Matthew 28:1-15 While the Dawn Breaks

You're listening to the podcast of Recast Church in Mattawan, Michigan. This week, Pastor Don Filsack takes us through his series on the book of Matthew called

Not Your Average Savior. Let's listen in. Well, good morning and happy Easter.

He is risen. He is risen indeed. You guys got it right. You got it right. So a little test we like to give each other, right?

But welcome to Recast. I'm Don Filsack. I'm the lead pastor here, and I'm really glad that we have the opportunity to gather together, that I have the chance to be here with all of you this morning.

Specifically, we focus all of our attention on the center point of history, right? This is the center, the center of all history.

The only basis for our gladness, the only basis by which we smile or have any hope.

The only reason to think that we can be made whole and complete. The only reason to think that there is a better future in store for us is what we're going to be talking about this morning.

And it's simply this. The tomb is empty. The tomb is empty.

We've been through a dark season here. And those of you that call Recast your home and you've been hanging out with us for a while, we have been going through a bit of a dark season, not as a church, but in the text of scripture, going through the book of Matthew.

Here are these last few chapters of Matthew. Walking through that has been a season of walking through the dark last week of our

Lord and Savior, really the last dark couple of days in these last few chapters. Time has kind of slowed down as we've talked about all the difficult things that Jesus endured for us.

That started in January, by the way. For those of you to think this has felt like a long season, it has been a long season of going through that darkness.

In our text, just to kind of recap, Jesus predicted his own violent death in that section.

Jesus was betrayed by a very close friend. Jesus was arrested by a mob. Jesus was abandoned by his best friends.

Jesus was denied by one of his best friends. Jesus was the victim of injustice through a couple of puppet trials, one

Roman, one Jewish. He was sentenced to death by both. Jesus was abused.

Jesus was mocked. Jesus was scourged with Roman whips. Jesus was crucified.

And Jesus drank down the cup of the wrath of the Father against our sins.

And Jesus died. And then last week, Jesus was taken down off the cross by a man named

Joseph of Arimathea. His body was prepared with ointments and spices, and then Jesus was laid out on a cold stone slab in the darkness of a cave.

His body was guarded by a guard, a trained guard of Roman soldiers.

According to Matthew, the stone covering the tomb was sealed with a wax seal with the imprint of the

Roman procurator, a Roman seal, a Roman seal that was not to be broken by anybody.

And I encourage you all to try your best to hear the words of Scripture this morning as we dive in.

Try your best to hear them with new ears and to see these events with new eyes.

Let the words here in the text guide your thoughts about the most important event in human history.

And consider that this is true. What we are reading this morning is true.

And be warned that if you believe this passage, it will set your life on a significant life -change trajectory.

Like, your life will be transformed by believing that the things that we read this morning are indeed true.

If the tomb was truly empty and Christ was indeed raised, then death no longer has the final word.

Amen? It does not have the final word. If the Son was raised to new life by the Father, then

He has been vindicated in His sacrifice. His sacrifice acceptable to the Father.

So let's listen to the record of Matthew together this morning, a record that Matthew believed, an event that changed him from a fearful man in hiding.

In our text, Matthew is hiding. He's afraid. And Matthew will eventually write this very book that we're reading.

And the events that happen in this text will launch him out onto a bold mission to declare this resurrection to anyone, anyone, anyone who will listen.

So open your Bibles to Matthew chapter 28. We're going to read the first 15 verses, or 16 verses, 1 through 15,

Matthew 28. Your Bibles, your devices. Recognize that some people have said in the past, like, oh, people feel like it's rude that you're looking at your, you know, phone during that.

No, open it up and see that what I'm reading is God's very Word. Matthew chapter 28, verses 1 through 15.

Recast God's holy and precious Word, what He desires to implant in our hearts in this gathering this morning. 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, 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 in his clothes, 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 was 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, greetings. And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him.

Then Jesus said to them, do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee. There they will see me.

While they were going, behold, some of the guards went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place.

And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, tell people his disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.

And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble. So they took the money and did as they were directed.

And this story is spread among the Jews to this day. Let's pray.

Father, as we have an opportunity to gather together on this Sunday, not just any Sunday, but a Sunday that is marked in our church calendar, marked in our culture to remember the resurrection.

This changes everything. This is the center of my faith.

This is the center of my hope. And this is the only center of hope that I know to offer to anyone. That the grave was empty and that there is hope beyond this life.

