Same Power
God's power lives within us.
Matthew(18) (Part of the Easter(7) series)
by Stuart Johns(233) on April 21, 2019 (Sunday Morning(371))
Easter 2019
Same Power
(Matthew 28:1-10)
INTRODUCTION
“Nelson Mandela, who opposed the South African apartheid regime and was imprisoned for almost 3 decades, knew the power of words. He is often quoted today, but while in prison his words could not be quoted for fear of repercussion. A decade after his release he said: ‘It is never my custom to use words lightly. If 27 years in prison have done anything to us, it was to use the silence of solitude to make us understand how precious words are, and how real speech is in its impact on the way people live and die.’
King Solomon, author of most of the Old Testament book of Proverbs, wrote often about the power of words. He said, ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue’ (Prov. 18:21). Words have the potential to produce positive or negative consequences (v. 20). They have the power to give life through encouragement and honesty or to crush and kill through lies and gossip.”
By Marvin Williams, Our Daily Bread, August 26, 2015
[https://odb.org/2015/08/26/the-power-of-words-2/]
BODY
ME
Hurting Judy with my words
We let our guard down when we’re at home, especially when it comes to our words
I know in my own life that I have said things in the past that have hurt Judy
It may have been the content of the what I said, but also the tone with which I’ve said it
I don’t intend to hurt her with my words, but it happens
Hurting my boys with my words
I’ve done the same with my boys
One thing I’ve learned recently is that I need to communicate with my boys in the same way they’re communicating with me
If they’re expressing feelings or emotions, I need to respond with feelings or emotions
If they’re sharing facts, I need to respond with facts
What normally happens is that I respond with facts, when they’ve communicating with feelings or emotions
I’m still learning how to do this, because it’s new to me
An example
Levi was expressing frustration with his cell phone, because it wasn’t working properly
He was telling me that he needed a new(er) phone
He was expressing his feelings of frustration about not having a phone that was working correctly
What I heard was, “I need a new phone!” and my response was factual, “We can’t afford to get you a new phone.”
My response should have addressed the feelings of frustration he was having instead of telling him, “just the facts”
I should have said, “I understand how frustrating it can be when something doesn’t work properly.”
WE
Letting our guard down at home
Every one of us has probably said things to our family members that we regret
We let our guard down at home and we don’t watch what we say
We may say things in the heat of the moment that show our true feelings, that we would not normally say out loud
Guarding our tongue
It happens to all of us, we sometimes don’t guard our tongue, but allow it to say things that are hurtful
Gossip is something that is so easy to do, because we “feel better” after we share something about someone else
Unfortunately, our words have the power to crush and ruin those around us
The great thing is that, as followers of Jesus Christ, we have the power within us to guard our tongue and use it to encourage and build others up, because of the Holy Spirit
I want us to look at how God and Jesus Christ used the power of their words to do some pretty incredible things throughout history. The greatest display of God’s power is what we’re celebrating today. We will see today that the same power, God used to raise Jesus from the dead, lives in us. Our big idea today is that . . .
BIG IDEA – God’s power lives within us.
Let’s pray
GOD (Matthew 28:1-10)
Background
I want us to walk through Scripture for just a moment and remember how powerful God and Jesus’ Words were
Creation
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light (Genesis 1:3)
And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.” (Genesis 1:6)
And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so . . . Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. (Genesis 1:9, 11)
And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. (Genesis 1:14-15)
And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” (Genesis 1:20)
And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so . . . Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” (Genesis 1:24, 26)
Exodus
Then say “The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the desert. But until now you have not listened. This is what the Lord says: By this you will know that I am the Lord: With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood. The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink; the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.” (Exodus 7:16-18)
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you refuse to let them god, I will plague your whole country with frogs. The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and on hour people, and into your ovens and kneading troughs. The frogs will go up on you and your people and all your officials.’” (Exodus 8:1-4)
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh as he goes to the water and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies, and even the ground where they are. But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land. I will make a distinction between my people and our people. This miraculous sign will occur tomorrow.’” (Exodus 8:20-23)
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may worship me.’ If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back, the hand of the Lord will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field – on your horses and donkeys and camels and on your cattle and sheep and goats. But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.’” (Exodus 9:1-4)
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me, or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth . . . Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now.’” (Exodus 9:13-14, 18)
