WEBVTT 00:00:00.750 --> 00:00:06.209 And today we go to the New Testament book of 00:00:06.209 --> 00:00:12.410 Mark. Mark is the second of the Gospels in the 00:00:12.410 --> 00:00:15.529 New Testament. And we're going to go to the back 00:00:15.529 --> 00:00:17.949 of the book because you always find the answers 00:00:17.949 --> 00:00:22.829 in the back of the book. Mark chapter 16 and 00:00:22.829 --> 00:00:27.530 we'll look at verses one through eight. As you 00:00:27.530 --> 00:00:34.509 do that, Just by way of introduction, as we go 00:00:34.509 --> 00:00:39.229 through this text, we should think about the 00:00:39.229 --> 00:00:44.369 evidences for the resurrection because there 00:00:44.369 --> 00:00:48.630 are a myriad of evidences for this. One of the 00:00:48.630 --> 00:00:51.609 evidences for the truthfulness of the resurrection 00:00:51.609 --> 00:00:54.649 is this right here. What we are doing right here, 00:00:54.649 --> 00:00:57.170 right now on the first day of the week, remembering 00:00:57.170 --> 00:01:01.789 the resurrection of Jesus, evidence of it that 00:01:01.789 --> 00:01:06.189 more than 2 ,000 years ago Jesus was raised and 00:01:06.189 --> 00:01:09.390 from then on Christians have met on the first 00:01:09.390 --> 00:01:14.510 day of the week for the Christian Sabbath. Friends 00:01:14.510 --> 00:01:17.010 today as I begin to read I want you to ponder 00:01:17.010 --> 00:01:19.989 a statement that I saw just this morning from 00:01:19.989 --> 00:01:23.030 a pastor named Samuel Lewis Johnson who said 00:01:23.030 --> 00:01:29.140 the resurrection is God's amen. To Christ, it 00:01:29.140 --> 00:01:34.659 is finished. Let's see this from Mark 16, one 00:01:34.659 --> 00:01:41.640 through eight. When the Sabbath was passed, Mary 00:01:41.640 --> 00:01:45.239 Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome, 00:01:45.980 --> 00:01:49.420 bought spices so that they might go and anoint 00:01:49.420 --> 00:01:53.879 him. And very early on the first day of the week, 00:01:54.340 --> 00:01:56.780 when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 00:01:57.019 --> 00:01:59.200 And they were saying to one another, who will 00:01:59.200 --> 00:02:02.900 roll away the stone for us from the entrance 00:02:02.900 --> 00:02:05.719 of the tomb? And looking up, they saw that the 00:02:05.719 --> 00:02:09.219 stone had been rolled back. It was very large. 00:02:09.960 --> 00:02:12.580 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting 00:02:12.580 --> 00:02:16.620 on the right side dressed in a white robe. And 00:02:16.620 --> 00:02:20.240 they were alarmed. And he said to them, do not 00:02:20.240 --> 00:02:24.919 be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was 00:02:24.919 --> 00:02:29.789 crucified. He has risen. He is not here. See 00:02:29.789 --> 00:02:34.330 the place where they laid him. But go tell his 00:02:34.330 --> 00:02:36.550 disciples and Peter that he is going before you 00:02:36.550 --> 00:02:40.289 to Galilee. There you will see him just as he 00:02:40.289 --> 00:02:43.430 told you. And they went out and fled from the 00:02:43.430 --> 00:02:46.669 tomb for trembling and astonishment had seized 00:02:46.669 --> 00:02:50.349 them. And they said nothing to anyone for they 00:02:50.349 --> 00:02:55.469 were afraid. This is God's word. Let us pray. 00:02:57.449 --> 00:03:00.189 Father we give you thanks for your word, which 00:03:00.189 --> 00:03:04.469 is truth That it's a light to our path father 00:03:04.469 --> 00:03:06.430 and I pray that you would light the way through 00:03:06.430 --> 00:03:09.569 it Lord, we need your help We need the spirit's 00:03:09.569 --> 00:03:11.689 help and understanding what is here to see the 00:03:11.689 --> 00:03:14.610 truth of the resurrection