The Greatest Discovery

Matt. 28:1- 20. ‘The resurrection - the greatest discovery ‘

There has been a number of great discoveries in our time, that has changed all our lives to some point. For instance can you tell me what the following people invented?

Levi Strauss, (1829-1902), USA — blue jeans. - Frank Hornby, (1863-1936), England — invented Meccano

Thomas Edison, (1847-1931), USA — phonograph, commercially practical light bulb. - Tim Berners Lee (1955-), UK — with Robert Cailliau, the World Wide Web. John Logie Baird, (1888-1946), Uk — an electromechanical television. Alexander Graham Bell, (1847-1922), Canada — telephone. Richard Drew, (1899-1980), USA — Sticky Tape. Samuel Morse, (1791-1872), USA — telegraph. John Harvey Kellogg, (1852-1943), cornflake breakfasts John Pemberton, (1831-1888), USA — Coca-Cola

The above have made an impact upon the world to some extent, but what is the greatest discovery ever made? Well it’s a discovery that is still being made today for many people, it’s the discovery that these first women make on the first Easter morning , that the tomb is empty, Jesus has risen from the dead and He is alive forevermore this is the greatest discovery which can impact your life for eternity.

The resurrection will have an effect upon every person who has ever lived or living on this planet whether we chose to believe it or not.

What does it mean? It means Jesus is the Son of God, God will accept us in his Son, death and sin has been defeated, we too will rise again, eternal life is certain , Jesus will return again , New and abundant life is available to all who believe.

Have you made this discovery? Have you found Jesus to be alive? I don’t mean only intellectually here today, it goes without saying that Jesus rose from the dead the evidence is overwhelming. But more importantly have you experienced the resurrection taking place in your own life? Have you come to believe it by faith Like those first disciples, our greatest need is not just to see or hear about the resurrection, but to have the resurrection happen to us.

Lloyd Ogilvie says, “The most powerful historical proof of the resurrection is the ‘resurrected’ disciples. Dull, defeated people became fearless, adventuresome leaders. Cowards became courageous; the timid became bold."

Come with me to that first Easter morning - and let’s see what these first women experienced and discovered in their own lives that had such a lasting impact that it transformed them.

a. V5 Do not be afraid, ( The resurrection brings joy not fear)

Here are the women on their way to anoint the dead body of Jesus come to mourn – it appears they are afraid, why? The fear of death? Quite possibly but look what’s happening. I think you would be when the unexpected happens v2 violent earthquake , the tomb stone rolled to one side v3 The angels appearance v4 the shaking guards, fall down as dead men. What an event to be in the midst of and to behold!

No wonder they were afraid..... fear must have been inscribed upon their faces. What about our fears? Are we in the midst of fears today? You children fear of the dark, fear of people , fear of going bald, fear of rejection, fear of disease, fear of illness, fear of growing old, the fear of death, the fear of war,the fear of attack,fear of others, the fear of disasters, the fear of futility of life, fear of poverty, fear of failure, fear of separation, fear for our children, the fear of the unknown, I wonder if out of all your fears the only healthy fear to have is the fear for God. Do you believe it?

Notice the voice of the Angel in the midst of the women’s fear cries out... “Do not be afraid.”

The reality of the resurrection is in the midst of many fears, it is a message of Joy. This world and all that we hold onto will pass away will be loosened out of our grasp , the tighter we hold on to the more we lose eventually it will be no longer there to support us.

• Like grains of sand in the hand as we tightly clasp them just drop through our grasp so will those things we hang onto in this world.

One day we will be at the graveside of our family memebrs, they will be no more (just like these people on these memorial plaques in the Church) but the resurrection for these people on this plaque and for us if we are Christians today, is that in the midst of all our fears – of what is going on around us - the voice of the Angel needs to echo loud and clear into our hearts and lives ‘Do not be afraid’ It is the most repeated commanded in all of God’s Word ‘fear not’ ....... Why? Because God is with us.