Let's turn today in our Bibles to John chapter 20. The title of my message is John saw and believed. John saw and believed. John chapter 20, reading the first nine verses. The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.

Then she runneth and cometh to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, that's John, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. Peter therefore went forth and that other disciple and came to the sepulchre. So they ran both together, and the other disciple did outrun Peter and came first to the sepulchre. And he stooping down and looking in saw the linen clothes lying, yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter, following him, and went in to the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin that was about his head, not lined with the linen cloths, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went he in also, that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, which he must rise again from the dead. Last week, I know many of you were not here with us last week, so let me just remind us of what we saw. We looked at the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ, his death upon the cross. We saw that his crucifixion began in the morning at 9 a.m.

And it went on for six hours. At the time of noon, the darkness, there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. That was three o'clock in the afternoon. And I would just mention, that was the time of the evening sacrifice. The law which God had given to Moses demanded that every day, Two lambs were slain, one in the morning and one in the evening. And of course we know they pictured the Lamb of God who the Lord Jesus Christ that day upon the cross, God's Lamb, was slain.

But at the end of those three hours of darkness near the end, he cried with a loud voice showing that he still was strong, that he had strength. Many times, if you're ever at a person's deathbed, you will hear that they can barely speak. You can barely hear them. Sometimes you have to get down close to their mouth to hear what they're saying, what they're trying to say. But not the Lord Jesus Christ. No, he cried with a loud voice.

A rich man then by the name of Joseph Arimathea asked Pilate for his body, permission to bury his body, his lifeless body, the lifeless body that God the Holy Spirit had prepared for the eternal son of God when he came into this world. from the Virgin Mary, that lifeless body, Joseph of Arimathea asked or begged Pilate to allow him to bury. And Pilate was surprised. In fact, he was amazed. And what amazed Pilate when Joseph asked for permission to bury the body was that Christ was dead.

Six hours. Crucifixion usually took much longer, much longer than six hours. And we know eventually the thieves on either side of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Roman soldiers came and broke their legs so that they could not hold themselves up. Because that's the most cruel way of execution man, I suppose, has ever come up with, is crucifixion.

And Pilate was surprised that the Lord Jesus Christ was already dead. And I mention that only to remind us The Lord Jesus Christ GAVE his life. Let that sink in. He GAVE his life. This is what he himself said in John chapter 10, I lay down my life that I might take it again. No man, not Pilate, not the chief priest, not the Roman soldiers. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my father." He gave his life.

He didn't die like a martyr. Many men have been martyred for Christ. They've been taken to a post and tied to it and set on fire, martyred, died martyrs for Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ didn't die a martyr. He died as a substitute. He didn't die as an example to show us how we are to die. He died, I want to emphasize this again, he died as a substitute. He died in your place if you're one of his children. He died in my place. He substituted himself. He freely gave himself. a ransom for many. He laid down his life. And so, yes, he cried with a loud voice, it is finished.

And Pilate gave Joseph permission, along with Nicodemus, to prepare his body for burial and to lay that body in a tomb that Joseph of Arimathea had there already prepared for his death, for his body. It was close by Calvary, Mount Calvary. And preparing that body consisted in wrapping the body in what is here called Roman clothes, linen clothes. If you look back in chapter 19 of John, you still have your Bible open there to chapter 20, but look back to chapter 19 in verse 40. Then took they the body of Jesus and wound it in linen clothes with the spices as the manner of the Jews is forbearing. These linen clothes One translation of that word that's translated linen clothes here is bandages, strips. Most other translations other than the King James doesn't read linen clothes but linen cloths, linen cloths, strips around the body of the Lord Jesus. And then his head was bound with What John here refers to as a napkin, this is something that you and I would refer to as a towel, this word that's translated a napkin here. And the burial took place before the sun set. Now, when the sun would set, that would mark the beginning of the seventh day of the week, the Sabbath.

If you're not familiar with how the Jewish people spoke about a day, you'll come to this passage and you'll wonder how was he in the grave three days and three nights. If he was buried on Friday and he rose on Sunday. Well, the Jews, like we read in Genesis chapter one about creation week, the evening and the morning was the first day. The evening and the morning was the second day. In other words, the Greeks called this evening days. The day began at evening when the sun would set.

