Did I fail to tell you to leave
your marker here in Matthew's Gospel chapter 28? I do that
so often I probably didn't need to tell you. Let's look again
at verse 1 here in chapter 28. Matthew 28 verse 1. In the end
of the Sabbath, in the end of the Sabbath, what did Paul write
in Romans 10? Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness to everyone that believeth. Christ himself
said, I come not to destroy the law but to fulfill it. Think
of that when you read these words in the end of the Sabbath. As
it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, that is Sunday,
these ladies came to the tomb before the rising of the sun
after the Sabbath. But now this first day of the
week, that's the Lord's Day. The Lord's Day. A day of joyful,
restful worship. Not a Sabbath day, no, but a
entering in to His sweet rest. What the Sabbath pictured. What
Paul spoke of in Hebrews chapter 4. entering into that rest that
only Christ can give, the fulfillment of the type which the Sabbath
was. Christ had redeemed us from the
curse of the law. Isn't that restful? Isn't that
restful? And we have entered into his
rest. We sometimes sing. These old
hymns express things so well, better than I attempt to do much
of the time. Free from the law, oh, happy
condition. Have you ever seen anyone, a
professing Christian, who pretended to keep the law? Who thought
the law was their rule of faith and practice, as they put it,
that were happy? Have you ever? Lester, they're
miserable. They're miserable. Oh, but the
believer, knowing that Christ has redeemed them from the law's
curse, the law's penalty, the law's Every demand they sing,
O free from the law, O happy condition. Jesus has bled and
there is remission. Starting here in verse 1 of chapter
28, the title of my message is the dawning of a new day. The dawning of a new day. I want
us to consider that in three ways. First, as it applies to
Jesus Christ himself, his day. And then as it applies to each
of his people. And then as it applies to Christ
and his people together. That day, that dawning that's
yet to come, but first, his day. Without his, there would never
be ours, Mike. Without Christ's resurrection,
there would never be a resurrection of His people, spiritually and
literally. His day. So we want to spend
the bulk of our time here. It's only right. Paul in writing in Galatians
1 said, that in all things Christ should have the preeminence. Christ should have the preeminence. So let's give him the preeminence
here and in our worship and in our prayers, in our singing.
I've got a bulletin by email today from Brother Frank Hall,
probably several of you I suspect get it as well. But at the very
top of it, that's all I had time to read, but it caught my eye.
Frank wrote this young pastor, he wrote three things I can never
do. I can't preach man low enough,
or Christ high enough, or salvation free enough. That's a pretty
good quote, that's a pretty good, I'll be quoting that, be using
that. These women that come to the
tomb, three days after what we read of in chapter 27. We did read it earlier. Look
at verse 61. And there was Mary Magdalene
and the other Marys sitting over against the sepulcher. They were
watching. They were watching as Joseph,
whose tomb it was that Christ was laid in, temporarily, just
temporarily, And John tells us in his gospel, Nicodemus as well. These women watched Joseph and
Nicodemus as they hurriedly prepared the Lord's body for burial because
this was the preparation day, the day before the Sabbath. So they had to get all this done
before six that evening when the day began and the Sabbath
day. We read of this in John's gospel
chapter 19 at verse 38. Listen to this. And after this,
Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear
of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body
of Jesus. And Pilate gave him leave. He
came, therefore, and took the body of Jesus. And there came
also Nicodemus. Remember when we first are introduced
to him? John 3, he came to Jesus by night,
didn't want brother Pharisees to see him. Oh, but now he comes
forth. He identifies just as Joseph
does. And there came also Nicodemus,
which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture
of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pound weight. Then took they
the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes, with the
spices as the manner of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place
where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden
a new sepulcher wherein was never a man yet laid. Their laid they
Jesus, therefore, because of the Jews' preparation day, for
the sepulcher was nigh at hand." Again, the preparation day was
that day before the Sabbath. Turn, if you will, to Luke's
Gospel, chapter 23. Luke, chapter 23. Just to get
an idea. An idea of the context in which
we find our text, Matthew 21 and 8. in Luke chapter 23 verse
54. And that day was the preparation
and the Sabbath drew on. And the women also which came
with him from Galilee followed after and beheld the sepulcher
and how his body was laid. And they returned and prepared
spices and ointments and rested the seventh day according to
the commandment. Now upon the first day of the
