Speaker 1: 0:03

Good morning, happy Easter to everybody here this morning, if you were with us on Palm Sunday. Last Sunday we looked at the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem from the Gospel of Mark, and this morning, for our purposes, we're going to look at the resurrection bodily resurrection of Christ from the same gospel. As we come to God's Word this morning, I want to ask you what is the ultimate meaning and purpose of life? We all have purposes. We all do things for various purposes, but what's the purpose of all the purposes? What's the ultimate purpose? When you consider what you believe, how you live, what difference is it going to make in 50 years after you're gone, or 500? Or 50,000 years from now, or 5 million? What difference does it all make? Your suffering and the suffering of your loved ones, is there any dignity in it? Your suffering and the suffering of your loved ones, is there any dignity in it? Is there any eternal purposes in it? Or is it just you got the bad end of the stick? These are the things people wrestle with in their souls as you and I face our own death. Where is hope to be found? And by hope I don't mean wish. Biblical hope is the certainty of things yet unseen. With that brief introduction, I want to ask you if you're able this morning I know some of you can't, but if you're able morning, I know some of you can't, but if you're able, I'd like to invite you to stand. I'm going to read from Mark's gospel, and the two main things I'm going to point out to you this morning is the faith and the fear of the early eyewitnesses of Jesus' resurrection. I'm reading from the gospel of Mark, the first eight verses, which is the end, I believe, of his gospel. It's inerrant, it's infallible and it's holy. So God sends it to you and to me in love. So let's receive it by faith in our hearts.

Speaker 1: 2:38

First one when the Sabbath was passed, mary Magdalene, mary, the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb and they were saying to one another who will roll away the stone for us? From the entrance of the tomb and looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back. It was very large and entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe. They were alarmed and he said to them Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He has risen. He is not here. See the place where they laid him, but go tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.

Speaker 1: 3:55

And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them and they said nothing to anyone for they were afraid. The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of the Lord endures forever. God's people said Amen, you may be seated. Thank you, father, we come to your word, but we need the Holy Spirit now to come in power and open the eyes of our hearts and give our minds understanding, shine the light of Christ Lord into the center of our beings that we might trust you be filled with hope and live lives to your glory and honor until you bring us home In Jesus' name, amen.

Speaker 1: 4:48

Well, we're going to look at the faith and the fear of these early eyewitnesses. The first thing I want us to focus on this morning is the faith of the early eyewitnesses. Obviously, when you come to Mark, chapter 16, jesus had died, because we read here in verse 1, when the Sabbath was passed, mary Magdalene, mary, the mother of James and Salome, bought spices so they might go and anoint Him. So Jesus had died, and he had died for the sins of the world, people from every tribe, tongue, nation and language, and he had died by way of crucifixion. I don't know if you know much about a Roman crucifixion, but the Romans actually designed this kind of crucifixion to maximize the pain and the suffering and the horror of it. They were experts at it. They had put tens of thousands, if not more, to death by way of crucifixions. The Roman government and powers had killed hundreds of thousands of people during their reign. Well, we see here, and by the way, the ancient sources, we don't know of one single person surviving a crucifixion, not one. It was brutal. Oftentimes they would leave the body hanging up there, kind of like in the old days when they would leave somebody they hung. They would leave them hanging in the town square as a message to everybody. And so these crucifixions, the thought of enduring it, and also the way that they made it so public. It instilled fear in the populace and in the people.

Speaker 1: 6:31

But amidst all this, we go back a chapter into Mark 15, where Jesus' death is recorded for us, and we see here, first the faith of the Roman centurion. Now, roman centurion was just a Roman officer. You can hear the root word for century in that word, of course. A hundred years for a century. A centurion is just a Roman officer who was in charge of a hundred soldiers, and so this particular officer and his unit were in charge of over Jesus' crucifixion, along with the two thieves, one on each side. I don't know what other duties they had, but that was part of their duties.

Speaker 1: 7:08

And so here he is, and we read about this Roman centurion back in verse 39 of Mark 15. It says and when the centurion who stood facing him, that is, stood facing Jesus, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said truly, this man was the Son of God. And so the Roman centurion had witnessed the crucifixion of Christ. He was in charge of it, and he saw the nails go into his hands and feet and him lifted up as the post slams into the ground. He saw the mocking of Christ, he saw him being stripped, he saw him spit upon, the thorns pressed into his head.

