I'm gonna ask you to take your
Bibles and turn with me to the book of Mark, Mark chapter 16. Mark 16. In this last chapter of the book
of Mark, we have the account of our Lord's
dealing with his disciples after his resurrection. The scripture says in Mark 16
verse 9 through 11, now when Jesus was risen early the first
day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out
of whom he had cast seven devils. And she went and told them that
had been with him as they mourned and wept. And they, when they
had heard that he was alive and had been seen of her, believed
not." Now, turn back to Mark 10. The Lord had told his disciples
exactly what was going to happen. He told them that he would die and that he would rise again.
Mark chapter 10, verse 32. The scripture says, and they
were in the way going up to Jerusalem and Jesus went before them and
they were amazed As they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve
and began to tell them what things should happen to him. Now they
were amazed because he was going. He had told them before and he's
telling them again. Right now he's going to tell
them. Saying, verse 33, behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the
Son of Man shall be delivered unto the chief priest and unto
the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver
him to the Gentiles, and they shall mock him, and shall scourge
him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him, and the third
day he shall rise again. Now he told them what was gonna
happen. I'm gonna be betrayed. I'm gonna be taken, I'm gonna
be scourged, I'm gonna be spit on. The amazement, he knew exactly
what was gonna happen. He knew exactly, they're gonna
spit on me, scourge me, I'm gonna be put to death, and I'm gonna
rise again. And the scripture says, turn
to Luke 24, chapter one, the scripture says that He appeared,
when he had risen early in the morning, he appeared unto Mary
Magdalene and revealed himself unto her. Luke chapter 24, the
scripture says, verse 1, now upon the first day of the week,
very early in the morning, They came unto the sepulchre, bringing
the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
Well, who was it? Who was it? Well, look at verse
10 and 11. And it was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary, the mother
of James, and other women that were with them, which told these
things unto the apostles. And their words seemed to them
as idle tales, and they believed them not. So turn back to Mark
16. This is what scripture says.
Verse nine, when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week,
he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven
devils. She went and told them that had been with him, and as
they mourned and wept, why? Well, they hadn't seen him now
three days. They'd been without him now three
days. They'd walked with him, heard
him preach, saw him perform miracles, wonders, signs, proving who he
is, and now three days without him. I began to think on that
this morning while I was going over these notes, and I thought
to myself, what loneliness, what loneliness. Do you know, for
a believer here, you've never known, since the Lord revealed
himself to you, you've never known him to not be with you.
You know it. He said, my sheep hear my voice.
That's an amazing thing to me, but I can't explain it, but I
know that. We hear his voice in the scriptures.
We hear his voice in Providence. We hear his voice in our good
conscience. We hear it. Not here, not with this, no,
but you hear it. You hear it, you know. But these
disciples, they'd been without him now three days. And the scripture
says that they, They had a witness. Mary Magdalene had been seen
to the Lord, revealed himself to her, and she went and told
them, I saw the Lord. They saw him crucified. They
know he died. They know he did. They saw that
soldier stick that spear in his side. They know he died. Scripture says he gave up the
ghost, bowed his head, and then gave up the ghost. Big difference,
big difference. They saw him die. They know that
Joseph of Arimathea came. They know he got him. They know
that he was buried. And she said, he's alive. I've
seen him. And it appeared as though to
them that these were just idle tales. They didn't believe him. Back in Mark 16, verse 12 and
13. After that, he appeared in another form unto two of them
as they walked and went into the country. And they went and
told it unto the residue, neither believed they them. Now, you
know this account. Turn over to Luke 24. Luke 24. this marvelous account of these
two that were on the road to Emmaus. Luke 24 verse 13, behold,
two of them that went that same day to the village called Emmaus,
which was from Jerusalem, about three score furlongs, and they
talked together of all these things which had happened. And
it came to pass that while they communed together and reasoned,
Jesus himself drew near and went with them, but their eyes were
holding that they should not know him. Now, the Lord just
didn't allow them to know who he was. He just put his power,
they didn't know. And he said to them, what manner
of communication are these that you have one to another as you
walk in the sand? And one of them, whose name was
Cleopas, answering, said unto him, art thou only a stranger
in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to
pass therein in these days? And he said to them, what things?