and to give you praise 00:03:14.610 --> 00:03:17.909 And so would you guide us we pray in Christ's 00:03:17.909 --> 00:03:23.729 name. Amen. I Think that most of you if not all 00:03:23.729 --> 00:03:29.090 of you know the hymn, Amazing Grace. It's a special 00:03:29.090 --> 00:03:31.409 hymn, and within that hymn, there's this special 00:03:31.409 --> 00:03:35.110 line that says, I was lost, but now am found, 00:03:35.330 --> 00:03:39.370 was blind, but now I see. Some of you are getting 00:03:39.370 --> 00:03:44.590 ready to sing it. I'm sure this is evident as 00:03:44.590 --> 00:03:46.909 well, that you know that there's a connection 00:03:46.909 --> 00:03:51.370 with that song to the prodigal son of Luke chapter 00:03:51.370 --> 00:03:54.979 15. You remember the prodigal son? who demands 00:03:54.979 --> 00:03:58.520 his inheritance and he leaves his father and 00:03:58.520 --> 00:04:01.979 he goes to some distant land and he squanders 00:04:01.979 --> 00:04:05.060 his inheritance and he's living poorly and then 00:04:05.060 --> 00:04:08.400 he comes to his senses and says, you know, it 00:04:08.400 --> 00:04:12.159 was better back home. And so he heads back home 00:04:12.159 --> 00:04:15.120 and when he gets within viewing distance of his 00:04:15.120 --> 00:04:17.579 father, his father does something extraordinary. 00:04:18.660 --> 00:04:24.000 This dad runs to his son and he embraces him. 00:04:24.060 --> 00:04:26.759 And the son's been thinking, I'll just plead 00:04:26.759 --> 00:04:29.660 with my father that I can just be just a servant 00:04:29.660 --> 00:04:32.899 in his house. But the father will have none of 00:04:32.899 --> 00:04:37.199 that. Right. Why? Because he says, for this, 00:04:37.399 --> 00:04:42.660 my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost, 00:04:42.660 --> 00:04:48.879 but now he is found. That is a parable that is 00:04:48.879 --> 00:04:53.529 taught by Jesus. But have you ever thought About 00:04:53.529 --> 00:04:58.209 how that parable actually in a way Characterizes 00:04:58.209 --> 00:05:03.250 Jesus in Between his death and his resurrection 00:05:03.250 --> 00:05:06.410 most specifically on that first day when these 00:05:06.410 --> 00:05:09.050 women they come to the tomb They come to find 00:05:09.050 --> 00:05:13.250 Jesus, and he's not there It's the case of the 00:05:13.250 --> 00:05:17.209 missing Messiah if you will And many of us have 00:05:17.209 --> 00:05:20.329 heard this story this resurrection story over 00:05:20.329 --> 00:05:24.839 and over and over again But today I want to invite 00:05:24.839 --> 00:05:30.980 you to arrive at the tomb with the women. I want 00:05:30.980 --> 00:05:34.379 you to put your feet into their sandals and think, 00:05:34.680 --> 00:05:38.399 what would it have been like to get to the tomb 00:05:38.399 --> 00:05:43.459 and for Jesus to not be there? Friends, the fact 00:05:43.459 --> 00:05:47.339 that he is not there, this is the good news. 00:05:48.819 --> 00:05:52.730 For if they arrive to find Jesus, Wrapped up 00:05:52.730 --> 00:05:55.750 by Joseph of Arimathea, just like he was. If 00:05:55.750 --> 00:05:58.790 they arrive to find Jesus laying there in the 00:05:58.790 --> 00:06:04.250 tomb, heart not beating, lungs not moving air, 00:06:05.750 --> 00:06:08.829 then this whole thing that we're doing right 00:06:08.829 --> 00:06:13.370 here, right now is false. Without the resurrection, 00:06:13.509 --> 00:06:18.000 this is all a lie. The apostle Paul said it like 00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:20.720 this, if Jesus is still in the tomb, our preaching 00:06:20.720 --> 00:06:26.920 and your faith is in vain. But no, friends, he 00:06:26.920 --> 00:06:31.160 who is dead is now alive. And has there ever 00:06:31.160 --> 00:06:34.920 been a better time to not find someone where 00:06:34.920 --> 00:06:41.759 you thought they would be? No. This is, as some 00:06:41.759 --> 00:06:46.579 have said, this is the fulcrum. the hinge of 00:06:46.579 --> 00:06:49.480 redemptive history. It all hangs in the balance 00:06:49.480 --> 00:06:51.800 on the resurrection. And that's what I want us 00:06:51.800 --> 00:06:56.639 to see today mostly from verse six. We're gonna 00:06:56.639 --> 00:06:58.959 hang out in verse six almost the whole time here 00:06:58.959 --> 00:07:02.779 because the angel makes five statements within 00:07:02.779 --> 00:07:05.759 this text to explain the resurrection to these 00:07:05.759 --> 00:07:09.860 women. And so let's look at the first one there. 00:07:10.560 --> 00:07:16.180 He said to them, do not be alarmed. Now, why 00:07:16.180 --> 00:07:20.100 would they be alarmed? Havina, you had an angel 00:07:20.100 --> 00:07:24.279 appear to you recently, right? They're alarmed 00:07:24.279 --> 00:07:26.579 because there's an angel there instead of Jesus. 00:07:26.860 --> 00:07:29.899 It's an unexpected sight for them. It's an unexpected 00:07:29.899 --> 00:07:34.480 scene. You see, they were going there intent 00:07:34.480 --> 00:07:37.620 on anointing the body of Jesus. The death, the 00:07:37.620 --> 00:07:39.759 burial had happened too quickly. They didn't 00:07:39.759 --> 00:07:42.959 have time. to get the spices applied to him. 00:07:43.060 --> 00:07:46.379 And so the text says that they go there for this 00:07:46.379 --> 00:07:49.480 very purpose. They really thought Jesus was going 00:07:49.480 --> 00:07:54.000 to be in the tomb. It seems that Jesus' own words 00:07:54.000 --> 00:07:57.060 had not fully sunk in for his disciples, even 00:07:57.060 --> 00:08:00.980 though Jesus said in John 2, destroy this temple 00:08:00.980 --> 00:08:04.180 and in three days I will raise it up. But we 00:08:04.180 --> 00:08:06.819 even see this not just with the women, we see 00:08:06.819 --> 00:08:10.740 this with the men as well. John and Peter, they 00:08:10.740 --> 00:08:13.819 arrive at the tomb in John 20, and it says they 00:08:13.819 --> 00:08:18.220 did not understand the scripture that Jesus must 00:08:18.220 --> 00:08:21.639 rise from the dead. They didn't fully get it. 00:08:22.800 --> 00:08:25.819 And yet, because the text says scripture there 00:08:25.819 --> 00:08:28.779 in John 20, we might be asking ourselves, what 00:08:28.779 --> 00:08:31.980 scripture? Is there an Old Testament text that 00:08:31.980 --> 00:08:35.240 talks about the resurrection of Jesus? The points 00:08:35.240 --> 00:08:38.720 ahead to that, absolutely there is. Resurrection 00:08:38.720 --> 00:08:42.419 is not just a New Testament idea. The Old Testament 00:08:42.419 --> 00:08:46.220 is looking forward to that. Consider Psalm 16, 00:08:46.360 --> 00:08:51.000 verse 10. It says, you will not abandon my soul 00:08:51.000 --> 00:08:55.139 to Sheol or let your Holy One's seed decay. The 00:08:55.139 --> 00:08:58.799 word Sheol there communicates the grave. It communicates 00:08:58.799 --> 00:09:01.759 death. You will not leave me there, it says. 00:09:02.179 --> 00:09:04.629 But then you might say, well, How do I know that 00:09:04.629 --> 00:09:06.809 this is talking about the resurrection of Jesus? 00:09:07.210 --> 00:09:09.610 You know, because if you read Acts chapter two, 00:09:10.309 --> 00:09:13.169 you see that Peter uses it as a proof text within 00:09:13.169 --> 00:09:15.629 his sermon to talk about the resurrection of 00:09:15.629 --> 00:09:20.690 Jesus. Peter does that. Paul does that. We do 00:09:20.690 --> 00:09:24.149 see this in the Old Testament, such that... We 00:09:24.149 --> 00:09:28.570 may land where Job does. Job at one point asks 00:09:28.570 --> 00:09:32.070 a question, if a man dies, will he rise again? 