Because He Lives

Matthew 28:1-20

Matthew 28:1–20 NLT

1 Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. 2 Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. 3 His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. 4 The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint. 5 Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. 7 And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.” 8 The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. 9 And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.” 11 As the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and told the leading priests what had happened. 12 A meeting with the elders was called, and they decided to give the soldiers a large bribe. 13 They told the soldiers, “You must say, ‘Jesus’ disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.’ 14 If the governor hears about it, we’ll stand up for you so you won’t get in trouble.” 15 So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews, and they still tell it today. 16 Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted! 18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Jesus is Alive!

This Easter Sunday we celebrate the fact that Jesus Christ is alive and has conquered death, hell and the grave and is seated at the right hand of the Father in glory Amen!

This resurrection of Jesus is the cornerstone to our Christian faith and it is critical that we understand that yes Jesus is alive not just figuratively, not just in concept but is literally alive today and that because He lives we also can have life and have it more abundantly.

We can observe in today’s text several ways which prove that Jesus is alive.

First, as we read in verses 1-7 there is a supernatural event that takes place at the tomb. There is an earthquake followed by an angel of the Lord rolling aside the stone and sitting on it. The Bible tells us that the guards were so afraid that they fainted. Then the angel of the Lord specifically tells Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the virgin mother of Jesus that he knows they are looking for Jesus who was crucified but that He isn’t there because He has risen from the dead just as He said he would.

Two examples of this can be found in

Matthew 17:22–23 NLT

22 After they gathered again in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. 23 He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.” And the disciples were filled with grief.

Mark 8:31 NLT

31 Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead.

The Bible is the word of God and is not an ordinary book. The words written are supernatural because the Holy Spirit of the Lord inspired the events and writing contained in it’s pages. The Bible is a guide to our lives and God’s letter to us. Therefore, some people will know Jesus as Lord through God’s supernatural word either spoken by a fellow Christian or reading from the Scriptures.

Next there was a personal encounter with the Lord as the women were running back to tell the disciples what the angel had said Jesus met them and greeted them. They began to grasp His feet and worship Him. Then Jesus tells them not be afraid and to go tell the disciples to leave for Galilee and see Him there.

The Lord loves us and is always calling us home and some people will know the Lord through a personal encounter with Him where through their situation His loving presence and comforting words will let them know that Jesus is alive and real. In fact, all Christians have a personal encounter with Jesus when they put their faith in Him and receive the gift of salvation. This relationship with Jesus continues throughout the life of a believer and into eternity in heaven as we worship the Lord.

Beginning in verse 16 we can also observe a corporate or group encounter with Jesus. The eleven disciples went to Galilee to the mountain where Jesus told them to go and saw Him and worshipped Him. Verse 17 states that some doubted but it is important to understand that the Greek verb used here is distazo which implies hesitation or indecision, rather than unbelief. This verb is only used in this scripture as well as Matthew 14:31 where Peter walked on water to meet Jesus and when he began to distazo or doubt then he started to sink. This doubt does not come from a lack of faith in believing that Jesus is who He say He is but rather a struggle to comprehend what they are witnessing. This is the situation of some of the disciples due to the power of seeing the resurrected Jesus.

There are countless people who have encountered the Lord in a group setting such as a church service, revival or small group. There is a special power that comes when a group of people witness the power of God before their very eyes. There will be some who instantly know and believe there will be some like the disciples who believe but do not understand what they are seeing.

The point remains that the Lord reveals Himself to His people in many ways including His word, His personal encounter and through His church. This was as true on Resurrection Sunday over two thousand years ago as it is today. Jesus is alive and He wants a relationship with His people.

Jesus is the Supreme Authority

In verse 18 Jesus reminds us that He has been given all authority in heaven and on earth.

Matthew 28:18 NLT

18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.

Throughout all the Gospel we can see Jesus exercise His authority over all things including natural elements like wind and water, the human body, demons, the Sabbath, sin and even death.

The Resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate validation of the divine authority of Jesus.

The Apostle Paul writes about this in

Ephesians 1:19–23 NLT

19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. 21 Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. 22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. 23 And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.

Simply put there is nothing more powerful than Jesus Christ and He has given us the authority and power of the Holy Spirit as the church to conquer any and all things that come against us. Praise God

Friends we are living in an age of information and misinformation. People use terms like I am spiritual but not religious as if having a set of standards and a moral code to live your life by is a bad thing. We hear people say that all religions are the same and that there is more than one path to heaven which is completely untrue and even a basic review would prove this opinion wrong.

We live in a time where right is being called wrong and sin is being called right and it is as if there is no shame in the immortality and lack of dignity which many people are living their lives.

The devil knows his time is short and is up to the same old tricks he has been using since the garden which is to deceive people into not trusting God and instead trust their own judgment or sinful desires. Furthermore he has many in this sinful woken cancel culture movement believing that sin and immorality are righteous and that Christians are somehow bad which is a lie from the pits of hell itself.

So why am I talking about this on an Easter Sunday message?

Because my friends it is critical to understand that Jesus Christ is a part of the one triune God which is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit and that there are no other gods and that there is no power greater than our God.

