From Grief to Great Joy: The Resurrection Story

You're listening to the Bible Guys, a podcast where a couple of friends talk

about the Bible in fun, in practical ways. Good morning everyone, and

welcome to the Bible guys. Yeah. I always say good morning or whatever.

I need to change that. Welcome, Welcome to the Bible guys.

Everyone. My name is Chris, this is Jeff, and here we are.

That's right. So this is like the biggest event in history is what

we're going to be talking about. The biggest event is the whether people recognize

it or not. That's right all the most do it changed the world?

Yes? Yes, changed our future, changed eternity, change everything everything that's

right, everythang. Yes. But before we get into that, Jeff,

we have a segment that Desiree wants us to do. Okay, and we

do everything Desiree tells us to do. We sort of do, that's right.

And this segment is how well do you know them? Chris, Let's

see how well Jeff knows you. So I'm going to give you two truths

and a lie. And this is she. She said that it's supposed to

be about some hidden talents that I might have. Talent's kind of like when

I did the video game talents. Yes, okay, so is how we're

going to do it. So this actually is going to be three things that

I'm supposedly good at, but only one two of them are going to be

true, and one of them is going to be false. Okay, here

we go. You ready. False? Number one. I was sort of

famous among my friends and coworkers for going down the stairs so fast that it

looked like I was sliding, and yet my feet were hitting every single step,

and I would go so fast that people couldn't believe it. And then

they would literally say, Chris, do that thing. Do that thing,

and I would have to perform it for everybody, and I would go up

and down the stairs extremely fast. That's number one hidden talent, if you

will. Yeah, wow, so impressive. Number two. Your mom must

be so proud. Number two. I am famously good at cleaning things.

So I do deep cleaning organizing and actually quite enjoy it, and then you

know I'll do it and then you know, be super proud of it.

That's number two. And then number three. I am exceptionally good at Uker,

although I don't necessarily like the game, but I'm good at it and

I've actually won Ukur tournaments. I didn't know Yukker until I got to Michigan,

but when I got taught it, I found out that I was actually

good at it. So I'm a sought after Uker partner. Okay, So

I also share the talent of being able to touch every stare on the way

down without making it look like you're just sliding rather than Yeah. Yes,

so that is a legitimate talent. I don't know if you have it.

I think it's always a mistake to tell Liz that you know how to clean.

Well, that's a mistake unless less I know, but now you're bragging

about it, which takes it to the whole level. So that's a mistake.

I mean. So, I mean, I hate it. I would

much rather pay to have somebody. Yeah. Yeah, so I'm going to

say that the first two are true and Uker is a lie. There your

final answer, Yes, that is correct? Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.

The reality I was like, why would a kid from Ohio need to

learn how to play Yuker? Right? Oh, that is only a Michigan

thing, I know, That's what I'm saying. Yeah, yeahh so Michigan

Uker is a Michigan game, right, But when you live here for twenty

years. Yeah, of course you're going to teach people who moved here.

That's okay. So that part you're absolutely wrong. So the history of Yuker

is is that I've been, uh in so many scenarios where they play cards

and it's Yuker, and I'm the guy that says, no, no,

no, let's play you know, regular poker or Texas hold On or something,

and they'll say, no, no, no, it's Yuker. And

so I've I've played ucre dozens of times and I've had to learn it every

time, right, even though I'm decent at it, but I have there's

so many but I'm not good, right, And to be honest with you,

I don't know why I should like it, but I don't. I

don't like it at all. So I'm from Michigan and I don't care for

ker. I don't know why. I feel ashamed to say it, I

know, right, but I feel like all the Yuker lovers are like,

come on, there's more luck to that game. And I think that's part

of it. To me, Oh is I like the games they have less

luck and more strategy. Right, But so cards in general are luck too.

Sure, there's a lot of strategy to it, but it's luck of

the draw yep, primarily. So anyways, well, there you go.

