Why Do You Seek The Living Among The Dead, part 4
Notes
Transcript
Brief Review Of Series
Brief Review Of Series
Friday Is Good, ‘Cuz Sunday Is Coming!
A stirring of the soul. Salvation
We need to move on from Friday into Sunday.
We need to focus on life and not death.
We need to leave sin, death, and hell in the past on Friday, and embrace the resurrection and newness of life on Sunday.
If we accept His sacrifice for our sins, we are forgiven, made alive, and given resurrection power through the Holy Spirit.
He Is Risen!
A stirring of the mind. Apologetics
Skeptics of the Resurrection and proofs for the Resurrection.
3 Indisputable Facts
The impossibility of one man fulfilling even 8 OT Prophecies let alone 48, or 465 as Reverend Edersheim postulates. Forgot to mention prophecies yet to be fulfilled...
Jesus’ body was missing come Sunday morning.
The disciples, sans John, all died a martyrs death for preaching that Jesus rose from the dead. No one will die for a lie they know is a lie.
Do Not Be Afraid!
A stirring of the heart. Emotions.
Life is full of megas seismos moments that cause us to fear.
We live behind shut and locked doors due to fear.
Jesus comes into the midst of our fear and reminds us of His wounds and that He is alive and that we don’t need to fear.
We need to turn the great shakings of the storm into the great shaking of the Resurrection!
Go and Tell
Go and Tell
A stirring of the body/strength - what we are to do.
and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
There Was A Great Shaking By An Angel (vs 2)
There Was A Great Shaking By An Angel (vs 2)
Megas Seismos -
The shaking was not to let Jesus out, but rather to let the first witnesses in...
God used a great shaking to give them Good News.
God used a great shaking to alleviate their fears.
God used a great shaking to comfort their sorrow.
God used a great shaking as a testimony to His resurrection.
God takes what appears to be a bad thing - an earthquake, and uses it for good in their lives.
The Angel Says, “Go and Tell.” (vs. 4)
The Angel Says, “Go and Tell.” (vs. 4)
Fear: The guards trembled - to shake with shock, to disturb in mind.
This word “to tremble” (seio) is the root word for seismos.
The thing that caused the earth to shake is appearing before the guards causing them to shake. The NASB has guards shook for fear.
To the women:
Command:
Go, quickly and tell (eipon) His disciples
That He is risen from the dead.
He is going before you to Galilee.
“But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”
He is fulfilling His promise to them, once again.
There you will see Him.
See, I have told (eipon) you. (implying that the angel was sent…Go and tell…Go and tell…)
The Women Go To Tell With Fear And Great Joy (vs 8)
The Women Go To Tell With Fear And Great Joy (vs 8)
Ran to tell the disciples: Obedience
Go quickly...They departed quickly...
Go and tell (appengellow)…they went to tell...
With fear and great joy: Appropriate fear - a deep and reverential sense of accountability to God.
Jesus Appears And Says, “Go and Tell.” (vs 9)
Jesus Appears And Says, “Go and Tell.” (vs 9)
He was saying to them, “Joy to you!” “Hello, I am so glad to see you!”
They fell at His feet and worshipped Him. The natural response.
His word again: “Do not be afraid.”
Repeats: Go and tell. (apangellow)
Guards Go To Tell The Chief Priests (vs 11)
Guards Go To Tell The Chief Priests (vs 11)
They went and told. (apangellow)
Did they hear the conversation between the Angel and the Mary-ies?
Why? The “5 P’s”
They went to those in Power
They went to the ones who could Protect them
They went to the ones who could Provide a way of escape.
They went in hopes of finding some Peace over the situation.
They went and were kept from Punishment - bribed - money
The Guards were told: Go and Tell (eipon)
The Disciples Go To Galilee (vs 16-17)
The Disciples Go To Galilee (vs 16-17)
Two Responses:
Obedience by faith in the delivered word resulting in worship
Some doubted. Better translated, some were hesitant.
Do we go quickly and obey leading to worship?
Or do we hesitate needing further evidence, or more motivation?
Jesus Again Says, “Go and Tell.” (vs 18)
Jesus Again Says, “Go and Tell.” (vs 18)
“All” dominates this passage.
All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth…
which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
It’s not that His authority prior to was somehow less than, but rather, to emphasize that He has taken authority from the devil on earth.
It’s an emphasis on AND.
Satan underhandedly took authority over the earth when He tempted Adam and Eve. The dominion that was theirs defaulted to Satan in the Fall.
