The Greatest Surprise of All Time
What Does It Mean, He is Risen?
Mark 16
The Greatest Surprise of All Time
What Does It Mean, He is Risen?
Mark 16
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April 5, 2015 AM Resurrection
Sunday
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
Bible Baptist Church, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland
I.
Introduction
(Mark 9:9,10; 31,32)
A.
Jesus predicted
something awful was about to happen to Him…
1.
His death on a
Roman cross.
2.
But He never
predicted His death, which was horrible to even think about, but He also always
predicted His resurrection three days later (Matthew 16:21; 17:22,23; 20:18,19;
Mark 8:31; 9:9,10; 31,32)!
B.
Now. For sure,
NONE of His disciples understood what He was meaning when He spoke of rising
again!
1.
Peter clearly did
not understand (Mt 16:21,22)
2.
Thomas did not
believe in Jesus living again. To Thomas, and to all people, when someone dies,
they pretty well stay dead!
3.
So, Even in the
end, when Jesus was captured in the garden of Gethsemane, ALL His disciples
abandoned Him to the Pharisees and Romans. Not one of them believed everything
was going to be okay! They all ran away knowing Jesus was doomed (Mark
14:44-50)!
C.
Today, a lot of
people struggle with what it means that ‘Jesus is Alive’!
1.
What could that
possibly mean?
2.
Surely a dead Man
didn’t REALLY just get up by Himself, and walk right out of a sealed, guarded
tomb!
3.
99% of our
culture thinks the resurrection means absolutely nothing!
D.
Well, Jesus’
enemies knew what it COULD mean (Mt 27:63)
1.
And they were
terrified of it
2.
Either a greater
lie than Him being the messiah would be preached – that Jesus is alive…
3.
Or, the reality
that they had just killed their very own Messiah!
4.
Josh McDowell
said it this way, "The resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the most wicked,
vicious, heartless hoaxes ever foisted upon the minds of men and women, or it is
the most fantastic fact of history."
E.
So, what does it
mean, Jesus rose again?
II.
Background
A.
Jesus, the King
of the Jews; the Messiah; He who was the Son of Man, AND the Son of God at the
same time, died.
1.
For 9 hours,
Jesus was tortured, beaten, whipped, spit upon, flesh ripped from His body,
blood pouring down every inch, from the crown of His head, to the base of His
ankles, and bare feet – Jesus was pushed to the very edge of death, and then was
crucified.
2.
For 6 hours,
Jesus hung there, nailed to a cross, cursed by man, and worst of all, cursed by
God.
3.
And then it was
over.
4.
All the crowds
that had gathered to watch, and jeer at Jesus, went home.
B.
Jesus was Hastily
Buried
1.
Then, quietly,
secretly, one man, a very rich man named Joseph, of Arimathaea begged Pilate to
be allowed to properly bury the body of Jesus
2.
Now, a second
man, Nicodemas helped carefully wrap the body of Jesus in a white cloth, with
100 pounds of fragrant spices, and then placed the body in his Joseph’s own
sepulchre, which was right near to the entrance of the Garden of Gethsemene.
C.
His Tomb Was
Sealed
1.
And then a stone,
a great stone was rolled over the mouth of the tomb
2.
And four solders,
were posted around the clock guard over that stone to make sure no one opened
it, ever!
3.
Jesus was not
only dead, but very dead, and quite buried.
D.
Confirmed by
dozens of eye witnesses
1.
All four Gospels
record His death
2.
The Roman
soldiers that took Him down from the cross and swore that Jesus was dead (Mark
15:44)
3.
The apostles
4.
Several women who
watched
5.
Joseph and
Nicodemas (John 19:38-42)
6.
The Pharisees
were there confirming that the dead body of Jesus was permanently sealed in a
grave! They actually recorded the death of the imposter Jesus in the Talmud
(Record) of the Sanhedrin (Matthew 27:62-66)
7.
The ancient
historian, Josephus, who wrote a history of the Jews in 90AD, recorded that
Pilate crucified the leader of the sect called Christians.
E.
There was no
doubt, no argument about whether Jesus had died
F.
But was THAT the
end? You and I know better!
III.
Message
A.
When the Sabbath
Was Past… (Mark 16:1)
1.
Oh it is so nice
when some things pass! When some things are just put in the past, and left
there!
2.
Well, All the
past three days
3.
All the darkness
4.
All the now empty
rituals, and silent homes of those Jewish believers
5.
It was finally
past…
6.
Sunday had come!
B.
