The Risen King

He is Risen… He is Risen Indeed.

Believe it or not it was 52 Sundays ago that we have started this amazing gospel, and we have gotten to the moment this gospel has been building towards. The Empty Tomb! Jesus is alive!You get to a text like this after studying this gospel and you can’t but be stand in awe of Gods unfolding plan of redemption, and as minister and a believer in Jesus Christ nothing tops preaching a text like this, because the truth in this text actually happened that is why we are even here in the first place. If Jesus did not rise early on that Sunday Morning then we would not be worshiping the Lord on the the Lord’s day each and every week.

And thank the Lord he is alive, and because of that we can be made alive as well, and what I want you to see this morning this morning is such a simple main Idea. And that is Jesus is Alive

Jesus is Alive

Let us walk through this amazing text together and then I want you to see a few important things..

John 20:1–18 (ESV)

1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.

11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

1st thing I want you to take note of is this…

The Tomb is Empty…

So John teaches that Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early in the morning on the first day of the week, which is Sunday. Mary Magdalene was someone that Jesus healed of 7 demons, she was a women truly changed by Jesus, and the other gospels tell us that some women including Mary Magdalene saw where Jesus was laid and wanted to go and put even more spices on Jesus. According to the Gospel of Mark these women were wondering who was going to move the stone away so they could see Jesus.

So much to there surprise when they arrived at Jesus tomb, the stone had been taken away. John says that they don’t even look yet without first running and telling two other disciples. John does not get the recognition Peter gets in the Mark and Luke for going to the tomb. But I am sure John mentions he went because John who wrote this gospel is a witness to this just like he was a witness to the crucifixion, and said how others should believe in his testimony.

So Mary and the others tell them the Tomb is empty… So we see them both running back to the empty Tomb. I like the wording here and find it funny though my wife does not, that John call’s himself the disciple whom Jesus loved, and that he outran Peter to the Tomb. None the Less Peter and John Arrive at the empty tomb.

Now something to note when you read the account of the resurrection in the other Gospels, they don’t all say the same thing , and that is because they have different audiences and purposes. If you read the other gospels the order of all this may confuse you but John is trying to show his readers something special and hammer home the fact that Jesus is Alive, and the evidence is there for it. And speaking of evidence, the second thing I want you to see is this…

The details of the empty tomb caused his disciples to believe.

Though John got to the tomb first.. Peter went in first seeing that the Linen cloths and face cloth that laid on Jesus head where there but folded up in a place by itself, and to the regular reader one might thing what does that matter. Well if Jesus body was stolen and not resurrected there is no way the grave robbers would have taken the time to unwrap the body of Jesus. Carefully fold it up in place, and just leave like nothing happened. While We don’t base our faith on the empty tomb in itself, and these details, and only the in the resurrection I believe details like this help the truth of the resurrection even more.

And John says for himself that when he saw this he believed. He believed that Jesus was alive. The gospel of Luke says that when Peter saw this he marveled at all this..

Now don’t overlook the importance of verse 9 in all this. Which says John 20:9

John 20:9 ESV

9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

There is a few scriptures you might jot down to really help connect this for you..

All the way back in John 2:18-22 Jesus spoke these words…

John 2:18–22 ESV

18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

John made the point all the way back in Chapter 2 that Jesus taught them that he would be raised from the dead, but it wasn’t until they met the risen Jesus did they really understand this very thing.

Another important scripture from the Apostle Paul is 1 Cor 15:1-7

1 Corinthians 15:1–7 ESV

1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

Jesus Christ did in fact die, was buried and was raised in accordance to the scriptures, and did not just reveal himself to but a few but to over 500 men, and many women. Jesus is truly alive, and the details help disciples of Christ to believe that very thing.

As we progress in the text we shift back to Mary, and Mary is the first to see the resurrected king, and another point I want you to see is this…

God’s sheep hear his voice.

So as we shift back to Mary we see Mary weeping, John and Peter may have believed and returned to their homes but Mary was in disbelief she could not contain herself, because the one who healed her was not there. So Like Peter and John she took a look in the tomb, but she saw something different than Peter and John. She sees two angels sitting where Jesus had been laid, one at the head and one at the feet. The other gospels describe these angels as men who were dressed in clothes that gleamed like lighting, and they were there with a powerful message from God.

These two angels ask her, women why are you weeping? And the angels being there don’t seem to bother her because she simply answers the question. They have taken my Lord, and I do not know where they laid him. This is where we see some differences from the other gospels. Luke does not mention by name who goes to the empty tomb, rather he just says they went to the tomb. Luke is writing to a different audience as I have told you. But in that account they say the angels tell them why do you seeking the living among the dead he is not here, but risen remember how he told you these things. It could be possible that the ones who were with Mary went to that tomb and and angels testified to the risen king, while she had a different encounter or she had another encounter after the angels testimony, and Matthew tends to highlight that possibility. Because in Matthew the angels testify that he is not here go and tell the disciples, but as they go Jesus met them and they fall to their feet grabbing ahold of Jesus. so this aligns with John’s story.

