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foreign you you you you welcome to everyone you can take your bibles and turn to psalm 16 for our scripture reading this evening psalm 16. [Music] i'll begin reading in verse 1 a victim of david preserve me o god for in you i put my trust o my soul you have said to the lord you are my lord my goodness is nothing apart from you as for the saints who are on the earth they are the excellent ones and whom is all my delight their sorrows shall be multiple multiplied who hasten after another god their drink offerings of blood i will not offer nor take up their names on my lips oh lord you are the portion of my inheritance in my cup you maintain my lot the lines have fallen to me in pleasant places yes i have a good inheritance i will bless the lord who has given me counsel my heart also instructs me in the night seasons i have set the lord always before me because he has at my right hand i shall not be moved therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices my flesh also will rest in hope for you will not leave my soul in sheol nor will you allow your holy one to see corruption you will show me the path of life in your presence is fullness of joy at your right hand our pleasures forevermore amen will please turn with me to psalm 134 psalm 134 will stand as we sing together [Music] [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] me [Music] [Music] is [Music] is [Music] well let us pray our blessed and our great god we thank you again for the privilege to gather in your house on your day and we pray tonight that you would be enthroned upon our praises that you would be glorified in this glad hour that you would flood our hearts with the ministry the presence and the power of the holy spirit that we may draw nigh unto you with that reverence and joy that are consistent with your blood-bought children we ask that you would forgive us now for all of our sin and transgression we pray that you would cleanse us in that precious blood of the lord jesus christ we thank you that we live in those days prophesied by zechariah that in those days there would be a fountain open for sin and uncleanness and we ask tonight that as we gather together not only for the word but for the sacrament that you would encourage and strengthen our hearts that you would build us up in our most holy faith and that as we reflect upon that one who gave his life for us we would just bow down and worship and praise and adoration so lord god bless this hour help us to honor you and we ask that you would look with favor upon this meeting together as well god we pray for our church as a whole we thank you for all of the brothers and the sisters that we have together in this place and we pray that you would look with favor upon each and every one we know there are needs among us in terms of this the temporal or physical and as well spiritual and so god we ask that you would undertake for each of your saints that you would encourage and strengthen us she would build us up father in heaven and cause us to be further conformed unto the image of your beloved son we live in this world god we see much tribulation we know much tribulation but jesus has promised that he has or called us to be of good cheer because he has overcome the world and we ask that you would help us to keep these things firmly in our minds as we survey the the the scene that we see in this world we ask again for these protests that they would be done peacefully that they would make the message clear to our civil authority and god we pray for the governing authority that you would move them to to do what is right give them a heart of wisdom and give them the grace necessary to respond in a manner that is consistent with the various liberties and and freedoms that our our nation guarantees as well our god we pray worldwide we know there are still many nations steeped in this in these things and these restrictions we pray for the church in each of these places that they would be emboldened that they would continue to keep their doors open and continue to proclaim the gospel of our lord and savior jesus christ we pray for those in nations even worse where there is outgoing or or encouraged uh oppression and persecution of the people of god we think of the nation of china and we pray god for your blessing upon the saints there those under underground christian churches may you continue to watch over them and strengthen them and help them not to shrink back from declaring the whole council of god as well our father we heard of many nations in our prayer meeting this morning where the people of god are targeted for destruction because of their faith in our lord jesus christ we pray for those nations steeped in islam and we know god it is a difficult time a difficult place to confess christ in those lands and yet father we pray that you would just encourage the saints to continue to do so nevertheless we ask for your blessing upon the believers in afghanistan that nation has basically been given over to the taliban and they are great oppressors of the people of god so bless your people there the psalmist says that you surround your people as the mountains surround jerusalem and we take great encouragement and comfort from that reality and pray that the brethren there would find that word of comfort as well and god bless as well with reference to the the churches that we are in fellowship with we pray that you would continue to look with favor upon them we pray that you'd use the preaching of the word for the salvation of sinners and for the growth and sanctification of your people so lord bless this time now again forgive us for all of our sin and unrighteousness and fill us with your holy spirit we pray through jesus christ our lord amen you can turn with me again in your hymn books to 436 436 we'll stand as we sing together uh is [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] me [Music] is [Music] is [Music] it [Music] me [Music] well you could turn in your bibles to matthew chapter 28 matthew 28 we have spent a long time going through the passion narrative and we last saw that jesus died and was buried but the text does not end there so tonight we'll look at the empty tomb and the risen lord matthew chapter 28 verses 1 to 10 but i'll read the entirety of the chapter so beginning in verse 1 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 his risen as he said and uh and go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the debt 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 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 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 doubt it 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 lo i am with you always even to the end of the age amen let us pray our father we thank you for the written word of the living and true god the apostle says all scripture is