Beyond Us and With Us

Cody Hale

Matthew • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

Matthew 28:1–15

Resurrection

0 ratings

· 2 views

Notes

Transcript

Introduction

Admiration usually comes in two forms. On one hand, we admire that which is transcendent, that which is far beyond us in ways that make it difficult to conceive. Last Sunday, Tiger Woods, playing with the pressure of an 11 year major drought in the most prestigious tournament in the world, hit a transcendent shot on number 16 within a foot of the hole to win a major most thought he could never win. It was awe-inspiring. We see a man as big as LeBron James move as fluidly as he moves and jump as high as he jumps, and we realize that we are witnessing something far beyond us, almost otherworldly. I read a book recently that was written by a man that is able to speak at least five languages who is able to see the world, and God for that matter, at a depth that is simply dumbfounding to me. This type of transcendence is so far beyond us that if we have the opportunity to meet these people that we have admired from a distance for some time that it doesn’t even feel as though we’re meeting another human being, but something greater, someone capable of doing and accomplishing that we’ve never observed in another person. We’re awestruck and may even tremble at the thought of having to string together some formation of words in their presence.

But, the other side of admiration is virtually the antithesis of the first. You see, on one hand we deeply admire that which is transcendent, far beyond us, but on the other side we admire those who are always with us, for us, accessible to us. There are those who are transcendent that we admire from afar, but then there are those who are imminent and accessible that we admire up close and personally. Those of you who have dads who are men of honor understand this. You admire him, not necessarily because he is the strongest or the smartest or the richest, but because he is with you, for you, and accessible to you. You admire him because you know that even in your 30’s or 40’s that he loves you and will hug you. You know that when everyone else abandons you or is unwilling to help you that he’ll be there, and you admire him for it. In Jesus, we see both of these qualities fully and perfectly manifested. Jesus is both transcendent and imminent, beyond us and with us, unreachable but accessible.

God’s Word

Read

Jesus is Exceedingly “Beyond” Us.

v. 2 “And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.” This morning, as we come to Matthew’s account of Jesus’ resurrection, it becomes apparent that he wants us to see Three Realizations About Jesus (Headline): Jesus’ transcendence, Jesus’ imminence, and then determine what we will do with them. So, first, see that Jesus is exceedingly “beyond” us.

Matthew describes a vivid scene at Jesus’ tomb. The conspirators that had set out to destroy Jesus had fortified Jesus’ tomb with their own guards, fearing that Jesus’ body might be stolen by his disciples. And, you can imagine that these guards thought that they had lucked into a cushy gig. It wasn’t exactly a war against the Spartans to guard a dead guy from a potential ambush by the fisherman. But then, the earth began to tremble beneath their feet, rocks and debris began to fall away. Then, a creature unlike anything they had ever seen descended, and he glowed with the reflected holiness of God himself as though his robes were made of lightning. In Isaiah and Revelation, this same language is used to describe the very presence of God. That is, his glory is so paralyzing, his holiness is so potent, his sovereignty is so definite that his presence is like a violent storm for all who are near him. It was an overwhelming sight for the guards of Jesus’ tomb. They had been told to look out for fisherman, basically, a Jewish college class, and instead they had come face-to-face with the Warrior of God that had slain 185,000 Assyrians by himself in . Ordinarily, it would take a large number of men to roll back the stone which was made to go uphill and weighed several hundred pounds, but the angel of the Lord rolled it back himself with ease. And, guards were so overcome by all that they had just witnessed, by the earthquake and lightning clad angel stronger than many men by himself, that they fell over in fear as though they were dead men. The Son of God had risen! The Son of God was alive, and the very ground leaped for joy in his presence.

