The Meaning of the Resurrection
With Head, Heart, and Hands: The call to follow Jesus • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 5 viewsThe resurrection of Jesus changes everything.
Notes
Transcript
Resurrection Sunday
Text: Matthew 28:1-10
Theme: The meaning of the resurrection
Big Idea: The resurrection of Jesus changes everything.
Notes: The resurrection is all about Jesus as the prototype of the new creation. The ascension is all about Jesus as the ruler of the new creation as it breaks into the world of the old. The second coming is all about Jesus as the coming Lord and judge who will transform the entire creation. And, in between resurrection and ascension, on the one hand, and the second coming, on the other, Jesus is the one who sends the Holy Spirit, his own Spirit, into the lives of his followers, so that he himself is powerfully present with them and in them, guiding them, directing them, and above all enabling them to bear witness to him as the world’s true Lord and work to make that sovereign rule a reality.
Text: Matthew 28:1–10 (NRSV): After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.
2 And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.
3 The angel’s appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.
4 For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men.
5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.
6 He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.
7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.”
8 So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
9 Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him.
10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
Introduction
It’s early Sunday morning, the day after Shabbat.
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary—possibly the mother of James and Joseph are on an important mission—they are headed to the tomb where Jesus was buried to anoint his body for final burial.
They expected to find the tomb sealed with a massive stone, and a retinue of heavily armed Roman soldiers standing guard to foil any attempt from his disciples to steal the dead body of Jesus. see Matthew 27:63-66
The soldiers were equipped to repel any human confrontation. But their military training did not include how to fight angels.
Early that morning, neither the women or the soldiers anticipated a violent earthquake and a visit from an angel of the Lord.
That morning, the heavy stone and the fierce guards were light weights for the angel of the Lord.
Because as the women approached, suddenly there was a massive earthquake. The stone sealing the tomb rolled away like a small coin and this majestic being, whose appearance was like lightening, whose clothing was white like snow, was sitting on the stone.
The normally brave Roman soldiers were lying on the ground, having lost control of their bodily functions. The earth was shaking and the guards were shaking paralyzed by fear.
You see, when God is ready to do something, no power on earth, no scheme of man can stop the movement and plan of God.
The angel ignored the inconsequential, trembling guards and spoke four powerful words to the women: “Do not be afraid.” I know that you are here to see Jesus who was crucified on Friday. But he is not here; for he has been raised. Come. Take a look and see the place where he lay.
Of course they looked—but except for a white, blood stained linen cloth--the dead body was absent from the tomb. Matthew 28:4-6
The angel offered no explanation for how his body was raised, or why his body was raised.
Instead, the angel commissioned them to do one thing: go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” Mt 28:7.
The women did not dawdle. They left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Matthew 28:8
While on their mission to tell the disciples, suddenly, Jesus appeared to them and said: “Greetings!”
And notice their response: And they came to him, took hold of his feet (an act of homage), and worshiped him. Matthew 28:9
They had been last at the cross and first at the tomb, and now they are the first to have the joy of seeing their Lord.
10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” Mt 28:10
If this is all we have to work with in trying embrace the power and meaning of Jesus’s resurrection, what do we take home with us? We take home the personal meaning of the resurrection and the missional meaning of the resurrection.
Personal
Like many of you, on this Resurrection Sunday, I celebrate the radical truth that Jesus was crucified, dead and buried, and that on the third day He rose bodily from the grave proving that his message of forgiveness and eternal life are true; proving that he is King of kings and Lord of all lords, and that a day is coming when he will judge the world in righteousness and justice. I believe all of that and I stake my life on these eternal truths.
But on a personal level, Resurrection 2023 is more relevant to our family than any other time.
My mother died Wednesday morning, March 23. She spent a couple of days in Hospice care before her life on this side of heaven ended.
When a family member dies it disrupts your life, rearranges your priorities, and forces you to consider what’s really important.
The beautiful thing is my mother knew it was time leave this life that she had known for 96 years. She told one of her granddaughters that her work on earth is done.
She told one of her caregivers that she will go home to Jesus on March 24—she was a day early.
Now, if we were a Hindu family (and I say this with utmost respect), our hope would be that there was a rigorous outworking of karma in Mama’s life. Mama would return in a different existence to pursue her next stage in the next cycle of life as she works toward perfection.
If we were an Orthodox Jewish family ( and I say this with utmost respect), we would hope that our pedigree and our commitment to Torah would lead to eternal life.
If we were a Muslim Family we would hope that Allah would give entrance to Mama into Paradise because of her reading of Koran and her devotion to doing good deeds, and observing Ramadan.
If we were Buddhists (with utmost respect), our assumption would be that Mama would be absorbed into the formless beyond. She would disappear like a drop in the ocean, losing her own identity, in the great nameless and formless beyond.
If we were Secularists, with no real conviction of a God, we would have no real hope. We are just an episode between two oblivions.