given by inspiration of god and it's profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction and for instruction in righteousness and we pray that you would thoroughly furnish each of us unto every good work and tonight god as we consider this empty tomb and risen lord may we stand in awe at what jesus did on our behalf he lived a life of perfect obedience to the law of god he died as a sacrifice and a substitute on calvary and he was raised again that third day and now ascended on high he has led captivity captive he gives gifts to men and we look forward to his second coming in glory to judge the living and the dead and may it be the case most high god that all of us would be prepared for that day that we would believe on the lord jesus christ that we would receive that forgiveness of sins that you promised in the gospel that we would receive that righteousness that you give in terms of an ability to stand before you clothed in the righteousness of another god be glorified now and cause us to worship and praise you and we pray through christ our lord amen well as i said we look at this particular account we have looked in detail at the passion narrative concerning our lord jesus christ it begins in chapter 26 and here it ends or culminates at the resurrection of our lord in chapter 28. probably a very familiar passage in some sense easter has come a bit early this year as we survey this particular scene so i want to look first at the discovery of the empty tomb in verses 1 to 8 and then secondly the appearance of the risen lord in verses 9 to 10. in the first place with reference to the discovery of the empty tomb there's three things to note here first the arrival at the tomb in verse one second the descent of the angel in verses two and two to four and then thirdly the commission given to the women intriguing that women are the first witnesses of the resurrection of our lord jesus christ the jewish historian josephus made this statement let not the testimony of women be admitted on account of the levity and boldness of their sex that was quite common in the first century that it was not the case that you would receive testimony from a woman and so what does this indicate to us the gospel writers are not hiding anything the gospel writers aren't trying to make it look a little bit more believable the gospel writers indicate for instance what we see in matthew 28 at verse 17 when they saw him they worshipped him but some doubt it they're not reticent to indicate the reality that there were doubters they're not hesitant to indicate that it was women that first served as witnesses to the resurrection of our lord truth has nothing to hide truth doesn't need to shave off any edges with the thought that'll be that will that it will be more palatable to the audience truth is truth and it is what god uses and what god blesses for the advancement of his church on earth so notice the arrival at the tomb the time is indicated in 28 1. it says now after the sabbath as the first day of the week began to dawn we are studying the sabbath commandment on our wednesday night bible study we're in exodus chapter 20 and of course the sabbath is addressed there given by god to sinai but at sinai god says remember the sabbath day to keep it holy this wasn't the first giving of the commandment the giving of the commandment or the precedent established was in genesis chapter 2 verses 1-3 god's sabbath after he created the world and everything in it in the space of six days and all very good we see cain and abel bring sacrifice to god at the end of days the end of the days of the week we see uh sabbath observance in exodus 16. again all of this prior to the giving of the law at sinai so sinai comes and then it's rehearsed at moab or the plains of moab in deuteronomy chapter 5. that sabbath is celebrated in the prophets it is promised as a blessed element or feature in new covenant religion and when we turn to the new covenant we do not see the sabbath abolished we see the day changed to reflect the new creation brought out by the son of god so the father creates in genesis chapter 1 the father sabbaths in genesis chapter 2 1-3 according to the book of hebrews in chapter 4 it tells us that jesus as well rested after having completed salvation and he sets apart this day this first day of the week that will be for the church to meet to gather and to worship the living and true god davies and allison comment the literal dawning of a new day signals a new period of history and then notice what they go there for it doesn't say it here but in the parallel accounts the they went to anoint the body of jesus according to mark 16 at verse 1 and luke 23 56 and 24 1. so these women went to anoint the body of our lord jesus notice that the women are identified verse 1b mary magdalene and the other mary came to see the tomb the two mary's identified at the crucifixion in chapter 26 56 they're identified at the burial in chapter 26 at verse 61 and here at the empty tomb the parallel accounts indicate that salimate was also present and possibly other women so the women express a fidelity to the lord in this particular time of grief if you go back to chapter 26 i'm not picking on the men i'm not being an anti-chauvinist here but i'm just trying to indicate something that matthew wants us to take notice of in matthew chapter 26 at verse 56 after jesus says all this was done that the scriptures might of the prophets might be fulfilled we have then all the disciples forsook him and fled now john is at the foot of the cross later such that jesus can say behold your mother and behold your son perhaps he went away for a time and then came back but the rest of the disciples fled but as i said at the crucifixion at the burial and at the resurrection you have these faithful women and so god tells us this to encourage us in terms of faithfulness and perseverance even in the midst of great calamity at the crucifixion of our lord they were there at the burial those times that would be a a particularly grievous situation they stood by and they watched they witnessed and the same thing is true here with reference to the resurrection now notice the descent of the angel in verses two to four and we would again when we compare the parallels in in luke's gospel and in mark's gospel we see all of it together but notice in the first place this earthquake there was an earthquake that accompanied the crucifixion look at chapter 27 at verse 51 then behold the veil of the temple was torn into from top to bottom and the earthquake and the rocks were split and the graves were open and then again in verse 54 so when the centurion and those with him who were guarding jesus saw the earthquake and the things that had happened they feared greatly saying truly this was the son of god so we go back or over to chapter 28 and verse 2 and behold there was a great earthquake so earthquakes