Sermon

Mark 16:1-8

IPC Ealing Sermon Podcast

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  1. Christ is risen.

  2. He is risen indeed.

  3. ! I discovered recently about a man called Harry Meadows.

  4. ! Harry Meadows spent 87 years of his life unknown,

  5. ! unreported in the paper or TV or anywhere else.

  6. He was in a home for the elderly, for lots of old folk in Great Yarmouth.

  7. Harry Meadows got a bit bored.

  8. So he rented a costume, a fancy dress costume.

  9. He rented a Grim Reaper costume.

  10. And Harry Meadows accessed a scythe for cutting things down

  11. and he thought he'd have some innocent fun in the old people's home.

  12. He stood outside tapping the windows of some of the old people in his costume,

  13. peering in from the outside.

  14. And then according to the press, so it's got to be true,

  15. three people died.

  16. Now there's a practical joke that's gone wrong, isn't it?

  17. There were a few other shenanigans in that old people's home in Great Yarmouth

  18. and then it was shut down.

  19. Not all publicity is good publicity.

  20. And as you've heard already this morning as I read it,

  21. it's an unusual thing, isn't it, that Christianity is born in a cemetery.

  22. It's a very unusual thing for good news to come trumping out of a graveyard.

  23. But that's the claim of the first witnesses,

  24. the first Christians who wrote down their accounts.

  25. That Christianity is birthed and understood as coming out of a cemetery.

  26. Three words in Mark 16 verse 6.

    Mark 16:6

  27. Can you see them?

  28. He has risen.

  29. He has risen, this young man says.

  30. Is that true or is that simply a lie?

  31. Now some people might say, well it's a nice lie.

  32. I'm not sure it is a nice lie.

  33. The trouble is that statement has caused huge, huge issues, huge problems.

  34. Many hundreds and hundreds, hundreds of thousands of people have died for that statement.

  35. He has risen.

  36. They believed it to be true that Christ rose from the dead.

  37. Is it fake news?

  38. Or is it true and serious good and happy news?

  39. Professor Josh McDowell said that after more than 700 years of studying this subject,

  40. I've come to the conclusion that the resurrection of Jesus Christ

  41. is either one of the most wicked, vicious, heartless hoaxes ever fostered

  42. on the minds of human beings,

  43. or it is the most remarkable fact in history.

  44. And I think he's right.

  45. It's one or the other.

  46. It's not a nice myth.

  47. It's either true or false.

  48. Blaise Pascal, a mathematician, said either the disciples of Jesus were deceived

  49. or deceivers,

  50. or it's true.

  51. Well let's look at Mark 16.

  52. Matthew, Luke and John have got more substance to their stories, more details.

  53. And Mark is very brief, isn't he?

  54. He just ate verses.

  55. And you may have noticed that when it was read,

  56. there's not an account of Jesus appearing in Mark 16.

  57. It's the promise that he will soon after appear.

  58. It's unusual, Mark 16.

  59. It's intriguing.

  60. We're meant to feel quizzical at the end of Mark's gospel.

  61. And so today's sermon is brought to you by the letter R.

  62. All right?

  63. And so firstly, we're looking at somebody who is risen.

  64. Who is risen.

  65. It's the backbone of Christianity.

  66. The cross and resurrection make up this powerful message that's been changing lives all around the world.

  67. And here today, all over the globe, he has risen.

  68. And the resurrection is the backbone of it all.

  69. It's not a happy ending to a sad story or an epilogue that you could do without.

  70. It really is the climax and the destination of the whole thing.

  71. If this ain't true, the whole story is rubbish.

  72. And what we're doing here is a waste of time, perhaps worse.

  73. The early Christians saw this.

  74. There's a hard-headedness about real Christianity.

  75. And so Jesus asks us twice, we have reckoned,

  76. give us proof that you say who you are.

  77. And both times in Matthew and in John, he refers to his resurrection.

  78. That'll be the proof, he says.

  79. The Apostle Paul, who was the first organizer of persecutions of Christians,

  80. wrote about 25 years after Jesus' death and resurrection.

  81. And he says, if Christ had not been raised,

  82. we would be, well, people to be pitied.

  83. If Christ had not been raised, our faith is worthless.

  84. And you're still in your sins.

  85. We're going to hear more about that tonight.

  86. If Christ had not been raised, we're liars.

  87. But here we have a messenger in a tomb saying,

  88. he has risen.

  89. And he says it to the women.

  90. And you might have noticed,

  91. as you've gone through the accounts of the last few days,

  92. if you're familiar with the Gospels,

  93. that women are mentioned at the cross,

  94. and the burial, and the empty tomb.

  95. And people have rightly noted that the men,

  96. at the end of the Gospels,

  97. have been marked failures.

  98. Perhaps John was at the cross,

  99. but all the other disciples are hiding.

  100. And when the women finally find the men on Resurrection Sunday,

  101. the men are in a locked room.

  102. They're not out doing anything other than trying to stay safe.

  103. And the women are the only ones publicly identifying with Jesus.

  104. It's the women who go to the tomb.

  105. Sincis was a Greek philosopher.

  106. He hated Christianity,

  107. and he studied it to attack it.

  108. He wrote a book outlining why he thought Christianity was rubbish.

  109. And one of the things that he said

  110. was that it was based on the gossip of women.

