Jesus thy faith, my love, was my throne, I have thy truth and he is thy name. Jesus Christ, God has. Let the voice of the heaven and the world that give us a spirit of you and the spirit and shine single take the streets to make thee. We should be happy, no more than we see. And the world's our favourite father.
Jesus and my name is Jesus. Jesus Christ is his name, Hallelujah. Once by all the name, hallelujah. We once fought on the cross. Hallelujah.
Some God's in Christ for everyone who will stay to repeat and sing peace with God. Praise Jesus, praise you all, yeah, Jesus, I am afraid Jesus said. 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.
And 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.
is 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 in the name of Christ. But once a year there is this special focus. On Christ's Rising from the grave.
Well, greetings and welcome to our live stream 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.
A sense of the church being identified as this local body being led by the pastors of this church. And so we're grateful for this opportunity. We trust all of you are well. 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 they 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 neglect your times with the Lord in prayer. And by all means, Join us at our regular time Sunday morning 9:30. Again, tonight at 6 o'clock, and then Wednesday night. at seven o'clock. We are certainly missing you.
We are certainly looking forward to the time when we can gather together in corporate worship. All of the people of God coming together bodily, 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, we're not able to do it in the way that He instructed at this time. and we're looking forward to the time when we can. We're keeping everything ready for you here. At the building the facility Where the Beacon Baptist Church Assembles. The grounds are beautiful.
The men have mowed the lawn and mulched the beds, and everything is beautiful. The trees are, well, some of them have already bloomed, and the blooms are gone, and the leaves are out, and others of them are blooming at this time. And we do have a surprise for you upon your return. We hope it'll be completed by the time you come. And 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. We're ready to meet. We're looking forward to that time when we can get together. and 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 and Courage project as the ladies are putting together. Materials. baskets of helpful materials for Our healthcare workers at Alamance Regional Medical Center, because of the extra load that is upon them now with the coronavirus.
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 on the schedule. But I say that because if some of you intended to.
To join 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 notice there are some things in it now ready to be distributed. I also want to thank you for your faithfulness in giving.
Most of you are. mailing in your offerings to the Lord. Or bringing them by or getting them to us, sometimes by electronic transfer. We're so very, very grateful that the ministry of the church can carry on during these difficult days. I'm going to read.
The twenty eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew.
Now, after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn. Married Magdalene. 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. 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. Come, 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 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. 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 to make you secure.
So they took the money and did as they were instructed. And this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw him, They worshipped 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 sun. and of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.
And lo, I am with you always. Even to the end of the age. Uh me on that. Jesus lives. And so shall I.
Death Thy sting is gone for ever. 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 reigning. God has promised. Be it must, Jesus is my hope and trust.
Jesus lives. I know full well, naught from him my heart can sever. Life nor death nor powers of hell, Joy no nor grief henceforth for ever. 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 thee. 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 Forgiving your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die upon the cross, to take the place of sinners. that the judgment due unto us be poured out upon him.
But how we praise you, Heavenly Father, that you raised him from the dead. that you demonstrated his power over hell. Over death. Over the grave. And therefore, the assurance that all who trust in him shall live for ever.
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. And Father, we pray that the power and the reality of these truths Shall guide our lives and guard our hearts and keep us from fearing what we have no cause to fear. And two, rejoice. and to hope and to look forward to that day. when we shall be with our risen Lord.
Father, we're mindful that our church family has been touched by death. twice this very week. We pray for the family of George Zenson. 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. and that all who trust in Christ shall be with him and with Christ, forever and forever. Amen. We also pray today for the family of Bob Rose.
We pray for and His wife, who stayed beside his bed for these many years. We thank you, Father, for the calmness of his Spirit and 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 Doss and his family, neighbors of Joe Moody. And we pray for Stuart Waugh as he's still waiting. For the Clarence for a liver transplant in Johannesburg. We pray, O Lord, that in your kindness you will bring that soon.
And Father, we pray for our nation. We are more conscious, perhaps than ever before, of 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 pandemic that has descended upon us, indeed, as it has in all the world. O Heavenly Father, this has shown us 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 to realize this is just one. Plague. We realize, O Lord, that before the coming of Christ there will be many such plagues that will fall upon the earth. And Father, we acknowledge that we live and move and have our being by your will and we have Have a working life, a enjoyable life by your will. And we face great trials and challenges and difficulties also by your will.
And we know, O Lord, that these things shall be conquered in the lives of your people. as we trust in you.
So help us to do so. to trust in The resurrection power of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen. 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 we're looking at this Sunday, The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave. Just a few of the things that transpired during this week. are that Jesus cleansed the temple. and curse 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 trials. first before the Jewish leaders. Caiaphas and Annas, and then before Herod and Then Pilate, actually beginning with Pilate and moving to Herod and back to Pilate. in a series of unjust trials.
