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[0:00] Please turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 28. We will be reading verses 1-10. Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.

[0:22] ! And behold, there was a great earthquake. For an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.

[0:35] His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him, the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the woman, Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.

[0:51] He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead.

[1:05] And behold, he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him. See, I have told you. You will... They departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy.

[1:20] They ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, Greetings. And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshipped him.

[1:33] Then Jesus said to them, Do not be afraid, and go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and they will see me. This is God's word.

[1:45] Thanks be to God. It's great to be gathered here for this Easter Sunday. And it's great to see all your faces, some new faces, some familiar faces.

[1:56] Hey, Lou. And we're excited about celebrating and diving into this text relating to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

[2:07] And so, I want to ask you a question, because this is central to Easter. And what if I were to tell you that Christianity stands and falls upon one single word?

[2:30] What if I were to tell you that this morning? We're going to be thinking about this all throughout our time today. It's not standing or falling upon a system or philosophy or even a story, but one single word.

[2:51] If this word is removed, Christianity would not weaken. It would completely collapse. This means that the church has no foundation.

[3:06] We have no message. The cross has no meaning. Our faith has nothing to rest upon and hope for the future. It would be no more. And here's the word.

[3:20] We just read it in English. In Greek, it's agerthe. He was risen. Risen. One word.

[3:33] Agerthe. Not that he survived. Not that he was revived or that his teachings and his lessons live on and on.

[3:44] And he is remembered. No. He was risen. He was raised. And that one word makes all the difference between despair and hope.

[3:58] Between death and life. Between hell and heaven. And here's the question I want to press on you today. On this Easter Sunday.

[4:10] And the main point today. Is since Jesus was raised. Since he was raised. Will you believe it? And rise with him?

[4:23] I want you to chew on that in our time. And as we look at scripture. Not only this account. But how that word is central to the gospel.

[4:36] And how this word was anticipated. And how every single person in this room cannot hide from the reality. That this word holds for you someday.

[4:48] And so let's walk together through three movements. And the implications of this word. And allow the Lord to impress upon all of us. A great reason to believe.

[4:59] Let's pray before we get into this work. Shall we? Father we come to you today. Knowing that. We come with so many burdens from life.

[5:15] We come into a gathering. And we just put on our smiley faces. Even for those in Christ. And it feels like we have to fake it until we make it.

[5:27] But there is something about this word this morning. That penetrates sorrow. That penetrates suffering.

[5:37] That penetrates stress. And anxiety. And enriches our lives. With the sense of joy. And the completeness. Of what you have done.

[5:50] For your church. Father I pray that this. Joy is found. For every single person. In this room today. And we praise in Jesus name. Amen.

[6:01] Amen. Let's look at this scene. For a minute here. And the sermon is titled. He was risen. And as we unpack this a little bit.

[6:15] We are going to zero into this one word. But let's first look at Matthew 28. 1 through 10. And thank you kids for reading.

[6:28] Great job. I think we are going to call you team Micah and Gracie. Good readers. Good readers. And. And it is a pleasure to have kids take over the service.

[6:41] The first section that we hear. We see here is. The resurrection announced. We see that just as it was read. In verse 1. Darkness gives way to.

[6:52] To dawn here. It reads. Now after the Sabbath. Toward the dawn of the first day of the week. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary.

[7:06] Went to see the tomb. And so the scene set. These women are not coming with any expectation. They are coming in sorrow.

[7:17] It is just continued sorrow. On this third day. Death was literally laughing. In their face. As their hope laid behind a stone.

[7:31] Now. The body that lay behind stone. Up to this point. And their knowledge. This body was broken. Completely crushed.

[7:44] Jesus experienced. Death. Death that was. Not just designed to kill. It was designed to shame. Completely humiliate.

[7:56] Rome used this as a. As a way to ruin. Completely ruin names. Completely. Ruin reputations.

[8:06] To. Public humiliation. Just being exposed. With arms spread wide. Hung to the cross. Naked. Crushed. And to. Just completely erase.

[8:18] Reputation. It was the most sincere form. Of. Shaming. Public. Shaming. And so. It's not just for death. It's designed for shame. And so.

[8:29] The cross was designed. To say that. This man. Who hangs on that cross. He is cursed. He's defeated. Look at him. Look at him.

[8:40] He can barely. He couldn't even hang on that cross. If he were given. Given the opportunity. We had to nail him there. Because he's so helpless. Right? Says that. That man on the cross.

[8:51] Is finished. In other words. These women. Were not expecting. What unfolds. They were on the road.

[9:02] Of sorrow. In this narrative. And in verse 2. All the way to verse 4. Heaven. Interrupts earth.

[9:15] Heaven. Interrupts earth. An angel of the Lord. Descends. There's a great earthquake. The stone is rolled back.

[9:26] The guards shake like dead man. And an angel appears to the women. Now. I don't know. How many people deal with high blood pressure.

[9:37] Issues. In the room. But. This will raise your blood pressure. What in the world. Is going on. Maybe we know.

[9:50] Why the angels. The first word the angel says. In verse 5. Do not be afraid. I mean. These women. Had. Quite an experience here.

