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The Empty Tomb | Mark 16:1-8 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series) · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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  Welcome, Church. I invite you to mark chapter 16.
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  I come before you today with a message of joy, message of
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  encouragement, a message of hope.
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  And. We're going to discover that
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  together here in these verses as we reflect on the resurrection
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  of Jesus Christ. An old, old preacher.
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  Numbered among the Puritans from the 1600s said the following
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  Christ's resurrection is the victory of the Church, the
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  purchase of their liberty, the cause of their justification,
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  the pledge for their own resurrection, and the
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  demonstration of the certainty of eternal life.
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  Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ, there is no
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  Christianity. Without the resurrection of
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  Jesus Christ, there is no forgiveness, there is no
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  freedom, there is no salvation, there is no hope and death.
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  There is no everlasting life. There is no empowerment in this
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  life. All in.
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  All. Without the resurrection of the
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  Lord Jesus Christ, there is no true or lasting purpose in this
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  life or in the next. It is paramount.
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  It is the event of all events. It is the climax of the gospel.
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  It was the necessary miracle that made everything that Jesus
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  did and said legitimate and applicable to you and I, the
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  resurrection of Jesus Christ. That's what we're going to
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  reflect on today. And here's my prayer as we do
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  that, that your faith in the resurrection would increase
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  while your love for the resurrected Lord would enlarge
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  as you and I now behold his heart for you and me.
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  That's what we're going to see here.
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  We're not going to just merely look at a supernatural
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  occurrence. We're going to see the character
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  of the one who performed it. And so I hope none of these
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  things sound too familiar to you.
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  I pray that God would give us actually fresh eyes to see
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  familiar truths with a new touch, new enlightenment.
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  Can you believe that we're in Mark 16?
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  I'm not sure if you know, but there's nothing past Mark 16.
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  So over the past months, years actually, we have now arrived to
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  the final chapter of our study in the Gospel of Mark.
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  Isn't that wonderful? I think we've reached close to
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  100 sermons in the Gospel of Mark.
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  God has been good to us every single week.
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  And you know, after we finish this, I asked you to really pray
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  to see where the Lord would lead us next as a church because I
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  want to. Ultimately, I'm here to serve
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  you, I'm here to help you. I'm here to do whatever I can to
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  help you fall more in love with the Lord Jesus Christ through
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  His Word. But we're not there yet, so
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  let's not get ahead of ourselves.
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  Let's come to Mark 16. You're there with me, I'm sure.
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  And let's read there in verse one.
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  When the Sabbath was passed, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother
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  of James and Salome, bought spices so that they might go and
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  anoint him. And very early on the first day
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  of the week. When the sun had risen, they
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  went to the tomb, and they were saying to one another, Who will
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  roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb.
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  And looking up they saw that the stone had been rolled back.
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  It was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw
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  a young man sitting on the right side dressed in a white robe.
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  And they were alarmed. And he said to them, do not be
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  alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who
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  was crucified. He has risen, He is not here.
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  See the place where they laid him, but go tell his disciples
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  and Peter that He is going before you to Galilee.
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  There you will see Him just as he told you.
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  And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and
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  astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone,
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  for they were afraid. Lord, it's, it's our sincere
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  prayer that we would not just study about your resurrection,
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  that we would experience it. Help us experience the
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  resurrected Lord, only you can make that possible.
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  And so we pray for it to be made known in this place on this
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  Sunday. We love you with every ounce of
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  who we are. Help us love you more as we
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  reflect on your love for us in Jesus name, Amen.
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  Amen. So a couple of weeks ago, you
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  and I touched on one of these verses concerning these women
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  who bought spices to go and anoint the body of the Lord
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  Jesus Christ. And we concluded that this act
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  was really a reflection of their unbelief because they should
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  have known that on this particular day, the same Jesus
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  that they were going to honor fled the grave, conquered the
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  grave, overcame death. So there is no need to buy these
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  herbs and spices. There is no need to try to
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  anoint his lifeless body. He's alive.
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  The anointed one said what he said he would do, accomplish
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  what he said he would do. And so for the for the fact that
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  these women are going and making their way to the tomb in this
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  way reveals a level of unbelief. But you also can't deny, you
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  cannot object to the reality that this is an act of pure
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  devotion as well. Why take the time to buy spices
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  and prepare them when you and I learned a couple weeks ago that
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  Joseph of Arimathea and his friend Nicodemus brought 75 lbs.
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  Worth of herbs and applied it to him.
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  You would think nothing else is necessary after that.
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  But you see these women were not satisfied.
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  They themselves long to lavish their love on Jesus Christ, and
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  for you and I that is really a reflection of true worship.
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  Listen, a worshipper doesn't just rejoice when they see that
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  their Lord is being honored, when they see others giving,
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  when they see others praising, when they see others serving,
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  when they see others blessing. A true worshipper says I must
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  glorify Him myself. I must contribute to the cause
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  of Christ. It's not enough for me to be a
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  part of something or to be with others who are advancing the
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  Kingdom. What do I need to do, Oh Lord,
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  to show you that I love you. And so you have these band of
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  women who are doing just that. Yes, they saw Jesus, his body
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  anointed, but they said we must do it for ourselves.
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  We must show our last act a final act of our love and
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  devotion to the Christ. And so they're making their way
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  to do that. And what makes these women even
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  more inspiring, if we overlook their unbelief, is that they
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  chose to seek and serve the lore in a very distressing time,
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  uneasy time. Matthew adds a detail about the
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  scene that makes it more suspenseful.
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  You don't have to turn there, but let me read it to you.
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  It's a very brief verse. In Matthew 27, verse 66, it
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  says. So they went and made the tomb
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  secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard, speaking about
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  the Pharisees and the Romans. So not only was there a stone
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  covering the mouth of that tomb, there was surveillance,
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  aggressive, vicious soldiers. We're at the mouth of that tomb
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  as well. We don't know if the woman knew
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  this or not, but if we assume that they did know about it,
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  then it says something about the extent of the love for Christ
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  that they are willing to even go and honor Him with the presence
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  of danger. It didn't prevent them from
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  their worship. Now, that might not resonate
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  with you and I here in the West because I'm not prophetic, but
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  I'm sure that not one person in this place got in their cars and
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  worried that coming to church might be met with terrorists or
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  the police stopping you, right? Nobody.