And all along the way he was mocked and shamefully abused physically as well as verbally. And eventually was sentenced to die by crucifixion after being pronounced innocent. And thus he staggered under the load of his cross all the way to Golgotha outside the city gates. And there he was nailed to a Roman cross. Hanging between two criminals, he 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 this suffering. In my place he was separated from his heavenly father as he cried out, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? He endured all this. in the place of sinners. who trust in him.
And 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. And finally, he yielded up his spirit to his heavenly father, and his agony was over. And he was hastily buried in a borrowed tomb before sundown, for the Sabbath began at sundown on that day of his crucifixion.
Was that, therefore, the end? His disciples and followers Obviously and shamefully thought it was But is that indeed the end? Watch. Wait. 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. It 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 then as the chapter moves on, we find that Matthew includes some details that are found nowhere else in the Word of God. Dividing this chapter into three parts, we find number one, The resurrection revealed in verses 1 through 10.
Number two, the resurrection concealed in verses 11 through 15. And finally, Number three, the resurrection proclaimed. in verses sixteen through twenty. But first of all, the resurrection revealed. To the women?
To the guards. to the disciples. The resurrection was revealed to the women. two Marys. Are named by Matthew as coming to.
to that tomb. shortly after dawn. on the first day of the week. They had actually started from their homes before dark, but now arriving in the garden, the sun has begun to rise. This, by the way, is the basis for the resurrection, 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 Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James and Joseph, are the ones named by Matthew. There is another one named by Luke And there is reference to yet other women who came. We're 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 who 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 and. 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.
And 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 to gather with his followers.
They want to be with the people of God. I feel for you, and 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 it 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 read down to verse 5.
Now 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, 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. An angelic announcement. Angels in the first century were not depicted with wings. Only later on And they 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 men.
And in this case, we are told that the only thing that distinguished them from a human being upon the earth was the Brightness of their countenance, the brightness of their clothing, as they had come dressed immediately from the presence of God in heaven, from the thrice holy God, and from that brightness. 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 being. And the angel announced to the women that Jesus Christ was not in the tomb. I know who you're seeking.
He said, Don't be afraid. I know who you are seeking. But he is not here. For he is risen. As Hey.
Sad. As he said. The words are not by any indication of the text spoken sharply Are not spoken in a condemning or rebuking manner, but nevertheless, there is this. Little Sting 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 it, even though. He had said so. more than once had said so, I wonder how many of the words of Jesus Christ I. have overlooked and maybe even yet I'm overlooking I wonder how many of the words of Jesus Christ and indeed of the revelation that's found in the Bible you may be overlooking.
May God help us. to not only Read the word. and study the word, but believe the word. He is risen. As He said.
And therefore, do not fear. There's no reason to fear. Why? Because, said the angel, I know whom you seek. You're seeking Jesus.
Even though they're 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 whom you are seeking.
Therefore, no cause to be afraid. I cannot help but contrast that with the guards that we'll look at in a moment, who were so afraid that they fell like dead men in a trance. completely knocked out. In fear. Why?
They saw the same thing. In fact, they may have seen more. They saw the angel, they saw some other events. But no one said to them, do not be afraid. And they were afraid.
Why? Because. They were not seeking Jesus. Do you see the difference? For 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. But 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 you're seeking Jesus. Come and examine the empty tomb. Ah, that empty tomb. And thus the women were the first to hear the announcement that Jesus has risen from the dead. And thus the women were the first ones to be invited into that empty tomb to examine what was there.
the tomb that had been opened by the angel who rolled away the stone and sat upon it. It was not opened 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 uh Physical strife. This is evidence of one who arose calmly and powerfully, passing right through the very clothes that were wound around him and left them behind as he escaped out of the tomb. The empty Two 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.
Well get to one of those uh attempts in a moment. But there have 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.
It's empty because the occupant of that tomb came to life. He arose It's empty because he's no longer dead. and therefore no longer needs a grave. The tomb is empty. There are at 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. Hard-hearted, unbelieving men 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 that Christ rose from the dead. And in both cases, they became believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Come, see the empty tomb. And so they went.
In joy and fear. But the joy, you'll read, is great joy. The fear was fear, 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 the fear. 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 theirs. Indeed, what a s responsibility was theirs. But secondly, the resurrection was revealed to the guards. The Guards In 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 had happened was this one that they were guarding came out of the tomb. This is clearly a prior occurrence to that of the women coming to the garden. Matthew 28, 1, 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's 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 and was over before they arrived.
