Resurrection Courage

I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me shall never die. What a glorious, glorious truth is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, what a wonderful Sunday. This is resurrection day Easter Sunday, the day when we especially remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ, every Lord's day is resurrection day. The reason why we worship on the first day of the week, rather than on the seventh the Sabbath because Jesus Christ arose on the first day of the week and so we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Every Lord's day as we gather together the name of Christ. But once a year. There is the special focus on Christ's rising from the grave will greetings and welcome to our lifestream re-Easter morning service from beacon Baptist Church in Burlington, North Carolina. Thank you for joining us.

We are so grateful that our congregation can gather together by this means artificial in some ways, but certainly better than no opportunity at all to meet and there is a sense of togetherness sense of the church being identified as this local body being led by the pastors of this church so were grateful for this opportunity. We trust all of you are will. I'm thankful for the communications that I received from you. Quite a few of you that tell me that you're doing well and are making good use of the extra time that most of you have though not all of you, but I trust it will be a time of refreshment, may I encourage you to stay in the word. Do not neglect your Bible reading, do not read neglect your times with the Lord in prayer and by all means join us at our regular time Sunday morning 930 again tonight at 6 o'clock and then Wednesday night at 7 o'clock. We are certainly missing you. We are certainly looking forward to the time we can gather together in corporate worship. All of the people of God coming together vitally physically in one another's presence. That's the way it is supposed to be not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, the assembly of the saints is a vital vital vital component of God's means of grace for his people, but in the providence of God were not able to do it in the way that he instructed at this time were looking forward to the time when we can were keeping everything ready for you here at the building. The facility where the beacon Baptist Church assembles the grounds were beautiful. The men of have mowed the lawn and mulch the bad send everything is beautiful.

The trees are well some of them have already bloomed and the blooms are gone and the leaves are out another's of them are blooming at this time and we do have a surprise for you upon your return. We hope it will be completed by the time you come in.

I'm not going to tell you what it is.

So you can look forward to it when we can gather together, but we are ready for you were ready to meet were looking forward to that time when we can get together.

Beyond the congregation. Special thanks to those who are joining us who are not members of this congregation, but thank you for joining us this morning as well. We do want to thank those of you who responded to the coffee encourage project is a lady supporting together materials of baskets of helpful materials for our healthcare workers at elements Regional Medical Center because of the extra load that is upon them now with the corona virus so a lot of things have been donated. I think the ladies are going to be putting together those packages on Monday.

I think that's the plan, and I may have that wrong the schedule but I say that because of some of you intended to to join it with them and haven't brought yours by you could still bring it by and it will be included and don't forget that there is an ongoing project similar. I suppose in scope for military men who are serving overseas. Those things are being collected regularly on an ongoing basis. There is a container in the church for that and I noticed there are some things in it now ready to be distributed. I also want to thank you for your faithfulness and giving most of you are mailing in your offerings to the Lord for bringing them by getting them to us, sometimes by electronic transfer were so very, very grateful that the ministry of the church can carry on during these difficult day's I'm going to read the 20 chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. Now after the Sabbath is the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb of the hall there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow, and the guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. But the angel answered and said to the women. Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he is risen as he said, and see the place where the Lord lay and go quickly and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead and indeed he is going before you into Galilee. There you will see him, behold, I have told you. So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring his disciples word and as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them saying, rejoice, so they came and held him by the feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, do not be afraid. Go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee and there they will see me now hall they were going behold some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that it happened when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together. They gave a large sum of money to the soldiers saying, tell them his disciples came at night and stole him while we slept.

And if this comes to the governor's ears. We will appease him and make you secure so they took the money and did as they were instructed in this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

Then the 11 disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.

And Jesus came and spoke to them saying all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.

And low I am with you always, even to the end of the day man Jesus lives in so shall I death thy sting is gone forever.

He who deigned for me to die lives. The bands of death to sever, he shall raise me with the just. Jesus is my hope and trust Jesus lives and reigns supreme.

His kingdom still remaining. I shall also be with him ever living, ever raining.

God has promised be it must. Jesus is my hope and trust Jesus lives.

