1
00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,360
So sermon title this morning is 
Do You Believe? 

2
00:00:04,720 --> 00:00:08,560
Do you believe? 
We're coming to the close of our

3
00:00:08,560 --> 00:00:11,000
sermon series and the Gospel of 
Mark. 

4
00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:14,320
And if you followed us, you will
notice that we have not covered 

5
00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:17,000
every story in the Gospel of 
Mark. 

6
00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:20,320
And part of it has to do with 
because we didn't have time in 

7
00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:23,160
the time span we allotted 
ourselves for the Gospel of Mark

8
00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:26,640
to cover all the stories. 
Not that one story is not as 

9
00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:28,520
much valuable or worth as much 
as another. 

10
00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:31,160
We just didn't have time to 
cover in depth the Gospel. 

11
00:00:31,160 --> 00:00:33,840
We could easily make it into 
almost a year if we wanted to. 

12
00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:39,120
But this morning we want to look
at one more story and the story 

13
00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:42,680
of the resurrection, the story 
where Jesus rose from the dead. 

14
00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:44,920
And as I said, we we skipped a 
lot of stories. 

15
00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:49,400
We skipped the story of, of the 
the arrest, the crucifixion. 

16
00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:51,600
Part of it had to do with a 
guest speaker coming and so on. 

17
00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:55,000
They're all good stories, but 
the story of the resurrection is

18
00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:57,960
a very powerful story, and we 
want to pay good attention to 

19
00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:02,520
that one. 
The most powerful story of all 

20
00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:06,200
the Gospels is the story of the 
resurrection. 

21
00:01:06,320 --> 00:01:10,320
That's the most powerful story. 
Every Gospel has that story. 

22
00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:15,560
But is the story the least 
believed one? 

23
00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:19,440
Nobody doubted that Jesus was 
the Messiah. 

24
00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:22,760
Nobody doubted the miracles. 
They saw him, do they? 

25
00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:27,400
They believe that they believed 
him when they saw him heal 

26
00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:29,440
people. 
They believed him when the sick 

27
00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:32,720
were made well, when he fed the 
crowds with a few loaves and 

28
00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:34,120
fish. 
They believed all that. 

29
00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:38,080
But when it came to the story of
the suffering and dying, the the

30
00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:40,240
the most unbelieving were his 
disciples. 

31
00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:41,640
And they were the ones who were 
told, of course. 

32
00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:43,760
No, no, no, that's not going to 
happen to you. 

33
00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:47,120
It's not going to happen to you.
He's not going to die. 

34
00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:49,720
And Peter, in fact, took him 
aside. 

35
00:01:49,720 --> 00:01:51,120
Master, it's not going to happen
to you. 

36
00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:53,360
Jesus rebuked him and said get 
behind me, Satan. 

37
00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:56,760
But that's the story that really
did happen. 

38
00:01:57,600 --> 00:01:59,000
It didn't sink in until it 
happened. 

39
00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:00,520
It didn't register until it 
happened. 

40
00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:02,840
It did happen, and then there's 
a prize. 

41
00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:06,720
He said it would happen and they
found it hard to believe that it

42
00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:08,720
would happen. 
And he can't die. 

43
00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:11,800
He's the Messiah. 
But then he did die and then 

44
00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:13,840
they believed it. 
And then it was, of course, the 

45
00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:15,160
opposite extreme. 
It's all over. 

46
00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:16,640
It's history. 
It's nothing. 

47
00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:21,160
The Messiah story is not true 
after all, and he's never going 

48
00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:26,560
to rise. 
That was the thinking we do well

49
00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:30,080
to ask ourselves sometimes, how 
do we feel when we try to 

50
00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:32,680
convince someone of something 
and they don't believe us? 

51
00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:36,800
We we communicate something, but
we can tell they don't believe 

52
00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:37,920
us. 
They tell us they don't believe 

53
00:02:37,920 --> 00:02:39,640
us and then they're proven 
wrong. 

54
00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:42,640
And then we feel like saying I 
told you so. 

55
00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:45,520
We don't find Jesus telling his 
disciples ever. 

56
00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:49,240
I told you so that he does 
sometimes say, remember, he does

57
00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:52,680
that. 
It's easy to believe when it's 

58
00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:56,200
easy to believe. 
But when it's something so 

59
00:02:56,200 --> 00:02:59,400
improbable or so impossible, 
then it's a different story. 

60
00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:06,480
But one thing we have to admit 
in our lives is behavior always 

61
00:03:06,640 --> 00:03:11,200
reveals belief, and belief 
drives behavior. 

62
00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:14,600
This is reality. 
Let me repeat that behavior 

63
00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:19,320
always reveals belief, and 
belief drives behavior. 

64
00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:23,840
Stories told of Martin Luther 
the Reformer in the 1500s. 

65
00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:28,000
One morning, for a while he has 
he had been very depressed, very

66
00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:30,840
discouraged, despondent, and 
just gloomy. 

67
00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:34,120
So his wife comes downstairs one
morning out of the bedroom 

68
00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:38,440
dressed in total funeral garb, 
dressed in black, and Luther's 

69
00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:41,880
sitting at his desk there and 
looks up and sees his wife who 

70
00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:43,480
died. 
He asked her. 

71
00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:47,200
She said God died. 
Why would you say that? 

72
00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:51,600
She says, you look like it. 
He had been so discouraged and 

73
00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:53,240
despondent and gloomy and 
depressed. 

74
00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:57,200
This was her way of 
communicating to him how he was 

75
00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:00,360
living and whether the story is 
actually true. 

76
00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:03,600
I haven't fact checked it, but 
the story nevertheless 

77
00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:08,160
illustrates a very valid point. 
What we believe is always 

78
00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:12,760
revealed in what we do in 
response to the circumstances we

79
00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:14,680
face. 
This is a reality. 

80
00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:19,920
You see, when Jesus walked to 
Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the 

81
00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:22,120
disciples believed. 
They believed, not just 

82
00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:24,200
believed, they knew. 
He's the Messiah. 

83
00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:28,000
In a matter of time, he's going 
to take over. 