Some Women Wanted
to Honour Jesus (Mark 15:40, 47; 16:1)
1.
Now, these women
were not stupid
a.
They knew Jesus
was dead – He had been dead for more than three days now!
b.
They knew He was
laid out in that sepulchre, hastily wrapped, and hastily anointed by Joseph and
Nicodemas
c.
They knew there
were Roman soldiers standing at the front of the tomb, keeping anyone from evert
opening it ever again!
d.
They knew there
was no way to roll the covering stone back even if they wanted to
2.
But they went
anyway
3.
Something drove
those women to go anyway, and take the first opportunity to honour the Man who
had ever truly loved them, as messed up as they were
a.
Mary Magdalene –
infested with demons and darkness
b.
Mary the mother
of one of Jesus’ disciples named James the less
c.
Salome – wife of
Zebedee - a brash, impertinent women who had thought only of what her sons James
and John could get from Jesus in the coming kingdom
d.
And there was
Joanna, who was married to a man who was a traitor to Israel
e.
These women just
had one of those emotional times where they just had to do something
4.
They had spent
hours all that past night carefully preparing perfumes and spices to anoint the
body of their dead Messiah
C.
They Came at
Sunrise (Mark 16:2)
1.
It was the
earliest they could go
2.
Think about it…
Such a quiet walk to the garden
3.
No one said
anything
4.
Still reeling
from the events of 3 days ago
5.
They probably all
wondered if they would ever recover
D.
Hadn’t Thought
Everything Through (Mark 16:3)
1.
When they got to
the tomb…
2.
Looked around and
saw they could walk right up to it – no guards were there to stop them
a.
At this point,
the 4 roman soldiers were sleeping (Matthew 28:2-4)
b.
Hmmm. That made
things easier
3.
But as they
approached, they remembered the biggest hurdle – a 2 ton round stone that had
been rolled in front of the entranceway of the sepulchre
4.
The stone was set
inside a groove in front of the entrance, and secured from falling over by a
stone wall that stood in front of tomb opening (the rolling stone was sandwiched
between the tomb entrance and stone wall).
Often, the groove was not level, but slightly sloped.
To close the tomb, the stone would be rolled down the groove at a decline
and come to rest in front of the entrance.
To open the tomb, the stone would have to be rolled up the groove at an
incline.
5.
So, it would have
been impossible for Jesus to simply push the stone over from the inside of the
tomb. He would have to roll the
3-4000 pound stone back up the groove without having anything to grip.
Such a feat would not be possible for one healthy man, yet alone a man
who had just been beaten to a bloody pulp by the Romans.
6.
Just imagine the
sight they now saw
7.
All the way to
the tomb, they have been looking down.
E.
But Right Then,
AS They Looked, the Stone Rolled Away by Itself! (Mark 16:4)
1.
Oh, it is so good
to take a look sometimes at what you think is impossible!
2.
It is important
to check a locked door to see if God has opened it lately for you in answer to
your praying!
3.
They didn’t have
to push it back – it rolled back on its own
4.
They didn’t have
to go and try and convince the eleven depressed disciples to come help them move
the stone…
5.
No. There it was,
right then and there rolling backwards, up the slope, and revealing the entrance
to the tomb
6.
It had been
rolled back, just for them!
7.
They were
gobsmacked – the stone was not a paperweight – it was GREAT / massive
8.
Matthew 28:2 says
an angel pushed that massive stone back up the track, and into a locked
position! They just didn’t see him at that moment!
9.
Notice what these
women do next!
F.
They Go On In
(Mark 16:5)
1.
Wouldn’t you go
in?
2.
Some people
don’t!
3.
Fear keeps people
from exploring the most serious of things
a.
People study
wars, economies, philosophies, sciences, weather
b.
Not many think
about death, and about what happens after it
c.
They won’t
consider where THEY will go when they die
d.
They won’t
consider what is going to happen to THEM
e.
They run, to the
pub, or to their buddies’ for a can and some hash
f.
When they really
should go exploring
4.
God opens a door
for you, and you walk away, missing the moment where God is trying to get your
attention
a.
Maybe he has
moved you to Ireland – you don’t like where God has you
b.
But the door
opened – go on in
5.
They had come to
wash and honour the broken body of their Lord – their best friend
6.
So, they had to
keep going
7.
Finish what they
started out to do!
G.
They Get the
Greatest Surprise of All Time (Mark 16:5,6)
1.
They were
surprised at the angel they met
a.
An angel was
sitting in the cave of the tomb
b.
Smiling, happy,
delighted
c.
