Resurrection Sunday

Rev Gideon Lee

Matthew 28:1-15

He Is Risen

1 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.

5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”

8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.

The Women Worship the Risen Lord

9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”

The Soldiers Are Bribed

11 Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. 12 When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him and make you secure.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

To this day people try to dispute the resurrection of Jesus. They even say it is actually not him. But the resurrection is the central theme of our belief. What if Jesus never rose from the dead? What will it mean to us. Let's look at what the Bible say.

1 Corinthians 15:12-15

The Risen Christ, Our Hope

12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. 16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

Here is Paul trying to settle this issue of Christ being raised from he dead. He is saying the preaching and faith is in vain if not for this fact. I can see 6 possible things that can happen if Jesus did not rise from the he dead.

1. I'll say he's a liar

In all his ministry he talks about his crucifixion and how he'll rise again.

John 2:19

Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

Matthew 12:40

For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

You may say these verses are a bit vague.

Matthew 16:21

Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection

21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.

Matthew 20:18-19

18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, 19 and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.”

Jesus spoke about his crucifixion and resurrection. He would be a liar if it did not happened. This is just what he said and promised and praise God that he is not a liar. What he said he brought it to pass. The grave is empty.

Back in those days, women were not really considered. So if I wanted a better witness, I'd choose a more famous man but God chose women. It's an exciting day that we serve a living God because Jesus is alive. And that Christ told the truth when he said he'll rise again. That he is the Son of God. And everything else he said about himself is truth. He's alive.

2. There would be no gospel

1 Corinthians 15:14a

And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty

What is our preaching? The gospel. The gospel means the good news. If Jesus did not rise again then the gospel is bad news. There will be no salvation or hope for mankind.

There's a famous preacher call DL Moody. He trained preachers and he'd secretly go to a crusade and hide behind to hear his students preach. A student preached his heart out and at the end he said you have to come back tomorrow to tell you about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. But DL Moody told the student you have just preached half the gospel. He said some of them may not come back the second night and not hear about the Resurrection. That's the good news. Its powerful. It brings life. The gospel must be preached. Jesus is alive.

3. Our faith would be in vain

1 Corinthians 15:14b

and your faith is also empty.

Faith in a dead saviour is preposterous and meaningless. Our faith must be on someone that's alive. Not on someone who's dead and gone. If not it's groundless and baseless with no foundation. But he's alive and our faith is on solid ground.

I asked before how do you know you're saved? We just know that we know. It's not wishy-washy.

4. We are all accessory to a lie

1 Corinthians 15:15

Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise.

We will be spreading lies. We'd be spreading rumours. We've been telling people we serve a living God. If Jesus did not rise again we'd been telling lies. But we're not liars because he's alive. We're spreading truth. That's why we share the good news of Jesus Christ.

5. Then we have no hope for the future

1 Corinthians 15:17-18

17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.

We all know that at the sound of the trumpet the dead will rise first and the rest of us will be caught up. If he is not alive, then this won't happen. But I'm comforted because I know when Jesus comes again we will see our loved ones again. Then there is no comfort.

Our bodies will stay in the grave and not like Jesus will be raised from the dead. Today we have water baptism. And the symbol is that when we go down totally in the water it's like we are buried and when we come out of the water, it's like we rise from the dead.

6. He would have suffered for nothing

1 Corinthians 15:19

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

Then we Christians are pitiful. Christians suffered a lot for their faith then all that we go through are in vain. Why do you wake up early to come to church? I'm sure you all have better things to do. Wake up late for breakfast or early lunch with no queues. Why give tithes or offerings or renovation funds? You can eat Char Koay Teow with bigger prawns. Why give your money if Jesus is not alive? Why give your talent and serve him if Jesus is not alive? Why do all these things if Jesus is not alive?

But because he's alive and has risen we are not the saddest people on earth but the happiest people on earth. Because Jesus is alive and our faith is not in vain.

Jesus is alive. Death could not hold him. Even the grave could not hold him. The devil thought that was his final victory. The death of Jesus. But the countdown towards Resurrection Sunday began. There is no one higher or greater or more powerful than Jesus. Every knee and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. His name is above all other names.  If we can grasp this we will be living in victory. He's alive. 

Palm Sunday

Rev Gideon Lee

Today is Palm Sunday. It's the Sunday before Good Friday and before Resurrection Sunday. I will prefer this term to Easter. Some people also call it Passion Sunday. We commemorate events like Christmas and Palm Sunday, onhis triumphant entry into Jerusalem. We talk also about his suffering in this coming week. He went to the cross on Good Friday but on the third day he rose again, alive forevermore.

Death could not hold him. He's alive.

I want to talk to you about what caused the people to change their minds. Everybody loved Jesus at the triumphant entry. But that same group of people on Friday says crucify him. What changed their minds?

