News Worth Telling
Notes
Transcript
Welcome
Welcome
Welcome to Youth Group! I am so glad that you are able to join us either on zoom or in person here at the church. You are so important and our youth group would not be the same without you!
Intro
Intro
Now, this is week 7 of our series Good News! as we have spent the past few months focusing on how Jesus offers us Good News that is real and tangible for us today. Specifically we have been going through the Gospel of Matthew and with this being the last week of our series we find ourselves in the last chapter of Matthew, so today we will be focused on Matthew 28
Remember last week we focused on how Jesus was the suffering servant who through him we can find true and divine peace. This peace though we saw through the death of Jesus on the cross.
So, today as we look at our passage we are two days after Jesus death on the cross.
Receiving the Good News
Receiving the Good News
v. 1-10 start out with “After the Sabbath” This is so important to remember. Some refer to the time between this passage and the one before it as “Silent Saturday” This was the day after the crucifixion, when all who followed Jesus were left shocked and defeated this was the day when the messiah was dead. It was also a day meant to worship and honor God, to rest in his presence and remember all that God has done for them. This had to be hard for the disciples who saw Jesus die on the cross.
So, while the phrase after the sabbath does bring sorrow, and pain as we think about the day after Jesus’ death, it brings hope. Mainly because it shows us that Jesus story does not stop at his death, but continues after the sabbath.
What then do Mary Magdalene and the other Mary do, they make their way to the tomb as an act showing that they were seeking Jesus, this reminds me of the beginning of Jesus story. As Matthew records at the other end of his Gospel when talking of the wise men who
9 After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was—the star they had seen at its rising. It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.
Jesus’ story starts with the wise men seeking The coming king in a manger, and now Matthew tells a story of two women seeking the coming king in a grave.
And what is the response to both of these stories? The wise men found Jesus in their searching and worshiped him and as we see in v. 9 of chapter 28
9 Just then Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They came up, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him.
This is the Good News, Jesus meets us in our searching, regardless of where we are, and our response to this should be to worship him.
This Good News is not good news to all
This Good News is not good news to all
While, we can look at Jesus raising from the dead and see how this is such good news, we turn to v. 11-15 which shows us that this is not good news to all v. 13-14
13 and told them, “Say this, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him while we were sleeping.’ 14 If this reaches the governor’s ears, we will deal with him and keep you out of trouble.”
The Jewish leaders heard of the empty tomb and were worried and would put resources into trying to discredit the Gospel that Jesus has risen.
This is something that has not changed, and never will as even today there are many people who will try to discredit the true Gospel of Jesus Christ by either declaring that it is false, or by trying to use the story of Jesus to preach their own Gospel producing false teachings.
But yet again, there is good news in response to the spreading of these lies about who Jesus was and what he did.
The Good News is for all
The Good News is for all
However, Jesus is aware of this and will commission his disciples to go out and share this good news.
The Disciples then after hearing Jesus instruction to the two Marry’s to go to Galilee, all head to the mountain they were told to go to, and as they saw Jesus they worshiped him. While some doubted we still see like earlier they all sought Jesus, and remember the good news that Jesus will meet everyone in their searching for him so then Jesus goes on to share with them his plan to share this Good news with all in v. 18-20
18 Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 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, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
This is our commission today to go and continue to share this good news we have been focusing on these past few months.
Now notice here that Jesus is not telling us here that since now we believe in him we can live comfortable lives, or all that we have to do is be good and nice people those are all good things, but it is not the directive or mission of those who follow Jesus, we are not ment to live a life that is perfect, because if that was the case we would fail every time
We are called to live and walk in Jesus’ authority to go out and duplicate, and share this good news with other making them disciples, to baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
And lastly to teach them all that is true, and to walk alongside them to observe and follow this in our lives.
The Good News is that this message is not for you alone, the Good News is that it is for everyone, and we have the ability to share this good news because Jesus is with us always. even to the end of the age.