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  Probably the greatest challenge is, OK, how am I going to get
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  parking? But if your devotion of mine
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  ever reaches the point where it does become costly to serve
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  Jesus Christ, and that can happen very quickly even in this
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  nation, that I want you to never forget the inspiration of these
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  women. They did not flinch when their
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  commitment to Christ was leading them into a hostile
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  circumstance. Christ is worthy to be served,
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  even if it gets dangerous to serve Him.
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  He's worthy of that kind of devotion.
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  And if you think it stops there, it doesn't because it wasn't
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  just danger that they are about to face.
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  There were obstacles. What was the obstacle?
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  Look at mark 16, three, I'll remind you.
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  And they were saying to one another, who will roll away the
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  stone for us from the entrance of the tomb.
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  So obviously the stone was large enough where even in their
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  collective efforts they wouldn't be able to move it.
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  And so now they're pondering and thinking, how, how are we going
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  to do this? And this was a roadblock, so to
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  speak. And it's no different for
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  servants of God today who sometimes will face obstacles in
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  their pursuit of wanting to honor and serve the Lord Jesus
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  Christ. Sometimes those challenges are
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  natural. Other times they are caused by
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  the enemies of the truth. Regardless, you know what you
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  can say about these women, even though they were aware that
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  there was a stone. Keeping them from doing what
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  they truly want to do from their heart.
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  It was not an excuse. It was not an excuse for them to
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  not go and lavish their love upon Christ.
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  It's not like they discovered it when they got there.
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  Remember we're told there in verse 47.
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  Look at Matthew, excuse me, Mark 15, Mary Magdalene and Mary the
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  mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.
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  They saw where Jesus was laid. They knew the exact.
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  Tomb and they saw a stone being rolled in front of it, so they
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  knew it. It's not like it was a surprise
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  to them, but it didn't matter because they were willing to
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  make their way to the burial site.
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  I believe with a level of faith that they were going to get in
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  there somehow, that something was going to be done.
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  And even if nothing was going to be done, they at least went for
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  it and they were going to try. Now, I have a feeling that I
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  would know how some modern Christians would have approached
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  this situation, so they have a chance to honor the Lord Jesus
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  in this way. And just imagine knowing about a
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  large stone that restricts you. Yeah.
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  You know, I don't think it's worth it.
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  It's it's going to be in vain. Let's save our time, save our
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  money. We wanted to do it.
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  And Mary over there reminded us that there's a stone, so let's
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  just forget about it. Move on.
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  That's not what these Christians, these followers of
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  Christ were like. They had it in their hearts and
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  it was going to take more than danger and inconvenience to keep
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  them from serving Jesus. I hope that the same can be said
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  about you. I hope it takes way more than
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  dangerous situations or minor, even major inconveniences to
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  keep you from giving the Lord what is His due.
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  Loving the Lord with all your heart and notice what happens
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  here, that as they are worried about what's going to happen to
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  the tomb, verse 4 tells us that it was solved.
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  And looking up they saw that the stone had been rolled back.
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  It was very large. Do you know what happens when
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  your heart is set to devoting yourself to the Lord?
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  With that level of determination, God will make a
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  way for you. Do you understand that God will
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  make listen, when you put God first, the things that you're
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  worried about, they're trying to get in the way of God being
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  first. God will take care of those
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  things. He promises us that.
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  And we see it by way of example here.
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  And we're going to elaborate this on this in a moment here.
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  But many people mistake in the idea of why the the stone was
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  rolled away from the tomb. They think that the stone was
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  rolled away so that Jesus can get out.
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  No, Jesus didn't need to get out in that way.
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  Do you know why? Because he was glorified.
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  And you've read the Gospels enough to know that Jesus wasn't
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  hindered in his glorified state by walls or locked doors, right?
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  He didn't. Need the stone to be moved.
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  He can walk right through the walls.
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  Lazarus on the other hand, in John 11, when Jesus was ready to
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  raise him from the dead, said take away the stone.
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  Why? So that Lazarus could wiggle his
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  way out. Because the Lazarus resurrection
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  was not a glorified resurrection.
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  That was Jesus resurrection. That's why his resurrection was
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  so unique. A transformation took place and
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  it's a prototype of what our resurrection is going to look
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  like. So that the the stone in Jesus
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  case being rolled away was not so that Christ could come out is
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  so that his disciples could go in and see with their own eyes
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  that he did in fact keep his promise that on the third day he
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  would rise. And so don't you find it
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  wonderful? That these women.
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  Who are trying to brainstorm how they're going to remove this
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  stone in their attempt to love the Lord and honor the Lord
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  discover that it was solved before they even arrived.
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  Many of the things that you and I are worried about and
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  wondering how it's going to happen, God already has taken
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  care of. You know why?
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  Because your God and mine has lived our tomorrow's.
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  I know that's hard to wrap your mind around, but he's already
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  lived your tomorrow's. He's not bound by time he sees
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  it all. He's at your birthday and your
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  funeral at the same time. Think about that might get a
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  headache. So he's already there and so
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  they're figuring out how's it going to happen and he already
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  dealt with it. It's no different for you and I
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  in our own lives. So they arrive and they realize
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  that the stone was rolled away. Now we touched on verse one and
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  verse 3 and 4, but we skipped over verse 2.
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  Let's look at it quickly and very early on the first day of
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  the week when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb very
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  early. I wonder if they even slept.
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  So you have to remember that the Sabbath, which is on a Saturday,
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  took place and they couldn't come and visit Jesus then
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  because they couldn't come in contact with a dead body on the
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  Sabbath. And so they waited until that
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  Saturday was complete. And very early on the first day
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  of the week, which is Sunday, they went to the tomb.
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  Now here's what's interesting here.
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  They went to the tomb on the first day of the week to do
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  what? In essence, to worship.
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  And what's amazing here is that the timing of the worship sets a
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  precedent for Christ's followers for all ages.
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  In what way you and I to gather on the first day of the week, do
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  we not? That's why we're here today.
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  But we don't do it for the same reason these women did.
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  Why? Because these women came on
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  Sunday to pay tribute to the lifeless body of Jesus Christ.
