Easter Joy

by T. DEWITT TALMAGE (1832-1902) Death is the world's great conqueror, but Easter proves that that Death's sceptre shall be broken and his palace be demolished. The graves will burst forth...

“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.” —1st Corinthians 15:20

On this glorious Easter morning, amid the music and the flowers, I give you Christian salutation.

Hail! Easter morning! Flowers! Flowers! All of them a-voice, all of them a-tounge, all of them fulol of speech today. I bend over one of the lillies and I hear it say, “Consider the lillies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin, yet Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” I bend over a rose, and it seems to whisper, “I am the Rose of Sharon.” And then I stand an listen. From all sides there comes a chorus of flowers, saying, “If God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

Flowers! Flowers! Braid them into the dride’s heair. Flowers! Flowers! Strew them over the graves of the dead, sweet prophecy of the resurrection. Flowers! Flowers! Twist them into a garland for my Lord Jesus on Easter morning, and “Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be.”

Why if a rainbow this morning had fallen and struck the platform, the scene could not have been more radiant. Oh, how bright and how beautiful the flowers, and how much they make me think of Christ and His salvation that brightens everything it touches, brightens our life, brightens our character, brightens society, brightens the church, brightens everything! You who go with gloomy countenance pretending you are better than I am because of your lugubriousness, you cannot cheat. You old hypocrite! It is not religion that makes you gloomy, it is the lack of it. There is just as much religion in a wedding as in a burial, just as much religion in a smile as in a tear.

The women came to the Saviour’s tomb, and dropped spices around the tomb. Those spices were the seeds that began to grow, and from them came all the flowers of this Easter morn. Two angels robed in white took hold of the stone and hurled it with such force down the hill that it crushed the in the door of the world’s sepulchre, and the stark and the dead must come forth. I care not how costly the mausoleum or sacophagus, or how beautiful the family burial grounds, they are all broken up by the Lord of the resurrection! They must come forth. Father, mother, brother or sister! They must come out! How long do some of you wait for the resurrection of your loved ones. For those broken hearts today, I make a soft, cool bandage out of Easter flowers.

In Rising From the Dead, Christ Conquered Death For Us All.

My friends, this morning I find in the risen Christ a prophecy our our own resurrection, my text setting forth the idea that as Christ has risen, so His people will rise. He—the first sheak of the resurrection harvest, He—”the firstfruits of them that slept.” I will take these flowers before us this morning and walk through all the cemeteries of the dead, all through the country graveyards where your loved ones are buried; a drop these flowers and the sweet promise of the Gospel—a rose of hope, a lily of joy on evrey tomb I pass. The child’s tomb—the husband’s—the wife’s—the father’s and the mother’s grave—and while we celebrate the resurrection of Christ, we will also celebrate the future resurrection of the saved, “Christ the firstfruits of them that slept.”

If I should ask you the names of the great conquerors of the world, you would name Alexander, Caesar, Napoleon. Ah my friends, you forget to mention a greater conqureor that these—a cruel and ghastly conqueror! He rode on a black horse across all the great battlefields, crushing the hearts of nations. It is the conqueror—Death! He carries a black flag, and he takes no prisoners. He digs a trench across the hemispheres and fills it with the carcasses of the nations. He is a monarch as well as a conqueror—his palace is a sepulchre, his fountains the falling tears of the entire world!

But blessed be God, in the light of this Easter morning, I see the prophecy that his sceptre shall be broken and his palace be demolished. The hour is coming when all who are in their graves shall come forth. Christ risen—we, too shall rise! Now around this doctrine of the resurrection there are a graat many mysteries.

It Is No Trouble For a Miracle-Working God To Raise the Dead.

You may come to me this morning and ask, “How can this be possible that the dead shall rise again?” I am not competent to explain it. But I believe it is true! You and I believe many things that we are not able to understand. The seeds of these beautiful flowers before us today all look familiar. But the differences manifest themselves in time. Explain the human body! Explain the power of the weather! You ask me questions about the resurrection that I cannot anser. I can ask you a thousand questions about everyday life that you cannot answer.

I find my strength is this passage: “All who are in their graves shall come forth.” I do not pretend to explain it. You may ask about those with amputated limbs, how will they be resurrected? You may ask, what age will the resurrected body be? You may ask, those who have died hundreds of years ago and are but dust, how will they be resurrected? I do not pretend to be able to anser them, except to say, “All who are in their graves shall come forth.”

There are many questions about the resurrection I cannot answer, but there are some things about the resurrected body that are beyond guessing and are beyone mistake.

I. The Resurrection Body—A Glorious Body

In the first place, I remark in regard to your resurrected body, it will be a glorious body. The body we have now is a mere skeleton of what it would be if sin had not marred and defaced it. Like an ancient statue that has survived hundreds of years of weathering, chiseling, and chipping—the human body has been chipped, bruised and damaged with the storms of thousands of years of sin. We inherit he physical defects of the generations before us. But in the morning of the resurrection, the body will be restored according to the original model. A perfect eye to see after years of strain and tears. A perfect hand without the callouses and knots of toil. And the face—that most expressive part of the human form—now veiled with griefs and troubles and trials—will in that day of resurrection—will shine brighter than the noonday sun! The faces of the righteous, resurrected believers will be like the dawning of a new morning in the bosom of everlasting joy! O glorious resurrected body!

II. The Resurrection Body—An Immortal Body

The body given to the saints in that day will also be an immortal body. These bodies are wasting away. Someone has said that as soon as we begin to live, we begin to die. Unless we keep feeding this body, it will die. We must be reconstructed, day by day. Sickness and death are all the time trying to get their prey under the tenement or to push us off the embankment of the grave. But, blessed be God, in the resurrection we will get a body immortal. No no spectacles to improve the vision, no malaria in the air, no cough, no fluttering of the heart, no shortness of breath, no ambulance, no hospital, no wheelchair, and yes— no cancer! We who are sickly and infirmed with many pains—will one day be free from all diseases! Immortal! Immortal!

III. The Resurrection Body—A Powerful Body

I go farther and say in regard to that wonderful body to come will be a powerful body. We walk now a short distance, and we are fatigued. We work at a physcial task and we are exhausted. But the resurrection body will never get tired! There is plenty of occupation in Heaven. Grand projects of mercy. Victories to be celebrated. The downfall of despotisms on earth to be annunced. Great expeditions on which God shall send forth his children. Plenty to do. But no fatigue. If you are seated under the tree of life, beside the river of God, it will not be to rest—but to fellowship or worship Christ! It is a characteristic of the human body that we get tired. We wish for more strength and vigor to accomplish things for our God. But our weariness should point us to the great resurrection day when we will no longer grow tired in our labors.

Conclusion:

I heard of a father and son who had booked to travel by ship at sea, and were victims of shipwreck along with the other passengers. They climbed onto the loose boards of the wreck and waited for rescue. Somehow the son fell from the board and disappeared. After the father was rescued, he was distraught over his lost son. But, after a time, looking at the other rescuees, he soon spotted his son. What a reunion between them!

But what a reunion it will be when we awake beside our loved ones, nevermore to weep, nevermore to part, nevermore to die. O glorious resurrection! Gladly will I fling aside this poor body of sin and fling it into the tomb, if at Thy biding, I shall have a new and perfect body! O Lord! Hasten that day!

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