He is Alive
Matthew 27:57- 66
Matthew 28:1-15
57 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. 58 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.
The Guard at the Tomb
62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”
65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.
Matthew 28:1-15
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
2 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. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 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.”
8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped 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.”
The Guards’ Report
11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.
Message:
You cannot cover up the truth.
Especially a sacred truth - it will be revealed.
That kind of truth does not die it lives and Jesus is the proof that there is life after death.
The resurrection of Jesus is the greatest truth of God’s love for all humanity.
Through the resurrection of Jesus we are all given a way to escape the consequence of our sins which is death.
We are given a way to eternal life through faith in Jesus as our saviour and Messiah.
Jesus was the first to be buried in a human body and then raised to an immortal body.
Jesus is called the First fruits from the dead.
1 Corinthians 15:20-24
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.
Today in Israel they are celebrating the Feast of First fruits.
It is one of three feasts that are tied to the Passover.
First fruits comes on the third day of what we know as Passover.
It is the spring harvest feast where the Jews take the first sheaf of barley and offer it to the Lord for blessing them with the harvest.
It is amazing how the Feasts of the Jews point to Jesus. Yet the Jews do not see it.
All scripture points to and finds its fulfilment in Jesus Christ.
Passover is about a lamb and about the blood of a lamb being placed over the door and door posts of the Hebrews.
John the Baptist called Jesus – “The Lamb of God who comes to take away the sins of the world.”
John 1:29
Jesus put His blood over our sins covering us from death and making a way for us to have eternal life.
Jesus illustrated that for us at the first Lord’s Supper or Communion just as Passover began.
He took bread and broke it saying it was His body then He took wine and blessed it saying it was His blood shed for us.
Jesus said He made a new covenant – a sacred promise between God and man.
That is what we celebrate today at the communion table.
Yesterday was the Feast of Unleavened Bread in Israel.
It lasts for 7 days. It is a reminder that the Hebrews had no time to make bread the normal way by adding yeast and letting it rise.
They would have to leave Egypt quickly and could not wait so they made bread without yeast.
All these amazing Feasts point to Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God (Passover) the Bread of God (Feast of Unleavened Bread) and the First fruits of God the resurrection to an immortal body.
The resurrection of the dead in Christ has not happened yet.
We are waiting for that day when Jesus will come back and raise everyone who has believed in Him to a new and eternal body like His.
We believe that those who have died in faith believing in Jesus are with Him now in spiritual bodies but they do not yet have their immortal bodies.
We are the harvest that Jesus talked about in His parables.
We are the ones who will be taken off the fields of the earth and presented to our Heavenly Father as First fruits of Jesus.
It is truly amazing that God has used these feasts to point His people to Jesus.
Unfortunately many have not discovered that Jesus is the Lamb of God and the Bread of Life and the First fruits of the Lord.
Scripture tells us that God uses the heavens as signs to alert us to coming events.
Such an event happened last night when the 3rd of 4 Blood Moons was displayed in the night’s sky.
The first one took place last Passover/Easter and the Second last October during the Feast of Trumpets.
In between these four Blood Moons was a total Solar Eclipse.
It fell on the first day of the Jewish religious year or ecclesiastic year.
That day also happened to be the Spring Equinox. Marking a change of season.
It is exceptional that all Four Blood Moons and the Solar Eclipse have fallen on Jewish Holy days.
Could it be that our God is trying to get their attention at this time in world history?
We are warned that Solar Eclipses and Blood Moons will be signs used by God to alert us to the day that Jesus will return.
It could be that His return is still a long way off or it could be that the signs we see now are meant as a warning to prepare for the Lord as He comes as the Lord of the Harvest to present His first fruits to the Father.
Whatever these signs mean we will have to wait for them to run their course but today we have the greatest sign of all eternity.
Christ the Lord is risen from the grave.
Eternal life can be ours if we will only put our faith in Jesus – Amen.