  111. It varied in different parts of the Empire,

  112. but generally speaking,

  113. in some parts of the Roman Empire,

  114. women couldn't even witness in court.

  115. It's a bit like today,

  116. making up a story and having four-year-olds as your key witness.

  117. No one making up a story in Jesus' day

  118. would have had the key witnesses as women.

  119. It's an embarrassment.

  120. It was used against Christians.

  121. And so here are these women.

  122. They are heading off to the tomb.

  123. They're in the midst of grief and sorrow.

  124. They're not thinking there's been a resurrection.

  125. In the same way that you and I would go to a gravesite

  126. and lay flowers on a fresh grave.

  127. And as they walk to the tomb,

  128. for a moment they think,

  129. remember there's a great rock in front of the tomb.

  130. The rock would have weighed probably as much as a minibus would have,

  131. but it wouldn't have had wheels which were rubber.

  132. And so how are you going to get into the tomb?

  133. The women have got spices to finish the burial process,

  134. but when they get there, the stone has already been moved,

  135. and so they go and they have a look.

  136. I don't think the stone was removed to let Jesus out.

  137. It was removed to let people in so that they could see.

  138. And so slightly terrified, they walk into this tomb,

  139. and there is a man, a young man,

  140. who we know from other passages,

  141. passages from other gospel accounts,

  142. is an angel.

  143. The word angel just means messenger.

  144. And the angel says to them,

  145. can you see what he says?

  146. He says, verse 6,

  147. do not be alarmed.

  148. You seek Jesus of Nazareth,

  149. who was crucified.

  150. That's really helpful.

  151. It's really helpful because

  152. it indicates that he knows what they're looking for.

  153. That they're looking for Jesus,

  154. and there's two features about him.

  155. We're told that this Jesus they were looking for,

  156. he's from Nazareth,

  157. and he was crucified.

  158. That tells you where he's from,

  159. and what did he do?

  160. And what's the main thing he does?

  161. He is crucified.

  162. That's the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ.

  163. He was born to die.

  164. He came into this world to save sinners like you and I.

  165. You are born to live, aren't you?

  166. You're born to live.

  167. Sadly, you do die, though.

  168. But Jesus was born to die.

  169. He says he was crucified.

  170. The messenger knows why he was there.

  171. And what's the next thing?

  172. He is risen.

  173. And quite literally,

  174. it says he was crucified,

  175. and then the next word is risen.

  176. It's very blunt.

  177. The crucified one has become the risen one.

  178. And those are the two things to know about Jesus.

  179. Both are true historically.

  180. Both happened.

  181. And what the angel then says is,

  182. this messenger,

  183. he says,

  184. you are going to see him.

  185. Go back,

  186. tell the disciples

  187. that you'll see him in Galilee.

  188. He's going ahead of you.

  189. And the word would be used

  190. of a military leader,

  191. a military leader who would be sent

  192. in front of the army,

  193. and he would be there preparing the way.

  194. He's going ahead of you,

  195. and you will meet up with him

  196. there in Galilee.

  197. That's where you'll see him.

  198. All the other Gospels

  199. have accounts of the disciples

  200. meeting him.

  201. There are accounts of people

  202. who didn't become believers

  203. in the resurrection,

  204. and they met him.

  205. It's a very important thing

  206. that Christ is risen bodily.

  207. He didn't rise so that

  208. he would have a spiritual

  209. kind of influence on you.

  210. The word resurrection

  211. literally means standing up.

  212. It is the standing up

  213. of a corpse.

  214. It's crystal clear

  215. that the resurrection

  216. of Jesus

  217. is not about

  218. an ongoing spiritual

  219. influence on him,

  220. on you,

  221. because the messenger

  222. says,

  223. doesn't he,

  224. he is risen,

  225. he is not here.

  226. See the place

  227. where they laid him.

  228. The body is gone.

  229. You might not like that.

  230. You might not

  231. be interested in that.

  232. You might think

  233. that's a little bit creepy.

  234. But what it's saying to you

  235. is that God is absolutely

  236. committed to his creation.

  237. The promise of the Bible

  238. is the promise

  239. of a new body

  240. in a new heavens

  241. and a new earth.

  242. And Jesus is the first fruit.

  243. He is the taster,

  244. if I can put it like that.

  245. That is where he is gone.

  246. And so is Jesus risen?

  247. Or isn't he?

  248. Is it just a filthy lie?

  249. I read this week

  250. that the shortest sermon,

  251. and you see I do try,

  252. the sermon title

  253. was called

  254. Killing Jesus.

  255. That was the heading

  256. of the sermon.

  257. And the sermon went,

  258. didn't work.

  259. It's not a great sermon.

  260. The sermon title

  261. should have been

  262. Getting Rid of Jesus.

  263. And you could say

  264. that didn't work

  265. because Jesus

  266. really did die.

  267. The Romans killed

  268. hundreds of thousands

  269. of people

  270. by crucifixion.

  271. And they killed

  272. so many people

  273. by crucifixion

  274. that there were no trees

  275. left outside Jerusalem.

  276. It was a nightmare.

  277. Now let me say

  278. Jesus' resurrection

  279. matters

  280. because it is impossible.

  281. The one thing

  282. that we know about you

  283. and the one thing

  284. you know about me

  285. and the one thing

  286. that you know about

  287. everyone you love

  288. and care about

  289. and everyone

  290. who is famous

  291. and worthwhile

  292. and everyone

  293. who is a loser

  294. and has done great harm

  295. is that we all die.

