After the
Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other
Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of
the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone
and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as
snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead
men. The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you
are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as
he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell
his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into
Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you." So the
women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell
his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They
came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them,
"Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they
will see me." (Matthew 28:1-10)
These women were
given an opportunity - essentially a question. Then it was posed to the disciples – the followers of
Jesus; "Do you want to see Jesus?"
Now, two thousand
years later, that same question is asked of us, each and every one of us; "Do you want to see Jesus?"
Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my
brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." (Matthew 28:10)
So, Mary and Mary,
they run – they sprint – I’m sure they moved faster than they had ever moved
before. Busting into the
upper room they see the disciples – the friends of Jesus and they tell them
what has just happened
·
The earthquake
·
The stone rolling away
·
The angel of the Lord
·
The report – “He’s not here”
·
The empty tomb
·
And then…Jesus
Nonsense, these women
are crazy. But who can blame them, it’s been a stressful few days, perhaps it’s simply wishful thinking.
And then the
question; "Do you want to
see Jesus?"
See, this question
struck these men. This was not just a person they hoped to see again, this was God’s Son,
sent to the world to teach, heal, and redeem, this was a man, who had been crucified three days
before, this was their friend that they had buried in a sealed
tomb, this was Jesus Christ – their master and Savior.
Do we want to see
Jesus? OF COURSE WE WANT TO SEE JESUS!
Do you remember when
you first saw Jesus? Do you remember the moment that you first saw Him as your Savior? The One that has paid the price for your sin? Do you remember the moment that you first saw Him as your Lord? The One that will lead you to life of joy and peace?
Maybe you have never been introduced to Him. Maybe you don’t know Jesus, or maybe you have
lost sight of Him as your hope, your peace, your joy, your comforter, your
salvation, your everything.
See, Jesus is
life – and He gives us a reason to live. But more than
this, He gives us the ability to live, to truly live a life of purpose and excitement.
Do you want to see Jesus?
This isn’t simply hearing about Jesus! This isn’t Jesus through the filter of another person! This isn’t Jesus as the world perceives Him! This isn’t Jesus as culture presents Him! Do you want to see
Jesus for who He truly is?
·
Our Hope
when the world seems hopeless
·
Our Peace
when we are stressed and burdened
·
Our Joy when
the world steals our joy
·
Our
Comforter when people break our heart
·
Our Savior
when we need to be rescued
Do you want to see Jesus?
Not only does Jesus
want to show Himself to you. Jesus wants you to know that you can live. Because Jesus lives, you will also live.
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