Countdown to Easter
Easter Sunday
The Resurrection of Jesus
Mark 16:1-8
April 20, 2025
This morning we come again on Easter Sunday.
Every year we focus on this pinnacle event of the Christian faith.
Perhaps Paul said it best:
1 Corinthians 15:1-8 “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.”
That so perfectly states the importance of this message.
• It is the message that was preached.
• It is the message we received.
• It is the message by which we were saved.
• It is the message in which we stand.
The truth that Jesus Christ,
• Although fully God, came to this earth in full humanity.
• He lived a perfect and sinless life, fulfilling the Law of God and demonstrating by His power that He truly is the Son of God.
• He then laid down His holy life on our behalf by submitting to death on a cross in order to pay the debt of the sins of His people.
But He did not stay dead.
God raised Him from the dead.
That is the wonderful reality we are examining this morning.
For the last 3 weeks we’ve been counting down to this.
WE SAW HIS ARREST –we emphasized that what Jesus did, He did alone.
• No one joined Him, no one helped Him.
• All abandoned Him.
• He fought the battle alone.
WE SAW HIS TRIAL – where we emphasized who He endured this for,
• He suffered for the citizens of His kingdom;
• Namely those who hear His words and obey Him.
WE SAW HIS CRUCIFIXION – where we asked why He did it.
• Because He came to save sinners.
• We saw His love for them.
WE SAW HIS BURIAL –we emphasized how He did it.
• That Christ went all the way into death in order that He might save us.
John 13:1 “Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.”
Jesus Christ came to this world as a man to save sinners
By bearing their sin and suffering the wrath they deserve
On the cross He paid the wage of sin which is death.
He is the only One who did that.
This morning we see Him vindicated as God raises Him from the dead.
THIS MORNING WE LOOK AT HIS RESURRECTION.
As we examined the other events leading up to this,
We always chose one gospel account in order to gain one point about each event.
But this morning as we look at the resurrection
I want us to look at all of them.
Certainly we can’t examine them all fully, but we can look at each of them enough
To gain one more very important point.
THE EFFECT OF THE DEATH, BURIAL, AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS.
We saw what He did and why He did it.
Now we want to examine the effect it should have on us.
And to do that we need to take a quick look at all 4 accounts.
Now, before we examine how they differ
I think it is vitally important to point out where they are all the same.
• It is beneficial to understand what they all have in common.
And this truth is the one thing they all share.
1. Women arrived early,
2. The stone was rolled away,
3. And the tomb was empty.
That is the truth that all 4 accounts consistently share.
CERTAINLY
Some will tell how the stone was moved…
Some will tell who entered the tomb to verify that it was empty…
Some will tell how the angels explained the empty tomb…
Some will tell about the conspiracy to cover it up…
But THE CHIEF POINT that every gospel account makes clear is this.
1. That stone we saw rolled in front and sealed was moved.
2. The man we saw dead and buried was gone.
3. And God chose to use women as the first testifying witness to the fact.
Every gospel writer shows us that.
The stone was moved, Jesus was gone,
And it was women who discovered it.
The fact that every gospel writer indicate that women were there first is a remarkable testimony to the authenticity of the gospel accounts.
• If these men were making this story up they would have never used women as their chief witnesses
• No one in that day saw women as a credible witness.
• They only would have included that fact if that is exactly what happened.
• They are telling the truth.
AND THE TRUTH IS THAT
The stone was moved and Jesus wasn’t in that tomb.
All four point that out.
But there is information also to be gained
By examining the specific details which each writer includes
That may not show up in every other account.
That is because each man has a different point to make.
So let’s begin by turning to: MARK 16:1-8
#1 THE PHENOMENON OF THE RESURRECTION
Mark 16:1-8
We’ll start with Mark’s gospel because it was the first one written.
• It is also the most curious.
Mark’s details are brief.
He only gives 8 verses.
I know that in your Bible you can also read verses 9-20,
And I don’t have time to go all through it, except to say that
It is obvious that those verses were not in the original manuscripts.
