The Dawn of Change
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Key Text: Matthew 28:1–6
Key Text: Matthew 28:1–6
Big Idea: Because He rose at dawn, everything that had you in the dark has been changed.
Big Idea: Because He rose at dawn, everything that had you in the dark has been changed.
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
The Darkness Before the Dawn
The Darkness Before the Dawn
Hook — Direct Congregational Question
Hey, good morning — glad you're here
I know it's early — you came on purpose
Question: What did you bring with you this morning?
Not your coffee — what did you carry in from your life?
The Darkness People Carry
Grief — sits in your chest regardless of the calendar
Guilt — surfaces in the quiet moments
Fear — the low-grade hum of mortality
Emptiness — going through the motions without the light
Maybe someone made you come — and you're wondering why you're here
Whatever you brought — you brought it to exactly the right place
The Text Setting
Two women — dark, cold, heavy morning
They came TO SEE the sepulchre
Not expecting anything
Grief drove them — love wouldn't let them stay home
They came in the dark
The honest word: this is the world every person here woke up in today
Not because we lack information
Because we are human — and being human means living in a fallen world
The glory of Easter is only as magnificent as the darkness it breaks into
They didn't come to an empty tomb first — they came to a sealed one
The dawn means nothing unless you've been in the night
Scripture Reading — Matthew 28:1–6
1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. 2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: 4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. 5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. 6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
Key Observation
Everything in this passage is moving
Angel descends — earthquake shakes — stone rolls — guards collapse — women tremble
Everything is moving — except the angel
The angel SITS
Unhurried — unafraid — completely at rest
Seated on the very stone that was supposed to seal death's victory forever
Picture of a victory so complete the announcer has nothing left to do but sit down
The Big Idea
Because He rose at dawn — everything that had you in the dark has been changed
Three darknesses — one dawn — one risen Lord
We start where every honest Easter message must start
Not with the empty tomb — but with what made it necessary
We start with the record
The Dawn Changed the Record That Condemned You
The Dawn Changed the Record That Condemned You
The Point Stated
The dawn cancelled the record — not reduced it — not suspended it — not put it on a payment plan
Cancelled — permanently — completely — finally
The Record Is Real
Every court keeps a record — every debt has a ledger
The record: complete and accurate account of every moment you fell short
Every word spoken in anger
Every promise broken
Every time you knew right and chose wrong
This is not just a feeling — not just guilt — it is real
Colossians 2:14 — the "handwriting of ordinances"
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
A handwritten legal bond — a document of debt
Your name — a balance you could never pay
"Against us" and "contrary to us"
Not filed away — standing — active — working against you every day
Your conscience has already told you this record exists
What you need to hear is what happened to it
The Text — Colossians 2:14
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
God BLOTTED IT OUT
Wiped clean — not edited — not reduced
No fine print — no remaining balance — no asterisks — gone
God TOOK IT OUT OF THE WAY
Didn't work around it — didn't suspend it
Removed entirely from its position of accusation
God NAILED IT TO THE CROSS
Those soldiers thought they were executing a criminal
In reality — they were destroying a record
As nails went into his hands — the document against you was nailed
As they nailed his feet — every charge against your name went with it
The cross: not just where Jesus died — where your record was destroyed
Christ was nailed to that cross — the record was nailed to that cross
One came down on the third day and rose from the dead
The other one didn't
The Resurrection Confirms It — Matthew 28:6
6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
If Christ stayed in the tomb — the record still stands
A dead Savior is a Savior whose payment was not accepted
God raised him — declaring to the entire universe:
Debt paid — record cancelled — verdict: NOT GUILTY
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
GIVETH — present tense — continuously giving
Victory not earned — gift of a risen Savior
The empty tomb is not just the absence of a body — it is the presence of a verdict
Application — To Believers
Angel's first word at the empty tomb: FEAR NOT
The record weighing you down — keeping you from living by faith
Nailed to the cross before you even knew you were carrying it
You are not on probation — not on a suspended sentence
Tomb is empty — record is gone — verdict is declared
Stop carrying what has already been nailed
Easter: not annual reminder sins are forgiven
Annual declaration the record no longer exists
Live like someone whose record has been permanently destroyed
Application — To Unbelievers
One question: Is there anything you wouldn't want everyone here to know about?
Then you know the record exists
You've been managing it for years under different names
The record has been cancelled by a God who loved you enough to nail it to a cross
The cancellation is being offered as freely as the sunrise coming through that door
Point I Landing Statement
Because He rose at dawn — the record that had you in the dark has been changed
It's been nailed — it's been cancelled
And the tomb is the receipt
The Dawn Changed the Death That Consumed You
The Dawn Changed the Death That Consumed You
The Point Stated
Not managed death — not made it more comfortable — not gave you something nice to think about
Changed it — from the final word into a defeated enemy
The Scene — Matthew 28:1–6
1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. 2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: 4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. 5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. 6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
Women came in the dark to a sealed stone
Grief-driven — love-compelled — powerless
Not expecting resurrection — just had nowhere else to go
AND BEHOLD —
Great earthquake
Angel of the Lord descending from heaven
Stone rolled back from the door
Angel — sitting on it
Not nervous — not hovering — seated — victorious
Enthroned on the instrument of death's sealing
The Stone Was Moved For You
God didn't move that stone to let Jesus out
The resurrection had already happened
Jesus didn't need a door — he'd already risen
God moved that stone so you and I could look inside
Every grief-carrying — death-fearing person who has ever lived
Come and see that the place where the Lord lay is empty
The stone wasn't moved for Jesus — the stone was moved for you
The angel sitting on it: resurrection flag planted on the conquered ground of death
The Declaration — Matthew 28:6
"He is not here: for he is risen, as he said."