You know, it's amazing how he's going to cause them, they're
going to have to give confession of him. He's going to ask them
just the right questions. And they're going to have to
confess what the Lord's taught them. And they said to him, he
said, what things? And they said of him concerning
Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet, mighty indeed, word
before God in all the people, and how the chief priest and
our rulers delivered him to be contemned to death, have crucified
him. But we trusted that it had been
he which should have redeemed Israel. And beside all this,
today's the third day since these things were done. Yea, and certain
women also of our company made us astonished. which were early
at the sepulcher. And when they found not his body,
they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels,
which said that he was alive. And certain of them which were
with us went to the sepulcher and found it, even so as the
women had said, but him they saw not. Then he said to them,
O fools and slow of heart, to believe all that the prophets
have spoken, ought not Christ to have suffered these things
and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all
the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures, those
things concerning himself. You know, he revealed himself
to them, he broke bread with them, that the very day, the
very day that he raised from the dead, he sat there and broke
bread, just like he had done with his disciples. Just the
night in which he was betrayed, he broke bread, and the scripture
says their eyes were opened, look at verse 31. It came to
pass, verse 30, it came to pass as he sat at meat with them,
he took bread, blessed it, break it, gave it to them, And their
eyes were opened, and they knew him, and he vanished out of their
sight. And they said one to another,
did not our heart burn within us while he talked with us by
the way and while he opened to us the scriptures? And they rose
up the same hour and returned to Jerusalem. and found the eleven
gathered together, and them which were with them, saying, The Lord
is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. And they told what
things were done in the way, and how he was known of them
in the breaking of bread." Now, back in Mark 16, it says, concerning
that event, of those two disciples on the road to Emmaus, after
he had appeared in another form unto two of them, They walked
and went into the country, they went and told it unto the rest
of you, neither believed they them. Now did you see in the
account that we just read over in Luke 24, did the Spirit of
God say there that they didn't believe him? No, didn't say that,
but he said it here. And that's enough. Did they believe
these two? Did they believe that the Lord
had actually appeared to them? and that he actually broke bread
with them and actually opened the scriptures to them, beginning
with Moses and all the scriptures, those things concerning himself.
Did the disciples believe him? No, did not believe him. Well, verse 14, back in Mark
16, afterward, he appeared unto the leaven as they said it meet
and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart. because they believe not them
which had seen him after he was risen. After all these things
had transpired, his crucifixion, his death, his resurrection,
his appearance to Mary Magdalene, his appearance to these two on
the road to Emmaus, the witness that was given from these that
had seen him unto his disciples, The scripture says in verse 14,
afterward he appeared unto the 11. Judas is dead. Judas has
committed suicide. And here the Lord is going to
openly dispel all doubt, all their unbelief concerning his
resurrection. The 11 are sitting at meat, and
the Lord, the scripture says, he upbraided them. That is, he
disgraced them. He lovingly, you know whom the
Lord loveth, he chasteneth, scourgeth every son that he received. And why did he upbraid them?
Why did he disgrace them? Well, the scripture says because
of their unbelief. and hardness of heart because
they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. He had told them, I'm going to
die and I'm going to rise again. Now these precious words of the
11 being upbraided, those words are not just for those apostles. Those words are for us. We're
ever in need of loving correction. We're always in need of being
chided, rebuked, you know, by the scriptures. Why? Because of our unbelief. God's
people believe, and they pray, Lord, help my unbelief. Oh, but after this quickening,
loving rebuke, The Lord now comes to this next truth. The first
truth that sets forth is this. We're always prone to unbelief,
all of us. Any believer that, well, no believer's
gonna admit or gonna say, I never find myself distrusting the Lord.
Oh, really? Well, not according to scriptures. That's not true. We're all prone. But here's my second point. The
Lord is ever faithful, ever faithful to his word, ever faithful to
his people. Did he promise that he would
never leave us nor forsake us? Did he promise that, I'll never
leave you, I'll never forsake you? Yes, he did. Now, how many
times do we find ourselves often, especially in the times of trial,
in a state of unbelief. I'm the world's worst. When something
just, you know, a wrench gets thrown in my gears, all of a
sudden, man, I'm just all over the place. And you're like that
too. We're all like that. When we
deserve to be forsaken because of our unbelief, the Lord is
ever faithful. Faithful is people, 2 Timothy
2.13. If we believe not, and that's all the time. If we believe not, yet he abideth
faithful. He cannot deny himself. The Lord never changes. He abides
faithful to his covenant. Faithful to His word, faithful
to His promise, He will not, He cannot be contrary to His
nature. He is ever the same, same to
the people of His love and affection, grace. He upbraided them, but
in loving correction. and then according to his faithfulness. Now here was 11 guys that the
Lord by his grace and power and mercy had kept these years that
they had followed him, three plus years that he'd been with
them. And think about this, he had
taught them. As I've said before, one of the
characteristics of an apostle, they had to learn the gospel
at the mouth of the Lord. He taught them. He taught them.