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  You and I come here every Sunday to remember His resurrection and
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  proclaim that He's alive. That's the difference.
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  That's why you and I gather on Sundays, if you didn't know.
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  To commemorate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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  And we see scriptural proof, We see actually a pattern of how
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  this was established from the earliest days of the church.
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  I want you to see a progression of thought here in your Bibles.
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  You're going to have to flip to a few places though.
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  So look at Acts 20, verse seven. You're going to have some
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  people, I'm sure at some point ask you why do you worship on
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  Sunday as a Christian with the church?
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  Because you have some people who think you're not saved unless
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  you do it on the Sabbath, the Jewish Sabbath.
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  And it's good to just know why we do what we do as Christians
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  anyway, even if nobody asks you why you do it.
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  Look at Acts 20, verse 7. Luke writes on the first day of
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  the week when we were gathered together to break bread.
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  Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and
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  he prolonged his speech until midnight.
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  Read this very carefully. We're told that they met on the
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  first day of the week. Well, if you've ever read the
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  book of Acts, you notice that they met more than one day a
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  week, did they not? Plenty of days, actually.
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  Early on, they met every day. But here we're told that they
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  met on the first day of the week and not just meeting on the
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  first day. They broke bread.
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  They were recognizing one of the ordinances of the church
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  communion, the Lord's Supper. So they're doing that on a
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  particular day. Luke highlights that.
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  Then as you read through your New Testament, you discover
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  something in First Corinthians 16.
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  Look at it with me in verse. Two, I'll wait for you.
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  First Corinthians 16 verse two. Look what Paul says to these
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  believers. He says on the first day of
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  every week, each of you used to put something aside and store it
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  up as he may prosper so that there will be no collecting when
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  I come. So he's talking about a
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  fundraising effort for the church in Jerusalem, and he's
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  telling them, listen, before now and then I'm asking you as the
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  Corinthians that every first day of every week when you gather
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  that you put together based on what you're able to provide so
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  that a collection can be made. For this church in in need.
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  So we went from Acts 20 that says on the first day of the
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  week and then now Paul says on the first day of every week.
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  A tradition is being established here, a standard is being
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  raised. Then now the church seems it's
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  common knowledge to be met meeting at least once a week on
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  Sunday to worship, to collect, to serve.
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  And over the years now you come to the very last book of the
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  Bible and you read something interesting in Revelation
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  chapter one. Look at verse 10 of Revelation
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  chapter 1. John writes and testifies, I was
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  in the spirit on what day? On the Lord's Day.
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  And I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet.
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  So as the years went on, the church no longer just recognized
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  the essential meeting time of the first day of the week.
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  It now became known as the Lord's Day.
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  And what's interesting is when you look at extra biblical
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  sources like early church writings, the Lord's Day is
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  recognized as Sunday, unmistakable.
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  The early Christians would refer to the Lord's Day as the first
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  day of the week. For what purpose?
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  Because that's when Christ raised.
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  That's when he rose from the dead.
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  Now, can I give you a word of caution, please?
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  It would be incorrect and it would be untrue to say that
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  Sunday is the Christian Sabbath. It's not.
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  It's not the Christian Sabbath. People have this understanding
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  that once Jesus came and inaugurated the new covenant,
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  the Sabbath. Under the Mosaic law, which was
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  honored on the 7th day, Saturday was transferred now to Sunday.
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  So we as Christians, our Sabbath is on Sunday.
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  That's not true. That's not how the Bible
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  actually describes the Sabbath. The Sabbath wasn't changed in
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  terms of the timing. It was fulfilled in the New
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  Covenant. And what are you talking about?
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  I'm telling you that the Sabbath, according to the New
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  Testament, was realized in the person of Jesus Christ.
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  Let me take some time to explain that.
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  Out of the 10 commandments, 9 are repeated in the New
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  Testament. Guess which one is left out?
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  Keep the Sabbath. Why is that the case?
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  Because when you read, you don't have to turn there.
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  But when you read Hebrews chapter 4, you learn that the
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  Spirit is instructing that Jesus Christ is ultimately our
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  Sabbath, saying how does that work?
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  Well, the Sabbath in the Old Testament.
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  Represents rest. It was a time of the week where
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  you as a faithful follower, worshiper of God, would rest
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  from your works and you would take the time to meditate.
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  And it was an act of faith and recognizing that God is your
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  ultimate provider and sustainer. Now we come to the New
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  Testament. We realize that the Sabbath as
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  instrumental and as practical. As it was was a shadow, the
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  substance was realized in Jesus. The connection.
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  In the same way the Sabbath represented rest.
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  Now when we come into Jesus, we rest.
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  In what way do we rest? Well, in the Old Testament you
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  rested from your works. In the New Testament you rest.
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  In Jesus's works. In the Old Testament you would
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  rest one. Day a week as an act of trust.
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  In the New Testament, you rest every single day, trusting in
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  the finished work of Jesus Christ.
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  So our Sabbath is in a person now.
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  That's what we believe as Christians.
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  So when people come up to me and say you don't honor the Sabbath,
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  I say, actually I do. His name is Jesus and scratch
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  your heads, huh? He's my rest.
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  That's what he. He's the fulfillment of, He's
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  the fulfillment of many things, including that day.
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  So then what's Sunday all about? Well, the Bible commands us as
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  Christians to regularly gather so that we can edify one
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  another, receive the Word of God, equip, encourage, reprove,
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  rebuke, teach, all that takes place.
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  It's commanded that we do so consistently.
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  And through the leading of the Holy Spirit and the leading of
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  the apostles, Sunday became that standard day where we do that.
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  And that's why you read things like in Colossians 2 and Romans
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  14, where Paul is dealing with issues in the church, especially
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  with Jews who converted to Christianity who made such a big
• 22:30
  deal about the Sabbath. And he goes, listen, if you want
• 22:32
  to recognize a holy day, you're free to do that.
• 22:35
  It's a matter of personal convenience.
• 22:36
  If you want to even honor Saturday as as a Sabbath day,
• 22:39
  you can do that. But don't make a binding on
• 22:41
  other Christians. Don't judge those who don't
• 22:44
  recognize the Sabbath, and those who don't recognize the Sabbath
• 22:47
  don't judge those who do. It's a matter of conscience.
