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Turn with me in your Bibles to 
Matthew chapter 28. Matthew chapter 28. This morning 
we're gonna focus on verses one to 10, the empty tomb and the 
risen Lord. But I do wanna read the entirety 
of chapter 28 in Matthew's gospel. So beginning in verse one, now 
after the Sabbath at the first day of the week, or 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. 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, 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 worshipped 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 doubted. 
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been 
given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make 
disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of 
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching 
them to observe all things that I have commanded you. And lo, 
I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen. Well, 
let us pray. Lord God, thank you for this 
wonderful capstone to the Gospel of Matthew. We know that our 
Lord didn't continue in that state of death. We know the grave 
couldn't contain him. And God, how we praise you for 
that resurrection. How we praise you for what Paul 
says, that he was delivered up because of our offenses and he 
was raised for our justification. We find great joy and great comfort 
in the written word. And even now we pray that your 
Holy Spirit would guide and lead and direct us as we consider 
this word. We pray that you would forgive us for all of our sins 
and anything that would darken our understanding and help us 
all to take every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ, 
that King of kings, that Lord of lords, that one who is altogether 
lovely and chief among 10,000. And we pray in his most blessed 
name. Amen. Well, this is a wonderful 
passage of scripture, and again, it is the capstone to Matthew's 
gospel. The Lord didn't remain in the 
tomb. The Lord was raised the third 
day by the Father, and He is now sitting enthroned at the 
right hand of God. in heaven. It's a blessed and 
a wonderful truth. I want to look first at the discovery 
of the empty tomb in verses 1 to 8, and then secondly at the appearance 
of the risen Lord in verses 9 to 10. Now I'm sure we're all very 
familiar with the historicity of the resurrection. Our focus 
will be more on that This morning, tonight, we'll do a bit more 
theology of the resurrection, taking as the text Romans 4, 
25, God delivered him up, or Christ was delivered up because 
of our offenses and raised for our justification. Though there'll 
probably be a bit of history tonight and a bit of theology 
this morning. But let's look first at the discovery 
of the empty tomb, and there's three things we ought to consider 
here. First, the arrival at the tomb. Verse 1, the descent of 
the angel in verses 2 to 4. And then finally, the commission 
given to the women in verses 5 to 8. Notice in verse 1, now 
after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn. Davies and Allison say the literal 
dawning of a new day signals a new period of history. And 
that is certainly the case as we come to this particular passage. 
On my drive here this morning, I went by the Seventh-day Adventist 
church building there on Riverside, and I thought, what an attachment 
to Old Covenant worship. A Saturday Sabbath is no longer 
binding. Sunday is the Sabbath. Sunday 
is the Christian Lord's Day. It is the first day of the week 
marked out by our Lord with reference to His resurrection from the 
dead. The apostles meet on the first day of the week. In fact, 
John the Apostle gives it the title the Lord's Day in Revelation 
chapter 1. at verse 10. So I think what 
these commentators say is right. The literal dawning of a new 
day signals a new period of history. So we see that Mary Magdalene 
and the other Mary came to see the tomb. Parallel passages tell 
us that they went there to anoint the body of Jesus. In Luke and 
Mark, it tells us that was the purpose for which they went. 
But the two Marys are identified here, are also present at the 
crucifixion. They're also present at the burial. 
which is a wonderful statement concerning their stick-to-itiveness. Remember that the apostles deserted 
the Lord Jesus Christ. He had prophesied, he had told 
them that they would depart from him, they would leave him, and 
they do do that. But these women, these two Marys, 
probably Salome is present with them as well, and perhaps other 
women. They were present not only at the crucifixion, but 
at the burial and as well with reference to the resurrection. 
