From Darkness to Dawn: Witnessing the Victory of Resurrection

As we begin this morning, please turn in your copies of God’s Word to Mark chapter 16, we will be reading verses 1-8 shortly, so please have those verses marked and ready for that time.

Last Sunday morning in a message entitled The Power of the Cross: A Turning Point- from Mark 15:39-46, we looked at the multifaceted accomplishments at Jesus crucifixion. Of course from our viewpoint, the greatest thing accomplished was our redemption. Which should create in us a thankfulness each and every day.

But beyond our redemption, we should marvel at the lengths our great God has gone to in an effort to make sure every single prophecy is fulfilled. In His sovereignty, He left no stone unturned to fulfill every prophetic promise concerning His Son. We can rest assure that He will do the same to fulfill the promises He has made in Scripture regarding we who have put our faith and trust in Him.

As we made our way through the passage, the first thing we looked at was The Centurion’s Confession, as well as considering not only the Turning point he made, but also the turning point made by the thief on the cross, as well as the turning point made by the rest of the crowd following the miraculous events that coincided with His sacrificial death.

We also considered the truth that Faithful Followers Finish Strong, while at the same time we were assured that there may be times we falter, and that when that takes place, we need to respond as the Apostles did, with repentant hearts, and a renewed strength as we look to the resurrected Savior.

We spent time looking at the courage of Joseph of Amirmathea, how he moved from being a secret follower of Jesus to a point where he boldly went to Pilate and requested the Body of Jesus, that He might provide a proper burial. We paid special attention to how Joseph’s courageous act was key in fulfilling prophecies concerning the Messiah.

We finished by highlighting other prophecies that were also fulfilled in the events of the crucifixion, how no bones were broken and how His side was pierced, fulfilling prophesies from Zechariah 12:10 and Psalm 34:20.

With that as an introduction, let’s go before the Lord in prayer.

Heavenly Father,

We come to you this morning with thankful hearts, thankful hearts as we consider You and Your Great Name, rejoicing in the truth that Lost are saved, find their way, At the sound of Your great Name. Though in and of ourselves, we would stand before You condemned, through hearts of repentance and confession, we the condemned, feel no shame, at the sound of Your great Name. Jesus, worthy is the Lamb that was slain for us, the Son of God and Man, You are high and lifted up, and based on what we read in Philippians 2:10, we know that All the world will praise Your great Name. You are the Redeemer, my Healer. Lord Almighty. Defender, my Savior, You are my king. And as my King, I hold on to the truth that The Lord Almighty Reigns. Which should create in us an endless song waiting to be sung, with the voice of every tribe, the sound of every tongue. We the bride of Christ will lift our voices to the Lamb a multitude of praise…like the roar of mighty seas. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, For the Lord God Almighty reigns.

Father, as warriors of You, Jehovah Sabaoth, the LORD of Hosts, we the Church arise and put our armor on, we hear the call of Christ our Captain. We, the weak, enter the battle fray In the strength that God has given, With the shield of faith and belt of truth, We’ll stand against the devils lies, not fighting those in darkness, as if they were our enemies, but Reaching out to those in darkness, as we are called to love the captive souls. Holding in our hands The sword that makes the wounded whole. Father, I pray that we will always endeavor to point to the cross, where love and mercy meet.

Lord, as those who have placed our faith and trust in You, we also come before You this morning asking that You would prepare us to be a Sanctuary, pure and holy because of the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus. We gratefully acknowledge that Greater is He Who Is In us, Than he that is in the world. As a result of that undeniable truth, we have Victory In Jesus, our Savior forever, He sought us and bought us, with His redeeming blood.

Now Father, with thanksgiving in our hearts, we look into the pages of Your Word, asking that You would speak to each of us this morning. That our eyes would be opened to the truths of Your Word, that our ears would be attentive to the declaration of Your truths, and that our hearts would be soft and pliable, that You would mold us into vessels that would bring glory to Your Name.