They were not a part of Mark’s original gospel.
• As people made copies it is clear that people added to what Mark had to say,
• Most of which can be found in other gospel accounts, so we don’t fret it terribly,
• But it is clear for a number of reasons that it was not a part of Mark’s gospel.
When you read the 8 verses on the resurrection that Mark includes
There is one thing that jumps out and that is AMAZEMENT!
It may even seem abrupt the way that Mark closes his gospel in verse 8,
But if you’ve read Mark
You know that this is the perfect ending to His gospel.
I first learned this from John MacArthur,
So I don’t want to take credit, but he’s absolutely right.
In Mark’s gospel you see the women approaching the tomb…
And they have one main concern…
• “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance of the tomb?”
• Their biggest concern is how to gain access to the body.
• But to their surprise when they arrived the stone was already moved.
Matthew tells us how it was moved,
But Mark’s point is the response of the women.
(5) “Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed.”
You see the phrase, “they were amazed.”
Even when they encounter the angelic messenger
His first words in verse 6 are, “Do not be amazed…”
It is a Greek word that means to be “struck with terror”
The angel then tells them that
• Jesus has risen from the dead, “just as He told you”
• And that He is headed to Galilee to see His disciples.
And then Mark closes his gospel account with this verse.
(8) “They went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”
And you say, what a strange way to end his gospel, but for Mark it is not.
IN MARK 1, Jesus enters the scene,
• Is baptized, is tempted, and begins His ministry.
• He calls Simon, Andrew, James and John
• They go to Capernaum where Jesus begins to teach.
And we read:
Mark 1:22 “They were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”
In verse 25 Jesus casts out a demon and then we read:
Mark 1:27 “They were all amazed, so that they debated among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.”
IN MARK 2 Jesus forgives and heals the paralytic that is lowered through the roof and then we read:
Mark 2:12 “And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”
IN MARK 4 Jesus calms the storm and we read:
Mark 4:41 “They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”
IN MARK 5 He delivers the Gadarene demoniac and casts all those demons into the pigs, and we read:
Mark 5:15 “They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the “legion”; and they became frightened.”
Later in the chapter Jesus heals the hemorrhaging woman, and we read:
Mark 5:33 “But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.”
Then Jesus raises the little girl from the dead, and we read:
Mark 5:42 “Immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astounded.”
IN MARK 6 He walks on water:
Mark 6:51 “Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were utterly astonished,”
IN MARK 9 Jesus is transfigured:
Mark 9:6 “For he did not know what to answer; for they became terrified.”
Later in Mark 9
Mark 9:15 “Immediately, when the entire crowd saw Him, they were amazed and began running up to greet Him.”
You see the words over and over, “amazed” – “fearful” – “astounded”
Mark 11:18 “The chief priests and the scribes heard this, and began seeking how to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, for the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching.”
Mark 12:17 “And Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were amazed at Him.”
Mark 15:4-5 “Then Pilate questioned Him again, saying, “Do You not answer? See how many charges they bring against You!” But Jesus made no further answer; so Pilate was amazed.”
DO YOU SEE MARK’S POINT?
And then when Jesus is raised from the dead:
(8) “They went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”
What is Mark showing you?
THE AMAZING JESUS!
• There is no one else like Him!
• There is no one who talks like He talks.
• There is no one who works like He works.
• There is no one with power like He has.
• There is no one with conviction like Him.
And Mark closes his gospel the same way.
HE IS AMAZING!
Nothing can stop Him, not even death!
One of the problems with a routine celebration of the resurrection
Is that the frequency can lead to familiarity
And before long we lose our wonder.
Mark wrote his gospel to point out that
THERE WAS NOTHING FAMILIAR OR NORMAL ABOUT THIS.
Jesus Christ went into death and came out the other side.
No one else ever demonstrated such power over such a foe.
So see the phenomenon of the resurrection.
• See the miraculous nature of it.
• Be amazed, Jesus was dead and now He is alive.