attend both the crucifixion and the resurrection of our lord jesus john gill says and it was a symbol and token of the presence and majesty of christ at whose rising as at his death the earth shook and trembled c.h spurgeon puts it in his particularly pithy way he says when the king awoke from the sleep of death he shook the world the bedchamber in which he rested for a little while trembled as the heavenly hero arose from his couch the heavenly hero arose from his couch and this earthquake was the attendant sign and wonder now notice the descent of the angel the descent of the angel in 2b underscores for us this wasn't just a a seismic shift it wasn't just sort of a haphazard event wherein there was an earthquake if you live in southern california you get used to earthquakes if you live especially in palmdale california right there near the uh the san andreas fault line so there's lots of earthquakes and it's pretty common and pretty typical i mean even here near the uh uh in the vancouver greater lower mainland area we feel earthquakes from time to time 2b indicates this wasn't just some sort of natural phenomena it underscores that it was a supernatural phenomena because we see the attendance of the angelic being so in 2a behold there was a great earthquake and then it there's this explanatory four four an angel of the lord descended from heaven now this angel from the lord that descends from heaven and sits on the rock is the same as the young man identified in mark 16 5. there he's clothed in a long white robe this is likely the same instance as we see in luke's gospel there were two men in shining garments and i would suggest those were angelic beings now persons show their ignorance when they say things like well luke has two and matthew and mark has one well let me just tell you if there were two there was certainly one there's not a contradiction if you said there were two and it was not the case that there were two that's a contradiction but to have two apples certainly means that you have one apple no doubt the one that is here the one that is described by matthew and mark is the vocal one of the two he is the one that speaks to the particular women now notice as well that the present there are pr rather the presence of angels in the incarnation in the early chapters of matthew chapter 1 at verse 20 chapter 1 at verse 24 and then again in chapter 2 at verses 13 and 19 you see that the incarnation is attended by the angels and the same is true here the resurrection is attended by and heralded by the angels those glorious works of god in terms of the life and the death and the resurrection of our savior are heralded by the angels themselves now notice as we continue in verse 2 the removal of the stone if you look at the passage technically it doesn't describe the rising of jesus it rather describes the discovery of the empty tomb jesus had already risen jesus was already not there jesus was already vacant from the tomb at this particular point so notice that tooth at 2c so the angel of the lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it so the angel doesn't roll back to stone in order to let jesus out the angel rose rolls back the stone in order to let the women in the angel is about following the science the angel doesn't just say take my word for it trust me the tomb is empty you don't need to go in there you don't need to verify it i speak the voice of authority no the angel rolls back the tomb when the women happen along he invites them in to investigate the tomb in the parallel we see peter and john investigate the tomb while they investigate the tomb they see the handkerchief that was wrapped around the face of our lord folded and on the bench in the tomb why these details to indicate or underscore that this wasn't the work of grave robbers grave robbers wouldn't go in and steal everything of value and then fold up things and lay them on the bench if you've ever had your house burglarized you know they don't operate that way they pull drawers out they dump things on the floor they pull things out of the closet they don't typically tidy up when they're done they're grave robbers and that's what we see in terms of the various details given or furnished to us by matthew mark luke and john this is historic history this is reality this isn't myth this isn't fable this is fact and then the fact that the angel is sitting on the stone is an indicator of triumph matthew henry said there he sat defying all the powers of hell to roll the stone to the grave again i love these old commentators and the way that they wax in terms of the significance of the various details and events that we have and then notice the description of the angel given in chapter uh in 28 3. his countenance was like lightning and his clothing as white as snow remember that instance back in matthew chapter 17 when jesus goes up onto the mountain with his disciples and there he is transfigured before that and his garments are shining whiter than any launderer could ever make and we have the same sort of thing here these angels are radiant beings they are shining beings they are clothed as white as snow this has tap roots back into the old testament specifically in the prophet daniel and then notice finally before we we leave this particular point the fear of the guards look at verse 4 which by the way shows the lie of verse 13. look over at verse 13 first of all well verse 11. 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 away while we slept that's a problematic statement for a whole lot of reasons if i was questioning these soldiers and they said to me that we were sleeping i'd say how in the world did you know that his disciples came rolled back the stone and stole his body you expect me to believe that the wicked aren't particularly bright and when we look at this particular passage it is parallel to what you find with reference to the great commission it's the diabolical it's the anti-great commission in the great commission jesus tells his church his disciples to go make disciples of all the nations to baptize them to teach them all things that he had commanded parallel to that is this lie this deceit the subterfuge by the jews to try to cover up one of the greatest acts that ever occurred namely the resurrection of our lord jesus christ so at verse 13 tell them his disciples came at night and stole him away while we slept the guards didn't sleep the guards were terrified the guards that were now guarding a dead man the guards who no doubt had seen military action in their lives now see this angel sitting atop this particular stone and the guards are fearful they're terrified this is not something they have seen it's not something that they desire to see verse 4 the guards shook for fear of him and they became like dead men calvin said the soldiers who were accustomed to tumults were terrified and were so completely overwhelmed