“The Witness of God Is Greater” sermon teaches us that Jesus’ resurrection is historical truth and because He lives, we also shall live.

Matthew chapter 28. In just a moment, we’ll be reading verse 6, and then we’ll go back and look at verses 1-12. Begin with Matthew 28 and verse 6:

Matthew 28:6: “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”

That empty tomb, and if you were with us at the 6:45 hour, we talked about the hope of the empty tomb. That empty tomb makes all the difference in all the universe. That empty tomb is proof that Jesus Christ rose from the grave, and the fact that he rose from the grave is proof that the entire Gospel message is true.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians, he says that if Christ be not risen from the dead, then is our hope in vain. Our message is in vain, and you are yet in your sins. We are of all men most miserable because we have believed a lie.

But later in that chapter, he says, “But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that slept.” So, we’re here on the first day of the week because Jesus rose on the first day of the week.

The Uncontroversial Truth of the Resurrection

The fact of the resurrection is not a fantasy. It’s not a fairy tale. It’s documented history. “Documented history? You mean historians have written about absolutely historians have written about it?” Many of the stories of those who have set out to disprove the resurrection come to the conclusion that it was indeed truth, and it is truth. Now, if you’re sitting there saying, “Well, can you name some people who’ve done that? They didn’t believe the resurrection, they went to study it, and they found out it was true.” Well, yes, thank you for asking. As a matter of fact, I was going to do that. I’m going to name some of them, at least a couple.

The first one I knew of who did that, and certainly not the first person to do it, but the first that I knew of, many years ago, was a man named Josh McDowell. I do not know him personally, I’ve heard him speak in person, but I have not met him personally. But he wrote about his study and research on the resurrection in a book titled “Evidence That Demands a Verdict.” He lays out the evidence there and says, “You’ve got to decide, is this true, or isn’t it?”

I want to quote from that book. Josh McDowell wrote this quote: “The resurrection of Jesus Christ is supported by some of the most marvelous evidence on record. For example, both Jewish and Roman sources, totally apart from the Bible and tradition, confirm that it is a historical fact that Jesus’ tomb was empty on the third day.” He said, “Look, when you get your enemies to agree with you, you’re on pretty solid ground.”

Critics have many theories to explain away Jesus’ bodily resurrection, and I can tell you this. I think I have read all the great thinkers. I think I’ve read all the thinkers that think they’re great, and not one of them has come close to satisfying my intellectual curiosity that if Christ wasn’t raised from the dead, what happened in the lives of the apostles, and how in the world could the church have ever been created? Because it was based on one thing, an empty tomb, and the appearances of Jesus for 40 days.”

More recently, Lee Strobel had a similar experience. He didn’t believe in Jesus. He didn’t believe the Bible. He didn’t believe in Christianity at all, thought it was all fake and a hoax, a myth at best. And then he set out. He researched the resurrection, and his goal was to prove it false. He was an investigative reporter for the Chicago Tribune newspaper, and he wanted to prove that the resurrection once and for all, prove it was false.

So, he wrote a book titled “The Case for Christ.” I’m going to quote from that book Lee Stroble wrote, “In short, I didn’t become a Christian because God promised I would have an even happier life than I had as an atheist. He never promised any such thing. Indeed, following Him would inevitably bring divine demotions in the eyes of the world. Rather, I became a Christian because the evidence was so compelling that Jesus really is the one and only Son of God, who proved His divinity by rising from the dead. That meant following Him was the most rational and logical step I could possibly take.”

One more, Charles Spurgeon, who preached and pastored in London a century and a half ago, and yet he’s considered one of the greatest preachers of the last 200 years. He wrote volumes of books, but let me just give you one quote from him. Spurgeon said, “The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is one of the best-attested facts on record. There are so many witnesses to behold it that if we do in the least degree receive the credibility of men’s testimonies, we cannot and dare not doubt that Jesus rose from the dead.”

