consider this passage that we read, Matthew 28, specifically the account of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now during his ministry on earth the Lord Jesus performed many miracles, so much so that the Apostle John said in one of his letters that if it were all to be recorded he didn't think the world be able to hold all the books. There'd be so many. When he was here, he healed the sick, he opened the eyes of the blind, he walked on water, he stilled the storms, he raised the dead, he cast out demons. And all these miracles and what the apostles themselves also were able to perform, these miracles were to validate the Word, to demonstrate the truth of the Word of what they were speaking. But the greatest miracle was the resurrection of the Lord himself. This put the final stamp of approval on everything that he had done and said during his ministry on this earth. And for us also, seeing all the power that he demonstrated on this earth, reading of it in his word, does it not make the salvation of sinners all the greater, considering that Christ came down of his own will to die for sinners on the cross, that he came of his own will, in his own power, and out of his own love for sinners, that it was all his work from beginning to end to finish the work, to accomplish the work of salvation. And so Jesus did all this to demonstrate his saving power so that we would believe on him, that we would be assured of the eternal life that he has accomplished for his people. And if death is not able to hold Christ, then we also can be assured that all those who die in Christ, who are united to him by faith, that death cannot hold you. And death will have no hold on you. And by that same power, God will raise you up from the dead to that eternal life, to that new life with him forever. And that is what we wish to consider something about here this afternoon. Our theme is the resurrection power of Christ. And first, we'll see that it's an earth-shattering power. The resurrection power of Christ is an earth-shattering power. There are many witnesses of these events around the time of his death and resurrection. And when he died on the cross, verse 51 says, behold, the veil of the temple was torn, and from the top to the bottom, the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened. Here, the graves specifically were torn apart, no longer able to hold in the bodies that were inside of him. And then in chapter 28 there's a second earthquake. Early on Sunday morning when the women came to the tomb. And Matthew says this one was caused because an angel came down and he moved a stone in front of Jesus' tomb and he sat on it. And there were the Roman guards who were witnesses of this. In verse three it says, they saw this angel whose countenance was like lightning, whose clothing was white as snow, and it caused him to tremble, to shake uncontrollably, paralyzed with fear at the sight of this angel. Here were the Roman soldiers known for their strength, for their brutality. They had no problems whipping and beating and crucifying these men. They seemed to have no second thoughts or no remorse about nailing him to the cross and sitting there watching them as they suffered. But here, just the sight of an angel caused them to become like dead men. And notice the difference that when these women come, in verse five, the angel says, do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus, who is crucified. He is not here, for he is risen. The same miraculous appearance of the angel that frightened the soldiers gave peace and comfort to the believers. And we notice that all through scripture we see this action that the almighty arm of God comes for two purposes. One is to destroy the works of the wicked and their wicked works, and at the same time to deliver his people, to comfort them and to deliver them from the evil. And so it is, these angels tell these women, I know that you seek Jesus, who is crucified. And so it is for everyone here today as well. God knows if you are seeking him. He knows and says, I know that you seek Jesus. And if you seek Jesus as well, then know that all the power in heaven on earth is for you, is with you, is behind you, Just like he says in Romans eight, and truly all things work together for good to those who love God and who are called according to his purpose. But at the same time, we also have to realize that anyone who is not seeking Christ, who rejects Christ like these people, know that all the power in heaven and earth is against you. As it says in Revelation six, when they saw the judge coming in the clouds of heaven and they called for the mountains to fall on them and the hills to cover them, there's not enough rocks in the mountains to make a big enough grave to hide them from the wrath of God. These women came to this tomb not knowing how to be able to remove that stone or how to be able to come to the body of Christ to embalm him. But when they came there, it was already opened. That stone was rolled away, not to let Jesus out. but to show these women that Jesus was out, that he was already gone. And they saw the place where he lay, they saw the grave clothes he put away, and the message they heard was he is not here, but he is risen. Come and see, and then go and tell. What an earth-shattering power that these women see here. And the purpose of all these miracles is not just to show us the power of God in creation, to shatter the rocks of the graves, but there's something far greater behind every miracle, and that is the power to shatter the rock-hard hearts of sinners, to shatter the cold hearts of unbelievers. And even in verse 17, when they saw Jesus, some still doubted. And many people doubt the Word of God today. Maybe some of you here still doubt the Word of God. Many people in the world do. They think it's nothing but fairy tales and a made-up story, a myth. And even God's children can often be plagued with that unbelief. But God's word says we are saved by faith, faith that comes by hearing the word of God. And here all these miracles were given to validate the word of God, to prove that what Jesus said was true, that his word is true. And here death could not hold him, here the grave could not keep him locked in. And so for us as well, is there then anything in our life that is too great for God? Because for all who believe in Jesus, even the grave will not be able to hold you. None of us can stop the day of our death. It's something we all have to