We pray these things in Jesus Name,

Amen

If you are close to my age or older, you probably have vivid memories of the events of Sept. 11, 2001. We all watched in utter astonishment as a second jetliner crashed into the side of the south tower of World Trade Center. A short time later, tears rolled down my cheeks, when in horror, I saw the first of the 2 towers collapse into a huge pile of rubble. I’d been to the top of the towers, I’ve taken in the magnificent view from the observation deck. Never in a million years could you have convinced me that those things would take place in such a short period of time in a country not in the midst of war. But the sad truth is, they did. It wasn't a nightmare you wake up from. It was a reality you live through. It was a reality you weep through. It was a devastating reality such as we have never seen before, and I pray to God, we will never see its kind again.

Destruction like that has the ability to bring about a demoralizing devastation that plummets those who experience it into a despair that they are powerless to recover from. Can I ask you an important question right here? Have you ever experienced tragedy of this magnitude? On Sept. 11, 2001, we lived in Overland Park Kansas, well over a thousands miles from New York City. While I wept at the sight, its devastation to me was not first hand. But my 65 years has not escaped great tragedy altogether, and chances are you have also tasted of that bitter fruit. I've wept at the loss of a child. I've watched cancer take the lives of loved ones. As an 11 year old, I looked into the face of my 8-year sister and saw the devastation the teeth of a dog can cause. This coming Saturday our family will attend my mother’s memorial service. Given time, you could probably add to my list, because tragedy, simply put, is a part of life. A part that we would all just as soon live without, but most likely, we will all walk down that dark path.

There are times the course of our life seemingly turns on a dime, as times of exhilaration are quickly erased by tragedy. That is exactly what happened with the disciples. The Sunday before what is taking place in our passage this morning, Jesus’ closest followers hovered miles above cloud 9 as they witnessed the Triumphal Entry. Certain in their minds that Jesus was about to usher in a time of victory, a time where the Nation of Israel would assume it’s rightful place as the most powerful nation on the face of the earth. Lead by Jesus, the long awaited for Messiah.

Then Thursday night came. They had just celebrated the Passover with Jesus. Interestingly, He seemed rather subdued, heart heavy as if He was experiencing great grief. They followed Him to the Garden of Gethsemane to spend some time in prayer. Prayer they all slept through. Then, Jesus woke them from their slumber and moments later they were surrounded by an army. They all fled in fear as Jesus was led away as if He were some sort of hardened criminal.

As bad as Thursday night was, Friday came, and with it things went from bad to worse. By 9 AM, the One they had hoped would usher in a new kingdom, had been nailed to a cruel cross, and 6 hours later He was gone, GONE. Since then, they spent most of their time huddled together behind locked doors, fearful they would be next.

Thankfully, the perfect plan of God the Father didn’t end on the cross, which we will look at this morning.

Which brings us to this mornings passage,

Would you please stand, in honor of the reading of God’s Word?

Mark 16:1–8 ESV

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.

May the Lord add His blessing to the reading of His Word, please be seated.

As we just read, early Sunday morning, these ladies headed towards the tomb. In piecing together all of the Gospel accounts, it appears Mary Magdalene began shortly before the other ladies. Their desire was to see to it Jesus Body was properly taken care of in preparation for what they believed was His final resting place. They had to wait for Sunday morning because they were prohibited from doing anymore on Friday because the Sabbath rest began at the setting of the sun on Friday night and continued until dusk on Saturday night.

Unbeknownst the them, while they sought to honor the Sabbath, the chief priests and the Pharisees ignored their traditional Sabbath rituals and made their way to see Pilate to ask him to secure the tomb. They were fearful someone would come a steal the Body of Jesus.

Their desire was to secure the tomb, but they didn’t realize that, try as they may, it would be;

I. Secure Yet Not Secure. Matthew 27:62-66

In Matthew’s account, Pilate had guards secure the tomb. Both he and the Jewish leaders did not realize the futility of human efforts to contain divinely ordained events. You see God, in His sovereignty, has ultimate power over earthly powers and plans.

For the believer, this should reassure us that God's purposes cannot be thwarted by human schemes, which offers us comfort in situations where we may feel oppressed or overpowered by earthly authorities. Ultimately, God is in complete control and we can always trust in Him.

As a result, their efforts in securing the tomb were futile.

