1. Pray. Ask the Lord to open your eyes, that you might behold wondrous things out of his Word (Ps. 119:18). 

2. Read Sunday's passage. Feel free to read it more than once, or in another translation.

3. Review the sermon outline. Try to see how the points came out of the text.

4. Answer the questions below. Focus on personal application.

5. Pray. Praise and thank the Lord, then ask him to work in mighty ways. 

Remember, we live not by bread alone, but by every word which proceeds from the mouth of God (Dt. 8:3; Mt. 4:4).

1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened. 

Intro: Imagine the shock of hearing that your loved one, whom you believed to be dead, was actually alive. This should give us a sense of the shock experienced by the women who went to the tomb on Sunday morning. As we read Luke's account of their encounter with two angels, we see three things:

I. Christ is risen! (v. 1–6). The angels make it very clear that Jesus has been literally, physically raised from the dead. Some discredit this miracle. But Luke's "orderly account" (see Luke 1:1–4) shows its veracity. Jesus is alive!

II. Remember his Words! (v. 6–8). It isn't just angels who claim Jesus is alive; Jesus himself had told his disciples that he must be crucified and raised on the third day (see Luke 9:22, 44–45). At the time, they hadn't understood it. But now that he is resurrected, he is making it clear. Jesus' words show us that the Cross was always the plan of God to save sinners. We too need to remember his words!  

III. Respond in faith! (v. 9–12). At first, the apostles don't believe the women's testimony about Jesus. Similiarly, many today who hear the Good News do not believe in him. Peter, on the other hand, rose and ran to see the empty tomb. He responded in faith. Peter gives us hope because he was guilty of denying Jesus and was overcome by shame, yet he believed! No one, no matter who they are or what they've done, is beyond the grace of God. 

Conclusion: The great joy of salvation is available to all who turn from sin and trust in Jesus. Don't wait. (1) Realize Christ is risen. God raised him from the grave in victory over sin and death. (2) Remember his words. This was always God's plan––the only plan––to save sinners. (3) Respond in faith. Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved!

1. Jesus Christ was literally, physically raised from the dead.

- Why is this essential to the Gospel? (see 1 Corinthians 15).  

- How would you respond to a friend who claimed that Jesus didn't actually come back to life, but his body was probably just stolen?

- Is the resurrection hard for you to beleive in? Why or why not? 

2. When we remember Jesus' words, we see that the Cross was always God's plan to save sinners. 

- Why did Jesus have to die? (see Isaiah 53)

- Why couldn't God forgive human sin apart from Jesus' death? (see Romans 3:21–26)

- Why did Jesus have to be raised from the dead? (see Acts 17:31; Romans 4:25, 6:4; 1 Corinthians 15:20)

3. Jesus' resurrection isn't just a story to be considered; He is a Savior and Lord to be trusted and obeyed. We respond to him in faith!

- Was there ever a time when you responded to the resurrection like the 10 other apostles, who did not believe at first? 

- Was there ever a time when you responded like Peter, who rose and ran to the tomb? 

- What changed between your first response and your second response? 

- Are you still "rising" and "running" to Jesus in faith? If not, why not? What could rekindle your response of faith? 

1. Praise Jesus for coming to the world, for going to the cross, for rising from the grave, and for reigning on high!

2. Confess your sins and shortcomings, asking for forgiveness.

3. Thank God for all he has done to redeem and restore us in Christ. 

4. Ask him to work powerfully in your life by the Holy Spirit. Specifically, if there are any calls to action for you from this passage or this sermon, then ask his help to take the steps he wants you to take, to get to know Jesus better, and to serve him more wholeheartedly.

Thanks for reading the Bible Study Guide! I pray it helps us "continue to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ" (Eph. 4:15).

Sincerely, your brother in Christ,

Tom Hansen, Senior Pastor