Matthew 21:1-11

The Triumphal Entry

1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

5 “Say to the Daughter of Zion,

‘See, your king comes to you,

gentle and riding on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them.7 They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest!”

10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

I want you to imagine with me that you are there just outside of Jerusalem itself. Imagine the atmosphere there. This is an important event. You are obligated to come and attend this ceremony if you are a Jew. At that time there were about  21/2 million people gathered there. Like Penang right?

The people were still under the rule of the Roman empire. They were still under the oppression of the Roman rulers and they were heavily taxed. For them they were waiting for the Messiah to set them free.

They've heard about Jesus and the miracles he did. And now he is coming to Jerusalem. He came down the mount of Olives. You can see the whole city coming down from there.

Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. Even a donkey can be of use to Jesus. You are smarter than a donkey right? And it fulfilled scripture. The King of kings and Lord of lords came on a donkey to fulfil scripture. And the palms is a symbol of Israel. They were all shouting Hosanna Hosanna. Blessed is he. It meant save me. Save me. Save me son of David. The people were looking to him as a saviour.

They saw him like a superstar. They said save me because they were still under the oppression of the Romans. These same people on Friday say crucify him. What changed their minds in such a short time?

From the scripture we can see many reasons but I want to look at 3.

1. Jesus' compassion for all

Matthew 21:12-15

Jesus at the Temple

21:12-16pp – Mk 11:15-18; Lk 19:45-47

12 Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “ ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers.’’”

14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.

After his entry into Jerusalem he went to the temple. The house of worship and he saw that people were buying and selling. Anything wrong with that? No. But they were cheating the people. He said my house will be called a house of prayer. But these people were doing business and there was no room for the gentiles to worship God.

Jesus came and overturned the tables. He got angry. We see him angry even though we often only see Jesus as a gentle person. The blind and the lame began to come to the place and Jesus healed them. His compassion is for all. The house of God is for all and this is not good for the Jews. They felt they had a privileged position. Jesus said salvation is for all and they are not happy.

The church must be made accessible for all. We welcome all. Jesus has been doing this even before now. He was with the prostitute and tax collector. But here it's a public statement. It's sad but sometimes the church may exclude certain people out.

I heard one pastor dressed up like a beggar and came into his church. They couldn't recognise him and he even smelled the part. Probably didn't bath for a week. And he wanted to see how the members would react to him. Jesus have always done this, his compassion is for all.

Some people were not excited about that. They were indignant. Jesus is saying my Kingdom is for everyone.

2. Jesus began to talk more and more about commitment.

Matthew 21:18-22

The Fig Tree Withers

21:18-22pp – Mk 11:12-14, 20-24

18 Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.

20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.

21 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Jesus was hungry. I wonder what he would eat if he was in Penang. He saw this fig tree and it was only full of leaves. He expected the fig tree to have fruits. That time it was fruit season but that fig tree had no fruits.

Imagine if you have a durian plantation and during May and June all you saw were leaves? You'd expect to see durians and not just leaves. Jesus saw it was just leaves. No use. He cursed the fig tree and it withered and died. Jesus was asking for commitment. It was planted for a reason, and that is to bear fruit. He was asking for more and more commitment.

Now that they have seen all that he has done, all the miracles that he did. And at the last week of his ministry, he is expecting commitment. He asked his disciples who do you say I am? He is asking, will you bear fruit? Who is he to you? A prophet? A good man? He is the Son of the living God. He is calling for commitment.

Judas was one that didn't know who Jesus was. He thought he came to establish his kingdom and rule.

Look at me and my wife. We dated for maybe 6 years, 10 years, 15 years and no commitment. She may say waste time only this fella. Until I say do you take me…there's no commitment. We like free and easy. We come to church also free and easy. No commitments. God is asking you this morning for commitment.

Jesus was talking more and more about commitment. The people wants the blessings but not the commitments. Which brings me to the last point. Jesus was talking more and more about the cross. The last words of a person is very important.  Right or not? If on my death bed I call all my children and wife, they'd expect me to say something very important. We call our family or all those that are close to us.

3. Jesus talks about the cross

Jesus at the last week knows he is going to the cross and he has no time to waste. He is asking them to give their life.

The cross is a symbol of suffering and shame. We all don't want that. It's burdensome. The cross was for the worst kind of criminals. He did not do anything that deserved the cross. They crucified him naked. He is telling them he has to go to the cross and he is telling them to die to themselves.

We don't want to be inconvenienced by the cross. The mere sight of the cross can send people into a frenzy. For the church the power is in the cross. We talk about things that suits us. The cross talks about dying to self. But in it is our victory. Because on the third day, he rose again. Amen church?

Today is Palm Sunday and it talks about his triumphant entry and his suffering but the most important thing is that he rose again.