What are you gonna do with the resurrection?

Refuge Church Byhalia is a new nondenominational evangelical church located in Byhalia, MS that exists to share the hope of Jesus, grow together, & love our neighbors in Byhalia, Marshall County, Lewisburg, & surrounding areas. Below is a sermon outline from a recent sermon from the book of Matthew titled ‘Whatcha Gonna Do?’ that is part of our ‘Pinnacle of History’ series where we are looking at Jesus’ Final Days.

Welcome

• Good Evening & Welcome to Refuge Church
• My name is Michael and I am the Planting Pastor here at Refuge Church Byhalia
• We are so glad that y’all are here for our Easter Service
• I hope you have been warmly welcomed and met some of the awesome people that are part of Refuge
• We have been praying and hoping you would connect with God tonight
• Through our time of musical worship
• Our proclamation of the Lord’s Death & Resurrection during communion
• And now as we dive into the Word and later when we spend time in prayer
• We want you to connect with a living God
• Now tonight we will be continuing a look into the Bible that we have called the Pinnacle of History
• In which we have been looking at Jesus’ final days
• How he was established as the long promised messiah, the one who would save the Jewish people
• How Jesus was set apart through his triumphal entry into Jerusalem
• How Jesus knew his death was coming, he said as much many times
• And though he knew the horrific death was iminent, he stayed the course to accomplish what God the Father sent Jesus to do
• And in the middle of the imminence of His death, we looked at how 3 people were responding to Jesus’ life and ministry
• The sincere & joyful response of Mary
• The angry response of Judas that led to him betraying Jesus for a small amount of money
• And the strong worded but weak footed response of Peter – loud to say I’m with Jesus but quiet and soft spoken when pressure comes about his faith in Jesus
• And finally last week we looked at how the mistreatment of Jesus, was the treatment for our broken relationship with the God of the universe
• How Jesus, who knew no sin was
• Beaten, spit on, whipped, and hung on a cross until He died, all to pay the debt we owed because of our sin
• Jesus, never once sinning, therefore not deserving death, died a horrific death
• And that death accomplished something! 
• As Jesus breathed His last and cried out – it is finished
• The veil that separated sinful man from God was torn in two, from top to bottom
• Meaning no longer was direct access to God yo go through the high priest
• But through the redemptive, justifying, and reconciling work of Jesus
• You, and me, and countless more around the World
• Could have a relationship with God
• This my friends is good news
• This is great news
• This is the good news that Refuge Church is here to share
• That no matter your past or present
• Through trusting in the payment Jesus made – you can have a relationship with God. 
• And tonight, for the first time, or the hundredth time – I want to invite us all – to double down – and respond to this good news
• Because the reality of that torn veil pales in comparison with the empty tomb
• So let’s read some Bible and hear more about the empty tomb so I can ask the question 
• Whatcha Gonna Do? 
• Whatcha gonna do with the resurrection of Jesus
• So I want to invite you to open your Bibles to Matthew Chapter 27 as we see what some did – with Jesus rising from the dead.
• If you don’t have a Bible with you or on your phone, I want to invite you to get one of the Blue Bibles that was scattered in the room. 
• If you don’t have a Bible – you can take that with you when you leave – consider it an Easter gift. 
• If you are using those Matthew 27 is found on page ___ in the blue Bibles
• All of the Bible verses we read tonight are going to be listed on this screen – so feel free to follow along and turn in your Bible as we go. 

