Objecting to silence, offended by submission

As in all the congregations of the Lord’s people, women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.
1 Corinthians 14:33b-35

The apostle Paul is writing to the believers in Corinth on the matter of orderly church meetings. In this section of his letter, he addresses the women in their gatherings, instructing them to “remain silent”.

Understandably, many are confused by these words. Some are deeply offended. And it’s not just the women who feel this way. Rather in any bible study on male headship or female submission, it’s the guys who start blushing and feeling all awkward as they trip over their words trying to sound as apologetic as possible. We would happily skip over these verses in Chapter 14 and move on to the green pastures of the gospel of Jesus Christ beginning in Chapter 15.

Yet there they are in the bible, written for our instruction, edification and encouragement. We will look at this passage and its context in closer detail this coming weekend. But for now, I would like to address three common objections to this passage in particular; and the biblical roles of men and women, in general.

Objection 1: It doesn’t apply to us today

The objection goes something like this: Paul was writing to a first-century church in the ancient Greek world. Back then, men were always in charge – in the home and in the church. Women were expected to be in submission. But things have changed after two-thousand years. It doesn’t apply to our world today. At least, that is the gist of the argument.

It is worth noting that Paul instructs three groups within the church to be silent (sigato) here in Chapter 14, not just the women. First, he tells the tongue-speaker to “keep quiet” if there is no-one in the church to interpret what he is saying to everyone else (verse 28). He then tells the one who is prophesying to stop doing so, should someone else receive a revelation from God.

Meaning Yes, there was a context to Paul’s letter. But No, it wasn’t ancient. He is addressing the subject of worship in the church of God, especially with regards to speaking the Word of God. That applies to our Christian meetings today where the bible is central to knowing and obeying the will of God.

Paul’s point is this: Christian meetings are not free-for-all’s - where anyone can do anything they feel like doing any which way they like. The result would be chaos and confusion. “God is not a God of disorder,” Paul says, “but of peace” (verse 33).

That meant setting limits. That meant making sure people understood what was going on. All tongues needed interpretation; all prophecies had to be weighed.

The problem in Paul’s day were Christians who thought, “I have this ability therefore I deserve the opportunity.” It’s like the Nike ad: Just do it! But Paul is saying Nope. Church is not the place for showing off. The determining factor is not your ability or even your sincerity. Rather, it is the clarity of God’s Word. “Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.” (verse 26) God means for his Word and his Will to be available to all gathered in the church.

So Paul tells the tongue-speaker, “you need to stop”; then he tells the one prophesying, “That’s enough for today, buddy”. But finally, he turns to women, and using the exact same expression, instructs them to be silent.

Now what Paul can’t mean was that women were forbidden from participating in worship. We know this from Chapter 11 verse 4, where Paul addressed the same women in the same church who were “praying and prophesying”, together with the men (the same expression found in 11:3).

But what he is referring to is the thing that happens (and needs to happen) after prophecy, which is the evaluation; which is the weighing of that prophecy (verse 29). Was that right? What did that mean? Is that in the bible? This involved the exercise of authority over prophecy: it was the authentication of prophecy. At its core, this involved teaching and instruction from the bible.

This was an issue of authority. Notice that Paul’s prohibition on the women speaking in the church nowhere implies their lack of ability. Rather he calls them to “submission” (verse 34). On one hand, it was the submission of wives to their husbands (verse 35). But he already dealt with that issue at length back in Chapter 11. The reason he brings women into the picture here in Chapter 14 - which is a setting about corporate worship - is because Paul is highlighting submission to a greater authority - not that of their husbands - but of God’s word.

Tongue-speaking was in submission to interpretation - God’s word made clear. Prophecy was in submission to evaluation - God’s word made final. And women were in submission to the instruction of God’s word carried out by men - “as the law says” (verse 34) - God’s word applied and obeyed. Obedience to God’s word results in a display of submission. Wives in obedience to their husbands.

Objection 2: That’s just your opinion

In other words: You’re just saying that because you’re a guy!

I wonder if the Corinthians said the exact same thing to Paul. Mind you, it wasn’t just the women who took offence at his words. Those possessing spiritual gifts of prophecy and tongues would have been the first to object to his remarks. How dare he impose these stifling archaic obnoxious rules on us!

See what Paul says here:

Or did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached? If anyone thinks they are a prophet or otherwise gifted by the Spirit, let them acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command. But if anyone ignores this, they will themselves be ignored.

1 Corinthians 14:36-38

As far as he was concerned, Paul was delivering a command from God. He challenges them to weigh his words, to “acknowledge that what (he is) writing … is the Lord’s command”.

Encounter objections to the bible doesn’t worry me. People who struggle with the bible are often doing business with God.

No, I get worried when people ignore these verses. They don’t want to struggle. Because they don’t want to deal with God.

Paul says, “if anyone ignores this, they will themselves be ignored”. He isn’t talking about being ignored by those who hold a different position from you. He is talking about being ignored by God. Such people will be insignificant in God’s eyes, shut out of his sight. That’s a pretty serious warning. That’s really worrying.

Objection 3: It doesn’t matter

Why make a big fuss about this? Won’t it just cause more problems? Won’t it discourage the women from serving, cause the men to act more irresponsibly? At the end of the day, God uses whoever he wants to - boy or girl – can’t he?

Objections like these remind me of the need to be wise and loving in the way I try to teach the bible. A lot of what the bible says is itself difficult and challenging, and my job is to be as faithful to the text as possible without any need of sticking on my own agendas on the side.

But it also reminds me that texts like these can be quite unfamiliar, even to Christians. Girls thinking through decisions to serve in church or pursue full-time ministry bump up against verses like these, struggling with them in their conscience - yet they may not have taken the opportunity to look them up in the bible. As far as I can remember, I can’t recall the last time I was able to help a sister turn to 1 Corinthians 14 (much to my own shame and ignorance) to hear the bible speak for itself on this subject.

And I know how tempting it is for me to say: Don’t worry about it. It doesn’t really make a difference. Except it does.

Some do this out of ignorance – they genuinely haven’t encountered these texts in the bible yet they are familiar with the principles. The danger is: there is no confidence or certainty in these principles. So when an uncomfortable situation arises where such a principle needs to be applied – in this case the need for orderly worship in a congregation – they can’t tell whether they are acting on God’s will or just a hunch.

Worse still is someone who does this out of defiance; where a person actually knows this is clearly written in the bible, yet chooses to deny the bible’s teaching. Such a person is acting against his conscience and knowledge of God’s will.

We need to be careful of pointing to the bible and saying, “This bit doesn’t really matter.” That’s different from saying, “I don’t really understand this.” Or even to say, “I don’t really agree with this.” But when we say a text or passage from the bible isn’t important we are making an assessment on that text. That is no different from verse 29 – weighing the words of the prophet. We are exercising a judgement. Except with the bible we are not weighing a person’s opinion. We are considering God’s word.

