Because He Said It - Matthew 28:6

Introduction

I remember the day and time when people gave their word and it was their bond. When someone said they would be somewhere, they were there. When someone said they would do something, they did it. You didn’t need to call and remind them, didn’t have to worry about them not showing up because come hell or high water people would keep their word.

In the day in which we live politicians, pastors, and preachers alike don’t always keep their word. I at times have had to apologize for not doing what I said I would do because I was stretched too thin or should have otherwise not made the commitment I did. The reality of some of us (me included) is that at times we must give our word less because the less our word is given the less it has the potential to be broken.

In our humanity sometimes it requires us to say no. We’ve got to remember we are not God. Subject to get tired, weary, and a little cranky if we are not well rested… not to mention sick if we push ourselves too hard or too much.

Body

Mark records in Chapter 16 that Mary Magdalene and Mary the Mother of James had come to the tomb looking for a body. It says they came with spices to give Jesus a proper embalming. Luke’s Gospel records very similarly. Matthew’s Gospel indicates that while they were on the way an earthquake occurred. John leaves out a whole lot of details found in the synoptic says that the Mary’s came in the dark and found the stone rolled away.

It is between the record of Mark & Luke that I find a little tension in the text. The Mary’s and the other women have come to the tomb looking for a body to anoint when Jesus said that He would be out of there on the third day.

There are only two things that can be considered as a result of this presentation in the text:

They didn’t believe Jesus when He said He would rise on the third day

Or they believed Him when He said it but just didn’t know how it was going to happen.

I can’t tell you which one because the text doesn’t say but Matthew indicates he has risen, as He said. Luke 24:6 indicates that the angel said to them remember how He spake while He was yet in Galilee, saying the Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.

And I love the role of the angel in Matthew & Luke that remind the women of what Jesus said… because every now and again you & I need a reminder of what Jesus said.

Sometimes the ups and downs, ebbs and flows of life start causing us to doubt or maybe you don’t doubt but forget what God said. Sometimes our frustration with lying politicians, not here but lying preachers, deacons, trustees, ushers, choir members, musicians starts to cause us to have biblical dementia.

But the text reminds us that God is not like man. What He says, He does. Because if He couldn’t do it, He wouldn’t say it. So the fact that He said it means that He can do it - and do it exactly the way He said it.

Because in the beginning was the word, and the word was God, and the word was with God. In other words, God hasn’t spoken anything new. It might be new to you - but God hasn’t spoken anything new. Everything He will speak He has already spoken. You might be waiting on the manifestation of what God spoke but what God spoke was already done when He spoke it.

If God says you are healed then everything in the realm of healing has no choice but to chase you down because God spoke it. If God says your children will be saved everything in the realm of salvation has to chase your children down all because God said it.

How in the world does Jesus go into the darkness and deep abyss of the grave on Friday, no activity on Saturday, and rise from the dead early Sunday morning. Because although it was dark and although it was a gruesome death; the darkness had no power, and the gruesome nature of His death had no power… Because before there was darkness when He died and the gruesome nature of His death there was His word!

And there is presented then the law of first. That since He spoke His resurrection first before the darkness and before the gruesome nature of His death although it was dark, dreary, and dismal it did not matter because the power wasn’t in the conditions but the power was in the word that He spoke.

And somebody this morning that is a word for you… I know the diagnosis looks dark, I know it seems like the more you pray for your children the further they drift away, I know everything is going up but the pay check… But it doesn’t matter because God’s word is out on you. And when God’s word is out on you everything in your life is subject to the word.

The angels that appeared unto the women said why are you looking for the living among the dead? And some of us we’ve been looking at the deadness of our situation but you’ve got to turn your eyes from the nature of the situation and remember God’s word.

And the power then of the Resurrection is that God always does what He says. God is not a man that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent; hath he said, and shall He not do it? or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?

Simply put; if He said it, I believe it… and that settles it.

I don’t care how dark Good Friday was. And it was dark! The Bible tells us that at 12 o’clock in the afternoon you couldn’t tell day from night. It was dark. It was excruciating for Jesus bodily. His agony began during His time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane.

He suffered hematidrosis which is an excretion of blood or blood pigments in the sweat.

He suffered from a strained heart.

He was beaten to the degree that His veins were bare and all of His muscles, sinews, and bowels were exposed.

His flesh was torn where you could see the red meat as Grandmama would say.

He was crowned with thorns which caused Him to bleed from His scalp. He suffered blood forced trauma and lacerations. These lacerations led to hypovolemia and hypotension.

Not to mention dehydration, low blood pressure, difficulty breathing, a build up of carbon dioxide, inflammation, fluid build and cardiac and respiratory arrest.

As bad as all that was.... It meant absolutely positively nothing because He said it!

Closing

It does not matter what you are going through. You’ve got a word... and you’ve got to hold on to the word. It won’t fail. It won’t go out of style. It will last from age to age. And He has magnified His word above His name.

Politicians may give you their word and take it back. Preachers may give you their word and take it back. Family, friends, and loved ones may give you a word and take it back! But heaven and earth will pass away before one jot or tittle of His word shall fail (Matthew 5:18). So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return on to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

I don’t know about you but I’m sticking with the word! God’s got an 800-credit score! He’s got a superior rating! He is the great physician that never lost a patient. He’s the lawyer that never lost a case. He is the cornerstone that the builders rejected. He is the author and the finisher of my faith.

They marched Him up Golgatha’s hill. Placed Him on a cross between two thieves. Put nails in His hands. Nails in His feet. A crown of thorns on His head. Pierced Him in His side. Gave Him vinegar to drink. They beat Him and mocked Him all night long… They said He saved others but He cannot save Himself. They said He trusted in God; let him deliver Him now, if He will have Him for He said, I am the Son of God. But there’s a word… so just wait devil. You think you got me but he who laughs first will laugh last. Jesus died. The preachers of old would say didn’t he die.

There was no activity on Saturday. They thought Jesus was dead and that death had won. I’m sure if I could use my sanctified imagination they thought they had won. The Roman officials probably said see… we told you He wasn’t who He said He was…

But on Sunday morning there came a shaking and their came a rocking… Matthew said there was a great earthquake. The angel came and rolled back the stone. The stone wasn’t rolled away so that Jesus could get out. John 20:19 indicates that Jesus came through some shut doors....

Oooooo that’s good right there! I’m glad to know that Jesus has got the power to maneuver right on through some shut doors. Doors that man has tried to shut in your face - the God you serve, the God I serve will walk through the door to open it for you! Because when God has given a word for a door to be open - no man has the power to shut it!

I’m glad to report to you what I already told you. He’s a man of His word!! He’s alive! He is risen as He said!

I’m glad about it! I can shout about it! I will tell the world about it! Because He said it - He will do it!

Closing 2

And its because He rose from the grave - that what He spoke came to pass; not one word that He has spoken to you and I will ever fall to the ground.