[10:01] Do not be afraid. This angel says. For I know you seek Jesus. Who was crucified. The man that was publicly crushed.

[10:12] And humiliated. And shamed. I know you seek Jesus. Who was crucified. And look at. What he says. He is not here. For he has risen.

[10:24] Agerthe. He has risen. As he said. Do you hear what heaven just said. On earth.

[10:37] That phrase. He is risen. Is the word that changes everything. Even just looking at how the word is. Is structured. In an aorist verb tense.

[10:48] It means. It's a real. Completed. Act. Of history. Done. As a passive. Verbal voice. It's. It means that there's an.

[10:59] Action. That was received. He is. Risen. As an indicative verb. It means that it is a matter of.

[11:10] Fact. Here. Matthew gives us. A quick confirmation. Of what was. Said. Matthew. Continues. To unfold.

[11:21] You want to see. The matter of factness. Of this situation. Watch this. After receiving these instructions. To go and tell from the angel. In verse 7.

[11:33] Jesus turns this indicative verb. Into fact. From a go and tell. He says. Come and see. In verse 8. Jesus appears. To them.

[11:44] On the road. He says. He says. He says. He says. He says. He says. He says. He says. He says. Do not be afraid. I mean. This is like. Compounded trauma. Right?

[11:55] Jesus appears. And he speaks. A matter of fact. He was raised. On this first day of the week.

[12:07] God answers death. God answers shame. With one word. One word is told to Rome. One word is told to hell. One word is told to death.

[12:20] And every single mocking voice of Jerusalem. Three days before. One word. Agirthe. Is declared. Do you hear what heaven just said church?

[12:32] Friends. This means the resurrection is not merely good news for Jesus. Oh. He made it out. Yeah. He did. It's not just merely good news for him.

[12:44] It's good news for sinners. Like y'all. Like me. Right? This is good news. Because God raised him. The cross worked.

[12:57] The payment has been accepted. The payment for the penalty of our sin is accepted. It's been atoned for through the blood of Christ.

[13:09] And so how can we reduce Easter to an empty tradition or just a calendar observance? Right? Right? This is a divine announcement echoing the words that God has spoken at an empty tomb.

[13:23] He was raised. Do you hear what heaven just said? That's not just a rumor. It's a verdict. And I hope you hear it today. But the resurrection was not only announced at the tomb.

[13:39] It was actually written in history. And I want us to look at that. I want us to see the depth of this word. As we see the resurrection anticipated.

[13:50] The resurrection was far from a surprise. It wasn't plan B. It wasn't plan C. Definitely not a backup plan at all. It wasn't a last minute rescue. Jesus was always going to be raised.

[14:07] He said it. When the angel says he was raised as he said, he is not only referring to Christ's own predictions that happened in the last 33 years of his life on earth.

[14:22] No, this is divine promise that we see occur throughout the Old Testament, long before the incarnation, the bodily incarnation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

[14:38] Consider Genesis 22. This is the scene where Abraham was called to offer up his only son, Isaac. And this son, Isaac, is the promised son, the Son of Promise.

[14:53] And so Abraham takes Isaac up after getting the instructions from the Lord. And they prepare the altar. Isaac's laying on the altar.

[15:05] And actually got to the point of obedience where he raised his knife to take his only son's life. And the Lord stops him.

[15:17] And then it goes from a knife to a ram caught in a thicket to offer instead of his son. It was all a test of his faith.

[15:28] The whole scene is full of substitution. Of the ram being replaced for the beloved son. The surrender of our obedience to God and trust in God to keep his promises even when obedience seems to walk through death.

[15:48] I love how the author of Hebrews, whoever that might be, in chapter 11, verse 19, later tells about how Abraham reasoned that God was even able to raise the dead.

[16:02] That even if he had to go through with this, he knew, he believed, he had faith that God would raise him from the dead. And so, do you see Isaac walking down from that mountain alive?

[16:19] We should. Why? Because even in Genesis 22, God is telling a story. God is telling a story. That death would not have the final word over the promised son.

[16:38] Jesus was always going to be raised. He said it. Consider also Isaiah 53, verse 8. The suffering servant is pierced.

[16:49] He's crushed. He's cut off from the land of the living. And it says to bear sin. He's made to be an offering for guilt.

[17:00] And yet, in verse 10, there's quite a contrast. It says, He shall see his offspring. He shall prolong his days.

[17:12] So we've got to ask, how can he die? How can this servant, this suffering servant, be crushed, but yet live?

[17:24] Right? Because death does not win. Jesus was always going to be raised. He said it.

[17:34] And so church, as we stand back and hear the depth of this proclamation, Agarthe, he was raised from altars to promises, sacrifices.

[17:48] Every shadow, every sacrifice, every word was pointing forward. And the Old Testament was whispering, not fully, not this isn't the final one, not yet, but he is coming.

[18:03] And it's written through the testimony of Scripture. I could go on and on of the illusions of this raising and this promise all throughout Scripture. But the one who's coming, he will not stay dead.