Moving forward we see their;

II. Dark Deeds Unraveled. Matthew 27:62-66

As hard as they tried, the dark deeds of the enemy unraveled. Despite their efforts, God’s plan unfolds through unexpected means.

Reading Mt. 27, verse 62, what day is this taking place? (the Sabbath). Here is the problem, according to Sabbath day requirements the scribes and Pharisees had established, the maximum number of steps they were permitted to take on the Sabbath was somewhere between 750-1000. To add to this regulation, since this was a Passover Sabbath, or a High Sabbath, fastidious obedience was that much more important. Yet they willingly ignored these regulations. But there is even more to this than initially meets the eye. Late Thursday night to early Friday morning they refused to enter Pilates headquarters for fear of being defiled, yet based on the order and context of our reading here in Matthew 27, it appears they disregarded their previous fears in this instance. In other words, they completely ignored their own traditions and laws for the sake of securing Jesus tomb.

While the Jewish leaders were seeking to thwart any attempt the followers of Jesus may take to “steal” the body of Jesus, and deceive the people into believing He rose from the dead, their efforts backfired, in that they actually proved His resurrection.

Let me take a minute to explain what I mean. The guards that were sent to the tomb were Roman guards, which would have been verified by the use of a Roman seal on the tomb as well as what we see written later in the Gospels. The lowest number of Roman soldiers that would have been sent was four, but the likely number was probably closer to 16, due to the gravity of the events that were unfolding. These were all well trained soldiers, fighting machines. Any attempt by Jesus fearful followers in overthrowing these soldiers would have failed before it even began. Unwittingly, the futile attempts of the Jewish leaders had the opposite affect, rather that shut down a powerful movement, they actually proved that this was a move of God. Look at verses 2 - 4 of Matthew 28, what do we read there? Matthew 28:2-04

Matthew 28:2–4 ESV

And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.

We find out later that the Jewish leaders paid them to lie about what took place, but even those efforts proved futile and the cat got out of the bag.

The fearful fleeing of the Roman guards provided more evidence than ever that this was not a move of men, but a move of God.

Again, this should encourage the believer, knowing that human plans will aways falter in the face of divine intervention, and in what appears to be life's closed doors, God is often crafting an unimagined future.

While the Jewish leaders ignored their own traditions, these women, staunch in their commitment to their Jewish roots, waited until the end of the Sabbath to head to the tomb to properly prepare the body of Jesus. With a desire to make sure everything was done perfectly in the preparation of Jesus’ Body for burial, early Sunday morning they made their way to the place where His Body lay.

What took place as they approached the tomb, ushered in the;

III. Dawn of Disbelief. Mark 16:1-8

Once they saw where Jesus body was placed, and before the sun set on Friday, they rushed to the market to buy spices so that they might anoint Jesus body for burial. Why leave something as important as that in the hands of a couple men!

Chances are none of the women slept a wink either night, they were to distraught over the events that unfolded before them. So they were up before the sun that Sunday morning.

As we discussed moments ago, as they approached the place where Jesus Body lay, they began to wonder who might roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb.

While these ladies were filled with dispair, fear, confusion and bewilderment. What they witnessed at the tomb changed everything, and the message they were given began to transform their fear to faith.

The same should take place when we we are faced with the uncertain times in our life. As we trust completely in God, the moments of uncertainty can turn into profound faith-experiences, so let us lean on the promise that Jesus has gone ahead of us.

Next we move to the;

IV. Declaration of New Life. Mark 16:6-7; Matthew 28:1-10

Not only were these ladies met with the stone being rolled away and an empty tomb, they also heard the angel’s proclamation: "He is risen!" This angel came with a Divine message from God Himself. Which was an announcement that came with God’s power over sin & death. Jesus conquered sin & death once and for all! This should provide us with great comfort, even, and especially in our own moments of devastation. Because just as what happened at the tomb of Jesus, hope emerges victoriously, which should propel us from mourning to the same mission the angel gave the ladies, and later the Apostles, we are to live boldly, and proclaim the risen Savior fervently.

