Bible Study - JESUS Lives and So Can You - Matthew 28:1-10 - A[ril 17, 2022

Bible Study – Special – JESUS Lives and so can You – April 17, 2022

This is a special lesson following our series of study entitled, “Connected.”

Our focus scripture is Matthew 28:1-10

Rest confidently in the resurrection of CHRIST.

Myth or truth? How does one know the truth about JESUS? Satan will do all he can to prevent a person from becoming a Spirit-born believer in JESUS. GOD opens the eyes of a person to his or her need for salvation from sin and its consequence, eternal death.

JESUS gave HIS sinless life just for you but you have to accept that fact, believing that HIS death atoned for your sin. I used to argue with GOD and ask HIM why couldn’t I give my own life for my sins? HIS reply was, “You do not qualify because I require a sinless sacrifice and JESUS is the only acceptable person to qualify to atone for sin.” GOD demands perfection and the only way a person can enter in the presence of GOD is by the miracle of Spiritual Birth, thus becoming a Child of GOD.

A Spirit-born person is connected to the true vine, JESUS by faith in JESUS.

This coming Sunday, we celebrate the resurrection of JESUS from physical death and the grave. In essence, when JESUS died, every person who will ever place his or her faith in JESUS, died with HIM. When GOD raised JESUS from the physically dead, GOD also raised each person who will ever place his or her faith in JESUS from eternal death to eternal life.

How does a person know that? GOD does not leave us without a guarantee. A guarantee??? Yes, a guarantee, the indwelling Holy Spirit!!!

Ephesians 1:14:

¹⁴ The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.

The indwelling Holy Spirit is a Spirit-born person’s guarantee and assurance of conversion/salvation, eternal life and forever being GOD’S SON or DAUGHTER.

Let’s read Matthew 28:1-5:

28 After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to view the tomb. (Our Sunday) ² There was a violent earthquake, because an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and approached the tomb. He rolled back the stone and was sitting on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. ⁴ The guards were so shaken by fear of him that they became like dead men.

⁵ The angel told the women, “Don’t be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 

JESUS was crucified on Friday and placed in a borrowed tomb before sundown that same Friday. The tomb was sealed and guarded to prevent JESUS’ followers/disciples from taking HIS body and claiming HIS resurrection.

We read in John 19:36-42:

 ³⁶ For these things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: Not one of his bones will be broken.^[h] 37 Also, another Scripture says: They will look at the one they pierced.^[i]

Jesus’s Burial

³⁸ After this, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus—but secretly because of his fear of the Jews—asked Pilate that he might remove Jesus’s body. Pilate gave him permission; so, he came and took his body away. ³⁹ Nicodemus (who had previously come to him at night) (John 3) also came, bringing a mixture of about seventy-five pounds^[j] of myrrh and aloes. ⁴⁰ They took Jesus’s body and wrapped it in linen cloths with the fragrant spices, according to the burial custom of the Jews. ⁴¹ There was a garden in the place where he was crucified. A new tomb was in the garden; no one had yet been placed in it. ⁴² They placed Jesus there because of the Jewish day of preparation and since the tomb was nearby.

JESUS was physically dead as a door nail. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, both members of the Jewish Sanhedrin, took the dead body of JESUS and began the embalming process of JESUS. But before Pilot released the body of JESUS to Joseph of Arimathea, Pilot had his trusted soldiers to verify that JESUS was truly dead.

Pilot having this fact verified, also verifies to all people that JESUS was indeed dead. WHO raised JESUS from the physically dead and gave eternal life to JESUS? GOD!!! WHO gives every person who will accept JESUS as his or her Savior eternal life? GOD!!!

The empty tomb is critical. It is proof of not only the resurrection of JESUS but the resurrection of every person that places his or her faith in the passion of JESUS. As mentioned earlier, when JESUS was crucified, in essence, all who have and will ever place their faith in JESUS were crucified along with HIM. GOD raised JESUS from the physically dead. Those who place their faith in JESUS were also raised from the physically dead. It is finished!!!

When a person is baptized by immersion, it is a symbol of dying to one’s sins, being buried and being raised from the physically dead to walk eternally with GOD/JESUS.

It is amazing that the ones to discover an empty tomb were women. Women were not considered credible witnesses to events according to Jewish law. But GOD chose women to discover the miracle of the resurrection of JESUS.

Don’t we all love a good surprise!!!  When we seek truth, GOD prepares the path for us to discover truth. These ladies were on a mission of love to finish the preparation of the body of JESUS to be dead but in their quest, they discovered that JESUS was eternally alive!!!

Back to verse 5 - ⁵ The angel told the women, “Don’t be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 

The angel knew why they were at the tomb but the Good News is, HE isn’t here!!! The angel made it clear that he knew they were looking “for JESUS WHO was crucified.” Nothing is left to speculation.

In essence, “Ladies, you have come to the right place but JESUS isn’t here!” The angel verified the location where JESUS was buried.

