Turn, if you will, to the gospel
according to Mark chapter 16. We're coming down to the end of our
study in Mark. And our lesson this morning is
in the first six verses of Mark chapter 16. And it's concerning the resurrection
of Christ. Now let's read these six verses
together. Mark chapter 16, verse 1. And when the Sabbath was passed,
Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome had bought
sweet spices that they might come and anoint him, talking
about Christ. And very early in the morning,
the first day of the week, They came under the sepulcher at the
rising of the sun. And they said among themselves,
who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher? And when they looked, they saw
that the stone was rolled away. For it was very great. It was
a huge stone. And entering into the sepulcher,
they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in
a long white garment, and they were affrighted. And he saith to them, be not
affrighted. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, which
was crucified. He's risen. He's not here. Behold the place where he was
laid. Now keep in mind that these women,
this is, it's still dark. Still dark. Very early. Morning of the first day of the
week, Sunday. And they're on their way to the
sepulcher and closer to the sepulcher that they got, the more light
they got because the sun was rising. And if you just look
at the natural in connection with the spiritual, he who is
our light, all light in him, he lighteth every man that cometh
into the world. He is light. I am the light of
the world, he said. And when he rises from the dead,
think of the brightness of that light. and the understanding
that he's given us through his person and work and now his resurrection
and ascension to the right hand of God. And as these women went,
all nature was telling the story. The sun was rising, the light
was increasing, and the closer they got to that tomb, the more
light was shining. And there's lots of things that
our spiritual resurrection has in common with his resurrection.
But as we go through these several verses, let me comment briefly
just on five things that every seeker of the crucified Christ
will encounter. And the first thing we see plainly
declared by the Holy Ghost is the passing of the Sabbath. When
the Sabbath was passed, it was gone. So what is the Sabbath? We've heard that term all of
our lives. Did you ever stop and think what the Sabbath is?
Why people were commanded to keep the Sabbath? Why that keeping
of the Sabbath from the beginning of creation continued on for
thousands of years? Why was that? What is the Sabbath? Well, the Sabbath began when
God finished his creation in Genesis chapter one, and he looked
on it and he said, it's good, and he rested from all his works. And the scripture said, and he
sanctified that day. He sanctified the fact that his
work was finished. It was finished. Scripture plainly tells us that
God rested from His work. But how could He rest? This is
God now. He's not like us. I can see the
moment. I can't tell you what He's going
to do at three o'clock. I guess, but I don't know. But this is God, and He knows. And time has nothing to do with
His knowledge. We have to wait on a thing to
happen to know it. God knows. He sees everything. All at once, always, He knows. And that's why they call these
future events the foreknowledge of God. God knows these things.
And why does He know them? Because He's determined that
they should be. How could he rest? Did he not
know that man was going to fall in the garden? Man wasn't even
created yet. He was getting ready to create
the man. But did he not know that this
man was going to fall in the garden? Wouldn't that interrupt his rest?
Wouldn't that pollute his creation? Because the reason he's resting
is because he looked at all things and behold, all things were good.
Did he not take into account that Cain would bring this ungodly
offering and then be so upset with his brother because God
wouldn't have anything to do with his offering that he killed
his brother in the field? Didn't God know about that? Did
he not know that just in a few generations, every imagination
of the thoughts of men's heart would be evil continually? No good thought in it? Did he not foresee the building
of Babylon and the fall of Israel? The crucifixion of Christ, did
he not foreknow of anti-Christ religion and its effects on the
ministry even after his son rises and ascends unto the Father?
How could God rest? How could he rest? Well, let
me show you if I can. If you will, turn with me to
Ephesians chapter one. Ephesians chapter one. This is so important. for us
to understand this. He states here in verse eight,
wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according
to his good pleasure which he purposed in himself. Now here's
his will. that in the dispensation of the
fullness of times, he might gather together in one all things in
Christ, both which are in heaven, which are on earth, even in him,
in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated
according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after
the counsel of his own will. that we should be to the praise
of his glory, God's glory, who first trusted in Christ. The reason he rested is because
he rested all things in his Son. That's why he didn't wipe man
out when he sinned. That's why he didn't burn this
earth to a cinder when Adam sinned in the garden. Nothing really
happened to the Word. If you read Romans chapter 8,
he talks about that. That this creation, it didn't
fall into sin willingly. It was cast into sin. And even
that in the purpose of God. If we hadn't fallen in Adam,
we couldn't be redeemed in Christ. Is that right? That's exactly
right. He trusted all things to Christ. He rested all things in His Son. What did He rest in Him? His
name. God's name. God is absolute,
total perfection. When we talk about holiness,
we're not talking about being as holy as you can. Holiness
is to be exactly like God. And that's why he said, all have
sinned and come short of the glory of God. Nobody can reach
that perfection. Nobody can attain that perfection. I don't doubt that people do
the best they can, and I commend you for it, unless you're trying
to produce your own righteousness before God. Then I condemn it. He rested his name in Christ. He rested his glory in Christ. He rested his people in Christ. He rested his purpose. That word
dispensation there. He made Christ the steward even
of time. Even of time. Even of all these
things. He's going to bring them to pass.