He is not here — three words that changed everything
The Promise — Romans 8:11
11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Same Spirit that raised Jesus — lives inside every believer
Power that emptied that tomb — living inside you right now
Not on special occasions — living inside you
What happened to him will happen to everyone in whom he dwells
The Comfort — Psalm 30:5 / Lamentations 3:22–23
5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
22 It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Weeping may endure for a night — but joy cometh in the morning
It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed
Because his compassions fail not
They are new every morning — great is thy faithfulness
The night is real — the grief is real — the weeping is real
But the night is not permanent — because the morning is certain
Every morning you wake up is the echo of the first Easter morning
Application — To Believers
The death you fear has already been defeated
The Spirit that raised Christ lives in you
The morning always comes
Live like it
Application — To Unbelievers
Every human answer arrives at the sealed stone and has nothing to say
Stone too heavy — silence on the other side too complete
Someone has already been inside that silence and came out the other side
Bodily — historically — actually
His invitation is still standing:
Come — See — The place where the Lord lay
Bring the death you cannot answer to the one who has already answered it
Point II Landing Statement
Because He rose at dawn — the death that had you in the dark has been changed
The Dawn Changed the Darkness That Covered You
The Dawn Changed the Darkness That Covered You
The Point Stated
Not the darkness around you — the darkness within you
The darkness of not knowing — not seeing — not finding the light by which everything makes sense
The darkness of a life lived at a distance from God
The Text — 2 Corinthians 4:6
6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Reference goes all the way back to Genesis 1 — Let there be light
Same God — same word — same power
Darkness of Genesis 1 had no ability to resist that command
Darkness of the human heart has no more ability to resist it
When God speaks light into darkness — the darkness doesn't get a vote
The purpose of the shining:
Not just to make people feel better
To give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God
In the face of Jesus Christ
Doesn't end with a doctrine — ends with a face
The most personal — identifying — relational feature of a person
The face every seeking heart has been looking for in the dark
The Seeking — Matthew 28:5
Angel said: "Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus"
He knew they were seeking before the light fully broke
They were moving toward him in the dark
That is the pattern of every person who comes to the risen Christ
The seeking happens in the darkness
Christ meets the seeking
The fact that you're in this room this morning is not an accident
Something brought you here
The word to every seeking heart:
He is risen — and he knows you are looking
The Pursuit — Philippians 3:10
10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
Not know about him — know him
Relational — experiential — personal
Application — To Believers
Light of God already commanded into your heart
But maybe pursuit of the face has been replaced by management of routine
Maybe the knowing has become knowing about
Let this Easter be the morning you come back — not to the system — to the face
Philippians 3:10 — THAT I MAY KNOW HIM
Not know about him — know him
Carry that prayer out through that door today
Application — To Unbelievers
Look through that open door
The light is coming in — not because the darkness agreed to leave
The light is coming because God commanded it
That is what he is doing toward your heart right now
Same invitation the angel gave at the empty tomb:
Come — See
Point III Landing Statement
Because He rose at dawn — the darkness that had you covered has been changed
The light has been commanded
And the darkness has no answer for it
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
The Dawn Has Come — You Don't Have to Go Back Out the Same Way
The Dawn Has Come — You Don't Have to Go Back Out the Same Way
Summary — Three Darknesses — One Dawn
The record — blotted out — taken away — nailed to the cross
Debt paid — verdict declared — tomb is the receipt
The death — stone rolled away — angel enthroned — Spirit living inside mortal bodies
HE IS NOT HERE — FOR HE IS RISEN — AS HE SAID
The darkness — God commanding light into human hearts
The knowledge of his glory in the face of Jesus Christ
The Big Idea Restated
Because He rose at dawn — everything that had you in the dark has been changed
The Invitation — Matthew 28:6
The angel didn't stop at the announcement
After FEAR NOT — HE IS RISEN — AS HE SAID — he gave an invitation
Come — See — The place where the Lord lay
That invitation is standing open for every person in this room right now
To Believers
Come again — return to the empty tomb this Easter morning
Let the cancelled record be cancelled again in your experience
Let the defeated death be defeated again in your fear
Stop carrying what's already been nailed
Stop living sealed in what's already been opened
Go out of here today and live like somebody the dawn has actually changed
To Unbelievers
You don't have to clean up the record before you come
You don't have to conquer the death before you come
You don't have to break through the darkness on your own
You just have to come
The cancellation is real — the victory is won
The light is already being commanded toward the darkness you walked in with
The Visual Close — The Open Door
Look through that open door
Look at where the sun is compared to when you arrived
When you came in — it was dark
While the Word of God has been declared — the sun came up
Not because we convinced it to
Not because the darkness agreed to leave
Because that is what light does when God commands it
Including the first Easter morning
Including this one
The Final Movement
The women came to a tomb
Came in the dark — carrying grief — carrying fear — carrying emptiness
Came to a sealed stone
They left as the first witnesses of the most important event in human history
Not because they were strong
Not because they had it figured out
Not because the darkness they carried was small enough to manage
But because the dawn came
And the dawn changed everything
The Declaration
The record — cancelled
The death — defeated
The darkness — broken
The Final Word
He is not here
For he is risen
As he said
The Closing Line
Folks — you came in here in the dark
The sun is up now
You don't have to go back out the same way you came in