• 22:52
  It's not a matter of law, even under the law of Christ.
• 22:56
  So we come on the first day of the week.
• 22:58
  We come on the Lord's Day because that is the pattern that
• 23:01
  we see in the New Testament. We are commanded to meet here,
• 23:04
  but this is not Sunday. Is not.
• 23:06
  Christian Sabbath. Jesus is our Sabbath, and that's
• 23:10
  Hebrews chapter 4. Just in case you don't believe
• 23:12
  me, you have to read another time though.
• 23:16
  And so we see here that there is something being established
• 23:19
  unknowing to these woman. But notice what happens in verse
• 23:24
  5, Mark 16. And entering the tomb, they saw
• 23:31
  a young man sitting on the right side dressed in a white robe,
• 23:35
  and they were alarmed. So they walk into this tomb and
• 23:41
  as I said earlier, it wasn't open so that Christ could leave.
• 23:45
  It was so that they could go in. And when they came in, they saw
• 23:50
  a young man. Now, other Gospel accounts tells
• 23:53
  us that this was an Angel. I find it interesting that an
• 23:57
  Angel is described as with human appearance, and that's a regular
• 24:01
  thing. That's a consistent thing
• 24:02
  throughout the Bible. When you look at Hebrews 13,
• 24:04
  we're told to be hospitable because you might even be
• 24:07
  entertaining angels unaware. So another Christian
• 24:10
  misconception. I'm sorry.
• 24:11
  To tell you this. Angels don't have giant wings.
• 24:17
  I know you saw it on cartoons. I know, I know you saw it.
• 24:20
  Maybe children's Bible stories. But they don't have wings that
• 24:24
  they have human appearance. Are there other heavenly
• 24:27
  creatures in heaven that do have such characteristics?
• 24:31
  Yes. But more than anything else,
• 24:33
  when it comes to angels, they have very similar traits as you
• 24:36
  and I as humans. Now we talked about many weeks
• 24:40
  ago why Mark chose the language of young men to describe this
• 24:44
  Angel, right? You have to go back to the last
• 24:46
  sermon in Mark 14, I believe to this rediscover that.
• 24:50
  So we won't we won't delve into that here.
• 24:52
  The point that I want to make is though they saw this young man
• 24:55
  sitting at the right side of the slab where Jesus body was laid.
• 24:58
  He was not alone. He wasn't alone.
• 25:03
  Can I tell you who else was with him?
• 25:06
  Go to John in chapter 20, John chapter 20, beginning in verse
• 25:14
  11. Now, if you're willing to go
• 25:19
  from Scripture to Scripture with me at this point, it's going to
• 25:21
  be rewarding. I'll tell you that in advance.
• 25:23
  So let's start in John 20. Look at verse 11.
• 25:25
  I want you to see that this Angel was not by himself.
• 25:29
  John 2011. But Mary stood weeping outside
• 25:32
  the tomb, and as she wept, she stooped to look into the tomb.
• 25:37
  And she saw 2 angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus
• 25:43
  had lain. One at the head and one at the
• 25:46
  feet. Contradiction.
• 25:49
  No, The Bible does this over and over again.
• 25:52
  It could be that the reason why Mark highlights one of them is
• 25:54
  because he was a spokesperson. He was the one that was
• 25:57
  communicating to these ladies while the other one silently was
• 25:59
  there. So we see that there are
• 26:01
  actually. 2 angels at the scene. And I what I want to draw to
• 26:06
  your attention is where they were sitting.
• 26:12
  What are we told by John? There was one who was sitting at
• 26:14
  the head. There is one sitting at the.
• 26:17
  Feet. Now, John, I believe, is
• 26:23
  describing this in detail by the Spirit ultimately, because he
• 26:28
  hopes that you and I will be familiar enough with the Old
• 26:31
  Testament to realize that he is making a very striking parallel.
• 26:40
  You're saying, have I ever seen anything where there are these
• 26:43
  heavenly creatures positioned in a similar way?
• 26:49
  Well, if this nothing's happening, come to Exodus 25
• 26:52
  with me. We're going to make some
• 26:54
  connections here, OK? God told the nation of Israel
• 26:59
  when they came out of Egypt, going into the promised land, I
• 27:01
  want you to build me a House of worship.
• 27:03
  And he puts all these furnishings in place with all
• 27:05
  these elaborate instructions of how to construct them.
• 27:09
  The most prominent 1 was this thing called the Ark of the
• 27:12
  Covenant. Do you remember it?
• 27:13
  It looks like a chest piece, right?
• 27:15
  It's, it's not too large, but we're given every measurement
• 27:18
  the, the layering of the material and even the
• 27:21
  inscriptions and the designs of it.
• 27:24
  What's the purpose of this ark? You're going to find out in a
• 27:26
  moment. But it really symbolized God's
• 27:28
  throne on earth. And it would be tucked behind in
• 27:32
  the deepest part of that Tabernacle, later the temple.
• 27:36
  And it was where he would manifest his glory.
• 27:39
  And it was really God's attempt to convince the people, yes,
• 27:42
  though I inhabit heaven, I long to dwell with you.
• 27:46
  And so I want you to make me this chess piece to symbolize
• 27:50
  it. You can't come into contact it
• 27:51
  freely, but I want you to at least know that my presence is
• 27:55
  here. And there's going to be a few
• 27:56
  things that I'm going to give you in terms of instruction how
• 27:58
  to interact with my presence. And I want you to look at one
• 28:02
  particular set of instructions concerning the ark in Exodus 25,
• 28:07
  beginning in verse 17, we read You shall make a mercy seat of
• 28:12
  pure gold. Pause.
• 28:14
  He's talking about the Ark of the Covenant, the mercy seat.
• 28:17
  Let me just tell you so you don't get lost here.
• 28:19
  The mercy seat. Is the lid.
• 28:23
  It's the lid. That's going to go on top of
• 28:24
  this chest. So we're told here.
• 28:26
  You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. 2 cubits and a half
• 28:31
  shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breath.
• 28:34
  You shall make 2 cherubim of gold.
