WEBVTT 00:00:03.200 --> 00:00:08.880 The sermon text this morning comes from Mark chapter 16, verses 1 to 8. 00:00:10.400 --> 00:00:16.320 We are concluding our sermon series on the Gospel of Mark after about 18 months. 00:00:16.640 --> 00:00:18.640 And it's been a good journey. 00:00:19.359 --> 00:00:23.760 And you know, you have a favorite author? 00:00:24.800 --> 00:00:39.840 You have an author that you just really enjoy, and you've read multiple books from that author, and it's almost like if you didn't know the name on the title page, you you would know who wrote it, because it just sounds like that author. 00:00:40.159 --> 00:00:42.399 That's like the gospel writers. 00:00:42.640 --> 00:00:45.439 At this point, I feel like I really know Mark. 00:00:45.759 --> 00:00:50.880 His style of writing, the brevity, action-oriented. 00:00:51.119 --> 00:00:54.479 This is the most action-oriented gospel we have. 00:00:54.719 --> 00:00:59.359 This is the gospel with the least amount of sermons, the least amount of teaching. 00:01:00.560 --> 00:01:03.119 And it's very fast-paced. 00:01:04.400 --> 00:01:11.280 And it's very, very moving as we see Jesus' interactions with so many people. 00:01:12.560 --> 00:01:14.719 Let's read about it at the close. 00:01:16.879 --> 00:01:27.280 When the Sabbath was passed, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James and Siloam, bought spices so that they might go and anoint him. 00:01:27.680 --> 00:01:29.040 The hymn is Jesus. 00:01:30.159 --> 00:01:35.439 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had arisen, they went to the tomb. 00:01:35.760 --> 00:01:41.760 And they were saying to one another, Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb? 00:01:42.079 --> 00:01:46.239 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back. 00:01:46.480 --> 00:01:48.079 It was very large. 00:01:48.480 --> 00:01:56.319 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 00:01:57.280 --> 00:02:00.239 And he said to them, Do not be alarmed. 00:02:00.560 --> 00:02:03.760 You seek Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. 00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:04.959 He is risen. 00:02:05.200 --> 00:02:06.319 He's not here. 00:02:06.719 --> 00:02:08.879 See the place where they laid him. 00:02:09.439 --> 00:02:15.360 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. 00:02:15.680 --> 00:02:18.639 There you will see him, just as he told you. 00:02:18.879 --> 00:02:24.879 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them. 00:02:25.199 --> 00:02:29.199 And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. 00:02:30.479 --> 00:02:40.159 This is the reading of God's holy, powerful, perfect word that only the Holy Spirit could give us. 00:02:44.960 --> 00:02:47.280 Father, thank you for this passage. 00:02:47.439 --> 00:02:50.719 We thank you for this account, this event. 00:02:51.599 --> 00:02:54.479 Lord, we know that they're more than just words to you. 00:02:55.759 --> 00:02:58.159 Lord Jesus, this was your very life. 00:02:59.759 --> 00:03:05.039 Holy Spirit, help us to understand what these truths are. 00:03:05.599 --> 00:03:13.840 But Lord, would you give us the desire to live, to accept, to receive the one who is all truth, Jesus Himself. 00:03:14.159 --> 00:03:15.759 We pray this in His name. 00:03:16.080 --> 00:03:16.719 Amen. 00:03:19.520 --> 00:03:23.439 A natural response to a supernatural event. 00:03:24.400 --> 00:03:27.439 That's the title of the message this morning. 00:03:29.039 --> 00:03:35.360 These women that we're going to read about this morning, they had a very natural response. 00:03:36.080 --> 00:03:38.000 This is not something cooked up. 00:03:38.240 --> 00:03:40.400 This is not something fabricated. 00:03:40.879 --> 00:03:46.639 We see their response, probably very much like ours would have been had we been there. 00:03:49.039 --> 00:03:51.599 We see Mark's style again. 00:03:51.840 --> 00:03:58.800 He closes in a rather odd way, but I think we can explore that a bit further this morning. 