He Has Risen! | Easter 2024 | Matthew 28:1-10 | J. M. Lee

Good morning and Happy Resurrection Sunday!! My name is John and I serve Mission Church as the Lead Pastor. I am honored that you are here today and I am grateful to celebrate Easter with you! If you have a Bible ….please open it up and turn to Matthew 28:1-10. When you get there and if you are able to I would like to invite you to stand for the reading of God’s Word.

Matthew 28:1–10 (CSB)

1 After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to view the tomb. 2 There was a violent earthquake, because an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and approached the tomb. He rolled back the stone and was sitting on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. 4 The guards were so shaken by fear of him that they became like dead men.

5 The angel told the women, “Don’t be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here. For 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 indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see him there.’ Listen, I have told you.”

8 So, departing quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, they ran to tell his disciples the news. 9 Just then Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They came up, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus told them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.”

This is the Word of the Lord

Let’s Pray

This morning we are naturally faced with the ultimate question…Did Jesus really rise from the dead? And friends.....this is question that cannot be ignored…. for your eternity hangs on how you answer it…in fact....all of history hinges on whether or not Jesus physically and visibly rose from the dead.

If it is true…if Jesus really did rise from the dead then all authority in heaven and on earth belongs to him……which means..... there is nothing more important .... more crucial or more urgent than believing in Jesus and following Him!

Now…… I know it's a big IF….. IF this is true ….IF this is real …… because honestly ……you may or may not believe that Jesus is alive…..but consider this morning that If the premise is true…wouldn’t it makes sense to agree with the conclusion?

I am going to argue this morning that there is nothing more important for everyone in this room than to believe in Jesus and to surrender your life to Him….. because …if Jesus really did die….and.... if Jesus really did rise from the dead… then there are some eternal implications…you see…If the resurrection is true then so are a number of other things….most importantly..…there is a God…Jesus is that God…the Bible is true….heaven and hell are real and Jesus makes the difference whether you spend your eternity in one or the other.

You and I….we currently live in a culture and a society in which religion is seen as a matter of preference or opinion. When considering religion….. the majority of people believe that all religions are fundamentally the same…and the differences between each is merely superficial. It’s the idea that…as you go through life… simply choose whatever works best for you. And… the result of this approach is a society in which truth is relative…..you see… the culture in which we live…… absolute truth is either ignored or flat out rejected.

But….consider this morning that if there is an absolute truth…then… to live in a way that suppresses that truth or even rejects it…..well…that would not only be irresponsible but it would ultimately be an eternal and costly mistake. And here’s why…..Belief in anything is irresponsible and empty if that belief is not based on the truth. Many today may say, “Well….How can you tell me what is true…..What’s true for you may not be what’s true for me,” …But…..let’s be honest….no one truly believes that.

Think about it……Imagine you've just bought a brand new car and you decide to take it to the mechanic for a routine oil change. Within moments of arriving…the mechanic takes a quick glance at your car and declares, "I feel like your engine is bad. You need a new one."

Perplexed, you respond, "But how can you say that? The car is brand new, I just drove it here, and you haven't even looked under the hood. What is your diagnosis based on?" The mechanic confidently replies, "Well, I just feel like you need a new engine. That's what's true for me." What!?!?! I don’t know about you but I would take my car to a new mechanic!

Now…..this is a silly illustration... but it proves the point that in most areas of everyday life we know instinctively to operate on the basis of truth rather than on our feelings or preferences….But…when it comes to the most important question in life….a question that deals with one’s eternal reality…..why would we disregard truth? Do we really think that God governs the world based on what you and I prefer?!?

Well…our text this morning is a report of the most important event in all of history …the ressurection of Jesus Christ…..and how you respond to the ressurection should be based on truth not on how you feel…and here’s why… your eternity hangs on whether or not the resurrection of Jesus actually took place.

So…..tell me……Did Jesus rise from the dead? And….I’m not talking about resuscitation or reincarnation…but resurrection…in other words was Jesus dead for three days? Did He really rise up and physically walk out of the tomb? And friends……this is a question of truth…not of preference….Jesus either did or he didn’t…and the ramifications of this event are eternal! You see…if Jesus didn't rise from the dead …then we are waisting our time … our faith is a lie…and we are fools playing a religious game.

Consider 1 Corinthians 15:14-19

1 Corinthians 15:14 (CSB)

14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith.

Apart from the resurrection of Jesus Christ... there is no savior…no salvation…no forgiveness of sin…and no hope of a resurrected eternal life. Apart from the resurrection…… Jesus is reduced to a good man but still a dead man and he is of no help to us…..you see…without the resurrection of Jesus…the few billion people today who worship Jesus as God are gullible silly fools who trust in a dead man to give them life. BUT….. if Jesus really did rise from the dead… then the circumstances are drastically different. You see… without question the resurrection of Jesus is profoundly significant and worthy of our careful consideration and examination.

