WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.179 We're looking at Mark 16, that's page 853 in the Pew Bible, if you want to turn there. 00:00:06.759 --> 00:00:08.519 We'll have it on the screens too. 00:00:09.019 --> 00:00:13.339 We're looking at Mark 16, verses 1 through 8, page 853. 00:00:17.260 --> 00:00:20.539 This is the passage that our teaching will be based on tonight. 00:00:21.260 --> 00:00:23.940 Let me read this for us. 00:00:23.940 --> 00:00:53.920 Let's read this. 00:00:53.939 --> 00:00:59.539 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back. 00:01:00.099 --> 00:01:01.259 It was very large. 00:01:02.159 --> 00:01:08.959 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 00:01:09.859 --> 00:01:12.019 And he said to them, do not be alarmed. 00:01:12.099 --> 00:01:14.840 You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. 00:01:15.780 --> 00:01:16.599 He has risen. 00:01:17.099 --> 00:01:18.239 He is not here. 00:01:18.879 --> 00:01:20.420 See the place where they laid him. 00:01:20.420 --> 00:01:25.519 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he's going before you to Galilee. 00:01:25.960 --> 00:01:28.760 There you will see him, just as he told you. 00:01:29.700 --> 00:01:37.140 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them. 00:01:37.140 --> 00:01:41.939 And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. 00:01:41.939 --> 00:01:55.299 If you've been coming to Trinity last fall and this spring, then you know that we've been working our way through the Gospel of Mark. 00:01:55.599 --> 00:01:59.959 And the Gospel of Mark is one of the earliest historical accounts of the life of Jesus. 00:01:59.959 --> 00:02:04.479 And tonight, we come to the end of Mark's Gospel. 00:02:05.119 --> 00:02:07.219 To Mark's account of the resurrection. 00:02:08.319 --> 00:02:15.319 And tonight doesn't just end our series on Mark, but it starts a series that we're going to do for the next five weeks on the resurrection of Christ. 00:02:15.400 --> 00:02:16.199 On the resurrection of Jesus. 00:02:16.299 --> 00:02:21.280 So starting tonight, we're going to take a look at each of the Gospel accounts over the next five weeks. 00:02:21.280 --> 00:02:30.819 And see how each one brings a unique perspective on this utterly massive, history-changing, life-changing event. 00:02:31.460 --> 00:02:34.719 Each of the four Gospels gives us a perspective on what has happened. 00:02:34.979 --> 00:02:39.139 And in each one, there's something unique and crucial and life-giving to see about Jesus' resurrection. 00:02:39.659 --> 00:02:42.620 So, in the month ahead, that's what we're going to be doing. 00:02:42.800 --> 00:02:43.819 So tonight, Mark 16. 00:02:44.060 --> 00:02:45.400 Next week, Matthew 28. 00:02:45.539 --> 00:02:46.960 The week after that, Luke 24. 00:02:47.300 --> 00:02:49.960 And then we're going to do John 20 and then John 21. 00:02:49.960 --> 00:02:52.620 So that's where we're headed in our evening service. 00:02:53.360 --> 00:02:55.620 But tonight, we're here. 00:02:55.760 --> 00:02:57.140 We're beginning with Mark. 00:02:57.320 --> 00:02:58.620 We're ending with Mark. 00:02:59.920 --> 00:03:12.980 And I think you'll agree that as we look over this passage, that the overriding and surprising, I think, theme in Mark's account of the resurrection is fear. 00:03:14.960 --> 00:03:18.960 Verse 4 says the women who came to the tomb were alarmed. 00:03:18.960 --> 00:03:21.520 That's a really strong word in the original. 00:03:23.260 --> 00:03:28.600 And then verse 8 at the end says that trembling and astonishment had seized them. 00:03:29.140 --> 00:03:32.960 And the paragraph ends with Mark telling us they were afraid. 00:03:32.960 --> 00:03:46.040 Now, I think, if you're like me anyway, I think that we're used to the Easter message being one of comfort and joy and hope. 00:03:46.800 --> 00:03:52.060 Last week, I preached an Easter sermon that I hope was full of comfort and joy and hope. 00:03:52.060 --> 00:03:55.740 And yet, you know, and indeed Easter is all of those things, right? 00:03:55.860 --> 00:04:03.439 But before it is any of those things, the resurrection of Jesus is unsettling. 00:04:04.439 --> 00:04:08.780 The resurrection of Jesus ought to make us tremble. 