week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulcher
bringing the spices which they had prepared and certain others
with them. And of course it was Mary Magdalene
among others. They come to anoint his body
because they saw him die. We read it, didn't we, in Matthew's
account. Again, verse 55 of Matthew 27. And many women which were there
beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering
unto him, among which was Mary Magdalene. They watched Jesus
die. They watched as his body was
taken down from the cross. They watched Joseph and Nicodemus
prepare his body for the tomb. And now, in the end of the Sabbath,
they come to anoint his body. They saw his lifeless corpse
taken down from the cross. Those hands lay limp at his side. He was flesh of our flesh and
bone of our bone. God was manifested in the flesh
and great is the mystery of godliness and great too, great too is this
mystery that he who said I'm the resurrection and the life
dies. He dies. And as I said, those
hands laid limp at his side, no life in him, no beating of
the heart, Those hands that in response to the cry of the leper,
Lord if you will you can make me clean and we read he touched
him. He touched him. Those same hands
now are without life. Oh that voice, that voice that
spake like never a man spake. That voice who again said to
the leper in response to, if you will, oh, I will, I will,
be thou clean. Mary Magdalene, we read concerning
her that he, the Lord of glory, cast out of her seven devils. Had she heard those sweet words
from his lips, come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy
laden, I'll give you rest. Had she not heard like that other
woman? Woman, where are your accusers?
Does no man condemn thee? Neither do I. Neither do I. Go and sin no more." And now
they think, never again. Never again, Mike. Never again. Will they follow him? Never again
will they see that lovely face. Never will they hear that sweet
voice again, so they think. The last time they heard him
speak He said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. That's the last thing they heard
him say. And they watched him after saying
that bow his head and die. Again, in John's gospel we read
that there stood near his cross the disciple that Jesus loved,
John. the Lord's mother, Mary. And he said unto Mary, Woman,
behold thy son. Woman, behold thy son. I suspect that John was having
to hold her up because the grief and anguish that she was going
through, the confusion Oh, he would bow her down to the ground
in heart as well as physically in her body. Woman, behold thy
son. You remember that day? That day, Luke tells us that
Mary and Joseph took the young child to the temple to do after
the manner of the law when there was an old man there. who comes
over and takes the child out of her arms, and he says words
like this, Father, God, let me depart in peace, I see your salvation. And we're told that Mary and
Joseph wondered at those words that proceeded out of his mouth. And they told her, rather, Simeon
also said this, Simeon blessed them and said unto Mary his mother,
Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of
many in Israel and for a sign which shall be spoken against."
Oh, the things they said about Mary's son. How they hated him
without a cause. Oh, the things they accused him
of, the filthy things. Mary, Simeon said, a sword shall
pierce through thine own soul also. Woman, behold thy son. How that sword must have been
piercing her soul that Simeon prophesied of 33 years before. Turn, if you will, now to 1 Corinthians
chapter 15. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Very familiar passage of scripture.
Let's look at just a couple of verses here together. First Corinthians 15. The resurrection cannot be overemphasized. The resurrection of Jesus Christ
is his exclamation point on everything he said and did. His resurrection
either proves that he was all that he claimed to be or proves
that he was an imposter if he doesn't rise from the dead. It
proves God's complete satisfaction with all his son did or it proves
that we're yet in our sins. This is what Paul deals with
here in 1 Corinthians 15 verse 14. And if Christ be not risen
then is our preaching vain. If Christ be not risen, Louis,
what I'm doing here is a biggest waste of time that you could
conceive of. Might as well stay home and watch
gun smoke. If Christ be not risen from the
dead, our preaching is vain and your faith is vain. I'm wasting
my time preaching to you and you're wasting your time listening
to me if Christ be not raised from the dead. Look at verse
17. And if Christ be not raised,
your faith is vain and you're yet in your sin. How important
is it? Then they also which are fallen
asleep in Christ. Those have gone before, as we
say. They've fallen asleep in Christ. They've perished if Christ
be not the firstfruits of them that slept. If Christ be not
raised, then that means there was no atonement. The old writers
referred to Christ's atonement, and I like it, His satisfaction. His satisfaction. His atonement
satisfied the Holy Lord God. But if Christ didn't raise, then
that means there was no satisfaction. There was no redemption. There
was no sins put away. And that means there's no forgiveness. That means there's no forgiveness.