So you shouldn't have confessed that to your wife, being, you know,

so enthusiastically about enjoying cleaning so much. Well, to be fair, I

haven't cleaned on a rampage in quite a while. Which, stop talking is

worse. Just stop talking. She's listening right now. Liz is like,

you know, he hasn't. I bet I can guess how your weekend is

gonna go. You're absolutely right, Yeah, I've done it. Now I

stepped out. Oh no, okay, not that it's just Liz's job to

clean. No, no, no, no, no no, Now we

have to walk back the other for all the people we just triggered. Well,

well, keep keep in mind deep cleaning is what I said. That's

different than doing the dishes every day, Okay, right, because you know

we hopefully I'd like to think that we share that job, right right,

even though that I'm pretty certain that Liz does it more than me. Okay,

but in my mind, do you hear did you ever hear Jeff Foxworthy

talk about husbands who don't participate he goes, He goes, yeah, he

goes, I opened the door and he and he says, and my wife's

out there tarring the driveway, and he goes, hey, honeys want to

let you know empty that a stray back then I picked up those socks.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's hilarious. You missed a

spot, right, that's hilarious. It's terrible, it's terrible. Yes,

okay, well there you go. It was once again another riveting episode of

yeah, yeah, yeah. What is Chris star Ball like? Yeah,

well it's the enigma of me. Yes, it's incredible. Hey, listen,

if you're watching YouTube, would you do us a favor? Would you

subscribe to it? Would you definitely put a thumbs up? What would you

share with somebody? Because it'll really help us with the metrics, It helps

us in every way, and also it exposes our podcast to those who who

knows might want to listen to it, So we appreciate that very much.

So today we are dealing with the resurrection of Jesus here on this episode of

the Bible Guys, and this is in all four Gospels Matthew, Mark,

Luke, and John, and is the pivotal event in human history. And

so let's just start. Matthew, chapter twenty eight, verse one. It

says, early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary

Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. Suddenly there is

a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven,

rolled aside the stone and sat on it. His face shone like lightning,

and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when

they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint. Then the angel

spoke to the women. Don't be afraid. He said, I know you're

looking for Jesus who was crucified. He isn't here. He's risen from the

dead, just as he said would happen. Come and see where his body

was laying. And so and now go quickly and tell his disciples that he

has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee.

You will see him there. Remember what I've told you. And the

women ran quickly from the tomb, and they were very frightened, but also

filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel's message.

In Mark Chapter sixteen, verses one through eight. It says Saturday evening

when the sabbath, and did Mary Magdalene marry the other mother of James.

And Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus's body.

Very early on Sunday morning, just as sunrise, they went to the tomb.

On the way, they were asking each other who will roll away the

stone for us from the entrance to the tomb. But as they arrived,

they looked up and saw that the stone, which was very large, had

already been rolled aside. When they entered the tomb, they saw a young

man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were

shocked, but the angel said, don't be alarmed. You're looking for Jesus

of Nazareth, who is crucified. He isn't here. He has risen from

the dead. Look this is where they laid his body. Now go tell

his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee.

You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.

And the women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, And they

said nothing to anyone, because they were too frightened. Many of the manuscripts

of the bookmark and right there, and others add a few exits, and

so says. Then they briefly reported all this to Peter and his companions.

Afterward, Jesus himself sent them out from east to west with the sacred and

unfailing message of salvation that gives eternal life Amen. And then Luke twenty four

one through eleven, it says, But very early on Sunday morning, the

women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found

that the stoneman rolled away from the entrance, and so they went in,

but they didn't find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there,

puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.

The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the

men asked, why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive.

He isn't here. He's risen from the dead. Remember what he told

you back in Galilee, that the son of Man must be traded in the

hands of sinful men and crucified, and that he would rise again on the

third day. Then they remembered what he'd said this, or that he had

said this, so they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples

and everyone else what had happened. It was Mary Magdalen, Joanna, Mary,

the mother of James, and several other women who to the apostles what

had happened. But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they

didn't believe it. And then John twenty verses one and to us. As

early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to

the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.

She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus

loved. She said, they've taken the Lord's body out of the tomb,

and we don't know where they've put him. So there you go. Well,

that's it. Well you read all four. I was and thinking that

there was one more. That was it. There's not five gospels, Jeff,

No, there's only four. Last I checked. So there it is.