So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you refuse to let them go, I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow. They will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen. They will devour what little you have left after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields. They will fill your houses and those of all your officials and all the Egyptians – something neither your fathers nor your forefathers have ever seen from the day they settled in this land till now.’” (Exodus 10:3-6)
So Moses said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn of the cattle as well. There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt – worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any man or animal.’ Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. All these officials of yours will come to me, bowing down before me and saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will leave.” Then Moses, hot with anger left Pharaoh. (Exodus 11:4-8)
Jesus
Jesus’ first miracle
The Gospel of John is the only Gospel that records Jesus’ first miracle
We know that Jesus and His disciples are at a wedding at Cana in Galilee
His mother is also in attendance and tells Jesus that they have run out of wine
“Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” . . . He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him. (John 2:4-8, 11b)
We know that when they took the sample of the water to the master that it had been turned into the best wine
Jesus simply spoke the words and told the servants what to do – there was power in His words
Jesus casting out demons with a word
When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.” (Matthew 8:16-17)
Jesus had just crossed the Sea of Galilee and entered the region of the Gerasenes, when He was approached by a demon-possessed man. The demon, whose name was Legion, begged Jesus not to torture them or drive them out of the area. The Gospel of Mark tells us, For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you evil spirit!” (Mark 5:8). The demons were granted their request to be sent among a herd of about two thousand pigs, which then ran into the sea and drowned
A Greek woman from Syrian Phoenicia heard that Jesus had arrived in the vicinity of Tyre and she went to Him to beg Him to drive the demon out of her daughter. After Jesus uses the situation to teach this woman what was right, He said, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.” She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone. (Mark 7:29-30)
Jesus healing with a word
Roman Centurion (Matthew 8:5-13)
When Jesus entered Capernaum, a Centurion asked for His help concerning his servant was paralyzed and in terrible suffering
Jesus told him that He would come and heal his servant, but the Centurion tells Him to just say the word
Jesus explained to the crowd the incredible faith that the Centurion demonstrated
Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that very hour. (Matt. 8:13)
Government officials son (John 4:46-54)
Jesus had returned to Cana of Galilee and when a royal official heard about it, he came to Jesus to ask Him to heal his son
The royal official wanted Jesus to come with him to Capernaum to heal his son, but Jesus had a different plan
Jesus replied, “You may go. Your son will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed. (John 4:50)
When the official talked with his servants on the road, they all realized that his son was healed at the exact time that Jesus said the word
Paralyzed man (Luke 5:17-26)
A paralyzed man had some very great friends
They brought him on a mat to Jesus, but had to lower him through the roof, because it was so crowded
When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 5:20)
This didn’t sit well with the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who were present
Which is easier: to say, “Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . .” He said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up take your mat and go home.” Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. (Luke 5:23-26a)
Jesus during His passion
Garden of Gethsemane and Mount of Olives
After the last supper, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray with His disciples
During that time, Judas brings a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees
Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus said. . . . When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” “I told you that I am he,” Jesus answered. (John 18:4-8a)
We see the power of Jesus’ words at His arrest
Jesus on the cross
As Jesus is hanging on the cross, He cries out to God saying, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46b)
He is offered a drink of wine vinegar
He then says in a loud voice, “It is finished.” (John 19:30)
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. (Matt. 27:51-53)
There was power in Jesus’ final words on the cross
All of this leads us to the culmination, the climax, of God’s power
Jesus is alive! (Matthew 28:1-10)
“One sleepy Sunday afternoon when my son was five-years-old, we drove past a cemetery together. Noticing a large pile of dirt beside a newly excavated grave, he pointed and said: "Look, Dad, one got out!" I laughed, but now, every time I pass a graveyard, I'm reminded of the One who got out.”
Phil Callaway, from the April 16 entry of Men of Integrity (March/April 2006)
[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2009/april/1040609.html]The empty tomb (vv. 1-7)
“Jesus’ resurrection had already occurred, notwithstanding the massive stone barrier (v. 6). The resurrection itself is never described anywhere in Scripture, presumably because no one ever saw Jesus leave the tomb.” [Blomberg, New American Commentary, Matthew, 427]
It’s likely that Jesus left the tomb prior to the stone being rolled away, as we’ll see in a moment, but we don’t know how far in advance it happened
We can be sure that it was not the night before, because He said, prior to His death, that He would raise up the temple again in 3 days – referring to His resurrection
Since Jesus’ resurrection is not described in Scripture, we can only speculate about how it took place
I would like to think that God simply said, “Jesus, it’s time to rise!”