When we seek JESUS, GOD’S desire if for us to discover HIM and truth. There are some who preach truth but others distort the truth. This is why, once a person accepts JESUS as his or her Savior, GOD gives us the Holy Spirit to alert us to false teaching.

If you are listening to a presenter of the Gospel and something does not sound right, go to your Bible and check what you heard using the Bible as your authority. Ask GOD to reveal the truth to you. This is vital as we approach the end times because many false teachers/preachers will go into the world preaching false doctrine. The indwelling Holy Spirit is our internal compass to keep us headed in the right Spiritual direction, according to the will and purpose of GOD.

We see in this scripture that GOD prepared the way as the women traveled to complete the burial process only to discover the real truth of GOD’S redemptive plan of eternal salvation. Often when GOD leads us to for one purpose, HE reveals HIS real purpose as we take action.

Have you accepted JESUS as your Savior? If not, now is your opportunity. Ask JESUS to forgive you for your sins, believing that JESUS willingly gave HIS sinless life to atone for your sins, and ask JESUS to come into your life. Quicker than the twinkling of your eye the Holy Spirit unites with your spirit and you are Spiritually conceived and eternally born into GOD’S Family.

Salvation is not about saying just the right words, it is about the attitude of a person’s heart. I have read of a person simply saying, “I give up” and being Spiritually born into GOD’S family. It is all about a person’s heart or inner being.

Once a person becomes Spirit-born, as with any new born baby, one needs Spiritual food which come from GOD’S Word, the Bible, talking to GOD, which we call prayer and putting into action what you are being taught.

As we read on, there are some very important words that we read and are vital to all Spirit-born people ------

Let’s read Matthew 28:6-7:

⁶ He is not here. For he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see him there.’ Listen, I have told you.”

Beautiful words, “HE is not here!!!” We do not serve a dead Savior but an eternally living Savior!

Once we search for JESUS and discover that HE, WHO we thought was human, is truly the True SON of GOD and HE defeated eternal death, what are we to do? We accept the true facts and GO TELL OTHERS the Good News!

Spirit-born people serve a living Savior. JESUS conquered physical death so that all who place their faith in HIM will not experience physical death but will exit their earth suits (physical bodies) to be in the presence of JESUS.

Oh, yes, our human body will be placed into a casket and placed in a tomb but we will be with JESUS before we experience the death of our body.

Proof of the bodily resurrection of JESUS is vital to GOD’s redemptive plan. JESUS received HIS Glorified body at HIS resurrection. If you want to know what your Glorified body will be like, read what JESUS did after HIS resurrection. One might ask. “Do we get our Glorified body when we die physically? No! Spirit-born Christians receive their Glorified bodies when JESUS returns to earth to rapture the church. But we will be with JESUS in Heaven as HE and we await GOD’S nod for JESUS to return to rapture HIS chosen and the true church.

Well, what kind of body will Spirit-born Christians have while they are in Heaven waiting until JESUS returns to earth to rapture the church?

What do we read in 2 Corinthians 5:1-10?

5 For we know that if our earthly tent (human body) we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in the heavens, not made with hands. ² Indeed, we groan in this tent (human body), desiring to put on our heavenly dwelling, (special Heavenly body fashioned by GOD) ³ since, when we are clothed,^[a] we will not be found  naked. ⁴ Indeed, we groan while we are in this tent, burdened as we are, because we do not want to be unclothed but clothed, so that mortality may be swallowed up by life. ⁵ Now the one who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment.

⁶ So we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. ⁷ For we walk by faith, not by sight. ⁸ In fact, we are confident, and we would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ⁹ Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to him. ¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

But what does JESUS have to say about Judgment when we have placed our faith in HIM?

Let’s read John 5:24: (JESUS is speaking.)

²⁴ “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

Do you want to be secure in your journey to Heaven? What did JESUS say in verse 24?

When a person accepts JESUS as his or her Savior, “he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”

Accepting JESUS as your Savior is your guarantee of eternal life and no judgment. There will be rewards for living according to the leadership of the Holy Spirit as a person faithfully serves upon earth.

Once a person sees the truth, what are they to do? Let’s read on ----

Let’s read Matthew 28:8-10:

⁸ So, departing quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, they ran to tell his disciples the news. ⁹ Just then^[a] Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They came up, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus told them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.”

Have you ever discovered something of such great value that you had to run and tell someone about it? This is what discovering that JESUS is alive and is truly the Savior who GOD sent to redeem all who place their faith in JESUS from eternal death.

These ladies were excited about their discovery and had to tell the disciples of JESUS. As they were going, who did they meet? YES! They met JESUS.

When a person encounters truth and responds to that truth, it is confirmed as truth. JESUS revealed Himself to these women of faith to confirm the truth of HIS bodily resurrection. JESUS was resurrected and HE received HIS Glorified body.

Spirit-born people will receive their Glorified body at the rapture of the church from earth. Why then? I have a speculation but enough for now.

Blessings!!!