All right, Matthew chapter 28. Have you ever had some news that you just couldn't wait to share? You know, just dying to give that information out. Our family, we've had six children, and so we've had a lot of baby announcements, and it's always fun. You find out, you know, baby's coming, and pick up the telephone and give those phone calls. And we try to get the kids involved, you know. Give them that opportunity to be the first one, because there's something about that, isn't there? To be the first person that tells somebody some really good news. You know, secrets are hard to keep, aren't they? You almost don't want to tell a secret if it's a real secret. Because whoever gets that, I mean, it's just gonna be a burden to them, because they're just gonna be bursting to let that be known about that secret. Our family enjoys on Sunday nights, and tonight we'll do this after the evening service, but getting on FaceTime with Kaylee. You know, and just catching up on things that have happened there, things that are happening here. You know, it's important stuff like purchases, you know, something that was bought or something, you know, that maybe happened during the week that you just want to talk about. And if someone doesn't share their own news, what can happen in our family is that somebody else just can't hold back and might share that news for them, all right? If it doesn't get out from their own lips, somebody else might step in and say something. It's also fun to share unusual things like trivia or things that are just maybe a bit unusual. I remember in primary school, we had something called show and tell. You come in and you got something that you display before the class and you talk about it. And I, there was one time I couldn't wait for Chantel because I'd had kidney surgery and they did an x-ray and found out that I had what they call three kidneys, you know. And I just couldn't wait, not only just to say it, but to prove it with my x-ray. And I was looking online, I thought, how common is this? I remember them saying it was like one in a hundred has this. And that's true because I looked it up again. On the NHS UK, the word duplex is Latin for double, so having a duplex kidney literally means that the child has a double kidney on one side. Some of our patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital who have this condition are proud to boast that they have three kidneys. I thought, I can relate to that because, you know, it's been like 40 years and I'm still kind of excited to tell people I've got three kidneys. You know, our story today contains elements of all of the above. You know, it's that excitement, it's breaking news, it's just happening. It's unusual that what is taking place and that the Lord Jesus Christ has risen from the dead. It's an amazing story. In fact, Jesus himself loved to tell and talk about this story. Revelation 118 says, and of death. And it's not just an amazing story, but it's also a story that impacts us on a very personal level. John 11, 25, Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. Jesus' resurrection shows that he has the power of resurrected life. He has the power of eternal life, everlasting life. And for those that believe on him, they've got that given to them. So we rejoice today in the personal aspect of this story as well. The resurrection is a story that spread like a wildfire as soon as Jesus rose from the dead. And my title of my message this morning is Go and Tell. As a child, I was excited about show and tell. I was excited to get in there, get that information out. There ought to be an excitement in our hearts today. And say, you know what, I just wanna get that message out. I wanna go and tell others about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Are we excited about that? Is there anything in your heart today that just thrills at the goodness of God, the grace of God, and the power of what God's done, that there's that earnestness, that desire to testify to others about it? May the Spirit of God encourage us in that as we come now to the word of God. Father, I thank you for the opportunity that we have this morning to gather in the house of God. It's our desire that this time be used to lift up the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. And Father, to that end, we pray against the devil in any way hindering this time. Father, there's things that are things in our life, things we might be concerned about, worried about, burdened about, things that might tend to play in our minds and that we think about. Father, I ask as we come to this time to the Word of God, I ask that the Spirit of God would rivet our attention upon the truth and the glory of what Jesus Christ has done. Father, it could be today that somebody has never put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and the truth of the resurrection. that thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Father, we ask that that person would come to Saving Faith today. Father, that all of us would be stirred in our hearts about the glory of a story that is very familiar to us. Father, we know this. We forget that it's not normal. for somebody to be buried and for them to walk out of their grave. Savior, thank you that you defeated death, that death has lost its sting, its power, that the grave is not the conqueror, but that the Savior reigns. And Father, I pray for that resurrection hope and truth to be shed abroad in our hearts. Now, we do ask for the children in their class that the Spirit of God would speak to their hearts as