The Resurrection of Jesus Christ, Part 1 A

Everything that we are to have an ever hope to be all that we believe in is predicated on the reality of the resurrection there would be no Christianity. If there were no resurrection. Conversely, because there is a resurrection all elements of our faith affirmed this in every sentence.

John MacArthur is going to begin a study of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It's a look at how Christ's resurrection can transform your worship and your day-to-day walk with the Lord.

But John before the lesson the other day on the broadcast.

You read a letter from a listener in England. She said that when she listens to the broadcast. She can't tell whether the message is 30 years old or if it was preached very recently because all of it is so perfectly relevant part of that is because everything you preach comes from Scripture, including the illustrations you use. You don't borrow illustrations from popular culture or recent events talk about that a little bit yeah II never wanted to start a timestamp. My ministry started out 50 years ago, I wanted to be certain that as I taught the word of God. There were no cultural bounds.

There were no geographical bounds, and there were no time bounds so I want to just teach the word of God without drawing from the current context around me so that it would be timeless because I think the Bible needs to be understood as a timeless book that's exactly what it is.

So it was just a decision I made early in my life to make sure that these messages that are from the word of God could cross any boundary any national boundary in any time zone and any era of history and still be a true representation of what the Bible said, but the means by which we spread the message does change when I started with the ministry here.

We were using cassette tapes and almost nobody uses cassette tapes anymore. So we actually started with reel to reel tape right now is that my house and then CDs and and now course were were down to the downloads so talk about our apps. Yeah, though it's a world of apps now right there to him that I would just mention to our listeners. The study Bible app. The study Bible app is amazing. It gives you the complete text of Scripture, and as you go into this study Bible app which is the MacArthur study Bible on the app it will connect you immediately to the sermon archive for a very affordable price nominal. You can add the 25,000 footnotes from the MacArthur study Bible, and then you'll have the full text of Scripture and an explanation of virtually every passage of God's word and you will be able to bounce from the text and from the notes into the sermon archive to draw from sermons that relate to the things that are being taught in that particular passage and then of course the other app is the grace to you app which I personally use all the time and I use the study Bible app as well. 50 years of Bible teaching on your phone or tablet device 3500 sermons covering the entire New Testament.

Lots of the Old Testament, and you can download all of it. Basically off the app free of charge. You have daily radio programs. Excerpts from daily devotionals. The MacArthur daily Bible you can link to the grace to you blog, but primarily you have access to 3500 sermons that you can draw from this is an incredible incredible time to be alive to access divine truth download either app free of charge go to TTY.org right and friend. These apps are great for your personal devotions. As John said both of them have thousands of free resources to help you really dig into God's word so make sure you go to GT Y.org and download these apps but right now, stay here as John begins his series, the resurrection of Jesus Christ today in our study of God's word.

We come to Matthew's text on the resurrection.

I'll ask you to open your Bible to the 28th chapter of Matthew were going to be looking at the first 10 verses of this great chapter in which Matthew gives his look at the greatest event in the history of the world, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. This is the great cornerstone of the Christian faith. Everything that we aren't have an ever hope to be all that we believe in is predicated on the reality of the resurrection there would be no Christianity. If there were no resurrection. Conversely, because there is a resurrection all elements of our faith are affirmed as true in every sense the resurrection then is the cornerstone of our faith.

The world knows that for the most part if they know anything about Christianity or anything about Christian history or heritage. There are many possible reactions to the resurrection.

Let me suggest some of them to you. First of all, there is the reaction of rationalism. Rationalism says that the resurrection must be rejected on the basis that it cannot fit into human reason. This is a humanistic view that says because the mind of man is ultimate, only that which man can perceive and explain can therefore be true, and since the resurrection is inexplicable by human reason it did not happen so rationalism rejects the resurrection as it rejects all other miraculous elements of redemptive history. Second reaction and similar is the reaction of unbelief. Unbelief doesn't reason away the reality of the resurrection. It just refuses to believe the plain truth. Simple unbelief is a denial of what is a fact or the fact of the resurrection is perhaps the most indisputable fact of all of ancient history based on evidences and testimony from eyewitnesses, but unbelief denies the facts, then there is the reaction of doubts that's the question the resurrection. There may be such a thing as honest doubt, a true seeker wanting to have questions about the resurrection resolved and then there is hypocritical doubts, which simply continues to question long after available evidence is made clear. But there are those who doubt the resurrection whether genuinely or hypocritically. Another possible responses. The response of indifference that is the response that says it may be true, or in fact it is true, but I just don't care.