If our trust is only in the cross with no resurrection, we have no

Lord to reach out to. We have no one to forgive us. We have no one to love us. Father, we rejoice that you have made a way, a way to newness of life that I think on a day like today, many of us can reflect.

Many of us have cemeteries that we visit regularly. Many of us have have said goodbye to departed loved ones.

Many of us know individuals that we have hope to see again because of the truth of these things.

That we have a promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ. And Father, I pray that you would allow us to worship you with enthusiasm, with joy, with vigor, and with our entire lives.

Father, not just for these next few moments in song, but as we depart from here and the way we drive our cars, the way that we respond to our families, the way we talk to our spouses, the way we speak to our children and our parents, the way that we discharge all of our responsibilities to our employers.

Father, all things for your glory, all things wrapped up in this newness of life that you have given to us through your son, who now sits at your right hand, where he intercedes on our behalf.

He's alive and he listens to anyone who would call out to him. Father, I pray that today would be a day of excitement, a day of rejoicing, and for some, even a day of salvation.

Please accept these songs as the seeds of worship for our next week with you.

All right, go ahead and get seated. I do, as I say, every Sunday, encourage you, some of you, this is your first time here.

I encourage you to get comfortable and keep your Bibles open to Matthew chapter 28. That wasn't just a Bible reading.

That's going to be the passage we're going to talk through. So having that open in front of you is going to help you and be of benefit to you because you're going to be able to see that the things that I'm talking about are coming straight from God's word.

I also just would encourage you, if you need to get up and get more coffee or juice or donut holes while supplies last, take advantage of that back there.

Your getting up isn't going to distract me. And if you need a restroom, they're out the double doors down the hallway on the left -hand side.

There you go. Well, Recast, we made it.

We've made it. We've endured the long night of this Lenten season, walking through the darkness, following the dark footsteps of our

Lord and Savior on his road to suffering. We've experienced that darkness. We've watched him endure so much agony over the past couple of months.

We saw him endure relational agony. And I mean, some of you can testify that that's some of the hardest, hardest pains that we experience in life is broken relationships, betrayals, where we thought a relationship was going this way.

And then all of a sudden it takes a sudden dive, right? And we know what that's like. We've seen him endure injustice.

Yes, there is injustice in this world and our Lord and Savior endured it. We watched him endure physical torture through scourging and crucifixion, terrible, terrible physical torture.

But we have also taken in and observed his spiritual torture as the very Son of God was the propitiation of the wrath of the

Father toward our sins, the appeasement of his wrath toward our sins there on that cross.

That's what he was doing. That's what he was doing on the cross was appeasing the wrath of God toward our sins so that we can be set free.

And last, last week we were left in the darkness of a cold lifeless tomb.

And our text begins with these words. Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day.

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day, if you know, you know,

Church, the narrative seems to open with a mere time designation. Dawn is about to break on the first day of the week.

It's Sunday, but it's not just any Sunday, Church. If you know, you know.

Now we read it earlier and I don't expect to catch anybody off guard by what I'm talking about this morning. What is about to happen?

We know. But I hope that even if you can't be surprised this morning by the resurrection that you can still be moved.

I hope that glory floods your hearts in these moments together this morning as we have an opportunity to discuss what our

Lord and Savior has done for us and that he is indeed alive. I will give you a very simplistic outline and it parallels our outline from last week.

Last week we saw friends in the darkness and enemies in the darkness. This week,

I think Matthew writes in a very stylistic way. And this week we're going to see friends in the light and enemies in the light.

We'll see those same parallels that we saw last week versus 1 through 10, our friends in the light and versus 11 through 15, our enemies in the light.

And here in the early morning hours, we see his friends. A couple of ladies mentioned by Matthew.

Now, we know from the other accounts, he zeroes in on these two for a specific reason that I'll explain later, but there were more than just the two ladies, but he zeroes in on his account, these two ladies on their approach to the tomb near the dawning of the first day of the week,

Sunday. The light we've been waiting for was about to dawn on the dark, dark world.

And here Matthew records women traveling to the tomb. Mark tells us more detail why they're even going there in the first place.

They are carrying spices to finish the work of final burial. They fully expect, church, they fully expect to find a dead body.

They fully expect this morning to be the last time that they will see the face of their beloved Jesus.

That's their full expectation as they walk this road in the early morning hours.

But Matthew lets us know something else has happened. Amen. Something else has happened and he starts verse two with a favorite word of exclamation.

I love Matthew because you get a little bit of a feel for him. He loves this word and we translate it in English in a word that we just pass over in our minds.