And then notice the descent of the angel in verses 2 to 4. We 
have this earthquake indicated in verse 2a. And behold, there 
was a great earthquake. That's interesting because if 
you look back for just a moment to Matthew chapter 27, there 
was an earthquake that happened at the time of the death of Christ. Notice in 27.51. 27, I'm sorry, 2751, we read, Then 
behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, 
and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves 
were opened. 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 have this 
sort of attendant supernatural power of God Almighty at the 
resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We know it's supernatural 
because there's an angel present as we will see momentarily. But 
in terms of the significance of the earthquake, John Gill 
makes this observation. He 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. In other words, 
it's the Lord Christ, the second person of the Trinity. Certainly 
when he dies and when he's raised from the dead, something like 
an earthquake is consistent with that phenomena. And then C.H. Spurgeon 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. What a glorious way to describe 
this earthquake and the presence of it at the resurrection of 
Jesus. Now notice the descent of this 
angel in verse 2b. 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 white as snow, and the guards shook for fear 
of him and became like dead men. Now, as we compare the narratives 
in Mark and Luke, we see that this is an angelic being. In 
Mark, it describes him as a young man, but we know from the description 
given here that it's an angel. Luke mentions two angels, and 
just to sort of demonstrate the folly of people, they see two 
angels in Luke, and they see one angel in Matthew, and they 
say the Bible is filled with contradictions. Brethren, if 
there were two, there were most certainly one. A contradiction 
is two and not the case that it was two. This is not a contradiction. It is the theological reflection 
of the gospel writers, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, 
highlighting that information that is necessary for the readers 
and the hearers. So the angel here comes associated 
with this particular earthquake. And then notice the presence 
of the angel is not only here, but at the incarnation of our 
Lord as well. It was angelic beings that announced 
the coming of Jesus, and it's an angelic being that announces 
the resurrection of Jesus. Again, we're not dealing with 
a regular, normal, ordinary sort of fellow. We're dealing with 
the second person of the Trinity. who came down from heaven for 
us men and for our salvation. He assumed our humanity with 
all the essential properties thereof and the common infirmities 
except sin. And so when it comes to the incarnation, 
when it comes to the death of Christ, when it comes to the 
resurrection, angelic testimony is absolutely fitting for such 
a great and glorious king that we have in the person of the 
Lord Jesus. And then notice that the stone 
is removed. He came and rolled back the stone from the door 
and sat on it. Now the passage technically does 
not describe or tell us of the resurrection of Jesus. That's 
not what's in view here. What the angel does is he rolls 
back the stone so that the women can investigate the empty tomb. Christ is already risen at this 
point. Christ is already absent at this 
point. And so the angel is conducting 
them to consider the tomb itself. The angel didn't roll back the 
stone to let Jesus out, but rather he rolled back the stone to let 
the women investigate. Christ isn't dependent upon an 
angelic being to roll back the stone in order for him to leave 
that particular tomb. But then it's also interesting 
that the angel sits upon the stone. Notice what it says. It 
says, and he came and rolled back the stone from the door 
and sat on it. What's the significance of him 
sitting on the stone? Well, you say he's a tired angel. 
He needs a place to sit. Well, he could have sat on the 
ground, but he sat on the stone. I think Matthew Henry is right 
on when he makes this observation concerning the angels sitting 
on the stone. There he sat, defying all the 
powers of hell to roll the stone to the grave again. In other 
words, there is no way you can contain the Savior. There is 
no way you can keep him in that tomb. There is no way that hell 
will roll that stone back. The angel is sitting there as 
one who is preaching the triumph of the Lord Christ over the grave, 
over the tomb, over sin, over hell itself. And then the angel 
is described for us there, consistent with what we see in terms of 
angelic description and other portions of the scripture. But 
then notice what the guards do. According to verse 4, the guard 
shook for fear of him and became like dead man. Now, the angel 
didn't speak to them. The angel didn't show them a 
particular sign. But when the guard saw the situation, 
They were afraid. There was great fear in their 
hearts. And brethren, this is completely explains the lie of 
verse 13. Remember at the end, there's 
this concoction of a story to try and suggest that his disciples 
came and stole him. Notice in verse 13, it says, 
tell them his disciples came at night and stole him away while 
we slept. Now there's all kinds of problems 
with that. If you were asleep, how do you know that person stole 
him away? If you were asleep, you should 
be put to death for dereliction of duty. If you were asleep, 
how do you know the disciples did this? So you see, that is 
absolutely contrary to fact. When the guards saw this phenomena, 
they were greatly afraid. John Calvin says, the soldiers 
who were accustomed to tumults, They were accustomed to battle. 
They were accustomed to war. They were accustomed to blood 
and guts. They were accustomed to dead bodies. All these things 
were part and parcel of being a Roman soldier in this particular 
context, and yet the empty tomb in the presence of this angel 
causes them great fear. Back to Calvin. 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. So these men saw this phenomena 
and they fall down dead. Now, notice the angel's commission 
to the women in verses 5 to 8. First, he encourages them and 
then he instructs them. Notice the encouragement, do 
not be afraid. Verse 5, the angel answered and 
said to the women, do not be afraid. It's a beautiful thing, 
isn't it? Many, many times in scripture, we are told by God, 
do not fear. And yet what seems to be the 
native inclination of our hearts, but to fear. When the Lord God 
says, do not fear, we need to take him seriously. We need to 
understand something of his sovereignty. We need to understand something 
of his government and his power and his providence. There is 
nothing that transpires in this world that is outside of the 
decree of God. What does Jesus say in Matthew's 
gospel back in chapter 12? He says, the very hairs of your 
head are numbered. Now kids, that doesn't mean God's 
in heaven and his full-time job is counting the hairs of the 
people that he has made. He knows this, just like he knows 
all things. So when that God who knows all 
things, that God who has comprehensive sovereignty and power and authority 
tells us not to fear, Brethren, we need to listen to Him first, 
not Him last, not say things yet like, yeah, we know God is 
sovereign, God is over all things, but we're going to be riddled 
with panic and fear in this lower world. No, we're not supposed 
to do that. We're not supposed to be injudicious. 
