Read Luke 24
Today is a traditional day that is celebrated throughout most of Christendom. Easter is the remembrance of the death and most especially the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ and Lord of all creation. He was crucified on the cross for our sins and raised from that death for our life. As the Only Begotten Son of God, He humbled Himself to become a man, making salvation possible to all who would call upon His name. He did this out of the great love with which we are loved by God: Father, Son, and Spirit. In that incomparable sacrifice of love, we have been given life, spiritual and everlasting life, in Jesus Christ. We have been brought into the very family of God and now enjoy an intimate relationship with Him as we are covered by His very righteousness.
	Let us spend a few moments in consideration of a key aspect of the new life that we have in Christ. It is a life that has been eternal in origin as well as in nature. It has always been in the heart of God to so fully bless us, from the beginning of creation and through the end of time for all of eternity. 
This is a life that was foretold by many of the prophets as recorded in the Old Testament. It was no secret. It was even taught by the priests and scholars of the day. But even with all the teaching of those centuries upon centuries, the death and resurrection of Christ was not seen and understood by the powers of this age. God very carefully protected His plan and purpose in Jesus Christ, even while making it plainly to be seen from the advent of time onward. The things of God are only seen by those whose spiritual eyes have been opened by God. 
In our Luke passage, this morning, we see this in evidence in several instances. When they were at the tomb, the women were seeking after the body of Christ. It took the angels to remind them of that which Jesus had spoken before His death. And they remembered his words… The truth of Christ is only revealed to those unto whom that truth will mean the difference between life and death. God will not reveal the glory of Christ to the world until that day when all of creation will see the Lordship of Christ and will have to acknowledge His supremacy over all. It will be a day when every knee will bow, as we have read in Phil 2:8-11 And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. That day is yet to come for this creation. Even the angelic hosts are longing to see what God is doing in Christ the Lord.
	To us who believe, however, God has opened our hearts and our eyes to the reality of what has already taken place in Christ’s death and resurrection. We are now enabled to live by the life of Christ as the Holy Spirit makes His Word alive in us. We are already learning what it means to live under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, in line with the Word, and as witnesses of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. 
	This spiritual enlightenment was evident as Christ walked and talked with the disciples who were on the road to Emmaus. As He taught them of the scriptures that announced what had just taken place in the recognition of His Eternal rule, they became enlightened within their hearts. The Word, as taught by Christ, revealed that which had been hidden from the world for ages and generations until that exact moment. And he said to them, "O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
	One of the many scriptures concerning Christ, in the Old Testament, is Isa 53. As we read it, seek after the Holy Spirit to show forth the truth that was hidden from the eyes of the learned, and the rulers, and the principalities of the air for ages upon ages. Yet, as the Word is opened in life by the Holy Spirit, let us too join in the words of those disciples with hearts that burn with life at every Word of Christ Jesus.
	Isaiah 53 Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or comeliness that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the Lord to bruise him; he has put him to grief; when he makes himself an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand; he shall see the fruit of the travail of his soul and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous; and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. 
	That is but one of the scriptures from the Old Testament. As well, we have many, many others in the New Testament that should bring forth an even greater recognition of our new life in Christ. We will read a few of them that recount what is now true in our lives, today, this moment, in Christ. Again, let us do so with hearts that desire the ever greater knowledge of what it means to be alive today, living under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, now.
Rom 6:3-11 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For he who has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. For we know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.  So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 
	Please let the truth of this passage sink deeply into our beings. We are now dead to sin. Sin no longer has any rule or dominion over us. That is to be considered as buried on the death side of the cross of Jesus Christ. Now, in Him, by the power of the Holy Spirit, through the life that we find breathed into us by His Word, we are alive unto God. We are a completely new creation in Christ.
	2 Cor 5:14-17 For the love of Christ controls us, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, that those who live might live no longer for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once regarded Christ from a human point of view, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. 
	The Holy Spirit reveals the power of the life of Christ in 1 Peter 2:21-25, For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin; no guile was found on his lips. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he trusted to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. 
	We have been returned to the shepherd and guardian of our souls. Have you ever considered what this truly states? We are now, by the death and resurrection of Christ, brought into the relationship that has always been the intent of God. It was hidden, held close to the heart of God, safe from any of the vile desecrations of this world’s power, in order for Christ to become our only means of salvation. We have been returned to God, our Shepherd and Guardian and no longer are to have any fear of being removed, again, from Him. By that power that raised Christ from the dead, we have been made alive unto Our Heavenly Father. We are healed by Christ’s wounds. We are eternally secure in Him. 
There are many, many Christians, who celebrate Easter as a habit, as a ritual because they do not seek to have their eyes enlightened to the reality of Christ. Let that never be true of us. Let us, rather, always desire to have the words of Christ opened, in life, within us. Let the Holy Spirit speak forth the unsurpassing and matchless Word of Life, in the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. Let it be eternally true that we celebrate Jesus every moment of every day because He is our life. Let us be witnesses of the Grace of God’s Love and Wisdom in lives that are all praise and adoration and worship and honor and glory and blessing unto Him forever and forever. 
As we continue this day in our celebration of the life that we have in Jesus Christ through His death and resurrection, let us know deep within our innermost being that we do rejoice in His life every day. We are not looking at a single day of the year, or a future time of God’s judgment and glory. We reside in the life of Christ daily. He is the very breath that we breathe. He is the source and substance of our lives this day and always. Look not only to the future. Look to the risen Lord Jesus Christ, and He will give you life, life abundantly, life eternally, life and grace to face every today in the power of His death and resurrection. Today, as you hear the praise and thanksgiving offered up to God by His people for the life that we now have in Christ, consider the declaration of Deut 5:24, 'Behold, the Lord our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire; we have this day seen God speak with man and man still live. 
We have seen His Glory in the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through His Word and His Holy Spirit, He speaks with us today, and we live. We live today, tomorrow, and always in the life of Jesus Christ. Therefore, let our hearts be joined together with the Apostle Paul’s heart as he asserts in Phil 2:5-11 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Amen
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This morning’s benediction is from John 1:1-17 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light. The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not. He came to his own home, and his own people received him not. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. (John bore witness to him, and cried, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, for he was before me.'") And from his fulness have we all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Amen