The Life

1989 was the release of the last chapter of the original Indiana Jones trilogy.

! Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Crest for the Holy Grail.

! Legend has said that drinking from the Holy Grail, which is a cup that Jesus used in the Last Supper, will provide instant healing, and sustaining use will grant immortality.

Anyway, legends and movie plots aside, Google was reported to be investing a huge sum of money since 2013 to support scientists to discover anti-aging drugs by genetic engineering, which could extend human's life far beyond its natural causes.

Researchers think that it could be possible for humans to live until they are 1,000 years old.

The project has many philosophers and ethicists deeply concerned.

There's the prosper of boredom.

There's prosper of having too many memories to remember any of them.

And adding to that, if you have not worked out your purpose of your life at 70, most likely you still cannot figure it out at 700 years old.

There's also an appealing prosper of someone like Trump or Kim Jong-un.

But what if we could have life?

Real, enduring life.

Life without pain, fear, bondage, failure, and disappointment.

That would be different.

Since the beginning of 2026, over the last four weeks, we are wrestling with three of the outrageous claims of Jesus.

In John 14, 6, which we read just then, Jesus came to be the way, the truth, and the life.

Jesus came to be the life.

And in John 10, 10, he says that he came that we might have life and have it to the fullest.

Four things I want to say about Jesus came to be the life.

Firstly, why Jesus came to be the life.

And secondly, his life challenges our minds.

And then, his life gives us hope.

And finally, his life gives us purpose.

The Bible declares that God is eternal.

God's life has no beginning and has no end.

So, Psalms 90, verse 2, written by Moses, help us to see God is always living.

Psalms 90:2

Before the mountains were born, or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.

God never needs to be made because he always is.

In a brief hundred years, this planet will have population of more than 10 billion brand new people.

And all 8.2 billion of us living today will have vanished off the earth.

But not God.

He will never have a beginning and therefore depends on nothing for his existence.

God does not need air to breathe or food to eat or water to drink.

He does not need help with the work he decides to do.

God always has, within his own life, everything he needs for being who he is as God.

And for doing all that he chooses to do.

Everything in the world needs God, but he does not need anything in the world.

God does not have it in him to go out of existence, just as we do not have in us to live forever.

We all age and die because it is our present nature.

God, however, continues forever unchanged because it is his eternal nature.

So God is self-existent.

He has life in himself.

And God is also self-sufficient.

He has everything he needs for his life in himself.

This is why Jesus claims to be the life in John 14.

It is the natural extension of his claim to be this God.

God, Jesus claims to be the life because he is the God who is self-existent and self-sufficient.

Last week, we took a glimpse at John 1.

There, John asserted that Jesus is the Son of God, is equal with God,

and God's agent in creating all there is.

It also says this about Jesus in verse 4 of chapter 1 of John.

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

And a few chapters later, in chapter 5, verse 26, that claim is expanded and clarified.

As the Father has life in himself, so he has granted his Son also to have life in himself.

Jesus is the life because he shares in the self-existing life of God.

That is the first reason he came to be the life.

And secondly, John's main concern is that this self-existing life of Jesus is light for humanity.

John is interested in Jesus being life and light for the salvation of humanity.

Jesus is the source of eternal life.

In John chapter 3, Jesus explains his death on the cross in the term of it being salvation and eternal life to all who believe in him.

John 3 · chapter mention

Jesus is the life because he is, firstly, the God who always existed and from whom all life flows.

And secondly, because he is the source of eternal life for those who believe in him.

John 11, verse 25, he says,

John 11:25

I am the resurrection and the life.

The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.

And whoever lives by believing in me will never die.

All these claims hang on the resurrection of Jesus.

If Jesus did not raise, then he cannot claim to be life.

The Apostle Paul said the same thing.

If the resurrection did not happen, then Christianity is useless.

So let's jump back to Mark 16 and follow and allow these resurrected life challenges give us hope and change the course of our lives.

The word of challenge for our mind is there in Mark 16, verse 6.

Mark 16:6

Don't be alarmed, he said.

You are looking for Jesus the last year who was crucified.

He has risen.

He is not here.

See the place where they laid him.

That is the challenge to our minds.

Jesus came back to life after his execution.

The Bible says that after Jesus was killed, he came back to life and appeared to his followers.

The Bible says that it's why Jesus' followers did not go home.

That's why Christianity exploded to become dominant in the Roman Empire within 200 years

and the largest, most widespread of all religious faith on the planet today.

But this is Cheswood in 2026.

And most people around us just do not believe it.

I got it.

So, in challenging our minds, it is important not to be intellectually lazy.

Before we reject the resurrection, some thoughts need to be given to alternative, historically possible explanations.

A general trend is that rather than looking into that evidence,

what follows is a accusation that the tests like Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John are not reliable.

To justify ignorance, there is a temptation to call the historical document legends.

And Mark challenges that too here.

Three times in eight verses in Mark 1540 and 1547 and 161,

Mark recorded the name of the eyewitnesses who saw it all.

Mary Madeline, Mary the mother of James, and Sonomi.

Why three times?

Why three times?