84
00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:29,920
He's going to be in the temple. 
He's going to reign. 

85
00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:32,360
He's going to rule. 
He's going to be the king of the

86
00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:34,440
Jews. 
And he got that title on the 

87
00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:37,120
cross, of course, but not in the
way they had hoped and nobody 

88
00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:39,560
expected. 
But the disciples believed he 

89
00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:42,640
would be crowned king. 
He would soon reign, and they 

90
00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:46,480
would reign with him. 
And everything sounded like it. 

91
00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:49,400
And then what's called a passion
week. 

92
00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:52,120
And then he's in the temple, 
He's teaching, he's he's 

93
00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:54,320
rebuking the Pharisees. 
He's getting into all kinds of 

94
00:04:54,320 --> 00:04:58,720
trouble. 
And on Thursday night, the Last 

95
00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:02,400
Supper, things don't look good. 
The disciples still don't get 

96
00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:05,320
it. 
And then he goes out to the 

97
00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:08,000
Garden of Gethsemane, and there 
he has this burdensome 

98
00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:11,400
experience of taking on the 
world sin, and he's sweating 

99
00:05:11,400 --> 00:05:15,840
drops of blood. 
And then he gets arrested and 

100
00:05:15,840 --> 00:05:21,440
bound and led to the high priest
and the disciples all scattered.

101
00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:25,600
And Peter kind of follows in the
distance and they're through the

102
00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:27,680
mockery of a trial Jesus 
condemned. 

103
00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:30,960
And then he's taken off to to 
pilot early morning hours 

104
00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:32,680
because the Jews couldn't kill 
anybody. 

105
00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:35,560
That was against the rules. 
They could get the Romans to do 

106
00:05:35,560 --> 00:05:37,680
their killing for them, but they
couldn't kill anybody on their 

107
00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:40,120
own. 
So they had to get pilots 

108
00:05:40,120 --> 00:05:43,360
permission or pilots guys to do 
it for them. 

109
00:05:44,480 --> 00:05:47,160
They were in for the shock of 
their lives. 

110
00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:50,320
This was so beyond what they had
ever expected. 

111
00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:54,840
This was just not supposed to 
happen, but then they believed 

112
00:05:54,840 --> 00:05:58,200
after it did and as far as they 
were concerned, Jesus is dead. 

113
00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:04,520
He's gone, it's over. 
No Messiah, no Kingdom of Israel

114
00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:06,880
that whole three years. 
Come and follow me, I'll make 

115
00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:10,800
you fishers of men was all 
nothing, all gone like mist. 

116
00:06:11,760 --> 00:06:14,360
Well, that was not the ending. 
Today we'll look at the ending. 

117
00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:17,720
Let's read Mark chapter 16 
beginning verse one. 

118
00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:22,760
Now when the Sabbath was passed,
Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother 

119
00:06:22,760 --> 00:06:27,000
of James and Salome brought 
spices that they may come and 

120
00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:31,080
anoint him. 
Very early in the morning on the

121
00:06:31,080 --> 00:06:33,920
first day of the week, they came
to the tomb when the sun had 

122
00:06:33,920 --> 00:06:37,600
risen, and they said among 
themselves, who will roll away 

123
00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:40,680
the stone from the door of the 
tomb for us? 

124
00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:43,920
Let's stop there. 
The story of these women is 

125
00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:47,480
remarkable. 
What they believed was 100% 

126
00:06:47,480 --> 00:06:50,680
evidence. 
What they what they were doing 

127
00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:52,640
was 100% evidence of what they 
believed. 

128
00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:56,040
Their beliefs were driving their
behavior. 

129
00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:59,720
Do you think they slept much 
that night or the previous few 

130
00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:01,640
nights? 
I don't think so. 

131
00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:07,800
Their minds were feverishly 
rehearsing and regurgitating 

132
00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:09,520
what happened. 
How did this happen? 

133
00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:10,520
OK, what now? 
What now? 

134
00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:14,720
Well, the least we can do to our
friend Jesus is anoint him. 

135
00:07:14,840 --> 00:07:17,320
But there was no time Friday 
night to put him in the tomb and

136
00:07:17,320 --> 00:07:19,160
clothes that rolled this big 
stone in front of it. 

137
00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:22,560
There's nothing we could do. 
And so we'll have to wait till 

138
00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:25,120
Sunday morning because the 
Sabbath was a day of rest and no

139
00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:27,840
working allowed. 
So their deep grief, pain and 

140
00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:31,800
agony, they had witnessed this. 
They waited out that long 

141
00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:35,520
Sabbath and then Sunday morning 
comes in early at sun up there, 

142
00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:38,880
there, and they are going to 
anoint the dead body. 

143
00:07:38,880 --> 00:07:42,040
That's what they can do. 
No work on the Sabbath. 

144
00:07:42,040 --> 00:07:44,280
But Sunday was a work day, the 
first day of the week, and they 

145
00:07:44,280 --> 00:07:46,840
lost no time making their way to
the tomb. 

146
00:07:47,080 --> 00:07:48,920
And they had already gotten 
their spices and their 

147
00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:51,520
ointments. 
Whatever they had, they lived 

148
00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:54,440
out what they believed. 
They lived out what they 

149
00:07:54,440 --> 00:07:56,720
believed. 
They had come to anoint the dead

150
00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:01,440
and verse 3 and it says they 
said among themselves, who will 

151
00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:04,360
roll away the stone from the 
door of the tomb, from the tomb 

152
00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:06,720
tomb for us. 
The woman believed Jesus was 

153
00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:11,160
dead and they lived like it. 
It may be easy for us here this 

154
00:08:11,160 --> 00:08:13,840
morning to point to the women 
and comment about how they 

155
00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:18,720
failed to grasp the teachings of
Jesus about his death and 

156
00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:22,360
resurrection. 
But our story is not that 

157
00:08:22,360 --> 00:08:24,760
different from the story of 
these women, except in their 

158
00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:27,320
case, Jesus had not yet returned
to heaven and sent the Holy 

159
00:08:27,320 --> 00:08:29,000
Spirit. 
Other than that, we're pretty 

160
00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:30,560
much in the same boat very 
often. 