The Lord taught all of us through other men that preached the gospel.
And the Spirit of God blessed it. And we heard through the
means, the Lord's means, of a preacher. But these men learned it from
the Lord. And the Lord taught them. And
the Lord kept them. And the Lord proved himself and
showed himself. Revealed himself time and time
and time again. And it came time after he had
died and was raised from the dead. They heard the reports
and they didn't believe him. And he upbraided them for it.
But he didn't cast them off. I'm so thankful for that. I'm
so thankful I didn't read that he cast these men off right here.
What kind of hope would that give us? Because of our unbelief,
but he kept us, kept us. But then listen, and I'm gonna
stop with this verse right here, and Lord willing, I'm gonna pick
up right here next time, but verse 15. After he had upbraided
them, verse 14, because they believed not. Verse 15, and he
said unto them, now listen to this. Go ye into all the world
and preach the gospel to every creature. Now, these men had been commissioned
to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. They were forbidden to go, at
first, any place where the Gentiles were. They were to preach to
the house of Israel. They were preached to Jews. And
that's what they knew. That's what they'd been taught.
That was biblical. That was God's command. But now
here's the Lord, and he's risen from the dead, and he tells them
something that is totally contrary to what they had always heard.
You go into all the world and you preach the gospel to every
creature. I've told you the time and time
and time again, the gross misconception by and large of men, women today
is they don't know what the gospel is. I told you, I said, you take
a man off the street and ask him, do you believe the gospel? He'll say, yeah. I said, okay. Tell me what it is. Tell me what
the gospel is. Listen, the gospel is first of
all, set forth the truth about man. Man is a fallen creature. He fell in Adam's transgression,
came forth from his mother's womb, speaking lies. He's dead spiritually. He's dead. And the day that you eat thereof,
you're going to die. Die. What does dead mean? It
means unable, incapable, without power. You know what a dead man,
a dead woman looks like. They are dead. They cannot do
anything. So to appeal to a spiritually
dead creature is fruitless. It's fruitless. Man is without
power. He has no power whatsoever before
God. None whatsoever. Turn to John 1, the gospel according
to John chapter 1. The Lord is speaking, and he
says in John 1, verse 11, John 1, 11, he came
unto his own, his own received him not. But as many as received
him, something was evident, is what we're getting ready to read.
To them gave he power. to become the sons of God, even
to them that believe on his name. And then the spirit of God qualifies
what he just said in verse 12, lest someone think that they
had the power to do it. Which were born, born again,
not of blood, not because you came up in the right family,
nor of the will of the flesh, What does that mean? That means
that you have no power within your being to be able to reconcile
yourself back to God. Nowhere in the scriptures do
you find the scriptures setting forth that almighty God is trying
to do something. He's trying to save somebody.
That is totally contrary to scripture. Which were born not of blood,
nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, How many
times have I said, I want my kids. I want my kids to know
God. I want to know God. I want my wife to know God. I
want all of my family to know God. I want them to know God.
I want my brother and my two sisters to know God. They're
kids, but I don't have the power to impart life to them. I can
desire that, but I can't do it. Well, how were they born? but
of God. So whenever the gospel is preached,
tell men. You go into all the world and
you preach the gospel. Tell men what they are. Don't tell men that they have
a free will. Don't tell them that. I just
read it. Not of the will of the flesh. They don't have that.
