Easter Can Change Everything for You!

The Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon by Rick Crandall

(Prepared May 25, 2023)

MESSAGE:

*How are you doing this morning? By God’s grace we are able to be here today. And I’ve got to say: you look good. Some of us have on new clothes, and you look good. But how are you doing? Some of us here could honestly say they've never been better. But others came with trouble on our minds: Family trouble, work trouble, financial trouble, health trouble, spiritual trouble. It’s probably all here today.

*Some of us are even as low as the women in today's Scripture. These women went to the tomb that morning with broken hearts, -- about as low as a person can be. Most of us have stood by the grave of a loved one, so we know the sorrow they carried to the tomb that day. But Jesus was more than a loved one to these women. He was their Messiah, their King, their hope of salvation and deliverance. And now He was dead. So, they went to the tomb in the deepest despair, but the resurrection of Jesus Christ changed all of that!

*Easter changed everything for them, and God wants to give you a day like that today. God wants to give us the same things He gave on the original Easter Day.

1. FIRST: HE WANTS TO GIVE YOU TRUTH WORTH TRUSTING.

*I am talking about the sure truth that the angel gave those women in vs. 5-6. There he told them, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay."

*Jesus was crucified, and there was no doubt that He had died. At Jesus' trial before the Jewish rulers, He was found guilty of blasphemy for making Himself equal to God. Only that wasn't blasphemy, because Jesus Christ is the Almighty, eternal, only begotten Son of God. But the guilty conviction called for the death penalty, so the evil Jewish rulers turned Jesus over to the Roman Governor Pilate.

*They did that because under Roman occupation, the Jews did not have the authority to execute prisoners. If the Jews had performed the execution, Jesus would have been stoned, but the Romans executed prisoners on the cross. And that fulfilled a prophecy that was written by King David in Psalm 22:16. There, the Holy Spirit led David to write this about the coming Lord: "Dogs have surrounded Me; The assembly of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet."

*Church: That prophecy was written a thousand years before Jesus was born. And death by the cross didn't even exist when David wrote those words. The first recorded crucifixions in history didn't happen until 500 years later in the Persian Empire. But God knew about the cross from all eternity past, -- and He revealed it in His Word.

*That's why Jesus was turned over to Pilate. And before Jesus was crucified, the Roman governor had Him scourged. Jesus was horribly beaten with a vicious whip. Dr. Truman Davis studied this brutal beating, and concluded that it must have left Jesus just barely alive. The Lord was tied to a post and beaten at least 39 times with a whip laced with jagged bones and balls of lead. Over and over Jesus was hit full force on His bare shoulders, back and legs. At first, the heavy whip only cut through His skin. But as the blows continued, they cut deeper into the underlying tissue. By the end of the beating, the Lord's body was hideously torn and bleeding. Undoubtedly, Jesus was in critical condition before His crucifixion, so it's no wonder that He was not able to carry His cross.

*Then, when Jesus was crucified, spikes 5 to 7 inches long were driven through His wrists and feet. Lee Strobel explained that the spikes in the Lord's wrists crushed His median nerve. We call this nerve our funny bone, and the pain Jesus felt would be like squeezing our funny bone with a pair of pliers. Death by crucifixion was so painful that a new word was created to describe it. That word is "excruciating," which is Latin for "out of the cross."

*After Jesus' wrists and feet were nailed securely, He was hoisted to hang on the cross. Death from crucifixion was basically a slow death by suffocation. People on the cross could breathe in, but they could not breathe out, unless they pushed up with their feet. And of course, they did. It was excruciating pain, and it could go on for days.

*If the Romans wanted to speed up a death, they used a hammer to shatter the victim's shin bones, so he couldn't push up anymore. That's what the executioners did to the two other men who were crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus, He was already dead. This happened to fulfill a prophetic symbol or picture that goes all the way back to 1,400 years before Jesus was born. On the night before God set the Jews free from slavery in Egypt, the Lord instituted the Passover. That night, all of the firstborn in Egypt were killed. But the Jews and anyone with them were protected by the blood of an innocent lamb that was spread on the doorposts of their homes, just as Jesus' blood would be spread on the cross. (1)

*Undoubtedly, millions of those lambs were sacrificed over the 1,400 years before Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and they all pointed to Jesus. That's why in John 1:29, when John the Baptist saw Jesus at the beginning of His ministry, John proclaimed, "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world."

*But when God first gave the instructions for preparing the Passover lambs, in Exodus 12:46 He told the Jews not to break its bones. This sort of seems like an odd thing to prophesy about the real Lamb of God. But God confirmed it 400 years later by King David in Psalm 34:19-20. There, the Holy Spirit led David to write this about the cross of Christ when it was still a thousand years away: "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all. He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken."

*Those verses are talking about God the Father protecting the bones of His only begotten Son. And we see this prophecy fulfilled in John 19:31-37:

31. Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

32. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him.

33. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.

34. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.

35. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe.