We're not supposed to be non-cautious. We're supposed to be compliant 
with the things that are good or calculated for safety and 
whatnot. But brethren, when all is said 
and done, we live like Cromwell. Trust God and keep your powder 
dry. But so often we keep the powder 
dry and we don't trust God. That is absolutely incomprehensible 
for people who know their God, who've been conquered by their 
God, who have been saved by their blessed Savior. Brethren, the 
angel tells them, do not fear. It's a wonderful exhortation. 
They, like the soldiers, were terrified at the scene. Again, 
Spurgeon 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 this, those 
who seek Jesus, Need not fear. Again, I'm not trying to pick 
on anybody here. Not trying to pick on the current 
situation or culture. I'm not saying don't be, you 
know, wise or judicious or cautious. I'm not saying don't wash your 
hands. I mean, that would be heresy 
and blasphemy in this current generation, wouldn't it? If anybody 
ever stood up and said, go thou and don't wash your hands, I 
mean, that's probably a capital offense number one. So I'm not 
suggesting that. I'm suggesting we comply insofar 
as we are able. We do those things that hopefully 
under God and the normal course of affairs and lives, you know, 
prolong life and safety and health and all that sort of thing. But 
we're not to be stricken with panic. We're not to be so riddled 
with fear we never leave our houses. Brethren, fresh air and 
sunshine are good things. They help the immune system tremendously. And if we're all cowering in 
our living rooms, that is not an expression of our faith in 
the God who made the world and all things in it by the word 
of his power in the space of six days and all very good. or 
the God of sovereign providence who governs all his creatures 
and all their actions. The God of redemption who has 
saved us from the worst enemy itself. Sin, death, hell, judgment, 
Satan, all that bondage. God has spared us from the very 
worst. And now shall we lose it when 
it comes to something that isn't the very worst? Brethren, do 
not fear, is what the angel counsels the women here. And then notice 
the explanation that he gives. 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 see the place where the Lord lay. The angel 
acknowledges the reason for their presence. He knows why they're 
there. He is there seeking to attend to the body of the Lord 
Jesus. But as well, notice that the angel confirms that Jesus 
had died. Around the resurrection, the 
historical account of the resurrection, you see from the very earliest 
stages, persons working to try to make it seem like it never 
occurred. I mean that whole a scene hatched 
in the later part of this particular chapter. We'll pay you off. Tell 
them that the disciples came and stole the body. The Islam 
doctrine, Islamic doctrine, that Christ really didn't die on the 
cross was more of a swoon theory as far as Islam is concerned, 
that he only appeared to be dead, that when he went into the tomb, 
it wasn't as if he was raised from the dead. He just regained 
his strength and his energy and was able to leave at that particular 
point. There's always been these competing narratives with the 
historical record of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus 
Christ. He actually did die. That's what's confirmed in Matthew's 
Gospel. The angel announces the resurrection. Notice what he says. He is not 
here, for he is risen. Notice this part, as he has said. In other words, Christ didn't 
only prophesy his death, Christ also prophesied his resurrection 
on the third day. We know those places in Matthew's 
gospel, Matthew 16, Matthew 17, Matthew 20, Matthew chapter 26. 
Christ tells the disciples precisely what he is going to do when he 
gets to Jerusalem. And so according to his word, 
the angel underscores that what he has said has come to pass. 
He is not here, He is risen. And may I just say, that's a 
great bit of news, isn't it? Our Savior is not in the tomb. This is something very problematic 
with Roman Catholicism. When you go into one of their 
so-called houses of worship, you see Christ on the cross still. Christ was on the cross, He went 
into the tomb, but He was raised the third day. Our blessed Savior 
is enthroned at the right hand of the Father. Our blessed Savior 
always lives to make intercession for us. And our blessed Savior 
is able to save to the uttermost anyone who draws nigh unto God 
through Him. It's a blessed and wonderful 
thing. He is risen. Our hope, our lives, 
our souls are built on this reality. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 15, 
when the apostles are arguing for the historical reality of 
the resurrection, it says, if Christ isn't raised, then we're 
of all men the most to be pitied. We're believing a fable, we're 
believing a folly, we're believing in the existence of unicorns 
when they're not really there. But that's not the case. The 
Bible affirms the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. One 
man says, this event does more than certify the truth of Jesus' 
prophecies. For this idea of He is risen, 
it's a passive. God the Father raised Jesus from 
the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit, thereby honoring 
His beloved Son, lauding His obedience unto death, and ratifying 
the new covenant established by His atoning sacrifice. And 
then before we leave this point, look at what the angel does with 
the women. He tells them to come and see for themselves. This 
kind of bugs me when Christians are portrayed as these, you know, 
flat-earth rubes that have no mind whatsoever. I mean, you 
know, like a church service. We can't effectively social distance. We're all going to just fall 
and drip on each other. No, we're not rubes. We're not 
fools. We're not anti-science. We're 
not against that sort of a process. In fact, the best scientists 
have been Christians. Science is simply knowledge. 
