Turn with me to Matthew 28. Matthew 28, the last time we
were here, which was last Sunday night, Our text was verse 10. Let's begin reading in verse
one, and then we're gonna read down through verse 17, ultimately. Our text today is verses 11 to
17. Matthew 28, verse one, it says,
in the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first
day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the
sepulcher. And behold, there was a great
earthquake. For the angel of the Lord descended
from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door
and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning
and his raiment white as snow. And for fear of him, the keepers
did shake and become as dead men. And the angel answered and
said unto the women, fear not ye, for I know that you seek
Jesus which was crucified. He is not here, for he is risen
as he said. Come see the place where the
Lord lay. And go quickly and tell his disciples
that he is risen from the dead, and behold, he goeth before you
into Galilee. There shall you see him. Lo,
I have told you. And they departed quickly from
the sepulcher with fear and great joy, and did run to bring His
disciples word. And as they went to tell His
disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail! And they came and held Him by
the feet and worshipped Him. Then said Jesus unto them, be
not afraid, go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee and
there shall they see me. Now when they were going, behold,
some of the watch came into the city and showed unto the chief
priests all the things that were done. some of the watch, some
of the soldiers who were stationed there to guard the tomb. You
remember back in chapter 27, if you just look at chapter 27,
verse 62, it says, now the next day that followed the day of
the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto
Pilate saying, Sir, we remember that the deceiver said, that's
what they called our Lord, the deceiver. We remember that the
deceiver said while he was yet alive, after three days I will
rise again. It's amazing to me that they
remembered that, but none of his disciples did. Isn't that
amazing? So they said, verse 64, command
therefore that the sepulcher be made sure until the third
day, lest his disciples come by night and steal him away and
say unto the people, he is risen from the dead, so the last error
shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, you have
a watch, go your way, make it as sure as you can. So they went
and made the sepulcher sure, sealing the stone, they mortared
it in. and setting a watch. And then verse one in chapter
28 says, in the end of the Sabbath, Sabbath, as it began to dawn
toward the first day of the week came Mary Magdalene and the other
Mary to the sepulcher and behold, there was a great earthquake.
For the angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled
back the stone from the door and sat upon it. His countenance
was like lightning and his raiment white as snow. And for fear of
him, the keepers did shake and become as dead men." They all
passed out. They all fainted. So now they have come to, as
we say it, revived from their fainting. and realized what happened, and
they've gone to report what has happened. Verse 11, Now when
they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city
and showed unto the chief priest all the things that were done.
And when they were assembled with the elders and had taken
counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, saying, Say
ye, his disciples came by night and stole him away while he slept. And if this come to the governor's
ear, we will persuade him and secure you. So they took the
money and did as they were taught, and this saying is commonly reported
among the Jews until this day. That is the corruption of man. That is the corruption of false
religion. I have a very important Bible
study for us this morning. Very important. The root of man's
evil is lying on Christ. lying on the Lord Jesus Christ. That is false religion. If you want to talk about false
religion and you want to understand false religion and people, some
people mention false religion. Some people don't. They just
think religion is religion, but religion is not religion. You
have the truth. And everything other than the
one truth of God's Word is false religion. And what false religion
is, is lying on Christ. That's what it is. Lying on the
Lord Jesus Christ. And man is so corrupt, all it
takes is money to keep those lies going. False religion is
big business. There's a lot of money in false
religion. There's a lot of money because people feel guilt over
their sin. So there's a lot of stuff to sell. There's a lot
of stuff to, you know, persuade people to buy their way out of
hell and that kind of stuff. Big business. And money keeps
those lives going. Those keepers, those soldiers,
they knew what the truth of that situation was. They knew. They heard. They felt the earthquake. They saw that angel descend from
heaven. They watched him roll that great
stone away from the door and then sit on it. They saw that
his countenance was like lightning. Lightning is fearful. They saw that his raiment was
white as snow. We know that because verse four
says, for fear of him, the keepers did shake and become as dead
men. It was because of that angel. And who knows, they may have
witnessed the Lord walk out of the tomb before they passed out. But whatever the exact case was,
here's the point. Their fear of man was greater
than their fear of God. They saw that. They saw an angel
descend out of heaven. They saw it. They had a certain amount of
fear for God. They passed out over it. But
their fear of man was greater. And because of that, they were
willing to align themselves with lies. That's false religion. That is
false religion. They saw all of it, they witnessed
all of it, and they were still willing to align themselves with
lies. That's false religion. Verse
11, Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came
into the city and showed unto the chief priest all the things
that were done. And when they were assembled
with the elders and had taken counsel, they gave large money
unto the soldiers, saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night
and stole him away while he slept. That counsel said to those soldiers,
you say he didn't do this. That's what they
said to him. You say that man did this to
him and for him. That's what you preach. That's what you go out and declare.