Matthew describes a vivid scene at Jesus’ tomb. The scene has already been set by the conspirators that had set out to destroy Jesus. They had fortified Jesus’ tomb with their own guards, fearing that Jesus’ body might be stolen by his disciples. And, you can imagine that these guards thought that they had lucked into a cushy gig. It wasn’t exactly a war against the Spartans to guard a dead guy from a potential ambush by the fisherman. But then, the earth began to tremble beneath their feet, rocks and debris began to fall away. Then, a creature unlike anything they had ever seen descended, and he glowed with the reflected holiness of God himself as though his robes were made of lightning. In , , and 11, this same language is used to describe the very presence of God. That is, his glory is so paralyzing, his holiness is so potent, his sovereignty is so definite that his presence is like a violent storm for all who are near him.

Our Plans are Silly (far beyond the greatest men)

APPLICATION: Do you see how silly our plans are from the perspective of God? Matthew wants us to be sure that we see how foolish, how silly the plans of the chief priests, who were supposed to be the best and the brightest of their day, really were. That is, he wants us to see how far beyond the mightiest men Jesus really was. They’re worried about rumors getting out that Jesus has risen, and so they fortify his tomb with the best guards they can muster. But, the temple guards trying to contain the Son of God was like an outfielder trying to catch a tomahawk missile with a baseball glove. Here’s a couple of guards with swords that are supposed to fend off Almighty God from the vindication of his Son. This is what it looks like every time you come up with a plan that is different from God’s plan. This is how silly you look every time you develop an opinion that is different than God’s opinion. Our plans look “silly” from the “angle” of eternity. We make plans for our children, training them to throw curveballs and receive scholarships only to raise them into an affluent, depressed life divorced from the big picture of real purpose and real significance, true life and death. We make plans for our time and our careers and marriages. Later, I’ll give my life to the Lord. Right now, I just want to have fun. But, one day, you’ll know, whether it’s in this life or the next, that you settled for a joy too cheap and a joy too temporary. Oh, look beyond your silly plans, look beyond yourself to the plans and ways of the Almighty. The plans of the living God are far beyond you; so, look past you -- far beyond yourself -- in surrender to the Sovereign Lord.

Fear and Great Joy (far beyond a man on a cross)

v. 8 “So, they departed quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.” But, it’s not just the guards who witness Jesus’ transcendent power. The faithful ladies that have been with Jesus throughout the end, in his most desperate moments show up again. As was the case for the guards, the women see the angel and are afraid. But, the angel tells them what he did not tell the guards, “Don’t be afraid.” He comforts them, and he reveals to them the real reason that he had come to roll away the stone. It was to show them. It was for them to see. The missing stone was for them to know that Jesus wasn’t just a man that died on a cross. He was beyond that. He was the God-man who had come to defeat the cross, to annihilate death itself. Jesus was beyond life and death. And so, he was sent by God to send them to tell the rest of the disciples that Jesus had risen.

The One Beyond You is For You

These women experienced something that so many men and women of God have experienced across the generations. They were filled with these counterbalancing emotions of both fear and great joy. It’s a paradox, isn’t it? To be both fearful and joyful at the same time seem like two different ends of the spectrum that seem impossible to reconcile together. But, this is what it means to live in a relationship with a holy and transcendent God. Throughout Matthew, in fact throughout the Scriptures, people that encounter God are filled with fear and awe at who they stand before. As R.C. Sproul says, “The holiness of God is traumatizing for sinful humans.” Like Isaiah, it undoes us; his holiness reveals our utter sinfulness and profound weakness, so much so, that it unravels the ideas of grandeur that we have about ourselves. But, what we see in the lives of these women is what it looks like when you realize that Jesus, though far beyond you, is passionately for you, if you are his disciples. This is what the resurrection meant to these women. Jesus had been raised because He was far beyond, transcendent beyond anything that humans can comprehend, but He had raised for them just as He had died for them. And so, they tremble at the thought of one so great, yet they are filled with abiding joy to know one so great who is at the same time for them.

