[0:00] This message was recorded at Vision Baptist Church in Alfred, Georgia. It is our prayer that you will be blessed by the preaching of God's Word.
[0:15] Well, thank God for what He has done for us. Amen? Take your Bibles if you would and turn with me to Matthew chapter 28. Matthew chapter 28. Jesus came and He came to die on a cross and purchase our salvation.
[0:32] And that is what He did when He came. And in Matthew chapter 28, we find the story of His resurrection and how the apostles, or how Matthew the apostle reports that story.
[0:43] And this is the culmination of everything. Starting in Matthew chapter 1, we saw Jesus being born in Bethlehem, being born of a virgin. We have followed His life now. He has died on a cross.
[0:56] He has been dead for three days, and He is now alive. And in this story, we hear about His resurrection. And so I hope that you take this truth home with you. This is the key.
[1:07] Had Jesus not risen from the dead, then we wouldn't have victory. We wouldn't know that we have victory. We wouldn't know that God accepted His offering. He would have been like any other person who might die.
[1:18] But Jesus died. God in human flesh died and rose again. So go with me through the story. Matthew chapter 28, verse 1. It was Saturday, and it was ending, and Sunday daylight was beginning.
[1:32] Verse 1. 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. So the Sabbath day, that is Saturday.
[1:45] It begins Friday night at 6 o'clock. Our days begin at midnight. Our days begin at midnight. Their days begin at 6 p.m. on the day before. So six hours before ours. So Sabbath is the seventh or Saturday.
[1:58] Sunday has begun for them at 6 p.m. on Saturday evening. The sun's coming up, and Mary Magdalene and Mary go to see the grave. These two ladies were there standing faithfully at the cross.
[2:11] Look in your Bible right where you've been studying, Matthew 27, 55. And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him, among which was Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James, Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee's children.
[2:28] We must notice that it was these ladies who had been at the cross, and the Lord lets them know first of his resurrection. Sometimes you'll look at the Bible and you'll be like, man, this doesn't look like the girls get a lot.
[2:41] It doesn't look like the girls get a lot of blessings. But when Jesus is on the cross dying, it's the girls who are standing there. And when Jesus first rises to the dead, it's the girls that he will let see him first.
[2:52] Something special about women so selflessly caring for others. While the men run away, the ladies stood strong. While the men are gone, the ladies are checking on the grave.
[3:06] The ladies are obviously feeling what was happening. Here they are at this cross. They watch Jesus as he dies. John's the only one that shows up there. Peter's off hiding somewhere.
[3:17] All the other disciples have run. Now it's the morning that Jesus' body will be gone, and the two ladies show up at the grave to find out what's happening. When they get there, the angel of the Lord has rolled away the stone, and he is waiting to announce the resurrection.
[3:33] So in verse 2, the Bible said there was a great earthquake, and the angel of the Lord rolled back the stone. And he's sitting there on the stone, and he said, hey, I'm here, and Jesus is not here, and the stone's rolled away, and you guys can check it out.
[3:47] There has been a great earthquake. The stone is gone. There have been a couple of earthquakes going on, if you recall. Go back with me to Matthew 27, verse 51. In Matthew 27, 51, when he gave up the ghost, the temple veil was torn in two, and there was a quake.
[4:02] Listen to that, Matthew 27, 51. And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom, and the earth did quake, and the rocks broke apart.
[4:13] The rocks rent. Verse 54. And when the centurion saw, centurion and they that were with him watching Jesus saw the earthquake, and those things were done, they feared greatly, saying, truly, this was the Son of God.
[4:26] So we've had one earthquake, and when that earthquake, Jesus dies, he gives up the ghost, the earth shakes, rocks are broken, dead people come alive, the veil in the temple is rent in twain, and now there's another earthquake.
[4:40] By the way, that first earthquake was big enough to scare big Roman soldiers and make them believe that something special was going on. Now the stone is rolled away in verse 2, and the angel is there.
[4:52] And the angel is a scary guy to look at. It's a terrifying thing. Now, you've got to understand who these Roman soldiers are. These are the Rambos of the day. These guys don't shoot people from a great distance.
