Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday

Text: Matthew 27:55-65.                    Reading: Matthew 27:55-65; 28:1-10.

Easter is the focal point of history (HIS-STORY). Picture a timeline with a cross in the centre.

A.   The Bible tells us that every moment from Creation on has been leading up to the cross (as part of God’s eternal plan).

B.   And that every moment since is lived considering Jesus’ death and resurrection.

It has been said something like this, “The cross rests on the time line of history (HIS-STORY) like a compelling view. Its tragedy summons all sufferers. Its meaninglessness attracts all cynics. Its hope lures all searchers. History has idolized it and despised it, gold-plated it and burned it, worn it and trashed it. History has done everything to it but ignore it. That is the one option that the cross does not offer. No one can disregard it!”

1.    THE WOMEN AT THE CROSS.

“And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons” Matthew 27:55-56.

Jesus had many “behind the scene” followers. All four Gospels describe a group of women who were dedicated to special ministries to Jesus. These women served, supported, and even travelled in order to prepare the way for Jesus and the twelve disciples.

The fearless devotion of these women shines out. They remained with Jesus when most of the male disciples ran for their lives! In fact, these women are of the few followers (mostly women) who did not desert Jesus even at the cross. They remained for the entire tragic ordeal. Imagine the wrenching of their hearts as they helplessly watched the shocking torture, humiliation, and Crucifixion of the One they had found so understanding and gentle.

Yet do not forget there were men also, like John, Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus verses 57-60.  “Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him.”

These women stayed behind when the crowds left the death scene, this loyal group followed Jesus’ body to the tomb. When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb and departed.

Though these women saw Him die, they could not let Him go—not yet. They needed to know where His body would rest.

2.    THE WOMEN AT THE TOMB.

“And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb” Matthew 27:61.

Special mention is made of the women who had followed Jesus all the way from Galilee to Jerusalem. The same women witnessed Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection (chapter 28:1); there is therefore no room for mistake over either the reality of Jesus’ death or the identification of His tomb.

After the Sabbath, these women again spent hours gathering the spices used for burial—they still served Him, every act of service done for the Lord counts. With heavy hearts they got up early in the morning, packed the spices, and with heaviness of heart walked towards the tomb.

When they arrived, there was a strange silence, not the silence of death but rather of wonder the tomb was open and empty! The grave was opened not to let Jesus OUT but to let His followers see IN, and that the tomb was empty. Jesus had left the tomb before the stone had been rolled away. Later He would enter a room with a locked door. The glorified body of Jesus was completely different from the body with which He was born with.

God had honoured these faithful women in a special way. At the lowest point of Christianity, Mary and her companions were the first to receive the news that changed the world; later it would be said of Jesus’ followers “They are turning the world upside down.” More likely they were turning the world the right way up.

The angelic announcement ceased at this point. From here on the message would be told by human lips. “Come; see the place where the Lord lay.” And that same Christ the Lord rose again. “He is not here: for he is risen.”

Hymn writers through the centuries have celebrated the message they, alone, heard that morning, “He is risen.”

CONCLUSION:

If Easter is truly the focal point of HIS-STORY... then we have a choice to make:
Believe in Jesus, or dismiss Him?
Accept His claims, or reject Him?

You must make a choice TODAY!

Either we:

Submit to Jesus, living under His daily direction.   

Or we:

Deny Him and live only for self.    

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday

Text: Matthew 27:55-65.                    Reading: Matthew 27:55-65; 28:1-10.

Easter is the focal point of history (HIS-STORY). Picture a timeline with a cross in the centre.

A.   The Bible tells us that every moment from Creation on has been leading up to the cross (as part of God’s eternal plan).

B.   And that every moment since is lived considering Jesus’ death and resurrection.

It has been said something like this, “The cross rests on the time line of history (HIS-STORY) like a compelling view. Its tragedy summons all sufferers. Its meaninglessness attracts all cynics. Its hope lures all searchers. History has idolized it and despised it, gold-plated it and burned it, worn it and trashed it. History has done everything to it but ignore it. That is the one option that the cross does not offer. No one can disregard it!”

1.    THE WOMEN AT THE CROSS.

“And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons” Matthew 27:55-56.

