Matthew 28:1-10
Introduction:
• There are many things that we can live without, but hope isn’t one of them.
o Nothing can plunge us into the depths of despair quicker than losing all sense of hope.
o Hope gives us a reason to get up in the morning and the ability to keep moving ahead when life gets complicated.
• The disciples must have felt hopeless during the Crucifixion.
o They had poured everything into following Jesus because they thought He was the Messiah, the “Hope of Israel.”
o They left their jobs and families to be this man’s disciples.
o Now, they feel the pain of seeing all their hopes and dreams nailed to a Roman cross.
• The Resurrection “Restored Hope!”
o With the dawning of the first day of the week, everything is about to change.
o Not only will the events of this day restore the disciples’ hope, but it will leave them changed forever.
• God used this event (The Resurrection) to impact humanity with hope for the past and the future! – The resurrection is the central event of all Christian history.
o Upon this fact, the church is built, and our promise of salvation is dependent.
o Without the Resurrection, there would be no hope!
I. Understanding why “The Resurrection” was so unexpected.
A. There is no reason to expect things not to follow the normal progression of events.
1. Since Jesus was crucified on the day before the Sabbath, burial preparation would have been hurried and not finalized.
2. Jewish and pagan mourners would generally go to the tomb on the third day.
a. They would go to make sure that their relative was really dead.
b. They would go to complete the burial preparations.
c. When one considers the nature of crucifixion, there was no reason for any such optimism.
3. The Sabbath ended at sundown on Saturday, so the women would have been on their way to the tomb to complete preparations as soon as there was enough light to see.
4. Mark, in chapter 16 of his gospel account, explains why the women decided to go to the tomb.
a. They intended to finish the final preparations for burial since they did not have the time before the Sabbath.
b. They had with them the necessary spices, oils, and perfumes to finish these preparations.
5. There is no expectation in the women that the body would not be found in the tomb when they arrived.
B. Nothing could have prepared the women for what they would find when they arrived at the tomb.
1. A violent earthquake occurs before the women arrive as an angel rolls the approximately 4,000 lbs. stones away from the entrance to the tomb.
2. The guards were surprised as events began to no longer follow the regular order of progression.
3. Scripture does not fill us in on the details of the resurrection since the guards had passed out from fear no one witnessed Jesus actually exiting the tomb.
4. As the women arrive, the angel is sitting on the stone as a symbol of God’s spectacular victory.
5. Max Lucado writes, "The stone was moved - not for Jesus - but for the women. Not so Jesus could come out, but so the women could see in." Our God is a God of surprises. When we think nothing is going to happen, God surprises us. And it’s generally a pleasant surprise. He rolls the stone away so we can see, behold, and rejoice!
C. The improbable event will begin to restore the hope that was lost.
1. The women had more questions than answers as they saw the angel and the empty tomb.
2. The angel quickly calms their fears, explains everything that has taken place, and invites the women to examine the evidence themselves.
3. Hope begins to be reborn as the angel's words fill them with the anticipation of seeing Jesus again.
4. Uncertainty gives way to excitement as the women encounter Jesus alive again.
II. Understanding why “The Resurrection” is so important.
A. It gives undisputable evidence that Jesus is the Son of God.
1. The words spoken by the prophets concerning the Messiah were confirmed by the resurrection.
2. The resurrection confirmed the authority that Jesus said He had.
3. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” (John 10:17-18—NIV 2011)
B. It establishes the credibility of Scripture.
1. The resurrection of Jesus is clearly taught in both the Old and New Testaments.
2. Because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. (Psalm 16:10—NIV 2011)
3. If Jesus had not been resurrected, the reliability of Scripture would have been destroyed.
C. It gives hope in regard to our own future resurrection.
1. Since Jesus was resurrected, we can now have the hope that we will be raised like Him.
2. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. (1 Thessalonians 4:16—NIV 2011)
3. The truth is everything we believe and hope for all rest on the fact of Jesus’ resurrection.
4. 12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless, and so is your faith. (1 Corinthians 15:12-14—NIV 2011)
D. It gives meaning to the Lord’s Supper.
1. The Lord’s Supper represents Jesus’ body that was tortured for us and His blood that was shed to provide us with the forgiveness of sin.
2. The resurrection proves that everything Jesus said was true so that we can believe His promise of salvation.
3. We are reminded that each time we come around the table, we are like the disciples that met the risen Lord on the road to Emmaus.
a. We enjoy breaking bread with our living Lord.
b. We get a taste of the eternal fellowship with the Lord that we will one day enjoy.
E. It establishes the authority of the Gospel message.
1. The credibility of the Gospel message rests on the fact that Jesus died and came back to life again.
2. The reality of the resurrection sets our message apart from all the others proclaimed in the world.
3. The hope of the Gospel message rests in that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to work in our lives.
4. The resurrection not only fills us with hope but also gives our lives purpose.
III. Discovering the hope that “The Resurrection” can give to us.
A. The resurrection brings hope, enabling us to make sense of life.
1. There are so many things in life that are hard to understand, and some things make absolutely no sense.
2. The resurrection proved that there is no area of life in which God is not in control.
3. Regardless of what life may throw at us, God is in control and is by our side.
4. Max Lucado writes: "Don’t give up. The check may be in the mail. An apology may be in the making. The job contract may be on the desk. God still sends angels. And God still moves stones."
5. We begin making sense of life when we discover that life is not random; it has purpose and direction.
B. The resurrection brings hope and enables us to be free from our past.
1. Our greatest enemy is our past. We fear it and often try to hide it, but it resurfaces and holds us in its power.
2. When God raised Jesus from death, He defeated the power of death and the power of sin.
3. This enables God to extend mercy and grace to us. He not only forgives our sins, but He also forgets them.
4. The only one that is left to beat us up over our past is ourselves.
C. The resurrection brings hope and enables us to have a bright future.
1. The resurrection gives us the assurance that through Jesus Christ, we do not need to worry about our future.
2. Jesus paid the penalty for our sins and has gone to prepare a place for us.
3. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:1-3—NIV 2011)
4. Jesus is not a legend. The resurrection proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that He is real and alive.
Closing:
When Leonardo da Vinci was forty-three years old, the Duke of Milan asked him to paint the dramatic scene of Jesus’ last supper with his disciples. Working slowly and giving meticulous care to details, he spent three years on the assignment. He grouped the disciples into threes, two groups on either side of the central figure of Christ. Christ’s arms are outstretched. He holds a cup in his right hand, painted beautifully with marvelous realism. When the masterpiece was finished, the artist said to a friend, "Observe it and give me your opinion!" "It’s wonderful!" exclaimed the friend. "The cup is so real I cannot divert my eyes from it!" Immediately Leonardo took a brush and drew it across the sparkling cup! He exclaimed, "Nothing shall detract from the figure of Christ!"
