The Resurrection of Jesus

Introduction

Read Verses

16 vWhen 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 oung 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.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

Main Point

Our focus should always be on God, even when there is work to be done, God completes the work

Read Verses 1-8

MP

I. Work to be Done (1-2)

Mark sets the scene for us. Chapter 15 verse 47 tells us Mary Magdalen saw where they laid Jesus in the tomb. Joseph of Arimathea bought the tomb and if it is the way mark writes it, Joseph himself took Jesus down off the cross, wrapped his body in the shroud and laid him in the tomb. He physically handled Jesus and knew he was dead. No matter how much of an actor you are, its pretty hard to fake being dead when people are taking you off of a cross and carrying you somewhere. They would feel you breathing and you would end up moving at some point.

Chapter 16 verse 1, Mark gives us another timestamp and says after the Sabbath, that is after Saturday, and on the first day of the week, So Sunday for us, the Mary Magdalene who saw where Jesus was laid, Mary and Salome, the three women who stayed at the cross, took spices to go an anoint the Body.

For them their lives returned to normal Jesus was here, he made a ruckus and now he is gone.

They had work to do to prepare the body. It was something they did and something they knew had to be done. For them Jesus had not affected their lives too much or if he had, it was not a lasting one. they had to get back to work and the real world.

Application point #1 We cannot let the mundane or busyness of the world take over our Spiritual or heavenly focus

We cannot let the mundane or busyness of the world take over our Spiritual or heavenly focus

Now we do not want to be so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good. We do need to be dreaming about life in heaven instead of driving our car or cooking dinner. Those are necessary chores. But, we see almost like the golden calf incident in Exodus when Moses goes up the mountain and he’s not around so they revert to their old selves and they make and worship an idol.

They are idle so they make an idol.

The women were doing a good thing because they were taking care of the body but their world, the world has change dramatically.

How do we keep focused on God and not just the normal worldly things that take up so much of our time?

1) Know who You serve

You serve the King. Everything we do becomes for Him. How you raise your children, how you serve others, how you perform your Job. All of those have been given to you by God and so they essentially are God’s.

We are approved Workman who should not be ashamed. Paul talks about his labor for the church because Paul knew who hired him.

“You shall have no other gods before me.

2) Make Time:

It doesn’t matter which time, t is like exercise, as long as you get it done it doesn’t matter what time. If you are a night owl, then that works for you.

What does this mean? You are intentional. You set aside time. Paul had loads of time in the ship on the way to Rome, sitting in prison, Normal people don’t have that kind of time.

I’m not saying this to make time for more church activities, I am saying make time for God. That is discipleship. Coming to church a lot is just busy sometimes. You are not more holy because you are at church, you are made holy through your relationship with Jesus Christ

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

3) Guard your schedule

It is easy to get your week filled up rather quickly and Since God is not technically around, he is not physically here. Kind of like we see here, with Jesus being dead and gone, he is not around to hang out with and listen to his parables.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

TS: We have to do the right work at the right time. The work of the Lord s always important. Sometimes it is a huge undertaking and sometimes it is as simple as a small act of kindness. The women knew the tomb was sealed so they knew they needed someone to help them.

II. Who Will Help Us? (3-4)

Everybody hearing Mark’s Gospel would have known the story. They would have known the tomb was sealed with a very large rock. Most people would not have been able to move it out of the way. Notice who is absent from the story. The men. The Apostles, Jesus supposed closest followers. Mark give us no insight not how the women were planning on opening the tomb perhaps they would have asked the roman soldiers to help, but that seems unlikely. They probably would have just tried to move it themselves.

How many of you have every tried to move a refrigerator or a washer by yourself, with no dolly? What happens? Either you break something the appliance or you. It doesn’t get moved and you get frustrated or you ask someone else for help.

Hudson Taylor who was a missionary in china said echoes this situation

"Many Christians estimate difficulties in the light of their own resources, and thus attempt little and often fail in the little they attempt. All God's giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on His power and presence with them."

