Our text today is found in John
chapter 20. I want to look at verse 1 down
through verse 10 of John chapter 20. I'm taking the title for
the message from verse 9 where we read, For as yet they knew
not the scripture, And when we read that word scripture in the
New Testament, it is always referring to the Old Testament scripture. For that's all they had at that
time. The Old Testament scripture,
which says, There in Psalm 16 verse 10, I'll read that to you
in just a little while, but that's the reference there. They knew
not this scripture that he must, he must, now that's a key word,
he must rise again from the dead if they must. It's absolutely
necessary. Now, in our preaching of the
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, we cannot make too much, too
much of His person, who He is. In the beginning was the Word,
the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in
the beginning with God, by Him all things were made. And then
we read in John 1 verse 14, the Word was made flesh, and dwelt
among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace, full of truth. We cannot make
too much of his person, who he is, God our Savior. Without controversy, great is
the mystery of godliness, God was manifest in the flesh. Nor
can we make too much of his death, His redeeming blood, His atonement
for our sin. Now make no mistake, we believe
in a definite atonement that really atones. We preach and
believe what this book teaches of a particular redemption by
the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the Lord Jesus Christ,
as He said in John 10, 15, I lay down my life for the sheep. We
can't make too much of His atonement. The Lord Jesus Christ did not
die in such a sense as to make salvation a possibility for all
men if they would meet certain conditions. That's a lie. That
would make His death an attemptment. We don't have an attemptment,
we have an atonement. We don't have a theory of atonement,
we have an atonement for sin. The Lord Jesus Christ died for
His people and He saved them by His blood, justified them
by His blood. We cannot make too much of that,
can we? He bought us with His own blood. Paul said, I'm determined
not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
He appeared once in the end of the age to put away sin by the
sacrifice of Himself. I love that. Because He cannot
fail in everything that He does. Our God cannot fail. He shall
not fail. Scriptures declare that. The
beloved, the elect of God shall not fail. So we cannot make too
much of His person. We cannot make too much of his
atoning work, his priestly work, nor can we make too much of his
resurrection from the dead, can we? They all go together. Now don't turn, let me just read
this for you. Remember over in 1 Corinthians
chapter 15, where we read these words, Paul said, I delivered
unto you first of all, that which I also received, how Christ died
for our sins according to the Scripture, how He died as the
Lamb of God, satisfying all those typical pictures of the brazen
serpent lifted up and so forth, the rock being smitten. Christ
died for our sins according to Scripture, that He was buried,
that He rose again the third day, according to the scriptures. So we cannot make too much of
his person, too much of his atoning work, his priestly work, nor
can we make too much of his atonement. They all are vitally linked together. Take any of that out of the equation,
and we don't have salvation, do we? Now in our last study
from the book of John, which was the last message I brought
was back in August 3rd, because Cody Gruber was here on the 10th.
I was in Utah on the 17th, and then last week I brought the
message, the funeral message from Luke 19.10. and then now today. So it's been a while since we've
been back in the book of John. But the last message I brought
August 3rd, remember Nicodemus and Joseph had requested the
crucified body of the Lord Jesus Christ be given to them, and
I called that message the boldness of faith. They boldly went forth
before Pilate publicly and said, we want his body in order to
give the Lord Jesus Christ a proper burial. And Pilate did so because
God ordered it so. But in our study today, we learned
some amazing facts that The Lord, it's an amazing fact, concerning
the Lord's glorious resurrection from the dead. Now, make no mistake. He died a real death. Sin demands
death. His death was no myth. His death
was not fiction. The law of God demands the guilty
must die and the Lord Jesus Christ as our substitute being made
sin for us died a real horrible death in our room and in our
stead. So his death was real. So too
his resurrection is real as well. He really did walk out of the
tomb the third day. So too his ascension, and I mean
by that his enthronement. He lived among men 40 days in
his resurrected body. And then one day they walked
outside the city and he took off. Ascended to glory. There's a
man in glory with nail prints in his hands. What does his presence
there mean to you and me? It means everything, doesn't
it? The forerunner has entered in for us and he's seated and
we're seated in the heavenlies in him. Okay, now let's take
a look at verse 1. John 20, the first day of the
week being Sunday. Come with Mary, Mary Magdalene,
whom the Lord cast out seven demon spirits. She was a lover
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who have forgiven much,
they love much. And they came to the grave when
it was yet dark, and they see the stone taken away. Taken away
from the grave. Now Mary and the other women
came to the grave, and how many women exactly we don't know,
but let me read this verse to you. Don't turn, let me just
read it to you. In Luke chapter 24, verse 10 it says, it was
Mary, Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary, the mother of James,
and other women. So just not one or two or three,
it's several women. Maybe a half a dozen, maybe more.
