Key Truth: Jesus Christ has risen from the dead to fill us with awe and joy as we serve Him in making disciples in the power of the resurrection.  

What events or circumstances have caused you to pause in great awe and also brought you great joy? Did it make you want to share it with others?

The Divine Declaration of the Beauty and the Power of the Resurrection:

Matthew 28:1-10

“The Lord Jesus undertook to expiate the guilt of a ruined world, and to redeem them to God by his blood. Under the sins of men he died. But who could be sure that his atonement had prevailed for the end for which it had been offered? He had mediated, it is true: but who could tell that his mediation had been accepted? How could that point be satisfactorily ascertained? His resurrection proved it beyond a doubt.”

Charles Simeon,Horae Homileticae, Vol. 11: Matthew

What are some ways that Jesus’ resurrection have sparked awe and joy in you?

The Attempted Suppression of the Beauty and Power of the Resurrection:

Matthew 28:11-15

“The authorities pay off the sentinels, but it is a pitiful ploy. The body is gone as the power of God overpowers the schemes of men. Nothing can stop the spread of the truth.”

Daniel M. Doriani, Matthew, Vol. 2: Chapters 14-28

What are some things that the world is challenging about your understanding of Christianity and your life in Christ? What are you doing to engage and push back on these challenges?

The Charge to Profess the Beauty and Power of the Resurrection:

Matthew 28:16-20

“…(Matthew’s) final narrative (Chapters 26-28) has no concluding discourse. That is because we are to provide the final discourse. We who are disciples are to make disciples of all the nations, teaching them to observe all that he has commanded. It is a daunting task that he gives us, but — behold! — his power (all authority in heaven and on earth) and his assurance (all the days to the end of the age) are more than sufficient to guarantee our success. Thanks be to God.”

Mark E. Ross, Let’s Study Matthew

What story are you sharing with those in your various spheres of influence? How is the beauty and the power of the resurrection shaping the story you are telling?

Matthew 28:1-20 teaches us that Jesus’ resurrection:

- should spark both awe and joy in us because of its beauty and power
- will result in the world crafting lies to suppress up its beauty and power
- charges us to be disciples who make disciples in its beauty and power

Benediction:

1 Corinthians 15:50-58