161
00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:34,320
Notice their words, which they 
ask, Who will roll away the 

162
00:08:34,320 --> 00:08:37,799
stone? 
This was in their hearts a fixed

163
00:08:37,799 --> 00:08:42,799
reality around which they had 
constructed the day's event, 

164
00:08:42,840 --> 00:08:44,400
their schedules, and their 
plans. 

165
00:08:45,680 --> 00:08:51,880
You see, words we say have a way
of letting out what's inside our

166
00:08:51,880 --> 00:08:58,200
hearts. 
That's just how it works, and we

167
00:08:58,200 --> 00:09:00,600
may not mean anything ill by 
what we say sometimes. 

168
00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:03,080
I'll share a little story here 
between my wife and I Didn't ask

169
00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:04,720
for permission, but I'm sure she
would grant me. 

170
00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:09,320
So I bought a computer way back 
in the day and I wanted a 

171
00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:11,200
computer. 
I, I needed it, but I really 

172
00:09:11,200 --> 00:09:14,880
wanted to need it too. 
And so I bought a computer and 

173
00:09:14,880 --> 00:09:17,720
she and I did not quite see eye 
to eye on this computer thing 

174
00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:20,840
anyway, So I went to Steinbach 
Bible College, took it along 

175
00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:22,440
and, and was working on my 
computer. 

176
00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:25,280
And one night I said, I have to 
do some, some, some work on my 

177
00:09:25,280 --> 00:09:27,080
home assignment yet on my 
homework assignment yet. 

178
00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:32,680
And anyway, so we're had company
and things got busy and, and she

179
00:09:32,680 --> 00:09:34,760
didn't get it done. 
And later on the evening she 

180
00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:36,400
said, Oh yeah, you wanted to 
play on your computer yet. 

181
00:09:37,560 --> 00:09:40,280
I said, is that what it is? 
It's my homework assignment. 

182
00:09:40,840 --> 00:09:43,080
It was funny. 
She didn't mean it that way. 

183
00:09:43,080 --> 00:09:47,000
But to her, a computer was a 
recreational tool, a toy almost.

184
00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:50,120
To me, it was a tool. 
And so the way we view things 

185
00:09:50,120 --> 00:09:52,440
just slips out. 
I've done the same thing. 

186
00:09:52,920 --> 00:09:54,840
I remember a guy wanted to go on
a mission trip, and I said, oh, 

187
00:09:54,880 --> 00:09:56,200
yeah, we plan to go on vacation.
Didn't you? 

188
00:09:56,760 --> 00:09:57,680
No. 
A mission trip. 

189
00:09:58,720 --> 00:10:03,840
And So what we think blurts out,
and we live that way. 

190
00:10:04,400 --> 00:10:06,320
Words have a way of just coming 
out. 

191
00:10:06,680 --> 00:10:09,840
Well, these women were actually 
living out what they believed. 

192
00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:11,280
And you know what? 
They had gone. 

193
00:10:11,280 --> 00:10:13,200
They had gone and got spices, 
bought spices. 

194
00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:16,200
They didn't know. 
They didn't have to worry about 

195
00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:19,000
any of that. 
The thing they're worried about 

196
00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:22,600
actually did not exist. 
They were worried about a closed

197
00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:24,960
grave. 
How would, how are we going to 

198
00:10:24,960 --> 00:10:27,560
open it? 
How are we going to get in? 

199
00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:34,800
How often do we find ourselves 
preoccupied in our hearts and 

200
00:10:34,800 --> 00:10:38,840
minds with things that are very 
real to us and they don't even 

201
00:10:38,840 --> 00:10:43,520
exist? 
Oh, it's important to us, but 

202
00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:46,000
not to God. 
We're prepared, all geared up, 

203
00:10:46,760 --> 00:10:50,720
it's the real thing, only to 
find out it's not real. 

204
00:10:52,160 --> 00:10:55,080
And So what do we do? 
We bring our packages of 

205
00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:57,440
solutions to the problems that 
we're going to address only to 

206
00:10:57,440 --> 00:10:59,120
find out they don't really don't
exist. 

207
00:10:59,680 --> 00:11:02,040
So these women that cure their 
ointment containers and 

208
00:11:02,040 --> 00:11:06,760
solutions to this anointing 
ceremony, not knowing they're 

209
00:11:06,760 --> 00:11:08,640
going to face an empty grave, 
Well, let's read. 

210
00:11:10,160 --> 00:11:12,680
But when they looked up, they 
saw the stone had been rolled 

211
00:11:12,680 --> 00:11:17,080
away, for it was very large. 
And entering the tomb, they saw 

212
00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:20,080
a young man clothed in a long 
white robe sitting on the right 

213
00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:21,560
side. 
And they were alarmed. 

214
00:11:21,920 --> 00:11:23,880
But he said to them, do not be 
alarmed. 

215
00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:27,440
You see, you seek Jesus of 
Nazareth, who was crucified. 

216
00:11:27,560 --> 00:11:31,040
He is risen, He is not here. 
See the place where they laid 

217
00:11:31,040 --> 00:11:33,440
him. 
This was the shock of all 

218
00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:36,720
shocks. 
In their state of mind, they 

219
00:11:36,720 --> 00:11:39,960
could not have anticipated, 
expected or believed it. 

220
00:11:40,280 --> 00:11:43,400
And yet not just was the stone 
rolled away, giving them access 

221
00:11:43,400 --> 00:11:48,560
to the tomb that was empty. 
Unbelievable, unbelievable. 

222
00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:51,720
And the young man they see 
sitting inside with his long 

223
00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:55,400
white robe says, don't be 
alarmed, you seek Jesus of 

224
00:11:55,400 --> 00:11:57,720
Nazareth. 
He knew who was crucified. 

225
00:11:57,720 --> 00:11:59,080
He's risen. 
He's not here. 

