We have already read the first seven verses of Matthew 28 and the message of the angels to the two Marys at the empty tomb that he is risen. So let me pick up at verse 8 and continue to read again the two Marys have come. The guards have been a little bit afraid because of the angel and the earthquake. The angels have spoken and said he is risen, go tell his disciples. Verse 8 and they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to the disciples and behold Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, do not be afraid, go and take word to my brother and to leave for Galilee and there you will see me. Now while they were on their way, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priest all that it happened. And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers and said, you are to say his disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep. And if it should come to the governor's ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble. And they took the money and did as they had been instructed and this story was widely spread among the Jews and is to this day. But the 11 disciples proceeded to Galilee to the mountain which Jesus had designated when they saw him, they worshiped him with some were doubtful. And Jesus came up 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 the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you. And love, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. There is in this chapter, there are in this chapter several messages, there is the message of the angels, the angel, excuse me, to the two Mary's. There is the message of the guards to the chief priest. There is the message of Jesus to the women when he reveals himself to them and kind of reinforces the message to the angel and then there is Jesus himself who comes and says something a message from our Lord. And so we'll look at it that way this morning, the Easter message, the resurrection message, we'll look at the different messages in three simple points. The first message we'll consider is that of the angels in verses one through seven. And before we consider their message, we need to talk a little bit about their ministry, they were there both to minister as well as to give a word. And their ministry is rather interesting, I keep saying the angels, I think angels, but the angel, according to Matthew, caused an earthquake. I don't know if it's when he landed, maybe it was a young angel full of them and vigor and came speeding to earth and put the brakes on it, the atmosphere so that it just dented and there was the earthquake or how he did it. But nevertheless, I believe the earthquake is in connection with the rolling away of the stone because of the way it's worded here. Verse two, behold, the severe earthquake had occurred for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came enrolled away the stone and sat upon it. So the angel has this ministry of earthquake that's connected with the rolling of the stone. The stones moved away, it's important to remember not because Jesus needed to weigh out. Jesus in his resurrected body kind of didn't need to open and close doors or buildings and such, he could just wasn't a problem for him. And besides, if he has all power, I think the stone would be no big deal there. But there are ministering spirits and they came, I think, for the sake of the message that they're going to say to the women. So here, look, you can see that the tomb is empty and according to John's gospel, there's this great clothes as though he just rose right out of them. They're just laying there the way they were. It was more a testimony of ministry to them to help them believe what seemed unbelievable to them. And then there is the little ministry as it relates to the guards. I mean, here's two women coming to the tomb and it's guarded. And I think his glory has showing his glory has to do with the guards fear and trembling. I say that because, you know, the Bible tells us sometimes angels show up and they look like men. And in Genesis chapter 18, there's these three guys that talk to Abraham and one of them is the angel of the Lord. And two of them go on. And in chapter 19, we're told two angels go in to Sodom where a lot is. And later on, we're told that they're men. And so they appear without all the glory, without all the shining dazzling beauty that this angel has on display. And again, you know, it could be, it's a glorious day, right? He is risen. How do you say that in dull clothes if you're an angel? Year bright and your countenance is glorious. And it doesn't hurt to cause the guards to shake and tremble with fear and just to become incapacitated. That's the ministry of the angel, but the message is spoken of as well. The message is pretty clear. Do not be afraid. I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here. He is risen just as he said. Come and see the place where he is lying. Go quickly and tell the disciples that he has risen from the dead. And behold, he is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will meet him. You hold, I have told you. So the first messenger brings the message, he is risen. And he says, take this message and give it to the disciples and tell them he is risen. Tell them you've seen the empty grave. Tell them what you have seen and proclaim to them the resurrection. The place Jesus had already told them about. Tell them in Galilee, go there and they will see the Lord. Now, it's interesting and you'll have to forgive me. I put the outline together early and saw more later and it's probably a good thing. But nevertheless, there is another messenger, right? The women are sent as messengers of the Lord. There's not a point number two. So if you are writing notes, just put 1.5 or something like that. Note that they are given a message to take to our Lord Jesus as well. It's interesting, in fact, to note that the angel tells them, go tell his disciples. But when Jesus meets them and they worship Jesus, Jesus reiterates the message, go tell not my disciples, go tell my brethren. How encouraging that would have been. I wonder if they caught it and said, you know, the angel said, go tell his disciples. But when we saw Jesus, he called you brethren. Remember, they had abandoned him. One had denied him. It may have been a little bit of an uncomfortable circumstance for them to see the risen Lord. What an encouraging word, my brethren. So they too have a message and it's not recorded for us that they went and gave it other than it's just assumed. Yes, this is what happens in the rest of the Gospels acknowledged that. Well, let's look at number two. The message, and you see I have S in parentheses because