If Christ be not raised from the dead, that means God Almighty
wasn't satisfied with the work of His Son on the behalf of sinners,
and He can't be faithful and just in forgiving any sin if
those sins have not been put away. And if Christ be not raised,
then those sins were not put away. No forgiveness, no salvation. The Lord Jesus is referred to
In scriptures, as the believers, good hope. Good hope. There's none any gooder. A blessed
hope. A sure hope. Paul, in writing
to Timothy in the first verse of the first epistle in the first
chapter, says, Timothy, Jesus Christ, our hope. But if Christ be not raised,
I have no hope. I have no hope if Christ be not
raised. A dead Christ doesn't save anybody. Now you've heard that. You've
heard that for years. You've heard probably every preacher
that you've listened to any length of time has made that statement,
but it's worth repeating. A dead Christ doesn't save anybody. Jesus arisen says. Jesus on the cross put away my
sins but it's arisen Savior that says thy sins be forgiven thee. I trust a living Savior. Imagine, child of God, imagine this world. This world has dark as it is,
I don't think, I'm sure, that the only explanation of the shape
that our world is in and this country is in, the only way it
can be explained is it's under the judgment of God. It's the
only way it can be explained, Mike. They call right, wrong. Things we once would shudder
at, now we become used to. Babies are murdered and now don't
blink an eye. They call wrong right and right
wrong. The world has turned upside down. It's under the judgment of God
Almighty. There's no other explanation.
The worst thing God can do to a country, to a nation, to a
community, to a church, is just to leave it alone. Sinners say,
leave me alone, let me have my way. Let me have my will. Oh God, please don't. Please
don't. Please don't leave our sons and
daughters to their will. Imagine this world being as it
is in perilous times and yet add this. Imagine this world
that you live in without Christ. Without Christ. Think about that. Think of your life without Christ. After you've known Him, somehow, and it's a supposition,
but these ladies were somewhat in that frame of mind. They didn't
know. They didn't know yet that He should rise again from the
dead. They didn't know that. Just imagine after you've known
Him, that you could some way be convinced that it's all been
a delusion. It's all a delusion. This story
that the Jews spread around, that they bribed the soldiers
to tell that his disciples came by night and stole his body while
we were asleep. You ever think how ridiculous
that sounds? If they were asleep, how did they know the disciples
came and stole his body? The world will believe a lie,
willingly believe a lie and be deceived. These women felt, what
happened? What happened? I know whom I
have believed. I know he was the Messiah. And I also know that I heard
him Speak His last words. I know what my eyes beheld. I
saw Him die. This just can't be. We thought,
as those two on the road to Emmaus told the risen Lord, we had hoped
that Jesus of Nazareth would have been Him that should have
redeemed Israel, but now we're sad and heartbroken because we
just don't know. Can you imagine Mary Magdalene
and the other Mary and these women that ministered unto Him
while He was here on earth? And His mother, they gave Him
that birthed Him, that nursed Him. Can you imagine the night
after the crucifixion when they laid down and tried to go to
sleep? Could you? Could you? If you thought if someone could
convince you that you believed a fable, it's a fairy tale, could
you? Oh, thank God. We may lie down hurting and we
do. And we may lie down at night
weeping and we do. Oh, but To lie down without the
living Christ? To lie down tonight without Him? And to lie down in my grave without
Him? To stand before a righteous God
without Him? Oh, perish this all. Elijah Hoffman,
I think I told you this story a few months ago, was a pastor
visiting one of his suffering members. And he was searching for words
to tell her, to comfort her. And finally she looked at him
and said, she said, Pastor, I just have to tell Jesus. I
just must tell Jesus. And her pastor went home and
wrote, yes, I must tell Jesus. I must tell Jesus. I cannot bear
these burdens alone. I must tell Jesus. I must tell
Jesus. He will help me. And Jesus alone. But what if there were no Jesus
to tell? No wonder Paul said we would
be of all men most miserable. Are you still in Matthew? Look
again at in chapter 27. The Pharisees come to Pilate. And they remember
what the disciples had forgotten. That deceiver said after three
days he'll rise again and his disciples will steal his body
and they'll start the rumor that he rose again and now everything
we've done will be for nothing. As a matter of fact, it'll be
worse. It'll be worse. Pilate in verse 65 said, you
have your watch. Go your way and make it sure
as you can. So they went, feeling so comfortable,
so certain of themselves. They have done away with Jesus
of Nazareth. This is the end of him. So they
went and made the sepulcher sure, stealing the stone and setting
a watch. But behold, children of God,
behold, one greater than the chief priest, greater than the
Pharisees, greater than Pilate, greater than government's power,
greater than the religious power, greater than all those combined
is here. He had said to them, destroy
this temple and after three days I'll raise it up again. He said, no man taketh my life
for me. I have power to lay it down and
I have power to take it up again. This commandment have I received
of my father. And that's exactly what he did.