226
00:11:59,360 --> 00:12:03,520
Let's just stop for a moment. 
Imagine you were one of these 

227
00:12:03,520 --> 00:12:07,240
women. 
We don't know what may or all 

228
00:12:07,240 --> 00:12:11,920
have gone through their hearts, 
but I think if I had been one of

229
00:12:11,920 --> 00:12:14,960
those women, my nice little 
expensive box of ointment, it 

230
00:12:14,960 --> 00:12:18,360
wasn't cheap stuff. 
I would have been shocked to 

231
00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:19,720
maybe embarrassed. 
OK, what I'm going to do with 

232
00:12:19,720 --> 00:12:25,240
this now he's risen. 
It's useless, of no value. 

233
00:12:25,240 --> 00:12:29,080
I would have been scared and 
maybe embarrassed. 

234
00:12:30,120 --> 00:12:33,280
They had good intentions. 
They had good intentions. 

235
00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:37,600
You see, sincerity of intentions
does not translate into right 

236
00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:40,640
actions. 
A person can be totally sincere,

237
00:12:40,880 --> 00:12:43,720
totally wrong. 
It's a bit like reading a map 

238
00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:46,800
and saying, you know, I know it 
says that, but I feel I should 

239
00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:48,480
go that way. 
I'm going to go that way. 

240
00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:53,040
You can trust the map, the word 
of God, you can trust it. 

241
00:12:55,320 --> 00:12:57,720
If the map says it's this way, 
it's this way. 

242
00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:00,920
In this story, Jesus was not 
there. 

243
00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:04,000
What they believed was, after 
all, not true. 

244
00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:07,280
Instead, what should they have 
believed? 

245
00:13:08,080 --> 00:13:11,520
What they should have believed 
was so far from what they did 

246
00:13:11,520 --> 00:13:13,200
believe. 
It didn't even connect. 

247
00:13:14,720 --> 00:13:17,040
We can say it was maybe 
eternities apart. 

248
00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:20,720
These women had good desire 
anoint the dead body of their 

249
00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:23,000
friend Jesus. 
But they were wrong about what 

250
00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:26,880
they believed. 
Very wrong and their wrong 

251
00:13:26,880 --> 00:13:29,320
beliefs were the rule, the 
guide, the path that had 

252
00:13:29,320 --> 00:13:31,680
directed their useless efforts 
in trying to go and anoint the 

253
00:13:31,680 --> 00:13:34,800
dead body. 
There's a very powerful verse in

254
00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:38,240
the Gospel of Luke, Luke 24. 
It talks about the women coming 

255
00:13:38,240 --> 00:13:40,240
to the tomb and there it talks 
about angels meeting them. 

256
00:13:40,240 --> 00:13:44,280
It says this as they were afraid
and bowed their faces. 

257
00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:47,840
They, the Angel said to them, 
why do you seek the living among

258
00:13:47,840 --> 00:13:50,400
the dead? 
That's a powerful, powerful 

259
00:13:50,400 --> 00:13:53,040
verse. 
Why do you seek the living among

260
00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:56,200
the dead? 
The thing that was on their 

261
00:13:56,200 --> 00:13:58,920
hearts and minds was the 
reality. 

262
00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:00,640
Jesus dead. 
We got to anoint him. 

263
00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:03,680
That's how they had lived the 
last few days and he was dead. 

264
00:14:03,680 --> 00:14:08,240
But he had risen and they're 
focused on the dead, but he was 

265
00:14:08,240 --> 00:14:11,920
no longer dead. 
Maybe we should sometimes stop 

266
00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:14,320
and ask ourselves when we get 
into a predicament, when life 

267
00:14:14,320 --> 00:14:17,160
gets hard and difficult and we 
get tired and frustrated and all

268
00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:20,560
those things, we should stop and
ask ourselves what's going on, 

269
00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:25,080
what's happening? 
What is it that we're looking 

270
00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:28,000
for? 
The answers to our problems are 

271
00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:30,800
not to be found among the things
that die and are dead. 

272
00:14:31,800 --> 00:14:35,880
Let's look at it this way. 
Kingdom of God, people should 

273
00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:38,760
not be focused on Kingdom of the
world priorities. 

274
00:14:39,280 --> 00:14:42,680
Kingdom of God, people should 
not be focused on Kingdom of the

275
00:14:42,680 --> 00:14:45,720
world priorities. 
And often times what we're 

276
00:14:45,720 --> 00:14:50,120
seeking, what God is trying to 
offer us is so different that we

277
00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:52,120
would be embarrassed if we only 
knew. 

278
00:14:53,280 --> 00:14:56,720
Well, the Angel did not leave 
the women where they were in 

279
00:14:56,720 --> 00:14:59,560
Mark chapter 16. 
He instructed them. 

280
00:14:59,720 --> 00:15:02,160
He gave them an assignment 
instead of anointing a dead body

281
00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:04,720
that doesn't exist. 
No, you have a job to do. 

282
00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:09,080
Listen to this verse 7. 
But go tell his disciples and 

283
00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:12,520
Peter that's important. 
And Peter, that he, meaning 

284
00:15:12,520 --> 00:15:14,800
Jesus, is going before you into 
Galilee. 

285
00:15:15,240 --> 00:15:17,520
There you will see Him as He 
said to you. 

286
00:15:18,200 --> 00:15:21,360
So they went out quickly and 
fled from the tomb for the 

287
00:15:21,360 --> 00:15:23,960
trembled and were amazed. 
And they said nothing to anyone,

288
00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:30,240
for they were afraid everything,
their House of Cards had 

289
00:15:30,240 --> 00:15:34,680
collapsed. 
All this structure, this 

290
00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:38,880
organizing, this, this planning 
has nothing now and and was in 

291
00:15:38,880 --> 00:15:40,080
fact it was good that it was 
nothing. 

292
00:15:40,760 --> 00:15:43,280
The Angel told the women, Go and
tell the good news, this 

293
00:15:43,280 --> 00:15:48,560
unbelievable glorious news, but 
only a moment ago didn't exist, 

294
00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:51,800
didn't exist. 
They never never even thought it

295
00:15:51,800 --> 00:15:53,920
possible. 
But now not just have you seen 

296
00:15:53,920 --> 00:15:56,360
it, now go and talk about it. 
Go tell his disciples. 

