1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,400 Father, we praise you. We praise you for the gift of 2 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:05,920 your Son. We praise You for the gift of 3 00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:07,680 Your Word. We praise you for the gift of 4 00:00:07,680 --> 00:00:10,160 your people. Our hearts are stirred this 5 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:12,360 morning. We pray now as we open up your 6 00:00:12,360 --> 00:00:16,680 Word and see incredible things. By your Spirit, You would make 7 00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:20,680 them credible to us. Or that we would be able to 8 00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:25,640 believe and receive and live in light of Christ's resurrection. 9 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:27,840 In his name we pray. Amen. 10 00:00:28,960 --> 00:00:32,000 Our reading this morning comes from John's Gospel, chapter 20, 11 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:35,000 starting in verse one through verse 18. 12 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:38,560 Now, on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the 13 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:42,080 tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had 14 00:00:42,080 --> 00:00:45,640 been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon 15 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:49,080 Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and 16 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:51,960 said to them, they've taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do 17 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:53,640 not know where they have laid him. 18 00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:56,880 So Peter went out with the other disciple and they were going 19 00:00:56,880 --> 00:00:59,200 toward the tomb. Both of them were running 20 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:01,360 together. But the other disciple outran 21 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:05,160 Peter and reached the tomb 1st and stooping to look in, he saw 22 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:08,400 the linen clothes lying there, but he did not go in. 23 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:11,960 Then Simon Peter came following him and went into the tomb. 24 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:15,680 He saw the linen cloth lying there and the face cloth which 25 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:18,920 had been on Jesus head not lying with the linen clothes, but 26 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:22,600 folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who had 27 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:28,240 reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed, for 28 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:31,480 as yet they did not understand the Scripture that he must rise 29 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:33,960 from the dead. Then the disciples went back to 30 00:01:33,960 --> 00:01:36,880 their homes. But Mary stood weeping outside 31 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:40,080 the tomb, and as she wept, she stooped to look into the tomb, 32 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:44,320 and she saw 2 angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus 33 00:01:44,320 --> 00:01:46,800 had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 34 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:49,320 They said to her, Woman, why are you weeping? 35 00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:52,800 She said to them, They've taken away my Lord, and I do not know 36 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:55,760 where they have laid him. Having said this, she turned 37 00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:59,720 around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was 38 00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:02,120 Jesus. Jesus said to her, Woman, why 39 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:04,280 are you weeping? Whom are you seeking? 40 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:06,440 Supposing him to be the gardener? 41 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:10,039 She said to him, Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me 42 00:02:10,039 --> 00:02:12,520 where you have laid him and I will take him away. 43 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:16,760 Jesus said to her, Mary. She turned and said to him in 44 00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:20,000 Aramaic Rabboni, which means teacher. 45 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:23,480 Jesus said to her, do not cling to me, for I've not yet ascended 46 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:26,920 to the Father, but go to my brothers and say to them, I'm 47 00:02:26,920 --> 00:02:31,280 ascending to my Father, and your father to my God and your God. 48 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:34,600 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, I 49 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:38,280 have seen the Lord, and that he had said these things to her. 50 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:41,840 This is the word of the Lord, Thanks be to God. 51 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:47,000 Please be seated. One of my favorite questions to 52 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:49,960 ask of any text is why is this in the Bible? 53 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:54,000 Why did the Holy Spirit lead someone, in this case John, to 54 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:56,680 write these words? And it's a great question. 