there's two messages of the guards, verses 11 through 15, verse 11, is the first message, the first report, the honest report. It says, when the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported, there's the message to the chief priest, everything that had happened. Must have been very uncomfortable. Well, we were awake, honest. And there was this earthquake and that caused us to tremble in and of itself. It just kind of freaked us out completely. But what happened next was even worse, there was this bright and shining being who moved the stone and the tomb was empty. And we were like dead men and maybe they were still there listening to the angel speak to the women and they could report that as well. I don't know the text doesn't tell us just that they went and said all that had happened. It was an honest report. There's some encouraging stuff here. Think about this. In Jesus' day, there were a couple of people who were not allowed to give testimony in court shepherds. We'd look at that during the Christmas season and women. A woman were not held in as high a steam as the scriptures hold women. It's interesting in the kingdom of God Jesus doesn't mind telling women, you be my witnesses and tell the disciples. But the chief priests who were more akin to a less biblical view, they're given men witnesses, aren't they? The guards. And not only are they given men witnesses but friendly witnesses. They set the guard up and they're reporting back. Isn't that amazing? The God in his mercy even to these unbelieving priests and elders. He gave them the kind of witness they should have listened to. It was their side. But the hardness of heart was just incredible, wasn't it? We can't have that. Let me tell you what you're to say and they give them another message. A message that's not true. The hardness of heart is just astounding. You know, Jesus pretty much prophesied that this would happen. When he told that parable of the rich man and Lazarus and Luke chapter 16, you remember the rich man had everything. And always wore the finest clothing even down to the posh underwear and he ate the best foods every day. And the poor man was starving and full of sores all over. And the dog showed more compassion. They came and looked to sores. And they both died and the rich man being entormed is demanding from asking Abraham, hey sin, sin that poor Lazarus over here. I have him dip his finger in the water and cool my tongue. I'm an agony. And he hears no and says, well, we'll send him to my brothers. I've got five brothers. Send him to my father and my five brothers and warn them so that they don't end in hell like I am in hell. And the words that are a response to that are pretty amazing, really. Abraham says they have Moses and the prophets let them hear them. And the guy's argumentative, no, no, no, father Abraham, if someone goes to them from the dead, then they will repent. And remember Jesus finished the story by saying, if they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.
It's a spiritual issue, whether we believe in the resurrection or not. It is a spiritual issue. There's a lot of evidence. I mean, things like women, women witnesses, if you were writing a forged a lie, you would take out the things that make you look bad, wouldn't you? Like lady witnesses, or even some of the discrepancies, how many angels and which Mary, Mary, which is the Mary, who's there? There's things between the gospels and it shows the kind of confusion that was absolutely present on that first resurrection day. They're true, I'm not at all trying to shake your confidence in the inspiration of the scriptures. On the contrary, I want to encourage you that it's evidence that it's true, that everyone's saying the way they see it and it's confused it. And they're so convinced of it. They don't have to make say, okay, let's make sure our stories all agree. And we'll say, how many angels, what you say, you saw it too, you say, let's just say one. And they don't do any of that stuff. And, well, that women be the first witnesses. And they'll even say some are doubting. If I'm telling you a story that I'm making up, I'm not putting that in. It's a spiritual. There's other evidence as well that not only is Matthew's gospel historically accurate, that there's a historical Jesus that historically died. But the gospels are true, they are the Word of God. And there's evidence to them. There's rational evidence. We're not going to prove it today. I know that because it is a matter of faith. But that's the point I suppose. It's really a spiritual issue, whether or not you will believe. So they send their other message, just tell them that the disciples came during the night and stole them. Which has kind of been unbelievable in and of itself. They're selected specifically because of that. I don't know. If you read just five verses before Matthew 28, the last five verses of chapter 27 of Matthew, it's these guys saying, hey, Jesus said when he was alive that liar, he was saying that on the third day it raised rise again from the dead. So why don't you appoint a guard and pause like, do it. You choose the people. You make sure it's as secure as you know how. Okay, we will. Like those guards are going to, anyway, they're given another message and it's believed even to the day John wrote and for some to our own day. But there is this third message. It's the important message, right? The message of our Lord Jesus Christ. It starts at verse 18 where he says all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. All authority in heaven on earth. In this case, all means all. It's comprehensive in the spiritual realm. Angels and demons bow before him. All authority in the heaven among the heavenly host. Do his bidding. All authority in the spiritual realm in the heavens. All the stars in all the solar systems in all the galaxies. In all the universe, all authority has been given to him. All authority on earth. All authority over our lives, over math and science, over atoms, courts, over everything, over education, over banking, the economy, employment, employment, wars and rumors of wars. All authority. Now he says that and then he gives his message. All authority has been given to me but he says that to say go there for and make disciples. It's a spiritual thing. It's a matter of faith. Do you believe all authority has been granted to Jesus in heaven and on earth? If you do, then the command is clear, isn't it? Go. By the way, the main verb is not go. It's make disciples. So it could be probably better translated as you are going about. Make disciples of all the nations. How are we to make disciples? We ought to know the God man with all authority