297
00:15:57,400 --> 00:16:00,240
And Peter has mentioned, and I 
think very specifically, I think

298
00:16:00,240 --> 00:16:03,320
it brought somewhere else in the
sermon series that it's believed

299
00:16:03,320 --> 00:16:07,120
that Mark received his gospel 
from the apostle Peter. 

300
00:16:07,200 --> 00:16:10,200
We don't have a definitive proof
for that, absolute proof, but 

301
00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:13,440
that's highly possible and it 
may well be true. 

302
00:16:13,440 --> 00:16:15,960
But Peter had messed up big 
time. 

303
00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:18,880
And so when the Angel say go 
tell his disciples and Peter, 

304
00:16:19,120 --> 00:16:22,960
Peter need an extra measure of 
the grace because he had denied 

305
00:16:22,960 --> 00:16:25,840
Jesus and he needed a word of 
hope from the Lord. 

306
00:16:26,120 --> 00:16:30,160
He denied and swore and cursed 
that he knew Jesus and he had 

307
00:16:30,160 --> 00:16:36,440
gone back to fishing in Galilee,
back to his old business, and 

308
00:16:36,440 --> 00:16:37,920
yet he was accepted and 
forgiven. 

309
00:16:39,960 --> 00:16:41,800
We know from the Gospel of John 
what Peter did. 

310
00:16:42,280 --> 00:16:45,360
Jesus rose from the dead and he 
met the disciples, but but 

311
00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:47,240
Peter, he needed a special 
encouragement. 

312
00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:52,480
We do we do know from John, I 
think it's 21 where Jesus 

313
00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:57,400
specifically invites Peter just 
by himself yet and restores him.

314
00:16:57,840 --> 00:17:01,480
But here on resurrection day, 
Angel says, you women, you go, 

315
00:17:01,640 --> 00:17:04,400
go, go and tell, tell his 
disciples to go to Galilee. 

316
00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:09,000
From reading these gospels, it 
seems to me God's angels were 

317
00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:13,200
quite busy on resurrection day 
had a lot to do with these 

318
00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:16,560
people that needed to be brought
back up, that needed to be 

319
00:17:16,599 --> 00:17:20,400
strengthened and encouraged and 
and lifted up again. 

320
00:17:20,839 --> 00:17:22,440
Well, the women leave the tomb, 
Mark writes. 

321
00:17:22,440 --> 00:17:25,599
They fled. 
When somebody flees, they run as

322
00:17:25,599 --> 00:17:27,400
fast as they can. 
When you see somebody running as

323
00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:31,080
fast as they can, as a sight to 
see, they fled from the tomb 

324
00:17:31,080 --> 00:17:36,080
trembling, scared and amazed. 
It must have been one of those 

325
00:17:36,080 --> 00:17:37,640
eye rubbing, self pinching 
feelings. 

326
00:17:37,640 --> 00:17:39,520
You know, like did this really 
just happened? 

327
00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:42,760
Did this really happen? 
It says they fled from the tomb,

328
00:17:42,760 --> 00:17:44,800
but then what did they do? 
They did nothing. 

329
00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:47,200
According to Mark's gospel, they
did nothing. 

330
00:17:47,200 --> 00:17:55,400
I think it was too much of A 
shock, was too unexpected, and 

331
00:17:55,400 --> 00:17:58,000
especially considering what they
had been planning to anoint a 

332
00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:00,880
dead body. 
But we must ask ourselves this 

333
00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:02,800
question. 
Does this story change us? 

334
00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:08,320
Do we live as if Jesus is alive,
or do we live as if he's dead? 

335
00:18:09,160 --> 00:18:12,440
How do we live? 
Do we believe? 

336
00:18:13,560 --> 00:18:17,200
Does my lifestyle, does your 
lifestyle look more like Jesus 

337
00:18:18,200 --> 00:18:21,120
as time goes on? 
Or does it look more like there 

338
00:18:21,120 --> 00:18:25,200
is no Jesus who rose from the 
dead? 

339
00:18:26,400 --> 00:18:28,160
Many people have heard the good 
news. 

340
00:18:28,160 --> 00:18:31,680
They're still afraid. 
Many people claim to believe in 

341
00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:35,720
Jesus, Don't live lives that 
indicate in any way that they 

342
00:18:35,720 --> 00:18:39,880
believe in Jesus. 
A writer that I've used, a 

343
00:18:39,880 --> 00:18:42,520
commentary writer that I've used
for the series, his name is 

344
00:18:42,520 --> 00:18:45,120
Timothy Geddert and his 
commentary on Luke wrote a 

345
00:18:45,120 --> 00:18:47,880
summary on the women who came to
the tomb and I'll read it, read 

346
00:18:47,880 --> 00:18:48,840
it. 
There's a piece here. 

347
00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:53,120
They prepared in vain for an 
anointing they that could not 

348
00:18:53,120 --> 00:18:55,840
happen. 
They worried for nothing about a

349
00:18:55,840 --> 00:18:58,560
stone that was gone before they 
arrived. 

350
00:18:58,880 --> 00:19:01,720
They responded to the messenger 
with alarm and he promptly told 

351
00:19:01,720 --> 00:19:05,480
them not to be alarmed. 
He gave them a message to tell 

352
00:19:05,480 --> 00:19:08,920
and they did not tell it. 
They did not leave in respectful

353
00:19:08,920 --> 00:19:11,320
silence. 
They fled in terror, disobeying 

354
00:19:11,320 --> 00:19:13,560
the messenger by keeping the 
resurrection message to 

355
00:19:13,560 --> 00:19:17,040
themselves. 
God has to have so much grace 

356
00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:20,200
and patience with us. 
Some people live like that in 

357
00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:24,520
the past, busy seeking to anoint
what has no value or the dead. 

358
00:19:25,840 --> 00:19:27,960
Some people come and see the 
present, but then they don't do 

359
00:19:27,960 --> 00:19:30,120
anything with it. 
Fear keeps them bound and quiet 

360
00:19:30,120 --> 00:19:32,000
and shut up. 
Don't proclaim anything. 