00:04:08.780 --> 00:04:18.199 So when you and I think about the resurrection, does it make us tremble? 00:04:19.459 --> 00:04:22.860 Or have we kind of domesticated it? 00:04:23.300 --> 00:04:25.399 Have we made it sort of merely comfortable? 00:04:25.620 --> 00:04:27.279 Have we even made it a little sentimental? 00:04:27.279 --> 00:04:37.019 When the message first rang out from the empty tomb, when the angel told the women that Jesus had been raised, their response wasn't, 00:04:38.099 --> 00:04:42.899 aww, let's give each other chocolate and take pictures with a bunny. 00:04:43.859 --> 00:04:44.500 Right? 00:04:45.779 --> 00:04:46.439 No. 00:04:46.839 --> 00:04:47.699 They were terrified. 00:04:48.579 --> 00:04:49.579 They trembled. 00:04:51.759 --> 00:04:52.799 But why? 00:04:52.800 --> 00:05:03.240 Well, I want to suggest tonight that Mark's account points us to three things concerning Jesus' resurrection that ought to make us tremble. 00:05:05.000 --> 00:05:10.240 And I think if we can get this, my hope is that if we get this, if we get the trembling of the resurrection, 00:05:10.819 --> 00:05:16.160 then we'll really start to get the joy and the hope and the comfort of the resurrection. 00:05:16.160 --> 00:05:28.020 So, first, the resurrection makes us tremble because it tears apart our merely human expectations. 00:05:29.280 --> 00:05:34.920 The women come to the tomb to do one last honorable thing for their dead friend, right? 00:05:34.980 --> 00:05:38.400 To pay their last respects and to show their devotion one more time. 00:05:38.399 --> 00:05:45.919 They had no doubt spent all day Saturday leading up to Sunday morning, the Sabbath, grieving over their lost friend. 00:05:47.039 --> 00:05:55.599 Mark is very clear, if you look at the passage leading up to this last chapter, Mark is very clear that Jesus died on the cross Friday afternoon. 00:05:56.000 --> 00:06:04.519 And then if you read verses 40 through 47 of chapter 15 that leads up to our passage, it's very clear that Jesus was buried in a tomb because he was dead. 00:06:04.519 --> 00:06:21.419 And the women, these particular group of women, saw where he was buried, and they go and they observe the Sabbath, they rest, and then they come back first thing on Sunday morning, the first day of the week, to anoint Jesus' body, to say goodbye one last time. 00:06:23.279 --> 00:06:29.180 In fact, on the way, they're wondering, right, who's going to move this large stone away from the entrance of the tomb? 00:06:29.180 --> 00:06:38.900 Joseph of Arimathea, the guy who actually got Jesus' body and buried it Friday afternoon, probably had a number of male servants who helped him move the stone on Friday. 00:06:39.620 --> 00:06:42.600 But a few women probably are not able to manage it themselves. 00:06:42.939 --> 00:06:50.319 So as they're going in their grief to pay their respects, to pay their devotion, they're not even sure how they're going to get into the tomb. 00:06:50.319 --> 00:06:58.459 And yet, when they arrive, the stone has already been moved. 00:06:59.439 --> 00:07:01.939 And upon entering the tomb, they see an angel. 00:07:02.699 --> 00:07:08.600 Mark calls him a young man in white clothing, which we all know what that means, right? 00:07:08.959 --> 00:07:10.600 At least Mark's audience would have. 00:07:11.420 --> 00:07:14.500 They see an angel who tells them that Jesus isn't there any longer. 00:07:14.819 --> 00:07:16.420 He's not dead any longer. 00:07:16.420 --> 00:07:24.680 Remember that he has been raised to bodily, new creation, unending, unshakable life. 00:07:26.160 --> 00:07:30.240 Now you can imagine how their heads must have been spinning. 00:07:30.920 --> 00:07:33.639 First, they're startled by the fact that the tomb is even open. 00:07:34.180 --> 00:07:36.819 And then this young man, this angel, seated in the tomb. 00:07:37.020 --> 00:07:43.759 And then I'm telling him this message that the Jesus, who they just saw executed about 36 hours previous, was alive. 00:07:43.759 --> 00:07:52.300 In a matter of seconds, everything they thought that they would find that early Sunday morning was completely flipped upside down. 00:07:53.519 --> 00:07:53.939 Right? 00:07:54.079 --> 00:07:59.599 Common sense told them that a heavy stone would stay in place and that a dead person would stay dead. 00:08:00.560 --> 00:08:05.000 And all these expectations on that first Easter morning were dashed. 