Sermon #91
Series: Matthew
Title: The Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Text: Matthew 28:1-10
Reading: Office:
Rex Bartley Auditorium:
Larry Criss
Subject: The Resurrection
Date: Tuesday Evening - August 6, 1996
Tape # S-81
Introduction:
The title of my
message tonight is The Resurrection of
Our Lord Jesus Christ. Our text will be Matthew 28:1-10. Let’s read these ten verses together.
"In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the
first day of the week, came Mary
Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. (2) And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of
the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the
door, and sat upon it. (3) His
countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: (4) And for fear of him the keepers did
shake, and became as dead men. (5) And
the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye
seek Jesus, which was crucified. (6) He
is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord
lay. (7) And go quickly, and tell his
disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into
Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. (8) And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and
great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. (9) And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met
them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped
him. (10) Then said Jesus unto them,
Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall
they see me."
The resurrection
of Christ is the single greatest event in the history of the world. Without it,
our Savior’s incarnation, life, and death as our Substitute and Surety would be
altogether meaningless. The resurrection of our Lord is so vital a doctrine
that those who deny it deny Christianity altogether. Without the resurrection
there would be no such thing as Christianity. Without this, we are yet in our
sins, our faith is vain, our hope is a delusion, and our religion is a mockery
of men’s souls! If Christ was not raised from the dead, redemption was not
accomplished, justice was not satisfied, he is not God, and we are yet under
the wrath and curse of the Almighty.
1 Corinthians 15:13,
14, 17 "If there be no resurrection of the
dead, then is Christ not risen: (14) And
if Christ be not risen, then is our
preaching vain, and your faith is also
vain...(17) "And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins."
Today, we seldom
here anything preached about the resurrection, except at Easter. But that was
not the case in the New Testament. Those who had seen the risen Lord and had
experienced the power of his resurrection in the new birth went everywhere
preaching “Jesus and the resurrection” (Acts 4:2; 17:18). That is to say, They preached salvation accomplished for
sinners by the crucified, risen Christ. This is what Peter preached on the
day of Pentecost (Acts 2:23-24), before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:10), and to the
Gentiles (Acts 10:4).
Paul preached the resurrection
constantly. Wherever he went, this was his message.
·
In the
Synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia (Acts 13:30, 37).
·
Before
the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem (Acts 23:6).
·
Before
Felix the Governor (Acts 24:15, 21).
·
Before
King Agrippa (Acts 26:8).
·
To the
Church at Rome (Rom. 6:3-6).
·
To the
Corinthians (1 Cor. 15:4; 2 Cor. 4:14).
·
To the
Galatians (Gal. 1:1).
·
To the
Ephesians (Eph. 1:20).
·
To the
Philippians (Phil. 3:10.
·
To the
Colossians (Col. 2:12).
The great apostle to the Gentiles longed to know Christ “and the
power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made
conformable unto his death."
Peter spoke of our living hope through
the resurrection. "Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy
hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead, (4) To an inheritance
incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for
you" (1
Pet. 1:3-4).
And in Revelation
1:17-18 John tells us how that he
saw and heard the risen, exalted Christ. "And when I saw him, I fell at
his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not;
I am the first and the last: (18) I am he that liveth, and was dead; and,
behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of
death."
Our Lord himself declares his
resurrection to be the foundation and cornerstone of our hope. He says, in John 11:25 "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life:
he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:" and in 14:19
"Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me:
because I live, ye shall live also."
You cannot avoid
seeing that this matter of our Lord’s resurrection is vital to Christianity, as
you read the New Testament. It is a prominent theme. Unlike most matters of
divine revelation, the Holy Spirit pointedly shows us evidence, upon evidence,
upon evidence that the resurrection of Christ is an undeniable, irrefutable
fact of history. Indeed, of all the facts recorded in Holy Scripture about our
Savior, the resurrecetion is the one thing that is proved clearly and fully.
The evidence is simply so overwhelming that it would be impossible to prove
anything in the world to a person who rejects it. This thing was not done in a
corner.
1 Corinthians 15:3-9
"For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received,
how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; (4) And that he was buried, and that he
rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (5) And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: (6) After that, he was seen of above
five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this
present, but some are fallen asleep. (7) After
that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. (8) And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of
due time. (9) For I am the least of
the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted
the church of God."
Someone once
said, “The resurrection of Jesus is the Gibraltar of Christianity and the
Waterloo of infidelity and rationalism.” J.C.
