The Resurrection

Journey to the Cross the Resurrection

Mark 16 and others

On this Journey to the cross, we have looked at the life Jesus in his final hours on earth.

I hope that you learned something during this time.

As we wrap things up with the most important event ever, I want to recap what we have looked at up to this point.

The Last Supper

The Garden of Gethsemane

The Cross

This week we are going to look at the Resurrection of Christ.

This is the most important part of the journey that we will look at.

Open up to Mark 16:1-8

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. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 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. 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.” 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.

Let’s Pray

Jesus rose from the grave; He was resurrected from death.

Our last and most important stop on our Journey to the Cross is the resurrection of Christ.

There are three truths about the resurrection that I want us to grab ahold of tonight.

The First is this…

The Resurrection proves Christ divinity (Ephesians 1:19-21)

Explain

Ephesians 1:19–21 ESV

and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

This means that Jesus now sits at the right hand of God and he is the complete and total ruler of all things.

All things are under his feet.

Jesus was raised from the dead.

Proving that he was indeed God and then Jesus not dying again, was raised up to Heaven and put at the right hand of God the Father.

He is alive and at this moment he is intersecting for us to God, saying that His blood has covered our sins.

This means that we can trust Christ.

He did what he said he was going to do.

We must trust in Christ.

The Resurrection proves Christ was who he said he was, and that was the Son of God, God, the I am.

Without this moment, without the resurrection there would be no Hope.

Paul even writes and says that if this is not true, if the resurrection is not true than we as Christians should be most pitied.

If Christ did not come back from the grave, then you are I would have a one-way ticket to Hell.

If Christ never rose from the grave then we are lost, and Christ was a liar and He would not be in control of all things, He would just be another man who died.

However, Christ did.

There were tons who witnessed Jesus alive after the crucifixion.

Jesus can be trusted, because he did what he said he was going to do, and he raised three day later from the grave.

A dead man, raised to life, never to taste death again.

That is Jesus who we can trust.

Illustrate

It’s hard to trust someone when they have lied to you isn’t.

One time in high school I lied to my parents.

Has anyone ever done that?

Well I told my parents I was going to one friend’s house who they knew and liked, but instead I went to a different friend’s house that they did not like or trust.

They found out of course, because when you tell one lie many more lied follows.

In this situation I lost their trust.

I had to build it back, when we back trust it is like a trying to glue a glass cup that has shattered into a million pieces.

My parents would always remind me of the trust that had been broken by saying little things like, are you sure that is where you are going, or I am going to trust you.

Trust means so much, we do not trust someone who lies.

Jesus told us over and over again what he was going to do one earth.

He was going to die for the sins of the world, and he was going to raise three days later. His trust has never been broken.

We have no reason not to trust him.

Application

We can trust in God.

We can trust him to always do what is best for our life.

When we think that everyone, we know lies to us remember Jesus at the Last supper when he gave the cup of wine and said this cup is the new covenant of my blood.

He was telling them that he was going to make a new covenant, he was going to change all the rules and if Jesus had just laid dead in the tomb then it would have meant nothing, and he would have been a liar but Jesus did not do that he went to the cross as an obedient lamb and paid our debt and then rose again.

We can trust the one that has never hurt us.

The resurrection proves that Jesus is now at the right hand of God.

The Resurrection proves Christ divinity (Ephesians 1:19-21)

The Resurrection defeated sin and evil (Romans 5:19-21)

Explain

Romans 5:19–21 ESV

For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

When Adam and Eve sinned, they brought sin into the world and because of that sin we were completely separated from God.

Before Christ as you will recall, the people had to make animal sacrifices to atone for their sins. It had to be a pure spotless lamb, like we have already talked about during the last supper.

Without Jesus that leaves us totally and completely separate from God, meaning that we do not get too Heaven.

Nothing we cannot not get to Heaven on our own.

Just because you are a good person, or that your parents believe in Jesus, or you come to church and youth group, none of those things will get you to heaven.

One thing can and that is Jesus.

Jesus took our place on the cross, a debt that we owned to God and paid the price.

To right the wrong that happened when Eve ate fruit from the forbidden tree.

Jesus took on all sin on the cross and took the full wrath from God, so that we could be set free from the bondage of sin.

Illustrate

It is as if you were being put on trial, you had done a crime that was punishable by death.

The judge reads all your crimes, lying, cheating, murder, hatred, gossiper, sexually impure, you stole, cheated, killed, and the rap sheet goes on and on and on.

At the end when the verdict come in you are found guilty as charged and sentenced to death.

The judge looks at you and says, I will pay your price.

You are forgiven, go in peace.

That is what Jesus did.

Application

Jesus paid the price of our sin.

And he paid it once and for all.

When you accept Jesus as your Lord and savior you are being made clean.

Your sin is cast out as far has the east is from the west. It is forgiven and forgotten.

God keeps no records of wrong. God loves you.

Our sin if forgiven, and once we are forgiven, we are always forgiven.

This means we do not have to walk around on egg shells and when we sin have to accept Jesus again, no we just need to acknowledge the sin we committed and God will forgive you because he already has.

We were totally and completely separate from God.

We as sinner deserved nothing but Death but not only does…

The Resurrection proves Christ divinity (Ephesians 1:19-21)

The Resurrection defeated sin and evil (Romans 5:19-21)

The Resurrection concurred death (Roman 6:9-11)

Explain

Romans 6:9–11 ESV

We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

When was the last time you heard of someone being dead for multiple days and then getting up and being alive? Besides Jesus of course.

This was unnatural.

This does not happen; dead people are not risen from the grave.

However, Christ rose again.

Now if you would recall, Jesus brings people back from the dead, BUT the big difference is, those people returned to the grave.

Jesus did not return to the grave, for he concurred death.

Jesus being called into the Heavens sits at the right hand of God, waiting for God to send Him back to build His kingdom.

We must consider our self, dead to sin and alive in Jesus.

While this body may die for all who believe in Jesus Christ you will be saved.

Our spirit will live on in Heaven where there is not suffering, no death, and no sin.

The enemy has been defeated and Jesus is Lord.

For this reason, we should not fear death.

Death is a natural part of life that one day we all will be a part of it.

For if we believe in Jesus and have accepted his truth and are living our life according God’s word, when we die, we will be with the Father for all the rest of eternity.

Illustrate

Check out this video as this man describes who Jesus is.

Application

I wonder if you know him.

Thats my King.

Jesus saves lives.

You only have to choices in this life.

Like the two thieves on the cross.

One openly rejected and mocked Jesus

The other however, knew Jesus was something more.

He knew he was innocent, and he was dying a death that was not his to die.

He knew that Jesus could save.

That Thief says Jesus when you come into your kingdom please remember me.

Jesus says today you will be with me in paradise.

That is the two choices you have.

To reject Christ and spend an eternity in Hell or to accept him and live for him and at the end of days you too will be with him in paradise.

That Heaven is real and so is hell and based on who you say Christ is will determine where you will spend eternity.

I want to leave with one last thought

John 20:1–8 ESV

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. 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.” So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;

At the very possibility that the tomb was empty they ran to it.

No matter if others beat you to them tomb—are you willing to run to the empty tomb.

The Tomb was empty.

The empty tomb symbolized that death was defeated.

The mission was over.