In this sermon, Pastor Steve Hopkins focuses on the resurrection of Jesus Christ as detailed in Matthew chapter 28. He highlights the two earthquakes mentioned, one on the day of Christ's death and the other on the day of His resurrection. The sermon emphasizes the importance of the gospel message and the fact that the apostles were all witnesses to Jesus' resurrection. Various eyewitness accounts are discussed, proving that Jesus indeed rose from the dead. The significance of the resurrection is portrayed through the assurance of eternal life for believers and the impact it has had on Christianity.

Welcome back, this week Pastor Hopkins gives his Easter sermon entitled, We Are All Witnesses, from Matthew chapter 28. Good morning again, what a wonderful day, Resurrection day. He is risen. He is risen indeed. Amen.

Let's stand for the reading of the word of the Lord. If you would, turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew 28, 1-10. Let's read together the word of the Lord. 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 sepulcher. 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 on it.

His countenance was like lightning and his raiment white as snow, and for fear of him the keepers did shake and became as dead men. And the angels answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye, for I know that you seek Jesus which was crucified. He is not here, for he is risen, as he said. Come see the place where the Lord lay, and go quickly and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead. And behold, he goeth before you into Galilee.

There shall you see him, lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy, and did run to bring his disciples word 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 worshiped him then said Jesus unto them be not afraid go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee and there shall they see me. Amen. Let's pray. Father as we gather together this morning along with the faithful in churches and in homes and in prisons all around the world, with one heart and with one mind to remember and celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from the dead.

We thank you God for resurrecting us from death to life and we thank you God for calling us out of darkness into the glorious light of your Son And we pray Lord that we might be further rooted in him this morning as we open your Word and that we might be built up in him and established in the faith of him who died for our sins and rose again the third day. For we ask it in his holy name, amen. Let's be seated. In Matthew chapters 27 and 28, we read of two earthquakes that took place in the space of three days. One that took place on the day of Christ's death, the other that took place on the day of Christ's resurrection from the dead.

Matthew 27, beginning with verse 50, tells us that Jesus, when he had cried with a loud voice yielded up the ghost and behold the veil of the temple was rent and twain from the top to the bottom, and the earth did quake. And in our opening text this morning, we read, 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 sepulcher, 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. On the day that Jesus died, the earth did quake, and on the day of his resurrection from the dead, God shook the earth again. The earth trembled when Christ the mighty maker died for man the creature sin.

And the earth trembled again when Christ arose a victor from the dark domain. And the stone was rolled away revealing the empty tomb of the resurrected Savior of the world. And brothers and sisters, the earth has never stopped shaking ever since. The earth shaking, self-shattering, pride-abasing, life-transforming gospel of the death of God's Son, Jesus Christ, for sinners. And his resurrection from the dead continues to shake the earth even unto this day and will continue and shall continue to the end of the world.

Paul writes of this gospel to the church of Corinth in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 beginning with verse 3. Here we read the Apostle Paul speaking to the church at Corinth, For I delivered unto you first of all that is that which is of first importance, that which I also received. How that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures and that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. This is the content of the gospel message that began at Jerusalem and has gone out into all the world. Paul opened his letter to the Church of Galatia with this stern warning, If any man preached unto you any other gospel, then that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

He said, if an angel from heaven or any other person were to preach unto you any other gospel, then the gospel that I have delivered unto you, that we the apostles have delivered unto you, let him be accursed." That word is translated from the Greek anathema, let him be anathema, which means let him be eternally damned. Let him be eternally damned that preaches any other gospel to you than the gospel which we have delivered unto you. The gospel that I delivered unto you first of all, which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures And that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures Many will tell you that they believe that a good man named Jesus lived a long time ago a Good man who was a great moral teacher and they'll tell you that they believe that he died on a cross in antiquity but they reject the Jesus of the Bible who died for our sins and rose again the third day. The faith of the true Christian is grounded in a living Savior, not a dead moral teacher.

All the religions of the world, you can go and you can visit the graves of these dead moral teachers. Not so with the grave of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no body there. The faith of the true Christian is grounded in a living Savior. Others will tell you that they don't believe Jesus rose from the dead because of the impossibility of the event.

Peter says just the opposite. Turn to Acts chapter 2 and beginning with verse 24. Peter says just the opposite. Peter says that it was impossible that Jesus could remain dead. The world says it's impossible that Jesus could have risen from the dead, but Peter says it was impossible that he could be kept in the grave and remain dead.

