Undefeated

Matthew 28:1–6 KJV 1900

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.

Revelation 1:16–18 KJV 1900

16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. 17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: 18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Undefeated

The highest achievement of athletic competition is the crown of undefeated. To win the championship is undoubtedly rewarding and the goal of every team entering into a given season…but to be able to boast an unblemished and untarnished record would rise above even the heights of taking the title.

And in yet in all of the major professional sporting leagues within the United States of America…there is truly only one league in which the title of “undefeated” is a possibility.

With Major league baseball spanning 162 games in the regular season, it is virtually impossible that there will every be a team to go undefeated. Within the National Basketball Association, while not as lengthy of a season, yet still spanning 82 games, it is still a virtual impossibility that a team will be ever go undefeated. However, it is the National Football League, competing over a season that spans only 16 games, and then the additional minimum of 3 games that must be won in the playoffs, it is the only league that the pursuit of an undefeated season is even possible.

In the 100 year history of the league only 4 teams have ever lasted the gauntlet of the grueling season, still able to boast of an undefeated record. However, out of those 4 teams, next to the record books, where it declares their record as untarnished and unblemished…there is an asterisk. Having an asterisk net to your name in professional sports is never a good thing. As a professional athlete an asterisk next to your name and your accomplishments is stating that whatever good you may have achieved is likely undermined by some negative occurence that would stain and mar the record accomplishment. They accomplished great things, but… They won a lot of games, but… They were the best at what they did, but...

For example, next to the home run record of 762 home runs in a career, held by Barry Bonds, there is an asterisk, as his career was tainted by the revelation that he had used illegal steroids. or competitive cyclist Lance Armstrong who won the Tour De France 7 years in a row, but was later found to be using performance enhancing drugs... Of the 4 football teams that finished the regular season undefeated, 3 bear asterisks because they lost in the playoffs, and only the 1972 Miami Dolphins survived the entirety of the season, truly undefeated.

And as Matthew writes in the first verses of Matthew chapter 28 Mary Magdeline and the other Mary enter into the garden where the borrowed tomb of Joseph where Jesus lay…their eyes are fixed upon the asterisk.

Matthew 28:1 tells us that they came to see the sepulchre.

This great man that had walked among them. This great man that had healed lepers, opened blind eyes, made the lame to walk…

this great man that had raised the dead, confronted pharisees and befriended sinners…

the man that had declared himself to “I AM”, the light of the world, the way the truth and the life.

Yet, now Matthew tells us that when they came to see the place where the body of Jesus had been placed, they came not to see the healer, the deliverer, the rabbi…the master....No…they came not to see Jesus...they came to see sepulchre.

Too much of humanity the grave is an asterisk on the resume of a good man.

An asterisk next to the list of the accomplishments of a great prophet and a wise teacher.

Can I tell you this morning that what you see is what you get!

Matthew 28 verse 1 tells us that they came to see the sepulchre, and the account of the same story in the Gospel of John chapter 20 tells us that these women were weeping and in mourning.

What you see is what you get!

When they came to see this cruel reminder of the suffering of Jesus, it produced mourning.

When the came to see this fortified tomb that reminded them of the death of the rabbi, it produced weeping.

And let me state today…that you see is what you get!!!

And for many this is what religion is…a sepulcher!

An empty, lifeless, hopeless place that we should attend simply to remind us of the price that Jesus paid for us at Calvary.

A lifeless religious institution that we visit once or twice a year, but that produces no hope in our lives.

And to many…the tomb is little more than an asterisk tagged onto an inspiring story that bares little meaning or worth for their lives.

This is what Paul is addressing when he writes in

1 Corinthians 1:23 KJV 1900

23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

Crucified Jesus…The Jews can’t get over it because they thought their messiah was coming to establish and undefeated and invincible government…with military might and power that would reestablish the earthly dominance of king David…To accept that their messiah had suffered, bled and died…an asterisk

And to the greeks, foolishness…the gods of the Greeks were untouchable and invincible gods like Zeus, Apollo and Poseidon…There is no way that they could worship a God that would be pierced by nails and run through with a spear.

But what you see is what you get...

And when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see a sepulchre…it produced weeping and mourning...

If you are viewing this service today to pay homage to a borrowed sepulchre, that is what you will get. If you came today to pay your respects to a crucified savior…I appreciate your respect, and I’m sure that He honors your condolences…

But I’ve come today to proclaim to you that Jesus is not in the sepluchre

It’s not the emptiness of religious traditions

It’s not in the lamentation of a powerless savior

And I’ve come to tell you that the empty tomb is not an asterisk added to the life of Jesus.