It makes no claim on my life. It's not something on my agenda. I don't see it at the top of my priority list whether it happened or not. I'm not particularly interested in.

I suppose we could say that there is the response of ignorance, there are those people who are just not familiar with the facts of the resurrection they may not even know about it and if they do, it may be rather a whimsical passing vague thing for which they have no real attestation and so they are in ignorance and admittedly, there is also the reaction of outright hostility. There are people who are just hostile to the resurrection is more than a rationalistic rejection based upon the supremacy of human reason is more than just a willful unbelief of the facts. It is more than doubt and more than indifference and more than ignorance. It is anger is hostility is a vocal vociferous effort to discredit the resurrection and there are those people who have felt it was their place in life and their role in history to write against the resurrection and sadly all of these are wrong reactions and wrong responses and unnecessary proper response is the response of faith of belief of affirmation and application of the reality of the resurrection to the life of the one who is exposed to its true now as we come to the Gospels, we confess at the very start that were going to be dealing with the response of faith for Matthew and Mark and Luke and John all believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ not because they were against their wills forced to believe, but because they who were close to the reality of it were overwhelmed with its evidence as were all the other people who were part of the believing community who identified Jesus Christ. So as we come to Matthew's account in chapter 28 verses 1 to 10 were going to join those who see the resurrection through the eyes of faith later on in this chapter will hear from their ejectors, but it opens with those who believe some people are under the illusion you know that the Bible is just a whole lot of spiritual truths that are put together at random.

That's not true. Every book in the Bible. Start somewhere in somewhere and as you come to the end is anybody who knows anything about literature knows any writer worth his salt is going to go somewhere and he's going to get there at the end so that the end becomes climactic and exciting and thrilling in confirming and affirming to all that has been said before, is the point of everything and the purpose of everything we come to the glory of the resurrection. This greatest of all events. I mean, this is it. The first sermon ever preached in the church the day the church was born was preached by Peter in acts two. It's a sermon on the resurrection as a result of that and the reality of the resurrection. It became the theme of all apostolic preaching dear preached again on the resurrection in chapter 4 and again on the resurrection in chapter 10 and Stephen preach the resurrection in chapter 7 and Philip preach the resurrection in chapter 8, and Paul preach the resurrection chapter 9 chapter 13 and all the way on the chapter 28 of acts, and then we come to the epistles, and the theme of the epistles is the resurrection. In Romans it since Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the father and in first Corinthians, it says he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and in second Corinthians. He raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise us up.

Also in Galatians says by Jesus Christ and God the father who raised him from the dead and we read in Ephesians, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and Paul says in Philippians that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and in Colossians God, who raised him from the dead.

In first Thessalonians. His son, whom he raised from the dead and Peter says that he has in chapter 1 verse three begotten us to a living hope by the resurrection of Christ and even when you come to the book of Revelation. It begins by saying that Christ has the right to take the earth because it is he who was dead and is alive forevermore. The whole theme of the New Testament is the resurrection of Jesus Christ and we are there. As we open this chapter.

Spurgeon also wrote so wonderfully of the meaning of the Lord's day in these words we gather together on the first rather than the seventh day of the week because redemption is even a greater work than creation and more worthy of commemoration and because the rest which followed creation is far out done by the rest, which ensues upon the completion of redemption like the apostles, we meet on the first day of the weekend. Hope that Jesus may stand in our midst and say, peace be unto you, our Lord has lifted the Sabbath, from the old and rusty hinges were on the law had placed it long before and set it on the new golden hinges, which is love is fashion. He has placed our rest day, not at the end of the week of toil, but at the beginning of the rest, which remaining for the people of God. Every first day of the week we should meditate upon the rising of our Lord and seek to enter into the fellowship with him in his risen life." Here is the foundation of all our hope for was Jesus who said because I live, you shall live also.

It was Jesus who said in John 1125 I am the resurrection of the life he that believe it than me. Though we were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believe it than me shall never die. The resurrection is the core of all that we believe and so we come with great excitement in this record of our Lord's resurrection. Let me note for you did each of the four Gospel writers presents the resurrection, and each of them presents it in a unique way.

Picking out certain elements of the event of the resurrection to enforce certain spiritual truths from the mind of the spirit to the heart of the reader.

And as we go through Matthew's picture of the resurrection were going to draw from Mark and Luke and John, in order to enrich and fill out the wholeness of the scene that we may appreciate all of its great truth Matthew approach is that so interestingly he approaches the resurrection through the emotions of a group of women. That's Matthew's intent Mark approaches it differently. Luke differently and John even differently.