has commanded us to do it not just the first disciples but there to make disciples who make disciples. How do you make disciples? He tells us here teaching all that I have commanded and through the new testament we see that they preach the gospel. In shortest form that God sent Jesus to be the perfect man, to live the perfect life, to die for sinners, that he was died, crucified, dead and buried and was raised the third day and that God will be reconciled with those sinners who seek reconciliation by putting their faith in Jesus Christ. You believe that and you can become his disciple. That's the short version. Let me give you a little bit longer. I won't, we can spend the rest of our lives, but just a little bit more. Just a little fuller picture. Bear with me and follow me. I'll just give the headings. I won't give the teaching on each one because actually I've got 28 and I probably won't even say them all to you. But think about this. The good news and it's in its broader expanse, right? It starts this way. God created us in his own image and likeness. That's pretty good. It says rule over the fish of the sea in the birds of the air, et cetera. Rule. Be your maid in my image. The scripture tells us that he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. The scriptures tell us that he predestined us to the adoption of sons and daughters, to the praise of his glory. The scriptures tell us that he effectively calls us. All that the Father gives to me will come to me. He draws us. He wounds us. He sends his spirit to work in our hearts and lives because he loves us and wants us. That's goodness. The scripture tells us that he's the one who makes us spiritually alive. Ephesians 2, right? But you being dead in your sins, but God being rich and mercy because of his great love with which he loved us. Even when we were dead in our transgressions and sins made us alive together with Christ by grace, you have been saved. He makes us alive. He causes us to be born again. He gives us union with Christ. That means we're connected with him so that the Apostle can say, I have been crucified with Christ. It's no longer I who live but Christ lives in me. We've been united with him in his death and in his resurrection. That's why we celebrate. That's good news. He gives us his spirit. We're sealed with the Spirit of God. We are forgiven all our sins. Christ himself earns our righteous so that God sees us not as guilty sinners forgiven but guilty sinners. But he sees us as righteous in Christ. That's good news. We are his friend, his children, and he delights in us. He dwells in us by his Holy Spirit and he will always love us and nothing can separate us from the love of God neither height nor death nor things created or angels or demons or principalities. Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. He valued us at the cost of the blood of Jesus Christ and he has caused us to be a kingdom of priests to offer spiritual sacrifices where to offer our bodies as living and holy sacrifices acceptable to him. We bring him the fruit of our lips, the praise of our lips and our lives as service to him as priests. He sanctifies us. We'll skip over this quick, right? He disciplines us as children whom he loves. That's good news. It's so that we can share in his holiness. He will complete what he has begun. He who began a good work and you will perfect it in the day of Christ. We have victory in Jesus over the enemies of our souls. God will raise us from the dead and we have a home in heaven. Hallelujah. That's good news. And that's the gospel. We preach the fuller version that worked out in all its details but it's glorious. Is it not? That's truth. That's truth. Now, we can say that's the how we preach that message to who, all nations and what to make disciples. You remember what a disciple is. Loosely translated, we could say a student to follower, but that's too loose when Jesus speaks so specifically about it. We've read this several times in this church and I read it to you again. Luke 14, 26 and following. If anyone comes to me, believes this gospel, believes the good news. If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brother and sisters, just even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross cannot be my disciple. And just in case he's, we think, wait a second, that doesn't make sense. How can this free offer the gospel? What's he calling for? Doesn't he soften it in the context? Well, no, actually he says, which of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it. Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and has not able to finish it, all who observe it will begin to ridicule him, say, this man began to build but he wasn't able to finish. Or what king when he sets out and meets another king in battle will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with 10,000 men to encounter the one coming against him with 20,000 or else while the other is still far away. He sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So then none of you can be my disciple who does not give up all his own possessions. I know this morning very, the vast majority of you are regular in your attendance and you profess faith in Jesus Christ. I just want you to see from the scriptures and from the command of the Lord Jesus Christ and he calls to make disciples not church goers, not converts from atheism or Buddhism or Islam disciples. And Jesus says I give this all to you. I give you life. All that I said in the gospel is absolutely true. You want it? Give me your life. Think of the words of Jim Elliott who said he is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. If you're here visiting and maybe because it's Easter and someone you love really want you here today. It's a spiritual issue. You'll honestly with God. There's a great welcome to you that comes at a great cost. But if he is risen from the dead, if he is the son of God, if it's true, there is no greater way to invest your life than to give it to the one to whom belongs all authority. In heaven and on earth. Let's pray. We thank you, Lord Jesus, risen from the dead for your great power that as you were raised from the dead, you are but the first fruits. Thank you for the hope that is true for all your disciples. Lord we who profess and confess that we are yours, your followers, your disciples. We do, we've confessed our sins even in this service and if it depended on our perfection in this, we would, I would go straight to hell because we fail in giving you our whole life as well. But we trust in your mercy, that you're perfect obedience, you're perfect giving your life to the Father. It belongs to us. So we thank you. Amen.