They come to the grave on Sunday morning, not yet fully understanding
the Lord's promise to them. They did not come that morning
to see the resurrected Lord walk out of the tomb. They came that
morning according to what we read in Mark 16. Don't turn,
let me just read that to you as well, Mark 16. They came to
the tomb to remove the stone and to anoint his body. Listen
to this verse, Mark 16, 1. When the Sabbath was passed,
being Saturday, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jane and
Salome brought sweet spices that they might come and anoint him.
And very early in the morning, first day of the week, they came
unto the sepulcher at the rising of a sun, And they said among
themselves, who shall roll us away the stone from the grave? And when they got there, it was
already done. Already done. Now, they came there to anoint
his body. They didn't come there to see
him walk out of the tomb. Now you would think they would
just camp there and say, okay. He said on the third morning,
on the third day, he's going to come out. We're going to go
and camp there and we're going to watch it happen. They came there
to anoint his body. One also must wonder, where's
Peter and John? Where's of the rest of them scallywags
who all departed and left the Lord? We might think they would
be camped out here waiting the third day for the Lord to walk
out. For the Lord said, as Jonah was three days and three nights
in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of Man be three days
and three nights in the heart of the earth. Where are they? They're hiding for fear of their
own life. They just watched the Lord Jesus
Christ brutally beaten and killed, and now they are fearing for
their own life. They're thinking, Brother Bob,
they're thinking in their heart, I'm next. You know that's going
through their mind, being the men that we are, sinners. When this band of women arrive
at the grave, to their shock and surprise the angel of the
Lord had descended and a great earthquake had taken place and
the stone was removed and they find the angel of the Lord sitting
on the stone and the soldiers who were on guard knocked senselessly
to the ground as dead men." What a scene! What a sight! The grave empty. The first day of the week cometh
Mary and the others, and it was dark unto the sepulchre, and
seeth the stone, stone is taken away from the grave. Then she
runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and
to the other disciple, whom we know as John. It always says
of John, whom the Lord loved, not that he loved John more than
he loved Peter. He loved his people with an everlasting
love. And he saith unto them, and saith
unto them, that is Mary, they've taken away the Lord out of the
grave, and we do not know where they have laid him. Now Mary Magdalene here hastily
leaves the gravesite, runs to tell Peter and John what she
knew at the time. They've taken away the Lord's
body, And she still doesn't know that the Lord has been raised
up now. We're going to see next time that the Lord appears to
her first and then the other women. Now in our study here
in John chapter 20, John does not mention in his writing what
Matthew, Mark, and Luke record about the angels and about the
word of the angel unto them Saying, why do you seek the living among
the dead? He's not here, but he's risen. Now, Mary was among
those women who heard that angel speak that message, but somehow
it doesn't register with her. Because she immediately runs
and tells Peter and John, and doesn't even say a word. about the message. He's not here,
but he's risen. Now, I don't understand that.
She heard what the other women heard, but she really didn't
hear anything. Have you ever been... I've experienced
that. Sometimes you hear somebody,
you hear them, but you don't really hear them. I mean, you
hear word, but you don't comprehend what's being said. And I think that's the case here
with Mary. They all heard a glorious message,
but she, somehow so excited and somehow so perplexed maybe, she
runs. She runs without a message. She
had a message, but she ran without it. How little they understood
of the Lord's repeated words and teaching to them of his death
and resurrection at that time. Later on, they're given much
more understanding, aren't they? We read again in Scripture that
the carnal mind receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God,
neither can he know them because they're spiritually discerned.