That idea meshes well with what we’ve seen throughout Scripture about God’s power through the spoken word
So, by the time the women go to the tomb, it’s already empty
Women went to the tomb
The Sabbath was sacred for the Jews, which meant that nothing could be done during the Sabbath
While they may have finished purchasing the necessary spices after sunset on Saturday, they waited until just before sunrise on Sunday to go to the tomb
Most of us wouldn’t blame them for waiting until sunrise, because most people have a fear of cemeteries, especially after dark
At the earliest opportunity we see two women, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, headed to the tomb
Some of the other Gospel writers include other women in the group
There is a discussion between the women about who is going to roll the stone away, so they can complete the embalming process (Mark 16:3), but we see that they don’t have to worry about that
Angel rolls the stone away
A violent earthquake
Matthew’s account tells us that a violent earthquake happens when the angel of the Lord comes down from heaven and rolls the stone away
It could have been an aftershock from the earthquake that happened when Jesus died
“While not uncommon in this region, this second earthquake surrounds the supreme supernatural event, the resurrection of Jesus. A. T. Robertson quotes Cornelius à Lapide as saying, ‘The earth, which trembled with sorrow at the Death of Christ as it were leaped for joy at His Resurrection.’” [Wilkins, The NIV Application Commentary, Matthew, 937]
It seems clear that the earthquake was a result of the angel coming down from heaven and rolling the stone back from the entrance to the tomb
We see that, with the word “for,” used after the mention of there being a violent earthquake
The “for” means that this is the reason why the violent earthquake happened
Rolling this enormous stone away from the entrance of the tomb was nothing for the angel of the Lord, so he just sits on top of it and waits for the women to arrive
Appearance of the angel
The appearance of the angel should not come as a surprise to us, especially after our study in Revelation and how the New Jerusalem will not need a light source, because the glory of God is all the light that is needed
This angel has been in the presence of God’s glory, so his appearance is like lightning and his clothes are as white as snow, representing purity
The glory of God reflecting from this angel is obviously too much for the guards who were standing watch at the tomb
The purity of God reflected in His angel strikes fear into the guards
Their fear was so real that they shook and became like dead men
“The ones assigned to guard the dead themselves appear dead while the dead one has been made alive.” [Donald Hagner cited by Wilkins, 938]
We know that eventually the guards regain their composure and report what they saw to the Pharisees and religious leaders, who coach them concerning what to say
It appears as though the angel does not speak to the guards, but he does speak to the women when they arrive
The women encounter the angel
He tells them not be afraid, which is probably why they did not end up like the guards – shaking in fear and becoming paralyzed
They’re at the right tomb
Have you ever driven somewhere that you’ve only been to once or twice and when you arrive, you begin to second guess whether or not you’re at the right place?
There is no question that the women have arrived at the right tomb, because the angel tells them that he knows they are looking for Jesus who was crucified
Jesus has risen
He is not in the tomb, because He did exactly what He told them He would do – He kept His promise
He had shared, on multiple occasions, with the Twelve and the other disciples, who followed Him, that He would be crucified, buried, and come alive again in 3 days
“‘Come and see the place’ verifies that this is the correct tomb and correct location within the tomb, thus stressing that he really is alive.” [Blomberg, 427]
It also helps the women, and us, understand that Jesus’ resurrection was not only spiritual, but also physical – His physical body was not there
The angel gives them instructions
The women are the first witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection – they have a responsibility as witnesses
The same is true when you and I witness an accident or some other crime – we have a responsibility as witnesses to tell what we saw and heard
The women were given the responsibility of sharing the incredible news of Jesus’ resurrection with His disciples
They were told what to tell the disciples – “He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.”
Because of the amount of time the disciples had spent with Jesus in Galilee, they probably knew right where to go – it would have been a spot where they had spent a lot of time with Jesus
The angel had completed his task
The women immediately began their task
Jesus appears to the women (vv. 8-10)
The women had two emotions running through their bodies
They were afraid, probably because they had never encountered an angel before
They were filled with joy, because Jesus was alive
While they were trying to deal with these opposing emotions, Jesus meets them on the path
Their response to seeing Jesus
Jesus basically says, “Hello!”
They obviously recognized Him immediately, because they bowed down to worship at His feet
This is the correct posture to have when confronted by the King of kings and Lord of lords
Jesus comforts them and reiterates the angels instructions
Knowing that the women were afraid after encountering the angel, Jesus tells them not to be afraid
He gives them the same instructions that the angel had given the – “Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
He calls the disciples His brothers, which could simply mean that they are now part of the family of God through Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection – God’s redemptive plan for humanity had been completed
YOU
Followers of Jesus Christ
We’ve seen today that God is all-powerful (omnipotent)
He has the power to simply use words to do the miraculous
As followers of Jesus Christ, we have the same power living in us, through the Holy Spirit of God
It’s the same power that allowed Jesus to come alive again
Life’s difficulties
Financial, emotional, physical, mental, spiritual
God is able to help you through every one of those
Read Ephesians 3:14-21
My Next Step Today Is To: Recognize that as a follower of Jesus Christ, I have the power of the Holy Spirit living in me to overcome any difficulties in life.
Those seeking a relationship with Christ
If you’ve never pursued a relationship with Jesus Christ, then you don’t have the power of the Holy Spirit living in you, but you can change that today
Jesus died on the cross to take your punishment for sin
We’re all born with the same condition – sin (Rom. 3:23)
God is holy (perfect), so He has to punish sin (Rom. 6:23a)
God is also loving, so He made a plan to deal with our sin (Rom. 5:8)
Romans 10:9-10, 13, That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. . . . for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
My Next Step Today Is To: Confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe that God used His incredible power to raise Him from the dead to take my punishment for sin so I can be saved.
WE
CONCLUSION
We’re going to close this morning with the song “Arise My Love” written by NewSong and performed by The Akins.