face. And yet Jesus says, that's not the end. The grave will not be able to hold his people. And we see that in our second thought. The resurrection power of God is a death-destroying power. A death-destroying power. Because death is our last enemy. We can fear death. We can fear the unknowns that come beyond death. We can fear the loss of loved ones through death. But here we see that no Roman soldier was able to keep Jesus in the grave. No Roman seal of authority could keep the stone in front of that grave. Because in verse 65 of chapter 27, Pilate gave the guards to watch it. Because the Pharisees were worried that the disciples might come and steal the body at night and start the rumor that Christ had risen. And so they sealed the grave to make sure no one can get in it. But there's nothing they could do to seal it enough to keep Jesus from coming out. The soldiers who killed the Lord could do nothing to keep him dead. The Pharisees who accused the Lord could do nothing to keep the accusation on him. Pilate, who condemned him to death, could do nothing to keep the sentence of death on Christ. And now even Satan, the great accuser, had to be silenced and had to walk away in defeat. The last enemy, death, could not hold Christ. And why is that? The reason is that the curse of death was removed because the penalty of death had been paid. Death is the consequence of our sin. And in Christ who came into this world who had no sin of his own, who he lived in perfect obedience in his life, But then in his death, it says the Lord laid upon him the iniquity of us all. He took that guilt, that penalty of sin to the cross, and there he bore it all, and there he paid it all to the very last penny. And that penalty of death has been fully removed. And that means there's no legal power left to sentence him to death. Because when a debt is paid, the prisoner must be released. and death had to let Christ go. Peter preached in Acts 2 at 24, he said, God raised him up having loosed the pains of death because it was not possible that he should be held by it. And that word loosed there means to destroy it, to legally annul the power of death or the death sentence. It means Satan had nothing left to accuse him and death was swallowed up in victory. And so through his atoning death, Hebrews says Christ destroyed him who had the power of death, that is the devil. He destroyed death and him who had the power of death, who is the devil. And so the resurrection here of the Lord Jesus Christ is a demonstration, the proof to show us that death and the devil had no more power, that Christ defeated death, destroyed death, And since Christ died as a ransom for many, he died as a payment for his sinners. His death paid for all those who are his and all who will believe on him. That means all those who are in him will be released from the death penalty through the price that Christ paid. And this is why the angel could roll that stone away and say to these women, come and see, he's not here, for he is risen. Come and see the place where the Lord is laid. That is why they said, why do you seek the living among the dead? Because he's no longer dead. Death could not hold him. And so it is that if you are in Christ today by a true and living faith, then you've died with him and death has no hold on you anymore. And then you need not fear death anymore. And that power was already felt there in Jerusalem. In chapter 27, verse 52, after Christ rose from the dead, and the graves were opened, it said, many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the graves after his resurrection, went into the holy city, and appeared unto many, the saints, who died in the Lord. The scripture uses the term fell asleep in the Lord, who are asleep in Christ. Death has no more permanent hold on the saints. It's not the unbelievers that arose, but the saints. Unbelievers face eternal death forever, eternal separation from God. That's what Christ suffered on the cross, the abandonment of God and the wrath of God against sin. But Christ removed that for his people, and that is why they fall asleep in Christ, and death has no hold on them. They rest and wait until the final resurrection, and these ones rose here when Christ arose. And that is why Psalm 116 can say, precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. And Revelation 14, 13 says, blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. that they may rest from their labors and their works to follow them. In 1 Thessalonians 4, 16 also says that when Christ comes and descends in the clouds of heaven on that final judgment day, then the dead in Christ will rise first, and then the believers left on the earth will ascend into heaven to meet all as one body in the church. And that's what gives us the patience here now in this life, to know that Christ is overcome, and that when death is finished, there is a new life beyond, there's hope of eternal life. And on that last day, we all will be raised in Christ forever. But we must wait for the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15, 25 says, the last enemy that will be destroyed is death. It's still the last enemy that we must go through. The last enemy we must lay down our physical life unless Christ returns in the clouds first. But that death-destroying power is the hope and comfort that we have here in the Lord, because now death is only that passage from this life to the next, where we'll be free from all the sin and the sorrow that we experience here. But then thirdly, God's glorifying power. It's a God-glorifying power. Because if we know this resurrection power, if we know this death-destroying power of Christ, then we will also know the God-glorifying power in our life. When we were dead in sin and trespasses as we're all born into this world, there's no desire to glorify Christ. There's no ability to glorify Christ. In fact, our enmity against God, hatred against God, But here in verse eight, we also see that these women went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to bring his disciples word. There was that joy of heart, there was that holy reverence, recognizing this is the God of life and of power. And in verse nine, they see Jesus himself and Jesus says, rejoice. And so they came and held him by the feet and worshiped him. And that's a response of all those who see Christ by faith. They worship him, they bow before him, they submit to him. Here their master had risen from the dead. Here is the Lord of