361
00:19:34,440 --> 00:19:36,480
Then there are those who accept 
the faith and they receive and 

362
00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:40,840
share the good news. 
We come now in Mark chapter 16 

363
00:19:41,320 --> 00:19:43,920
to a passage of Scripture that 
is has been deemed 

364
00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:47,000
controversial. 
And there's a lot of controversy

365
00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:50,680
on this passage. 
In fact, gospel writers mean 

366
00:19:50,680 --> 00:19:52,720
historians and scholars and 
theologians. 

367
00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:56,880
They say the earliest writings 
of the Gospel of Mark don't have

368
00:19:57,320 --> 00:20:01,960
anything past the Gospel of Mark
chapter 16 past verse 8. 

369
00:20:02,360 --> 00:20:06,600
Verse 9 and onward, it's 
actually not there. 

370
00:20:06,760 --> 00:20:10,280
Then later manuscripts have it. 
So the arguments are what 

371
00:20:10,280 --> 00:20:14,920
happened. 1 conclusion that some
historians and theologians say 

372
00:20:14,920 --> 00:20:18,040
may have happened is that Mark 
did not get to finish his gospel

373
00:20:18,960 --> 00:20:22,640
and so it just ended there and 
somebody put a little extra in 

374
00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:25,720
there. 
Or maybe Mark did finish it and 

375
00:20:25,720 --> 00:20:27,680
the ending part went missing for
some reason. 

376
00:20:27,680 --> 00:20:29,280
Maybe a page got torn off or 
something. 

377
00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:33,680
And it's also suggested that 
maybe Mark just ended it right 

378
00:20:33,680 --> 00:20:35,600
there and left it like that 
unfinished. 

379
00:20:36,120 --> 00:20:39,040
Whatever way people may look at 
this part of Scripture, we take 

380
00:20:39,040 --> 00:20:41,920
it as Scripture. 
It's, it's God's word and it 

381
00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:45,600
does not add or distract or 
subtract anything from the 

382
00:20:45,600 --> 00:20:47,600
gospels. 
There's one small point there in

383
00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:51,040
this part about drinking poison,
handling poisonous snakes. 

384
00:20:51,040 --> 00:20:53,840
We'll look at that in a bit. 
But Mark's gospel continues. 

385
00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:56,040
So let's look at the disciples 
and see how they managed. 

386
00:20:56,240 --> 00:20:58,840
Let's read that Mark, chapter 
16, verse 9. 

387
00:21:00,120 --> 00:21:02,440
Now when he rose early on the 
first day of the week, it's kind

388
00:21:02,440 --> 00:21:04,480
of like a retelling of the story
from a different, different 

389
00:21:04,480 --> 00:21:07,040
lens. 
He appeared first to marry 

390
00:21:07,040 --> 00:21:09,360
Magdalene, out of whom he had 
cast 7 demons. 

391
00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:12,200
She went and told those who'd 
been with him as they mourned 

392
00:21:12,200 --> 00:21:17,160
and wept, and when they heard 
that he was alive and had seen 

393
00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:19,920
was had been seen by her, they 
did not believe. 

394
00:21:19,920 --> 00:21:23,040
So she told she wouldn't spread 
it, but they did not believe. 

395
00:21:23,560 --> 00:21:26,800
After that, he appeared to 
another in another form, to two 

396
00:21:26,800 --> 00:21:30,800
of them as they walked and went 
into the country, and they went 

397
00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:33,480
and told it to the rest, but 
they did not believe them 

398
00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:36,440
either. 
Later he appeared to the 11 as 

399
00:21:36,440 --> 00:21:38,800
they sat at the table, and he 
rebuked their unbelief and 

400
00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:42,560
hardness of heart because they 
did not believe those who had 

401
00:21:42,560 --> 00:21:47,280
seen him after he had risen. 
What is noteworthy is the 

402
00:21:47,280 --> 00:21:49,680
disciples struggled with this 
belief. 

403
00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:52,120
And we do know that that's true 
from even the other Gospels. 

404
00:21:52,120 --> 00:21:54,120
This was, yeah, this just 
doesn't happen. 

405
00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:59,680
People don't just walk out of 
graves and Mark makes makes it 

406
00:21:59,960 --> 00:22:02,000
the gospel. 
Mark emphasized that quite 

407
00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:05,000
strongly. 
So the disciples, they believed 

408
00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:07,560
he was dead. 
When the disciples had seen that

409
00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:10,800
he was killed, they believed. 
They didn't doubt, they believed

410
00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:14,000
they he had told him I'm going 
to die. 

411
00:22:14,640 --> 00:22:17,400
They did not believe that. 
But now that he was dead, they 

412
00:22:17,400 --> 00:22:19,600
believed he was dead and he was 
going to stay dead. 

413
00:22:20,640 --> 00:22:22,120
And they were. 
The way they behaved, it looked 

414
00:22:22,120 --> 00:22:26,080
like it. 
We have no trouble imagining the

415
00:22:26,080 --> 00:22:29,120
disciples on Palm Sunday, as I 
mentioned before, walking and 

416
00:22:29,120 --> 00:22:30,560
praising and worshipping and 
shouting. 

417
00:22:30,760 --> 00:22:32,960
Just the confidence, the 
optimism, the excitement, the 

418
00:22:32,960 --> 00:22:35,000
anticipation. 
On Thursday night, the 

419
00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:38,440
Gethsemane experience, and then 
on Friday morning the house 

420
00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:42,040
comes crashing down around them.
Then he dies and then he's 

421
00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:45,880
buried and it's over. 
Well, how? 

422
00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:48,920
How do you think the disciples 
look now after Friday? 

423
00:22:49,320 --> 00:22:53,400
On Sunday, I mean in the Sabbath
and on Sunday, panic stricken, 

424
00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:59,640
terrified, scared to death. 
To them it was over when he rose

425
00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:01,480
from the dead. 
They didn't think so. 

426
00:23:01,480 --> 00:23:03,600
They didn't believe for fear of 
the Jews. 

427
00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:05,600
They were in hiding behind 
locked doors. 