I would probably tell Mama, "Let's explore every medical procedure we can to extend life,"—for that is all there is.
But the Hylton family are not Buddhists, Hindus, Orthodox Jews, Muslims, or Secularists.
We are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
We confess that Jesus was crucified but according to the Scriptures, God raised him from the dead.
We believe that the God of Israel resurrected Jesus; he did not merely revive him back to mortal existence, like Jesus did Lazarus--but transformed him with a glorious body, never to die again.
And on a personal level, the resurrection fills us with hope and strength in the face of grief, and the evil of death. Death is defeated. Death is swallowed up in the victory of the empty tomb. So I am going to keep on keeping on in the face of every challenge and obstacle.
Is tis your personal testimony? Do you have an anchor for your soul? There is another message from this text I want you to take to the streets: the missional meaning of the resurrection.
Missional
Notice the degree of difficulty with the message: the most significant event in all of human history just occured and God reveals the message and the mission first to two women.
Their job is to go to the men and tell them.
Why? On the day of his Crucifixion were the disciples present? Yes. But not the male disciples. The female disciples stayed with him until Joseph of Arimathea collected his dead body and placed him his new tomb. The women were there and they saw where he was buried.
In some sense, I want to believe that God rewarded their faith and their devotion. They were the last to see him die and the first to see him alive.
Three times in our text we hear these words of mission: Go quickly and tell his disciples—he has been raised from the dead.
Then when Jesus met the women he said to them: Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, there they will see me.
and the third time we hear the word Go is that the end of Matthew 28:
When they (the 11 disciples) saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them,
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (Here’s the third go) Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”Matthew 28: 17-20
The good news is not something to be hugged to oneself.
The good news is not a something to only reflect on in church services and in small groups.
Christians are God's mail carriers, delivering His message of good news to everyone.
Good news is for sharing. We are under obligation to make it known to others. John Stott
This is usually the first calling we have after coming to Christ: not going off on some exotic adventure, but going back home to share the good news about Jesus with our family and friends. Philip Graham Ryken
It is not enough to celebrate good news that Jesus is alive. Good news must be shared. Philip Graham Ryken
Good news is meant to be shared. Consider: when was the last time you heard really good news and kept it to yourself?
When was the last time you heard important news and kept it to yourself? Probably never. Philip Graham Ryken
In the last resort, we engage in evangelism today not because we want to or because we choose to or because we like to, but because King Jesus told us we have to. John Stott
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Amen.
Sharing of Tithes and Offerings
At this time, I invite our ushers to come forward and receive today’s offering. For those of you watching online, click the giving link in the chat. You may also choose to use the QR code on the back of the bulletin as another way to give. Freely we have received, freely let us give.
Prayers of the people
Before I offer the prayer, I would like to invite our dear sister and brother Alexis and Kim Langlois to come forward. Kim and Alexis are literally on the move. God is moving them back to France and this is their last Sunday with us for sometime. And I want to bless both of you for being postmasters of the kingdom of God. Thank you for being faithful, generous, joy-filled servants of God and ministers in this church for so many years. We bless you. May God make the road ahead smooth and may you find a new community of sisters and brothers who are devoted to practicing the way of Jesus.
Friends let’s offer a prayer together.
Jesus, on this day of resurrection we join with the billions of disciples are the world and those in heaven and we worship as the lamb who was slain from the foundations of the earth but is now alive forever more.
We thank you for you victory over sin, over death, and for the hope that as we continue to labor in your name it will not be in vain. You are coming again one day.
We pray for those in our congregation who have joined the church triumphant! Read list of names...
We thank you that you have promised never to leave us or forsake us. As you were with the children of Israel in the wilderness, so you are with us in our wilderness wanderings.
Strengthen all who are weak, and weighed down with sickness, worry, grief, loss of meaning, and depleted fear and anxiety. We pray for those who are in the hospital; those who are home recovering from surgery; those who are battling cancers of various sorts— in the name of Jesus, the great physician, nn. we speak healing and wholeness over them.
Give strength and urgency to your Church in the world as we fulfill your mission to go and tell.
We praise you for the baptism of David and Lilly—for their faith in you, the support of their parents, and the love of this church.
We again thank you for Alexis and Kim. For their evident love and devotion to you and your people. We bless in the name of the Lord. We pray that you will hear and answer their prayers. We pray covering over their lives and the lives of their children. Prosper them in all that you give to them. We will miss them, but we thank for what they have invested among us.
We pray for an end to war and strife. We pray that peace will win the day and the seeming unending conflicts in Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Yemen, China, Taiwan, the islands of the Caribbean sea, and in so many other places will bow and submit to your reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Bless us as your people n Evanston. May we know the personal and missional meaning of the power and glory of your resurrection. Grant us Holy Spirit Power. Grant us a spirit of humility and repentance. Grant us the willingness to wait, and then when you say Go, may we go with haste into all that you call us to do.
We offer these prayers and more in the name of the one who taught us to pray: Our Father....