They came, you came back that up? You came back that up? Don't
tell them that. They're dead. They're dead. I could tell you that a corpse
laying in a casket, if it was right here, I could tell you
that that corpse has a free will. You're saying, well, Marvin,
you're ridiculous. That's right. I can tell you
that a man or woman born in Adam has a free will. That's ridiculous. Why? Because the scripture refutes
it. Don't tell them that. You're
giving them a false hope. You're telling them something's
not so. Tell them about man when the gospel is preached. Tell
them. Secondly, tell them who Christ is. Tell them that the
Lord Jesus Christ, according to God's covenant mercy, grace,
that he covenanted together to bear in his own body. Ephesians
1.4, the Father had given him a people before the foundation
of the world that you tell them that Christ has a bride. He's
got a church that was given him before the world began. Just
turn, I want you to look at it again. Ephesians 1.4, turn to
Ephesians 1.4. According, Ephesians 1.4, verse
1.3, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who
has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places
in Christ according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world that we should be holy and without blame before
him in love. Now let me ask you this, does
the Lord Jesus Christ have a people? Yes. Is he going to save his
people. Turn over to John chapter 17.
John 17. Does he have a people? Yes. Is he going to save them? Yes.
John 17 2. Well, I'll read verse 1 and 2. These words spake Jesus, lifted
up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, The hour has come, glorify
thy son that thy son may also glorify thee as thou has given
him power over all flesh that he should give eternal life to
who? Read the words, to as many as
thou hast given him. How many is going to have eternal
life? As many as the father gave him. You tell them when you preach
the gospel You tell them the truth about man, you tell them
about who the Lord Jesus Christ is, and you tell them the truth
of salvation. Jonah declared this blessed truth,
Jonah 2.9, salvation is of the Lord. Is it between me and the
Lord? No. No. What does any sinner
have to do with his own salvation? Nothing. Nothing. For by grace are you saved. For by grace are
you saved. Through faith, through the means
of faith, you know it. For by grace are you saved through
faith. And listen to this, and that not of yourself. Now how much? does, and that
not of yourself. How much of that statement right
there includes men? And that not of yourself, how
much is involved on my part? And that not of yourself, it
is the gift of God. Back in Mark 16, you go into
all the world and you preach the gospel. to every creature. The gospel, you tell them the
good news of life in Christ. You tell them the truth. There's no salvation. Romans 1 16, Romans 1 16, there
is no salvation apart from hearing The gospel. There's no salvation
apart from hearing the gospel. Romans 1, 15, 16. Paul says, so as much as in me
is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome
also, for I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it
is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to
the Jew first and also to the Greek. Turn to 2 Thessalonians
2, 13 and 14. 2 Thessalonians 2. 2 Thessalonians 2, 13, 14. We're
bound to give thanks all the way to God for you, brethren,
beloved of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen
you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the
truth, whereunto he called you by our to the obtaining of the
glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So this message is the exclusive
message, the exclusive means of God's choosing. I didn't make this up. Turn with
me, 1 Corinthians 1, 1 Corinthians 1. I didn't make this up. It
is the exclusive message, God's message concerning salvation
of His people. This is according to God's wisdom,
not mine, not yours, not anybody else's. This is the wisdom of
God. 1 Corinthians 1, verse 21 to
24. But unto them, which are called, both Jews and
Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because
the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of
God is stronger than men, for you see your calling, brethren,
how that not many wise after the flesh, nor many mighty, nor
many noble are called. But God has chosen the foolish
things of the world to confound the wise, and God has chosen
the weak things of the world to confound the things which
are mighty. So, look at verse 21. I think
I read the wrong scripture, but I'll read the right one now.
But after in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not
God, he pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
believe. The Jews require a sign, the
Greeks seek after wisdom, we preach Christ crucified under
the Jews, a stumbling block under the Greeks' foolishness. Listen,
this message, he commissioned them, you go into all the world
and you preach the gospel. Here's the first thing we want
to do. I want to find out what is the gospel. You tell me what
the gospel is. I don't want to know what men
say it is. I want to know what God says it is. Set forth, go
into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. I don't pick and choose. Now
I know from the scriptures, I know God has a people. I know that
there's a remnant according to the election of grace. I know
that. The scripture is filled with the truth that God has a
people. I know that. I don't know who
they are. I don't know who they are. So
what I'm gonna do, I'm gonna go in all the world and I'm gonna
preach the gospel. I'm gonna tell men, women, I'm
gonna tell you the truth about man. I'm gonna tell you the truth
about God's will and God's purpose and God's counsel. I'm gonna
tell you the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ, who he is,
what he did, where he is now. I'm going to tell you the truth
about salvation, that it's of the Lord. I've told you before,
the gospel is not an offer. I'm not offering you anything.