they look at resurrection truth as well, that you guide Mrs. Shore as she expresses that to them and that their little hearts would grab a hold of that exciting truth today and that they'd be stirred. But Father, for us, as we come to this time, we pray that you'd give us ears to hear. I pray that you'd give me lips to speak. Father, I pray that you'd help me to preach the word of God biblically. practically, lovingly, and powerfully. And Father, that this living book would work in our hearts. It's in Christ's name I pray, amen. All right, so we ought to get excited about the opportunity to go and tell. That's what we're going to focus on in this story. Kind of going to look at this morning as a narrative as it is and just that aspect of these who would go and tell. Matthew 28, verse one, it begins with, in the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn, Toward the first day of the week came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher All right. There's a person in the story. That's not a human being It's an angelic messenger that God has sent and so here the women are going out they're going to the tomb and they're gonna come into contact with this angel and I want to say about the angel that the angel was excited and to go and tell, all right? He was excited to go and tell. I love times in biblical history where the supernatural realm, the realm that we can't see into heaven and the glories of heaven kind of breaks in to earth, where those two things are brought close in proximity. We see that in Jacob's dream, in Jacob's ladder. If you know that story, as he's on his journey away from home and he goes to sleep there in the wilderness there, the area that's gonna be called Bethel. But Genesis 28 11 he lighted upon a certain place and he tarried there all night because the Sun was set and he took the stones of that place and he put them for his fellows and he laid down in that place to sleep and he dreamed to behold a ladder set up on the earth and the top of it reached to heaven and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it and I mean he's a glorious vision that he has it's a true vision and what's taking place there's angels going up angels coming down these messengers of God doing God's bidding and Jacob awaked out of his sleep and he said surely the Lord is in this place and I knew it not and he was afraid and he said how dreadful is this place this is none other but the house of God and this is the gate of And so he's looking at that. We can't see that today. None of us woke up this morning, I hope, looked out our window and saw an angel ascending or descending. It's just not something that's visible. It's something that's there. It's what Elisha prayed that the prophet's eyes could be, or the servant's eyes could be opened. He looked around and chariots of fire and angels were about that place. If you remember that story in the Bible, it's a fact that that realm is existing presently, that it's there. We just can't see it. Okay, but the eyes of Jacob were opened to that and I like that. I like that when heaven and earth kind of come into focus with one another. Remember the shepherd's story in Bethlehem. They're out there feeding their sheep and their flocks by night. We call it, you know, the Christmas story in Luke chapter 2. And the Bible says that an angel came and spoke to those shepherds and then suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill toward men. And again, you can just see heaven's right there. They just want to get involved. And all of a sudden God says, okay. I mean, they just break through. And those angels in chorus sing glory to God and rejoice in what God is going to do through the Savior as he came to die on the cross for the sins of the world and his saving power being set free here on earth. And so this angel, we're not told his name. In one of the stories, there's two angels that are there. This angel, angels are there and they came from the presence of God. It says in verse two, behold, there was a great earthquake for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat upon it. In 2017, I got to go to Israel and I said I love the Sea of Galilee region. But obviously the city that was most loved was Jerusalem. You come and it's just wonderful to go to the temple mound and to walk up there and sadly it's not what it was. The temple's no longer there. The mosque of Omar is there as well as another mosque that is there and the Muslims hold that property. It's just amazing to walk where Jesus walked and to see the steps going up into that place and whatnot. But there, the sweetest place that I experienced in the presence of God was the Garden Tomb. And it's just like the Bible speaks about, that there's a crossroads outside the city wall, the old city wall, the Damascus Gate, and that there's Golgotha. hill of the skull that looks in the shape of a skull that Jesus was crucified at the base of that place and just with 300 meters to the to the side of that property is a rich man's tomb hewn out of the rock just like the Bible says and And it's got a trough in front of it, where the rolling stone would have moved in that trough, in front of that doorway. Again, just like the Bible says, the tour bus, as we drove along, showed us a tomb that still had the rolling stone that was there. The tomb of Jesus does not have that anymore, but the story tells us that it was there. Not only was that stone there, but Jesus' tomb was sealed with wax for extra security so that if the seal was broken, they know it had been tampered