Now, these are great testimonies. I’ve given you three great testimonies of men who studied the resurrection, studied the facts of it historically, and otherwise, and they came to the conclusion it is an absolute, uncontroversial truth. These are great testimonies. These are people convinced by the evidence. I can’t argue with any of them. These men did their homework, they researched, they approached it, at least two of them, from the opposition side of things, and they became convinced. But as learned and honest as these men are, as expert as their testimonies are, not one of them was an actual eyewitness to the resurrection. Not one can say, as we heard in the song, “I was there.” Not one could say, “I saw Him after He rose.” There are people who did, many people who did.

Eyewitnesses of Jesus

If you read the book of Acts chapter one, you’re going to find out that the qualifications to be an apostle were these: You had to be a person chosen by the Lord Jesus himself; you had to be a person who was personally trained by the Lord Jesus for at least three years; and you had to be an eyewitness of His resurrection. If you didn’t meet all three of those qualifications, you’re not an apostle.

Now, a lot of folks call themselves apostles today, and they can do that. The word actually means sent one or one who’s sent on a mission. Literally, it’s what it means, one sent on a mission. So, if you’re sent on a mission and you want to call yourself an apostle, I suppose you could do that. But if you’re talking about the apostles, unless you were personally trained by the Lord Jesus, called by the Lord Jesus, and you’re an eyewitness of His resurrection, you’re not one of the apostles. It’s a very, very limited club.

The Apostle John qualified for that, and I want you to listen carefully to what he had to say. He said, “If we receive the witness of men,” – and I’ve just shared with you the witness of men.

1 John 5:9: “If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.”

“If we receive the witness of men,” – and we do, “the witness of God is greater.” So, that’s what I want you to look at with me this morning, the witness of God. Look at verse one, if you will, and you’ll see the end and the beginning.

Matthew 28:1: “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 sepulchre.”

So, they come when? At dawn. What day? The first day of the week. The Sabbath is ended, and the new day is beginning. That first day of the week, that’s what dawn does. It takes us from the end of the previous day and brings us into a brand-new day. Why, you’d think it was designed to be that way, wouldn’t you? The physical changing of time is meant here by dawn, but the night had been dark for Jesus and his disciples. For the disciples, it had been a time of hopelessness, a time of fear, confusion, and doubt.

But the day was beginning to dawn. The sun has risen at the end of the Sabbath. Matthew writes, “As it began to dawn towards the first day of the week,” these faithful women came. Women who loved the Lord came to the tomb. This will be for them the end of darkness. This will be for these women the end of hopelessness, fear, confusion, and doubt. It will be the beginning of the dawn of hope that will dispel darkness, fear, confusion, and doubt. It will be a new day. It will be a day of courage and a day of joy. They came, as Matthew tells us, to see the sepulchre.

Mark and Luke detail that the women brought sweet spices so that they might come and anoint Him. That was normal burial practice in those days. The people of Israel did not embalm as the people of Egypt did, as we often do today, but they would wrap the body in spices to preserve it for approximately a year.

The Lord had been buried in a hurry. He was crucified as the sun began to go down. He needed to be buried before sundown because it was a Sabbath, and they were not to do any work on the Sabbath. The law said that a body must be buried before the Sabbath. So, now at the end of the Sabbath, these women come. They come that they might properly prepare the body for burial. They would have done it before. They didn’t have time. So, it’s still for them a time of sadness.

The Lord’s crucifixion had come so suddenly, they weren’t prepared for it. He had tried to prepare them for it. He had told them about it, but they didn’t understand. So, where do they go from here? What do they do now? Well, what they know is, they’re going to take care of business here, and now they’re going to do what they can do. What they’re going to do next, they don’t know

The Earthquake

Look at the second verse, “And behold there was a great earthquake.” There’s a great earthquake, that’s the second one. We’ll say more about the first one in a moment. But he said:

Matthew 28:2: “And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.”

Matthew 28:3: “His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:”

“His countenance was like lightning.” Have you ever seen anybody like that? I haven’t. His face was like lightning. In what way was it like lightning? Was it flashing all over his face? Probably not. What does that mean? Well, lightning is one of the brightest lights you’ll ever see, and it’s talking about how his face shone with the brightness of lightning.