Backstory 

• We are going to pick up where we left off last week so you can put a finger on verse 57
• Jesus has died and now there is a rush to care for His body
• Joseph was a Jewish leader, but unlike the other leaders, he believed Jesus was the Messiah
• Joseph got permission to take and bury Jesus in his new tomb.
• Picking up in verse 60 and we will read to verse 65
• ⁶⁰ and ^claid it in his own new tomb, ^dwhich he had cut in the rock. And he rolled ^ea great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. ⁶¹ Mary Magdalene and ^fthe other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
• The Guard at the Tomb
• ⁶² The next day, that is, after the day of ^gPreparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate ⁶³ and said, “Sir, we remember how ^hthat impostor said, while he was still alive, ⁱ‘After three days I will rise.’ ⁶⁴ Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, ^jlest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” ⁶⁵ Pilate said to them, “You have ^ka guard¹⁰ of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.”
• And so Jesus’ body was sealed and secured
• Not just out of respect by Joseph 
• But to quench the fears of the Jewish leaders 
• And my how ironic it is that the Jewish Leaders had a strong awareness of Jesus’ claim that he will rise from the grave while the disciples were in despair over Jesus’ death
• Now Jesus’ body was not going anywhere 
• This is the first item I want us to realize when considering the resurrection
• The body of Jesus after His death was well secured & well guarded.
• Between The heavy stone
• The Roman seal
• The Jewish Guard
• Nobody was going to be able to casually steal the body of Jesus.
• Matthew is making that truth very clear in these verses.
• So Jesus’ body laid there, in that tomb.
• Starting that evening of the 1st Good Friday, where Jesus paid the price we owed so we could have a relationship with the Holy Perfect God of the Universe
• Through friday morning
• All day saturday, the sabbath
• And then Saturday night
• No life, no activity, motionless

Sunday Morning

• So what happens Sunday Morning
• No longer sabath, work can resume
• Mary Magdelene & the other Mary set out to better ‘treat’ Jesus’ body with spices and such
• Let’s pick up in Matthew 28 starting in verse 2.
• ² And behold, there was a great earthquake, for ^oan angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. ^{3 p}His appearance was like lightning, and ^qhis clothing white as snow. ⁴ And for fear of him the guards trembled and ^rbecame like dead men.
• OK – this is a dramatic morning
• I mean I feel like I would be closer to the reaction of the guards
• Giant Earthquake
• Seal Broken
• Massively Heavy Stone moved
• This is not a normal morning
• Add to this the reality that they were told to guard the tomb and keep it sealed only for a person dressed in lightning to mess all of that up
• This was an intense moment
• Picking up in verse 5
• ⁵ But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here, for he has risen, ^sas he said. Come, see the place where he¹ lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, ^the is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.”
• Do not be afraid – such a apparently crazy statement
• I mean part of me wants to think the whatever the lightning man says would rule my emotions
• But still – earthquake, seal broken, lightning man, blacked out tough guys
• I might be shaking a bit
• But what news the angel shares
• Jesus – is alive, just like He said He would.
• Recall that Jesus was forthright with His followers
• His death was coming – And so was His resurrection
  • Matthew 16:21 ‘^{21 p}From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that ^qhe must go to Jerusalem and ^rsuffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on ^sthe third day be raised. ’
  • Matthew 17:22-23 ‘^{22 m}As they were gathering⁶ in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, ²³ and they will kill him, and he will be raised on ⁿthe third day.” And they were greatly distressed.’
• So Mary & Mary – should not have been surprised by the claim of the resurrection
• And also the disciples should have been expecting the resurrection.
• So the angel reminded them of the planned resurrection
• Then backs it up with – come see where Jesus’ body was
• And notice – it’s gone
• And let’s not let our southern american bible belt upbringing reduce the amazingness of this situation
• Jesus died by crucifixion – 
• Crucifixion was a very effective way to kill someone
• The romans were very good at this.
• His death was very real.
• Him remaining in the grave for 3 days, very real. 
• And this resurrection – Him miraculously rising
• leaving the tomb
• & then the angel opening the tomb to reveal it was empty
• Not a normal thing – but very real
• Quite truly, an amazing thing

