May it please God to bless our
souls as we meditate in his word. Let's turn to the Gospel of Mark,
chapter 16, and we'll read the sixth verse. The Gospel of Mark,
chapter 16, and reading the sixth verse. And he saith unto them, Be not
affrighted, ye seek Jesus of Nazareth. which was crucified. He is risen. He is not here. Behold the place where they laid
him. We see here the desire and concern
of these women of that desire to come and bring sweet spices
that they might anoint the body of the Lord Jesus. What does
it show? It shows to us their love for the Lord Jesus Christ. And how important that is for
us today. Our love to the Lord Jesus Christ. they were really bemused, they
did not really understand what had happened, but nonetheless,
they desired to come and to do what they could, that they believed
to be right. Of course, in actual fact, they
were wrong, because they hadn't listened, they hadn't observed
the words of the Lord Jesus, which had told them previously
that he would rise again from the dead, But we see the wonderful
compassion and the wonderful favor of Almighty God toward
them. And perhaps that's very comforting
to us today, as perhaps we may make mistakes. We may perhaps
not really take up the words of the Lord. We may not really
follow the gracious words of direction He's given to us. and yet to realize He doesn't
deal with us as we deserve. He didn't deal with these women
as they deserved. He realized and knew what was
in their heart. And although they hadn't really
observed and understood the Word of God to them yet, there was
that love towards the Lord Jesus. What a blessing, therefore, in
our lives today. If although we perhaps have made
mistakes, yet we have in our heart that desire for the Lord
Jesus. And may it be said of us, like
it was said of these women, by the angel, ye seek Jesus of Nazareth. Well, this morning, are we here
seeking Jesus of Nazareth? the Saviour of sinners, the only
one who can redeem our souls, the only one who can deliver
us from the power of Satan, the only one who can deliver us from
our sins, from the great weight of our sins, from all the evil
which is within our hearts. It is only Jesus of Nazareth. And so we have this account of
these women coming early in the morning. Yes, we're told very
early in the morning, the first day of the week after the Sabbath
day, they were concerned to come and find Jesus very early in
the morning. And if you think of it, they
were obviously concerned. It's good if you and I are concerned.
about the things of God. It wasn't the natural thing for
women to go wandering around early in the morning, but the
love in their hearts moved them to such a situation. And so they came under the sepulcher
at the rising of the sun. They'd obviously got up in the
dark and moved about in the twilight and traveled and now come to
the sepulcher at the rising of the sun. And it's interesting
as you read this account that they suddenly realized there
was a stone. There was a stone in the front
of the sepulcher. We would have thought perhaps,
surely they would have considered this before they set out. But
sometimes the Lord graciously blinds our eyes to what might
be mountains in the way. Those things which might present
an impossibility to us in our walk of faith. And we may lose
sight of such obstacles. Because we know the word of God
is true. The things which are impossible
with man are possible with God. And so these women had set out
on this journey and they suddenly realized there was this stone
that had to be moved. And the question was, who shall
roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher? Well,
it was a big problem, wasn't it? But we see the Lord had gone
before. My friends, the Lord does go
before. He does remove the mountains. They do flow down in his presence.
The difficult scenes disappear. When the Lord works, when the
Lord appears. Oh, there is that wonderful evidence
that he's been in it. And so we're told and they looked,
they saw The stone was rolled away. Freud was very great. Yes, that which appeared to be
a great obstacle was no longer in existence. It had gone. And today, my friends, in the
life of the Lord's people, sometimes there are those great stones,
those great obstacles, Perhaps we might put it another way.
A great stumbling block. That which we can't seem to get
round or to pass over. Well, let us remember the stone
was rolled away. The Lord had done it. So that
can be in our lives. The Lord can remove. those obstacles
which are in the way in our spiritual life. When they came, there was
a stone rolled away and they entered into the sepulcher. They
didn't hesitate. They entered in. They wanted
they wanted to observe the savior. They wanted to observe the situation. They wanted to put these spices
around the body. of the one they loved. And as they entered into the
sepulchre, well, what a surprise. What a surprise it was for them.
They saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in
a long white garment, and they were frightened. It didn't understand
the situation. It didn't understand what had
occurred. We can understand, can we not,
their position, their situation. Then this angel spoke. And what comforting words they
were. How thankful we should be. to
know that today we come before the same God who does speak comforting
words to our souls. The angel here was speaking as
the mouthpiece of God. My friends, sometimes, very often
indeed, the Lord uses his servants as his mouthpiece to speak his
words. So there was this young man,
this angel of God, sat there and he spoke. He spoke to these
women words of comfort. He asked the question, he tells
them rather, be not afraid. Do not be afraid of the situation. Well, surely that should be a
comfort to us. if such words are spoken, that
we should not be afraid. We should not be afraid of situations. We perhaps are afraid of the
unknown way. We may fear what it holds for
us. But you know, if God is with
us, as the Apostle said, If God before us, who can be against
us? That's comforting, isn't it?
Here were these women desiring to come to Jesus. And here was
this encouraging word, be not affrighted, be not afraid. And therefore, if perhaps we
may be afraid, They may be afraid of the situation and a surprise,
perhaps, of that which is occurring. And as we look at the unknown
way, if we look at that which appears to be before us, we may
be frightened by it. Well, the word here, be not afraid
and fear not. There are many fear nots in God's
word, are there not? What a blessing if that all applies
such a word to our hearts, whatever that may have reference to in
relation to the things of God. Fear not. You see, when the Lord speaks,
fear not, because he is with us. What a mercy it is if God
is with us. We have no reason to fear, do
we? Yes, you know, you'll have to
battle. Against that which the devil
would always endeavor to place before us and make us fear. The
unknown way. And to try and turn away from
the direction of our God. and to walk in an opposite direction.
Well, bless God that here we have such words as this. Be not
afraid. And my friends, let us not be
afraid. And he then speaks to them his
great and glorious words. Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth. You see, they had a good object.
Yes, they were seeking Jesus of Nazareth. And may we have
in our lives a good objective. And I hope we do. I hope we are
amongst those who do seek Jesus of Nazareth. There's no one else,
my friends, worth seeking after. Don't go after man. Don't go
after women. Go after the Lord Jesus Christ. And the word of God tells us
very encouragingly. Seek and you shall find. We are truly seeking Jesus of
Nazareth. We shall find. We shall find
him. And we shall find in him all
that we need. this Jesus of Nazareth. What
a great God he is. What a kind and compassionate
Lord he is. But may it be true of us today
that we are seeking this same Jesus. This same Jesus that these
women were looking to. And of course, in this case,
they perhaps were thinking they were come to see the body of
Jesus. But it wasn't to be so. Oh no,
it wasn't to be so. There was a very different word
here spoken. And it is very significant. First
of all, the angel directs them in this way, which was crucified. An essential part of our salvation
is to know that the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. The Lord Jesus Christ died in
our position. He took away all our sins through
his death. And it is most essential that
we have that humble belief in a crucified Savior. as our hope
of salvation, as our hope of that one who has taken away our
sins, as our hope of the one who has paid the price to redeem
our souls, to realize that price was the crucifixion of the only
begotten Son of God. It was a great price, but it
was a price which was willingly paid And therefore, may we indeed
bless God today for this truth, which was crucified. Yes, he was crucified, but he
died, but he didn't rest there, didn't stop there. You see, no
doubt Satan and all his hosts were delighted when the Lord
Jesus died upon that cross. And they thought they'd gained
the victory. How wrong they were. Oh, bless God, how wrong they
were. Because the word of God goes on to tell us which was
crucified. He is risen. And bless God today. We worship
the risen Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, He who was crucified,
but is risen. If Christ had not risen from
the dead, our hope would be in vain, wouldn't it? There would
be nothing in it. The Apostle When he wrote to
the Corinthians in the 15th chapter, he speaks of this great truth. And he tells us this in the 15th
chapter, the first epistle of Corinthians. But if there be
no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen? And prior to this, the 12th verse,
he says, now, if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how
say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not
risen? And if Christ be not risen, then
is our preaching vain? And your faith is also vain. So this morning, have we a faith,
a God-given faith, that believes in a crucified and risen Saviour,
the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, my friends, what a blessing
to have faith given, to believe the truth of God and to believe
in a risen Savior. And so ye seek Jesus Nazareth,
do we? Are we? And are we seeking this
Jesus, this true Jesus, this only begotten Son of God, this
second person in the Trinity, this great and glorious Savior?