428
00:23:05,880 --> 00:23:09,960
To them it was not a question of
if we're going to get attacked 

429
00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:11,720
and maybe killed. 
It was questioned when's it 

430
00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:12,560
going to go down? 
Whenever. 

431
00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:14,680
When are they going to find us? 
When will we get caught? 

432
00:23:15,360 --> 00:23:18,600
They were in hiding. 
Any thoughts of Jesus being 

433
00:23:18,600 --> 00:23:21,440
alive was about as far from 
their minds as they could 

434
00:23:21,440 --> 00:23:25,520
possibly be. 
And then when Jesus did meet 

435
00:23:25,520 --> 00:23:28,000
with his followers, 2 of them on
the road, they didn't recognize 

436
00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:30,280
him. 
Later in the room in Jerusalem, 

437
00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:35,440
he appeared and some doubted. 
I think we would fit well with 

438
00:23:35,440 --> 00:23:39,440
this group of 11. 
We may think and say, well, if 

439
00:23:39,440 --> 00:23:43,200
we had seen what they saw and if
we had heard what they heard, we

440
00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:49,040
would believe. 
Really, Do we believe today this

441
00:23:49,040 --> 00:23:52,320
book is true? 
Don't we see Jesus at work 

442
00:23:52,320 --> 00:23:53,840
today? 
That little video that we just 

443
00:23:53,840 --> 00:23:55,480
watched? 
I love that little story. 

444
00:23:56,640 --> 00:24:01,320
Too often, unbelief is the 
benchmark from which we make 

445
00:24:01,320 --> 00:24:05,760
decisions. 
So if we're going to grow in our

446
00:24:05,760 --> 00:24:08,760
walk with Jesus, we're going to 
have to trust Him. 

447
00:24:09,400 --> 00:24:12,520
It's a decision we make. 
It involves risk. 

448
00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:15,920
It's going to be uncomfortable. 
It's not always going to be safe

449
00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:18,360
either. 
Our lack of ability or lack of 

450
00:24:18,360 --> 00:24:20,920
understanding is not the 
benchmark from which Jesus tells

451
00:24:20,920 --> 00:24:23,680
us what to do. 
Notice what he told his 

452
00:24:23,680 --> 00:24:25,120
disciples. 
He told them, go and spread the 

453
00:24:25,120 --> 00:24:27,320
gospel. 
Let's read Mark chapter 1615. 

454
00:24:27,880 --> 00:24:30,840
He said to them, Go into all the
world and preach the gospel to 

455
00:24:30,840 --> 00:24:33,520
every creature. 
He who believes is baptized will

456
00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:35,720
be saved, but he who does not 
believe will be condemned. 

457
00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:38,880
And these signs will follow 
those who believe in my name. 

458
00:24:38,880 --> 00:24:42,440
They will cast out demons, they 
will speak with new tongues, 

459
00:24:42,680 --> 00:24:44,880
they'll take up serpents, and if
they're drink anything deadly, 

460
00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:47,480
it will by no means hurt them. 
They will lay hands on the sick 

461
00:24:47,840 --> 00:24:51,560
and they will recover. 
So then after the Lord had 

462
00:24:51,560 --> 00:24:54,520
spoken to them, he was received 
up into heaven, sat down at the 

463
00:24:54,520 --> 00:24:57,520
right hand of God, and they went
out and preached everywhere, the

464
00:24:57,520 --> 00:24:59,960
Lord working with them and 
confirming the word to the 

465
00:24:59,960 --> 00:25:01,560
accompanying signs. 
Amen. 

466
00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:04,320
That's the end of Mark. 
Mark chapter 16. 

467
00:25:05,240 --> 00:25:08,000
We have a promise from Jesus 
that a servants will be 

468
00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:10,720
protected. 
And the other gospels say the 

469
00:25:10,720 --> 00:25:13,120
same thing. 
This is not whoever, an 

470
00:25:13,120 --> 00:25:14,680
exemption from danger, from 
risk. 

471
00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:19,360
God is not always spare us his 
Saints. 

472
00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:23,800
And this passage about drinking 
poison or handing poison to 

473
00:25:23,800 --> 00:25:25,480
snakes? 
This is not something that's 

474
00:25:25,600 --> 00:25:28,400
intended to be interpreted 
literally, although some have 

475
00:25:28,400 --> 00:25:32,320
taken it that way. 
The Gospel writer communicates a

476
00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:35,960
different message. 
Whatever there is in the world 

477
00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:40,040
will only go as far as God 
allows it to happen, whatever 

478
00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:42,280
that may be. 
There are many stories where 

479
00:25:42,280 --> 00:25:46,880
God's Saints have been protected
through extreme danger, and 

480
00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:50,880
sometimes His Saints die. 
It doesn't refer to actual 

481
00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:54,040
physical drinking of poison, but
difficult circumstances, 

482
00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:56,680
handling poisonous snakes, but 
dangerous situations. 

483
00:25:57,120 --> 00:26:00,240
God has called us to use our 
minds and to use common sense, 

484
00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:04,480
yes, but I suggest that when we 
face injustice and hardship and 

485
00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:08,000
oppression and persecution, 
let's not be surprised. 

486
00:26:08,840 --> 00:26:11,920
Whatever God allows us into our 
lives, He allows us to happen. 

487
00:26:12,040 --> 00:26:15,920
He's aware He can still protect 
us, spirit, soul and heart. 

488
00:26:16,360 --> 00:26:18,720
And if our time has come to to 
leave, then it's time to leave. 

489
00:26:19,600 --> 00:26:24,200
But He wants to bring Himself 
glory through us, His Saints. 

490
00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:27,880
We know the story. 
The disciples did go out and 

491
00:26:27,880 --> 00:26:31,320
spread the gospel. 
But now what about us? 

492
00:26:32,600 --> 00:26:37,120
Our lives show what we believe. 
So do we believe? 

493
00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:42,320
We have a passage in James 
chapter 2 verse 19 and to 20. 

494
00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:45,480
If you believe there's one God, 
you do well. 

495
00:26:45,800 --> 00:26:47,320
Even the demons believe in 
tremble. 