55 00:02:56,680 --> 00:03:00,240 It doesn't always give us an obvious answer, but this morning 56 00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:04,200 the answer is obvious. This text teaches us about the 57 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:08,280 resurrection of Jesus Christ because if Christ is risen, 58 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:12,160 nothing else matters. And if Christ is not risen, 59 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:15,720 nothing else matters. These were reportedly the dying 60 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:19,040 words of a historian and theologian named Yaroslav 61 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:22,200 Pelican. His who he is doesn't really 62 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:25,600 matter, but what he says matters tremendously. 63 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:30,680 If Christ is risen, nothing else matters, and if Christ is not 64 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:35,560 risen, nothing else matters. What does he mean if Jesus rose 65 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:39,280 from the grave that morning? If Peter and John went and found 66 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:43,840 the tomb empty, if Mary really did see the Lord, nothing else 67 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:47,440 matters because this is the most important moment in history. 68 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:50,240 Jesus is Lord, and every knee should bow. 69 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:54,040 But if Jesus did not rise from the dead that morning, nothing 70 00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:56,760 else matters. Because for all of his good 71 00:03:56,760 --> 00:03:59,680 teaching and deeds, Jesus ended up being a fraud. 72 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:02,880 Because at the center of his mission he said he would die. 73 00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:05,920 He would rise again and return to the Father. 74 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:09,240 So if he didn't do that, why should we listen to anything he 75 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:11,640 says? Instead, we should just live it 76 00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:14,280 up. Because tomorrow we die. 77 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:18,160 It doesn't matter. So I want us to realize what's 78 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:21,800 at stake in the resurrection and lean in this morning like this 79 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:24,640 is a life or death matter, Because it is. 80 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:28,600 If you think about after the cross, Jesus followers were not 81 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:30,960 in a good place. They were overwhelmed with 82 00:04:30,960 --> 00:04:33,280 doubt. Some of them had just failed 83 00:04:33,280 --> 00:04:35,920 miserably and they were full of grief. 84 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:40,160 But they brought all of that with them to the empty tomb and 85 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:43,800 the risen Christ met them there. So wherever you are this 86 00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:47,200 morning, I invite you to bring your doubts and your failures 87 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:48,960 and your grief to the empty tomb. 88 00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:52,360 And I pray that the risen Christ will meet you there today. 89 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:55,560 The first thing I want us to see is that the risen Christ has a 90 00:04:55,560 --> 00:04:59,280 message for the doubting. And really here the character to 91 00:04:59,280 --> 00:05:02,840 consider is the empty tomb. I don't know your doubts. 92 00:05:03,160 --> 00:05:05,120 I don't know what you struggle with in the Bible. 93 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:08,440 I don't know what you see in the world or what you've seen in the 94 00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:10,400 church. I don't know what happened to 95 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:13,880 you or someone you love. But I know we have our doubts. 96 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:16,200 My encouragement is that you're not alone. 97 00:05:16,680 --> 00:05:20,280 Mary Magdalene and Peter were full of doubt on that Sunday 98 00:05:20,280 --> 00:05:21,680 morning. They'd been crushed just a 99 00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:25,000 couple days ago by the crucifixion of their Lord and 100 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:28,200 their close friend, so they were doubting everything. 101 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:32,560 But the empty tomb confronted them in their doubts. 102 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:35,080 It forced them to consider the evidence. 103 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:37,960 And this morning I want you to consider the evidence. 104 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:40,400 I don't know if we do this enough. 105 00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:43,840 I think Christian or non Christian many of us have not 106 00:05:43,840 --> 00:05:46,880 never really seriously considered the evidence. 107 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:50,000 So first I want to take the other side and assume that this 108 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:52,880 didn't happen. So what are the arguments we can 109 00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:55,520 make that Christ did not rise again? 110 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:57,640 And how strong are these arguments? 111 00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:01,360 First, someone could have stolen or moved Jesus body. 112 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:04,480 This is actually Mary Magdalene's assumption in verse 113 00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:06,920 2 and 13. She thinks someone has taken 114 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:09,360 Jesus body. She says they've taken the Lord 115 00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:12,520 out of the tomb and we do not know where they've laid him. 116 00:06:13,520 --> 00:06:16,880 If it was grave robbers, which happened back then, you have to 117 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:20,320 figure out how the grave robbers get past these professional 118 00:06:20,320 --> 00:06:22,600 soldiers and move this massive stone. 