00:09:32.090 --> 00:09:37.990 And the answer is obviously yes. The answer is 00:09:37.990 --> 00:09:45.110 yes, Jesus has risen. And these women, they get 00:09:45.110 --> 00:09:49.049 there and they're like, what's going on? Do not 00:09:49.049 --> 00:09:52.220 be alarmed though, the angel says. There is an 00:09:52.220 --> 00:09:56.100 element to fear here. Do not be alarmed. Do not 00:09:56.100 --> 00:09:59.379 fear. We actually see this quite often with angels 00:09:59.379 --> 00:10:02.639 appearing to people. It all happens throughout 00:10:02.639 --> 00:10:05.440 scripture. It happens when Gabriel appears to 00:10:05.440 --> 00:10:08.299 Mary. It happens when the angels appear to the 00:10:08.299 --> 00:10:11.820 shepherds. It's a signal. This do not be alarmed 00:10:11.820 --> 00:10:15.720 is a signal that something critically important 00:10:15.720 --> 00:10:21.649 is happening, right? So what is happening? Let's 00:10:21.649 --> 00:10:25.470 look at statement number two you seek Jesus of 00:10:25.470 --> 00:10:31.389 Nazareth who was crucified It's been said by 00:10:31.389 --> 00:10:37.009 many There is no Easter Sunday without Good Friday, 00:10:37.070 --> 00:10:41.110 right? In order to get the resurrection we have 00:10:41.110 --> 00:10:44.610 to go through the crucifixion and the crucifixion 00:10:44.610 --> 00:10:49.250 is where we see God's love for us most vividly 00:10:49.250 --> 00:10:54.049 consider Romans Five, eight. He shows his love 00:10:54.049 --> 00:10:56.870 for us and that while we are yet sinners, Christ 00:10:56.870 --> 00:11:04.230 died for us. The cross, since I've quoted from 00:11:04.230 --> 00:11:08.470 Romans, from Paul, the cross is Paul's central 00:11:08.470 --> 00:11:11.509 theme when he preaches and when he teaches. Paul 00:11:11.509 --> 00:11:16.529 never gets too far away from the cross. And the 00:11:16.529 --> 00:11:19.669 reason for that is because Scripture never gets 00:11:19.669 --> 00:11:23.289 too far away from the cross, right? Just as we 00:11:23.289 --> 00:11:26.129 see resurrection in the Old Testament, we do 00:11:26.129 --> 00:11:28.889 see the crucifixion in the Old Testament. Dalton's 00:11:28.889 --> 00:11:32.370 already quoted from Isaiah 53. He was pierced 00:11:32.370 --> 00:11:35.110 for our transgressions. He was crushed for our 00:11:35.110 --> 00:11:37.590 sins. The chastisement that brought us peace 00:11:37.590 --> 00:11:43.070 was upon him and by his wounds. We are healed. 00:11:43.970 --> 00:11:47.389 And so Paul and the other writers of Scripture, 00:11:47.659 --> 00:11:50.960 Never get too far away from the cross, for the 00:11:50.960 --> 00:11:54.200 cross is where we see the story of redemption 00:11:54.200 --> 00:12:00.299 happening. It's there in Psalm 22, the very words 00:12:00.299 --> 00:12:03.360 that Jesus quotes on the cross, my God, my God, 00:12:03.460 --> 00:12:07.120 why have you forsaken me? It's Jesus telling 00:12:07.120 --> 00:12:10.480 his disciples over and over again that he would 00:12:10.480 --> 00:12:12.820 be crucified and that he would rise again on 00:12:12.820 --> 00:12:17.080 the third day. And yet when we think about the 00:12:17.080 --> 00:12:22.299 cross, it's difficult, isn't it? For on one hand, 00:12:23.080 --> 00:12:26.500 it's the instrument that God uses to sacrifice 00:12:26.500 --> 00:12:28.779 his one and only begotten son, and so we love 00:12:28.779 --> 00:12:31.860 that, we appreciate that, but we also hate that 00:12:31.860 --> 00:12:35.600 our Savior had to go to the cross. Our hearts 00:12:35.600 --> 00:12:39.759 ache even thinking about that. But friends, as 00:12:39.759 --> 00:12:44.080 Vance Havner says, a crossless Christ would mean 00:12:44.080 --> 00:12:48.990 no more. than a Christless cross, it must go 00:12:48.990 --> 00:12:52.610 through the cross in order to get this statement 00:12:52.610 --> 00:12:59.330 number three. Still in verse six, he has risen. 