[18:19] He will be raised. Jesus was always going to be raised. He said it. This angel makes it known, doesn't it? Right? In chapter 28 of Matthew, verse 6, He is not here, for He has risen as He said.

[18:38] As He's been saying all along since Genesis. Right? Right? It's one thing that we can certainly come to grips with today. Is that our salvation is absolutely not in our control.

[18:53] There is nothing that we can do to atone for our sin. And so we have to stop trying. There's nothing we can do to cure our guilt from sin.

[19:06] So we have to stop trying. And we have to start trusting. The resurrection tells us that the sacrifice was indeed accepted.

[19:17] The payment was in full. And through our works, we see the evidence of it. What happens with our works? Sin.

[19:28] Death. But what happens through the works of Jesus Christ? Forgiveness. Forgiveness. Life. I pray you all have faith in that.

[19:42] That work. And if you have faith in your own works, have faith that your works are not going to get you an inch closer to a holy God.

[19:52] It is only by your faith in Jesus to be reconciled with this holy God. And if it was announced by the angel, if it was planned all throughout the testimony of Scripture, this really comes home to our hearts.

[20:15] that this resurrection, the resurrection has to be answered. It has to be answered. Don't view the resurrection as proof, though it does serve as proof, but don't just allow it to serve as proof, but also as a promise available to summon all of us to give an answer.

[20:40] What's your answer to the resurrection? In Revelation 1, the risen Christ says to John, I died, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and Hades.

[21:05] And then fast forward just 20 chapters, we see this assembling. The dead in chapter 20.

[21:16] The dead, the great and small, standing before the throne. How? Because Paul says Jesus Christ was the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

[21:31] Because Jesus rose, all will rise. All will rise. Everyone will. John records this in Christ's words in John 5, 28.

[21:43] He says, An hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice and come out. Where will they rise?

[21:55] I'm so glad that you're asking. This could be good news and bad news. Some will rise to eternal life. And others will rise to eternal punishment.

[22:12] That's hard to hear. It's hard to say. But wouldn't it be the most loving thing to say to you if at the end of the life, and everyone is given an account, that you just, the pastor didn't tell you the truth?

[22:29] The church is full of pastors who aren't telling the truth. I have to tell you the truth this morning. You need to hear it now, before it's too late.

[22:43] This reality of this resurrection is both comforting for those in Christ. It's so comforting. But it's also confronting. Confronting to our souls.

[22:54] And so what's your answer today? For the Christian, this is immeasurable hope. Because Jesus was raised, death has been altered forever.

[23:07] It used to take. But now death delivers to glory in heaven for those who belong to Jesus Christ by their faith. And yes, the grave is still painful.

[23:19] Death is probably not going to be a fun journey for all of us when our tickers end. Right? It's still painful. It's still hard.

[23:29] It's still the enemy. But it's no longer ultimate because of what Jesus has done. It's no longer ultimate. Maybe you're here today and you haven't surrendered your life fully to Jesus.

[23:42] You might think like, well, he's a good teacher, but I still like to kind of do it my way or parse a couple religions together into this morphed and twisted sort of whatever your individual truth might be.

[23:58] It's popular today. You get a little Jesus, take a little Buddha, take a little Muhammad, and you just kind of mix it all together in a mosh-posh of religion. But if you're not in Christ, solely in Christ, Christ alone today, if you are not in Christ alone, you may be able to live your life in this sort of sense of neutrality, kind of just in between.

[24:23] Don't want to rub any feathers. Don't want to commit fully, but you don't want to also like fall fully, kind of on the fence. You may be able to live your life in neutrality, but the empty tomb does not permit neutrality forever.

[24:39] Neutrality is going to come to an end someday. The question is not merely do you affirm a couple of Christ's teachings?

[24:52] Do you affirm this? Or even affirm, well, maybe He did race. That's cool. But still, you know, I like to do things my way.

[25:03] The question is not just affirming. The question is, what will you do with the risen Christ?

[25:14] What will you do with, solely with, the risen Christ? What do you do with Christ alone? What's your answer? Will you trust Him?

[25:25] Will you give your life wholly to Him? Will you submit to Him? Will you have hope in Him? The good news is, as Paul says it, and how one of the kids read it this morning, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your hearts that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

[25:56] This is good news. What's your answer? I want you to picture the end.

[26:09] The risen Christ living forevermore. The Alpha and the Omega. The beginning and the end.

[26:23] Picture Revelation 21, verse 4. He will wipe away every tear and death shall be no more. This hope started in Genesis.

[26:39] It was announced at this empty tomb. And now, it has to be answered. He was raised.

[26:49] He was always going to be raised. And one day, all will rise. But to where will you rise to? Will you rise to heaven? Or will you rise to hell? There's only two ways to live, friends.

[27:03] So answer it today. Don't hold back. Come to Christ. I'll keep the baptismal full. We'll take care of you next week. Come to Christ.

[27:15] Trust the risen Savior. And bow your life before the living King. The true King of Kings and Lord of Lords. You see, since Jesus was raised, will you believe it and rise with Him?

[27:32]  Christ is King. Christ is King. You've heard heaven's word. It's time to give an answer. Let's pray.