As if he was
sitting there just waiting for those women to find him there
2.
But then they
noticed an even bigger surprise – unexpected!
a.
Right where the
poorly wrapped body of Jesus had been, there was
nothing now
b.
Everything was
different than it had been 3 days earlier
1)
Bright sunrise
instead of a dark sunset
2)
Tomb opened by
itself instead of forced closed by Romans
3)
An angel was
there where 3 days earlier, Jesus was abandoned with no one at His side
4)
The cloth Jesus
had been wrapped in was there, dumped in a corner
5)
And the napkin
that had been put over the torn face of Jesus, well, that was there too, all
folded and laid to the side of the grave clothes
6)
And that was it.
7)
No body was
there!
3.
And they were
terrified!
a.
This was not what
they expected!
b.
They SAW Jesus
put in this grave
c.
They saw the
stone rolled over the entrance
4.
And then the
angel spoke, and they must have come out of their skin in fright!
5.
“I know who you
are looking for”
a.
Jesus!
b.
He was crucified
c.
And well, he is
not here! He has risen!
d.
He has gotten up
from death!
6.
Check out the
place where he had lain
7.
You won’t find
Him here ever again
H.
They Get New
Directions (Mark 16:7)
1.
Don’t be afraid
anymore – this empty tomb should take all sorrow and fear away!
2.
Now get going,
and tell His disciples what you have seen and heard
3.
And make sure you
tell Peter – he NEEDS to hear this news bad! Why?
a.
Because Peter had
so let down Jesus
b.
Peter felt there
was no way back
c.
Ah, but as
usually, Peter was so wrong!
4.
Jesus is heading
back up to Galilee
5.
There you will
see Him, just like He told you He would
I.
Mary Magdalene
Stayed at the Sepulchre the Longest (Mark 16:8,9)
1.
Actually got to
see Jesus – thought He was the gardener at first
2.
Then she heard
His voice
3.
It pays to
linger, and ponder the resurrection!!!
J.
No One Believed
It At First (Mark 16:10,11)
1.
TOO unbelievable!
After the kind of DEATH Jesus had gone through!
a.
The only way
Jesus could have come out of that tomb would have been if he had just fainted on
that cross – which they knew He didn’t do
b.
And then there
were the guards
c.
And the sealed
tombstone
d.
No! It just was
NOT even imaginable!
2.
None of the
Apostles Believed Jesus Was Alive
a.
Their “faith” had
been destroyed when Jesus died
b.
His death was not
what they wanted to believe in
c.
No matter how
many times Jesus told them he would rise again after 3 days, they just chose not
to believe it as possible
d.
And now, to hear
that Jesus was “alive?” Well that was too much. Too painful!
e.
Especially coming
from a bunch of emotional women that may have just jumped at a spider, or a
shadow, but certainly not actually seeing a living, breathing, walking, talking
Jesus!
f.
Isn’t it funny
how few people in this room really, actually believe Jesus is alive?
3.
Even When Jesus
Carefully Appeared to Two men on the Road to Emmaus
a.
But when they
came running into the upper room, to the apostles, they wouldn’t believe THEM
4.
So Jesus finally
appeared to His eleven apostles
a.
And BOY did He
give out to them - upbraid
b.
He demanded them
to feel the scars – this is no dream! I am not a spirit!
c.
And rebuked them
for their UNBELIEF
d.
AND their
HARDNESS of hearts, not accepting ALL the evidences they had
1)
John and Peter
had personally gone and verified the women’s words
2)
They had found
the tomb empty, the Roman Guards knocked out cold
3)
They found the
linen cloth, and the napkin folded
4)
Yet they would
NOT believe – a choice
IV.
So, What Does His
Resurrection Mean?
A.
It Means Jesus is
Really Alive!
1.
I mean, living,
breathing, walking, talking – THAT kind of alive!
a.
The torn flesh
was gone
b.
The whelps and
gashes were now missing
c.
The bloody and
bruised skin was fresh and healthy looking!
d.
He was alive!
2.
And that’s when
Jesus said, THIS is pretty good news, don’t you think? News a whole load more
people need to hear?
3.
It’s such good
news, it is called the GOSPEL
B.
It Means, Jesus
is Right
1.
He Proved that
His words are truth and right – not cunningly devised fables
2.
“If Jesus rose
from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he didn't rise from
the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which
everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not
he rose from the dead.” ― Timothy Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age
of Skepticism
3.
So, When He said
HE is the only way to heaven in John 14:6, HE proved it
4.
No one else has
ever been able to prove that they are right like Jesus did
5.