That's false religion. You say there is no way this
could have happened had man not done it, had man not had a hand
in it. That is false religion. That
is the works of man. Verse 14, and if this come to
the governor's ear, and that was Pilate. We will persuade
him and secure you. So they took the money and did
as they were taught. And this saying is commonly reported
among the Jews until this day." How despicable, how utterly despicable. This unbelieving, lying world
is so despicable. Verse 16, then the 11 disciples, The 11 disciples went away into
Galilee into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And
when they saw him, they worshiped, but some doubted. Some doubted. Hmm. His own disciples were no better.
They were no better. The Pharisees and the soldiers,
you know, they didn't believe. Well, his own disciples were
no better. This says some of them doubted. The way it's written in Mark's
account, it appears that all of them doubted. Turn with me
to Mark 16. Mark 16, verse nine. Now, when Jesus was risen early
the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene,
out of whom he'd cast seven devils. And she went and told them that
had been with him as they mourned and wept. And they, when they
had heard that he was alive and had been seen of her, believed
not. After that, he appeared in another
form unto two of them as they walked and went into the country. That was the two on the road
to Emmaus. And they went and told it unto the residue. Neither
believed they them. Afterward, he appeared unto the
eleven, all eleven of them, as they sat at meat and upbraided
them with their unbelief and hardness of heart. Because they
believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. How many
miracles had they seen? How many miracles had they physically
witnessed? Dead raised to life again. I mean, we could go through all
of the people that they watched Jesus Christ raised from the
dead. And they still believed not. Those soldiers, elders, Pharisees,
they were wicked, despicable, unbelievers of Christ. And in
the flesh, his disciples were no better. No better. But for the grace of God, they
were no better. Turn with me to Romans 3. Romans 3 verse 1, what advantage then hath the
Jew or what profit is there of circumcision? All of those laws
and ordinances and things that the Jews were given, was there
any advantage in them given that? Verse 2, Paul said, much every
way, chiefly because that unto them were committed the oracles
of God. Or what if some did not believe?
Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? They were given things and, you
know, you can apply this today. I'm sure there are things that
you heard as a child or as a unbeliever, stories in the Bible and things
like that, that you were taught that once the Lord opened your
eyes to see Christ, it's like, oh, Yeah, I remember that story
from a child. That was Christ. That was Christ. Confirmation, confirmation. There's
advantage in that. And if some do not believe, does
that make the faith of God of no effect? No, he gives it to
whom he will. Verse four, God forbid, yea,
let God be true, but every man a liar, as it is written, that
thou mightest be justified in thy sayings and mightest overcome
who thou art. Judge, he's quoting Psalm 51.
But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what
shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh
vengeance? You know, you say everybody's
a sinner and Christ came to save sinners, yet he will by no means
clear the guilty. Is he unrighteous in doing this?
I speak as a man, Paul said. Verse six, God forbid, for then
how shall God judge the world? For if the truth of God hath
more abounded through my lie unto his glory, why yet am I
also judged as a sinner? That's him speaking as a man.
And not rather, as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm,
we say, let us do evil that good may come, whose damnation is
just. He's saying, Everybody's accusing
us of being, you know, lawless. Well, we're sinners anyway. We
might as well just keep on sinning. He's saying, God forbid. We don't
excuse sin. We're the ones who actually condemn
it. We're the ones who actually condemn ourselves in sin and
say, no, you're a sinner. Quit deceiving yourself and trying
to deceive everybody else. We're the only ones who actually
condemn sin. Everybody else is lying about
it. Oh, I used to be a sinner, but
I'm not anymore. Oh, yes, you are. Verse nine, what then? Are we
better than they, those who God has revealed Christ to and shown
these things to and saved and called to himself? Are we better
than they? No, in no wise, for we have before
proved, both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin.
As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one. There
is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after
God. Well, if you'll just go seek God, he'll save you. Nobody
will. Nobody can. Everybody's dead
in trespasses and sins. It takes God to do that. Verse
12, they're all gone out of the way. They are together become
unprofitable. There's none that doeth good.
None? No, not one. There's none good but God. Their
throat is an open sepulcher. With their tongues they've used
deceit. The poison of asps is under their
lips. Whose mouth is full of cursing
and bitterness, their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction
and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace they've
not known. There's no fear of God before their eyes. They fear
man more than they fear God. Now we know that what things
soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law
that every mouth, including this mouth, may be stopped and all
the world may become guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds
of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for
by the law is the knowledge of sin. That law says you better
do this or you're not gonna go to heaven. And all that we can
deduct from that is in the flesh, I'm not gonna go to heaven. I
broke it. Verse 21, but now the righteousness
of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and
the prophets. Even the righteousness of God,
which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that
believe, for there's no difference for all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God. Here's the point of this Bible
study. But for the grace of God, there would be no hope for any
of us. That's the whole point of the
Bible study. We are saved by God's grace and
by God's grace alone. Verse 24 says, being justified
freely by his grace, his gift, through the redemption that is
in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation,
a bloody victim, a sin offering. through faith in His blood, to
declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are
passed through the forbearance of God, to declare, I say at
this time, His righteousness. That means all of God's people
are gonna enter heaven on His good deeds, not their own. His
worthiness, not their own. Verse 26, to declare, I say at
this time, His righteousness, that He might be just and the
justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where's boasting then?