I'll show you the reason why they had understanding later
on, they were given understanding later on, here's the reason why.
Turn back to Luke 24 now, we'll have you read this one with me,
Luke 24. You see, by nature, we don't have any understanding
of spiritual things. God must teach us. And this is
one lesson we see here. In Luke 24, here we find the
risen Lord meeting with His disciples, and He took a piece of broiled
fish and honeycomb, and He took it and did eat. Luke 24, 43.
Verse 44 says, And he said unto them, These are the words which
I spake unto you while I was yet with you, that all things
must be fulfilled which are written in the law of Moses in the prophets
and in the Psalms concerning me. Then opened he their understanding,
then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the
Scriptures. And he said unto them, Thus it
is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer and to rise
from the dead the third day, that repentance and remission
of sin should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning
at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these
things." Now, he had to give them an understanding, you see
that? And we read in 1 John, John writes
about it later, we know the Son of God has come and He's given
us an understanding. John knew where he received this
understanding. We've been given an understanding
that we might know Him that is true, and that we're in Him that
is true. Even in His Son, Jesus Christ,
this is the true God and this is eternal life. Now, 40 days
later, Turn to Acts chapter 20. On the day of Pentecost, Pentecost
was 40 days from the Passover feast, okay? On the day of Pentecost,
now Peter being given understanding of his death, of his resurrection,
of the gospel, now Peter, listen, listen as he preaches with understanding
in Acts chapter 2 verse 22. Ye men of Israel, hear these
words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by
miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst
of you, as you yourselves also know. Him being delivered by
the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken, and by
wicked hands have crucified and slain, whom God raised up. having loosed the pains of death,
because it was not possible that he should be holding of it. Now
he has understanding. For David speaketh concerning
him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face. that I should
not be moved. Therefore did my heart rejoice,
my tongue was glad. Moreover, also my flesh shall
rest in hope, because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, in
the grave, neither shalt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption."
That's the Psalm 16. Verse 28. Thou hast made known to me the
ways of life. Thou shalt make me full of joy
with thy countenance. Men and brethren, Let me freely
speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and
buried, and his grave is with us unto this day. Therefore,
being a prophet, and knowing that God has sworn unto him an
oath, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh,
that he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne, He's saying
this before spake on of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was
not left in hell, neither did his flesh seek corruption. Now
Peter knows from the Scripture, God giving him understanding,
what all is involved here in the death and resurrection of
Christ. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses.
Therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted, having received
of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, which he shed
forth this, which you now see and hear. David is not ascended
into the heavens, but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my
Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy
footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know surely
that God had made that same Jesus whom you crucified both Lord
and Christ." Now he has understanding because he's been given understanding.
You see by nature we do not have any understanding of the gospel.
We love darkness rather than light. Now back to the story.
So there Mary Magdalene runs She says to Peter and John, they've
taken away the Lord. She knew the grave was empty.
She knew the body was gone. Peter therefore, Peter went therefore,
and that other disciple, whom we know as John, and they came
to the sepulcher. They ran both together. And John
did outrun Peter, John being the younger one, Peter the older
man. John outran him and came first
to the grave. And he stooping down, looking
in, saw the linen clothes, lying, he went not in. Then comes Peter,
bold Peter. John reserved and laid back Peter. bold and brazen, Simon Peter,
following him, went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen
clothes lie, and the napkin that was about his head, not lying
with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other
disciple, which came at first to the grave, and he saw, and
he believed." John, arriving first, kneels down and peeks
in. Maybe out of reverence John doesn't
enter in, maybe out of fear, maybe out of just pure astonishment. But when Peter comes upon the
scene, he doesn't stop to think, but rushes in boldly, and he
too seeing the same scene, the barrel closed there and the body
gone, and then John follows in and he sees the same thing. What had taken place here was
not the work of thieves stealing the body, the Lord's body. They
would not have taken time to lay the burial clothes of the
Lord in such an orderly manner. They would have just scattered
things around. But what happened here was not the work of thieves.
