Scripture has been read, and I need to qualify this. I was sharing with Brother Ronnie in the back that this has just been a terrible week. It's in terms of trying to settle and what do you preach on Resurrection Sunday. So as I mentioned to him just as a four warning, I said at first, well, read that as a devotional Scripture, and I'm actually not going to expound that. But I want to extend and go beyond the six verses of the seven. So let's read Matthew chapter 28 verses five and six or five and through seven and actually I'll read verses one through seven. That's Matthew chapter 28 verses one through seven. And then I ask that you pray with me long and hard. Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went 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 and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning and his clothing quite a snow. And for fear of him, the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, do not be afraid for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here for he has risen. As he said, come, see the place where he lay, then go quickly until his disciples that he has risen from the dead. And behold, he is going before you to Galilee and there you will see him. See, I have told you. May God richly bless both the reading and the hearing of his holy word. There are a number of things that are to be noted about the circumstances surrounding those women. They go to the grave of the Lord. Their intention is to go and to anoint his body with fragrant spices and so forth and prepare him as they were not able to properly and fully do because of the Sabbath day, the day before. So they rush to the grave early on the first day of the week. So first thing to note here is this is why we worship on Sunday because the resurrection occurred on the first day of the week. This is why the Lord has called it the Lord's day because the Sabbath is the seventh day of the final day of the week. But almost just in the same way that Jesus has come to make us new creations. And he has come to prepare for us the new age and the new kingdom. We worship on the first day of the week and he is the Lord of that new creation. So the reason behind our Sunday worship is because Sunday the first day of the week is the day that Jesus arose. That's the first thing to note. The second thing to note is the presence of the angel. It's worth noting that the birth and the death of Jesus or I should say the span of Jesus earthly ministry is really sort of its book in it by angelic announcements. In Luke's gospel we see an angel dispense or host of angels dispense to the to the shepherds that were watching their flocks at night in the fields. And they announced the fact that the king of glory had been born and then right after the announcement of the angels then we are told as the shepherds looked up then the fields were full of angels singing Zion songs and praise to the Lord. And here it is fitting that after his resurrection here's another angel and just as the angels announced the birth to the shepherds in the field these this angel announces the fact that Jesus has indeed risen from the grave. You see long before there is the great commission were not long but certainly days before the great commission the angel announces the finishing touch of the gospel. The fact of the gospel is that Jesus was born and then that he died and then he rose again so the angel is the one who announces the finishing touches of the gospel. That Jesus has risen now notice three things about what the angel tells these women and by the way we should note at least one of the women that identified here because she has she has born just a bad reputation through bad exegesis and through bad history and that is the person of Mary Magdalene let me just say out loud there is nothing in the scriptures that says Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. We will all know her when we get to heaven because she will have on a t-shirt that says I was not a prostitute we do know that Jesus cast demons out of her but she was not she's not labeled as a prostitute and even if she were there was another woman who had a soiled reputation in fact two of them that are identified in the scriptures but not Mary Magdalene. So let's just be clear on that but Mary and the other Mary are there for the purpose of anointing the body of Jesus and they encounter this angel and the angel does three things that's going to launch what we want to talk about I'm saying all of this as preliminary because it's not my intention to expound the totality of this particular passage. What the angel does is he announces three things that are important number one I know that you have come to see Jesus. Jesus put put a footnote there will put a put a put a feather there will come back to that Jesus and then he identifies the fact that Jesus was crucified put put a put a feather there will come back to that. And then thirdly he says come see where he lay which is evidence that he's not there. So three things that he says he says Jesus he identifies Jesus as the one they come to seek he acknowledges that the one they came to seek was crucified and he acknowledges the fact that the one who was crucified is no longer in the grave. But then that's what he after he does that he he affirms what they've come to see he acknowledges what has happened and then he gives them the pre great commission. Interestingly enough the gospel is to be spread to all nations that's what we get in the great commission but before the gospel can go to all nations it's got to go to his disciples. So the commission that the angel gives to Mary the two Mary's is to go to the disciples they already know that the message of the scriptures about the coming Messiah but they haven't factored in the fact of his crucifixion and his resurrection. So the first recipients of the