Fear and Joy Coexist

APPLICATION: Fear and joy “coexist” in faith. They will be your experiences in a relationship with the transcendent Christ. But, truthfully, you can’t practice real faith in God or experience real joy from God unless fear is in the picture. Apart from fear, what is faith? If you’re always comfortable, if you always understand, if you’re always assured that everything you touch will prosper, where is the faith? What about that life requires you to look beyond yourself? What about that life pushes you to depend upon the understanding of God and the good character of God and the provided grace of God? Fear necessarily precedes the demonstration of faith. And, how can you have real joy in a God that you’ve never actually needed? If the stars are always in alignment in your life, if the numbers always add up, if the steps of obedience always make sense, where in that life does God have the opportunity to amaze you? Where in that life does God have the opportunity to show you his miraculous provision? Where in that life does God have the opportunity amaze you with his sovereign plan or show you how the puzzle pieces of your suffering fit into his plan for your good? Durable joy flows from faith that is exercised in the face of fear.

Jesus is Wonderfully “With” Us.

v. 9b “And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him” But, there is something precious that’s important for you to see. Jesus is not just far beyond us. Jesus is not just for us. You’ll remember all the way back to and the Christmas story. Do you remember Jesus’ name? “Immanuel, which means ‘God with us’.” That is, the Jesus that is exceedingly beyond us is at the very same time the Jesus who is wonderfully “with” us.It starts with the simple fact that Jesus interrupts their journey. They’re on their way to tell the disciples what the Angel of the Lord has told them to tell the disciples, when Jesus shows up. And, when Jesus meets them, He doesn’t tell them anything different from what the Angel had already told them. So, why did Jesus come? Why did Jesus interrupt their journey? He was ministering to these ladies the way that they had ministered to him on the cross. And, think of how beautiful, how precious this is. Jesus the one who transcends the grave, transcends life and death, the One who is far above all is at the very same time the One who is with them, ministering to them, caring for them. He is the One who leaves you awestruck, and He is the one who pulls you for a hug. He is far beyond, and He is near. Jesus is transcendent, but He is imminent.

So Great, So Close

And, they are utterly overcome by the realization of being face-to-face with Jesus again. They lower themselves at the feet of Jesus as mere beggars before their King, and they worship him. Oh, repetitive, mindless, soul-less words wouldn’t do! With all of the emotion that was in them, with all of the passion they could muster, they overflow in worship; they explode with zeal. They knew that they were in the presence of the Living God and nothing less would do. Jesus was so great that He had defeated the grave; Jesus was so close that they could bow at the very feet of Almighty God.

And, they are utterly overcome by the realization of being face-to-face with Jesus again.

APPLICATION: This is what saving faith looks like. Faith that remains “dignified” doesn’t save. Faith that aims to save face and keep your dignity and maintain your standing in the eyes of his family and acquaintances doesn’t save. Like a husband willing to bow his knee in the middle of a restaurant for the woman he loves or the teenager who sobs in front of his friends when his dad comes home from the war, saving faith is when we become so overcome that God would love us — even us— that we throw our arms around his ankles, unaware and uncaring of the social and earthly costs. If we can just get Jesus, we don’t need anything else. It all belongs to him now.

‘Go and Tell My Brothers’

v. 10 “Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” But, Jesus’ words get sweeter still. We’ve talked quite a bit over the last few weeks about the abandonment of the disciples, but it’s a point that needs to be revisited here. Why is Peter not there? Why is John not there? Why is Matthew not there? They’re hiding. They’re in witness protection, assuming that the authorities won’t be content with the slaying of their leader but rather that they are next. Peter had denied Jesus, and all of the disciples had abandoned Jesus in his hour of greatest need. Their Lord had suffered at the hands of heinous injustice and egregious cruelty, and they had deserted him at the same time. But, do you notice what Jesus calls them? Do you notice how He refers to Peter who was to cowardly to claim him before a young, servant girl? Do you notice how He refers to Matthew, the rescued tax collector, who has to hear this story second hand from the ladies? He calls them, “My brothers.” “My brothers.”

Jesus Died FOR Them So They Would Stand WITH Him

You see, it’s this little phrase that stands in the background of all the Bible. Revealed cover-to-cover in the redemption plan is how God would make us ‘his,’ how God would make us children. It’s that we would be God’s people, and He would be our God. We were the enemies of God it says in , but through Jesus, we become the children of God it says in .