  296. So people will say to you

  297. no one can come back

  298. from the dead.

  299. Absolutely.

  300. That's absolutely the case.

  301. The one thing we know

  302. is that in the end

  303. we all get beaten

  304. by death.

  305. That's why we don't

  306. talk about it

  307. in our culture

  308. do we?

  309. Because we've got

  310. no answer for it.

  311. But what this is saying

  312. is no, no, no.

  313. There is one person

  314. who said

  315. that he would defeat death

  316. and then has left us

  317. very good evidence

  318. that he did.

  319. And I don't mean it

  320. to be rude

  321. but there is simply

  322. no one else

  323. who makes this claim.

  324. Jews don't suggest

  325. do they

  326. that Moses

  327. defeated death.

  328. Muslims

  329. don't suggest

  330. that Muhammad

  331. defeated death.

  332. Buddhists

  333. don't claim

  334. that Buddha

  335. defeated death.

  336. It's actually

  337. a very unusual claim

  338. and yet there's

  339. very strong evidence

  340. for it.

  341. In fact

  342. if you've never

  343. had the chance

  344. to look at the evidence

  345. there are books

  346. there are films

  347. which can give you

  348. the evidence.

  349. Some books

  350. have been written

  351. where the author

  352. has set out

  353. deliberately

  354. to debunk

  355. and disprove

  356. the resurrection

  357. and ended up

  358. writing a book

  359. in support of the resurrection.

  360. So convincing

  361. has been the evidence.

  362. They found it

  363. overwhelming.

  364. The evidence

  365. is not very strong

  366. though

  367. if you haven't

  368. looked for it.

  369. it's not very strong

  370. if you haven't

  371. looked at it

  372. which is true

  373. of most people.

  374. He is risen.

  375. Either that

  376. or

  377. the whole of

  378. Christianity

  379. is a filthy lie.

  380. The second

  381. R

  382. is

  383. the word

  384. Ruthful.

  385. There are

  386. some underused

  387. words.

  388. I didn't know

  389. that word

  390. until Wednesday

  391. this week.

  392. Do you use

  393. the word

  394. Ruthful?

  395. I've never used

  396. it before.

  397. I've never used

  398. it in conversation.

  399. It's the opposite

  400. of ruthless

  401. and to be

  402. Ruthful.

  403. I drop it in

  404. this afternoon

  405. to talk to someone.

  406. It means to be

  407. merciful,

  408. to be kind.

  409. the opposite

  410. of being

  411. ruthless,

  412. to be

  413. Ruthful.

  414. It's where

  415. you don't

  416. give people

  417. what they

  418. deserve

  419. when it's

  420. punishment.

  421. You give

  422. them mercy.

  423. And Jesus

  424. we see here

  425. even at that

  426. moment of

  427. his risen

  428. glory

  429. when he

  430. overpowers

  431. death

  432. is thinking

  433. of small

  434. people.

  435. He's

  436. Ruthful.

  437. He's thinking

  438. of people

  439. who need

  440. mercy.

  441. He's thinking

  442. of those

  443. who are

  444. failures,

  445. who are

  446. weighed

  447. down

  448. and

  449. heavy

  450. laden.

  451. He's

  452. thinking

  453. of his

  454. disciples.

  455. Can you

  456. see what

  457. this

  458. messenger,

  459. this angel

  460. says?

  461. He's given

  462. a message

  463. by Jesus.

  464. The message

  465. that he's

  466. given by

  467. Jesus in

  468. verse 6.

  469. He says,

  470. do not be

  471. alarmed.

  472. You seek

  473. Jesus of

  474. Nazareth

  475. who was

  476. crucified.

  477. He was

  478. crucified.

  479. He has

  480. risen.

  481. He's not

  482. here.

  483. see the

  484. place where

  485. they laid

  486. him.

  487. But go

  488. tell his

  489. disciples

  490. and Peter

  491. that he's

  492. going before

  493. you to

  494. Galilee.

  495. So the

  496. women,

  497. like the

  498. angel,

  499. are given

  500. the message.

  501. As you've

  502. read the

  503. gospels,

  504. the disciples

  505. are an

  506. abysmal

  507. bunch.

  508. Jesus

  509. talks about

  510. his death

  511. and so they

  512. talk about

  513. who is

  514. going to

  515. be the

  516. greatest.

  517. as you

  518. read the

  519. gospel of

  520. Mark,

  521. you see

  522. how awful

  523. they are,

  524. how slow

  525. they are,

  526. how much

  527. like me

  528. they are.

  529. Appallingly

  530. egocentric

  531. in the face

  532. of beautiful

  533. things.

  534. Tim Keller

  535. as a preacher

  536. in the US,

  537. he says this,

  538. it's interesting

  539. what Jesus

  540. could have

  541. said.

  542. He could

  543. have said

  544. this,

  545. you go and

  546. tell the

  547. disciples those

  548. arrogant,

  549. boastful,

  550. egocentric,

  551. ambitious,

  552. cowardly

  553. backstabbers

  554. that if

  555. they'll

  556. really get

  557. on their

  558. knees and

  559. repent,

  560. I might

  561. meet them

  562. in Galilee.

  563. He could

  564. have easily

  565. said,

  566. you are

  567. kidding.

  568. Not one

  569. of them

  570. stood by

  571. him.

