The Grave Robber
Matthew 28 1-15 NKJ
1 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. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone [a]from the door, and sat on it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.
5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 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.”
8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.
The Women Worship the Risen Lord
9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!”
(talk about being in the right place at the right time! Can you even imagine being there and witnessing Jesus in his resurrected, form and body! And even being allowed, not only to see and witness Him, but to also allowed to worship Him, right there on the spot!)
So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”
The Soldiers Are Bribed
11 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. 12 When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
The devil thought that he had won! The devil thought how much better could it be! Like taking candy from a bunch of babies, without him so much as a whimper of being robbed!
The devil had been robbing God‘s people, since the serpent tempted mankind in the garden and easily took away the original relationship, God had established with Adam and Eve! When first Eve had willingly sinned, and then Adam eagerly followed suit.
While there are many, who like to blame Eve, Adam could’ve easily chose not to do what she did! And said Lord, obviously, you have made a mistake, there is a flaw in your creation? Would you please make me another? But he didn’t!
I mean how many times, has mankind purchased something, and it did not work right! And the first thing we do, is take it back and ask for another one. Or the manufacturer to give us a replacement?
Thus I believe, the term and the originality of the term, monkey see monkey do, was coined!
Have you ever gotten into trouble before? And after you, we’re called in on the red carpet and read the riot act, by your parents, or the ones who had been betrayed by your trust or actions, asked for forgiveness?
You know what I’m talking about? Asking for something that you could do to make it up, to the person, and/or persons! Some list of things, or set of new rules that you could do, and if you did do them, it would undo what you had done!
Maybe you’re saying to yourself right now, well, I’ve never done anything like that! Let me ask you a question. Have you ever been grounded?
Gods people, from the moment Adam and Eve fell, had clamored for a set of rules to get and keep getting ungrounded, that were impossible to keep! And would always be impossible to keep as long it was dependent on their own self effort!
Ever since that moment, the devil had been robbing God‘s children on a daily basis!
*The devil robbed them, while they were in captivity in Egypt!
*The devil robbed them even after God set them free, and Moses, let them out of Egypt!
*The devil robbed them when they were in the desert, even after God had split the red sea and performed one of the greatest miracles of all times!
*The devil rob them as they spent some 40 years walking in circles in the desert, onto the way of the promised land that God had already prepared for them to walk into an inhabit!
*The devil robbed them, when the spies were sent to spy out the land when they actually got close enough to see what God had promised them!
*The devil robbed them, after they saw who inhabited the land and were fearful, even though God had promised them that they could overcome and possess the land of milk and honey, he had already given them!
*The devil robbed them, and they never did, the ones who fell for the devils lying tactics and schemes, inherit the promise of what they already had the ability to inhabit and possess!
And then and THEN!, God had finally had enough!
And God sent His only Son, Jesus, too, establish a new Way of relationship back to Him, that would forever break the foothold, the devil had on the neck of humanity!
And still those religious leaders, who were supposed to be protecting Gods children and had been put in charge of keeping the impossible to keep laws, Gods people were held accountable too. Allowed the devil, to rob mankind but once again, or so both they and the devil thought?
How many of you know that Absolute power corrupts? It’s true, no matter where it comes to light at. The devil knows it’s true, absolute power corrupts!
And but once again, the devil, had convinced those in charge of the power and well-being of the people. That their Messiah, was, indeed, not who they thought He was.
The devil thought that he had finally won, once, and for all! Little did he know, he had just played right into the hand, and to the plan God that had had from the beginning! Only instead of playing, the part of the Victor, the devil had played the part of the fool!
The forces of evil had no clue that they had played right into the plan. The plan God had always had to erase, the failed broken commandments of the law, and replace them with the Grace, Jesus had delivered victoriously at the Cross!
There was a new robber in town! I said there was a new robber in town! The grave robber! The new robber in town had taken away the Keys, to life and death from the devil, without the devil, even having a clue as to what was happening, once and for all and forevermore!
God had not only sent Jesus with an abundance of power to conquer death and the grave! But with more than enough, so everyone would know for evermore, that Jesus truly was the son of God, and the savior of the world!
Matthew 27:50-56 NKJ
50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
54 So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
55 And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
The Temple veil was the thickness of a man's hand embroidered with figures of cherubim like those Ezekiel saw guarding God's Throne. Now, as to the height of the veil, it would have to have been 30 feet high to totally block off the view of the Holy of Holies. The veil was also a picture of death whereby we enter the Presence of God. Scripture says, when Jesus died, the veil was torn from top to bottom.
The tearing of the veil from top to bottom, was to signify a new and undeniable way of approach had been established to God! The law had been abolished, and Gods grace had been established!
Jesus was the new high priest, and Gods Grace, Jesus nailed scared hands delivered, brought and established to the world, a new way of relationship to God once, and for all!
But the power, but the power that was displayed that day, not only accomplished the impossible of ripping the veil from top to bottom! That same power, caused an earthquake that had never been felt before, by mankind, and has never been felt since by mankind!
TBS. “the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.”