If you remember the story of Moses, you remember that he went up on the mountain to be with the Lord and receive the law. When he came down the mountain with the Ten Commandments and the rest of the law, the people could not look upon him because his face shone with such a bright light that they couldn’t look at him. He had to wear a veil over his face so he could talk to the people. What is that? That comes from being in the presence of God. That comes from being in the presence of his holiness, and this holy glow comes. And an angel who’s been in the presence of God will have picked up some of the glory of God, so that his face is glowing with the brightness of lightning. You can’t stare at it.

Again, verse two:

Matthew 28:2: “And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.”

Matthew 28:3: “His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:”

It was also glowing with the glory of God.

I mentioned the first earthquake. This is the second. The first one was at the crucifixion on the hill called the place of the skull, just a few days before.

Matthew 27:50: “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.”

“Yielded up the ghost,” meant Jesus was dead. There was no doubt of that. People had watched Him die, and then that Roman soldier thrust a spear in His side. If there was any doubt He was dead before that, there was no doubt after that. But when He died, Matthew says:

Matthew 27:51: “And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain [torn in two] from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;”

Rocks were torn in half by the earthquake. Dr. Monroe Parker said that when Jesus died, an invisible hand reached out from the cross to the Holy of Holies, grabbed the top of that veil that separated everyone except the high priest from the presence of God. That door was opened that day as that veil was torn in two. Each and every child of God has direct access to the presence of God. You don’t need to go through a priest. You can pray, and God will hear your prayers. You can talk to the Lord. He’ll speak to you. You talk to Him through prayer. He speaks to you through His Word.

The writer of Hebrews tells us:

Hebrews 10:17: “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.”

Hebrews 10:18: “Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.”

Hebrews 10:19: “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,”

Hebrews 10:20: “By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;”

Hebrews 10:21: “And having an high priest over the house of God;”

Hebrews 10:22: “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”

In other words, you can come directly into the presence of God, that’s Hebrews 10:17-22. If you’ve been born again, if you’ve trusted Jesus as your Savior, He’s cleansed you, He’s made you His child, and you can come straight into God’s presence.

So, the graves were opened, Matthew writes:

Matthew 27:52: “And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,”

Did you know that? By the way, this is the only place in the Bible that talks about that. In Matthew 27, there was an earthquake when Jesus died on the cross, and many graves of the saints, believers, who had died with faith in Him, opened, and they came out of the graves. After his resurrection, after He arose, many of these other people came back. What did they do? They went into the holy city, Jerusalem, and appeared unto many. Isn’t that amazing? Many people, after His resurrection, were also resurrected. What did these people do? They went into the city to do what? I imagine to see family, and to show themselves alive.

Can you imagine the rejoicing that must have occurred that day? These saints came forth like Lazarus, walked alive out of their tombs, and to their loved ones. The graves were apparently opened when Jesus died, and the bodies rose after his resurrection. One day, when Jesus returns, the graves of our loved ones will be open, and we will have a wonderful reunion.

Matthew 27:54: “Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.”

Who said that? The Roman centurion, the one in charge of the team that crucified Jesus. As he stood there by the cross, he watched Jesus die, and he said, “Truly this was the Son of God.”

He is Risen

Now, back to Matthew 28. This angel with a countenance like lightning, his raiment white as snow, what a fearful sight. No one there had ever seen anything like this before, nor have they seen anything exactly like it since. We know about the two angels. You were with us at the sunrise service. I think these were the same two who came, and they were there when Jesus ascended back to Heaven.

But look at verse three again.

Matthew 28:3: “His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:”

Matthew 28:4: “And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.”

They shook and they fainted. They passed out. Who were these? These were Roman guards put there by Governor Pilate. He had ordered the teams. He had ordered the tomb sealed, and he placed a team of guards in front of it to make sure that nobody came and disturbed it because the religious leaders of Israel were afraid. They’d heard that Jesus would rise again. They were afraid that the disciples would come and open the tomb and claim a false resurrection. So, the Roman governor put a guard in front of the tomb and had it sealed with a Roman seal. But the angel came and rolled the stone away. Verse five, “And the angel answered and said unto the women,” – wasn’t talking to those Roman soldiers, they were fainted dead away.

Matthew 28:5: “And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.”

In the verse we began with:

Matthew 28:6: “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”

Matthew 28:7: “And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.”

Risen as he said.

John 2:19: “Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

John 2:20: “Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?”