[5:04] They fight with a sword about that long. They're face-to-face with their enemy, and they're very big, strong guys. Look at chapter 28, verse 3, if you would. His countenance, his face, was like lightning, and his raiment was as white as snow.
[5:19] And for fear of him, the keepers did shake and became as dead men. I just want you to imagine this. These are massive Roman soldiers. These are guys that are not afraid to fight the enemy.
[5:30] These are guys that have killed people over and over. And when they see this angel, it is so scary they tremble. And they don't only tremble, they faint. And they fall down.
[5:41] They fainted. They've experienced earthquakes, but they've never seen an angel sitting there. This angel's face is bright. And his clothes are white. And they are terrified. But the same angel that terrified the soldiers spoke very kindly to the ladies.
[5:56] If there's a big lesson here, it's how sweet Jesus was. It's how sweet God was to his people on that day. Look at verse 5. The angel answered and said unto the women, Y'all don't be afraid.
[6:08] Fear not. I know you're looking for Jesus. And he was crucified. He knows who it was. It was Jesus that was crucified. And the angel knew that.
[6:19] He knew he had been crucified. He knew who he was. And he knew that these girls were following the Lord Jesus. And he says, verse 6. You ought to underline this in your Bible. He is not here.
[6:31] For he is risen. Come on in. I'll let you look and see. Y'all laid his body in there three days ago. Y'all wrapped him up. And y'all poured the perfume on his body. And y'all prepared him for the grave.
[6:42] But he is not here now. Come on in and look. He's been here for three days and three nights. But he is not here now. He is risen. The angel gave them great truth.
[6:54] Faith to believe and to tell. I think it's exciting, by the way. If I were a lady, I'd love this passage. If I were a lady, I'd love it that it's the Lord Jesus talking to the angel.
[7:04] The angel of the Lord is talking to these ladies. The ladies have been faithful at the cross. And it's the ladies that are first told, go announce the news. It's the ladies that are first told, go announce the news. Look at verse 7. Go quickly and tell his disciples, he is risen from the dead.
[7:18] And yet, and behold, he goeth before you into Galilee. There shall you see him. I want you to know, you got your Bible open? Now look, he said, ladies, he's alive. I want you to go tell everybody he's alive.
[7:30] But I want you to notice, and underline in your Bible this, lo, I have told you. See, he said, I'm telling you what happened. Well, by the way, Jesus already told them what's happened. You're going to find that out in this passage of Scripture.
[7:41] Just like the Scriptures prophesied, just like what Jesus had told them. Not only was he alive, but he was going to go meet his disciples. And they were to believe. The girls were to believe, and they were to run, and they were to tell.
[7:53] Simply based on the word of an angel. They left excited. In verse 8, with fear and great joy. Now, you would be a tad afraid. I mean, let's be honest.
[8:03] A guy who was dead is now alive. A guy who was dead is now alive. And you've seen an angel. And you've seen big Roman soldiers scared and run off. And you've seen the rock rolled away.
[8:14] They were afraid, but they were excited. Excited in verse 8. And they ran to tell the disciples, hey, guys, you're the preachers. You're the men of God. You're in hiding. But, man, the Lord's alive.
[8:26] And we're here to tell you that. And in verse 9, while they were running, they'll tell them. In verse 9, Jesus says, I'll just stop you girls and tell you it's me. The angel told you I wasn't there, but here I am.
[8:39] Look at verse 9. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them. And he said, all hail. And they beheld him by the feet and worshiped him. Look how Jesus honored these women.
[8:50] Look how he honored these women. The first people, the first people to see him alive are the ladies that were so faithful at the cross. They have been faithful, and the Lord God had noticed it.
[9:03] And they get to see Jesus alive first. They believe and they worship. And they were the first to tell the good news, the first to announce the good news. In verse 10, he said, be afraid.
[9:15] Be not afraid. Go tell them. And look at what he says. Tell them to go into Galilee, and there shall they see me. Now, what you're going to find out in just a second is before he ever died, he said, by the way, boys, after I die, I'll be buried.
[9:27] I'll rise again. And when I rise, I want you all to meet me at this spot right here. I'll see you at that spot. You're going to read that in the Bible. He knew he was going to die. He knew he was going to be buried. He knew he was going to come alive because he's God.
