We don't need a mic anyway. This next piece is mostly an original, and I tried to capture what I thought it was like before and after Christ arose. This is supposed to be a painting, a musical painting of the darkness that we felt and how what the world was in, followed by the resurrection and the resurrection of our Lord and Savior. So this is, you might hear some familiar hymns mixed in throughout, but otherwise you probably won't recognize anything. Yeah. you you you Yeah. Yeah. It's great to be with you. What a display of worship and praise we've had this morning. And I have to say, I've truly appreciated all of the musical presentations. But that's my son. And 2,000 years ago, out of his great love, For all that He had created is love for people. God the Father sent His Son. And on that first Sunday morning, Easter morning, after He had placed the wrath of our sin on His Son, after our Son had gone through all of the things on our behalf, and He rose from the grave on that Sunday morning, that was God the Father declaring to the world, that's my Son. And that is the hope that we have because of the gospel. And I hope you've come this morning and you've been blessed that we have such a great savior, such a great son who would give it all so that we could have eternity with him. Glorious resurrection morning greetings to all of you. It is such a joy to be with you. For those of you joining us online, thank you for being with us. I trust you've been blessed as we have here, as you've heard the gospel through music, through the spoken word, and receive our greetings in the name of our great Lord, even as we recognize you are with us now at the throne of grace as we study God's word together. In the 1920s, in the early days of the Soviet Union, the Communist Party set out to eliminate all resistance to its absolute and tyrannical reign. No enemy, perceived or real, would be spared, and that included the numerous Christians who lived in the Soviet Union at that time. Communist leader Nikolai Bukharin was sent from the city of Moscow to Kiev, in modern-day Ukraine, to address an anti-God rally. For an hour, He mocked and ridiculed the Christian faith until it seemed as if he had brought the whole structure down in ruins. And then he opened up for a time of questions. And an Orthodox church priest rose and asked to speak to the crowd. He turned, he faced the masses, and gave the traditional Easter greeting, He is risen. And instantly, the entire assembly rose to its feet and came back with the loud reply, he is risen indeed. In the face of official opposition, the Christians present on that day refused to recognize any other authority, any other Lord, than the one who had risen from the grave and who had conquered sin and death. It might be today, and in fact, it is the reality, that the Christian Church is facing many challenges around the world. From persecution in Muslim countries to ridicule and mockery in many Western ones. From the allure and trap of economic promise to the cry that only science can give us all the answers that we need. Many gather and join in opposing the message of the gospel, even trying to get rid of the existence of the church. And to them, we join together as brothers and sisters around the world, and we rise and we say, He is risen. He is risen indeed. For the one fact that all must deal with, and which history has never been able to rebut or to disprove, is that early on that first resurrection morning, The tomb of Jesus Christ was empty, and he showed himself over a period of 40 days that he was alive. He had taken on the worst that the world and the flesh and the devil could throw at him, and he whipped them all. defeating them in such a way that continues to transform lives even today and confound the enemies of the cross. That is the victory that we announce today when we affirm and sing, Christ the Lord is risen today. We've had a chance to celebrate in song, we've seen scripture, we've been able to encourage one another, but let's take a look once again at the story as it was given to us in this case by Matthew. given to us as a gift of God, the Holy Spirit, to inform us what happened on that first resurrection Sunday morning, oh, so long ago. And I will be reading the account that is given to us in the Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 28, verses 1 to 10. In honor of God's Word, who speaks to us, would you please stand for the reading of His Word? And that Word says, 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 white as 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 is crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead, and behold, He is going before you to Galilee. There you will see Him. See, I have told you.' So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to tell His disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, and they came up and took hold of his feet and worshipped him. And Jesus said to them, Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me." Friends, this is the word of the Lord, given to inform us that we have a risen Savior today. May we rejoice in this wonderful message from God. Please be seated. And let us pray. Our God and our King, as we bow before you now, we thank you that because the tomb is empty, our hearts are full, and how we want to worship you in spirit and truth this morning, and how we want to hear from you through your word, and so we are dependent upon you to be our teacher. So guide us in these precious holy moments, Father, for your glory and for our eternal good. In Jesus' name, amen. Perhaps you're gonna follow along in the sermon outline. I encourage you to do so. Take a few notes, look for someone that you can share them with throughout the week, but we have some simple points this morning. The first one is, there was a mighty earthquake. We're told in chapter 28, verse 1, that early in the