Escape from the Tomb

1. Read: “From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day” (Matthew 16:21).

2. About the Text:

1) Jesus predicted his death, burial, and resurrection before it happened.

2) In this text, Peter seeks to rebuke Jesus for saying such things.

3) Peter’s words do not reflect God’s truths.

4) Jesus rebukes Peter for minding the things of men instead of God.

5) Men frequently seek to impose their own reality on the world.

6) God’s reality is the one that we must accept.

3. Ref. to S, T, P, O, and A.

1. Reality of Jesus being the Son of God

1) “And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4).

2) “This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses… Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:32, 36).

3) “And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God” (Acts 9:20).

2. Reality of God’s Message

1) “Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities” (Acts 3:26).

2) “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all… If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ” (1 John 1:5, 8).

3) “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30-31).

3. Reality of Life after Death

1) “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead” (1 Corinthians 15:20-21).

2) “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Corinthians 5:1).

3) “but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,” (2 Timothy 1:10).

4. Reality of Judgment

1) “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31).

2) “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:28-29).

1. Redemption from Sin

1) “knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away, that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin; for he that hath died is justified from sin. But if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him” (Romans 6:6-8).

2) “who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised for our justification” (Romans 4:25).

2. Redemption from God’s Wrath

1) “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36).

2) “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him” (Romans 5:9).

3) “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4-6).

3. Redemption from Eternal Death

1) “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

2) “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

1. Hope for the future.

1) “But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that fall asleep; that ye sorrow not, even as the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with him” (1 Thess.4:13-14).

2) “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).

2. Eternal Life.

1) “For this is the will of my Father, that every one that beholdeth the Son, and believeth on him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40).

2) “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth on me, though he die, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall never die. Believest thou this?” (John 11:25-26).

3. They will be with Jesus.

1) “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. 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” (John 14:1-3).

2) “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).

1. Jesus’ Escape from the Tomb means . . .

1) The Reality of God

2) The Reality of Redemption

3) The Reality of Resurrection

2. Not an escape from reality, but an escape to reality.

3. Invitation