26-0517p Transcript

(0:04) Good evening everyone. We had a discussion this morning after the lecture about there may have (0:12) been something underneath the strips that were wrapped around his body, but if so, (0:23) that would be allowed if we consider that that claw was underneath all the wrappings (0:32) because we had the face cloth and the face cloth was separate from the rest of the grave clothes. (0:48) So that would be my thing.

We just know that according to the scriptures we have the truth. (1:03) Now I’m going to read Matthew 28, the first four verses. (1:23) Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began for dawn, Mary Magdalene (1:33) and the other Mary came to see the tomb and behold there was a great earthquake (1:45) for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone (1:54) from the door and sat on it.

His countenance was like lightning and his clothing as white as snow (2:08) and the guards shook for fear of him and he came like dead men. (2:17) And there’d be some sight and behold. Well we’re continuing this discussion (2:28) on the grave clothes of Jesus.

We continue what we started this morning discussing (2:40) his grave clothes. It was shown that the shroud of Turin could not be what covered Jesus. (2:51) The Jews wrapped the body as was their custom in linen strips and so we talked about (3:04) what really covered his face.

But now we’re going to take a little different going forth. (3:19) We’re going to discuss still discussing the attempts to bring about false teaching concerning (3:34) his death burial and resurrection. And all these are in an effort to bring about discredit (3:51) and make people think that Jesus was just another human being (4:05) or some are believing that Jesus didn’t even exist.

But we’ll get into that. That will be covered some other time. (4:19) But we have Jesus (4:23) that on the day that he was crucified when he cried out again with a loud voice (4:40) and yelled it up his spirit he died.

And I’m going to start with Matthew 27 (4:57) and verse 62 that it says on the next day which followed the day of preparation (5:19) the chief priests and pharisees gathered together to call it saying sir we remember while he was alive (5:31) how that deceiver said after three days I will rise. Therefore command that the tomb (5:45) be made secure until the third day. Let his disciples come by night and steal him away (5:55) and say to the people he has risen from the dead.

So the last deception will be worse than the first. (6:07) Pilate said to them you have a guard go your way make it as secure as you might have. (6:18) And so they went and made the tomb secure sealing the stone and setting the guard.

(6:29) Now we see what these religious leaders wanted Pilate to do wanted to make sure that nobody got (6:47) in for that tomb and take his body and then spread it out around that is that he arose. (7:02) So that’s what Pilate did to them. They were still saying that Jesus is a deceiver (7:13) while he was still alive that he was he is a deceiver and he said after three days I will rise.

(7:26) So well they didn’t want that to happen they wanted to make sure (7:33) that he was going to be kept inside the tomb. Pilate gives them the order (7:44) he says you have a guard go your way make it as secure as you know how. (7:51) So we have them setting the guard but they also sealed the stone with the official seal (8:05) and that makes it and both guarding this tomb that would make it impossible for anybody that would (8:21) attempt to get into the tomb environment and then spread around that he arose.

(8:36) After the third on the third day and after on the third day they would propagate this this rumor that (8:46) he their intention was to make sure that didn’t happen (8:54) but they they didn’t figure on one thing things were going the way God had planned it to go. (9:08) And they guarded the tomb they stilled the stone and made it secure (9:16) but you know man can do all that he wants to do but you know if God has his intention (9:27) on doing something man is not going to stop him that’s what they didn’t realize. (9:39) Now I know I hope you know that what follows from verse 5 on down (9:50) but I’m going to skip these verses and pick up with verse 11 of Matthew 28.

(10:06) Now we know that the women, they came, they saw the stones rolled away. (10:17) An angel tells them that Jesus is risen, that they are to go, that they are to see the place (10:28) where the Lord lay, and they are to quickly go and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead. (10:41) So all this then is happening. Now I’m going to pick up on verse 11 because I want, I’m dealing (10:54) with these falsehoods that are, this first one, that is going to be stated.

Now while they were (11:09) going, behold one of the guard came to the city and reported to the chief priest all the things that (11:20) happened. And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together they gave a large (11:31) sum of money to the soldiers saying, "Tell them his disciples came at night and stole him away (11:42) while we slept," and when this comes to the governor’s ears we will appease him and make (11:53) you secure.

So they took the money and did as they were instructed. (12:01) And this thing is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. And here is the first lie (12:14) that is spread concerning Jesus’s resurrection. Of course, if people were (12:33) really, consider this after reading the account (12:40) would see some flaws in the report that they gave. First they were paid to spread this (12:55) falsehood, his disciples came and took him away while we slept.