So our Lord was buried. He suffered on Friday. and was buried on Friday. That would count for one day. That's the way they judged it, a day, evening and morning. So he was in the grave on Friday. That was one day. All day on the Jewish Sabbath, the seventh day. And then on that day, as soon as the sun set, it would be Sunday. And that's the day, of course, that he arose, the first day of the week. We worship together mostly on the first day of the week, recognizing the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

But as I was looking over my notes this morning, I was thinking about that day, evening and morning, the first day. And I went back to Genesis chapter 1. and check just to make sure I had it right. That's one thing as you get older, you realize you've got to do. You've got to check and recheck. But the thought came to me, what a picture of my life. And if you're saved here today, what a picture of your life. Evening, then morning.

I came into this world in darkness, hating God, under the reign of the prince of darkness. And thank God, God, the same God who commanded in the beginning the light to shine out of darkness, one day shined in my heart. to give me the knowledge of the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. And the same is true of you if you're here this morning as a believer. Started off in darkness and thank God now we're in the light. And the path of the righteous shineth as a light more and more unto the perfect day. And as we grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord, things that at first maybe was very unclear become clear to us.

What a blessing it is to grow old with the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior. And I say this this morning to those of you who are here in youth, maybe teenagers in your 20s, or even a little bit older. Decide for Christ. Seek him, the scripture says, while he may be found. Call upon him while he's near. A life that is begun in the early days for Christ is a life that you'll never regret. You'll never regret.

I know God saves His elect at different periods in their life. I understand that. But I'd encourage all you young people here today. If God lets you grow old, he may, he may not, in order to be able to look back on your life and see God's goodness, see the providence of God, how he has led you, provided for you, saved you, kept you.

Oh, what a blessing it is. Yes, our lives begin in darkness. Men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. That was me, and that was you, and that may be you today if God has not given you light. But what a blessing when God gives you the eyes to see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. When he becomes precious to you, everything about him.

I'm tempted to go in a different way, but I'm not. I sat in those chairs during Bible study, and I know they're hard. I know they're hard. So I'm going to go on and try to stay with my notes. I have three divisions for the message this morning. First of all, there were days of sadness for his disciples. There were days of sadness for his disciples. And I use that word sadness for two reasons.

First of all, If you still have your Bibles open here to John, look back into chapter 16, just a few pages back. And these are the words that we're going to read here in John chapter 16, beginning with verse 20. Our Lord spoke these words the day before his crucifixion, the day before his crucifixion alone with his 11 apostles in that upper room. He spoke these words that we're going to read here in chapter 16, verse 20.

Verily, verily, I say unto you that you shall weep and lament. Oh, and they saw the Lord Jesus Christ hanging on that tree. And when he gave up the ghost, weeping for his disciples, lamenting the death of the one that they had followed now for three years. Verily, verily, I say unto you that you shall weep and lament. But the world, the world that crucified him shall rejoice. Remember the religious leaders, they were happy. We've gotten rid of him. We won't have to deal with him anymore. They'll rejoice. Oh, yes, his body's in the grave. He's dead.

Put a seal around that tomb so that his disciples cannot come and steal his body by night and say that he arose. of ever rejoicing, and you shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. Weeping may endure for night, but joy cometh in the morning. And I would say to any believer who's going through some trial, some struggle today, weeping. It's not going to last forever. It is an appointed time that God has appointed for whatever it is that you're going through. Weeping may endure for the night, but joy is coming in the morning. Just like he told his disciples, the world's going to rejoice. You're going to lament. You're going to weep. When they take my body down from that cross and put it in the tomb, you're going to weep.

I wonder if his disciples slept any over those few days, that Friday night, that Saturday. I wonder if they slept any at all or if they didn't commiserate with one another, filled with sadness. While the chief priests and the elders of the nation, they were rejoicing. The table's going to turn, aren't they? Yeah.

Yes, there were days of sadness for his disciples. I say that because our Lord had told them just a couple of days before, you're going to lamb in and be filled with sadness. And then I say this because On the day of his resurrection, he appeared to two of his disciples. This is in Luke chapter 24. And he appeared in such a form that they didn't recognize him.