with. They, of course, put soldiers there as well. As the Bible speaks about, you can look back a chapter, to Matthew 27, verse 63, saying, Sir, we remember that deceiver said while he was yet alive, after three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulcher be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night and steal him away. And say unto the people, he is risen from the dead. So the last error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, you have a watch, you got your soldiers, go your way, make it as sure as you can. All right, I like that statement. Make it as sure as you can. Do your best. All right, guys, here you go. Here's your chance. Keep Jesus in the tomb. Just have at it, he says to them. So they went and made the sepulchre sure, they thought, sealing the stone and setting a watch. Now, if death couldn't keep Jesus away, certainly that tomb isn't going to. Certainly those soldiers outside that tomb are not gonna prevent Jesus Christ rising from the dead. And so the angel came from the presence of God. And then the angel came in the power of God, it says in verse three, His countenance was like lightning and his raiment white as snow. All right, there's a very bright appearance that comes. The glory of God is seen in this angel as he arrives on the scene. Now, I don't know if you've ever been startled by something very bright and shockingly bright, like lightning or something like that. But I remember as a child, one of our favorite things to do with our dad was to get out in the garage when a thunderstorm came and we'd open the garage up get our lawn chairs out, get our snacks, and get ready. And the worse it got, the better. If there was hail or maybe, we never saw a tornado, but I think there was kind of even a hope that that might happen, because we just love the fierceness of the storms. But I remember one night, I was asleep, and I was awakened out of my sleep by a storm. I thought, oh, that's great, there's a thunderstorm. I get up, I'm looking out my window, and all of a sudden, lightning struck right in front of my window. And it was so bright that, I mean, it just completely startled me. And actually I felt like I'd been blinded. It was so bright. And so I cried out, and I don't know what I cried, but my mom and dad knew something had happened. They come in, are you okay, are you okay? And thankfully my eyesight was fine, but I just thought that was it. It was so bright, so startling. After that, I would go into mom and dad's room if a thunderstorm came, and I'd sleep on the floor, kind of a shame to say this, by mom and dad's bed, and thankfully that only lasted for a few months. And then I got my courage back and got back my love for thunderstorms. You know, these are big Roman soldiers. These guys have seen a lot of things and I mean, there's strong guys, tough guys, and yet as this angel appears and the glory of God is upon him, the Bible says, and for fear of him, the keepers did shake and became as dead men. We would say their knees were knocking, right? I mean, there's just like a trembling, and then their body just can't handle it, and they pass out from that. You know, as you think about ungodly men, they don't begin to understand who God is. When they mock him, when they curse him, when they despise him, and they blaspheme him, and they say, ah, you know, if he sends me to hell, if there is a God, whatever, they're not bothered by who God is. But if they got even a glimpse of the glory of God, See, these soldiers could have been part of those that mocked Jesus at the crucifixion. They could have been those that took his hands, put them onto the wood and nailed his hands to the wood. They could have been those that cursed him as others were cursing him, mocking him, spitting upon him, bludgeoning him. I mean, they could have been part of that crowd and yet when they came face to face with just a glimpse of the glory of God, the Bible says that their knees trembled and they passed out. You know, a person is a great fool that mocks God. A person is a great fool to think that they won't tremble in fear before that holy and that awesome God. And so this angel came in the power of God. But then the angel came as well in the purpose of God. He was sent to do the bidding of God and specifically sent to those that were seeking after Jesus. It says in verse five, and the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye, for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. You know, the angels, he looked at these women, he knew whose side they were on. He knew that they were there to seek Jesus. He doesn't turn to the wicked Roman soldiers and try to comfort them and say, it's okay, you know, you're okay. And I mean, but these women, he says to them, fear not. And he confirms to them that Jesus Christ was indeed crucified. There was an awareness that, as he said, I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. Jesus Christ had died, angels were aware that that had taken place. Again, if you look back at Matthew 27, verse 33, it says, when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say a place of the skull, they gave him vinegar to drink, mingled with gall, and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink, and they crucified him. and parted his garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet. They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots, and sitting down they watched him there. You know, as you think about that statement, sitting down, they watched him there. The depravity of the heart of the