That the pains of death, your version might say the pains of death, could hold him. In Acts 2 24, as I said, Peter, he's speaking, and this is in his sermon on the day of Pentecost, and he's preaching to thousands that are assembled there, and he says, Jesus, being delivered by the determinant counsel and for knowledge of God you have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain whom God hath raised up having loosed of the pains of death because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. Because it was not possible that he could be held in the grave. It wasn't possible that he could be held by the pains of death. Again, the world says it's impossible that Jesus could have risen from the dead.

Peter says it was impossible that he could remain dead. Remember in our study from the book of Romans, Paul said, speaking of Christ, death hath no more dominion over him. Death hath no more dominion over him. Do you remember that? And I said that Jesus could die.

Jesus could die only because our sins were imputed to him. Does everyone remember that? Jesus could only die because our sins were imputed to him, because our sins were laid on him, because our sins were charged to his account. He knew no sin and death is a penalty for sin Death is a penalty for sin, but Jesus never sinned But he endured the penalty for sin because our sins were charged to his account our sins were laid upon him You can't have death without sin and Jesus knew no sin, either original sin or actual sin. But on the cross, our sins were imputed to him.

And after Jesus paid the penalty for our sin, which is death, he could no longer be held by death. He could no longer be held by death. This is what all the old preachers preached but today no one understands these things. We're caught up in so much, so much fluff today and so many things that are so irrelevant. We need to understand Jesus, his person, and his work.

Jesus Christ crucified and risen from the dead and will never fully comprehend it in an eternity with him. He could no longer be held by death. Death had no legitimate claim on him, writes Dr. Sproul. He was punished, quote, for the sin imputed to him, But once the price was paid and the imputation was lifted from his back Death lost its power Death lost its power in quote and on the third day at the time of God's choosing it being impossible that he could be held by the pangs of death, he rose again from the dead.

God raised him up. Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and he was buried and he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. This is the gospel message and the Apostles will proclaim this good news everywhere. Think about it. If the apostles had been sent out to preach a dead Christ, they would have been preachers without a message.

The preaching would have been nothing but an exercise in futility. The Apostle Paul said in 1st Corinthians chapter 15, if you'll turn there with me, 1 Corinthians chapter 15 beginning with verse 13, that if Christ is not risen, well there's some obvious conclusions here. If Christ is not risen, our preaching is futile. If Christ is not risen, our faith is vain. If Christ is not risen, our testimony about God is a false witness.

Blasphemy. If Christ is not risen, we're all still dead in our sins. If Christ is not risen, not only that, all our loved ones who've died trusting in him are perished forever. If Christ is not risen, he says, we should be counted the most pitied of all men on earth. For if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all people the most miserable.

Why? Because a dead Christ is no Christ at all and a dead Savior can't save anyone and He can't raise anyone. But Paul goes on to say in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 20, now is Christ risen from the dead. Now is Christ risen from the dead. And he tells us that his resurrection from the dead guarantees that we who believe on him shall one day also be raised.

Christ being the firstfruits of the harvest to follow. We sang it in our hymn earlier. Christ is risen, Christ the firstfruits of the holy harvest field. Christ was raised and all who are in him by faith will also be raised on the last day. And the apostles of our Lord preached this in all the world.

The apostles of our Lord preached Jesus Christ crucified, dead, buried, and risen from the dead. And their claim of the resurrection was not based on mere speculation. Their claim of the resurrection of Christ was not based on hearsay. They were all eyewitnesses of the resurrected Living Lord. Further on in his message on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2 32 Peter says, This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

Acts 2 32. This Jesus God raised up from the dead, whereof we all are witnesses. The apostles were all witnesses of the resurrection. And in Acts chapter three and verse 15, he tells them after healing a man lame from his mother's womb in the name of Jesus, he says, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our fathers hath glorified his son Jesus whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate when he was determined to let him go, but you denied the Holy One and the just, and you desired a murderer to be granted unto you, and you killed the Prince of Life, whom God hath raised from the dead, whereof we are witnesses." The Apostles were all witnesses of the resurrected Christ. Eyewitnesses.

In fact, it was a qualification or prerequisite for the office of apostle that a man be a witness of the resurrected Christ. So when you see men running around today calling themselves apostle this or apostle that or apostle so-and-so, you know that they're false apostles. A prerequisite qualification to be an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ is that you had to be a witness of his resurrection. You had to have seen Jesus Christ with your own two eyes alive after his death. And there's no one like that on earth, of course, today.