I know full well, not from him. My heart can sever life nor death, nor powers of hell joy. You know, nor grief. Henceforth forever, none of all his saints is lost. Jesus is my hope and trust Jesus lives and death is now, but my entrance into glory. Courage then my soul, for thou hast a crown of life before the thou shalt find thy hopes were just Jesus is the Christians trust shall we bow our heavenly father we come to you on this resurrection day to give you praise for giving your son, the Lord Jesus Christ to die upon the cross to take the place of sinners that the judgment, do unto us. To be poured out upon him. How we praise you heavenly father that you raised him from the dead that you demonstrated his power over shale over death over the grave and therefore the assurance that all who trust in him shall live forever. Father, we come together today to remember the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and to let the truth of that sink into our soul.

Father we pray that the power and the reality of these trues shall guide our lives and guard our hearts and keep us from fearing what we have no cause to fear and to rejoice and to hope and to look forward to that day when we shall be with our risen Lord. Father were mindful that our church family has been touched by death twice this very week.

We pray for the family of George then said, we pray for Joan.

We pray for Judy.

We pray for members of that family that you will fill their hearts with peace and joy and with the certainty that their husband their father their loved one is even now in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, that all who trust in Christ shall be with him and with Christ forever and forever. Then we also pray today for the family of Bobrow.

We pray for an his wife who stayed beside his bed for these many years. We thank you father for the calmness of his Spirit in the strength of his testimony of faith in Christ. We pray for his family.

We pray that your grace shall undergird them shall surround them shall fill their hearts with truth with peace with joy and with life eternal. We also pray today for Hugh Dawson, his family, neighbors of Joe Moody and we pray for Stuart Wass. He still waiting for the clearance for a liver transplant in Johannesburg.

We pray Lord that in your kindness you will bring that soon father we pray for our nation. We are more conscious perhaps than ever before. The great needs that face the United States of America, not only those that we are aware of day by day and week by week and month by month and year by year, but now this. This is a pandemic that has descended upon us.

Indeed, as it has in all the world will heavenly father.

This is shown as our weakness, our need our dependence upon you to realize how something so small, so invisible to the human eye can bring all of society to a screeching halt and realize this is just one plague. We realize the Lord that before the coming of Christ. There will be many such plagues that will fall upon the year. Father, we acknowledge that we live and move and have our being. By your will and we have have a a working life and a enjoyable life by your will and we face great trials and challenges and difficulties. Also by your will and we know Lord that these things shall be conquered in the lives of your people, as we trust in you to help us to do so to trust in the resurrection power of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray, momentous events occurred between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday from the event that we looked at last Sunday. The triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem until the event that were looking at this Sunday resurrection of Jesus Christ from the great just a few of the things that transpired during this week are that Jesus cleansed the temple and cursed the fig tree. He prepared his disciples for his imminent departure he sweat great drops of blood in the garden of Gethsemane and was betrayed by one of his chosen apostles, he endured a series of unjust trial first before the Jewish leader Caiaphas Anderson then before Herod did.

Then Pilate actually beginning with pilot and moving to Herod and back to Pilate in a series of unjust trial and all along the way he was. Mark shamefully abused physically as well as verbally and eventually was sentenced to die by crucifixion after being pronounced innocent does.

He staggered under the load of his cross all the way to Golgotha outside the city gates there. He was nailed to a Roman cross hanging between two criminals. D. Who was the sinless, innocent, perfect son of God. There he endured unimaginable agony of body and soul in the place of sinners in my place condemned, he stood in my place. He was nailed to the cross in my place. He endured all of his suffering in my place. He was separated from his heavenly father as he cried out my God my God why has thou forsaken me. He endured all this in the place of sinners who trust in him. Dear friend, that's what you need to be doing trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ with all of your heart, with all of your mind finally yielded up his spirit to his heavenly father and his agony was over and he was hastily buried and borrowed to four sundown for the Sabbath began at sundown on that day of his crucifixion was that therefore the end is disciples and followers obviously and shamefully thought it was. But is that indeed the end watch weight, listen, observe and see what is coming next. All four of the Gospels record the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Each of them giving their own details and there are many many details would take probably several sermons in order to cover all of the details that are included in the various gospel accounts.

But today we want to look at the account that is found in the last chapter of the gospel of Matthew account which in the opening verses is parallel to those in the other Gospels, though not identical by any means, but that is the chapter moves on.