- Hudson Taylor

“When God’s work is done in God’s way for God’s glory, it will never lack God’s supply. God is not obligated to pay for our selfish schemes. He is obligated to support His ministry”

Coming back from the pastor’s conference the state and national conventions are looking to help us. with money, to resources, some of it is just to help mentor and pray for me and us as we Do God;s work.

Application Point # 2 You are not alone in your Christian Life.

1) It is part of God’s plan--When God created Adam, God knew that t was not good for man to be alone. So, He created a helper fit for him.

That is why coming to church is important. It allows you to come together to share the hurts and Joys. You can encourage and be encouraged. Encouragement is like a peanut butter sandwich—the more you spread it around, the better things stick together.

Find a prayer partner. Become a prayer partner. Paul is constantly thanking the churches he wirtes to for praying for him and his team and he is constantly praying for those churches. And the people in them. All you have to do is read the opening or closing statements of most of his letters.

Go help someone. Ask for Help. These women were going to figure it out on their own. And they probably would have pulled a muscle at least.

Listen to the question. Who will help us? They knew they needed help but they didn’t go get any one. We do the same thing. We say we can’t do something on our own, but we don’t pray or t s the last thing we do, or we don’t ask for help until its too late.

2) When We ask for help you let people exercise their gifts. If you can’t do something it may be because you do not have the talent. Other times, such as the state convention and association, there are people who are hired into positions because to their callings and they are there for us.

How happy are you when you actually get to do the job you were hired or trained to do? Most people love it.

3) Asking for help humbles us

We like to think we can do everything but we need reminding from time to time that we can’t.

And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

TS: This brings us to the source of power that everything happens by and through,

III. God has Raised Him (5-6)

The tomb is already opened when the women get there. There is a young man n white sitting in the tomb on the right side so presumably on the slab that Jesus Body should have been.

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.

Don’t be freaked out. I’m just a guy in a white robe, which means he was probably basically glowing, hanging out in a now empty tomb where the guy you came looking for was but now is not.

But the phrase we repeat on Easter is the Key here. He has risen.

Now this is the key because this is not written to the effect, Oh yeah, he got up this morning and went to galilee to save the guys a table at Kays. No. this is written in what is called the divine passive. Instead of saying Jesus got himself up it is saying some one else got him up. Who is the someone?

God resurrected him. The word means to bring back to life. what the young man is saying is that God raised Him.

Application Point #3 God does all the work

We talked about this last week, it is Jesus’s work on the cross that saves people.

God is preparing or has prepared you for whatever work he needs you to do.

He resurrected a dead man and he is resurrecting this church. he resurrects dead men and resotres them to life. We were dead in our trespasses.

When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,

The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

What do we do with our newfound life? What do we do when we are given a second chance

IV. Go To Him (7-8)

The person tells the women what to do. Go tell Peter to go to Galilee like he told them a few days ago.

Jesus wants the disciples to come to him.

Application point # 4 Because in Jesus We find our Rest

He wants you to come to Him. when you are weary, Jesus says in Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

We have rest from the taxing never-ending task of trying to earn our salvation. We have ben saved by grace through faith

What Does Jesus say, if you are tired and burdened come to me. Not when you are perfect, and have done no wrong or not sinned then you can come to me.

Why, because he is commanding you. It is not a request.

He says come to me Now just as you are in your broken, naturally human frail form.

When you are idle, do not make something else an idol to replace God, instead Go to Him.

When we are stuck, we go to God

When we have a need, we Go to God

When we need forgiveness, we Go to God. He is our first stop. If he gave out punch cards they should fill up very quickly because you visit so much.

You should be earning frequent pray-er miles

Conclusion

Mark’s Gospel ends at verse 8 like it begins, abruptly. There is not a nice conclusion or and “they lived happily ever after.” The women go a way in fear. Your Bibles should have the verse 9-20 and some may have either have a bracket around these verses with a note at the bottom (NASB does this) or it may have a statement in between 8 and 9 that says something like “the earliest manuscripts end with verse 8.”

The King James Version usually does not have this statement and it keeps the chapter going all they way to the end.