Resurrection Life – Easter Sunday (Values of the Cross)
Resurrection Life – Easter Sunday (Values of the Cross): It is not hyperbole to say that the Easter story forever changed the course of human history. If false, then Christianity is meaningless. But if it is true — if the tomb is still empty, and if Jesus is risen and alive today — then it changes everything! This is our great gospel hope. Recorded on Apr 20, 2025, on Matthew 28:1-20 by Pastor David Parks.
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This message is part of our Lenten sermon series, Values of the Cross. Christians are called to follow Jesus, but the way of Jesus is often completely upside down and backward compared to the ways of this world. Why is the way of Jesus so different? Join us during Lent for our sermon series, Values of the Cross, as we consider some of the unique values of the cross-shaped way of Jesus and how they transform every part of life. The cross changes everything!
Sermon Transcript
Well, today, we’re finishing our sermon series for Lent called Values of the Cross from the gospel according to Matthew. We’ve said that Christians are called to follow Jesus, but the way of Jesus is often completely upside down and backward compared to the ways of this world. But why is the way of Jesus so different? Well, we’ve seen that the unique story of the cross of Christ produces unique values that lead to a totally unique way of life. We’ve seen that the cross changes our focus, conflicts, purpose, expectations, and allegiance. If you missed any of those sermons, you can always go back and watch or listen to the podcast online. But today, as we finish this series, and we tell the Easter story, we’ll see that the story of the cross is only good news if Easter is true, if the tomb is still empty, and if Jesus is risen and alive today as the King of Heaven and Earth. But if it is true, then it changes everything. Then there is the forgiveness of sins. There is reconciliation and a relationship with God. There is even resurrection life after death. This is our great gospel hope. And this is what we celebrate today. If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Mt 28:1. We’ll read through Matthew’s account of the first Easter morning in three parts, and unpack it as we go. And we’ll put the Scripture up on the screens for you as well. Part one: the culmination.
Matthew 28:1–10 (NIV), “1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 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. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 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.” 8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” So this account of the resurrection comes to us from Matthew, and Matthew was a Jewish man who was a friend and follower of Jesus. Before becoming a Christian, he was a tax collector, but he gave up his career when Jesus called Matthew to follow him. If we started at the beginning, instead of the final chapter, we would see that everything in Matthew’s gospel led up to this point. The birth and life and ministry of Jesus, including his teaching, healing, and other miracles, all culminate with his death and resurrection from the dead. On Good Friday, we read through Matthew 26-27 and saw how Jesus was betrayed, abandoned, condemned, and abused, how he was crucified, died, and was buried. It was brutal. It was unjust. It was shocking and disorienting for his friends and followers. But then…something unexpected happened that would forever change the course of human history. Chapter 28 starts with a very early morning on the first day of the week, which, for the Jewish people, was a Sunday. And just like in many Catholic families today, Mary was a common name for women back in first century Judea. So Mary and her friend, Mary, went to the tomb to dress the body of Jesus with spices and anointments that were used in that day as a way to honor their friend in his death. But notice that they still expected him to be in the tomb. Even though they didn’t have iPhones back then, people weren’t dumb. Even 2,000 years ago, people knew that the dead didn’t typically come back to life. The stone at the entrance to the tomb was to keep people out, not to keep them in. We read on Friday how the Jewish religious authorities who rejected Jesus as the Messiah were worried the body would be stolen to fake a resurrection because Jesus had said he would rise from the dead. So they convinced the Roman authorities to post a guard. But when these faithful women arrived, they were surprised and afraid at what they saw. Roman soldiers shaking with fear, an angel whose appearance was like lightning, and the body of Jesus was missing. None of this was what they expected. In that glorious/hopeful/triumphant moment, they didn’t yet understand what God was doing. But the angel told them not to be afraid because Jesus had risen from the dead, just as he said he would do. Multiple times, Jesus had told his disciples that he would be delivered over to the religious and political leaders in Jerusalem, that he would suffer and die, but on the third day, he would rise again. But his disciples just couldn’t understand that he was speaking literally. In fact, until Jesus actually rose from the dead, no one expected him to rise from the dead! But here they were at the empty tomb, afraid, yet filled with joy. So the women ran to tell the others what they had seen, when, who should they meet, but Jesus himself. Their friend, their leader, their Messiah, King, and God was alive. Jesus was alive. And they worshipped him. This is a key fact that speaks to what these first followers thought of who Jesus was. What is the first commandment of the Ten Commandments? “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.” (Ex 20:2-3). Jewish people were forbidden to worship anyone/anything other than the one true God. For these women, and many others, to worship Jesus was a declaration of faith that Jesus was God. They weren’t guilty of breaking the first command; they were being faithful to worship the one true God! So, first, we see the culmination of the work of Jesus in his death and resurrection. Second, we see a conspiracy to try and stop this movement. Part two: the conspiracy.