Now…..I don't know where you are this morning on the spectrum of faith. You may or may not believe the testimony of Jesus and his disciples. But I hope you at least see that if ......if it’s true ….if Jesus really did rise from the dead as the Lord of the universe with all authority in heaven and on earth…then…… believing that Jesus rose from the dead and following Jesus as your Lord would logically be the most important…the most urgent…. and the most crucial reality in your life.

Now….Let’s take a look at our text.... Matthew 28:1.

Matthew 28:1 (CSB)

1 After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to view the tomb.

The setting is significant in that it provides historical details…. a real day and two real people in history. The day was Sunday, and the two people were the two faithful Marys. They were there on Friday when Jesus died… and now...….they’ve returned on Sunday for the surprise of their lives… a truth that would change the course of history….an empty tomb.

Now…. it’s of historical consequence that it was two women who first witnessed the empty tomb and the risen Jesus…..because…. In the ancient world women were so marginalized that their testimony was not valid in a court of law. So if the Gospel writers were making up the resurrection story ….well….they probably wouldn’t have included women as witnesses. But they do…. and this fact speaks to the truth that the resurrection is not a fabricated story ….but rather…it’s a historical account.

Now…. consider the very real emotions these women were experiencing….if you’ve ever experienced the death of a loved one and experienced the gripping emotions that come over you as you attended their funeral…… these two woman would have been going through those same emotions…you see they were present when Jesus died…and now they returned to the tomb overwhelmed by the finality of death. And look at what happens… v2

Matthew 28:2–3 (CSB)

2 There was a violent earthquake, because an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and approached the tomb. He rolled back the stone and was sitting on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow.

Let’s note a few details here……what was the first thing this angel did….well…..he rolled away the massive…heavy stone that was set in place at the opening of the tomb…Why? Why did he roll it away? Did Jesus need the angel to move the stone so that he could exit the tomb? NO! Jesus had already left…he had moved on.…the angel moved the stone so that the ladies could make an entry…He moved the stone in order to show everyone that Jesus was no longer there….so that people could see that Jesus had been risen!

Now…remember …. there were guards stationed at the tomb….and their job was to guard and protect the tomb. And as they were doing their job … guarding and protecting …..the earth began to quake….and an angel appeared before them and rolled the massive stone away…look at v4

Matthew 28:4 (CSB)

4 The guards were so shaken by fear of him that they became like dead men.

I imagine these guards were pale…..frozen in place…. their knees were knocking….and perhaps they were even lying facedown in the dirt. And remember…these were the ancient equivalent to our modern day Army Rangers or Navy Seals…these guys were not weak… but in this moment….they were debilitated.. However, the angel …he doesn’t stop to give them CPR…in fact….He doesn’t even acknowledge them. You see…..He’s only there to share with the women what Jesus had said before he died…remember…. Jesus had told his followers that he would be killed and that three days later he would rise from the dead…and so this angel is on the scene to revive these ladies faith by inviting them to see the empty tomb…inviting them to see that Jesus had done what He said He would do..…to see that “Jesus who was crucified” (v. 5) is no longer dead and that He is alive!

Now…before we continue on with the narrative…the question is begging to be asked….Why was Jesus crucified? Why did Jesus have to die? And to answer this question we have to think both historically and theologically……and to do this I am going to give you seven brief truths that are essential to rightly understanding the significance of Jesus’s death on the cross.

1. God is Holy

When you and I survey the reality of the world we live in … you can’t miss the evilness…the injustice and the death that plagues our world….and when we hear that everything was created by God….one might rush to conclude that the evilness that exists in this world must be a reflection of its creator…that he is either evil himself or at best indifferent to the evilness in the world… However..that conclusion is false…in fact the exact opposite is true…..you see…God is Holy…He is perfectly righteous and pure…He is set apart for He is without sin…and He is altogether good! In fact…. Habakkuk 1:13 tells us that God’s eyes are too pure to look on evil and that He cannot even tolerate wrongdoing.

Habakkuk 1:13 (CSB)

13 Your eyes are too pure to look on evil, and you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.

God is holy…..He is set apart …God is unique in all of the universe. No one has His power, His creativity, or His purity. There has never been and never will be anyone like Him. Friends…only God is worthy of your praise and worship. God is Holy and without Sin….and #2

2. God’s Created All Things Good

Not only is God good but everything that God made was originally good…and friends…that includes you and me! But…..unfortunately ….Adam and Eve… in the garden of Eden…they disobeyed God…they sinned against God and when they did… sin and all that comes with it infected our world like a cancer.

Consider Romans 5:12

Romans 5:12 (CSB)

12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all sinned.