00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:10.279 They were seeking a dead Jesus. 00:08:11.240 --> 00:08:16.139 And they come to find that a living Jesus is now seeking them. 00:08:18.839 --> 00:08:24.519 The resurrection, friends, is the great paradigm shift, if you will. 00:08:24.680 --> 00:08:27.800 It's the great worldview changer. 00:08:27.800 --> 00:08:35.919 You see, we live our lives from the moment of our birth in a completely self-centered way. 00:08:36.500 --> 00:08:40.279 With our own expectations of what God should and shouldn't do. 00:08:40.480 --> 00:08:42.360 Of whether God is or isn't real. 00:08:43.080 --> 00:08:46.379 And that way of viewing the world is very safe for us, isn't it? 00:08:47.200 --> 00:08:49.500 Because, ultimately, we're the ones who stay in control. 00:08:50.340 --> 00:08:55.820 If I can hold God here and sort of cast my verdict on Him, then I'm in control and I'm very safe. 00:08:55.820 --> 00:09:05.800 But, you see, with the resurrection of Jesus, we're being confronted, not with a self-centered worldview, with a God-centered worldview. 00:09:06.620 --> 00:09:08.240 That God is real. 00:09:08.780 --> 00:09:13.720 And that He has a purpose and a plan for the world and for us. 00:09:14.320 --> 00:09:19.980 And that He has acted supremely in and through Jesus to bring those plans to pass. 00:09:19.980 --> 00:09:26.379 Now, the resurrection doesn't mean that God is unpredictable, that anything can happen. 00:09:27.159 --> 00:09:28.940 But it means that God is in control. 00:09:29.700 --> 00:09:33.420 And He's taking history to its appointed conclusion. 00:09:35.000 --> 00:09:46.940 And you and I will need to have our expectations challenged and even overthrown if we're to truly come to grips with this God and with His reality. 00:09:46.940 --> 00:10:02.960 So, the resurrection of Jesus, God the Father raising Him from the dead, breaking the finality of death, pushes us out into a view of ourselves and the world. 00:10:03.920 --> 00:10:06.020 Or not where we're in control. 00:10:06.680 --> 00:10:08.060 Not where I'm ultimate. 00:10:08.059 --> 00:10:10.459 But where God is in control. 00:10:10.719 --> 00:10:11.839 And where God is ultimate. 00:10:12.859 --> 00:10:14.619 Not into an unpredictable world. 00:10:14.759 --> 00:10:16.059 Not into an erratic world. 00:10:16.339 --> 00:10:18.399 But a world where you and I are not in control. 00:10:18.619 --> 00:10:22.779 And where our plans can be overturned by His plan. 00:10:24.119 --> 00:10:27.179 And where Jesus Christ is Lord. 00:10:27.179 --> 00:10:30.059 And that brings us to our second point. 00:10:31.259 --> 00:10:32.819 The resurrection makes us tremble. 00:10:33.059 --> 00:10:36.659 Not just because it sort of overturns our expectations in a general way. 00:10:37.039 --> 00:10:42.959 But because it tears apart our safe understanding of who Jesus is. 00:10:43.819 --> 00:10:47.139 Let's read again the words of the angel in verses 6 and 7. 00:10:47.659 --> 00:10:48.779 Look with me again there. 00:10:49.259 --> 00:10:50.139 The angel says to them, 00:10:50.139 --> 00:10:51.159 Don't be alarmed. 00:10:51.759 --> 00:10:53.099 You seek Jesus of Nazareth. 00:10:53.259 --> 00:10:54.179 Who was crucified? 00:10:54.500 --> 00:10:55.740 The crucified one. 00:10:55.740 --> 00:10:57.500 Then He says, 00:10:58.139 --> 00:10:58.940 He has risen. 00:10:59.600 --> 00:11:01.039 Or He has been raised. 00:11:01.820 --> 00:11:02.840 He's not here. 00:11:03.539 --> 00:11:05.060 See the place where they laid Him. 00:11:05.279 --> 00:11:05.820 In other words, 00:11:06.220 --> 00:11:07.139 The tomb is empty. 00:11:07.460 --> 00:11:08.100 You can look. 00:11:09.539 --> 00:11:13.399 But go tell His disciples and Peter that He's going before you to Galilee. 00:11:14.039 --> 00:11:15.340 And there you will see Him. 00:11:15.840 --> 00:11:18.820 Just as He told you. 00:11:21.180 --> 00:11:23.320 Just as He told you. 00:11:23.320 --> 00:11:29.320 It's hard for us to wrap our minds around the magnitude of that little phrase. 00:11:29.720 --> 00:11:31.000 Just as He told you. 00:11:33.000 --> 00:11:36.040 Now on the one hand, that's a direct reference to Mark 14, 28. 