Now back to the text at hand.

In verse 33 Paul makes reference to “the Law”. Women must remain silent and must be in submission “as the Law says”. Why does Paul say this? In part, we have already observed that Paul is talking about Scripture. But Paul is referring to a specific part of the bible. He did this back in Chapter 11 verses 8 to 9 – “For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.” This is from Genesis 2 – the creation of the man and the woman. (He does this yet again in 1 Timothy 2:13, referring to the same Old Testament passage when teaching on the same subject of male headship and female submission.)

God has established the order of headship in creation – between the man and the woman – and in the new creation – between Christ and the church, the new humanity. So much so, that even Christ submits himself to God as his heavenly Father (1 Corinthians 11:3).

Again the issue is authority. Christ submits to the authority of God the Father. We submit to the authority of Christ. For men, this submission results in loving leadership. For women, submission to the Lord is reflected in submission to their own husbands in marriage. And 1 Corinthians 14 adds, this is also seen in submission to the spoken authority of men teaching the Word of God. As 1 Timothy, Chapters 2 and 3 clarify, this is crystallised in the particular responsibility of men serving as elders in the church tasked with teaching the bible.

Now considering all this: will it cause issues in the church? Of course, it will. It affects who we choose as elders and leaders; Who we allow to preach God’s word before the whole congregation; How we train men and women for ministry and the expectations we give them on what their roles will be like in the church.

But back to the objection, where someone might say “It doesn’t really matter!” What such a person means is: I don’t want to bother with this issue. It is too difficult to handle.

Hence this last objection is not a real objection at all, as much as it is a dismissal; a dismissal of an issue that is vitally important and matters greatly to God.

Getting dunked

Tomorrow afternoon we come together to witness the baptism of three of our brothers and sisters in the English congregation. The word “baptised” simply means “dunked”. As a sign of their trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, these believers will be dunked in a pool of water.

Why do Christians get baptised? Here are four thoughts from the bible on what it means for Y,S and F to take the plunge.

1. A proclamation of the gospel

Having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins.
Colossians 2:12-13

We are saved by faith alone in Christ alone through grace alone. Baptism reminds us that God forgave us all our sins while we were still dead in our sins. Not because of anything we have done, but only because of Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross. This is the gospel.

2. A sign of death

We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
Romans 6:2b,3

Christ’s death freed us from the power of sin. Our baptism identifies us with his death (Colossians 2:12 equates going into the water with burial) and serves as a daily reminder to put our sinful nature to death, and to live by faith.

3. A sign of new life

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
Romans 6:4

If there is no cross, there is no resurrection. We identify with Christ in his death, so that we live with Christ through his resurrection. We have been raised to new life.

4. A mark of obedience

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 28:19

Upon his resurrection, Jesus commanded that all new believers be baptised as a mark of conversion and obedience to the gospel.

The church and the Word of God

William Tyndale translated the first English bible in the 16^th Century, from the original Greek and Hebrew languages. His intention was produce a version of the bible that was clear and understandable; one that it made sense even to the “ploughboy” – the ancient equivalent of a checkout assistant at Tesco.

One of the most controversial verses translated by Tyndale was Matthew 16:18. These were words spoken by Jesus himself in response to Peter’s confession that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” My NIV bible reads as follows:

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
Matthew 16:18

Tyndale didn’t use the word “church”, instead replacing it with the word “congregation”. Tyndale’s bible caused a great stir within the Roman Catholic Church. One biographer writes, “To change these words was to strip the Church hierarchy of its pretensions to be Christ's terrestrial representative, and to award this honour to individual worshipers who made up each congregation.”

So when the King James bible – a new English translation – was later commissioned and published in 1611, specific instructions were given to translators not to use “congregation”, but to reinstate the word “church” in its place.

What is the church?

Today we use the word “church” in a variety of ways. As I write this, Prince William and Kate Middleton have just gotten married in a majestic church building (that is Westminster Abbey). Each Sunday, I go to the Chinese Church, while many of my friends go to other churches – like Eden Chapel, St Andrew the Great and Cambridge Presbyterian Church. Hence, we use the word “church” to describe a building (“We are raising funds to fix the church hall”), a Christian event or meeting (“I had an awesome time in church this morning”), a Christian denomination (Baptist, Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist), a specific group of Christian believers (“my church; your church”) or all Christians around the world (the universal or catholic church).

Yet how does the bible describe the church?

This week, I have been asked to speak on the topic, “The Church and the Christian”, exploring the relationship between individual believers in Jesus Christ and the church. The brief I was sent included very relevant questions for us as Christians today. How do we integrate with the life of the church beyond Sundays? What is the relationship between the church and parachurch organisations, like Christian Unions and mission agencies?

In other words, how does this apply to me? Should I attend my college group or get more involved in a church house group? How do I find a church when I return home after my three/four years here at Cambridge?

In preparation for these very relevant and applicable issues concerning the church, I thought it might be helpful – at least, for me – to first think through the foundational questions of what the church is, the definition of a good and healthy church (conversely, a bad church) and the reasons why, if at all, is the church important?

So before exploring the connection of the church with the individual Christian, it might be worthwhile to establish the church within the framework of the following relationships:

1. The church and the Word of God (Today’s text)

2. The church and the glory of God

3. The church and the body of Christ

4. The church in and out of the world

5. The church and the Kingdom of Heaven;
and then finally,

6. The church and the Christian today

I will build my congregation

Back to Tyndale. For him, the church was never a building. Nor was it a complex social organisation, with layers of bishops and archbishops, such as the Church of Rome. He used the word “congregation” to mean small, discrete, localised gatherings of individual Christians.

The Greek word is ekklesia, literally, “called out”. It wasn’t a particularly religious word, as ekklesia commonly referred to gatherings of a social, or even, political nature. We find it in Acts 19, never speaking of Christians, instead referring three times to non-Christians, worshippers of the pagan god Artemis, who had gathered in front of the town hall to cause a riot. A few months ago, hundreds of students gathered outside the Senate House, protesting the sudden increase in university tuition fees. You could similarly call them an ekklesia, a gathering of individuals.

Another important thing to note is this: When the bible does use ekklesia to refer to Christians, in almost every single instance, it is talking about the local church. Most of the New Testament consist of letters written to individual churches – local gatherings of Christians situated in different parts of the world.