It's the discovery of what is out there. But here's where science 
is mistakenly applied today is when it becomes a philosophical 
commitment. We take the raw data that science 
furnishes, and then we philosophize with it in a way that the actual 
information never suggests. But if you look at this particular 
account, the angel doesn't say to the women, oh no, just trust 
me. Just take my word for it. Don't 
look in there. Don't peer behind this. Don't 
walk in there. No, he doesn't do that. Look 
at what he says specifically in verse six. He says, come, 
see the place where the Lord lay. Brethren, this is a beautiful 
thing, just like the resurrection of our Lord Jesus in John 20. 
Remember doubting Thomas? Unless I see, unless I touch, 
I will certainly not believe. What does Jesus do? Jesus shows 
up and says, take your hand and touch. See with your own eyes. He is not saying that this is 
the only way to prove the reality, but he is highlighting to this 
particular doubter that the fact is, is that he was risen from 
the dead. It's a beautiful thing. Now notice the instruction that 
he gives to the women in verse 7. It says, now 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. Intriguingly, the apostles, or 
rather the women, become the apostles to the apostles. Now 
sometimes people go hog-wild with that and they say, well, 
the women were consistent. In fact, I've already said that. 
They were at death, they were at burial, they're at resurrection. 
The other disciples had departed. Strike the shepherd and the sheep 
will scatter. And that is precisely what occurs. So some people try 
to take this and develop a place for women in the ministry. Brethren, 
there is no place for the women in the ministry according to 
the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy chapter 2 and 3. But women are 
significant. Women were a part of this whole 
situation and women were present and they were commanded by the 
angel to go and tell the disciples that he is risen. It's a wonderful 
account. The women are to tell the apostles 
to go to Galilee in order to see Jesus. He had already announced 
to them in 2632 that he would meet them in Galilee. And as 
well, the angel underscores the message with authority. At the 
end of verse 7, he says, Behold, I have told you. Now, what's 
the significance of the Gentiles? What's the significance of Galilee? The significance is that it's 
referred to as Galilee of the Gentiles. And that's where they 
meet together at the end of Matthew chapter 28, and that sets the 
stage for Christ's commission. when he says, go therefore and 
make disciples of who? Of all the nations, not just 
Jews, but Gentiles as well. So there is a theological purpose 
and a rationale for this meeting in Galilee of the Gentiles. Now notice what the women do 
according to verse eight. This is beautiful. So they went 
out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to 
bring his disciples word. They obeyed the angel. That's 
a good thing. When you are given divine direction, 
the best part of wisdom is to do what divine direction tells 
you. But as well, look at that they 
had fear and great joy. They didn't have great fear and 
a little joy. They had fear and great joy. And I think at times people see 
that and they say, well, how can fear and joy be mingled? 
Like I shared with you when I was growing up, there was a show 
on TV that talked about God-fearing Christians. And as a young papist, 
I wondered, how could that be a good way to live, being a God-fearing 
Christian? saved and understanding something 
of Scripture, especially Old Testament usage of the fear of 
the Lord, it simply means those who are rightly related to God 
through faith in Jesus Christ. The fear of the Lord is consistent, 
it is appropriate, it is wonderful. When we're in the presence of 
a thrice holy God, fear, reverence, and trembling is appropriate. 
Remember that scene in the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah chapter six. 
In the year that King Uzziah died, Isaiah the prophet says, 
I saw the Lord lofty, high and exalted. And the angels, they 
had six wings. And with two of those wings, 
they covered their face. With two of those wings, they flew. And 
with two of those wings, they covered their feet. And all they 
did day and night was cry out, holy, holy, holy is the Lord 
of hosts. The whole earth is full of his 
glory. Brethren, I think at times the 
church has lost something of that reverence and that trembling 
and that fear that is consistent with being in the presence of 
God. In other words, it's not all 
fun and games. It's not all levity and jokes. 