119 00:06:23,480 --> 00:06:25,640 If it was the Romans or the Jews, I guess they could have 120 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:27,360 decided we're going to change locations. 121 00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:30,760 But then they know where that is and they could tell everyone. 122 00:06:31,840 --> 00:06:34,440 And if it was the disciples, that just doesn't make any sense 123 00:06:34,440 --> 00:06:36,960 because the disciples, since Friday, they're running and 124 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:39,680 hiding. They're not in any place to take 125 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:42,160 on soldiers and move a huge boulder. 126 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:45,720 So second, the women could have gone to the wrong tune. 127 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:49,400 If the women went to the wrong tomb and then went and told the 128 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:52,400 disciples and the story starts to spread, Jesus has risen. 129 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:55,840 It would be so easy for the Jews and Romans just to take everyone 130 00:06:56,080 --> 00:06:58,240 to the right tomb and put a big sign. 131 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:02,880 No, he's still very much here. Third, maybe Jesus didn't 132 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:05,280 actually die. This has been called the swoon 133 00:07:05,280 --> 00:07:08,480 theory, that Jesus was on the cross, but he didn't actually 134 00:07:08,480 --> 00:07:10,760 die on the cross, maybe just kind of passed out. 135 00:07:11,040 --> 00:07:14,320 But it's a hard pill to swallow because the Romans were really 136 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:17,520 good at killing people. Crucifixion was kind of their 137 00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:21,680 thing, and the Gospels actually tell us that Jesus died before 138 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:24,920 the soldiers could come and break his bones to speed it up. 139 00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:28,840 It's also hard to believe that this would have been a horribly 140 00:07:28,840 --> 00:07:32,240 injured Jesus. Very weak that that character 141 00:07:32,240 --> 00:07:34,800 could inspire his followers to think that he had conquered 142 00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:37,080 death. Take that message to the world. 143 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:39,560 4th. The disciples could have just 144 00:07:39,560 --> 00:07:41,760 made the story up. It's a fabrication. 145 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:45,360 This is actually the easiest of the arguments to believe the 146 00:07:45,360 --> 00:07:47,800 resurrection didn't happen. It's just a myth. 147 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:51,360 But if you just think the disciples made it up, you have 148 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:55,160 to deal with several questions. So if they made it up, why did 149 00:07:55,160 --> 00:07:57,880 they give women such a prominent role in the story? 150 00:07:58,320 --> 00:08:01,600 I have nothing against women, but back then the culture did, 151 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:04,880 and the culture didn't really see woman's testimony as valid 152 00:08:04,880 --> 00:08:07,480 in court. And so if this is a fiction, 153 00:08:07,480 --> 00:08:10,600 it's a strange choice that in all the gospels, the women are 154 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:13,560 the first witnesses of this earth shaking event. 155 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:16,120 It's also interesting if they made it up, that they 156 00:08:16,120 --> 00:08:19,720 immediately went to go preach this lie right where it happened 157 00:08:20,040 --> 00:08:22,000 in Acts. You see them preaching where in 158 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:25,560 Jerusalem where it would be so easy to tell everyone, hey, this 159 00:08:25,560 --> 00:08:27,320 didn't happen. The tomb's actually over here. 160 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:31,600 That's hard to swallow. And if they made it up, you have 161 00:08:31,600 --> 00:08:34,720 to figure out how to explain the book of Acts, the whole New 162 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:36,960 Testament and all of church history. 163 00:08:37,799 --> 00:08:41,000 Good luck. If they made it up they knew it 164 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:43,840 was a lie. Would you endure what these 165 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:46,320 disciples went through knowing it was a lie? 166 00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:50,120 Chuck Coulson served under President Richard Nixon and he 167 00:08:50,120 --> 00:08:53,720 was involved in the Watergate scandal of the early 70s and 168 00:08:53,720 --> 00:08:57,520 went to prison and later came to Christ and had a powerful 169 00:08:57,520 --> 00:09:00,040 ministry in Jesus name. Listen to what Chuck Coulson 170 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:02,600 says about this. I know the resurrection is a 171 00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:04,640 fact and Watergate proved it to me. 172 00:09:04,840 --> 00:09:08,360 How? Because 12 men testified they'd 173 00:09:08,360 --> 00:09:11,840 seen Jesus raised from the dead. Then they proclaim that truth 174 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:14,440 for 40 years, never once denying it. 175 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:18,280 Everyone was beaten, tortured, stoned, put in prison. 176 00:09:18,520 --> 00:09:21,680 They would not have endured that if it weren't true. 177 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:25,280 Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world, 178 00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:27,800 and they couldn't keep a lie for three weeks. 