It Happened Early Sunday Morning

It Happened Early Sunday Morning

Text: Matt 27:62-28:15

On this resurrection Sunday, I ask that you’ll journey with me as we look at the events surrounding the resurrection as the gospel writer of Matthew recorded them

I came up in church as an old school Baptist where the deacons always opened up the worship service with devotional time.

My parents took me to church every Sunday; they told me they didn’t care if I fell asleep, but I was going to church.

There, I learned and mastered the language of the black Baptist Church.

· When you sit in church every Sunday, some things that just stick with you

They always would sing,

· “I love the Lord. He heard my cry,”

· Or He may not come when you want him, but he’ll be there right on time.

· Or maybe you remember them singing, “Jesus is on the mainline, tell him what you want, just call him up and tell him what you want,”

· Maybe you remember them singing, “Bread of heaven, bread of heaven feed me till I want no more.”

Every Sunday, someone would stand up during testimonial time and say,

· “If it had not been for the Lord on my side, I don’t know where I would be.

Maybe you remember the preacher saying Moses built the ark out of wood, but I know something else that was built out of wood.

· What Moses built rested on Mount Ararat

· But what God built rested on Mount Calvary.

· Moses may have sailed for 40 days

· But in 3 days, from Friday to early Sunday morning, Jesus went to the depth of hell and set the captives free, and He died for you and me

It seemed like they knew what to say just to get the crowd stirred up, but I’ve lived long enough to know that they were not just saying those things but that those things are true.

· And I’ve been around long enough to know that If it hadn’t been for the Lord who was by my side that I wouldn’t be here today

· I’ve learned that… the phrase “Early Sunday Morning” wasn’t some cliche, but it was the work of God that was made manifest on that first day of the week after the death of Jesus on Calvary’s cross.

And if you have been in church more than one Easter, you know the story. It’s Friday, and Jesus had been on the cross for more than 9 hours, and after he said Father into your hands, I commend my spirit, and he breathed out his last breath.

Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilot for his body. He takes and wraps his body in clean white linen clothes.

The next day the Pharisees go to Pilot and tell him that if he doesn’t place a guard by the tomb that Jesus’ disciples will steal the body and say he has risen and that there would be a greater problem.

There is a stone placed in front of the tomb. Pilot has it sealed and places a guard at the tomb.

Now they have three problems

· A stone

· A seal

· And a soldier

· They locked the tomb down with a stone, a seal, and a soldier; that’s what took place on Saturday

The Bible says on the first day of the week, early Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to anoint the body because they couldn’t do it Friday

As they went… they made their way there, and they realized we have more than one problem or two; we got three problems

There’s

· A stone

· A seal

· And a soldier

· The stone is a problem that has to be controlled

· The seal is a power that has to be challenged

· The soldier is a person that has to be confronted

Don’t miss this here

· We got a stone that has to be controlled

· A seal that challenged

· And a soldier that has to be confronted

· We don’t know how we’re going to deal with the power that needs to be changed

· We don’t know how we’re going to deal with the power that needs to be controlled

· We don’t know how we’re going to deal with the person that needs to be confronted

But this much we do know

· We got a power

· A problem

· And a person to deal with

But they go anyway, and when they get there, they realize that God has already beat them there.

· They show up and realize that everything they were worried about God has already taken care of.

· The stone has been rolled away, the soldier has been restrained, and the seal has been removed

Don’t you miss this:

· The seal which symbolizes Pilots power has been removed

· The soldier has been restrained

· And the stone has been rolled away

And I come to tell somebody today that when God is about to do something miraculous in your life:

· There is no power

· There is no problem

· And no person can stand in God’s way!

No means of measure can define His limitless love!

· He is enduringly strong

· He is entirely sincere

· He is eternally steadfast

· He is immortally graceful

· He is imperially powerful

· He is impartially merciful

He is the greatest phenomenon that has ever crossed the horizon of this world!

· He is God’s Son

· He is a sinners Savior

· He is unparalleled

· He is un president

· He is the loftiest idea in literature

He is the only one qualified to be an all-sufficient Savior

· His haters could not stop Him

· The cross could not kill Him

· The grave could not hold Him

· The Pharisees couldn’t stand Him

· Pilot couldn’t find any fault in Him

· Harold could not kill Him

· He supplies strength for the weak

· He is available for the tempted and the tried

· He sympathizes, and He saves

· He strengthens and sustains

· He guards and He guides

· He heals the sick

· He gave sight to the blind

· He cleansed the lepers

· He forgives the sinners

· He delivers the captive

· He defends the feeble

· He blesses the young

· He serves the unfortunate

· He rewards the diligent

· He is the key to knowledge

· He is the wellspring of wisdom

· He is the doorway to deliverance

· He is the pathway of peace

· He is the roadway of righteousness

· He is the highway to holiness

· He is the King of Israel

· He is the King of righteousness

· He is the King of the ages!

· He is the King of heaven

· He is the King of Glory

· He is the King of Kings

· He is the Lord of Lord’s – Do you know Him?

· His life is matchless

· His goodness is limitless

· His mercy is everlasting

· His love never changes

· His word is enough

· His reign is righteous, and His burden is light

· And His grace is sufficient

No matter what the problem is, no matter what the power is, no matter who the person is going on, anyway

Be like these women no matter what the problem is, no matter what the people are, or no matter who the power is

God can remove all that

Out your way

· No matter who the power is, show up anyway

· No matter what the problem is, show up anyway

· No matter who the person is, show up anyway

God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all you can ever ask or think!

Ending

No matter what the problem is, no matter what the power is, no matter who the person is, go on anyway

Be like these women no matter what the problem is, no matter what the people are, or no matter who the power is

God can remove all that

Out your way

· No matter who the power is, show up anyway

· No matter what the problem is, show up anyway

· No matter who the person is, show up anyway

God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all you can ever ask or think!