But we're getting near the end of our seven week series. We'll wrap it up next Sunday.
The story of Jesus, today's title is the resurrection. Last Sunday we talked about the crucifixion
of Jesus and how he died on a terrible, terrible cross to pay the price for your sin and to
pay the price for my sin. And after he died, Jesus was taken down from the cross and he
was buried in a tomb. But we know that's not how the story of Jesus ends. A dead Savior
cannot save anyone. That fact that Jesus rose from the dead is as important to the gospel
message as the fact that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. The resurrection is the
very heart of Christianity. The resurrection is the proof that Jesus is exactly who he
said he is, the Son of God. And those who choose to follow him and to put their trust
in him will find themselves in a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. The resurrection is also
proof that Jesus will come again and he will judge our world. Jesus is coming back. Nobody
knows when. So you need to be ready for his coming. Since the resurrection is an essential
part, an important part of the story of Jesus, it came under attack immediately by the enemy.
The attack on the truth of the resurrection was a series of lies. The first lie was that
the disciples came and took the body of Jesus away from the tomb. In Matthew chapter 28
verse 11, while the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and
reported to the chief priest everything that had happened. When the chief priest had met
with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money telling
them you are to say his disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were
asleep. And if this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.
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. You know, this lie was full of holes.
The tomb of Jesus was very carefully guarded. It would have been impossible for the scared
disciples to overpower the guards, roll the huge stone out of the way and still the body
of Jesus. Another lie that was spread around was that Jesus never died, that he was just
unconscious when they put him in the tomb. And this lie is also full of holes. You know,
Pilate confirmed with a centurion that Jesus in fact was dead. The Roman soldiers who broke
the legs of the other two thieves confirmed that Jesus was dead. With all of the blood
lost in his whipping and the crucifixion, it would have been impossible for him just
to wake up in the tomb, roll the stone away and walk out. See, these are nothing but lies.
The truth is that Jesus died and on the third day he rose from the dead. Everything that
we as Christians believe in is based on the truth that Jesus died for our sin and he rose
again from the dead. There were many eyewitnesses to the resurrection. Jesus first appeared to
Mary Magdalene and then to the other women. He was seen by the two men on the way to Emmaus.
Jesus appeared to Peter and his half-brother James. That night he appeared to the apostles,
but Thomas was not with him. A week later he appeared again to the apostles for Thomas's
sake. He appeared to seven of the apostles as they fished in the lake of Sea of Galilee.
He appeared several times to the apostles before he went back to heaven and he taught
them and instructed them how they would carry out their ministry after he was gone. The
risen Christ was seen by over 500 people at one time. When the believer saw that Jesus
really was alive, it completely changed their lives. This is the story of the resurrection
of Jesus. Mark chapter 16 and verse 1. When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary
the mother of James and Salome, bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body
very early on the first day of the week. Just after sunrise, they were on their way to the
tomb and they asked each other who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb.
The book of Mark is one of my favorite gospels because he doesn't mess around. He means what
he says and he says what he means and he does it waste words and I admire that. So it's
interesting in his writing about the resurrection of Jesus in chapters 15 and 16 that he mentions
the name of these three women three different times. See, Mark's writing style was usually
I said it once and I meant it when I said it. So why did he repeat himself three times
with the names of these women? Some Bible scholars think that Mark was going to great
pains to let us know that he was just not recording a legend that these were actual
true historical facts in the culture of that time. If he was making this story up about
Jesus rising from the dead, Mark would have never used the names of women as the eyewitnesses
to back up his story. The fact that he listed the names of these women as eyewitnesses to
the story proves that this story must be true. These ladies were alive when Mark wrote this
account and if people had any doubts, they could go ask them exactly what they saw and
exactly what they heard and this is what they experienced. Mark 16 verse 3. And they asked
each other, who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb? But when they looked
up, they saw that the stone which was very large had been rolled away and as they entered
the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side and
they were alarmed. Don't be alarmed, he said. You are looking for Jesus, the Nazarene, who
is crucified. He has risen. He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go,
tell us disciples in Peter, he is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him
just as he told you. Notice they did not come to the tomb expecting to find it empty, which
is strange when you think about it. How many times had Jesus told them that he would die
and on the third day he would rise from the dead? He told them in Mark chapter 8, he then
began to teach them that the son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by the
elders, the chief priest and the teachers of the law, that he must be killed and after
three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this and just in case they weren't listening
or they didn't understand, he told them again in chapter 9. He was teaching his disciples.