00:04:00.240 --> 00:04:13.039 For the few things have been questioned as much in our culture today, or historically, few things have been questioned as much as the historical resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. 00:04:13.599 --> 00:04:31.920 Perhaps the prevailing opinion today in Alexandria and Washington, D.C., across the country and throughout the world, perhaps the prevailing opinion today is to question whether Jesus actually experienced a bodily physical resurrection. 00:04:32.800 --> 00:04:38.240 I don't know if this is news to you, but I'm sure it's not for some of you, maybe many of you. 00:04:38.560 --> 00:04:43.040 Many of our churches believe it doesn't matter whether this happened. 00:04:43.759 --> 00:04:49.600 Many of our churches around here believe it's a different message. 00:04:49.839 --> 00:04:52.560 Let me say straight up, it's not the gospel. 00:04:52.959 --> 00:04:54.560 It's a different message. 00:04:54.879 --> 00:05:00.720 The thinking goes like this the resurrection is a symbol of hope in life. 00:05:01.040 --> 00:05:13.680 The core message focuses on the triumph of love over hate, hope over despair, emphasizing that Jesus' teachings and spirit live on in the hearts of his followers. 00:05:14.720 --> 00:05:18.879 And the understanding is pretty much that we all are his followers. 00:05:19.120 --> 00:05:23.759 It doesn't matter if we follow him in different ways, different traditions. 00:05:23.920 --> 00:05:26.000 We're all God's children, right? 00:05:26.399 --> 00:05:26.720 No. 00:05:28.399 --> 00:05:29.759 Have you heard that? 00:05:30.720 --> 00:05:32.959 How many sermons have you heard? 00:05:33.439 --> 00:05:34.959 It's not true. 00:05:35.839 --> 00:05:47.680 I hope to convince you today that it does matter whether Jesus Christ of Nazareth was bodily, physically resurrected from the dead. 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:51.600 This is more than just a feel-good emotion. 00:05:51.920 --> 00:05:53.839 What do we say in response? 00:05:54.079 --> 00:05:58.079 What does the Word of God more importantly say in response to that question? 00:05:58.319 --> 00:06:00.079 Is this just a myth? 00:06:01.839 --> 00:06:04.800 I mean, that's what Easter is, right? 00:06:05.120 --> 00:06:15.600 It's this time of the year, boy, after you had a long, hard, cold winter here in DC, the flowers start to bloom, grass gets cut. 00:06:15.839 --> 00:06:18.639 We have 80-degree days like the other day. 00:06:18.959 --> 00:06:22.000 And isn't that just a beautiful picture of life? 00:06:22.240 --> 00:06:26.560 Just a little inspiration, just to feel a little bit better about life. 00:06:27.199 --> 00:06:30.160 No, it better be better than that. 00:06:31.759 --> 00:06:37.439 Matt and Katie read just a few minutes ago from 1 Corinthians 15 as the Apostle Paul summed that up. 00:06:37.759 --> 00:06:56.000 He said in verse 2, if this did not actually happen, if the resurrection of Jesus Christ did not take place in a real place at a real time, a real body that was crucified, a real resurrection, if that did not happen, you have believed in vain. 00:06:57.040 --> 00:06:58.079 Did you know that? 00:06:59.120 --> 00:07:01.920 If that didn't happen, you have believed in vain. 00:07:02.079 --> 00:07:03.839 He's not done using that word vain. 00:07:04.079 --> 00:07:05.360 Verse 14. 00:07:06.240 --> 00:07:15.279 He says, and if Christ has not been raised from the dead, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain. 00:07:17.519 --> 00:07:23.920 Knowing at the end of the chapter that was read, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 00:07:25.360 --> 00:07:30.800 In other words, a minister like me can spend their entire life in ministry in vain. 00:07:31.920 --> 00:07:32.879 Did you know that? 00:07:33.040 --> 00:07:34.160 It's possible. 00:07:37.439 --> 00:07:38.800 It's possible. 00:07:39.439 --> 00:07:42.959 There are going to be a lot of unsaved preachers in hell. 00:07:43.439 --> 00:07:45.360 That's just real. 00:07:48.800 --> 00:07:50.240 Get your attention. 00:07:51.759 --> 00:07:52.879 It's true. 00:07:54.000 --> 00:07:54.399 All right. 