Easter 2021 - “Power Play”
Matthew 27:62-28:20
62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “We remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”
65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard. —Matthew 27: 62-66
Failure of
Failure in
We ascribe power to so many things and people…
And it’s not just physical power. It’s also the power to tell us what to do, and how to think, and how to feel.
When we ascribe enough power over all of these different things to all of these other places and things, we end up feeling
The Easter story starts out by naming the obstacles, not pretending they didn’t exist -
Obstacles:
1. The stone - material obstacle
2. The seal - obstacle of human authority
3. The guard - obstacle of human strength
**The story doesn’t skip from death to life - we have an account of Jesus’ death followed by every measure known to man employed to secure that he would stay dead - but that’s not what happened.
1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
2 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. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; 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 is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,”he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day. —Matthew 28:1-15
“Never confuse position with power.”
Pharaoh had position, but Moses had the power.
Goliath had position, but David had the power.
King Nebucchadnezzer had position, but Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego had the power.
The story of Easter is that the cross had a position, the stone had a position, the seal had a position, the guards had a position, BUT JESUS HAD ALL THE POWER!!!!
***and he put that power to work on behalf of your life and my life