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Matthew 28:1-10
EASTER IN AN AGE OF TERROR

Matthew 28                            The Resurrection

¹After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.  ^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. ³His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.  ⁵The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷Then 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."  ⁸So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

I suppose everyone has heard Alan Jackson's song, "Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning?" It's about the tragic events that took place in our country on September 11. Many people have been touched by that song; it has become one of the top selling country singles of all time. It was also nominated by the Academy of Country Music as "Song of the Year" and "Single of the Year". 

What we have learned, of course, is that if the world really did stop turning on September 11, it soon started turning again. Life has gone on. We're slowly becoming accustomed to the changes that have taken place--the minor inconveniences that come with being more security conscious. We show up at the airport two hours early now; there's no more arriving 15 minutes before take-off and racing to the gate at a dead run. We have to be more careful with our mail. We have to be prepared to go through a metal detector at a sporting event or concert. We have to be more observant of suspicious behavior around us. We've made adjustments to our life styles that most Americans probably thought would never have been necessary. Our world has changed. Since the events of September 11, we have come to realize--as so much of the world already knew--that we live in an age of terror. And yet, life goes on.

Today, as we celebrate Easter, we celebrate it in a world that is much different than the one we lived in last Easter. But I want you to know something. Even though the world has changed, Easter hasn't. The events that took place on that first resurrection Sunday of 2000 years ago supercede any event that has taken place before or since. The events that took place on that first Easter morning render powerless all acts of terror; the events of Easter morning render powerless war, and death, and sickness, and pain, and sorrow, and despair, and heart break, and loneliness, and sin, and every other awful thing that has plagued humanity throughout history. The world has changed, but Easter hasn't. The events of Easter morning demonstrate to us the foundational truth of Christianity: Jesus Christ is Lord. He has power over death; he has power over sin; he has power to make a difference in your life. I want us to celebrate this Easter Sunday as we should celebrate every Easter Sunday--by responding to the risen Lord Jesus the same way his followers responded the moment they saw him.

Matthew 28 tells the story. As Mary Magdalene and the "other Mary" went to Jesus' tomb, there was a violent earthquake, and the stone that covered the tomb was rolled away. An angel of the Lord appeared and said...

(v. 5-7) "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.'"

As the women hurried away, the Bible says they were "afraid yet filled with joy" and suddenly Jesus greeted them. They fell at his feet to worship him, and he said...

(v. 10) "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

These are the first words the resurrected Christ spoke. In this simple message, we learn how to live out the significance of Easter in our daily lives. The defining moment of our lives is not the events of 9-11. The defining moment of our lives is Easter Sunday--the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In living out the significance of Easter, there are three things you need to do. First of all, you need to...

1. Stand Up to Your Fears

During his ministry on earth, time and again Jesus commanded his followers to "fear not." After his resurrection, one of the very first statements he made was

(v. 10) "Do not be afraid..."

Why would Jesus say this? Isn't fear an emotion that we can't control? It's not the kind of feeling we would choose, is it? Typically, fear hits us like a tidal wave when we're least prepared for it. Have you ever noticed a suspicious symptom in your body, like a pain in your chest or numbness or a lump--and you're seized by panic. Or have you ever fallen asleep on the couch while waiting for your teenager to come home, and then woke up an hour or so after their curfew, and you realize they're still not home? You're overcome with fear, wondering what could have happened. Or, have you ever gone to work in the morning and your boss greets you by saying, "Don't bother taking off your coat.” That introduces to a whole new type of fear, doesn't it?

Fear affects us physiologically. Our heart beats faster, our stomach does flip-flops, our hands begin to shake, it becomes difficult to breath, and so on. But the worst effect fear has on us is that is paralyzes us. It causes us to do nothing, overran wordiest causes us to want to run away.

Fear is an overpowering emotion, and certainly not an emotion we would willingly choose to feel. And yet, Jesus says, "Do not be afraid," as if it is a simple matter of choice. Do you know what? It IS a simple matter of choice, and here's why. Jesus is not referring to our emotions as much as he is referring to our thoughts and actions. He's saying, "Do not think fearfully; do not act fearfully."

Because of the events of 9/11, many people have chosen to put their lives on hold. They put off travel, they put off spending, they put off investing, and they put off LIVING. This also happens when we experience a personal crisis, such as a health problem or the death of someone close to us. We let the uncertainty of the future cause us to put our lives on hold. Jesus is saying that you don't have to do that. He says, in effect, "I have the power over life and death, and I have the power over any challenge you face. No act of war can separate you from my love. No health problem can separate you from my presence. No divorce, no failed business, no sin can separate you from my mercy." At the end of this chapter he reminds us,

"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)

Because of the resurrection we don't have to live in fear. The resurrection tells us that Jesus Christ is Lord of all; if he can conquer death, he can conquer anything. How do we stand up to our fears? By responding with faith--thoughts of faith, and acts of faith. Fear is just a feeling, and we no longer have to live by our feelings; we can live by faith. We stand up to our fears by thinking "faith" and acting "faith."

In living out the significance of Easter in your daily life, there's a second thing you need to do...

