RESURRECTION HAPPENINGS
Matthew 28:1-10
INTRO.- ILL.- A man by the name of George Hatch raised a large family of seven boys and five girls in the sand hills of northwestern Nebraska. One Sunday morning a neighbor rushed over to help the Hatches get the new-mown hay into the barn; clouds were rolling up in the West, and it was quite apparent that a rainstorm was coming.
"Let’s get your hay up before the storm hits!" exclaimed the neighbor. "Thank you for your kind offer," said Mr. Hatch, "but this is Sunday, and I am going to take my family to church." "But you’ll lose your hay," pleaded the neighbor.
But the Hatch family went to church, and the rainstorm did spoil the hay. "See, I told you that you would lose your hay," said the neighbor. "Yes," replied Mr. Hatch, "I lost my hay, but I saved my family."
Sunday happenings.
ILL.- Back in 1850 people could not ride on the Boston and Maine railroads on Sunday unless they satisfied the railroad officials they were making the trip to attend church services.
And when the New York elevated line began operating, many citizens boycotted it because trains were run on Sundays. Why did they boycott it? BECAUSE THEY BELIEVED IN GOING TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY!
Sunday happenings back then. Sunday School. Church. Observance of the Lord’s Supper. The singing of gospel hymns. People confessing Christ and being baptized into Him. Bible study groups. Christian service. Youth meetings.
These are the kinds of Sunday happenings that all Christians should believe in, participate in and be excited about! Sunday happenings are important. They help to shape our lives in a good and godly way.
ILL.- William Gladstone who was Britain’s Prime Minister four times said, "Tell me what the young men of England are doing on Sunday, and I will tell you what the future of England will be."
Sunday happenings not only help to shape up our lives, but also our country. Sunday happenings are important!
PROP.- From our text about the resurrection of Christ let’s consider some Sunday happenings, some resurrection Sunday happenings.
1- The stone rolled (2)
2- The guards feared (4)
3- The women ran (8)
4- The Savior appeared (9)
I. THE STONE ROLLED
I’ve never rolled any stones, but I’ve sure thrown a few in my time.
ILL.- Once, while in elementary school, I got sent to the principal’s office for throwing rocks at another boy during school hours. BUT HE WAS THROWING ROCKS AT ME TOO! And I figured that one good stone deserved another.
That’s often the way we think, but that doesn’t make it right.
Rom. 12: 17-18 "Do not repay another evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone."
Don’t throw stones at people just because they throw them at you. Make peace, not problems. Make love, not war. Love people, don’t fight with them. God put us here to love one another. Work at it.
While we may throw stones, God rolls stones. And He rolls the right stones, in the right direction and at the right time.
V. 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."
God rolled away the stone from the tomb of Jesus. That stone was a wheel of granite, eight feet in diameter and one foot thick. It was rolled into a groove and perhaps weighed more than 4 tons which is over 8,000 lbs.
When God rolls stones He does a really good job of it. And just as He rolled away that stone, He can also roll away the stones in our lives.
Max Lucado wrote, "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. About the time we think nothing is going to happen, God surprises us. And it’s generally, a nice surprise. He rolls the stone away so we can see, behold, and rejoice!
ILL.- Just when Sarah’s womb was too old for babies, she got pregnant. Of course, I don’t know of many women that want that kind of surprise from God!
- Just when our sin is too great for grace, God pardons David the adulterer. That’s a good surprise that we all can handle!
All of us need certain stones rolled away in our lives. Stones of doubt, stones of fear, stones of uneasiness, stones of distress, etc.
All of us have needs in our lives. Needs that perhaps can only be taken care or met by our all-powerful God. There are times when it seems like we have done everything humanly possible to solve our problem and then we just have to "let go and let God."
ILL.- Oliver Cromwell was a leader in the English Revolution in the 1600’s. His secretary was sent out on some important business. He stayed one night at a seaport town, and tossed and turned all night in his bed, unable to sleep.
According to an old custom, a servant slept in his room, and had no trouble sleeping. Finally, the secretary woke the servant and he asked why his master could not sleep.
The secretary said, "I am so afraid something will go wrong with the meeting."
"Master," said the slave, "may I ask a question or two?"
"To be sure."
"Did God rule the world before we were born?"
"Most assuredly He did."
"And will He rule it after we are dead?"
"Certainly He will."
"Then, master, why not let Him rule the present, too?"
Brothers and sisters, I know this is not an easy thing to do, but we all need to learn to trust God to rule our present lives and those whom we are concerned about.
Prov. 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."