We just think of it as filler. It's the word behold. It's a it's a exclamation.

It's kind of like a word that characterizes some of these New Testament authors as like kind of like like like they're just they're excited.

They're amped up and the word behold is an amped up kind of word. It's like when you say check this out or you gotta hear this or you gotta see this cat video, right?

Like we would say behold the cat video, right? Like check this out. Like this is really cute. This is really funny. This is really amazing.

You've gotta see this. You have to take a couple minutes out of your time to see this. But this church is one of the biggest you gotta hear this moments in history.

You got you got a church. You have to behold this. You have to see this.

There was a great earthquake and the earthquake it said in the text for an angel of the Lord. It's the cause of the earthquake is the arrival of the angel.

There's a great earthquake caused by the arrival of the angel of the Lord and he descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.

The rock the stone that was there that bore the Roman seal the one right in front of the guards the one that only the guards were allowed to roll back that stone and he takes up a space on the top of that stone sitting there.

This angel apparently has no problem with this heavy heavy stone and I want to point out something that might not be apparent and that is that the physical manifestations that we're reading about in this text must accompany what's happening in order for a very very physical humanity like us to discern the significance of these things.

The rolled back stone was not to let Jesus out. It wasn't so that he could he could get out like he rose from the dead.

He was like no now what do I do? Can't get the stone out of the way. At his resurrection. He wasn't trapped in the tomb.

So why is the stone rolled away not for his benefit but for ours why the earthquake for our benefit why the visible angelic manifestation how many know angels can do what they want without us seeing them.

Did you know that they don't have to make themselves visible but in this case God allowed the guards allowed the women to see the angel why for our benefit for us to highlight the uniqueness and make it clear that something different is happening here on this morning.

The appearance of the angel was like lightning in his clothes were as white as snow. He was bright and shiny and his clothes were all bright white and it's always interesting to me whenever I read in Scripture that someone's clothes were as white as snow.

It's always like the manifestation of either Jesus like on the Mount of Transfiguration and his white his clothes are transformed to brighten white as snow or something like that or bright white it stands out to them and there's a reason why it stands out to them.

Might be something strange to consider how often a lot is made about that whiteness of clothes but consider how hard it is to maintain white clothing in a world of entropy dingy white is common.

It's hard to get bright white even in our modern day. It's like hard to keep something bright white is it not so it's always emphasized anytime that it happens is emphasized by the authors because it's stuck out to them.

It was like a white day hadn't really seen in clothing. They weren't used to this kind of white bright white like newly fallen snow to their eyes.

This was otherworldly. It wasn't common. It wasn't something that was an experience that they had regularly and remember that we left we left last week with a guard set against the theft of a body in a tomb and it can be assumed that the guard was meant to be sufficient to keep out the thieves any thieves that might show up this

Roman guard was like we can handle any anybody that comes and tries to steal this body. All we got to do is guard this one little entrance.

They would have to roll the stone back. We got this guys but pilot had sent enough troops to manage thieves, but he did not send enough troops to manage a single angel of God.

A single angel of God is all that he needs to send to take care of this. They respond that the guards respond in a way that is most common in Scripture where humans encounter angels invisible form.

What's the what's the first response usually on the part of the people fear. I heard it. Yes, absolutely fear not just fear like code

Brown wet themselves knees knocking kind of terror, right? Like that's yes. I just said that on Easter Sunday can't believe

I just said that my wife can't believe I just said that but they are paralyzed with fear.

She said yes, I can so she she actually does live with me and she knows me so she expects that kind of stuff but but here in this text.

Dawn isn't even here yet. They these these soldiers are paralyzed with fear the word that's used there almost as if they are dead is either they're paralyzed and unable to move with the with the terror or some some scholars actually think that the word there might be a

Greek word for passed out like they might actually just fall over like oh, I'm out. But I want us to pause for a second here at what we see right now in the text because we know what's coming but they don't and and and all we know from Matthew so far as if the woman don't have to break the

Roman seal for all we know the body is still there. The stone is rolled back. The guards are on their way.

The angel is sitting on the stone Dawn isn't here and Matthew is teasing us. We don't have the privilege of reading this for the first time, but it would be awe -inspiring to see your reaction if we were reading this together for the first time if we're talking about this for the very first time you'd be like what is happening you wouldn't know that the body wasn't there yet.

Are you getting what I'm saying Matthew is kind of teasing it out. He already knows the glory and he's holding it back for a certain point.