morning on that Sunday, that two women, both named Mary, came to the tomb. It was still somewhat dark, but the light would soon dawn. And what was happening physically would soon display itself spiritually, that darkness and gloom would give way to the bright light and joy of victory, victory in Jesus. But let's go back just a couple of verses in Matthew's Gospel, back to chapter 27, verse 61, where we are told that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb. against those who say these women were blinded by their grief, perhaps blinded by the sun that would suddenly appear. They went to the wrong tomb. But Matthew wants to make it clear that these two Marys were there when they saw the body of Jesus placed in the tomb on a slab, and a stone was rolled in front of it. And they were coming on that early Sunday morning to anoint the body of Jesus after the Sabbath, because they wanted to honor Him. You see, the trials, the punishment, the beatings, the burial of Jesus had been done in such haste because an important Jewish feast was arriving. The expected anointing rituals of the dead had not yet been performed, and so Mary and Mary went to correct that wrong. We might be tempted to ask, well, why did they go to the tomb? Why didn't they just believe Jesus who said that he would rise from the dead? But I think rather we should honor these women because at least they wanted to show honor to the Lord Jesus Christ in some way. They understood that it was important in Jewish custom to anoint a body, to prepare it for the future resurrection. And on a Jewish thought, the resurrection was thought to take place on the last day. But Jesus had promised, because he's the resurrection and the life, that He would rise after the third day. And that's the hope that we have, because He rose from the dead and is alive forevermore. So will we, one day, when our remains are placed in the grave. If we have faith in Christ, that is our great hope. So perhaps the understanding of these two women was incomplete that morning, but at least they wanted to do something right, at least they put their faith into practice, but where were the disciples? Where were these men that had spent three years with Him and learned and doing different things? We'll find out that they were hiding away out of fear. I think Matthew, including this witness of the women, was important for another reason. You see, Matthew was writing this Gospel, this account, to the Jewish people to let them know that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the one predicted by the law and the prophets. It was known that, according to Jewish legal custom of that day, the testimony of women was not held in high regard. But here in the Gospel of Matthew, under the direction of God, it is women who come among the first eyewitnesses to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That the Gospel is breaking down all barriers that separate men from women, Jews from Gentiles, the different social levels of society. Now, what is not said in our account in Matthew is said in another account in Mark, that while the women approached the tomb, they said, well, who's going to move this massive stone away? You see, the stone would have been about one and a half tons in weight, and it would have been set in such a way where it would roll slightly downhill to close against the opening of the grave, of the tomb. Very difficult to move it back up the incline. And so they asked the question, who's going to move it? The God. He knows what he's going to do. Whenever we seem to face challenges, God has a plan. And so God already knew what he was going to do. But maybe we need to ask ourselves the question this morning. Perhaps we think there are stones in the way of us doing what we can do to serve the Lord. And God has a plan and is moving those stones out of the way. You can trust him. Because if you're his child, he promises to lead you. We're told as we go on in verse two in Matthew 28, 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. We're told that at that moment, there was a great earthquake. There had already been an earthquake at the moment that Jesus died. And at that moment that he died, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. to show that the new covenant that was brought in with Jesus was now replacing because it had fulfilled the old covenant. And the curtain as it was torn in two now opened the way for all to enter into the presence of God for whoever would repent and believe. It was a clear sign of the fulfillment of prophecy, the fulfillment of the law. God was in control. He was going to see that it would be fulfilled and all would take place. We're also told that at that moment that Jesus died, the tombs opened and saints who had recently died got up and went into the city and appeared to many. We won't have time to really investigate that this morning, but it was a symbol, a sign of the ultimate resurrection for all the saints who believe in Christ. What a story. I want you to imagine it if you can. Imagine as if you're hearing it for the first time, an angel descending down onto the earth and he moves this one and a half ton stone, rolls it away, sits on it in an act of triumph and conquering. Earthquakes are often used in the scriptures as a sign of God doing something great, or God trying to get someone's attention. He certainly got the attention of the Roman soldiers on that first resurrection morning. And he would certainly get the attention of many who would recognize that Jesus is not dead, but he is alive. What are the earthquakes that maybe God would want to use to get our attention even today? Maybe it's the threat of another pandemic. Maybe it's a personal crisis, an illness, an economic downturn. But if God is in control of all things, Then perhaps we need to look to Him, even in the midst of those crises, and perhaps especially