completed gospel is not to the nations it's to the world angel dispenses these two Mary's to go to the disciples and tell them that Jesus is rings. Now that brings me to what I want to discuss and hopefully we won't keep you long there are first thing I want to do is look at three fundamental truths of the Christian religion that's mentioned by this angel but what I want you to do is not consider it in the context of the scriptures. I want you to understand that the angel what the angel says because somebody may be here this morning who is not a believer and so in that case if you don't have a Bible or if you are a believer you can close your Bible or if you're if you're an unbeliever and you have a Bible because you're believing parent or or family member that makes you come they gave you a Bible so you would look like you fit in close your Bible and I want to give you three facts about Jesus. That are objective facts verifiable facts that are not contained in the scriptures or that are contained in the scriptures but are not confined to the scriptures so you don't need the Bible to know these three things and the first one is that Jesus of Nazareth was a real flesh and blood human being and he lived in the first century. Jesus of Nazareth you don't need a Bible and so you might say I'm not a Christian you don't have to be a Christian all I'm saying we want you to know that the Christian religion is based on the fact it's not based on on on on any mystery of or some sort of myth of an individual it's not based on a feeling it's based on the fact that in the first century. There was a person by the name of Jesus who was born and he's registered as being born in Bethlehem because that's where his father and mother had to go to register for a census and so Google it real quick if you want. Google something that happened in the first century about when can curious or can curious was the governor go look it up because it is a verifiable fact that there was a Jesus who was born in the first century and you don't need a Bible to know that. Here's a second verifiable fact that you don't need a Bible in order to believe this or to know this because if you're fighting against somebody will say well Jesus is whatever you want him to be no he's not whatever you want him to be he was an actual person that's why we have to be careful of how we paint him if you didn't see him you probably shouldn't paint him it would help because he actually existed. And you don't get to make up stuff about people who existed about what you hope they look like Jesus lived but here's a second verifiable fact out of the Bible Jesus of Nazareth was crucified on a Roman cross you don't need a Bible to know that all you have to do is look at the history of a man by the name of punches pilot because he was the governor at that time and he is the one it was under his rule that's why we have in our creed under punches pilot don't believe our Bibles don't take our work for it this Jesus who was born was crucified and he was crucified under Roman law that's why that's Jesus Jesus of Nazareth really lived. And Jesus of Nazareth was actually crucified and by crucifixion I know it now has nothing but religious connotations but before it had religious connotations it was nothing but civic it was the most cruel form of human torture and capital punishment. Not only did it include that the person that was crucified don't believe me just look up crucifixion Google it when you get home and don't look for any portions of the scriptures just Google crucifixion Roman crucifixion in the first century and you'll get a picture. You see that people were actually hung on cross being would two pieces of wood and when they really wanted to get home and they were they were stretched out and strip naked for all to see and to verify that they were dead. They would put them on that wood that's not made up this is history they would put them on the wood and some they would tie and others they would nail and to verify that they were dead so just standing by to make sure that the desire of the state had been carried out would pierce them in the side and make sure that they were dead. The Christian religion is founded on the fact that Jesus of Nazareth who lived was actually crucified in the first century here's the third fact that Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified was seen walking around Jerusalem three days after he was crucified. Don't believe me Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15 over 500 people saw him at the same time. Now here's what we know later in Matthew 28 that the enemies of Jesus paid the soldiers to say what happened to the body they said pay somebody to say that someone has come and stolen the body. Now you know how we hate anybody that gets too uppity and so anytime somebody gets uppity and we have a we think we have a little dirt on them we bring it out don't believe me run for office. If there's any dirt we will bring it out so if somewhere between now and 2019 and then that someone could have proven because Christians have become so uppity all of a sudden this little rat had bunch of 120 people in an upper room has now become worldwide. And so if there was anyone that could prove that the corpse of Jesus of Nazareth was still a corpse I guarantee you someone would have brought it forth by now. They think they have the gown that he was wrapped in they they there is a monument in the grave that he was buried in they have produced in fact we mentioned this Sunday night many folk think they have pieces of the cross we have produced everything but a body. And if the enemies had a body trust me they would have brought it forth Christian faith is grounded in those three historical facts get that can be established outside of scripture even those who are not convinced that he actually raised have to acknowledge that