• 28:37
  Cherubim are heavenly creatures. You can make this claim that
• 28:42
  they're in a category of angelic beings, and you shall make 2
• 28:48
  cherubim of gold of hammered work.
• 28:51
  Shall you make them on the 2 ends of the Mercy?
• 28:54
  Seat. Make one cherub on the one end
• 28:58
  and one cherub on the other end of one piece with the mercy
• 29:02
  seat. Shall you make the cherubim on
• 29:03
  its 2 ends? The cherubim shall spread out
• 29:08
  their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings,
• 29:12
  their faces one to another toward the mercy seat shall the
• 29:15
  faces of the cherubim be. And you shall put the mercy seat
• 29:18
  on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony
• 29:22
  that I shall give you. So you have these two cherubim,
• 29:27
  unique heavenly creatures, and they're to be infused on the
• 29:31
  lid. And the way they would be
• 29:32
  positioned is like this. They'd be facing one another and
• 29:35
  their wings would be covering like this, and they would be
• 29:37
  facing each other, but they would be looking down at the
• 29:40
  mercy seat. Now, here's my question.
• 29:43
  When I read this, I have many questions.
• 29:44
  My main run was why call the lid?
• 29:47
  Why don't you just call it lid? Why call the lid the mercy seat?
• 29:55
  I'll tell you why, but you have to go to Leviticus.
• 29:57
  Leviticus, Yes, Leviticus. And these are the instructions
• 30:02
  that God gives to the priest on one particular day out of the
• 30:07
  year called the Day of Atonement, where this would be
• 30:10
  the ordinance observed to forgive and cover the sins of
• 30:13
  the nation. And I want you to look at one
• 30:15
  particular set of instructions of what they were to do as they
• 30:18
  interacted with the Ark of the Covenant, which was in the Most
• 30:21
  Holy Place. They can only enter into that
• 30:23
  place once a year. And notice what we're told in
• 30:26
  Leviticus 16, verse 14. Leviticus 16, verse 14 about the
• 30:32
  high priest. He is told, and he shall take
• 30:35
  some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger
• 30:39
  on the front of the mercy seat on the east side.
• 30:44
  And in front of the Mercy seat, he shall sprinkle some of the
• 30:47
  blood with his fingers 7 times. Do you now know why it was
• 30:53
  called the Mercy Seat? Because it represented the place
• 30:56
  where God's mercy and atonement for sin were symbolically
• 30:59
  administered, especially on the Day of Atonement.
• 31:03
  Remember what we read in Exodus that yeah, we talked about the
• 31:05
  lid, but we're also told what's to go inside the Ark.
• 31:09
  One of the main instruments that are supposed to be in the Ark
• 31:11
  was the testimony, the law. The 10 commandments were
• 31:15
  supposed to be placed in the Ark of the covenant.
• 31:18
  So look at this imagery. You have the law in the Ark
• 31:22
  Question, did the Israelites faithfully observe the law or do
• 31:24
  they continually break it? Break it all the time?
• 31:27
  So you have the law in the ark, then you have the mercy seat on
• 31:30
  top of it. And then once a year, the priest
• 31:32
  would take the sacrifice and sprinkle the animal's blood on
• 31:36
  the lid, blood covering our breaking of the law.
• 31:45
  This is what it's symbolizing. So now you have this background
• 31:49
  because you're faithfully reading your Old Testament right
• 31:51
  now. You come to the New Testament
• 31:53
  library and you're reading the Gospel of Mark, and you come to
• 31:55
  where Jesus died, where he was placed in a tomb, where he was
• 32:01
  raised. But you learned that at the
• 32:03
  burial site, the place that was carved out where he would lay
• 32:07
  his body, there's an Angel one at the head.
• 32:13
  One at his feet. Why?
• 32:16
  To make this connection, this imagery that Jesus Christ is the
• 32:19
  new and greater mercy seat. That's why.
• 32:24
  And you and I now in the new covenant, don't have to wait
• 32:28
  once a year and hope that the high priest will be faithful and
• 32:32
  careful to observe the complex and elaborate protocol to ensure
• 32:37
  that we can endure another year. What Christ has done once and
• 32:41
  for all is sufficient for all sinners of all time.
• 32:45
  He is the new. And the greater mercy seat.
• 32:49
  You see it right here. That's why I say it over and
• 32:52
  over again. I'll never stop saying it.
• 32:53
  You can't do anything about it then, unless you want to know
• 32:56
  the depths of the New Testament. You have to have a grasp on the
• 32:59
  old. You have to.
• 33:04
  And so they see these two angels in John and Mark.
• 33:06
  It's only one young man, and they have a message for these
• 33:13
  women, verse 6 of Mark 16. And he said to them, do not be
• 33:18
  alarmed, you seek Jesus of Nazareth.
• 33:21
  So they're confirming you came to the right tomb.
• 33:24
  Do not be alarmed, you seek Jesus of Nazareth who was
• 33:26
  crucified. He has risen.
• 33:28
  He is not here. See the place where they laid
• 33:30
  him, but go tell his disciples and Peter that He is going
• 33:34
  before you to Galilee. There you will see him just as
• 33:37
  He told you. Don't you love that?
• 33:40
  The first message of. These witnesses now yes we got
• 33:46
  the imagery that you have two angels that make a connection to
• 33:49
  the mercy seat, but the scriptures also tell us that
• 33:52
  according to the law, you need 2 witnesses to establish a matter,
• 33:55
  right? Deuteronomy 19.
• 33:56
  So you have two angelic beings who are there to testify the
• 33:59
  resurrection happened. Because as much as the
• 34:02
  resurrection is found in every single gospel account, do you
• 34:05
  know that we don't have the actual play by play of how the
• 34:08
  resurrection happened? It's concealed to us.
• 34:11
  We don't have that. But we have witnesses, angelic
• 34:14
  beings who said he's risen Jesus of Nazareth.
• 34:17
  Yeah, he's not here. And the first message of these
• 34:21
  witnesses of the resurrection, you know what it.
• 34:23
  Is do not be alarmed. Now, in context, we know that
• 34:29
  they said this because they were bewildered.
• 34:32
  They were just caught off guard. They can't believe what's taking
• 34:34
  place. Here are these heavenly beings.