Are we seeking this Jesus, which was crucified and is risen Bless God if the Holy Spirit
has given us grace to do this. What does it mean? It means this. We're looking
out of ourselves. Pour not on us yourself too long,
lest it sink ye lower. Look to Jesus, firm and strong,
glory joined with power. Where are we looking today? Where
are you looking today? Are we seeking Jesus? Which was
crucified. Who is risen. And who has taken
away all our sins. My friends, if the Holy Spirit
of God. Convinces us. Of our true state. Before a holy God. we will come
in with the Apostle Paul who said he was the worst sinner. The worst sinner. You won't disagree
with him feeling that because you will realize the Holy Spirit
brought you to a place where you are, before a holy God, a
sinner. And a sinner lost. and a sinner
ruined, and a sinner with no hope in yourself. Where to go? Where to look? Here's the answer. Ye seek Jesus
of Nazareth, which was crucified. He is risen. And what a wonderful occasion
it was for these women. as they were directed by the
angel. He said, he is not here. That was obvious. Behold the
place where they laid him. Yes, he'd gone. He was not there. And we know, of course, that
his clothes were there, but he was not there. No, he'd risen
from the dead, as he had said. And how many occasions there
are in the New Testament that we read of the Savior telling
his disciples that he would rise from the dead on the third day.
And yet you see how dull of understanding they were. And I suppose we have
to recognize that it is so with us. We are dull of understanding. We do not really receive the
word of God. It does not really enter into
our hearts until the blessed spirit of God comes and applies
the word and our eyes are opened to observe the truth of God's
word. Yes, we possess like those disciples. We just don't understand. It's
a great truth, but it doesn't seem to have any effect. It doesn't seem to have any any
reality. What's the need of it? But when
the spirit of God opens our eyes, we then see the need of it, the
essential need of it. And so here was this occasion,
these women. blessed with this revelation,
spoken to them by this angel, ye see Jesus of Nazareth, which
was crucified. He is risen. He is not here. Behold the place where they laid
him. And he instructs them then. And again, see the word of God
is very encouraging. But go your way, tell his disciples
and Peter, isn't that wonderful? And you think, well, why? Why
does he direct? Well, of course, Peter, dear old Peter, denied
his Lord and Savior three times. He thought he was strong in himself.
He said he would never deny his Lord, he would die for him. And
yet, in just a very short time, just a few hours, what was he
doing? Denying. His Lord and Master,
not once, not twice, three times, and in a most vehement way with
oaths and curses. It's almost impossible to believe
so, but it was so. And the Lord has recorded such
an account so that should we fall, should we sin in such a
way and deny the Lord Jesus? Perhaps on more than one occasion,
perhaps many occasions, And I think, well, I deserve to be cut off. I don't deserve to have any mercy
from God. And yet to realize here the Lord
in his mercy, in his great love to Peter directed them to go
and tell the disciples, and especially Peter. To tell him. Yes, Jesus of Nazareth
is risen. He's risen. And of course, as
we read in the Gospels, we know that Peter, when he heard the
good news, he ran. He ran to the sepulcher to see if
it was true. Yes, what a good thing it is
if you and I are concerned then to come like these people seeking
Jesus. He is not here. Behold the place
where they laid him. And we read together in that
first chapter of the Revelation to direct our attention to the
great word of the Lord himself. It's a wonderful chapter, this
first chapter in the book of the Revelation. And we have here
a little view of the glory and greatness of the Son of God.
and the wonder of his mercy and blessing. And as we come down
to the 17th verse in this first chapter, we read, and when I
saw him, this is the Apostle John speaking, when I saw him,
I fell at his feet as dead. Perhaps when the Holy Spirit
comes and speaks to our heart, we are condemned and we fall
down before our holy God, and we come and say, can ever God
dwell here in such a heart as mine? So here was our brother
John in this situation. The Lord came and he laid his
right hand upon him, saying unto him, fear not, fear not. Yes, fear not. Again, you see
how encouraging to read such a word. And such a word that
may be applied to our hearts. Fear not. I am the first and
the last. And he says, I am he that liveth
and was dead. I died upon that cross at Calvary.
I was laid in the tomb. I was dead. And behold, I am alive forevermore. This is the saviour that we worship. This is a saviour that I trust
we do worship. The one who is alive for evermore. Amen. And have the keys of hell
and of death. This is the great God before
whom you and I stand. This is the great God who looks
upon us, this risen saviour. What a mercy if the Holy Spirit
has convinced us of our need of a Savior, of a need of forgiveness,
of a need to be washed in the blood of the Lamb, to need to
know that the Lord Jesus Christ has taken our sins and stood
in our place and He's borne the punishment instead, this great
and glorious Savior. Yes, my friends, as you and I
look at ourselves, are we amazed that the Lord should have looked
upon us? We have to say with the hymn writer, what was there
in me to merit esteem or give my creator delight? Was even
so far that we ever must say, because it seemed good in thy
sight. Suppose we can say, what does
it mean? Sovereign grace. Sovereign grace
or sin abounding. Yes. The grace of God. Come to touch our hearts. Come
to direct us to the savior. Come to bless us that we're found
in this place seeking Jesus of Nazareth. It's an important statement. It's an essential place to come
to every one of us. If we are to be found in glory
at last, we'll be found on this earth seeking Jesus as Nazareth
to be revealed to us as the one who has stood in our place to
take away our sins forevermore. Be able to come and say, I'm
washed. I'm clean. I'm washed in the
blood of the Lamb. How is this made over to us?
