He is risen

 

LIMAVADY BAPTIST CHURCH

SERMON NOTES FROM SUNDAY 31 MARCH 2024

MARK 15 VERSES 39 – 16 VERSE 8

In this passage we read of some notable people at the crucifixion of Jesus.  There were those who were there at the time Jesus was laid in the tomb.  There were those who were there on the resurrection morning.  Some were there on all 3 occasions. 

Notice firstly Joseph of Arimathea.  He was a rich man and a disciple of Jesus.  Matthew 27 verse 27.  In Matthew 27 verse 58 we read that Joseph begged for the body of Jesus from Pontius Pilate.  A rich man who became a beggar.  He was not depending on his riches, his worldly goods, that which was material but that which was eternal.  He was depending on the eternal Son of God.  Are you relying on material things today?  Be like Joseph, do not trust in that which is temporal but that which is eternal – the Son of God Jesus.

Secondly the women who were making their way to the tomb early in the morning.  Chapter 16 verse 1 “and when the sabbath was past Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Salome”.  We know that Salome was the wife of Zebedee, James and John’s mother.  Notice the words “when the sabbath was past.”  That sabbath for these women and the disciples and the followers of Jesus was unlike any other.  It was the first without the Lord, the one they trusted in, the one they adored, the one they loved, the one they spent many hours with.  Now he is dead and in the tomb.  That sabbath was unlike any other.  It is a great encouragement for us to know that that time of separation was temporary.  Jesus rose form the dead.  He came out of the grave victorious over death and hell.  1 Corinthians 15 verse 20 “But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the firstfruits of them that slept.”  Jesus when he rose from the dead would be the firstfruits of others who would also rise again.  Verse 23 goes on to say ”But every man in his own order Christ the firstfruits, afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.”  One day those who are Christ’s own will also rise to meet him in the air.  Think of others in the bible who rose from the dead – the widow of Zarepath’s son in 1 Kings 17 and the Shunammite woman’s son in 2 Kings 4.  There were those who the Lord himself rose from the dead.  We need to remember though that all these people had to die again.  Our Saviour has risen eternally.  He will never taste death again.  When the bodies come out of the grave at the rapture they will never taste death again.  Our Lord is the firstfruits of the dead.  It is a reminder of the sheaves that were waved in Leviticus 23 by the priests signifying the firstfruits of the harvest.  The Lord is the firstfruit of the harvest. Think of the farmer who in a few weeks time will be going out to sow the seeds in our fields.  In a couple of weeks time the first shoot will appear in the ground and soon it will be followed by many more.  The Lord is that first shoot and at his second coming many more shoots will rise with him.

Notice the woman who came to the grave had a great problem – verses 2 and 3.  These women realised they had a great problem.  They didn’t say ‘how will we roll away the stone?’ but rather ‘who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?’  They realised it was beyond their capability, their strength.  They acknowledged they couldn’t roll away the stone.  I wonder as you make your way along the pathway of life, maybe a week, a month ahead you know there is something that is beyond anything you can deal with.  It is beyond your strength and capability.  That is where these women were.  They knew up ahead there was something they would not be able to deal with in their own strength.  The God we worship and adore is the one who inhabits eternity and will be there before them.  We are not saying God rolls all our problems away but rather when you get to your problem he is already there.  He is with you in that problem.  We have one who will never leave us or forsake us.

Look at verses 5 and 6.  When the women arrived at the tomb they realised the stone was rolled away.  Mary ran to fetch Peter and John.  Both came running and John gets there first.  He doesn’t go in but Peter does.  When they are in the tomb they see the grave clothes.  There is one thought here concerning the grave clothes – there was no struggle.  The Lord won a great victory.  There was never going to be any question of that for the Lord was going to be victorious.  Peter and John make their way back to their own homes – we read that in John 20.  These woman have remained at the tomb.  Now we read in verse 5 as they entered into the sepulchre a young man speaks to them.  John records it as 2 angels present, one at the head and the other at the foot but here in Mark’s gospel one of the angel speaks “Be not affrighted.”  In other words ‘don’t be scared’.  God knows our frame.  He knows the times when we would be scared, when we will experience fear.  I thought of other angels who came and spoke in scripture.  Remember the angel who came to the shepherds on the hillside of Judea.  “Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2 verse 10)  Then I thought of the angel who spoke to the disciples on the Mount of Olives after the Lord had ascended “Ye men of Galilee why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1 verse 11)  An angel came at Bethlehem to say Christ had come.  An angel came to the tomb to say Christ had risen and now we read that Christ is coming again.  It is all in fulfilment of Zechariah 14 verse 4.  One day Jesus will come back again to the Mount of Olives, 7 years after the rapture.  He will come and set his feet on the Mount of Olives.  The mount will be divided by a great valley.  There at Jerusalem the eastern gate is closed today in fulfilment of God’s word.  It hasn’t been opened in almost 500 years since the time of the Ottoman Empire.  The Muslims have a graveyard in front of the eastern gate and they believe Jesus will not come through the gate as he would be walking through a graveyard and would be defiling himself.  Scripture tells us he will come walking through the eastern gate.  Christ is coming back to the earth again to rule and reign.

Verse 7 – the instructions the angel gives to the women.  There is a special mention made of Peter.  He has failed the Lord, he is unworthy, he cannot be used, excluded.  The angel makes special mention of him.  “Make sure you tell Peter.”  Our God is the God of the second chance.  This same Peter who failed the Lord that night has he stood warming his hands at the fire is the same one who on the Day of Pentecost stood up and preached boldly and 3000 souls were brought into the kingdom of God.  Maybe you think you have failed the Lord.  God can still use you and he has a job for you to do.

Finally look at verses 19 and 20.  Here we see that there was a day when the Lord ascended up into heaven.  That is where he is today – at God’s right hand side.  40 days after he rose again he ascended to heaven.  He is in his rightful place today.  He was willing to leave the splendours of heaven, to be born into a borrowed outhouse, to be wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a borrowed cradle.  He preached from a borrowed boat.  He was wrapped in grave clothes and placed in a borrowed grave.  Today he is in his rightful place.  His eye is on us today.  He hears our prayers.  He is our great high priest and is touched with our infirmities and knows all we are going through today.  He can hear and answer our prayers.  Verse 20 how those disciples and followers went to do the Lord’s work. God has a job for you and I to do in these days we live in.  Let’s be faithful to do that work for our Lord and Saviour.