[9:38] And it was all part of a great plan that our God had to get us saved. Look at verse 16, if you would. They had a prearranged meeting place. Then the 11 disciples went away into Galilee under a mountain, where Jesus had appointed them.
[9:54] Look at that. Underline where Jesus had appointed them. I love that. I love reading that and knowing that Jesus tells them. He says, now, guys, they don't hardly even remember this stuff. You know, they're scared to death. They've run away.
[10:04] They don't know what to do. Jesus is dead. He's been buried. It's been three days. They're kind of hard-headed like I am, and they're wondering, is it really true? But when the girls come and say, he's alive, he's alive, and he said he's going to Galilee, and the guys say, oh, we know where he's going to be.
[10:18] He told us where to find him, and we'll go find him and meet him there. After hearing from the ladies, the men knew what to do. They went to Galilee to the place Jesus had already appointed.
[10:29] Obviously, Jesus knew he was going to die. He also knew he was going to rise from the dead. He had already made plans and preparations before that that he would overcome death, and he'd already told them that.
[10:42] In verse 17, the disciples see him finally and worship him while some have doubted. Look at verse 17. They worshiped him. The disciples, some of them are doubting, but they can't believe it.
[10:55] He is really who he said he was, and we see him, and we worship him. You don't worship regular people. You know, you don't worship me, and I don't worship you.
[11:06] I mean, we love each other. We respect each other, but we don't worship each other. But this Jesus is no normal person. He is God in human flesh. He has died. He's been buried, and he's rose from the dead.
[11:18] And so immediately, when all this starts happening in the Bible, the Romans and the Jews, it's really the Jews, they start a cover-up story. They've got to figure it out. As soon as they got him crucified, the Jewish leaders had gone and seen the Roman leaders and said, we've got to do something because they might just come steal his body.
[11:37] And they seal the grave, and they put the world's finest soldiers to watch over the grave. These are the finest soldiers of the day. But these same men tremble and faint.
[11:51] When they see Jesus alive, the stone rolled away and the terrifying angel sitting guard. And even they run and tell. They run into town in verse 11. They say, hey, we were watching, and guess what?
[12:02] He's alive. And the religious crowd bribes the soldiers. You've got to understand, Roman soldiers. Do you remember the story in the book of Acts where the prisoners get away because there's an earthquake and the chains fall off of Paul and Silas?
[12:19] And you know what the soldier does? He grabs his sword and is ready to kill himself because he's lost his post. These guys run to tell what's happened, and they're just simply bribed.
[12:31] In verse 12, large amounts of money was given to them. The story had to be hard to believe. The disciples, fishermen, common, everyday fishermen, not trained, had deceived big soldiers, moved a stone, and stolen the body while the soldiers were asleep.
[12:50] Anybody hearing the story would know, that's crazy. That didn't happen. These well-trained soldiers on guard happened to take a nap, and Peter and James and John and a tax collector named Matthew and other guys came and somehow moved this big stone and somehow got Jesus out of the grave while the soldiers were asleep.
[13:11] That's terrible. They were embarrassed. They were embarrassed, of course, but in verse 14, they said, You just say what we say, and we'll make sure they don't kill you.
[13:22] And so that story was commonly reported. Now notice the reactions to what happens when Jesus rises from the dead, if you would. Notice what it says in verse 4.
[13:34] Terrified. It was a scary thing to think that Jesus would rise from the dead, that the stone would be moved away, and big soldiers were scared to death.
[13:46] I think it's a wonderful thing. When you look at this story and you realize, here's the terror that scares great big Roman soldiers. I can't imagine these guys being afraid. I can't imagine these guys being afraid of anything, but they are terrified.
[13:59] But in the same story, the ladies are comforted. So the big old soldiers are scared and faint, and the ladies are, don't be afraid. Everything's okay. The ladies are, don't be afraid.
[14:10] Everything's okay in verse 5. The angel comforts them, and they are filled with great joy. The angel knew them. He told them not to be afraid. He told them that he knew that they were looking for Jesus, verse 5.
[14:23] He said, You're looking for Jesus. You just happen to be in the wrong place. I don't know what was going on as they came to the grave. I don't know if maybe as they came to the grave, they were like, You know, this is really hard, and this is sad, and somehow we've got to, we just, you know, Jesus is dead.