It's excluded. By what law? Of works? Nope.
By the law of looking to Jesus Christ and hoping in Jesus Christ
and begging him for mercy and grace and help and his blood. Verse 28, therefore we conclude
that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. What that means is if God did
not give a sinner faith to look to Christ and believe on Christ,
There's not a center on this earth that would be saved. Look
with me at Isaiah 1. Isaiah 1. Verse 2. Hear, O heavens, and
give ear, O earth, for the Lord hath spoken. I have nourished
and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.
The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib, but
Israel doth not know. My people doth not consider."
He said, my own people, they're no better than anybody else.
Verse three, the ox knoweth his owner, the ass his master's crib,
but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. Ah,
sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers,
children that are corruptors, they've forsaken the Lord, they
have provoked the Holy One of Israel, and the anger, they are
gone away backward. Why should you be stricken anymore?
You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick and the
whole heart faint. from the sole of the foot, even
under the head. There's no soundness in it, but
wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. They've not been closed,
neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. Your country's
desolate. Your cities are burned with fire.
Your land's strangers devour it in your presence. And it is
desolate as overthrown by strangers. And the daughter of Zion is left
as a cottage in a vineyard and as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers,
as a besieged city. Watch verse nine. except the
Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant. We should
have been as Sodom and we should have been like unto Gomorrah. Had God not chosen to be gracious,
merciful and gracious to a remnant of sinful people who only rebelled
against him and didn't deserve any of his goodness, Had he not
done that, every one of us would have ended up just like Sodom
and Gomorrah. Thank God he chose a remnant. Thank God. There is mercy and
grace for sinners like us in spite of us. Faith was never of ourselves. It was always his gift to us.
And his good news is To those he was pleased to give it to,
he gives more. He gives more. For Christ's sake,
he will give more. He'll give more grace. He'll
give more faith. He will not leave us faithless. If he died for us and if he arose
for us, if he called us, he will abide faithful, even when we
don't. And it's because he cannot and
he will not deny himself. He will show us again. He will
convince us again. He'll prove that to us again. He did for these very disciples,
these very doubting disciples. Now, I only have one more page
of notes, but I'm really done. I'm considering just stopping,
but turn with me anyway to John 20. We'll see what happens. John 20, oh the goodness of the
Lord. Verse 16. It says, John 20, verse 16. Jesus said unto her, Mary. She
turned herself and said unto him, Ribona, which is to say
master. Jesus saith unto her, touch me
not, for I'm not yet ascended to my father, but go to my brethren
and say unto them, I ascend unto my father and your father, to
my God and your God. Mary Magdalene came and told
the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had spoken
these things unto her. Then the same day at evening,
being the first day of the week, When the doors were shut where
the disciples were, where the disciples were assembled for
fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst and said
unto them, peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he showed
unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad. when they saw the Lord. The moment
he showed them his hands and his side, it says, then they
were glad. We run Thomas through the ringer. We run Thomas through the, we
have no business running anybody through the ringer, especially
not Thomas. But we run our poor brother through
the ringer for doubting. But all of them doubted. All
of them doubted. He had to show all of them His
hands and His side. All of them. And that's exactly
how it was and that's how it is for us. We are so full of
doubt. We're so full of doubt. By His
grace alone we believe, but Lord help our unbelief. Every time he shows us his hands
and his feet, he does help us. That's his way of helping us.
Every time we see the scars of our redemption again, he helps
us, he reminds us, he convinces us. And we say this with Thomas,
verse 24. Thomas, one of the 12, called
Didymus, was not with him when Jesus came. The other disciples
therefore said unto him, we've seen the Lord, But he said unto
them, and said, I shall see in his hands the print of the nails,
and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand
into his side. I will not believe. After eight
days again his disciples were within. Thomas with them. Then
came Jesus, the doors being shut, stood in the midst, and said,
Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, reach
hither thy finger, behold my hands, reach hither thy hand,
thrust it into my side, and be not faithless, but believing.
And Thomas answered and said unto him, my Lord and my God. When a child of God truly sees
Christ, that's what he will say, my Lord and my God. Oh, what grace and mercy it is
every time the Lord reminds us of that. Verse 29, Jesus saith
unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed.
Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed. And
many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples,
which are not written in this book. But these are written that
you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. In that believing, you might
have life through his name. Lord, reveal these things to
us. Give us faith to believe them.
Give us faith to believe on Christ. That's what we need. Amen.