What happened here was the work of God. The work of God. The Lord Jesus Christ was actually,
literally, really raised from the dead by the decree of God,
by the will of God. Now turn back to the book of
Acts one more time. And if you'll find, you will
find through all the preaching of the apostles in the book of
Acts, one thing is repeated over and over and over again. You
killed him, God raised him from the dead. Look at Acts chapter
three. Acts chapter 3 verse 12. When
Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel,
why marvel ye at this? Or why look ye so earnestly on
us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this
man to walk? Remember the impotent cripple
was made whole? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and
of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son. Whom
you delivered up and denied him in the presence of Pilate when
he was determined to let him go. You denied the Holy One,
the Just One, and you desired a murderer to be granted. Remember
what they said, give us Barabbas? And you killed the Prince of
Life. whom God raised from the dead, whereof we are all witnesses. And his name, through faith in
his name, hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know,
yea, the faith which is by him hath given him perfect soundness
in the presence of you all." Again, look at Acts chapter 4
verse 10. Be it known unto you all, to all the people of Israel,
that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified,
whom God raised from the dead." You see that? Even by Him, that
this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which
said, if not of you builders, is become the head of the corner,
neither is there salvation in any other. For there is no other
name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.
Look at Acts chapter 5. Acts chapter 5 verse 20. Well, I've got written down here, Acts
chapter 5. Well, I've got the wrong reference
written down. Turn to Acts 13.29. Let's try
that one. Acts 13.29. You'll have to overlook my Acts 13, verse 29. Acts 13, 29. This is the Apostle Paul preaching
his first sermon. And when they had fulfilled all
things that were written of him, Acts 13, 29, they took him down
from a tree, laid him in the sepulcher, but God raised him
from the dead. And he was seen of many days
of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and
we are witnesses of these things. We declare unto you, glad tidings,
how that the promise which is made to the fathers, God hath
fulfilled the same unto their children, in that he raised up
Jesus again, as it is written in the second psalm, Thou art
my son this day, have I begotten thee, as concerning he that raised
Him up from the dead, no more to return to corruption. He said,
on this wise, I'll give you the sure mercies, the sure mercies
of David. The sure mercies. Mercies are
sure in the Lord Jesus Christ. If I would just read my notes
sometimes, I would get out, I would be okay. Turn to Acts chapter
5 verse 29. That's what I've got written
down here. I don't know where I was looking. Then Peter and
the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather
than men. Acts 5 29. The God of our fathers
raised up Jesus whom you slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath
God exalted with his right hand to be prince and savior for to
give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. So we can
clearly see that The preaching of the apostles, when they were
given understanding, they made much of the resurrection of the
Lord Jesus Christ. He must be raised up again. Look at verse 8, John 20. Then
went in also that other disciple, referring to John, which came
first to the sepulcher, he saw and believed. Now look at verse
9. For as yet they knew not the
scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. He must. He must. Now that's
a key word. Must. He must rise again from
the dead. Now why? Why must he be raised
from the dead? Why? The same reason that he
must be crucified for our sins. The Scripture has declared it,
that it must be. Psalm 16 says, Therefore my heart
is glad, my soul does rejoice, my flesh shall rest in hope,
he will not leave my soul in the grave, neither will thou
suffer thy Holy One, capital H, capital O, to see corruption. You see, the Lord Jesus Christ
had to be raised from the dead. Find 1 Corinthians chapter 15.