To the churches in Galatia.
Galatians 1:2
(Note the plural “churches” – not one single church, but many church located in this one location)

To the church of God in Corinth.
1 Corinthians 1:2

After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.
Colossians 4:10

To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 1:1

To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker, to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier and to the church that meets in your home.
Philemon 1:1-2
(A Christian gathering that meets in someone’s house is here, also called a church. Similarly, Romans 16:5)

The fact that these Christian gatherings were held in homes meant you could only have so many people meeting in one location. While Acts 2 records the explosive growth of the believers numbering thousands (2:41) and meeting daily in the temple courts (2:46); after the dispersion of Acts 8, outside of Jerusalem, it is clear that the early Christians met in houses (often of its wealthier members); gathering for worship and even for meals (see 1 Corinthians 11 – dealing with the Lord’s Supper).

Yet, the bible calls each of these gatherings, though small and scattered, the church of God (1 Corinthians 1:2, 11:16, 11:22). As a social entity, they are individuals from diverse backgrounds – poor and rich, slave and free, Jew and Gentile, men and women. In God’s eyes, they are his church.

This does not disqualify large church gatherings today – mega-churches numbering thousands upon thousands – renting out football stadiums and filling up concert theatres. Then again, even the humble Chinese Church in Cambridge would be considered a mega-church when compared to say, the church in Corinth, numbering 40 to 50 believers at most.

However, this does affirm the church in China today: Millions of believers meeting in homes, secretly in small numbers, sometimes just a few families in an apartment. These have a lot in common with the early New Testament church. When they gather in the name of Jesus Christ, they are no less, the church of God in the fullest sense.

Now I am all for the use of the word “church”. It comes from kuriakon meaning “belonging to the Lord (kurios)”. It is a wonderful reminder of the church pointing forward to Jesus as our head, our foundation, our God and our Saviour. He has redeemed us. He is our Lord. We are his church.

But I think Tyndale was saying something very significant in his translation. Ekklesia simply means “gathering”. That is why Tyndale went with “congregation” – you “congregate” when you meet with one another; when you assemble. And the significance of Christians being gathered together in the New Testament is seen in God’s work and purpose in gathering his people to himself in Christ since the Old.

The church in the wilderness

Curiously enough, Acts 7 describes the Israelites during the time of the Exodus as the “ekklesia (NIV: assembly) in the desert”. We read:

(Moses) was in the assembly (ekklesia) in the desert, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers; and he received living words to pass on to us.
Acts 7:38

In fact, we find ekklesia recurring frequently in the Old Testament (the LXX; Greek translation of the Old Testament) to refer to Israel as a nation. It is used in place of the Hebrew word Qahal, often translated as “assembly” in our NIV English bibles. For example, the title to the book of Ecclesiastes is transliterated from the Greek, whereas in Hebrew it is known as Qoheleth, meaning “teacher of the assembly”.

God has been gathering his people to himself all throughout the history of the bible, not just beginning with the New Testament. However, one important point to note from the assembly of the people of God in the Old Testament is this: They are gathered to hear the word of God.

Look back at Acts 7:38. On Mount Sinai, God speaks to Moses through the angel. He receives “living words” from God. God rescues Israel from slavery in Egypt so that he might gather them to himself to worship him (Exodus 20). He speaks to them from the mountain, delivering the Ten Commandments. Moses compiles the laws which become the Book of the Covenant. God reveals instructions for worship: the tabernacle, the priests and the sacrifices.

Reflecting on this, Moses would later call this event the “Day of the Assembly”. You could also translate this the “Day of the Church”. It was the day “the Lord proclaimed to you on the mountain out of fire” (Deuteronomy 9:10, 10:4, 18:16).

On that day, the people of God gathered to hear the word of God.

God’s people around God’s Word

The author to the Hebrews picks up on this same event, using the picture of the Israelites gathered at Mount Sinai. He then goes on to say that we as Christians have come to a different mountain. Same God; but the big difference is we have received a better word. We have Jesus.

¹⁸ You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; ¹⁹ to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them

²² But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, ²³ to the church (ekklesia) of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, ²⁴ to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24

The comparison is between two gatherings (two ekklesias), two mountains. But also, two words. The Old Testament people came to a mountain where they received words that terrified them. They “begged that no further word be spoken to them”.

We have come to Zion; not a physical location, but “the heavenly Jerusalem”. God is still judge. He is still just as awesome and fearful (Hebrews 12:28). But through Jesus we receive a covenant that “speaks a better word.” This word defines our worship and our joy. It defines the church.

God gathers his people around his word. For the Israelites at Sinai, it was the Law. For Christians, it is the gospel – the fulfilment of the law and prophets, found in the person and work of Jesus Christ. But in both cases, the church is gathered to receive and obey the word of God.

Today, we are more likely to say that the main reason why we meet together as the church is to worship. Not bible study. “You can read your bible at home. When we come together, we ought to love another, pray for each other’s needs.”

The context of this passage from Hebrews 12 is acceptable worship. The church gathers to worship God. Yet the whole book was written to Christians tempted to worship God by returning to their Jewish traditions and roots. In so doing, they were abandoning Jesus. Jesus is the only true worship leader. He offers the only acceptable sacrifice – his body and blood on the cross.

The key to acceptable worship, according to the book of Hebrews, is listening. Again and again, the author says, we must listen:

We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
Hebrews 2:1

Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.
Hebrews 3:15, 4:7

See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks.
Hebrews 12:25

The problem the book of Hebrews is addressing is this: In their earnest desire to worship God, these early Christians had abandoned the word of God. They were abandoning Jesus.

Please don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that you shouldn’t pray during our meetings, or that you should only have bible studies in every meeting. It isn’t a question about what the church does. I am dealing with the question of why the church exists.

God gathers the church around his word, the gospel. The gospel enables us to worship God acceptably and joyfully. We respond to the gospel. The church is the result and fruit of the gospel.

And where there is no gospel, there is no church.

On this rock I will build

Jesus says he will build his church in Matthew 16. But he also tells us what he will build his church on.

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
Matthew 16:18

This is one of the most controversial verses in the bible. The Roman Catholic Church see Jesus here establishing a line of succession in leadership for the church, beginning with Peter as the first pope. Others think Jesus is speaking about Peter’s confession (“You are the Christ”). Still others would say Jesus is speaking of himself. He is the Rock.

The first thing to notice is that Jesus is building his church – he builds the church; the church is his. And we have already seen that ekklesia has a rich background in the Old Testament people of God, especially in the events of the exodus. They were rescued from slavery under Pharaoh and gathered as the new community of Israel under God. Yet this is more than national identity. “The gates of Hades will not overcome” this new community. There are cosmic and eternal dimensions to this earthly community. “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Secondly, Jesus says he will build his church “on this rock”. It is a word play on the name Jesus has just given Peter. “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah,” Jesus says, “I tell you that you are Peter.” Jesus gives him a new name, petros (which means “stone”; whereas the Greek word for “rock” is petra). Peter is an unusual name for a Jew. Yet, the way in which the New Testament widely refers to him as Peter, instead of his actual name Simon, means the authors recognise the significance of this one individual and the name given him by Jesus.