Through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, God restored what Adam and Eve lost and gave it to Jesus, who then passes that authority back to us, His NEW creations!
Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” “I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.
Temptation of Satan - I will give you all these kingdoms, if you will just worship me.
We can Go in confidence knowing that Jesus is in control of EVERYTHING! We don’t have to fear, and we don’t have to worry.
Go and Tell! (vs 19-20)
Go and Tell! (vs 19-20)
Go - As you are going…participle
The verbal form implies that this is the normal expectation of a daily follower of Jesus.
This should become second nature to all.
“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
This emphasizes the missional aspect of the church.
The church is not supposed to be a come and see attractional model.
We are supposed to be a go and be incarnational ministry model
We gather to worship, refuel, restock, re-energize, and reinforce our mission.
Make Disciples
To learn from, become attached to, follow, and imitate.
The only imperative in this list. The others are participles.
The prevailing thematic thought is that we are to be Kingdom builders.
It doesn’t say we are to go and make converts.
God is the one who does the saving. Yes we bring the Good News, but God is the one who converts.
Implied is that as we go preaching the Gospel, God will save those who accept His gift and then we are to do the disciple making.
We are to help others take on Jesus’ “yoke” of authoritative instruction.
Of all nations (ethne)
First, it can mean mankind as a whole.
This would then include the Jews.
But it also emphasizes the global aspect of the church.
Not only do we make disciples as we are going about our daily business, but we are to intentionally go beyond our borders and comfort zones to reach out and make disciples.
Secondly, in the Jewish sense it actually means the Gentile nations or the Gentiles in general as spoken of all who are not Israelites and implying idolatry and ignorance of the true God.
Ethne then becomes a term meaning the unbeliever.
since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed?
In the Septuagint the term ta ethne is used for all nations.
The ultimate thrust then is that Jesus’ disciples are to make disciples of all people everywhere without distinction.
Baptizing them in the name of the Trinity - baptism carries 4 significant meanings
to cut ties with one’s former identity and allegiance.
to then claim identification and associate with your new allegiance.
to immerse under water as a symbol of cleansing and purging oneself from one’s past identity.
to rise as a new person with a new identity following a new way of life. Baptism service planned for August 13th.
And Tell
Teaching
Inherent in the word is the intent to influence the understanding of the person who is taught.
We teach not just for information, but for transformation.
to observe all that I commanded.
tereo - to guard and keep watch. To keep an eye on. Figuratively to obey. Pay heed to your application of what you have learned.
The focus is primarily on the words of Jesus. What did Jesus teach especially in comparison to man’s tradition, or the OT Law for that matter.
what you have been charged or ordered. All that you have been commissioned to do. Be faithful to that which is under your charge.
we have this treasure that we have been charged with. The Gospel. The words of Christ.
will we hide it or share it?
By extension the Word of God as a whole.
When Jesus taught, he pulled from the OT.
Besides the fact that Jesus is God.
Disciples then are those who hear, understand, and obey Jesus’ teaching.
Testimony
but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
Witnesseses of His Resurrection
“This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.
By the power of the Holy Spirit
For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,
Fear...over suffering for the Gospel
Power
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. “But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. “But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. “For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
We Too Are To Go and Tell (vs. 19-20)
We Too Are To Go and Tell (vs. 19-20)
The disciples are to teach all disciples
All that Jesus taught
Which would include His teaching on the Great Commission.
And those disciples are to make disciples and so on.
This command does, then, apply to us.
We aren’t eye witnesses of the resurrection, but we do have the eye-witness accounts. The Gospels.
We also have a testimony of how Jesus has changed our lives.
So we are to follow in the disciple’s steps.
Imitation
Multiplication
Discipleship
The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
And remember, I am with you (vs. 20)
And remember, I am with you (vs. 20)
Always to the end of the age.
Matthew’s Gospel begins with Immanuel - God with us and ends with a Promise. I will be with you to the end.
It also carries a subtle reminder:
“Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance. “The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
Why were they going into the Promised Land
driving out the wickedness and preparing a place for God’s people.
A foreshadow first of Heaven. THE Promised Land.
By bringing the Gospel to the darkness, we are driving out the wickedness and preparing a people for God’s place.
The church
God does His part, and we are doing our part.
God is building His kingdom through us.
We are to be a missional people.
We are to Go and Be as we Go and Tell.
We Go in the power of the Holy Spirit and share the Good News that Jesus died for our sins and rose again.
We share our testimony of what God has done in our lives.
We don’t have to fear, because Jesus is near and is with us to the end.
Song: Freely Freely, Build Your Kingdom Here.