Jesus had many “behind the scene” followers. All four Gospels describe a group of women who were dedicated to special ministries to Jesus. These women served, supported, and even travelled in order to prepare the way for Jesus and the twelve disciples.

The fearless devotion of these women shines out. They remained with Jesus when most of the male disciples ran for their lives! In fact, these women are of the few followers (mostly women) who did not desert Jesus even at the cross. They remained for the entire tragic ordeal. Imagine the wrenching of their hearts as they helplessly watched the shocking torture, humiliation, and Crucifixion of the One they had found so understanding and gentle.

Yet do not forget there were men also, like John, Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus verses 57-60.  “Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him.”

These women stayed behind when the crowds left the death scene, this loyal group followed Jesus’ body to the tomb. When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb and departed.

Though these women saw Him die, they could not let Him go—not yet. They needed to know where His body would rest.

2.    THE WOMEN AT THE TOMB.

“And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb” Matthew 27:61.

Special mention is made of the women who had followed Jesus all the way from Galilee to Jerusalem. The same women witnessed Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection (chapter 28:1); there is therefore no room for mistake over either the reality of Jesus’ death or the identification of His tomb.

After the Sabbath, these women again spent hours gathering the spices used for burial—they still served Him, every act of service done for the Lord counts. With heavy hearts they got up early in the morning, packed the spices, and with heaviness of heart walked towards the tomb.

When they arrived, there was a strange silence, not the silence of death but rather of wonder the tomb was open and empty! The grave was opened not to let Jesus OUT but to let His followers see IN, and that the tomb was empty. Jesus had left the tomb before the stone had been rolled away. Later He would enter a room with a locked door. The glorified body of Jesus was completely different from the body with which He was born with.

God had honoured these faithful women in a special way. At the lowest point of Christianity, Mary and her companions were the first to receive the news that changed the world; later it would be said of Jesus’ followers “They are turning the world upside down.” More likely they were turning the world the right way up.

The angelic announcement ceased at this point. From here on the message would be told by human lips. “Come; see the place where the Lord lay.” And that same Christ the Lord rose again. “He is not here: for he is risen.”

Hymn writers through the centuries have celebrated the message they, alone, heard that morning, “He is risen.”

CONCLUSION:

If Easter is truly the focal point of HIS-STORY... then we have a choice to make:
Believe in Jesus, or dismiss Him?
Accept His claims, or reject Him?

You must make a choice TODAY!

Either we:

Submit to Jesus, living under His daily direction.   

Or we:

Deny Him and live only for self.    

PASSION WEEK: PALM SUNDAY TO EASTER SUNDAY

PASSION WEEK: PALM SUNDAY TO EASTER SUNDAY.

U.K. = Sunday 28^th March to 4^th April 2010.

Christians across the world celebrate Easter, to remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after His crucifixion.

Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, which commemorates Jesus' entry into Jerusalem to celebrate Passover.

Maundy Thursday is the day that Jesus celebrated the feast of the Passover with His twelve disciples, His Last Supper, and the night Judas betrayed Him.

Good Friday remembers the passion and death of Jesus.

Easter Sunday celebrates Jesus' Resurrection.

Where did it all begin? More than two thousand years ago, in a stable in Bethlehem, was born Jesus (meaning saviour), to a virgin named Mary and her husband Joseph a carpenter by trade. Mary was chosen by God to become the mother of His Son, Jesus. Jesus grew up in Nazareth, and became a carpenter like his earthly father.

When Jesus was about thirty years of age He began to preach the love of God for His people, Israel. Together with twelve disciples, Jesus was concerned with the welfare of the poor and the oppressed and spoke against the double standards of the privileged and the rich. The Pharisees, Jewish scholars, strongly opposed His teachings, and resented His growing influence.

But Jesus was welcomed and loved by the common people who looked upon Him as the long-awaited Messiah. As the number of His followers and His influence with the people grew, the Jewish and Roman authorities began to suspect Jesus of being a troublemaker.

Jesus faithfully observed the religious customs and festivals of His community, including the festival of Passover, which marked the end of slavery in Egypt for His people. So it happened that Jesus decided to go to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover.