00:11:36.300 --> 00:11:39.560 If you flip back just a page, you'll see on that verse where Jesus, 00:11:39.960 --> 00:11:42.280 right before His betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane, 00:11:42.600 --> 00:11:44.740 told the disciples that they were going to abandon Him. 00:11:44.960 --> 00:11:47.040 They'll strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter. 00:11:47.039 --> 00:11:48.259 And then He says, 00:11:48.699 --> 00:11:51.839 But after I'm raised up, I'll go before you to Galilee. 00:11:52.879 --> 00:11:55.740 It's all happening exactly as He told you, the angel says to the women. 00:11:57.599 --> 00:11:59.019 He's going before you to Galilee. 00:11:59.759 --> 00:12:04.000 And for that matter, Jesus had been telling this during their whole journey to Jerusalem. 00:12:04.000 --> 00:12:08.279 If you can think back, think back, chapter 8, verse 31, right? 00:12:08.759 --> 00:12:10.340 Chapter 9, verse 31. 00:12:10.960 --> 00:12:12.379 Chapter 10, verse 34. 00:12:12.519 --> 00:12:17.799 Three times Jesus tells His disciples that once they get to the city, once they get to Jerusalem, 00:12:17.960 --> 00:12:22.679 He's going to be handed over and crucified and three days later rise again. 00:12:23.100 --> 00:12:27.000 Everything Jesus had told them was happening just as He had told them. 00:12:27.000 --> 00:12:35.139 You see, the resurrection, friends, is a great seal on everything that Jesus said and did in His ministry. 00:12:35.899 --> 00:12:43.879 The resurrection is God's own verdict upon His Son vindicating Him, raising Him up as right and righteous. 00:12:44.320 --> 00:12:47.740 It's God saying, completely true, completely faithful. 00:12:49.460 --> 00:12:52.039 And isn't that one of the great ironies of Easter? 00:12:52.039 --> 00:13:02.379 But in the week leading up, the authorities had cast their verdict on Jesus, saying He's a blasphemer and a liar and a threat, and executed Him. 00:13:02.799 --> 00:13:05.439 And then on Sunday morning, God says, here's my verdict. 00:13:06.199 --> 00:13:07.019 It's true. 00:13:10.120 --> 00:13:15.139 Friends, the resurrection shows us that everything Jesus taught about Himself was true. 00:13:15.139 --> 00:13:21.139 And that in and of itself should make us tremble. 00:13:22.980 --> 00:13:24.919 Think back over Mark's gospel. 00:13:25.960 --> 00:13:31.080 What has Mark been trying not just to tell us about Jesus, but show us about Jesus? 00:13:32.279 --> 00:13:33.980 What has he been trying to show us? 00:13:34.840 --> 00:13:38.519 Here's the one with authority over sickness and death. 00:13:38.519 --> 00:13:45.939 Here's the one with authority to teach God's word without any hesitation or any other authority to back Him up. 00:13:46.559 --> 00:13:50.039 Here's the one with authority over unclean spirits, over evil itself. 00:13:50.799 --> 00:13:56.199 Here's the one with authority over nature, over the material world. 00:13:56.740 --> 00:13:58.399 He calms the storm. 00:13:58.740 --> 00:14:01.860 He turns bread into a feast that could feed thousands. 00:14:01.860 --> 00:14:08.320 Here's the one, Mark shows us, with authority over Israel's central institutions and symbols. 00:14:08.779 --> 00:14:16.700 For thousands of years, what Israel had structured their whole life around, the Sabbath, the temple, the purity codes. 00:14:16.860 --> 00:14:20.419 Jesus says, they're all about me. 00:14:20.600 --> 00:14:22.060 I'm the Lord of them all. 00:14:24.259 --> 00:14:29.320 Here's the one, Mark shows us, who has authority to call men and women to leave everything and follow Him. 00:14:29.320 --> 00:14:33.760 Here's the one who has authority to bring people back from the dead. 00:14:33.820 --> 00:14:36.200 You remember the raising of Jairus' daughter. 00:14:38.080 --> 00:14:47.320 Here's the one, Mark shows us, with authority even, most shocking of all, to forgive our sins. 00:14:49.440 --> 00:14:58.040 If we've been following Mark's gospel up till this point, if we've been awake at all as we've walked through this gospel, 00:14:58.039 --> 00:15:00.860 then don't you see who this Jesus is? 00:15:02.419 --> 00:15:03.779 Who could have such authority? 00:15:03.860 --> 00:15:05.740 Who could have the right to do such things? 