by alarm that they fell down like men who were almost dead but no power was exerted to raise them from that condition the the angel deals differently with these fearful guards than he does with the fearful women and that's to who we look now in verses five to eight notice the commission given to the women there is first a word of encouragement and then a word of instruction notice in verses five and six 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 his risen as he said come see the place where the lord lay do not fear so they like the angels fear they like the angels are scared they like the angels have witnessed something they've never seen before that's pretty common brethren when we meet up with a new event that we've never experienced before it's not outside the realm of possibility that fear might flood our hearts but notice the angelic exhortation to the women the angel answered and said to the women do not be afraid he doesn't say that to the guards the implication go ahead and be afraid you should because you're a wretch but in this instance do not be afraid ch spurgeon again says let the soldiers tremble let them lie as if dead through fright but fear not ye for i know that ye seek jesus which was crucified and then he says those who seek jesus need not fear those who seek jesus need not fear in light of that turn to a passage we looked at this morning revelation chapter 1 those who seek jesus need not fear john is on the island of patmos on the lord's day for the word of god and for the testimony of jesus christ and he gets a vision of the glorified christ and if you look at 112 then i turn to see the voice that spoke with me and having turned i saw seven golden lamp stands and in the midst of the seven lamp stands one like the son of man clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band his head and hair were white like wool as white as snow and his eyes like a flame of fire his feet were like fine brass as if refined in a furnace and his voice is the sound of many waters now that's a composite picture that's not like a photograph that's not a polaroid we're not just supposed to try to you know get a profile here of jesus in terms of dementia it pulls from the old testament to put together this picture of the divine king and then in verse 16 it says he had in his right hand seven stars out of his mouth when a sharp two-edged sword that's how christ wages and makes war against his enemies it is the sword according to this passage and revelation 19 that proceeds from his mouth it's the word of god by which he strikes the nations he had in his right hand seven stars out of his mouth when a sharp two-edged sword and his countenance was like the sun shining in its strength and when i saw him notice the response i fell at his feet as dead again any one of us would have done that any one of us would have said wow this is an amazing scene i'm going to fall at his feet like a dead man when the prophet ezekiel is confronted with the glory of god guess what he does he falls like a dead man when isaiah the prophet sees the lord exalted lifted up in the train of his robe filling the temple the the prophet cries out woe is me for i am undone i am a man of unclean lips and i live or dwell amongst the people of unclean lips why my eyes have seen the the the glory of the lord of hosts that's what happens when we are confronted by the divinity by deity so verse 17 when i saw him i fell at his feet as dead now notice this response but he laid his right hand on me saying to me do not be afraid i am the first and the last. in other words do not fear those who seek jesus are not supposed to fear if you're a god-hating wretch and you guard a tomb then go ahead and fear and quake and be still as a dead man but for those women coming to seek out their lord the angels comment the angel calms them by saying do not fear and notice how jesus encourages john do not be afraid i am the first and the last don't be afraid i'm i'm god i am alpha and omega i am he who lives and was dead and behold i am alive forevermore amen i have the keys of hades and of death write the things which you have seen and the things which are and the things which will take place after this the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand and the seven golden lampstands the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches just to encourage you to read the book of revelation this happens a lot in revelation where whatever things are given in symbolic form they're explained for you they're given a theological emphasis for you the book of revelation is a revealing of jesus christ and so often people treat it as a book filled with gloom and doom and woe and horror and they don't read it it's about the glory of king jesus the church not only needs to read it they need to internalize it and they need to rejoice in the reality of what john says in his greeting to the seven churches in asia minor with reference to our lord jesus christ notice in 1 4 john to the seven churches which are in asia grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come that's a reference to the father and from the seven spirits who are before his throne that's a reference to the spirit that doesn't mean there are seven of them that is the number of completion and then in the verse five he refers to jesus the prophet priest and king and from jesus christ the faithful witness the firstborn from the dead and the ruler over the kings of the earth if ever the church needed that emphasis today it is today and then notice what we find at verse 9. i john both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of jesus christ you see the kingdom of christ is established the kingdom of god christ is growing but that doesn't mean there isn't tribulation jesus teaches that it is promised to build the church in matthew 16. i will build my church and the gates of haiti shall not prevail against it he's going to build it the gates of hades will not prevail against it but the gates of hades will try to prevail against it and so john is a companion with the brothers and sisters that he's writing to in tribulation in kingdom and in patience and all through the book he is exhorting them to patience or to perseverance or to endurance and faithfulness to the very end so back to matthew chapter 28 i think that reference in revelation 1 does substantiate spurgeon's words those who seek jesus need not fear so the angel exhorts and now the angel explains the reason for his exhortation so in verse 5 do not be afraid and then he says to them i know that you seek jesus i know why you are here i know what you are looking for in the parallel in luke 24 5 it comes this way why do you seek the living among the dead in other words christ had promised that he would be raised from the dead and so in luke's gospel and again they're not different theology drives the perspective but here