179 00:09:29,520 --> 00:09:33,440 You're telling me 12 apostles could keep a lie for 40 years? 180 00:09:33,760 --> 00:09:37,120 Absolutely impossible. And it's worth noting what the 181 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:40,680 apostles faced was a lot worse than a little jail time. 182 00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:44,680 When you consider the arguments that Jesus didn't rise from the 183 00:09:44,680 --> 00:09:46,560 dead, are any of them compelling to you? 184 00:09:46,560 --> 00:09:49,360 That's what you have to ask. Could I buy any of that? 185 00:09:49,880 --> 00:09:53,640 I think they all fall flat. And so we have to ask, what's 186 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:56,640 the evidence that Christ did rise from the dead? 187 00:09:57,360 --> 00:10:01,040 And it's amazing to me to think that God didn't have to provide 188 00:10:01,040 --> 00:10:03,720 us with evidence. If you look one verse later, 189 00:10:03,720 --> 00:10:06,440 John 2019, the disciples are hiding out. 190 00:10:06,440 --> 00:10:08,080 They've locked the doors. They're scared. 191 00:10:08,760 --> 00:10:12,920 Jesus appears in the room, like he just appeared or walked 192 00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:15,680 through the door. Maybe he was more real than the 193 00:10:15,680 --> 00:10:19,440 door now. And if he can do that, did he 194 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:20,960 need the stone to be rolled away? 195 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:25,400 I think the stone wasn't rolled away for Jesus. 196 00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:27,800 He didn't have to have an exit. He could have just done whatever 197 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:30,040 he wanted. It was rolled away for us. 198 00:10:30,040 --> 00:10:33,920 God wanted us to see as he was accomplishing this miracle of 199 00:10:33,920 --> 00:10:36,400 miracles. He left us with evidence. 200 00:10:36,680 --> 00:10:40,440 So Christianity is not a blind leap of faith into the dark like 201 00:10:40,440 --> 00:10:42,640 so many people think, Christian and non Christian. 202 00:10:42,640 --> 00:10:44,760 Oh you just have to leap into the dark. 203 00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:49,560 No, it's trusting in a God who has revealed himself in history 204 00:10:49,840 --> 00:10:52,680 with brilliant light. So consider the evidence. 205 00:10:52,680 --> 00:10:55,920 Professional soldiers were somehow neutralized that 206 00:10:55,920 --> 00:10:57,520 morning. They were there to guard the 207 00:10:57,520 --> 00:11:00,000 tomb. They knew if they failed, death 208 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:04,280 was the likely result for them. So in Matthew 28 four we learned 209 00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:08,400 that an Angel took care of the guards and Matthew says for fear 210 00:11:08,400 --> 00:11:12,320 of him, the guards trembled and became like dead men and the 211 00:11:12,320 --> 00:11:15,240 stone was rolled away. We see this in verse one. 212 00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:18,960 The stone could have weighed 2 tons, 4000 lbs. 213 00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:22,360 The soldiers needed levers to just get it in place. 214 00:11:22,520 --> 00:11:25,080 The Dallas Cowboys offensive line couldn't move it. 215 00:11:25,520 --> 00:11:28,480 You think a few women and fishermen could move it? 216 00:11:29,640 --> 00:11:32,400 Probably not. Matthew 28, two, says. 217 00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:35,080 An Angel rolled back the stone and sat on it. 218 00:11:35,080 --> 00:11:39,240 I think that was probably enough for the soldiers to say I'm 219 00:11:39,240 --> 00:11:40,480 going to do something else. Now. 220 00:11:41,800 --> 00:11:43,720 The grave clothes were left undisturbed. 221 00:11:43,720 --> 00:11:45,560 We see this in verses 5 through 9. 222 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:48,560 Jewish people would wrap the dead body in these claws with 223 00:11:48,560 --> 00:11:52,400 maybe 100 lbs of spices. So from Friday night to early 224 00:11:52,400 --> 00:11:55,920 Sunday morning, Jesus was sort of like a mummy in that tomb. 225 00:11:56,720 --> 00:12:00,520 But Sunday morning these graves clothes were mysteriously lying 226 00:12:00,520 --> 00:12:03,560 there empty, maybe inflated a little bit like where his body 227 00:12:03,560 --> 00:12:06,080 used to be. Like a caterpillar's chrysalis. 228 00:12:06,080 --> 00:12:09,840 After the butterfly emerges, he's gone, and the resurrected 229 00:12:09,840 --> 00:12:12,280 body of our Lord just passed through the clothes. 230 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:15,080 I guess he had to find some new clothes, which I've never 231 00:12:15,080 --> 00:12:16,960 thought about. Where did he get clothes? 232 00:12:17,560 --> 00:12:23,520 Sunday morning early and the face cloth was folded up and 233 00:12:23,520 --> 00:12:26,120 left in place. The head would be wrapped 234 00:12:26,120 --> 00:12:29,120 separately from the body. Jesus apparently folded up the 235 00:12:29,120 --> 00:12:32,440 face cloth like a person who's done with an article of closing. 236 00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:35,960 I don't need this anymore. Put it back where it belongs. 237 00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:39,280 And then we have these eyewitness accounts of angels. 238 00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:41,960 All the Gospels are united and testifying that there were these 239 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:44,400 shining men or angels on the scene. 240 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:47,760 And then we have these amazing eyewitness accounts of Jesus 241 00:12:47,760 --> 00:12:50,440 appearing to people. But they're not what you would 242 00:12:50,440 --> 00:12:54,080 expect from a myth. They're not sensationalized. 