And so whatever time lag there may have been between the descent of the angel and the arrival of the women whether that was simultaneous or whether that there was a little bit of time that transpires there.

He sits there sits the angel on the rolled away stone and he calms their fears immediately doesn't calm the soldiers fears.

He lets them pass out. But he calms the fears immediately of the women as they take in the scene of the already open to well, there's one problem out of the way.

How are we going to get that stone yet? We're going to have to put all of our effort into it as a back.

But now that's taken care of for us. But I also wonder if there wasn't fear like who's this guy this bright shiny thing and then further like the stone is rolled away.

Like did somebody take the body where what's going on and so here are the friends of Jesus arriving to pay respects and show him a last act of kindness and say their final goodbyes.

The angel lets them know that he's aware of their mission. He says I know why you're here which is miraculous in itself, right?

Have somebody tell you I know what you're doing here. What how did you know that you spying on me?

Are you are you working for Google? Like what's they he says

I know that you've come to find Jesus. I know that you've come to find not just Jesus but the one who was crucified.

Still teasing still awaiting the glory of verse 6 the angels words in verse 5 would call their minds back to what they had seen back in the previous chapter recorded for us in verse 56 of chapter 27 that they were present at this

Matthew emphasizes these two women because these two women were for sure there at the crucifixion.

They were for sure there at the burial site on the night that he was buried in this cave.

They were there then so he emphasizes them and therefore emphasizes that they were there on this day as well.

They watched him crucified. They heard his words from the cross. They watched him die and they watched him be buried and probably participated with Joseph and Nicodemus in his burial.

And so when the angel says I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified their minds would have gone to that violent scene as they stood a ways off in grief and mourning just a couple of days ago.

How many of you think that those women when the angel used the word crucified had a little bit of a start like oh, yeah, that's what happened to him.

They might not have slept well the previous two nights just primarily because they were thinking about it. They had just taken in that scene of somebody that they love brutally tortured to death and here the angel brings it up again to remind them that the one who is not in the tomb is the very one that they saw die.

And so the words of verse 6 from the angel comes with simplicity. The words come with force and they come with a level of directness that is it's like it's like a sudden flashlight in the darkness.

Now, how many of you ever went to summer camp when you were a kid? There was always that kid that waited until your eyes adjusted to the darkness.

You know where this is going, don't you? And then all of a sudden blast a flashlight right in your eyes, right?

You know what I'm talking about is like boom that kind of brightness like that's kind of the the impact of the words of the angel here.

Like what? Like it's a twist in it and it just changes everything around it.

This is the arrival of the light that we've been waiting for. And there's four things that the angel says that changed the world forever here in verse 6.

Four simple statements that I declare to each one here in this gathering echoing the word of the angel. Four things that call us all to a decision this morning.

Either believe and trust these things and live or deny or ignore these things and walk away from a newness of life that is held out to you this morning.

The first thing that the angel say. He's not here. He's not here.

Now that might be cryptic at first but coupled with the other three things it's going to make sense, but you're in the geographical wrong location.

If you want to see Jesus, you're not going to see him here. You're in the wrong place. The grave is not the place of Jesus the one that you love.

No, the angel doesn't say you've come to the wrong tomb. The angel thinks it's sensible that they are here.

And so he showed up to set them straight. He thinks it's sensible that they came here looking for the crucified one.

But he says in essence, he gone. He gone.

Is it loose translation? The second thing that angel says first, he says he isn't here.

And the second thing clarifies. He was raised. He is risen.

The phrase is risen is not really common in English. Any of you ever kind of want to correct it every time that somebody on Easter morning says he is risen and you want to say, well, he was risen or something like anybody with me on that.

Like this is kind of a little bit of a grammar knocks Nazi on that. Like we understand that some of you are like looking at me like way to ruining.

I don't know. No, the phrase is risen comes from the King James version of the Bible. New King James retains it.

So when we say Christ is risen and people respond with he is risen. Indeed. We are evoking the the tricky part of translation from a

Greek tense that we don't have in English. There's a way of speaking of using verbs that we don't use in English called and I'm going to geek out for just a second.

It's called the aorist tense. We don't have an aorist tense. We have passive participle past perfect pluperfect all that weird stuff that some of you just like kind of like a little look mini seizure as I'm talking about like parts of speech and stuff like that, right?

He is currently with the angel is saying here in Greek as he is currently at the point of my statement at the point of the angel speaking.