I'm telling you the truth about what God says. And the Spirit
of God is going to bless that which the Spirit of God is pleased
to bless. So we don't pick and choose. The Father chose His
people, Christ redeemed His people, and the Spirit of God is going
to effectually call His people out. Now, in closing, the gospel,
what it means actually is good news. It means a good message. But you know a good message is
only a good message if you know the bad message. So in closing,
I'm gonna tell you the bad news. Romans 3.23. Romans 3.23, I got
some bad news for you. Romans 3.23. Here it is. For all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God. Everybody, we've all sinned.
James 2.10. I got some more bad news for
you. James 2.10. For whosoever She'll keep the
whole law and yet offend in one point. He's guilty of all. What does that mean? If I am
trusting what I did or I do, if I'm trusting what I do, I
made a profession of faith, I walked down the aisle, I prayed through,
I whatever. Let me tell you what. If you're
trusting in yourself, And you've offended in one point. And all
your trust is in you and what you've done. You offend in one
point. You're guilty of the whole law.
That's bad news. And here's the last scripture
on the bad news. And I'm going to tell you the good news, and
then I'm going to hush. Ezekiel 18.4. Here's the bad news. Ezekiel 18, 4. Behold, all souls are mine, as
the soul of the Father, so also the soul of the Son is mine.
And the soul that sinneth, that's me, that's you, it shall die. That's bad news. But I've got some good news.
And here's the gospel, you go into all the world and you tell
every creature, you preach to every creature the good news. I've got bad news, but I got
some good news. We've read this before, I'll
just quote this for you. Ezekiel 33, 19, when Moses said
unto the Lord, show me your glory, what did the Lord say? Now here's
his glory. This is Exodus 33, 19. will be
gracious, to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy on whom
I will show mercy. The angel came to a virgin named
Mary. He told her, you're gonna bear
the Messiah, and you call his name Jesus, for he shall save
his people from their sins. He's gonna save his people. Are
you talking about these sinners? You talking about these, you
know, they've transgressed, they just broke one law and now they're
guilty of all of it. You talking about those? Yeah,
he's gonna save them. But he's gonna save them in absolute
justice. And mercy, and mercy. How's that? 2 Corinthians 5.21. 2 Corinthians
5.21. when the Lord Jesus Christ went
to the cross. An amazing thing happened, 2
Corinthians 5.21, an amazing thing happened. The scripture says, for he hath
made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin. He bore in his
body all the sins of those that the Father had given him. He
bore it. They were made to be his, that's
Psalm 40. They were made to be his. And
he bore in his body and God Almighty justly, justly dealt with him
on behalf of a people of God's love and affection and choosing.
And he died justly, justly. He was made sin. And where the
law found sin, the law dealt with it. And he was forsaken of God. I
know he was. He said, my God, my God, why
have thou forsaken me? Why? He was made sin. And bore
the guilt. And he put it away, put away
the debt. He has made Him to be sin for us who knew no sin
that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Not in us, in
Him. Last verse, what's gonna happen?
John 6, 37, what's gonna happen? What's gonna happen? John 6, 37. All that the Father giveth me, shall come to me. And him that
cometh to me, I will in no wise. Oh, underline that one right
there, Bearer. No wise. I will in no wise. No wise. No wise. You mean even
if I don't believe? No wise. I will in no wise cast
out. Now friend, that's some good
news. That's some good news. I know
what I am. I sort of, I don't really, I
really don't. I don't know what I am by nature. I know I'm not what I shall be. I'm not what I want to be. But
I tell you what, based on what he's told me, I know that by
the grace of God, I am what I am. What is that, Marvin? a redeemed
sinner that needs a savior constantly. Constantly to call on him. You
go into all the world. He upbraided them because of
their unbelief. And he told them, he said, you go into all the
world and you preach the gospel to every creature. That's verse
15. Lord willing, next time I'm gonna,
on a Sunday, I'm gonna pick up in verse 16. He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved. He that believeth not shall be
damned. I'm gonna pick up right there
and go from there. I wanna preach the gospel. I wanna be faithful
to preach the gospel. I wanna be faithful to God's
word. And I'm gonna trust the Lord and ask him to bless that
word. Bless it to our salvation. Bless it to our comfort. Bless
it to our stability. Feed us for God's glory and our
good. Amen.