243 00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:57,480 When you talk about the empty tomb or the appearances there, 244 00:12:57,760 --> 00:13:01,440 If anything, understated Jesus appears to Mary here. 245 00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:03,920 She's not blown away. She mistakes him for the 246 00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:07,440 gardener, and he appears to these sad disciples on the road 247 00:13:07,440 --> 00:13:09,360 to Emmaus, and they don't recognize them. 248 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:12,840 And in the passages after this one, you know, Jesus deals with 249 00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:16,240 Thomas's doubt and Peter's denials, and then he has 250 00:13:16,440 --> 00:13:18,720 breakfast with his friends on the beach. 251 00:13:19,360 --> 00:13:21,760 They're beautiful stories, but they have the feeling of 252 00:13:21,760 --> 00:13:25,720 authenticity and credibility, not like they were made-up. 253 00:13:26,880 --> 00:13:29,960 Many people have tried to disprove the resurrection, and 254 00:13:29,960 --> 00:13:33,320 they've all failed. There's a lawyer named Frank 255 00:13:33,320 --> 00:13:35,720 Morrison. He tried to do it, and then he 256 00:13:35,720 --> 00:13:39,600 ended up writing a book called Who Moved the Stone to Defend 257 00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:43,040 the Resurrection. So brilliant people have weighed 258 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:46,440 the evidence and concluded that Jesus rose from the dead. 259 00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:50,360 Listen to what a former Chief Justice of England said. 260 00:13:50,600 --> 00:13:53,840 There exists such overwhelming evidence, positive and negative, 261 00:13:53,840 --> 00:13:58,080 factual and circumstantial, that no intelligent jury in the world 262 00:13:58,320 --> 00:14:02,040 could fail to bring in a verdict that the resurrection story is 263 00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:05,680 true. So from that Sunday morning on, 264 00:14:05,800 --> 00:14:08,840 Jesus followers knew what what was at stake. 265 00:14:09,200 --> 00:14:12,680 They knew the world had changed. So when Peter preaches in Acts, 266 00:14:12,680 --> 00:14:16,200 what's central the resurrection? And when Paul talks about the 267 00:14:16,200 --> 00:14:19,360 gospel in First Corinthians 15 three, what's central the 268 00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:23,480 resurrection, he basically says First Corinthians 15-3, this is 269 00:14:23,480 --> 00:14:25,240 the gospel. This is the matter of first 270 00:14:25,240 --> 00:14:27,600 importance. Jesus died for our sins. 271 00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:32,040 He was buried and he rose from the grave, and this is all in 272 00:14:32,040 --> 00:14:34,840 fulfillment of the Scriptures. And then what does he do? 273 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:38,320 He mentions all these people to whom Jesus appeared. 274 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:42,240 In First Corinthians 15-6, Paul says the risen Christ appeared 275 00:14:42,240 --> 00:14:46,320 to 500 people. At the same time, he says most 276 00:14:46,320 --> 00:14:48,880 of these people are still alive, though a few have fallen asleep. 277 00:14:49,480 --> 00:14:52,520 So a few have died. So think about what he's saying. 278 00:14:52,520 --> 00:14:55,240 Paul is saying we're not making this stuff up. 279 00:14:55,240 --> 00:14:57,040 This didn't happen that long ago. 280 00:14:57,280 --> 00:15:00,040 Some of these witnesses have died, but most of us are still 281 00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:02,200 here. So if you have questions or 282 00:15:02,200 --> 00:15:06,800 doubts, like see us after the service, come find us. 283 00:15:07,240 --> 00:15:11,640 We witnessed this. Paul sees the other side too. 284 00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:15,440 In the same chapter, Paul says if Christ has not been raised 285 00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:19,600 from the dead, our preaching is in vain, our faith is in vain, 286 00:15:19,680 --> 00:15:23,080 we've become false witnesses about God, we're still in our 287 00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:27,440 sins, and we are above all people, most to be pitied. 288 00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:34,880 So without the resurrection, you have to explain the apostles 289 00:15:34,880 --> 00:15:38,640 transformation, the explosive growth of the church, the life 290 00:15:38,640 --> 00:15:43,200 of Saul who becomes Paul, the last 2000 years of the church. 291 00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:46,960 Without the resurrection. How do you explain why we're 292 00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:50,760 here this morning and why many of us believe that this is true 293 00:15:51,600 --> 00:15:53,600 and we can see the change in our lives? 294 00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:57,480 Jesus invites us to bring our doubts to the empty tomb, to 295 00:15:57,480 --> 00:16:02,080 consider the evidence, and to believe that he's risen indeed. 296 00:16:02,440 --> 00:16:05,400 So whether you're a Christian or not, if you've never seriously 297 00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:09,080 considered the evidence, my encouragement is follow Peter 298 00:16:09,080 --> 00:16:11,560 and John and run to that empty tomb. 299 00:16:12,480 --> 00:16:15,320 What could possibly be more important than figuring out if 300 00:16:15,480 --> 00:16:18,680 Jesus rose from the dead? The evidence points the 301 00:16:18,680 --> 00:16:22,120 historical fact of Jesus bodily resurrection. 302 00:16:22,880 --> 00:16:26,360 If Christ is risen, that means something cosmic has happened 303 00:16:26,360 --> 00:16:29,960 right here on earth. But what does it mean for us 304 00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:32,760 personally? So we turn our attention to 305 00:16:32,760 --> 00:16:36,320 Peter and Mary Magdalene and see the personal significance of the 306 00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:38,840 resurrection. As we look at Peter, we see the 307 00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:41,480 risen Christ has a message for the failing. 