They all use the same historical truth there is no contradiction in perfect harmony, but each is selective as to the elements of the resurrection, on which they focus for the purpose. The spirit of God gave to each writer for Matthew. He focuses on the resurrection as seen through the emotions of a group of women as I read through this passage. It seemed to me to be such a wonderful way to view the resurrection, because were not going to look at historically were not going to look at an analytically when I got a look at it.

Even evidentially, that is, as a forensic view try to prove it go to look at it emotionally look at it attitudinal he will look at it through the heart and soul of some loving women who are sensitized to the event itself in marvelous and thrilling way.

We will then not coldly analyze the resurrection, but I pray God, we will feel the resurrection we will experience the resurrection. But before we do that, can we set the time by looking at verse one in chapter 20. The authorized version says in the end of the Sabbath at the dawning toward the first day of the week. There, this is a very important note of time.

Most important little phrase in the end of the Sabbath is a unique construction in the Greek op say Saba tone.

Basically, the best way to translate it would be after the Sabbath, in fact, it would not be unfair, but very consistent to translate it long after the Sabbath, that little phrase then intends to say long after the Sabbath, to express the idea that a certain interval of time is occurred since the Sabbath of the Sabbath ended Saturday at sundown. So this is a long time after the end of the Sabbath, how long the next phrase tells us at the dawning toward the first day of the week and again the Greek phrase use.

There is very interesting. In fact again uses the word Saba tone again uses the word Sabbath and what it literally says in the Greek is at day one, with reference to the Sabbath at day one with reference to the Sabbath of the reason that is done is because the Jews did not name the days they did not say Sunday, Monday, Tuesday or anything like that. They simply named the days numerically with reference to the Sabbath.

It was day one after the Sabbath.

It was day two after the Sabbath was day three after the Sabbath, and so on through the week so long after the end of the Sabbath as it began to dawn on day one after the set sets the time for us. It is Sunday morning Sabbath ended Saturday night and now maybe 10 hours of past it's nearing dawning early on Sunday morning. This is the third day the Lord has been in the grave he was there, a part of Friday. All of the Sabbath and so many hours already on the Sunday until it began to dawn on the morning of that first day with reference to Sabbath. It is then the third day since the Lord was placed in the grave.

Mark says giving us the same time. Note very early on the first day of the week at the rising of the sun and Luke says that early Dawn and John says it all began while I was still dark. So whatever happened is that the breaking of light. The very dawning and actually began when it was still dark. Stage is set then because it is the third day for a great event to happen. Jesus had said he would rise from the grave on the third day he had said it many times. Matthew 1240 Matthew 1621 Matthew 1723, Matthew 20 verse 19, Matthew 2764 it was reaffirmed Mark 931 records it. Mark 1034, Luke 922, Luke 1833 and then in Luke 20 4X chapter chapter 24. It's mentioned in verse seven verse 21 verse 26 it was repeated all through the Lord's ministry during the latter time that he would rise on the third day, so this is a very important time. Note as we begin chapter 28.

It is resurrection day and it is a Sunday after the second we could even use that phrase after the Sabbath, I think, in a figurative way for the Sabbath had been the special day of rest. For centuries, literally, since the creation what the Sabbath that Jesus was in the grave was the last authorized Sabbath, so it was not only the end of the Sabbath chronologically. It was the end of the Sabbath, mentally, the Sabbath was not only over as a day it was over as an entity and it was the dawning not only of a new day. One of the new covenant and the new celebration of that new covenant which would no longer be a Spurgeon said at the end of the week of work. But at the beginning of a new era. That's why we meet on Sunday not on the Sabbath. Saturday, so it is the dawning of the third day, the day of resurrection with that time reference. We now join the women were going to look at their attitudes and their emotions to begin with, as they are confronted with the fact that Jesus, whom they expect to be dead in the grave is gone and alive. Their first emotion is the emotion of sympathy. This is the first thing we see and we can identify with that. These women love the Lord Jesus Christ more than they love anyone and women.

As you know, have a tremendous capacity to love and I can only imagine how it would be when women could love as fully as women are able to love and love one who was without imperfection. These women loved uniquely. They had ministered with Jesus in Galilee.

They had attended to his needs. They had provided food and hospitality and even money and resources for him and his traveling disciples as they carried on the Galilean ministry.