(13:07) Well, if they were sleeping, how did they know who did come take his body. (13:14) I mean, can anybody see through that. And then the other thing is, (13:29) oh, they were sleeping on the job. Why were they sleeping on the job. You know (13:43) that the job I retired from, I know there were a couple of people that were caught sleeping (13:52) and they lost their job. And when it reached the ears of the governor, now the governor is going to (14:10) have to be appeased because he’s not going to like it. Because these soldiers on the job were sleeping.

(14:26) Now so, but these Jewish leaders said that they would (14:38) speak to the governor and appease him. Well, he’s going to have to be appeased. (14:46) because these soldiers shouldn’t have been sleeping. But since we read the first part (14:56) of this chapter we know really what happened. We know that this is a lie and it was reported. (15:09) And this is, Matthew says it was reported among the Jews until this day. (15:23) And that is at the time that he penned Matthew.

So when we, we would look and figure out just when (15:34) Matthew was written. But you see the devil always, he has his way of stopping people (15:48) from accepting what God is trying to bring to them. They won’t believe that God is, (16:03) is, what God is doing. And it’s because of our misunderstanding of the scriptures. (16:14) See they are thinking in the way of an earthly kingdom. And all along the thinking is (16:23) that when the Messiah comes he’s going to set up an earthly kingdom. (16:30) That he, the promise is, that he’s going to establish his kingdom and that was going to be (16:38) forever.

So and, they’re thinking that when Messiah comes he, you know, he’s going to set up a, (16:48) his king, kingdom. He is going to free them from law and rule. (17:00) And we have this stuff today. (17:04) That people are still looking for when Christ returns to literally set up a kingdom (17:15) on earth. But he’s already established that. And they, they bring all kinds of doctrines, (17:29) and all kinds of falsehoods, and you know…​ I was listening to (17:40) a man who was teaching on this program, "Getting to know your Bible," (17:52) and his name was Billy Lambert. I was listening to him and his teaching.

Now if (18:02) people were truly listening to the lessons that he was teaching, (18:08) they would know that he was teaching from the word of God and showing the truth on the scriptures. (18:19) After that lesson though on this, the very same channel, someone comes up and makes a statement (18:35) that Jesus rejection was out there it was pain because the jews rejected him. And (18:49) then the his kingdom was (18:55) delayed and the church came into existence and such.

But you know, (19:05) they would really read the scriptures they will see that the same man teaching them (19:12) this, Acts 2 said that what happened to Jesus was by the determinate will of the Father. (19:24) It didn’t come as a surprise to God. And if they would have really read, they would see that (19:33) this was planned even before the foundation of the world was started.

And, (19:43) and I was also thinking about the time that the israelites (19:50) wanted to have a king as the other nations had. And they told Samuel, at that time, that they wanted a (20:01) king. Well, Samuel, he wasn’t pleased with that. This is what God told him, "Give them a king (20:17) they haven’t rejected you they have rejected me." (20:24) Now, do we think at that moment that God was caught off guard? (20:30) No. God knows what was happening. And if he had what we have and if we (20:44) that that was planned even before the worlds began. (20:52) I was not caught off guard when Jesus was rejected. (20:59) It happened just as God planned it as by his determinate will.

And so, we have these (21:11) these falsehoods. And then this is one of those where his disciples stole his body. But then we, (21:28) we have this theory. And I’m gonna call it that it’s just a theory. But you know, theories have (21:39) to be proven.

The swoon theory, you know, it wasn’t until the 18th century and the 19th century (22:02) that this swoon theory began and it took hold. This swoon theory says that Jesus didn’t really die (22:16) upon the cross, that he merely fainted. So you know, that that’s really grasping for straws. (22:38) I’ll tell you when we, when we say that Joseph of Arimathea took his body and then, (23:00) and then Nicodemus came along and prepared his body with the spices that he brought.

Now (23:16) I, when I was researching this I know that in between the time he died and they took him down (23:26) he prepared his body as a very short time indeed between (23:37) the that day. Because at six o’clock that evening, according to the jewish calendar, (23:48) the sabbath day would begin. So they had to get his body in the temple. I mean they had to get his body (23:57) in the tomb. And even with that surely these men would have would have realized if Jesus only (24:10) fainted as they said they would have realized that.

But they took his body, they prepared it, (24:19) and they laid it in the tomb and the fire and so this theory (24:32) that after being in the call of the tomb Jesus supposedly (24:42) revived. (24:42) I want you to listen to this just for a minute. Jesus is all bound up, as I (24:55) informed this morning, and he’s laying in this tomb (25:03) and he revived. We supposedly, here is a man realized that they have (25:19) have the tombs filled. And the stone that is has the tomb enclosed is a heavy is a heavy stone. (25:36) The women that were coming there, in and one of the gospel accounts, (25:44) well asking who’s going to move the stone.