men and women that were there, that could look at that as entertainment, and see that as anything of enjoyment, that they looked at that gory, bloodied body of the Lord Jesus Christ. You just think about the hardness of the hearts of these that did that to Jesus Christ. And yet, as they're watching him, they are watching the very Son of God. for the sins of the world. It's amazing to think about as you just put yourself back in the story. Again, it's a familiar story, but to think about what is taking place there as Jesus Christ is crucified. It's a comfort to know that God cares about those that are seeking him, isn't it? There's these women, they're coming, they're gonna minister to Jesus that God sends an angel and says, I've got a message for you to take. Take it to these ladies. that he has an interest in those that have an interest in the things of God, that he desires to communicate to them, and praise God for that, right? All of us, at some point, God, in his mercy, reached out to us, said, I just want to tell you something from heaven, just like this angel coming. to speak to these women. And so he was sent, to those who sought Jesus, he was sent to reveal the resurrection. And you could say it this way, he opened the garden tomb for tours, right? I enjoyed going there, I enjoyed seeing it, but he was the first one on that day to open up the garden tomb for tours. He took that stone and he rolled it away. Never think that that stone was rolled away to let Jesus out of the tomb. Jesus didn't need that. We understand that. Jesus, if death couldn't hold him again, that tomb had nothing to do with holding Jesus behind that stone enclosure. Luke 24, 31 speaks about the resurrected body of Jesus and the power that it possessed to go wherever Jesus wanted to go. It says in verse 31, that he's not known to them. They, for some reason, their eyes were closed by God so that they couldn't recognize him. And he begins to speak with them about the truth of the death of Christ from the Old Testament scriptures and that this had to be fulfilled. And then all of a sudden their eyes were opened. And the Bible says that he vanished out of their sight. And it goes on to say, and breaking of bread. And as they spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them and said unto them, peace be unto you." The other scripture speaks about in John that the doors were shut. Twice it says very clearly, the doors were shut. And all of a sudden Jesus is there, present with them. He says unto them, peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted. And suppose that they had seen a spirit. And he said to them, why are you troubled? Why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it's I myself. Handle me and see, for spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he showed them his hands and his feet. And so Jesus' body, okay, it's a bodily resurrection. The Bible speaks clearly about that. That's what we're looking forward to. As a believer, just like Job, you know, after I die, yet in my flesh shall I see God. There is a bodily resurrection and yet that body is not bound in ways that our body is bound. He had ability to go through that tomb and out of that tomb and through those walls and yet it was a body that could be touched. It was a body that could be felt. He goes on to say that While they yet believed not for joy and wondered, he said unto them, have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of broiled fish and a honeycomb, and he took it and did eat before them. Again, as we think about the resurrected body of the Lord Jesus Christ, it was a body that could eat. He could still enjoy food and partake of food, and they could touch and see him, and yet he had the ability to go wherever he desired to go. That tomb didn't hold Jesus. Then you wonder, why is it that the stone was rolled away? It wasn't rolled away to let Jesus out, but it was rolled away to let people in. It was rolled away so that these witnesses could come and enter into that place where Jesus' body had lain. You know, this man, again, he's an excellent tour guide. He says to them, verse six, he says, you know, I praise God for the mercy that he shows to the many doubters that looked at the resurrection. For those that just couldn't believe it, couldn't understand what had taken place, even after they saw the empty tomb, as you read the story, there was just, at times, unbelief that was there. And yet, God in his mercy says, look, Jesus has risen from the dead, come on in. Inspect it and see for yourself. In John 20, verse 3, it says, And he stooping down and looking in saw the linen clothes lying, yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him and went into the sepulcher and seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple which came first to the sepulcher, and he saw and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture that he must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again unto their own home." Have you noticed as we've read the story this morning or as you've read it on your own that the Bible doesn't tell us what happened? It's interesting to think about the resurrection. It's almost like it's veiled. We're told about it after the fact. We're told about it before the fact, but the event itself. Maybe so sacred that God chose not to reveal the specifics of it and how it took place, but that body that had been dead was given back the spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that body walked out of the tomb. Jesus arose, he took off his bloodstained