[14:38] I don't know what's going on in their minds, but they've arrived there to take care of the body. They've arrived there to mourn Jesus' death. They've gone back to the graveyard. But he is not there.
[14:49] The women had to be excited beyond our understanding to know that Jesus, the Messiah, their teacher, their preacher, was alive. Verse 6, He's not here.
[15:00] He is risen. Come see the place where he lay. And so they go like the first witnesses, and they run out and tell the disciples, You know what? Jesus is alive. He is risen from the dead, and he's going ahead of you guys, and he's going to meet you in Galilee.
[15:15] And they were excited and thrilled because it was true. Verse 8, They departed quickly with fear and great joy. They were excited. Jesus is alive.
[15:27] You know, the story is always emphasized. We emphasize two big parts of the story. We love to emphasize his birth, and we love to emphasize his crucifixion. But you know, the wildest part of the story, he's alive.
[15:39] The wildest part of the story is he's alive, and big soldiers are scared to death and passing out and fainting. And women are running to tell the story. Jesus is alive. So the ladies are the first to get to worship him.
[15:52] That's how they did it. They worshiped him. They fell at his feet and realized this Jesus, this Jesus who taught us for three and a half years, this Jesus who worked all the miracles, this Jesus who was a great teacher and a prophet, he's much more than that.
[16:08] He's to be worshiped. They fall at his feet, and they worship him. And then the disciples worshiped him. Then the disciples worshiped him in verse 17. But some of them doubted in verse 17.
[16:21] You know, that's the story of Thomas. They go and tell Thomas didn't show up. They were all together on a Sunday evening service. They're all together. And everybody's there, but Thomas and Jesus comes in, and they see he's alive, and they're worshiping him.
[16:33] They go tell Thomas, and another week later, Thomas shows up. But during the week, Thomas told him, he said, I don't believe that story. And unless I touch him, unless I stick my finger in the wounds, I'm not going to believe a word of it.
[16:44] And Thomas doubted. Just to be honest about Austin, I think I'd probably be a doubter too. If I didn't see it with my own eyes and I didn't touch him with my own eyes, I might be a doubter. But Jesus is alive.
[16:56] That's the story. That's the story. Jesus is alive, and he is to be worshiped. Before I give you the last thing where I'll stay just a few minutes, and I'll give you one more message next week about it, I just want you to realize all the stories in the whole Bible are true.
[17:13] All the story in the book of Matthew now is true. It's not just some great guy. It's not just some great things that have happened. Jesus is God. Jesus is God, and he's died on the cross, and he's been buried, and he's alive.
[17:27] He's alive to live forever. So that means everything he taught, this is the seal of God's approval. This is the seal that it's really true that Jesus died on the cross and is alive and is victorious.
[17:41] And that leads him to what he's going to say next. Look at the verse. Look at the verse, if you would. In verse 18, Jesus said, you see who I am? You see what I've done?
[17:52] Now I'll tell you what I want you to do. Verse 18. Jesus came and spake unto them and saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things which I have commanded you, and lo, I'm with you always, even to the end of the world.
[18:16] Verses 18, 19, and 20 come at the end of a great chapter. He has died, he has been buried, and he's alive again. And in verse 18, after he's proven all that, he says, guys, do you see this?
[18:28] All power is given to me. I have the power to overcome death. You watched me make food. You watched me walk on water. You watched me raise the dead. You watched me do great things.
[18:40] And you might have thought I was a great guy doing great stuff, but more than that, I have been dead for three days and I'm alive. All power is mine. It's a climax. It's a climax.
[18:50] It's a climax from the time he was born in Bethlehem. It's a time when the angels came and spoke to the shepherds. It's a time when the wise men came and saw Jesus. It's a time of growing up.
[19:01] It's a time of everything that's happened in Matthew. He said, all right, we're to the point now. We're to the point. Do you see who I am? Do you understand who I am?
[19:11] Do you understand that I died on a cross, that I rose again, that I have all power, all authority? I can say anything I want to say. You got to understand these apostles maybe questioned him the day before.
