Easter Sunday - time of joy

Longing for hope

Well, I think we’ve all being longing for some hope - and this is the beautiful thing about Easter Sunday - it is all about hope!

For weeks now we have been isolating in our own homes. The reality is, this will continue for a bit longer yet. But this morning, I want to give a message of hope. Because you know what? God has done something truly amazing which means that all of our suffering. All of the evil. All of the bad things of this world will end. And a day will come when there will be no more sickness. There will be no pain or death. Because the old order of things will have passed, and the new order of things will be here.

And this hope all finds it’s basis in this most remarkable event. The event which changed everything.

So because we are all longing for hope so much, let’s open up our bibles to explore this passage.

Of course, each of the gospels record this event, but this morning I’m going to focus on Matthew’s account.

And as we do, I want to consider the implications of this amazing events for us today.

The Resurrection

Because it is truly such an amazing event, I first want to re-live the event based on Matthew’s account.

It starts on the day after the Sabbath. The Sabbath of course is Saturday, so that means we are now on Sunday morning.

Of course, they were prevented from doing anything on the Sabbath, and because it was quite late in the day on the Friday that he was finally laid in the tomb, this was the first opportunity to visit the body.

And so first thing in the morning, these women want to effectively pay their respects to this teacher and friend.

Just imagine what it must have been like on the journey. There would have been such mixed emotions as they went along.

Certainly the image in the head from that gruesome Friday afternoon must have been stuck. Doubtless, also were the good memories. He had taught them in a way they had never experienced. There was a presence about him.

But it didn’t make sense. How could it happen? There was even a thought that he might be the Messiah. But how can the Messiah die?

It just didn’t make sense.

But as they walk there, with their minds feeling like they are shaking, suddenly the earth literally shakes.

That’s right, speaks of a violent earthquake that occurred when an angel of the Lord descended and rolled back the stone.

The guards who had stood watching the tomb shook. They were terrified. This is not what they were expecting.

They were present for the defining act of God’s plan to give new life to his people.

So there stood, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, with the angel of the Lord who had just came down.

And before Jesus meets these women, the angel speaks to them.

Now what I going to do, is explore in quite close detail what the angel actually says, because in here we find a number of messages that we can apply even to us today. In fact, it is these messages that we can learn what the implication of the resurrection is for us.

So I’m going to make five points from these. So let’s explore them now.

Comfort

The first point comes from his opening words: “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus...” (v5)

Now these opening words “do not be afraid...” are actually words that you hear almost every time an angel speaks with a person, and not surprisingly, I think it I saw an angel with an appearance of lightning, I might need a little comforting too.

But on this occasion, it takes on an extra dimension given the utter distress they would have been in. So on one level while these opening words are to counter the shock of seeing an angel, but on this occasion they also extend to the idea that these women do not need to be afraid of the fact that they can’t find their beloved Jesus. Rather, what would have seemed paradoxical for them, the empty tomb should actually be a comfort to them.

And so the first implication of the resurrection that I want to suggest for you this morning, is that the the resurrection should be a point of comfort.

If you listened on to my Good Friday message, I spoke about sitting with you anguish. But it doesn’t stay that way - because there is great comfort to be found in the resurrection.

Victory

But it is more than just comfort. It’s not just those empty words people say to try to put a good spin on a bad situation.

Rather what the angel says next explains why there is to be comfort.

He tells the women - “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.”

And in those words: “he has risen”, we have our victory!

Now at this point, the women would not understand all of the significance of this. But at the basic level it is very clear. Jesus was dead. Now he is alive.

And if he is alive, then that means that everything he did was not in vain. It means that the suffering and the anguish were not just another example of the sad world in which we live, but that it all meant something.

It means that the things Jesus taught. The ideas of the kingdom of God. His teaching on love. These were not hollow words. These were declarations from someone who has power over death itself.

Those words that the angel spoke - “he has risen”, truly were three of the most world altering words ever spoken.

We can think of all of the other really huge events in world history. The world wars. Man landing on the moon. The industrial revolution.

But when you understand the significance of it all, these words from the angel - “he has risen”, leaves all these other events paling in significance.

On so the second implication I want to give you this morning is that you can know that the victory has already been won.

You can know that if you align your self with Jesus, then you are aligning yourself with the only one who has power over death itself. Death could not keep him down.

Jesus has won the victory.

Evidence

Now these three words - “he has risen”, are so significant, that the entire Christian message rises and falls on the validity of them.

The Apostle Paul even said in his powerful chapter on the resurrection, that “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile”. He even goes on to say that if this was the case “…we are of all people most to be pitied”.

And so it is vitally important that it is true.

Well, even for these women, it was also important that they knew it was true, and so the angel gives them one of the clearest pieces of evidence.

And so he tells them in the second half of verse 6: “Come and see the place where he lay.”

You see, they knew where Jesus lay. They knew that there were guards keeping watch so that no body could steal the body.

