MELVIN NEWLAND, MINISTER
RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
A. Today is Easter Sunday, & all over the world people are gathering in celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. We are a part of that celebration!
Our Scripture text this morning is Matthew 28:1-10, & once again you have a choice. You can follow along in your Bible, or see the scriptures projected on the screen. But please listen carefully as I read these familiar verses to you.
“After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene & the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
“There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven &, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone & sat on it.
“His appearance was like lightning, & his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook & 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 & see the place where He lay.
“Then go quickly & tell His disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead & 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, & ran to tell His disciples.
“Suddenly Jesus met them. ‘Greetings,’ He said. They came to Him, clasped His feet & worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. Go & tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.’”
B. Again, that is a familiar & wonderful passage. In fact, if we wished, we could easily consider it verse by verse & fill all the time we have available this morning.
I mean, just think about the violent earthquake. Scientists tell us that experiencing an earthquake creates almost uncontrollable feelings of insecurity in many people because that which they’ve always known as solid is moving & they’re absolutely helpless to do anything about it.
And right in the midst of the earthquake an angel appears, & “His appearance was like lightning…” He rolls the stone away from the entrance of the tomb, & sits upon it!
Now these were selected guards, tough & experienced. But when they felt the earthquake & saw the angel they became so afraid “that they shook & became like dead men.” God was shaking much more than just the earth that morning. He shook hardened soldiers, too!
I wonder, why did the angel roll the stone away - to let Jesus out? No! The tomb was already empty. The angel did not roll the stone away to let Jesus out, but to let the women in, so they could see for themselves that the tomb was empty.
And what about the women? They were afraid, too. But their fear turned to joy, & they hurried to tell the disciples what they had seen & heard. Then, as they hurried, “Suddenly Jesus met them. ‘Greetings,’ He said.”
I love that. Can you imagine rounding the corner as you are running to find the disciples & suddenly there He is? There’s Jesus, & He says, “Greetings!” - Just a common ordinary greeting like, “Good morning. How are you?"
What a moment! No wonder the Scripture says, “They… clasped His feet & worshiped Him.”
PROP. They were filled with joy! They were celebrating His resurrection! And this morning I want us to celebrate, too – to celebrate His victory over 2 terrible foes.
I. ON THE CROSS, JESUS WON THE VICTORY OVER OUR SIN
A. First of all, on the cross, Jesus won the victory over our sin.
Everything that is wrong in our culture today can be labeled with one word & that word is “sin.” Why do we have broken homes & divorce & twisted lives? Why do we have an economy where unethical things seem to flourish & dishonesty prospers? The answer is “sin.”
Why do we have schools where children cannot be disciplined & teachers are afraid to teach? Why do we have to have metal detectors to make sure children don’t carry guns & knives into their classrooms? The answer is “sin.”
Why do we have a culture that embraces drug addiction & suggests that we should legalize it? Why is AIDS rampant & sodomy embraced as an alternate lifestyle? Why is pornography so prevalent? The answer, people, is “sin.”
B. So what is the solution today? Well, some have decided to pull their kids out of
school & educate them at home, or put them in special schools because they’re convinced the schools will never change.
Others give in to the dishonesty of our culture & decide that nothing can be done, except to build bigger jails, & more abuse centers. And that we’ll just have to get used to racial slurs & hateful language because that’s “the way it is” in our nation today, & there’s not much that can be done about it. Or is there?
ILL. Do you realize that the 1995 Okla. City bombing took place 3 days after Easter - just 3 days after people had gathered to celebrate the resurrection of the Lord?
There is a church next to the bombing site, & the preacher, Nick Harris, was scheduled to be in the sanctuary of that building at the very time the bomb went off. He was supposed to be filming a TV segment, but the cameraman was late that day, & his tardiness saved both of their lives.
After the explosion Nick Harris described his emotions as he walked into the bombed out sanctuary. He said, “I stood there & I could still see the faces of people who had come on Easter Sunday to worship.” The building had been full of excited people celebrating the resurrection of Jesus.
He said, “Now I looked around at what was left. Every window had been shattered. There were holes in the walls where debris had hit. The pews were torn & broken, & every piece of furniture had been moved.
“But as I stood there & marveled at the power of the explosion there was one thing that greatly amazed & impressed me. In the midst of almost total destruction, every Easter lily was still in place. Not a one had toppled. Not a one had broken or fallen out of its vase. They were all still exactly where they had been placed. Every single one.”
Nick Harris said, “I stood there & stared at them in amazement, & then I said, ‘God, are you trying to tell me something?’ Well, I don’t know if He was or not, but the message that seemed to be coming through loud & clear was this, ‘Love is stronger than hate, & righteousness will triumph in the end.’ And isn’t that the resurrection message?”
You see, though sin is all around us, it isn’t hopeless & we’re not helpless, for on the cross Jesus paid the price for our sins, & won the victory for you & for me.
II. IN HIS RESURRECTION, JESUS WON THE VICTORY OVER DEATH
Secondly, in His resurrection Jesus won the victory over death.