That probably is indicated in my translation by that phrase, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it. That seems to be the proper sequence and order. There was a great earthquake. For or because an angel of the Lord had come and accomplished 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.
move And maybe some levers and other Machinery and devices to accomplish it. And yet, this. One Angel. Other gospels record a second angel, but he's not mentioned by Matthew, and the other angel didn't, therefore. Evidently, participate in the removal of the stone.
This one angel rolls the stone away by the strength of his angelic power. And as some Bible commentators believe, and I think is probably correct. Threw the stone flat upon the ground, and when he sat upon it, usually in children's Bible story books, we see this angel perched up on the top of this stone that's still upright, though. those rolled back from the edge. But probably it's more accurate that the angel flung the stone to the ground.
and sat upon the flat surface of that stone. It was going to 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, the earthquake came, and the angel came. And this This feat that even Hercules would have difficulty accomplishing occurred, and they were witnesses to all of this.
The striking appearance of the angel in his whiteness that cut through their sinful eyes caused these hardened Roman soldiers to shake and to swoon. The third. Resurrection revelation came to the disciples. By the women. Who were told, first of all, by the angel to go and tell his disciples, and then, 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 that we shall see more about in a moment. But there's something special. about that meeting in Galilee.
But we move from the resurrection revealed to the resurrection concealed, and only Matthew records this. The Shocking Report Now, while the women were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priest all things that had 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 to make you secure.
So they took the money and did as they were instructed. And this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. A shocking report comes to the religious leaders From some of the guards. We're not told where the rest of them were. We don't know why only a portion came.
Were 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 had happened.
And they reported this event to the chief priests, not to their Roman commander, though they were Roman soldiers, because they had been placed under the jurisdiction of the chief priests and religious leaders By Pilate, For the purpose of guarding the tube. and making sure that his disciples did not come and steal away the body. It appears that the unbelieving Jews. paid more attention to the words of Jesus. predicting his resurrection than did his own followers think about that irony.
But the guards brought this report, and it was an accurate account that they brought of this supernatural occurrence, the appearance of this angel with amazing strength and power. And all of this serves as 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 hearts.
And the shocking report gives way to the shameful cover-up. There's 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 bribe. To these soldiers, and it's going to need to be a sizable bribe, because they're asking them to report that they had fallen asleep on the job, which is a severe dereliction.
for a 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 won't dwell on that thought, but we see an example of it here. And 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.
Now the guards know that's not true. The religious leaders know that's not true. But nevertheless, they're willing to go along. We are Told by reading all of the accounts that the disciples actually were themselves. Perplexed.
and we're 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. The disciples didn't steal the body.
They wouldn't have been willing to die for what they knew was a lie if, in fact, they had stolen. the body. And they placed themselves in the position of death, and many of them did die as martyrs to the cause of Jesus Christ. It's a foolish story. On the very surface of it.
If, as the soldiers said, something happened while they slept. Then 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 that were told in Scripture. I came across in my file this newspaper article that I clipped from the Burlington Times News. On April 22nd, 1984, that's 36 years ago. It is a column written by George Cornell. an Associated Press religion writer whose columns used to appear regularly in many papers across the country.
They no longer do. I presume that George Cornell is no longer living. And this account is about a Jewish scholar who has come to the conclusion that Jesus did in truth rise from the dead. The headline says, Jewish scholar says resurrection of Jesus a fact. I'll 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 Pinches Lapidae. I hope I'm pronouncing his name right.
an Orthodox Jewish professor of Scripture. He twits modern Christian theologians. for sometimes seeming ashamed, of the material facticity of the resurrection. And he's quoting now from the book that he wrote, Without the resurrection of Jesus after Golgotha, there would not have been any Christianity. Lapida writes in a book, The Resurrection of Jesus, A Jewish perspective.
Recently published by the American Lutheran Church's Augsburg Press of Minneapolis. Although affirming the resurrection, Lapidi contends that Jesus. was not the Messiah long awaited by Jews. and rejects the Christian concept of him as the divine Son of God. Lapidi A Jewish specialist in the New Testament who teaches at West Germany's Gottingen University writes, quote, The experience of the resurrection as 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 reign 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 in world history. Isn't that fascinating? I don't believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ because the evidence convinced an 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 false story. And this story persists in Jewish circles ever since. In fact, as Lapidity mentions it even has permeated the thinking of some who call themselves Christians, who are reluctant. To believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Dear friend, please understand. There is always A competing explanation to accommodate unbelieving minds. There is always a competing explanation. to accommodate unbelieving minds. And when the explanation is not true, as this one is not.
Then the competing explanation doesn't hold up to close scrutiny, but that doesn't matter for most people because. 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. But now the resurrection proclaimed. 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.