Next, let’s turn to Luke’s gospel (Luke 24)
#2 THE PURPOSE OF THE RESURRECTION
Luke 24:1-12
Certainly there is more to Luke’s account than just the 12 verses we just read.
And some things unique to Luke’s gospel alone:
• Luke alone includes the story of the two men on the road to Emmaus and
how Jesus appeared to them.
• Luke also includes (as does John) the time Jesus appeared to the disciples
in the upper room in Jerusalem.
• Only Luke includes that final commissioning of Jesus before He ascended in
Jerusalem.
And there are a lot of things we could take away from his gospel account,
But as with Mark, reading Luke makes one theme really stand out.
HERE IN LUKE’S GOSPEL,
• The women arrive at the tomb.
• Here they enter the tomb just like Mark said.
• And again, as Mark said, (5) “the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground”
• And, just as in Mark we see an angel directing the women that Jesus has risen.
But the way the angel speaks and what he says
Comes from Luke with a different feel.
(5b-7) “…the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? “He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.”
Here we listen to the angels who sound genuinely perplexed
That these women would be so surprised that Jesus’ body is missing.
“Why do you seek the living One among the dead?”
As if to say,
• “Do you routinely go look for missing people at the cemetery?”
• Is this normal for you to look for people who are alive here?
And the angels say, (6) “Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee”
So there is a now a reference to explain
Why these women should not have been so surprised.
Jesus had told them this was going to happen.
(7) “saying that the Son of Man MUST be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.”
Indeed, Jesus had said that very thing.
These things were necessary; they must happen.
And then we read in verse 8, “And they remembered His words”
WELL THEN
• The women run to the disciples and tell them what the angels had spoken.
• (According to Matthew’s gospel they had also seen Jesus by this point, but Luke does not include that).
But the apostles don’t believe it.
(11) “But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them.”
So there is another case of people who just can’t seem to wrap their minds around what Jesus had already said MUST happen.
And then Luke includes another story, unique to his gospel about these men on the road to Emmaus and how Jesus joins their caravan.
These two men, like everyone else, are filled with despair.
(21-24) “But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened. “But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. “Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.”
These men are totally shocked by the announcement of the resurrection,
And they aren’t believing it either.
And notice the rebuke Jesus gives them:
(25-27) “And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.”
WHAT IS THE EMPHASIS THERE?
It is on their failure to read and believe the Scriptures.
• You have not understood Isaiah 53 that the righteous One would bear our sins and our sorrows.
• You have not understood Psalms 22 that they would pierce His hands and feet.
• You have not understood Psalms 118 that they would surround Him like bees, but God would deliver Him.
• You have not understood Psalms 16 where David promised that God would not allow His Holy One to undergo decay.
ARE YOU SEEING LUKE’S POINT?
1. You have women who have forgotten the words of Jesus.
2. You have disciples who won’t believe the testimony of witnesses.
3. You have these two men who have not understood the Old Testament.
Luke shows the root of the problem with all the fear and despair,
It is that they have not believed what the Bible teaches
About the resurrection of the Christ.
And that is a shame because His resurrection, as Jesus pointed out,
Is “necessary”
Jesus had to die and be buried and be raised.
So Luke highlights two main points in his gospel.
1. We believe Christ rose from the dead because the Scripture says He did.
2. We believe Christ’s resurrection was necessary because the Scripture says it was.
And that forces us then to think on the purpose of the resurrection.
What was the purpose?
Why did He have to rise?
Let me give you a few:
1) TO VALIDATE HIS ATONEMENT
Romans 4:25 “He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.”
Jesus wasn’t raised to justify us, His death did that.
His resurrection proved our justification.
That is to say, the resurrection proved the cross worked.
Because God raised Jesus
We know that He was in fact sinless and acceptable to the Father
And therefore His work of atonement was effective.
2) TO CONQUER DEATH
Hebrews 2:14-15 “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”
Is there a greater foe than death?
It is cold, it is harsh, and it is permanent.
There is nothing that grieves humanity more
Than when death shows up uninvited.
JESUS CONQUERED DEATH
The resurrection proves that.
Revelation 1:17-18 “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.”