He said to them, the son of man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will
kill him and after three days he will rise. And just in case they weren't listening or
they didn't understand, he told them again in chapter 10. And again he took the twelve
aside and told them what was going to happen to him. We are going up to Jerusalem, he said,
the son of man will be delivered over to the chief priest and the teachers of the law.
They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him
and spit on him and flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise. Now remember
that Mark's writing style is always direct and to the point and since he quoted Jesus
three times saying the same thing, Jesus must have said this over and over again. And again
this seems strange. Since Jesus clearly explained to them that he was going to die and that
on the third day he would rise from the dead, then shouldn't we see the disciples in excited
anticipation gathered at the tomb very early in the morning on the third day. But none
of the disciples were there. Wouldn't you think at least one disciple would believe
and would remember? The ladies were there, but they were there to anoint a dead body.
No one expected the resurrection. Remember what the angel said to them? But go, tell
us disciples and Peter, he's going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him
just as he told you. Even the angel had to remind them what Jesus had said. Now sometimes
I get a little concerned on Sunday morning about if any of y'all are listening. But
if people won't listen to Jesus, then I don't have a prayer. Again, we're assured that this
story is true. If Mark is going to make something up, he would never make up a story like this.
The resurrection was as hard for the disciples to accept as the resurrection is for people
today to accept. The resurrection of Jesus was a miracle and the God we serve is a miracle
working God. But for whatever reason, the disciples did not believe. The angel said,
but go tell his disciples and Peter. Why would the angel make a distinction between the other
disciples and Peter? Remember there are eleven disciples now. Judas had taken his own life.
But why was there a distinction between Peter and the others? We know that all the disciples
deserted Jesus when he was arrested, but it was Peter who denied that he even knew Jesus.
He denied him publicly, not once, not twice, but three times in the same night. And Peter
knew that Jesus knew what he had done. Peter felt awful. That's why the angel made the
distinction between Peter and the other disciples. Jesus wanted to make sure that Peter knew
that he was already forgiven and that Peter was welcome in the inner circle of Jesus.
That reminds us that there is nothing we can do. There is nothing we can do to be beyond
God's grace and God's forgiveness. He accepts you and he loves you just the way you are.
We pick up the story in Luke chapter 24. While they were still talking about this, Jesus
himself stood among them and said to them, peace be with you. They were startled and
frightened thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, why are you troubled and why do doubts
rise in your minds? You know, you would expect the disciples to throw a party celebrating
the fact that Jesus was alive, but instead they're scared to death. Things were happening
so quickly that it seemed to catch them unprepared even though Jesus had told them over and over
again exactly what would happen. It was the condition of their hearts that was the problem.
Mark chapter 16 verse 14, later Jesus appeared to the 11 as they were eating. He rebuked
them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him
after he had risen. Jesus was trying to settle them down and calm their fears and he did
this by giving them a blessing. Jesus said, peace be with you. And because of what Jesus
did on the cross and because he rose again from the dead, all people can now have peace
with God when they put their faith and trust in his son, Jesus Christ. Jesus also tried
to calm them down by showing them his hands and his feet. Verse 39, look at my hands and
my feet. It is I myself touch me and see a ghost does not have flesh and bones. As you
see, I have. And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. The marks
from the cross can still be seen even on Jesus's glorified body. Maybe they'll be there
in eternity. I don't know. But Jesus wanted them to know that they were not seeing a ghost,
that he was really there. How a body of flesh and bones can walk through walls and appear
and disappear instantly might be too much information for our human understanding. But
we know that Jesus did those things after he arose by faith. We believe that it's true
and that it really happened. Verse 41. And while they still did not believe it because
of joy and amazement, have you ever been told something that you just knew was too good
to be true? We've all heard the saying if it sounds too good to be true, it probably
is. Many of us have been tricked and deceived and lied to so many times that it's hard
for us to trust. Maybe that's where the disciples were. They were just so blown away by what
was happening. They couldn't take it all in. Jesus even ate with them to prove that he
was real. Verse 41. He asked them, do you have anything here to eat? They gave him a
piece of broiled fish. He took it and ate it in their presence. Jesus said, touch me
and see. Jesus was telling them, I am real. I am alive. I am really here. You can trust
me. You can believe in me today. Verse 44. He said to them, this is what I told you while
I was still with you. Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the law of Moses,
the prophets and the Psalms. Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
Another way that Jesus was trying to bring them peace and comfort was through the Word
of God. Jesus opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. I pray that prayer
all the time, Jesus opened my mind so that I can understand the Scriptures. Today, we
cannot touch and feel the Lord Jesus, but we can put our faith in the Word of God that
he is real. Just like the Word of God increased the faith of the disciples, the Word can increase
our faith too. Jesus not only helped them understand the law of the prophets and the
Psalms, but he also reminded of all the things that he had taught them and how all of this
story now fits together. Can you imagine how amazing it would be to sit at the feet of
Jesus while he was teaching his disciples? Verse 46. He told them, this is what is written.
