The Resurrection

Good morning Church! Here we are at the end of our journey through the book of Mark. It’s always bittersweet to finish a book while preaching. Since 2019 we’ve completed 7 books of the Bible: 1 Timothy, Exodus, Ephesians, Daniel, 1 Peter, Esther, and of course now Mark. It’s been a great 67 weeks of study and now we conclude with the Resurrection of Jesus.

Swindoll’s Ultimate Book of Illustrations & Quotes Resurrection

In Paul’s day a motto that permeated the city of Athens read, “Once a man dies and the earth drinks up his blood, there is no resurrection.” Paul hotly disagreed. Now, some may say, “Well, when Athens died, so died the doubt of resurrection.” Are you kidding? As recently as the nineteenth century there was a poem spreading around England that has caught all kinds of people off guard. Charles Swinburne wrote it.

From too much love of living,

From hope and fear set free,

We thank with brief thanksgiving

Whatever gods may be

That no life lives forever;

That dead men rise up never;

That even the weariest river

Winds somewhere safe to sea.

It’s a lie! Dead men do rise up ever! And there is no safety at sea apart from Christ! The resurrection is our only hope.

Today, we are going to look at verses 1-8 and learn that the resurrection of Jesus brings true and lasting joy! It’s anchored in history, grounded in grace, and propelled by the promise of new life.

Please stand with me in honor of God’s Word as we read Mark 16:1-8

Mark 16:1–8 ESV

1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 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. 7 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.” 8 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.

Pray

Our Glorious Father in Heaven, we thank You for the day that we have to honor You and lift up Your name. You are great! You are good! We absolutely adore You! Thank you for the freedom that Christ purchased for our sins on the cross. Thank You for the joy of our salvation!

We thank You for our nation and the freedoms that we enjoy. We pray for our leaders and plead for wisdom from You. We ask that You would lead them to make the best possible decisions for the sake of the Gospel and our lives. We pray for protection for our nation and leaders. And we thank You for how You are working all things to good of those who love You and are called according to Your purposes.

We want to remember our brothers and sisters in Christ that are around the world. There are so many acts of persecution against Your children and we pray that You would help them to endure with patience to the end.

Thank You for our brothers and sisters in Christ that are here from Oaxaca. Thank you for Ubaldo and Elena and the good work of ministry happening down there in Mexico. We plead for the great work of ministry to continue to bear fruit and that the fruit should remain according to your good will and pleasure.

Lord we pray for our brothers and sisters here at our church. We have so many that are dealing with health issues, griefs, and challenges. You know all of them, but we specifically want to remember Sandy Breuer as she mourns the loss of her brother. We pray that you would grant peace to her and the rest of her family during this time.

We want to remember Steve Bayless as they have visitation on Saturday for his mom. We pray for Steve’s father and family as they receive friends and grieve together. As they have her funeral next Monday, I pray that it would be a celebration of life and great joy.

Father, we want to continue to lift up to you Steve Warren as he recovers from his surgery. Please grant him continued healing and thank you that his staples came out without an issue.

We want to continue to pray for Denny Johnson as she goes through chemotherapy. Please give her energy and help her to beat this cancer in the name of Christ. Give Verne endurance and focus as he ministers to his wife throughout this season. It’s been a long, hard one. We pray for a long season of rest and restoration for them.

We pray that You would speak to our hearts this morning. Give us open minds to understand Your Word. Please, Lord, anoint me and help me to give glory and honor to You. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Humans naturally seek joy. The happiness of Americans is at an all-time low. The Washington Post published an article featuring a survey of Americans. The question that was asked was “Taken all together, how would you say things are these days - would you say that you are very happy, pretty happy, or not too happy?” The 2017 article showed that Americans were at an all-time low for happiness and I don’t think that it’s improved in the 8 years since. Of course the question is what has happened since 1993 when happiness was at an all-time high? What they found is that there is a direct correlation between the amount of time on the internet and the amount of happiness you have.

But what about joy? What is the difference between happiness and joy? The world offers joy from outside factors. It promises deep satisfaction from position, money, circumstances and toys. But those things are fickle and subject to our whims and emotions. The fact is that true Christian joy is a fruit of the Spirit. Christian joy is founded in a strong relationship with God and is not subject to our circumstances. It doesn’t mean that lost people can’t experience joy. It means that it’s not a major feature in their lives.