grave clothes, he folded them, put them in their place, and he is alive. And so the angel comes to these women, And he gave them God's command, and the command was, go and tell. Verse seven says, and go quickly, and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he goeth before you into Galilee, there shall you see him. Lo, I have told you. And his commission's over, he has done his bit to go and tell the women at the tomb, and now he says to them, all right, now you go and tell. And so the angel was excited about going and telling, and we find as well, as we come to verse seven, that the women were excited to go and tell as well. And so go quickly, verse seven, and tell his disciples. In verse eight, they ran to bring word to his disciples. It says, and they departed quickly from the sepulcher with fear and great joy, and did run to bring his disciples word. You know, don't you love the activity of this day? There's a lot of people that are running, there's a lot of people that are excited, but go back to that morning. Jesus Christ has been crucified, he's been in the grave, the Sabbath is coming and gone, and now it's the first day of the week, and they're walking out, they're walking out to a graveyard, they're walking out to death, it's not quite light, the sun is just coming up, there's sorrow in their heart, there's heaviness in their heart as far as their expectation about what they're gonna see when they get there, but now the angel comes to them and says, he's not here. He's risen. just like he said. And the Bible says that they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy and did run to bring his disciples word. I don't know how many of you are runners. I know we've got some runners that are in here enjoy huffing it a bit. But when I was in high school, I remember one time at Camp Jetech in Wisconsin that, I don't know, it was a nice night and kind of oxygenated air or something like that. I don't know if you ever felt like that. You go outside and you're like, there's just like a lot of energy in the air. And I remember I was running on this dirt road and I just felt like I could go as fast as I wanted, as far as I wanted to go. There's just energy there. As Mary and these other women take off running, I could just, can you just see the people in the Jerusalem? There goes Mary. I mean, it's just, they're going past, they're so excited, and they're just, their feet are pumping and they're running. And again, I don't think that these women were necessarily athletes or something like that, but there's such an excitement that they're just carrying this on. Isaiah 40, verse 31. It says, but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary and they shall walk and not faint. There's an excitement that's there. I mean, they just got to get it out. They want to make it known because they know that Jesus Christ is alive. And so they're going to carry that message as quickly as possible. And so they ran to bring word to his disciples. Only one person was worthy of a pause in their mission. It says in verse nine, and as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them saying, all hail. And they came and held him by the feet and worshiped him. Jesus himself didn't break the news. The angel broke the news. Maybe it would have been too great, too startling to come into contact with Jesus Christ immediately after his resurrection. But now as they're running, all of a sudden Jesus is there. He gets their attention. They stop to go over to the Lord Jesus Christ. You think about this moment. He had paid for their sin on the cross. It was not the Savior because of what he would do. He was now their Savior because of what he had done. It was finished there on the cross. I was speaking with a woman named Mary this past week and enjoyed very much speaking with her. And she said about standing before God that God's going to let her in. It's going to be okay because he understands that she's really tried and that she's sincere and whatnot. And she said, he's merciful, he's merciful. I said, well, I believe that too. In fact, I said, I just preached on it. We talked last week about mercy and truth, those key points. And I said, yet Mary, if God's so merciful, what about his son? In the perspective of what you're thinking about, she's saying, God's gonna accept me, God's gonna be okay because God's merciful. That's not mercy because look at the cross and look at what God did to his son. And she said, the Romans did that. I said, well, I said, the Bible actually says, and I quoted to her from Isaiah 53, and she thought I was misquoting it. But Isaiah 53 says, he is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows. and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from him. He was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we did esteem him stricken. Now this is what I quoted to her, smitten of God. afflicted but he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed all we like sheep have gone astray we have turned everyone to his own way now listen and the Lord hath laid on Again, just keep listening to these words about God doing this. Jesus Christ died. because the father took his son, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. See, it's a false idea of mercy to say God's gonna go easy on sin. Look, in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus cried out to his father, and he said, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt." And if God's mercy was God accepts, and God says it's okay, and God isn't going to really judge, then