00:07:54.639 --> 00:07:56.319 What are you preaching? 00:07:57.439 --> 00:07:59.519 Are you preaching a myth? 00:07:59.920 --> 00:08:02.959 Are you preaching just a feel-good story? 00:08:03.439 --> 00:08:09.600 Or did these things actually happen in real time, in real space, in a real place? 00:08:10.319 --> 00:08:11.920 It matters. 00:08:12.720 --> 00:08:14.879 I don't want to spend my life in vain. 00:08:16.319 --> 00:08:22.879 You and I can spend our lives in vain if we miss what's before us this morning. 00:08:23.279 --> 00:08:27.680 So let's pick up on this historical account on the first Easter morn. 00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:33.519 Very early on a Sunday morning, that first Easter morn, as the sun came up. 00:08:33.679 --> 00:08:35.120 Did you see it this morning? 00:08:36.240 --> 00:08:38.559 It was actually up early this morning. 00:08:38.799 --> 00:08:40.159 Not now so much. 00:08:40.399 --> 00:08:42.000 The sun was shining. 00:08:42.320 --> 00:08:45.840 On that first Easter morn, three women get up. 00:08:46.000 --> 00:08:47.360 Why are they named? 00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:49.440 Because this matters. 00:08:49.600 --> 00:08:50.960 Names matter. 00:08:51.279 --> 00:08:52.320 He tells us. 00:08:53.279 --> 00:08:55.440 This is a historical account. 00:08:56.159 --> 00:08:56.799 Mary. 00:08:58.639 --> 00:09:02.639 Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Saloon. 00:09:03.120 --> 00:09:15.519 Mark tells us at the end of chapter 15 that the reason that these three women knew where to go was because they followed the Roman soldiers when they took the body the day before. 00:09:15.919 --> 00:09:17.440 They followed them. 00:09:18.559 --> 00:09:21.120 Now, where were the disciples? 00:09:21.440 --> 00:09:22.320 Do you know? 00:09:23.120 --> 00:09:24.720 They were in hiding. 00:09:25.519 --> 00:09:34.480 One thing, one reason you know that the Bible is true is the writers, the authors of the Bible, don't go out of their way to make themselves look good. 00:09:35.200 --> 00:09:37.759 If they mess up, they confess it. 00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:39.840 That's one reason. 00:09:40.159 --> 00:09:42.639 They were hiding out of fear. 00:09:43.279 --> 00:09:50.720 They did not want to be caught associating with Jesus after his death because if they were, there might be a cross waiting for them. 00:09:51.200 --> 00:09:52.879 That's what the Bible tells us. 00:09:54.080 --> 00:09:57.360 But these women, these three women had courage. 00:09:57.600 --> 00:10:10.080 They said, we're going to go and we're going to take these expensive spices, we're going to take them, and we're going to anoint the dead body of Jesus at the tomb. 00:10:11.519 --> 00:10:14.240 But then they have this conversation on the way. 00:10:14.480 --> 00:10:15.519 Hey, wait a minute. 00:10:15.679 --> 00:10:19.679 We saw it's a huge rock covering the entrance to the tomb. 00:10:20.080 --> 00:10:22.240 We can't move that rock. 00:10:23.360 --> 00:10:26.879 Now, let's not be too hard on our sisters. 00:10:28.720 --> 00:10:30.799 They were grieving much. 00:10:31.840 --> 00:10:40.720 As a pastor who has done many funerals over many years, I know how easy it is to overlook details when you're grieving. 00:10:40.960 --> 00:10:42.480 When you're mourning. 00:10:42.879 --> 00:10:48.159 It's easy to overlook some things because of your grief. 00:10:49.279 --> 00:10:51.919 But they did have the courage to go there. 00:10:52.399 --> 00:10:54.960 Where the Roman guards had been posted. 00:10:56.000 --> 00:11:05.039 When the women arrived, they see an angel, a young man dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side. 00:11:05.360 --> 00:11:06.399 The details, right? 00:11:06.480 --> 00:11:07.679 Why would you say that? 00:11:07.919 --> 00:11:11.279 If you're an author, why would you say that unless it was true? 00:11:11.679 --> 00:11:18.960 A young man, angel, dressed in white robe, sitting on the right side. 00:11:19.440 --> 00:11:22.799 I just find the Bible so interesting, fascinating. 