But like I said earlier John wanted us to see something different. (And John often points out the main people to show others the importance of who was there, and not just people the audience may not know) John wants us to see the exchange of Mary and Jesus. And looking at the other gospels I am not sure if Mary was as convinced as the other women, but John tells us that Jesus asks her why are you weeping… whom are you seeking… Mary in desperation might think this is the gardener, and say if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away… Her grief could not be contained, she was at a desperate level and didn’t see Jesus clearly in front of her. It could have been the tears, it could be that she was blinded never the less something incredible happens…

Jesus says one thing.. Mary. Mary. He calls her name, and everything changes.. Why is this.. Jesus was clearly in front of her but she could not see. If you remember back in John 10:4 it says..

John 10:4 ESV

4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

Remember sheep recognize there shepherds voice. Remember Jesus is the good shepherd, and as the good shepherd he calls his sheep out by name, and they hear him. And we know Mary heard the Shepherds voice, because she says Rabboni which means teacher… And holds on to Jesus for probably her dear life.

I read something this week that I know some of you may like and this will help us understand the importance of hearing the voice of God. This is from an older pastor.. who said this… Not long ago, I watched an episode of the old television drama The Lone Ranger. As always, the Lone Ranger wore his mask; his face was partly hidden. But as I watched and listened, something did not seem right. It was the usual actor, Clayton Moore, playing the Lone Ranger, as far as my eyes could tell, but his voice sounded different. When the credits rolled across the screen at the end, I saw that another actor, not Moore, had played the Lone Ranger in the episode. I wasn’t surprised; I had seen enough Lone Ranger episodes to know Clayton Moore’s voice, and all the masks in the world wouldn’t have fooled me. I knew I was seeing another actor in that particular episode. The voice gave him away. Likewise, it was the voice of Jesus that revealed Him to Mary.

Folks I thought it like this.. Sometimes the truth can be right in front of your face, but until you truly hear it and see it for yourself you will never truly see it as the truth. .. thats worth repeating Sometimes the truth can be right in front of your face, but until you truly hear it and see it for yourself you will never truly see it as the truth. Mary was told Jesus is not here. But Jesus told her Mary I am alive. If you have ever experienced a tragedy or a loss sometimes all you want to hear is the voice of that certain someone or someone who truly cares, and knows you.. So Jesus says Mary and she responds and falls to her feet…

She clings tightly, and Jesus says to her Don’t cling to me, Yes she had lost Jesus, but now he is back, but he is really telling here. I am not leaving yet but go. He is telling her to Go..

Forth thing I want you to write down or take note of is this…

Believers go and tell that Jesus has risen.

I am not sure if you seen what I seen after carefully study this week, but Jesus tells Mary when she goes to the brothers to say to them I am ascending to the Father and your father to my God and your God. Now something in my study I found really fascinating was this.. In the gospel of John Jesus refers to God the Father 108 times. 71 times he says the Father, but only once does he refer to the Father as the disciples and that is in the text we are in today. I like what one commentator said, “ He tells her to say, “He is ascending to my father and your Father,It's also the only time in John's Gospel he calls the disciples his "brothers." When Jesus rises from the dead, the position of his disciples is radically altered. They're no longer cut off from God, enemies, dead in trespasses and sins. They're family members.The sacrifice of Jesus Christ for their sin, and the divine acceptance of that sacrifice demonstrated in the resurrection, ushers them into a new family with God as their Father and Jesus as their brother.

And Jesus want’s Mary to proclaim that message to the disciples. That Jesus is alive and you are his if you call upon his name, you are adopted into the family of God, what great news Mary gets to tell the disciples.

Something is truly powerful that Jesus would first reveal himself to a women. He was very kind to women all throughout his ministry. You would think he would go see Peter or Even John whom he so loved, but that was not so he first came to a women. In his resurrection. Which in itself would make it harder to believe by those who did not know Jesus, because women did not have the respect that men did. It was a man driven society, and Jesus intrusted a women to first go and tell others the fact that Jesus is alive. All throughout the gospels Jesus makes it clear I save all kinds of people, and both men and women can carry on the message of Jesus, even if they have different roles.

But Jesus telling Mary to go is a powerful reminder that we can’t as one of my old pastor’s would say only holy huddle, but we must in fact go into world proclaiming he is alive. R.C. Sproul would say.. We, too, are sent as messengers of the incredible news that Jesus who died is alive again. He has overcome death and triumphed on behalf of His people. Will you hear the Savior’s voice and take this glorious good news to a world that is lost and dead in sin?