  572. All of

  573. them ran.

  574. And yet

  575. Jesus'

  576. words are,

  577. can you

  578. see them

  579. in verse

  580. seven?

  581. Go and

  582. tell my

  583. friends.

  584. He's got

  585. every ground

  586. doesn't he

  587. to say it's

  588. over,

  589. our friendship

  590. is over,

  591. you're dead

  592. to me.

  593. And yet

  594. Jesus says

  595. tell my

  596. friends.

  597. And the

  598. part that I

  599. particularly

  600. love are

  601. these two

  602. words that

  603. are there

  604. in verse

  605. seven after

  606. disciples and

  607. Peter.

  608. Why not

  609. tell my

  610. disciples and

  611. John?

  612. Why not

  613. tell my

  614. disciples and

  615. James?

  616. Why does

  617. Peter get a

  618. special mention?

  619. Go and

  620. tell his

  621. disciples and

  622. Peter that

  623. he's going to

  624. see you in

  625. Galilee.

  626. Galilee,

  627. Peter is one

  628. of the

  629. disciples.

  630. Why single

  631. him out?

  632. Why mention

  633. him directly?

  634. If you

  635. read through

  636. the chapters

  637. before,

  638. it would be

  639. great to do

  640. that maybe

  641. today,

  642. there's a

  643. dialogue that

  644. goes on

  645. between Jesus

  646. and Peter.

  647. And Jesus

  648. is warning

  649. his disciples,

  650. he says to

  651. them,

  652. you will

  653. all desert

  654. me.

  655. And Peter

  656. stands up and

  657. says,

  658. they may,

  659. but I

  660. won't.

  661. they may

  662. run,

  663. but I

  664. will die

  665. for you.

  666. They are a

  667. pretty scummy

  668. bunch,

  669. Lord,

  670. and I

  671. don't even

  672. really know

  673. why you

  674. chose them,

  675. Lord,

  676. but I

  677. will stay

  678. true,

  679. I will

  680. stay

  681. loyal.

  682. Even if

  683. everyone else

  684. goes,

  685. I'll be with

  686. you,

  687. Lord,

  688. you can

  689. trust me.

  690. And Jesus

  691. says to him,

  692. no,

  693. Peter,

  694. before the

  695. cockle crows

  696. three times,

  697. you will

  698. deny me

  699. three times.

  700. Peter gets

  701. the warning

  702. and he

  703. still argues

  704. back with

  705. Jesus,

  706. he's still

  707. correcting

  708. Jesus,

  709. he says,

  710. no,

  711. Jesus,

  712. you're not

  713. right.

  714. And

  715. remember

  716. that publicly

  717. denying

  718. Jesus is

  719. a pretty

  720. big deal.

  721. According to

  722. Jesus in

  723. Mark chapter

    Mark 8 chapter mention

  724. 8,

  725. Jesus said,

  726. if you

  727. deny before

  728. men,

  729. I will

  730. deny you

  731. before my

  732. father.

  733. If you're

  734. not willing

  735. to own

  736. my relationship

  737. with you,

  738. don't expect

  739. me to own

  740. your relationship

  741. with me

  742. on judgment

  743. day.

  744. And so

  745. Peter has

  746. committed a

  747. grade A

  748. sin,

  749. not once,

  750. not twice,

  751. but three

  752. times.

  753. Three times

  754. on one

  755. night.

  756. And despite

  757. being forewarned

  758. and forearmed,

  759. Peter has

  760. sinned with a

  761. high hand

  762. deliberately.

  763. And yet

  764. Jesus wants

  765. to make

  766. sure that

  767. Peter is

  768. there.

  769. Because you

  770. can imagine

  771. that hearing

  772. the news

  773. that Jesus

  774. has risen

  775. from the

  776. dead,

  777. Peter would

  778. quite rightly

  779. think to

  780. himself,

  781. you go

  782. fellas,

  783. I'm clearly

  784. not part of

  785. the team

  786. anymore.

  787. I've really

  788. blown it.

  789. Good luck

  790. to you.

  791. But I'm

  792. out.

  793. In a rugby

  794. game,

  795. there are

  796. two cards

  797. disciplinary

  798. things.

  799. There is a

  800. yellow card,

  801. which if you

  802. get shown

  803. the yellow

  804. card,

  805. you're off

  806. for ten

  807. minutes.

  808. You're put

  809. in the

  810. bin.

  811. You sit

  812. on the

  813. side,

  814. and after

  815. ten minutes,

  816. you can

  817. come back

  818. into the

  819. game.

  820. But there's

  821. the red

  822. card,

  823. and if you're

  824. shown the

  825. red card,

  826. you cannot

  827. come back

  828. on.

  829. You have

  830. to leave

  831. the pitch,

  832. you go into

  833. the changing

  834. room.

  835. You can't

  836. come back

  837. on.

  838. You're

  839. off

  840. permanently.

  841. It's

  842. game

  843. over.

  844. And I

  845. want to

  846. suggest to

  847. you that

  848. when Jesus

  849. says,

  850. tell my

  851. disciples and

  852. Peter,

  853. he's saying

  854. that because

  855. Peter would

  856. almost certainly

  857. think that

  858. he's red

  859. carded

  860. himself.

  861. That it's

  862. game over.

  863. That Peter

  864. would be

  865. completely

  866. aware of

  867. how weak

  868. he was.

