tomb and what did they bring with them?
What was the angels' question to the women and what did they tell them to do?
How did the apostles react when the women told them what they had seen and heard?
What did Peter do after hearing the news and what was his reaction upon seeing the empty tomb?

Interpretation questions

The angels asked, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?" [40:02] What does this reveal about the disconnect between what the women believed and what was actually true?
The women remembered Jesus' words only after the angels reminded them [40:54]. Why does hardship and disappointment often make us forget God's promises?
Peter saw the linen cloths but went away "marveling" rather than immediately believing [43:31]. What keeps people from moving from confusion to faith even when presented with evidence?
The spices the women brought were appropriate for burial but irrelevant for resurrection [01:04:09]. Why is it difficult to let go of things that were once useful but now hold us back?

Application questions

What "tomb" are you currently focused on—a past disappointment, failure, or season that God has already moved you from? [44:57] What would it look like to turn your attention away from that grave and toward where Jesus is working now?
When facing difficult circumstances, what specific promise from God's Word can you hold onto when what you see contradicts what God has said? [57:47]
What "burial spices" are you still carrying—old habits, identities, or ways of thinking from a past season that are hindering your movement into what God has next? [01:04:09] What would it look like to actively throw those aside today?
Who in your life needs to hear your story of how God has brought life out of death in your circumstances? [01:11:51] How could sharing your experience with resurrection hope encourage someone else to leave their tomb?
What practical step can you take this week to "live by faith, not by sight" in a specific area where you've been relying only on what you can see? [32:04]
How can you create reminders of God's faithfulness to help you remember His promises when difficult times come? [57:47]

Sermon Clips

Go tell someone the tomb is empty. Verse 24 chapter 24 verse nine says this, when they came back from the tomb, when they say, they told all the things to the 11 and to all the others. You see, having resurrection in your life, having Christ in your life is not something to keep a secret. It's something that proclaim out loud and tell others. They didn't stay at the tomb once they came to the realization of the resurrection. They left and went and tell everyone. Think of it this way and I know it said many times. If you knew a cure for a deadly disease in this world, would you keep it to yourself or would you tell everyone? We'd all tell everyone. [01:11:39] (47 seconds) #TombIsEmptyShareIt

That doesn't make a difference. What makes a difference is that he rose from the dead. So I'm not gonna argue with you if it was Sunday, Saturday, whatever day of the week that we go with. I don't care about that. What I care about is that Christ died for me and he rose again. I don't care if it was ten thousand years ago, two thousand years, however you wanna try to make yourself with all these calendars. People just love to complain about different things. The fact is he rose from the dead, and that's what we celebrate here. [00:35:19] (28 seconds) #HeRoseWeCelebrate

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