Well, let us turn in our Bibles together to Matthew chapter 28, actually 27. We'll be entering into chapter 28 this morning, but beginning in Matthew chapter 27, verse 62. And if you're using your Pew Bible this morning, you should find this on page 1,061. Again, this morning we'll be looking at Matthew chapter 27, verse 62 through chapter 28, verse 15. But as we begin this morning, I'll read through the end of chapter 28. So here now the word of God. The next day, that is, after the day of preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, Sir, we remember how that imposter said while he was still alive, After three days I will rise. Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people he has risen from the dead and the last fraud will be worse than the first.' Pilate said to them, you have a guard of soldiers, go, make it as secure as you can. So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard. 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 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. 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. And Jesus said to them, do not be afraid, go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me. While they were going, behold, Some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests and 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 ear, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble. So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day. Now the 11 disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit. teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. Then behold, I am with you always to the end of the age. Let us pray once again. Our gracious Father, we do thank you for this section of Matthew. Lord, we praise you that the gospel accounts do not end with you in the grave. But they go on and they tell how you fulfilled your promises. And in three days, you broke free from the bonds of death, proclaiming your victory over it, defeating this last enemy of your people. Father, we give you praise and thanksgiving for this marvelous work. And as we look at these pages and these words that you, Lord, by your Spirit would take your truth to get deep within our hearts and mold us more into the image of our glorious risen Savior, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray, amen. Well, after several years in the Gospel of Matthew, we are drawing closer to the end of his gospel account. And what an amazing portion of his gospel that we get to look at this morning. Everything has really been building to these last couple chapters. The defense and the argument that Matthew gave that Jesus is in fact the Messiah, the one that was prophesied of old. How he taught the miracles he performed and then was betrayed and crucified and died for our sins as we looked at last week when Jesus hung upon the cross and in that moment of literal darkness, God the Father pouring out His wrath upon His Son for the sins that we deserve. I've been looking forward to this text throughout this series. Because as I mentioned in our prayer, the story doesn't end with Christ on the cross. It doesn't end with Jesus in the tomb. It ends with Him resurrected. Defeating death. Fulfilling that prophecy, that first proclamation of the gospel, way back in Genesis chapter 3, verse 15. where God himself first proclaimed the gospel and said, that the seed of the woman, his heel would be bruised, but in that he would crush the head of the serpent. We have that crushing blow before us tonight, as Christ proclaims his victory through the resurrection. Now, as we consider the resurrection in Christ and what that means for us, and the work that God has given us to do in the life that we have in Him. We must be on guard that we don't fall into a spiritual laziness, where we think, well, Christ has done all this. He's fulfilled this. Yes, this is true. But it doesn't mean that we get to just sit back and relax. And there's nothing for us to do. There's no work for us. And today, as we look at The resurrection and what it means for us, it's not to lead us to a spiritual laziness, but a call to action. Now, before we begin, I'll just say, when I say there's no work left for us to do, don't misunderstand me and say that, okay, Jesus has saved us, so now it's our job. We have to work and continue and keep and maintain our salvation. That's not what I'm saying at all. As will become clear as this text unfolds, God has redeemed us. He is the one who by his grace has justified us and saved us, declared us righteous in Christ, and is equally by his grace that we are what we call sanctified, that we do then what he has called us to do. We do the good works that he has given us to do, not to earn his favor and approval, but out of thankfulness. for what He has already done in us. Now, as we look at this text, the first thing we see is that death cannot hold our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Death cannot hold Him. Now, in verse 62 of chapter 27, the next day, that is, after the day of preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate. Matthew is giving us the timeline here of events so that Jesus, when he does rise in chapter 28, we will see that, okay, it's been three days. But as we consider here what is going on in this text, and as we also consider the gospel accounts