  869. And in

  870. spite of

  871. many warnings

  872. from Jesus,

  873. Peter has

  874. denied him.

  875. And so

  876. Jesus tells

  877. the angel to

  878. tell the

  879. women, to

  880. tell Peter,

  881. I want to

  882. see him, I

  883. want him to

  884. be there.

  885. And I

  886. want to

  887. reveal myself

  888. to him.

  889. And I

  890. think we

  891. have a

  892. tendency in

  893. churches

  894. sometimes to

  895. take our

  896. sin more

  897. seriously than

  898. we would

  899. take the

  900. grace and

  901. the mercy

  902. of God.

  903. It's

  904. right, it's

  905. right to

  906. take our

  907. sin and

  908. our rebellion

  909. seriously.

  910. But your

  911. sin is

  912. never as

  913. big as

  914. the mercy

  915. and love

  916. of God.

  917. The message

  918. of Christianity,

  919. the message of

  920. the good news

  921. of the Lord

  922. Jesus is that

  923. where sin has

  924. abounded,

  925. grace has

  926. much more

  927. abounded.

  928. the risen

  929. one is

  930. full of

  931. ruth.

  932. He is

  933. ruthless.

  934. Give us

  935. more

  936. R's, you

  937. say.

  938. The risen

  939. ruthless

  940. one is

  941. a rock.

  942. It's good

  943. news, isn't

  944. it?

  945. The

  946. messengers

  947. look at

  948. verse 7,

  949. but go tell

  950. his disciples

  951. and Peter

  952. that he is

  953. going before

  954. you to

  955. Galilee,

  956. there you

  957. will see

  958. him.

  959. And here's

  960. the point,

  961. just as he

  962. told you,

  963. he doesn't

  964. need to say

  965. those last

  966. words,

  967. does he?

  968. It doesn't

  969. add anything

  970. in terms of

  971. direction,

  972. but it does

  973. say something

  974. really,

  975. really wonderful,

  976. just as he

  977. told you.

  978. The messenger

  979. wants to say

  980. to the women

  981. and to the

  982. disciples,

  983. he's doing

  984. just what he

  985. told you

  986. beforehand.

  987. If you

  988. would just

  989. listen to

  990. what he

  991. said,

  992. you could

  993. have saved

  994. yourself

  995. an enormous

  996. amount of

  997. pain and

  998. confusion.

  999. Jesus is

  1000. a man of

  1001. his word.

  1002. He does

  1003. as he

  1004. says.

  1005. Even if

  1006. no one

  1007. believes

  1008. him,

  1009. and none

  1010. of his

  1011. disciples

  1012. did,

  1013. interestingly,

  1014. if you look

  1015. at Matthew's

  1016. gospel,

  1017. which we're

  1018. not looking

  1019. at today,

  1020. Matthew is

  1021. at least

  1022. the high

  1023. priest has

  1024. listened.

  1025. The people

  1026. who put him

  1027. to death,

  1028. they had

  1029. heard Jesus

  1030. and they

  1031. took him

  1032. seriously

  1033. and they

  1034. asked for

  1035. a guard

  1036. to be

  1037. put on

  1038. the tomb

  1039. because

  1040. they were

  1041. worried

  1042. that he

  1043. might rise.

  1044. In fact,

  1045. they weren't

  1046. worried about

  1047. that.

  1048. They thought

  1049. he was a

  1050. liar,

  1051. but they

  1052. thought that

  1053. his disciples

  1054. might come

  1055. and steal

  1056. the body,

  1057. so they

  1058. put an

  1059. armed guard

  1060. on the

  1061. tomb.

  1062. But none

  1063. of the

  1064. disciples

  1065. think to

  1066. themselves,

  1067. well,

  1068. he did

  1069. say he'd

  1070. come to

  1071. Jerusalem,

  1072. he'd be

  1073. arrested,

  1074. he'd be

  1075. handed over,

  1076. he'd be

  1077. executed,

  1078. and on the

  1079. third day,

  1080. he'd rise

  1081. again.

  1082. Maybe we

  1083. should just

  1084. go and look

  1085. at the tomb

  1086. on Sunday

  1087. morning.

  1088. Maybe we

  1089. could go

  1090. for a

  1091. morning walk

  1092. near the tomb.

  1093. None of them

  1094. think that

  1095. took his

  1096. word seriously.

  1097. Everything

  1098. that he'd

  1099. said about

  1100. him,

  1101. so powerful

  1102. and yet

  1103. dying,

  1104. it just

  1105. seems so

  1106. weird.

  1107. They didn't

  1108. even take

  1109. the repeated

  1110. promise.

  1111. You can

  1112. read it in

  1113. Mark 8,

  1114. Mark 9,

  1115. Mark 10,

  1116. where Jesus

  1117. tells them

  1118. exactly what

  1119. he's going

  1120. to do.

  1121. That he

  1122. will go to

  1123. Jerusalem,

  1124. he will be

  1125. arrested,

  1126. he'll be

  1127. tortured,

  1128. he'll be

  1129. executed,

  1130. and then

  1131. he'll rise

  1132. again.

  1133. But the

  1134. angel wants

  1135. to underline

  1136. it.

  1137. He told

  1138. you this,

  1139. he's only

  1140. doing what

  1141. he told

  1142. you.

  1143. He will

  1144. keep his

  1145. promise.