Responses to the Reality of the Resurrected King Jesus

• So Matthew has laid out the scene for us
• In our audience we have Mary & Mary
• And some froze up Jewish guards
• & a secondary audience of Jewish Leaders
• Tonight I want you all to look at the responses of each group
• And ask the questions what are the
• Responses to the Reality of the Resurrected King Jesus?
• And then look inside & evaluate – which group are you responding like?
• Let’s read verses 8-10 of Matthew 28
• ⁸ So they departed quickly from the tomb ^uwith fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ And behold, Jesus ^vmet them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and ^wtook hold of his feet and ^xworshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; ^ygo and tell ^zmy brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
• So here we see Mary & Mary,
  • Responding Quickly & Worshiped intensely. 
  • **Commercial Break** – Y’all ever watch those Surprise ‘coming homes’ of military members – maybe because I grew up with my dad in the Air Force and I know the feeling of a parent being deployed and then safely coming home – I’m a sucker for those videos.
  • Like they can get me pretty quickly
  • My kids born, not a tear shed
  • But you get a kid being surprised by their dad and overcome with emotion
  • Joy and tears
  • Anyone else?
  • OK just me –
  • Well I have to imagine that is close to the reaction of Mary & Mary here.
  • Like Jesus said I’m gonna rise
  • But in those days while he was very much dead
  • They had to question things
  • The disciples sure did – staying in hiding.
  • So Jesus meets them and boom – overcome with worship
  • So Mary & Mary – upon the instruction of the angel to go and tell the disciples that Jesus rose from the grave, quickly went
  • And upon seeing Jesus – they quickly responded
  • With strong intense worship of the Risen King, the Risen Messiah
  • The redeemer
  • He’s alive
  • What a joyous moment
• Next – the guards
  • After they are unfrozen
  • They look around – realizing the body, they were told to keep in the tomb is gone
  • And they can’t explain it
  • I mean earthquake, dude dressed in lightning, big rock seal broken, and big rock rolled away
  • Jesus is gone
  • And the reality of being a Soldier – to fail at the mission, could mean death for them
  • But notice what they do, let’s read Matthew 28:11-15

¹¹ While they were going, behold, some of ^athe guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. ¹² And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers ¹³ and said, “Tell people, ^b‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ ¹⁴ And if this comes to ^cthe governor’s ears, we will ^dsatisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” ¹⁵ So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews ^eto this day.

• In this we see, The Soldiers so valued security & money that they spread something they knew to be a lie.
  • Knowing it was the Jewish leaders that desired to keep Jesus in that tomb
  • Rome did not care what happened to the body
  • They went first to them
  • And the gathered wisdom of the Jewish Leaders was – tell everyone while you were sleeping the disciples took Jesus’ body. 
  • Which on its own – isn’t a full story – how would they know what happened while they were sleeping
  • But see also, the guarantee was – share this story – and we will keep the governor quiet and from killing you
  • And so the Soldiers – valuing comfort, life, & money – spread a lie
  • How awful… heartbreaking really
  • 17th century theologian Matthew Henry ‘Note, Money is a bait for the blackest temptation; mercenary tongues will sell the truth for it.’
  • Mercenary, meaning (people who will do anything to make money), even sacrifice ethics
  • Money is a bait for the blackest temptation; mercenary tongues will sell the truth for it.’
  • They were eyewitnesses to that tomb being empty by way of a miracle, the amazing resurrection of Jesus
  • And yet they bit their tongue, for a bit of money
• But don’t gloss over the Jewish Leaders
  • They get the report of the empty tomb
  • They know Jesus claimed he would rise from the dead
  • They also would know of the promise of Messiah
  • And yet – they turn their head from undeniable foreshadowing of the resurrection and then they turn their heads from the resurrection event
  • And I have to ask why
  • And we know from the rest of Matthew & the other Gospels that the Jewish leaders had such power & authority in society that was in contrast to what God had planned for His people and in contrast to the way that Jesus led & taught.
  • The Jewish leaders turned from a clear reality in an attempt to maintain their power & the social ladder they created.
• There we have it
  • 1 positive response
  • 2 negative ones
  • And I have to be honest
  • The great burden of my heart
  • The great burden of Refuge
  • Is that many of our friends, our family
  • Many of our neighbors in Byhalia & beyond
  • Many of our coworkers
  • Find themselves much like the Roman Soldiers or the Jewish Leaders
  • You see, we can all – fall in love with our way of life
  • Fall in love with comfort
  • Fall in love with fun
  • And become so in love with how we think things should be
  • That we ignore and turn away from the reality of the resurrection
  • Because if we truly, see Jesus rightly
  • As the resurrected Lord
  • We have to do something with it
  • We have to respond
  • Respond like Mary & Mary
  • With quickness & with intensity
  • A quickness and intensity that means our lives will change in many ways
  • Our schedules will change
  • What we enjoy will change
  • What we spend our money on will change
  • And none of that will be a problem.
  • Because Christ is Risen & Christ is King
  • Look the Bible is fair – 1 Corinthians 15:14-17 shows us – that if this resurrection thing didn’t happen – then this church thing – pointless
  • Our faith – worthless
  • Read it with me
  •  ¹⁴ And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. ¹⁵ We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that ^bhe raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. ¹⁶ For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and ^cyou are still in your sins.
  • That’s in the Bible – if Jesus didn’t rise – this is all pointless
  • Church, Easter, our labors to love our neighbors, share the hope of Jesus, & grow together
  • Worthless…
  • But… if Jesus did rise from the grave…
  • we have to think about that truth
  • And then we have to act
  • We cannot get learn about the resurrection, but be so in love with our current lifestyle & power that we just pay that reality to go away like the Jewish Leaders
  • We cannot be so in love with money & safety – that we lie to ourselves, and others about the reality of the resurrection
  • If Jesus did rise from the grave – knowing Him & what He said, is the most important thing in the world. 
  • Because in the resurrected Christ – we find the payment for all of our sins
  • In the Resurrected Christ – we gain right access to the HOly, perfect God of the universe
  • In Christ – we find value, worth, & meaning for ourselves & our lives
  • In Christ, we find skill at living life, skill at navigating this world
  • IN Christ, we find security, hope, joy & peace
  • So what are you gonna do with the resurrection? 
  • There’s nothing more important to consider. 
  • And tonight I want to invite you, I want to urge you to respond
  • We are about to enter a time of prayer
  • Here’s how this will go:
  • Grab the ministry card – start filling it out – we will care for your information. But we want to, more than anything, pray for you. So write something down.
  • Pray for You
  • Pray for Friend/Family
  • Praise God
  • And then below Check a box for a next step. And we will contact you about what you mark.
  • Salvation – baptism
  • Membership/Small Group
  • Evangelism/Sharing the HOpe of Jesus
• Let’s pray

