April 28, 2019

Come, Rejoice and Go

Preacher:
Passage: Matt 28:1-20
Service Type:

Bible Text: Matt 28:1-20 | Preacher: Peter Elward | Series: Visiting Preachers | Introduction

A well known chapter

Including the Great Comission
Three words:
v6 – Come
v9 – Rejoice
v10 – Go

Quote from Charles Coulson

Better words in this passage

Come

Words from the angel

An invitation to say the place where the Lord lay
“Come”

Through the words of Scripture we are invited to ‘come’

The resurrection
Do you believe in a bodily, physical resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ?

If not, there is no hope

An invitation from the angel

Peter and John ran to the tomb

They believe

Mary Magdalene sees the risen Jesus Christ
We are invited into the empty tomb – come and see
Quote from John Blanchard

An invitation to come and see

What did the early witnesses see?

They saw angels

Not grave robbers but angels

Emperor Claudius – Capital punishment for grave robbers

The angels appeared like young men – Mark

The angel rolls away the stone (v2) – the supernatural power of God

They saw the grave clothes

Yet they did not yet understand that Jesus must rise from the dead

John believed

Jesus did not stagger around in grave clothes as with Lazarus
Lazarus had to die a second death – not with Jesus
They are a symbol that He is the risen Christ

They saw a physical body

They held Him by the feet
He ate breakfast – Luke
They saw His scars – John 20

Come and see

A non-Christian – see the Lord Jesus Christ
A Christian – be refreshed in your vision
Christ is risen from the dead
Not a memorial – Christ is with us

Rejoice

An order to the words

Come – then when we know He is alive, ‘rejoice’!

Rejoice

Jesus could have rebuked them

The disciples abandoned Jesus
Remind them of their failures
Instead He says rejoice

We rejoice because there is peace with God

“Peace be with you”
We are able to know God
There is forgiveness and acceptance

Real rejoicing is found in Jesus Christ

Not the so-called happiness of the world

Rejoice in the forgiveness of sins

The denial of Peter
The restoration of Peter
Hosea – Jesus will forgive us

Rejoice in fellowship with Jesus

Jesus met them
Jesus meets us
They worshiped Him
Our place is on our knees, on our face
Quote from John the Baptist and Shakespeare’s Othello

Do we rejoice in Jesus Christ?

Rom 5, Phil 4
Quote from Jonathan Edwards
Job rejoiced in God

Do you rejoice in God – not in things?

Go

v10, v7, v19

Go and tell

Come, Rejoice and then Go!

You cannot keep this message to yourself – go and tell others
Quote on selfishness

The apostles were encouraged

We know the apostles were slow to take the gospel to the Gentiles

They constantly needed the help of the Holy Spirit

They were given encouragements
We need the help of the Holy Spirit

Do we believe in the Holy Spirit?
Do we ask for His help?

The encouragement of the risen Lord Jesus Christ

They will see Me (v10)
‘Lo I will be with you until the end of the age’ (v20)
Jesus has promised never to leave us nor forsake us
One day we will see Christ and be with Him
Epitaph of Solomon Peas

Go and tell

Not just about words
How we live and conduct ourselves
We have a gospel to proclaim

Closing Remarks