00:13:01.129 --> 00:13:06.889 The Greek word here is hegerthe. He has risen. 00:13:07.450 --> 00:13:09.429 And you might look at this and you might look 00:13:09.429 --> 00:13:12.429 at scripture and you say, how was he raised? 00:13:12.600 --> 00:13:18.139 Who raised Jesus from the dead? Was it God, the 00:13:18.139 --> 00:13:22.159 father? The answer to that is yes. Galatians 00:13:22.159 --> 00:13:25.019 chapter one, verse one says God, the father who 00:13:25.019 --> 00:13:29.940 raised him from the dead. So God did it. But 00:13:29.940 --> 00:13:33.740 at other times, like in John 10, verse 18, we 00:13:33.740 --> 00:13:36.740 see I have authority to lay it down and authority 00:13:36.740 --> 00:13:39.320 to take it up again, which means it sounds like 00:13:39.320 --> 00:13:44.179 Jesus can raise himself. But then there's also 00:13:44.179 --> 00:13:46.980 the Spirit, not to be forgotten, Romans 8 verse 00:13:46.980 --> 00:13:51.559 11, the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the 00:13:51.559 --> 00:13:55.440 dead. And so who raised Jesus? Was it the Father? 00:13:55.460 --> 00:13:57.720 Was it the Son? Was it the Holy Spirit? The answer 00:13:57.720 --> 00:14:04.539 is clearly, yes. The entire Trinity is involved 00:14:04.539 --> 00:14:08.460 in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:14:09.600 --> 00:14:14.220 This is the Trinity's miracle. And isn't there 00:14:14.220 --> 00:14:18.620 also then a parallel to our salvation? The entire 00:14:18.620 --> 00:14:21.820 Trinity, the entire Godhead is involved in your 00:14:21.820 --> 00:14:24.399 salvation. This is put too simply, but maybe 00:14:24.399 --> 00:14:28.340 we can remember it. The Father elects, the Son 00:14:28.340 --> 00:14:32.580 atones, and the Spirit regenerates. Yes, the 00:14:32.580 --> 00:14:35.539 entire Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, 00:14:36.279 --> 00:14:43.919 all involved in saving you. And so Jesus is raised. 00:14:44.240 --> 00:14:46.840 Look at statement number four. The angel says, 00:14:47.299 --> 00:14:56.480 he is not here. He's not here. Why? Because tombs 00:14:56.480 --> 00:15:01.159 are for the dead and Jesus is alive. Jesus has 00:15:01.159 --> 00:15:03.799 no need for the tomb anymore. He's not going 00:15:03.799 --> 00:15:06.960 back inside there. It's very much what like Luke 00:15:06.960 --> 00:15:10.860 24, five says, why do you seek the living among 00:15:10.860 --> 00:15:14.139 the dead? And it's at this point for these women 00:15:14.139 --> 00:15:16.860 and it's this point as we see in other Gospels 00:15:16.860 --> 00:15:20.100 for the disciples that the light bulb goes on. 00:15:20.600 --> 00:15:24.799 And some of them remember what Jesus said, that 00:15:24.799 --> 00:15:29.860 he must rise on the third day. It's like they've 00:15:29.860 --> 00:15:33.580 forgotten what he taught. But friends, don't 00:15:33.580 --> 00:15:37.000 ever forget the resurrection. Don't ever forget 00:15:37.000 --> 00:15:40.960 the resurrection. It seems that we preach and 00:15:40.960 --> 00:15:45.100 teach a lot on the cross, as we should. But how 00:15:45.100 --> 00:15:47.279 many sermons do we hear on the resurrection? 