Jesus will establish his church and he will use Peter in a unique and significant way. The question is: how?

The book of Acts traces the growth of the early church, placing special emphasis on the role of Peter. He stands up to address the brothers in Chapter 1 of the importance of choosing a replacement for Judas. At Pentecost when the Holy Spirit comes upon the disciples enabling them to speak in tongues, Peter stands up once again to preach evangelistically to the large crowd that had gathered, calling them to repent and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38), resulting in three thousand being added to their number that day.

Peter continues to feature as the main character in the subsequent chapters. He heals the a crippled beggar in Chapter 3, a large crowd gathers to see the miracle, and he preaches to them about Jesus. The church grows to five thousand in Chapter 4.

When he and John are arrested by the guards and brought to face the rulers, elders and priests in Jerusalem, this simply becomes another platform for Peter to speak boldly about Christ. Luke, the author, remarks how the Jewish leaders were caught off-guard by the courage of the apostles; “they... realised that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13).

Chapter 5: Ananias and Sapphira attempt to deceive the Holy Spirit, at the cost of their lives; Peter is there speaking the very words that convict them of this truth. People brought the sick, laying them on the streets, on mats and beds that “Peter’s shadow might fall on some them as he passed by”. Peter is a big deal.

That is, until Chapter 12. Peter gets arrested (again!) and is miraculously freed by God (again! 5:19). After that? No Peter. Acts has 28 chapters. Peter’s story ends in Chapter 12.

Well, that’s not entirely true. He gets up to speak in Chapter 15, as one voice among many in the Council at Jerusalem, nonetheless an important voice. The issue is about Gentiles – non-Jewish Christian believers – in the church. He says this:

⁷ ... Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. ⁸ God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. ⁹ He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. ¹⁰ Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? ¹¹ No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.
Acts 15:7-11

After these words, we do not here about Peter ever again in the book of Acts. Meaning that according to Luke; from the author’s perspective, Peter’s role was done. He laid the foundation for the church. Through Peter’s witness to Christ’s death and resurrection, he and the apostles were used by God to establish the church – in Jerusalem, onto Samaria, then onto the ends of the earth.

The church’s one foundation

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians has the most amazing things to say about God and about the church in all of the bible; and we will look at this letter in more detail at a later date. And Paul writes these words describing the one foundation of the church.

¹⁹ Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, ²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
Ephesians 2:19-20

What does God use to build his church? What is absolutely essential in the church of Jesus Christ?

Yes, the answer is Christ Jesus “the chief cornerstone” – the end of verse 20. But verse 20 begins with the words, “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets”. They are one and the same. It is the apostolic witness to Jesus as the Christ – the true Son of God, as Peter together with the disciples confessed back in Matthew 16.

Or, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3, in establishing the church at Corinth, “I laid a foundation as an expert builder... for no-one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Paul lays the foundation; yet there is but one foundation. He is referring to the gospel, “the message of the cross” (1 Corinthians 1:18) or “Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).

Or as John writes in the book of Revelation, recording his vision of the new Jerusalem descending from heaven itself – the Holy City. There John describes the foundations of this city of God:

The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Revelation 21:14

What is the foundation of the true church of Jesus Christ? It is the apostolic witness to the gospel - The message of the cross. Jesus Christ and him crucified.

Where there is the gospel, there we find the mark of a true church. Where there is no gospel, there is no church.

Jesus says he will build his church on this rock. When he said this to Peter and the apostles, there was no established church. The apostles were simple fishermen with little or no education, much less theological training. Yet what they had was Jesus. And for that one – albeit, brief – moment, they recognised Jesus for who he really was.

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:15-16

For that Jesus said to Peter, You are blessed. For that confession, Jesus says, was revealed not by man, but by his Father in Heaven. And Jesus was saying to Peter and to the twelve apostles, God would so use their confession of Christ such as to build his church – Jesus’ church – here on earth; and in heaven.

What is the church? It is God’s people gathered around God’s word. The gospel is the one foundation of the true church of Jesus Christ.

¹⁰ By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. ¹¹ For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:10-11

Doubting the resurrection (Matthew 28)

How important is the resurrection of Jesus Christ? Did Jesus really rise from the dead?

The question came up just a week ago in a conversation I had on a train back from New Word Alive. It was a seven-hour journey from Wales during which I met two gentlemen sitting across from me as I was reading my bible. We got to talking about God, different world religions and even the reliability of the New Testament. Eventually, we got to the resurrection. I said that it was so important to know and decide if what the bible said was true: Did Jesus really die for our sins? Did he rise from the dead?

Both of them were elderly men. G was visiting his wife in hospital. It involved taking a train, then a bus. It was a considerable distance. He did this every day.

S was dressed in a white shirt and black suit. He was on his way to a funeral.

G and S were regular church-goers. As far as I could tell from our conversation, for them, Jesus was a good man. But he did not die for our sins. And Jesus did not rise on the third day. There are many perspectives, said G; to Jesus and to the bible. And we need to consider them all.

What do you think? Is the resurrection true? Or just a point of view?

Today we look to passage in the bible that gives us not one, but three different perspectives to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Matthew 28 is a record of the events that occurred that first Easter Sunday, three days after Jesus was crucified and buried in the tomb. He tells the story from three different viewpoints. We meet three groups of people in this passage: The women (verses 1 to 10), the guards (verses 11 to 15) and finally, the closest friends and disciples of Jesus (verses 16 to 20). In doing so, the bible presents us with the evidence for the resurrection, but also, the different responses to that same evidence, as well as the motivation behind these responses.

We begin with the women.

¹ After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
Matthew 28:1

These women are amazing. All four gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – record how women were the first eye-witnesses to the empty tomb. They were the first to meet the resurrected Jesus. If only because of this one simple reason: they stuck around.

When Jesus was crucified, the women were there.

⁵⁵ Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. ⁵⁶ Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
Matthew 27:55-56

When Jesus was buried, there were the same women. Mary and Mary.

⁶¹ Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.
Matthew 27:61

So our passage today opens with the two Mary’s making their way to the tomb once again. It is the same reason why anyone goes to visit the grave of someone they love. They are grieving. Verse 1 says, they went to “look at the tomb.” The resurrection was far from their minds.

And what they saw next would have been almost beyond belief.

² There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴ The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
Matthew 28:2-4

Grown men froze in fear at this sight. An angel descends from heaven, causes an earthquake, and rolls back the huge stone blocking the entrance to the tomb. Then the angel sits on top of the stone. Why?