There was a stewardship vested in Christ by God. By God the
Father. And he is the mediator. And he
pictured this rest in time in the form of a kingdom which he
prefigured in the land of Canaan. That was the promised land given
to Israel by God. And Paul speaks of this over
in Hebrews chapter 4, verse 8. And he says this, he uses the
word Jesus there, but remember, that word Jesus is the same as
Joshua in the Old Testament. And if Joshua had given them
rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day? And he said, there remaineth
therefore a rest to the people of God, and Canaan ain't it. Christ is at rest. Our Lord Jesus
Christ perfectly satisfied God's justice in his death. And he
justified his work of redemption. And then he fulfilled the law
of God by resting in the tomb. I've often wondered why the delay. I'm slow. I'll tell you that.
I'm very slow. I'm not a fast thinker. I'm very
slow. Somebody will say something crossways
to me and it'll be a week from now before I think about a response.
I'm a slow thinker. So it's taken me a while and
a lot of study. But I'm gonna tell you why he
had to lay in that tomb. Because it was the Sabbath. And
he did no work. He did no work. All of his work
was done. Finished. And he was laid in
that tomb, and he laid in there and perfectly fulfilled the Sabbath. Absolutely. And then he rose
from the dead. He rose from the dead. And he
becomes our sanctified rest. I can rest in him. He fulfilled
all things. Listen to these words carefully.
Hebrews 4 verse 1. Now you remember the story of
Israel. They came up to the land of Canaan.
And then they sent spies over into the land of Canaan, and
the spies came back with a negative report. God told them to go on
in. Joshua was ready to go in. Caleb was ready to go in. He
said, this is like a tale already told. God told us to do this,
and God's going with us. Let's go. Oh, but they said there's
giants in the land. Truly, it's a place just abounding
in fruit. And it's a land of plenty. But
we can't go in. They got walled cities, Walter.
We can't go in there. How are we going to face those
people? How are we going to? You ain't. God is. God is. And God looked on their
unbelief, and he said, not one of them going to enter into my
rest. Not one. Not one. You gonna enter into
my rest by faith. By faith. Now listen to this,
Hebrews four verse one. Let us therefore fear, lest the
promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should
come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached
as well as unto them, but the word preached did not profit
them, not being mixed with faith. in them that heard it. They did
not know what this rest was all about. For we which have believed
do enter into rest. We rest in our Savior. Honoring
God is not about doing. We've been told that since we
were this big. You have to do, you have to do,
you have to dedicate, you have to do this, you have to come
forward, you have to sign this card, you have to join the church,
you have to type. It's not about doing, it's about
resting. And here's what he tells us,
you wanna work, you wanna labor, labor to enter into that rest. He's our rest. And this may be
the most profitable part of this whole teaching here, the Sabbath
is past, it's gone, it's done. And now we truly, truly have
rest. Listen to what Paul says, he
forbids us to keep the Sabbath. Listen to this, he said in Colossians
2 verse 16, let no man therefore judge you in meat or drink or
in respect of a holy day or of new moons or of Sabbath days. These things are a shadow of
things to come but the body, that which is making the shadow
is Christ. And he's already come. He's already
come. All right, here's the second
thing we discover. As the Holy Ghost brings us down
this path to the tomb of the crucified Christ, he shows us
in the scripture an open tomb. All the way down there, these
women are talking, well, you got the spices? Yeah, I got the
spices. Well, when we get there, how are we gonna move that stone?