We find that Matthew includes some details that are found nowhere else in the word of God. Dividing this chapter the three parts we find number one. The resurrection revealed in verses one through 10, number two, the resurrection concealed in verses 11 through 15.

Finally, number three, the resurrection proclaimed in verses 16 through 20. First of all, the resurrection revealed to the women to the guards to the disciples resurrection was revealed to the women to Mary's are named by Matthew is coming to that to shortly after dawn on the first day they had actually started from their homes before dark. Now arriving in the garden.

The sun has begun to rise.

This, by the way is the basis for the resurrection and the sunrise services that many churches observe at Easter time thinking about that time when the women came to the garden at the rising of the sun, Mary Magdalena and Mary the mother of James and Joseph are the ones named by by Matthew. There is another one named by Luke and there is reference to. Yet other women who came were not sure if they all came in one group at the same time, or if they came at various times, but it's clear that these women represent the disciples of Jesus Christ were most loyal to him all the way to the very end. It is these women who lingered at the cross. After all of the apostles of Christ had fled.

It is these women who stayed to follow the removal of his body from the cross to add and followed as it was carried to the tomb and watched as it was buried in the tomb.

None of the apostles of Jesus Christ did so. It is these very women who are the first to the tomb on resurrection Sunday there persistent presence is an indication of their strong devotion when people are strongly devoted to Jesus Christ.

They want to be in his presence. They want together with his followers. They want to be with the people of God.

I feel for you and I I share your longing to gather together we miss being able to come together as the people of God. And if you do not miss these gatherings, then perhaps there's something amiss in your heart and so was these women who demonstrated the greatest loyalty to Jesus Christ and therefore it is the women who are first rewarded for their devotion to Christ, an angel appeared to them.

We read in verse five. Well let me redound to verse five no after the Sabbath is the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalena and the other Mary came to see the tomb, and behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning in his clothing as white as snow, and the guard shook for fear of him and became like dead men. But the angel answered and said to the women.

Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he is risen as he said an angelic announcement angels in the first century were not depicted with wings.

Only later in the artistic renderings of later centuries were angels pictured in such a way but every description we have of angels in the Bible is that they look just like men, but always like majestic man in this case we are told that the only thing that distinguish them from a human being upon the earth was the brightness of their countenance the rightness of their clothing as they had come dressed immediately from the presence of God in heaven, from the hot thrice holy God and from that that blazing glory that blazing light which no human being could look on in its fullness without being consumed and so this was a man by every normal appearance, except for this amazing light that is shining forth from his be the angel announced to the women. The Jesus Christ was not on the tomb. I know we are seeking. He said don't be afraid. I know who you are seeking. But he is not here, for he is risen as he said, as he said the words are not by any indication of the text spoken sharply are not smoking in a condemning or rebuking manner, but nevertheless there is this little staying of a reminder that what has taken place had been told to them by Jesus Christ himself and yet clearly, neither the women nor the apostles nor any of the followers of Jesus Christ believed his words. He is risen as he said and yet none of them anticipated this none of them expected this. None of them were looking for. Even though he had said so more than once had said so wonder how many of the words of Jesus Christ, I have overlooked it may be even yet I'm overlooking. Wonder how many of the words of Jesus Christ, and indeed of the revelation is found in the Bible, you may be overlooking God help us to not only read the word and study the word but believe the word is risen as he said, and therefore do not fear is no reason to fear. Why, because of the angel. I know whom you see your seeking Jesus. Even though there search was misplaced because they did not hear and heed the words that he spoke nevertheless clearly.

Their hearts were in the right place. There were hearts of love and devotion and commitment and longing, and therefore there's no reason for you to fear because I know who you are seeking. Therefore no cause to be afraid I cannot help but contrast that with the guards that will look at in the moment you were so afraid that they felt like dead men in the trans-completely knocked out in fear. Why they saw the same thing that they may have seen Seymour they they saw the angel they saw some other events but no one said to them, do not beef. Do not be afraid. And they were afraid why because they were not seeking Jesus, you see the difference. Those who are not seeking Jesus. There is much cause to be afraid. The problem is that many times those who are not seeking Jesus are also not afraid when they ought to be for the people of God who are seeking Jesus even when our knowledge falls short of our love and devotion. There is no cause to be afraid.