It's not all chattiness and hands and pockets, but rather the God 
with whom we have to do is a holy God. He is most high. He is the true and living God 
and he is glorious. And yet when we read this particular 
passage, we see that not only do they have this fear, but it 
is mingled with great joy. In Psalm 2, verse 11, David tells 
the nations, the kings and the authorities around him, to serve 
Yahweh with fear. and rejoice with trembling. These things are not inconsistent 
in the Christian life. They are most consistent. A reverence 
for God promotes joy in the presence of the Lord. It's a beautiful 
and a wonderful thing. So that's the empty tomb. Let's 
look secondly at the appearance of the risen Lord. Notice in 
verse nine, 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. Now, this is an extraordinary 
sight, isn't it? Jesus met them. When had they 
last seen Jesus? They had last seen Jesus on the 
cross. They had last seen Jesus crucified. They had last seen Jesus dead. 
Then they had last seen Jesus taken from the cross and buried 
into the tomb. And now they meet Jesus. Imagine that fear and great joy 
now quadrupling. growing exponentially as they 
lay their eyes upon the Son of Man. This is most glorious and 
most excellent. They had seen him crucified. 
They had seen him bloodied and beaten and battered and bruised 
and all those sorts of things. And now they meet Jesus on the 
way. So it's an extraordinary sight, but then notice the ordinary 
greeting. Jesus met them saying, rejoice. In this particular context, it 
could have just been a hi or a hello. The particular Greek 
word that is used here is like our hello or even our hi. R.T. Frantz says, to say simply 
that Jesus met them when the last we saw of him was as a corpse 
sealed in a tomb is a masterly understatement. And his greeting, 
hello, is almost banal in its everyday familiarity. sees them 
and he says hello to them or hi to them. It's absolutely glorious, 
an extraordinary sight. And then a very normal or ordinary 
greeting on the part of the Savior. And then the response of the 
women. Look at what they do when they 
see the risen Christ. The women held him by the feet. What's the significance of that? 
Well, in Luke's gospel, Jesus tells them not to be afraid because 
he's not a phantom. He doesn't just appear to be 
something. There was an early Christological 
heresy called docetism, which taught that Jesus wasn't real. He only appeared to be a man. 
That is absolutely heretical and that is not consistent with 
what the narrative says. In fact, it's almost as if Matthew 
and then Luke later in Luke 24 are heading off at the pass this 
idea of docetism, this idea that he only appeared. They held him 
by the feet and they worshiped him. Now, throughout Matthew's 
gospel, we see persons respond to Jesus in a manner of worship. And that is highly significant, 
especially in light of Jesus' statement in Matthew chapter 
4. You can turn there. Matthew chapter 4. The devil tempting Jesus, according 
to verse eight, again, the devil took him up on an exceedingly 
high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world 
and their glory. And he said to him, all these 
things I will give you if you will fall down and worship me. 
Then Jesus said to him, away with you, Satan, for it is written, 
you shall worship the Lord your God and him only you shall serve. An amazing statement by our Savior 
in light of the fact that whenever persons in Matthew's gospel worship 
him, he doesn't refute them. He doesn't reject them. He doesn't 
rebuff them. We have seen this in the book 
of Acts. Cornelius wanted to bow down to Peter, and Peter 
said, don't do that. Remember those men of Lystra 
when they saw Paul and Barnabas heal that crippled man. They 
wanted to bow down and worship. They said that the gods, Zeus 
and Hermes, had come down from heaven. They wanted to offer 
up sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas, and Paul and Barnabas said, don't 
do that. You see that in the book of Revelation 
as well. John wants to bow before the 
angel, and the angel says, don't do that. I'm a fellow servant 
with you of our Lord Jesus Christ. But Christ receives worship. Why is that? Because he is the 
second person of the Trinity. There is but one only, the true 
and living God. In how many persons does this 
God exist? There are three persons in the 
Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three 
are one God, the same in substance, equal in power, and in glory. Christ receives worship because 
Christ is worthy of worship. In the language of the Song of 
Solomon, he is altogether lovely. He is chief among 10,000. He 
is the champion of Israel. He is the savior of his people. 
He is the redeemer and the Lord. In the language of John in Revelation 
19, he is the king of kings. He is the Lord of lords. He is 
the word of the living and true God. Of course, he receives the 
worship. And then notice the beauty of 
the text when it says, they held him by the feet and they worshiped 
him. Now, feet aren't essential to 
humanity. If you get your feet cut off, 
you're still a human. I'm just here to tell you that. 
Not that you need more issues and more problems to think about. 
Not only do we have the Wuhan, but our feet might get cut off. 