Because these are the marks of ancient historians to emphasize their findings about the fact,

not legends.

These women are clearly described as eyewitnesses.

Notice in chapter 1540, some women were watching.

And again, in 1547, Mary Madeline and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.

Then in 164, when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.

Then in verse 5, as they entered the tomb, they saw, then at the end of verse 6,

see the place where they laid him.

This is pretty obvious that Mark sees this woman as clear eyewitnesses to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

This is a slam-dump proof that the resurrection is history and not legend.

One of the strongest early arguments against the truth of Christianity is that the account of the resurrection

is based on the eyewitnesses' testimony of women.

A second-century Greek philosopher named Caesar was one of the early opponents of Christianity.

He wrote that the resurrection was a lie because women were the eyewitnesses,

and women were regarded as hysterical and unreliable.

And people went, good point, sisters.

That is a real problem.

It was an incredibly convincing argument,

because in ancient cultures, women were marginalized,

and it was hard to believe in their testimony.

But this is the very culture that Mark was writing in.

And if Mark was to make this all up,

then he would never have put women in as the only eyewitness to Jesus' empty tomb.

The only way to account for the women being recorded as the first eyewitnesses of Jesus' resurrection

is that they were.

This cannot be legend.

Mark challenging our minds and worldview here.

He has written this as a historical documentation of actual events,

events that challenge the way we see the world.

At this point, it will be easy to say,

okay, this stuff is written as history,

but we got the facts a little muddled up.

Ancient people were a little gullible

about miracles that do not have our modern, developed mind.

We have learned a thing or two in the past 2,000 years.

It is easy to assume that they were open to the idea of resurrection where we are not.

So let us not be too quick to assume they were ignorant and gullible.

One thing you will notice as you read Mark is that Jesus tells his disciples quite clearly

that he will die and rise again on the third day.

It's there in chapter 8, twice in chapter 9, and again in chapter 10.

The weird thing is the third day after his death arrives,

no one was expecting a resurrection.

The blokes are not around, and the woman have brought spies to an unthorn a dead body.

As they wheeled around the trolley past the spies at Woolies,

they did not go, oh, spies are on sale.

Unfortunately, we will not be needing those this time around.

Jesus just borrowed the term for a few days.

The disciples were not sitting around breakfast pointing,

ah, it's the third day, maybe we ought to go and take a look.

What could it hurt?

What's more, those who did go to the tomb,

these three women were wondering who was going to open the tomb for them when they got there.

The resurrection took everyone by surprise.

The resurrection was as impossible for them to believe as it is for us today.

Their thirst for us, as seeing the empty tomb,

was not that Jesus had come back to life,

but that someone had stolen the body.

A fair assumption back then,

because grave robbing was a widespread practice.

If you have doubt about the resurrection,

so did they.

But they let the evidence charge their worldview.

It's normal to question the validity of the resurrection,

but if you do, for integrity's sake,

then we have to come up with alternative,

historically possible reason.

Why this little ragtag group explored to all corners of the globe

and penetrated vastly different cultures

and changed the world over 20 centuries.

If we reject the resurrection,

we have to produce an alternative,

historically possible explanation,

what happened with the body of Christ.

The Christians,

the Romans,

and the Jews

all agreed the tomb

they laid Jesus' dead

was empty after three days.

So what happened with the body?

If we reject the resurrection,

then we have to produce an alternative,

historically possible reason.

Why hundreds of people

claim to have seen him resurrected?

And why the opponents

of Christianity

could not produce a body?

Why these early Christians,

most of whom were cowered

at his crucifixion,

joyfully gave their life

to see this message

of the resurrection of Jesus

spread through the world?

His life challenges our minds,

but if we allow his life

to challenge our minds,

then his life gives us hope.

His life is mercy and grace

to our hearts.

Look at this wonderful word

in Mark 16,

Mark 16:7

verse 7.

Go,

tell his disciples,

and Peter,

he is going ahead of you

into Galilee.

There you will see him

just as he told you.

To understand what

incredible word of grace

and hope this is,

let's consider what

was not said.

He did not say to the woman,

to the woman,

you tell those

faithless,

backstepping coward

that deserted me

and denied me

that I might see them

if they grovel

and they have better grovel.

That, of course,

would have been warranted

given what they did to him.

Instead,

Jesus is forgiving them

and calling back

to himself

even before they have repented.

This is a word

of mercy and grace,

forgiveness and hope.

The greatest,

the biggest word

of grace and hope

is simply

in the name Peter.

Why is it so special?

It's because

at the end of chapter 14,

Peter does what

he promised

he would not.

He disowned Jesus.

He abandoned Jesus.

It's a terrible

betrayal by Peter.

He turned his back

on God

and ran

to save his own skin.

So,

if the word

to the woman

is simply

go and tell the disciples,

Peter may have

concluded that

it did not apply to him,

not after what he has done.

Jesus specifically

said to the women

through the angel,

I have planned

for my disciples,

even Peter.

Peter was the biggest

screw-up

and he became

the biggest

of the leaders

in the early days

of the church.