2. Focus On Your Mission

Look again and what Jesus said...

(v. 10) "Go and tell my brothers...."

Just as Jesus gave those faithful women a message for the other disciples, he has Jesus has given us a message for the entire world: "Tell them that I am alive." In the resurrection stories found in each of the four gospels, Jesus emphasizes this mission that he has given us.

"Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19-20)

"Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." (Mark 16:15)

"...Repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations..."(Luke 24:47)

"As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." (John 20:21)

Jesus' first message to his followers after his resurrection was "Go and tell others." In this age of terror, this message is more important than ever before. The world needs to hear that Jesus Christ is Lord, and he has power over sin and death.

I think it was in Reader's Digest that I read a story about a guy named Jeff who, when he was twelve, accidentally broke a window while playing baseball with a friend. They quickly looked around to see if anyone was looking; the only witness was Jeff's younger brother. Jeff said to him, "Keep quiet about this, and I'll give you some candy." The younger brother said he didn't want any candy. Jeff said, "Keep quiet and I'll give you a baseball." The younger brother said, "I don't want your baseball." Jeff said, "How about my baseball and my new glove?" The younger brother said, "I don't want your glove either." Then Jeff said, "Well, what do you want?" The kid said, "I WANNA TELL!"

That little boy had some great information, and he didn't want to keep quiet about it. It should be the same way with us. We've got a great story to tell, and the world desperately needs to hear it.

Have you heard the saying, "The best defense is a good offense."? As a nation, we certainly need to be able to defend ourselves from the attacks of those who wish to attack freedom, but the best solution to the terrorism is not to blow our enemies off the face of the earth. The best solution is to introduce every tribe, every nation, and every soul on the planet to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Abraham Lincoln said, "I destroy my enemy when I make him my friend." This is how God wants us to "destroy" our enemies. He wants us to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with them all. Our mission--as a church and as individuals--is more important now than it ever was before.

In living out the significance of Easter, there's a third thing you must do...

3. Rely On His Promises

Jesus said... (v. 10) Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.

"There they will see me." This is his promise: you say what I tell you to say, and I'll show up.

I was at a conference a while back, and as we planning the services, the worship leader explained how he and the band would lead the worship music, and as he finished he said, "And we'll see if God shows up." I thought this was an odd thing to say, but I overlooked it. A little while later, one of the leaders was commenting about another aspect of the conference, and he made the same remark: "We'll see if God shows up." I ignored it again, but the third time someone said, "We'll see if God shows up" I decided to speak up. I said, "I realize this saying is just a colloquialism, but if there is any question about God showing up at this event, maybe we should cancel it." One of the leaders said, "Oh, it's just a figure of speech. Of course God will show up. What we really mean is, 'Let's see if God moves among us.'" I said, "I really hate to be nit-picky about this, but if there's any question about whether or not God is going to move, maybe we should re-think our plans." The leader laughed and said, "I see your point. It is just a figure of speech, but it's not a very good one."

The fact is, if Jesus doesn't show up, the church is powerless. Our hope is not in our social ministries, our programs, or anything else that we do. Our hope is in the power of Jesus Christ to change lives. If he doesn't change lives, our church -- or the church as a whole -- has no future. If we have to change the world in our power, we don't stand a chance. We have to rely on his power.

Imagine how the women who witnessed the resurrected Jesus must have felt as they told his other followers what they were to do. They told them, "Pack your bags, make the journey into Galilee, and there you will see Jesus--alive and in the flesh!" I wonder if they had any doubts. I wonder if they second-guessed themselves. I wonder if they said to one another, "Did we really see what we think we saw? What if it was just our imagination? What if we go to Galilee and he isn't there? Won't we look foolish?" I don't know if such thoughts crossed their minds, but I do know this: they were willing to risk their reputation and rely on the promises of Jesus. And they certainly weren't disappointed.

Every week I make bold promises from this pulpit. Every week this church makes bold promises to the community. This is our promise: Give your life to Jesus Christ, and he will turn it around. Give your heart to him and he will fill it with his presence. Give your burdens to him, and he will carry them. Confess your sins to him and he will forgive you, absolutely and completely. Give him your sorrow, your fear, your broken dreams, your worries, and he will replace them with joy and peace and love and fulfillment. These are bold promises to make, but I make them without hesitation, because I know that I can rely on the promises of Jesus. I know that he will do what he said he would do.

Without the promises of Jesus, the church doesn't have much to offer the world--if anything at all. We couldn't offer joyful fellowship, because he's our source of joy; without his promises, our joy wouldn't exist. We couldn't offer social ministries, because those ministries are operated by people whose lives have been changed his power. Without his promises, those lives would never have been changed, and those ministries wouldn't exist. We couldn't open our doors for public services, because without his promises, there are no songs to sing and no message to preach.

We live by the promises of God. He is our hope. Without him, we can do nothing. As we face uncertain times, we can no longer afford to put our trust in ourselves, or in our economy, or in our company, or in our country, or in anyone else. Our only hope is to put our hope only in him.

CONCLUSION

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