I know your seeking Jesus, and examine the empty tomb that empty tomb, and thus the women were the first to hear the announcement that Jesus is risen from the dead, and thus the women were the first ones to be invited into that empty to to examine what was there. The tomb that had been opened by the angel who rolled away the stone and sat upon it was not open so that Jesus could escape. For he didn't need any opening for him to escape in his resurrected glorified body that is obviously capable of passing through material substance, but so that the Disciples of Christ could enter the tomb and examine the evidence and see that it is empty and see that the grave clothes are lying there in perfect order. This is not this is not the elements of a of a thief of a theft of the body. This is not the elements of some kind of of the physical strife. This is evidence of one who arose calmly in power, passing right through the very close that were wound around him and left them behind as he escaped out of the tomb, the empty tomb. Many unbelievers have attempted to explain the empty tomb by some other means than acknowledging the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead will get to one of those it attempts at a moment, but there been others, but all of them fall short. Nothing else fits the evidence. No one has been able to explain satisfactorily the empty tomb, except those who acknowledge the account that God has given us in his word exempted because the occupant of that tomb came to life's it's because she's no longer dead. Therefore no longer needs a grave, the tomb is empty. There least a couple of well-known accounts in history of skeptics who decided they were going to disprove the resurrection of Jesus Christ and so they dug into the evidence and examined it carefully and we know of at least two of these men capable well-educated hardhearted unbelieving man whose purpose was to disprove the truth about Jesus Christ, who, when they had carefully examined all of the evidence came to the opposite conclusion and could say the only explanation is the Christ rose from the dead and both.

In both cases they became believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Come see the empty tomb, so they went in joy and fear. But the joy will read his great joy. The fair was fair but not great fear but great fear and great joy. And though there is this element of fear that takes a little while to work its way way out to work its way away. There is this greater joy that displaces and so it is the women who were the first to see the risen Lord and it is the women who were commissioned to declare this glad truth to the other disciples. What an honor was there's indeed what is her responsibility was there's secondly the resurrection was revealed to the guards. The guards fact, it occurs to me that they were truly the first ones to become aware of the supernatural event. We generally say the women were the first to hear the announcement of the risen Christ and, indeed, they were the first ones to hear the announcement they were the first ones to be told by the angel that Jesus has risen from the dead for the Angels communicated no such message to the guards but the guards were actually the first ones to be aware of of something supernatural happening and to understand that what happened was this one that they were guarding came out of the town is clearly a prior occurrence to that of the women coming to the garden. Matthew 28 one now after the Sabbath after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb, and behold my translation says there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended, there was a great earthquake reading it as it lies on the surface, you might conclude that the earthquake occurred while the women were there observing it. But that's not exactly what it is communicating here is the rendering of the new American Standard Bible, behold, a severe earthquake had occurred when these women came at the rising of the sun. The earthquake had already occurred.

It was over before they arrive. That probably is indicated in my translation by that phrase for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came in rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it. That seems to be the proper sequence in order.

There was a great earthquake four or because an angel of the Lord had come and accomplish this, and the women certainly did not observe the angel rolling the stone away. They did not observe the earthquake which occurred but they observed the evidence of all of this after it happened and when they came. The angel was sitting calmly on this huge huge stone which required a number of men to move and maybe some levers and other machinery devices to accomplish it. Yet this one angel of the Gospels record. A second angel, but is not mentioned by Matthew and the other angel did. Therefore, evidently, participate in the removal of the stone.

This one angel Ralston stalled away by the strength of his angelic power and as some Bible commentators believe and I think is probably correct through the stone flat upon the ground, and when he sat up on it usually in children's Bible story books receipt is angel perched up on the top of this stone, but still upright goat.

Those rolled back from the edge. Probably it's more accurate that the angel flung the stone to the ground and set upon flat surface of that stone was gonna take some tremendous work to upright that stone to its original place and use it as a door for that tomb again and so while the guards were there. This angel came earthquake came in, the angel came and this this feet that even Hercules would have difficulty accomplishing occurred and they they were witnesses to all of this. The striking a present of appearance of the angel in his whiteness that cut through their sinful eyes because these hardened Roman soldiers to shake and to swoon third resurrection Revelation came to the disciples by the women were told. First of all by the angel to go and tell his disciples and secondly by the Lord himself to go and tell his disciples and to tell them specifically to meet him in Galilee and there he would meet with them now in the other gospel accounts.

