Easter Sunday | Because He Is Risen….

Devotional

Day 1: The Tomb is Empty, and Everything Changes

The resurrection of Jesus is not a mere philosophy or ideology; it is a historical event. If the tomb was not empty, then the Christian faith is empty. But if it is true—and it is—then it changes everything about everything. Death is defeated, bondage can be broken, and your past does not have to define you. This single event is the foundation upon which all hope is built. [01:42]

“And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:14 ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life—a past failure, a present struggle, or a future fear—that feels permanently broken, and how might the truth of the empty tomb speak a new word of hope into that situation?

Day 2: You Can Doubt Your Doubts

It is possible to be a fully devoted follower of Jesus and still have questions. The first witnesses to the resurrection were perplexed, confused, and bewildered because they did not expect a miracle. They had to wrestle with the undeniable fact of the empty tomb, even when it contradicted their expectations and understanding. Their experience invites you to bring your own questions into the light of this truth. [13:11]

“While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel.” (Luke 24:4 ESV)

Reflection: What is a specific doubt or question you have about God, the Bible, or your faith that you have been hesitant to fully acknowledge? How might you begin to bring that doubt before God, trusting that He is not intimidated by your questions?

Day 3: Stop Seeking Life Among the Dead

Humanity has a deep, God-given desire for purpose, meaning, and satisfaction. Yet, we often pursue these things in places that can never truly provide them—through relationships, possessions, or status. These are good gifts, but they make terrible gods. The resurrection calls you to stop looking for life where there is no life and to find your ultimate fulfillment in the only one who can give it. [22:06]

“Why do you seek the living among the dead?” (Luke 24:5 ESV)

Reflection: Where have you recently been seeking ultimate satisfaction, significance, or life in something created, rather than in the Creator Himself? What would it look like to redirect that pursuit toward Jesus today?

Day 4: Your Past Does Not Define You

Grace is greater than your sin. The first person to whom the resurrected Christ appeared was Mary Magdalene, a woman formerly bound by seven demons. Her story demonstrates that there is more forgiveness in Christ than there is sin in you. Your identity is not found in your past mistakes, your present struggles, or the labels the world places on you. In Christ, you are a new creation. [35:32]

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV)

Reflection: What is one label from your past—a sin, a failure, or a season of life—that you have allowed to define you? How does the truth that you are a new creation in Christ challenge that old identity?

Day 5: The Invitation to Call on His Name

The most important response to the resurrection is a personal one. The Bible promises that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. This is not about cleaning yourself up first or having all the answers; it is about admitting your need for a Savior and trusting that what Jesus did on the cross was for you. This prayer is answered every single time. [42:48]

“For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” (Romans 10:13 ESV)

Reflection: If you have never made this personal call to Jesus, what is holding you back from doing so right now? If you have, take a moment to remember that initial moment of surrender and thank God for the blank canvas His grace provided.

Sermon Summary

The resurrection of Jesus anchors the account as a historical, world-changing event: a man confirmed dead rose from the grave, showed himself to many, and then ascended after commissioning his followers. The narrative in Luke 24 centers on women who went to anoint a corpse but discovered the stone rolled away and an empty tomb, generating confusion and wonder rather than the expected closure. Alternative explanations—body theft, a swoon, or conspiracy—fail on practical grounds, while the most coherent explanation remains that God raised Jesus, a claim that early witnesses risked everything to proclaim. The empty tomb demands a moral and spiritual response: if Jesus truly rose, death loses its finality, broken lives receive hope, and ordinary people gain access to radical forgiveness.

Three practical applications flow directly from the scene at the tomb. First, doubt does not disqualify devotion; the first witnesses arrived perplexed, and honest questions coexist with genuine surrender. Second, life belongs with the living—pursuing meaning in counterfeit gods like relationships, money, or status always disappoints because only the Giver fills the God-shaped hole. Third, the resurrection makes grace real and transformative: Mary Magdalene’s story illustrates that past bondage cannot outmatch the power of forgiveness, and a surrendered life receives a new identity as forgiven, adopted, and loved.

The call to respond remains clear and urgent. Calling on the Lord offers immediate reconciliation: admission of need, trust that the cross counts, and a turning from self-reliance into new life. Practical next steps include telling someone about that decision, opening Scripture—beginning in John—and joining a community that helps sustain the new direction. The resurrection both frames theology and activates discipleship: it answers ultimate questions without eliminating honest struggle, redirects longings toward the only lasting source of life, and offers a present, decisive encounter with grace that rewrites identity and purpose.