Now, 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 four of the Gospels and a fifth one in the first chapter, the book of Acts. But Matthew's is the fullest account. And by the way, Most of these others were spoken on different occasions, one in 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. A mountain 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 shouldn't call Galilee hometown, it's a 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 followers of 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 large gathering of maybe as many as 500 of his followers. In Galilee at this mountain at the appointed time. I think it is very likely that this It's where the 500 brethren at once saw the risen Christ, as reported by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15, when he 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 hold fast that word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you, first of all, that which I also received. That Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures. And that he was buried. And that he rose again the third day.
According to the Scriptures. and that he was seen by Cephas. than by the twelve. And after that he was seen by over five hundred brethren at once. of whom the greater part remain to the present.
When Paul is writing some thirty more years later, But some have fallen asleep. After that he was seen by James, then by all the apostles, then last of all, he was seen by me also as one borne out of due time. At some point, 500 followers of Christ were gathered together in one place and all saw the resurrected Lord. I think it's likely that this is the time and the place. And there they gathered on the mountain, and Jesus appeared to them.
And they worshipped him. as well they should. When the women saw Jesus, they fell at his feet and worshiped him. grabbing hold of his feet, we're told. They felt with their own hands that he was physical substance.
It was not a spirit. It was not an apparition. It was indeed Jesus bodily risen from the dead. And likewise, when these Followers of Christ saw him on the mountain in Galilee. They worshipped him.
For indeed they recognized he's more than a man, he is Lord. He is Lord. He is risen from the dead. And he is Lord. Every knee shall bow, Every tongue confess.
that Jesus Christ is Lord. but we're told of the hesitation of some.
Some doubted. Who doubted? Were some of them among the eleven? Apostles Judas, of course, had already hanged himself by this time there were no longer twelve, but rather eleven. That is certainly within the realm of possibility.
We see more doubt among his own apostles than There should have been. Or 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. Did they think it was someone else? Or did they doubt his corporal presence? They saw someone they recognized as Jesus. but doubted that he was a physical bodily present, resurrected person, but thought instead He must be a spirit.
Again, we are not told. Why did they doubt?
Well clearly because their faith was weaker than it should have 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 worshipped him, but some doubted. Verse 18. And Jesus Came And spoke to them, saying, Evidently, when they first saw him, he was at some distance.
And they fell down. And they worshiped him, but some doubted. They may have doubted whether this was Jesus that they were seeing. 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. But 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 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 lo, I am with you always. even to the end of the age. Amen. The sovereign ruler Is commissioning His followers.
The one who says All Authority. resides in me. This is no none other than Almighty God. The one who has all authority, all power, all sovereignty, who rules without rival, without successful opposition. That is the one who is commissioning his followers.
And to date he is commissioning all of his followers. A few have Tried to narrow this commission to the eleven 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.
They Activity of eleven apostles doesn't explain it, but the activity of thousands of believers, thousands of Christians, all follow 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 resources. Not all have the same strong gifts of evangelism, but 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. But what is it that we are to do? And 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 do you make a disciple?
Well, the disciple, of course, is both a learner One who learns from his teaching. Teacher and a follower. It speaks of truth in the mind and commitment in the heart. And 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 professions. Make disciples. in all the nations. Number two, baptize disciples. And this makes it clear that there should be no baptism before there is evidence of discipleship.
That's one of several reasons why we don't baptize infants. They are clearly not disciples. That's why we're careful about baptizing even children. Children who are old enough to understand the gospel, but do they truly understand it in both their mind and in their heart? Are they disciples?
We 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 disciples. And then we train. Those that we have baptized in all things.
That's 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. Baptize disciples. And then, throughout the remainder of their lifetime, train those disciples as effective soldiers in the army. of Christ. That's what we do.
Why? Because Christ commanded it. How? Because He's with us. His presence and power are with us.
Lo, I am with you. Always, even to the end, of the age. Human frailty says, be afraid. The risen Christ says, Fear not. The world, the flesh, and 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 heaven's dayspring. Like a sunrise was thy birth Light and life to all men bringing, shining hope o'er all the earth.
Long had sinners groped in blindness. Pining for the light of day. God did visit us with kindness, Thou wast born to light our way. Jesus Born is heaven's dayspring Thou wast gracious coming thus. Clad in flesh for priestly mercy, Thou as man didst come to us.
Human temptings, human crying, pain and sorrows, thou didst know And alas, thou in thy dying, even to depths of hell. didst go. But with blaze of noonday splendour thou didst spring to life again. Thou to death its death Didst render conquered all the sting of sin. rose on high, to rule from heaven, Took the throne that e'er was thine.
and the Spirit thou hast given through the Church, Thy light. 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. in strength with the promise that has been given to us. Shaking off the fears that naturally would hold us back.
Father, cause this 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. And 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 Amen.
Amen.