It’s this little phrase that stands in the background of all the Bible. Revealed cover-to-cover in the redemption plan is how God would make us ‘his,’ how God would make us children out of enemies, how God would transform traitors into his own beloved. His disciples had turned their backs on him, but He had come to restore them. They had abandoned him, but He would never forsake them. They were his. They were brothers. And, this is the reason for the cross. This is the reason for the grave. This is the reason for the resurrection. Jesus had come to die in the place of the very ones unwilling to stand up for him so that they might stand with him forever.

Return to Your Father’s House

APPLICATION: At least once per week, I meet with someone who says, “I can’t be used by God any more. Listen to what I’ve done.” They’re saying, “God doesn’t want me any more. God is finished with me.” Oh, but brothers and sisters, if you’ve been adopted into the family of God there is no process by which you can be “disinherited”! You are his! You are sons! You are daughters! He is exceedingly beyond you, able to do whatever He pleases, and He is wonderfully with you, meaning that He is willing and able to work all things in your life and in your past and in your closet together for your good and his glory. Return to your Father’s house! Return to the Lord that never abandoned you! You will not be turned away. I wonder this morning if there’s somebody here, and it’s been a minute since you’ve come to worship God. It’s been a minute since you’ve been right with God. In fact, you’ve been running and running until you’ve managed to convince yourself that God would never be willing to receive you again. But, you’re already his! He’s waiting for you to return. Come home, brother. Come home, sister.

Jesus is Personally “Decisive”.

v. 13 “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were aslee Every hair on my neck was standing straight up, and a cold chill shot straight down my spine. I was utterly paralyzed, not knowing what to do. Standing 20 feet away, I was frozen by the thought of what this bear could do to me at any moment of her choosing. I knew she could come upon me so fast and so hard that I wouldn’t even be able to react. But, for her babies — off of the cross, and we’ll believe in you! Save yourself, and we’ll know that you’re powerful! Overcome this, and we’ll know you are who you say you are.” But, they hadn’t meant it. These were not offerings of faith, but expressions of unbelief. They had already made their minds up about Jesus. How do we know? Jesus had come down from the cross in a way even more miraculous than they were calling for. What’s more impressive? To come down while He was still alive, or to come back to life three days later? They had already decided.

APPLICATION: What would it have taken for the chief priests to have believed? A miracle. They didn’t need more information. They had all of the information at their disposal. They didn’t need clearer apologetics. They had witnessed as Jesus had out logic-ed them, our witted them, and then, ultimately, overcame them through his own resurrection, which the guards testified too. But, they still didn’t believe. What would it take this morning for you to believe? A miracle. It would take the very Spirit of God breathing life into your dead bones. Are your eyes being opened? Is your heart being changed? Are you finding yourself drawn to the true Jesus in a way that you’ve never experienced before? Come to the Christ who has exceedingly beyond you, yet wonderfully close to you.

A few years ago, Megan and I were camping when a bear decided to roll through our site. Every hair on my neck was standing straight up, and a cold chill shot straight down my spine. I was utterly paralyzed, not knowing what to do. Standing 20 feet away, I was frozen by the thought of what this bear could do to me at any moment of her choosing. I knew he could come upon me so fast and so hard that I wouldn’t even be able to react. But, for her babies — for her children — she is a refuge, a shelter, a defender. They will live and thrive because she is fearsome, and she is for them. She is the creature before which every other creature flees and every other creature trembles. This is a picture of what it means to be in the presence of God. If you stand before him in your own name and in your own good works, that is, if you double-down on your own self-sufficiency and your own treason against him, you will realize the utter terror of presence. But, you are his children, if you come into his presence as one of his own, He will be your refuge, your shelter, and your defender. Because of him, you will live and thrive forever. No one, no power will be able to stop you because He is with you and for you. But, you must choose. This morning, will you double-down on your unbelief, will you double-down on your skepticism, will you double-down on your rejection of Jesus, and show yourself an enemy of his glory? Or, will you receive the Almighty who has come to you so that you might know him as Savior, refuge, and Lord? You must decide.

Related Media

Related Sermons