The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, even so slowly. They
begin to understand why he had to suffer and why he had to die and how the cross and the
resurrection are all part of the promise of the Kingdom of God. It all makes perfect
sense when God gives us the understanding. That's why people who don't know the Lord
can't understand the things of God because their eyes are shut and their ears are closed.
But thank God for this truth today. Then he opened their minds so they could understand
the scriptures. And then everything begins to come together for his glory. Today we can
know that Jesus rose from the dead because the tomb is empty, because of the many eyewitnesses,
because of the amazing life change that happened in the lives of his followers. How else can
you explain a bunch of run and hide cowardly disciples becoming strong, bold men of the
faith who put their life on the line for the message that Jesus is Lord of all. And we're
willing to die a martyr's death to proclaim glory to your name. There is no other explanation,
none other than the tomb is empty. So what makes the story of Jesus different from any
other story? This amazing story is completely, perfectly true. There was a little boy named
Philip who was born with Down's syndrome. He was a nice kid. He seemed happy, but he
was aware of the differences between himself and the other children. Philip went to his
church's children's ministry every week. He was in the third grade small group with nine
other eight year olds. Philip with his differences was not easily accepted, but his small group
leader was sensitive to this and he tried to help the group of eight year olds love
each other as best he could. But still Philip many times was left out. He really wasn't
a part of the group. He didn't choose to be different. He just was and that's the way
things were. His small group leader had a creative idea on Easter Sunday. He had these
10 plastic eggs that you could screw open. The kids were excited when he gave each one
of them a plastic egg. Their assignment was for each child to go outside, find a symbol
of new life and put it inside the plastic egg and then bring it back inside. Then they
would open and share their symbols of new life one by one. They all put their eggs on
the table. The kids gathered around the table and the leader began to open them. He opened
one and inside was a flower and they all oozed and odd. He opened another and there was a
little butterfly inside and they said, how beautiful. He opened another egg and there
was a rock and the third graders will as they do sometimes laughed and made fun. Some said,
that's crazy. How can a rock show us what new life is all about? But the smart little
boy who put it in there spoke up, that's mine. I knew that all of you would put flowers and
leaves and things like that in your egg and I wanted to be different. So I put a rock
in my egg and for me that's new life and they all laughed. They opened the next egg and
the egg was empty. There was nothing inside. The kids said, that's not fair. That's stupid.
Somebody didn't do it right. The small group leader felt a tug on his shirt and he looked
down. It's mine. Philip said, the empty egg is mine. And the kids said, you don't ever
do anything right Philip. You messed up everything. Your egg is empty. I did do it right. Philip
said, the tomb is empty. And then there was a long silence and even those of you who don't
believe in miracles, a miracle happened that day. And from that time on things were different.
The kids accepted Philip. They took him in. You see, the empty tomb changes people. One
of Jesus's best friends was Lazarus. Lazarus died and Jesus came to the funeral and he
gave these words of comfort to his sister, Martha. Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection
and the life. The one who believes in me will live even though they die. And whoever lives
by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this? So the question for all of us
today is, do you believe this? It's my prayer that all of us will put our faith and our
trust and our belief in the risen Savior, Jesus Christ today.