his grave is empty. Three verifiable objective facts Jesus of Nazareth was a man who actually lived he was actually crucified under Pontius Pilate and his grave is verifiably empty. Now I would argue secondly that what the New Testament writers have done is they have explained these objectively verifiable acts these justifiable or these objectively verifiable facts they have they have explained them is not just being coincidental facts. But the New Testament writer now take up a Bible and what the New Testament writers do they don't invent facts for history they simply explain those facts and they explain those facts as nothing less than the acts of God as he intervenes in human history so let's go back over those three facts here's what you can learn outside. The Bible that there was a man born a baby born in Bethlehem who lived in Galilee and the surrounding areas who bore the name of Jesus of Nazareth we know that to be a fact however that fact that verifiable objective fact is explained theologically. Here's what John says John's after one says that in the beginning was the word and the word was gotten the word was with God and there was nothing made that was not made by him and then it comes down to this wonderful statement that the word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us and we beheld his glory as of the glory of the only begotten of God. Full of grace and truth history books say that Jesus of Nazareth lived but God's word says that Jesus of Nazareth is Emmanuel God with us. The objective verifiable fact is that Jesus of Nazareth was a real person but what people didn't get at the time of his earthly ministry and some don't even get now is the theological explanation that Jesus of Nazareth was nothing less than God with us. We see it at the cross the centurion God just allows that to be on record because the centurion as he pierces him and Jesus is dying and he says surely this is the son of God Jesus of Nazareth earthly existence is confirmed outside of Scripture. But Jesus but the scriptures actually explain to us that Jesus of Nazareth is God. Secondly the history books tell us that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified on departure's pilot and as I mentioned you all you have to do is look at first century capital punishment in the Roman Empire however Scripture explains it differently. People deny the facts as yet Rome was active and yet some other page soldiers that were active and yet a whole lot of folks that was active but here's what was actually going on. Peter on the day of Pentecost and Acts chapter 1 and Acts chapter 2 verse 23 says this that Jesus was delivered up according to the definite plan and for knowledge of God. In other words I preach this sermon years ago what was God doing when Jesus was dying and my answer is that God was offering up his son as the sacrifice. Yeah we see Rome was active in the act they were the ones that they bought the nails they're the ones who supplied the cross but it's God the father that is at work in the crucifixion of his son so here's what history books will tell you that Jesus was crucified like a common criminal but here's what God's word tells us. That God is in that act offering up his son as the sacrifice for sin it's interesting read the history books they will give you this this this penal description of what takes place in a crucifixion but in the crucifixion of Jesus the language of Scripture is actually the language of a priest offering up an acceptable sacrifice. But thirdly as we noted the fact of the resurrection is confirmed by the empty grave and as of yet no one has produced the DNA or the body I witnesses over 500 at one time and there is nothing to indicate that they were actually believers. They all saw him and they knew that he rose from the grave or at least at the very least they knew someone had rolled back the stone and by the way incident interesting that in the death of Jesus they didn't trust him so much so that they sealed that they put a stone in front of it and a government seal on the stone. And yet the stone was rolled back and the seal was broken and to this day no one has produced the body and so you might say why haven't they produced the body and so let me first explain how the Bible explains his resurrection Romans 4 verse 25 perhaps the most succinct description of all simply says that he was delivered up for our trespasses and he was raised. For our justification you see brothers and sisters here's what we know that the resurrection of Christ what is it that took place we know that he was we know the grave is empty but the reason the grave is empty is because he was raised by the power of God the grave has to be empty because the right hand of the father is now occupied. The Bible tells us the Christian religion is founded on three facts that are verified outside of the Bible there was an empty grave that was once occupied by Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified on a Roman cross but the Bible explains it that Jesus of Nazareth is God with us that the crucifixion is a necessary sacrifice. And the empty grave means that there's now justification well here's the reason reason that I presented these three facts that undergird the Christian message which is really what the angel does in Matthew 28 that's exactly what he does he talks about Jesus because it was the real person who had been crucified and who was laid in the grave and now the grave is empty. But here's why we want to focus on these facts for two reasons for any one who is present who was an unbeliever anyone who was present here's what we are told we are told that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. I want you to know that the necessary facts we can flesh those out until the cows come home we can write volumes on any one part of those three facts we can parse it out