308 00:16:42,360 --> 00:16:45,840 When we last saw Peter in John 18 a few weeks ago, he failed 309 00:16:45,840 --> 00:16:48,480 miserably. He talked to big talk, but then 310 00:16:48,480 --> 00:16:52,560 in his walk he fell on his face. He pulled a sword and tried to 311 00:16:52,560 --> 00:16:56,400 stop Jesus from going to the cross and then he denied knowing 312 00:16:56,440 --> 00:16:59,200 Jesus three times. We remember the rooster crowed 313 00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:02,720 and Luke says Peter went out and he wept bitterly. 314 00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:06,560 So just imagine his emotional state on Friday and Saturday and 315 00:17:06,560 --> 00:17:10,319 then early Sunday morning. His Lord, his Messiah was gone. 316 00:17:10,319 --> 00:17:14,560 His hopes were dashed and all he can think is in Jesus moment of 317 00:17:14,560 --> 00:17:19,079 greatest need I failed. I acted like I didn't even know 318 00:17:19,079 --> 00:17:20,640 him. That's what he has to live with. 319 00:17:21,040 --> 00:17:25,119 Peter had failed Jesus, and we've failed Jesus. 320 00:17:26,040 --> 00:17:28,440 We failed to love him with everything we have. 321 00:17:28,600 --> 00:17:31,280 We failed to love others as he's love us. 322 00:17:31,800 --> 00:17:34,880 We failed to honor him with our thoughts and our affections and 323 00:17:34,880 --> 00:17:37,680 our bodies. And so we may have success in 324 00:17:37,680 --> 00:17:41,920 this world, but can we admit that we failed Jesus, that we're 325 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:44,840 sinners? That's where Peter was that 326 00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:47,480 Sunday morning. But in the midst of his failure, 327 00:17:47,800 --> 00:17:51,280 look at what he does when Mary Magdalene comes and finds him, 328 00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:54,560 when she raises the alarm that the stone's been rolled away and 329 00:17:54,560 --> 00:17:56,080 Jesus isn't there, what does he do? 330 00:17:56,760 --> 00:17:58,640 Peter doesn't wallow in self pity. 331 00:17:58,640 --> 00:18:00,600 He doesn't drown himself in his doubts. 332 00:18:00,600 --> 00:18:04,160 He gets up and he runs. And maybe he's just thinking, 333 00:18:04,160 --> 00:18:07,040 I'm going to go protect my dead friend's body. 334 00:18:07,800 --> 00:18:10,920 But in his failure, he at least runs towards Jesus. 335 00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:14,680 In your failure, do you run towards Jesus? 336 00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:18,280 And so it's another beautiful, believable story. 337 00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:21,080 I think of Peter and John running through the streets of 338 00:18:21,080 --> 00:18:24,200 Jerusalem early in the morning and oops, sorry, Mary, They seem 339 00:18:24,200 --> 00:18:27,880 to have left her behind. And John seems to be younger. 340 00:18:27,880 --> 00:18:29,720 It's so funny just getting his perspective. 341 00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:31,880 He won't say his name, but I think it's John. 342 00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:34,200 John points out that he's faster. 343 00:18:34,640 --> 00:18:37,040 He gets there first. John looks into the tomb but 344 00:18:37,040 --> 00:18:40,880 doesn't go in. But Peter, true to form, slow 345 00:18:41,280 --> 00:18:43,920 but bull in the China shop, just barges right in. 346 00:18:45,200 --> 00:18:47,760 And so Peter sees the evidence, the stones rolled away, the 347 00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:50,800 grave closed, the face cloth, He's taken it all in. 348 00:18:51,120 --> 00:18:53,320 And so John follows him into the tomb next. 349 00:18:53,320 --> 00:18:58,080 And John sees and John believes, John becomes the first to 350 00:18:58,080 --> 00:19:01,600 believe that Christ is risen. And then verse 10 says they went 351 00:19:01,600 --> 00:19:05,400 back home, which is interesting. I wonder what they talked about 352 00:19:05,400 --> 00:19:08,200 as they went home. And I think some time passed 353 00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:10,760 between them leaving and Mary Magdalene coming back. 354 00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:14,360 It's not clear exactly what Peter and John believed or 355 00:19:14,360 --> 00:19:17,920 understood in this moment, but just imagine Peter running to 356 00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:19,960 the tomb knowing all of his failures. 357 00:19:21,120 --> 00:19:24,720 How's Jesus respond to him and his failures? 358 00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:27,720 We see this in verse 17 when Jesus is talking to Mary. 359 00:19:27,720 --> 00:19:31,240 Because Jesus gives Mary the task of going to the disciples 360 00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:33,040 and telling them about his resurrection. 361 00:19:33,280 --> 00:19:36,000 And how does Jesus refer to his followers? 362 00:19:36,280 --> 00:19:41,000 He could have said go to those failures and say to them, go to 363 00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:44,800 those failures. That's kind of who they were. 364 00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:48,560 But he doesn't. He says, go to my brothers and 365 00:19:48,560 --> 00:19:53,520 say to them, go to my brothers. Peter had denied Jesus and fled 366 00:19:53,520 --> 00:19:55,160 the scene. And as far as we know, all the 367 00:19:55,160 --> 00:19:59,400 other disciples did the same. But Jesus calls them my brothers 368 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:02,520 in John 15. He called them friends when he 369 00:20:02,520 --> 00:20:05,360 was sitting with them. He said he would lay down his 370 00:20:05,360 --> 00:20:07,280 life for his friends, and that's what he did. 371 00:20:07,280 --> 00:20:11,360 And now he goes one step further, calls them brothers. 372 00:20:11,560 --> 00:20:13,560 And what's his message for his brothers? 373 00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:17,920 I'm ascending to my father and your father, my God and your 374 00:20:17,920 --> 00:20:20,640 God. So do you see it? 375 00:20:21,440 --> 00:20:25,120 The risen Christ not settling scores. 376 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:29,840 Instead, he's building a family of forgiven failures. 