• 34:36
  Jesus is not here. This tomb is vacant.
• 34:38
  So we understand why they said do not be alarmed.
• 34:41
  However, what they said to these women echoes throughout the
• 34:44
  years, throughout the ages for all people of all time when they
• 34:48
  understand the resurrection. The resurrection doesn't just
• 34:50
  conquer death. The resurrection conquers our
• 34:53
  fears, every fear. If you really understand the
• 34:58
  implications of what Christ has done by raising from the grave,
• 35:01
  then we understand that we have no reason to be afraid.
• 35:03
  I have no reason to be afraid of judgement, eternal judgement.
• 35:07
  Why? Because the resurrection is the
• 35:08
  seal that I am no longer condemned.
• 35:13
  The resurrection makes me fearless in the face of death.
• 35:16
  Why? Because He's the prototype of my
• 35:18
  resurrection and the way that He transitioned into glory, so will
• 35:22
  I also enter into His presence in the same way, I have no
• 35:28
  reason to fear anything in this life.
• 35:30
  Why? Because the resurrected Lord not
• 35:32
  only conquered death, not only ascended on a high, not only is
• 35:35
  going to scoop me out of here at one time, but He walks with me
• 35:38
  day by day by day. He's not just my Savior, He's my
• 35:42
  shepherd. Living shepherd.
• 35:44
  Not a theoretical 1, not a crutch to lean on, not a real
• 35:49
  living being that relates to me, speaks to me, guides me
• 35:51
  providentially, sometimes supernaturally.
• 35:54
  Because He's alive, do not be alarmed, not just in this
• 35:58
  moment, for the rest of your days, you have no reason to be
• 36:01
  fearful. If he's alive and you belong to
• 36:03
  him, do not be alarmed. But that's not the only message
• 36:08
  that these first witnesses of the resurrection had to share.
• 36:11
  Verse 70. I've referred to this verse many
• 36:13
  times from this pulpit, but I never grow tired of explaining
• 36:17
  it. I hope you never grow weary of
• 36:18
  hearing it. They tell them, don't be
• 36:21
  alarmed, but I have a mission for you now.
• 36:23
  And speaking on behalf of the resurrected one, look at verse
• 36:26
  seven. He says go tell his disciples
• 36:29
  and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee.
• 36:34
  Forgive me if you heard this before.
• 36:36
  Again, I don't grow tired of hearing it and knowing it.
• 36:40
  We believe as we studied Mark that Peter was the main
• 36:43
  contributor to the data of Mark's account.
• 36:46
  And it's funny because only in this Gospel account are we told
• 36:49
  that Peter's name was explicitly said, highlighted and
• 36:53
  underscored at this point of his life.
• 36:57
  Go tell the disciples. Not just the disciples.
• 36:59
  Go tell the disciples and Peter. Why?
• 37:06
  Because if the ladies went back to the fearful disciples and
• 37:09
  they said the Lord said to the disciples to go meet him in
• 37:14
  Galilee, you know what Peter would have said to himself?
• 37:16
  That's definitely not. Me, I'm not one of the
• 37:19
  disciples. I committed that sin.
• 37:25
  I heard my own with my own ears. This Jesus saying, if anybody
• 37:29
  denies you before men, I'll deny you before my Father and his
• 37:31
  angels. I did that not once, three
• 37:33
  times. And now these ladies come in and
• 37:35
  say the Lord is alive. He told me to tell you, the
• 37:39
  disciples, to go meet him in Galilee.
• 37:41
  What do you think Peter would have felt?
• 37:43
  Have fun guys, not me. Jesus, knowing just how overcome
• 37:52
  he was by his own failure, telling these angels,
• 37:56
  dispatching them and making sure that they were crystal clear.
• 37:59
  Highlight Peter's name. Make this invitation personal to
• 38:06
  Peter. Make sure that Peter doesn't
• 38:09
  miss the opportunity for me to be restored to him.
• 38:15
  So you know what? One of the first messages in
• 38:18
  connection to the resurrection is not just you have no reason
• 38:22
  to fear, but grace. Grace the resurrected Lord is
• 38:29
  ready to forgive, ready, eager, longing.
• 38:33
  Even today, His Zealand wanting to forgive sinners, His fallen
• 38:38
  servants, hasn't diminished one bit.
• 38:42
  In fact, one of the main reasons why he hasn't come back yet is
• 38:44
  so that all would reach repentance according to second
• 38:47
  Peter. Make sure you tell the disciples
• 38:52
  and Peter, you know what's so interesting?
• 38:55
  God's grace in Christ is not just seen and how he deals and
• 38:59
  treats Peter. It's with all the disciples
• 39:02
  because the instruction in verse 7 is go and tell the disciples
• 39:05
  and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee.
• 39:08
  There he you will see him just as he told you.
• 39:14
  So this is not the first time the command to go to Galilee
• 39:18
  after the resurrection was given.
• 39:19
  Can I show you where else it was given?
• 39:20
  Go to Mark 14 and look at verse 28.
• 39:23
  This is on the night that he was going to be betrayed.
• 39:27
  And he gives these instructions in Mark 14.
• 39:33
  Let's read it from verse 26, actually.
• 39:36
  And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of
• 39:38
  Olives, and Jesus said to them, You will all fall away.
• 39:41
  For it is written, I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will
• 39:44
  be scattered. But after I am raised up, I will
• 39:48
  go before you to Galilee. Now you would think that for.
• 39:55
  Jesus to say I already set up a meeting place for you and I
• 39:58
  after I defeat death, that that would that would be the thing
• 40:02
  that catches your attention more than anything else, right?
• 40:05
  But after I'm raised, I will go before you to Galilee.
• 40:08
  Now, for him to say I will go before you to Galilee means I'm
• 40:10
  expecting to meet you in Galilee.
• 40:12
  I'll be there ahead of you. But I'm expecting you to be
• 40:14
  there, right? So look, if I'm there, I'm
• 40:17
  saying, whoa, whoa, I need to know more about this.
• 40:19
  Wait. You're going to.
• 40:20
  Raise and you're going to meet us somewhere after you defeat
• 40:23
  death. I have a lot of questions.
• 40:25
  Here's how Peter answers in verse 29.