in the description of the Pharisees and the scribes and the elders and their meticulous traditions that they had built upon the keeping of the Sabbath day. You know, in the Gospel of Mark, as Jesus is in the synagogue, and a man is there with a withered and crippled hand, he brings this man forward, and now the authorities are watching Jesus to see whether or not he will heal on the Sabbath. try and catch them in breaking the Sabbath. And so Jesus says to them, is it okay to heal on the Sabbath or not? To promote life or to kill? And so in their silence, he then tells the man with the withered hand to stretch out his hand and it's healed. Showing that the Pharisees and their construction of Sabbath-keeping was not what God had intended. We see this again, that as Jesus and his disciples are walking through a grain, or a field, they're hungry, and so they just pick some heads of grains as they're walking through, and this happened to be on the Sabbath. Well, according to the Pharisees, that little picking of the heads of grain to eat, that was work. And you couldn't do that on the Sabbath. Now, why do I mention this? Well, Matthew tells us this is after the day of preparation. Now the way that the Jews structured their week, it was all geared towards, even the name of the days was geared toward the Sabbath. You had the Sabbath day, Sabbath day of the week. Then the first day of the week was the first of Sabbath. Then you had the second of Sabbath, the third of Sabbath, the fourth of Sabbath. Preparation, Sabbath. So this is after the day of preparation. This is the Sabbath day. And what are they doing? They're going to Pilate, and they're enlisting guards to make them work on the Sabbath, to make sure that Jesus doesn't actually rise from the dead, or his disciples don't come and steal his body. It gives us a picture in the mindset of the Pharisees. They really didn't care about keeping the laws that they had set up and established They just wanted to make sure they looked good in front of the people. And they wanted to make sure that Jesus stayed in that tomb beyond the three days so that they could say, look, he was an imposter. He was false. He's lying dead in the grave. And so Pilate responds by saying to them, here, you have some soldiers go and make it secure. Now as we turn to the actual resurrection, we now see, now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, that first day of the week is literally after the dawn of the first of Sabbath. And so it's in the mid-morning on the first day of the week, or as dawn is beginning to rise, when an angel of the Lord, it's not the angel of the Lord throughout the Old Testament, but an angel of the Lord, we're not told this angel's name, we don't know who it is, but it's an angel of God coming down to declare the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And so glorious is the image of this angel, so gleaming and radiant, that we have a contrast here. Matthew says, the gospels point out that these men, these guards in the face of this became like dead men, so scared, so terrified. These are Roman guards. These are not weak cowards. These are courageous soldiers, hardened by battle, guards, and they are terrified to the point that they're like dead men. And that is contrasted with the fact, as is unfolding, that the tomb itself is empty. Jesus is alive. He has been resurrected. But those set to guard actually look like dead men. And the angel in this account ignores, ignores these guards that are standing there, but it addresses the women, addresses Mary Magdalene and the other Mary. And I haven't spoken about these women yet, but they've been mentioned already. They were at the cross, at a distance, watching. And Matthew is showing that these women stayed as close as they could to their Savior throughout this ordeal. As close as they were allowed by this society. And he's been showing all along how they would know which tomb to go to on the first day of the week. They were there. They saw where He was placed. They knew exactly where it was. And they were there to honor Jesus. It's important for us, it's an important little detail. Because some people could say, well, if it wasn't mentioned that they were at the cross, if it wasn't mentioned that they saw where Joseph of Arimathea laid Jesus to rest, if these details weren't mentioned, then it could be argued, well, they must have just gone to the wrong tomb. They got the directions wrong. And they went to the wrong tomb that had no one in it. But no, Matthew is pointing out, they knew exactly where they were going. And they were there as the angel descended. The angel's words to them, ignoring the men who had become so terrified they were like dead men. He says to the women, literally, here it says, and it's translated, Do not be afraid. But he specifically points out to them, you know, in the Greek, the word for you is there. It's not necessary for the word translated as you to be there because it would have been contained in the verb itself. But he's talking directly to them. It's a point of emphasis. He is saying to them, you, don't be afraid. Separating them from the soldiers who are terrified who should be afraid. He's saying to these women, you, don't be afraid, for you are seeking Jesus Christ. Now, after they receive his message, and he tells