Proclamation (Easter) (March 31, 2024)

Sermon Outline for Sunday, March 31, 2024

Pastor Andy Lambert

PASSAGES: Matthew 28:1–10; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2; Genesis 2:16–17; 2 Corinthians 1:9–10; 2 Timothy 1:10; Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20; Galatians 3:1; John 14:26

Proclamation – the public or official announcement, especially one dealing with a matter of great importance.

When we think of proclamation, we think of a public official making a decree of something important. I have friends that are on City Councils, and they will make a proclamation of someone’s special birthday (like 100) or other important event and get a proclamation signed, sometimes even by the governor. Governors will make a declaration of State of Emergency as a proclamation, so that federal or certain state money can be used during times of flooding, storms, and such.

Presidents make proclamation and I would guess that no one here would know any of the proclamations that have been made by a President of the United States.

• Joe Biden – 574
• Donald Trump – 570
• Barack Obama – 1226
• George W. Bush – 942
• Bill Clinton – 757

I listed this to show you that proclamations are made quite often and many times, we don’t even know or remember them. A proclamation is something that should be an announcement dealing with a matter of great importance, then why don’t we remember them? The current President, on Friday, March 29, made a proclamation that deals with something we as Christians should be paying attention to. I will NOT read this proclamation; however, I encourage you to look it up.

I have brought all this up, to show that many proclamations are spoken and forgotten in a few days, however, there was a proclamation made about 2,000+ years ago, toward the dawn of the first day of the week. This proclamation was made when two women entered into the cemetery looking to bring spices and other items to finalize the burial process for a man, they had just watched being hung on a cross, die on that cross, being taken off that cross and placed in a borrowed tomb for burial. An angel of the Lord made a proclamation so profound that day, it has never been forgotten, it has been fought against, it had been tried and it has stood the test of time. It is a proclamation that will never go away and it will stand until the end of time. That proclamation was “He is not here, for He has RISEN!!!”

Matthew 28:1–10 ~ “1 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

There are some facts that we need to note about this passage of Scripture:

• V1 – this means the Sabbath has ended. Matthew is not speaking of strict Jewish time, which would have meant the Sabbath has ended at 6:00 pm on Saturday evening. But Matthew is speaking using common day idea of time. He was simply adding the nighttime was almost over for the proceeding day.
• Jesus arose just before dawn on the first day of the week, Sunday morning. This was so significant to the early Christians, they broke away from the practice of worshipping on the Sabbath or Saturday and began to worship on Sunday, the day of the resurrection of their Lord.

Acts 20:7 ~ “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight.”

1 Corinthians 16:2 ~ “On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.”

• Jesus arose on the first day of the week, on Sunday morning. This means that He arose on the third day, just as He said. His arising from the dead is a triumph, a conquest over death. Death reigns no more. Its rule has now been broken.

Genesis 2:16–17 ~ “16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.””

2 Corinthians 1:9–10 ~ “9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.”

2 Timothy 1:10 ~ “and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,”

• Jesus was in the grave on the Sabbath, which means He was unable to observe the laws governing the great season of the Passover and the Sabbath. He was dead; therefore, the laws and its observances had and still have no authority over Him. This is symbolic of the identification believers gain in Christ. When a man believes in Jesus Christ, God identifies the man with Christ, with the death of Christ. God counts the man as having died with Christ, therefore, in Christ’s death believers become dead to the law.

Romans 6:6 ~ “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.”

Galatians 2:20 ~ “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Today, you are now longer bound by your past, your sins, your troubles … you need to leave them all in the tomb!

The appeals of the resurrection are a message within themselves.

• Do not be afraid. We don’t have to fear seeking Jesus.
• God knows all about the very person who is seeking after Jesus, every moment of the heart.
• If a person is diligently seeking, he shall find!
• Christ was crucified for even you. No matter your past, it is no match for the blood of Christ.
• Christ has now risen from the death and conquered death, for even you.
• Come, see. Believe and live. The angel of the Lord reminded the women of the words Jesus had spoken, “He is risen as He said.” We can be witnesses of the power of the resurrection in our own lives, we just have to trust and believe.

Galatians 3:1 ~ “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.”

John 14:26 ~ “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

•  Go quickly and tell the glorious news. Sharing the glorious news is essential. It is the greatest news of all history: Christ is risen. Notice the encouraging words the angel spoke, “He is going before you … there you will see him.”

Pastor Andy Lambert ~ pastorandy@cvcog.church

Call/Text: 205.642.8744 ext 101