No, I'm not suggesting that. But this is a great illustration 
of what theology calls the hypostatic union. The hypostatic union underscores 
the uniqueness of Jesus Christ. And essentially, the hypostatic 
union teaches us that there is one person, the Lord Jesus Christ, 
two natures, human and divine. They hold him by the feet while 
they worship him. That's the hypostatic union, 
brethren. They hold him by the feet while 
they worship him. He is like no other. He is the 
second person of the triune God who took on our humanity. And 
as a result, he is worthy of worship and adoration. Now notice 
the message of Jesus to these women. The message of Jesus to 
these women He encourages them in verse 10. Verse 10a, he says, 
Jesus said to them, do not be afraid. There's that recurring 
theme again. Now the two types of fear that 
we have in the Bible, there's a hide under the piano fear because 
God's gonna get you. And then there's the reverential 
awe in the presence of God. Jesus is discounting and saying 
that one, the running and hiding. Don't be afraid. Christ is risen. Christ is with them. Christ is 
in their present. presence, his word is true. And 
then notice the instruction that he gives to them, go and tell 
my brethren to go to Galilee and there they will see me. The instruction to the women 
is similar to the instruction given by the angel in verse seven. The angel says the same thing, 
go to Galilee and tell the disciples that he is risen. But as well, 
the instruction to the women is dissimilar to the angel in 
Christ's reference. Notice what Jesus says, go and 
tell, My brethren. Now, for those who are believers 
in Jesus Christ, that's an encouraging statement, isn't it? My brethren. My brethren. Jesus is not ashamed, 
according to the book of Hebrews, to call them brethren. And this 
particular statement of our Lord underscores several things that 
the gospel of Matthew points out. This reiterates an emphasis 
in Matthew's gospel that Christ is brother to his people. Matthew 
chapter 12. Remember when the people came 
and said, your mother, your brother, your sisters are all outside. 
He says, my mother and brother and sisters are right here. They're 
the ones who do the will of my father in heaven. As well, this 
reflects the glory of the relationship between Christ and His people. 
Again, Psalm 22, Hebrews chapter 2, tells us that He is not ashamed 
to call them brethren. That's good news, brethren, because 
there's days when I suspect that you, like me, are probably thinking, 
He is ashamed of me. He is ashamed of my waywardness. He is ashamed of my proneness 
to wander. He is ashamed of my proneness 
to leave the God that I love. There was a story I once heard 
about C.H. Spurgeon. Somebody came to Spurgeon, there 
was a drunk in the town, and somebody came to Spurgeon and 
said, look, Mr. Spurgeon, there's one of your 
converts. And Spurgeon's retort was something to this effect. 
He said, he must be one of my converts because he's not Christ's. On the one hand, that makes a 
degree of sense, but on the other hand, it doesn't. Jesus is not 
ashamed to call us brethren. When he bought us, when he paid 
for us, when he secured our privilege to everlasting life, he knew 
what he was getting. He knew exactly and precisely 
what he was getting. Now I'm not advocating getting 
hammered and fumbling around in the middle of the city streets, 
but brethren, the people of God can do some pretty nasty things. 
Look at what the text goes on to say. Go and tell my brethren 
to go to Galilee and there they will see me. This rehearses the 
great grace and mercy to be found in the Lord Jesus. These disciples 
that he is telling the women to go and see had deserted him, 
didn't they? Don't say, well, no, you know, 
they didn't really know what was, they deserted him. They 
didn't relish the do not fear. They were fearful. They were 
panicked. They were stricken. They ran 
from the Savior when the Savior needed them. Does the Savior 
disown them? Does the Savior say no more? No, he still refers to them as 
my brethren. My point is not go out and do 
horrible things because Jesus will always call you my brethren. 
My point is that if you do happen to do a horrible thing, it is 
not necessarily the case that you're not saved. Jesus Christ 
is a real Savior for real sinners. What do we find in 1 John chapter 
1, or 1 John chapter 2, verse 1? My little children, I write 
these things to you so that you may not sin. That's John's point 
and goal for the people of God in 1 John. But then he goes on 
and says, and if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with 
the Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous. That's what I'm 
trying to bring up. I'm not trying to get you to 
go out and sin. I will never have to do that. That is one 
job I will never have to assume, to try to get people to go out 
and sin. Everybody's got that one down. We are well taught 
in that particular reality. But the point is, is that if 
we do sin, we have an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ 
the righteous. Jesus tells them, go and tell 
my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me. These 
men had abandoned him, according to 26.56, and Peter had even 
denied him. And if you look specifically 
at verse 16, then the 11 disciples went away into Galilee. You know 
what that means? Judas is gone, we know that, 
but the rest are still there. Even Simon Peter. Look at Mark for just a moment. 
Mark's gospel in Mark chapter 16. Mark chapter 16. Verse six, but he said to them, 
do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth who 
was crucified. He is risen. He is not here. 