The next thing that takes place is recorded in Luke chapter 24, starting in verse 13;

V. Discovery on the Road. Luke 24:13-35

A little later that day, 2 of Jesus followers were making their way from Jerusalem on the road to Emmaus. As they walked, they talked, and of course their minds were focused on all of the events of the last few days. Filled with a deep sense of sorrow, most of their discussion revolved around the death of Jesus, the One Whom they had hoped was the long awaited Messiah. All of the sudden another individual joined them on their journey. What they didn’t realize was that the One Who joined them was the very One Whom they were discussing. Interestingly, God prevented them from recognizing that Jesus was in their midst.

I encourage you all, perhaps later today, read through verses 13-35 of Luke chapter 24, but for now, I’ll summarize the ending. As Jesus walked with them, their eyes still not able to recognize that He was in their midst, He began to open their eyes to how much of the Old Testament revealed Him. Which we see highlighted in verse 27. Luke 24:27

Luke 24:27 ESV

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

Once they made it to Emmaus, they invited Jesus to stay with them and share a meal. He agreed and after the meal had been prepared, Jesus broke the bread and prayed a prayer of blessing, as He gave them the bread, their eyes were opened to His identity, and as quickly as they recognized Him, “He vanished from their sight”. I love what we read next in verse 32. Luke 24:32

Luke 24:32 ESV

They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?”

You know, just as we saw on the road to Emmaus, Jesus often walks with us unrecognized in our struggles, revealing His presence oftentimes in unexpected ways. Sometimes it is in the times of transition, moving from one phase of life to the next, where we turn our eyes to Him for wisdom and direction. Much of the time we experience His presence the strongest in the midst of heartache and pain, times where He sustains us.

From the Discovery on the Road, we move to a point where;

VI. Doubt Transformed to Faith. John 20:19-29; Luke 24:33-49;

In these verses we see 2 separate acounts where Jesus appears to the disciples. As far as we can tell, these 2 accounts take place in the upper room, very likely the one from the night Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper.

The first appearance took place within a short time of His appearance to the 2 men on the road to Emmaus. In fact right after He appeared to the 2 men, rather than rest for the night, they immediately hit the road and made the 7 mile journey back to Jerusalem, brimming with excitement and not wanting to waste anytime before sharing with the eleven. They found them in the upper room and before they could deliver their exciting news, someone among the 11 broke the ice; Luke 24:34

Luke 24:34 ESV

…saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”

Rather than disappointment at being beat to the punch, they excitedly shared their experience. I said the 11, because oftentimes they were referred to as the 11, even if everyone wasn’t present. That was the case in this instance as Thomas was absent.

Interestingly, in putting all of the Gospel accounts together, as best we can chronologically, the 11 not only doubted the women, the 2 men who met Jesus on the road to Emmaus, but they also doubted Peter. All of the sudden, no sooner did the 2 men finish sharing, than Jesus mysteriously appeared. Still they doubted, but before long they believed.

The reason I pointed out their doubts, despite multiple individuals having seen Him, is because we move from them to His next appearance, this time with Thomas present. 8 days had come and gone since Jesus appeared to them and since that time they worked hard to convince Thomas that He had risen, and no matter how hard they tried, he refused to believe. So, in many ways, Thomas was following the lead of the rest of the 11.

Again, in this instance, they were behind locked doors in the upper room, Thomas present, when Jesus appeared. Thomas quickly moved from doubt to belief.

From the 11 and Thomas we learn that Jesus meets us even in our skepticism. We also learn from them that faith thrives not by seeing, but by believing in the unseen promises of God, and that assurance comes when we invite Jesus into our fears and doubts.

We close out this morning with;

VII. Dawn's Restoration Meal. John 21:1-14

There is much to this appearance account, so I will not go into much detail as I did the earlier accounts, I recommend sometime later that you read through this in John 21:1-14.

What I really want to highlight is the post resurrection restoration that takes place.