This stone's huge. A band of soldiers rolled that
stone up in front of that tomb. How are we going to get in the
tomb? We can't anoint him unless we
get into the tomb. How are we going to get there? Well, when they got there, the
stone had already been rolled back. Already been rolled back. That great stone, which was an
immovable object concerning the women, had been rolled aside. Now this is a picture. What binds
Christ in that tomb? What binds him in there? The
Romans? No. The stone? No. What binds him in that tomb?
The justice of God. The righteousness of God. binds
him in that tomb. Until God declares our justification
and his full acceptance of that work, that stone's gonna stay
there, and that seal's gonna stay on that stone. But when
they got there, the stones rolled back. Why? Because God accepted
his sacrifice. Well, how do you know that? Because
it says in Romans chapter four, verse 25, he was delivered for
our offenses and raised again for our justification. That's
how I know. There were no obstructions when
they got to the tomb. It was open. It was open. Stone
had been removed, the Roman seal had been broken, and the guards
were left trembling in their boots If you read Luke's account,
you can see it there. And our Lord, having accomplished
His redemption, and the complete fulfillment of the law, was set
free from death and set free from the grave, and He's our
representative. When God raised Him from the
dead, He raised us from the dead. See, we're sitting in a spiritual
death. We received that in Adam by one
man. Sin entered into the world, and
death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have
sinned. We're sitting down here in spiritual
death. How are we gonna get out of this spiritual death? You're
not. God must intervene and raise you out of that death. And Paul
tells you what that death is over there in Ephesians chapter
two. Just read the first two or three verses. You, Hathy Quicken,
who were dead in trespasses and sins, wherein in time past you
walked according to the course of this world." The whole world
walking in spiritual death. Walking not only according to
the course of this world, but according to the prince of the
power of the air, the spirit which now worketh in the children
of disobedience. They're living out their days
in the lust of their flesh. They're doing what they want
to do, whatever it is. I want a new home. a place on
the bayou, I want this, I want that, whatever it is, and you're
living out your days in that. You're not thinking about God,
you're not thinking about heaven, you're not thinking about justification.
You're just living out your days in the lust of your flesh. And
we were by nature, Paul said, the children of wrath, even as
others, but God. But God. You think about that,
but God. who is rich in mercy, and for
that great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead
in trespasses and sins, hath quickened us together with Christ,
and raised us up together with him, and seated us together with
him in the heaven. Not death or hell or law or storms
or keepers of the tomb shall keep him in the grave. And it's not a dead savior that
assures us of eternal life, it's a living one. God raised him
from the dead. Listen to how Paul exhorts us.
to live for Christ. In Romans 6, verse 8, he said,
now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also
live with him. Knowing that Christ, being raised
from the dead, dieth no more, death hath no more dominion over
us. He can't ever touch Christ again,
and it can't ever touch me again if I'm in Christ. Verse 11, likewise
reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but
alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. They found all
obstructions are gone. All obstructions. What obstructs
us from coming to Christ? Huh? Death, sin, all of those
things. But if God intervenes and shows
us this accomplished redemption, oh my, Here's the third thing
we're shown here in Mark's Gospel. The third thing they're confronted
with, they bowed down, they went into the tomb, and here's a young
man sitting there on a bench. This is an angel. We're told
that in the other accounts. But he was in the form of a man,
a young man, and he's just sitting there. He's sitting there on
the bench where Christ was laid. Why is he sitting there? He was
expecting these women. Isn't that something how God
arranges things? What are angels? He tells us
in Hebrews 1 down toward the end of the chapter, they're all
ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who shall
be heirs of salvation. And so here's God's minister
sitting on the bench awaiting for those who have been ordained
to come to him And he has that message of Christ's resurrection
to give to them. And he delivers it. Our Lord could have, if he so
desired, he could have hung out right there at the tomb, waited
on these women, told them himself. He could have, but he didn't.
Rather, he will declare his lordship over this world by using one
of his servants to declare it. And that's what he does. And
I'm liking this angel to ministers of God. Paul even borrows this
phrase and tells us that. I mean, John borrows this phrase
and says that the angels of his churches, he calls them, are
pastors. He calls them angels. Angels,
in respect of what an angel is, he's a ministering spirit. And
then John tells us to try the spirits. He's not talking about
what you can't see. He's talking about that one standing
in front of you. Because if God ministers to you
with His Holy Ghost, He's going to do it through His man. That's
just so. You read the scriptures and you'll
learn that. But on the very morning of his
resurrection, he's gonna set a precedence of his gospel ministry
by using an angel to herald the good news. He did that at his
birth too. And so he borrows that name and
gives it to his pastors, calling them angels. And I'll tell you this, if you
ever come seeking the crucified Christ, you're gonna find instruction
from his ministers. That's where you're gonna find
it. Fourthly, I see in his hearers a godly fear. Now I grew up in
religion, false religion. And I've been around preachers
and evangelists and pastors all my life. And I was taught at
a very early age to respect them, call them sir, call them reverend,
whatever they taught me to say. I taught to respect them and
to respect their office. But I never really feared them.