Not to let Jesus out. That’s what I used to think. Jesus was stuck in there, “Let me out! Let me out!” So God sends this angelic being to his rescue – to let Jesus out.

No, the reason God sent the angel and rolled away the stone, was to let the women in.

⁵ The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
Matthew 28:5-6

The women came to “look at the tomb” (verse 1). So the angel shows them the empty tomb. “Come and see,” the angel says. See the place where Jesus lay. But really, in their hearts, they wanted to see Jesus. Verse 5: “I know you are looking for Jesus,” the angel says to them. “He is not here” (verse 6).

Seeing is believing. For many, that is what it takes. If only God would show himself; do something spectacular before my every eyes. Then I would trust him. Only then would I believe these extraordinary claims in the bible.

But the women weren’t the only eye-witnesses at the scene. The guards, they were there, too. They saw the angel. They saw everything (verse 11). Yet they did not believe. No, we need to read on to understand why these women understood what they saw, as well as, what they heard.

⁸ So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshipped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
Matthew 28:8-10

Verse 9 really struck me when I read it this week. They met Jesus! And question I have been asking this text all week has been: why here? Why did Jesus make his appearance here?

I mean, why didn’t he meet them at the tomb? We read from verse 8, the women are on their way, leaving the tomb, to meet the disciples as the angel had instructed them. But along the way, Jesus (“suddenly”, the text tells us) meets them.

Two reasons. Based on what they did, and based on what Jesus said.

Firstly, what these women did, when they met Jesus. They (verse 9) “came to him and clasped his feet and worshipped him”. The moment they saw Jesus in the flesh, they bowed down and grabbed his feet. You see, the empty tomb means the resurrection is reasonable. We can believe and we should believe in the resurrection, based purely on the evidence of the New Testament. But really, the reason why we ultimately do believe is love. The presence of the resurrected Jesus, makes his love real, and our love for him, compelling.

I think in part – and really I must stress this bit is just my inference – Jesus wanted to see these women. These amazing women who had stuck around; who saw him tortured and hanging from the cross. Who sat across the tomb just to watch his body being carried in. These women loved Jesus. That much is plainly obvious. It must have been unbearable witnessing the crucifixion. But they couldn’t leave him. They had to be there. Remember what the angel said back in verse 5? I know that you are looking for Jesus.

And here in verse 9, they see him! And they grab his feet, “Jesus, it’s really you!” And I think Jesus, too, wanted to see them. He saw their hearts, he knew their anguish and their pain. The moment they heard the news from the angel, the women were filled with fear but also with joy (verse 8). And Jesus wanted to complete that joy. He wanted them to see him, but I think that he too, wanted to see them.

You know, women put us men to shame when it comes to worship. That’s what they did in verse 9. They worshipped Jesus.

We men turn up in church and we try our best to look cool and in control. To stand up and sing a song about Jesus, that’s really tough on our egos. Oh, we don’t mind the songs that talk about Jesus as our conquering King; the Christian life as a battle. Those kind of songs, we’ll sing with gusto. But anything that has words like “I love you, Lord” or “Jesus, lover of my soul.” Come on. We’re men! Please don’t give us songs with words like “The heart of the bride belongs to Jesus”!

Men, the women put us to shame. They understand what it means to love Jesus and worship him, and wait for him and rejoice in his presence.

Where were the men when Jesus was crucified. Sure, we see Joseph approaching Pilate for the body. But the disciples? Those closest to Jesus? They fled. The women remained. They stayed.

The men at the tomb, the guards, they just froze in fear. The women, too, were fearful (verse 8), but they were also joyful. The responded in obedience – hurrying and running to tell the disciples.

And Jesus appeared to them – to these women – to honour their joy and obedience. He loved them for their devotion and faithfulness to him – all throughout the events of the cross and burial; and now in response to the news of the resurrection. Jesus loved these women.

That’s the first reason. Because of what these women did. They waited and then they worshipped.

But the second reason is verse 10 – what Jesus said.

Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
Matthew 28:10

Now look back to verse 6. This is exactly what the angel tells the women back at the tomb. Jesus has risen and is going to Galilee. Now tell the disciples to go there, because there, they will see him.

The angel was a messenger. And as important as it was for the women to see what they saw, it was even more vital that they heard what the angel had to say. Verse 6: He has risen, just as he said.

All throughout his life and ministry, Jesus spoke clearly and repeatedly and emphatically, about his death and his resurrection. Back in Chapter 16:

²¹ From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Matthew 16:21

Again in Chapter 20, before entering Jerusalem. And again in Chapter 26, where interestingly we also find these words to Peter, “But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” (Matthew 26:32)

Meaning this: Jesus knew he would die. And Jesus told his disciples he would rise again. In fact, he says in Chapter 16 that he “must” die. It was his will and plan to suffer on the cross.

The angel was reminding the women of Jesus’ words. That was his primary mission: to convey a message. “Now I have told you,” he says at the end of verse 7, as if to say, “There, that’s the job done. Phew! Got the message through.”

But then the women are now to carry this same message to the disciples. “I have come to tell you, what you are to tell the disciples, what Jesus told you all this while. There, I’ve told you!” Or something along those lines!

And now Jesus appears while they are on the way back to tell the disciples. Curiously enough, he repeats the exact same message as the angel. The question is, Why?

Something very significant is happening here. It is almost as if there is an intentional separation of and sequence to these two events. First, the word from God. Then, the appearance of Jesus. And I think, Jesus makes his appearance only here to say to the women, What you heard back at the tomb, those were my words to you. And now the words you carry to the disciples, those are my words to them.

Jesus is giving weight to their witness; weight to their words. These are the words of God. When you speak, I speak.

What we need to see, at the heart of this message, is faithfulness. God’s word is his promise. When he gives us his word, he is promising that he will do something in accordance to that word. I would even go as far as to say, God never does anything that he does not reveal according to his word.

That’s a pretty bold statement. But it is true. God reveals his will in his word. And God acts with such integrity and faithfulness, that he never does one single thing, outside of his will in his word.

The guards don’t understand what happened at the tomb. Because they did not understand the message. It wasn’t for them. Perhaps they didn’t hear the angel. Perhaps they just didn’t get it. You see, it isn’t just about knowing that there was such a person named Jesus, that he died, that he rose again. It really is about knowing what God said about Jesus: why he died, why he rose from the dead. It is understanding God’s word – if you like, God’s perspective – on these events.

That is what the women uniquely had. Because the message was for them. Because they trusted in this message. That is the bible’s definition of faith. It is to trust, to rely and to depend on a God who is trustworthy, reliable and dependable. Jesus said this would happen. And it happened as Jesus said it would happen.

But next, we see the guards, also carrying a message. We see a different response to this message.

