It goes without saying that the message of the resurrection is of extreme importance. If you remove the resurrection of Jesus, Christianity is destroyed. (There is no hope.) But there is great power in the resurrection. I heard of two scientists who set about to destroy Christianity by disproving the resurrection of Jesus and the conversion of Paul. A year later when they met again, they had both been saved. If you do not preach the resurrection, you are not preaching the Gospel. First Corinthians 15:1-4 defines and describes the Gospel – “according to the scriptures.” You also have to believe the resurrection – Romans 10:19. The resurrection is a unique message which the Lord’s churches alone possess. Acts 2:22-24 is the message Peter (and the apostles) preached to the world. Also see: 1) Acts 3:14-15.      2)   Acts 4:10.     3)   Acts 5:30. This is the message Paul preached – Acts 13:29-30; Also, in Athens – Acts 17:31. On the cross, the righteous Jesus experienced the wrath of God for sin that was not His own. His crucifixion was in fact the propitiation (satisfaction) for mankind’s sin. That message falls apart if Jesus is not alive today -- I Corinthians 15:14 ; I Corinthians 15:17. BUT, Jesus rose from the dead in a physical body and promises a bodily resurrection to all who will have faith in Him. All 4 Gospel writers include 4 essential truths – realities of Christ’s sacrifice -- the empty tomb; 2) the angelic witness;  3) the women gave a report; 4) the disciples did not initially believe. But there is one glaring absence to each account, one thing none of them show us. None of them were eyewitnesses of the resurrection. They were not there the moment it happened. They knew Jesus died. They knew He was buried. They saw Jesus alive afterward. But none of them saw the resurrection as it happened. Notice their viewpoints of the resurrection: 1)   Matthew focuses on the guards; 2)   Mark mentions the women as witnesses; 3)   John focuses on the empty tomb. But Luke uses none of those. He mentions nothing about the guards. He doesn’t include that Jesus appeared to the women. He does mention the empty tomb and that Peter saw the linen wrappings, but he does not say this convinced Peter of the resurrection. None of those things are Luke’s main proof. Then, what is Luke’s main proof of the resurrection? THE WORD OF GOD! Luke’s account spans 35 verses. It starts with the women at the tomb and ends on the road to Emmaus. Luke’s proof: 1) The prophets said Jesus would rise; 2)   Jesus said He would rise; 3)   And now the Gospels says He did rise from the dead. The greatest proof we have that Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the dead is THE BIBLE SAID HE WOULD. We believe in the resurrection because the Bible says it happened. That is the best proof, and it is why and what Luke believed. There are 4 things to be seen here:

  I.  THE DISAPPEARANCE OF CHRIST’S BODY – VV. 1-4a.

 II.  THE DECLARATION OF THE ANGEL – VV. 4b-8.

III. THE DISREGARD OF THE REPORT – VV. 9-11.

IV.   THE DILEMMA OF THE DISCIPLE – VS. 12.