life and the Lord of glory. And all who see Jesus for what he is, for who he is, will worship him. It's a point in which we should examine ourselves as well. How do we see in our own hearts and lives how we respond to God and for his grace and for his mercy and for his salvation? And we see this worshiping even at his birth. In Matthew 2, the wise men came and worshiped the Savior even when he was a young child. But then in Revelation 4, we can read of all the angels in heaven, in eternity, and all the saints of all the ages who surround the throne, where they bow before him and worship him forever and ever. He is to be worshiped by all his people. That is why he saves them. And in Acts 2, Peter says, God raised up Jesus, exalted him to the right hand of God, and made him both Lord and Christ. And there he is anointed as the King of kings and the Lord of lords who will reign forever and ever to all eternity over heaven and earth. And that's what he said here in Matthew 28, before he ascended in verse 18, all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. In Revelation 1, verse 18, he says a similar thing. He says, I am he who lives and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, amen, and I have the keys of hell and of death. He is the one who holds your eternal destiny in his hands. He is the one who determines where you will spend eternity. He's glorified by his people and by the salvation that he works. but he's also glorified through the scriptures, through his own word. In verse six you can read where the angels tell the women he is risen as he said. Maybe it's easier for us to read over these words as he said, but here it points out that everything that happened, that everything he said has been prophesied. It's all the fulfillment of Scripture that he came down as the Messiah. His word is true. He says that heaven and earth will pass away, but my word endures, his word endures forever. And so everything that happened here on Golgotha happened by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God. Everything from before the foundation of the world was determined to happen in the course of history as it is now. And for this, we must glorify God. Because there's no greater comfort in this world, is it, than to know that everything that is happening, even now in our own nation, everything is in God's control. Everything is happening exactly as he has determined it to go. so that he will receive the honor both for the salvation, by the salvation of his people and by the destruction of the wicked. But for us also, there's no greater security than to know that God's word is absolutely true, that there's no wavering, that there's no reason to doubt his word at all, that we can rest our life, our eternal soul on the truth of God's word. And he's glorified also then by those who witnessed him. They witnessed it and believe on him. You read about the centurion in verse 54 of chapter 27. It said, when the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and the things that happened, they feared greatly, saying, truly, this was the Son of God. Here this Roman soldier stood at the foot of that cross. He was the one in command of those soldiers most likely who crucified him and had to watch him. And he saw that earthquake, he felt that darkness, he heard as Christ coded Psalm 22 and whatever else he said on the cross. And he concluded, this must be the Son of God. And that was even before the resurrection, before the power of the resurrection was displayed. But what must have filled those disciples' hearts then to see and to hear their risen Savior, the Lord, in front of them say, now all power and authority is given unto me in heaven and on earth? And what must they have felt when he said, now go and tell the nations, 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 everything that I've commanded you? Now they realize the truth of his word, How their hearts must have been filled with that urgency now to go tell the world of the truth of his word. But even more than that, he says, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. To see the Lord Jesus Christ risen and standing in front of them alive, and to say, I am with you even to the end of the world. How they would have glorified him. And so it is now that that same power of God is with each one of you who are his people. Everyone who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ receives the Holy Spirit, the same spirit which Christ had. The Holy Spirit of God is the one who comes with power. And then you will glorify him through your life and through your witness on this earth. But then lastly and fourthly, the resurrection power of Christ is a sinner-saving power. And the question we can ask ourselves even now is, do we know this resurrection power of the Savior? Because if we know anything of our sin, of the power of our sin, of the power of the lusts of our flesh, of the power of the temptation of this world, and to realize and to recognize that you cannot stop it on your own. You cannot overcome it, you cannot erase it, you cannot undo it, you cannot get rid of it. You know that you need nothing less but the resurrection power of Christ to deliver you from it. Do you know something of that? We have some examples given to us here in this passage. Here we see these soldiers. paralyzed in fear because they saw the angel. They saw a miraculous sight that none of us will ever see. They saw something that most people in this world will never see. And yet it wasn't enough to change their heart. They knew firsthand that Christ rose from the dead. They were there to keep him in the grave, and they couldn't. They knew he came out. They saw the angel. But they lacked the power in their hearts for them to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. They were bribed with money to cover it up in a lie, even though they saw it with their own eyes. And he went on without God and without hope in this world. Then we see the Pharisees. In verse 63 of chapter 27, they said, we remember Christ's words. And he said he would rise on the third day. That's why we will get the soldiers to watch to make sure it doesn't happen. Then the soldiers came running back and said, it did happen. And they said, here's a lot of money. tell a lie that it didn't happen. They had the word, they had the prophecy of the Old Testament, they of all people knew. They had the fulfillment of it in front of their eyes and they did not believe. They