As He entered Jerusalem, the people welcomed Him with songs of praise. They covered His path with flowers, and waved green palm fronds in the air, and formed a great procession to lead Him into Jerusalem. Often called Palm Sunday.

The Pharisees were afraid and angry when they saw the welcome He received from the people of Jerusalem. Jesus went to the Temple in Jerusalem, where He drove out the moneylenders. This annoyed the priests even further. Who shared the profits of this trade.

They decided that the time had come to rid themselves of this carpenter's son from Nazareth, who held such tremendous power over the hearts of the people. The Pharisees, the priests and the Romans plotted to arrest and execute Jesus.

A few days later, Jesus celebrated the Feast of the Passover with His twelve disciples. While they were eating, the disciples began to argue among themselves as to who was better than the others. Jesus listened in silence, and then taking a basin of water, began washing the feet of His disciples.

When He came to His disciple Peter, Peter protested. But Jesus explained why He did what He did, to tell them that no one was better than the other, that if He, whom they called Lord and Master, could wash their feet, then they too could wash each other's feet.

Jesus then told His disciples that before the night was out, one of them would betray Him, and give Him up to those who would kill Him. The disciples were horrified, and asked Jesus to tell them who it was who would turn traitor. But Jesus only said that it was one of the twelve who ate with Him that night.

The disciple John, who was sitting next to Jesus, whispered so that no one else could hear, 'Lord, who is it?' Jesus whispered back so only John could hear, 'It is the one to whom I shall give a piece of bread after I have dipped it in the dish.'

Then Jesus reached across the table and gave the bread to His disciple Judas Iscariot. Judas left the table at once, and as he went, Jesus said to him, 'Do quickly what you have to do.'

Before the meal was over that night, Jesus took some of the unleavened bread of the feast and broke it into pieces. He gave a piece each to the eleven remaining disciples, saying 'Take and eat this, for this is My body which is given for you.' He then passed a cup of watered wine to them and said, 'Drink, for this is My blood which is shed for you.' Then Jesus commanded, 'Do this as often as you would remember Me.'

Jesus spent the rest of the night praying in a grove of olive trees, called the garden of Gethsemane. He knew that when morning came, Judas Iscariot would betray Him.

Judas had hurried to the High Priest of the Temple as soon as he left Jesus and the other disciples. Judas had agreed to betray Jesus for the sum of thirty pieces of silver.

When it was almost dawn, Judas led the High Priest and the Pharisees and the Roman soldiers to the grove where Jesus waited with His remaining disciples. So that the Roman soldiers would arrest the right person, Judas ran up to Jesus and embraced him.

Jesus was taken to the home of the High Priest where the priests demanded that He be killed. But the land was ruled by the Romans, and no one could be executed without their endorsement. So Jesus was led to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor.

Pilate questioned Jesus, and then declared he could not sentence Him for he saw no evil in Him. But the priests and the Pharisees insisted that Jesus was a troublemaker, and should be put to death. So Pilate sent Jesus to King Herod, who ruled Galilee from where Jesus came. But Herod too could find no evil in Jesus, and sent Him back to Pilate.

Once again Pilate said to the enemies of Jesus that he saw no reason to execute Him, and that He should be set free. But Jesus' enemies demanded that He be crucified. At length, Pilate gave in to their demands, and ruled that Jesus be put to death on the cross.

Jesus was crucified as a political rebel the very same day on a hill called Golgotha. When at length He died, His friends asked Pilate if they might take down His body, to give it proper burial. Pilate agreed. So Jesus' followers took Him down from the cross, and wrapped Him in a shroud, and buried Him in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea near Golgotha.

Three days after His death, some women went to Jesus' tomb with fragrant herbs to place in the linen wrappings around His body. But they found that the tomb lay open, and two Angels sat where the body of Jesus had been lying. The Angels told the women not to be afraid, for said they, Jesus had risen from the dead.

Jesus' story does not end with His death and burial, but a new beginning! Christians the world over believe in Jesus' Resurrection, and celebrate Easter to mark the event. Belief in the Resurrection is central to the Christian faith, and Easter is the most important celebration in the calendar of the Christian Church.