  1146. He never

  1147. makes a

  1148. promise he

  1149. doesn't

  1150. keep.

  1151. In fact,

  1152. he does

  1153. more than

  1154. keep his

  1155. promises,

  1156. doesn't he?

  1157. I was in

  1158. a meeting

  1159. recently where

  1160. people were

  1161. told to

  1162. under-promise

  1163. and over-deliver.

  1164. I'm sure

  1165. you've heard

  1166. that in

  1167. business,

  1168. under-promise

  1169. and over-deliver.

  1170. Promise less

  1171. than you think

  1172. you'll deliver

  1173. and then try

  1174. to make sure

  1175. that you

  1176. give more

  1177. than you

  1178. promise.

  1179. And Jesus

  1180. says,

  1181. I'll meet you

  1182. in Galilee.

  1183. He actually

  1184. also meets

  1185. them in

  1186. Jerusalem.

  1187. They do

  1188. meet him

  1189. in Galilee.

  1190. There are

  1191. a number

  1192. of times

  1193. up north,

  1194. but he

  1195. comes to

  1196. them actually

  1197. on Easter

  1198. night.

  1199. and then

  1200. for at

  1201. least a

  1202. month,

  1203. Jesus

  1204. over-delivers

  1205. on his

  1206. appearances.

  1207. And so

  1208. you can

  1209. absolutely

  1210. trust Jesus'

  1211. word.

  1212. Do you?

  1213. I'm not

  1214. asking if you

  1215. go to church.

  1216. I'm not

  1217. asking if

  1218. you're

  1219. religious.

  1220. I'm not

  1221. asking if

  1222. you've

  1223. got respect

  1224. for Jesus.

  1225. I'm

  1226. asking,

  1227. do you

  1228. listen to

  1229. those things

  1230. that Jesus

  1231. says in

  1232. his word?

  1233. In Mark

  1234. 13,

  1235. just a few

  1236. chapters before,

  1237. Jesus says

  1238. this staggering

  1239. statement.

  1240. He says,

  1241. heaven and

  1242. earth will

  1243. pass away,

  1244. but my

  1245. word will

  1246. never pass

  1247. away.

  1248. Not everyone

  1249. believed like

  1250. modern science

  1251. does today,

  1252. that the

  1253. universe one

  1254. day will

  1255. pass away.

  1256. They tend

  1257. to think the

  1258. universe was

  1259. eternal.

  1260. Heaven and

  1261. earth will

  1262. pass away,

  1263. but my

  1264. words will

  1265. never pass

  1266. away.

  1267. Who says

  1268. that?

  1269. This little

  1270. man in

  1271. Palestine,

  1272. his words are

  1273. absolutely

  1274. solidly,

  1275. eternally,

  1276. endearingly

  1277. true.

  1278. And we

  1279. save ourselves

  1280. an enormous

  1281. amount of

  1282. pain and

  1283. worry and

  1284. fear and

  1285. anxiety when

  1286. we believe

  1287. his word,

  1288. when we

  1289. cling to

  1290. his promises.

  1291. He is

  1292. risen,

  1293. he is

  1294. ruthless,

  1295. he is

  1296. the rock.

  1297. You wouldn't

  1298. bet against

  1299. him,

  1300. would you?

  1301. He says

  1302. he's going

  1303. to come

  1304. again.

  1305. I wouldn't

  1306. bet against

  1307. Jesus'

  1308. truthfulness.

  1309. He said

  1310. he would

  1311. rise again,

  1312. and he

  1313. has.

  1314. And the

  1315. last point

  1316. is that

  1317. the risen

  1318. Ruthful

  1319. rock is

  1320. in the

  1321. business

  1322. of

  1323. recruiting.

  1324. They are

  1325. reluctant

  1326. when he

  1327. first meets

  1328. them.

  1329. He doesn't

  1330. say to

  1331. them,

  1332. come and

  1333. follow me,

  1334. let's have

  1335. some fun

  1336. together.

  1337. He says,

  1338. come and

  1339. follow me,

  1340. and I

  1341. will make

  1342. you fishers

  1343. of men.

  1344. that was

  1345. what he

  1346. said to

  1347. them.

  1348. He hints

  1349. to them

  1350. then,

  1351. that's what

  1352. their calling

  1353. would be.

  1354. Here the

  1355. women are

  1356. the first

  1357. to hear

  1358. the news

  1359. because

  1360. they're

  1361. the ones

  1362. at the

  1363. tomb,

  1364. and they

  1365. are told,

  1366. go,

  1367. tell his

  1368. disciples,

  1369. and Peter

  1370. that he's

  1371. going before

  1372. you to

  1373. Galilee.

  1374. And there

  1375. you will

  1376. see him

  1377. just as he

  1378. told you.

  1379. And the

  1380. women are

  1381. given a

  1382. job to

  1383. do.

  1384. Mary

  1385. Magdalene

  1386. has often

  1387. been called

  1388. the apostle

  1389. to the

  1390. apostles.

  1391. And in

  1392. the end,

  1393. she is the

  1394. first one

  1395. to take

  1396. the apostle's

  1397. message.

  1398. He is

  1399. risen.

  1400. And they're

  1401. slow on

  1402. the

  1403. uptake.

  1404. And so

  1405. we look at

  1406. verse 8,

  1407. don't we,

  1408. and we

  1409. think that's

  1410. a really

  1411. bad ending

  1412. to a

  1413. gospel,

  1414. don't we?