Max Lucado wrote: "Don’t give up. The check may be in the mail. The apology may be in the making. The job contract may be on the desk. God still sends angels. And God still moves stones."
II. THE GUARDS FEARED
V. 4 "The guards were so afraid of him (the angel) that they shook and became like dead men."
ILL.- Charles Sawyer, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce, tells about the planeload of people flying across the Atlantic. A voice comes on the intercom: "We are now flying at 35,000 feet. If you will notice, out the right window, the two engines on that side are on fire, and the engines on the left had to be stopped. If you look directly below, you will see a yellow sea recovery raft with six small dots on it. The dots are the pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer, navigator, and two hostesses. This is a recording."
In that situation, I’d say people should be afraid! Some fear is needed and good. The guards at the tomb of Jesus were afraid of the angel to the point that they shook and acted like they were dead.
SOME PEOPLE SHOULD FEAR THE ANGELS OF GOD WHETHER THEY SEE THEM OR NOT! They should fear God though they see Him not!
The guards were unbelievers. Not necessarily evil men. Just doing their job, but they were on the other side of the coin of faith in Christ. They did not believe.
Some people should fear. Evil people should fear God.
ILL.- Almost everyone knows that under Adolph Hitler the Germans murdered 6 million Jews.
But how many people know that under Josef Stalin the Russians slaughtered from 15 to 20 million of their own countrymen?
Both Adolph Hitler and Josef Stalin should have feared God, but apparently, they didn’t. They probably thought they were on God’s side, but God does not condone the murder of innocent people. ENTER, STAGE RIGHT, OSAMA BIN LADEN. Bin Laden should fear the true and living God, but he doesn’t.
Some day he will see. Unbelievers should have a certain amount of fear.
Heb. 10:31 "It is a dreadful (or fearful) thing to fall into the hands of the living God."
Matt. 10:28 Jesus said, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell."
ILL.- Robert Ingersoll, the agnostic, after delivering one of his addresses, pulled his watch from his pocket and said, "According to the Bible, God has struck men to death for blasphemy. I will blaspheme Him and give Him five minutes to strike me dead and damn my soul."
There was a period of perfect silence while one minute went by; two minutes passed, and people began to get nervous; three minutes, and a woman fainted; four minutes, and Ingersoll curled his lip.
At five minutes, he snapped shut his watch, put it in his pocket, and said: "You see, there is no God, or He would have taken me at my word."
The story was told later to Joseph Parker, who said, "And did the American gentleman think he could exhaust the patience of God in five minutes?"
Brothers and sisters, our God is indeed a very longsuffering, a very patient God. If He were not so patient, this world would not be standing right now.
When we consider all the hatred, the violence, the crime, the wickedness that has taken place in our world, we wonder why it is still standing. And yet, consider this: We only see or hear a small portion of the evil that exists in our world. GOD SEES AND HEARS IT ALL!
And still, He is patient, not wanting anyone to perish, but all to come to repentance and be saved in Christ. But there will come a time when God will put His foot down and say, "Enough is enough!"
Some people should fear the angel of God. Angels have often brought good news, but someday they will bring bad news for the unbeliever, the evil, the hateful, etc.
1- The stone rolled.
2- The guards feared.
III. THE WOMEN RAN
V. 8 "So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples." The women ran.
ILL.- A retired couple decided that they should walk two miles a day to stay in shape. They chose to walk a mile out on a lonely country road so they would have no choice but to walk back. At the one-mile mark on their first venture, the man asked his wife, "Do you think you can make it back all right, or are you too tired?" "Oh, no," she said. "I’m not tired. I can make it fine." "Good," he replied. "I’ll wait here. You go back, get the car and come get me."
Everybody needs some exercise, but some people can’t do it. Most people can’t run, but some people can’t even walk or walk very far.
The women ran. The church needs more women runners. Running is good for a person. It’s healthy. It’s strengthens the heart muscle, increases energy, causes weight loss.
While the church may need more women runners, I suspect that the men will just play golf!
ILL.- A golfer was playing a hole that had to be shot over water. He got out an old ball and teed up. A voice out of nowhere said, "Use a new ball." He didn’t see anybody, but he put a new ball on the tee, and was ready to hit the ball when the voice said, "Take a practice swing." He took a practice swing, and the voice said, "USE THE OLD BALL."
The women ran, but the men played golf!
Why did the women of the resurrection run? THEY RAN TO TELL THE GOOD NEWS THAT CHRIST HAD RISEN FROM THE DEAD! We all need to be runners with the good news about Christ. If Christ has indeed risen from the dead then He is who He claimed to be and is the only Savior of the world!