And John chapter twenty. Isn't it interesting that it's only a few verses?

Yes? Right, So John twenty one and two. Is that what

it says? Yep? Wow, we're oh there it is right there.

You know, it's interesting how John is honestly just so different from the other

gospels. He really is, yep, and in this case obviously very different.

So you know what I love that stands out. What's the first thing

that stands out to you? The women? Does it? Really? Yeah?

The thing that stood out to me was he said, go and tell

the disciples, including Peter. Oh yeah, they're in Book of Mark.

Yeah yeah, I mean, you know, think about it. I mean,

that's a you can build a whole sermon around that, the idea that

you know, here Peter denies Jesus. Jesus calls him out on it,

even though that we know that the other disciples all fled, right, and

Peter's the one that says, Lord, surely we're gonna die with you.

And you know, he takes out his dagger and he cuts off Malcus's ear

in the Garden members several podcasts ago, and so Peter is definitely willing to

demonstrate his you know, his ability to die with Jesus. But then Jesus

says, hey, surely I tell you this before the rooster crows twice,

you're gonna dine me three times? What Peter does? And then what does

it say? The last time we heard from Peter was he went out and

wept bitterly. Right, So then here's Jesus dying for the sins of humanity,

you know, conquering sin and death rising again. And then he says,

my mind's on Peter. So he tells the angels make sure that when

the women come, right or whoever comes, make sure that Peter's included.

Yeah. Right, So it's just incredible how it's a reminder that, like,

hey, no matter your biggest mess up and the thing that you feel

the most guilty about, because we can carry around guilt like a badge of

honor, and God never intends us to do that. He does use guilt.

Guilt's a good thing because if guilt returns us to repentance, guilt could

be a good thing. But once we've repented, and once we understand that

our sins are forgiven, then God does not intend for us to hang on

to guilt at all, So that guilt for that particular sin is gone.

And yet we just beat ourselves up and we just consider ourselves unworthy, and

we don't believe that God still loves us. Sometimes we believe that, you

know, God's opinion of us has been tainted because after all, we've promised

something and then failed and promised again and went back and we failed fifty times,

and so we're just a worthless piece of you know, cow dung or

whatever it is. But that's not the case. So God's mind, Jesus's

mind is on Peter. Yeah, And I just think it's a great sermon.

It's a great reminder for all of us. Yeah. So when we

sin, there's between our relationship with God and our position with God. Right.

And so it's the same way with your children. When your children disobey

you, their position with you is the same. They'll always be your child,

but the relationship can be affected in that now there's consequences to their behavior,

right. Or it's the same way in a dating relationship or in a

marriage relationship. The position of being a spouse is still there, but their

relationship ship can be intention right. And so when we sin, now it's

not about the guilt thing. It's about making sure that the relationship is right.

And that's why we would go back and we would confess our sin and

that we would repent, and so our behavior should cause grief if it's wrong,

because it's it's an assault against God. That's a good side of grief.

That's right. And then we were guilt, right, and we repent

of that, and it drives us back to saying God, the most important

thing is that our relationship is right, you know, not that your position

changed. Right. God's keeping you as his child. It's not up to

you now, it's up to him. So that's the difference. Anyways,

you know. I think it's also interesting, just in a side note,

that Mark very likely was writing Peter's story. So Mark was historically believed that

Mark was Peter's secretary, so he's writing this story. The entire Gospel of

Mark may have been Peter's narrative of it, which makes sense. Peter's so

blunt, he's so quick, he's so that he'd have the shortest of the

gospel right, just get to the point the miracles were pretty amazing whatever,

And so the fact that it's mentioned in Mark and not in the others is

would be another indicator. And it makes sense. Yeah, it never never.

