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From Fear to Faith: The Resurrection Message in Matthew 28
July 1, 2025 · 16 min
Join us in celebrating the triumphant victory in the final chapter of Matthew, where Christ rises and commissions His disciples.
Series Stand on the Word - Audio On Demand July 1, 2025 · 16 min · Stand on the Word - Audio On Demand
Join us in celebrating the triumphant victory in the final chapter of Matthew, where Christ rises and commissions His disciples. ...more Show the full description Show less Join us in celebrating the triumphant victory in the final chapter of Matthew, where Christ rises and commissions His disciples.
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The Great Commission and Resurrection 0:09 Good morning. Welcome to stand on the word. Alright. An exciting day for those of you who have been on the 21 day family bible challenge. You've made it. We are in the very last chapter of the book of Matthew0:21 chapter 28, but let me invite you to join with us as we continue our journey through the New Testament. Next, we turn to the book of Luke. If you'd like to join us, go to f r c dot o r g0:33 slash bible. You can download the bible bible reading plan. Or if you get the daily, email, you'll be kept up to date. But we'd love to have you on this journey as we finish through the New Testament in the next 60:44 months. Alright. Today, verse 18, chapter 28, and Jesus came and spoke to them saying, all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Now in this final chapter of0:56 Matthew, we have Christ conquering the grave. We have those conspiring, the critics conspiring to lie, and we have the commissioning of the disciples. Now John and Luke's1:08 version provides much more detail of Jesus' 40 days between his resurrection and his ascension. Matthew is, is more of a truncated view, but it's focused really1:19 on 1 aspect, and we're gonna we're gonna look at that in greater detail today, and that is the commissioning. Alright. Verse 1, chapter 28. Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to1:31 dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to 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 from the1:43 door and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. But the angel answered and1:55 said to the women, do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. So notice the contrast here. I I I think this is very fascinating. The brutish military guards2:07 who were I mean, they were horrible. I mean, they were just I mean, we saw what they did there at the cross. They gambled over Jesus's clothes. They beat him. They were made to fear God,2:20 but through the angel, God sought to remove the fear from the women. There's no fear. There's reverence for God, but there's no fear. God God takes away from us the2:32 fear when we are walking in love and relationship with him. Perfect love cast out fear. Verse 6, he is not here, for he is risen. And he said by the way, I I think2:44 the angel came and rolled back the stone not so that Jesus could get out, but that the others could see in and see that he was gone. He was risen as he said, come and see the place where the Lord2:56 lay. And go quickly and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead, and indeed he is indeed he is going before you into Galilee. There you will see him. Behold, I have told you. Now let me stop here for just a3:08 moment. Why Galilee? What was the purpose of going to Galilee? Keep in mind that this was about a 90 mile journey from Jerusalem. That's a pretty long walk. First, the3:20 purpose, we'll see in just a moment, it was for the commissioning. Now this is important. Both the angel in the tomb, and Jesus here in just a moment, when the women encountered him,3:32 he gave them the same instructions. Right? Jesus said, tell my followers to go to Galilee. For what purpose? Well, for what we'll read in just a moment, as I said,3:43 is for the commissioning. That was Jesus's priority, commissioning the disciples to establish and expand the kingdom. But why Galilee? Why go to Galilee? Well, that was the3:55 base of their operation. They had been in this area. Galilee was where most of Jesus' followers were, and, given what had just happened in Jerusalem, it would be4:07 a safer place for his disciples to gather. Verse 8. So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to bring his disciples word.4:19 And as they went to tell the disciples, behold, Jesus met them saying, rejoice. So they came and they held him by the feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said, do not be afraid. I just love this. Every time God4:31 is about to do something significant, you hear these words, do not be afraid. Go and tell my to go to Galilee, and there they will see me. So there it is again. The angels tell the women, tell the disciples to go to4:42 Galilee. Jesus will be there. Jesus himself says, go to Galilee. His focus, as we're gonna see in just a moment, was on the commissioning. Now let me stop here for a minute, though. Why is4:54 the fact that Jesus rose rose from the dead and conquered the grave important? Well, this is 1 of the foundational elements of the Christian faith. As we saw in chapters 26 and 27, Jesus gave his life.5:06 He willingly became the object of God's wrath as he took upon him the sin of mankind, paying the penalty for our sin, but he didn't stay5:18 dead. Okay? He didn't stay dead. In 3 days, he rose again conquering death and the grave. Alright? As a result of what Jesus did, Paul5:30 could say this in first Corinthians chapter 15 verse 55, oh, death, where is your sting? Oh, Hades, where is your victory? This conquering of death in the grave5:42 is what sets Christianity apart from other religions. Now other religions provide some good practical teaching, some, you know, basic ethics. Of course, they're they all5:53 are established based upon the moral law of God, which is written upon the hearts of men, which Paul tells us in Romans, but they're work based. Alright? You keep these so that you can earn standing. That6:05 that's not why Jesus died, not so that we could do works good works to earn our salvation. He did that for us. He did that for us. You see, none of the other religions6:18 had leaders who died for the people and then rose again. Here's what Paul wrote to the Corinthians again, verse, first Corinthians 15 verse 14, and if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty, and your6:30 faith is also empty. That's what makes it work. It's what makes Christianity unique and different. God, the creator, sent his son to die for our sins.6:42 Alright. Next, we have the the critics conspiring. Alright? The the same ones who paid Judas to turn Jesus over are now giving money6:54 to the eyewitnesses of Jesus's resurrection hoping for a cover up. Now the response of the critics to the truth is very revealing because it reveals and confirms the truth.7:06 Verse 11. Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief pea priest all the things that had happened. When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together,7:18 they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers trying to buy him off. Verse 13 saying, tell them his disciples came at night and stole him away while we slept. You know,7:30 deceit always has holes in it. Alright? Alright? If they were asleep, how would they know that the the disciples had come and stolen away the body of Jesus? And verse 14, and if7:42 this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him and make you secure. So they took the money and did as they were instructed, and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. Alright. The third7:54 aspect of this, which is really the focus, is the commissioning of the disciples. Verse 16. Then the7:59 11 disciples went away into Galilee to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.7:59 When they saw Galilee to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, all authority has been given to me in8:11 heaven and on earth. So what does he mean by all authority? Well, he means all authority in heaven and on earth. God the father set him as king of kings and lord of lords. Jesus is8:23 lord. He is the universal king. Now Jesus did not assume this position. He did not seek this position. He was not elected to this position. It was given to him by the father8:35 because of his obedience. Through his obedience to the father, as Paul writes in Philippians chapter 2 verse 8, he says, and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient8:48 to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Through that obedience to the father, dying on the cross for the sins of mankind, he9:00 has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. So at his resurrection, Jesus has this authority. And what does he do? He sends word for the disciples to meet him in9:12 Galilee so that he can commission them, extending to them the authority that he has been given by the father. He's deputizing them. Verse 19, go9:23 therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is what we know as the great commission. Alright? This happened before he ascended into9:33 heaven. He he calls them to Galilee, and and he commissions them. He gives them the great commission, and this is handed down from 1 generation of believers to the next. This is the9:44 mission and the authority of the church, you and I. What they are or what we are to do, because this applies to all followers of Christ, Jesus tells them9:56 what to do. They are to go go with the understanding that they have the power of authority. Right? They have the authority. You know, when I was a, a police officer and I a sheriff's deputy,10:08 I was commissioned, and I I had authority. It wasn't of myself. It was given to me. I had the power of arrest, and and it was and the power to enforce10:20 laws because I was commissioned. I had the authority. We're to go with the understanding that we have the power of the authority, and we have the assurance of the presence10:32 of the lord. Go and make disciples of all nations. The kingdom of god is open to all. Okay? So at that point, God's relationship had been with the Jewish people. Now it was open to gentiles10:44 as well. As they but they have to respond. Okay? To enter into the kingdom, you have to respond to the call to follow Christ, and then they are to be baptized, alright, as an outward10:56 sign of this inward commitment. Verse 20, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age. Now this11:08 part is what I call the cultural commission. It's it's establishing that biblical worldview. An inward transformation by the truth results in an outward change of one's life. The11:19 command of the commands of Christ are to be the rule for the the life of his followers. And as individual believers yield to the word, what happens to11:31 surrounding communities and nations? Well, they're transformed. Matthew Henry, the eighteenth century theologian wrote this. He said, quote, what is the principal intention of this11:43 commission? To disciple all nations. Do your utmost to make nations Christian nations, raising an army, it's a spiritual army, for the carrying11:54 on of the war against the powers of darkness, enlist the nations of the earth under his banner, end quote. So was Matthew Henry a Christian nationalist? No. He was a follower of12:06 Christ, operating under the authority of the Great Commission, and you and I are to do the same. Now here's the historical reality of this. Okay? Western civilization12:19 would not exist had the disciples not gone forth in obedience to the authority that they had been given and sharing the gospel, making disciples,12:30 baptizing them, and teaching them to live out the commands of Christ. And guess what? We are to do the same. 1 more aspect of this, and, lo, I am with you12:42 always even to the end of the age. Alright. Don't miss this. As Moses went with the authority and presence of I am, so so do we, and lo,12:54 I am with you always. The kingdom is being established, alright, which means there will be opposition. Okay? Jesus defeated13:06 Satan at the cross, but that's being carried out as the kingdom, the spiritual kingdom is being established. When Jesus returns to the earth at his second coming, he will establish his13:18 eternal kingdom. The the spiritual kingdom that has started will come into being with a physical kingdom as well, but it's in the process right now. And so there's going to13:30 be and there is opposition to the expansion of that kingdom, And there'll be setbacks, but he said, I am with you. My presence, my power will13:41 carry you through the valleys, and it will guide you over the mountaintops as you expand the kingdom of God until my purposes are accomplished and the kingdom is established for13:53 eternity when I return. So this is our mission. If as Paul writes in Romans 10 9, you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and you believe in your14:05 heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. If you believe that, if you've confessed that, then you are a follower of Christ, and this commission is for you. You've been given the authority and14:17 the responsibility to go and make Jesus known, teaching and encouraging others to know him and follow him with submitted lives of obedience.14:31 Father, we thank you for your word, and thank you for the for for in for bringing us in to what you're doing in establishing your kingdom, to commissioning us, giving14:43 us the authority to go and to make disciples, to see those who are bound up in darkness and the the shackles of sin to to be set free from that, to experience14:55 the freedom and the joy and the peace that comes from knowing the lord. But, father, it begins with us submitting ourselves to the words of Christ, to his teachings, and living them15:07 out. Lord, may we live sanctified by your word and by your holy spirit. Sanctify us, father, for the purposes of your kingdom, for the glory of your great name. Bless those families, lord, who15:18 have been a part of this 21 day family bible challenge. And, Lord, I pray you would encourage them to continue in your word, studying your word, sharing your word, teaching your word, developing that that15:30 worldview that looks at the world around us through the Bible and through the lenses of scripture. And use us, Lord, to change the world around us, for we pray and ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.15:42 Alright. Thanks again for joining us this morning. And until next time, keep standing on the word.15:51 Today's study comes from the stand on the word bible reading plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you16:03 can read through the entire bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 The Great Commission and Resurrection
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