Speaker 1: 8:03

I can't help but wonder if that Roman centurion. He noticed, no doubt, that Jesus had not responded with hatred and verbal revenge, if I can put it that way, against those who hated him so much and had done such horrific things to him. I wonder if he heard Jesus pray Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Well, one thing I know he heard him pray as he breathed his last. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? He's praying as he dies. That Roman centurion saw something different in Jesus Christ. There was something holy in Jesus Christ. Who can die like that, who can have a heart like that? Who can have that kind of communion with God under such circumstances? So truly, this man is the Son of God. He was the Son of God, he says.

Speaker 1: 9:11

But you also see the faith of Joseph of Arimathea. Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy man. He was a very well-respected man in the Jewish council there in Jerusalem. You and I would say he's in the club. He's in the club, he's in the inner chambers of power within the religious establishment, and that religious establishment in Israel had a lot of political power as well. So he's a well-known man. And here he is, joseph. We read this in the 43rd verse of Mark, chapter 15.

Speaker 1: 9:50

Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. He took courage. Well, what was so courageous about him asking for the body of Jesus? He took courage. Well, what was so courageous about him asking for the body of Jesus? Well, first of all, pilate was a leader under the Romans and Jesus, it was said, was the king of the Jews. And if Pilate showed any sympathy toward this movement that was being stirred in Jerusalem amongst these early disciples, that could put him on the wrong side of Rome, because Caesar doesn't like the kings. Kings of Rome don't like rivals. And so Joseph was actually putting his life on the line when he went to Pilate to ask him for this body, similar to Esther centuries before when she went into the presence of the king. You remember when she said and if I perish, I perish the courage of faith. But Joseph loved Christ. And so he goes into Pilate to ask for the body, and he got it. But you know what it would? Also, as he begins to align himself with Christ, eventually he's going to pay the price and no doubt be rejected by those in the inner circle for his sympathies to Jesus, because those in the council perhaps it was just maybe him and Nicodemus, I don't know but those in the inner council hated Christ with a murderous rage. They didn't just dislike him, he didn't just irritate them, they hated him viscerally. And yet now Joseph's going to ask for his body so that he can wrap it in the linen shroud and put it in his own tomb. And that's what he did.

Speaker 1: 11:47

So what do you have here in Mark 15, leading up to this resurrection chapter in Mark 16? You have this Roman centurion, a Gentile, and you have this Jew, joseph of Arimathea, and they both have faith in Christ, even before the resurrection, even before the resurrection, even before the resurrection. Now, of course, jesus in his ministry taught and proclaimed the forgiveness of sins, and we learn from the scripture that we get the forgiveness of sins through the death of Christ, because the wages of sin is what Death. And on that cross, in that Roman crucifixion, he did not just take the wrath of men, more importantly, he took the just wrath of God in our place, so that we don't have to fear hell when we trust in Christ. Aren't you glad for that. That's the cup he drank. He had a crucifixion like no other crucifixion. The wrath of God was poured out on him for our sins. But here you have this Jew and this Gentile having faith in Christ, even as they see his death.

Speaker 1: 13:00

Billy Graham years ago I saw him. I like to watch old clips of him. God used him as part of my conversion, but he used to say Jesus is for the whole world. What did he mean? He meant Jesus didn't just come for one little group. He didn't just come for this group or that group or somebody in this economic status or in this economic status. He came for any and all who would put their faith in Him, people from every tribe, tongue, nation and language. That means he came for you. He came that you could know the forgiveness of your sins if you would, but trust in Him. And we're not saved by the greatness of our faith. We're saved by the greatness of our Savior, in whom our faith is in. Oftentimes our faith gets weak and we doubt and we struggle, but our salvation is secured because of Christ and what he's done, not according to the greatness of our faith. And so we trust Christ and we can know the peace of God, aren't you glad? So you see the faith of the centurion, you see the faith of Joseph of Arimathea, but the thing I really want to draw your attention to this morning is the faith of the women.

Speaker 1: 14:25

Notice here again in verse 1, when the Sabbath was passed, mary Magdalene, mary, the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint him. Now, why is that important? Well, for one thing you'll notice, it wasn't men that were the first at the tomb on resurrection morning. It was the women. These women had ministered to Christ throughout much of his ministry and they had followed Christ and they were devoted to Christ. And we notice, in verse 40 of the previous chapter, chapter 15, it says that when Jesus was being crucified, they looked on from a distance. That must have been a painful sight for them. They loved Christ. Yes, they had ministered to him, but he had ministered to them. And they saw how he had ministered to others, not only in his preaching and teaching but his healing. And then, in verse 47, it says they saw where Jesus' body was laid, there in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, after Joseph had prepared his body, wrapped it in linen and placed it there.

