Participants: Glenn Russell & Ranko Stefanovic (Host)
Series Code: MTBOTB
Program Code: MTBOTB000026B
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00:01 Welcome back to our study of the resurrection of our Lord
00:04 and Savior Jesus Christ. 00:06 Ranko, this was such a vital historical event 00:11 central to the New Testament. 00:14 Glenn, when we are talking about the resurrection of Jesus, 00:18 we are talking about one of the legends. 00:22 The product of the imagination of a certain group of people. 00:27 Today we have a problem. 00:32 People who are even educated who doubt that the miraculous 00:38 resurrection can even happen. 00:40 The consequence is Jesus did not resurrect. 00:44 However, the early disciples, and the followers of Jesus 00:50 did not have any problem with that. Yeah! Why? 00:54 Actually, I would like, Glenn, that we go to one of the 00:58 Biblical texts. It's not in the gospel of Matthew. 00:59 It's about the apostle Paul. 01:02 The apostle Paul, you know, was not a follower of Jesus. 01:06 He was not among those early, early disciples. 01:08 He actually joined the group a little bit later. 01:11 But for Paul there was not any doubt that the crucified Jesus 01:16 whom he preached actually resurrected. 01:18 And let's see what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8. 01:24 This is such a great passage because it combines 01:27 the importance and the reality. Yes, yes. 01:30 For I delivered to you as of first importance 01:33 what I also received,... 01:35 And now we find really the essence of New Testament 01:38 preaching. This is what the gospel is. 01:39 This is what it is. 01:40 ...that Christ died for our sins in accordance 01:42 with the scriptures; (first event), that He was buried, 01:45 (and thirdly), that He was raised on the third day 01:49 in accordance with the Scriptures, 01:51 and that He appeared to Cephas, and the twelve. 01:53 Glenn, sorry for interrupting you. 01:54 I just have to take a few moments. 01:56 I'm taking advantage of that. 01:59 What was the core of the early gospel 02:03 that the disciples preached? 02:05 Death, burial, and the resurrection of Jesus. 02:09 Please, I'd like to turn the attention of the viewers today. 02:12 What is the core today of the Christian's belief? 02:15 What is it that we talk the most and celebrate even 02:19 for several weeks? It's the birth of Jesus. 02:20 Christmas. 02:22 When Easter comes we just mention it one weekend, etc. 02:27 But we pay; somehow we reverse the meaning of that. 02:30 Of course, the birth of Jesus is important. 02:34 But actually it is the death of Jesus, and the resurrection 02:39 that provides the Christians with the hope that our future 02:44 is determined, that our future is settled with God, because He 02:50 paid the ransom for us on the cross of Calvary. 02:53 In the Scriptures those two events are tied together. 02:55 Those three events: the cross, the burial, the resurrection, 02:58 are all tired together. 03:00 So let's see how certain this is. 03:01 And that he appeared to Cephas, or Peter, then to the twelve, 03:05 then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren 03:07 at one time; most of whom are still alive,... 03:10 Witnesses: over five hundred. 03:12 ...though some have fallen asleep. 03:15 Then he appeared to James; then to all the apostles. 03:17 Last of all, as to one ultimately born, 03:20 he appeared also to me. 03:22 Why, why early Christians? 03:24 Why did the early Christians have any problem 03:26 with the resurrection of Jesus? 03:27 Come on, Glenn, you can have two or three people; 03:30 can they lie? Of course! Yeah. 03:31 You can even have five people and they can lie. 03:34 You can have ten people and they can bring something 03:37 that never happened. 03:39 But when you compare them you can be sure that they lied. 03:42 But if you have, he doesn't say five hundred...It's more than. 03:47 ...more than five hundred, plus twelve, plus a few others, 03:51 plus women... Yes. 03:54 ...believe me that testimony is trustworthy. 03:57 There's not any doubt that something like that happened. 04:00 And we'll see a great testimony is what they do about it. 04:03 It changes their lives completely. 