itten 9/5/21
I have a question for you. Please - take a seat and pay attention to what I am about to ask you. Have you take ever taken the time to read the Word of God - I mean to really to dig in and focus on what the Bible actually says? Please, I exhort you. Take a moment to set your intention, and really listen to what this next passage says. It comes from the 28th Chapter of Matthew, and it’s oh, oh so good! Here it is. “After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb” - the place where Jesus was buried. “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.” “His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.” “The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.” “The angel said to the women, ‘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.” Matthew 28:1-7 "So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” Matthew 28:8-10 So, what do you think? Can you believe the words that you just took in? First, isn’t it incredible that a violent earthquake happened when an angel of the Lord came down from Heaven! It’s as if the magnetic magnitude of his glorious presence sent a shockwave between earth and heaven! He looked like lightning and his clothes were as white as snow. And then there’s the mission, the angel was sent on! He came to roll back the stone that closed off Jesus’s tomb. And he came to give a message to the women who had been watching and waiting for Jesus’s return. He said, "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.’ And then the angel of the Lord stated, “Now I have told you.” And with that Word, he sealed off the message that he was instructed to give. That is what angels do - They are truly messengers of God. Now take a minute to think about this. Did the angel come to let Jesus out? Of course not! Jesus was already resurrected and on his way to Galilee to see his friends. The stone could not contain the Son of God. The angel of the Lord moved the stone so that the women could see, and therefore believe, that Jesus was gone. They would be the witnesses who would deliver the truth and testify to Him. Nothing would be able to stop them! The women who had stood at a distance, watching and waiting for a chance to honor the the Lord, were given a great opportunity to witness the glory of God! Also, I just have to say, the guards who stood at the tomb, had a different experience. “The guards were so afraid of the angel of the Lord, that they shook and became like dead men.” They were made completely unresponsive. All the while, the women were afraid but filled with joy as they listened to the angel of the Lord. Then they ran off with a confident hope to find the Lord. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, Jesus appeared, and the women fell at his feet to worship him. Jesus gave them encouragement and told them not to be afraid. Then he said, “Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” It’s amazing that Jesus was interested in meeting with his disciples in their hometown, publicly. “Then the eleven disciples (Judas the betrayer was not no longer with them) went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore 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. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:16-20 Now let me ask you - Do you believe? Do you you believe that Jesus is the Son of God? And if so, are you his disciple? Are you spreading the truth of His Word around this broken world? Are you planting the Seed that will grow the New Jerusalem? This is my last poetic sermon from Matthew. I pray the words have been helpful to you. I hope the words have been able to bear fruit.
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