3) TO SECURE OUR SALVATION
There is no doubt that on the cross Jesus purchased our pardon,
And the resurrection proves that.
But Jesus needs to be alive for more than just to prove the cross.
His ministry now is NOT to just go around proving He is alive and that the cross worked.
Jesus needs to be alive to apply the cross.
• He now works constantly as the High Priest of believers.
• He now continually intercedes on our behalf so that when we sin, we do not lose our salvation, but rather are protected by Him.
Hebrews 7:23-25 “The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
Surely you understand that a dead priest does you no good.
If you want someone to intercede on your behalf when you mess up
At the very least that person needs to be alive.
Jesus is alive and He holds His priesthood permanently,
And therefore “He is able also to save forever” those who are His.
That is why Paul wrote:
Romans 5:9-10 “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”
It was His atoning death that brought you to God,
It is His resurrected life that keeps you there.
It is the Scripture that tells us that it happened.
It is the Scripture that tells us why it happened.
It is the Scripture that tells us why it had to happen.
They were all rebuked for failing to believe the Scriptures.
Luke’s gospel emphasizes how important it is for you to study the Scriptures and know the reality and significance of the resurrection.
Now go to John’s gospel (John 20)
#3 THE POWER OF THE RESURRECTION
John 20:1-17
John’s gospel is also a lengthy account.
John is enamored with all the times Jesus manifests Himself to the 12.
• He shows twice when Jesus did it in Jerusalem
• Then takes you to Galilee and shows you one there too.
But one of the interesting aspects of John’s gospel is
How he really focuses on the story of Mary Magdalene.
When we put the gospel accounts together it becomes more clear what occurred.
• All the women set out together on Sunday morning, but Mary Magdalene obviously ran ahead.
• She got to the tomb when it was dark, while we read that the other women got there after sunup.
• Mary also didn’t enter the tomb or see the angel.
• All she saw was the stone was moved and she immediately assumed the worst.
John focuses on her despair and pessimism.
(2) “So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”
She sees the stone moved and comes to one conclusion:
Someone must have taken the body.
Now you know
• The story of how John and Peter ran to the tomb, and it is clear that Mary ran with them.
• You know how John outran Peter but stopped at the doorway and how Peter barreled right on in.
But Peter and John left, but Mary stayed in the garden weeping.
That is when two angels show up.
(11-13) “But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”
Unlike the other women, Mary seems unphased by the angels,
HER GRIEF IS TOO GREAT.
But when they want to know why she is weeping she says it a second time, (13) “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”
Again Mary’s only conclusion is that His body has been stolen.
And then Jesus Himself approaches Mary,
But like the men on the road to Emmaus, she doesn’t recognize Him.
He also asks here why she is weeping, and we get her for the third time, (15) “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”
There is no other possibility for Mary
Other than that Jesus body has been stolen.
She is overcome with grief and despair.
BUT LOOK WHAT HAPPENS.
(16-17) “Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’”
There is the power of the resurrection!
Grief turned to joy!
Jesus had said that earlier hadn’t He?
John 16:20-22 “Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy. “Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world. “Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.”
The resurrection is what grants the power to turn grief into joy.
EVEN NOW FOR US, WHEN A BELIEVER DIES,
We are sad for the immediate separation,
But we do not grieve without hope.
For Jesus said:
John 14:19 “After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.”
THAT IS JOY!
AND IT’S NOT JUST MARY.
Where do we find the disciples during all of this?
(19-20) “So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.”
There they were in fear, huddled with the door locked.
But Jesus entered and peace and rejoicing entered the room.
But of course Thomas wasn’t there, and he DOUBTED it all.
(26-28) “After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
DO YOU SEE THE POWER OF THE RESURRECTION?
• It took grievers and turned them into rejoicers.
• It took the fearful and gave them peace.
• It took doubters and made them believers.
These disciples were locked in a room for fear
But the resurrection turned them into
The boldest and bravest witnesses the world has ever seen.
THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST HAS POWER.
IT CHANGES LIVES.