Speaker 1: 15:42

And what's interesting here, you see, in verse 2, we know from the other gospels that they actually left the house in the darkness and by the time they get to the tomb it's coming up. It's like I told the people at the first service some of you left your house in the dark and by the time you got here here comes the sun. And that's what was happening here. They're going there at the break of day. There's an old saying that sorrow rises early. If you've ever lost a loved one and you have the burden of grief in your heart, sorrow rises early. And you see, that's an indication that these women, they had a special love for Christ. They loved Jesus and they brought these spices to anoint his body. We know from John 19,. These spices were made up of oil and myrrh and aloes and they weren't coming to embalm him. That's not the point of what they were doing. They were coming to put those spices on his body as an act of devotion, as an act of loving, devotion to him, an act of respect.

Speaker 1: 16:57

Now, why is all this in here about these women? Why is it important for you and me? Well, for one thing, it helps this account ring with great authenticity. The scriptures ring with great authenticity. Women in the ancient world could not testify in a court of law. Well now, if you were going to make up a story, are you going to put the earliest witnesses being women? These women are going to be the ones that go to tell the disciples, the apostles themselves. And yet that's who our Lord has here at the tomb.

Speaker 1: 17:38

Josephus, he was a Jewish historian. He was born right after Jesus' death and he lived during the time of the apostles, from, say, 37 AD to about 100 AD. And we have his writings and he puts in there, as a Jew he speaks about even multiple women as witnesses was not acceptable. Why? Because he says quote of the levity and boldness of the female sex. And then Celsus, even 150 years after the death of Christ, he's poking at one of the early church theologians, one of the early church fathers known as Origen, and he's mocking the resurrection. But listen to his reasoning for mocking the resurrection, you think he might come up with a serious argument. But here Salsa says he dismissed the resurrection as quote the gossip of women about the empty tomb. And so you see, our Lord has women there at the empty tomb. That's a very authentic ring to this gospel because in the ancient world you just simply would not do that if you were trying to make up something to make it more palatable and believable. But this is exactly what happened and what you find when you study the history of Christianity that Christianity has given more dignity to women than any other.

Speaker 1: 19:11

I don't have time to go through all that this morning, but let me just mention how God works from 1 Corinthians 1, verse 27. Here's what the apostle Paul wrote. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise. God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not to bring to nothing, things that are so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And so God brings women to the tomb. He brings them to the tomb.

Speaker 1: 19:50

I think it's a little humorous, there's a little mild. I think there's something mildly comical here and in verse three. There is some funny stuff in the Bible along the way. It's a serious book but along the way God gives us a little bit of comical relief on occasion. And you'll notice here in verse 3,.

Speaker 1: 20:09

And they were saying to one another who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb? So they got the spices, they're on their way to the tomb and it's almost like it dawned on them. We don't have anybody to open the tomb. Right? You ever gotten to work without your keys? How am I going to get in the building? Or you get somewhere and you don't have what you need. You, young people, there was a time you actually had to remember your tickets. Now you just have to remember your phone, right. But you ever got somewhere and you didn't have. Well, there's just a little mild comedy there. That also helps the account ring authentic, because aren't they just like us? And here are these ladies. You can understand the heavy grief and emotion of the situation pressing on their hearts and minds and they're figuring it out, actually, as they go. But off they went.

Speaker 1: 21:15

But what do we note from this? About true faith? Yes, true faith trusts in Christ for the forgiveness of sins and for eternal life. But we also see that where there's true faith, there's a love for Christ. True faith isn't simply I believe in Christ so I can go to heaven. True faith is, yes, I believe in Christ and amen that I'm going to heaven. But true faith loves Christ himself. God pours his love into our hearts and we love him. God's people love him because he first loved us, and that's what we see in the gospels.

Speaker 1: 21:55

Women thought they were showing up for a funeral, so to speak. They thought they were coming to anoint a dead body. And so you see the faith of these early witnesses, the centurion Joseph of Arimathea and the women. But now in the account we begin to tilt toward the fear of these early eyewitnesses, the fear of the resurrection itself. Because we come in verse four here and there's a note about the stone. Look what it says. And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back. It was very large. Now that would get your attention if you were going to the tomb. What's happening? That must have stunned them. As they looked, and now, as they see the stone rolled away, now the fear begins to come in to play. Notice what it says here in verse five. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. Well, I bet they were. They were alarmed. Well, I bet they were. They were alarmed, this young man, of course we know is an angel appearing as a man.