00:11:23.039 --> 00:11:25.600 Maybe one day we'll get to ask some of these questions. 00:11:25.919 --> 00:11:27.919 God, why was on the right side? 00:11:28.080 --> 00:11:29.120 Not the left side. 00:11:29.200 --> 00:11:30.159 I don't know. 00:11:30.559 --> 00:11:34.320 But this eyewitness tells us exactly how it went down. 00:11:36.000 --> 00:11:47.360 They see this angel and they see that this enormous stone has been moved, no longer black, blocking the tomb, and they can get in. 00:11:47.840 --> 00:11:49.759 But do they dare go in? 00:11:50.080 --> 00:11:52.000 Because they just met an angel. 00:11:52.960 --> 00:11:54.720 An angel who speaks. 00:11:55.279 --> 00:11:57.440 What did the angel have to say? 00:11:58.799 --> 00:12:01.279 Well, the angel did speak. 00:12:01.519 --> 00:12:03.600 The angel had something to say. 00:12:04.159 --> 00:12:06.639 And the angel said, Don't be alarmed. 00:12:07.440 --> 00:12:11.200 Well, that was easier to say than to actually do. 00:12:12.720 --> 00:12:14.159 They were alarmed. 00:12:14.399 --> 00:12:17.519 They saw that the stone had been rolled back. 00:12:17.679 --> 00:12:20.879 As they entered the tomb, they saw this angel, yes. 00:12:21.120 --> 00:12:22.720 And the angel had a message. 00:12:22.960 --> 00:12:24.720 Do not be alarmed. 00:12:25.039 --> 00:12:29.440 You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. 00:12:29.759 --> 00:12:30.720 He has risen. 00:12:30.879 --> 00:12:32.080 He is not here. 00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:35.200 See the place where they laid him. 00:12:36.639 --> 00:12:40.480 This Greek word alarmed is a very interesting word. 00:12:40.639 --> 00:12:44.720 We've seen it earlier in our study of the Gospel of Mark. 00:12:45.200 --> 00:12:46.480 Do you remember where? 00:12:47.759 --> 00:12:54.320 We saw it in the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before Jesus died, before he was murdered. 00:12:54.639 --> 00:12:57.039 He was in the Garden of Gethsemane. 00:12:57.519 --> 00:12:59.200 And we read about that. 00:12:59.600 --> 00:13:02.879 Jesus began to be deeply distressed. 00:13:04.080 --> 00:13:10.159 This word means both fear and wonder, astonishment and distress. 00:13:11.360 --> 00:13:18.559 These women who went to anoint his body, his dead body, did not know what to do. 00:13:19.600 --> 00:13:22.080 They were perplexed, they were confused. 00:13:24.639 --> 00:13:26.000 What do we do? 00:13:29.039 --> 00:13:33.759 It's a word that really captures what we've seen through the Gospel of Mark. 00:13:34.240 --> 00:13:40.320 When people meet the real Jesus, there's nothing ordinary about it. 00:13:41.360 --> 00:13:46.159 We've seen Jesus experience, meet people all over the pages of Mark, haven't we? 00:13:46.480 --> 00:13:50.240 Healing people who couldn't hear, who couldn't speak. 00:13:50.480 --> 00:13:55.200 We saw Jesus in the boat with his disciples when his disciples were scared to death. 00:13:55.440 --> 00:14:00.159 These experienced fishermen were completely out of control in the storm on the sea. 00:14:00.559 --> 00:14:02.879 And Jesus shows up in the boat. 00:14:05.759 --> 00:14:08.000 We preached that sermon, what, six months ago? 00:14:08.080 --> 00:14:08.639 I don't know. 00:14:08.879 --> 00:14:10.000 People are still coming up. 00:14:10.159 --> 00:14:12.960 Pastor, Jesus was in the boat with me this week. 00:14:13.200 --> 00:14:15.440 I went through something really hard. 00:14:15.759 --> 00:14:19.919 I went through something really hard, and Jesus was in the boat with me. 00:14:20.480 --> 00:14:21.759 Yeah, he was. 00:14:24.879 --> 00:14:33.440 What you don't see in the Gospels for the most part are people meeting the real Jesus and being nonplussed by it. 00:14:35.440 --> 00:14:38.159 You don't see people meeting Jesus and just shrugging their shoulders. 00:14:38.320 --> 00:14:39.600 Yeah, that's okay. 00:14:40.320 --> 00:14:41.200 He's alright. 