Key Takeaways

1. Doubt does not disqualify faith Honest questions can coexist with wholehearted surrender; early witnesses arrived at the tomb bewildered yet became the movement’s boldest proclaimers. Doubts often expose the depth of longing and force a reckoning that can deepen trust rather than erase it. Allowing uncertainty to surface opens space for encounter, not escape. [12:42]
2. Life belongs with the living Seeking true life in careers, relationships, or wealth repeatedly disappoints because those goods were never designed to be ultimate. Redirecting hunger toward the Giver reorders ambition and heals the restless quest for significance. When purpose comes from communion with God, other pursuits become gifts rather than gods. [21:40]
3. Grace erases the old The empty tomb proves that past bondage does not define the future; Mary Magdalene’s transformation models how forgiveness rewrites identity. Embracing grace means accepting a new label—redeemed, forgiven, adopted—that overrules shame without pretending consequences vanish. True renewal removes the finality of sin and opens the way to a lived, resilient hope. [38:03]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:21] - Easter greetings and campuses
[01:42] - Christianity as history, not ideology
[02:48] - The stakes if the tomb is empty
[05:07] - Luke 24: women at the tomb
[08:00] - Scholars and the empty tomb
[08:21] - Examining alternate theories
[11:51] - Three applications introduced
[12:42] - Application 1: doubt your doubts
[21:25] - Application 2: pursue true purpose
[33:17] - Application 3: embrace God’s grace
[36:34] - Blank canvas: forgiveness and newness
[42:03] - Call to respond and pray
[45:15] - Next steps: tell, read, connect

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
Luke 24:1–8 (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.

Observation questions

What did the women expect to find when they went to the tomb, and what did they actually discover?
How did the angels respond to the women’s confusion at the tomb?
What question did the angels ask the women, and what statement did they make about Jesus?
According to the angels, what had Jesus previously told his followers about his death and resurrection?

Interpretation questions

Why do you think the women were “perplexed” and frightened instead of joyful when they found the empty tomb?
The angels asked, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” What deeper meaning might this question have for people today who are searching for purpose or fulfillment in things that cannot truly satisfy? [21:40]
How does the resurrection provide a foundation for trusting Jesus even when we don’t have all the answers to our questions or doubts? [19:31]
In what ways does Mary Magdalene’s transformation illustrate the power of grace to rewrite a person’s identity and future? [33:37]

Application questions

Where have you been looking for life, purpose, or satisfaction in places that ultimately cannot fulfill you—such as relationships, achievements, or possessions? What would it look like to redirect that hunger toward God? [22:06]
What doubts or questions about faith do you currently wrestle with? How can you bring those honestly to God while still choosing to trust in what Jesus has done through his death and resurrection? [15:14]
Is there an area of your life where you still allow a past mistake, sin, or label to define you? How might embracing your identity in Christ—forgiven, loved, adopted—change the way you see yourself and live today? [38:38]
Who is one person you can tell about a decision you’ve made to follow Jesus or a way God has been working in your life? [44:46]
What’s one practical step you can take this week to grow in your relationship with Jesus—whether it’s reading Scripture (like starting in John), praying honestly, or joining with others in community? [45:15]
How does the truth that “death is defeated” because of the resurrection affect the way you face fear, grief, or uncertainty?
In what area of your life do you need to experience the “blank canvas” of God’s grace and forgiveness today? [36:34]

Sermon Clips

34s

#EmptyTombEverything

“And right here on the the the very start, we gotta realize that either the tomb is empty or Christianity is. Either the tomb is empty or Christianity is empty. Because if the claim that the tomb is empty, if that is false, then Christianity is just like every other other religion. But if it is true, it changes everything about everything about everything. That means that death is defeated. That means a bondage can be broken. That means your past, regardless of what it is, does not have to define you.”

40s

#ForgivenByTheCross

“What you've gotta understand on Easter Sunday morning is this. When Jesus died on the cross and he walked out of that grave, heaven began to shake. And because of Jesus because of Jesus, you can have a blank canvas. You're set no matter what you've done, where you've been, how long you've been gone, you actually can be forgiven by Jesus. The stuff you thought would haunt you the rest of your life, the stuff you thought, man, I hope nobody finds out about, the stuff you thought God would be ashamed of me if he knew that. And I wanna tell you, sister, he already knows it and he loves you still. You cannot out sin the cross of Jesus. You you can't do it.”

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Easter Sunday | Because He Is Risen…. | Pastor Bruce Frank