They had descended the journey to Jerusalem for Passover with Jesus and his group. They had been there at the cross. They were there when he was buried, we saw them in chapter 27 verse 56 gathered at the cross we saw the number 61 sitting opposite the tomb, and now they're back again. The morning of the third day they are loyal. They are devoted they are loving and they are sympathetic. Let's look what it says in verse one, came Mary Magdalena and the other Mary. That's Mary the mother of James and Joseph's Mary who was the wife of Clovis or Alpheus this other Mary mentioned the prior two verses of chapter 27 the two of them come to the great, now they're not alone. Matthew just focuses on those two. Mark adds Salome the mother of James and John and the wife of Zebedee she was there to Luke that by the ways in Mark 16 one Luke in chapter 24 verse 10 adds Joanna and Joanna was the wife of Cruz who was a steward of the Herod John only mentions Mary Magdalene, but uses the plural pronoun. We in chapter 20 verse two. So we assume that he to sort of saw all that group of women.

So if you compare the gospel as you get the whole group. So here comes a group of women early they leave. Actually when it's dark, John indicates, only to arrive at the grave just the breaking of the Dawn. They love the Lord and they came out of sympathy you say did they come to see the resurrection, all they can come to see the resurrection, as many times as Jesus had talked about the resurrection, as many times as he had promised the resurrection. Their faith could not handle that they couldn't except they couldn't understand that they didn't believe it. You say, well, why are they there it says in verse one. They came to see the grave, not to see the risen Lord came to see the grave essay will what's the point of coming to see a great wealth. Mark tells us chapter 16 and when the Sabbath was passed, Mary Magdalena and Mary the mother of James, and Salome are Salome everyone say it had bought sweet spices.

No doubt the night before when Sabbath ended at 6 o'clock. The shots might been opened and they were able to buy some spices. Here they came in the morning to unknowing human and very early in the morning of the first day of the week, they came to the grave at the rising of the sun. Their purpose was not to see resurrection.

Their purpose was to anoint a corpse. So what was the point, hadn't he already been anointed.

Indeed, he had in excess of 70 pounds of anointing substance had been put on his body and he had had that wrapped in the linen with which Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus along with these women had so carefully anointed him they didn't embalming the body decayed very fast. In fact, the Jews had a tradition which comes in the play in John 11 and that tradition was that the fourth day, the spirit left the body permanently because the body was so decayed and corrupted that the spirit could no longer recognize it and that tradition comes into play. Because you remember the sister of Lazarus said to the Lord. He's already four days dead by this time he stink if in other words, it's too late to do anything. Spirit is gone.

The body is corrupt and it may be that these dear women came on the third day realizing that had they come a day later, there would be no way to minister to his already decayed and corrupted body and soul before it came to that one last time they wanted to reach out and devoted love and sympathy to the one they adored, even though it was that they wanted to show them their love and respect and preserve his body if only for a few more hours and more than that demonstrate their deep love. So it was an act of compassion was an act of sympathy and mark tells us in chapter 16 that as they were walking along in the darkness, anticipating the imminent Dawn. They were having a discussion about how they were going to get the stone out of the way so they could do what they had come to do. They had no idea it was being guarded by Romans, they didn't know that it was sealed in couldn't be open they were anticipating coming into the empty garden and they would need some man or men to help them move that huge massive stone that have been rolled in front of the door so they were discussing the fact they would have to face that large stone.

Their motion was sympathy. What they lacked in faith they made up for compassion and what they lacked an understanding they made up for in courage will identify themselves so continually with crimes.

This is grace to you with John MacArthur thanks for tuning in today John is helping you prepare for a profound Easter celebration. In his current study, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Well friend let me go back to what John and I talked about before the lesson grace to use two apps for smart phones. Both of these apps have thousands of free resources that will help you get more out of God's word so to study even more about the resurrection or really any biblical topic you need to get these two apps. Contact us today our web address is Jide TY.org the grace to use sermon app gives you access to more than 3500 of John's messages and the study Bible gives you the text of Scripture, along with access to all of our online resources and for a modest price. You can add the notes from the MacArthur study Bible to the study Bible app again to download either app visit Jide TY.org and with resurrection Sunday approaching. Let me encourage you to listen to the one perfect life Easter program in this special program. John takes a dramatic look at the events surrounding Jesus death and burial and resurrection, and it will give you a better understanding of all Christ endured on the cross to redeem sinners like you and me.

The one perfect life radio programs available at TTY.now for John MacArthur on Phil Johnson reminding you to watch grace to you television Sundays on DirecTV channel 378 and then consider this question with us on Monday. What is the key to a joyful God honoring walk with Christ.

You'll find the answer by studying the resurrection be here for that next time when we're back with another 30 minutes unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on racing