• 40:27
  Peter said to them, Even though they all fall away, I will.
• 40:29
  Not. With all with all that Jesus
• 40:34
  said he's he's caught up himself.
• 40:38
  He missed it and not just him. We read later on in the same
• 40:41
  place in verse 31 and they all said the same.
• 40:44
  The only thing that they were concerned about was we're going
• 40:46
  to be loyal to you. You totally missed how you're
• 40:50
  supposed to meet him. If somebody tells you, hey, at a
• 40:54
  certain time in a certain place, we're going to meet you're.
• 40:56
  Going to want to know more details so that you can meet.
• 40:59
  No right over the heads. And what do you see?
• 41:03
  Jesus does conquer the grave. He sends angels to remind the
• 41:06
  disciples what they forgot to grasp to begin with.
• 41:09
  Go to Galilee. I already told you this.
• 41:13
  Meet me there. So what do you see here?
• 41:16
  I'm telling you, see the patience of Jesus Christ.
• 41:18
  That's what you see here. This is Christ here reflecting
• 41:22
  his long-suffering. Listen, He is incredibly loyal.
• 41:27
  How many times have you heard something from the Word?
• 41:31
  God trying to reveal something about himself?
• 41:33
  God trying to instruct you about something that would please him
• 41:36
  and honor him and. And what does the Lord do when
• 41:40
  we fail to hear him? The perfect Savior, the perfect
• 41:43
  King, what does he do? He's willing to revisit it and
• 41:45
  instruct us again, patiently, gently, lovingly.
• 41:55
  I told you to go to Galilee. And so they were going to hear
• 41:58
  it again. And if you're not convinced, I
• 42:02
  hope Matthew's additional notes will win your trust.
• 42:08
  So the ladies hear this right. We read it early in the
• 42:11
  beginning of the service in verse 8 of Mark 16.
• 42:13
  They went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and
• 42:16
  astonishment had seized them. And they said nothing to anyone,
• 42:18
  for they were afraid. But something happens when some
• 42:21
  of these women make their way to the disciples that make this
• 42:24
  event even more spectacular. So here's our final text in
• 42:28
  Matthew 28, and look what happens here in verse 8.
• 42:34
  It might be our final text, Matthew 28, verse 8.
• 42:46
  So they departed quickly from the tune with fear and great
• 42:50
  joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
• 42:53
  Very similar to Mark, right? And behold, Jesus met them and
• 42:58
  said greetings, and they came up and took hold of his feet and
• 43:04
  worshipped him. And Jesus said to them, do not
• 43:07
  be afraid, Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and
• 43:11
  there they will see me. So I want to end with three
• 43:14
  thoughts from this final scene of Mark's depiction of the
• 43:19
  resurrection. With Matthew's help, some of
• 43:22
  these ladies, they make their way back.
• 43:24
  As they're running, Jesus appears, and the way he appears
• 43:29
  grips me because he appears. And what does he say?
• 43:33
  Greetings. You know what greetings is.
• 43:36
  It's the normal way you would say hi to somebody at this time.
• 43:40
  Translation. Hello.
• 43:44
  That's how he did it. I'm thinking you just defeated
• 43:48
  death. The last time that these
• 43:52
  followers of yours saw you, you were hanging on a cross,
• 43:57
  bleeding, bruised according to Isaiah, unrecognizable, and one
• 44:03
  of your first resurrection appearances.
• 44:06
  The way you choose to do it is say hi.
• 44:08
  I'm not trying to be facetious here.
• 44:12
  This is what it's saying. Greetings according to the ESV.
• 44:17
  But it's intentional. Why is it intentional?
• 44:20
  Because we've seen how Christ reveals himself to others in his
• 44:23
  resurrected form, right? Remember Saul of Tarsus ready to
• 44:26
  go to Damascus to arrest some Christians?
• 44:28
  How did Jesus reveal to him on the road to Damascus?
• 44:31
  Not greetings. He showed up, and he was shining
• 44:36
  brighter than the sun in such majesty and glory that Saul of
• 44:40
  Tarsus couldn't even stay on his feet.
• 44:42
  He crumbled to the ground. Why didn't he do that here?
• 44:47
  It's a different audience, different group of people,
• 44:51
  different heart posture, their heart posture.
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  At this point, they're fearful, they're bewildered, they're
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  astonished, They're trying to make sense of this as they're
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  running and trying to. Obey these instructions.
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  And so when the Lord reveals Himself, you know how He does
• 45:05
  it. Delicately, informally, gently.
• 45:13
  Greetings. And it was enough to bring them
• 45:16
  to their faces, not like Saul of Tarsus, but to grab his feet and
• 45:20
  to worship him. And again, we don't just see the
• 45:25
  patience of Jesus with Peter or with the 10 other disciples.
• 45:28
  We see it with these women. Why?
• 45:30
  Because they were told by the angels.
• 45:32
  Do not be alarmed. Fear is not God's will for us.
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  But we read that they ran back and they were still fearful.
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  And then Jesus appears and he personally says what we read it.
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  This is the second point in verse 10.
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  Then Jesus said to them, Do not be afraid.
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  So they didn't learn from the first time, but he instructs
• 45:51
  them again. He guides them patiently, he
• 45:56
  revisits something that they missed.
• 45:59
  Just like the 10. Do not be afraid.
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  And lastly. He repeats the charge that He
• 46:07
  gave through the angels, but notice that when He personally
• 46:11
  addresses His disciples, how He does it?
• 46:13
  Look at verse 10. Do not be afraid.
• 46:16
  Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see
• 46:23
  me. Not my servants, not my
• 46:29
  apostles, not my slaves. Now my disciples, go tell my
• 46:38
  brothers. Now this is not the first time
• 46:43
  Jesus addressed his disciples as his brothers.
• 46:48
  There was a time where Jesus was teaching and a messenger came in
• 46:52
  where he was and said, Jesus, your mother and your brothers
• 46:57
  have come to meet with you. And Jesus looked at him and
• 47:00
  said, who are my mother and my brothers?
• 47:02
  And it says there in Matthew 1249, and stretching out his
• 47:06
  hand toward his disciples, he said, here are my mother and
• 47:10
  what my brothers. And then he goes on to explain
• 47:15
  that it is those who do the will of God who are my mother and my
• 47:18
  brothers. But hold on.