in the midst of those crises, and say, God, what are you doing? I want to put my trust in you. Certainly, when you think about these issues on this of all weeks, the most important week that was set in the history of mankind, I think we can make the case it's the most important week in the history of eternity. The death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. And this angel appears shining with the brilliance of divine glory, for his appearance was like lightning and his clothing white as snow. Oftentimes, when an angel appears to someone in the Scriptures, it's with a reflection of the glory of God. And people, when they see that glory, they're overcome by fear, and we certainly see that in this context in verse 4. And for fear of him, the guards trembled and became like dead men. That's an amazing detail that Matthew gives us. These were well-trained, war-hardened Roman soldiers. These Roman soldiers that would provoke fear in those that they'd come into contact with, it was why Rome could control large portions of the earth for centuries, because of the ruthlessness of their soldiers. And yet here this trained team of men, probably 16 in number, they see a power greater than themselves, and they fall over in fear, scared to death. They knew when they had met their match. So imagine the situation, the stone is in front of the tomb, it's been sealed, there's a guard that is there. The greatest and most powerful efforts of men were put into place to deny the work of God. That's always been the case with the efforts of men. Going even back in Psalm 2, where God promises to give His Son an inheritance that will include all of creation. It starts by saying, why do the nations rage? Why do they rebel against the Lord and His righteous one? And we're told that the God of heaven laughs. He laughs at the efforts of men, for ultimately they have proved to be feeble. Ultimately, the strength of men, the strength of our societies are not what we're to put our hope in, for what are they in the face of an almighty God? And so we cry out with Psalm 20, which says, some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall, but we will rise and stand. For 2,000 years, the church has gone out and has been proclaimed throughout the world that has faced obstacles from many different places, and yet those who have put their faith in God and the truth of His word, believing in Jesus Christ, are the ones that stand firm. There's fear of the Lord in this passage. The fear of the Lord is a dreadful thing for the soldiers who are knocked down. But there's a fear of the Lord that came as a comfort to the women, as we will see, The question that I have for you this morning is, whom do you fear? Before whom will you ultimately bow? So we begin by looking at a mighty earthquake, and then we see that there's a wondrous announcement. As our text continues on in verse 5, the angel appears and speaks to the women and says, do not be afraid. He says this to the women, do not be afraid. He doesn't say it to the Roman soldiers. They've already fallen down as dead, and they're right to be afraid of God. but here we see God speaking comfort to his people in the midst of a very challenging situation. He says, do not be afraid, I know that you seek Jesus. What if we just were to stop there? Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus. Yes, their understanding was incomplete, yet they didn't know everything there was to know, but again, they were doing what they knew to do based on what they had been given. Would this statement be true of us today? Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus. Whatever the circumstance, whatever the difficulty, whatever the trouble, whatever the stones that you have in your life, are you known as someone who seeks Jesus? We know that Jesus ultimately is God's solution for the greatest problems of man. Jesus had been put to death. I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. It's simply a fact of history that Jesus Christ was crucified under Pontius Pilate and that he died and that the tomb was empty on the third day. We can find the citations in Roman history. We can find the citations in Jewish history. We can find, of course, the citations in the scriptures and in Christian history. So the angel appears to the women, and he could have rebuked them and said, were you not paying attention? After all, Jesus promised this time and time again that he would die and rise from the dead. But he didn't. Instead, he offers hope. After all, the women had come to the tomb. And so he continues in the message, he gives them the words of encouragement that have changed human history. He is not here. For he is risen, as he said. In just a few words, the angel speaks a truth that will show the world will never be the same again. The Lord of life, who had been crucified, who had died, was alive once again. He conquered the power of sin and death. And it's something that we sing even today. And you know, for those that are in Christ, we will sing it down through the corridors of history. Worthy are you, O Lamb, who was slain. For with your blood you purchased men for God from every family and language and nation and tribe." Now, by the time that the women had arrived at the tomb that morning, Jesus was already out. Other Gospel accounts tell us that the clothes or the cloths in which he had been buried were sitting there untouched, that the one that went around his head had been folded up, It gave clear evidence that the tomb had not been robbed, it had not been broken into, it was not the disciples that came and stole the body away. God had sent an angel, knocked the soldiers out of the way, rolled away the stone, so the women could see inside. He is not here, for He has risen, as He said. Many times Jesus had predicted it, and He did it. Do you believe God when He gives you a promise? He promises