00:14:41.519 --> 00:14:42.720 You don't see that. 00:14:43.120 --> 00:14:49.440 What you find in the gospels and what you find in the gospel of Mark is really what we ought to expect to find. 00:14:49.679 --> 00:14:59.200 People either bow down and sometimes on the ground with their face to the ground because they're in the presence of a holiness they've never been before. 00:15:00.159 --> 00:15:06.080 Or people sing from the top of their lungs because they've been healed by Jesus or they've been forgiven by Jesus. 00:15:06.799 --> 00:15:13.039 You don't find a ho-hum response when people meet the real Jesus. 00:15:13.279 --> 00:15:14.480 What about you? 00:15:18.159 --> 00:15:22.399 What would characterize your relationship with Jesus? 00:15:22.720 --> 00:15:24.879 Is there something ho-hum about it? 00:15:25.360 --> 00:15:27.440 You're not seeing the real Jesus. 00:15:28.320 --> 00:15:30.559 I'm just telling you straight up, you're not. 00:15:31.120 --> 00:15:34.960 You can't see the real Jesus and be non-plussed. 00:15:38.399 --> 00:15:39.600 These women. 00:15:40.639 --> 00:15:41.519 Wait a minute. 00:15:41.759 --> 00:15:42.799 He's not here. 00:15:43.120 --> 00:15:44.080 What happened to him? 00:15:44.240 --> 00:15:49.759 Isn't that interesting that all of his closest followers did not expect him to be raised from the dead? 00:15:51.759 --> 00:15:54.000 And we just take Easter for granted. 00:15:55.039 --> 00:15:58.159 They thought he was going to be dead. 00:16:00.879 --> 00:16:02.799 And they were never the same after that. 00:16:04.320 --> 00:16:08.080 And neither will you be if you see the real Jesus. 00:16:09.919 --> 00:16:11.679 That's just the way it is. 00:16:12.480 --> 00:16:17.759 In all their preparations, these women were still unprepared for what they encountered. 00:16:18.080 --> 00:16:24.720 As one scholar put it, the visit to the tomb is vintage mark authorship, the irony of the author. 00:16:24.960 --> 00:16:29.840 The living are consumed with death, but the crucified one is consumed with life. 00:16:30.080 --> 00:16:32.000 That's exactly what was going on. 00:16:32.240 --> 00:16:36.159 The angel's announcement was the good news, the gospel. 00:16:36.559 --> 00:16:44.639 The very place where the gospel was first preached, the very place, the empty tomb that both received and gave up Jesus. 00:16:44.960 --> 00:16:48.879 Received him in his death and gave him up in victory and life. 00:16:50.320 --> 00:16:52.159 We sang about that, didn't we? 00:16:54.559 --> 00:16:57.440 Now to the lamb upon the throne. 00:16:58.000 --> 00:17:03.120 Who else but Jesus would be a lamb, gentle and lowly. 00:17:03.840 --> 00:17:07.200 But on the throne, that means he's a king. 00:17:07.440 --> 00:17:09.200 Don't take him lightly. 00:17:12.799 --> 00:17:15.440 Now to the lamb upon the throne. 00:17:15.759 --> 00:17:21.599 Be blessing, honor, glory, power for the battle you have won. 00:17:21.920 --> 00:17:23.599 Jesus won the victory. 00:17:23.759 --> 00:17:26.319 Jesus won the power of over death. 00:17:26.960 --> 00:17:31.039 That's why death and that's why sin has no power ultimately over you. 00:17:31.279 --> 00:17:32.720 It may not feel like that right now. 00:17:32.880 --> 00:17:38.480 You might be experiencing, if you've lost a loved one, it might be very real and really fresh. 00:17:39.039 --> 00:17:44.000 But if your loved one is in Christ, your loved one is going to be raised from the dead. 00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:53.519 Your loved one is going to be raised from the grave, and you're going to be raised from the grave, and you're going to know one day, like you cannot possibly know now, that He won the battle. 00:17:53.839 --> 00:17:55.039 He won the victory. 00:17:55.200 --> 00:17:57.119 Are we living like that now? 00:17:57.599 --> 00:18:00.799 In light of these truths, is that how we're living? 00:18:02.319 --> 00:18:03.920 Many people don't. 00:18:05.920 --> 00:18:10.960 Many people who profess to be followers of Christ live in despair. 