00:15:06.039 --> 00:15:07.759 Who could have the right over sickness and death? 00:15:07.899 --> 00:15:08.959 Over the material world? 00:15:09.079 --> 00:15:10.199 Over the spiritual world? 00:15:10.679 --> 00:15:11.699 Over God's word? 00:15:12.159 --> 00:15:14.339 Even over God's right to deal with sins? 00:15:15.079 --> 00:15:16.519 Who could be that one? 00:15:18.799 --> 00:15:19.959 Other than God Himself? 00:15:22.240 --> 00:15:24.000 Other than the Lord? 00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:31.019 Friends, tonight, how safe is your understanding of Jesus? 00:15:32.759 --> 00:15:37.220 When I was in college, the Jesus is my homeboy hats were very cool. 00:15:37.559 --> 00:15:41.019 And I think you were supposed to wear them a little cocked like this, because that was cool too. 00:15:41.580 --> 00:15:42.460 I was not cool. 00:15:42.700 --> 00:15:45.159 I did not own a Jesus is my homeboy hat or shirt. 00:15:46.299 --> 00:15:47.480 But is he your homeboy tonight? 00:15:47.500 --> 00:15:50.279 Is he your casual buddy tonight? 00:15:50.279 --> 00:15:52.959 Or is he a good moral teacher? 00:15:53.379 --> 00:15:58.339 Someone who can sort of show you the ropes and show you the rules and tell you how to live your life and get some blessing? 00:15:59.699 --> 00:16:04.600 Or is he a religious leader pointing to some timeless truth like other great religious leaders? 00:16:04.860 --> 00:16:14.120 You know, is he sort of one of a series of Moses and Muhammad and Buddha and others pointing us towards some kind of way to God? 00:16:14.120 --> 00:16:24.799 The resurrection, friends, tears all those merely safe Jesuses to shreds. 00:16:26.500 --> 00:16:31.080 Do you remember that scene in Acts when Paul sort of comes into Athens? 00:16:31.560 --> 00:16:36.320 And in Athens, he heads up to what's called the Areopagus, the Mars Hill. 00:16:36.799 --> 00:16:40.879 And that was the place where people would debate the great ideas of the day. 00:16:40.879 --> 00:16:46.700 It was a place where seekers would look for truth and constantly search out and try new ideas and opinions. 00:16:47.039 --> 00:16:52.700 And conversations would happen and teachers would teach and people would come and they'd sort of share their new ideas. 00:16:52.879 --> 00:16:57.919 And people would be constantly searching and seeking because they love new teachings and new doctrines and new ideas. 00:16:58.379 --> 00:17:00.679 And then when Paul comes to the Areopagus, what happens? 00:17:00.899 --> 00:17:05.960 He begins talking about the one true God who made everything and everyone. 00:17:05.960 --> 00:17:09.440 And how he made all of us to seek him. 00:17:10.180 --> 00:17:13.579 And at this point, you can sort of see the intelligentsia sort of shaking their heads. 00:17:13.660 --> 00:17:14.220 Yeah, seeking. 00:17:14.360 --> 00:17:15.059 We like that. 00:17:15.519 --> 00:17:15.740 Cool. 00:17:15.840 --> 00:17:16.819 God made us to seek him. 00:17:16.900 --> 00:17:17.220 Awesome. 00:17:17.660 --> 00:17:19.220 And then Paul tells them about Jesus. 00:17:20.380 --> 00:17:22.400 And about how God raised Jesus from the dead. 00:17:23.259 --> 00:17:30.620 And how that one man that God raised from the dead has been entrusted with all authority to judge and to rule as Lord. 00:17:30.619 --> 00:17:35.659 And then Paul says, now the time for seeking is over. 00:17:37.199 --> 00:17:39.479 Instead, it's time to repent. 00:17:40.179 --> 00:17:42.139 It's time to turn and come home. 00:17:42.519 --> 00:17:43.779 It's time to decide. 00:17:46.139 --> 00:17:49.839 You see, friends, Jesus hasn't come simply to be a pointer to the way. 00:17:50.779 --> 00:17:52.039 He himself is the way. 00:17:52.779 --> 00:17:56.759 And he's not just another truth to be considered, but he is the truth. 00:17:56.759 --> 00:18:01.279 And he's not just another teacher saying, if you do this, you'll find life. 00:18:02.539 --> 00:18:04.759 But he's saying, I'm the life. 00:18:05.460 --> 00:18:07.079 Me, in my own person. 00:18:09.279 --> 00:18:11.660 And that's why the resurrection is unsettling. 00:18:12.819 --> 00:18:14.400 That's why it makes us tremble. 00:18:16.119 --> 00:18:18.920 Because of who it demonstrates Jesus to be. 00:18:19.579 --> 00:18:20.700 The true king. 00:18:21.119 --> 00:18:22.259 The true Lord. 00:18:22.700 --> 00:18:23.799 The true judge. 