Now I want to petition Jesus after having been scourged. (25:57) After (26:00) having the crown of thorns placed on his head. After having to carry his cross (26:16) taken to the place where they nailed him to the cross is, nailed his hands and his feet. (26:30) And then the soldiers come to hasten death (26:37) in order to hasten death, broke the bones of the two thieves that were (26:47) crucified with him. And then he, (26:56) by the word, is said to have yielded up his spirit. (27:04) Site that says he died.

And then after he died, one of the soldiers pierced the side (27:18) and out came water blood and water. This man that has lost that much blood (27:31) revived and he arises. Now Jesus is a man. He is in the flesh. He is a human (27:42) man, not a superhuman, as superman is. But remember superman had his weakness, (27:53) kryptonite. And now, Jesus, they say, somehow escapes. (28:03)

Well how did Jesus escape? He’s all bound up now. And he, well you know, that really is (28:18) stretchy, that really is spectacular. We’re talking about a human body that has lost (28:29) all the blood. And he supposedly, what did he do, does it go. And he (28:39) pushes the stone out of the way by himself? Ridiculous what they what they do (28:50) when you consider that.

But you know listening to (29:02) Del Tackett’s lesson this past Wednesday on the death of Christ and then all the things (29:16) that are said in an effort to debunk the truth, the fact that he is the son of God. (29:31) The one thing that I didn’t know that has come up come up was this substitution (29:41) theory. What people want to do, that somebody else’s body is in there. (29:57) That makes no sense because as we learned this morning, (30:06) when Peter and John come up to the tomb it is empty. As the angels that talk to the women (30:21) oh good he is risen they see the empty tomb.

Now these unbelievers will agree (30:39) that that tomb is empty, but they won’t agree why it is empty. So here comes the substitution (30:57) theory and I suppose even though I haven’t heard and I haven’t read up on it, I would say (31:05) to substitute something in the place of another would be that they (31:11) place somebody else’s body in the tomb in the place of Jesus. Well you know (31:22) well (31:24) Peter and John see his grave clothes and his grave clothes (31:34) say no one stole his body. His disciples didn’t come and steal his body.

(31:48) You know, if if they had managed to do that you wouldn’t have those clothes lying there (31:54) as they are. And well somebody brings up the (32:03) question, did his enemies still steal his body. (32:10) But why didn’t they present his body? The truth is, yeah, you say he was resurrected, there he is. (32:20) That would have stopped everything cold. Oh they didn’t.

But then Peter and John (32:30) see his grave clothes and the description John gives it’s as if (32:40) his grave clothes are in the position where his body laid with those grave clothes. (32:50) He’s not there as somebody that substituted that would have been a body but there’s no body.

(33:04) And his grave clothes testify that he arose from the dead. There’s only one answer. (33:15) Because if you’re going to steal the body you’re going to get in a hurry. And if his friends were (33:26) able to manage to get him there they’re bound to have made mistakes. (33:33) They would have left part of those clothes, grave clothes, (33:39) on the on the ground. You know there was a translation that I was reading that made it (33:51) sound like his grave clothes were on the ground. I didn’t like that. Because where they laid his body (34:02) before those grave clothes were lying, they were lying there as if a body was there. (34:10) And there was no body.

And these grave clothes testify that he arose. (34:24) Pressed alive to all the falsehoods that people can conjure up. Or the devil, (34:36) he he wants to put down in people’s minds and he does an effective job. (34:45) So when we (34:50) read the scriptures and we come upon, (34:55) no there’s not very much talked about his grave clothes, and what is mentioned (35:03) tells a lot. If we just slow down and read it, we’ll know (35:11) what is the truth. Now (35:18) he arose and that gives everyone a chance then to decide whether they want to (35:34) live righteous lives. Do it through faith, the obedience of faith. (35:42) Which means through faith we are baptized into Christ, we come into Christ.

(35:54) Now, we are to walk in newness of life, that is, we continue in Christ, we walk in newness of life. (36:10) So let us then study the scriptures so that we will know the truth, so that when we hear something (36:25) we can look at it and then we can compare it to the scriptures and just see, (36:31) you know, whether this thing is really so or not.

So let’s be noble like the Bereans. (36:41) Let’s search the word and that way we can be on top and these falsehoods that come floating around. (37:26) We can be assured through the scriptures (37:00) that God’s word is true if there is any body that’s subject in any way to the gospel invitation (37:12) why not come forward and have the church pray for you for whatever your need is (37:21) why not make it known while we stand and while we sing. (37:26)