00:18:15.039 --> 00:18:16.720 How do you explain that? 00:18:17.839 --> 00:18:19.359 Have you lost your way? 00:18:20.880 --> 00:18:21.680 People do. 00:18:22.960 --> 00:18:33.680 We could talk about these amazing, glorious truths, and it's possible to just live in the doldrums like nothing's going nothing's going right for me. 00:18:35.359 --> 00:18:37.200 How come I can't ever get a break? 00:18:37.440 --> 00:18:39.359 How come I can't ever win? 00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:40.640 Really? 00:18:42.240 --> 00:18:44.400 The Son of God died for you. 00:18:46.319 --> 00:18:47.839 He forgave you. 00:18:49.359 --> 00:18:52.000 He has a home waiting for you in heaven. 00:18:53.359 --> 00:18:55.519 And you just never get a break. 00:18:56.319 --> 00:18:57.279 Come on. 00:18:58.319 --> 00:18:59.599 You're not thinking. 00:19:01.519 --> 00:19:02.799 This is true. 00:19:03.519 --> 00:19:04.240 This is true. 00:19:04.319 --> 00:19:07.519 And if you believe it and you understand it'll change your life. 00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:09.759 This is what's going on. 00:19:11.599 --> 00:19:13.200 He has risen. 00:19:13.440 --> 00:19:15.759 Okay, let's do just a little bit of Greek. 00:19:15.839 --> 00:19:16.160 Okay? 00:19:16.319 --> 00:19:18.240 When's the last time you did your Greek? 00:19:20.799 --> 00:19:21.440 Never. 00:19:23.039 --> 00:19:26.319 In the Greek, it doesn't say he has risen. 00:19:26.480 --> 00:19:28.799 It says he was raised. 00:19:29.680 --> 00:19:30.319 He was. 00:19:30.640 --> 00:19:32.240 What's the difference between those? 00:19:32.559 --> 00:19:37.200 He is risen could imply that by himself he just decided I'm done with death. 00:19:37.279 --> 00:19:38.720 I'm just going to stand up. 00:19:39.039 --> 00:19:43.039 I'm just going to stand up and tear my clothes off and walk out. 00:19:43.839 --> 00:19:47.440 No, he was raised by the power of God the Father. 00:19:47.920 --> 00:19:51.440 The Father raised him from death. 00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:57.119 That's why the Apostle Paul can say in Ephesians chapter 1, verse 19, that great verse. 00:19:58.079 --> 00:20:09.680 He can say, by the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, the Father's power, by the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, is now at work in you, Christian. 00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:10.559 Is it? 00:20:12.400 --> 00:20:14.160 Isn't that amazing? 00:20:14.640 --> 00:20:23.440 The same power that raised Jesus, God's son from the dead, makes you a Christian. 00:20:23.759 --> 00:20:24.480 And guess what? 00:20:24.559 --> 00:20:26.559 You never become a Christian until that happens. 00:20:27.839 --> 00:20:31.440 You don't become a Christian just because you decide to follow Jesus. 00:20:31.599 --> 00:20:32.720 No, no, no. 00:20:34.319 --> 00:20:39.680 You are spiritually dead until the Holy Spirit gives you life. 00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:43.519 This is the power. 00:20:43.920 --> 00:20:46.480 This is the power of Resurrection Sunday. 00:20:46.799 --> 00:20:48.720 This is the power of the gospel. 00:20:50.240 --> 00:20:59.119 The empty tomb is powerful in many ways, but it's not enough evidence in and of itself. 00:21:00.720 --> 00:21:11.680 Dorothy Sayers, a brilliant English playwright, mystery novelist, poet, she wrote a piece called Creed or Chaos. 00:21:12.480 --> 00:21:17.440 This particular piece she titled The Greatest Drama Ever Staged. 00:21:18.960 --> 00:21:24.880 She talks about creed, drama. 00:21:26.640 --> 00:21:32.079 In other words, today there's a word, a lot of people think it's a dirty word. 00:21:32.319 --> 00:21:34.000 It's the word doctrine. 00:21:35.599 --> 00:21:38.400 Doctrine is in real disrepute for a lot of people today. 00:21:38.480 --> 00:21:39.119 A lot of Christians. 00:21:39.440 --> 00:21:41.279 I mean, it's crazy. 00:21:42.160 --> 00:21:44.559 Let's not get into doctrine. 00:21:44.799 --> 00:21:48.400 Let's not get into the deep truths of what the Bible actually teaches. 00:21:48.559 --> 00:21:52.720 Let's just kind of all focus on loving each other. 00:21:54.160 --> 00:21:54.480 No. 00:21:55.119 --> 00:21:57.359 Everybody in this room has a doctrine. 