He screwed up

the biggest

in repentance

the deepest

and his grabs

of grace

the greatest.

The good news

of Christianity

is that salvation

is by grace,

not by our work,

effort,

or strength.

Salvation

comes to us

by the weakness

of Jesus Christ

dying for us

on the cross.

Salvation,

eternal life,

comes to us

by Jesus

when we admit

our inability

and weakness

and failure

when we admit

we need

a savior.

Jesus is the savior

we need.

Forgiveness

and life

are offered

to Peter

and to us

with the resurrection

of Jesus.

When a criminal

completes

his jail sentence,

they fully,

completely,

totally

satisfy

the sentence.

When they walk

out of prison,

the law

has no more

claim on them.

They are free.

Jesus Christ

came to pay

the penalty

of our crime

against God.

It was a huge

penalty.

It was a huge

sentence

as the sentence

was death.

He who is

the source

of life,

the self-sufficiency

in his life,

surrendered

that life

so that we,

deserving of death,

may have life

forever.

He must have

satisfied it

fully

because he

walked out

alive and free.

Death could not

hold him down

in Jesus.

God stamped

the pay in full

right across history

so that no one

can miss it.

It's because

Jesus

has raised

from death

God come

can come to us

with a word of grace

and offer us

life forever,

like his

forever life.

If we allow

this life

to change our minds,

then this life

will give us hope.

And then,

lastly,

this life

will give us

purpose

to our life

and we shape

the way we live now.

The purpose

I'm speaking

of is captured

in the little word

go.

Go and tell

people about

the resurrected

Jesus.

Go and communicate

in every way

about the resurrected

Jesus.

This is why

verse 8

is such a shocking

way of Mark

to end his

gospel account.

Trembling

and bewildered,

the women went out

and fled

from the tomb.

They say nothing

to anyone

because they were

afraid.

The resurrection

is such a great news.

how could you

not shout it out?

The resurrection

is the answer

to our deepest longing

to live life

well forever.

That's why

the beauty industry

is booming.

That's why

baby boomers

wear jeans

and we want

to be young,

fragrant,

healthy

because those

were the days

before emotional

pain,

responsibility,

and clarity.

We want to live

and live well

and one of the

reasons it's

so hard to suffer

is that we think

that this physical

world is it

and when you

lose it,

you lose the best

and most precious

things.

Resurrection

means that

this is not it.

There's more

to come.

The resurrection

means that God

is going to

perfectly

remake this world

and the resurrection

changed everything.

This is hope

for the wheelchair

barns and the

people with

crippled emotional

pain.

No religion

in the world

except biblical

faith promises

new and perfect

mind, heart,

and body

forever.

Only in the

gospel of Jesus

Christ do people

find so much

hope for life.

The resurrection

of Jesus

changes everything.

If you know

that this is not

the only tangible

concrete life,

who cares what

people do

to you,

the resurrection

makes you free

from this life

enough to be

brave,

courageous,

sacrificial,

generous,

patient,

and joyful.

The resurrection

means you can

face the worst

things in life

with joy and

hope.

According to

1 Corinthians 15,

the resurrection

means you can

give yourself

to serving God

in this world

with purpose

and meaning.

Not in

vanity,

that's what we

all want to

say about

our life,

to finish it

and say that

has all

had purpose

and meaning.

The resurrection

also means

life forever

with joy.

Not just a

thousand years,

Jesus

promises

eternal joy.

The end of the

Bible has a goal

of all things,

God

dwelling with

people.

No more

tears,

no more

death,

or mourning,

or crying,

or pain.

To the thirsty

he promised water

with her cause

from the spring

of the water

of life.

Jesus came

that we might

have life

and have it

to the fullest.

Jesus purchased

it and offered

never adding life

to us.

Jesus is

the only way,

the only truth,

and the only

life.

Have you

received what

Jesus offers

you?

What is the

hope and purpose

for your life?

I invite you

to take a

moment to

consider Jesus'

challenge to

your life

and to accept

his offer for

you to have

eternal life.

I will lead us

in a prayer

after a brief

moment.

Please repeat

the prayer in

your heart and

speak with me

afterward.

If you have

prayed with

me.

Lord Jesus

Christ,

I come to

you now.

I confess

to you my

sin in

thoughts,

words,

and actions.

I am truly

sorry and

turned from

living without

you to ask

for your

forgiveness.

Thank you

that you

came from

heaven to

save me

by dying

on the

cross for

me and

raising again

for eternity.

I know that

I cannot do

anything to

earn your

forgiveness.

You have

done it all

at the

cross.

As best as

I understand,

I gratefully

give my

life back to

you, asking

for your

forgiveness and

acceptance.

Please come

fully into

my life as

I trust you

alone to

save me.

come in as

my Savior to

wash away

my sin.

Come in as

my Lord and

be in charge

of my life.

Come in as

my friend to

be with me

always.

Please send

your Holy Spirit

to live within

me and make

me a child in

your family.

Thank you for

hearing and

answering my

prayer.

In faith, I

place my

hope and

trust in you,

my Savior and

Lord.

Amen.

Amen.