See the place where they laid him, but go tell his disciples 
and Peter. Not excluding Peter from the 
body of disciples, but underscoring Peter's still inclusion with 
the disciples. In other words, when Simon Peter 
denied the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ didn't 
deny him. It was not apostasy, it was not 
a wholesale defection from God, but rather it was one of those 
sins, one of those sorts of things that overtakes the people of 
God at times, But in Matthew's Gospel, at the end of Mark here, 
we see that Peter is present even after having denied his 
Savior. Calvin says it is proper to remark 
the astonishing kindness of Christ in deigning to bestow the name 
of brethren on deserters who had basely forsaken Him. That's who he's talking about 
when he tells these women, go tell my disciples. You're not 
supposed to shut down and forget everything that's preceded. These 
men abandoned. These men departed. These men 
had said that they were not with the Savior. Peter denied knowing 
Christ to a slave girl, and yet Christ doesn't deny Peter, and 
Christ refers to him as brethren. It's a beautiful and a wonderful 
thing, and then the final statement underscores the chief benefit 
of our religion, and there They will see me. Isn't that everything 
in Christianity? We hear about those descriptions 
of heaven in the book of Revelation, you know, streets of gold and 
the pearly gates and all that sort of thing. Brethren, that's 
just backdrop. That's just, you know, filler, 
if I may be so bold. What's the glory of heaven? It's 
God. It's Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There's no temple there. The 
Father and the Son are the temple. There's no Son there. The Son 
of God illumines the place. The glory of heaven is God himself, 
and that's the emphasis here in this statement. There they 
will see me. Yes, physically. Yes, historically. Yes, temporally, with reference 
to whatever is happening at the end of chapter 28. But the idea 
of communing with Christ, seeing Christ, knowing Christ, believing 
on Christ, having Christ. What's Paul say? That I may know 
him and the power of his resurrection in Philippians chapter three. 
That's everything. It's the knowledge of Jesus Christ 
as our Lord. Well, in conclusion, I would 
suggest first the glory of the resurrection. J.C. Ryle says, 
the resurrection 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. Davies and 
Allison say chapter 28 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. They're right. That's exactly 
what that empty tomb furnishes with reference to the people 
of God and the enemies of God. Secondly, with reference to the 
resurrection, I just want to run through what scripture says 
concerning this. Consider the confirmation of 
his death. Again, no swoon theory, not really badly hurt, went over 
to the tomb, got recuperated, and then went out vis-a-vis Islam 
and some within professing Christendom that subscribe to the swoon theory. 
Pilate confirms his death, soldiers confirm his death, the Jewish 
leaders confirm his death, and the angel confirms the death. 
The confirmation of his resurrection, we have the angel himself, we 
have Jesus himself, and then subsequently, listen to what 
the New Testament tells us concerning the resurrection of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. There is more evidence for the 
life of Jesus than there is for the philosopher Socrates. But 
no one questions whether Socrates was actually a human being. Why 
is that? Because they don't have an axe 
to grind against Socrates. They do against the true and 
living God. But consider what the New Testament 
teaches us. He appears first to the women 
who had left the tomb, here in Matthew 28, and then to Mary 
Magdalene, according to John 20. He appears to Cleopas and 
the unnamed disciple on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24. He then 
appeared to Peter sometime that same afternoon, Luke 24, 1 Corinthians 
15. He appeared to the eleven, minus 
Thomas, on the day of resurrection in the upper room. And then he 
invited his disciples to touch him, and he ate broiled fish 
and honeycomb among them. He appeared a week later to his 
disciples, this time Thomas was present. He appeared to seven 
of his disciples by the Sea of Tiberias and prepared and ate 
breakfast with them. He appeared to the eleven on 
a mountain of Galilee. This occasion could have possibly 
been the one he also appeared to more than 500 people to in 
1 Corinthians 15. He appears to James, his half-brother, 
1 Corinthians 15. He appears again to the 11 on 
the occasion of his ascension into heaven, Luke 24, Acts chapter 
one. And then he appears to Saul of 
Tarsus sometime later in Acts chapter nine. Now listen to this. 
He appears to individuals, to a pair of disciples, to small 
groups, to large assemblies, to women and to men, in public 
and private at different times of the day, and both in Jerusalem 
and Galilee. This is not the testimony of 
a mass hallucination. This is the testimony of men 
under inspiration of the Spirit who are writing history, theological 
history to be sure, but history that is efficient and sufficient 
to instruct us of this reality. Now, there are those who say, 
well, that's not enough. Some have these problems. They 
say, first of all, that Women were not witnesses to such things. And they typically invoke the 
historian Josephus. Josephus says, but let not the 
testimony of women be admitted on account of the levity and 
boldness of their sex. I'm always hesitant to read things 
like that, because I don't want my sisters to rise up and throw 
tomatoes at me, but that's what Josephus said, okay? That's just the way it was. See, 
here's what I suspect. When it comes to the validity, 
the historicity, the truthfulness of the resurrection, you see 
that the gospel writers report the facts. They're like Joe Friday, 
just the facts, just the facts. If the facts mean that women 
were some of the first to witness it, they're going to tell us 
that. I think it would have been more suspect if they excluded 
the witness testimony of women. Because then it seems like they're 
trying to navigate in a way to protect themselves from any possible 
charge of collusion. Look at what it says in Matthew 
28 at verse 16. 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. 
