Matthew 28:1-10
Jesus Christ, God Himself, according to John Chapter 1, came in the form of man! He came to earth to show us the greatest act of love in all humanity. This was set in motion from the beginning! Don’t think that Adam and Eve’s rebellion was unknown by the Creator! He was and still is awaiting the opportunity to show us the greatest act of love, the sending of His Son, Christ Jesus! Because He loved us so richly, we now have a relationship with God! So don’t think that today’s chaos is unknown by the Creator. He as always, is awaiting the opportunity to show us the greatest act of love, the peace of Christ! Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” John 13:15 “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” In Matthew’s account of the resurrection, we see the greatness of God’s love for you and me! The question is, how will we respond to His great love?
He Pardoned the Penalty that We Were Prescribed. (Matt. 27:28-31)
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We were, and still are if we haven’t placed faith in Christ, are prescribed the wrath of God. We thank Jesus that His blood was shed
He Died the Death that We Rightly Deserve. (Matt. 27:50)
Ephesians 2:1-5 “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.”
He Conquered Death so that we can have the Comfort of Eternal Life. (Matt. 28:5-6) He said that this would happen in Matthew 16. He conquered death so that we could have eternal life.
Luke 24:2 “And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb,” I think it was rolled away from the tomb not just so that Jesus could come out, but that we could look in! It wasn’t just rolled enough, it was rolled away for our benefit.
We only have two ways we can respond to His resurrection.
a. We can have fear vs5
b. We can have faith vs6
He was Rejected so that we can Rejoice. (Matt. 28:8) Mark 16 and this chapter Matt. 28 states that this angel is sharing this message with Mary Magdalene, the lady Jesus cast out seven demons from. Mary already had an appreciation for Christ. Her response is naturally one of fear and joy. Two insights we can take away in our own lives.
a. Being away from Christ brings fear. Thank about our current situation. If you rely on your own devises or your own merits, or your own strength, you will be depressed! 1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
b. Running toward Christ brings joy. You and I were made for Jesus! Our greatest satisfaction will only come by running toward Jesus!
He was Wronged so that we can Worship. (Matt. 28:9) Matt. 28:17 “And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.” The most God-centered, joyous thing you can do in the midst of chaos, is to worship the only One who can calm the storm! Families, your children need to see your faith during this storm!
How will you respond to the resurrection?
a. Respond through worship.
b. Respond by wasting your life.
He was Tortured so that we can Tell Others About His Great Love. (Matt. 28:10) Matt. 28:18-20
How will you respond to the resurrection?
a. Will you be timid?
b. Will you tell others?
Because Jesus loved me so much, He died in my place for my sins, as a result:
I am not guilty (Romans 3:25–26; 6:23; 8:1).
I am not cursed (Galatians 3:13–14).
I am not defeated (Colossians 2:14–15; Hebrews 2:14–15).
I am not crushed (Isaiah 53:5; 2 Corinthians 4:8–10).
I am not forsaken (Mark 15:33–36; Hebrews 13:5–6).
I am not unclean (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24).
I am not without hope (Romans 5:1–11; 8:18-39).
Do you have that hope too? Have you responded to his great love through placing faith in Jesus Christ?