A. Why is that important? Because death is a hated enemy, & here’s why.
#1. Death is no respecter of persons. In our culture, if you have money,
power, position, or prestige, you can get the best table at the banquet, the best seats at the ball park. You get special treatment just because of who you are, or what you have.
But death doesn’t care. It strips away all those trappings & says, “You’re just like everybody else.” Sam Walton was a billionaire, but he died. Jackie Kennedy, Princess Diana, & Mother Theresa all died, for death is no respecter of persons.
Maybe that’s why so many people fear death. The book of Hebrews says that there are people who all their lives are held in slavery by their fear of death.
ILL. I’ve known people, & perhaps you have, too, who were afraid to write a will or take out an insurance policy, or even go to the doctor for fear that the doctor would tell them that they had a fatal disease.
They just couldn’t bring themselves to face the subject of death. So they tried to avoid it altogether.
#2. Yet there are those who have a fascination with death.
ILL. Remember, back in 1997, 39 people committed mass suicide because they were part of a cult called “Heaven’s Gate.”
Somehow, their leader convinced them that by committing suicide they would be able to hitch a ride on a UFO that was following the Hale-Bopp Comet & pass through Heaven’s Gate to a higher level of existence. That's sad, isn't it?
3. Death is also a sneaky enemy. It often comes unannounced, without warning. It snatches babies. It takes children. It strikes down people in the prime of life. That’s why James wrote, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while & then vanishes.” (James 4:14)
4. Death is also our most persistent enemy. It constantly pursues us. We
experience it in reflexes that aren’t as sharp as they used to be, eyes that are no longer clear, ears that don’t hear as well, & nagging pains that don’t go away.
Our mind & memory betray us, & evidence of aging is everywhere, proclaiming that death is the destiny of us all.
But the resurrection proclaims that Jesus has won the victory over death. 1 Cor. 15:20 says, “Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” And that’s a very interesting word picture.
You see, at harvest, devout Jews brought the first of their harvest as an offering to God. They didn’t wait until the harvest was over & then give God an offering from their abundance. Even before harvesting any for themselves they brought the first to God, proclaiming their trust that God would provide more to follow.
So when Jesus’ resurrection is called, “…the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep…” it means that Jesus is just the first to be raised from the dead, never to die again. He paved the way for us & He says, “Come & follow me.”
That’s why He said in John 14:1-3, “Do not let your heart be troubled. You trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so I would have told you; I am going there to prepare a place for you.
“And if I go & prepare a place for you, I will come back & take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."
ILL. I was amazed when I heard that possums are really intelligent animals. In fact, I’ve always had the idea that the answer to the old question, “Why does a chicken cross the road?” was simply “to show the possums that it could be done.”
The reason they gave for saying a possum is smart is because a possum will not go into a hole if there is only one set of tracks going into it. The possum is smart enough to know there is something waiting in his hole that might do him harm.
The only time a possum will go into a hole, they say, is if there are two sets of tracks, one going in & the other coming out.
Now folks, here’s the good news: When you look at the hole that will someday hold your body, if you’re a Christian, remember that there will be two sets of tracks - one going in & one coming out. You won’t have to stay there.
You’ll come out of that grave because Jesus Christ came out of His grave. And the Bible says that death has been swallowed up in victory.
ILL. Tony Campolo, in his book “The Applause of Heaven” tells about a funeral service held at the predominantly black church he attends in West Philadelphia.
A man by the name of Clarence, a construction worker, had been tragically killed on the job. On the day of his memorial service, almost the whole church showed up to mourn & to comfort his family.
The preacher delivered a powerful eulogy, & when he finished he did a most unusual thing. He came down from the platform & stood by the casket. The lid was open & he started speaking to Clarence as though Clarence was there listening to him, telling Clarence how much he loved & respected him.
He said, “You’re such a great man, & you’ve had a tremendous influence on my life.” He talked about his Christian character, his Christian family, & told him all the things he wished he had told him when he was alive, but never got around to doing.
Finally, he finished & said, “Now Clarence, that’s all I have to say. So good night!” & he slammed down the lid of the casket. Then he turned to the startled audience & said, “God’s going to give Clarence a good morning.”
At that the congregation started singing, “In that great gettin’ up morning we shall rise, we shall rise. In that great gettin’ up morning we shall rise.”
Campolo said the whole church stood up & with tears streaming from their eyes, & smiles on their faces, they sang with gusto, “In that great gettin’ up morning we shall rise, we shall rise. In that great gettin’ up morning we shall rise.”
In a matter of moments, that funeral changed from mourning to rejoicing, because the resurrection of Jesus gives us victory over death.
CONCL. Now if you have not experienced that victory, we give you that opportunity this morning.
You can come now & give your heart & life to Jesus, make your confession of faith, be faithful to Him in Christian baptism & be raised, as Jesus was raised, to walk in a newness of life. We extend His invitation & pray that you will come as we stand & as we sing.
INVITATION