But John says:

John 2:21: “But he spake of the temple of his body.”

Matthew 12:40 Jesus said:

Matthew 12:40: “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

Matthew 16:21: “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.”

John 10:17: “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.”

John 10:18: “No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”

“No man taketh from me,” – did you understand that? Jesus said, “No man takes my life from me.” He said, “But I lay it down of myself.” I give my life voluntarily. I have the power to lay it down. I have the power to take it up again. He has risen as he said. “Come see the place where the Lord lay.” The tomb was empty except for the grave clothes and the napkin.

Death Meets His Match

Many years ago, Mrs. McClure and I were in Chattanooga, Tennessee. We were at a conference, and one of the speakers there was Dr. Fred Brown. Dr. Fred Brown, an evangelist, was one of the greatest preachers I have ever heard. During one of his messages, he said that he had been at another conference, and Elwood McQuade was there. Elwood McQuade, for many years, was the president of the Friends of Israel Gospel Mission. Elwood McQuade had written this poem. Dr. Fred Brown gave it to us as we sat there in that congregation listening. It touched both of us. A few years later, we had a sunrise service out here, and Mrs. McClure wanted to read that poem, and she did. And then later, I’ve used it in a sermon here, but I ask her to come today and give that poem once again. The poem by El McQuade is titled “Death Meets His Match.”:

Father Time met pale King Death
Sittin’ by a tomb.
“Hello, old friend, I guess you’re here
To seal somebody’s doom.”

“You might say that,” sly Death replied.
A smile slid up his face.
“Inside reposes that Jesus man
Who said He’d save the race.”

“And you, Time, why you stoppin’ here?
Don’t you have things to do?”
“I come each day to draw the veil
And let the mornin’ through.”

“Say, why you watchin’ jus’ one grave,
With all your vast domain?
Looks like you’d be out ramblin’ round
And smitin’ folks with pain.”

“Well, this one’s somethin’ special.
He challenged me, they say.
Said He’d rest here just three days
Then stir and walk away.”

“Now I’m the conqueror you know,
They don’t talk up to me.
When I steps in to cut ’em down
It’s for eternity.”

“I sure can testify to that,”
Responded Father Time.
“I ain’t seen one shake off the dust
Since you been in your prime.”

“Well, I got other things to do,
I must be on my way.
I’ll see you when I come back by
To make another day.”

So whiskered Time went up the hill
To bid the sun to rise.
He left Death standin’ by the tomb
Lookin’ strong an’ wise.

Next day, Time ambled by again,
“And how are things?” he queried.
“Kinda quiet,” Death replied.
“I’m startin’ to be wearied.”

“I won’t be here when you come by
About this time tomorrow.
I’m anxious to be on my way,
An’ spread some grief and sorrow.”

Now Father Time was quite surprised
When he came back to see
Death a quiverin’ on the ground
In frightful agony!

His eyes were set, his throat was marked,
His clothes in disarray.
It wasn’t difficult to see
That Death had had his day.

“What happened Death?” asked Father Time,
“What makes you look so bad?”
“I’ve never see you shake this way
Or seem so scared and sad.”

Death pulled himself up on a rock
A-lookin’ sick an’ humble.
Hung his head an’ wrung his hands
And Time could hear him mumble.

“Was sittin’ here before the dawn
About to take my stroll,
When all at once this whole wide world
Began to reel and roll.”

“That rollin’ stone jumped off the door
An’ skipped on down the hill.
Then everything grew dark and quiet,
Seemed like the earth stood still.”

“I saw Him standin’ in the door,
He didn’t move or speak,
Just looked at me an’ all at once,
I felt so tired and weak.”

“He came and got a hold on me,
And threw me to the ground,
Put His foot here on my neck
Then took my keys an’ crown.”

“Two angels came to talk with Him,
They glistened like the sun.
He said, ‘The plans all finished now,
Redemption’s work is done’.”

As they passed the garden gate
I heard him say, just then,
“He’s settin’ free my captives
And givin’ gifts to men.”

Time and Death met once again
Off yonder by the gate.
“It’s good to see you,” said Old Time.
“I’ve wondered ’bout your fate.”