36. For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, "Not one of His bones shall be broken.''

37. And again another Scripture says, "They shall look on Him whom they pierced.''

*Jesus Christ was surely dead, but now He is alive! Here in vs. 6 the angel said that Jesus was alive. And in vs. 9 the women saw that Jesus was alive: "As they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, 'Rejoice!' And they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him."

*A lot of people saw Jesus alive after His death. The Bible reports that Jesus appeared to hundreds of people during the 40 days after his resurrection. And in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, the Apostle Paul gave a wonderful report of Jesus' resurrection appearances. He did not include the women in today's Scripture, but here is what Paul wrote:

-"I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over 500 brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time."

*The resurrection of Jesus Christ wasn't the delusion of broken-hearted disciples. The fact is that a large number of people saw Jesus alive, at different times, in different places, and in different circumstances over a 40-day period.

*Lee Strobel said that if every eyewitness to Jesus' resurrection were called to the witness stand. It would take over 128 hours to hear their testimony at only 15 minutes a person. Church: That's over 5 days of non-stop testimony. (2)

*Jesus Christ surely rose again from the dead, and He is alive forevermore! This truth is worthy of our trust, and God wants to give you truth worth trusting.

2. HE ALSO WANTS TO GIVE YOU A NEW LIFE WORTH LIVING.

*I'm talking about a life filled with purpose and joy, a life filled with good things that only God can give. It's the kind of life we see on display after the angel reported the good news about Jesus in vs. 6-7:

-"He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.''

*We can see a giant change in these ladies as this wonderful truth began to sink in. They went to the tomb in the deepest despair, but the resurrection of Jesus Christ changed all of that. And once they heard that the Lord was alive, vs. 8 tells us that "They departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word."

*Jesus was alive, and Jesus Christ is still alive. The Savior who died on the cross for our sins is alive today and forever! This is the great news that gives new life, eternal life to everyone who believes. It's the life that overcomes our tears, life that overcomes our fears, and life that overcomes our failures.

*The disciples knew all about failure, especially Peter, because he denied the Lord three times on the night before the cross. But Mark 16:7 adds a little more to the angel's message. There the angel said, "Go and tell His disciples and Peter that (Jesus) is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."

*God had the angel single Peter out, because the Lord wanted Peter to know that his failure did not exclude him from the good news. Jesus Christ has a new life worth living for everyone who believes, for everyone who receives Him as their Lord and Savior. When we receive Jesus, we are born again with a new spiritual life that overcomes our tears, our fears, our failures, and even our death.

*But it takes a trade, so to speak. We trade in our old life without Christ for a new life in Christ. Bill Bouknight explained, "Not all trades are fair." And Bill gave an example from when he was a little boy. It was his big sister who would get Bill to trade his dimes for nickels, because the nickels were bigger.

*Bill said, "Some trades take advantage of the ignorant or uninformed. But occasionally one bumps into a trade that is so caring, so loving that it rattles our selfish bones. At the heart of the Gospel is a terrific trade like that: A sinless Christ took upon himself the sin of all people, bore it to Calvary, suffered and died for it. And in exchange, covered all believers with His perfect righteousness."

*Then Bill said, "Let's suppose that I am wearing a coat that reveals the state of my soul. Every commandment I ever broke. Every needy person I ever ignored. Every lustful thought I ever had. Every profanity I ever uttered. All have left dirty marks on my coat. What a filthy garment it is! I must wear the coat, and no cleaner on earth can remove its stains, and smudges.

*Let's suppose that Jesus approaches me. I try to hide because I don't want Him to see my filthy coat. It reveals everything bad about me. But Jesus finds me and says, 'Bill, -- I know all about your coat. I love you anyway. Give me the coat.'

*Miserable with shame, I turn the coat over to him. Then I watch as He marches off to Calvary. He wears it on the cross, bearing the penalty for every smudge and stain. And at the very moment when He cries out from the cross, 'It is finished,' and breathes His last, suddenly I become aware that I am wearing a new coat.

*Instantly I recognize it. It is Jesus' coat! And there's not a smudge or a stain on it. It is a coat of perfect righteousness. Now I can walk into the very presence of God, clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ." (3)

*That's the life that God wants to give you this Easter, a new life worth living.

3. BUT GOD ALSO WANTS TO GIVE YOU THE LORD WORTH LOVING. -- GOD WANTS TO GIVE YOU HIMSELF!

*In vs. 9-10 those ladies met the Risen Savior, and there they worshiped Him with great love:

9. As they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!'' And they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.

10. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.''

*They came and held Jesus by the feet. It was a sign of their reverence, but also a sign of their great love. They loved the Lord, and so should we, because 1 John 4:19 tells us that Jesus loved us first. Jesus loves you more than you love yourself. Jesus loves us more than anyone else ever could, and He proved that when He died on the cross for our sins.

*As Paul said in Romans 5:8, "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." That's why Jesus Christ is our Best Friend! As He said in John 15:13, "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

*Also notice what Jesus said here in vs. 10: "Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee." Jesus calls His followers His brothers and sisters. I love my brothers. One of them lives in Macon, Georgia, and the other one lives in Heaven. Over the years, they have been both my brothers, and my best friends. But Jesus wants to be our Best Brother of all. Jesus wants to be our Best Friend of all.

*Jesus Christ wants to be our God-sized Brother and Friend. What a blessing to know that we can come to Jesus in that close, personal way. We can worship Jesus with great love and hear Him say, "Rejoice! -- Be glad!, Do not be afraid!"

*I promise you that if you will receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, by His Holy Spirit, He will meet with you just as surely as He met with those women on the first Easter. And Jesus will prove Himself to always be someone you can worship in love. God wants to give you the Lord worth loving.

4. HE ALSO WANTS TO GIVE YOU THE STORY WORTH SHARING.

*Christians, we have the story worth sharing. That's why in vs. 7 the angel said, "Go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead." Then in vs. 10 Jesus said, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me."

*Go and tell. -- Go and tell. God wants all believers to go and tell the good news. And what a message He gives. God loves us. He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for us. And Jesus can give you everlasting life, because He is risen from the dead!

*Jesus is alive. This is the life-changing, world-changing good news of Easter. And God wants us to share it every way we possibly can. God wants to give you the story worth sharing.

5. AND HE WANTS TO GIVE YOU THE FUTURE WORTH FINDING.

*There is no hope for your future without Jesus Christ. But with Jesus you have a guaranteed future of eternal perfection. The angel gave those women a small glimpse of their future in vs. 7. There the angel said, "Go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him." Jesus confirmed it in vs. 10 when He said, "Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me."

*Let me tell you that if you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then one day you will joyfully see Him too. We will see Him face to face, and we will live with Him forever in Heaven.

*Those women went to the tomb that morning in the deepest despair, but the resurrection of Jesus Christ changed all of that. They were lifted up with new hope and great joy. They knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that their future was secure, because Jesus was alive.

*There was a celebration going on in their hearts, and the Lord wants to give that celebration to us. Let me tell you beyond the shadow of a doubt: Only our Risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ can give you the future worth finding.

*Billy Graham gave this testimony: "The first death in our immediate family was that of my maternal grandmother, Lucinda Coffey. Grandmother talked often about her husband, Ben Coffey, who had been badly wounded in the Civil War. Ben was wounded while serving with the 11th North Carolina Regiment, which led the advance on Gettysburg from the west July 1, 1863. Shrapnel almost severed his left leg. While Ben was lying on the battlefield, a bullet grazed his right eye, blinding it forever. Doctors were forced to amputate his wounded leg sometime later. Ben's friends testified to his concern for spiritual values. I never knew him; he died in 1916 at the age of 74.

*When Grandmother Coffey died, I was in elementary school, and my sister Catherine and I were called out of school. The manner of her dying became a legacy of faith for our family."

*(She had been very weak.) (But) "when she died, the room seemed to fill with a heavenly light. . . She sat up in bed and almost laughingly said, 'I see Jesus! He has His arms outstretched toward me. And there's Ben! He has both of his eyes and both of his legs. (And I see the angels.)'"

*"Then," said Dr. Graham, "She slumped over, -- absent from the body; present with the Lord." (4)

*Just before she went to Heaven, Billy Graham's grandmother saw her husband’s spirit made perfectly whole. But one day Ben’s body will be raised from the dead, and it will be perfectly whole too. It will be a resurrected body like Jesus has right now. We will be like Him, and we will live with Him forever in Heaven!

CONCLUSION:

*The Lord wants to give you all of these things and much more, so put your trust in Jesus Christ. If you have never received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, call on Jesus to save you now, as we go back to God in prayer. And Christians, even if you are going through some troubles right now, rejoice today, because Jesus is alive!

(1) Sources:

-Britannica reports that the first historical record of Crucifixion was about 519 BC when "Darius I, king of Persia, crucified 3,000 political opponents in Babylon" - Encyclopaedia Britannica, crucifixion - Some further detail is given in "The Eerdman's Bible Dictionary", Rev. Ed., 1975: CROSS ... Crucifixion is first attested among the Persians (cf. Herodotus, Hist. i.128.2; iii.132.2, 159.1) - Source: "The Interactive Bible" - bible.ca

-SermonCentral illustration contributed by: David Parks - Source: "Evidence that Demands a Verdict" by Josh McDowell

-https://www.bible.ca/d-history-archeology-crucifixion-cross.htm

-SermonCentral sermon "Jesus is Alive - True or False?" by Lee Strobel - Matthew 28:1-20

(2) Adapted from SermonCentral.com sermon “You Can’t Keep a God Man Down” by Michael Luke - Luke 24:1-8

(3) Sermons.com sermon "A Terrific Trade" by Bill Bouknight - 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 - 2002

(4) Adapted from JUST AS I AM - THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF BILLY GRAHAM, Harper San Francisco, and Zondervan, 1997 - p. 4