Two of his disciples. They're walking along on the road to Emmaus. And he asked them this question. What manner of communications are these that you have one to another as you walk and are sad? He asked two of these disciples as they walked along that day, and he appeared and came alongside of them. What manner? What manner of communications are these that you have one to another as you walk and are sad? And then they answered him. They said, well, here's the reason we're sad. They were surprised. Are you the only person in Jerusalem that does not know what took place here the last few days? Here's why we're sad.

They crucified the Lord Jesus. Now listen, we trusted, here's these two men, two disciples of the Lord, we trusted that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel. Now, we can see how what they had been taught, the nation of Israel had been taught concerning a redeemer.

They were looking for what I would call a political redeemer, a messiah who would bring about a military redemption. Somehow or the other, he would raise an army and cast off the yoke of the Romans and the nation of Israel would be the head again and not the tail, like God told them in Deuteronomy. They were looking for redemption, but not the redemption that Christ came to give, to make. They look for a military redemption or deliverance.

The Lord Jesus Christ, make no mistake about it, He came into this world to save His people. That's the reason His name is Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sin. They were looking. We trusted, they said, we trusted that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel. But He came to accomplish redemption. They were not looking for redemption by blood, by A sacrifice that would propitiate God? They were looking for redemption that would raise their nation once again to the powerful nation it was during the reign of David and Solomon.

So my first point is there was sadness for these disciples. The second point I want to make is there was a false report taken to them. A false report taken to them that day. Mary Magdalene. Now, we have four gospel narratives and you need to read each one of them and see what they say because they all add to, they don't contradict one another, but they all add to the truth. Matthew tells us Mary Magdalene, along with some other women, came out to the tomb early. John only mentions Mary Magdalene, but I say she brought them a false report. She ran, if you look here in our text this morning, John chapter 20 and verse 2, then she runneth and cometh to Simon Peter and to John, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre."

Now, there was an angel that came down in an earthquake that removed that stone. The stone was not removed so that Christ could come out. You know that, don't you? The stone was removed so that Mary could look in. What she saw when she looked in was an empty tomb. And so she runs and tells Simon Peter and John, they have taken away our Lord out of the tomb. And we don't know where they have laid him. Well, she carried a false report. That wasn't the truth. It was true that his body was not in the tomb, but what she said was, they have taken away the Lord. Well, Simon and Peter take off, and I like this, John outran Peter. Peter, most people believe, was the oldest of the 12 disciples of the Lord, and John was the youngest. John outran Peter, but when he got to the tomb, he looked in. He looked in. But he didn't go in.

But Peter, just as soon as he got there, he went in. That sounds like Peter, doesn't it? Everything we read about Peter seems like he was an impetuous type of person. Yeah, he just, when he got there, he's going to see what was inside there. So he goes in. But listen, listen to what Luke tells us about Peter going in. He went in, he beheld the linen cloths laid by themselves and departed wondering. This is Peter now. He went in, he saw those linen cloths, he saw the head napkin, and Luke tells us he departed wondering in himself at that which was come to pass. But look at what John tells us about his experience in verse 8. Then went in also that other disciple. That's John, isn't it?

God blessed him to write the fourth gospel narrative, and he never refers to himself. That kind of makes me wonder about some of these men who profess to be pastors and preachers and all they do is tell you their name, highlight their name, publicize their name. Here's a man who lay on the Lord's breast at that last supper. And the most he can tell you about himself is Jesus loved him. I don't think he ever got over that. And neither will you. And neither will I. That God could love such a worm as me. John never got over that. It wasn't about him. It was all about Christ.

He went in, Peter went in, he saw, and Luke tells us he left wondering what that could mean. John went in, and what does he say? Verse eight. Then went in also that other disciple which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw and believed. Now, in verse 9, John tells us that as of yet, until that day, until that time, the disciples knew not the scripture that he must rise again from the dead. Now, they had heard him say that at least three times in the Gospels. Our Lord told His disciples, we're going up to Jerusalem and the Son of Man is going to suffer and be killed and rise again the third day.

But they didn't comprehend it. They heard it, but they didn't comprehend it. But now when it says John saw and believed, what did he believe? Well, you say he believed that Christ's body was not there. Oh, yeah. I'll tell you what he didn't believe. He didn't believe what Mary had said, that they have taken away our Lord. He didn't believe that.

