Summary
The message opens by welcoming everyone and pointing to the significance of Easter Sunday as the day we commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We jump ahead in our series on Matthew to chapter 28:5–9 because this moment marks the climax of Jesus’ ministry and the divine confirmation of all He said and did. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 15 that without the resurrection, our faith would be meaningless and we would still be in our sins. But Christ did rise, and that changes everything—it secures our salvation, confirms the truth of Scripture, and gives us hope beyond the grave.
We look at the angel’s words to the women at the tomb, telling them not to be afraid, and affirming that Jesus, who was crucified, is no longer there—He has risen. Jesus wasn’t crucified for any wrongdoing but according to God’s eternal plan. As the 1689 Baptist Confession says, He was ordained to be the Mediator between God and man, offering Himself as a perfect, substitutionary sacrifice. Though His enemies buried Him and tried to prevent any claims of resurrection, they couldn’t stop God’s plan. On the third day, an angel rolled away the stone, the guards were struck with fear, and the tomb was found empty.
The angel tells the women to look inside and then go tell the disciples. Remarkably, these women become the first evangelists, chosen by God to bear witness to the resurrection—a detail that affirms the truth of the account, since in that culture women’s testimony was not valued. As they go, Jesus Himself appears to them. They fall at His feet and worship Him, confirming not only that He is alive, but that He is divine. His resurrection isn’t like Lazarus’ or Jairus’ daughter’s—He rises never to die again, by His own power, along with the power of the Father and the Spirit.
The message closes by reflecting on how the resurrection sets Christianity apart. Other religions and philosophies have founders who remain in the grave; Christ alone has conquered death and risen in glory. Without the resurrection, we would be lost, blind, and hopeless. But because Jesus lives, we have certainty about what is real, what is true, and how we ought to live. The resurrection is proof that all of God’s Word is trustworthy, and calls all people to repent and believe in Christ, the risen Lord.