¹¹ While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. ¹² When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, ¹³ telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’
Matthew 28:11-13

I should clarify: it’s not normal to have guards stationed at a tomb. You have guards at a bank, in front of Buckingham Palace, you even have guards patrolling the Grafton Centre. But these men were sent to stand guard in front of Jesus’ tomb. That is strange, unusual. Matthew tells us why at the end of Chapter 27.

⁶² The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. ⁶³ “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ ⁶⁴ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”
Matthew 27:62-64

Now look back at verse 13. What was the reason the chief priests and elders had for the missing body? “His disciples came during the night and stole him away”.

Even before any of this happened, they had already decided in their minds what had happened. It was a pre-decision. They had made their minds up.

You get a lot of conspiracy theories today about Jesus. Dan Brown’s Da Vinci code says the church made the whole thing up. So some will say that Jesus faked his death. None of this is true. They are elaborate lies designed to trick the gullible and simple-minded.

What I want you to notice is, these conspiracy theories aren’t new – they were around two-thousand years ago. And yet, notice that even those who opposed Jesus, never doubted that he died. They made sure that he died. Don’t believe the nonsense about Jesus faking his death. The religious leaders and the Roman authorities did not have any doubt that he did die on the cross. Their concern was making sure he stayed dead. That’s why they stationed guards, they put the seal on the tomb – to make sure no one could sneak in and steal his dead body.

Yet at the same time, we see them making up their minds, to such a degree, that nothing, absolutely nothing would change their minds. Not even the testimony of the guards they had put there at the tomb. The problem with “conspiracy theories” is not that they are compelling or true – it is that many who hear them have no interest in the truth. Its purpose is not explain but to explain away. I wonder how many of you have read the Da Vinci Code (or seen the movie) – I have. And yet how many of you have read the bible. Maybe today’s the first time you have read Matthew 28.

By all means, disagree. Question the facts. At least you are disagreeing with the actual claims of the bible. They are pretty amazing claims – almost unbelievable.

When it came to the claims of the resurrection – even the disciples were surprised. No one, absolutely no one expected this. I need to stress this. No one doubted Jesus died. His body was in the tomb. But everyone doubted when they heard he had risen.

The women were surprised; and we’ll see soon, even those closest to Jesus were still hesitant about the resurrection. The bible is honest and open about their reactions. We should be honest about ours.

What reason do you have for doubting the resurrection? Is it because you have only ever heard the objections?

Or is it because of verse 14:

¹⁴ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” ¹⁵ So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.
Matthew 28:14-15

It is talking about the guards. They were there. They saw and heard everything. Yet for them, it wasn’t a conspiracy theory that made them question the resurrection. The bible gives a much simpler reason. They didn’t want to get into trouble (verse 14). They were paid to look the other way (verse 15).

Self-preservation and self-fulfilment. What I can get out of this.

So today – Easter Sunday – is the day we buy one another chocolate eggs. We will greet one another with “Happy Easter!” as we walk into the building. I was coming in earlier and said to me, “Happy Easter!” and I responded, “Yes, Jesus is risen from the grave. He is ascended on high!” Stunned expressions. “Well, enjoy your time of praise later,” they saidJ

It’s weird talking about Jesus on Easter Sunday. To mention the cross. To point to the resurrection from the dead. People give you funny looks. And yet that is the reason the church gathers, not just this one Sunday in the year, but every Sunday. It is the day of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Every week on Sunday, the first day, we remember that Jesus rose from the grave. One day, so will we.

I am not too bothered whether we make a big deal about today. I don’t see Easter Sunday morning as more holy or special than say, tomorrow afternoon. But I am concerned about this: If we do talk about Easter, we have to talk about Jesus. Not just give out chocolate bunnies to kids and sing nice songs about Jesus risen “in our hearts”.

Like the guards, we don’t want to get into trouble. So when our colleagues ask us what we did over the long weekend, we will talk about the trip to London, the hot weather, the funny story about the Creme egg we left in our pocket; we hesitate to talk about Jesus.

Like the guards, we sell out. We want Easter to be more like Christmas, with the presents and food and fun – all of which is wonderful and good. But also such a shame, as we exchange the truth for gain and convenience. We Chinese call it prudence. I have exams. I’m busy at work. There’s a good movie on. There is something more worthwhile than Jesus. Everything in our Chinese culture says, that’s OK. God understands.

The bible calls it what it is. Selling out. I do this all the time. I reject the truth, not because it isn’t true, but because it is inconvenient. Notice, this is not a case of not having the truth, or being ignorant of the truth, as much as it is a flat-out denial of the truth. It is the exchange of the truth for a lie.

So much so, that verse 15 tells us, these guards had to be “instructed” how to perpetuate the lie. Literally the word is taught (edidachthesan) – which stands in contrast to verse 20, where the disciples are to teach Christians to obey Christ – so here, the religious teachers teach these soldiers to lie.

Not that it is hard to lie. Little children know how to lie without anyone teaching them; It comes quite naturally (“I did not do it! It wasn’t my fault! My dog ate my homework!”). Yet it is hard to keep track your lies, especially when it comes into contact with the truth. You need one lie to cover up another lie. In the case of these soldiers, they have to lie about the body being stolen; then lie about themselves being asleep as the disciples snuck in to steal the body, and then lie to the governor about how they let the body get stolen in the first place!

I don’t mean to sound offensive. That isn’t the reason why Matthew records the perspective of the guards. Not to show up how evil and wicked these soldiers were. But I do read this account and think to myself, What a shame. I’m sure if I were there, I would have questioned what I saw – I wouldn’t have done much better than them. Of course I would have had more doubts and more questions after the incident at the tomb.

And yet... and yet, they didn’t resolve their doubts through reason nor investigation. They reached their conclusions simply by means of self-interest. What was more profitable. What a shame. To have been there at the tomb and seen the angel, heard the explanation of the resurrection, but then to close their minds because of love for money and fear of men. What a shame!

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.
Matthew 28:16-17

So the disciples must have got the message from the women: To leave Jerusalem and head for their hometown up north, Galilee, travelling up the mountain, as instructed. These weren’t just any disciples. They were “the eleven”: The closest followers who had been with Jesus throughout his three-year ministry – Jesus’ closest friends. His brothers, as he calls them in verse 10.

Jesus appears to them. They see him. And falling to their knees, they worship Jesus. As with the women, Jesus accepts their worship.

But some doubted. I love this verse. I know everyone memorises verses 19 and 20, the Great Commission; they carve those words into the entrances at the churches. “Go and make disciples...”! For me however, the diamond is found here, hidden in the rough of verse 17: “But some doubted.”

Jesus is right in front of their eyes! He is risen from the dead! Yet some of the disciples are going, “Erm, I’m still not so sure.” That’s amazing! Moreover, that is just so encouraging!