In Acts chapter one, beginning with verse 16, we read that after Judas committed suicide, after having betrayed Jesus to the Jewish authorities, that his office, the office of apostle, needed to be filled by another. And we read that the prerequisite qualification necessary to be considered for the office was that the person had to have been an eyewitness to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. An apostle had to be a man who had actually seen Jesus alive with his own two eyes after his crucifixion and burial. In Acts chapter 1 and Verse 22, Peter says, beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he, speaking of Jesus, was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us, a witness with us, the apostles, of his resurrection. And the two men that were selected who had seen Christ alive after his crucifixion were Joseph, also called Barsabbas, which is interpreted Justice, or surname Justice, and Matthias.

And Matthias was selected. But it was as the book, the Acts of the Apostles opened in the very first paragraph of chapter 1, that this witness, the witness of the Apostles to the risen Lord, really begins. Here we read in Acts chapter 1 in the opening verse, the former treatise have I made O Theophilus, this is Luke writing, the former treatise have I made of all that Jesus began "'both to do and to teach, until the day he was taken up. "'After that, the Holy Ghost had given commandments "'under the apostles, whom he, " Jesus had chosen, "'to whom also he showed himself alive after his passion. That is after his suffering and death on the cross.

And That by what we read here are many infallible proofs many infallible proofs many proofs that cannot be that it is impossible to Contradict he says being seen of them of 40 days. She understand Jesus is resurrected on the third day and then he is alive on earth in his resurrected body and he is revealing himself and showing himself to his apostles and to others over the period of 40 days before he ascends back to heaven 40 days after the resurrection. The Apostles claim again of the resurrection of Christ from the dead was not based on speculation or hearsay They actually saw Jesus alive after his crucifixion and burial and Jesus made it clear to them that it was really him He left no stone unturned and no question left hanging. He made it clear to them that it was really him in his same body that was crucified and not merely some apparition of him. In Luke chapter 24 in verses 38 and 39, if you'll turn there with me, Luke 24 verses 38 and 39, Jesus shows himself to his apostles and others who were gathered with them.

And we read that when they saw him, they thought they were seeing a spirit. They were confused. They were not sure. They had doubts. They thought they were seeing a spirit, but Jesus set the matter straight.

He showed them that He is no phantom, as some in the early church falsely taught. He is no ghost, that this is no apparition. And he said to them, why are you troubled? And why do thoughts arise in your hearts? That is, why are doubts arising in your heart as to whether this is really me standing before you in my resurrected body?

And then Jesus said, Behold my hands and my feet. Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself." And then he said, handle me. Touch the nail prints. Handle me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as you see me have. Jesus showed himself alive by many infallible proofs for 40 days from the day of his resurrection until the day of his ascension back to his father.

How many have heard the term a fact-checker? It's really, really popular now, right, on the internet. We're gonna be the fact checkers and check these facts. But you all have heard of the term fact checker. Well, the Old Testament fact checking that was required by the law is found in Deuteronomy chapter 9 and verse 15.

How many know what that fact-checking requirement was? Not going to put anybody to death except on what? On the word of two witnesses, two or three witnesses. If you want to establish a fact, you get two or more witnesses, eyewitnesses to the fact. They can witness to that fact.

On the evidence of two or three witnesses, a matter may be confirmed. The Apostle Paul almost verbatim quotes that law in 2 Corinthians chapter 13 of verse 1. You've got to have two witnesses, right? That was in a situation of church discipline, where they bring witnesses in. But the eyewitness accounts of those who saw Jesus alive after his crucifixion and burial are far more than two or three.

Far more than that which is required by the law to establish a fact or to confirm a matter. Mary Magdalene saw him first. That's in Mark chapter 16 and verse 9. In Luke chapter 24 and verse 34, Jesus appears to Simon Peter. We read, two of Jesus' disciples See him alive, you'll remember, on the road to Emmaus.

That's Luke chapter 24, verse 15. Ten of the disciples see Jesus alive on the evening of his resurrection. That's recorded in John chapter 20, verse 19. In John 20, verse 26, the disciples see him again. It's eight days later, this time with Thomas present, formally doubting Thomas, now believing Thomas.

And while they are fishing on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus appears to the disciples in John chapter 21 and verse 4. And then that great event of the witness of over 500 at one time is found. In 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 6 through 8, we read that over 500 witnesses saw Jesus alive at one time. And after that, James, he goes on to say, saw him. And then all of the apostles, again, he appeared to.