  1415. The

  1416. gospel clearly

  1417. ends at

  1418. verse 8.

  1419. There are

  1420. two or

  1421. three other

  1422. endings that

  1423. people have

  1424. added because

  1425. it looks

  1426. like a

  1427. bad ending,

  1428. but the

  1429. best

  1430. manuscripts

  1431. all end

  1432. at verse

  1433. 8.

  1434. And

  1435. actually,

  1436. as you

  1437. read Mark's

  1438. gospel,

  1439. it makes

  1440. sense to

  1441. end at

  1442. it's such

  1443. an odd

  1444. ending,

  1445. isn't it?

  1446. The

  1447. women are

  1448. told,

  1449. it's

  1450. fantastic,

  1451. you're

  1452. here,

  1453. girls,

  1454. go and

  1455. tell the

  1456. boys.

  1457. Verse 8,

  1458. and they

  1459. went out

  1460. and fled

  1461. from the

  1462. tomb,

  1463. for trembling

  1464. and astonishment

  1465. had seized

  1466. them,

  1467. and they

  1468. said nothing

  1469. to anyone,

  1470. for they

  1471. were afraid.

  1472. In

  1473. verse 8,

  1474. who knows

  1475. about the

  1476. resurrection at

  1477. this point?

  1478. Well,

  1479. God does,

  1480. the devil

  1481. does,

  1482. Jesus

  1483. does,

  1484. the young

  1485. man does,

  1486. the women

  1487. do.

  1488. That's it.

  1489. And the

  1490. disciples would

  1491. really,

  1492. really like to

  1493. know that

  1494. he is risen.

  1495. And the

  1496. women have

  1497. been told

  1498. to tell

  1499. the

  1500. disciples.

  1501. They're the

  1502. only people

  1503. who've been

  1504. told to

  1505. tell.

  1506. And I

  1507. don't blame

  1508. them,

  1509. frankly,

  1510. for how

  1511. they respond.

  1512. To use a

  1513. technical term,

  1514. they've been

  1515. discombobulated,

  1516. haven't they?

  1517. You know

  1518. what that

  1519. word means?

  1520. It means

  1521. when you've

  1522. been rattled

  1523. by things

  1524. that you

  1525. can't

  1526. function

  1527. properly,

  1528. they are

  1529. discombobulated.

  1530. I don't

  1531. blame the

  1532. women,

  1533. just trace

  1534. the emotional

  1535. journey that

  1536. the women

  1537. have been

  1538. on.

  1539. They've

  1540. come up

  1541. with Jesus,

  1542. the disciples

  1543. are abandoning

  1544. Jesus and

  1545. betraying him,

  1546. and

  1547. Judas

  1548. has left

  1549. them,

  1550. who they

  1551. knew and

  1552. they loved.

  1553. And Jesus

  1554. has not just

  1555. been killed,

  1556. he's been

  1557. tortured to

  1558. death,

  1559. that's what

  1560. crucifixion is,

  1561. it's humiliating.

  1562. They would

  1563. have been

  1564. emotionally

  1565. shattered and

  1566. they go to

  1567. finish the

  1568. burial process

  1569. and then

  1570. somebody's

  1571. messed around

  1572. with the

  1573. tomb.

  1574. It's no

  1575. wonder that

  1576. they're

  1577. shattered.

  1578. And the

  1579. words in

  1580. verse 8 of

  1581. Mark 16

  1582. are really

  1583. strong words,

  1584. they are

  1585. trembling,

  1586. bewildered,

  1587. afraid,

  1588. and they

  1589. don't speak.

  1590. And if you

  1591. know Mark's

  1592. gospel,

  1593. like we've

  1594. been going

  1595. through on

  1596. Tuesday

  1597. lunchtimes,

  1598. you will

  1599. know that

  1600. this is a

  1601. reversal.

  1602. Because all

  1603. through Mark's

  1604. gospel,

  1605. when Jesus

  1606. has healed

  1607. with someone,

  1608. he has said

  1609. to them,

  1610. don't tell

  1611. anyone.

  1612. One time

  1613. Jesus healed

  1614. a leper and

  1615. Jesus is

  1616. really strong

  1617. with him,

  1618. he basically

  1619. says,

  1620. shut up

  1621. about it,

  1622. don't say

  1623. anything.

  1624. But they

  1625. can't keep

  1626. it to

  1627. themselves.

  1628. Because

  1629. something

  1630. wonderful and

  1631. exciting has

  1632. happened.

  1633. And even

  1634. when Peter

  1635. works out that

  1636. Jesus is

  1637. the Messiah,

  1638. he's told

  1639. don't tell

  1640. anyone yet.

  1641. But here

  1642. the women

  1643. at the end

  1644. of Mark's

  1645. gospel are

  1646. told,

  1647. he is

  1648. risen.

  1649. Death has

  1650. been beaten,

  1651. but they're so

  1652. shattered they

  1653. just say

  1654. nothing.

  1655. saying.

  1656. It's quite

  1657. clear that as

  1658. time goes on

  1659. they change

  1660. their mind.

  1661. This gospel is

  1662. written probably

  1663. for Christians

  1664. in Rome.

  1665. And they

  1666. would have

  1667. all known

  1668. that Jesus

  1669. is risen

  1670. from the

  1671. dead.