3. We Are All Sinful

Romans 3:23 (CSB)

23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;

We are all sinners…all human beings….. of every race and class….of every creed and culture…we are all …without any exception…. sinful, guilty and speechless before God. .… we are sinners both by nature and by choice…and our sins include our words, our deeds, our thoughts, our motives, as well as our failure to obey God and to accept the good life that God is offering us. And within ourselves… there is no ray of light, no flicker of hope, and no prospect of rescue. In fact… the wages of sin is eternal separation from God

4. Sin = Death

Romans 6:23 (CSB)

23 For the wages of sin is death….

Sin is us separating ourselves from God…..and because God is the source of life…sin results in death… think about it like you unplugging your TV….the TV would continue to exist but it would be functionally dead…In the same way…apart from God…while we are physically alive we are at the same time spiritually dead…….and because of sin…. you and I will one day also physically die..and apart from saving faith in Jesus…. sinners will spend eternity separated from God in hell. This is the consequence of sin and a consequence that everyone of us has earned.

Now…one of the things that makes Jesus distinct from everyone else who has ever lived is that Jesus alone is without sin…

5. Jesus is without Sin

Jesus humbled Himself … and lived among us…fully God and fully man….He was tempted in every way that we are ….yet He did not sin …in fact..…Jesus alone lived in perfect obedience to God’s good rule and reign.

Consider what Hebrews 4:15 say

Hebrews 4:15 (CSB)

15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin.

In spite of Jesus being tempted in every way…He did not sin….but on the cross….

6. Jesus became our Sin

On the cross…… as our substitute…. Jesus was made to be the worst of what we are. Now…that does NOT mean that Jesus sinned….rather it means that Jesus was made to be sin. In other words....on the cross Jesus exchanged his perfection for our imperfection…his obedience for our disobedience…his intimacy with God for our distance from God …his blessing for our cursing…His life for our death.

Consider 2 Corinthians 5:21

2 Corinthians 5:21 (CSB)

21 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Which leads us to the final truth….Jesus died for you!

7. Jesus died for You

Think about it….to celebrate the death of Jesus as “Good News” would be absolutely disgusting…unless we understood what Jesus accomplished…….unless we understood that Jesus became sin and willingly went to the cross to die for us! Brothers and Sisters... the just wrath of God should have fallen on you and on me……. but the death we deserve as a result of our rebellion fell on Jesus instead. Jesus… the sinless Son of God…He literally stood in our place to suffer and die for us and in doing so….. Jesus bore our punishment!

And now….all who confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart that He rose from the dead …not only are you forgiven …not only is your guilt and your shame removed…but you have been gifted with the perfect righteousness of Christ….and now…if you are in Christ you can stand confidently before before a Holy God…not based on anything you have done but because of what Jesus has done for you!

Now…. look back to our narrative in Matthew 28……and picture the two Marys ….and how….as they’re on their way to the tomb… they had yet to fully comprehend all that had taken place…..and as they approached the tomb…they see that the massive stone had been removed……they see the guards trembling in fear with their faces in the dirt……and….they see an angel whose appearance was like lightening…and like the soldiers…..they were no doubt trembling in fear themselves!

But.. how does the angel respond to them? Look at v5…

Matthew 28:5 (CSB)

5 The angel told the women, “Don’t be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.

Perhaps the words of the angel… “Don’t be afraid” ... is the same word that some of you need to hear too? Maybe you’ve come to church this Easter Sunday and your heart is gripped by fear…gripped by stress and anxiety….you’re gripped by a fear of the future…gripped by shame from your past….and this morning these words of the angel are sounding down throughout the years from the empty tomb and they’re crying out to you, “Do not be afraid!!” … I know that you are looking for answers…I know that you are looking for hope…. And ultimately the answer to your fear …and the answer to the hope that you have been looking for can only be found in Jesus who… (past tense) was crucified and who (present tense) is now Alive!! Look at v.6

Matthew 28:6–7 (CSB)

6 He is not here. For 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 indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see him there.’ Listen, I have told you.”

Noice what the angel did not say…….He didn’t say….. “You know what….there’s no need to check inside the tomb. Just take my word for it…just believe me when I tell you that Jesus is gone.” No….He tells them ... “go in the tomb and to see for yourself” You see....The angel is inviting them to use their senses in order to make sense of what had happened. The two Marys see and they experience an empty tomb…and then they touch and feel and talk to the risen Jesus… look at v9 

Matthew 28:9–10 (CSB)

9 Just then Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They came up, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus told them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.”

And off they went running to tell the others about the good news of great joy that Jesus is who He said He was…..that Jesus has done what he promised He would do …Friends….Jesus is the promised messiah who has crushed Satan….who has defeated sin…and conquered death..…and all who believe in Him…all who believe that Jesus…is fully man and fully God…that He lived His life in perfect obedience to God’s Law….and then died the death that we deserve …and by doing so ......he fully satisfied the just wrath of God that our sins deserve….and He rose from the grave… And now all who believe ….we are forgiven of our sin and gifted with the righteousness of Christ….. and the hope of eternal life with Him.

