Resurrection: The Dawn of the New Creation

1 Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave.

This text in Matthew so wonderful sets us up for a great contrast and a great reversal. We are coming out of discouragement, defeat darkness, and death. We see the proud enemies of God and his Christ seem to be closing in on victory themselves. To a new morning, a new beginning. The sun is coming up to run its circuit to dispel the darkness of night, and so the Son, Jesus the light of the new creation is dawning with his glorious and victorious brightness over death, sin, and Satan. We might say, at the beginning of the New Creation. We are coming into a new era. Israel’s Sabbath is come to an end because true Israel is here in Christ. The Israel of God has moved beyond the anticipatory Sabbath rest to a victorious Sabbath rest. Rather than end the week with hope and anticipation of rest coming. We begin with rest and redemption accomplished, rest entered into. The promise rest has come in Christ though it’s consummation awaits.

2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.

Why the earthquake? Because of the magnitude of the event. Because a seismic shift has taken place for all of humanity and all of human history. At the suffering and death of the Son of God-as the wrath of God is being pored out on his beloved Son for his people, the earth goes dark, in the middle of the day, the veil of the temple is torn in half, people are raised from the dead. Something cosmic is happening. And so here, Christ has risen from the dead. Death and Satan and hell have been conquered. Never in human history until now. Spiritual power and authority have been overthrown and plundered, how could the earth the physical realm not respond. The entire calendar will change because of the cosmic shifting event of resurrection.

The angel rolls away the stone and sits upon it in defiance of sin and death. They no longer hold power over those who have died in Christ. Death where your victory….. where is your sting?

3 And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men.

Roman soldiers are the badest of the bad in terms of toughness. I suppose we could compare them to modern day navy seals. There were not many things that could terrify them, let alone make them come into a paralyzed state. But the dazzling purity and brightness of the angel of the Lord does just that. There is a play on words here. The ASV captures it well, “there was a great earthquake….and the watchers did quake.”

And this is the proper posture before an angel of the Lord. How much more terrifying for those who remain in unbelief will it be when Christ himself comes to render judgement surrounded by the angelic hosts. The mightiest on the earth will cry out in terror to be hidden from such a sight.

5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified.

The guards get no further mention. But the women here are addressed emphatically. Be not afraid you. In contrast to the guards. They can stay quaking and ought to, but You two, fear not, for I know that you seek Jesus. If you are seeking Jesus this morning, you need not fear. But only if you are seeking the crucified Jesus. He is only to be found at the cross. The cross is where he is sought for refuge. Refuge from sin. He is sought by many for temporal benefits, but few seek him out of spiritual destitution. Do you seek him as crucified, as a substitution for you. Because it’s only there that he is found. It’s further, that is to find him in love. Mary Magdalene had been forgiven much, and therefore loved much as is demonstrated in her seeking. She sought the One who had made her well who had made her whole.

6 “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.

As the Scriptures said and as Jesus said are one and the same thing.

What Jesus said about his death and resurrection are what the Scriptures said.

7 “Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.”

8 And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples.

9 And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him.

It is fitting to worship God, it is the only fitting thing for a creature to do is worship God your creator and sustainer. If that’s the case-which it is- then it is fitting to worship Jesus. It is the only fitting and appropriate thing to do. Because Jesus is God from God. He is your Creator, Sustainer and Redeemer. This is what drove the Trinitarian theologians of the first several centuries of the church. If Jesus is not truly God, then to worship him is idolatry. But he is God. Jesus is the same God confessed in the Shema. Deuteronomy 6:4 “4 “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!”

Deuteronomy 6:13–15 “13 “You shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name. 14 “You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you, 15 for the Lord your God in the midst of you is a jealous God; otherwise the anger of the Lord your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth.”

The Nicene creed so beautifully and brilliantly lays out the substantial unity of the Father and Son before those staggering words who for us men and for our salvation are put down.

We believe in One God the Father almighty

And in One Lord Jesus Christ

See, their different God’s one might say…..Not unless you’re willing to say that Israel had two God’s. Their is one God and one Lord for us. One Lord God.

10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.””

