Bunbury
Sun am
4/04/10
“What are you going to do with the resurrection?”
Intro: The nature of the resurrection is such that it demands that every one of us make a decision about it.
Paul placed the resurrection at the centre of the gospel when he said .....
1 Corinthians 15:14 (NKJV) And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.
T/m on Easter Sunday I want to pose a question & bring to mind the reality that every one of us has to face.
The question & the point of my message this morning is this .....
‘What are you going to do with the resurrection?’.
Text: Matthew 28:1-20 (NKJV) Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.” Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure.” So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
# 1. The resurrection is a truth to be believed.
A. The first thing we’ve got to do w/ the resurrection is believe it!
a. The trouble w/ the resurrection is that too many Christians treat it like a myth.
i. To many so called Christians it is little more than a fairy tale – a nice story / thought but hardly real.
ii. A high percentage of professing Christians today say that although they believe in Christ they don’t believe in the resurrection.
iii. The two Marys entered the tomb, encountered the angel & the resurrection b/ca reality to them.
iv. Jesus spoke to the disciples about His resurrection on a number of occasions ....
Mark 9:31 (NKJV) For He taught His disciples and said to them, “The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.”
Luke 18:31-33 (NKJV) Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, They will scourge [the Son of man].... and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.”
v. But when it actually happened they still struggled to believe it.....
b. The first thing you’re going to do w/ the resurrection is either believe it or reject it.
i. The Bible says when the Marys came & told the disciples about Jesus resurrection they were met w/ unbelief.
Mark 16:10-11 (NKJV) She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.
ii. The resurrection is the central reality of the gospel that hell wants you to deny.
Mark 16:12-13 (NKJV) After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.
iii. Shortly after the resurrection Jesus appeared to the 10/11 disciples – only Thomas was absent.
iv. When the disciples excitedly shared the reality of the resurrection w/ him he refused to believe.
John 20:24-25 (NKJV) Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
v. Here’s Thomas one of the chosen 12, disciple of Jesus for 3 years but he doesn’t believe!!!
vi. Something tells me that if Thomas can be filled w/ unbelief of the resurrection so can we.
B. At the centre of the gospel is the resurrection – at the centre of the resurrection is an open tomb.
*** I was speaking to a woman recently who told me the sad story of her daughter in-law who was killed in a car accident. She explained how she had been the one who was responsible for the identifying of her daughter in-law’s body. When the time for the funeral came the distraught mother of the lady who was killed wanted to have the casket open for a viewing at the funeral. But her daughter’s body & especially her face had been badly injured in the accident. The sad truth was that her casket couldn’t be open b/c it would further heighten the pain of the loved ones.
But when God bought His Son out of the grave he wanted an open casket – he wanted the world to see what was inside the tomb!
Mark 16:4 (NKJV) But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—
a. Did you ever wonder who the stone was rolled away for?
i. Quite obviously Jesus didn’t need to have it rolled away for Him! He didn’t come out of the tomb three days later sore / bruised / battered & in pain.
ii. Jesus came out of that tomb as a conquering king!
iii. A king that didn’t need anyone to roll the stone away for Him ..... He now walked through locked doors / appeared wherever & whenever He wanted to.
b. So who was the stone rolled away for?
i. Firstly it was rolled away for the women who came to the tomb to prepare the body of Jesus for burial.
Vs 5-6. “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
ii. It was rolled away for the unbelieving soldiers guarding the tomb..... the men who began the rumour that Jesus’ body was stolen – they needed an open tomb!
Vs 4. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.
iii. It was rolled away for the disciples who later came to the tomb.
John 20:3-5 (NKJV) Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in.
iv. It was rolled away for the religious leaders / Pharisees who had been responsible for sending Jesus to the tomb.
Vs 11. some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened.
v. And the stone was rolled away for you! The resurrection is firstly a truth to be believed!
# 2. The resurrection is a truth to be proclaimed.
A. The first thing the women did was to proclaim the truth of the resurrection.
a. As the reality sunk into the heads & hearts at the tomb of Jesus, one thought came to the women..... we’ve got to tell everyone!
i. This b/ca their most urgent mission – in fact their only mission!!!
ii. The two women began running excitedly from the tomb to where the disciples were.
Vs 8. So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.
iii. What they were thinking was clear – if Jesus has risen from the dead how can we keep this quiet?
iv. Jesus H/s meets them in the way urges their mission along ......
Vs 9-10. And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, ..... Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”
b. The proclamation of the resurrection was the priority of the church.
i. From the women @ the tomb ..... then the two disciples on the road to Emmaus / the 11 disciples, then 500.
ii. The N/T church made it their business to proclaim the resurrection of Jesus..... they weren’t going to keep back this truth.
Acts 2:32 (NKJV) This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.
iii. The truth that Jesus Christ had risen again from the dead b/ca central to the preaching of the N/T church.
iv. And the truth of the resurrection needs to be central to everything that we proclaim to a lost & dying world.