God would never have taken his son and put his son on a cross for our sin. God is merciful. God was merciful to take his son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins so that you and I could be forgiven. But imagine this, they are looking in the eyes of the man that died for them. and they saw him die. See, they stopped their mission because he's worthy. And just think about it this morning. We rejoice in the resurrection, but I want to emphasize that the resurrection does not take away the crucifixion. Just because Jesus rose does not mean that Jesus didn't die. Just because he rose does not mean that he didn't suffer. Just because he rose does not mean that the sin of the world was not put upon him. Just because he's okay now, he's in heaven, he's ascended, he's glorified, does not mean that he did not suffer immensely for our sins. See, they understood that when they saw Jesus, they began to worship Him and began to marvel at the sacrifice that they had seen Him do on the cross for their sin. And then Jesus speaks to them, Jesus said unto them, Be not afraid, go tell, there it is again, go and tell my brethren that they go into Galilee and there shall they see me. And so they're off running again. Jesus says, go and tell, right there on their mission again. Now I want to go from the angel to the women. Now we're going to go to the soldiers and about the soldiers. "'The soldiers were at first excited about go and tell.'" At first they were excited, it was fear, but they're excited about go and tell. Verse 11 says, "'Now when they were going, behold, "'some of the watch came into the city,' that's go, "'and showed,' that's tell, "'unto the chief priest all the things that were done.'" Now I wanna give some credit to these soldiers They weren't ashamed to say they were scared, all right? They weren't ashamed to confess and say, the tomb is empty, the dead man has escaped under our watch and we were there guarding the tomb. They're not ashamed to say those things. I think in their heart, they recognize that it didn't matter who they were, how great a soldiers they were, it was no disgrace to them because anybody that would have been there, the experience would have been the same, that Jesus Christ would have walked out of the tomb, they would have fainted, they would have passed out as well because what they saw was absolutely incredible. And yet if the prisoner, dead or alive, escaped, it was their life or the life of that prisoner. So they're in a dangerous position. At first, they go and tell. And they do that faithfully. They get there, they say what happened. But I wanna say about them that they sadly sold the truth. They sadly sold the truth. It says, and when they were assembled with the elders and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers. You know, they had a firsthand testimony to the incredible power of God. They were there. I don't believe the women were there initially when this took place. These guys were there. They saw it happen. They had an incredible testimony that they could have shared. Don't you wonder? How many people would have been followers of Jesus if they had testified to them and said, hey, this is what Jesus did. Imagine tonight, if I could say, you know, tonight, church, we're gonna have one of those that were there. One of those soldiers. They saw it happen. I mean, that'd be amazing. First-hand account of that. The Bible says this, buy the truth and sell it not. Also wisdom and instruction and understanding. They had the truth, but Satan goes, here's a little money. Here's a little benefit. Very sadly, in our day, there are people that are selling out the truth. They're being bought. The world says, hey, you know, we'll make it easy on you. We'll say you're okay. We'll stand behind you. We'll make it favorable for you. They're offering them trinkets and the church is just kind of backing up like these soldiers and saying, that's okay, go ahead and give. And that we'll just take that. Sadly, they sold the truth. Sadly, they embraced the lie. Verse 13. saying, say ye, his disciples came by night and stole him away while we slept. You guys, a soldier that's a guard, it's a dishonorable thing to fall asleep on duty. But they didn't care about that. Give them enough money, they'd shame their name. They'd be an embarrassment to their profession. It didn't matter. And again, I say about these guardians of the truth, supposed guardians of the truth, that ought to be standing up in their pulpits, preaching on hell, preaching on sin, preaching on sexual purity, preaching on life, preaching on truth and the authority of the word of God, that these have been bought out and they're not ashamed of the transgression that they have brought to their profession. And Jeremiah, God says, behold, I'm against the prophets, Jeremiah 23. I'm against the prophets, saith the Lord, that use their tongues and say, he saith, behold, I'm against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the Lord, and do tell them and cause my people to err by their lies and by their lightness. Yet I sent them not, nor commanded them. Therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the Lord." Oh, there's plenty of prophets like that today that say that story about the resurrection. That's just a good story. Jesus was just a good man. Those miracles, those are just good morals that this book is not an authoritative book. They have sold out God. They're not ashamed of it. Just like these soldiers had no shame to say they fell asleep instead of telling the truth. Sadly, they