00:18:24.160 --> 00:18:25.500 He's the end of our searching. 00:18:25.500 --> 00:18:29.279 He's the one upon whom we must decide. 00:18:29.880 --> 00:18:33.079 The one to whom we must turn. 00:18:34.619 --> 00:18:36.559 And that doesn't mean that seeking is bad. 00:18:36.720 --> 00:18:39.339 And it doesn't mean you shouldn't use your brain when you become a Christian. 00:18:40.140 --> 00:18:42.680 But it does mean that if Jesus is who he says he is. 00:18:42.799 --> 00:18:44.240 If God raised him from the dead. 00:18:45.740 --> 00:18:49.099 If everything is true, just as he told you. 00:18:49.279 --> 00:18:51.400 As the angel tells the women in Mark 16. 00:18:51.400 --> 00:18:56.140 Then we can't simply hold Jesus at arm's length. 00:18:56.940 --> 00:19:01.180 We can't simply give him lip service as a good teacher. 00:19:01.640 --> 00:19:04.100 Or, you know, whatever. 00:19:05.420 --> 00:19:09.640 We've got to bow before him as our Lord. 00:19:09.640 --> 00:19:13.680 We've got to surrender our whole lives to him. 00:19:14.460 --> 00:19:17.240 And entrust our very selves into his hands. 00:19:17.240 --> 00:19:23.680 I remember hearing the story once of a small Pacific island during World War II. 00:19:24.059 --> 00:19:27.200 Where a number of Japanese snipers were stationed during the war. 00:19:27.799 --> 00:19:29.900 And apparently the story goes that when the war ended. 00:19:30.380 --> 00:19:32.940 This small group of men were forgotten about. 00:19:33.620 --> 00:19:35.359 And they were never actually notified. 00:19:35.620 --> 00:19:37.299 About how things had turned out. 00:19:38.819 --> 00:19:41.339 So years later they were still holding their post. 00:19:41.339 --> 00:19:42.720 They were still holding their post on this island. 00:19:42.919 --> 00:19:46.359 Ready to sort of poise to attack the enemies if they landed on shore. 00:19:47.319 --> 00:19:48.879 But of course the battle was over. 00:19:49.980 --> 00:19:51.279 It had all been decided. 00:19:53.539 --> 00:19:56.379 And once they heard the news that the allies had won. 00:19:57.359 --> 00:19:59.019 Well friends, what choice lay before them? 00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:02.119 They had no choice but to come out of hiding. 00:20:02.659 --> 00:20:04.299 And lay down their arms. 00:20:04.720 --> 00:20:05.579 And surrender. 00:20:06.379 --> 00:20:07.399 Because it was done. 00:20:08.659 --> 00:20:10.279 They didn't need to fight anymore. 00:20:10.279 --> 00:20:12.680 They didn't need to hold their ground anymore. 00:20:13.480 --> 00:20:15.819 And in fact to keep doing so would have been completely foolish. 00:20:17.240 --> 00:20:19.019 And it's the same with Jesus. 00:20:19.920 --> 00:20:21.460 For us to keep hiding. 00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:25.200 For us in some sense to keep sort of putting up our defenses. 00:20:27.139 --> 00:20:30.119 Is to refuse the reality of the resurrection. 00:20:31.379 --> 00:20:33.879 That the risen Jesus is Lord and King. 00:20:33.980 --> 00:20:35.740 That he's won a victory. 00:20:36.299 --> 00:20:37.119 And it's done. 00:20:37.119 --> 00:20:41.659 And though it makes us tremble. 00:20:42.879 --> 00:20:44.919 Friends, we have to give our lives to him. 00:20:47.279 --> 00:20:49.559 And that brings us actually to our last point tonight. 00:20:50.599 --> 00:20:51.019 Third. 00:20:52.319 --> 00:20:54.079 The resurrection makes us tremble. 00:20:54.159 --> 00:20:55.439 Because it tears apart. 00:20:56.239 --> 00:20:57.619 Our religious view. 00:20:58.079 --> 00:20:58.759 Of ourselves. 00:20:58.759 --> 00:21:03.420 Did you notice what else the angel says to the women? 00:21:04.839 --> 00:21:05.779 Go, he says. 00:21:06.279 --> 00:21:08.619 Tell his disciples and Peter. 00:21:10.660 --> 00:21:11.259 Peter. 00:21:11.480 --> 00:21:13.160 Who just two days before. 00:21:13.400 --> 00:21:15.539 Was denying he ever knew Jesus. 00:21:16.599 --> 00:21:17.140 Peter. 00:21:17.279 --> 00:21:19.359 Who lied to save his own skin. 00:21:19.500 --> 00:21:20.779 When it really mattered. 00:21:21.039 --> 00:21:22.859 And rejected Jesus three times. 00:21:23.720 --> 00:21:24.640 That Peter. 00:21:24.640 --> 00:21:27.259 Go tell him. 00:21:27.500 --> 00:21:29.259 That the crucified and risen Jesus. 