The Empty Tomb & The Message of the Resurrection

Mark 16:1–8 KJV (WS)

1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. 2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. 3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? 4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great. 5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. 6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him. 7 But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you. 8 And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.

Text Idea: In the early morning after Jesus’ crucifixion, as women came to anoint His body and instead encountered the empty tomb and the angel’s message in Mark’s Gospel account, the resurrection of Jesus confronts fearful hearts with the call to believe and respond in faith.

Sermon Idea: The resurrection of Jesus declares that He is alive and calls every person to respond in faith rather than fear.

Purpose: I want the hearers to move from passive acknowledgment of the resurrection to a personal response of faith—rejecting fear, trusting in the risen Christ, and boldly embracing their responsibility to believe and share the message of His resurrection.

Introduction

Attention:

Most people in this room already know the story of Easter.

You know that Jesus died.

You know that He was buried.

And you know that the tomb was empty.

But here is the question that matters this morning.

What have you actually done with that?

Because knowing the story is not the same as responding to it.

And the resurrection of Jesus was never meant to be something we simply remember.

It is something that demands a response.

Need:

Because it is possible to be familiar with the resurrection and still never personally respond to it.

It is possible to know the story, agree with the facts, even feel something about it… and still be unchanged.

And if that is true, then the most important question for you today is not what happened 2,000 years ago.

It is whether you have responded to it in a way that actually changes your life.

Because if Jesus is truly risen, then that affects your sin, your future, your eternity, and your relationship with God right now.

And if you have never responded to that truth in faith, then you are not just missing information.

You are missing what the resurrection was meant to do in your life.

History:

By the time we arrive at Mark 16, Jesus has already been rejected, crucified, and buried.

He has endured the cross, died for sin, and been laid in a sealed tomb under Roman guard.

The Sabbath has passed, and His followers are left grieving, believing His mission has ended.

Now, early on the first day of the week, a group of women return to the tomb, expecting to care for a dead body, but instead they are about to encounter the reality that will change everything.

Interrogative: How should we respond to the message of the resurrection of Jesus Christ?

Transition: We should respond to the resurrection by confronting our expectations, believing the risen Christ, obeying His call, and rejecting fear.

Body

Division #1 - We must respond by confronting our false expectations about Jesus. (vv.1–4)

Explain:

They loved Jesus but came expecting Him to still be dead (v.1)

These women cared deeply about Jesus. They brought spices to anoint His body. That was an act of love and devotion.

But notice what that reveals.

They were not coming to meet a risen Savior.

They were coming to finish a burial.

You can be sincere and still be wrong about Jesus.

They were focused on the obstacle, not the promise (v.3)

On the way, they are asking, “Who is going to roll away the stone?”

That stone was real.

It was heavy.

Mark even says it was “very great.”

But here is the problem.

They remembered the stone, but they forgot that Jesus said He would rise again.

That is what fear does.

It fixes your eyes on the problem and blinds you to the promise.

God had already taken care of what they were worried about (v.4)

When they arrive, the stone is already rolled away.

They spent the whole journey worrying about something God had already handled.

Is that not how we live sometimes?

God is often working ahead of us, solving problems before we even arrive at them.

Illustrate: Doctor Visit Misdiagnosis

A person walks into a doctor’s office convinced they know what’s wrong based on symptoms they googled.

The doctor runs tests and says, “That’s not the issue at all.”

You can be confident and still be wrong.

The women were confident Jesus was dead, but they misunderstood reality.

Argue:

Being sincere about Jesus does not make you right about Him.

The women were devoted, but they were still wrong because they ignored what He said.

If Jesus is risen, then your assumptions do not define Him. His resurrection does.

Apply:

You may respect Jesus, even care about Him, but still be wrong about who He is.

If your view of Jesus has been shaped more by your experience than by His Word, it is time to correct it.

Stop approaching Jesus as if He is limited, distant, or finished.

He is risen, and you must deal with Him as He truly is.

Transition: Once we confront our false expectations about Jesus, we are brought face to face with a greater question. What will we do with the truth of who He really is?

Division #2 - We must respond by believing the truth of the risen Christ. (vv.5–6)

Explain:

The empty tomb had to be explained to them (v.5–6)

They walk in and see this young man in a white garment, an angel, and he begins to speak.

Because the empty tomb by itself did not automatically produce faith.

They saw it, but they did not understand it.

That is why he says, “He is risen.”

Faith does not come from what we see alone.

It comes from what God says.

The one who was crucified is the one who is risen (v.6)

He says, “Jesus which was crucified…He is risen.”

This is the same Jesus.

The resurrection does not erase the cross.

It confirms it.

The one who died for sin is now alive in victory.

This is not just something that happened…it is something that is (v.6)

Notice the wording, “He is risen.”

Not just was raised.

He is alive.

Right now.

This is not just history.

This is present reality.

The empty tomb is meant to be examined (v.6)

He says, “Behold the place where they laid him.”

In other words, look.

Think about it.

Consider it.

Christianity is not asking you to ignore evidence.

It is inviting you to examine it.

Illustrate: Light Turned On in Darkness

Walking into a dark room, everything is unclear.

Then the light is flipped on, and suddenly everything makes sense.

The empty tomb confused them until God explained it.

Truth from God brings clarity that sight alone cannot give.

Argue:

The resurrection is not an idea to consider.

It is a fact to accept or reject.

If Jesus rose from the dead, then He is exactly who He claimed to be, and you cannot treat Him casually.

Refusing to believe is not neutrality. It is rejection.

Apply:

You cannot keep the resurrection at arm’s length.

If Jesus is alive, then He is not optional, and He is not just part of your life.

