"THE GRAVE ROBBER!"

Written and preached by David P. Nolte

LUKE 7:11-17

1. HE ROBBED IT OF OVERWHELMING GRIEF:
1. Death does entail grief. It is the grief of loneliness, and separation, and confusion. It is the grief of not being in control of the situation. It is the grief of loss. When the widow's son died, she grieved. But when Jesus saw her, His heart went out to her and He said, "Don't cry." He was not harsh, He was comforting.
2. Likewise, when Jesus died, His disciples were totally engulfed in unconsolable grief.
1. They expressed that grief in tears, and in going into seclusion, and in gathering together for mutual support.
2. But into that grief, Jesus came with the greeting, "Peace be with you."
3. What is the application for us?
1. Even believers grieve in the hour of death, but Paul says we should not grieve as those without hope.
2. And we read in Hebrews, "Because God's children are human beings - made of flesh and blood - Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he deliver those who have lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying." Hebrews 2:14-15 (NLT).
3. Because of that, grief and weeping and fear and dread may last for a night, but with Jesus, joy comes in the morning.
4. A group of caterpillars gathered by a broken cocoon weeping. They were heartbroken. Their comrade was gone. And they grieved. But above them, unobserved by them, flew a beautiful butterfly. He looked down on them in amazement that they would be sad that he was no longer a caterpillar, earth bound and cocoon enswathed. He was alive and free. Had they known, their grief would have been replaced with celebration. Jesus resurrection gives us reason not to grieve hopelessly at the death of our loved ones, but to rejoice. He rose again, and so will we. He robbed the grave of its hopeless grief.

2. HE ROBBED IT OF ITS FINALITY:
1. We think of the grave as final and conclusive. That's because we have never seen a resurrection, other than in the Bible. But we read, "Then He went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, 'Young man, I say to you, get up!'" Though the grave seemed to be the last word, Jesus countered it with "Get up." The grave was not the final event that day.
2. Death was not the last word on that Passover weekend, either. Jesus tore open the grave, laid aside the grave clothes and walked out - life, not death was the final outcome.
3. What does that mean to us?
1. That which seems to have the last word in death, has been answered with hope of life never to end.
2. The grave ceases to be a period at the end of a brief and futile existence and becomes the portal to life that goes on for eternity.
3. Life, not death, is the final chapter for those who are in Christ.
4. A mother lost her 6 year old child to death. A Christian friend came to comfort her and said, "I hurt for and with you. But I want you to know that Timmy is with Jesus and is alive and well. If you believe, you can see him again some day." The unbelieving mother said, "No. He's gone. He doesn't exist anymore. It's final." But the resurrection power of Jesus says otherwise. The grave is not final. We go not to but through it to life eternal in Christ. He robbed the grave of its finalty.

3. HE ROBBED IT OF ITS SEPARATION:
1. The boy, himself, was gone; only his body remained. Death is a separation. It is not the end of being; it is merely an exodus from this world to the next. But the text says, "The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother." They were no longer separated.
2. The disciples were sure they would never see Jesus again. He had departed and was gone from them, as they thought, ever to return. But His resurrection changed all that.
3. What is the significance today?
1. David gives us a clue. When his infant son died, people tried to console him and he said, "I fasted and wept while the child was alive, for I said, 'Perhaps the Lord will be gracious to me and let the child live.' But why should I fast when he is dead? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him one day, but he cannot return to me." 2 Samuel 12:22-23 (NLT). "I will go to him one day" meaning that David knew the separation was not final.
2. And Isaiah said, "Yet we have this assurance: Those who belong to God will live; their bodies will rise again! Those who sleep in the earth will rise up and sing for joy! For God's light of life will fall like dew on His people in the place of the dead!" Isaiah 26:19 (NLT).
4. Edith Burns was a Christian who lived in San Antonio. She was dying of cancer and as she sat in the hospital, she would greet everyone with, "Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Many walked away but many stayed to talk and many of those were led to Christ. One nurse, Phyllis Cross was an atheist and stayed away from Edith as much as she could. Edith, however, told her she had asked God not to let her die until Phyllis came into the family. Phyllis said, "You'll never die then, because that will never happen." But Edith kept saying, "Jesus loves you, Phyllis, and I love you, and I'm praying for you." One day, Phyllis was drawn strongly to Edith's bedside and said, "Edith, you have asked everybody here the question, 'Do you believe in Easter' but you have never asked me." Edith said, "Phyllis, I wanted to many times, but God told me to wait until you asked, and now that you have asked, Phyllis, do you believe in Easter? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is alive and that He wants to live in your heart?" Phyllis Cross said, "Oh I want to believe that with all of my heart, and I do want Jesus in my life." Phyllis became a believer that day. On Easter Sunday, she went into Edith's room to take an Easter Lilly. Edith was in bed. That big black Bible was on her lap. Her hands were in that Bible. There was a sweet smile on her face. When Phyllis went to pick up Edith's hand, she realized Edith was dead. Her left hand was on John 14: "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." Phyllis Cross took one look at that dead body, and then lifted her face toward heaven, and with tears streaming down here cheeks, said, "Happy Easter, Edith - Happy Easter!" Phyllis Cross left Edith's body, walked out of the room, and over to a table where two student nurses were sitting. She said, "My name is Phyllis Cross. Do you believe in Easter?" You see, the message of Easter is that Jesus lives and those who die in Christ shall live, too. And we will be together again. Jesus robbed the grave of its separation.

Max Lucado wrote, "We know that we, too, will die. We know that we, too, will be buried. Our lungs, like His, will empty. Our hands, like His, will stiffen. But the rising of His body and the rolling of the stone give birth to a mighty belief: What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ's sin-conquering death, we also get included in His life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, He took sin down with Him, but alive He brings God down to us" So, the question is, "Do you believe in Easter?" Not the bunny thing, but the life thing. The truth of Resurrection. The promise of eternal life. Do you believe that? The grave did not win! It could not withstand the power of life. Though they punched Him in the face, pushed a wreath of thorns down on His head, and beat Him severely in their wrath, they lost. They spit on Him, mocked Him, and challenged Him to prove Himself to be the divine deliverer He claimed to be. Even though He was scourged, rejected, nailed to the cross and died, He still did not stay the hands of those who tortured Him. He just let them do it! Jesus died and rose again! The power of our Lord's resurrection was foretold by the prophet Hosea: "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?" Hosea 13:14. Thanks to His victory, the grave has been robbed of its conquest. The promise of the resurrection applies to all who died as believers in Christ and it applies to all who believe in Him at this moment.