We can count at least a dozen appearances of Christ before the Galilean appearance. Matthew does not deny those but he is pointing to one that is of great significance. The Galilean appearance. We shall see more about in a moment. There's something special about that meeting in Galilee, but we moved from the resurrection revealed to the resurrection concealed and only Matthew records. This shocking report now while the women were going behold some of the guard came into the city, reported to the chief priest all things that it happened when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together. They gave a large sum of money to the soldiers saying, tell them his disciples came at night and stole him away while we slept. And if this comes to the governor's ears.

We will appease him and make you secure so they took the money and did as they were instructed in the saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. Shocking report comes to the religious leaders from some of the guards were not told where the rest of the mortar we don't know why only a portion came to the others in hiding. They were certainly they were certainly upset. They were certainly upended in every way possible. But some of them made their way to the religious leaders and reported what happened and they reported this event to the chief priests not to their Roman commander, though they were Roman soldiers because they have been placed under the jurisdiction of the chief priests and religious leaders by pilot for the purpose of guarding the two in making sure that his disciples did not come and steal away the body appears that the unbelieving Jews paid more attention to the words of Jesus predicting his resurrection then did his own followers think about that.

I really, but the guards brought this report and it was an accurate account that they brought this supernatural occurrence. The appearance of this angel with amazing strength and power and all of this serves us further testimony to these religious leaders that Jesus is the Christ. Jesus is sent from God. This can only be explained as an act of Almighty God. But it makes no difference at all to these unbelieving heart. Shocking report gives way to the shameful cover-up is a hasty consultation with those who receive the report to others who are leading members of the religious governing body and they decide to offer a sizable bride to the soldiers. It's going to need to be a sizable bride because they're asking them to report that they had fallen asleep on the job, which is a self feared dereliction for Roman soldier and normally would incur the severest penalty, not to mention the humiliation and shame that such a report would bring to them among their fellow soldiers, but they have plenty of money for this kind of thing. Have you noticed how there usually seems to be no shortage of money for those who are opposed to Christ. Sometimes, there does seem to be a shortage of necessary funds for those who are supporting the cause of Christ. We would dwell on that thought.

But if we see an example of so they concoct the story they tell the guard what it is they need to say they tell them to report that while they were asleep. The Disciples of Christ came and stole the body away. The guards know that's not true. Religious leaders know that's not true. Nevertheless, they're willing to go along.

We are told by reading all of the accounts of the disciples actually were themselves perplexed and were shaken and bewildered and had no idea where Jesus was located. They certainly had not stolen the body of Jesus, but the guards took the money. It was a sizable sum after all. And they went out and told this story, which is nothing more than a bald-faced lie. Disciples didn't steal the body they would have been willing to die for what they do, was a lie.

If in fact they had stolen the body and they place themselves in the position of death, and many of them did die as martyrs to the cause of Jesus Christ to foolish story on the very surface of it. If, as the soldier said something happened while they slept and how do they know what happened and who did it. If they were in fact asleep.

The story doesn't even stand up on its own account, much less in light of the other things were told in Scripture. I came across in my file. This newspaper article that I clipped from the Burlington Times news on April 22, 1984.

That's 36 years ago is a column written by George Cornell and Associated Press religion writer whose columns use to appear regularly in many papers across the country. They no longer do I presume the George Cornell is no longer living in this account is about a Jewish scholar who is come to the conclusion that Jesus did in truth rise from the dead. The headline says Jewish scholar says resurrection of Jesus affect all read just a few lines out of this article, but enough for you to understand what is said. He writes the resurrection of Jesus concerning the resurrection of Jesus, a present-day scholarly Jew declares it a firmly authenticated fact, only that conclusion accords with the evidence says Pinchas Lapin day. I hope I'm pronouncing his name right in Orthodox Jewish professor of Scripture. He twists modern Christian theologians for sometimes seeming ashamed of the material fact to city of the resurrection and escorting out from the book that he wrote without the resurrection of Jesus. After Golgotha, there would not of been any Christianity lap at a writes in the book, the resurrection of Jesus, a Jewish perspective recently published by the American Lutheran churches Augsburg press of Minneapolis.

