Found Not the Body
Scripture: Luke 24:1-3Devotional Series: Effectual Fervent Prayer
Teaching: Effectual Fervent Prayer pt. 6 (SUN_AM 2023-04-09) by Pastor Star R Scott
Hallelujah. Amen. Glory to God. Aren’t you glad that we are that great temple and habitation of the resurrected Jesus; amen? By His Spirit we are the temple of the Holy Ghost. He dwells in us, and we give Him all glory and honor for that.
Let’s turn to Luke’s gospel and pick up on that very familiar story. This great Resurrection Sunday that we all rejoice in. The good news for us is He is risen; amen? I don’t know about you, but I’m so, so looking forward to seeing that next resurrection. I don’t believe we are going to be resurrected; I believe that we’re going to be changed; praise God. We will see the dead in Christ rise first, and then those of us that remain will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Just think about it. We’re going to be caught up into the air; we’re going to see Him, the Scripture says. We’ll be like Him, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Come quickly, Lord Jesus; hallelujah.
Luke, Chapter 24, let’s look at these few verses. The story never gets old, does it? The story just never gets old. “Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus” (Luke 24:1-3). “They found not the body…” He goes on to say, “…The body of the Lord Jesus.” We all know Who they went to see, and He wasn’t there. The angels made it very clear in this statement, and I think we all love that passage in verse 5. As they were afraid of these two figures, these two men that stood by them in shining garments. Might be a time just to say, “Aren’t you glad that our angels are not little fat babies?” Two men, in shining garments. I wonder what these warriors must look like in their appearance, as we see that men always are stricken in awe. Taken aback by the glory, the majesty of these great beings. As we pause in our thoughts for just a moment, these angels are assigned over each and every one of us. (Some of us, the way we drive, we need them constantly.) But those angels are always there, the Scripture says, “to bear us up lest we would dash our foot against a stone” (Psalm 91:12). Satan understood that very clearly. When he was tempting Jesus, he said, “Just cast Yourself off this pinnacle. The angels of God are there and they’re given charge; they will bear You up.”
I believe on numerous occasions I can recall—I didn’t see any beings, any of these great mighty messengers—but I know of at least three cases when these angels, these messengers, that have been sent to watch over us worked on my behalf. It’s not something that we should get caught up into. As Paul mentions, there’s no worship of these beings. There’s not a doctrine established that we should go into, trying to study angelology. They’ve been sent by God, and they harken to His Word; amen? When they need to be dispatched, they will be dispatched, and they will always point to the glory and the power of our awesome Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus; amen? So, they don’t draw attention to themselves. They are messengers of God, harkening to His Word. They were sent on this occasion; the Scripture says that as these two beings were there, “They were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth…” I love this statement, “Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen…” (Luke 24:5-6). Hallelujah.
Let’s turn to Luke’s gospel and pick up on that very familiar story. This great Resurrection Sunday that we all rejoice in. The good news for us is He is risen; amen? I don’t know about you, but I’m so, so looking forward to seeing that next resurrection. I don’t believe we are going to be resurrected; I believe that we’re going to be changed; praise God. We will see the dead in Christ rise first, and then those of us that remain will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Just think about it. We’re going to be caught up into the air; we’re going to see Him, the Scripture says. We’ll be like Him, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Come quickly, Lord Jesus; hallelujah.
Luke, Chapter 24, let’s look at these few verses. The story never gets old, does it? The story just never gets old. “Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus” (Luke 24:1-3). “They found not the body…” He goes on to say, “…The body of the Lord Jesus.” We all know Who they went to see, and He wasn’t there. The angels made it very clear in this statement, and I think we all love that passage in verse 5. As they were afraid of these two figures, these two men that stood by them in shining garments. Might be a time just to say, “Aren’t you glad that our angels are not little fat babies?” Two men, in shining garments. I wonder what these warriors must look like in their appearance, as we see that men always are stricken in awe. Taken aback by the glory, the majesty of these great beings. As we pause in our thoughts for just a moment, these angels are assigned over each and every one of us. (Some of us, the way we drive, we need them constantly.) But those angels are always there, the Scripture says, “to bear us up lest we would dash our foot against a stone” (Psalm 91:12). Satan understood that very clearly. When he was tempting Jesus, he said, “Just cast Yourself off this pinnacle. The angels of God are there and they’re given charge; they will bear You up.”
I believe on numerous occasions I can recall—I didn’t see any beings, any of these great mighty messengers—but I know of at least three cases when these angels, these messengers, that have been sent to watch over us worked on my behalf. It’s not something that we should get caught up into. As Paul mentions, there’s no worship of these beings. There’s not a doctrine established that we should go into, trying to study angelology. They’ve been sent by God, and they harken to His Word; amen? When they need to be dispatched, they will be dispatched, and they will always point to the glory and the power of our awesome Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus; amen? So, they don’t draw attention to themselves. They are messengers of God, harkening to His Word. They were sent on this occasion; the Scripture says that as these two beings were there, “They were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth…” I love this statement, “Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen…” (Luke 24:5-6). Hallelujah.