[19:23] They may have said, I doubt you, like the doubt in Thomas did. They may have doubted him, but now there's no doubt. He's alive. They've seen him.
[19:34] And he says, now you know. If I could somehow get you to go with me through the story, I'd like to beg you to consider what's going on. I'd like you to realize that it's all true.
[19:47] I'd like you to realize that everything Jesus said is true. And he's standing there before them after all this long story. And he looks at them and says, do you understand who's talking to you now? Do you understand I have all power?
[19:59] I have all authority. I am all that's in heaven and all that's on earth. Do you realize who I am? If you do, I'm about to ask you to do something with the rest of your lives.
[20:11] I'm about to ask you to do something with everything because of who I am. All power, all authority is given to me from God, all in heaven, all on earth.
[20:21] It's all mine. I am. I am the God of heaven. Do you see that? Can you stop a second and think about that? Can you think about this as the God of heaven?
[20:36] And he's standing there and then he says to those apostles, the little nucleus of the church that's assembled, they've been meeting with him. They've been listening to him. They've taken the supper.
[20:48] He told them before he died, I'll be dead, but I'll rise again. They can destroy this temple, but in three days I'll build it again. He's told them all those stories. And now he says to them, and when I die, I'll tell you where to meet me.
[20:59] I'll be there. They watch him beaten and whipped and his body destroyed to the point he looks like no man and he's buried. They've wrapped his body. They know he's dead.
[21:10] They know he's dead. He's been dead for three days and now he's alive. And he says, now you know who I am. This is not some teacher.
[21:20] This is not some preacher. This is not some guy who knows a lot of stuff. This is not a magician. I have done what no one else has ever done or can do.
[21:31] I am God. Now here's what I want you to do. Now go with me to Matthew 28, 19. Our church has been built around believing everything we've talked about.
[21:44] Our church has been built around believing everything we've talked about. We believe everything Matthew says. We believe that Jesus is who he says he is. And then Jesus has now stood up and announced to all of his apostles that he says this.
[21:56] Go ye therefore. Why are you going to go? Therefore, why are you going to go? Because I am who I said I was. I have the power to do it because I am God. I was dead and I am alive and I'm a resurrection.
[22:08] And you've seen me and you've touched me. You know I'm alive. Now go. He told the ladies, he said the angel told the ladies to go. Now he tells the apostles, he tells the early church, go and teach all nations.
[22:22] Now understand, there's only a handful of people by now. When they get together in Acts chapter 1 and 2, there will only be 120 people there, counting women.
[22:33] The largest number I know about that will get together as they talk will be the 500. Earlier we know about the 70 he sent out to witness. There were hundreds, there were thousands of people that heard him preach, but most of them have now fled and run and gone.
[22:46] There's only a handful left. But he said, now that you know who I am. That resurrection did such a big thing in their lives that this handful of people in a little bitty place in Israel would then turn the world upside down in the next 100 years.
[23:01] The entire world will be in shock that Jesus, this carpenter's son who did all these miracles and who was all this great guy who died on a cross that was buried in Rhodes again was so true and so what they thought that these guys risk everything to take the gospel message to the world.
[23:21] Could I just say to you that you and I believe that? How many of you believe he is really God? Say amen. How many of you believe we're here today doing this because of some religious custom or religious?
[23:32] We're just here because, well, that's what we Americans do. You know, some people are Muslims and some people are Christians and some people are other things. That's not why we're here. We're here today because we believe with all of our heart that Jesus is God.
[23:47] We believe that the word of God is true. So we are told to go and teach all nations. Underline in your Bible, teach all nations. First of all nations.
[23:59] This handful of people are going to leave. And over the next part of the Bible, from Acts on forward, they're going to take the gospel from their town. They're going to fill the city of Jerusalem.
[24:10] Everybody in Jerusalem is going to know all about Jesus. They're going to fill it and seek to bring the blood of Jesus on the head of those Jewish leaders. That's what they say. That's really not their purpose.
[24:21] Then God is going to disperse them all across the world. Then he's going to get to Antioch and the whole world is going to begin to hear. And they're going to tell the world. They're going to turn the world upside down even.
[24:32] That's what the Bible said in the book of Acts. Go and teach all nations. As a church, by the grace of God, you are loving people no matter what their skin color is. I thank you for that.