specifically the angels comfort the or the angel comforts the women by saying i know that you seek jesus and then notice he confirms that christ was crucified who was crucified again it's a small detail one among many in the passion narrative but one among many that is needful muslims teach the swoon theory muslims teach that jesus really didn't die on the cross he was mostly dead so they dragged him off of the cross put him into the tomb his disciples came along nursed him back to health once he left the tomb that's when they said he's been risen from the dead so each and every time the gospel writers indicate that he was dead from the mouth of pontius pilate to the guards who were supposed to break his legs to the angelic being who announces this at the empty tomb those are details needful for the people of god to launch a faithful apologetic with reference to an unbelieving world peter in his epistle says we did not follow cunningly devised fables this isn't something that that happened in a galaxy far far away this didn't happen in some fairy tale land of make-believe this is historical reality this is truth and this is why the details are important for the people of god so the angel as well announces the resurrection i know that you seek jesus who was crucified he is not here for he is risen some of the most blessed words in the entirety of the bible for he is risen those are encouraging words i have seen the case on we call it easter sunday i call it the lord's day did you know we actually have 52 easter's there are actually 52 easter's each and every sunday that the church gathers together on the lord's day it is to celebrate the blessedness of our savior every sunday we could greet one another with a he is risen the lord's day marks that grand event wherein the tomb is empty and the savior is risen but notice he not only announces he is not here for he is risen the angel reminds them of jesus oft oft stated uh uh uh prophecy or promise that he would rise again notices the what the angel said he is not here for he is risen as he said he said it in matthew 16. he says it in matthew chapter 17. he says it in matthew chapter 20 he says it to his disciples over and over and over again and so what the angel is saying is that this is one more proof of the veracity of the son of god he promised that he would be raised again he's raised again in other words everything that we call upon sinners to believe in the bible is true or we wouldn't call upon sinners to believe it we're not leftists we're not the media we're not the government we don't want you to take a blind leap of faith we want you to hear the data of holy scripture and by god's grace believe on him and when you do the most blessed thing occurs your sins are forgiven and not only are your sins forgiven but you receive the righteousness of jesus christ such that on that day of judgment you will pass into glory you will hear well done good and faithful servant you will hear come enter into your rest why because the doing and the dying and the rising of the savior as he said and with reference to the resurrection of our lord notice in verse seven and go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead and then here in verse six he is not here he is risen this is what we call a passive verb that means that the subject is acted upon and in this particular instance theologians commentators call it a theological passive or a divine passive that means he is risen by the power of god most high i won't rehearse the doctrine of inseparable operations and appropriations here but it might not be bad for you to remember that but with reference to the appropriation here it's the father in view as having raised his son from the dead and the significance i think is well explained by francis turritet he says there is a peculiar reason why it resurrection is ascribed to the father on account of the obligation which christ took upon himself from which he ought to be released by the father as judge who as he had delivered up christ to death for our sins so he ought to raise him up again for our justification in order to testify that a full satisfaction had been made by him there are times or instances where the lord jesus promises to to raise himself from the dead again the doctrine of appropriations but here specifically it's the father in view that has raised his son from the dead i think it's well captured by paul in romans 4 25 jesus was delivered up because of our offenses and he was raised for our justification and i think what turretin says here speaks well concerning this transaction and then as i said the angel invites them to engage in the scientific method the end of verse 6 come see the place where the lord lay investigate it for yourself confirm it by two or three witnesses engage in what deuteronomy 17 and 19 specified with reference to the rules of witnesses and evidence this is a wonderful thing the the gospel writers aren't trying to cover anything they're not trying to articulate a story in such a way that they're gonna you know bring the wool over everybody's eyes the differences that are there between matthew mark luke and john can be harmonized it can be reconciled it takes a little bit of effort and work but a surface reading might indicate these guys are operating on four different planes no they're not again they're four different theologians looking at the same event from four vantage points and their theology drives the inclusion of their material but it has led some to speculate well they couldn't even get their story right that's what deceivers do deceivers go away they hide themselves in a room they compare notes and then they construct their story that's not what happens in matthew mark luke and john they are not deceivers they are speaking by the power of the holy spirit or writing by the power of the holy spirit and they are not afraid to tell us all things now notice the word of instruction so there is a word of exhortation verses five and six and now a word of instruction in verse seven and go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead and indeed he is going before you into galilee there you will see him behold i have told you the women functionally become apostles to go tell the apostles about the resurrection now please don't take that statement and say we ought to have women preachers that's not what i mean first timothy chapter 2 prohibits that it denies that reality in the context of the church i'm being a little bit uh cheeky here the women become angel apostles in order to witness to the apostles the truth of the resurrection but notice they're supposed to go tell the disciples to meet jesus in galilee look back at chapter 26 chapter 26 at verse 31 then jesus said to them all of you will be made to stumble because of me this night for it is written i will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered but after i have