Jesus confirms their worship of him. Because of everything we learned in the last verse. He doesn’t reject it. Angels should reject worship as they so often do very quickly throughout the Scriptures. But Jesus accepts it, and utters those recurring words found throughout Scripture only uttered by the Lord, or with his authority, “fear not”. “Fear not”.

First, fear is appropriate.

A lot of people claim to have had visions of Jesus. What to make of them, I don’t care to make any statements other than how inconsistent with the Scriptures so many of them are. What happens when one comes to the reality that in Christ they are encountering the living God. The bow down in fear, they tremble. I have a hard enough time accepting the fact that Jesus gives someone a vision of himself at this point in redemptive history, let alone an account where the one seeing him is not stricken with terror. Where you aware that you were standing in the presence of God? How did you respond? The women here, the disciples, the apostle Paul, the apostle John.

And this terror must remain upon the creature until God speaks a word of peace. “Fear not.”

It implies that he is for them. He is there in power to provide and protect them. This is what Jesus speaks to the women. He speaks the same word of comfort to us. He speaks both law and gospel to us. The believer must hear the terrors of the law, the justice required by the law all throughout their Christian life. Because the old man is not gone. The flesh still wants to rule and reign. The law is good and holy, and we love the law. The Christian loves the law, because it drives us to Christ, it drives us to the gospel. Many christians and nominal Christians today are given a false word comfort. They are told God is not to be feared anymore, or the law of God is not binding any more for the Christian. But when this is the case, how can there be a genuine proclamation of the gospel? How can you grow and further delight in Christ if you no longer have the measure of God’s holy character as a rule in your life. The truth is that you won’t and can’t, and nominal Christians will remain nominal, and the growth of many Christian men and women will be stunted.

If the law of God to you is, oh, I can’t do that because God says don’t do it. If the law is restrictive to you, meaning, I can’t do all those things and live like that because the 10 commandments don’t allow it. That should tell us one of two things, at best, the person thinking this way or speaking this way has an immature view of the Scriptures teaching on law and gospel. At worst that person may be unregenerate. Because where is the law written in the new covenant? On the heart. The NC believer operates out of love for God’s law in other words. The Christian life is one of ongoing confession and repentance and faith working through love, striving to live out that newness of the life we have in Christ. Repentance and Faith are the lot of the Christian.

So often misunderstood is the binding nature of the law. The Christian is free from the law as a principle of condemnation. 100 percent. But the Christian is not free from the law as a principle of gratitude. Nor would he or she want to be. It’s impossible because its written on their hearts. Imitate Christ in this way. Psalm 119 is more Christ’s song and prayer than it is David’s. He is both the Subject and Author of it.

But when the word of God’s law is thundered forth, then and only then will the word of God’s comfort, comfort from God’s own mouth, “fear not” will be genuine to the heart and sweet to the taste. Then Jesus can say, yes, you ought to fear, you have earned and deserved a just condemnation. You have earned an eterrnity under the just wrath of God. But you who seek me the crucified one. I lived and died for you, I was crucified for you. My whole life is for you. My resurrection and ascension are to your benefit now and to eternity. Fear not, find comfort in me and me alone. Your only comfort in life in death is that in fact you do belong to me and I to you.

And the resurrection is the guarantee that the condemning power of the law is no longer holds us. We are free to serve without fear of condemnation.

And go and tell this good news to my disciples. Go tell it to all the earth. Go and make disciples of all the nations. Baptizing them in the Name of the triune God, teaching them to observe all that I command you.

How? Because all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. And, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

I was in the study working on this sermon on Thursday, and I am listening and being distracted by the kids fighting about something, we babysit a set of twin boys on Thursday’s so the total is 5. It seemed there was some kind of constant bickering for a couple hours. Not only was I being distracted, but annoyed, and frustrated. It was a reminder that things can still be so chaotic sometimes. Not only outward, but inward.

And I began to think about the only cure for this chaos. which is certainly regeneration, but ultimately glorification. Which is our hope

I was given a renewed sense of what I look toward, what is not yet. My certain and fixed hope, which is right here in our text. Jesus standing amongst his disciples in that body that we one day will put on. It is certain, it is coming, our glorification is as certain as the regenerative saving power we have experienced and continue to experience. But until then, there is a striving, a wrestling, there are many evil days ahead. Suffering. That’s what it is while we press on in these old houses.