but those three facts are the bare minimum of what the Christian faith is built on and so what I want we want to explain that those objective facts have a biblical explanation. So don't want you to just read the history books know that Jesus of Nazareth lived know that he died and know that he rose because faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by the word of Christ and also we are told in the same book of Romans that if you confess with your mouth you believe in your heart. Notice what we haven't said that you do this and the other if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead then you too will be saved. So here's my question there is no dispute whether or not Jesus of Nazareth ever lived. But do you believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the only begotten son of God do you believe that he was righteous and that his righteousness was for your sake do you believe that he died not just at the hands of the Roman Empire but do you believe that he died. To pay the penalty that you could not pay and do you believe it's okay if you don't I just want to give you the information you you you can verify it with history but begin in history and now take it to the scriptures do you believe that he died for your sins do you believe that he was raised by the power of God on the third day. Come to that think about whatever else don't don't say well you don't know I don't know your background in God knows your background that's that's what it takes no I'm not saying stop this don't go no do you believe that that's where we begin. Faith comes by hearing hearing by the words of God doesn't come face does not come by improvement. Faith comes by hearing hearing by the word of God so I leave that with you do I we preach these things we make this point clear so that you would know what the essence and the object of Christian faith actually is if you want to decide decide on that decide decide on that information decide on whether or not you are Christian or not or if you want to reject the faith don't don't blame don't point at folk in church or let your eternal decision be made about discussion or being discussed at what Christians do. Here's what it comes down to what do you believe about Jesus you know the one that the history books they lived and not the one that the Roman annals says was crucified and that the one that the storms guarded we don't know what we laid we last night when we took our shift the grade was occupied the seal was intact and the stone was in front of the grave. Next thing you know there was an earthquake and we don't know what happened from there in fact one of them took a sword and was ready to take his life. Now do you believe that he was raised for your justification second reason we give these facts is maybe is maybe you are a believer maybe you are a believer and you are you are weary maybe you think you've been around too long and the body is telling you that that you know maybe God doesn't really love you because your body is failing. Members not what it used to be right and you got pain and you got frustration maybe you've got issues that you can't explain maybe you think that maybe it's not even a matter of just the body growing weary maybe you're tired of being weak and I don't mean physically I mean in the flesh and the spirit maybe you're looking at your life and you're looking at the life of others that claim the facts. Life and you don't see yourself as being victorious you haven't had that breakthrough you haven't had that you all you've had our setbacks and you can't explain it maybe you have dark seasons of the soul maybe you have questions that haven't been answered maybe you need to be reminded that your victory is not in your personal success. It's because you are a believer because you hold to the word of God I want to take you to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and I'll begin in verse 57. It's for you that are wrestling with issues of life and you who are wondering how this applies here's what he says to you and the beauty of this is that it's ageless. This is as relevant for a first century Christian as it is for a 21st century Christian here's what Paul says the thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Can we pause there for a moment have you bumped your head up against the wall have you taken all of the right formulas read all of the right stuff chanted all of the right things and you still keep coming up short. God gives us this day which we can be reminded that the victory is ours because it is Christ. And what God has done is he has given us the victory what victory victory over death victory over sin victory over the grave victory over your past victory over the world victory over the flesh victory over Satan victory over disease victory over all of the stuff that messes us up. God has given us the victory and so somebody's mad at something someone is disappointed by something you said well I just don't know if I want to keep going I need to contemplate this. And so Paul says no first off Paul's and be thankful to God for the victory that he's given us in Jesus Christ and then he doesn't stop there he says therefore my beloved brethren be steadfast be unmovable always abounding in the work of the Lord because your work in the Lord is not in vain. Why? Because the grave is empty Jesus of Nazareth lived for your righteousness Jesus of Nazareth. I am accepted in the beloved brothers and sisters three facts outside of the scriptures that are explained by the scriptures don't go start trying to explain through this and the other. But if you want to know who Jesus is Jesus of Nazareth who is the son of God God incarnate and he has lived and he has died in his grave is empty faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. And if you confess that and believe that you too will be saved.