Matthew 28 1 6 1 After the Sabbath

Matthew 28: 1 - 6 1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

Matthew 28: 1 - 6 2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.

Matthew 28: 1 - 6 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

Matthew 28: 1 - 6 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ”

He Is Not Here He Has Risen Just As He Said Matthew 28: 6

Metaphor or Reality n n n Golgotha and the tomb helped me focus on the reality and meaning of the resurrection here and now. The resurrection of Jesus is not just a metaphor for new life but physically happened in time and space. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. (I Corinthians 15: 20 -22)

What Does All This Mean? Jesus really died by the side of the road at a place that looks a lot like a skull. n He was placed in a tomb nearby in a garden owned by a rich man. n On the third day he rose. n n So what does the resurrection mean to the way I live my life?

We Win – Even If We Die n What do you fear? n The resurrection changes everything n Romans 8: 18 -21 n Philippians 3: 10 -11

Wonderful but Terrifying n Jesus was declared with power to be the Son of God by the resurrection. (Romans 1: 4) n n This is a wonderful and comforting thing This is an awesome and terrifying thing

Why terrifying? Because if the tomb really is empty and Jesus really did raise from the dead, then He has the right to command my time and my way of life.

Why wonderful? Because Jesus rose from the dead, we have hope for more than just the here and now. We have a real expectation of eternal life – a home with God forever. Because Jesus rose from the dead, we have fellowship with each other as brothers and sisters in God’s family.

I Peter 1: 3 -7 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

I Peter 1: 3 -7 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

We Are Witnesses We are witnesses that the tomb is empty and that He is risen n Our conviction to the reality of the resurrection is shown by: n n Our words Our actions Our choices

I Corinthians 15: 50 -58 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

I Corinthians 15: 50 -58 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?

I Corinthians 15: 50 -58 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Since the Resurrection Changes my Ultimate Destiny – Can I keep on sinning and be OK?

Romans 6: 1 -5 What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

Romans 6: 1 -5 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into his death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.

The Resurrection Changes Everything Has it Changed You?