For example: Robin Williams was famously known for spreading laughter and happiness wherever he went. The beloved comedian and actor brought laughter to millions but faced severe depression and anxiety. In interviews, he spoke of using humor to mask pain, and his 2014 suicide revealed a profound struggle to find lasting peace despite his professional success and public adoration.

Kurt Cobain was the lead singer of Nirvana and achieved global fame and musical success but struggled with depression, addiction, and a sense of emptiness. In his 1994 suicide note, he wrote about losing the passion he once felt, describing himself as "too sensitive" and unable to sustain joy despite his success.

Virginia Woolf was an award-winning writer that explored themes of joy and despair in her work but faced lifelong mental health challenges. In her 1941 suicide note, she expressed a loss of hope in regaining happiness, despite her literary achievements and intellectual pursuits, proved the limits of creative success in securing inner joy.

The world can offer everything: fame, money, being loved by the public, awards, prestige, intellectual stimulation, pleasure, and much much more— but it leaves people feeling empty and meaningless. But while the tomb is left empty, it definitely isn’t meaningless.

Our passage begins with

An Unexpected Surprise

You see, The Sabbath was from roughly 7pm on Friday night- 7pm on Saturday. The markets in Jerusalem opened in the evenings which is when Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices. They wouldn’t be able to go and anoint Jesus that evening since it was too dark, so they got up early on Sunday, the first day of the week and went to the tomb. These women were followers of Jesus Christ. Mary Magdalene was especially faithful to the Lord Jesus after He had delivered her from seven demons. They were present at the crucifixion and at least the first two had seen Christ’s tomb on that Friday evening, they had seen Jesus be anointed by Nicodemus, but they desired to bring their own offering to the Lord. One final act of love and devotion where they would cover the decomposing body of Christ with spices to mask the pungent and sickening smell of decomposition.

Some Gospels say the sun had risen, some Gospels say it was dark. Is this a contradiction? Not at all— If you’ve been up early before the sun had risen but it has that twilight feel early in the morning where everything is blue, that’s the time that the authors are describing. It was early morning. The sun was lighting everything and it was still dark.

The question turned as they approached the tomb of who would roll away the stone? The stones that were used for a normal tomb were roughly 3.5 in diameter and 1.5-2 feet thick. But, Joseph was a rich man and his tomb featured greater security including a larger stone like what Mark records in verse 4. The stone was likely 4-4.5 feet in diameter and at least 2 feet thick, perhaps more. It likely weighed 5 tons and would have required at least eight strong men with tools to move it. It was a massive task, not one that three women could do.

There’s no indicator that they know about a resurrection or are expecting one. They apparently don’t even know that the Jews established Roman guards at the site. In fact, when they arrived they saw that the tomb was open and that the stone had been rolled away!

In all four Gospels the discovery of the empty tomb by women is important evidence for the truthfulness of the resurrection. In the first century, Jews did not allow the testimony of women in court. They weren’t considered reliable. So the early church wouldn’t have used women as the primary witnesses to the resurrection. But that’s what God has picked, isn’t it?

The women still don’t know about the resurrection yet. They’re still in the dark so to speak because all they’ve seen is the stone was rolled aside. It stood open as a warning to spiritual world of darkness that the King is Alive and it stood as an invitation to all to come and see that Christ is here: He is risen! And the women took the invitation and entered the tomb where they saw a young man sitting there who told them the good news of the resurrection. “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.”

Jesus had defeated death! And no one knew it yet, but Jesus was proving an unchanging law that was being established that humiliation bring exaltation! Matthew 23:12

Matthew 23:12 ESV

12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

The Scriptures are replete with this teaching.

1 Peter 5:6 ESV

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,

Christ’s humiliation was a massively cosmic event! He had created everything in the universe. Every speck of dust. Every supernova. All the stars, He numbered and named. He made every color, every flower and animal. From mighty Everest to the Grand Canyon to you. Jesus Christ made everything! Colossians 1:15-18

Colossians 1:15–18 ESV

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

But even though Jesus Christ is God, the Creator in the flesh, He became a human child and when He was 33 years old, He allowed Himself to be humiliated and killed! He suffered separation from the Father as He bore our sins on the cross! There was no greater humiliation in the entirety of history! Nor will there ever be!