  1672. That he

  1673. would have

  1674. appeared to

  1675. the disciples.

  1676. Because that

  1677. was the message

  1678. that the

  1679. apostles preached,

  1680. isn't it?

  1681. You killed

  1682. him,

  1683. God raised

  1684. him,

  1685. we've seen

  1686. him.

  1687. That's how

  1688. we know

  1689. he's Lord.

  1690. And so here

  1691. the women are

  1692. told to speak,

  1693. but at first

  1694. they don't.

  1695. And I take it

  1696. they repent

  1697. and they

  1698. are told.

  1699. And I think

  1700. one of the

  1701. reasons why

  1702. Mark includes

  1703. it and he

  1704. ends it in

  1705. this way is

  1706. because this

  1707. is the

  1708. temptation

  1709. always for

  1710. Christians.

  1711. For the

  1712. church,

  1713. because we

  1714. get the

  1715. fact that

  1716. he is

  1717. risen and

  1718. forgiveness

  1719. is on

  1720. offer and

  1721. you can

  1722. know Jesus

  1723. in the

  1724. present tense,

  1725. not just

  1726. in the

  1727. historical

  1728. tense.

  1729. And you

  1730. can know

  1731. him as a

  1732. living presence

  1733. in our

  1734. lives.

  1735. And instead

  1736. of answering

  1737. people and

  1738. telling people,

  1739. well I find

  1740. the temptation

  1741. is to be

  1742. quiet and

  1743. to get

  1744. nervous.

  1745. And I

  1746. think Mark's

  1747. gospel is

  1748. ending in

  1749. the way it

  1750. is to say

  1751. to us,

  1752. do not be

  1753. silenced,

  1754. speak in

  1755. fear.

  1756. It's why

  1757. the apostles

  1758. in the New

  1759. Testament,

  1760. they prayed

  1761. didn't they,

  1762. for courage

  1763. to open

  1764. their mouths.

  1765. He is

  1766. risen.

  1767. He is

  1768. alive.

  1769. As I

  1770. round up,

  1771. if you're

  1772. still not

  1773. sure this

  1774. morning if

  1775. this is a

  1776. lie or

  1777. fake news,

  1778. there is

  1779. very good

  1780. evidence for

  1781. it.

  1782. Take a

  1783. look at

  1784. it.

  1785. You think

  1786. Jesus is

  1787. lying and

  1788. the early

  1789. Christians were

  1790. lying and

  1791. the whole

  1792. of Christianity

  1793. is based

  1794. on a

  1795. lie.

  1796. Or will

  1797. you realise

  1798. this morning

  1799. he is

  1800. risen from

  1801. the dead

  1802. and he

  1803. is alive.

  1804. And I

  1805. want to

  1806. urge you

  1807. to check

  1808. out the

  1809. evidence.

  1810. And if

  1811. you're a

  1812. person more

  1813. likely who

  1814. believes

  1815. this,

  1816. you need

  1817. to let

  1818. this truth

  1819. give yourself

  1820. a chance

  1821. this Easter

  1822. Sunday to

  1823. let this

  1824. truth move

  1825. from your

  1826. head,

  1827. which you

  1828. know about,

  1829. into your

  1830. heart.

  1831. death.

  1832. Because this

  1833. is very,

  1834. very exciting

  1835. stuff.

  1836. That death

  1837. does not

  1838. have the

  1839. last word.

  1840. There is a

  1841. person who

  1842. when you

  1843. go into

  1844. death will

  1845. go with

  1846. you and

  1847. he will

  1848. give you

  1849. the last

  1850. word and

  1851. the last

  1852. laugh on

  1853. death.

  1854. And so

  1855. can I

  1856. suggest to

  1857. you doing

  1858. something that

  1859. I've never

  1860. suggested before

  1861. in the pulpit

  1862. and I'm

  1863. pretty certain

  1864. that no

  1865. IPC minister

  1866. has ever

  1867. suggested

  1868. before.

  1869. And that

  1870. is,

  1871. listen to

  1872. Dolly Parton.

  1873. Because as

  1874. bizarre as it

  1875. is, I

  1876. discovered a

  1877. song this

  1878. week by

  1879. Dolly Parton

  1880. called

  1881. He's Alive.

  1882. Anybody

  1883. listen to it?

  1884. It's absolutely

  1885. remarkable.

  1886. She didn't

  1887. write it.

  1888. There's a

  1889. choir at the

  1890. end.

  1891. It's

  1892. magnificent.

  1893. And as

  1894. you listen

  1895. to it,

  1896. as I've

  1897. inflicted it

  1898. on my

  1899. family this

  1900. week,

  1901. meal time,

  1902. you get a

  1903. sense of

  1904. the fact

  1905. that He's

  1906. alive.

  1907. She tells

  1908. the story

  1909. of Peter

  1910. and the

  1911. resurrection.

  1912. And you

  1913. get a sense

  1914. of the

  1915. wonder.

  1916. He is

  1917. alive.

  1918. He's

  1919. alive and

  1920. I'm

  1921. forgiven.

  1922. Jesus

  1923. said,

  1924. I am

  1925. the living

  1926. one.

  1927. I was

  1928. dead.

  1929. And now

  1930. behold,

  1931. I'm alive

  1932. forever and

  1933. ever.

  1934. Christ is

  1935. risen.

  1936. Let's

  1937. pray.

  1938. desde

  1939. desde

  1940. desde