Speaker 1: 23:14

They go into a dark tomb and they see an angel in a white robe. One of the other Gospels says it was lightning white Tide. Can't do this for your clothes. I don't care what they claim, it's not going to happen. Think about Jesus' transfiguration, where he almost became translucent. The intensity of the white I don't know how white an angel is, I've never seen one, but imagine in glory right now. And they come from the very presence of God. And then they come at his command. They only do what God commands. And here he is, this angel, coming from the very presence of God, and he manifests himself. That must have been an intense thing. They have fear mixed up with wonder and confusion and perplexity, and they're astonished. Now yet they're distressed because this is what happens when a mere creature, and especially a sinful creature, comes in contact with the supernatural. When a mere creature, and especially a sinful creature, comes in contact with the supernatural. Because they were experiencing not just the supernatural, this holy angel, they were experiencing something of the intense holiness of God. The angel wasn't God, but they were in his presence. And now there's this lightning white aura around this angel. This is what happens when people are confronted by God, the Holy God.

Speaker 1: 24:57

You remember the godly prophet Isaiah, when God showed him the king, lifted high and exalted on the throne of heaven. John 12 says to us that was Jesus Christ, the son of God that Isaiah saw. Isaiah was completely undone at first Right. And then we remember the shepherds that were in the field at Christ's birth, who were totally undone. When the angels show up, well, I'd be undone too, and so would you.

Speaker 1: 25:33

But here's something beautiful in verse six, angels only say and do what God commands. And so what does the angel say? Do not be alarmed. And you see, in the words of the angel you actually see something of the tender heart of God 365 fear nots. In the words of the angel, you actually see something of the tender heart of God 365 fear nots in the Bible. Aren't you glad? One for every day of the year, for you folks and for me too. And aren't you glad there's coming a day when God will take all of our fears away Because of the death and resurrection of Christ. But the angel says here in verse six and he said to them do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth who is crucified. He has risen. He is not here. See the place where they laid him. Take a look. You can see that he's not here. So now we go, we see the stone rolled away, we see the fear setting in in the hearts of these ladies as they are encountering something supernatural. And now we have the fact that the angel says he has risen. He's not here.

Speaker 1: 26:59

The Jews would have loved to have produced the body. You know, after the death and resurrection of Christ, where the apostles preached the resurrection of Jesus, his death and resurrection throughout Jerusalem and the whole area, and they wanted to squash that movement so bad. They just needed the body of Jesus to pull it out and that would take care of it. So the Jews wanted the body. They wouldn't get it. Let's talk about the Romans. Do you know that those tombs would be sealed by a Roman seal when they would stand guard in front of those tombs? If that seal was broken, that meant for you, as a soldier, death. So you're gonna guard that tomb with your life. That's just how the Romans operated. These Romans had no motive to take the body of Christ.

Speaker 1: 27:56

And then you have the apostles themselves. They went out and they preached the death and resurrection of Christ. And boy did they suffer for it, and many of them even laid down their life for that testimony, and many of the early Christians the same thing. Now people will die for a lie. People will take an airplane and drive it, they'll fly that thing into the Twin Towers for a lie. But I want to ask you this morning would you die for something that you knew was a lie? And here you have not one apostle, not two, not three. You have so many early disciples and eyewitnesses that died for this testimony. So the Jews couldn't get the body, the Romans couldn't get the body and the apostles are laying down their life for this testimony when, before the resurrection, they were full of fear and cowardice.

Speaker 1: 29:07

Frankly, I don't have time to get into all the historical evidences for the resurrection this morning, but Josh McDowell and his evidence that demands a verdict. Lee Strobel, the case for the resurrection. Frank Morrison, who moved the stone. You know there's not been a few scholars who have set out to disprove the resurrection and they got so overwhelmed by the historical evidence of the resurrection in concert with the testimony of scripture that they became believers. There's actually a couple of books out there in the foyer. Feel free to take one or both on the way out.

Speaker 1: 29:46

But Christianity, rc Sproul said once, and he's right the Bible and Christianity and our Lord does not ask you to check your intellect at the door when you become a Christian. He commands us to lay down our pride and to humble ourselves, that we need a Savior from our sins, and thank God we have one in Jesus Christ. And so in verse 6, mark's pressing the point that the same Jesus who died is the same one who rose. You see that there you seek Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He has risen. Same guy, same one. And notice too. You see the stone and the fear and the fact. But notice the grace. There's the grace of verse seven. Look what it says.

Speaker 1: 30:34

But go tell his disciples and Peter that he's going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you. Jesus had earlier told them I'll see you in Galilee after my death and my resurrection. He told them that he would see them. He told them that he would see them. But why didn't he just say, why didn't the angel just say go tell the disciples. Did you notice how he put it? Go tell the disciples and Peter, make sure you tell Peter, peter.