to be our good Heavenly Father that provides for us, to give us daily bread. He promises to always be with us. He promises to never abandon us. He promises never to forsake us. Do we believe Him? Or when we get in the midst of trouble and the first thing we're saying is, well, where are you, God? Why am I having these difficulties? He's already promised us what he will do. He's already promised us that he's in control. He's already promised us that he will take care of us. And he will never fail. No, he never let down his children. So during times of crises, difficulty, that's the time to take stock of what's happening in your life upon your relationship with the Lord and say, am I truly believing the Lord or is my trust in something else? When your stock portfolio goes up and down, is your hope in Christ? Who is the true treasure? He's not here, for he's risen just as he said, and if he's risen, he is able to help, and he's able to move forward, and he's able to provide for. So the angel continues in verse six, come and see the place where he lay. They had seen the place where he was laid, and now they see that it is empty. Oh, I love that our God is a God of truth, that all truth ultimately finds its origin in him, and that the Christian faith is based on the truth. Capital T, the one who is the truth. And it's built on evidence because God is the one orchestrating all things so that his plan is accomplished. But there are some who will doubt. Even in the very context of Matthew 28, there are some in the very next passage that will try to come up with a scheme for why the tomb was not empty. But the tomb is still empty today. If you don't believe me, Get an airline ticket and go look for yourself. It's still empty, and it's going to remain empty. The angel came and rolled away the stone, and we may ask, why did he do it? Did he do it so Jesus could come out? No, he did it so the world would see that Jesus was no longer there. One commentator says, that stone was no more a barrier to the risen Christ than was the door of the upper room. As we see the resurrection accounts of Jesus, we see that He can easily pass through doors. He easily passed through the bandages that were wrapped around His body. It was like a cocoon that had been crushed under its weight. And that tomb is still empty today. And as long as it remains empty, my friends, there is hope for the human heart. we can live full lives in Christ because the tomb is empty. Is that your reality this morning? Have you come to the place where you have put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of your sins, recognizing that there is nothing that you can do of yourself? that you are completely dependent upon him and his righteousness, and you have cried out to him and say, oh, God, have mercy on me, a sinner. You sent your son to die for sinners. I'm one. I believe. Give me eternal life. Forgive me of my sins. The tomb is empty. So the offer of a full life still stands. We've seen that there's a mighty earthquake, a wondrous announcement, and our last point for today is an awesome responsibility, an awesome responsibility. Verse seven, then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead. He's not here. Now imagine the sudden change of events going on in their minds. They had come to anoint the body. Now they get to announce the greatest message that the world has ever heard. Go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him. See, I have told you, the angel dispatches the women. Among the first who witnessed the empty tomb get to go and tell the apostles the good news. So they departed quickly. And when the Lord gives an order, there's no time to waste. And good news is for sharing. We all like sharing good news, the birth of a child, a wedding announcement, a job promotion, the house sold, whatever it might be. I want to ask you a question this morning. If you're in Christ this morning, do you remember the joy that you had when you first met him? and the relief that came from knowing that your sins were forgiven and the freedom that you have. Do you remember that? Do you still have that joy this morning? Do you still have the wonder that He's alive? That the tomb is empty? When the Lord got a hold of my heart and saved me, I remember. Sunday morning, going to what had become my home church for the first time as a believer on Easter morning, and driving in the car with Christian Raider going, and I hear Wesley's song, Christ the Lord is risen today, and it occurred to me, he's alive today, and I'm set free from sin, and the tears rolled down my cheeks because I felt freedom in Christ. Do you have that joy still today in your heart? Recognize the wonder that God would redeem people like us. Save us from death. Save us from hell. Bring us from darkness into light. Does your life show that you really believe that Jesus is alive? So they're given the message. Go quickly and tell them about the one who was risen from the dead. So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to tell the disciples. Fear and great joy. How is it possible to have both at the same time? Well, if you've met the Lord, you know it's not difficult. You still have a healthy reverence for his majesty and how great he is, but then a joy that he places in your heart for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Back, remember Psalm 2, I refer to it, that the nations were raging against the Lord and His Holy One, and the Father laughs, and says, I'm going to appoint my Son, and I'm going to give Him all of the kingdoms of the earth. The command in that Psalm was this, serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice in trembling. Those that are in Christ know what that means, where they can serve the Lord with joy and with fear and rejoice at the same time. So that's what the women are sent to do. They did not walk away. They ran away to tell the