He is Risen!

Matthew 28:1-10

The Resurrection of Jesus transforms fear into faith, doubt into worship, and despair into mission.

The Faithful Seekers (v.1)

Matthew 28:1 “After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to view the tomb.”

A. The Women’s devotion

Both Marys come to the tomb expecting death, they had just seen Jesus die on the cross, they saw Him take His last breath, and they saw them take His lifeless body off the cross and put Him in the tomb. So of course they are expecting Him to still be dead, they weren’t expecting what was to come, they weren’t expecting Him to be resurrected. BUT they still showed up anyway.

Faithfulness doesn’t require full understanding. Sometimes obedience means showing up even when hope feels lost. Just like these two women, everything they believed in and followed was gone, but they still went to the tomb.

The Divine Intervention (vv2-4)

Matthew 28:2–4 “There was a violent earthquake, because an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and approached the tomb. He rolled back the stone and was sitting on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards were so shaken by fear of him that they became like dead men.

A. Heaven Breaks Into Earth

Earthquake= everyone knows now, just like we talked about last week with the earthquake at the cross.

An angel descends from Heaven, rolls the stone away, and has a seat on the stone.

The stone wasn’t rolled away so Jesus could get out, but so others could get in and witness that He had indeed risen from the grave, just as He promised He would.

B. The Angel’s Appearance

Like lightning, clothing white as snow. This symbolizes purity, power and divine authority.

C. The Guard’s Reaction

They trembled and became like dead men.

These soldiers who were trained for war collapse in fear, but the women who stand in sorrow will soon stand in faith.

When God moves, human strength is exposed as weakness.

The Resurrection Announcement (vv5-6)

Matthew 28:5–6 “The angel told the women, “Don’t be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here. For he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.”

A. “Do Not Be Afraid”

The first words the angel spoke were words of comfort

God addresses fear before giving instructions

B. “I know that you seek Jesus”

God sees sincere seekers

C. The Core of the Gospel

He is not here = death is defeated

He has risen = victory is complete

As He said = Jesus keeps His promises

The Resurrection is not symbolic — it is historical, physical, and victorious proof of a true risen Savior

Jesus’ resurrection is key to our Christian faith. Why? there’s 5 things that make it key:

First : Just as He promised, He rose from the dead. We can be confident, therefore, that He will accomplish all He has promised

Second: Jesus’ bodily resurrection shows us that the living Christ is ruler of God’s eternal kingdom, not a false prophet or imposter.

Third: We can be certain of our resurrection because He was resurrected. Death is not the end — there is future life for us believers.

Fourth: The power that brought Jesus back to life is available to us to bring our spiritually dead selves back to life.

Lastly: The resurrection is the basis for the church’s witness to the world. Jesus is more than just a human leader; He is the Son of God.

We also see that the angel invites the women to come and see for themselves. Christianity welcomes examination. The resurrection is evidence based. The tomb is empty and history has never been the same.

The Urgent Mission (v.7)

Matthew 28:7 “Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see him there.’ Listen, I have told you.””

A. From spectators to messengers

The women came as mourners and left with a message.

The message: He has risen from the dead and He is going before you into Galilee.

Jesus goes ahead of His people — He is already at work before they even arrive.

B. A sense of urgency

“Go quickly”

The resurrection is too good to keep for yourself

If the resurrection is real; then why is not telling people about it an option. Why do we go through life, not telling people this Good News?

Every believer is a witness to this news

The angel who announced the good news to the women gave them 4 messages.

1. Do not be afraid — The reality of the resurrection brings joy, not fear. When you get afraid, remember the empty tomb.

2. He is not here — Jesus is not dead and is not to be looked for among the dead. He is alive! and with His people.

3. Come and see — The women could check the evidence themselves. The tomb was empty then, and its still empty today. The resurrection is a historical fact.

4. Go quickly and tell — They were to spread the joy of the resurrection. We too are to spread the good news of the resurrection with others.

Fear and Great Joy (v.8)

Matthew 28:8 “So, departing quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, they ran to tell his disciples the news.”

A. The tension of resurrection living

They went in fear and joy

Fear = awe and reverence

Joy = celebration and hope

The Christian life holds both — a great awe for who God is and His power and also holds rejoicing because we have eternal life through Him.

B. Immediate Obedience

They run and tell the disciples

No delay, no hesitation

Obedience should be immediate, not convenient.

The Personal Encounter (vv9-10)

Matthew 28:9–10 “Just then Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They came up, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus told them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.””

A. Jesus Meets them on the way

The women obey = Jesus appears

Obedience often leads to deeper encounters with Christ

B. Their response: Worship

They take hold of His feet

This proves that the resurrection is physical, not spiritual only.

Worship is the only appropriate response. Jesus was just dead in a tomb and now He is right in front of you. What would you do?

C. Jesus’ Repeats the message

“Do not be afraid” and “Go and tell my brothers”

Let’s talk about this for a minute. 3-4 days ago, the disciples who Jesus called brothers, scattered like ants whenever everything went down. They were nowhere to be seen. Peter even denied knowing Jesus 3 times, just as He said he would, so after all of this, if this was you, would you call those guys brothers? After they denied knowing you, and left you and ran? Prolly not! But Jesus told the women, “Go and tell my brothers” This showed that Jesus had forgiven them, even after they denied and deserted Him. Their relationship would now be stronger than ever. Grace restored them before they even asked for it.

Failure doesn’t disqualify you from God’s family

The risen Christ restores and recommissions

So, we’ve learned 3 major themes in this passage:

The Resurrection Changes Everything

Death turns to life

Fear turns into faith

Defeat is now a victory

2. Jesus Keeps His Promises

“As He said”

The resurrection validates everything He taught

3. The Gospel Demands a Response

The women worshipped Him

The guards froze

Everyone must respond to the empty tomb

Are you still living like Jesus is in the tomb?

Have you responded with fear, doubt, or have you responded with worship?

Who do you need to go tell this week?

Because Jesus rose:

Your sins have been forgiven

Your past is redeemed

Your future is secure

He is not here. He is risen! — and that changes everything.

What does the phrase 'He is not here, for he has risen' signify in the context of the passage?

How can the invitation to 'come and see' the evidence of the resurrection encourage your faith?

How does understanding that Jesus calls His disciples 'brothers' affect your view of grace and forgiveness?

What immediate actions can you take this week to share the message of the resurrection with others?

What does it mean to you to have your past redeemed and your future secure because of the resurrection?