04:05 It changes their lives! Now let's go back to Matthew. 04:08 So the Christian's faith is based on the firm foundation. 04:11 Our Lord really is risen. 04:14 And let's go back to Matthew Chapter 28. Please. 04:17 The women, who really couldn't in the court of law be 04:20 witnesses, so we need some men to come along 04:22 and help as witnesses. 04:24 So who are the first missionaries? The women. 04:27 In the gospel they were women of the gospel that Paul talks 04:29 about in 1 Corinthians in Chapter 15. 04:32 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy 04:35 and ran to tell his disciples. 04:36 Verse 9 of Matthew 28. 04:38 And behold Jesus met them and said, Hail. 04:40 And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshipped him. 04:44 Ranko, you've lost your parents. 04:46 I've lost my parents. 04:48 There's a cemetery in Berrien Springs where my mother 04:51 and father are buried. 04:53 The resurrection is not a doctrine; it's our hope. 04:55 It's a blessed hope, as Paul says in Thessalonians. 04:58 Can I say something else? You say it's hope. 05:00 I would just, Glenn, add one more element. 05:02 Resurrection is a personal experience. 05:05 If you have any doubt about the resurrection of Jesus; 05:08 that He is alive, please surrender your life to Him. 05:14 Establish a relationship with Him, and you will have strong 05:17 evidence that our Lord is still alive. 05:21 He is real. 05:23 His promise is real, and one day we will see Him at the 05:29 Second Coming of Christ. 05:31 You know you almost feel like breaking out into that 05:33 great gospel song, He Lives. He lives. 05:36 I serve a risen Savior. 05:37 That's what we're finding here in this wonderful story. 05:41 Jesus says, Don't be afraid. 05:44 They have worshipped Him; but there is something more. 05:47 The gospel isn't done. 05:49 We have a risen Savior. 05:50 And they're worshipping that risen Lord, 05:52 but there's something else that's left. 05:54 Ranko, they have a task. They have a purpose. 05:56 Actually for me, since I was a child, Verse 10 left an 06:03 impression on my mind. 06:04 Can you imagine, the disciples were sleeping 06:06 in the garden of Gethsemane. 06:08 When Jesus was arrested they fled away leaving Jesus. 06:11 Full of doubts; boy what a bunch! 06:16 Ha ha ha, just like us! 06:17 But listen, the first thing; this is the first message. 06:21 These are actually the first words of Jesus 06:24 after His resurrection. 06:25 He says, Do not be afraid. 06:28 Go and tell my disciples, my brethren, Jesus called them. 06:34 Remember we talked about "if your brother sins"; 06:38 what Jesus said. Go to Galilee. 06:41 I will meet you there. 06:45 He restores Peter. 06:46 He commissions the disciples. 06:48 What a loving Lord. 06:50 And then how does the gospel of Matthew end? 06:54 Would you read Verses 16-20? 06:57 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain 07:01 to which Jesus had directed them. 07:02 And when they saw him they worshipped him. 07:05 Again, they worshipped Him... 07:06 Worship always goes with the fact that Jesus resurrected. 07:10 Yes. ...but some doubted. 07:11 And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven 07:15 and on earth has been given to me. 07:17 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them 07:22 in the name of the Father, and of the Son, 07:25 and of the Holy Spirit: Teaching them to observe all that 07:28 I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, 07:31 to the end of the age. 07:33 What a promise! 07:36 This is according to the gospel of Matthew. 07:38 The last commission that Jesus gave to His disciples. 07:43 You know that I'm alive. 07:45 You know that I resurrected. 07:47 Take this message and proclaim to others; to whom? 07:52 to all nations. 07:54 Dear viewers, to all nations; to all people on the earth; 07:58 you and me included. 07:59 The promise is both spatial and temporal. 08:03 It's to all the earth, and it's through all time. What more. 08:07 So, go to preach to all people, including me. Yes. 08:09 But when that message reaches my heart where am I supposed to go? 08:14 Now the great commission implies to me; let me now go 08:17 and proclaim that gospel that Jesus died, He resurrected, 08:23 He ascended there to the heavenly places. 