disciples with fear and great joy. And while they're on the way to telling the disciples, they meet Jesus himself. And behold, Jesus met them and said, greetings. These women who had been among the last to be at the cross and among the first to be at the tomb are now among the first to see the resurrected Jesus. We're not quite sure how this happened, where it happened. We just know that it happened and Jesus said to them, greetings. It's almost an understatement given the historical context of an empty tomb, of an earthquake, of an angel coming down and Jesus appearing to them in greetings. But can you almost hear their shouts of delight and joy? Can you almost sense the joy that filled their souls? The Lord of life had appeared to them. Now, this expression, greetings, can be translated as all hail. It was famously uttered in history when the Greeks conquered the Persians at the Battle of Marathon. The messenger ran the whole distance, we know now it's 26.2 miles, went back to the headquarters, burst into the room and said, all hail, we have conquered. Jesus went through a far more significant battle, a far greater battle of more greater cosmic importance, and yet we can almost hear Jesus saying, all hail, I have conquered. He conquered sin and fear and death and the devil. He's our conquering Lord and Savior. So, of course, then, they ran up to Him and took hold of His feet and worshipped Him. And the word that is used here is of true worship. It's the same word that's used of the angels who worshipped the newborn Christ in Hebrews 1.6. They worshipped. When was the last time you really felt your heart wanting to run and worship Jesus? Maybe today is the day you go to the Lord and say, renew the joy of my salvation, refresh my heart with your goodness, root out the sin and rebellion that is keeping me from worshiping you with a true heart, and then run and fall at His feet and then don't be afraid to go and tell others. Jesus said to them, do not be afraid, go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee and there they will see me. The brothers that are referred to here are those who were believers in him, the men that God would use to build up the church. And isn't it interesting that Jesus, who is the Lord of life, refers to his apostles, the ones that will build the church, he calls them brothers. Wow. What a great condescension that the king of all the earth, the king of kings, will call those who bow the knee before him, brothers. And he gives these women a task, go and tell them that I'll meet them in Galilee. Jesus had already promised that's where they would meet, if you read what was predicted in Matthew 26. He said, after I'm raised up, I will go before you to Galilee, and now Jesus will fulfill that prophecy. I just imagine probably didn't worry about the aches and pains they may have had in their hips on that day. I imagine they're almost floating across the ground as they're racing to get to Galilee to tell people that Jesus is alive. And the other gospel accounts have many instances of where Jesus appeared to people over a 40-day period. Take some time, perhaps, to look at those appearances this week. But Matthew is doing something very important as he's presenting this to the Jewish people. He's saying the public ministry of Jesus began in Galilee and would end in Galilee. Began with the preaching of the gospel openly, would end in Galilee with the giving of the Great Commission, showing that the Lord of Light is now to be proclaimed throughout all the world. There the disciples would be commissioned. to take the gospel to the whole world. So if we combine some texts together, we can almost make it say something like this, go quickly and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I've commanded you. Behold, I'm with you always to the end of the age. That is still the task of the church today. And the task is urgent, for there are still over 3.4 million billion people that need to hear that Jesus is alive, but they've not yet heard his name. On our passage this morning, we have seen a mighty earthquake, a wondrous announcement, and awesome responsibility. Came across the story of a an African man who was raised as a Muslim, and he'd become a follower of Christ. I'm pleased to say that that's happening more and more in Muslim countries across the world. But his friends and his family asked him, why have you become a Christian? And he said this, well, it's like this. Suppose you were going down a path which suddenly forked in two directions, and you didn't know which way to go. And there at the fork were two men, one dead, and the other alive, which one would you ask which way to go? All the roads of men, all the roads of philosophies, all the roads of religion will lead to death. It is only the one of Jesus Christ, who alone is alive, who said, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Imagine the joy of those women on that first resurrection Sunday. But imagine the joy we can have, not only as we encounter Christ and as we live for Christ, but that we can go and tell those around us that the solution to sin and death has already been found, and there's only one way to get there. Which road are you on today? Let us pray. Father, we thank you that because there is one who has conquered sin and death, because there is one who has come back alive from death, that is the one that we can proclaim, that is the one for whom we can live, and that is the one that we want to adore. And I pray, Father, this week, for all that are within the sound of my voice even now, that would not only settle that issue with you, but that you would renew the joy of salvation, that we would be known as people who are joyful because we've met with Jesus. And now we must go and tell others. Oh, Father, may it be. And may you glorify your name and glorify the name of your son as we pray in his wonderful name. Amen.