been raised i will go before you to galilee after i have been raised i will go before you to galilee so he is telling them this is the place eventually that we will meet and it's in galilee at that meeting place that he gives the great commission intriguingly he starts his ministry in matthew chapter 4 in galilee now what's unique about galilee certainly was when within the confines of israel it was part of the northern kingdom back when but at that particular time it wasn't a divided kingdom but galilee had a lot of gentiles in its confines and that's what it's referred to as in matthew chapter four galilee of the gentiles so when we get to the great commission and christ asserts that he has all authority and then he tells his church to go and make disciples of all nations it makes perfect sense galilee of the gentiles the the jews of judea the africans in africa the canadians in canada the americans in america wherever there are sinners jesus dispatches his church to go and preach the gospel to them to make disciples of them to baptize them and then teach them and then notice the angel underscores his message with his authority behold i have told you france says now the corollary of his going ahead is spelled out when they get to galilee they will see him not just an empty tomb but a living jesus now notice that the women comply they don't say well no we're not gonna do they they do what they're told notice in verse eight so they went out quickly from the tomb look at with fear and great joy and ran to bring his disciples word fear and joy are not inconsistent in the christian faith fear and joy go hand in hand if we actually understand who our god is our hearts should be flooded with fear there ought to be reverence there ought to be respect there ought to be esteem god through malachi the prophet upbraids the children of israel in his day by saying if i am a king where is my honor if you honor your earthly fathers and and you pay taxes to your earthly governor where is the honor due to the great gang fear is consistent in biblical religion but that fear is mingled with joy and notice in the text it's not great fear and a little bit of joy it's fear and great joy those are consistent those are are our our bed fellows in the christian heart and then notice as well they are to bring his disciples word so that's the discovery of the tomb let's look at the appearance of the risen lord verses 9 and 10. notice the appearance of jesus verse 9 verse 9 and then the message of jesus in verse 10 the appearance this is an extraordinary thing and it's pretty sublime in the passage it's just a couple of verses here but when you stop at mockery they had obviously seen as well that the disciples were not attending they had seen that he actually died he yielded up his spirit they heard the the the guard say truly this was the son of god they had witnessed the earthquake they had then gone to the burial site and watched joseph of arimathea and nicodemus attend to the body of jesus they had witnessed these things when they come back to the tomb in matthew 28 as we read it it's not to discover it empty they're going there to anoint the body of jesus the last they knew jesus died on the cross the last they knew that jesus was buried and so they're coming to attend to his body in a very uh uh expression of a way of of courtesy to his body and when they come or they go to tell the disciples jesus meets them and he says rejoice so it's an extraordinary sight they've now laid eyes on a resurrected man with a very ordinary greeting rejoice in that context uh was similar or it was a it was not only the word rejoice but it was a word for greeting kind of like you know in hawaii i think you can say aloha for everything uh here it might be akin to hello kind of interesting right you see a resurrected man and he says hello i just can't even imagine the scene oh hello i've got about a billion questions here but first i just want to bow and worship and and glorify your great name france again says to say simply that jesus met them when the last we saw of him of his was as a corpse sealed in a tomb is a masterly understatement and his greeting hello is almost banal in its everyday familiarity and so this is a glorious scene now notice the response of the women after jesus meets them and jesus says rejoice it says they came and held him by the feet and worshiped him this is the correct response john on the island of patmos when he sees the glorified christ he falls as a dead man he responds to the vision these women respond to the resurrected lord in the only way conceivable you worship him that a man the the man that fit what the old testament said that a man who claimed and not only claimed but demonstrated that he was equal with god was crucified was buried and was raised again elicits the response from people of worship and praise and adoration and it's intriguing notice so they came and held him by the feet and worshiped him now i don't want to confuse anybody but this is a great illustration of or an analogy of what we call the hypostatic union now it is not the case to be it to be a human that you have feet you could have your feet cut off and still be a human so this is an analogy we don't want to press it all the way but that they hold him by the feet and worship him they do so by virtue of the union of the two natures in the one person that they can hold him by the feet and worship him argues for the truth of the hypostatic union one person two natures humanity and divinity the unity of the natures in the person of the savior it is demonstrated here again it's an analogy if we press it too hard it'll probably crumble but it illustrates the point that christ is both man and both god in the one person and so these women grab him by the feet and they worship him and then finally notice the message of jesus the repeated encouragement what the angel said at the discovery of the empty tomb do not fear jesus rehearses that he says the same thing jesus said to them do not be afraid those who seek jesus need not fear those who seek jesus are in the best place possible and brethren we ought to extrapolate that into our current situation into the current situation facing christianity in the world today there is oppression there is persecution come to our sunday morning prayer meeting sometime when we read voice of the martyrs as our brother says it's like we're going around the world praying for various people the people of god suffer for the cause of god all over the earth but even in that disposition or rather in that condition even when there is affliction and hardship and woe the admonition stands firm we're not to fear now brethren there is a reason that that particular admonition is repeated so many times in the bible because it does seem to be our default response but when we understand who jesus is when we understand where jesus is and when we