• 47:21
  When Jesus resurrects and he tells these sisters, go and tell
• 47:25
  my brothers. Was their spiritual state
• 47:29
  strong? Would you say that they are
• 47:32
  completely honoring the will of God?
• 47:38
  And yet he still calls them my brothers.
• 47:42
  Why? Because he's loyal.
• 47:47
  Why? Because the resurrection seals
• 47:50
  our adoption in him, that's why. Go tell my brothers.
• 47:56
  At the weakest point in their faith, He still calls them my
• 47:59
  brothers. He still provides this term of
• 48:04
  endearment and of one of the deepest bonds of relationship
• 48:08
  that you can experience. That's the heart of the
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  resurrected Christ. And so amazing because in
• 48:16
  Hebrews chapter 2, and this is where we will end, we're told
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  something about Christ. I assure you, this is the last
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  place in chapter 2. Look what he says here by the
• 48:30
  Spirit about Jesus, my brothers, How can it be verse 11 of
• 48:45
  Hebrews 2 for he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified?
• 48:49
  Pause. Who's that who are being
• 48:52
  sanctified? I hope you are if you're in
• 48:54
  Christ. So we're talking about he who
• 48:56
  sanctifies. That's Christ and those who are
• 48:58
  being sanctified. What happens?
• 49:01
  All have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to
• 49:06
  call them brothers. Jesus is not ashamed.
• 49:13
  To call you his brother. You know what's convicting about
• 49:19
  this verse as much as it's comforting who are the ones who
• 49:22
  tend to be ashamed to be associated with Jesus Us.
• 49:29
  But he's not ashamed. Why should?
• 49:31
  We we should never be ashamed. Christ is never ashamed of you.
• 49:35
  What do we have to be ashamed about concerning our Jesus?
• 49:39
  Like what is it about the gospel and serving the Lord and
• 49:42
  representing him that makes us hesitant and recoil and
• 49:46
  reconsider what we say or why He's perfect.
• 49:53
  I understand how he can be ashamed of me.
• 49:55
  I get it, I understand it. But why would I?
• 49:59
  Ever for a moment even entertain the idea.
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  He's perfect. He died for me, He's faithful.
• 50:12
  Why should I gain from his reward?
• 50:14
  I cannot give an answer. And so this is what we have to
• 50:19
  understand here, that the love of Christ.
• 50:21
  Is stronger than you can ever imagine.
• 50:26
  Don't you doubt that? We're looking at the resurrected
• 50:29
  Lord. This is Christ today.
• 50:32
  This is Christ now. This is how Christ looks at you.
• 50:35
  Yes, you, even you stumbling Christian, inconsistent follower
• 50:40
  of Christ. Man, if you're truly born of the
• 50:43
  Spirit, that's going to strengthen your holiness, not
• 50:46
  weaken it. That's going to encourage you to
• 50:49
  love it more. Does it not?
• 50:50
  Does it not melt you? Does it make your knees weak?
• 50:55
  Only the unregenerate can hear what I'm saying at the end of
• 50:57
  this message and say, yeah, I can sin.
• 51:00
  No, you need to get saved. But the one truly belongs.
• 51:04
  Them though, they know their weaknesses.
• 51:05
  No, they know what they're supposed to be doing.
• 51:07
  But oh, they they fail. I want you to hear this loud and
• 51:12
  clear. Go tell my brothers.
• 51:16
  I want you to hear this loud and clear.
• 51:17
  He's not ashamed of us. Oh, let that strengthen your
• 51:23
  faith, that on that final day when you give your final breath,
• 51:26
  if you belong to him, if you truly belong to Him, you have no
• 51:30
  reason to fear to give that final.
• 51:32
  Breath, you have no reason to cower.
• 51:38
  I'm going to the one who is not ashamed of me.
• 51:41
  I'm going to stand before the one who will defend me though.
• 51:44
  Satan and all his hordes. Have things against you, things
• 51:49
  that you even forgot about, things that you didn't even know
• 51:50
  were wrong. He's not ashamed of you.
• 51:55
  Why? Because he died.
• 51:56
  And not only did he die, he resurrected the Father.
• 52:00
  Amen. His sacrifice on your behalf.
• 52:02
  That's what the resurrection is all about.
• 52:04
  And that's why we come every week to celebrate as a church.
• 52:08
  But every day we rest in Jesus being our Sabbath.
• 52:13
  Let's. Pray.
• 52:25
  I want to take this time and give this time to you to reflect
• 52:31
  whenever it was that minister to your heart.
• 52:34
  But I want you to also talk to the Lord and thank Him and
• 52:38
  glorify Him in your own way before we collectively read
• 52:41
  words off the screen. I want you in your own way to
• 52:43
  take this time on this Lord's Day to say thank you.
• 52:46
  Thank you that You love me enough to die and to resurrect.
• 52:52
  Is it true, Lord, that you see me with such love?
• 52:56
  I believe it because it's in your word.
• 52:58
  I'll just marinate in that truth for a moment, and I'll join you
• 53:03
  before we sing. And the praise team can even
• 53:05
  come now to prepare us to sing. But I'll give you some time.
• 54:13
  Yes. Lord, we ask that You receive
• 54:39
  glory from our lips today. Thank You that Your yoke is easy
• 54:48
  and Your burden is light. Thank You that we can rest in
• 54:54
  You every day. We pray that the strength of
• 55:03
  Your love would not just have been heard and learned,
• 55:07
  experienced, and that the experience of Your love would
• 55:10
  break shackles and liberate us and help us to come into the
• 55:17
  fullness of the Christian life. Lord, only by Your Spirit can
• 55:23
  you make these truths real and experiential to us.
• 55:26
  We commit that into Your hands. Your word went forth, but we
• 55:31
  pray that it would be applied and it would change us.
• 55:36
  Receive the sacrifice of praise. Thank you for loving us.
• 55:41
  Thank you for being so patient. Thank you for willing to teach
• 55:46
  us over and over. Thank you that you call us each
• 55:50
  by name. Help us never forget in Jesus
• 55:57
  name, Amen. Let's stand church, and let's
• 56:00
  exalt the resurrected Christ.