He Is Not Here — Remember
Text: Luke 24:1–8, 2 Corinthians 5:21
Big Idea
Easter begins in a place of grief, confusion, and unmet expectations. The women came to the tomb expecting death, but instead they were met with resurrection. The angel’s message was simple: He is not here. He has risen. Remember what He told you.
1. Easter Started With Panic, Not Celebration
The women came early in the morning carrying spices, prepared to finish the burial customs for Jesus. They were not coming in faith for a resurrection. They were coming in sorrow, expecting to tend to a dead body.
Then everything changed.
The tomb was open. Jesus was gone. What they expected to be there was no longer there. Easter began with confusion before it became celebration.
2. The Question of Easter
The angel asked, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”
That question still speaks today.
Too often, we keep looking for life in places that can never give it:
relationships that cannot carry what only Jesus can carry
success and achievement that never truly satisfy
approval and identity from other people
religion and ritual without real relationship with Christ
3. He’s Not There
The message of the resurrection is not only that Jesus is alive. It is also a wake-up call that life is not found in dead places.
Jesus is not found in:
empty relationships
endless striving
image management
surface-level religion
All of those things promise life, but they cannot deliver it. He is not there.
4. Remember What He Told You
The angel did not just tell the women where Jesus was not. He told them what to do next: remember.
Hope rises when we remember what is true about Jesus and what His resurrection means for us.
5. What We Need to Remember
Your sins are washed away
Because of Jesus, sin does not have the final word. The resurrection is God’s declaration that Christ’s sacrifice was enough. In Him, guilt and condemnation no longer define us.
You are fully known and fully loved
Jesus went to the cross knowing every part of us. His love is not based on performance or image. It is rooted in grace.
The Holy Spirit lives in you
The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in believers. We are not abandoned, powerless, or alone.
You are forgiven, so forgive
The grace we have received is the grace we are called to extend. We forgive not because people deserve it, but because we remember what Christ has done for us.
You have purpose
You are not an accident and you are not just surviving. In Christ, your life carries purpose, calling, and meaning.
Your suffering has a limit
Pain is real, but it is not final. The resurrection reminds us that sorrow does not get the last word. Joy is coming, and this chapter is not the end of the story.
6. Our Hope Is in Remembering
The heart of Easter can be summed up in two truths:
Not here.
Jesus is not in the grave, and life is not found in dead things.
Remember.
Remember who He is, what He said, and what His resurrection means for your life.
Closing Thought
Because Jesus rose, hope rose too.
Not just for one Sunday, but for every day.
He has risen, and everything connected to Him is touched by resurrection life.