Christians have doubts! The longer you are as a Christian, perhaps the more doubts you will have. And it is so comforting to find in the bible an acknowledgement of our doubts, our fears, our insecurities and our worries.

So, you have 1 John written with this express purpose at the end, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” Who is he writing to? Those who believe in the name of the Son of God; meaning, Christians. Why is he writing to Christians? So that they know they have eternal life. Conclusion? Some Christians can be unsure about something as fundamental as eternal life, that the apostle John has to write a whole letter about it! That’s brilliant!

Yet it is worth asking the question: why were some of the eleven disciples hesitant upon seeing Jesus face to face? What was it about Jesus that gave rise to their doubts?

You see, their doubt wasn’t: Is this really Jesus? Unlike the fantastic description of the angel back in verse 3 – with an appearance like lightning, with clothes white as snow; there are no fireworks in Matthew’s description of Jesus here. That’s pretty important. If anything, the gospels record how frequently the eye-witnesses did not notice anything spectacular about Jesus after his resurrection. Luke tells us two guys walked 7 miles chatting with Jesus without noticing who he was (The text says “they were kept from recognising him” which is likely referring to his identity, rather any supernatural qualities that were hidden). In John’s gospel, Mary initially mistakes Jesus for the gardener. I live on a street with lots of senior citizens out early in the morning, meticulously working in their gardens. I assure you, they look quite ordinary. Jesus had meals with his followers – apparently he likes fish!

This is all to say: that when the first eye-witnesses saw Jesus, they recognised him as Jesus. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15, Jesus appeared to “Peter, then to the Twelve. After that he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at the same time,” adding the words, “most of whom are still living.” Don’t miss that. Paul is saying, “You want to know if Jesus really rose from the dead? Go talk to that guy, he actually met him.”

The New Testament is unabashedly honest about the fact that the resurrected Jesus was real, widely attested to, and stands up to close scrutiny.

So, if anyone were to be able to recognise Jesus, it would have been his closest friends. But the question remains: Why did they have doubts?

The disciples would have had no doubts that this was Jesus, but there would have been doubts as to whether they were still his disciples. They had abandoned Jesus in his hour of need. Everyone left him. These – the Eleven – who boldly made claims of bravado and allegiance to their Teacher. Like when Thomas declared, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” (John 11:16). Or when Peter said to Jesus’ face, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And Matthew then records, “And all the other disciples said the same.” (Matthew 26:35)

Yet Jesus himself predicted they would leave him. “You will all fall away on account of me.” (Matthew 26:31)

And now for the disciples to be faced with the resurrected Jesus, standing before them saying these words, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me”; the sight would have filled them with awe, with fear, with terror and with regret. Jesus really was the Christ. He was their Messiah. Jesus has now been raised from the grave, just as he said. He is the risen King and Judge. And it would have dawned on these eleven disciples: they had betrayed the King of the universe. He had loved them all these years. They had betrayed his love.

They doubted whether Jesus would accept them. Whether Jesus could forgive them. Verse 18 tells us, Jesus most certainly did.

Then Jesus came to them and said...
Matthew 28:18

Jesus knew the hesitation in their hearts. He came to them and he spoke to them. Remember the message that brought them here in the first place. “Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” (Matthew 28:10) My brothers! Jesus called them, “My brothers!”

Jesus came to call them his brothers. In fact, he came to suffer die, that they might be his brothers, and bring them back to God.

¹⁰ In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. ¹¹ Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.
Hebrews 2:10-11

To be called brother by the Lord Jesus Christ is to be in his family. It means that God is our heavenly Father. It means we are accepted as his children. And Jesus, made to be like us, perfected through his suffering, understands. He understands what we go through when we suffer. He knows our fears and he empathizes.

So we come finally to these famous last words in Matthew’s gospel, known as the great commission. A charge given by Jesus himself, to his followers, to spread the message of the gospel, bringing many from all peoples into his Kingdom.

And yet, I suggest that we could also call these words, Jesus’ great promise. Its greatness is seen not merely in its spread and size (all authority, all peoples, all commands), but perhaps more so in the very personal promise he gives at the end. It is the promise of his presence.

¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20

The authority that Jesus receives as Lord and Christ, through his resurrection, is now passed on. Notice how verse 19 begins, “Therefore”. The reason the disciples can fulfil this mission is because Jesus has received all authority by way of the cross, an authority he now mediates to his followers, to teach others. Not to conquer; not to condemn; not subjugate – but to teach. That is what the word “disciple” means. It simply means “student”; someone who learns. But more than learn, they are to obey “everything I have commanded you,” Jesus says to them. In other words, what we learn as Christians, is to obey and submit to Jesus as our Lord and Saviour.

This is where baptism comes in. A person is baptised or dunked into water to signify his being lowered into the grave. He is then raised out of the water, as a sign of new birth. It is identifying with Jesus’ death and resurrection. He has died our death; he was raised to everlasting life. Hence, we are baptised into the name – note that it is singular, there is but one name – of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God has done this. It is not our baptism that saves us, but God. Baptism is the outward symbol of the inner reality and work of Jesus dying for our sins, and raising us to new life. As learners/students/disciples, we do not submit in order to be saved. We have been saved, and we submit to and obey the God who has saved us.

With this command, comes a promise. “Surely I am with you always,” Jesus says, “to the very end of the age.” Essentially, Jesus is saying, I will never leave you. Ever. It is a promise he is only able to make because of the resurrection. It is a promise we have seen fulfilled even within this chapter. And we need to see this: it comes to his disciples through his word.

Remember what I said earlier: God never does anything in his will, apart from his word. The reality of the resurrection – which is what this whole chapter is about – Jesus raised from the dead, is not a series of cold, hard, facts to be analysed, thought over and debated. It is God’s promise. Jesus gives the promise of his word, and fulfils that promise through his presence.

We saw that with the women. They received the message from the angel. And while carrying that message, in eagerness and in obedience, they meet Jesus.

We saw that with the disciples. They receive the same message, spoken by the angel, spoken by Jesus, passed on by the women. And they obeyed, travelling to Galilee, where they meet with the resurrected Christ. God’s word spoken and God’s will done. Jesus’ promise relayed and his presence mediated.

And now Jesus does the same with us. Tell others the message of the cross and resurrection. And I will always, always be with you.

Why is this significant? Because of death.

We only begin to appreciate the miracle life when we understand the certainty of death. The problem is we often deny death. Hence, we devalue life.

The two men I met on the train last week, understood this. They were on a journey to face the reality of death. Death was real. But it wasn’t simply the prospect of their own deaths they were facing. It was the death of someone they knew and loved. They understood that death meant separation from those we know and love.

