Sermon Tone Analysis

Several years ago… when Jude, my youngest, was only 3 years old or so… him and I were in St. Louis, and I had to stop in at Lowe’s.

And as I was looking for what I needed at Lowe’s… I glanced down… and Jude was gone.

Parents… Has this ever happened to you? You’re in the store and your child is next to you one moment… and the next moment they’re not?

I started calling his name… Jude?

Jude?

But he’s nowhere to be found.

I run to the end of the aisle… all the while calling his name… getting a little more frantic with every moment… but he’s nowhere.

By this time, I mean… the adrenaline is coursing through my veins.

Moments like these are kind of in slow motion… 5 seconds seems like 5 minutes… There is a sense of disbelief… this can’t be happening… right?

Well… Come to find out… If you’ve ever been to Lowe’s, some of their shelving is huge, you know… it’s not like the little shelving at Wal-Mart.

And Jude had ducked underneath the lowest rung of shelving and hid behind some salt pallets or something like that… he was playing hide and seek with me… but he never told me.

He finally came out after 30 seconds or so… but it seemed like forever.

He just thought it was the funniest thing in the world that Dad couldn’t find him.

I grabbed onto him so stinking tightly… and held on for quite a while.

Of course… After the initial shock of everything, He got in pretty big trouble.

But isn’t it amazing how quickly they can get lost?

There one moment… gone the next.

I wonder if you ever feel lost in life sense?

As you move through life have you ever wondered how you ended up where you are? Have you ever felt like you were just going around in circles?

Not quite sure which direction to go?

The reality is… as we move through life, we can very quickly lose our way… we can get distracted… and we end up wandering… not sure where we’re headed.

If you have your Bible this morning, and I hope that you do, turn with me to Matthew chapter 28.

Matthew chapter 28.

If you don’t have a Bible, but you have a smartphone, I highly recommend the Logos Bible app.

If you download it and follow our church, it will guide you through our Scriptures this morning.

But if you don’t have a Bible, we would love to put one in your hands before you leave.

Just let me, or one of our people know, and we will make sure you get one.

Today, on Easter Sunday Morning, we’re finishing our series through the Gospel of Matthew.

And as we finish, Matthew has some direction for us.

We have saw the birth of Christ… We’ve saw him preach the greatest sermon of all time… The Sermon on the Mount… We’ve saw His ministry… We’ve saw Him perform miracles.

Last week, Pastor Matthew talked about the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.

If you joined us on Good Friday, we saw the events of the Passion Week that led Jesus to the cross… and then He was buried.

And for those living in that time, it seemed like the end of the story… it SEEMED like the enemy had won…

*VIDEO*

As we read in Matthew chapter 28 this morning… we find that the story isn’t over… That the enemy had NOT won.

And as Matthew tells us of the event of the 1st Easter… the greatest event in all of history… He leads us somewhere.

He gives direction for when we feel lost.

So, let’s read Matthew chapter 28, and see where Matthew points us.

Read verse 1 with me…

This is amazing… powerful… stand back and stand in awe stuff.

There’s an angel coming down from Heaven… and with him comes a violent earthquake.

And this angel sits upon the tomb of Jesus and rolls back the stone which Pilate had ordered to seal the tomb… and the Roman soldiers who were guarding the tomb, fell over like dead men in fear.

But here, we also have these two women… Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary.

We don’t know much about the other Mary… but we do know Mary Magdalene.

The Bible tells us that Mary Magdalene was a woman from Galilee that had 7 demons inside of her.

Then she met Jesus… and Jesus freed her from those demons.

These demons weren’t chasing her, they were in her.

When the Bible speaks of demon possession, it was not mental illness or autism as a TV Preacher has recently suggested… this was oppression and possession.

But Jesus frees her.

And from that point on, Mary Magdalene begins following Jesus everywhere He went.

Matthew chapter 27 clues us in a little about the kind of follower she became.

Verse 55…

So Mary Magdalene followed Jesus from Galilee all the way to the cross.

Matthew mentions her again in chapter 27, verse 61…

This was a woman who had been rescued by Jesus… followed Him all the way to the cross… and when His body was placed in the tomb… she was there… mourning over her Savior.

What Matthew wants us to see as he highlights Mary Magdalene is that she’s quite an amazing woman… she’s an amazing follower of Christ who seemed to be fully devoted to Jesus.

Matthew wants us to see a devoted follower of Christ.

She’s kind of the prototype of a follower of Christ… this woman who and obeys and cares for Jesus.

So… Before we get to our directions from Matthew, let me encourage you… follow Christ.

You may not be possessed by demons like Mary Magdalene was… but, as lovingly as I can say this… like Mary, you do need rescued.

I needed rescued.

We all do.

The Bible tells us in Romans chapter 3…

All have sinned.

And that sin is an affront to God… that sin separates us from God… that sin makes us deserving of God’s wrath… that sin damns us to an eternal hell.

But Jesus came to rescue us.

Jesus came to rescue you.

And just like He did for Mary Magdalene, Jesus will rescue you if you come before Him… acknowledging your sin… and asking for forgiveness.

That is the most important thing that I can say to you this morning.

A simple step for you.

If you desire to follow Jesus Christ… This is the place… and these are the people where you will see and hear the gospel.

And so, as simply as a pastor could say, come and be a part of the church… be with the people of God and join us on the journey.

Let’s keep reading.

Look at verse 5…

We see our first directions from Matthew there.

He says… Come and see… Go quickly and tell them… There you will see Him.

And where will they see Him? Galilee.

Keep reading.

Verse 8…

So, twice now, the Marys receive the same exact message… The Savior is risen… Go and tell… Go to Galilee.

See the empty tomb… The Savior is risen… Go and tell… Go to Galilee.

Matthew doubles up on the The Savior is risen… Go and tell… Go to Galilee thing.

Notice what Jesus doesn’t say.

Jesus doesn’t say… why don’t sit down for a moment… I know it’s been a rough three days… I know it’s been confusing… I know that you been under a lot of pressure… let’s sit down and talk about it for a bit and I’ll explain everything to you.

Do you have any questions for me?

There’s none of that!

No pausing… no resting… no hanging out… No sir.

The tomb is empty… go and tell… go to Galilee.

There’s a push here to Galilee.

The question is why?

What’s so special about the 70 mile trip from Jerusalem to Galilee?

Why is that so important?

We’re going to get there… let’s keep reading.

Verse 11…

So, while the women are doing what they’re supposed to be doing… Going and telling… Getting to Galilee… There is a counter story here.

There’s some opposition to the empty tomb.

Listen… there’s always a counter story to the gospel.

Our enemy is ruthless and he will do anything he can to ruin the empty tomb.

That’s why Matthew tells this little side story.

He wants to remind the early church… and us… that there will always be opposition to this whole reason why we’re going to Galilee.