This is one of the miracles of Easter that often gets overshadowed! But can you imagine the story that those saints of God that were resurrected from the grave, the same power that raised Jesus from the grave raise them from the grave!
Can you imagine the story that they told?
Can you imagine being the one who witnessed them raised from the dead?
Can you imagine being the one who heard them tell their story, and what God had done for them, by liberating them from the jaws of death, and setting them free!
The Bible doesn’t record or say what happened to them! The Bible doesn’t say if they died again or experienced death again!
The Bible says that they went and told everyone what had happened! And what an amazing story it was, and tell his even 2024 years later, praise God!
The most amazing thing from all of this is, the fact that it actually happened! Christ arose from the grave, Conquered death and established the way of salvation and relationship, that we know and will forever have and share, with the One True Risen Saviour and The One True Living God!
And not only that! But through our amazing, (yes that’s right AMAZING!) relationship, we have been given the same EVERYTHING! The same attributes, and abilities that Jesus has!
1 John 4:17 NKJ
Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.
As Jesus is, so, are we in this world! As Jesus is, so, are we in this world!! We don’t have to wish or want for what Jesus has, we already have it! SAY I HAVE WHAT JESUS HAS! do you believe it?
If you’re Christian, you surely should believe it! You should not only believe it, but lay hold to study and embrace what the word clearly says you have, already in your possession.
So when the devil and his lying bag, of tricks and schemes, tries to get you down and hold you hostage! You will Realize you have been well equipped.
Seriously, you already have what Jesus has to defend yourself, and to fight from not your own strength, but the grave robbing, death defying power of Jesus strength and victory! Amen? Amen!
John 14:12-14 NKJ
12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
Maybe you’re not aware of it, but I’m telling you there’s never been a greater time, to get a hold of and get your hands around what I’m telling you and more importantly, what the Bible promises, and gives clarity too!
It’s high time for an epiphany, a personal revelation and realize what your relationship as a Christian with Jesus, His Father God and His Amazing Holy Spirit that lives within you, entitles you too!
The good news of Easter is not that Jesus lived and died, but that He died and conquered victoriously the cross and rose from death in a resurrected, glorified body on a Sunday morning 2000 years ago.
Billy Graham wrote: “Without the resurrection, the cross is meaningless.”
"Without Jesus' death, we have no hope of God's forgiveness; and without Jesus' resurrection, we have no hope of eternal life. Like the two wings of an airplane, both are essential!"
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow Because He lives, All fear is gone.” Because I know he holds the future, life is worth the living… Just because of the fact, and that fact has never been disproven…HE LIVES!
Many have tried to disprove the resurrection, even from the beginning, when the Pharisees tried to bribe the Roman soldiers to lie, and say that it was untrue!
The fact is that Jesus conquered death took away the keys to death from the devil once and for all, ripped the doors off the gates of hell, and He lives!
He lives, HE lives, HE lives within my heart today! He walks with me. He talks with me, along life’s narrow way! He lives, He lives, salvation does impart! You asked me how I know HE lives! I can tell you without a doubt, because I know HE lives within my heart!
I want you to think back to our earlier text, when we read the words the angel spoke to the same women who wrapped the crucified, beaten, broken and dead body of Jesus in a linen shroud. “I know you are seeking Jesus, who was crucified, He is not here, He has risen”. “God and tell his disciples.” He is risen! He is risen indeed.
To accept the words of the angel, spoken to these women that earlier Easter Sunday morning, or deny them, is a choice.
To deny or accept the words of Thomas, the apostle, who doubted that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead! And Jesus went to the trouble of finding him, and asking him to, indeed put his hand where the nails and the spear had pierced him, is also a choice?
Does everybody remember who Charles Colson was? In case you don’t remember Charles Colson went to prison for Watergate, the political, and presidential coverup scandal, in the 70s!
In his devotion Charles Colson wrote: “How do I know the disciples are telling the truth? How do I know they are not perpetrating a hoax”. This was his answer. “I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. This is how I know.
Twelve men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren't true.
Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world-and they couldn't keep a lie for three weeks. You're telling me 12 apostles could keep a lie for 40 years? Absolutely impossible.”
Every promise in the Bible has been tried to be disproven, forever! Never one time has any promise from the Bible been disproven, to be inaccurate or untrue! If the Bible ever had been disproved, we wouldn’t be celebrating Jesus victory this morning!
Isn’t it about time that every Christian, every believer, everyone who has ever claimed to know, Jesus has their savior, to walk in, and enjoy every promise that was ever made to them? That Jesus went to the cross to be the guarantor of, so they could have the privilege of doing so!
I would ask one last question today. Do you know Jesus as your personal savior today? Not do you know about Him, but do you know Him?
Because there’s a big difference! Even the demons in hell, every last single one of them, know about Him! And believe me, they know all about Him and what Jesus is capable of! And what Jesus is capable of, when someone accepts Him as their Lord and Saviour!
The Bible says, that all of heaven rejoices when someone accepts Jesus as their personal savior! I believe at that same moment, all of hell trembles in fear to the fact, that Jesus has robbed the grave again! Hell has lost another victory, and Jesus has forever set their soul free!
Close with salvation opportunity
