Made For More

The purpose of life … is a life of purpose. (Unknown)

All of history people have been consumed by finding, fulfilling, and focusing on the meaning of life, the purpose of life. Most cultures have stories that shape how they view themselves. Egyptians. Romans. English.

Today is Resurrection Day! Just in case there is anyone here who doesn’t know the backstory of this day in the calendar.

—30 second recap—

The story of Jesus began with miraculous birth and was followed by a sinless life. Jesus, born in a manger, began his adult and public ministry announcing the arrival of the kingdom of God. Jesus proclaimed the good news wherever he went. He claimed to have the authority of God! Over and over again he demonstrated the truth of these claims by teaching with authority, healing, bringing people back from the dead, and He himself dying and rising from the dead. Jesus changed history approximately 2000 years ago with his life and death and resurrection. More than history, he has changed billions of lives. Today alone there is an estimated 2.38 billion (roughly 32% of worlds population) Christians on earth.

Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, Jewish leaders were outraged and hated Him for it. The plotted to kill Him. They tried to discredit him, and ultimately manipulated the Roman authorities to execute Him. The crucifixion occurred on Friday. And it now is after Sabbath, and the women in the story come to the tomb where Jesus was buried.

Matthew 28:1–6 ESV

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.

Come and See

The miraculous removal of the stone was not in order to let Jesus out…but to let the women in to see the empty tomb….The tomb being opened is another example of God making it possible for people to see His work. God has time and time again gone above and beyond to make it possible for people to come and see Him.

These ladies and the disciples came to the grave expecting to see Jesus’ body. They brought spices and other supplies to prepare Jesus’ body for burial. That made sense, that was normal. They had seen Jesus die, He breathed His last. So often we are like that with this life. We expect the normal, the regular, the anticipated to happen.

But when they got there something happened…

An angel from God invited them in to see that the body was not there. The ladies and the disciples did not understand or believe when Jesus time and time again said, in three days I will rise again. The Gospel of Matthew alone records three times Jesus predicted his death and resurrection. They didn’t believe He was going to die or rise again. As evidenced by their actions. The ladies were prepared to bury Him, so they were expecting Him to die. The people closest to Jesus did not believe or show with their actions that He was going to rise again.

BUT…

The Jewish leaders who plotted and carried out their plan to crucify Jesus believed Jesus’ claim more than these ladies and the disciples did. So much so that they crafted a contingency plan, just in case he did rise again. Here is there plan…They sealed the tomb. They placed guards. Just to make sure. And then when the tomb was opened, guards were stunned. They even payed off the guards to tell a fake story about how the disciples came at night and stole the body.

INTERESTING ISN’T IT? Those for Jesus showed no signs of anticipation, while those against Jesus showed did.

We sometimes get so caught up in a patterns of this world, we will not accept anything or see anything different. Tunnel Vision they call it. We are so caught up in our own plans or our own visions of life.

God loves so much that He will do more than required in order to help you see.

He opened the tomb so the women could see. So the disciples could see. So you and I would have eye witness testimony to see. God loves so much that He will do more than required in order to help people see.

Consider the story of Gideon in the Bible. Faced with overwhelming odds against the Midianites, he sought assurance from God. Gideon asked for not one, but two miraculous signs involving a fleece. God graciously complied, demonstrating not just His power, but His willingness to meet Gideon where he was. This shows that God often goes beyond the ordinary to provide proof, embarking on extraordinary means just to affirm His presence in our lives, especially in serious moments of uncertainty.

Reflect on the account of the Israelites wandering in the desert after their escape from Egypt. Though they witnessed God parting the Red Sea, their fear lingered. God provided manna from heaven and water from stone, time and again going out of His way to prove His faithfulness. This narrative illustrates that God cares deeply, even in our elongated seasons of doubt and fear, demonstrating that His sustenance and presence are ever-available, regardless of our serious struggles.

(Passion) God goes above and beyond to help us accept His invitation and See His love for us. He shows up in the design and order of all creation. He shows up in the universal language of mathematics. He shows up in miracles and signs and wonders. He shows up in healings. He shows up in big storms and in small quiet moments.

He is showing up right now and speaking to your heart as you sit in this sanctuary. Will you listen when he speaks to you and calls you to “come” and “see”. Will you?

I once was told of a man who said he had received no inspiration from the Bible although he had “gone through it several times.” “Let it go through you once,” a man, “then you will tell a different story!” Anonymous

When I say will you listen when He speaks to you and calls you to come and see? Will you let the text get deep down into your heart? Will you let it get past the defense mechanisms you have toward religion? Will you let it get past the traditions you have kept over and over and over and over again when they may be the thing you have to let go of in order to let God get into your heart. God is going above and beyond to help you see Him! Will you come and see!

He is saying come and see! Will you come and see? He is proving himself to you! Even as I speak! Come and See! (Pause before moving on)

Matthew 28:7–10 ESV

7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

Go and Tell

Go quickly. They departed quickly.

I recently watched a devotional given from a friend of mine where she reminded me that the Church is more than the group of people who gather together on Sundays…She says…

We are really being the Church when we are OUT THERE. That is a Church that is alive. Anonymous Testimonial

As the song God of Justice goes,

“We must go, live to feed the hungry Stand beside the broken, we must go Stepping forward keep us from just singing Move us into action, we must go”

The going is just part of the imperative, there is the telling…With fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.