That was obvious. The enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ, if they had come in and stolen away the body, they would not have made sure that the clothes were just there neatly as they had been placed when he was buried or the napkin aside by his head. His friends could not get in because there was Roman soldiers guarding the tomb.

John saw and believed. What did he believe? He believed God's Word. He believed the Word the Lord Jesus Christ had told him. He had heard this before, that in three days he would rise again from the grave. And that's what he believed. Yes, his body was not stolen away, was not taken away, no. He who is the truth had declared, destroy this temple, this body, and in three days I will raise it again. That's what he believed.

When the Lord Jesus Christ, you're familiar with this, the miracle of calling Lazarus, restoring Lazarus to life. Lazarus had been dead four days when the Lord came. And remember when our Lord said, we'll take away the stone. And Martha, Lazarus' sister said, Lord, his body's already begun to decompose. Don't take away, don't open that up. The Lord said, take away the stone. And then he called, Lazarus, come forth. How did Lazarus come forth? In grave clothes. In grave clothes. Why? Because Lazarus was restored to life. We can't really call that a resurrection.

And I say that because the Lord Jesus Christ must have the preeminence in all things. This is what Paul wrote in Colossians. He that is Christ is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that he might have the preeminence in all things.

And in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul wrote, now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that slept. The Lord restored others to life. He restored the daughter of And he restored the son of that widow woman of name, restored them to life. Some in the Old Testament had been restored to life. But the Lord Jesus Christ is the first to be raised from the dead in a new body, never to die again. that had been restored to life, they continued for however many years, and then they died again. The Lord Jesus Christ was raised from the dead never to die again. This is what he said in Revelation chapter 1. Let me read that to us. Revelation chapter 1, when he appeared to John. I am the first and the last. He's God. He's God. I am he that liveth. He's the God-man. I am the first.

Fear not. I don't want to leave that out. Fear not. Child of God, fear not. You say, well, I'm afraid of death. I'm afraid of that time when I'm going to leave this world. Fear not. I am the first and the last. I am he that liveth and was dead. And behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And have the keys of hell and of death. No one is going to die before Christ gives that word. He has the keys of Hades, that is, that state in which the body and soul are separated, and death. Fear not. Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. He's conquered death. That cry from the cross was not a cry of agony, it was a cry of triumph, showing that he has defeated all of our spiritual enemies.

Let me give you three things and I'll be through. Number one, the body that came out was the same body that was buried, and yet, I say it was the same because he still had the prints. When he revealed himself unto his disciples later, he said, look here, put your finger. He still had the prints in his hands, but yet it was the same body, and how can I illustrate this? How can I make this clear to us today?

Paul uses the word sown, S-O-W-N. It is sown, a natural body, and it's raised a spiritual body. When we use that word sown, we're talking about sowing, right, planting. And let's say we have a seed here this morning that is for zinnia, a flower, the flower zinnia.

Well, it's just a little seed. It's all dried up. We put it in the ground. We bury it. It's a natural body. But then it comes up. When it comes up, it's the same. It's still a zinnia, right? It was a zinnia seed. It's a zinnia flower. It's the same body, but yet it's a glorified body. That was my second thing. It's a glorified body. It's a body that is immortal. It's a body that doesn't need food but is able to eat.

Remember he said that we would be like the angels in heaven in the resurrection. The angels don't need food to live. Our Lord was here and then He was gone. That's the reason I said a few minutes ago, when that stone was taken away, it wasn't so that Christ could walk out of the grave.

He was already out of the grave in a spiritual, glorified, immortal body. And that's the body that you will receive when he comes again if you're one of his children. It'll be you, but it's going to be so much different, right? A glorious body. I think of it like when our Lord was transfigured on the Mount of Transfiguration. Remember how his face did shine as the sun. Same body, but a glorified body.

Well. Sometimes I wonder. Why did you ever think you could preach? Why? Why? I feel like I've messed this one up about as much as it could be messed up. I wish you could see my notes. They're great. They're good. But getting it out, oh my. I just hope that God speaks to someone here today. And we can all leave here rejoicing in Christ, our living, loving Savior who lives forevermore. Let's sing a hymn and we'll be dismissed.