The physical and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead means many things. Now, I shouldn’t make that sound so flippant. The resurrection is cosmic and life-changing in its implications:

It means death is destroyed. Jesus has conquered death as an enemy by taking the punishment of sin, which is death, upon himself.

It means sin is forgiven. God poured out his anger and judgement for our sin and rebellion against him upon Jesus on the cross.

It means sin is defeated. It no longer has a hold on us. We submit to a new master, our Lord Jesus.

It means Jesus is the Christ. He has received all authority and power from God to rule and to judge. And one day he will return, this time not to bear sin, but to judge the devil and all those who oppose him.

It means we will be raised from the dead. To receive everlasting life, or everlasting judgement in hell.

It means God’s word is true. All his promises made clear in his word, given us in the bible, are fulfilled in person and work of Jesus Christ.

It means suffering has a purpose and an end. One day, Jesus will put an end to all suffering. But till then, our present suffering in this present sinful world, is achieving for us glory.

The cross and the resurrection is the turning point in all of salvation history. Everything changed that one weekend.

And yet, I think Matthew 28 brings home one additional point. The resurrection of Jesus Christ means that we are no longer separated from God.

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Matthew 28:20

Jesus promises he will always be with us. And the resurrection means, he can fulfil and has fulfiled that promise. He will always be with us.

I can understand if you have doubts whether the resurrection is true. What I cannot comprehend are Christians who doubt if the resurrection is important. To claim to follow Christ, and yet deny his resurrection, is simply nonsensical. But moreover, it is pitiful.

Paul says this in 1 Corinthians 15:19

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.

What he is saying is this: The most miserable people in all the world are Christians who do not believe that Jesus rose from the dead. If only for this life we have hope in Christ. Then we face death. Then it all ends.

That’s the reality awaiting you if this life is all there is. Your life is just one long train journey; with people getting on and off. And one day, you reach your stop. But there is no destination. No purpose.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is at the heart of everything we hold true about God, forgiveness and eternal life. It means we have a relationship with Jesus today. Right here and right now. It means this relationship will never, ever end.

Comfort for weary sinners
Strength for the struggling saint
Jesus Christ has risen from the grave

Peace when the waves are pounding
When voices of hope sound faint
Jesus Christ has risen from the grave

How can grief remain when our Saviour reigns?

You are our hope, You are our joy
You are our overcoming King
So we sing “Hallelujah, Jesus is alive”

Risen from death, ascended on high
Glorious by the Father’s side
So we sing “Hallelujah, Jesus is alive”

Let your kingdom come - 2010 annual review of the English Ministry

Click here to download the PDF version of this report

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Jesus Christ (Matthew 4:17)

The Kingdom of God was right at the heart of everything Jesus said and did while he was on earth. Every miracle he performed. Every parable he taught. Each person he healed. These were powerful signs. God was establishing his kingdom here on earth. Ultimately, all of them pointed forward to Jesus dying on the cross. At the cross, we see Jesus glorified as the Christ. Through his death, Jesus was exalted as Lord and King.

As we look back to the events of 2010, we remember God’s faithfulness and goodness shown us here at the Chinese Church. Yet at the same time, we see God’s power and purpose. He is building his kingdom through Jesus.

May the record of these wonderful events serve to remind us: The kingdom is near. Jesus Christ is the risen King.

Matthew - The Kingdom of Heaven

“He who has ears, let him hear.”
Matthew 13:9

We kicked off the year with a series looking at the earthly ministry and work Jesus in Matthew’s gospel. We learned of Jesus’ birth, his temptation by the devil and how he began his ministry in the small town of Galilee. We heard the most famous sermon in the bible - the Sermon on the Mount.

We also saw opposition. Religious people didn’t like Jesus. They didn’t like Jesus’ friends, who were poor, sick and uneducated. The religious didn’t like what Jesus had to say. He called them to repentance.

Jesus came announcing the Kingdom of Heaven. This meant salvation: God was finally going to save his people from oppression, injustice and even death. But it also meant judgement: God was going to destroy the devil and all who oppose his authority as God.

This announcement of the kingdom is what the bible calls the gospel.

1 Corinthians - God is faithful

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

1 Corinthians 1:18

Our series on Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was a study on the church. What is the church? Why do we come together as the church?

Surprisingly, the bible answers these questions not by talking about the church, but by focusing on Jesus Christ. God calls us to himself in Christ. God is faithful in sustaining us to the end through Christ. God builds his church on the one foundation of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Rock Fellowship

Our mid-week bible study meeting has been growing and growing. More friends. And more food! All glory to God who has been so good in giving us more grace.

We concluded our study from the book of Genesis, which we began in 2009: All fifty chapters (well, minus a couple here and there)! Beginning with creation, fall and the flood, we have journeyed with Abraham and Isaac, and seen the last days of Jacob in Egypt, together with his twelve sons. Yet Genesis is about first and foremost about God. In the face of evil, God is more than able to bring about his purposes for good.

Not long after, Rock embarked on a new adventure through the pages of Exodus, encountering the God who reveals himself as the compassionate and sovereign redeemer of his people, saving the Israelites from oppression and slavery under Pharaoh.

Awesome - Christmas Celebration

Last Christmas, we reflected on the awesome message of the birth of Jesus. Through carols, skits and yes, lots and lots of lovely food, we celebrated the miraculous Christmas story of the incarnation. Jesus Christ, fully God, came to earth, fully man.

In Luke Chapter 2, we met the angels, the shepherds and the mother of Jesus. There we identified with their joy, their amazement and their wonder over a baby born that night in the small town of Bethlehem. He is Christ the Lord!

Solid Rock 2010

The highlight of the year was our annual Solid Rock youth concert, held on the last Sunday of August. The theme was “The glory of Christ and the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Philippians 2 helped us see Jesus’ glory in his humility. Though being in very nature God, Jesus took the form of man, taking the nature of a servant and obeying his heavenly Father unto death - even a shameful death on the cross.

In preparing for this event, the youth worked hard, served sacrificially and shined for Jesus!

Summary of 2010 events

February

● Chinese New Year Celebration: The Wedding Banquet

● Ready, Steady, Cook! Youth cookout

● Rock: Reunion dinner

March

● Passion for Life Cambridge: Tim Keller on Counterfeit Gods

● The God Confusion: London Men’s Convention

July

● Chinese Cultural Evening: Rock @ Harry’s Cafe

● Rock: Conclude series on Genesis

August

● Solid Rock Concert

September

● Rock: New series on Exodus

● Sunday: New series on 1 Corinthians

● Richard and Jessica’s wedding

November

● Baptism: Winnie

December

● Rock Fellowship Christmas Event

● AWESOME: Christmas Celebration

● VISA Course: Evangelistic bible study

Click here to read the 2009 Annual Review