[24:43] You are welcoming everybody that comes into our church. But we're under orders because we believe that God really is God. We believe that Jesus is God and we know that there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby people can be saved.
[24:57] We know that it's God and God alone. So he says, go and teach all nations. Underline that word teach. You know what that meant? You got to go teach them.
[25:08] So I want to challenge you to get involved in teaching people. By the way, you know what you do? You teach them before they get baptized. Would you look at the verse? Where does the teach part come in?
[25:18] It comes in before they get baptized. They're going to get baptized next. Go therefore and teach all nations. You know why? Because people don't get saved if they don't understand. That's why you must understand the gospel message.
[25:31] You must understand how Jesus died on the cross and rose again. You must understand what salvation is. We are to teach. We are to make disciples. We're to train people so they're ready to say, I truly believe.
[25:45] Can you imagine our missionaries in China? And they walk into a room of people that don't even know about him, don't know about God. Or the guys in India where literally Jesus is very unheard of and they don't know about him.
[25:58] And they walk into a room and they say, let me teach you who he was. And they explain all this to them and they get saved. And then one day they baptize like you saw happen today. You realize it would take a lot of teaching to get a guy to get in a baptistry and get wet.
[26:11] Why you got to put me under all that water? Why you got to do all this in front of everybody? Because it's what the Bible teaches. So I'd like to ask you, if you're not involved in discipleship, if you're not being taught the things of the Bible, I'd like to ask you to get taught.
[26:26] I'd like you to get what John Pearson did in the offering devotion. I'd like you to say, I got to know this stuff. I got to be able to tell people this stuff. Do you believe that he has all power? Do you believe he has all authority? Do you believe he's done all the great stuff?
[26:38] If you do, you got to go tell somebody. You don't have to be some confrontational at the door, grab them by the throat, soul winner, but you do have to share the truth. You have to share the truth.
[26:48] People have to know. People have to know. Let me just stop and tell you something. Why did Jesus die in the first place? Why did he die in the first place? He died because men are without God.
[27:02] And men are going to die and go to hell forever. There's a place of punishment. There's a real hell. Somehow we don't think about it until somebody we love dies. Somehow we don't think about it until somebody we love is sick.
[27:15] We want to call a priest in at the last minute. We want to call somebody to pray them out. We want to do something to save them. We've got to know. They need to know the truth. Somehow you need to find a ministry.
[27:27] You need to get involved and say, hey, I believe all this, so I've got to tell somebody else about Jesus. Go and teach all nations. Then we baptize. Who do we baptize?
[27:38] Taught people. Look at the verse. We baptize, taught people. Go and teach all nations. So they're taught. They understand. What do they understand? They understand they've sinned. They understand they deserve to go to hell.
[27:50] They understand that Jesus is God. They understand the only way, the only way to get things right with God is by what Jesus did on the cross. And they trust Jesus, that he really was God and he really did die.
[28:02] That's who we baptize. We baptize in a certain way. We baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. One God, three persons, all equal, not the same person, but all the same person.
[28:16] We baptize in that name. We know that. So when we come in, we say, all right, look, we're not baptizing you in the name of the Baptist. We're not baptizing you in the name of our pastor. We're not baptizing you in your name.
[28:28] We're not baptizing you to give you a name. We're baptizing you because you are publicly saying, I've been taught and I believe. I've been taught enough to understand.
[28:40] Romans 10, 13. And the Bible said that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Then it says, but how can they call on him? How can they call on him if they have not believed? And how can they believe if they have not heard?
[28:51] And how can they hear if they don't have a preacher? So you get baptized saying, I've been taught. You get baptized saying, I understood who I was. I understood I deserved to go to hell. I understood that there's only one God and only one way to God.
[29:05] That's through Jesus. I understood that. So there's a third part. This is what our whole missions program is about. This verse right here. This verse right here. He said, go with me back to Matthew chapter 28, 19 and 20.
[29:18] In 19 he says, go. Then he says, baptize. And then he gives a third part, which means we have to support missionaries who start churches. Look at verse 20. He says, after you baptize them, after you baptize them, teach them to observe.