B. The world isn’t interested in a saviour who once lived – they need a saviour who still lives!
a. The risen Christ is the remedy a lost & dying world needs to hear proclaimed.
i. Can we keep this remedy for all of the pain / suffering / misery of men’s lives quiet?
*** Scurvy was a disease that afflicted seamen who were at sea for extended periods of time causing them to suffer from diseased gums, skin conditions resulting in infections, teeth falling out & even triggering depression. It has been a problem affecting seamen in particular & was recorded as early as around 500 B.C. There were numerous ideas about what caused it & how to treat it throughout the centuries. But it wasn’t until 1932 that the ultimate cause of scurvy was known for sure – a lack of vitamin C.
The tragedy is that a Scottish surgeon in the British Royal Navy, James Lind first proved it could be treated with citrus fruit in experiments he described in his 1753 book, A Treatise of the Scurvy, though his advice was not implemented by the Royal Navy for several decades.
For decades sailors the world over continued to suffer & die of a disease of which the cure was simple – citrus fruit or vitamin C. They had the remedy but it just wasn’t applied!
ii. A living Jesus is the remedy that this suffering / lost & dying world needs!
iii. We’ve got the remedy – He’s risen, He’s alive, He still saves / delivers / restores / heals & refreshes the weary today.
iv. All of this is b/c He really did rise again conquering death & the grave – He broke free from the power of these things.
v. But more imptly He can break the power of these things in other lives today too.
b. To keep this truth to our/s is not only selfish – it’s wicked.
** Someone has said that “The best news the world has ever had came from a graveyard near Jerusalem.”
i. Can we keep this news to our/s & still claim to be the disciples of Christ?
Romans 10:14 (NKJV) How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
ii. Who could keep to H/s the news of a Saviour who conquered sin / death & made a way for every man / woman to do the same?
iii. The resurrection is a truth to be proclaimed!
# 3. The resurrection is a truth to be lived out.
A. B/c He has risen we have too!
a. We are no longer the same old people we once were – we’ve been resurrected into a new life.
i. We’ve been resurrected out of the old habits / ways / thinking into a brand new life & way of living.
Colossians 2:13 (NKJV) And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
Ephesians 2:1 (NKJV) And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
ii. But not only this His resurrection has opened the tomb of our hearts!
iii. Jesus once likened the hearts of men to being like a tomb, listen to what He says here ........
Matthew 23:27 (NKJV) “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.
iv. How many of us know that when Jesus said this He wasn’t just speaking about the Pharisees ... He was speaking about the condition of the human heart!
v. Jesus broke free from the grave & rose again so that His resurrection might also b/co a living reality in your LIFE!
b. And More than anything the world needs to see Him living in us!
i. They need to be able to identify a risen saviour living in the hearts of men / women today!
ii. The question is – do they see evidence of this truth when they look at our lives?
B. Being a Christian means living in resurrection life.
a. This is more than the resurrection simply being a part of our belief system / theology but something that we can live in the reality of every day.
i. Jesus said these words in .....
Vs 18-19. “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore .....
ii. Jesus says ‘therefore’ .... this is arguably the most impt ‘therefore’ in the Bible to a believer.
iii. Therefore - b/c of this truth of my resurrection & all authority being given unto Me ...... I call you to live in the power / authority of my resurrection!
b. But how is this going to happen?
i. First of all by having a vision to spread this good news of the resurrection to all men / women of every race under heaven.
Vs 19. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
ii. Jesus says ... this is such a life changing truth that nobody should miss out.
iii. Our vision should be to bring the gospel to all men from every race / tribe / tongue / people.
iv. We live out the resurrection by not only having a vision for all mankind but by going!
Vs 19. Go therefore .....
v. A mobilised army – in the neighbourhood / the work place / the market place of life / streets / parks.
vi. The book of Acts is the record of an army of believers living out the truth of the resurrection.
c. Secondly – not only by bringing the news to them of a risen Christ but by making disciples out of them.
Vs 19-20. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you;
i. Jesus said – get them baptised! Baptism itself was symbolic of the very resurrection.
ii. It was symbolic of men / women being buried w/ Christ & being raised up into a new life.
iii. Jesus says ...... I want men / women to identify th/s as believers – through baptism I want them to identify w/ a risen Christ who conquered the grave & calls them to newness of life.
Romans 6:4 (NKJV) Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
iv. Jesus says – also teach them what I’ve taught you! ...... teach them how to live right / be right!
d. Lastly Jesus instructs His disciples ..... to take w/ them the final proof of the resurrection.
Vs 20. ....... and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
i. Here’s the secret of living out the resurrection – having the living abiding Christ w/i.
ii. He spoke about the same truth & reality of living out the resurrection when he said .......
John 15:5 (NKJV) “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
Revelation 3:20 (NKJV) Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
iii. The resurrection is a truth to be lived out w/ the risen Christ in your life & heart each & every day as you take Him w/ you everywhere you go!