need the resurrection power by the Holy Spirit brought into their hearts for them to believe. That's what happened in Acts 2 when Peter preached and he said, you, by wicked hands, have crucified and slain the Lord of glory. And then the Holy Spirit was poured out in their hearts and they cried out, men and brethren, what must we do to be saved? Then their hearts were broken. Then their hearts were touched by the power of God. Then they saw their need for a Savior. And then we also have the account of the two thieves. The two thieves on the cross, one on either side of the Lord Jesus, were hanging there in the same agony of the Lord as the Lord. They hung there for just as long. They had their hands pierced. They were in agonizing pain just as long as the Lord. They recognized that there was something different about the Lord as he cried out, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? They saw the darkness, they felt the darkness, and they experienced the same thing on the cross. They heard the words of Christ as he quoted Psalm 22. You know what was the difference? When the one said, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom, and the other one who continued mocking till the time of his death, save yourself first. The power of the Holy Spirit, the resurrection power of Christ, touched the one and not the other. And so what needs to happen to you and I? What do we need to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? Because we've all sat under the same message. We've all heard and seen the same things. And yet some have believed and some have not. How do you respond? Do you need the resurrection power of God? Or can you go on just brushing it off? Jesus was lifted up on a cross, his word says, so that he would draw all men unto him, so that whoever believes on him should not perish, but have everlasting life. And for everyone who ever has been saved or whoever will be saved, it's the same power. It's through the gospel of Jesus Christ, which Paul said is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe. And the reason is, here we saw Jesus, how he suffered that threefold death, he had to die, that spiritual death, the physical death on the cross, and be abandoned, that eternal death from God, because we are all born spiritually dead and alienated from God. Ephesians says we're dead in trespasses and sins, that is how we begin, that's how we enter this world. But then Paul says, but God who is rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he has loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive in Christ together with Christ and raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places. It is His power, His grace, His mercy, His love. And for all those who are in him who know this, that just as certain as Christ is alive today, so you who believe in him are alive in him with Christ, raised to eternal life with that resurrection power. For by grace you've been saved through faith and not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. And it's by the power of His Holy Spirit that Christ makes that dead sinner alive, that regeneration, that new birth. And with anything less we cannot do. There's nothing else. We cannot just sign a form, say a prayer, or kneel at an altar. No, it's the power of the Holy Spirit. to change a dead sinner into a living saint. And that powerful change must occur. That resurrection power of Christ must work in the hearts, a power that causes us to see our sin and to weep for our sin and to come to an end of our own efforts in trying to make ourselves good enough for heaven, but to fall at the feet of Christ and say, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. Remember me when you come into your kingdom. And for all those who know the Lord Jesus Christ is your Savior today, what did it take for you to believe in the Lord Jesus? Isn't it to our shame that we have to say that we were doing everything against God? That we were even fleeing from God? but that it took his almighty power to stop us in the way and say stop, turn, believe, repent. And all we can do is attribute our own salvation all to God and to his love and to his grace in Christ Jesus. It's his power and his love that he came and died for sinners in our place. This change will then also be evident. How many people walk through this world deceived of their salvation? They say, oh, I believe, and yet there's no change in their life. They go on without a care in the world and say, oh, about eight years ago, I made a decision, but nothing ever changed. Here, in Acts 26, it says it's a turning from the power of Satan to God. Romans 6 verse 5 says, if we have been united together in the likeness of his death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of his resurrection. There will be a change, a powerful change, because this is the resurrection power. Then there will be new life, you'll be walking in newness of life. Dead to sin, no longer slaves to sin, for he who has died, Paul says, has been freed from sin. And he says that is how you must be, that's how you must see yourself, Romans 6, 11. Reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord. That means do not let sin reign over you anymore. Do not obey those sinful lusts that still can rise up. As the one Psalter says, the foul streams of, the mighty streams of foul transgression prevail from day to day. How we fight that old nature that still squirms within us. Because it doesn't mean that you'll no longer have any sin in this life. but it won't have dominion over you. You'll no longer be able to continue walking and living in the sin. You'll hate sin and love God and fight sin. If you have died with Christ, if you have died to sin, raised to that new life with Christ, being conformed to his image, being changed into inner man, And it's by his resurrection power alone that you overcome sin. Not just by trying harder, not just by working harder, not by seeking to be approved by God, but no, by looking to Christ, the one who died on the cross, who was buried, and who was raised again. The one who put sin to death, ended the power of death by looking to him who died for sin and by looking to that empty tomb to prove that this work was finished to be assured of that power that he now freely gives to all those who seek him. And he gives his Holy Spirit to work that in their lives. Do you know this power? Do you know this glory? Do you know this change? in your life and in your heart.