Look again at verse 6 of chapter 28. This is what the angels tell
the broken-hearted women. Oh, your sorrow shall be turned
into joy. Just like that. They said, he
is not here for he is risen as he said, come see the place where
the Lord lay. He's not here. You remember what Peter wrote
in 1st Peter chapter 1? Let me read it to you. John tells
us when these ladies came back, as the angels told them, go tell
his disciples, that when John and Peter heard the news, they
ran to the sepulcher. And they peep in. But Peter goes
in. And he sees the linen cloth that
he was wrapped in, that is Christ. He sees the napkin laying aside. And he leaves the tomb wondering.
They go back home. What's this all about? Well,
Peter found out, didn't he? Here in 1 Peter, chapter 3, we
read these words. 1 Peter, chapter 3, or I'm sorry,
chapter 1, verse 3. 1 Peter 1 and 3. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy
hath begotten us again unto a lively hope. I'm sure Peter thought
about running into that tomb, and then when he saw the risen
Lord. He hath begotten us again into
a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
to an inheritance, incorruptible, undefiled, that fadeth not away,
reserved in heaven for you. And in the meantime, who are
kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to
be revealed in the last day, last time. Yes, up through the
grave he arose. This is what David prophesied
of. The stone which the builders
refused, the same has made the headstone of the corner. This
is the Lord's doing and it's marvelous in our eyes. This is
the day that the Lord had made. Let us rejoice and be glad therein. Secondly, we'll be brief on these
next two points. His day assures our day, does
it not? His resurrection assures the
resurrection of all of his people. Isaiah said, he shall see it
to reveal of his soul and be satisfied. By his knowledge shall
my righteous servant justify many because he shall bear their
iniquities. He shall see his seed, he shall
prolong his day, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in
his hand." Our Lord said the same thing. Except the corn of
wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone, but if
it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. His day guarantees His
peoples. This day of grace, this day of
salvation, turning if you will to Ephesians, Ephesians chapter
1, Ephesians chapter 1. We read these words showing the connection in His
resurrection and that of His peoples. In Ephesians chapter
1 verse 19, Paul's prayer is among other things that we might
know what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us who believe
according to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought
in Christ, God wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead
and set Him at His own right hand in heavenly places. Now look in chapter 2, verse 4. But God, who is rich in mercy
for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were
dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. For
by grace are you saved, and have raised us up together, and made
us set together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Yes, Christ
risen to life raises dead sinners to life. Christ said, even as
the Father hath power, he hath given power to the Son to give
eternal life to all those that God hath given him. This dawning
of this new day, O child of God, can you hear it? Can you hear
it? When you read in the end of the
Sabbath as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, when
you hear that song, He is not here, He is risen, do you not
hear the tune of blessed accomplishments of our glorious Redeemer? What
He has done for us? Oh, do you hear angels shout? Christ, for his people, has redeemed
them from the curse of the law. Do you hear that sweet proclamation? Christ by himself purged our
sins. Christ entered one time into
the holy place and there he obtained eternal redemption for us. Oh, this is what he accomplished
for his people. Complete atonement thou has made
and to the utmost farthing paid, whatever thy people owed. How
then can wrath on me take place, if sheltered in thy righteousness,
and sprinkled with thy blood? If thou hast my discharge procured,
and freely in my room endured, the whole of wrath divine, payment
God cannot twice demand, first at my bleeding surety's hand,
and then again at mine. Isn't that good news? There is a day when the Son of
God comes in power to give eternal life to all those that God gave
him. When all of his sheep hear his
voice, and he does so one at a time. One at a time. His sheep hear and they follow
Him. You have He quickened who were
dead in trespasses and sins. This is what happened at Bethany. Lazarus raising is a picture
of what Paul speaks of in Ephesians 2. When God by His grace and
power raises dead sinners to life and breathes into them the
very life of Christ, Lazarus, come forth. Saul of Tarsus, come down. Come down. There is a time when every child
of God hears the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear
shall live. There's just no doubt about it.
