Matthew 27:62-66
"Are You Too Secure? "

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"On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, ⁶³saying, "Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, "After three days I will rise.' ⁶⁴Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, "He has risen from the dead.' So the last deception will be worse than the first. ⁶⁵Pilate said to them, "You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how." ⁶⁶So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard."

INTRODUCTION:

A. Are you trying to be so secure that you keep God out of your life.

B. Chapter 27 is about men that are trying to keep the tomb secure.

C. Who is the real enemy?

D. Securing a tomb, a nation, a kingdom

I. Securing a tomb - Matthew 27:62-66

A. Jesus died and was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimethea.

B. The stone was over 1-2 tons that was rolled

C. It was unusual

1. It is unusual for Jewish leaders to meet with pagan rulers at the time of the High Sabbath. It was Pesach. They even went into the council chambers of Pilate. The day before they would not go in becuase they would have been defiled for the High Sabbath

2. The Sadducees and Pharisees are bitter enemies concerning spiritual things but there hatred of Jesus brings them together. They were opposed to each other on most theological issues

3. They are guarding a dead man in a graveyard@

B. What does it mean to "make it (the tomb) as secure as you know how"?

1. Pilate may have meant that he was humoring them in their foolishness of guarding a dead men

2. He could have been mocking their fears.

C. It was a flimsy excuse that the aposles would steal the body

1. They were hiding in the upper room

2. They were afraid of a resurection

a. They saw all the miracles of Jesus

b. Jesus said He had the power to lay His life down and to pick it up

c. He raised Lazarus from the dead from 4 days dead and everyone in the environs had seen it happen and saw Lazarus

3. Graveyards were never the same when Jesus entered them (Matthew 27:51-53)

⁵¹Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, ⁵²and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; ⁵³and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

4. The tomb was guarded by 16 guards with 4 standing gaurd in 4 hour shifts over a tomb with a seal on it

5. Matthew 28:11-15 - Damage Control

¹¹Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. ¹²When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, ¹³saying, "Tell them, "His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.' ¹⁴And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him and make you secure." ¹⁵So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

a. To break the seal of Rome meant death

b. To fall asleep on a watch meant death

c. The apostles were hiding in the upper room afraid to leave

d. If they were asleep how did they know the body was stolen

e. To believe this would mean that the apostles overtook 16 armed Roman guards, broke the seal, rolled away a 2 ton stone and steal the body of Jesus?

f. What about the noice of moving a 2 ton stone? Wouldn't it have woken up the soldiers

g. If they did steal the body then explain the radical change in the apostles from cowards to bold lions Look at the deaths of the apostles

II.Securing a Nation (Acts 8,9)

A. Saul of Tarsus

1. A Pharisee and part of the group that wanted Jesus on the cross and the tomb secure

2. On a mission to put an end to Christianity spreading

3. He was there when he saw the death of Stephen which ate into his heart

4. He was a persecutor yet on the Road to Damascus he becomes the greatest advocate of Christianity as it's preacher and apostle.

B. The persecutor becomes the preacher

C. Many have tried throughout history

1. Diocletian 303 AD his goal to put CHristians out of the empire and destroy their book. He even minted a coin saying he was successful but did not know that they were in catacombs

2. In 1778 Volatiare said "within 100 yrs Christianity will be swept from history" and in 100 yrs his house was used to print Bibles

III. Securing a Kingdom

A. There is more at stake than an emtpy tomb and a nation but that of securing souls

B. Before the foundation of the world he had created Lucifer (Star of the morning) beautiful powerful being who said that he would ascend above the throne of haven

C.This is when he lied to the angels and took 1/3 with them and has since been lying to man ever since

D. Genesis 3

E. Throughout history Satan has counter-attacked the seed of the woman that would cruch his head

F. Soliders, Saul, Satan couldn't stop him, A tomb, a nation and a kingdom

APPLICATION:

1. How secure are you? God wants all of you.

2. Have you pushed God away? Is he tugging at your heart.

3. He died for you so that you may be set free to live forever with Him

4. Take a few moments and ask Him into your life

MEMORY VERSE:

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.