The Authority of the Resurrected Christ (Matthew 28)

College Baptist Church

March 31, 2002

Purpose: To show that the reality of the cross and resurrection utterly changes our lives.

Text

Matthew 28. After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

² There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴ The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

⁵ The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

⁸ So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

¹¹ While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. ¹² When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, ¹³ telling them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.' ¹⁴ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." ¹⁵ So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in  the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Introduction

There is One of whom the Old Testament prophets spoke who would come and rule as supreme King. He would be the King of Israel, their Messiah, the Anointed One, the Christ. He was also referred to as the King of kings, the King of the nations. Over and over the predictions were made. The life and hope of the nations.

The whole New Testament is replete with references to Jesus as the fulfillment of those prophesies. He is the King. "In its twenty-seven books the term basileia (kingdom) is used one hundred forty-four times in referring to the reign of Jesus Christ; basileus (king) is used directly of Jesus at least thirty-five times; and basileuoµ (to reign) is used of Him some ten times" (MacArthur).

The first four books of the New Testament, the Gospels, are specifically about the One who fulfills those prophesies- Jesus Christ- about His time on the earth as He walked among us. Each Gospel offers a different emphasis in the fulfillment of all that was foretold about Jesus. John presents Him as the Son of God, emphasizing His divinity. Luke presents Him as the Son of Man, emphasizing His humanity. Mark show us He is a humble servant. And Matthew reveals Jesus as the Sovereign, the King establishing His kingdom.

Transition

In this last chapter of Matthew, we might expect some kind of wind-down, perhaps an afterglow.
But this book is more than just a collection of anecdotes about a man who lived two thousand years ago. It has a purpose and plan, a united whole, authorship under the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The last chapter crescendos with powerful truth, thunderously swelling into a climactic declaration of reality that will change any life. Three pivotal sentences in this chapter describe this life-changing reality: 1) He is not here; he is risen; 2) All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me; 3) And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

The reality of these truths embraced by faith will change your life.

The reality of the resurrected Christ

The first sentence reveals to us the reality of the resurrected Christ. It assumes the reality of the cross. In tandem, they establish the most powerful event of all history.

The reality of the crucifixion

John Piper outlines five facts that help us understand the reality of the cross and the crucifixion.

1. The crucifixion was public.

2. There can be doubt that Jesus was crucified. It was a matter of public record. The whole city was talking of it. It had been overseen by Roman military officers who also verified Christ's death.

3. The crucifixion was painful.

4. Crucifixion is a matter of historical record. It was execution of choice for criminals under Roman law. It was excruciatingly painful. It was deliberately prolonged, sometimes lasting for days. It was most effective harmony of torture and death then known to man.

5. The crucifixion was planned by God.

6. John 3:16, 17. ^{16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,}  that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

   Romans 8:32. ³² He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all . . .

   Even 700 years earlier, Isaiah had prophesied, ¹⁰Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer. . . (Isaiah 53:10).

   "Jesus was crucified by design, not accident" (Piper).

7. The crucifixion was punishment for sin, but not His own.

8. Galatians 1:4. Christ gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father . . .

   1 Corinthians 15:3. Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures . . .

9. The crucifixion is precious.

The crucifixion was a public, excruciatingly painful event, planned by God the Father so that the punishment for our sins could be born by the precious blood of Jesus.

The validity of the resurrection

The joyful reality is that Jesus did not stay dead. For the disciples it was . . . unbelievable. Too good to be true. But it was. How do we know it was? There are many reasons, but let me share three this morning.

1. The angels declaration.

2. 28:5-7.⁵ The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

3. The guards report.

4. 28:11-15.¹¹ While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. ¹² When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, ¹³ telling them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.' ¹⁴ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." ¹⁵ So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

5. The multitude of witnesses.

The authority of the resurrected Christ

28:16-20. ¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."

Philippians 2:6-11 describes what Jesus did when He became a man. He was in very nature God yet He humbled Himself. He took the form of a human, making Himself a servant, a simple slave. He did not give up His divinity in so doing, but He gave up the glory and position of heaven to serve us. How? By coming to die for us, so that we wouldn't have to die.

The passage goes on to say that because of this God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

And now Jesus says, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Who gave Jesus the authority? God the Father.

Authority over what? All things. God's Word tells us that He as authority over all things.

• Over creation, visible and invisible, sustaining all things, literally holding all things together. (Colossians 2:15-17)
• Over the universe, the course of the galaxies, stars, nebulae, black holes, planets, moons, comets, asteroids, space dust.
• Over weather, seasons, the rhythmic order of creation.
• Over nations, their rulers, who is in power and who is not.
• Over economies.
• Over health and sickness, life and death.

Does this mean we are automatons, without choice, haplessly moving through fatalistic motions, controlled an uncaring and impersonal force somewhere out there? No! From the beginning, God has given us freedom to choose. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had freedom to enjoy the pleasure and bounty of the most idyllic, utopian-like setting the world has ever known. And that freedom extended to the ability to choose to live within the parameters God had established or not, to eat of the tree in the middle of the garden or not. But to live outside of the those parameters would result in death- eternal punishment and separation from God- as a result of the prideful sin of rebellion against God's parameters.

We may ask ourselves, "If God has all this authority, then why did my sister/brother/parent have to die? Why all the suffering in our family? Why cancer? Why the chaos in the world?"

Oh, all those things will be taken care of. Sin and suffering, cancer and chaos remain because not yet has every knee bowed nor yet has every tongue confessed that Jesus is Lord. Someday soon, though, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Chris is the Lord of lords, the King of kings. Someday, according to the book of Revelation, He will come again on a white horse with the armies of heaven in His wake. He will come not as a servant, but as conquering King. And His enemies will be defeated and judged. Satan and his followers will be thrown into the Lake of Fire. And Jesus will establish His Kingdom on earth.

Science fiction? No. Everything the Bible says has proven true so far and what remains will. We know that Jesus did die, He did rise from the dead . . . and He will come again as conquering King!

In the meantime, what of His authority on earth now? It is authority in the believing heart to experience the joyful victory and transformation of life that is filled with the fullness of Christ (Colossians 2:10). It is the power and the authority to do the right thing, to make a difference in Christ's name in the world, to break controlling demonic influence in our lives. It is to live the freedom for which we have always longed.

Specifically, in Matthew 28:19, 20a, that authority gives us a mission: ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in  the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. The life-transforming authority of Jesus Christ propels us as Christ's followers into all nations. It is authority which commands us to baptize in His name, having brought people into faith and into the Body of Christ and the family of God. It is authority which through our declaration of love by obedience to Him lets us become all He created us to be- the ultimate in fulfillment over that empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers (1 Peter 5:18).

The presence of the resurrected Christ

The third pivotal sentence and life-changing reality is in the very last sentence of this magnificent revelation of Christ's right to authoritative rule as King: And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (28:20b).,

Can you imagine having the ultimate friend (John 15:12, 13), the greatest expression of love, and the supreme authority and power of the universe as your constant companion? Surely I am with you always.

Is this not life-changing stuff? It is reality.

Conclusion

If you already have placed your faith in Jesus Christ, Easter is a reminder of all that is gloriously yours in Christ Jesus.

If you have not yet placed your faith in Jesus Christ and surrendered to Him as the King of your life with the authority to rule and change your life, are you ready to give up the emptiness? What better day than today to be forgiven of sin? What a better opportunity than now to embrace the One who died for you, who rose again for you, and promises to be with you until the very end, as you place your faith in Him? Won't you give your life to Him today?

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