Matthew 27

Jesus Is Buried

^{57 b}When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸ He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. ⁵⁹ And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud ⁶⁰ and ^claid it in his own new tomb, ^dwhich he had cut in the rock. And he rolled ^ea great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. ⁶¹ Mary Magdalene and ^fthe other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

The Guard at the Tomb

⁶² The next day, that is, after the day of ^gPreparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate ⁶³ and said, “Sir, we remember how ^hthat impostor said, while he was still alive, ⁱ‘After three days I will rise.’ ⁶⁴ Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, ^jlest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” ⁶⁵ Pilate said to them, “You have ^ka guard¹⁰ of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” ⁶⁶ So they went and made the tomb secure by ^lsealing the stone and setting a guard.

Matthew 28

^mNow after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and ⁿthe other Mary went to see the tomb. ² And behold, there was a great earthquake, for ^oan angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. ^{3 p}His appearance was like lightning, and ^qhis clothing white as snow. ⁴ And for fear of him the guards trembled and ^rbecame like dead men. ⁵ But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here, for he has risen, ^sas he said. Come, see the place where he¹ lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, ^the is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” ⁸ So they departed quickly from the tomb ^uwith fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ And behold, Jesus ^vmet them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and ^wtook hold of his feet and ^xworshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; ^ygo and tell ^zmy brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

The Report of the Guard

¹¹ While they were going, behold, some of ^athe guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. ¹² And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers ¹³ and said, “Tell people, ^b‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ ¹⁴ And if this comes to ^cthe governor’s ears, we will ^dsatisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” ¹⁵ So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews ^eto this day.

1 Corinthians 15

The Resurrection of the Dead

¹² Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, ^zhow can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³ But if there is no resurrection of the dead, ^athen not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁴ And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. ¹⁵ We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that ^bhe raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. ¹⁶ For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and ^cyou are still in your sins. ¹⁸ Then those also who ^dhave fallen asleep in Christ have perished. ¹⁹ If in Christ we have hope² in this life only, ^ewe are of all people most to be pitied.

²⁰ But in fact ^fChrist has been raised from the dead, ^gthe firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For as ^hby a man came death, ⁱby a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. ²² For ^jas in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. ²³ But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then ^kat his coming ^lthose who belong to Christ. ²⁴ Then comes the end, when he delivers ^mthe kingdom to God the Father after destroying ⁿevery rule and every authority and power. ²⁵ For he must reign ^ountil he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be ^pdestroyed is death. ²⁷ For ^q“God³ has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. ²⁸ When ^rall things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that ^sGod may be all in all.