00:21:57.599 --> 00:21:58.960 You may not know your doctrine. 00:21:59.119 --> 00:22:01.359 Your doctrine is Is your philosophy of life? 00:22:01.519 --> 00:22:05.920 Your doctrine is how you the lenses through which you see life. 00:22:06.160 --> 00:22:08.720 It's either as a Christian or as a non-Christian. 00:22:08.960 --> 00:22:13.039 I mean, your doctrine comes down to what you actually believe the scriptures teach. 00:22:13.200 --> 00:22:15.920 That's going to influence everything that you see. 00:22:18.640 --> 00:22:21.039 The greatest drama ever staged. 00:22:21.279 --> 00:22:27.839 The Christian faith is the most exciting drama, Dorothy says, that staggered the imagination of anyone. 00:22:28.079 --> 00:22:30.559 And the dogma is the drama. 00:22:31.039 --> 00:22:33.440 That word dogma is doctrine. 00:22:33.920 --> 00:22:36.960 The dogma is the drama. 00:22:37.599 --> 00:22:58.559 If we think it's dull, because we either have if we think that it is dull, this doctrine, it is because we either have never really read these amazing documents of the Gospels, or we have recited them so often and so mechanically as to have lost all sense of their meaning. 00:22:59.039 --> 00:23:00.319 Did you hear that? 00:23:02.880 --> 00:23:10.799 You may be, this might be like your upteenth Easter Sunday, and maybe you've heard this message many times. 00:23:13.920 --> 00:23:18.720 Have you heard it so many times mechanically that it's lost all sense of meaning? 00:23:19.119 --> 00:23:22.480 This is the dogma we find so dull. 00:23:22.799 --> 00:23:26.400 This terrifying drama of which God is the victim? 00:23:27.599 --> 00:23:32.240 God puts to death God? 00:23:33.680 --> 00:23:35.200 And that's dull? 00:23:35.680 --> 00:23:37.839 You're not listening if that's what you think. 00:23:38.079 --> 00:23:39.759 You're not paying attention. 00:23:41.039 --> 00:23:46.720 If this is dull, then what in heaven's name is worthy to be called exciting? 00:23:48.000 --> 00:23:49.519 This is the gospel. 00:23:50.400 --> 00:23:51.359 Wake up. 00:23:52.799 --> 00:23:55.680 Really hear these words, these truths. 00:23:56.160 --> 00:23:58.000 We've got to do something with this. 00:23:58.240 --> 00:24:01.119 To not do something with this is to do something with this. 00:24:01.359 --> 00:24:02.799 It's to ignore. 00:24:03.119 --> 00:24:07.440 It's to stand in the presence of Jesus Christ of Nazareth and be nonplussed. 00:24:08.160 --> 00:24:11.680 It's to look at the King of glory and say, well, what's the big deal? 00:24:13.759 --> 00:24:17.119 Oh, friends, it does matter. 00:24:17.680 --> 00:24:21.519 And it's not the empty tune alone that proves anything. 00:24:21.759 --> 00:24:25.599 It's an encounter with the resurrected Jesus that makes the difference. 00:24:25.920 --> 00:24:27.759 Not the empty tomb. 00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:30.720 That alone does not produce faith. 00:24:32.160 --> 00:24:34.559 It always requires revelation. 00:24:34.799 --> 00:24:37.039 It always requires a spoken word. 00:24:37.200 --> 00:24:38.880 It always requires a messenger. 00:24:39.039 --> 00:24:41.759 The angel was the messenger to those women that day. 00:24:42.000 --> 00:24:44.559 I just happen to be your messenger today. 00:24:45.279 --> 00:24:48.480 But if it's God, it's coming from God. 00:24:48.559 --> 00:24:50.400 It's not coming from a person. 00:24:51.200 --> 00:24:54.720 If it's God's message, it's coming directly from God. 00:24:55.359 --> 00:24:57.599 And he wants to speak to your heart. 00:24:57.920 --> 00:24:59.839 He has something to say to you. 00:25:03.039 --> 00:25:06.160 Perhaps you don't know what to make of this, Jesus. 00:25:07.519 --> 00:25:12.160 Like the ladies that morning, are you bewildered, perplexed, confused? 00:25:12.720 --> 00:25:14.880 I don't know what to make of him. 00:25:15.839 --> 00:25:20.480 Look, these historical facts require explanation. 00:25:20.960 --> 00:25:22.960 That's what we're doing this morning. 