them to come look at the tomb, it's empty, he departs, and they also depart, and we're told with fear. But we're also told with great joy. When using your imaginations this morning, can you put yourself and the shoes of Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, and the heartache, the heartbreak that you have just witnessed over the past couple of days. You've seen your beloved teacher, the man that you ministered to, you provided for in his ministry. You've sat at his feet, at his teachings for the past three years. You've seen him crucified. You've seen him laid in a tomb. But now, a messenger of God tells you he's alive. He's resurrected. The overwhelming and abundant great joy that they would have had. Oftentimes, we can get lost in our own day-to-day life and forget about this great joy is ours as well. As we look at our own lives and what we're going through and various trials and tribulations, we can become overwhelmed. But if we stop and remember the tomb is empty, Jesus is risen. Is there not a joy that comes into our hearts at that moment? Despite anything that we are going through, the simple fact that our Lord defeated death, and is raised. They respond as they're running. Jesus comes and meets them and says, greetings. Now we know from other gospel accounts, they didn't immediately recognize Jesus. Matthew summarizes in his resurrected body, they didn't immediately recognize him. As he was made perfect and all taints of his humiliation in the beating he had just received was washed away and his body is resurrected whole and perfect and new. But it was a real body. And Matthew shows this just subtly. They follow his feet and they worship him. And not just follow his feet, but they take hold of his feet. This wasn't just a ghost or Jesus in a spiritual form. His resurrected body is a real physical body. It can be touched. and they grab hold of his feet and they worship. Well, as Jesus breaks free from death, this is the proper response, to worship him, to bow before him and worship Jesus Christ. He was not just a man, but the eternal God, the King of heaven and earth. Now, That is the appropriate response to the events that have happened here and unfolded, to worship. But in verses 11 through 15, we see what sinful humanity responds to the same set of events. Now, the women had left to go tell the disciples as they had been instructed, And we're told then that the guard, some of them, and you can imagine some of them stay at the tomb just to make sure nothing else miraculous took place that night. But then you have a portion of them that then go to the Pharisees. Now, put this in your mind and look at this. The Pharisees have just done all that they could to make sure that Jesus' body remained in the grave. And as they're no doubt waiting anxiously, for that dawn on the third day where they could joyously proclaim to the people, look at the imposter, his grave is still sealed. The small contingent of guards comes in, and they tell them that this being that looked like lightning, whose clothes shone as white as snow, descended, rolled away the stone, and the tomb was empty. This tomb that they had sealed was empty. Now, if logic were to play here, if they would have then remembered, okay, we're looking back over this man's ministry, we're seeing how he knew the law of God that he humiliated us and how we had interpreted it. We've seen him heal people miraculously. We've seen him do things that defy comprehension and understanding. And he said he would raise from the dead after three days, and then the guards that you put at the tomb in which you sealed with his body in it come back to you and say, hey, this angel came down and now Jesus is gone. You would think any logical human being would put the pieces together, fall down in worship, He was right. This is the Messiah that we had been waiting for, and we crucified Him. Their hearts should have been broken. But what did they do? They counseled together. They said, here's a large sum of money. Go and tell people that the disciples came, overpowered this Roman guard, these 12 fishermen, or 11 fishermen at that point, overpowered a Roman guard broke the seal and rolled away the stone and stole the body. Go tell that. And they had a reason also, this must have been a large sum of money because they said, don't worry about Pilate. Don't worry about him. If he hears about it, we'll pay him off too. If a Roman guard would have failed at their duty, that was a death sentence. This is the response of sinful humanity even in the light of the truth. Apart from the working of God in His grace upon us, this would have been our response. But by His grace, through the working of His Holy Spirit, the Lord has softened our hearts. You know, I have in the redemption section of the bulletin, as it's divided into four sections here, Ezekiel 36, 26, as a subtitle to redemption, and God says, and I will give you a new heart and a new spirit, and I will put within you, and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. That has happened to us if we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior. The Lord has taken away our stone-cold heart that we see exemplified in the reaction of the Pharisees, and He gives us a heart of flesh where he by his spirit takes his gospel and cuts through it, bringing us