00:15:47.519 --> 00:15:50.340 The resurrection is not for one Sunday out of 00:15:50.340 --> 00:15:53.960 the year. The resurrection is for every single 00:15:53.960 --> 00:15:58.659 day. Don't ever forget the resurrection. He's 00:15:58.659 --> 00:16:01.700 not here. It almost sounds like an answering 00:16:01.700 --> 00:16:05.000 machine message to a landline. He's not here 00:16:05.000 --> 00:16:08.320 right now. Please leave a message. But the problem 00:16:08.320 --> 00:16:10.240 with that is Jesus isn't going to come back to 00:16:10.240 --> 00:16:12.379 get the message because as I said, Jesus has 00:16:12.379 --> 00:16:18.519 no use for the tomb anymore. And this is the 00:16:18.519 --> 00:16:23.039 unique claim of the Christian faith. Val Grieve 00:16:23.039 --> 00:16:25.399 in a wonderful book on the resurrection says, 00:16:25.720 --> 00:16:29.539 Christianity is the only world religion based 00:16:29.539 --> 00:16:33.779 on the resurrection of its founder. What that 00:16:33.779 --> 00:16:37.399 means, if I can put it differently, Every other 00:16:37.399 --> 00:16:42.740 world religion founder is dead. Not Jesus. Only 00:16:42.740 --> 00:16:47.620 Jesus lives. And the very fact that body is not 00:16:47.620 --> 00:16:50.539 there in the tomb, as I said, is evidence of 00:16:50.539 --> 00:16:52.740 the resurrection. Let's consider for a minute 00:16:52.740 --> 00:16:56.000 other evidences for the resurrection. People 00:16:56.000 --> 00:16:57.940 like to discredit the resurrection. They don't 00:16:57.940 --> 00:17:01.720 believe that it's true. But think about the church 00:17:01.720 --> 00:17:06.509 for a minute. Would we have a church that is 00:17:06.509 --> 00:17:10.190 going all across the globe if this were a lie? 00:17:10.589 --> 00:17:13.670 Would these disciples have continued to carry 00:17:13.670 --> 00:17:17.349 on the message of Jesus Christ if this were a 00:17:17.349 --> 00:17:21.710 lie? I don't think so. And think about those 00:17:21.710 --> 00:17:24.410 disciples. Not only do they carry on the message, 00:17:24.509 --> 00:17:32.509 the gospel, they all suffer for it, right? Every... 00:17:32.430 --> 00:17:35.349 One of the disciples suffers for the sake of 00:17:35.349 --> 00:17:38.430 the gospel. They are martyred. John is exiled 00:17:38.430 --> 00:17:41.369 to the island of Patmos. Would they have done 00:17:41.369 --> 00:17:45.329 this for a lie? I think not. They would not have 00:17:45.329 --> 00:17:48.329 died for something they knew was false, right? 00:17:48.769 --> 00:17:51.410 And what scripture shows us is that there are 00:17:51.410 --> 00:17:53.890 hundreds of witnesses to the resurrection of 00:17:53.890 --> 00:17:58.190 Jesus, too. Additionally, it's often said, that 00:17:58.190 --> 00:18:01.109 the very fact that the women are the ones who 00:18:01.109 --> 00:18:03.670 communicate this, who are there at the tomb, 00:18:04.049 --> 00:18:06.970 is evidence of the resurrection. For we know 00:18:06.970 --> 00:18:09.910 this in ancient times about the testimony of 00:18:09.910 --> 00:18:13.109 women, that it was usually discredited, right? 00:18:13.410 --> 00:18:15.529 And so if you were going to make up a lie, would 00:18:15.529 --> 00:18:17.369 you make up the lie from the mouths of women? 00:18:17.450 --> 00:18:20.589 Of course not. But God's word is true. And the 00:18:20.589 --> 00:18:24.390 women were the ones at the tomb. Friends, this 00:18:24.390 --> 00:18:28.319 is not stuff you would make up. It sounds foolish, 00:18:29.660 --> 00:18:33.619 but instead it is true. R. Kent Hughes says then, 00:18:34.119 --> 00:18:36.599 if you ever meet somebody who says, I don't believe 00:18:36.599 --> 00:18:39.259 in the resurrection, you should ask them, then 00:18:39.259 --> 00:18:44.519 where in the world is the body of Jesus? I could 00:18:44.519 --> 00:18:47.890 tell you where the body of Jesus is. He is alive, 00:18:48.130 --> 00:18:51.289 he is risen, he was risen from the grave, he 00:18:51.289 --> 00:18:53.450 ascended, and he is at the right hand of the 00:18:53.450 --> 00:18:56.650 Father, promising to come back, interceding for 00:18:56.650 --> 00:19:02.849 all of you in prayer. Yes, Jesus is with the 00:19:02.849 --> 00:19:08.390 Father. And yes, Jesus is coming back. But I 00:19:08.390 --> 00:19:11.829 don't want you to take my word for it. I want 00:19:11.829 --> 00:19:14.170 you to see it for yourself. Look in statement 00:19:14.170 --> 00:19:18.940 number five. The angel says, see the place where 00:19:18.940 --> 00:19:25.619 they laid him. In effect, hey, see it for yourself. 