He is in a state of having been raised. It's it's passive indicative status.

He's in a state of having been raised by the father. The active nature of the translation of the

English Standard Version and IV and so many of the translators is muddy. He has risen is more active than what the angel actually says here.

He is right now having been raised but that's a mouthful. So the translators don't like it. So they they say something like he is risen or he is raised or he has he he has risen is what most of them have.

So I need to explain it in English, but these ladies at the tomb have no problem with verb tenses. They're getting it and they get the point that should settle on us all the technical things of language aside what ought to settle up what settled on them ought to settle on us too.

And that is this phrase. He's alive. He's alive. They get that out of it.

And the angel says a third thing. I think it's kind of funny and I think it's kind of tongue and cheek. He is raised as he said, he's not here.

He is raised as he said just as he prophesied many times that he would rise again just as he said that like Jonah was in the fish and came back out again.

And so will the son of man be in the grave and come back out again. They didn't get it.

But this ought not to be an unthinkable surprise to these ladies this morning nor to his disciples who are going to hear about it in just a little bit the disciples as the spirit guides them in recording these historical accounts by the way has them self reflect on their own ignorance.

Has them share their own ignorance these these disciples who write these accounts of the Gospels make themselves look dumb in their writings.

They didn't get it when he said it but after the resurrection they're like, oh, so that's what he meant when he said he would be turned over to the authorities flogged mocked crucified but rise again to meet up with us in Galilee.

That's what he meant. Like what did they think was going to happen? Have you ever wondered that but I think we can do this with scripture to we love metaphor.

We love to make it spiritual. We love to take the actual words and turn them into some kind of metaphorical meaning that just makes us feel the feels so do they think he was going to be metaphorically crucified like roasted by the religious leaders rise again like a phoenix from the ashes of our crumbling reputation because that what we thought was going to happen.

Is that what the disciples thought was going to happen? Is that yeah, he's going to go through some tough times and a little bit of persecution and people aren't going to like him very much in Jerusalem, but but he will rise up from that right?

Oh literal literal crucifixion. Oh like flogged like that.

Oh actually rise from the dead literally like literally rise from the dead.

I think I think it's the is the angel say as he said I picture a little eye roll to it like as he said like as he said guys or ladies as he said and the fourth thing that he says is he commands the ladies to come and see the very place where his body was laid.

He wants to be sure that they behold the emptiness that they see with their own eyes to a vacancy of the tomb itself.

Come and enlist your own senses in case you doubt. I know this is a lot to take in with so few words says the angel come and see for yourself here in these four statements of the angel is found the heart of hope and victory for us.

Ours is not some kind of faith based on wishful thinking not some ethereal good sacrifice and no

God now go and live like his example not like he gave his life for others.

Now you go do likewise more than a model to follow our

Lord and Savior is one who rescues more than just merely a model to follow and go live like he lived.

He is a Savior who rescues from death and he saved us in the midst of history and science in a real place of true events and in the midst of the laws of nature.

They are invited in to see with their eyes. Yes, their ears here, but their eyes also see that vacant spot.

They are eyewitnesses. They see where the body was laid just a few days ago where they sat right opposite the tomb and watched they behold with their eyes the shiny angel.

And now the mission of their day and the mission of their very lives is suddenly and jarringly shifted. What do they come to do?

And what are they leaving to do? Think about that radical shift in these ladies that morning look at the calling on his friends here in the light of his resurrection go quickly.

You got a message now go quickly and tell his disciples that he has raised.

He is raised and tell them tell the disciples when you see them when you find them from wherever there's hiding check this out dudes.

He is planning a meet and greet up in Galilee. You will see him for yourselves.

The angel commissions these ladies with urgency hurry up quickly go. These ladies are the first faithful friends of Jesus to know that the grave has not held him death has swallowed hope but instead through the dark places of the grave hope finds a way out and is born anew.

The king isn't dead. He died for his people. He was the sacrifice lamb for us.

And he is now not only defeated our enemies of sin and separation from God on the cross, but he now is also conquered death at the end too.

So says the angel. What are you waiting for? Go tell his boys get out there says the angel to the ladies how how gracious is

God to let these fearful men back in where do the women have to run to to go find the men on this morning in hiding?

Was it like this that morning? Ladies you go out check out the tomb.

Make sure it's safe. Then we'll come out like is that is that the is that what the guys did like like women and children first.

I don't know what these guys are thinking. I think I do. I think they're trying to save their own skin. I think they're they're fearful.

