If you were to ask people,
“What is the most important day of the year for Christians?”
what response would you get?
Probably most would respond, “Christmas.”
It certainly looks that way,
not only in our culture, but in our churches.
And I don’t want to take anything away from Christmas,
because it is the annual celebration of the mind-boggling truth
that “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us,”
as the Bible says.
That is a big deal.
But if I can do so without taking anything away from Christmas,
I want to stress that the event we celebrate today—
the resurrection of Jesus from the dead,
after he had suffered and died on a cross
to pay for my sins, your sins, the whole world’s sins—
is not only the single most important event in history….
it is the single most important event in my life….
and if it’s not already the most important event in your life,
I sincerely hope it will be by the time you leave here today.
It can be!
OPTIONAL:
Over the past few weeks
we have shared together a series of messages and worship experiences
called “Who Do You Say I Am?”
based on a movie called The Son of God,
a dramatic portrayal of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ
as well as his message and mission.
Each week we have seen a different depiction of a Bible passage
as the creators of The Son of God movie rendered it,
and then we have gone to our Bibles to study and apply that part of Jesus’ story to our lives today.
We have explored Jesus as the Son of Man, the Sinner’s Friend,
the Anointed One, and the Coming King.
And today we celebrate the most shocking event in human history,
an event that was dramatized in the theatrical release, The Son of God:
PLAY video clip from The Son of God, “The Resurrection”
That scene represents the filmmaker’s interpretation
of the Easter event,
the turning point of history,
the resurrection of Jesus Christ
and the first of his many appearances to his followers.
We are going to turn to one of the four Gospel accounts,
recorded by the earliest witnesses,
and study it more closely than the camera lens allows.
We’re going to look at Matthew 28, verses 1-10,
as we begin our exploration of Jesus’ revelation to the world
as “The Resurrection and the Life,”
and three simple but life-changing responses I want to suggest
to the glorious truth of his resurrection.
So follow along as I read aloud from Matthew 28, verses 1-10:
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me” (Matthew 28:1-10, NIV).
There it is: one of the earliest accounts of the historical event we celebrate today.
But if you’ll allow me,
I’d like to ask an important and often-neglected question:
What difference does it make?
Really, in practical terms, how is it supposed to affect me?
What did it really accomplish?
What difference does it make that Jesus rose from the dead?
Well, in order to answer that question,
let me ask you this:
Did you know that Jesus’ resurrection is NOT the only recorded resurrection in the Gospels?
It’s not even the first.
There were three resurrections, each performed by Jesus,
each of which foreshadowed his own resurrection,
and each of which points to his resurrection.
And, I would add, each of which gives an answer to the question,
“what difference does it make?”
And the first is this:
1. Don’t Be Afraid
One day a man named Jairus came up to Jesus.
He was the top official in a Jewish synagogue in the area.
He found Jesus, threw himself at his feet, and begged him to come to his house and heal his twelve-year-old daughter.
So Jesus agreed, but before they got to the man’s house,
someone came up to Jairus and said,
“Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore” (Luke 8:49b, NIV).
Jesus heard the messenger’s words, and told Jairus, “Don’t be afraid.”
Can you believe that?
The man had just been told that his daughter was dead,
and Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid.”
Sounds crazy, right?
But Jesus didn’t stop there.
He went to the man’s house,
went in to the girl’s room,
and the Bible says,
He took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat (Luke 8:54-55, NIV).
“Don’t be afraid,” Jesus said.
And he says it to you, too.
You see, death used to be IT.
The end of the road.
End of story.
But then came Jesus. And he said, “Don’t be afraid.”
Why? Because,
“Death has been swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54, NIV).
Another way to say that is:
With his resurrection, Jesus BURIED death!
As the English poet and preacher, John Donne, wrote:
Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so….
Death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die!
As Jesus told Jairus, he says to you, “Don’t be afraid.”
You heard the same words in the account of the women at Jesus’ tomb:
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid” (Matthew 28:5b, NIV).
You need not fear death.
It is a conquered foe.
In raising Jairus’s daughter, Jesus demonstrated his mastery over death.
But that’s not all.
The second answer I suggest to the question, “what difference does it make?” is this:
2. Don’t cry
On another occasion, the Gospel of Luke records this:
Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”
Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother (Luke 8:11-15, NIV).
Did you hear it?
Jesus told that poor widow who had lost her only son,
“Don’t cry.”
What a strange thing to say.
You have to wonder; did he really expect her to say, “Oh, okay?”
Did he really expect her tears to stop?
It seems strange…
OF COURSE she cried!
Anyone would, in her position.
Except that Jesus knew “the rest of the story!”
Jesus knew what she did not.
Jesus knew what she would soon learn.
Jesus knew what she was about to see with her own eyes:
Jesus’ voice breaks the bonds of death…every time.
