The Resurrection
Water cooler conversation:
What was your biggest win this week? What was your biggest challenge?
Have you ever passed out in public? What happened?
Unpack the Message:
In Matthew 28:1-10, Matthew recounts the events surrounding the discovery of Jesus' empty tomb. It's been three days since the crucifixion. At dawn, Mary Magdalene and another woman named Mary go to the tomb where Jesus had been laid. All hope had been lost - these women had been at Calvary, they had seen Jesus draw His last agonizing breath. Meanwhile, the guards who were standing outside Jesus' tomb (Matthew 27:62-66) witness a miracle.
A stone had been rolled across the entrance to the tomb and sealed in place with the official Roman seal, which could only be broken on penalty of death. Suddenly, an earthquake shakes the earth, an angel appears who rolls the stone away and sits upon the rock. It's important to note that these men were likely among the soldiers who had witnessed Jesus beating before Pilate. It's also possible they'd experienced the darkness and the massive earthquake (Matthew 27:45, 51) and had heard their centurion cry: "Truly this man was the Son of God," at the crucifixion (Mark 15:39). If these men were Roman guards then they may have been hardened soldiers. Centurions were the backbone of the Roman army, brave, loyal, and fierce. Each centurion would have commanded a hundred men in a Roman legion. Yet, it's understandable that these men dropped like stones and fainted at the sight of this supernatural being. They were likely convinced they were going to die, either by the hand of God or Rome, as the penalty for opening the tomb was death.
When Mary Magdalene and the other Mary arrive at the tomb, the angel says, "'Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you." Scripture says the women were "afraid yet filled with joy." They ran to tell the disciples what had happened, and suddenly Jesus Himself appeared to them. They fall to their knees, cling to Him, and worship Him. Jesus says, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." The disciples go to Galilee, where they too have an encounter with Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20). This is only one example of Jesus appearing after His resurrection, though Scripture records many more.
The impact of the empty tomb cannot be overstated. Because Jesus rose from the dead, we have the promise of defeating death through His resurrection power. In 1 Corinthians 15, the Apostle Paul breaks down questions we may have about the resurrection. For example, he uses the metaphor of a seed transforming into a plant to illustrate how our bodies will be changed as we are raised from the dead. We plant with the expectation of a plant, not another seed. There is a rebirth of a new creation. Likewise, our physical bodies will be transformed into heavenly bodies through Jesus' resurrection power. We won't need our physical (perishable) bodies to live in the supernatural (eternal) realm of heaven (1 Corinthians 15:38-40, 42-44, 54, 57-58).
The Resurrection is The Promise
The resurrection is not a pipe dream nor a fiction created by Jesus' followers to save themselves from looking like fools. Science and history back up the bodily resurrection of Christ. The fact that Jesus came back from the dead is our promise that we will come back from the dead in Christ. It is not a promise - it is the promise.
The Resurrection is The Transformation
Because of Jesus' resurrection, we will be transformed. Our physical bodies, dying from the day we are born, will be transformed into immortal, heavenly bodies created to exist eternally with God in heaven. Because Jesus defeated death, our physical or "Adam" bodies (Genesis 2:4-3:24), redeemed through faith in Christ, will one day be transformed into heavenly bodies.
The Resurrection is The Victory
Though our physical bodies are often ravaged by illness, addiction, and disease, we have the promise of victory. 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 asks, "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" [a] 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." Nothing we face here on earth can defeat the promise of victory through Jesus Christ.
The Resurrection is The Mission
Of the many post-resurrection appearances of Jesus, many conclude with a mission: Go and tell. Imagine you are one of Jesus' followers - Mary Magdalene, who was the first to see Him after the crucifixion; Cleopas, who met Him on the road to Emmaus; or Peter, who after denying Him three times, has an encounter with Jesus in Jerusalem. You'd be overwhelmed with confusion and joy. And at that moment, when your heart is soaring, Jesus speaks into that hope and gives you your mission - "Go and make disciples."
That's why Paul closes 1 Corinthians 15 with the words, "Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." Why is our labor "not in vain?" Because of the resurrection.
JESUS’ POST-RESURRECTION APPEARANCES
How does this week's message change the way you think about death?
How does this week's message change the way you think about the struggles we've faced over the past year?
Study the chart of Jesus' post-resurrection appearances. Do you think His followers conspired to make it seem like He had risen from the dead, or do you believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus?
If you have placed your trust in Christ, how does Jesus' resurrection make you more confident that God has forgiven all your sins? If you have not put your trust in Christ yet, how does it give you confidence that he can?
Read Romans 8:11. Think about something you're struggling with right now. Maybe it's a challenging situation, addiction, or a character trait you constantly battle. How does it help you face this struggle to know Jesus' resurrection power lives in you if you've trusted in Him?
God loves us enough to have sent His Son to die for us. Not only that, He had the power to raise Him from the dead. How does knowing about this love and power shown through the resurrection help you trust God with the things in your everyday life?
Make a Move:
The resurrection of Jesus can change everything. His resurrection is the promise of transformation, victory, and mission for our lives. Believing this, complete this statement: “This week, I will allow the resurrection of Jesus to change ____________________ about my life.”
Prayer Prompt:
Father, thank you for the resurrection of Your Son. We praise You because we know that as Jesus rose from the dead, we who believe will one day also rise, transformed and victorious through Your resurrection power. Help us to passionately pursue the mission You’ve set before us - to reach people far from you so that they too will have faith in Christ. May this passion push us out of our comfort zone into obedience to You. Amen