The empty tomb is not a footnote that somehow undermines our claim that we worship a victorious savior...

What you see is what you get…if what you see today is an asterisk…if what you came to see today was hopeless religious tradition…if what you came to see today was a cute story that has no impact on your life...

then that is what you will get...

But something shifted in the life of Mary Magdalene and that other Mary...

Because though they came to see a sepulchre…they saw something entirely different…The angel of the Lord appeared unto them and said…Jesus isn’t in the sepulchre…he is risen!

And when they shifted their sight from the sepulchre to the risen savior…their weeping became worship…their mourning became joy…their lamentation became good news...

Some would look at the cross…the nails, the blood, the suffering, the pain, the death, the burial and they would wonder how can you declare him to be UNdefeated?

There are two definitions of the Prefix “un”

a prefix meaning “not,” freely used as an English formative, giving negative or opposite force in adjectives and their derivative adverbs and nouns (unfair; unfairly;

prefix freely used in English to form verbs expressing a reversal of some action or state, or removal, deprivation, release, etc. (unbend; uncork; unfasten)

jesus did not come to “not” die…He didn’t come to “not” suffer. He didn’t come “not” enter into the grave...

if that is your definition of Undefeated…then perhaps you are right…Jesus did suffer. He did bleed…he did die…he was buried....

But HIS undefeated was not just the avoidance of death…the circumventing of suffering…no he came to reverse the power of death…He came to remove the power of the grave....He came to release the stranglehold of sin!!!

The grave is not an asterisk…the cross is not an asterisk…As Paul said…it is the power Of the Gospel!

he wasnt just UNdefeated…he undid defeat! He made a way out of no way....

IN his book “Six Hours One Friday,” Max Lucado shares the story of a missionary in Brazil who discovered a tribe of Indians in a remote part of the jungle. They lived near a large river. The tribe was in need of medical attention. A contagious disease was ravaging the population. People were dying daily.

A hospital was not very far away — in fact, just across the river, but the Indians would not cross it because they believed the river was inhabited by evil spirits. And to enter its water would mean certain death.

The missionary explained how he had crossed the river & was unharmed. But they were not impressed. He then took them to the bank & placed his hand in the water. They still wouldn’t go in. He walked into the water up to his waist & splashed water on his face. It didn’t matter. They were still afraid to enter the river.

Finally, he dove into the river, swam beneath the surface until he emerged on the other side. He raised a triumphant fist into the air. He had entered the water & escaped. It was then that the Indians broke into a cheer & followed him across.

He is undefeated…He entered into death, so that you might have life.

He entered the grave so that you could exit the grave!

I want to encourage someone today, its easter sunday…please don’t minimize today to being about empty religious traditions…Don’t just make this another Easter Sunday where you observe Jesus from afar, but find it empty and powerless!

No…somebody today…you need to know that suffered so that you could be set free! Jesus bled, so that your sins could be forgiven! Jesus enduring death, so that you could have life.

Ending illustraion:

One of my favorite stories is about a scrawny kid from West Texas who attended a small high school. They didn't have a wrestling program, but he read a book on wrestling and asked one of the assistant football coaches if he would enter him in some of the wrestling matches in that region.

The coach agreed to help the kid. This little guy was neither strong nor skillful, but he had one enduring quality--he refused to give up. He won every single wrestling match because he tenaciously held on to his opponents and wore them down.

By the end of the season, he was undefeated and made it to the state finals for his weight classification. The kid's opponent was a two-time state champ and a bona fide college prospect. As the scrawny kid faced the state champion, the guy made a couple of quick moves, and soon had the West Texas kid on his back and about to get pinned.

The coach knew his athlete was about to lose, and he couldn't bear to watch it, so he turned his head away. Suddenly, the coach heard the roar of the crowd and when he turned around, his kid was on top of the state champ, pinning him. He had won the match!

The little guy bounced across the mat and hugged the coach and said, "Coach, I won! I won!"

The coach said, "Sure, son. But I missed it. I turned away just before you were about to lose. What happened?"

The kid said, "Coach, that guy was good. He had me twisted like a pretzel on that mat. But you know me, coach. I NEVER quit. I refused to give up! So I opened my eyes, and there in front of my face was a big toe. I don't even know if it's against the rules or not, but I bit into that big toe with all my strength...and coach, it's amazing what you can do when you bite your OWN toe!"

If you're ever tempted to give up on God and his promises, just remember that little guy. Take a grip on the promises of God and never release them--God honors persistence.