He is Lord. You must decide whether you will believe what God has declared or continue to hold back.

Refusing to believe is not indecision. It is rejection.

Transition: But believing the resurrection is not the end of the response. The message we receive is also a message we are responsible to act on.

Division #3 - We must respond by obeying the call to go and tell others. (v.7)

Explain:

This message is not meant to stay with you (v.7)

“Go your way, tell his disciples…”

The resurrection is not private truth.

It is a message that must be shared.

If Jesus is alive, that changes everything, and it is worth telling.

This message includes grace for those who have failed (v.7)

“…and Peter.”

That is not accidental.

Peter denied Jesus.

Now Jesus makes sure his name is included.

That is grace.

The resurrection does not just prove power.

It offers restoration.

The risen Christ is still leading His people (v.7)

“He goeth before you…”

That is shepherd language.

Jesus is not just alive.

He is active.

He is still leading, still guiding, still working.

The resurrection points to a real encounter (v.7)

“There shall ye see him.”

This is not vague hope.

This is a promise.

The risen Christ is not distant. He is knowable.

Illustrate: Personal Invitation

When someone experiences something meaningful, like a great restaurant or event, they naturally tell others.

If we believe Jesus is alive, telling others should be a natural response, not a forced duty.

Argue:

If the resurrection is true, silence is not an option.

You are not just hearing information.

You are receiving a message you are commanded to share.

If you will not speak about Christ, it raises the question of whether you truly believe Him.

Apply:

If you claim to believe Jesus is alive, that belief should not stay private.

The resurrection is not just something to agree with.

It is something to act on.

If you have never spoken of Christ or taken a clear step of obedience, you need to ask whether you have truly responded at all.

Transition: And yet, even when we know what to do, something often holds us back. That brings us to the final issue we must deal with.

Division #4 - We must respond by rejecting fear that hinders faith and obedience. (v.8)

Explain:

Even after hearing the truth, they were overwhelmed (v.8)

They trembled. They were amazed. They were afraid.

This was not calm belief.

It was emotional overload.

We understand that.

But emotion is not the goal.

The goal is faith.

Their fear led to silence (v.8)

“Neither said they any thing to any man…”

They were told to go and tell.

Instead, they said nothing.

Fear shut their mouths.

And it still does.

Fear directly opposes what God called them to do (v.6 vs v.8)

The angel said, “Be not affrighted.”

But the text ends with, “they were afraid.”

That tension is intentional.

God calls for faith.

Fear resists it.

The ending forces the question onto us

Mark does not resolve the tension.

He leaves it hanging.

Why?

Because now the question is not just about them.

It is about you.

Will you respond with fear?

Or will you respond with faith?

Illustrate: Missed Opportunity Due to Fear

Someone has a chance to speak up, take a step, or act, but fear holds them back.

Later, they regret staying silent.

The women were told to go and tell, but fear silenced them.

Fear still keeps people from responding to Jesus.

Argue:

Fear is not harmless.

It is disobedience when it keeps you from responding to Christ.

The women had the truth but said nothing, and fear was the reason.

If fear controls your response, you are choosing it over faith.

Apply:

What is holding you back is not lack of information.

It is fear.

Fear of change, fear of commitment, fear of what others might think.

But fear is keeping you from responding to what you already know is true.

You cannot follow Christ while holding onto fear.

At some point, you must choose faith over fear.

Transition: So now the question is no longer what happened at the tomb. The question is how you will respond to it.

Conclusion

Visualize:

For years, experts believed that running a mile in under four minutes was impossible.

Doctors said the human body could not handle it.

Coaches trained athletes, but no one broke that barrier.

It became accepted as fact.

Then in 1954, Roger Bannister stepped onto the track in Oxford and ran a mile in 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds.

What is interesting is what happened next.

Within weeks, another runner broke the same barrier.

Then others followed.

What changed?

It was not the human body.

It was the belief about what was possible.

Once someone proved it could be done, everything opened up.

That is what the resurrection does.

Before the resurrection, death looked final.

It looked unbeatable.

It looked like the end.

But when Jesus walked out of that tomb, He shattered what everyone assumed was impossible.

And now the issue is not whether victory over death is possible.

It has already been proven.

The question is whether you will respond to it.

Because there is a life on the other side of that truth…

but you only step into it when you move from knowing it to believing it.

Reiterate:

Because Jesus is risen, we cannot stay as we are.

We must confront what we have believed, trust who He truly is, obey what He has commanded, and reject the fear that holds us back.

Action:

So today, do not leave here simply knowing that Jesus is risen.

Respond to Him.

Turn from your assumptions, believe that He is alive, and choose faith over fear right now.

Appeal:

The message of the resurrection is not just that Jesus came back to life.

It is that He died for your sin, was buried, and rose again so that you could be forgiven and made right with God.

The Bible says we are all sinners, separated from God.

But Jesus took that sin on Himself at the cross.

And when He rose again, He proved that the payment was complete.

And now the invitation is simple.

If you will turn from your sin and place your faith in Jesus Christ alone, He will forgive you and bring you into a relationship with God.

But that response is personal.

So here is the question.

Will you respond in faith, or will you walk away in fear?

If you know today that you need to be saved, don’t wait. Right where you are, you can call on Him.

You can pray something like this:

“Lord, I know I am a sinner.

I believe that Jesus died for me and rose again.

I am turning from my sin, and I am trusting in You to save me.

Forgive me, change me, and give me new life.”

The Bible says, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If God is speaking to your heart today, respond.

Don’t stay silent.

Don’t let fear win.

Come to Christ.

Believe the message.

Step into the life that the risen Savior offers.