00:19:25.759 --> 00:19:30.140 Check it out. And we know that these women knew 00:19:30.140 --> 00:19:33.200 where Jesus was laid because Mark 15 47 says 00:19:33.200 --> 00:19:36.880 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus saw 00:19:36.880 --> 00:19:41.059 where he was laid. And now they see that it's 00:19:41.059 --> 00:19:44.609 empty, that the body is gone. Well, a lot of 00:19:44.609 --> 00:19:48.049 people here have said, well, clearly the body 00:19:48.049 --> 00:19:50.650 of Jesus was stolen. That's not the testimony 00:19:50.650 --> 00:19:55.170 of scripture. For Matthew chapter 27 verse 62 00:19:55.170 --> 00:19:58.450 and on says this, the next day, that is after 00:19:58.450 --> 00:20:01.569 the day of preparation, the chief priests and 00:20:01.569 --> 00:20:04.049 the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, 00:20:04.109 --> 00:20:07.450 sir, we remember how that imposter said while 00:20:07.450 --> 00:20:10.410 he was still alive, after three days I will rise. 00:20:10.980 --> 00:20:14.119 Therefore, order the tomb to be made secure until 00:20:14.119 --> 00:20:17.400 the third day. Lest his disciples go and steal 00:20:17.400 --> 00:20:20.319 him away and tell the people he has risen from 00:20:20.319 --> 00:20:22.880 the dead. And the last fraud will be worse than 00:20:22.880 --> 00:20:25.759 the first. Pilate said to them, you have a guard 00:20:25.759 --> 00:20:30.000 of soldiers. Go make it as secure as you can. 00:20:30.599 --> 00:20:33.740 So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing 00:20:33.740 --> 00:20:37.259 the stone and setting a guard. And so you see. 00:20:37.440 --> 00:20:41.240 They gave their whole effort to making that tomb 00:20:41.240 --> 00:20:46.640 secure. Friends, this is not, this is not a theft. 00:20:47.900 --> 00:20:52.740 This is a miracle. And what it does is it confirms 00:20:52.740 --> 00:20:56.599 everything that scripture has told us. I wanna 00:20:56.599 --> 00:20:59.180 take you to one more spot as I begin to wrap 00:20:59.180 --> 00:21:03.470 up. It's 1 Corinthians chapter 15. If ever anybody 00:21:03.470 --> 00:21:05.650 says to you, hey, where do I learn about the 00:21:05.650 --> 00:21:07.769 resurrection? What's the resurrection chapter? 00:21:09.289 --> 00:21:14.130 It's 1 Corinthians 15, beginning in verse 17 00:21:14.130 --> 00:21:22.910 through 22. And it reads, and if Christ has not 00:21:22.910 --> 00:21:27.269 been raised, your faith is futile, and you are 00:21:27.269 --> 00:21:31.519 still in your sins, then those also, who have 00:21:31.519 --> 00:21:34.619 fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in 00:21:34.619 --> 00:21:38.900 Christ we have hope in this life only, we are 00:21:38.900 --> 00:21:42.440 of all people the most to be pitied. But in fact, 00:21:42.500 --> 00:21:45.539 Christ has been raised from the dead, the first 00:21:45.539 --> 00:21:48.180 fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as 00:21:48.180 --> 00:21:51.420 by a man came death, by a man has come also the 00:21:51.420 --> 00:21:55.099 resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all 00:21:55.099 --> 00:22:02.410 die, so also in Christ shall all be made. But 00:22:02.410 --> 00:22:05.730 friends, that little prepositional phrase there 00:22:05.730 --> 00:22:10.230 in Christ is of critical importance. Today, if 00:22:10.230 --> 00:22:13.950 you are hearing this and you are not in Christ, 00:22:14.390 --> 00:22:17.390 meaning you do not believe that Jesus is the 00:22:17.390 --> 00:22:20.609 crucified and risen Son of God and Savior of 00:22:20.609 --> 00:22:24.109 the world, if you are not united to him by faith, 00:22:24.569 --> 00:22:28.039 then the benefits of his life And His death and 00:22:28.039 --> 00:22:31.460 His resurrection are not yours. 