Friends…Christianity stands or falls on the resurrection of Jesus…because…. Jesus rising from the dead has some startling implications…you see….. if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead…then we don’t have to worry about a single thing he said….because it was all a lie…BUT…. if Jesus did rise from the dead then we have to accept everything He said as our ultimate standard of truth and submit our lives to Him as our ultimate authority.

Consider Matthew 28:18…… after Jesus rose from the grave and before He ascended into heaven He tells us,

Matthew 28:18 (CSB)

18 … “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.

Jesus’ absolute authority is based on His resurrection which means that Jesus has absolute authority over life and death. You see….all people die because of sin….for death is the payment of sin…However Jesus is the one man in all of history who lived and died without sinning and Jesus died for our sins….He died instead of us and after His death…Jesus rose in victory…defeating our ultimate enemies….. sin and death.

Which leads us to the conclusion that Jesus has authority over you and me…..in other words Jesus is our rightful Lord and Master. Jesus is the sovereign Ruler of your life. And friends...this is the case whether you believe it or not….Just as the grass is green or the sky is blue …..Jesus is Lord over you regardless of your approval or recognition. Jesus is and will forever be Lord over your life… you see…. one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord… The question is…..will you submit to Him as Lord today or will you be forced to bow your knee when it’s too late? Either way …you will bow before King Jesus.

You see…..all of a sudden….. this question, “Did Jesus rise from the dead?” Becomes extremely personal. Tell me….do you believe in the historical resurrection of Jesus? The Bible is clear that in order to be saved from sin and death you must believe in your heart and profess with your mouth that God raised Jesus from the dead……and friends….this is what makes Christianity radically different from every other religion in the world…. You see…. You and I are not given a list of things to do or boxes to be checked off or rituals to follow….there is only a truth to believe. A truth that says…God is holy ....I am a sinner…Jesus died on the cross to pay for my sin…and three days later He rose from the grave defeating sin, satan, and death....and now my life belongs to Him. I pray that God does this work of repentance and faith in you this morning. Turn from your sin and believe in the lord Jesus Christ and receive life!

Lets pray

We now have an opportunity to respond to the preaching of God’s Word through Baptism. Here at Mission Church we believe in what is called… believers baptism by immersion. In other words… in order for someone to be baptized….. they must have a profession of faith in Jesus, repent of their sin, and display evidence of their salvation through a pursuit of holiness.

It’s important to note that the act of baptism does not save someone. There is nothing special about the water in this tank….what is special is what baptism symbolizes. You see….baptism points to where a person is placing their hope for salvation. That is why we believe baptism outwardly expresses the inward reality in a person's life. So what is being expressed?

First, baptism points to the fact that the person has repented of their sin while remaining in a continual posture of repentance as future sin becomes known in their lives. Peter says in Acts 2:38 to "Repent and be baptized."

The truth is….many approach Jesus as a savior but not as Lord-- picking and choosing which areas they will follow him and which they will leave out. Yet, to be baptized is to repent. It is to turn from a life of sin while turning to God completely and living a new life in faith and obedience to Jesus.

Second, baptism pictures a person’s identification with Jesus' death and resurrection as their only hope for being made right with God. Jesus was buried in a tomb and raised from the grave. Therefore, followers of Jesus are buried underwater and pulled out of the water to identify with Christ’s death and resurrection…..it’s a picture of our death to the old way of living and resurrection to the new way of living. … This is what Paul describes in Romans 6:4 which says,

Romans 6:4 (CSB)

4 Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life.

Third, baptism…although not a condition for salvation it is an evidence of salvation. Paul says that if a person “confesses with their mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believes in their heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9-10). Wearing a ring doesn't make a person married. Instead, wearing a ring serves as an outward symbol of the covenant a man or woman makes with their spouse. In the same way, baptism displays a person's conversion but is not a precondition of that conversion. That is why we only baptize people after they have repented and professed faith in Jesus.

Finally, we baptize and get baptized because Jesus commanded it….so baptism is an act of obedience both for the individual and for the church.

Now….I want to welcome Jim up. I have gotten to know Jim over the past several months, He attended our baptism class and has been serving on our set up and tear down team. I love Jim and I am excited for you all to hear his testimony.

1. Do you acknowledge that you are a sinner, deserving of eternal punishment and that you can do nothing to earn God’s favor by your own efforts?

2. Do you acknowledge that Jesus Christ is God’s one and only remedy for sin and the only provision for salvation?

3. Do you acknowledge that, by your identification with Christ by faith, you died to sin and were raised to the newness of life in Him?

4. Is it your intention to live a different kind of life because of your trust in Jesus and the new life He has given you?

“On the basis of your profession of faith in Jesus Christ, it is my privilege to baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”