496
00:26:47,720 --> 00:26:50,040
But do you not know a foolish 
man that faith without works is 

497
00:26:50,040 --> 00:26:52,200
dead? 
So saying we believe is a start,

498
00:26:52,520 --> 00:26:56,400
but that's not where it's at. 
Believing in God really means 

499
00:26:56,400 --> 00:27:00,520
serving God. 
We're saved by grace, but grace 

500
00:27:00,520 --> 00:27:02,440
isn't cheap. 
It cost God everything to save 

501
00:27:02,440 --> 00:27:05,920
us from our sins, and it will 
cost us everything to walk in 

502
00:27:05,920 --> 00:27:09,680
relationship with Him. 
If we're going to believe, we're

503
00:27:09,680 --> 00:27:11,760
going to believe in God's terms,
not ours. 

504
00:27:12,720 --> 00:27:15,960
We will believe not just with 
our mind, not just with our 

505
00:27:16,280 --> 00:27:19,960
brain, but with our heart, with 
our hands and our feet. 

506
00:27:20,560 --> 00:27:23,120
On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit 
filled the apostles and they 

507
00:27:23,120 --> 00:27:26,320
were never the same again. 
The message of the resurrection 

508
00:27:26,320 --> 00:27:29,400
took hold and thousands and 
thousands were converted and 

509
00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:33,960
continues on to this day. 
The message continues on in our 

510
00:27:33,960 --> 00:27:35,520
times. 
Did you? 

511
00:27:35,520 --> 00:27:39,080
Bonhoeffer wrote a book called 
Discipleship, and in his book he

512
00:27:39,080 --> 00:27:42,000
talks about cheap grace where 
people want to kind of water it 

513
00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:45,160
down or dilute it and so on. 
Let me just read a bit of it. 

514
00:27:45,440 --> 00:27:49,280
He said cheap grace is the 
preaching of forgiveness without

515
00:27:49,280 --> 00:27:53,280
requiring repentance, baptism 
without church discipline, 

516
00:27:53,720 --> 00:27:57,040
communion without confession, 
absolution without personal 

517
00:27:57,040 --> 00:27:59,320
confession. 
Cheap grace is grace without 

518
00:27:59,320 --> 00:28:01,960
discipleship, grace without the 
cross. 

519
00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:07,160
Grace is grace without Jesus 
Christ living in Incarnate, he 

520
00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:09,000
says. 
Costly grace is the gospel which

521
00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:12,960
must be sought again and again, 
the gift which must be asked 

522
00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:17,440
for, the door at which man must 
knock. 

523
00:28:18,080 --> 00:28:22,040
Such grace is costly because it 
called us to follow, and it is 

524
00:28:22,040 --> 00:28:24,920
grace because it calls us to 
follow Jesus Christ. 

525
00:28:25,120 --> 00:28:28,160
It is costly because it costs a 
man his life. 

526
00:28:28,320 --> 00:28:31,280
It is grace because it gives a 
man the only true life. 

527
00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:35,200
It is costly because it condemns
sin, and it's grace because it 

528
00:28:35,200 --> 00:28:38,160
justifies the Sinner. 
And above all, it is costly 

529
00:28:38,360 --> 00:28:40,760
because it cost God the life of 
His Son. 

530
00:28:42,440 --> 00:28:46,160
We were bought at a price that 
cost God so much. 

531
00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:51,560
Our question we must answer for 
ourselves today is do we believe

532
00:28:52,600 --> 00:28:56,120
what we believe is evident by 
what we do. 

533
00:28:56,920 --> 00:28:59,120
We've looked at the Gospel of 
Mark and so now the question is 

534
00:28:59,120 --> 00:29:01,520
what now? 
Timothy Getter and his 

535
00:29:01,520 --> 00:29:05,840
commentary mentions it began in 
Galilee and that's where he told

536
00:29:05,840 --> 00:29:13,360
him to go back to came full 
circle. 

537
00:29:18,400 --> 00:29:21,920
We never leave that place. 
It begins at the cross and 

538
00:29:22,680 --> 00:29:25,800
that's where we walk. 
Takes a lifetime. 

539
00:29:26,520 --> 00:29:28,040
We do not finish it in this 
life. 

540
00:29:28,040 --> 00:29:30,600
We finish it when we breathe our
last, that's when we finish it. 

541
00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:33,480
My heart's desire is that we 
will be faithful. 

542
00:29:35,160 --> 00:29:37,440
God will say to us on Judgement 
Day when He comes to take us 

543
00:29:37,440 --> 00:29:40,360
home and say, well done, good 
and faithful servants, so let's 

544
00:29:40,360 --> 00:29:44,480
go and live out this gospel that
we say we believe. 

545
00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:47,520
Let's pray. 
Lord, thank you. 

546
00:29:48,720 --> 00:29:50,960
Thank you for your word to us. 
Out of the Gospel of Mark. 

547
00:29:52,200 --> 00:29:55,080
At the very end of your earthly 
presence, your people struggled.

548
00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:58,720
And it was not until after you 
left and sent your spirit that a

549
00:29:58,720 --> 00:30:00,360
greater part of the picture came
into view. 

550
00:30:00,360 --> 00:30:03,960
Today we have a story of your 
life that continues on. 

551
00:30:04,680 --> 00:30:07,080
You're not dead. 
You rose from the grave. 

552
00:30:07,480 --> 00:30:10,480
That's our greatest comfort. 
You give eternal life to all who

553
00:30:10,480 --> 00:30:12,760
repent, put their faith and 
trust in You. 

554
00:30:13,400 --> 00:30:16,440
I pray, Lord, this morning that 
Your word will continually grow 

555
00:30:16,440 --> 00:30:18,960
in US, shape US, form US 
evermore into your image. 

556
00:30:19,320 --> 00:30:21,040
Thank you Lord for your presence
in our lives. 

557
00:30:21,440 --> 00:30:24,080
Help us, Lord to be the image 
bearers that reflect you in this

558
00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:25,320
world. 
Thank you, Jesus. 

559
00:30:25,800 --> 00:30:26,080
Amen.