Matthew 28:11–15 (NIV), “11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.” The plot thickens. We saw that the disciples of Jesus weren’t expecting a literal resurrection. And if this had only been a made-up claim, the religious leaders who had Jesus crucified could’ve simply produced his body as evidence that the claims of a resurrection were false. But there was no body. The tomb was empty. And no one was more surprised than the disciples. The soldiers gave their testimony to the religious leaders, but they refused to believe it. Like the Apostle Paul before he became a Christian, they didn’t understand that Jesus was the fulfillment of everything they supposedly held dear. He was the fulfillment of all the promises of God in their Scriptures. He was the Messiah they were supposed to be waiting for. But instead, they hated Jesus. They had him killed, and here, they paid off the Roman soldiers and spread the rumor that this was all a plot of the disciples to fake a resurrection. But Jesus was alive. In Acts 1:3, Luke the historian records that, “After his suffering, he [Jesus] presented himself to them [the disciples] and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul writes that after the resurrection, “…he [Jesus] appeared to Cephas [Peter], and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.” Despite the false rumors, there were hundreds of eyewitnesses to the resurrection of Jesus. And if you wanted to at the time, you could go talk to them. And this is an important point: Christianity didn’t start as a new way to be a good person. Or even as the way to go to heaven when you die. Christianity started as an announcement, as the good news of something that God had done through the person and work of Jesus. Historically, it’s really difficult to explain how Christianity could have started, much less spread, if Jesus hadn’t appeared after his death. It would’ve been just another failed movement that ended when the leader was killed, which has happened many times throughout history. But the message of Jesus only continued to spread, even as many of the first followers gave their lives for their faith. None of the Apostles got rich or famous for being leaders of this cool new religion. They all, with the exception of the Apostle John, were killed for the gospel. Christianity didn’t spread because it was cool or because there was some material benefit; it spread because it was credible, it was believable, it was true. So first, the culmination, second, the conspiracy, and third, we see the commission.
Matthew 28:16–20 (NIV), “16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” This is God’s word. So this final passage is called the Great Commission. When Jesus commissioned or sent his disciples out to make disciples of all nations. The two activities of this commission describe the whole of the Christian life. Baptism represents the start of hearing and believing the gospel and entering into a new and everlasting relationship with God. Baptism signifies our union with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection (going down into the water and coming back up again) as well as our cleansing from sin. The second activity, learning to obey everything Jesus commanded, represents the whole rest of the journey of the Christian life. I can speak from experience that it takes a very long time to learn how to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and how to love your neighbor as yourself. I can speak from experience that it takes a very long time to submit every aspect of heart, mind, and life in obedience to Christ; in fact, I have not yet fully attained these things. I still fail. I still have fears and doubts at times, even as a pastor, even though I’ve seen God at work. It takes the whole rest of our lives to learn and grow and be transformed into the men and women that God created us to be. But by God’s grace, we can make great progress, by the truth of his word, the power of His Spirit, and with the loving support of the church. But don’t you see? If Jesus is alive, as Christians believe that he is, with all the authority in heaven and earth, then it changes everything. For the one who believes in Jesus, it changes your spiritual condition, from death to life. It changes your identity from a spiritual orphan to a beloved child of God. It changes your value and worth. If God was willing to give up his one and only Son for you, and if Jesus was willing to lay down his life for you, then no matter what anyone else has told you, no matter what you’ve believed about yourself, you are of infinite worth! It changes your mission and purpose in life. You, too, have been commissioned/sent out by Jesus to join the work that he is doing in the world. If Jesus is alive, then it changes your past, present, and future. Every sin, great and small, is forgiven by God because the price was paid by Jesus Christ on the cross. Every challenge, every hardship, every difficulty of your present is faced with the presence of Christ himself. For he said, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Every fear, every potential threat of your future, is nothing compared to the plans of God for you, plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. If Jesus is alive, then it changes everything! But maybe you’re thinking, you just don’t know me. You don’t know my life. So much would need to change. I’d need a hundred lifetimes for God to make something good out of my life. But this is just not how God works. Let me give you an example. The Wright brothers made their historic first flight in a manned aircraft on Dec 17, 1903. No one had ever flown a plane like this before. The plane was called the Wright Flyer and had a whopping 12 hp twin prop engine. During his famous first flight, Orville flew only 120 feet at just under 10 MPH. Doesn’t sound very impressive by today’s standards, does it? If you had to guess, how quickly would this technology change after this first flight? Well, on July 20, 1969, not even 66 years later, about the span of one lifetime, astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins of the Apollo 11 mission flew almost 240,000 miles (a little longer than 120 feet) to land and walk on the moon before returning safely to Earth. Here’s the point: If human beings, through our creativity and ingenuity, can effect that much change, if we can make that much progress in one lifetime, how much do you think God can change in the course of your life? He can change everything! Everyone has things in their life they wish they could change. Everyone wrestles with fears and doubts, guilt and shame. But the claim of Christians from the very beginning is this: Jesus Christ is alive. And that changes everything. The story of the cross changes everything. Easter changes everything. So today, would you believe in Jesus? Would you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead? If so, then you will be saved. And you will be made new. You will change by the grace of God. And your story will become a story of redemption, forgiveness, hope, and resurrection life. But if you do, then “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Ro 8:38-39) Is there anything more hopeful than that? Is there anything better than that? Let us pray.