Something Wonderful, Something Terrible, Something Dreamed About, Something Seen
Matt 28:1-10
1 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."
LONG AGO IN ANCIENT ISRAEL, one of the kings asked a man of God, “Is there any word from the Lord?” And of course there was. There always has been. There always will be.
You see, the primary means that God uses to communicate His truth and love is the Bible. And it always has something to say about every issue facing us in this life–especially when it comes to the matter of life and death.
The message of the Bible can be summed up by four somethings–Somtehing Wonderful, Something Terrible, Something Dreamed About and Something Seen.
1. The Something Wonderful is LIFE
If you put your finger on your wrist on the right spot, you can feel your pulse–a gentle “thump, thump, thump.” It’s the echo of your heart beating. Try to stop it for a minute. You can’t do it, even if you hold your breath. And you know what? You didn’t start it either. It began weeks before you were even born. ..when you were tiny and still in your mother’s womb and didn’t know anything or think anything.
There it was at work–your heart–thumping away. You were alive, for your heartbeat is the whisper of that wonderful thing called life!
By the way, your heart beats 32 million times a year. If you live to be 70 (and some of you have), it will have beat 2,207,000,000 times. 3,600 times an hour (except for that time when you first fell in love). 86,400 times a day, 31,586,000 times a year.
There was a time when you were so small that one would need a microscope to see you. You were hidden in your mother’s womb no bigger than the point of a pin. But the pattern of you was there–how tall you would be, what color eyes you would have, whether you would be a boy or a girl–even your personality was designed. The Pslamist was right. We are fearfully and wonderfully made!
More wonderful yet is the fact that you are not only alive and planned, but you are a human being, not just an animal. The Bible says that we were created a little lower than the angels.
We are different from dogs and cats and the reason is that God created us to plan, to dream, to invent, to build, to worship. God has breathed His Spirit into our spirit. He has put a deep longing in our souls to know Him.
How fortunate we are to be human beings–to have life and therefore to be able to love and work and play. Life is wonderful indeed because it is a gift of God.
Illus.: “The Greatest Wonders of the World”
An elementary class was asked by a teacher to write down what they thought the seven wondrs of the world were. And they named all the usual: Grand Canyon, Pyramids of Egypt, Mt. Everest, etc. Each was asked to share theirs, but one little girl had a different answer. Her list? “To see, to touch, to smell, to hear, to taste, to think, to love.” She captured the essence of life. Her whole list was simply a celebration and exaltation of life!
Ask anyone you meet to give you a definition of LIFE and no two people will give you the same answer. Even in this congregation the answers would be as different as the flowers of the field.
The nonbeliever thinks of life as an accident, while the believer acknowledges life as a sacred trust from God.
There was a popular song recorded back in the 60’s that described life as “what you do while you’re waiting to die.”
What a sad commentary. We could counter this kind of outlook by quoting some lines from an old Gospel song:
Life is like a mountain railroad,
With an engine that’s brave;
We must make the run successful,
From the cradle to the grave;
Watch the curves, the fills, the tunnels,
Never falter, never quail;
Keep you hand upon the throttle,
And your eyes upon the rail.
When I was pastoring in New Jersey, I started a weekly radio program and I called it, “Celebrate Life.” Its still going today. You see, I still believe that life is wonderful.
Without life, I never would have known Jeanine. I never would have had my children. I never would have known many friends such as you. Most importantly, I never would have known God and His wonderful love.
1. The Something Terrible is DEATH
Especially human death. And the reason its so terrible is that God never meant for us to die physically. We were designed for immortality–to live forever. But sin was our undoing in this regard. It cut us off from God and along with it came the curse of physical death.
Did you ever drive down the street in early January and see a brown Christmas tree by the roadside? Its dead. Its ready for the dump.
And what about Easter lilies? Live ones adorn many homes and churches at Easter time. They’re so beautiful, but soon they wither and die. They turn an ugly brown and begin to smell as they rot. It’s the smell of death.
Death is unnatural, painful. It is our enemy and it is simply terrible.
"It’s not that I’m afraid to die, I just don’t want to be there when it happens." (Woody Allen)
My mother died of cancer when I was 27 years old. She was only 52. The day of the funeral was the worst day of my life. I didn’t want to let go of her. That’s the way it is with death. It brings heartache and sadness.
Did you ever stumble over a dead animal in the field or in the woods? Remember how it made you feel? How it made you shiver? That’s the way our Lord Jesus felt when He got close to death. After all, He is the Lord of life! He knew that if it could, death would wipe out the whole human race. That’s why we call it terrible.
