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Text: Matthew 28 1-6
Topic: :He is Risen
The greatest day in history is not the day that Jesus was born. The day of His birth was a great day. But it was not the greatest day in history. The greatest day in history was the day that Jesus rose from the dead. We celebrate Christmas as the day of His birth, but we celebrate Easter as the day of His resurrection. Jesus is alive, He lives. And because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all of my fears are gone. And I know who holds the future, and life is worth the living, just because He lives. The greatest day in history was the day that Jesus got up out of that grave. Death is now swallowed up in victory. Salvation is free to all that would accept it. Grace and mercy now stand between the sinner and the judgement. The Church age has been ushered in. The Holy Ghost operates the Church. And the Church is the birthing place of believers in Christ. Let me share this with you, did you know that as a believer in Christ that you are privileged with knowledge that non-believers can't have. Let me give you an example; when the death angel got ready to pass through Egypt, God's people were given knowledge that the Egyptians didn't have. That knowledge kept the death angel away from the homes of God's people, but the Egyptians were not so fortunate. Death visited every one of their homes and took the life of the first born of every family. The very thought of death and dying will put dread and fear in the hearts of all men, especially those who don't understand it's purpose. There are those who would have us to believe that we were created so that we had to die. But we are a Bible believing Church, and the Bible teaches us that death is a result of and a punishment for Sin. Sin has separated us from God. It has made us unholy, and the unholy can never come into the presence of the Most Holy. So instead of death being something natural, it must be seen as an expression of divine anger. The termination of physical life by separation of body and soul is a judgement a condemnation, and it is a curse. Well now since death is a punishment for sin, and since believers are redeemed from the guilt of Sin, the question that naturally arises, Why must they die? If death is an expression of Divine anger; if it is a punishment for sin, if it is a condemnation and a curse; and since the believers are redeemed from all of this, Why must they die? And if both the believer and the non-believer must die, what is the benefit for the believer. First of all we need to understand that believers are different. Death is not a punishment for us, rather an important element in the process of sanctification. We don't die in sin, we die in Christ. We get a rehearsal of what this is like when we are asleep. When we sleep we are not aware of anything that goes on around us. It is not until God wakes us up that we become conscious of new days dawning. Some will even say that they woke up because of an alarm clock, or some other noise, or that it was someone shaking them which caused them to wake up. Now if you believe that I have a suggestion, go down to the morgue, shake somebody there and see if they wake up. Let the alarm clock ring, make all the noise you want, see if it wakes up anybody. If God doesn't wake you up you won't wake up. But when the trumpet sounds the dead in Christ shall rise, and they that remain (I'm talking about the believers now) they that remain shall be caught up to be with Him in the air.
Way back in Egypt, Moses gave the Children of Israel the secret of the lambs blood. The Children of Israel found out that there was power in the blood of the lamb. There was wonder working power in the blood of the lamb. Once a year they would have to take a lamb without spot or without blemish to the High Priest who would in turn sacrifice it take it's blood behind the Holy of Holies which was in the presence of God, sprinkle the that blood on the Alter to make atonement for their sin. Believers have also found out that the secret is still in the blood. All through the Bible blood has been the only thing that has been prescribed for awfulness of sin. Almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission of sin. The blood that Jesus shed for me way back on Calvary, the blood that gives me strength from day to day will never loose its power. From the start of Jesus' ministry, He acted in the office of Prophet. He preached like a Prophet. He taught like a Prophet, and the people even persecuted Him like the prophets that were before Him. But after Jesus had risen from the dead He began operating in the office of the High Priest. It became His task to carry His blood into the presence of the Father to make atonement for our sin. Remember now that when the High Priest carried the blood of the sacrifice into the Holy of Holies, no other could go in nor touch him there and live. He had to tie a rope around his waist that if he should fall dead someone could pull his body out without putting their own life in jeopardy.
After His resurrection, Jesus had an encounter with Mary Magdalene whom He told not to touch Him because He had not yet ascended to His Father. Jesus our High Priest, the High Priest of the Believers, the High Priest of the blood bought, Jesus our High Priest had to take His blood and sprinkle it on the Alter in the presence of His Father as the atonement for the sins of the world. So then my brothers and sisters as we lift up the name of Jesus through our worship and praise in celebration of the resurrection, least we forget that there are some who are not convinced that He is Risen. The author of the text Matthew will strongly disagree about that. He says that there are some significant events surrounding the resurrection. Events that stir interest and challenge action.
The Time of the Resurrection
Matthew tells us that the time of the resurrection was at the end of the Sabbath. Or that the Sabbath was completely over. The seventh day was gone and it was the first day of the week , which is Sunday. Jesus rose early Sunday Morning just before the break of day, before the sun rose, the Son of God rose. For this reason the early believer set a precedent. Stopping their worshiping on the Sabbath day (Saturday) to worship on Sunday, the day of the resurrection of their Savior and that practice remains with us today.
The First Witnesses of the Resurrection
Notice that the first witnesses were women. Not the men,
not the disciples not Peter, James Nor John, no doubting Thomas, no Mathew who
is the writer of this text, no Phillip, no Andrew. No other disciple whom Jesus
had walked with, taught, lived with, and performed miracles before them were
first to witness the resurrection. It was the women Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and
Mary the mother of James and other women who brought the news to the disciples.
The Stone was Rolled Away
The stone was not placed- in front of the tomb to keep Jesus in, but to keep all
others out. While in the grave Jesus had to take away the sting from death and
rob the grave of her victory. That we might rise as He did when our name is
called Just as the stone was not there to keep Jesus in, it was not rolled away
to let Him out, It was rolled away to let anyone in especially those soldier who
stood watch to make sure that no one stole His body.
The Missing Body
The women who were there noticing that the stone had been rolled away entered the tomb. They did not see the body of Jesus, instead they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe, who was an angel sent by God to roll away the stone, to take care of the Soldiers guarding the tomb, and to assure the grieving women not to fear that he knew that they were looking for Him who was crucified. But He is not here, for He has risen.
Conclusion
But as I hurry on to a close, we are celebrating resurrection Sunday. We are celebrating in praise and in worship, the day that our Lord and Savoir Jesus Christ got up out of a cold grave. He is alive and that's the reason that we are celebrating, because we serve a risen Savior. And because He lives, I can face tomorrow, because he lives all of my fears are gone, and I know who holds the future, and live is worth the living just because my Savior lives.