²⁹ Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? ³⁰ Why are we ^tin danger every hour? ³¹ I protest, brothers, by ^umy pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, ^vI die every day! ³² What do I gain if, humanly speaking, ^wI fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, ^x“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” ^{33 y}Do not be deceived: ^z“Bad company ruins good morals.”^{4 34 a}Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For ^bsome have no knowledge of God. ^cI say this to your shame.

Matthew Henry:

• They sealed the stone, and set a guard, and were satisfied that all needful care was taken. But to guard the grave (sepulchre) against the poor weak disciples was folly, because needless; while to think to guard it against the power of God, was folly, because fruitless, and to no purpose; yet they thought they dealt wisely. But the Lord took the wise in their own craftiness. Thus shall all the rage and the plans of Christ’s enemies be made to promote his glory.
• Our communion with him must be spiritual, by faith in his word. When we are ready to make this world our home, and to say, It is good to be here, then let us remember our Lord Jesus is not here, he is risen; therefore let our hearts rise, and seek the things that are above. He is risen, as he said. Let us never think that strange which the word of Christ has told us to expect; whether the sufferings of this present time, or the glory that is to be revealed.
• It is the will of Christ that his people should be a cheerful, joyful people, and his resurrection furnishes abundant matter for joy. Be not afraid. Christ rose from the dead, to silence his people’s fears, and there is enough in that to silence them.
• What wickedness is it which men will not be brought to by the love of money! Here was large money given to the soldiers for advancing that which they knew to be a lie, yet many grudge a little money for advancing what they know to be the truth. 
• The great argument to prove Christ to be the Son of God, is his resurrection; and none could have more convincing proofs of the truth of that than these soldiers; yet they took bribes to hinder others from believing. The plainest evidence will not affect men, without the work of the Holy Spirit.
• Note, Money is a bait for the blackest temptation; mercenary tongues will sell the truth for it.

Warren Wiersbe

• Notice the plottings and maneuvering of the Jewish leaders. The disciples had forgotten that Jesus promised to rise from the dead on the third day, but His enemies remembered…The guard put an official Roman seal on the stone. All of this was of God, for now it was impossible for anyone – friend or foe – to steal the body. Without realizing it, the Jewish leaders and the Roman government joined forces to help prove the resurrection of Christ.
• 7 Significant results of the resurrection:
  • It proves that Jesus is God’s Son. (lay down His life & take it up Jn 10:17-18)
  • It verifies the truth of Scipture (OT & NT – resurrection taught many times)
  • It assures our own future resurrection. (We (Christians) will rise to be like Him. (1 Thes 4:13-18)
  • It is the proof of a future judgement. (Acts 17:30-31 ‘^{30 i}The times of ignorance ^jGod overlooked, but ^know he ^lcommands all people everywhere to repent, ³¹ because he has fixed ^ma day on which ⁿhe will judge the world ^oin righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and ^pof this he has given assurance to all ^qby raising him from the dead.”’
  • It is the basis for Christ’s heavenly priesthood. (save us to the uttermost because he is alive)
  • It gives power for Christian Living. (Hsi resurrection power works in and through us to do God’s will and glorify His name)
  • It assures our future inheritance. (because we have aliving home we can experience hopeful living.
• The remarkable change in the early believers is another proof of His resurrection. One day they were discouraged and hiding in defeat. The next day they were declaring His resurrection and walking in joyful victory. In fact, they were willing to die for the truth of the resurrection. If all of this were a manufactured tale, it could never change their lives or enabled them to lay down their lives as martyrs.

John MacArthur

• ‘Became like dead men.’ – This suggests that they were nto merely paralyzed with fear, but completely unconscious, totally traumatized by what they had seen… The sudden appearance of his angel, at the same time the women arrived was their first clue that anything extraordinary was happening. 
• The Jewish leaders’ determination to cover up what had occurred reveals the obstinacy of unbelief in the face of evidence. 

CS Lewis

• ‘I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.’ -CS Lewis Mere Christianity