They are in hiding. They are terrified that what they saw happened to their Lord and Savior is also going to happen to them.

How many of you would not love to be crucified like just literally like not love that right? That's why they're hiding.

So the ladies leave the angel and the empty tomb in haste. They woke up with a mission that morning.

They woke up early that morning. If they slept at all they they went out at first dawn to finish preparation.

Of the body of the dead going through the cemetery to get to the grave.

And now they are recommissioned with a glorious task to share the light of hope. They are sent out with a message.

He is raised. Now I find comfort that right from the beginning these women who carry that good news nearly 2 ,000 years ago carry it with the same sense.

I often feel when I carry it to others and if you had an experience and I pray that every

Christian in this room has the experience of carrying this light to someone that you feel it to that you feel what these ladies felt.

Look at verse 8. How do they carry the good news with what heart and what attitude they carry the good news with fear?

And great joy. Fear and great joy. How many of you can relate to that feeling when you think about sharing that with a co -worker or your neighbor or your aunt that has been belligerently against the faith and you want to share the truth with her that the grave is empty.

Fear and great joy. We're in good company when we carry that same message with great joy coupled to fear.

Will anyone believe us that our Lord has been raised but how can we not share it?

Great joy. And on the way on the way Jesus meets the women face -to -face.

So they're there commissioned by the angel, but now they're going to receive a secondary commission from Jesus Christ himself.

And his first statement is something akin to well, hello there. Some of you know.

Well, hello there. Greetings does just fine to capture the humorous return of the

King in this text. Greetings. Hey, it's me. I wonder what and in verse 9, they do what was only to be done for deity according to ancient documents and and the recordings to bow.

The word that's used here in Greek is a straight -up worship of divinity. That's the way that this word is used all throughout.

I mean it would be for the worship of Zeus the worship of Hermes the worship of all of the the Roman gods and goddesses the

Greek gods and goddesses. It was the word for worship. And coupled with groveling at his feet.

It is there's no question that what they do here cannot be twisted away from the actual worship of Jesus.

This doesn't mean when it says that they worshipped him and that they bowed before him and they, you know, in obeisance and worshiped him that it doesn't mean that they grabbed their instruments and the lights faded in the fog descended and then the laser lights came up and the rock and worship set, you know, like what do you think of when you hear worship their posture and likely their words ascribed to him great worth there in that moment and he accepts it all without a smidge of correction.

Now John in Revelation is given a vision of an angel and he bows before the angel and grovels at its feet and says get up dude.

Like are you kidding me bro? I'm just I'm just an angel. I'm a creative being like you save that for God.

And anytime that you see people bowed before in Scripture, like they're like dude for real.

Are you kidding? But here Jesus accepts it. No correction.

Yeah, you're doing well to worship me and he calms them and sends them out on a mission himself and he says go tell the bros to go into Galilee and I will meet up with them there.

Now some of you might have a question in your mind and this is into my notes but centered on that idea that they actually touch his feet and then you might be thinking about an occurrence in the book of John where Mary Magdalene actually clings to Jesus and she says don't cling to me.

I have not yet ascended to the father. He says don't cling to me. I have not yet ascended the father. Anybody have that in your mind when

I'm saying that because why does he let these women like touch his feet and why does he say to Mary Magdalene alone?

Don't cling to me. The emphasis there is in the word cling. She's like not ready to go anywhere and he has to like pull her off of him and say go.

I've not yet ascended to the father as in I've got I'm going to be around for a little while. I'm going to be hanging out for a while.

You're going to see me again. You don't need to just stay right here. I've got a mission for you. Go share this with others and then we'll hang out again later.

So I don't know if that calms anything. I felt like I needed to add that in there because it's something that stuck in my mind while I was studying this this week.

And so these ladies here recommissioned by Jesus the angel hurrying go tell the disciples

Jesus meets with them and says yes go tell the disciples and here's a little bit more detail. And so they head off on a mission of good news in verse 11.

The friends in the light have been given a mission. They are called to share good news and spread the word that Jesus has not remained in the grave, but the father has raised him.

But there's a second movement in the text and this is the second part here starting these last five verses. We also see that there are enemies of Jesus even here in the light of this dawn of this glorious day and the last five verse the last five verses highlight their actions here on what is glorious day, but even here there are enemies in the light.

The guards are confounded. How did this happen? The grave is empty. We saw the angel we froze or passed out and now they are all in a predicament.