So…don’t cry.
It is a command that was echoed outside the garden tomb,
as John’s Gospel records:
Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” (John 20:11-13a, NIV).
Why wouldn’t she cry?
Like that poor widow of Nain, why wouldn’t she cry?
Until Jesus came….and chased away the tears.
That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t cry
when a friend or loved one sheds “this mortal coil,”
as Shakespeare called it.
But it does mean,
for all who have experienced new life through faith in Jesus Christ,
We do not…grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, NIV).
So, “don’t cry,”
because with his resurrection, Jesus fulfilled the prophet Isaiah’s promise:
He will destroy
the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;
he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears
from all faces (Isaiah 25:7-8a, NIV).
So, don’t be afraid,
don’t cry, and finally…
3. Believe
There was one more resurrection that foreshadowed Jesus’ victory over the grave.
One day, Jesus received a message from his friends Mary and Martha, telling him that their brother Lazarus was sick. By the time Jesus arrived on the scene, however, Lazarus had not only died, but had been in the tomb for four days.
The Bible tells us:
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die” (John 11:20-26, NIV).
Martha said, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection.”
Jesus said, “I AM the resurrection.”
Martha had faith in “the afterlife.”
Jesus said, “I AM the life.”
Martha believed.
Jesus said, “Believe in me.”
Jesus’ victory over death makes believing in him more than possible;
it should make it irresistible!
So what does it mean to believe in Jesus?
Let me put it in the simplest terms I can,
and give you a quick ABCs of believing in Jesus Christ.
Very briefly it means:
A. Agree with him.
You see, Jesus said,
No one is good—except God alone (Luke 18:19, NIV).
That’s because:
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23, NIV).
In other words, none of us is good enough to please God or earn eternal life on our own merit. We may not be as bad as the next guy, you may not have done as many wrong things as I have, but none of us can get there. . . Without help.
And the first step to getting help is to agree with him about your sins, and say to him that you’re willing to turn from your sins and sinful ways. . . with his help.
If you can do that, the next step is,
B. Believe in him.
Jesus said,
Whoever . . . believes in me will never die (John 11:25-26, NIV).
Yeah. . . So what’s THAT about?
It means this. It means saying to Jesus,
“Lord, I believe that if I ask you,
you will forgive all the wrong things I’ve done,
wipe them off my record,
come into my soul
make me a new person inside,
and give me eternal life
so that I can live for you in this life
and with you in the life that’s yet to come!
So, Jesus, since I believe all that,
I’m asking you to do it . . . Please.”
It’s that simple.
Not necessarily easy, but simple.
That’s what it means to believe in him.
That leaves one more step, and that is . . .
C. Commit to him.
You see, if you come to Jesus,
and find new life--eternal life--in him,
you’ll find that this resurrection business is not a transaction;
it’s a way of life.
It involves not only agreeing with him,
and believing in him,
it also involves committing to him,
saying, “Jesus,
I’m so glad to receive your free gift of eternal life
that I’m willing to follow you, to be your disciple,
your student, your man or your woman, for the rest of my life.
I’m willing to commit my life to
following you,
obeying you,
worshiping you,
pleasing you,
until that day, sometime in the future,
when you usher me from life . . .
into the life to come.”
THAT, friends, is the answer to the question,
“What difference does it make?”
It makes a difference from here to eternity if you act on it.
It defeats death.
It removes fear.
It banishes tears.
And it gives meaning to life.
If you have any hope of defeating death, fear, and sorrow,
you have to act on this information individually, personally, at some point in time.
And I pray for God's sake and for your sake
that you would do that even now.
In fact, I’d like to invite you to pray with me.
If you’re at the point in your spiritual journey
where you can pray these words silently, would you do it,
as I allow a few moments of silence after each phrase for you to repeat them in your own heart:
“Jesus, I agree with you /
that I can’t conquer death, fear, and sorrow without you. /
So I turn to you. /
I ask you to forgive all the wrong things I’ve done, /
wipe them off my record, /
come into my soul /
make me a new person inside, /
and give me eternal life /
so that I can live for you in this lisfe /
and with you in the life that’s yet to come! /
Help me from this day forward /
to follow you and rely on you /
every moment of every day, /
Amen.”
If you prayed that prayer with me,
I want to meet you.
I want to add you to my prayer list.
I want to support you in any way I can,
so please introduce yourself to me when this service concludes,
and just mention, “I prayed that prayer.”
And now, for everyone, let me pray:
“Lord Jesus, thank you for this celebration
of your resurrection.
Thank you for every soul in this place.
Thank you for teaching us from your Word,
and through your Holy Spirit’s whispers in our heart.
Help us, as “resurrection people,”
not to be afraid,
not to grieve as those who have no hope,
and give us grace to believe in you
and follow you with all our hearts,
Amen.”
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