1 Corinthians 15. Look at the implications here.
1 Corinthians 15. If there be no resurrection of
the dead, you see that, verse 13? 1 Corinthians 15, 13. If there be no resurrection of
the dead, then is Christ not risen. And if Christ be not risen,
then is our preaching vain, your faith is vain, yea, and we are
found false witnesses of God, because we have testified that
he raised up Christ, whom he raised not up, if so be the dead
rise not. For if the dead rise not, then
is not Christ raised? And if Christ be not raised,
your faith is vain, and you're yet in your sins, then they also
which have fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life
only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits
of them that slept. For since by man came death,
by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all
die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every
man in his own order, Christ the firstfruits, afterward they
that are Christ that is coming. Our Lord said, because I live,
you shall live also. You see, this must be because
the Scripture has declared it. He must die. He must be raised
again because the Scripture has declared it. Secondly, because
the Lord Jesus Christ has said it. Turn back to Matthew 16.
Matthew 16. The Scripture has declared it.
The Lord Jesus Christ has said it. Matthew 16 verse 21. Matthew 16, 21. From that time
forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples how that he must
go to Jerusalem, he must suffer many things of the elders and
chief priests and scribes, and must be killed, and must be raised
again from the dead. It's a must. The Scripture has
said it. The Scripture has declared it.
The Lord Jesus Christ has said it. He said, no man takes my
life from me. I have power to lay it down.
I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received
from my Father. All that the Father has spoken
shall come to pass, shall not fail. And thirdly, because the
justice of God demanded it. Both His death and His resurrection. It must be. Both His death, God
made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be
made the righteousness of God in Him, and His resurrection
from the dead. Justice demands His resurrection
from the dead. Because our Lord Jesus Christ
completely put away our sin. You remember Romans 4.25? He
was delivered for our offenses and raised again, raised again,
because what? Because He justified us by His
blood. You see, justice demanded His
death, and because that sin payment was paid, justice also demanded
His resurrection and our salvation in Christ. Both are essential
and must be fulfilled, completed, in order for our salvation to
be complete, eternal, and glorifying unto God. His resurrection confirms
all of His claims to be true. Right? He's declared to be the
Son of God by the resurrection from the dead, Romans chapter
1. His resurrection confirms and denotes the Father's acceptance
of Him. Now don't turn, let me just read
this to you. This is in Acts 17 verse 31,
because he has pointed a day in which he will judge the world
in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained whereof
he hath given assurance unto all men that he raised him from
the dead. His resurrection confirms all
of his claims to be true. He is the true God, our Savior. Denotes the Father's acceptance
of all that he did. assures every believer of our
bodily resurrection as our Lord said I'm he that liveth and was
dead behold I'm alive forevermore because he lived you see when
he came we came in him as a representative man when he lived we lived in
him He was our substitute and representative man by one man
disobedience many were made sinner so by the obedience of another
shall many be made righteous when he died we died in him and
When he was raised from the dead, you know what? We're raised up
in him When he ascended to glory and sat down the right hand of
God We're seated in him right now in the heavenlies in him. I assures every believer of our
resurrection. You see, he must die, he must
be raised again, he must ascend, he must be seated, having accomplished
all of salvation. And there's one other must that
I want to talk about, want us to look at today. Let us close
by considering one other item that we must experience personally
in order to believe the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. You
know what that other must be is? You must walk an aisle. You must
pray through. You must make a decision. You
must do good works. You must do all these things.
You must, you must, you must. That's what they say. That's
what they say. Turn to John chapter 3. What does the Lord say? Here's
what the Lord says. Verse 7, John 3. In John 3, chapter
6, he said, that which is born of the flesh, that's all it is,
flesh. That which is born of the Spirit of God is spirit.
Marvel not that I said unto you, you must, you must be born again. You must be begotten and quickened
of God. We must be, because He declared
it, he decreed it, and he said it. It must be. We must be born
of God. We must be raised from the graves
of spiritual death by the power of the gospel. That's what regeneration
is. Regeneration is not reformation. Regeneration is just not you
cleaning up your life, making a few, changing a few bad habits. Regeneration is a resurrection
from the dead. Our soul that was dead in sin
hath been quickened together by grace are you saved. You had
be quickened who were dead. The new birth is not something
we do. It is what God does in us. You
see that? This is the work that must take
place in our heart. Faith is the operation of God. Faith is a gift of God. He must
be raised up. He must die for our sins. And
we must be begotten of God, born again by the Spirit of God.