377 00:20:31,320 --> 00:20:34,720 The disciples are his brothers. He wants his Father to be their 378 00:20:34,720 --> 00:20:39,480 father, his God to be their God. So in our failures, the risen 379 00:20:39,480 --> 00:20:43,680 Christ offers us grace upon grace, the grace of forgiveness 380 00:20:43,680 --> 00:20:47,240 for our sins and failures, the grace of adoption into his 381 00:20:47,240 --> 00:20:50,000 family. This morning the risen Christ 382 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:54,040 invites us to bring our failures to him, to believe in what he's 383 00:20:54,040 --> 00:20:57,080 done for us, and to receive his forgiveness. 384 00:20:57,760 --> 00:21:01,080 Will you come to Jesus this morning and receive His grace? 385 00:21:01,840 --> 00:21:04,760 Finally, the risen Christ has a message for the grieving. 386 00:21:05,360 --> 00:21:07,040 We don't know much about Mary Magdalene. 387 00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:10,480 I would love to know more. In Luke 82, we learned that 388 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:12,720 seven demons had gone out from her. 389 00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:15,680 People have tried to guess what her sins were, but we don't 390 00:21:15,680 --> 00:21:17,560 know. I think all we know is that she 391 00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:21,240 must have sinned much and suffered much, but she was 392 00:21:21,240 --> 00:21:24,200 forgiven much, and so she loved much. 393 00:21:25,080 --> 00:21:28,360 And all four Gospels locate her here at the tomb on the Sunday 394 00:21:28,360 --> 00:21:31,760 morning in John 20. It's clear that she's in deep 395 00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:34,240 grief. She's weeping, wailing, thinking 396 00:21:34,400 --> 00:21:36,880 someone has now added insult to injury. 397 00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:40,680 I just had to experience my teacher, my Lord, being brutally 398 00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:42,520 killed. And now someone has stolen his 399 00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:44,880 body just to make further sport of him. 400 00:21:45,320 --> 00:21:48,240 And so we meet Mary in her darkest hour at her lowest 401 00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:50,760 point. And many of us have been there. 402 00:21:51,600 --> 00:21:53,400 Some of us may be there this morning. 403 00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:57,360 I know the last month or so has been a time of deep grief for 404 00:21:57,360 --> 00:22:01,200 many in our community. And like Mary, you may have no 405 00:22:01,200 --> 00:22:03,640 expectation that things are going to get better. 406 00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:07,840 But let's see what happens. In verse 11, John says she stood 407 00:22:07,840 --> 00:22:11,640 weeping outside the tomb. The word in Greek forestood is a 408 00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:14,200 strong word. There's a sense that she stood 409 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:17,040 right there. She anchored herself. 410 00:22:17,040 --> 00:22:20,440 She wasn't going anywhere. So in her grief, Mary gets as 411 00:22:20,440 --> 00:22:23,880 close to Jesus as she can and stands there. 412 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:27,360 So she becomes the picture really of abiding in Christ, 413 00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:32,280 even if she thinks he's dead. But now she looks into the tomb. 414 00:22:32,760 --> 00:22:35,120 Earlier she just saw the stone rolled away. 415 00:22:35,360 --> 00:22:38,440 Maybe it was too dark, maybe she was too scared, maybe she was in 416 00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:40,720 too much of a hurry. But now she takes a look and 417 00:22:40,720 --> 00:22:43,120 what does she notice? Not the grave clothes, if 418 00:22:43,120 --> 00:22:46,880 they're still there, but 2 angels sitting where the body of 419 00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:49,160 Jesus had been, one at the head, one at the feet. 420 00:22:49,720 --> 00:22:52,400 And they ask her kindly, woman, why are you weeping? 421 00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:55,720 And she shares her grief. Then she turns and realizes 422 00:22:55,720 --> 00:22:58,200 someone else is standing with her. 423 00:22:58,680 --> 00:23:01,200 And this man asked the same question, woman, why are you 424 00:23:01,200 --> 00:23:03,600 weeping? And then he adds, whom are you 425 00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:06,600 seeking? She thinks he's the gardener, so 426 00:23:06,600 --> 00:23:08,920 maybe he knows what happened to Jesus. 427 00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:14,320 But it is Jesus. And in verse 16, he says Mary, 428 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:16,960 as he'd said countless times before. 429 00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:21,600 And her eyes are open and she turns, and her whole world is 430 00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:25,880 turned upside down, Teacher, she cries out and her fears are 431 00:23:25,880 --> 00:23:30,440 gone, and her hope is restored and her grief turns to joy in a 432 00:23:30,440 --> 00:23:32,920 moment. Because of the risen Christ. 433 00:23:33,480 --> 00:23:37,600 So Mary Magdalene, this sinful, demon possessed, formerly demon 434 00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:41,880 possessed woman, was the first person to see and touch the 435 00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:43,640 risen Christ. Isn't that amazing? 436 00:23:43,640 --> 00:23:47,480 He could have gone to Pilot or Caiaphas or Nicodemus or Peter 437 00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:52,280 or John, but he came for Mary, which is just like coming for 438 00:23:52,280 --> 00:23:55,000 you or me. I think he did that for a 439 00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:57,720 reason, but no one would feel too far gone. 440 00:23:59,560 --> 00:24:02,560 She was standing there weeping, and Jesus was standing there 441 00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:04,720 with her. So can you see it? 442 00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:08,280 The risen Christ, he comes to the doubting, to the failing, to 443 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:11,680 the grieving, to us. And if we don't see ourselves in 444 00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:14,280 these categories, we're just kidding ourselves. 