00:21:29.420 --> 00:21:30.060 The Lord. 00:21:31.020 --> 00:21:31.980 Wants him back. 00:21:34.500 --> 00:21:35.100 Friends. 00:21:35.160 --> 00:21:36.220 The message of the resurrection. 00:21:36.800 --> 00:21:37.560 Is a message. 00:21:37.780 --> 00:21:38.580 Of grace. 00:21:40.140 --> 00:21:42.759 Of undeserved favor. 00:21:42.940 --> 00:21:44.820 For sinners like you and me. 00:21:44.980 --> 00:21:46.680 Who've blown it with God. 00:21:48.020 --> 00:21:49.680 Who are total moral failures. 00:21:49.680 --> 00:21:50.440 Failures. 00:21:52.220 --> 00:21:53.279 People like you and me. 00:21:55.000 --> 00:21:56.680 And yet the risen Christ. 00:21:57.299 --> 00:21:58.100 Wants us. 00:21:58.580 --> 00:21:58.920 Back. 00:22:01.039 --> 00:22:02.980 Do you remember what he said in Mark 10 45. 00:22:03.640 --> 00:22:04.519 I've come. 00:22:04.519 --> 00:22:07.100 To give my life as a ransom. 00:22:07.820 --> 00:22:08.220 For many. 00:22:09.039 --> 00:22:10.519 To reclaim those. 00:22:10.880 --> 00:22:12.900 Who don't deserve a place in the family of God. 00:22:13.420 --> 00:22:14.480 And yet to bring them home. 00:22:15.840 --> 00:22:17.019 And that too. 00:22:17.380 --> 00:22:18.299 Should make us tremble. 00:22:18.299 --> 00:22:20.980 Because. 00:22:21.339 --> 00:22:22.779 We spend our whole lives. 00:22:23.200 --> 00:22:24.419 Living by the code. 00:22:25.259 --> 00:22:26.440 That who I am. 00:22:26.839 --> 00:22:27.899 Is determined by. 00:22:28.240 --> 00:22:28.740 What I do. 00:22:30.480 --> 00:22:31.899 That my performance. 00:22:32.519 --> 00:22:33.539 Dictates my identity. 00:22:33.799 --> 00:22:34.819 That if I'm a good person. 00:22:34.899 --> 00:22:35.779 Then God accepts me. 00:22:36.460 --> 00:22:37.319 And if I'm not. 00:22:37.379 --> 00:22:38.119 Then God rejects me. 00:22:38.240 --> 00:22:38.539 So. 00:22:38.720 --> 00:22:40.399 I better try really really hard. 00:22:40.500 --> 00:22:41.460 To be the kind of person. 00:22:41.539 --> 00:22:42.319 That God would accept. 00:22:44.099 --> 00:22:45.259 And that mentality. 00:22:45.680 --> 00:22:46.119 Rules. 00:22:46.720 --> 00:22:47.240 My life. 00:22:47.240 --> 00:22:48.880 And I bet friends. 00:22:48.920 --> 00:22:50.120 It probably rules yours. 00:22:52.319 --> 00:22:53.500 So if I'm good. 00:22:53.559 --> 00:22:54.200 And I'm proud. 00:22:54.299 --> 00:22:55.400 And if I'm not so good. 00:22:55.579 --> 00:22:56.299 Then I'm down. 00:22:56.400 --> 00:22:57.059 And I'm depressed. 00:22:57.500 --> 00:22:57.880 But. 00:22:58.900 --> 00:23:00.920 The resurrection takes that mentality. 00:23:01.359 --> 00:23:02.920 That religious view of ourselves. 00:23:02.920 --> 00:23:04.339 And how the world works. 00:23:04.339 --> 00:23:05.980 And smashes it to pieces. 00:23:05.980 --> 00:23:09.240 You see friends. 00:23:09.720 --> 00:23:10.079 Peter. 00:23:10.500 --> 00:23:11.440 Had blown it. 00:23:12.860 --> 00:23:14.000 Three times. 00:23:14.140 --> 00:23:15.339 He denies Jesus. 00:23:16.299 --> 00:23:16.819 And yet. 00:23:16.900 --> 00:23:18.039 The risen Jesus says. 00:23:18.720 --> 00:23:19.779 Go tell Peter. 00:23:20.839 --> 00:23:22.180 I want you back. 00:23:22.579 --> 00:23:24.039 And I want you to be there. 00:23:26.039 --> 00:23:27.360 The resurrection means. 00:23:27.519 --> 00:23:28.180 Not just. 00:23:28.259 --> 00:23:29.519 That Jesus is Lord. 00:23:29.519 --> 00:23:29.599 God. 00:23:30.319 --> 00:23:31.740 But that he's done everything. 00:23:32.200 --> 00:23:33.039 Needed. 00:23:33.440 --> 00:23:34.220 To heal. 00:23:34.680 --> 00:23:36.160 Your relationship with God. 00:23:37.579 --> 00:23:39.200 That he took our sins. 00:23:39.440 --> 00:23:40.379 And our failures. 00:23:40.759 --> 00:23:41.720 And our denials. 00:23:42.039 --> 00:23:42.759 With him. 00:23:43.039 --> 00:23:44.319 Down into the grave. 00:23:44.660 --> 00:23:45.220 In death. 00:23:46.519 --> 00:23:47.359 Your sins. 00:23:47.980 --> 00:23:48.799 My sins. 00:23:49.240 --> 00:23:49.819 With him. 00:23:49.819 --> 00:23:52.679 And he left him there. 00:23:53.679 --> 00:23:54.799 And in the resurrection. 00:23:54.980 --> 00:23:56.079 He rose to new life. 00:23:57.439 --> 00:23:58.899 With a fresh beginning. 00:24:00.259 --> 00:24:01.599 For all who believe. 00:24:03.419 --> 00:24:03.899 Friends. 