By faith. We walk by faith and not by sight. We don't have a wonderful revelation. We walk by faith. My friends,
God gives faith. It's his gift. It's not something,
you know, that we can think that we can work up to. No, it means
that you and I have to give God all the glory. Because he it
is who has given us this faith. It's not something that comes
by working ourselves up into a situation. As the apostle tells
us when he wrote to the Ephesians, for by grace are you saved through
faith, faith to believe in the promises of God, God given faith. My friends, how humbling it is
when God gives us faith as it were to stretch out our arm and
come to the side to look to him. casting all our care upon Him,
believing He cares for us. My friends, that's living faith.
Cast all your care upon Him. And so, for by grace are you
saved through faith. Very simple, isn't it? Very humbling. But the result must be God glorified. You won't be able to say, well,
I did this or I did that or I prayed for this and I prayed for that.
And this is how it all happened. You'll start claiming some glory
for yourself. My friends, when God gives faith
to believe. The Lord Jesus Christ came in
his world to save sinners of whom I am chief. The application
of the blood of Christ, which cleanses from all sin, all sin,
everything disappears. And what's the result? Complete in Him. In Christ. Yes, in Christ. And so what a favor today. The
Lord leads us into a position like this, where we understand
the great truths of God's word, but the Holy Spirit then applies
it to our heart. And the light comes in, we're
blessed with faith. Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which
was crucified, he is risen. And you see, in that position,
he rose, he rose, a conqueror over sin, death, hell and the
grave. And what does the word tell us?
This is the comforting word. And we are more than conquerors
through him. Through him. It's not anything
else that you and I've done. It's through Him. Faith to believe. Look into the Saviour. Look into
a crucified Saviour. Look into a risen Saviour. You see Jesus of Nazareth, which
was crucified, He is risen. He is not here. Behold the place where they laid
Him. Living faith, my friends, leads
us. to Calvary. Living faith leads us to the
sepulcher. Living faith leads us to a risen
saviour, a glorified saviour, and also living faith leads us
to the saviour in glory now, as we read. So then after the
Lord has spoken unto him, he was received up into heaven and
sat on the right hand of God. Faith enables us to pray. In faith, believing, this great
God comes and hears and answers our prayers. Perhaps not in the
way that we expected, but very often in a different way, my
friends. You see, if God always came and answered the prayers
in the way that we expected, again, He wouldn't receive the
glory. My friends, God comes, and when God applies His Word,
with power, it's like the situation with the Apostle Paul. Scales
fell from his eyes. Scales fell from his eyes. And
what do we behold? The glory and the simplicity
of the gospel. Oh, yes. And then it brings peace
to our hearts. because we realize God has given
us faith to believe. And it's God and Him alone. And
therefore our concern is to praise and honor and glorify His great
and holy name for looking upon such a rebel, such a hard-hearted
sinner. Well, yes, the mercy of God,
the mercies of God. Well, we know that God is faithful. God is just and we're thankful
to know that we have such a God who looks upon us in love and
mercy and doesn't deal with us as our sins deserve. Indeed,
as the God's servant Jeremiah tells us, it is of the Lord's
mercies that we are not consumed. And when the Holy Spirit comes
and shows us our heart, how we've been planning our salvation,
Now we've been planning the deliverances, and God says, for the Lord's
mercies, that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail
not. You think of that. His compassion
to you and to me. He looks upon us. He hasn't cut
us off. And as the God's servant says
they are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. And
then he goes on to say comforting words. The Lord is my portion. Is that true of you today? The
Lord is my portion. Seth, my soul. This is the reality. This is the real thing. Therefore,
will I hope in him? Is that our comfort? hope in
him. We walk by faith, not by sight.
We hope in him. And so we read these words this
morning. Be not affrighted. Ye seek Jesus
of Nazareth, which was crucified. He is risen. He is not here. Behold the place where they laid
him. Amen.