They knew that there could only be one explanation for an empty tomb. That Jesus was alive. And they could see it with their own eyes.

Today, being some 2000 odd years later, we obviously aren’t quite in the same position as these women. But there is evidence. It’s not my intention to go through all of that now. But I will suggest one excellent resource. Lee Strobell’s book “The Case For Christ”, which has also now been made into a film.

But while there is a lot of really convincing evidence, in some ways, I love the simplicity of one of the old hymns - some of you might remember. It’s the hymn “He Lives”, and the last line of the chorus goes - “You ask me how I know he lives? He lives within my heart”.

You see, we can look at the historical evidence, but the reality is, you can experience Jesus for yourself. You can know he is alive, because of what he has done in your life.

And so the third implication that I want to offer this morning, is that we can have confidence that Jesus has risen from the dead because there is evidence to back it up.

Evangelism

Now after offering the evidence, look at what the angel of the Lord says next: “Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead...”

This is not news that you keep to yourself.

When I usually get good news, I can’t wait till I see the special people in my life to tell them about it. If Fiona has been at work, then almost as soon as she gets in I’ll let her know the news.

But sometimes news is so important that we can’t wait till our loved one gets home. We call them, or send them an email with the good news.

Well the angel knows that this news is not news that should just wait. This is the greatest news ever and it should be told.

And so he tells them to go quickly to tell the disciples. They need to know this good news. They should not sit in there misery any more because Jesus is alive.

As Christians, we can sometimes lose the urgency in which we should tell others about Jesus. We get so caught up in worrying about what other people might think.

But let’s think of it in different terms. Rather than thinking about it as burdening others with what we have to say, we should be thinking of it in terms of giving people hope in their suffering. Letting them know that there is a better way. That you don’t have to be pessimistic about the future.

This is the news that they are longing to hear - it’s just that they so often don’t realise how much they need it.

So let people know - Jesus is alive! Let them know that you can know him and that he makes things new.

So the fourth implication of the resurrection is that we have good news to tell others and we should tell them because it really is so wonderful.

Hope

Finally, the angel finishes by saying that Jesus “is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him”.

Here we find words of hope. Here we find anticipation for more. The hope moves from mere speculation into something firm that they can hold onto.

The victory has been won, but there is more to look forward to.

Of course, in the case of the disciples, they would literally see Jesus in only a short space of time.

We know that forty days after he rose from the dead that he then ascended into heaven, so we don’t see Jesus in the same sense that the disciples do.

But we do see him.

In fact we can see him now in other ways. We can see him in the transformation that happens in our own life when we let him in.

We can see him in the calmness that comes over us when everything is going bad.

Because Jesus rose from the dead, we can have hope now.

But it goes even further than that. Because the hope we get from the resurrection, is that we too will one die rise from the dead when Jesus returns. We can know that death is not the end. Death is rather just the end of this earthly body, as we await our heavenly bodies.

And we can know, that we will be able to see Jesus in his resurrected body.

We can know this because he did not stay dead. He rose, and unlike the other stories in the bible when dead people came back to life, he did not die again.

This is the greatest hope we can have. Because nothing can stop us.

As Paul says in , not “trouble or hardship or persuection or famine or nakedness or danger or sword”.

We do face troubles in this day. There are hardships - and I fully recognise that these hardships extend way beyond just the pressure we are currently feeling with the coronavirus.

But we have the hope of eternal life, because Jesus conquered death.

And so this is the fifth and final implication that I’m going to share this morning. That because Jesus rose from the dead, we can have hope!

Finding Jesus

In verse 8, we then see the women doing just what the angel says - hurrying away to tell the disciples.

But in verse 9, we’re told that “suddenly Jesus met them”

And he gives them the simple word “Greetings”.

At this they fall to his feet in worship.

Now they have even more proof. And Jesus reiterates the message of the Angel “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

It’s mind boggling to think what this must have been like for these women.

To go from the torment of having witnessed the gruesome death of Jesus. To being in great sorrow for all of Friday night. All of Saturday and Saturday night.

But then to come and find the tomb empty. But not only empty but to see Jesus himself.

There is such great joy to be found in finding the risen Lord Jesus.

Conclusion

On Good Friday, I encouraged you to sit with the suffering and anguish. To allow ourselves to understand why we suffer and what is how we move through it.

But the great thing is, we don’t have to stay there. Because Jesus did not stay dead, we too can find new life in Him.

So as we celebrate this rather different Easter, with us all at home, we can still celebrate, because Jesus takes us beyond any hardship or trouble that this world can throw at us.

But let me recap the five implications that I want to draw from the resurrection this morning.

Firstly, you should feel comforted in knowing the pain was not for nothing.

Secondly, you should know that the real victory has been won.

Thirdly, know that this is real and there is evidence for it.

Fourthly, we should want to tell everyone this amazing news because it is life changing.

And finally, we should have hope for the future.

The celebration we have today, truly is the most wonderful celebration we can have, because in this we find the victory leading to life.

Let me pray...