Going back to Thursday night, the night of the last supper and a few hours before Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, you will likely recall Jesus foretelling that Peter would deny Him 3 times before the rooster crowed. Things happened exactly as Jesus said they would. As you would imagine, Peter was devastated, heartbroken that when Jesus needed him most, he denied even knowing Jesus, not once, not twice, but 3 times. He had replayed those events hundreds of times in his mind, wishing he could change how he responded, but knowing that was impossible. His sense of self worth plummeted to the point he was certain that he now had no value whatsoever for the Kingdom of God. This brings us to what we see in John 21. In an earlier appearance, Jesus told the disciples to go north to the region of Galilee which is where he would meet them next. Of course they obeyed.

We are not told how long they were there and how long they waited for Jesus to appear, but we get the impression that it took longer than any of them anticipated. One thing we have learned about Peter is, well he wasn’t the most patient person on the face of the earth.

You might highlight the story of Jesus appearing to the disciples by the sea, demonstrating post-resurrection restoration. Jesus cooking breakfast underscores His care and provision, reminding believers that Christ’s victory restores and commissions us to love and serve others, even in seemingly mundane tasks.

ne intervention, and how God often works beyond our understanding, bringing hope into situations that seem hopeless.

Summary: This sermon invites the congregation to consider the emotional and spiritual journey of the disciples leading up to and following the resurrection. It highlights the devastation of loss at the crucifixion and the transformative power of the resurrection, illustrating how the empty tomb propels the followers of Christ from despair to a renewed mission.

Application: The resurrection serves as a powerful reminder for believers today, encouraging them to confront their own moments of spiritual darkness and doubt. By recognizing that Christ has overcome the greatest depths of despair, they can find strength to face their challenges and share this life-affirming hope with others who are struggling.

Teaching: This sermon teaches the necessity of moving through grief and despair to a place of hope and mission. It affirms that the resurrection is not just a historical event, but a transformative experience that calls Christians to live out their faith actively in the world, sharing the hope of Christ with a hurting world.

How this passage could point to Christ: The resurrection of Jesus fulfills the ultimate divine plan for salvation and reflects God's continual purpose of redemption throughout Scripture. It portrays Christ not merely as a historical figure, but as the living hope who resurrects our hearts and leads us in newness of life, explicating His role as the central figure in God’s overarching narrative of salvation.

Big Idea: The resurrection signifies that even in our darkest moments, God is at work bringing about restoration and new beginnings; it is our call to move from despair to action, fueled by the hope of Christ's victory.

Recommended Study: For your sermon preparations, consider utilizing Logos to explore the different perspectives on the resurrection provided by each Gospel account. Pay special attention to the emotional responses of the disciples in each narrative, examining how those experiences reflect common human reactions to loss and hope. Additionally, look into historical critiques surrounding the resurrection as you develop a framework that speaks to the relevance of the resurrection for contemporary believers.

3. Savior's First Appearance

Matthew 28:1-10

Explore the narrative where Jesus appears to the women, beginning with the angel’s command not to be afraid. Perhaps, this story's message could center on the personal encounters we can have with the risen Christ, which dispel fears and empower believers to spread the good news of the resurrection. The fact that women were the first witnesses underscores God's counter-cultural ways and His choosing of unlikely people to be heralds of His kingdom.

4. Sight on the Road

Luke 24:13-35

Focus on the journey to Emmaus and the enlightening experience of the disciples once they recognize Jesus. Maybe suggest that this story illustrates the journey from confusion to clarity, depicting how Jesus subtly guides us from misunderstanding to revelation. Christ’s presence enriches our understanding of Scripture and deepens our relationship with Him, encouraging believers to seek His guidance in their spiritual walk.

5. Shalom in Our Doubts

John 20:19-29

This passage can be used to discuss the peace and assurance Jesus offers us, as He appears to His disciples. You could emphasize the transformation from fear to faith, using Thomas’ journey from doubt to belief as an example of Christ’s patience and personal touch. It’s an invitation to those wrestling with doubt to experience God’s peace and transform uncertainty into confident faith.

6. Second Chances by the Sea

John 21:1-14

Consider reflecting on Jesus’ gracious restoration of Peter at the Sea of Galilee, underlining themes of forgiveness and a fresh start. Perhaps focus on the depth of Christ’s love and His intention to restore and recommission those who have failed. Encourage believers with the truth that their past failures don’t define their future in God’s kingdom, as Christ extends His grace and reaffirms our identity in Him.