Ryle wrote, “It is the crowning proof that He has paid the debt which He
undertook to pay on our behalf, won the battle which he fought to deliver us
from hell, and is accepted as our Surety and our Substitute by our heavenly
Father in heaven.” Thanks be unto God, he who was delivered for our offences was
also raised from the dead for our justification (Rom. 4:25).
Proposition:
The resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from
the dead is the proof of our redemption by his blood and the basis of our
confident hope that we, too, shall soon be raised up from the dead.
Divisions:
I want to show you five things about the
resurrection of our Lord in this message. May God the Holy spirit be our
Teacher.
1.
The Glory
of It.
2.
The
Terror of It.
3.
The
Comfort of It.
4.
The
Message of It.
5.
The
Assurance of It.
I. First, as we meditate upon the
resurrection of our Savior, we should always have a sense of THE GLORY OF IT.
We are told by
Matthew that “There was a great earthquake.” Then we are informed that “The
angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone
from the door, and sat upon it. His
countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow.”
Our Lord did not
need the help of an angel to roll the stone away from his tomb! But God was
pleased to make his Son’s resurrection a glorious thing, accompanied by signs
and wonders. Therefore, when his Son arose Conqueror of death, hell, and the
grave, he shook the earth and sent an angel wrapped in glory to the scene.
I stress this
because we need to always remember that our Lord’s resurrection was a type,
pledge, and picture of our own.
·
As the
grave could not hold him beyond his appointed time, it shall not be able to
hold us.
·
As the
angel of the Lord witnessed his resurrection, the angels of glory shall both
witness and be instruments of our resurrection. They shall gather God’s elect
in the day of harvest.
·
As our
Savior arose with a renewed, glorious body, but still a recognizable material
body, so too we shall rise with glorious yet material bodies in the last day (1
John 3:2).
Take
comfort, my brothers and sisters in the Kingdom of God. Be patient. There is a
day soon coming when you and I shall appear with Christ in glory! Here we often
meet with trials, sorrows, and persecutions. In this world our lot is one of
suffering, weakness, pain, decease, bereavement, and death. But glory awaits
us! We shall rise again!
II.
Second, I must speak a word to you
who are yet without Christ about THE TERROR OF IT.
Whenever you think of that great day, do not
forget the terror that seized these hardened Roman soldiers and the terror that
will seize your soul when Christ shall appear.
Matthew 28:4 "And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as
dead men."
Those
soldiers had witnessed many dreadful sights. These were men of blood. Nothing
much bothered them. But as soon as they saw God’s angel, not the risen Christ,
but just his angel, they froze with fear.
How
will you react to the blast of God’s trumpet, the glorious appearing of our
great God Jesus Christ, God’s avenging angels, the glory of his saints, and the
great white throne? Fear and terror will seize your soul. You will be unable to
speak. But your very soul shall wail before the Son of God whom you have
despised. When you cannot hide from his presence, you will melt like wax before
him.
Revelation
1:7 "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and
every eye shall see him, and they also which
pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so,
Amen."
Revelation
6:15-16 "And the kings of the earth, and the great
men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every
bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the
mountains; (16) And said to the
mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth
on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:"
May
God give you grace to lay these things to heart. Be wise and consider what your
last end shall be. Remember, there is a resurrection! There is a judgment yet
to come. There is a thing such as you have never imagined called “the wrath of
God and of the Lamb!”
III.
Third, I want you who are born of
God, when you think of the resurrection of our Lord, to always get THE COMFORT
OF IT.
Matthew
28:5-6 "And the angel answered and said unto
the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. (6) He is not here: for he is risen, as
he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay."
These
words were spoken by the angel and recorded by the inspiration of God the Holy
Spirit for the benefit of God’s elect in every age and in every place. They are
full of meaning. They tell us that we have no cause for fear in this world.
Whatever may come your way in this world, whatever trouble or trial you may
face, remember the resurrection of your Lord and be at peace. The best news you
will ever hear came from a graveyard! “He is not here: for he is risen, as he
said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay." Child of God, that means...
·
Our
Savior is King.
·
Our Sins
are Gone.
·
It is
well with our souls.
It
is certainly true that our Lord shall appear in the clouds of heaven and the
earth shall be burned with fire. The graves shall give up their dead. The sea
shall give up its dead. The judgment shall be set. The books shall be opened.
The dead shall be judged. The angels of God shall divide the good from the bad
and the bad shall be burned with everlasting fire. But there is nothing in all
this to make believers afraid!