08:27 Yes. 08:29 And His presence is with us always. 08:32 How long all of this? 08:34 Until the very end of the age. 08:35 We believe that we live at the end of the age. 08:40 So His promise is still valid and of concern 08:43 to each one of us. 08:45 We're to become disciples and then go and make disciples... 08:49 Yes. of the one that we're following: Jesus our Savior. 08:52 Now Ranko, we've taken quite a journey here, and we've only 08:56 touched a few things. 08:57 We certainly can't feel that all of the gospel of Matthew 09:02 has been explored. 09:03 What should we think about now as we come to these last verses? 09:08 What should be next? 09:10 We should continue to study. 09:11 We should continue to pray. 09:13 Friends, when we reflect on what we have covered so far 09:18 from the gospel of Matthew, there is one thing 09:20 that we understand. 09:22 Jesus came to save His people from their sins. 09:25 He died for us. 09:26 And He is offering to us that great salvation, 09:30 and that salvation, what Jesus did for us, is understandable, 09:35 expensive, very expensive. 09:37 It cost the death of the Son of God. 09:40 But at the same time it is free. 09:42 It's not cheap; it's very expensive. 09:44 But it is freely offered to us. 09:48 As we went through the gospel of Matthew we could just touch 09:54 here and there some texts. 09:56 We could not cover all the Biblical texts. 10:00 And the purpose of this series was not to instruct us, 10:03 and to tell us everything, that we can know about Jesus 10:07 from the gospel of Matthew. 10:08 It's simply to stimulate us; to move us for further study. 10:12 Am I correct, Glenn? 10:14 We've really been just on the edges of an ocean of truth. Yes. 10:18 And we're humbled by this experience. 10:21 I want to encourage you, viewer. 10:22 Spend some time in God's Word; dig deeper. 10:25 That's the whole purpose of this Books of the Book series; 10:28 to have us go deeper into God's Word. 10:30 There's so much more to explore. 10:32 But, Ranko, if I may, we talked about the close of the age. 10:38 Now Matthew doesn't go into that close of the age, 10:41 but we've got to go to Revelation for a little bit. 10:44 How does this story end? 10:47 You see, during this series we try to have a glimpse 10:51 into the face of Jesus. 10:54 I wonder how the disciples felt, you know, watching that 10:58 face of Jesus from day to day, from day to day. 11:02 There is one special song that I cherish. 11:06 I like to listen to that song. 11:08 I was not there in that multitude watching people 11:13 ascending there to the heavenly places. 11:15 I wonder how the disciples felt when Jesus was ascending there 11:19 to the heavenly places. 11:20 But certainly I want to be in that multitude who see Jesus 11:27 when He comes down from heaven for the second time. 11:31 As you mentioned in the book of Revelation, in Chapter 21 11:35 and in Chapter 22, we read that one day we will have that great 11:41 opportunity and privilege to watch and to see the face of 11:45 Jesus and to watch that face through all eternity. 11:48 What a privilege! 11:49 I want to be sure to be there. 11:51 There's nothing in this world that would make me want to 11:56 miss that experience of seeing my Savior face to face. 12:00 And, Glenn, we will not have a need of the gospel of Matthew, 12:06 or Luke, or Mark, or John any longer. 12:09 We don't need that any longer because we will see Him 12:13 face to face. 12:14 We've been looking, as Paul says, through the glass darkly. 12:19 But there will come a day when that, the sickness, the disease, 12:26 all those things that Revelation 21 and 22 talks about; 12:29 it'll be a new day, a new world, but the same Savior. 12:33 We see here how the Holy Spirit used one person who had a very, 12:39 very problematic past: a tax collector 12:41 by the name of Matthew. 12:43 He used his talents, inspired him, motivated him, to write 12:49 that account of the life of Jesus. 12:51 Please take this gospel and study for yourself to get much 12:56 deeper insight into the life of Jesus, until He comes again, 13:01 and we'll be with Him through all eternity. |
Revised 2024-01-18