Yeah, this is a very special moment for Peter that the angel wanted

to make sure that Jesus wanted to make sure that Peter was included. This

would be very memorable to Peter, maybe not very memorable to you know,

John or Matthew, who were also eyewadnesses. Yeah, but that doesn't mean

that he made it up though either. No, no, because because it's

in quotes, that's right, right, No, no, No. What

I was saying is it would be very memorable for him, right, and

that's why he would have The other other people are like, oh, yeah,

he did say that, didn't Yeah yeah, yeah, Yeah, that's

that's pretty amazing. So here it is the if if the resurrection hadn't happened,

then Jesus was not who he claimed to be. Right, The death

didn't matter, The shedding of the blood didn't matter, the punishment that he

took in his body didn't matter, none of the rest, the miracles that

he did didn't matter. The good words he said didn't matter. Nothing mattered

if the resurrection doesn't happen. So this is the lynch pin in all that

was necessary for the salvation of humanity was this element. If this didn't happen,

none of the rest of it matters, and so we've staked eternity.

Every Christian has staked all of eternity on this event, either he resurrected from

the dead or did not. And this is where and we've talked about this

before. Our staff right now is reading a book by Chuck Colson, right

and it's called The Faith. It's really great. It's a fairly short book

but deals with systematic theology and proofs of our faith, why Christians believe what

they believe. It's not very big book, but it's good book. Anyways.

Chuck was the right hand man to President Nixon when Nixon gets busted,

right, So, Nixon has essentially a presidential immunity. If everybody just goes

quiet, he can go ahead and protect everybody, and offered to do so.

He Alfred depict everybody, and Chuck Colson was kind of his hatchetman.

But Spiro Agnew, the vice president, starts getting pressured by the FBI in

this investigation, and in like ten or twelve days, rolls on everybody else,

throws the president under the bus, throws all the hatchetman under the bus,

and eventually Chuck Colson winds up going to prison over for a couple of

years, three years, I think, And he said, think about that

for a moment. You're only talking about the ruining of your reputation and a

couple of years in jail, and the most powerful man in the world was

offering to protect you, and the second most powerful man in the world got

scared and rolled on everybody because he didn't want to do any time. And

so we wind up going to prison because of him. And then you have

all of the followers of Jesus. Of these eleven that are still alive,

ten of the eleven wind up dying for this claim. Rate here we saw

the risen lord, right that Jesus resurrected from the dead. This is the

the lynchpinned to all of Christianity. If this didn't happen, then nothing else

did. And so so many people, even atheists, who are debaters and

trying to disprove Christianity, this is the thing they go after, and thus

far, this is the thing they haven't been able to disprove, right as

the resurrection. And by the way, ten out of eleven died, but

the eleventh also get boiled in oil. Yeah, boiled alive. He just

didn't die. He just didn't die, which, by the way, I

wonder how he looked after that. It'd be pretty rough. So yeah,

so even though that he didn't die and that was John, Yeah, he

certainly didn't. He certainly paid the price, right he died. He was

over one hundred years old when got one hundred and ten. Thing. He

died on the isle of Patmos, I think. And right, yeah,

so this is a really substantial thing because in this situation, these people faced

death and never recanted, and the vice President of the United States, who

is being protected by the most powerful man in the world, rolled in like

less than two weeks, right, right, and that's pretty significant. Well,

we love life application study Bible, and there's a little chart here that

talks about the evidence that Jesus actually died and rose and what it does,

excuse me, is it gives us one, two, three, four,

five. Yeah, I'm hurting today. It's the first podcast, its first

recording. There's five proposed explanations for the empty tomb that aren't you know,

based on the fact that he rose. But then there's evidence against these explanations.

So for instance, the first one be like, okay, there's a

theory that says maybe Jesus was only unconscious and later revived. But then there's

scriptural evidence and recorded evidence that says the Roman soldier told that pilot was dead.

In Mark fifteen, the Roman soldiers did not break Jesus' legs, but

because he had already died. In John nineteen, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus

wrapped his body placed it in the tomb John nineteen. Yeah, right,

you want to read the next one. Roman soldiers were experts on death.

Yes, it's not like they hadn't seen death before, right, they knew

exactly what they're looking at. The other one is that the women made a

mistake and went to the wrong tomb, So that would be some of the

arguments that the resurrection didn't really happen. But Mary mag only to marry,

the mother of Joseph, saw Jesus place in the tomb, remember that from

our podcast last week. Ye, they were it was Joseph of Arimathea and

Nicodemus, and then it kept mentioning Mary and the other Mary. That's right,

and so should they say that he got the tomb of the burial right?