Although affirming the resurrection Lapin.

He contends that Jesus was not the Messiah long-awaited by Jews and rejects the Christian concept of him as the divine son of God Labadie, the Jewish specialist in the New Testament who teaches at West Germany's got a gun University, writes quote the experience of the resurrection is the foundation act of the church which has carried faith in the God of Israel into the whole Western world must belong to God's plan of salvation. However, he says, Jews cannot regard Jesus as their Messiah.

Since Orthodox Judaism holds that his coming will establish God's rate of peace and justice for all, something that hasn't happened through Jesus and then this noting that the disciples were totally disappointed and on the verge of desperate flight because of the very real reason of the crucifixion he adds.

It took another very real reason in order to transform them from a band of disheartened and dejected Jews into the most self-confident missionary society and world history is that fascinating.

I don't believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ because it can because the evidence convinced in Orthodox Jewish scholar, I would believe it. If this book had never been written, but isn't that interesting, but this deceitful fabrication from the guards has been reported. They took the money they repeated the full story and the story persists in Jewish circles ever since. In fact, as Lapin he mentions that even has permeated the thinking of some who call themselves Christians who are reluctant to believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ different. Please understand, there is always a competing explanation to accommodate unbelieving mines. There is always a competing explanation to accommodate unbelieving mind and when the explanation is not true as this one is not then they competing explanation doesn't hold up to close scrutiny.

But that doesn't matter for most people.

Most don't really want to know the truth. They just want something that will help them justify their unbelief.

The resurrection revealed the resurrection concealed. Now the resurrection proclaim and Matthew alone records this part of the resurrection story and I take it by the way it flows together in this chapter on the resurrection that this appearance of Christ to his disciples in Galilee and this proclaiming of the great commission as we call it in the last verses of Matthew chapter 28 should be understood as part of the resurrection account and as the natural sequence to it and what follows it, and what involves all of us because of it.

What we find in Matthew 28 is not the only proclamation of what is called the great commission, we find some similar commissioning in all for the Gospels and a 51 in the first chapter the book of acts. Matthews is the fullest account to buy the white most of these others were spoken on different occasions. One of the upper room and one outside of Jerusalem and so forth. But this one on a mountain in Galilee. It starts with the rendezvous on a mountain in Galilee amounted not identified for us in the Bible, but one that obviously was known by the disciples of Christ. Galilee was not only the hometown of most of the apostles of Christ. But it was the I should call Galilee hometown into territory, but it was not only the home territory of most of the disciples most of the apostles of Christ. But it was the home territory of the largest number of follow Christ more believed on him from Galilee than from Judea, which probably indicates that though the appointment is for the apostles, the word no doubt spread and because there were hundreds of followers of Jesus Christ in Galilee. It is probably true that there was a great large gathering of maybe as many as 500 of his followers in Galilee at this mountain at the appointed time I think is very likely that this is where the 500 brethren at once saw the risen Christ as reported by Paul in first Corinthians 1520 says, moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preach to you, which also you received and in which you stand. By which also you are saved, if you holdfast that word which I preach to you unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you. First of all that which I also received the Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, that he was seen by Cephas than by the 12 and after that he was seen by over 500 brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present ball is writing some 30 more years later, but some have fallen asleep.

After that, he was seen by James than by all the apostles and last of all, he was seen by me also is worn born out of due time. At some .500 followers of Christ are gathered together in one place and also the resurrected Lord I think it's likely that this is the time and the place there. They gathered on the mountain of Jesus appeared to them and they worshiped him as well they should.

When the women saw Jesus they fell at his feet and worshiped him, grabbing hold of his feet were told they felt with their own hands that he was physical substance, it was not the spirit was not an apparition was indeed Jesus bodily risen from the dead. Likewise, when these followers of Christ sake on the mountain in Galilee, they worshiped him for indeed, they recognized these more than a man, he is Lord he is Lord he is risen from the dead, and he is Lord, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, but were told of the hesitation of some some doubted who doubted were some of them among the 11 apostles. Judas, of course, had already hanged himself. By this time there were no longer 12, but rather 11. That is certainly within the realm of possibility we see more doubt among his own apostles than there should have been.