There are no other paths to heaven as Jesus Himself plainly tells us in John 14:6 that

John 14:6 NLT

6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

Hear me this morning there is a devil on the loose who is seeking whom he may kill and destroy. He will stop at nothing to harass you and tempt you into making bad choices and distancing you from all that the Lord wants to do in you and through you.

But there is good new this morning which is that when your sin separated you from God Jesus Christ stepped out of the portals of glory into the womb of a virgin and lived a spotless sinless life so that he could suffer and die on a cross and rise on the third day victorious over death, hell and the grave so that if you put your trust in Him this morning your sins will be forgiven heaven will be your home! Hallelujah!

His Work Continues

In verses 19-20 Jesus clearly explains to the Disciples and to us as the church what we are to be doing until He returns again at the end of the church age.

Matthew 28:19–20 NLT

19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

This passage of Scripture is knows as the Great Commission and is in effect the marching orders for the church. During the earthly ministry of Jesus He was the personification of the word of God. He demonstrated to the world how we are to live and more importantly that God loves us and has made a way for us to be redeemed to Him.

Some people get confused to as to the deity of Christ however, Jesus made left no question about His identity with statements like

John 10:30 NLT

30 The Father and I are one.”

And in today’s passage where Jesus tells us to baptize people in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

In addition we can read once again that Jesus is in fact a part of God Himself in

As I mentioned before we must understand and effectively communicate to the world that Jesus is in fact God and that is why no one can come to the Father apart from Him because said differently no one can come to the one true God without believing in the one true God all three parts which are Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Said simply and directly you must put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior to receive the promise of eternal life in a heavenly paradise.

After receiving this free gift begin to pray and read your Bible then find a Bible church such as this one or one of the others in the area and learn about the teaching of Jesus Christ.

Because Jesus Lives So May We Live

Lastly today I want to with you that because Jesus lives that we too can live.

The first and most important element to understand is that of salvation.

No verse explains better explains this fact than the most familiar verses in all of scripture which are

John 3:16–17 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

You see God is loving and kind and does not want that anyone would get the judgement that comes from a life apart from Him. This is why Jesus Christ came to earth lived, was tortured and killed on the cross and rose victorious on the third day defeating death so that the sin debt of the entire world would be paid. And in order to receive this free gift all a person has to do is to trust that God loves them and to put their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord of their life.

After salvation another important principle to know when becoming a Christian or living out your walk with the Lord is that He wants you to not only have life to but to have the best possible life you can have.

John 10:10 ESV

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

While the devil seeks to steal, kill and destroy, the opposite is true in Christ.

Jesus loves you and wants you to have a life of victory not only in your salvation but also in your situation.

Said differently there comes a point in a person’s life where things should stop being just about wrong and right and should be about what is best.

When you trust and live for Jesus sin no longer becomes your lifestyle and provides you the freedom to start listening to the Lord better and not only living a good life but your best possible life according to the will of God.

This includes the knowledge that you are deeply loved by God and that you are never alone. You are loved so much in fact that nothing or no one can ever separate you from God’s love.

Romans 8:38–39 NLT

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Hear me today God loves you and has a purpose and a plan for your life. You are not hearing this message by accident but rather the Lord orchestrated a series of event to make sure that you were at this place at this time to hear Him say to you that you are loved and that you matter to Him.

It doesn’t matter where you came from or what you have done in the past. There is a choice that every person has to make today which is will you listen to the lies of the enemy and follow the path away from God which leads to death or will you trust the Lord.

Trust that there is a God who loves you. That you are not a random occurence in the universe but that your are made in the image of a loving God who cares about you and wants to you to have life and life more abundantly.

Will you have the faith to admit that while you may not have all the answers you believe that Jesus Christ paid the price for your sins and has made a path for you to have eternal life with Him in heaven.

Will you choose life over death and paradise over pain?

I am not saying that you will never again have a difficult season but the difference is that you will no longer be alone but instead you will be guided by the God who made you and loves you.

You will have the peace that comes only from having the Holy Spirit of God Himself living inside of you. The peace that despite all your circumstances good or bad gives you the confidence that everything is going to be ok.

Receive the hope of heaven and the knowledge that when your eyes close in this life that they will awaken to eternal life with Jesus Christ in glory.

Yes my friends today you too can receive the promises of God and all that Christ paid for.

Prayer

I would like everyone here today or watching online to close their eyes for a moment with no one looking around. If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior this morning now is the time to do so. If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior then now is the time to rededicate your life to Him and receive Him not only as the Savior of your Life but as the Lord of your life.

In a moment we are all going to pray together those of us who wish to receive the gift of salvation as well as those of us who are saved but want to rededicate our live to Christ.

Please repeat after me:

God I have sinned in my life.

And while you would be right to judge me instead I ask for mercy and grace.

Jesus I believe that you paid the price for my sins.

I believe that you are alive today in glory.

I put my faith in you.

I ask that you be the Lord of my life.

I ask to receive the promise of heaven as my home.

You gave your life for me and I want to live my life for you.

I love you and trust you in Jesus name.

Amen

If you prayed that prayer with me this morning than on the authority of God’s word you will have received the gift of grace and heaven as your home.

God is rejoicing with you as are the angel in heaven.

From this point continue to pray to Jesus, read your Bibles and find a church family where you can serve and be served.

Jesus is alive this morning! Hallelujah! Have a blessed week and always remember Jesus love you.