But the resurrection flips that around completely! What was the absolute worst event with the crucifixion of Christ, became our salvation which was proven by the resurrection! This just proves that joy comes in some of the most unexpected places. You see it is when we are at our lowest that we can clearly see God’s power in greater ways in our lives.

We see this in the Bible in Joseph’s life. He had been falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and was placed in prison for years. However, God was at work while Joseph was suffering and God proved His faithfulness.

When Israel was destroyed and Daniel and his friends were taken into Babylon God was at work to restore the land to His people. In the 1730’s and 40’s the church in America was full of Phariseeism and moralism. God brought Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield to preach and revival broke out to prepare our nation for the American Revolution.

God is always at work when we don’t see Him working. He is always moving history toward His own purposes and will do so however and whenever He wishes!

When China fell to the communists, Chine expelled all the missionaries and shut down all the churches. As underground churches continued to grow it moved from hundreds of churches to now millions of churches with China becoming the largest population of Christians within the next 5 years.

These women were thinking about who would remove the stone but God had already taken care of that. We sometimes thing about the obstacles as the main thing but God calls us to trust Him to take care of the obstacles. We’re called to trust Him and His timing!

The Angel’s Announcement

The angel’s message to the women is clear. Jesus is alive! And there’s this helpful interpretation, right? At first Mary Magdalene thinks that the Jewish leaders had stolen the body of Christ. She even blames who she thought was a gardener for taking the body. Because as the women came to the tomb the empty tomb alone is not proof of the resurrection, but just helps us to think of another question: “What happened to Jesus’ body?” The angel cuts to the chase, Jesus is ALIVE! Come and see where they laid Him.

How did Jesus come back to life? Jesus Christ possessed all authority to lay down His own life and take it up again

John 10:18 ESV

18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

But the New testament also teaches that it was the Father that raised Christ

1 Peter 1:3 ESV

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

But it also teaches that Christ was raised by the Holy Spirit Romans 8:11

Romans 8:11 ESV

11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

So are these contradictions? No, not at all. It points to the Trinitarian unity of God. Each member participated in the resurrection just as they did at the creation of the world and humanity.

The resurrection was a true, historical event. It’s not a metaphor. It’s not a symbol. The resurrection is reality! And the angel gives this message to the women but he tells them to go and tell all of Jesus’ disciples to meet him in Galilee. He says

Mark 16:7 ESV

7 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.”

Why Peter? Well, two reasons 1) He was the key leader of the disciples and often spoke to Jesus on their behalf. But also, if you remember it was Peter that denied Christ and was in need of being restored to Christ Jesus. He was going ahead of them, removing any obstacles along the way because they had an appointment with their Messiah.

Now, this is the foundation of all Christian joy and for me personally, I think I’m discovering this a lot more as a pastor. You see, one day Christian we wont have all the stuff we deal with on a daily basis. We won’t have sickness any more. There wont be any pain. I think about those little ones lost in the floods in Texas and the grief of all those families and I think, one day we won’t have that grief any more. There won’t be devastation. There won’t be disharmony in the church because we will all be under a perfect Priest named Jesus Christ. We wont have to think about volunteers for the music ministry or AWANA or A/V Team. We wont have to concern ourselves with budget stuff. We won’t have to think about cancer or bills. There won’t be depression, anxiety, mental disorders, or chronic sickness.

You see, the resurrection gives us hope because we are delivered from suffering eternally and we gain Christ for all our days! This is the very core and center of our joy and it is this truth that powers believers to endure.

And listen, this angel shares the message from the Lord Jesus to Peter to come and meet Him in Galilee. If that invitation is for a traitor like Peter who denied the Lord Jesus, then you can have comfort as well that the Gospel is for you too and Jesus beckons you to comes to Him, to seek Him and find Him!

But the women are shocked. The Gospel writers share the torrent of emotions. Mark emphasizes the fear and astonishment. Others show the joy and confusion, but we see the final point:

The Fearful Silence

These women were afraid. What would they say? The resurrection doesn’t just magically bring about courage. But the truth of it should move us to faithful witness. The truth is that the joy was overwhelming and the silence reminds us of our need to proclaim the truth which they eventually did.