The bodies of
Mohammed, Buddha, Confucius, Joseph Smith, Mary Baker Eddy, Charles Taze
Russell, Joseph Stalin, Karl Marx, Charles Darwin, and even Mary, the earthly
mother of Jesus—are all still in the grave.
Only in Christianity do we find a Resurrected Messiah.
“He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where
the Lord lay.”
6.
All the
scientists, all the philosophers, all the politicians, all the writers, all the
movie stars, all the music stars – all lined up – are all only ‘noise’ compared
to the truth that Jesus is Alive!
7.
What a life
changing truth – a world shacking event!
C.
That Empty Tomb
is Shouting Out, There Really IS Life After Death
1.
You can debate
all your life what happens when a person dies…
a.
Do you just go
into the ground and rot?
b.
Do you float
around, haunting abandoned buildings and homes?
c.
Does your spirit
transfer into the great Oneness of the Universe?
2.
But Jesus proves
there is another world, another life, eternal life
3.
A life where
Jesus is (John 14:1-3)
D.
It Means He Won
the War (1Cor 15:55-57)
1.
He won every war
you have ever struggled with!
a.
Every temptation
– He resisted
b.
Every bad habit –
He changed through the resurrection
c.
Every past
failure – He buried in that tomb
d.
Every limitation
you have – He exceeded when He got up
e.
Every wrong
choice – He made up for
2.
He even Defeated
every enemy you will ever face, including death itself
3.
You see, Jesus
had no trouble fixing leprosy, epilepsy, cripples, blindness, deafness, chopped
off ears, and even dead bodies.
4.
But this empty
tomb, this rolled away stone proves JESUS defeated death, mangled mortality,
gutted the grave, trashed the tomb, and He did it forever!
5.
There is nothing
more to do once that grave was open!
E.
It Means, We All
Have Been Given Another Chance (Acts 2:23, 36; 4:10)
1.
The Jewish
leaders, the rich and powerful, the proud and arrogant…
2.
They were given
another chance now to repent, and follow Jesus (Acts 2:37,38)
3.
The door is not
closed. The tomb is still empty!
4.
Will you take
this opportunity to believe the Gospel (Mark 16:16)?
5.
You can be saved
from your sins, and from the coming wrath of God! “That
if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine
heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
(Rom. 10:9)
6.
The Apostle Paul
said in Acts 17:31 “Because he hath
appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that
man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that
he hath raised him from the dead.”
F.
It Means We All
Need to Live Differently (2Cor 5:14,15)
1.
Not just on a
Sunday, but every hour of every day!
2.
That’s why
Christians live differently than the culture around us – we have a living
Saviour
3.
We stay out of
step on purpose
G.
Lastly, That
Empty Tomb Means, Jesus is Coming Again
1.
Just like He
promised to rise again
2.
He also promised
to come again
3.
Are YOU ready?
V.
Conclusion and
Invitation
A.
There is no
doubt, no argument about whether Jesus died!
B.
But there ARE a
lot of people struggle with what it means that ‘Jesus is Alive’!
1.
Surely a dead Man
didn’t REALLY just get up by Himself, and walk right out of a sealed, guarded
tomb!
2.
99% of our
culture thinks the resurrection means absolutely nothing!
3.
But He did!
4.
Dr. Greenleaf,
the Royal Professor of Law at Harvard University, was one of the greatest legal
minds that ever lived. He wrote the famous legal volume entitled, A Treatise on
the Law of Evidence, considered by many the greatest legal volume ever written.
Dr. Simon Greenleaf believed the Resurrection of Jesus Christ was a hoax. And he
determined, once and for all, to expose the "myth" of the Resurrection. After
thoroughly examining the evidence for the resurrection — Dr. Greenleaf came to
the exact opposite conclusion! He wrote a book entitled,
An Examination of the Testimony of the
Four Evangelists by the Rules of Evidence Administered in the Courts of Justice.
In which he emphatically stated: "it was IMPOSSIBLE that the apostles could have
persisted in affirming the truths they had narrated, had not JESUS CHRIST
ACTUALLY RISEN FROM THE DEAD, . . ."
C.
Have YOU examined
the evidences?
Do you ever just linger at the thought of the empty tomb like Mary Magdalene
did? Thought about what will happen to YOU, when you die? Where will YOU go?
D.
Have you noticed
the open door to you? Straight to God, through Jesus Christ!
E.
Have you gotten
your Get New Directions?
F.
No One Believes
It At First
G.
But believe it
you can! Believe it you must! To be born again!