Will you? The call to evangelize is a serious call to all believers, and you don’t have to go to bible college or seminary to share the simple message of the gospel. At the basic level you can tell someone, Jesus forgave me of all my sins, and he died on the cross, He was buried, and He rose again so all who call on his name can be saved as well. To be saved you don’t have to jump through all these loops all these cults, and other religions have all you have to do is truly repent and believe in Jesus.

Without the resurrection there is no gospel, and the best news you can tell someone is he is alive, and Mary and the other disciples of Jesus Christ did that very thing al the time do you?

You might say its not that simple people don’t believe all the time, and ill tell you its been that way forever, even directly after Jesus rose from the dead. But that does not stop us from sharing the good news of Jesus. Final thing I want you to see this morning is this..

No story triumphs the true story that Jesus is alive.

In the gospel of Matthew they have to form a plan because Jesus who laid in the tomb was no longer there. In Matt 28:11-15 it says this…

Matthew 28:11–15 ESV

11 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers 13 and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.

They had to make this story up, because if this story was true it would change everything about their lives. People will always want to discount that Jesus rose from the dead. You may have heard many stories in your life about what people claim happened to Jesus. The muslim’s say that Jesus did not die on the cross, and Jesus did not come back from the dead.

One modern example that I have heard first hand is that his disciples hallucinated and did not see him really. And Doctors have testified that in order for this to really happen these people who followed Christ would likely all have to have some sort of Tumor, or physiological problems. Deep ones. Right cause if you remember Jesus Christ appeared to over 500 eye witnesses. Not just Mary, and but a few disciples.

I like what one doctor said, "Hallucinations are not contagious, hallucinations generally don't appear in different places to different groups of people. You generally can't talk and converse with a hallucination. And you certainly can't eat with a hallucination."

But the risen Christ appeared before several groups in several places, conversed with people and ate with them.

Maybe it's just that His followers wanted to see Jesus again so badly? Well, He also appeared to the major persecutor of Christians on the road to Damascus.

"What about Saul of Tarsus who was persecuting the church?" McFarland asked of the man who would become Saint Paul. "Certainly he wasn't hoping to see a risen Jesus."

The evidences is there friends, and I would argue with anyone that its clear as day from the scriptures, and the witnesses of those who seen him, and have been transformed by him that Jesus is alive.

I have told this story I believe on before on a Wednesday night, or maybe in a sermon or even a conversation with you. I have told it so many times, but its something that has changed my life. Now when my wife and I were in London there was this drunk old man saying pretty much what I just read you. That people hallucinated and did not really see the resurrected Jesus Christ. My wife was pregnant at the time and I really did not want to deal with this old drunk man that I was sure if I told him about the true Jesus he would care, and in this giant city for of millions of people, but later in the week my wife and I happened to see him again not just in the same area but across the town and in my own cowardliness I did not share again with him, and on the train ride back I told my wife that I should have went up to him and told him about the gospel, and friends that haunts me to this day, and it has motived me to share about Jesus with others. To share the fact that I have seen him through the scriptures, and been changed by the heart by him, and to tell others he is alive.

Trust me there will be people who laugh at you for believing Jesus was raised from the dead, but he was and no story can get between you and truth that he is alive.

Jesus is Alive? Do you believe in that truth? Do you believe that he was crucified on the cross, died, was buried, and rose again if not repent and believe come tell me tell the world that Jesus died for you, if you have never been baptized and you believe in Jesus Christ as Lord make the decision to do so but for you believer today its simple.. Because you have encountered the risen Christ, Tell others about him and what he has done for you..

Let us pray…

Today is a special day where we get to respond to the Lord together as a church taking the Lord’s supper.

The Lords supper is one of two ordinances the Local church has the other is Baptism.

Luke 22:19 “19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.””

Its a reminder of the work of Christ on the cross, how his body and blood were shed for believers.

The Lords supper is an act of unity in the Body. Now before we take of this I want to be clear this is for believers only. So if there are any children or unbelievers who have not came to know the Lord yet this is not for you yet, but can be a moment that we teach them about Christ.

Listen to the words of 1 Corinthians 11:27-32 “27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.”

You can also take the Lord’s supper in an unworthy manner if you are living with some sort of un-repented sin. Repent of that. The Lord takes this moment very seriously, and so should we, and that being said let us take a moment to pray in silence for ourselves and our own standing with God, and I will close with pray in a moment.

The bread and the wine symbolize the body and blood of Jesus and I want to pray for each one before we take it.

Pray for body.

1 Corinthians 11:24 “24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.””

Pray for the blood

1 Corinthians 11:25 “25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.””

1 Corinthians 11:26 “26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”