Where does this refer to some of the 500 that we presume are present. We do not know what was it that they doubted that they doubt his identity that this one standing before them was in fact the risen Jesus Christ they think it was someone else, or did they doubt his corporal presence.

They saw someone, they recognized Jesus but doubted that he was a physical bodily present resurrected person but thought instead, he must be spirit. Again, we are not told why did they doubt clearly because their faith was weaker than it should've been. It's also possible that they doubted because their eyesight wasn't real good and I'm not sure if I should hang too much on this or not but notice we read in verse 17 when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. Verse 18 and Jesus came and spoke to them saying evidently when I first saw him he was at some distance, they fell down and they worshiped it. Some doubted they may have doubted whether this was Jesus that they were saying and then he came closer to speak to them and when he came closer they could see clearly that it was in fact Jesus that may be the explanation. Now we come to the commissioning the great commission Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, all authority is given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nation, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you low I am with you always, even to the end of the age man the sovereign ruler is commissioning his followers the one who says all authority resides in the this is no none other than Almighty God, the one who has all authority, all power, all sovereignty, who rules without rifle without successful opposition.

That is the one who is commissioning his followers, and to date he is commissioning all of his followers. If you have tried to narrow this commission to the 11 apostles only, but it has long been understood for centuries that this is a commission given to all followers of Jesus Christ. The article I read by the Jewish Orthodox scholar makes that clear. This explains the rapid spread of Christianity.

The activity of 11 apostles doesn't explain it, but the activity of thousands of of believers. Thousands of Christians all followers, all carrying out the great commission that explains it all believers are to be involved in this commission, each carrying out his part according to his gifts, according to his opportunities. According to his resource. Not all have the same strong gifts of evangelism that some have but all have an evangelistic mandate.

Not all have the same financial resources to help the cause of the gospel that some have, but all have the responsibility to give what they can all are included in this command. What is it that we are to do this I must cover quickly. It is three things make disciples baptized disciples train disciples disciples make them mark them and mold them, make them how to make a disciple disciple. Of course, is both a learner, one who learns from his teacher, the follower it speaks of truth in the mind and commitment in the heart. It takes both a disciple is one who understands the truth that he needs to know to become a knowledgeable follower of the Lord Jesus Christ and he's one who has committed himself to Jesus Christ he has surrendered his will. He is a determined follower of Christ. That's a disciple make disciples not merely profession make disciples in all the nations number two baptized disciples.

This makes it clear that there should be no baptism before there is evidence of discipleship is one of several reasons why we don't baptize infants.

They are clearly not disciples, however careful about baptizing even children who are old enough to understand the gospel. But do they truly understand that in both their mind and in their heart, are they disciples. We will hope they are.

We don't doubt that they may be, but we long for the evidence. We don't baptize people until it's clear that they are disciple's. Then we train those that we have baptized in all things is a lifelong training process. This cannot be done apart from the ongoing work of local churches. It's not just enough to make decisions. It is to make disciples baptized disciples and then throughout the remainder of their lifetime.

Train those disciples is effective soldiers in the Army of Christ.

That's what we do, why because Christ commanded how because he's with us his presence and power costs low.

I you always, even to the end human frailties that is be afraid risen Christ says fear not world, the flesh of the devil. Keep us in a constant state of fear if possible. Christ says go forth in my truth and conquer in my power, Jesus, thou art Kevin's dayspring like a sunrise was thy birth light and life to all men bringing shining hope for all the earth long had sinners groped in blindness, pining for the light of day, God did visit us with kindness that was born to light our way. Jesus born as Kevin's dayspring that was gracious coming this clad in flesh for priestly mercy, thou was man didst come to us human, tempting human crying, pain and sorrow doubted snow in the last thou in thy dying, even to depths of hell didst go, but would blaze of doing day splendor doubted spring to life again vowed to death its death didst render conquered all the sting of sin rose on high to rule from heaven to the throne that air was nine and the spirit thou has given through the church. The highlight to shine. That's the message of the resurrection. Shall we take it to heart. Shall we put it into practice. Shall we pray father seal this great truth to the hearts of all thy people, that we may go forth in power and strength with the promise that has been given to us shaking off the fears that naturally would hold us back. Father, because there's truth to grip the hearts of any and all who are outside of Christ, may they come to embrace the risen Lord, to the saving of their souls now to him who was able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever