Out of Death/Into Life

(S1) — Earthquake

The 1988 Armenian earthquake needed only four minutes to kill thirty-thousand people! One father refused to believe his son was dead. He dug in the rubble—refusing to quit. After thirty-eight hours, he pulled back a boulder and heard his son’s voice! The father called his son’s name, and the voice answered him, “Dad, it’s me!” Then the boy added these priceless words: “I told the other kids not to worry—if you were alive you’d save me and when you saved me, they’d be saved, too.

Imagine what it was like for those kids; afraid, surrounded by chaos, trapped, in despair...for the boy to hear the voice of the one person who loved him enough to dig through the rubble and save him

Resurrection stories like these though tragic…help us see hope in the midst of of a chaotic world; life in the midst of death.

(S2) — From Death to Life

Today’s gospel we are told of another seismic event, strong enough to roll back the stone of a sealed grave.

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.”

Jesus who was mocked, beaten and hung on a cross by his own; condemned to death, the key thrown away—was alive!

The open grave is not only Jesus’ resurrection story, but ours. Easter is the hand of God digging through the rubble of human sin to bring us out of death and into life

Ephesians 2:4–6 “because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

I hope that today you hear the voice of Jesus who loved you enough to die so that you could live

PRAY

(S3) — The Tomb

Two woman trapped in their grief, arrive alone early one morning surrounded only by death. They arose before the others, to go where no one desired to go; to see where Jesus’ dead body had been laid.

All their hopes, and dreams of a future were buried behind a stone too big for anyone to move. Left with only the memories of the one they had grown to love as their savior, teacher, and friend!

They and the disciples had been warned this day would come

Mark 9:31 “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.””

It was the third day and still the sting of death remains

We’ve been there—graveside—reminders...that have rocked our world

The last few days they would just as soon forgotten, turn back the clock…say one more word…express one more feeling…one more hug; but not this day.

(S4)

The four Gospel tells us…it was after the sabbath

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.

…Sunday

“So significant was this event that early Christian believers broke away from the Jewish practice of worshipping on the Sabbath. They began to worship on Sunday, the day of the resurrection of their Lord. (2)

Notice too, that it was not men, not even the disciples, who would be the first to witness the resurrection, but two women…

WHY WERE THEY THERE?

What were they expecting...? hoping for...? There is no doubt that these women shared a special bond with Jesus...

...they came to LOOK (1b)—gaze upon the sepulchre (tomb)...

Reason we go; to be close, mourn, process it all...

...(Mark) they came to CARE for Jesus’ body; Jewish custom

Missy/Friend doing each others hair

...they had BELIEF, to some extent, in what Jesus had said...yet they came that morning with so many unanswered questions.

...faith in Christ, “I believe” ...left with so many questions?

Thinking and meditating upon the Lord will help us to understand the Lord and prepare us to receive the great truth of His resurrection.” (2)

...for Mary of Magdalene this was personal...

{Luke 8:1-2}

Why was she there? Meeting Jesus her life for the better—no longer living in fear, trapped in a life of despair, chaos, and shame!

Jesus SAVED Her Life!

(S5)

…brought her out of her grave; from death to life...the other Mary as well.

We talk about salvation in the church...eternal salvation...saved from death......to be truly saved, you have to first believe that your going to die..

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Without Christ we are living with only one destination...but having faith in Jesus changes the trajectory of our whole human story; from life to death

GCH—Story on park bench

Surprised by why they found at the tomb that morning is an understatement; shocking, nothing of what they had expected!

(S6) — {28:2-4}

As the ground around the tomb moved so violently, a messenger of God appears, down from heaven, rolls back the stone...the entrance to the grave open.

Why the earthquake? Because God could!

Series: Out of Egypt

Rolling back the stone in this way certainly got their attention; the guards as well!

The suddenness of the event, the brilliant appearance and the enormous strength of the angel were like a volcanic eruption to them. They quaked, shook, and fell as dead men to the ground. They were either stricken unconscious or were so terrified they pretended to be unconscious.

Told to guard a dead body against those who might steal it; totally unprepared and unable to stand against the power of God’s messenger.

This points to their unbelief, and is also a strong message for those without faith

Galatians 6:8 “Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”

For the guards; nothing but fear. But for the women who had faith in the one that had changed their lives; the angel was a message of hope in the open grave

{Ephesians 1:18-20}

The stone was not rolled away so that Jesus could get out, but to benefit those who witnessed it.

(S7)

And so, the ministering spirit of God brings comfort to the faithful

5 “The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.”

Jesus had early also assured his disciples in the same way

John 14:1 ““Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.”

The apostle Paul did the same for believers...

2 Corinthians 1:3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,”

The angel knew why they came...

(S8)

They came LOOKING!

The women would see salvation because they were looking. The disciples would see the resurrected Jesus in Galilee, only if they were looking

Matthew 7:7 ““Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

The boys in the story were saved, why? Because one dad came looking.

Why are you here?

— is it to gaze on the beauty of Easter? To get beyond the chaos, of the world?

— Is it because your afraid...and seek comfort from...

— Is it because you believe...but still have questions?

— Is it because Jesus has already changed your life

Are you looking? Is it the risen Christ and salvation that you seek? Did you come today like the women at the tomb, looking for Jesus?

Easter is an INVITATION out of an old way of life, and into new life; salvation that has both present and eternal benefits.

Easter is an INVITATION first to...

I. COME , SEE and BELIEVE!

(S9) — verse 6

6 “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. COME and SEE the place where he lay.”

Get close enough to believe

John 1:39 ““Come, and you will see.”

— The disciples with Jesus...but now as the resurrected Christ, that relationaship would change...an invitation into a new relationship

Come and see what is true...he is risen just as he said.

2. This means putting your trust in Jesus; faith is taking him at his word.

Ephesians 3:17 “I pray...that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,”

3. This means believing what Jesus has done for you. Come and See; Jesus is not here; death has been defeated!

(S10) — {1 Corinthians 15:54-55}

The messengers concern is not only for those who have come…but for those who have not yet seen...the disciples…you and I

John 20:29 “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.””

Woman at the well was came and sew and believed

John 4:28 “Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,”

Easter is not only an invitation to come, see, and believe..

II. GO , TELL and LIVE!

(S11) — verse 7

7 Then GO quickly and TELL his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee.

Matthew does not say whether the women entered the empty tomb...here the message of the resurrection is not about proof; it is about sharing the news that Jesus is alive!

— The angel instructs the women to go and tell his disciples the Good news. Go, tell what God has done, so others will come, see, and believe.

Demon Possessed man

Mark 5:19 “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.””

Man with leprosy

Mark 1:44 “go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.””

Woman at the Well

John 4:39 “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, she went and told them, “He told me everything I ever did.””

Salvation is more than that just being saved in death; Jesus alive in us, is the way out of an old way of life...into a new and better way to live.

2 Corinthians 5:17 “...if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

Notice also, the urgency in going; go quickly...because without Jesus, the grave will have the final say.

Psalm 1:3–4 “That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.”

Jesus spoke often of the Kingdom of God...

Matthew 3:12 “His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.””

If we are honest, most of us don’t want to talk about dying; let alone go to the graveside of a loved one. Do you see the urgency of going? Does it change your outlook on death: life and its brevity?

Psalm 90:12 “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

Come, see and BELIEVE—Go, tell, and LIVE and there you will see him...

(S12) — 7b-9

Notice the change in their demeanor...they are filled with joy

— They came with questions, the angel of God comforted them, they accepted the invitation to come and see, and go and tell and Jesus showed up!

We make evangelism harder than it should be—The angels promise is if they would just go and tell; Jesus will show up—And he does!

The stone being rolled away in the way that it was, started the first crusade of its kind; changing lives for Jesus

Billy Graham Crusades (50’s)—Jesus Movement (70’s)

Students seeking Jesus in huge ways—Asbury revival (23)—University of Kentucky (8,000 students seek Jesus,2,000 give their lives to Christ

How do you start a revival? You invite people to come and see...

‘Little Jesus’

(S13) — {John 14:19}

The first Easter was never meant to be just for the church—the stone was rolled away so all would come, see, and believe...Go, Tell, and Live

Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. John 14:19

Sometimes it takes a seismic event to change a live—God did that for two woman burdened with grief: won’t he do the same for you

To save a life

After a childhood friend's death, Jake Taylor, an all-star athlete must change his life - and sacrifice his dreams to save the lives of others.

Jake Taylor has everything. He has a beautiful girl, he's the champion in basketball and beer pong, and everyone loves him. Then, an old childhood friend Roger, with whom Jake used to be friends, commits suicide. Jake begins to think. He wonders what he could've done to save his friend's life. A youth minister tells him that Jake needs Jesus.

So Jake becomes a Christian. However, things begin to spin out of control. His dad is cheating on his mom, his girlfriend is pregnant, and his former friends ridicule and mock him. During all this, Jake is going to realize just what it means to be a Christian and how to save a life.

In his search for answers, Jake finds himself looking for the next Roger. He reaches out to geeks, losers, and loners. But crossing the strict high school caste lines threatens everything Jake values. And pushes him to answer the most important question of all: What do I want my life to be about?

No one wants to go to a place surrounded death, but we do, because sin will take us there. But, here is the good news of Easter, is it doesn’t have to be an end, but a beginning to a new and better life, today, here and now!

Jesus saved the women that day—They came looking

(S14) — Title

The open grave is not only Jesus’ resurrection story, but an invitation to know the hand of the living God digging through the rubble of human sin to bring us out of death and into life

Will you let God rock your world? Will you take one step forward to come, see and believe—one stop out to go, tell and live?

...more than one seismic event—Creation...God was bringing forth life—Jesus’ death, the curtain torn; the earth shook, the rocks split—the first Easter, the stone was rolled a way; Jesus making away from death to life

It will happen again when Christ’ Return (Revelation)

I heard soemone say, “ I am afraid of dying...but I am not afraid of death”

What do you want your life to be about? Are you writing your own story, that leads only to death, or are you a part of God’s story that brings life?

God may have to rock your world...it may or may not take a seismic event. Will you let the resurrection story be your story; Trust in Jesus to bring you out of death and into life

Ephesians 2:4–6 “because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.