The Greatest Day
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Intro:
Intro:
AG: There are big days in our lives. Days such as our birth, our rebirth, marriage, graduation, getting our driver’s license, etc. We remember some of them every year. Others, we don’t think about much.
Today, whether we know it or not, we celebrate one of the greatest days in all history. For today, we celebrate the resurrection.
TS: We will be examining the days surrounding the resurrection in the gospels this morning.
RS:
First, let’s look at...
A Day of Darkness
A Day of Darkness
One of the darkest days in all of history was the day upon which Christ was crucified.
The Messiah had been rejected
A murderous rebel had been chosen for freedom instead.
They had gone through a mockery of a trial
Abused Him and then crucified Him
Notice what the gospels record:
So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus,
and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha.
There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them.
Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”
Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek.
So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’ ”
Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom,
After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.”
A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.
When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would 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.
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.
But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.
It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour,
while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.
Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.
The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised,
and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
When Jesus was on the cross, God He took the wrath of the Father for our sins.
And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.
The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised,
and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
When Jesus was on the cross, God He took the wrath of the Father for our sins.
When Jesus was on the cross, God He took the wrath of the Father for our sins.
He paid the price so that we could be born again and adopted into His family.
He became sin for us, so we could become righteousness in Him.
God in the flesh paid the penalty.
Truly this was a dark day. Now let’s look at....
A Day of Confusion
A Day of Confusion
From His hasty burial, through Sunday morning was a time of great confusion.
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate
and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’
Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.”
Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.”
Jesus’ enemies believed His word more than the disciples!
They understood that Jesus had predicted death and resurrection.
They knew the impact of even a fraudulent story of resurrection.
Thus: they requested a guard
Notice, they didn’t believe He would rise, but that the disciples would commit fraud.
Jesus’ Disciples go into hiding.
They had to be afraid.
That is why Peter had denied Jesus, plain everyday fear.
They hid and probably mourned.
Their hopes were dashed
They had left all to follow Messiah, and now He was dead.
They had to be weighing their options
Keep preaching repentance
Go back to their former life
Seek another to follow
All options brought on because they weren’t looking at things through the eyes of faith.
There seems to be no indication that any of the disciples believed (or even remembered) Jesus’ promise to rise again.
The women who went to the tomb Sunday morning were going to finish the proper burial.
They carried supplies to that end.
They expected the stone to still be closing the tomb.
A Day of Glory
A Day of Glory
But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.
And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb,
but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel.
And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?
He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee,
that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”
And they remembered his words,
and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.
Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles,
but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.
But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.
Some may ask, “What is the big deal?” I say that the resurrection is mighty big deal!
Demonstrated His Deity
concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh
and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
His death Demanded it
He didn’t have to die.
He should have lived forever
why?
Death is due to sin
He had no sin
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
His resurrection was unprecedented
Some had been raised, but always by another.
He was raised by His own power.
His resurrection was a downpayment
Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf?
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him.
When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.
We have hope because He rose from the grave
He is the first fruits
first fruit of the season is a down payment of the rest to come.
It is sweet and assures us of more to come.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Do you believe in the resurrection?
Have you trusted Christ’s grace alone through faith alone to save you?
Then the resurrection should be a big deal to you.
If not, this can be a momentous day for you. This can be the day that you are born again. That the reality of the resurrection becomes real to you.