God Cares For You Series

Easter 2023

Text: Mathew 28:1-20

Theme: God cares for you

Greetings: The Lord is good and his endures forever. Happy Easter! Happy resurrection day!!

Introduction:

From Matthew 28:1-20, I would like to share with you three lessons on this day of the resurrection of Christ under the theme of GOD CARES FOR YOU. His care is expressed as the one He reaches you, as the one who reveals to you, and the one who remembers you.

GOD CARES FOR YOU

The death of Jesus was a celebration for his enemies and the religious leaders. The imperial rulers and their colluding religious hierarchy ganged up successfully and safeguarded their power by eradicating Jesus through cross. Now, Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes, and Essenes sat to eat the Passover with joyful mood. The entire Sanhedrin could have celebrated the death as victory except for a few righteous men like Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus (John 20:38-39). The leaders thought that their enemy is no more who challenged their authority, their spirituality, and their reality. But for his loved ones, for his beloved mother Mary, for his faithful followers, and disciples it was a great loss, a non-replaceable, incomparable loss, and a loss forever.

Though, His promises are real to us but most of the time our feelings, and our pains are more real. Is it not true that our feelings and emotions overpower the promises of God and His Word? They are stronger than the promises of God. We feel at times God is dead in our lives (Luke 24:17-27). After so much we enjoyed with him, suddenly we feel the pain of loneliness and fear of the future due to the unrepairable conditions and situations we go through on some of our occasions. It may be due to personal or family or community situations.

But there is an Easter. This word is expansion of east. East refers and points to the sunrise, points to the dawn of a new day, new beginnings of life. Praise God for the Word of God, which says “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” ‘Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.’ (I Peter 5:7). “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

1. God reaches you (Matthew 28:1-8)

God reaches those who reach Him but more than that he reaches those who do not seek Him. Because he is God. A woman came and received healing a man was bound at cemetery he reached him and released him. Geresene demonic person (Mark 5:15). I saw you when you were sitting at the fig tree (John 1:48).

Mathew 28:1 says that Mary Magdalene, and other Mary (who is called Mary the mother of James as per Mark 16:1), and Salome went to the tomb. But John says only Mary Magdalene was there (John 20:1). Then we read the angel saying to them “Do not be afraid, come and see, then go quickly and tell. This is the message for you.”

Resurrection narratives explain the reaching of God. God reaches those who seek Him earnestly and love Him wholeheartedly. “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.” (Proverbs 8:17). “And without faith, it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6).

But also, he reaches us even before we could reach him.(John 20:19-21, Mark 16:14, and Luke 24:36 - Jesus stood before them and greeted them with peace). God loves us and seeks us out even before we start trying to find him. Also, he reaches the ones who are lost, who are deprived, rejected and only they could cry and sigh for the touch of the Lord. He reaches them too! In Luke 19:10 Jesus said, "For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost." Jesus told his closest followers, "You did not choose me, but I chose you…" (John 15:16).

“For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.” (Ezekiel 34:11). “O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.” (Psalm 139:1-2). I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, “Here I am, here I am,” to a nation that was not called by my name. (Isaiah 65:1).