compromised for their own security. It says in verse 14, if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him and secure you. If a prisoner escaped, they were to die, but they're scared for their life, and oh, they got the money, and they have to tell a lie, and it's all about protecting themselves, and they don't care. And again, they're not saved, they're not Christians, they're not born-again people, but they're going to sell out the truth to watch their own backs, to guard their own backs. Again, I just, I wonder today, what are we willing to sell the truth for? What's Satan have to offer us? A little less persecution, a little bit less laughter, a little bit less, or the world embracing us a little bit more and saying, hey, you're okay, you believe in God, but you're okay with the world too, and that's great. What's the world offering us today? There's people selling out the Lord for their personal safety. Then thankfully, the cause of their silence and their lie was common knowledge. It says in verse 15, so they took the money and they did as they were taught, and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. And so Matthew says, all right, this is what happened. It really happened, but then they are told to tell this lie. And you know what? Everybody knows about it. Praise God, right? That the truth was out there. Everybody knew what really happened, but they had this lie that they were promoting already. Vladimir Putin has taught us that if you tell a lie often enough, people will believe it. I was watching a news article just this past week and BBC going to visit the widow of a general that died in the Russian army. And the widow is blaming Britain of all things. They're not even involved in the conflict directly. And the media there, the news media was putting out these lies about Britain in the news. And so there's people that are picking up on this and they're beginning to believe these lies as well. And again, very sadly, Satan knows that. He begins to promote immediately false truth and false narrative and get it out there. And I would just say to people that are in Russia right now, don't listen to state media. I'd say listen to some, if you can find it anywhere, some independent news organization. and get a grip about what's going on. And I'd say to people today, in our day, there's a lot of falsehood out there. Satan is promoting a lie. People don't understand. Why are they all these religions? Why are all these other ideas? And the thing is what? Get to the book. Get to what God says and get to the truth. Psalm 119, 160, that word is true from the beginning. Now it's a sad thing. You look at these soldiers. They could have been great at going and telling, but they were bought out. And then lastly, The disciples were excited about go and tell. The disciples were excited about go and tell. It says, then the 11 disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And again, I've been in that Galilee region. It's very similar to Scotland. And just imagine standing up on one of the hills here in Scotland, overlooking a lake and Mount Arbol is probably where this took place by Tiberius. And I've been there and it's a beautiful area and Jesus meets his disciples there. And Jesus came he spake unto them saying all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth Go ye therefore and teach all nations Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever. I have commanded you and lo I am with you always even unto the end of the world And we know there's gonna be a battle against that and the disciples are gonna have to tarry in Jerusalem until they're indeed with power from on high and then they're gonna go out and they're gonna be dispersed by persecution. and put out into all the world with that message, but we know that they were faithful with the message that they were given. The Bible says in Acts 4, verse 18, it says, they called them, commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus, but Peter and John answered and said unto them, whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye, for we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. And they would preach Jesus Christ crucified and risen again. And their power with which they did that was great. The Bible says again, when they went to Thessalonica, Acts 17, verse six, and when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, these that have turned the world upside down are come hither also. And again, I say to us as a New Testament church, if Jesus Christ had given us that commission on Mount Arbol, go and tell, you know, and let's just put it today in that he gave it to us today, first time in our lives that we're hearing that God wants us to get that message out of his death and his resurrection for the salvation of souls. What are we going to do about it? The disciples, they got it. These that have turned the world upside down have come hither. Could it be said of our generation, these that have turned the world upside down have come hither? Can it be said of our generation that there are men and women surrendering their life to God and saying, God, I gotta take this message to the world? James Gilmore Scott grew up in Glasgow. He was a Scottish missionary to Mongolia. He said this, having decided as to the capacity in which I should labor in Christ's kingdom, he wanted to go into the ministry. The next thing which occupied my serious attention was the locality where I should labor. Occasionally before I thought of the relative claims of the home and foreign fields, but