Now put yourself in their shoes. They were commissioned to guard this tomb. They were commissioned to guard this body by their leader and the body is gone.

So do you go back to Pilate and tell him the miraculous events that happened and the angel and the like appearance like lightning and man you would have been scared to Pilate and so we just kind of froze up didn't discharge our official duties as your soldiers.

Sorry, but you know, it was kind of scary. Because that way you is that what you would do in this situation and expect him to believe you.

He's a far -fetched story, right? Or did you just get overpowered by some thieves who stole the body thinks pilot or what do you do?

Do you try to figure out a way to save your own skin that seemed pretty likely to me and so these these guards these

Roman guards go to the chief priests of the Jews with this religious experience because they just had a religious experience.

So they want to get the religious leaders take on it and they in the religious leaders call an immediate council meeting to discuss these things and I'm I'm guessing that if you've ever observed and if you've really paid attention to life in this world so far then you've observed along with me that power wealth and evil intersect at the place of bribery and cover -ups, right?

Isn't that where those three things intersect power wealth and evil come together in that place money can buy outcomes in a fallen world, right?

We know that you got enough money. You can buy an outcome and one of the religious leaders ever had a had a consideration of turning back and acknowledging that surely this was the

Messiah. Oh my goodness is angel and all that they're going to hear a report of an angel rolling back a stone. They're going to hear a report of an empty tomb.

But I wonder if this was a classic case of sunk costs for them by this point. It's possible that they were too far down this road of maintaining their own control and power and authority that they could do no other.

I think no other but regardless of their motivations. This is what the cruel religious leaders actually do.

They pay to cover up the truth and bribe the soldiers to lie and it had it had to be a significant sum to get these soldiers to risk everything in perpetuating a lie against themselves.

But what other choice do they have? This is the best deal available to them. The grave is indeed actually empty and they're testifying to that.

So no matter how the body escaped their guard, they are in trouble. So at least they get some money out of it in this scenario and they get some allies among powerful men who pledged to satisfy the anger of their their leader, their governor to keep these soldiers out of trouble.

So they take the deal. But notice the parallel in this entire text.

This is this is kind of stunning to me. There's a parallel that's significant. You have friends of Jesus in the light sent out on a mission to go quickly and tell go tell the good news quick.

Hurry, go tell the good news. He is raised. This is surely the seeds of the

Great Commission that we're going to spend next Sunday wrapping up the book of Matthew talking about his Great Commission to the disciples.

But in verse 13, the guards are commissioned as well. Do you see it? They're granted a commission.

They're given instructions to go tell as well. We may have a Great Commission, but Satan loves to counterfeit.

And so he sends out his messengers with what I would call an ungreat commission. An ungreat commission.

They are told to actively go out, tell people, get busy, soldiers. We are buying you.

You go spread this message. His disciples came by night and stole the body while we were asleep, while we were failing at our duties.

Pays them a lot of money to say that. And I want to just suggest to you that this highlights,

Church, that we are at a race in this world. We have a race set before us.

Good news against fake news. There is urgency in the commission of the angel.

There is urgency doubled by Jesus appearing to the ladies and showing them himself and emphasizing that message, go quickly and tell others.

Our evidence is not merely an empty tomb. We also have a risen Lord. It's not like just the body wasn't there, but many saw him and talked with him and interacted with him.

And he commissioned his friends. They go from the realm of mourning and death and sadness and sorrow and ready to say their final goodbyes to him.

And they are turned and transformed to great joy and urgency to share the very message that they experienced, to share the empty tomb that they were eyewitnesses to.

There is good news, Church, and there is genuine fake news.

And here in the light of the dawning of the most glorious day, we see that there is still a battle to be fought, a battle that rages all the way down to our day here and now.

And the first command, hear this request, the first command post -resurrection is to these ladies to go and tell others.

And there is no other command that rivals that mission for us, Church. As individuals, we need to take on this mission.

It started in the tomb and continues to echo from mouth to other ears to their hearts and then their mouths to other ears and to hearts and to mouth, to ears, to other hearts.

Even all the way it echoes down in history to here in Matawan. It started in the empty tomb with the angel and a few ladies and here we are today, nearly 2 ,000 years later, just as clearly and confidently saying the tomb is empty.

Now quickly, Church, quickly go tell others. Quick, hurry up.

What are you waiting for? Tell others death is not the end.

Quick, hurry, leave this place and go tell others before the great news gets them, before the ungreat commission gets to their ears.

