Easter Sunday

Transcript

Rob McFarlane: 0:58

Today we celebrate Easter. In some ways, we do this because it's a date in the calendar. But as Christians, we ought to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ every day. We're going to look at Mark's record of the first Easter Sunday 2000 years ago. So please, would you turn in your Bible with me to Mark chapter 16 and we're going to read selected verses. Now when the Sabbath was passed, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome brought spices that they might come and anoint him. Very early in the morning on the first day of the week they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they said among themselves, Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us? But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, for it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. But he said to them, Do not be alarmed, you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen, he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you into Galilee. There you will see him, as he said to you. So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. Now when he arose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary, Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven demons. And she went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. And when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. Now down to verse fourteen. Later he appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table, and he rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen him after he had risen. And he said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Now down to verse 19. So then after the Lord had spoken to them, he was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God, and they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen. Let's look at four life lessons from this event, and as we do, I'll also make reference to verses in Matthew chapter 28. So, number one, we learn that we must trust God to remove the obstacles in our lives. We read in Mark chapter 16, verse 2 to 4, very early in the morning on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen, and they said among themselves, Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us? But when they looked up, they saw the stone had been rolled away, for it was very large. These women had no idea how they were going to move the very large stone that had sealed the entrance of the tomb. It was overwhelming for them, but it was nothing for God. Things that are impossible with man are possible with God. Like Jesus said in Mark 10, verse 27, with man this is impossible, but not with God. With God all things are possible. God used an earthquake and an angel to remove the stone. And sometimes he uses natural means, other times he uses supernatural means, and other times a combination of both. Albert Einstein is quoted as saying, a coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous. And it wasn't just a coincidence in this case. We saw that God sent an angel. Let's read Matthew 28, verse 2 to 4. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning and his clothing as white as snow. The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. Isn't it curious that when Jesus rose from the dead and he became alive, the gods who were meant to be guarding his tomb who were alive became like dead men out of fear because of the angel? I want to ask you today what obstacles are there in your life that prevent you from perhaps engaging with the risen Christ, or other obstacles that need to be moved in your life, or in the life of your loved ones, obstacles that are preventing them from encountering Jesus themselves. Let's trust that God can have those moved. He might use natural means or he may use supernatural means or perhaps a combination of both. And let's remember, like Albert Einstein said, a coincidence is just when God chooses to remain anonymous. Let's pray for God to do things in our lives and in the lives of our loved ones, moving obstacles that are a hindrance to us encountering Him. Number two, we must stay in faith and not give in to fear. Mark chapter 16, verse 5, 6, and 8. We read, and entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. But he said to them, Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen, he is not here. See the place where they laid him. And then verse 8. So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. This must have been so disorientating for these women who followed Jesus. They were with him at the cross. They saw him die. They saw that he had been buried, and now they came to anoint his body with the spices, as was their custom. And then when they arrived there, they found that he was not in the tomb. There was an angel in the tomb, and they were alarmed and afraid. And the angel says to them, Do not be afraid. In other words, he was saying, Fear not, do not fear. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come see the place where the Lord lay. So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring his disciples word. Isn't that interesting in verse 8? We read, they had mixed emotions, fear with great joy. You know, there are times when we have mixed emotions, where we perhaps are confused or disorientated. And just like the angel said to those women, we too need to hear that encouragement. Fear not, do not be afraid. Christ is risen, he's seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Do not be afraid, he is making intercession for you, and uh and he is on your side. Now, if we go back in Matthew to Matthew chapter 16, we see that the disciples and Peter in particular understood by revelation knowledge that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. And then he says, On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. You know the verses. But it's interesting how Matthew 16, verse 21, directly after that, it says, From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from their elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and be raised on the third day. Are you disorientated today? Perhaps by the constant change and things that are happening in our world? Well, let's not forget what Jesus has said to us. He said, I will never leave you or forsake you. I'll be with you always to the end of the age. He says the work that he started in us, he will bring to completion. When we find ourselves in a place of confusion or disorientation, let's not forget what he said to us before we came into the storm. I once heard someone say, Don't doubt in the darkness what God has shown you in the light. Let's take courage from the angel who said in Mark 16, verse 5 and 6, do not be alarmed. Jesus who was crucified is risen. Fear not, I am with you. Fear not, you're not on your own. We're told to fear not 365 times in the Bible, one for every day of the year. So we've seen number two, fear not, stay in faith. Don't give in to fear, but stay in faith. Life lesson number three. We're invited to come and see or draw near to Jesus. Let's look at Mark chapter 16 and verse 6. But he said to them, Do not be alarmed, you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified, he is risen. He is not here. See the place where they laid him. You could say, Come and see the place where they laid him. We also read this invitation to come and see, which led to worship in Matthew 28, verse 6 and verse 9. He is not here, for he is risen. As he said, Come see the place where the Lord lay. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, Rejoice. So they came to him, held him, and worshipped at his feet. What a wonderful invitation to encounter Jesus. Come and see. Our Jesus says, Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. When we're afraid, confused, struggling with doubt, have mixed emotions, let's not run from him, but let's run to him. Let's come to him and he will give us peace, perspective, and purpose. There's two themes that run through the Gospels, and they are come and see and go and tell. Let me give you two quick examples of come and see. Jesus invited Andrew, one of John the Baptist's disciples, to come and see where he was in John chapter 1, verse 39. Philip then, in the same chapter, invites Nathaniel to come and see Jesus the Messiah in John 1 verse 46. We see this wonderful invitation to come and see. And when we are in a place where we feel confused or vulnerable, we should respond to that invitation to come and see. Come and experience, taste and see that the Lord is good. This brings me to the next point, which is go and tell. Number four, we are commissioned to go and tell others. Listen to what the angel says to the woman in Mark chapter 16, and we're going to read verse 7, verse 10, verse 15, and verse 20. But go and tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you into Galilee. There you will see him, as he said to you. She went and told those who had been with him as they mourned and wept. And then a little later in verse 15, we see the Lord Himself comes to his disciples, and he says to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. And then verse 20, they obeyed him, they went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through the accompanying signs. This great commission has been given to us to go and tell, to tell all people, all nations about his goodness and his love, to go and make disciples of all nations. It's also recorded for us in Matthew 28, verse 18 to 20. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen. We are all responsible to reach the unreached and to tell the untold the good news about Jesus. The gospel can be summarized in one verse, John 3, verse 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. So today, in summary, we've seen four life lessons from Mark chapter 16, Mark's record of the first Easter Sunday. They are number one, we must trust God to remove the obstacles in our lives. Number two, we must stay in faith and not give in to fear. Number three, we're invited to come and see, to draw near to Jesus. And number four, we're commissioned to go and tell others. We're going to pray together now, and as we do, I want to encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit what he is saying to you or what he wants you to do as a result of what you've heard in today's sermon. Let's pray. Father God, thank you. That you are good to us. We ask that you would remove obstacles in our lives, things that are hindering us from drawing near to you and encountering the risen Christ. And also for those we love, things that are hindering them from encountering you, we pray that those would be swept aside so that we would have full access to you. Thank you that you say, fear not. Do not be afraid. And in a time where so many people are struggling with mixed emotions, joy and fear, we pray that you would bring peace and perspective to our hearts and our minds. You said, Come and see. Help us to draw near to you, to fall at your feet in worship, to find courage to go and tell from a place of intimacy with you. And we thank you for the great commission. That you want us to go and reach the unreached and tell the untold the good news about Jesus Christ. Holy Spirit, speak to us now. Show us what you want us as individuals to do as a result of what we've heard in today's sermon. In Jesus' name. Amen.