know that jesus will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead hopefully that'll banish the fear from our hearts hopefully we'll have that that psalm 46 10 calm be still and know that i am god i will be exalted among the nations and in the earth that is great counsel do not fear and then notice the word of instruction that he gives again it's in similar to the angels instruction in verse 10. go and tell my brethren to go to galilee and there they will see me so it's similar as jesus says like the angel go to galilee it's dissimilar because jesus refers to the disciples as my brethren the angel doesn't do that go tell his disciples go tell the disciples but jesus says go tell my brethren this rea reiterates an emphasis in matthew's gospel in chapter 12 verses 45 to 50 jesus says those who do the will of my father in heaven are my mothers they're my brothers they're my sisters as well in chapter 25. we looked at that last sunday night because you did this to the least of these my brethren you did it unto me the same thing is rehearsed in hebrews chapter 2. he's not ashamed to call us brethren and in this particular context brethren there is something remarkable i've already reminded you the women didn't abandon him the disciples abandoned him the disciples fled and forsook him and one of those disciples actually denied him remember peter oh lord i'm willing to die for you jesus says before the crows twice you're going to deny me and jesus or peter rather does that very thing so if you look at the text do not be afraid go and tell my brethren to go to galilee and there they will see me then notice in verse 16 then the 11 disciples peter's amongst them the lesson isn't go out and deny the savior because he'll forgive you the lesson is is that if you have a lapse if you have remaining corruption if you sin against god most high remember the psalter if thou lord shouldst mark iniquities o lord who could stand but there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared he forgave peter for denying him look at the gospel look at the parallel in mark 16. now most bible commentators scholars guys who know a lot will tell us that mark wrote his gospel as a result of peter's preaching so peter preaches the gospel and mark is his scribe so mark writes down these notes and then mark composes the gospel of mark most not actually that's not most i'm sorry it used to be most most is different now most people think mark wrote first and everybody else copied him i don't believe that i think matthew wrote first i think luke then wrote and then i think mark wrote or uh yeah mark or actually matthew mark and then luke in that order but if you look specifically here so mark is listening to peter mark is the scribe so when peter rehearses this same thing remember the story is is that peter's preaching mark's writing down or if that wasn't the case peter's preaching and mark's writing down peter is the go-to source for mark so when mark composes his gospel he's got access to peter now when he rehearses this look at it look at 16 6 but he said to them do not be alarmed you seek jesus of nazareth who is crucified he is risen he is not here see the place where they laid him but go tell his disciples and peter that he is going before you into galilee there you will see him as he said to you peter wants to make sure that we know that he was forgiven by his savior what he did was horrible what he did was wretched what he did was wrong but what he did was forgiven by the powerful blood of our lord jesus christ so back to matthew chapter 28 do not be afraid go and tell my brethren to go to galilee and there they will see me calvin says it is proper to remark the astonishing kindness of christ in designing ordaining rather to bestow the name of brethren on deserters who had basely forsaken him and this clause and there they will see me underscores the chief boon of our religion the reality that we have communion with the living and true god when you trace covenant in scripture one of the elements that comes in each and every one is god says i will be their god and they shall be my people we are heading we have it now in our lord's day worship revelation 1 christ is in the midst of the lampstand we have communion with him here and now we have the blessed reality the presence of our savior by his spirit but we are heading to glory we are heading to that place where we will see him that place where we will dwell with him that place where we will reign with him that place where we will commune with him and i think that last statement captures that well there they will see me well in conclusion we see the glory of the resurrection rile j.c riles says 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 substitute by our father in heaven that's a beautiful expression of what the resurrection signifies davies and allison say matthew 28 1 and following is the necessary ending to matthew's story without the resurrection jesus words are vacant and his opponents exonerated with it jesus is vindicated his cause and authority confirmed and his opponents disgraced it is the note of triumph it is the note of victory it is the blessedness of the empty tomb and the risen lord that is the crowning proof that all that he undertook on our behalf is completed secondly the theology of the resurrection there's a whole lot that could be said here first it is the fulfillment of all the promises of god that are yea and amen in him i read psalm 16 tonight psalm 16 is what peter appeals to when he's preaching the resurrection of jesus in acts chapter 2. he says david died and was buried and his tomb is with us to this day david was not writing about david in psalm 16. david was writing about his greater son jesus he will not allow his soul to undergo decay in hades he will raise him from the dead it is secondly the means by which or a means by which glory is given to the father and to the son he is declared to be the son of god with power by the spirit of holiness at the resurrection of the dead according to paul in romans chapter 1 4 not declared to be the son of god for the first time the emphasis falls on vindication he is what he said he was and then the crowning proof that he has accomplished the mission that the father gave him and of course first corinthians chapter 15 if you take the resurrection out of gospel preaching there's no gospel preaching we celebrate the life of the savior we need his obedience we celebrate the death of the savior by this particular means tonight we need atonement we need the blood of jesus to wash us from our sins but we need that resurrection as well we need all of those components involved in the gospel of our salvation or as the apostle says we are of all men most to be pitied so praise god almighty that he has blessed us richly with an empty tomb and a risen lord well let us pray our father in heaven we thank you for your