ILL.- Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962), the world-famous violinist, earned a fortune with his concerts and compositions, but he generously gave most of it away. So, when he discovered an exquisite violin on one of his trips, he wasn’t able to buy it. Later, having raised enough money to meet the asking price, he returned to the seller, hoping to purchase that beautiful instrument. But to his great dismay it had been sold to a collector.
Kreisler made his way to the new owner’s home and offered to buy the violin. The collector said it had become his prized possession and he would not sell it. Keenly disappointed, Kreisler was about to leave when he had an idea. "Could I play the instrument once more before it is consigned to silence?" he asked.
Permission was granted, and the great virtuoso filled the room with such heart-moving music that the collector’s emotions were deeply stirred. "I have no right to keep that to myself," he exclaimed. "It’s yours, Mr. Kreisler. Take it into the world, and let people hear it."
I HAVE NO RIGHT TO KEEP IT TO MYSELF. Brothers and sisters, we have no right to keep the sweet music of Christ to ourselves! We must share Him with any and all! We must run with the good news....we must share the good news that Christ is alive and can save us from our sins and give us a home in heaven!
1- The stone rolled
2- The guards feared
3- The women ran
IV. THE SAVIOR APPEARED
V. 9 "Suddenly Jesus met them. ‘Greetings,’ he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him."
ILL.- A man named Brown was hanged in Philadelphia sometime ago. In ten minutes after he was legally dead he was resting on a table in the physiological laboratory. Around the table were three of the most famous doctors of the scientific world. Could motion and life be restored to that inanimate body? Science waited anxiously for an answer to the question.
A sharp wire, charged with electricity, was applied to the various nerve centers of the body and brain.
Brown raised first his right hand and then his left. His head moved. His mouth twitched in a convulsive grin. The cords of his neck swelled. The hands drew up and then extended. Unceasingly the electric wire prodded center after center in the nervous organism. At a fresh touch from the plying needle the body sat upright. Would he walk? Would he talk?
Science was anxious; another stroke and it had found the secret of life. But placed on the floor, the body fell over limp—dead. Science had demonstrated wonders, but had failed to raise the dead.
Brothers and sisters, science is wonderful, but it can only do so much. We know that what science can’t do, God can do! Science can’t produce life or put life back into dead bodies, BUT GOD CAN!
Acts 26:8 Paul said to King Agrippa, "Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?"
When most people think in terms of raising the dead, they tend to not believe. They may think, "Come on, now, get real! Nobody can bring dead people back to life!"
That’s human reasoning. That’s walking by sight and not by faith. We walk by faith. We believe! We believe in our all-powerful God! If God created the heavens and the earth and gave life to man, why should we consider it incredible for Him to raise the dead?! Raising the dead is no big deal to God! He is God! He can do anything!
In our text, Jesus appeared to the women after His resurrection. They needed to be convinced and assured that He was alive.
ILL.- I’ve always heard it said that the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Meaning, you tell me that your pudding is good. Let me taste it. I’ll tell you if it’s good or not. You say that your fried chicken is good. Give me some. I know good fried chicken!
Christ’s appearance to these women was proof of good pudding, proof of good fried chicken. His appearance was proof that He was the Christ and had indeed come back from the dead. And the proof of the resurrection of Christ should bolster our confidence in living the Christian life!
ILL.- A student at the New York Institute of Advertising explained why he had chosen the field: "I have dreams of making a million dollars in advertising, just like my father." The institute director asked, "When did your father make a million in advertising?" "He didn’t, "said the student. "But he had dreams, too."
Brothers and sisters, without dreams and without hope, we cannot live. We cannot succeed. We cannot thrive. We cannot live and accomplish anything.
Christ appeared to these women to give them hope. Without the resurrection of Christ there is no hope...no hope for any of us! The resurrection of Christ gives us hope of a better life here and now. And a future life that will be even better!
If God can raise the dead, just think what He can do in your life?! The possibilities are endless! We can dream great dreams of many of them will come true because we have a living Savior! We have a living and faithful God who wants to bless our lives and use us to bless others!
Dream on! And keep on dreaming. You just never know what God is going to do in your life. If He can raise the dead, just think and dream of what He can do in your life!
CONCLUSION-----------------------------------
ILL.- 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. In his right hand, He holds a cup, painted beautifully with marvelous realism.
When the masterpiece was finished, the artist said to a friend, "Observe it and give me your opinion of it!" "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!"
Brothers and sisters, nothing should detract from the figure of Christ. Nothing in life should divert our attention from Christ and living for Him. He is the risen Christ, the son of the living God, the Savior of the world!