Clothed
in the righteousness of Christ and washed in his blood, we shall be found
without spot and blameless before him. We shall be found in that Ark which
cannot be hurt when the flood of God’s wrath is poured out upon the earth.
Then, and not until then, shall both the wicked and the righteous understand
the Psalmist’s words, “Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord” (Ps.
33:12).
IV.
Fourth, as we think of our Lord’s
resurrection, be sure you get THE MESSAGE OF IT.
Matthew 28:7-10
"And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the
dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him:
lo, I have told you. (8) And they
departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to
bring his disciples word. (9) And as
they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And
they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. (10) Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren
that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me."
First,
our Lord appeared to these two faithful women who had come to honor his body.
They had been the last to leave him after his death and the first to come to
his tomb. What a great reward he gives to their faithfulness! These two women were...
·
The First
to See the Risen Lord!
·
The First
to Hear the Risen Christ!
·
The first
Preachers of the Resurrection!
I want you to see this - Our risen Lord’s first thought and first word
was for his people. He said, “Go, tell my brethren!” Does that fact not touch
your heart? These words, “MY BRETHREN,” deserve an eternity of thoughtful
contemplation! The disciples were weak, frail, erring, and filled with unbelief
and sin, just as we often are. Yet, the Lord Jesus Christ calls them and us “MY
BRETHREN!” Just as Joseph comforted his brethren who had sold him, so the Lord
Jesus comforts and encourages our hearts. Sadly, the disciples had not lived up
to their profession, but had yielded to the fear of man, just like we often do;
but Christ is still not ashamed to call them and us “MY BRETHREN!”
Mark
(16:7) tells us that the angelic messenger was especially concerned for Peter.
He seems especially commissioned to give a message of grace and forgiveness to
the most fallen of those whom the Master calls, MY BRETHREN!”
If
the Son of God is not ashamed to call us his brethren, let us never be ashamed
to own him as our Lord.
V.
Fifth, I want you to carry this
message about the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ home with you, enjoying
THE ASSURANCE OF IT.
The fact of our Lord’s resurrection is so basic and fundamental
that it undergirds and assures us of many other things. When we look down into
the empty tomb and up into heaven upon the risen Christ, we are assured that...
A.
The Word of God is All True!
Our Lord arose from the dead exactly as he said he would (Matt.
12:40; 16:21; 17;9, 23).
B.
Our Savior is God Almighty.
Only he who is himself God has power over life and death.
Psalms
68:17-20 "The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.
(18) Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast
received gifts for men; yea, for the
rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them. (19) Blessed be the
Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our
salvation. Selah. (20) He that is our
God is the God of salvation; and unto
GOD the Lord belong the issues from
death."
C.
Redemption is Accomplished.
·
Justice
is satisfied!
·
Our sins
are pardoned!
·
Righteousness
has been brought in for us!
D. God’s Elect Shall
all be Saved!
John 17:2
"As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give
eternal life to as many as thou hast given him."
E. Our Lord Jesus
Christ is Coming Again!
John 14:1-3
"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in
me. (2) In my Father's house are many
mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to
prepare a place for you. (3) And if I
go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself;
that where I am, there ye may be
also."
F. There will be
Another Resurrection.
Job 19:25-26
"For I know that my
redeemer liveth, and that he shall
stand at the latter day upon the
earth: (26) And though after my skin worms destroy
this body, yet in my flesh shall I
see God:"
Psalms 73:24
"Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory."
Isaiah 26:19
"Thy dead men shall live,
together with my dead body shall they
arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the
dead."
Hosea 6:2
"After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise
us up, and we shall live in his sight."
John 5:28-29
"Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that
are in the graves shall hear his voice,
(29) And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection
of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of
damnation."
G. After That Great,
General Resurrection, Comes The Judgment!
Do we understand
the solemnity of living in this world before God Almighty? I doubt it! But let
me try to impress these facts upon our hearts.
1.
Soon we
must die.
2.
We will
meet God in judgment at the last day.
3.
We will
spend eternity somewhere, either in heaven or in hell.
Application:
Hebrews 9:27-28
"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the
judgment: (28) So Christ was once
offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he
appear the second time without sin unto salvation."
1 Thessalonians
4:13-18 "But I would not have you to be
ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even
as others which have no hope. (14) For
if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in
Jesus will God bring with him. (15) For
this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord
shall not prevent them which are asleep.
(16) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall
rise first: (17) Then we which are
alive and remain shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we
ever be with the Lord. (18) Wherefore
comfort one another with these words."