Telling others about the Saviour is a solemn obligation as well as a great privilege, and we who are believers must be faithful. Warren W. Wiersbe

I think so often people are nervous, overwhelmed because of a glaring misunderstanding about what it means to go and tell about Jesus. One of the regular responses I get is I ain’t no preacher. Or I don’t know enough. I am fearful or nervous. What if I mess up?n I have news for you, not all of us are called to be a preacher. But all of us are called to go and tell.

Every time I preach and teach the word of God, a nervous energy fills by bones because I want to declare the truth with clarity and purpose. While my “performance” on this platform matters, it does not mean that if I accidentally studder or say the wrong word that the will of God is thwarted. And yet, I / we allow the pressure to fill our thoughts at times that prevent us from saying anything.

The imperative to go and tell is not a promise of fear going away. The scripture says with fear and great joy the ladies left to tell the disciples. Our worry about knowing enough has prevented us from obeying.

We have somehow started to believe that maturity in Christianity is evidenced by head knowledge.

I spend half my time telling Christians to study doctrine and the other half telling them that doctrine is not enough. Banner of Truth, Issue 275 David Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Welsh Preacher and Writer)

What He means is that there are people sitting in buildings called classrooms who have been learning about God, but aren’t doing anything with it. We are made for more than head knowledge. They are knowing about God, but aren’t telling others about God. They are knowing about God, but aren’t serving others with the LOVE of God.

The average North American Christian is about 3000 bible verses overweight.” Carey Nieuwhof

Sometimes people have studied and studied and studied, but haven’t done anything with it. As the Scripture says, “Knowledge puffs up, love builds up.”

The text tells us to come and see and to go and tell! Are you going and telling? All of us are going! All of us are living our lives! But not all of us are telling and doing the will of God. Will you answer God’s call today to DO HIS WILL as you GO AND LIVE YOUR LIFE!

Conclusion:

We started this morning off with THIS quote…The purpose of life … is a life of purpose. (Unknown)

(Slow-Passion)

What if I were to tell you today that our purpose is not to go to church on Easter? What if I were to tell you the purpose of life is not to go every Sunday of the year? Would that come as a surprise that a pastor would say that our purpose is not to go to church? Don’t get me wrong, I passionately believe and will argue that engaging in the life of a church that focuses on knowing and loving Jesus will do nothing but help you stay connected and grow in your relationship with God. So go to church. But I want you to know that we are made for more than attending a worship service for an hour each week. Or if the preacher goes long 1 hour and 15 minutes.

What if I were to tell you that our purpose is not to go to bible study or Sunday School? Would you it surprise you that a pastor would tell you that? Don’t get me wrong, I passionate believe that spending time with fellow Christians who pray together, encourage one another in their faith, and study biblical texts and topics is GREAT FOR EVERY follower of Jesus. But we were made for more than that.

What if I were to tell you that your purpose is not to go to work everyday? What if I were to tell you it wasn’t to provide a home for your family? What if I were to tell you that building up a retirement? Don’t get me wrong, you do have responsibilities and this is not a message encouraging neglecting your responsibilities. But what I want to make sure we know something this morning.

(Medium-Passion)

These ladies were the first to see the tomb empty and the first two tell others of Jesus resurrection. They thought their purpose was going to be preparing the body for burial. But they were made for SO MUCH MORE! Preparing the body of Jesus for burial is good, but it wasn’t their purpose. They were made for more than that so much more.

We are made for MORE THAN that. We can go to the tomb and mourn the loss of those we love like those ladies, but we were made for more than that. We can attend worship services week in and week out, but we are made for more than that. We are made to come and see all that God has done and we are made to go and tell of what we have seen God do!

We are made to love our neighbors. Greet them with kindness at the mailbox. Pick up there trash when the wind knocks over their bins. Mow their grass when it gets out of hand for them. Pay for groceries or provide a meal when they are having a set back. We aren’t made to keep quiet about what we have seen God do. We are made to quickly go and tell others. We are made for more than traditions like college football and holiday meals. We are made for more than that. We are made to be the LIGHT OF THE WORLD.

Students: If you find yourself overwhelmed with schoolwork, feeling like grades are all that define you, take a moment to realign your perspective. Set aside a specific time each week to pray and ask God to reveal your true identity beyond academics. Volunteer for a cause you're passionate about—like tutoring younger students or serving in a community project. This will not just lift your spirits but also remind you that you are made for more than just grades; you are created to impact the world around you positively.

Sometimes at home, you may feel like you are just a small part of the family and that your contributions don't matter much. Remind yourself that you are made for more and your kind words or acts of service can bring joy and encouragement to your family. This week, try to help with chores without being asked, or leave a note of encouragement for a family member. You’ll see how your actions can positively affect those around you and inspire them in their daily lives.

(BIG-Passion)

We are made to CELEBRATE what God has done in us. We are made for more than traditions. If a tradition helps us come and see and go and tell, then by all means keep the tradition. But sometimes it is good to evaluate the patterns in our lives.

Think about all the traditions, patterns, routines, the wash rinse repeats you do every single day, week, or month that seem to amount to nothing. They do amount to nothing if they aren’t rooted in Jesus. When you die to your sins, with Christ, we get to live with Him as new creations.

It is no longer our normal, average, mundane lives that live, it is Christ who lives through us in everything we do. And yet, so many people live their lives as if nothing has been changed. They keep going to the tomb expecting the body of Jesus to be there. They keep going through life expecting NO NEW LIFE! This resurrection day I want to ask two big question!

Who needs to accept the invitation to come and see!

Who needs to accept the command to go and tell!