00:25:23.200 --> 00:25:26.079 We're explaining what these facts actually mean. 00:25:26.240 --> 00:25:28.079 This is what the Bible does. 00:25:28.400 --> 00:25:38.160 God sent an angel to explain the meaning to the ladies, and God still sends messengers to explain to us today because the evidence is never enough. 00:25:38.400 --> 00:25:44.720 None of us understand the significance of Jesus' life, his death, and his resurrection until it's explained. 00:25:46.720 --> 00:25:48.720 Otherwise, they're just facts. 00:25:49.440 --> 00:25:51.839 Otherwise, the evidence is never enough. 00:25:52.079 --> 00:25:55.680 Otherwise, the problem is not the evidence or lack of it. 00:25:56.319 --> 00:25:58.160 This is what we're waiting for. 00:25:58.400 --> 00:26:01.119 Until the Holy Spirit makes it clear to you. 00:26:02.160 --> 00:26:13.920 Until the Holy Spirit turns on the lights in your understanding, in your mind, and opens up the strong grip over your heart. 00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:18.960 We close our hearts, don't we? 00:26:20.160 --> 00:26:31.839 Sometimes we close our hearts because we've been disappointed, because we've been hurt, because we feel like God hasn't answered my prayers. 00:26:32.000 --> 00:26:35.359 There's all kinds of reasons why we can close our hearts. 00:26:35.759 --> 00:26:39.839 And our hearts remain closed until the Holy Spirit comes. 00:26:40.160 --> 00:26:42.880 And the Holy Spirit speaks truth. 00:26:43.359 --> 00:26:48.400 And because the Holy Spirit is speaking truth, you believe it, sometimes for the first time. 00:26:49.519 --> 00:26:55.279 And the Holy Spirit is able to pry open that hard, disappointed heart. 00:26:55.599 --> 00:26:56.640 He's done it for me. 00:26:56.799 --> 00:26:58.240 Has he done it for you? 00:26:59.599 --> 00:27:01.200 The Holy Spirit. 00:27:01.839 --> 00:27:04.319 You will not come and fall at the feet of Jesus. 00:27:04.480 --> 00:27:06.400 You will not come and bow to Jesus. 00:27:06.640 --> 00:27:16.400 You will not receive Jesus until the Holy Spirit turns on the lights and opens your heart. 00:27:17.599 --> 00:27:19.440 That's the real Jesus. 00:27:20.319 --> 00:27:22.640 I want to tell you, He's beautiful. 00:27:22.960 --> 00:27:24.480 The real Jesus. 00:27:24.960 --> 00:27:26.400 He's faithful. 00:27:26.960 --> 00:27:28.480 The real Jesus. 00:27:29.599 --> 00:27:31.200 There's nobody like him. 00:27:32.000 --> 00:27:35.279 If you're sitting here this morning, you're thinking, I don't think that's happened in my life. 00:27:35.440 --> 00:27:37.519 I don't think I've had that experience. 00:27:38.400 --> 00:27:40.640 Would you pray and ask the Holy Spirit? 00:27:40.880 --> 00:27:43.599 Ask the Holy Spirit to give you faith to believe. 00:27:43.759 --> 00:27:48.079 Ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand what the facts really mean. 00:27:48.400 --> 00:27:50.240 Only the Holy Spirit. 00:27:50.880 --> 00:27:52.400 Does he use vessels? 00:27:52.559 --> 00:27:58.160 Yes, he uses people, but unless it's the Holy Spirit, you won't get it. 00:27:59.680 --> 00:28:02.960 You'll hear it, but you won't get it. 00:28:05.519 --> 00:28:09.200 Oh, as I said earlier in the service, this has been a great year at APC. 00:28:09.279 --> 00:28:12.480 We've had so many people come to Christ this year. 00:28:13.680 --> 00:28:20.000 It's been a beautiful for the elders to hear so many testimonies of so many people who just said the lights just came on. 00:28:20.559 --> 00:28:22.079 Now I understand. 00:28:23.200 --> 00:28:23.759 Right? 00:28:24.079 --> 00:28:25.519 The lights come on. 00:28:27.039 --> 00:28:32.799 That's Jesus speaking to you by the Holy Spirit. 00:28:34.640 --> 00:28:37.279 Whenever Jesus speaks to you, that's a good day. 00:28:37.519 --> 00:28:40.240 Whenever you hear the voice of God. 00:28:42.319 --> 00:28:44.160 Yes, he is raised. 00:28:45.200 --> 00:28:46.400 Yes, it's true. 00:28:46.559 --> 00:28:50.319 This requires revelation by God's word and by God's Spirit. 00:28:50.559 --> 00:28:52.480 So they're more than just facts. 00:28:54.559 --> 00:28:56.640 I'm going to close with three words. 00:28:56.799 --> 00:28:58.640