Something wonderful: LIFE Something terrible: DEATH
3. Something Dreamed About: LIFE AFTER DEATH
From the beginning of human history people have dreamed about a life where death will be no more–where there will be no pain, no sorrow, no hunger, no loneliness
Native Americans dreamed about a “Happy Hunting Grounds” where they could shoot one arrow and hit a 10 point buck any time they tried.
The Greeks, Romans, and Babylonians all dreamed of life beyond the grave. In fact, all cultures had some idea of it.
These dreamers saw something happen which gave them hope. They saw it every Spring when life was renewed.
But most of all it was that inner voice we call “instinct” which gave them hope. There’s a whisper that comes to all of us. It says, “There must be more to life than this. There must be something on the other side.”
How foolish if we think that this life is all there is. The Bible says, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men” (I Cor.15:19).
Eccl.8:11: “God has placed eternity in the hearts of men.”
Jeremy Benson was a very successful businessman and for a number of years served as Chairman of the Board of a London hospital. When he died he left a fortune to that hospital. But his will stipulated that every year for 10 years after his death, when the hospital board held its annual meeting, his earthly remains were to be put in a wheelchair and brought into the board room and placed at the head of the table. And the minutes of the meeting were to state that Jeremy Benson was present as the Chariman of the Board!
But we know better, don’t we? The real Jeremy Benson was not present at that board meeting. It was only his shell. The real Jeremy Benson was somewhere else.
In days gone by there was no proof of life after death, It was only a dream. No one ever came back in the flesh, never to die again–no one that is until Jesus! And this brings us to the 4th statement–The Something Seen.
4. Something Seen: THE RISEN CHRIST
The Resurrection was no dream. Some thought it was at first, but then...
• Jesus showed His followers His wounds
• He invited them to touch them
• He ate breakfast with them
• He opened the Scriptures to them
This was no dream. He was no ghost. This was Jesus, risen from the dead, never to die again!
Illus.: “Mistaken Report
On February 27, 1991, at the height of Desert Storm, Ruth Dillow received a very sad message from the Pentagon. Her son, Clayton Carpenter, Private 1st Class, had stepped on a mine in the Persian Gulf and was dead. Mrs. Dillow was in shock. She couldn’t believe it. She wept and wept in great sorrow. Loved ones tried to comfort her but to no avail. But after 3 days after she received that message, the phone rang. The voice on the other end said, “Mom, its me. I’m alive.” She couldn’t believe it at first. But it was his voice. Every mother recognizes her son’s voice. Her sorrow suddenly turned to joy. Tears gave way to laughter. Her son who was days before thought to be dead was very much alive.
That’s something of how the disciples must have felt on that first Resurrection Day!
Illus.: “Son of Resurrection”
Dr. Joseph Hartounian, professor at McCormic Theological Seminary, came to America from Armenia. One day a well-meaning friend said to him, "Your name is difficult to pronounce and difficult to spell--it could hurt your professional career. Why don’t you change your name to Harwood or Harwell or something like that?"
Dr. Hartounian asked, "What do those names mean?"
His friend said, "Well, nothing. They’re just easier to remember." Dr. Hartounian said, "In Armenia, when my grandfather was baptized, they named him Hartounian which means ’Resurrection.’ I am Joseph Hartounian and I will be a son of Resurrection all my days."
SOURCE: "The Ten Minute Newsletter, www.sermonnotes.com. Contributed by Dr. Michael Adams.
A first time traveler looked over the rim of the Grand Canyon and said, “Wow! Something sure happened here!”
When we, along with those early followers of Christ look into the empty tomb, we can only reach one conclusion–something happened there–something wonderful, something beautiful, something eternal. Death and sin have been defeated!
The Bible tells us that Jesus was seen by over 500 witnesses before He went back to heaven. In fact, the disciples were so convinced of His resurrection that they preached it fearlessly–at the threat of death. All of the disciples were killed for their belief in the resurrection except one.
There are many people in this world that have no sureness about eternal life. To them its only a dream. They try no to think about death. Some pretned that death is the end of everything. But deep down in they know better. You and I were made to dwell with God forever. Jesus went to the extreme of the Cross to ensure our presence in heaven. He has gone to prepare a place for us. Don’t miss your reservation. Jesu is your ticket. Put your trust in Him.
Some years ago, a pastor was dying and he mailed a postcard to his church on the day of his death. This is what it said:
This is to announce that I have moved out of the old mud house;
arrived in Glory Land instantly;
in charge of the angelic escort;
absent from the body but at home with the Lord.
I find as was foretold, that there are pleasures forevermore and fullness of joy!
Will look for you on the way up at the redemption of the body.
‘Till then, keep looking up!