No doubt about it. I know. To me, there's a greater
miracle than that one performed in Bethany that day at the tomb
of Lazarus. To me personally, there's a greater
miracle than what happened that day on the Damascus road to Saul
of Tarsus. the risen Savior, God Almighty,
the Prince of Peace, the King of Kings, came to Larry Criss,
came to this rebel, as is described in Ezekiel chapter 16. When I
passed by thee, Larry Criss, and saw Larry Criss polluted
in his own blood, I said to Larry Chris, who was in his own blood,
live. I said unto thee, live. When I passed by Larry Chris
and looked upon him, behold, thy time was the time of love. And I spread my skirt over him
and covered his neckiness and swear unto him and entered into
a covenant with Larry Chris saying unto thee, to thou, God, and
thou becamest mine. As long as God and I shall be,
I am his and he is mine. Oh yes, against the God that
rules the sky, I fought with hand up left at high. despised
the mention of his grace, too proud to seek a hiding place.
That was me. Enwrapped in thick Egyptian night
and fond of darkness more than light, that was me. Madly I ran
the simple race, secure, without a hiding place. Oh, but thus
the eternal counsel ran. Oh, mighty love, arrest that
man. Glory, glory to his name. Turn, if you will, to 1 Thessalonians
chapter 4. We'll wrap this up. 1 Thessalonians
chapter 4. Christ's day and our day and
another day yet to dawn. Oh, there's another day that's
going to dawn. When he that sits upon the throne
declares time shall be no more, Mike, That day when heaven and
earth shall flee from the face of him that sits upon the throne
and there was no more place found for them. That day when the Son
of God leaves glory to come bring all of his children home. What a day! What a morning! What a dawning! Here in 1 Thessalonians
4, these familiar words Verse 13, But I would not have you
to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye
sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe
that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep
in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you
by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain
unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent, shall not precede,
go before them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God. And the dead in Christ shall
rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught
up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the
air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort
one another with these words. And are they not full of comfort? Are they not He that sat upon
the throne said, John, write, write, because these words are
faithful and true. Let not your heart be troubled. I'm coming back for you. When I visited Brother Lowe the
other evening, my heart, I just hurt for him. I said, I'm sorry
to see you suffer like this, my friend. And he said, Larry,
I'm looking forward to a better day. I'm looking forward to a better
day. That dawning when the King of
Glory comes back for all of his own. Joe Terrell had a great
article in one of his bulletins recently. He said this, knowing that He has risen from
the grave, we are assured that He is seated on the throne. His
resurrection assures His glorification. His resurrection also assures
the resurrection and glorification of all of His people. In our
experience, we may follow Him into the tomb, but we shall surely
follow Him out of it into glory. It cannot be that those for whom
he went into the grave shall not come out of it with him and
be glorified with him forever, this is the assurance of the
gospel. Should storms of sevenfold vengeance
roll and shake the earth from pole to pole, no flaming bolt
shall daunt my face, For Jesus is my hiding place. A few more
rolling suns at most shall land me safe on heaven's coast. Then
I shall sing the song of grace to Jesus Christ, my hiding place. God bless you.