Now… for most of you, your Bible probably has the rest of Mark in brackets with a note that says something like “Some of the earliest manuscripts do not include 16:9–20.” This is the longest part of the New Testament that was not included by the original writers. We know this because even the early church fathers didn’t really know about the longer ending of Mark here. The earliest was Irenaeus who lived from 130-202AD. This was the earliest Gospel, written around 66-70. So why do we think this was not original?

There’s many good reasons

The oldest and therefore more accurate manuscripts do not include this.

There are 18 new words that Mark never uses here at the end.

The sentence structure is completely different.

The additions seem to have used the other Gospels to help round out the Gospel of Mark due to its abrupt original ending.

The introduction of strange doctrines found in Mark 16:17-18

Mark 16:17–18 ESV

17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

I believe that Mark ends at verse 8 and it beckons the question we’ve asked from the beginning of Mark: What will you do with Jesus Christ? Mark 1 begins the Gospel and Mark 16 ends with the resurrection and in typical Marcan fashion it was done. Just the facts.

So what will you do with Jesus? You see, you have to believe the resurrection in order to be saved. You have to intellectually receive it as a historical fact but just that alone cannot save. Romans 10:9

Romans 10:9 ESV

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Saving faith goes from the head to the heart. It grapples our mind in despair to think, “I am a wretched person! How can I be saved?” and it moves to the heart and grasps it with love for Christ and submits with joy to the will of Christ! For Mark’s audience, those who were in Rome, the slave that suffers under a severe master, the wife who is treated like a second class citizen, the man who fights for Roman glory. For the Christian we have no fear of death that is based on the hope of glory in Christ’s resurrection. He conquered the grave and promised victory for all who come to Him in faith.

Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones said to his congregation one Easter Sunday:

This morning as I look over this evil, sinful world it does not depress me, because I expect from it nothing better. Whatever may be going against me, whatever may be happening in my own body, this is what I must expect, because of sin. But though I die, I shall rise again. I shall see Him face to face. I shall see Him as He is, and I shall be like Him, like Him in a body glorified, with every power renewed. And I shall be living in a realm that is incorruptible and undefiled, a realm that can never fade away.

That is the living hope of the Resurrection. That is the message of this Easter morning. And that hope is absolutely safe and secure. The Resurrection itself guarantees it all. Every enemy has been destroyed. Christ has conquered them every one.…

You see, the resurrection is not simply a component of the Gospel message, it is the pinnacle. It is the axiom of our atonement, the bedrock of our belief, and cornerstone of our confession. It gives durability to the downtrodden, faith to the fickle, and glory to godly. It is a haven for the hurried, illumination for the ignorant, and brings joy to the jaded. It is the key for those kicked out, liberation for those who are lamenting, and mercy for those who are miserable. The open tomb declares openly that if you are nasty, obstinate, pessimistic, or quaking that Jesus is alive and offers rest, salvation, and transformation for all who know Him. He is uplifting to the unhappy, victory for the vulnerable, and welcoming to the weary. He is excellent in every way and He can be yours and you can be His. The resurrection is the zenith of human events and prompts our zealous affections for the King of Zion.

Head: God wants you to know that the resurrection of Jesus is a true, historical event that serves as the foundation of Christian hope and joy.

The resurrection is not myth or metaphor—it’s a record of divine intervention in history. The empty tomb, the angel’s message, and the eyewitness testimony of the women affirm the truth that Jesus physically rose from the dead. This isn’t peripheral—it is the pinnacle of our faith.

Heart: God wants you to believe that Jesus' resurrection secures your eternal joy, even in the midst of suffering and uncertainty.

Because Christ was raised, humiliation leads to exaltation, suffering leads to glory, and despair gives way to joy. The sermon emphasizes that the resurrection is not only a doctrine to affirm but a reality that transforms our view of hardship and grief.

Hand: God wants you to respond to the resurrection with bold faith—trust Jesus, tell others, and live in hope.

Like the women at the tomb who were told to go and tell, we too are called to speak. Don’t let fear, hesitation, or silence win. Proclaim the risen Christ with your words and your life. And if you're a Peter—ashamed or failing—know you're still invited to meet Jesus.