1 Corinthians 00:22:31.460 --> 00:22:34.480 15 clearly says, if you do not believe in Jesus, 00:22:35.460 --> 00:22:40.059 you are still in your sin and you are unforgiven. 00:22:41.200 --> 00:22:46.640 Just like Amazing Grace says, then, I once was 00:22:46.640 --> 00:22:50.740 lost. If you are not in Christ today, you are 00:22:50.740 --> 00:22:55.400 still lost. And friends, if I can, by way of 00:22:55.400 --> 00:22:59.750 illustration, to hammer this home. Many of you 00:22:59.750 --> 00:23:02.569 know that for many summers, I worked for a Christian 00:23:02.569 --> 00:23:06.509 camp. I wasn't a counselor. I was mostly the 00:23:06.509 --> 00:23:08.430 maintenance man. I cut the grass and cleaned 00:23:08.430 --> 00:23:12.309 the toilets. One of the things that those who 00:23:12.309 --> 00:23:14.289 were not counselors had to do was look out for 00:23:14.289 --> 00:23:16.990 the safety of campers. And one of the things 00:23:16.990 --> 00:23:19.509 we were very careful about was making sure that 00:23:19.509 --> 00:23:22.539 campers were not lost. And so we would run drills 00:23:22.539 --> 00:23:25.059 upon drills to make sure that there were no lost 00:23:25.059 --> 00:23:27.480 campers. And the drill went like this, that somebody 00:23:27.480 --> 00:23:30.160 would take a mallet and we had this huge bell 00:23:30.160 --> 00:23:33.259 in the camp and we would hit the bell to signal 00:23:33.259 --> 00:23:37.880 lost camper. In my time there, we never lost 00:23:37.880 --> 00:23:42.180 a camper, but we ran many drills. Friends, this 00:23:42.180 --> 00:23:50.319 is not a drill. This is not a drill. God's gospel. 00:23:50.640 --> 00:23:55.440 is gracious and it's free to all who would believe 00:23:55.440 --> 00:23:59.440 in him. And so what's the condition for salvation? 00:24:00.680 --> 00:24:05.539 It's belief. If you don't know what to make of 00:24:05.539 --> 00:24:11.359 Jesus, check it out for yourself. See the evidence 00:24:11.359 --> 00:24:14.039 for yourself. Just like those women were invited, 00:24:14.119 --> 00:24:17.240 see the place where he was laid. Look into the 00:24:17.240 --> 00:24:20.720 scriptures. Ask good questions of Christians. 00:24:21.180 --> 00:24:25.740 Pray to God and ask for the gift of faith. Do 00:24:25.740 --> 00:24:31.920 not remain lost. Do not remain dead in your trespasses. 00:24:32.240 --> 00:24:34.700 Friends, Jesus was raised. He's not in the tomb 00:24:34.700 --> 00:24:37.299 any longer. He ascended to the Father, and by 00:24:37.299 --> 00:24:41.660 God's grace, eternity with God is yours in Christ 00:24:41.660 --> 00:24:44.980 Jesus. If I can, again, return to Amazing Grace, 00:24:45.019 --> 00:24:49.839 that last verse. When we've been there 10 ,000 00:24:49.839 --> 00:24:53.779 years, bright shining as the sun, we've no less 00:24:53.779 --> 00:24:58.019 days to sing God's praise than when we'd first 00:24:58.019 --> 00:25:02.019 begun. Christ said in John 14, I go to make a 00:25:02.019 --> 00:25:05.200 place for you, an eternal home, a place free 00:25:05.200 --> 00:25:08.740 from sin. And therefore our hope is not in this 00:25:08.740 --> 00:25:14.380 life alone. Our hope is in eternal life in Christ 00:25:14.380 --> 00:25:19.809 Jesus. and it's made possible by the resurrection. 00:25:20.910 --> 00:25:21.450 Let us pray.