445 00:24:14,280 --> 00:24:17,840 This is who we are. So in our grief, are we running 446 00:24:17,840 --> 00:24:20,560 from Jesus? Are we running to Jesus? 447 00:24:20,560 --> 00:24:24,800 Are we trying to get as close to Jesus as we can, even if we 448 00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:28,480 don't think he's there? Because when we bring our grief 449 00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:32,520 to Jesus, we find that he's actually standing with us and he 450 00:24:32,520 --> 00:24:36,480 speaks our name and he gives us joy in the midst of our grief. 451 00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:40,760 So as we close, I feel the struggle of having too big of a 452 00:24:40,760 --> 00:24:44,480 Christmas present to fit it in a box and try to tie a bow around 453 00:24:44,480 --> 00:24:46,520 it. One tried to tie a bow on this 454 00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:49,080 package of the resurrection, but it's too glorious. 455 00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:52,680 It's too hard. But I'm going to try because 456 00:24:52,680 --> 00:24:56,000 this moment changed history and has changed every moment since. 457 00:24:56,360 --> 00:24:59,240 So let's wrestle with it, GK Chesterton wrote. 458 00:24:59,520 --> 00:25:02,600 On the third day, the friends of Christ, coming at Daybreak to 459 00:25:02,600 --> 00:25:06,080 the place, found the grave empty and stone rolled away. 460 00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:10,560 In varying ways they realized the new wonder, but even they 461 00:25:10,560 --> 00:25:13,640 hardly realized that the world had died in the night. 462 00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:18,000 The world had died in the night. What they were looking at was 463 00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:21,480 the first day of a new creation, and then the semblance of the 464 00:25:21,480 --> 00:25:24,160 gardener. God walked again in the garden 465 00:25:24,560 --> 00:25:27,560 in the cool, not of the evening, but the dawn. 466 00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:32,000 So Chesterton captures the cosmic significance of this 467 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:33,960 moment. This was the dawn of a new day. 468 00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:38,000 This was the hinge of history. Jesus was the first born of a 469 00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:41,360 new humanity. The resurrection is cosmic. 470 00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:45,280 Jesus has conquered sin and death and hell. 471 00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:47,800 But at the same time, isn't it beautiful? 472 00:25:47,800 --> 00:25:51,600 It's intensely personal. John wrote this gospel in this 473 00:25:51,600 --> 00:25:54,760 passage so that we would believe that Jesus is the Christ, and 474 00:25:54,760 --> 00:25:58,320 that by believing we would have life in his name. 475 00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:02,680 So if we believe in the risen Christ today, the resurrection 476 00:26:02,680 --> 00:26:07,800 means our sins are forgiven, we have eternal life, we will be 477 00:26:07,800 --> 00:26:11,120 united with Christ in a resurrection like His, and we 478 00:26:11,120 --> 00:26:14,360 can trade a life in this world that sometimes seems meaningless 479 00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:17,880 for a life with great purpose and mission. 480 00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:23,080 We can have life in His name. So the resurrection is cosmic. 481 00:26:23,080 --> 00:26:26,240 Do you believe that this happened and it changed the 482 00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:28,760 world and the resurrection is personal? 483 00:26:29,360 --> 00:26:33,600 Has it changed your own life? Can you say by faith with Mary I 484 00:26:33,600 --> 00:26:38,680 have seen the Lord? If Christ is risen, nothing else 485 00:26:38,680 --> 00:26:42,800 matters, and if Christ is not risen, nothing else matters. 486 00:26:43,200 --> 00:26:47,800 Let's pray. Father, we praise you for the 487 00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:50,160 glorious reality of the resurrection. 488 00:26:50,280 --> 00:26:53,120 We pray this morning that we would bring you our doubts, all 489 00:26:53,120 --> 00:26:56,600 our questions, and we would come and consider the evidence, that 490 00:26:56,600 --> 00:27:00,080 we would come and peer into the empty tomb and you would help 491 00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:01,480 us. You would convince us. 492 00:27:01,480 --> 00:27:03,760 You would convert US, maybe for the first time. 493 00:27:04,120 --> 00:27:06,640 Christ is risen, everything is changed. 494 00:27:07,240 --> 00:27:10,120 Father, we bring you our failures, also our sins. 495 00:27:10,160 --> 00:27:13,440 We pray or that we would trust that Christ is risen. 496 00:27:13,440 --> 00:27:16,520 You have received his offering paid in full. 497 00:27:16,760 --> 00:27:20,440 Help us to trust and receive this forgiveness, this welcome 498 00:27:20,440 --> 00:27:23,880 into your family. And finally, Lord, we pray for 499 00:27:24,160 --> 00:27:27,160 all those who are grieving or that you would stand with us in 500 00:27:27,160 --> 00:27:31,080 that, that we we would have a sense of Jesus coming, speaking 501 00:27:31,080 --> 00:27:35,440 our name and giving us his joy even in the midst of deep grief. 502 00:27:35,880 --> 00:27:37,760 Word. Thank you for this message that 503 00:27:38,080 --> 00:27:40,840 pierces history and I pray that it would Pierce our hearts. 504 00:27:40,840 --> 00:27:44,320 And as we go from here, we would go with great hope and run to 505 00:27:44,320 --> 00:27:47,680 the world that needs such hope. In Jesus name we pray. 506 00:27:47,960 --> 00:27:48,360 Amen.