during the summer session in Edinburgh, I thought the matter out and decided for the mission field. Even on the low ground of common sense, I seem to be called to be a missionary. Is the kingdom a harvest field? Then I thought it reasonable that I should seek to work where the work was most abundant and the workers fewest. Laborers say they are overtaxed at home. What then must be the case abroad, where there are wide-stretching plains already white to harvest, with scarcely here and there a solitary reaper? To me, the soul of an Indian seemed as precious as the soul of an Englishman, and the gospel as much for the Chinese as for the European. And as the band of missionaries was few compared with the company of home ministers, it seemed to me clearly to be my duty to go abroad. But I go out as a missionary, not that I may follow the dictates of common sense, but that I may obey the command of Christ. Go into all the world and preach. He who said preach said also, go ye into and preach. and what Christ hath joined together, let not man put asunder. This command seems to me to be strictly a missionary injunction, and as far as I can see, those to whom it was first delivered regarded it in that light. So that apart altogether from choice and other lower reasons, my going forth is a matter of obedience to a plain command, and in place of seeking to assign a reason for going abroad, I would prefer to say that I have failed to discover any reason why I should stay home. James Gilmore looked at the Great Commission, God said, go and tell, and he said what Isaiah said, here am I, Lord, send me. You know, I wonder this morning, we're focused on this glorious work that the Lord Jesus Christ did, the resurrection, and I shared how excited I was about show and tell, and I still get excited about it. I just couldn't wait today to tell you that I've got three kidneys. You know, we've got stuff like that. We just wanna get it out, but listen, is there anything in our heart that says, you know what? I've gotta tell somebody about Jesus. You know, this story is the pinnacle story in the word of God. And maybe for the first time today, somebody realizes in their heart, Jesus loves me, Jesus died for me, he paid the price for my sin. By faith in him, I can be saved. Praise God, respond, trust Jesus Christ as your savior. Those of us that are saved, we gotta look at that thing and think, man, I wanna do something about it. Let me just ask you, these are basic things. Will you get involved in church evangelism? Every Saturday, 11 o'clock, we knock on doors. Because we go and tell. During the week, we put out flyers, usually at least two days, if not three days during the week, usually Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Gospel flyers are going out into our areas. Look, I don't have to be with you, and I don't mean this in a bad way, nobody has to be with you to put out gospel flyers. You've all got neighborhoods, you've all got mail slots in your neighborhoods. It is allowable, it is fine. It might take some courage on your part to go out and do that. But listen, we got stacks and stacks of flyers. And if we need more, we buy more. We buy them as often as we need them. We've got thousands right now that could go out. Those people need to hear what Jesus Christ did for them, right? So we get involved in church evangelism. And then I'd ask as well, does God want you in full-time ministry? We ought to be praying this in our church. God, work in the hearts of our church, people, that somebody would say, somebody's got to do it. Look, if nobody ever surrendered to full-time work, there would be no ministers. There would be no churches. Now, there's a lot of glitz and glamor in our day. There's a lot of career choices, a lot of opportunities. Yeah, you could do that. But if the Spirit of God speaks your heart about full-time ministry, you got to think, you know what? I could give my life to go and tell. Then I wonder, are we like the soldiers today? Has Satan bought us out? Don't really want to talk about it. Because I'm getting something in return. Or it would be someone who's like, this is too important, I've got to tell. Like the shepherds. When the shepherds found out Jesus Christ was born, they went and they published it everywhere. Because people needed to know. People need to know today that there's a Savior that died on the cross for them. that there's resurrection life that they can have. And so God help us. Simple phrase, go and tell. God help us to do just that. Let's pray. Father, I pray that the spirit of God would speak to our hearts. Father, the best way forward for the cause for which Jesus Christ died and the power with which he rose from the dead is for his followers to get that message out. And Father, we can't look around and say, well, Pastor, that's your responsibility, or look at our missionaries and say, that's your responsibility. God, we gotta look in the mirror and say, that's your responsibility. The Great Commission is not just for ministers. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I've commanded you and what Jesus just commanded was go and tell, go and tell. And so I pray, Spirit of God, speak to our hearts. Give us grace to yield. Father, if somebody here today is not saved, we pray today would be the day that they get saved. No better day to get everlasting life than the day when we memorialize the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. May it be so. It's in Christ's name we pray, amen. Amen, I think our hymn is have thine own way, Lord. That's our desire.