00:24:03.939 --> 00:24:04.700 A new beginning. 00:24:04.700 --> 00:24:05.839 That never grows old. 00:24:06.799 --> 00:24:07.939 A fresh start. 00:24:08.059 --> 00:24:09.259 That always stays fresh. 00:24:10.460 --> 00:24:12.159 That we can never lose. 00:24:13.099 --> 00:24:15.539 That we can never get out of. 00:24:17.480 --> 00:24:19.200 That's the kind of trembling. 00:24:19.460 --> 00:24:19.799 Friends. 00:24:19.819 --> 00:24:22.559 That will bring you comfort. 00:24:23.179 --> 00:24:23.819 And joy. 00:24:24.599 --> 00:24:25.339 And hope. 00:24:29.659 --> 00:24:30.759 Well we know. 00:24:31.240 --> 00:24:33.159 That on that first Easter Sunday. 00:24:33.899 --> 00:24:35.740 The women eventually told the disciples. 00:24:36.599 --> 00:24:39.159 They eventually become the first ones. 00:24:39.259 --> 00:24:39.879 To proclaim. 00:24:40.679 --> 00:24:41.480 The fact. 00:24:42.039 --> 00:24:43.220 That Christ was risen. 00:24:44.839 --> 00:24:46.299 But along the way. 00:24:47.339 --> 00:24:48.579 What they knew. 00:24:48.740 --> 00:24:49.500 About the world. 00:24:49.500 --> 00:24:50.799 And about Jesus. 00:24:50.799 --> 00:24:51.940 And about themselves. 00:24:51.940 --> 00:24:52.240 And about themselves. 00:24:52.240 --> 00:24:54.200 Was totally being torn apart. 00:24:54.279 --> 00:24:55.579 And being remade. 00:24:55.579 --> 00:24:58.240 So how about us. 00:24:58.319 --> 00:25:00.720 On this first Sunday. 00:25:00.720 --> 00:25:01.559 After Easter. 00:25:01.960 --> 00:25:03.859 As we launch into. 00:25:03.859 --> 00:25:04.679 What the church has called. 00:25:04.759 --> 00:25:05.519 Easter tide. 00:25:06.199 --> 00:25:07.159 How about us. 00:25:07.919 --> 00:25:09.240 Is the resurrection of Jesus. 00:25:09.359 --> 00:25:10.759 Is the risen Jesus. 00:25:10.759 --> 00:25:12.799 Just a nice thought for us. 00:25:14.259 --> 00:25:16.199 Or does it shake us to our bones. 00:25:16.200 --> 00:25:16.940 Friends. 00:25:16.940 --> 00:25:17.100 Friends. 00:25:17.100 --> 00:25:19.059 Friends. 00:25:19.059 --> 00:25:20.039 If it's the reality. 00:25:20.039 --> 00:25:21.500 That makes you tremble. 00:25:23.039 --> 00:25:24.720 Then perhaps you're starting to see it. 00:25:24.799 --> 00:25:25.500 For the first time. 00:25:27.080 --> 00:25:27.700 Let's pray. 00:25:27.700 --> 00:25:27.740 Let's pray. 00:25:27.740 --> 00:25:28.240 Father. 00:25:28.240 --> 00:25:28.740 Father. 00:25:28.740 --> 00:25:29.140 Father. 00:25:29.140 --> 00:25:29.740 Father. 00:25:29.740 --> 00:25:30.240 Father. 00:25:38.240 --> 00:25:38.620 We do pray. 00:25:38.620 --> 00:25:39.400 That by your spirit. 00:25:39.539 --> 00:25:40.079 The resurrection. 00:25:40.079 --> 00:25:41.160 Of your son. 00:25:43.519 --> 00:25:45.000 Would create in us. 00:25:45.120 --> 00:25:45.660 A deep. 00:25:46.279 --> 00:25:46.759 Trembling. 00:25:48.500 --> 00:25:49.039 God. 00:25:49.099 --> 00:25:49.599 A good. 00:25:49.700 --> 00:25:50.559 Kind of tremble. 00:25:50.559 --> 00:25:53.279 That would lead us. 00:25:53.359 --> 00:25:54.419 To see you rightly. 00:25:55.179 --> 00:25:56.599 And to see Christ. 00:25:57.240 --> 00:25:58.480 Your son rightly. 00:25:59.299 --> 00:26:00.960 And to see ourselves rightly. 00:26:02.179 --> 00:26:02.639 Lord. 00:26:02.700 --> 00:26:03.740 That we would see Jesus. 00:26:03.740 --> 00:26:04.460 As Lord. 00:26:04.639 --> 00:26:05.779 And we would see ourselves. 00:26:07.179 --> 00:26:08.179 As recipients. 00:26:08.480 --> 00:26:08.960 Of grace. 00:26:09.039 --> 00:26:09.539 In Christ. 00:26:12.059 --> 00:26:12.500 God. 00:26:12.579 --> 00:26:13.179 Make that so. 00:26:13.240 --> 00:26:14.079 By your spirit. 00:26:14.240 --> 00:26:14.599 We pray. 00:26:14.839 --> 00:26:15.059 Amen. 00:26:17.119 --> 00:26:17.940 We're going to. 00:26:19.240 --> 00:26:20.240 Continue singing. 00:26:20.240 --> 00:26:20.759 Together. 00:26:21.220 --> 00:26:22.019 In response. 00:26:22.579 --> 00:26:23.019 To Mark. 00:26:24.359 --> 00:26:24.680 So. 00:26:25.039 --> 00:26:25.759 I think this song. 00:26:25.839 --> 00:26:26.440 We're going to sing next. 00:26:26.480 --> 00:26:27.079 Is a new song. 00:26:27.140 --> 00:26:27.779 For some of us. 00:26:27.920 --> 00:26:28.079 So. 00:26:28.500 --> 00:26:29.039 As soon as you pick. 00:26:29.039 --> 00:26:29.079 I'll sing.