John wants you to see that.
And one final account, turn to Matthew 28
#4 THE PROCLAMATION OF THE RESURRECTION
Matthew 28:1-10
Now there are some things here that only Matthew shows you.
• Matthew tells you about the earthquake.
• Matthew tells you about the guards becoming like dead men.
• Matthew tells you about the conspiracy to cover up the resurrection.
But Matthew also has a unique focus
On the necessity that this message must be proclaimed.
When the angels speak to the women in the tomb.
(7) “Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.”
When Jesus appears to the women as they are leaving.
(10) “Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.”
Then Matthew emphasizes the necessity of a true testimony
For he talks about a false testimony that is circulating all throughout Israel about how Jesus’ disciples supposedly stole Jesus’ body.
And then Matthew gets right to the point.
(16-20) “But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
MATTHEW’S FOCUS IS PRETTY CLEAR ISN’T IT?
GO AND PREACH THE RESURRECTION.
And can we just point out that this is exactly what they did!
Acts 2:24 “But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.
Acts 2:32 “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.
Acts 3:14-15 “But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses.
Acts 4:2 “…they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.”
Acts 4:10 “let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health.”
Acts 4:33 “And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.”
And we could go on and on and on, but you get the point.
THEY PREACHED THE RESURRECTION.
As we look at all 4 of these resurrection accounts,
We begin to understand the effect it is meant to have on your life.
So let me ask you a few questions
To see if the resurrection has rightly effected you.
1) Does the resurrection of Christ amaze you? Mark wants it to.
• Are you blown away by the fact that this righteous man died upon a cross and God raised Him from the dead?
• Are you amazed at all that Christ can do and all that Christ did in order to save you from your sin?
2) Do you believe and understand the resurrection of Christ? Luke wants you to.
• Do you believe what the Scriptures said about His death and resurrection?
• Do you understand why He had to die?
• Do you understand why He had to rise?
3) Has Christ’s resurrection changed your life? John wants it to.
• Has Christ given you hope instead of despair?
• Has Christ given you peace instead of fear?
• Has Christ changed your view of the world and of life and of suffering?
• Do you now overcome the world because of what He did?
4) Are you a proclaimer of Christ’s resurrection? Matthew wants you to.
• Is it the most important thing that has ever happened to your life?
One thing you cannot deny about the writers of the gospels is that
THERE WAS NOTHING BIGGER TO THEM
Than the fact that Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the dead.
1. Nothing else amazed them like that.
2. Nothing else was as important as that.
3. Nothing else changed them like that.
4. And they didn’t want to talk about anything else.
AND THEN WE COME TO THE CHURCH TODAY
We are captivated and amazed on a daily basis,
• But is it with Christ or is it with the flashing lights and sparkling trinkets of the world?
There are plenty of things that are important to us,
• But where does the resurrection of Christ rank on our list?
• Is it more important than politics, than the economy, than our favorite sporting event?
Where does your joy rest?
Where does your hope reside?
What gives you peace?
And honestly, we’ll know the answer
To those first three questions by examining the last one.
WHAT DO YOU TALK ABOUT?
WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE?
“Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”
Or as Adrian Rogers put it, “What’s down in the well comes up in the bucket”
One thing is certain about the apostles.
The resurrection had a profound effect on their life.
IT SHOULD ON OURS AS WELL.
1. Jesus Christ is fully God who became fully man.
2. He lived on this earth, perfectly obeying the Law of God and earning a righteousness that far surpasses anything we ever did.
3. He then offered that righteous life up to God on our behalf and He gave Himself up to death to cover our debt.
4. And God raised Him from the dead indicating that His death was successful and our redemption is secure.
Nothing matters more than that.
That fact should change your life.
IF IT HASN’T, ASK YOURSELF WHY NOT?
• Ask yourself if you really believe it?
• Ask yourself if you have ever confessed the risen One as Lord of your life?
• Ask yourself if you have been raised with Christ?
• And then commit your life to Him.
And this morning we simply want to close
Rejoicing that our salvation is secure because our Savior lives.
