Witness
15. April 2009 by Bernice Davis.
Hello:
Today we close the book of Matthew. Congratulations and thanks to everyone who has been on this one year journey with us. It took us one year to go through the book of Matthew. The scriptures are so amazing to me because I could literally start over and do this book again because I have learned so much more about Old Testament history since I began that relates to the gospels.
My next subject though will be the monarchy. I will be studying the life of King Saul, David and Solomon and their reigns. We will begin in the book of Samuel because Samuel gives us the background for why people even wanted a king in the first place and how
Israel moved from a theocracy to a monarchy.
Today’s text is as follows. This is Matthew’s account of the resurrection story. Yesterday, I shared with you the Luke account which is my personal favorite because it just gives us so many details. Remember when you study at home; if you want to get a full picture of what really happened study all the accounts of a story. The technical name for that is to study the story in its remote context. Not all biblical stories are repeated in another source or have a remote account. When you study all the accounts together, it gives you a full picture of what happened and a lot of times answers questions that you may have had just from studying the one source alone.
Here is our text:
Matthew 28:1 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. 16 Then the eleven disciples went to
Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
As you can see in our text, we have the story that was made of by the chief priests to explain the resurrection of Jesus. The soldiers were given large sums of money to say that during the night the disciples stole the body of Jesus.
According to Matthew’s account, the eleven disciples go to a mountain in Galilee where they were instructed by Jesus to meet him and he charged them to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature and that Jesus would always be with them to the very end of the age.
Ohhhhhhh……………. That’s just what I’m about to do. On tomorrow I’m headed to
Australia to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. What a privilege to preach this gospel. It really is.
If we are Disciples of Christ, we all have a responsibility to share this gospel. You don’t have to be on a certain educational level to share. I have run across so many people who say they don’t feel secure enough in the word to share. Tell what God has done for your. Tell your story. Share the simplicity of the gospel, his death, burial, and resurrection. Everything else is left up to God. It really is. Our job is to tell the story and one will plant a seed, another waters and it is God that will give the increase to the body. So you may be the one planting or watering and just because you may not sometimes see the fruit of your labor, it does not mean that your labor is in vain, it is in the hands of God. You don’t know how many people’s life will be changed because of you. Sometimes, they will come back and thank you and tell you that they were converted because of your witness and other times you will never know. I know that there are people along my journey who were witnesses to me both verbally and by the life they lead and some of them I would not even begin to know how to contact them to tell them how their story and their witness of the gospel changed my life.
So today’s lesson is all about encouraging us to witness. The work was done on the cross now let us except and live this abundant life that Jesus died that we may have and share it with others. I don’t know about you but I am free since Jesus. Truly free…………. And the more I study, the more liberty I embrace. Christianity is liberty not bondage. Some of us stress way too much….. Just focus on the relationship with God and everything else flows out of that. Okay……. Enough, I’m starting to tear up…..
For those of you that log in from Australia, I will give you the church link and info about where I will be on tomorrow incase you’re in the area and would like to come.
Well, I’ll talk to you on tomorrow as we begin our new study. I’m so excited………
Stay encouraged!!!!!!!
Don’t forget to pray and read God’s word daily.