to our knees before Christ. Jesus told not just a parable, but an actual, I believe to be an actual account of what happens when people die. In Luke chapter 16, verses 19 through 31. It's the account of the poor, the rich man and Lazarus. dying. The rich man goes and begins suffering in the condemnation. The poor man, Lazarus, goes, who is a faithful Israelite, to what's called the bosom of Abraham. It's just another way to say heaven. There's a conversation there. And the one who is suffering is pleading, allow me to go and warn my brothers. to let them know that the way that they're believing in their faith, they'll end up here. But what is said to him, he says, even if someone rises from the dead, they haven't believed Moses, if they haven't believed the prophets, even if someone rises from the dead, they will not believe. It is only by the grace of God, brothers and sisters, that we can believe and by His grace be maintained in that belief in our risen Lord and Savior. So what does this mean for us? What are we to do in the light of the resurrection? We all have a choice before us. Through the grace of Jesus Christ, God has laid before us life or death. That is it. Jesus' life, all other ways are death. Only by his grace can we choose life. But as we are presented with temptations throughout our life, throughout our days, we are then, in a way, given that choice again. Now, we can't lose our salvation. God holds us secure forever. But we can stumble and fall. And what we need to do is to change our mindset and to look at those times of temptation as, once again, the choice is being put before us. Are you gonna choose the way of life or are you gonna choose the way of death? Because even though we are saved, brothers and sisters, even though we are saved, dear saints of God, there are still consequences in this life for the sins that we commit. And they can be dire and destructive consequences. God puts before us life or death. And one thing to keep in mind, as we witness, as we proclaim the gospel to people and present them with this choice, this opportunity, we need to keep in mind that although our society is pluralistic, there are many religions, many ways to God that you can choose. Although our society is pluralistic, God is not pluralistic. He has provided one way. in one way alone, and that is in Jesus Christ. But also, as we consider the resurrection and its impact in our life, let us meditate on scripture passages, like Romans chapter six, verses six to eight, and Ephesians two, verses one to 10, and Galatians chapter five. Others could be mentioned, but these specifically. This afternoon, take some time and read through these. Pray over them. As God unfolds what it means for us to be in Christ, in his resurrection, in the effect that has on our life in the here and now. These passages unfold that for us. But then also, brothers and sisters, memorize. I encourage you, if you haven't already, to memorize Galatians chapter two, verse 20. It is an important verse to keep in mind. I have been crucified with Christ. There's no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me and the life which I now live in the flesh. I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. As you endure various trials and tribulations, various griefs, various temptations, Let us fall back on Galatians chapter two, verse 20. And remember that the life that we now live here on earth in the flesh, if we are in Christ, we have been crucified with him. You know, there's no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And trust in him and rest upon him and seek his aid to live in him. This is what I mean, brothers and sisters, by our new life in Jesus is not a call to spiritual laziness, but a call to action. We can't sit back and rest on our laurels. In a way, we can sit back and we can rest in Christ because he has accomplished all that God has done and required for us, but we can't sit We can't rest and relax to the point that we aren't engaged in the life that he has called us to. The Ephesians chapter two passage ends with that we are Christ's workmanship. We are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to live out the good works that he is preparing us to do. It's a call to action. The life of one who was raised in Christ Jesus is a difficult life of a spiritual battle and warfare that we are called to be engaged in. And as we are engaged in it, remember that it's not us who lives this life. It is not us who ultimately fights this life. It is Jesus in us. while living out the fruit of His resurrection. Amen. Our gracious and almighty Heavenly Father, we thank You that death could not hold our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And we thank You, Lord, that You do not leave us in our hard hearts and our darkness, but that You, by Your grace, brought us into the light of Your Son, and that You, Lord, enabled us to believe. You caused your gospel to pierce our hearts that we were broken before you. And Lord, as we rest upon the work of Jesus Christ, may we do so, Lord, remembering that we also are called to action, to be engaged And as we face the daily battles that we face, and the trials and the tribulations that we struggle with, may we remember who we are in the resurrected Jesus Christ. In the name of our glorious Savior, we pray. Amen.