“I’m just a lowly servant now,
There’s little time to roam,
I just push open this old gate
And help the saints get home!”

Because He Lives

Let’s come back to the text, if you will, in verse six:

Matthew 28:6: “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”

Matthew 28:7: “And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.”

Matthew 28:8: “And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.”

Matthew 28:9: “And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.”

Matthew 28:10: “Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.”

Matthew 28:11: “Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.”

Matthew 28:12: “And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,”

Matthew 28:13: “Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.”

Matthew 28:14: “And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.”

Matthew 28:15: “So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.”

Matthew 28:16: “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.”

Matthew 28:17: “And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.”

Jesus rose from the grave. Jesus was for a short time before that, a little more than a week before that, He was at the grave of Lazarus in Bethany, not far from Jerusalem. Lazarus was dead. He’d been buried for four days. Jesus was talking to Martha, Lazarus’s sister.

John 11:23: “Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.”

John 11:24: “Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

John 11:25: “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:”

John 11:26: “And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”

John 11:27: “She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.”

A little bit later in John 14:19, Jesus said to the disciples, “Because I live ye shall live also.” My friends, because He lives, you can live also. You, too, can be resurrected from the dead. You too can be reunited with loved ones and friends that you’ve known who also knew the Lord and have gone to be with Him. What you simply need to do is put your faith in Jesus. Jesus himself told a very religious man, “You must be born again.” The man said, “How can a man be born when he’s old?” Jesus said:

John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever [anybody] believeth in him should not perish [will not die], but have everlasting life.”

John 3:17: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

John 3:18: “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

We Can Live Because the Witness of God Is Greater

So, Jesus said to Martha, “Believest thou this?” Do you believe this? If you do, then you’ve already been saved. You know that you’ve been forgiven. You know that you have no need to fear death, and because He lives, you shall live also. If you don’t have that blessed assurance, the great news is, you can, right here, right now, have that blessed assurance. Put your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.

“Well, that sounds good to me, preacher. I’m not sure I understand it.” You come and talk to me, and I’ll take a Bible, and I’ll show you how you can understand it, how you can know that your sins are forgiven, that you are on your way to Heaven.

Many years ago, we were having a service much like this one, and I made the statement to the congregation that day. I said, “I’m asking you not to leave this room today until you know for sure that you have been saved.” Service ended, and people left. Almost everyone was gone. One little lady was sitting there in the back all by herself. I went back and spoke to her. I didn’t know her. I said, “Can I help you?” She said, “Yes.” She said, “You said, ‘Don’t leave the room till I know I’m saved.’” So, I showed her how to be saved. I don’t know if there’s anybody here this morning like that, but I’d issue you the same offer. Don’t leave this room until you know that you’ve been saved.

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Let’s pray. Father, thank you so much for loving us. Thank you for Jesus, who loved us and gave himself for us. Lord, it is my earnest prayer that you would bless each and every soul here today. Lord, if there is one person who doesn’t know you as Savior, doesn’t have that blessed assurance, doesn’t know that when they take their final breath when they close their eyes for the last time, when they slip out into eternity, that they’re going to be with you, they’re not going to be eternally separated from you, they’re not going to be in that place we call Hell, they’re going to be with the Lord in that place we call Heaven.

Lord, if there’s a person who’s not fully sure of that, may they right now open their heart and call on you, and say, “Lord Jesus, I do believe. I believe that you are the Son of God. I believe that you paid for my sins at the cross. And right here, right now, I’m trusting you as the one who rose from the dead, a living Savior. I trust you to forgive my sins, to save my soul, and give me everlasting life. Thank you, Lord Jesus.

Now, we say so often here, maybe you prayed that prayer with me, maybe you didn’t. Maybe you say, “Well, I don’t need to, I’ve already been saved.” I thank God for you. Or maybe you say, “Well, that sounded good to me, but I don’t quite understand.” I’ve been where you are. A kindly pastor took his Bible and showed me how I could know that I was saved. We’re offering you that same opportunity.

Father, bless and move now as we sing a hymn of invitation. Lord, if your Holy Spirit has spoken to some soul, some heart, and they need to come, respond to the invitation. We pray that they will come now. Have your own way with us. We ask in Jesus’ name.

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