And Then Paul says, and last of all, he was seen by me as one born out of due time. Last of all, he was seen by me as one born out of due time. Oh, I know the Apostle Paul so regretted it. He had persecuted the Church of Christ and persecuted Jesus in them. On that road to Damascus in his encounter with the resurrected Christ.

He says, who are you, Jesus? Who are you, Lord, that I am persecuting? Because the voice that come from heaven, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Why are you persecuting me in my people? Why?

Who are you, Lord, that I am persecuting? I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. He had an encounter with the living Christ on that road to Damascus. Last of all, he was seen by me also as one born out of due time. Now, you'll have people who will say, I've seen Jesus.

I've seen Jesus. He appeared to me. The word of God says, he appeared last to the apostle Paul. Last of all, he appeared unto me also as one born out of due time." In Acts chapter 26, Paul is on trial before King Agrippa and after giving his defense Before the king and after testifying of Christ's death and of Christ's resurrection from the dead, Paul said, look, This thing was not done in a corner. The things I'm talking about weren't done in a corner somewhere.

Told the kings that you know about these things. This was Agrippa, Herod Agrippa. These things were not done in a corner. And you know what, everybody really knows that. The resurrection of Jesus Christ may be the most well-documented event of the ancient world.

There is no documentation of any refutation of Jesus' resurrection from the Roman era in which Jesus lived. Did you know that? There's no documents, there's nothing where somebody said, hey, we got some, here's our case against the resurrection of Christ. There's none. There's none.

None from the Roman era in which Jesus lived. In fact, almost no one denied the resurrection of Christ until about the middle of the 18th century. That's when you see all the skeptics and the blasphemers and mockers begin to come in. Of course, they're now in full swing. No one denied it, hardly anyone denied it until about the middle of the 18th century.

Christian martyrs for two millennia have staked their lives on it. Have you ever thought about it, how it is that the history of Christianity is filled with the accounts of believers, of Christians, going to crosses, being thrown to wild beasts, burnt at the stake, and at the same time with joyful songs of praise to God flowing from their lips. Have you thought about that? How could it be? Because Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.

Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. And because he is risen, those in him will also be risen. You know, similarly, we hear of Christians who go through great trials, incredible trials. I have a brother, a fellow pastor in another country that emailed yesterday going through a terrible trial, terrible trial. How is it that we hear of Christians enduring great pain and suffering of body, sometimes in prolonged illnesses that sometimes last their entire lifetime and yet they don't succumb to ultimate despair.

How is it? Jesus Christ is risen from the dead, and because he is risen, we shall also rise. I mentioned earlier that a person can visit the burial places of all of the teachers, great teachers, or self-proclaimed prophets in the world, religions, of the world religions. A person can visit the place where the body of Muhammad lies in Saudi Arabia. They can make a pilgrimage and they can visit that place and see the place where his body lies.

A person can visit the sites, I believe there are eight of them where the remains of the incinerated body of the Buddha are buried. Or they can visit the burial place where the body of Confucius lies in China. But no one can make a pilgrimage to Israel and visit the place where the body of Jesus lies buried, because he's no longer there. He's risen from the dead. Amen?

In our opening passage, as we close, we read the words of the angel of the Lord who was sitting on the stone that was rolled away from the entrance of the tomb. And he said, Fear not ye, for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He's not here. He is not here, for he is risen, as he said. Come see the place where the Lord lay.

Brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who never sinned, died for our sins. He was buried, He actually died, and he rose again from the dead the third day. This is the the message that was preached by the men who quote turned the whole world upside down and It's the message we must also share. Let's pray. Father, we do thank you for this wonderful day.

What a blessing, God. What a blessing, Lord, to be meeting with brothers and sisters in the Lord, glorying in you, God, glorying in our risen Savior, Christ risen from the dead. What a blessing, God. And to be able to meet, Lord, in a place where we can boldly proclaim, in a nation where we can still boldly proclaim that Jesus Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures, that he was buried and that he rose again from the dead the third day, that we can still proclaim the gospel message to our friends and neighbors and enemies of the cross. Lord, we thank you that that is the case.

Oh, help us, God, to resolve, Lord, as the apostles were resolved, to take the good news of the person and work of Jesus Christ and his death for our sins and his resurrection from the dead the third day into all the world of God, beginning in our own homes, in our own communities, in our own workplaces. Help us God, not to be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation. To as many as believe, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile, help us Father, help us God to glory this day in our resurrected Lord who saved us from our sins, for we ask it in his holy name. Amen.