I never did. I never really feared any of
them. And to be honest, most of the
time, their statements only raised more questions instead of giving
answers. The more I listened to them,
the more questions I had. And I just thought, well, you're
just dumb. You can't understand anything.
You just need to do what they tell you. And I hate to say it,
but my dad agreed with me. But when I began to seek the
Lord, and I began to see that this was his work and nothing
that originated in me, I was brought to hear Brother Henry
Mahan preach the gospel for the first time. And after I heard
it, I feared him. I didn't fear him like a wild
beast or a rabid dog, but a reverential fear and a respect for him, knowing
that he was God's witness to me. God sent this man to me. And it's not Henry Mahan's words
that I'm hearing, although it was, but it's God's word. Now
you read In 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, what Paul said to those people.
He first told them that he knew their election of God because
his gospel came not unto them in word only. It came unto them
in power. And it came unto them in the
Holy Ghost. And in the second place, he began to thank God
because when they heard his word, they received it not as the word
of a man, but as the word of God. God sent his word. to them and they knew it. They
knew it. If you were persuaded, as only
the Holy Ghost can, and you believe me to be sin of God to you, I
guarantee you, you will receive my words differently than if
you just think I'm up here trying to promote some kind of an idea
or try to teach some kind of code To most, the preaching of the
gospel is just an expression of an opinion or simply a statement
of a creed or some kind of an idea that they got, but not to
believers. Believers, when they come to
hear the gospel preached, they come to eat. This is their meal. They eat this. What they hear
goes within them and becomes part of them, just like the food
that you eat. In 1 John chapter four, verse
six, the apostle John said, we are of God. He that knoweth God,
heareth us. Isn't that something? He that
knoweth not God, he said, they don't hear us. They don't hear
us. And they saw this young man sitting
there on that bench, and they were frightened. They were frightened. And then lastly, I want you to
hear what this minister of God said to these women. First thing he told them was
not to be afraid. He wasn't sent there for their
harm. Ministers are sent unto those
that God has chosen. Now he does send forth a warning,
and we'll get into that a little later on, but they're sent forth
basically as ministers, spirits. to minister to them who shall
be heirs of salvation. And they come bearing good news.
And the second thing the angel says, he exposes their unbelief. Listen to this. He said, you
seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified. You come here
to minister to a dead savior. Now you think about what I'm
saying. That's what this angel told him. You come here to pay
homage to a dead cry. You're here to do something for
him believing that he cannot do it for himself. In Luke's account, they're said
to have bowed down their faces to the earth as the angels asked
this question, why seek ye the living among the dead? Remember
what he said to you when he was yet with you? That the Son of
Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified
and on the third day rise again. You remember that? And the scripture
said, and they remembered his words. And then the angel gave them
the good news. He not here. He's risen. And you remember where he told
you to meet him? In Galilee. Now you go to Galilee. You're
not gonna find him in the tomb. You're gonna find him in Galilee. And I tell you, this is good
news. This is good news to the man or woman who sees Christ
as their Lord and representative, as their substitute dying on
the cross. It's the resurrection of Christ
that assures the believer of his justification of God. And
I'll say this, and I'll quit. Listen to this. Who is he that
condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea,
rather, that is risen again, who's even at the right hand
of God, who also maketh intercession for you. And then Paul said this, if Christ
be not raised from the dead, listen, we're all false prophets. Everybody that speaks of his
resurrection is a false prophet if he be not raised from the
dead. And your faith is vain, and you're yet in your sins,
and all those who died in the faith as martyrs or have dedicated
their life to human service, all those who are dead, They
died the life of a beast. They got no future if he be not
risen. But he is risen, and he become
the first fruit to them that slept. For as in Adam all die,
even so in Christ shall all be made alive. All right, thank
you. I apologize for going over my time.