Speaker 1: 31:15

Peter, do you know how full of guilt and shame and regret Peter had to have inside of himself? Many, many times in my Christian life I've tried to put myself in Peter's place where I thought, if the risen Lord was going to walk in here right now and I had betrayed him just a couple of days before, not once, not twice, but three times, in his greatest hour of need, when things were darkest for him, how on earth would I lift my head to look him in the eye? And yet we know from the other gospel accounts that when Christ met the disciples there in Galilee in the north, the first thing out of his mouth to them was peace, be with you. I can imagine I don't know this but I can imagine Peter not even wanting to look up, and I could see Jesus going over to him and lifting his chin up. No, peter, peace be with you. Aren't you glad that we have a gracious God and a tenderhearted Savior and a compassionate Lord Christ? Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and so we see the grace of God. Tell Peter to. And you know what he did with Peter. Peter was forgiven. Peter wasn't even demoted. He was still the lead apostle. Get out there, peter. We got things to do. And who do we see preaching out of the blocks?

Speaker 1: 32:48

In Acts, chapter two, there's Peter preaching at Pentecost. And then we see, lastly, the awe the ladies fled the tomb I think I would too and they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them and they had said nothing to anyone for they were afraid. They were afraid. We know from the other gospel accounts they also had joy, but Mark is emphasizing here they had a certain fear. I know that there's some in this room that, like roller coasters, who are you, like my wife? Okay, what's wrong with you people? But you know what? What do you have on a roller coaster? You know when you get over the edge and then when it goes. If you're on a really high one, when it goes and it's going almost straight down, you feel the intensity of it and maybe you get tense and your cheeks are flapping or whatever. It doesn't look like you folks are having fun at that moment. But then what happens? When you get to the bottom and you get around the corner and you, what do you do? Out comes the laughter man. That was great it was. Didn't look like it, but it was. And that's how it is when we experience things that are way beyond the ordinary.

Speaker 1: 34:19

Some of you have seen mountains. I remember the first time I saw the Rocky Mountains when we came out of the West End of Boulder. You ever seen that? Whoa? The first thing it did, it literally took my breath away. The first thing it did, it literally took my breath away. And then, after it sunk in, I turned to my wife. That's when we started smiling. We're like can you believe? But what happens at first when you feel your insignificance?

Speaker 1: 34:53

You ever seen a marriage where the guy's down front and his bride comes at the end of the aisle and what happens? Sometimes His knees start knocking. He's a nervous wreck. Oh, happy day, right, oh, but he's. What is it? He's overwhelmed by the goodness and beauty, the goodness of God and the beauty before him, and there's a sacredness and a holiness in that moment. Right, some of me pass out, overwhelmed by the goodness of God to them and the beauty of their wife. And that's what happened to these ladies. They were overwhelmed with the goodness of God. We know that they had the godly kind of fear because they went on to tell the disciples, they went on to have joy and so on. But godly fear draws you closer to God. Ungodly fear drives you away. Well, they were drawn to it and that's why we have hope this morning.

Speaker 1: 35:55

Listen the Apostle Paul, romans 10, 9. If you confess with your mouth what that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. You'll be saved from what? You'll be saved from your sins. You'll be saved from the judgment of God for your sins. And you'll be saved from the judgment of God for your sins. And you'll be saved from the wrath of God upon you in body and soul, in hell, forever. On the other hand, when you trust in Christ, you have that peace and comfort of knowing. Christ took for me on that cross everything I deserve, not just the physical punishment, but in his soul he bore the wrath of God. And when he rose from the dead, that's God saying to the world, to those who believe in him, just as sure as he rose from the dead, he left your sins in that tomb and you never have to deal with them again before the judgment seat of God. Aren't you glad? That's the gospel. That's the gospel.

Speaker 1: 36:53

Lastly, let me just tell you that Jesus not only came to save our souls, don't miss it. He came to save our bodies too. That our eternal hope. When we die as Christians, our souls go to heaven, but when the trumpet sounds and Christ comes back, our bodies will be raised and our souls and our bodies will come together and Christ is going to make all things new. That same God who made all things out of nothing at creation is committed to his creation and he's going to come back and make his creation new. And we get to be a part of that. And we'll never have to fear anything again. We'll never have to deal with sin again in ourselves or in others. We'll never have to deal with sorrow and disease or death again. Won't it be great we can live in hope because Jesus came and died and has risen. He's ruling and reigning all things and he's coming again. Are you ready for him? Let's pray.