I suggest that a fake would never put some doubted. A fake wouldn't 
include that because it wouldn't jive with what they were proposing. But the fact that the gospel 
writers include the testimony of women, they include the doubting 
of the disciples, indicates that they didn't conspire together 
in some room to write their gospel narratives in such a way as to 
fool the multitudes. In fact, there are differences 
in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Not contradictions, they can 
be harmonized to be sure, but it shows us the independent testimony 
of these particular brothers. If they had gone into a room, 
if they had cloistered together, if they had spent several days, 
they would have smoothed out the narrative, they would have 
taken out any unsavory details that would have possibly caused 
their story not to be believed. It's the very existence and presence 
of these kinds of things that underscores the historicity of 
the narrative. It is most excellent. It is most 
beautiful. It is the reality that the gospel 
is not smoothed out. It wasn't orchestrated. It's 
not cunningly devised fables. It wasn't put together once upon 
a time. And then in terms of the theology 
of the resurrection, again, we'll investigate this a bit more tonight, 
but we see the fulfillment of the promises made concerning 
Jesus. Not simply the promises Jesus himself made concerning 
his death and his resurrection, but Psalm 16. We see Daniel 9, 
we see the prophet Isaiah, the servant songs of Yahweh. All 
of this assumes a living Savior, a living Redeemer. We have the 
Psalm of the Cross in Psalm 22, the first half taken up with 
the humiliation of our Lord and His death and suffering, and 
the latter half is His exaltation. Brethren, this fulfilled a mound 
of biblical testimony in terms of what Messiah would accomplish. 
As well, it is the means by which glory is given to the Father 
and to the Son. It's a beautiful thing. The resurrection 
testifies that He is, in fact, the Son of God with It brings 
honor and glory to the Father, the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. 
It is the crowning proof, according to Ryle, and I think he's right, 
that he has accomplished the mission which the Father had 
given him, and this truth is without which we would have no 
hope. Turn to 1 Corinthians 15, we'll 
end here, on a message of hope in these hopeless days, or seemingly 
hopeless days. Definitely, seemingly, there's 
a lot of hope. A lot of hope to be had. Notice in 1 Corinthians 
15, 12. Now, if Christ is preached that he has been raised from 
the dead, how does some among you say that there is no resurrection 
of the dead? But if there is no resurrection 
of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, 
then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, 
and we are found false witnesses of God because we have testified 
of God that he raised up Christ, whom he did not raise up, if 
in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, 
then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your 
faith is futile, you are still in your sins. Then also those 
who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life 
only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. And Paul will not have that. 
Paul is assuming the contrary in order to belittle it. He is 
assuming the proposition that Christ did not rise and drawing 
from that implications. If it is the case that Christ 
didn't rise, then we're of all men the most to be pitied. If 
it is true that Christ did not rise from the dead, then we are 
still in our sins. When Paul says he was raised 
for our justification, He means it. We need His life, we need 
His death, and we need the resurrection from the dead because Christ 
Almighty is the Savior of His people and this affirms it. It is the crowning proof. It 
is that blessed jewel in that particular crown that Christ 
is who the Bible says He is. And instead of being hopeless, 
we ought to be hopeful and tell sinners the good news concerning 
Jesus and the way of salvation. It's not by your works, it's 
not by adding Jesus to your already good life, but rather by faith 
in Christ, belief on Him, looking to Him alone to save you from 
your sins. It is a most blessed and a most 
hopeful statement that Christ Jesus came into this world, sinners 
to save, and hopefully all over the earth today this gospel goes 
out, conquering in to conquer, and that multitudes would leave 
that darkness, come into that marvelous light, and know the 
joy of Jesus Christ our Lord. Well, let us pray. Father, thank 
you for your word, and thank you for your grace, and thank 
you for the testimony of the scriptural authors when ultimately 
they write according to the power of the Holy Spirit upon them. 
And we give praise to you that you've not left us as orphans 
in the world, you've given us the Spirit, you've given us your 
word, that sure word that brings encouragement, that brings comfort, 
that brings hope. God, I pray this word would go 
forth throughout the earth today, and that many would come to the 
Savior. They would believe on Him, and that in distress, and 
in panic, and in fear, sinners would turn unto God most high. And we ask this in the name of 
the Lord Jesus Christ, amen. Well, let's close by singing 
the doxology. It's found on page 568 in your 
book, and we'll stand as we sing together. you