Tell them that death is real and so is eternal life through Jesus Christ. He is the first fruits from the dead, the first harvest of what will prove to be a bountiful crop.

We sow bodies into the ground because just as much as we anticipate corn to rise up from a field that is sown with corn, we expect a crop from the cemeteries.

We can anticipate a crop from the cemeteries, Church, not like the walking dead, but a crop of newness of life, where death will be swallowed up in victory, where the seeds, where the bodies of those that we love who died in the

Lord, sown in faith will rise again just as his body was restored on that first Easter 2 ,000 years ago.

Does anybody want to just say an amen to that? When you leave here, when you leave here, leave with urgency.

Follow the words of the angels and hurry up and go to tell others about the empty tomb of Jesus.

And if you've not yet asked Jesus Christ to rescue you from your sins, if you've not yet asked him to be your

Lord and Master, then let the urgency of the angel and the urgency of Christ and the urgency of those ladies running to tell others and the urgency of the message, let it call you to a decision this morning.

Put your trust in Jesus to cover your sins by his death for you on the cross and receive him as the risen

Lord who offers resurrection to any and all who connect their lives to his life through faith in him.

Come and talk with me or come and talk with Jesse or come and talk with Dave this morning after the service.

If you would like to know more about starting a relationship with Jesus Christ today, the message is urgent, but he is always just a step of faith away from anyone.

No matter what you have done against him, he is there with open arms ready to receive you and he is alive.

He's alive and calling you today. He's alive and speaking through these words.

I'm here. I died for you. I died to forgive you of your sins and I rose again to offer you newness of life.

Would you receive him today? Would you accept him today? Glory church glory.

The light has dawned. And all those who are his are called to carry forward the mission started there in that empty tomb.

So let's start here together with an accurate remembrance before we leave this place together. Let's worship the crucified and raised one by taking communion together.

My favorite things to do every week. If you believe that Jesus is the son of God and have asked him to save you and you are living in unity together with his church, then please come to the tables to remember his body broken for us and his blood shed for us.

He endured so much darkness for us church, but all praise to God. He is raised.

We serve a living Lord and in his resurrection. We have hope that he has conquered the grave for us.

Those of you that are around regularly, you notice the chairs are set up just a skosh different and so it's a little bit of a different setup in here.

We're going to have some more tables in the back for communion. So there's actually three back there. There's one back here and then there's two up here.

Please just be gracious with one another as we try to work this out and figure out. I mean, it's going to be the first time we've done.

We've taken communion together in this format. So you might just stand in line for a little bit, but just be patient and gracious and just celebrate together what he has done for us.

Death no longer has the final word church and he will rest. He will restore a new life all who trust in him by faith.

Great joy. Great joy is ours. Indeed, our enemies of sin and separation for the father were resolved at the cross, but our problem of death was solved by his resurrection.

So let's rejoice this week. Recast. He is risen. He is risen.

He is risen. Let's pray father.

We rejoice this morning. It's been awesome for me personally.

I can I can speak to my experience of going through Matthew with you and going through these last few chapters just into the darkness to wake up this morning to celebrate the light.

It's been a long time coming. Despite the fact that we knew what was coming. It's it's still dark to realize all that he endured for us all that Jesus did on our behalf in order to reconcile us to you.

So that we we don't stand under any double jeopardy. Our sins can't be punished because it's been paid for us.

Jesus took care of that for us and then he rose to newness of life.

And you raised him to show that you were pleased. Well pleased with your son and what he had done father.

I pray that you would move in every heart here to a genuine in an actual elation and actual celebration in our hearts as we come to these tables to remember what

Jesus endured for us and as we take on the remembrance that he is here with us that he is here speaking.

He is here bringing bringing a call to any and all who would come to him to abide with him for those who are in Christ and to come to him with faith for the first time for those who are not

I pray that today might be a day of salvation that lights would turn on in hearts and in minds and it would click you would give boldness to anybody that's in that position of needing to have a conversation with me or with Dave or with Jesse or maybe somebody who's brought them the gospel go forward with good news and then that you would empower us as your people to leave this place with the urgency a restored and renewed urgency in a dark dark world that needs this light desperately father make us the light use us father use us up and spend us even if it means burning through some relationships to share the truth that the tomb was empty father.

I pray that you would give us that kind of level of boldness. We don't fear being hung up on a cross for this.

We fear being roasted it emotionally was to see how petty our concerns really are if these ladies left yes fear that we might be rejected but great joy that compels us to share use this church to reach many.