word we thank you for the clarity of this account we thank you for the veracity of it that that tomb is in fact empty and that our lord is now ascended to the right hand of the father on eye and we know that he rules and reigns over all things for the good of his church may this encourage us and may you vanquish fear from our hearts as the blood-bought children of our living god we thank you for this time to remember his death as we eat this bread and drink this cup and in this we pray that you would be glorified and honored and we ask through jesus christ our lord amen well just a couple of reminders about the lord's supper you can turn back with me to matthew 26 that'll be the section that we read tonight remember that the ordinance of the supper is for believers only it's not a sacrament or an ordinance ordinance given to the church so that they can make converts it's not the case that we we invite people to take the supper so that they might become believers no you're supposed to take the supper as a believer so if you're not a believer here tonight we would just kindly ask that you do not take the supper secondly the ordinance of the supper is for believers but believers who by god's grace are seeking to live in a manner that is consistent with their calling not perfect or else there'd never be a supper for any of us because we're not perfect but with reference to dealing with our sin with reference to seeking by god's grace to have a conscience void of offense toward god and men so it's not for those who are living and known scandalous sin or have unrepentant hearts or who are not about to part with their sin no that's not it now if you've sinned and there's something troubling you you don't have to go to uh you know next year or next you know five years from now you can confess your sins to our god our god is omnipotent he's omniscient he's omnipresent and our god hears your prayer even in the pew he's he's that glorious he's that wondrous he's that good as well the elements of the supper are not changed the bread remains bread and the wine remains wine they don't become something other they're not changed into something other this is not a sacrifice of atonement it is a memorial we do this in remembrance of christ but it's also a means of grace because through this christ is present there is a real presence of christ in his churches and it's by his spirit and so we are fed we are strengthened we are confirmed and we are built up as we take this bread and as we drink this cup and then as well the focus of the supper is on christ yes look at your sin yes confess your sin but yes look at the savior remember john newton's words he says i am a great sinner but christ is a great savior that's a good way to approach the table so i will ask the brothers to come and to pass out the bread while the brothers come and pass out the bread we will remain seated but we will sing 450. after you receive the bread we'll read the section appropriate to the bread we'll pray and then take the bread so 4 50. [Music] so is is [Music] is [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] me [Music] [Music] well in matthew chapter 26 we see the institution of the supper given by our lord jesus on the night that he was betrayed so i'll read verse 26 and as they were eating jesus took bread blessed and broke it and gave it to the disciples and said take eat this is my body well let us pray our blessed god we thank you for what we see in scripture concerning the lord jesus christ that this was all prophesied this was all promised in the old testament we see that anticipation we see that promise we see in the new covenant the realization and fulfillment in the person and in the work of our blessed savior we thank you that you've included us in this plan we know we're not here because we're wise we know we're not here because we're good we know we're not here because we deserve it we're here because you are gracious and you have provided the son of your love to needy sinners so god bless and strengthen us now as we eat this bread and cause us to reflect upon the savior not just at the supper but each and every day may we ponder that one is altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand and we pray in jesus name amen we'll take together as the brothers pass out the wine we'll sing 341. and just a reminder the wine is in the inner ring if you're inclined to take juice it's in the outer ring we'll sing 341. [Music] is [Music] ah [Music] oh [Music] [Music] is [Music] foreign [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] is [Music] in verse 27 we read then he took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them saying drink from it all of you for this is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sins but i say to you i will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when i drink it new with you in my father's kingdom and when they had sung a hymn they went out to the mount of olives amen well let us pray our father we see the link between this and jeremiah the prophet and ezekiel and isaiah those men who foretold the new covenant days we see the realization of it the inauguration of it through the blood of our blessed savior we know that that first covenant was attended by blood but blood of bulls and goats which could never take away sin but those those things pointed forward to the lamb of god who takes away the sin of the world we thank you for this we praise you for this we know that there is forgiveness with you that you may be feared but god help us to pursue those things that are pleasing in your sight and to that end may you bless the supper may you bless us taking it now and strengthen us in heart and in faith and we ask this through jesus christ our lord amen we'll take together you can turn to 352. a wonderful summary statement of gospel truth in a hymn 352 will stand together [Music] foreign is [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] glorious [Music] [Music] the lord bless you and keep you the lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you the lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace god i pray that you would go with us now that the benediction we've read would be true of us that you would guide us by your grace and for your glory that you would protect us and keep us and help us to remember that promise of our savior that in this world we will have tribulation but be of good cheer for i have overcome the world that empty tomb that risen savior tells us as much it is the crowning proof the vindication that all that he did all that he said is true and blessed and for the glory of god and for the good of our souls we thank you for this lord's day it's been a wonderful time to meet together as the people of god in the house of god and we pray these things through jesus christ our lord amen well please be seated for a brief time of meditation you