[29:33] So I teach them until they get baptized. I teach them until they believe. When they believe, they get baptized. When they get baptized, we keep teaching them. That's why we come every Sunday. That's why we come on Sunday night.
[29:43] That's why we come on midweek service. Because we're studying and teaching. We got a big book. We've been preaching for 10 years and we still got tons of it left that haven't touched. And many people didn't hear other parts of it that's got to be repeated and gone over and over.
[29:57] So it says, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I've commanded you. Well, what gives you the right to command us, Jesus? What gives you the right to tell us what we're to believe and what we're to do and how we're to act?
[30:08] What gives you the right? Go back to verse 18. I have the right. I have the power. I am God. I did die on a cross. I did pay for your sins. I did do all of that and I was dead and buried and now I'm alive.
[30:21] And because I'm alive, I can save you and I can make that difference in your life. So go back with me if you would to verse 20. Go back with me if you would to verse 20 and see what the Bible says.
[30:32] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. So you know what? I got a whole big book right here and we need to learn it. That's why you need to be in a Sunday school class.
[30:44] That's why you need to be teaching a Sunday school class. That's why you need to have a discipleship group going. That's why you need to be involved in this. Because not only did you get taught so you wouldn't go to hell, but you got taught so you know about Jesus and get saved.
[30:56] You got baptized because of that. But this never stops. We don't ever stop. We do it all the way. Then he makes them a great promise and I'm through it. Look at the promise in verse 20 if you would. I'm with you.
[31:09] All the way to the end of the world. You say, well, how could he say that? Well, he could say that because he was dead just a few minutes ago. And now he's alive.
[31:21] And he's alive forevermore. And he says to them, now you know who I am. You remember how I was born? Let's go back to Matthew chapter 1. Matthew's telling a story here to prove that Jesus is the king.
[31:32] He's God in human flesh. And in Matthew 1, he's born. And you take all the way to the story. Now he's died. We watched him die. Now he's been buried and he's been dead for three days and three nights.
[31:43] And now he's alive and he says, hey, I want you to go tell everybody, but I'll never send you alone. In just a few days, he'll send the Holy Spirit. He'll go with them. Go with us from now to the end of the world. That's the story.
[31:55] So as a church, are you giving to faith promised missions? Are you helping get missionaries out? Are you involved in what we do as a church to get the gospel around the world? Because, see, we're under commands here.
[32:08] He stood up in verse 18 and said, I have all authority. I have all power. I have overcome death in the grave. I'm alive forevermore. And I can tell you what I want you to do. And he said, I want you all to go.
[32:18] Well, not all of us are going to go, but we all ought to be praying. And we all ought to be giving. And we all ought to be sending missionaries around the world. He has the authority. He has the power to tell us to do that. And then some of you, your children are going overseas.
[32:31] And it's a scary thing. They live in some crazy countries where some crazy stuff could take place. And it might scare you to think about that, but you have a promise. Jesus, I will be with you.
[32:45] I will be with you. So whatever your child is, wherever they go, whatever place they preach, whatever place they teach, whatever place they're involved in ministry, you can remember one thing. They will have Jesus with them.
[32:57] A born-again person never, ever goes without him. Last one. Did you know if you'll go share the gospel today, if you'll share it with your family member, if you'll share it with your neighbor, if you'll share it with the person you work with, you have a promise you'll never be alone.
[33:10] Witnessing to them. Never. He's always with us. He is always with us. He's in their room right now. He promised he'd be in special meetings like this, but when you go home and you're all by yourself, the Holy Spirit of God lives in you, dwells in you.
[33:25] You are his temple. You are never alone. So here's Matthew 28 in a nutshell. Yeah? I overcame the grave. I died, I was buried, and I rose again, and now I want everybody to know it.
[33:39] I want the world to know it. Some of us might question, why would we tell Muslims, and why would we tell atheists, and why would we tell Hindus, and why would we, everybody's got their own God. We're under orders.
[33:50] There's only one who was dead, and buried, and rose again, and that's Jesus. Let's tell the world. This message was recorded at Vision Baptist Church in Alfred, Georgia.
[34:05] For more information, log on to www.visionbaptist.com, where you can find our service times, location, contact information, and more audio and video recordings.