And then on Sunday morning, Peter and John also went to that same

tomb, So those would be the two things going, Hey, this just

that's not a legitimate right, it's not the wrong to right, and that

winds up being Matthew, Mark Luke, and John. I'll do with those

issues. And then the other theory is, well, unknown thieves stole Jesus's

body. Well, number one, the tomb was sealed and guarded by the

Roman soldiers Matthew twenty seven, which, by the way, this doesn't even

talk about the fact that Jesus appeared for forty days in front of hundreds of

people, and he had and he had eyewitnesses. This doesn't even say that

in this little defense. Yeah, yeah, because there's eyewitnesses of his resurrection,

Yeah, hundreds of them. So if they had stole jesus body,

then those eyewitnesses, well, the idea that this contingent of soldiers allowed,

you know, rabbel rousers to steal the body, these soldiers would have been

executed, right, but they were not executed. Hey, not to mention

the let's not forget the zombies, right right, Let's not forget the fact

that there are people resurrected from the grave during the during the actual death of

Jesus who later on after the resurrection came and showed themselves. Yes, and

again if you're a new listener, not real zombies, not real zombies.

Yea. The disciples stole Jesus body would be another argument, right, So

it was unknown thieves or maybe the disciples, but the disciples were ready to

die for their faith. Stealing Jesus body would have been admitting that their faith

was meaningless. Right, we'll think about that. If they'd stole Jesus body,

then the thing that they were dying over was empty and meaningless. And

that's what I was trying to highlight. When the vice president wouldn't lie for

the president, right, just in two weeks, he was unwilling, unwilling,

he was afraid, and that's natural. Humanities respire, humanity's naturals sponds

to danger like that. So anyways, and then the last theory is perhaps

the religious leader stole the Jesus body to produce it later, but they never

produced the body, so there's no evidence for that because it was to their

disadvantage for Jesus to have vacated the tomb, and it was to every advantage

to produced the body, and they didn't that's right. Yeah. And then

there's one other real big highlight that I always like to point out, and

that is the angels are there. There's two angels. One speaks up,

so that's why you get a difference between what was that Mark and Luke or

whatever. One speaks up, and his first thing is always don't be afraid,

because when God sends his messengers to speak, that's the first thing is

don't be afraid. You know, I think humanity carries a lot of fear

all the time, especially if anything that's out of the ordinary or whatever.

And so he speaks these women, don't be afraid. God wants to comfort

them, he wants to calm them down. And then he says, Hey,

the person you're looking for among the dead isn't here. He's risen.

And that is maybe one of the greatest proclamations, I guess, the greatest

poculation. We're looking for Jesus among the dead, but he's not here.

He's the reason. Well, last Easter we themed it around the idea of

who is it that you're looking for? And that's what they asked them.

They said, who is that you're looking for? Why are you looking for

the living or the dead among the living. And you know, and that

is the question for all of us today, which is who is it that

you're looking for? You're looking for the you know, the Jesus that they

expected to find, because they expected to find the dead Jesus, you know,

the non living Jesus, the Jesus who obviously didn't have the ability to

back up every promise that he had. Right, But you know, the

question of the angel is valid for us today too. Or are we looking

for the resurrected Jesus, the one who has the power to not only conquer

sin and death, but also to give us the power to conquer the sin

and defeat and the worry and anxiety and the problems and everything else in our

lives. So it depends on who we're looking for. And they clearly had

forgotten the promise that I'm going to rise again. So their fear and their

despondency came from the fact that they just weren't paying very close attention. Yeah,

and I think that's the same for all of us. If we were

playing close attention to God's promises, we would walk around with way less fear

in our lives. And so, yeah, it's really powerful. Well,

hey, that is our time, so wow, the Resurrection of Jesus,

we did it. There you go, so there's more to go. So

we'll see you next time on the Bible. Guys,