Old Testament Reading – Daniel 12:1-13
New Testament Reading – 2 Corinthians 5:1-10
The Suffering Savior
“The Glorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ”
Mark 15:42-16:14
Wayne J. Edwards, Pastor
The glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ is the historical event upon which the Christian Faith was established.
- Without the physical resurrection of Jesus from the grave, His death on the cross would have been nothing more than a tragic example of sinful man’s inhumanity to man, for we would still be lost in our sins, with no hope beyond the grave.
- In 1 Corinthians 15:13-15, the Apostle Paul said, “If Christ has not been raised from the dead, our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain.”
- However, in Romans 14:4 and Romans 4:25, the Apostle Paul declared Jesus’ physical resurrection from the grave was God the Father’s confirmation that He had accepted the death of His only begotten Son as the wages He had set for our sin.
“Jesus’ death on the cross proved Him to be our Savior, but His resurrection from the grave proved Him to be our Lord, the One to whom we owe our all, and to whom we are to surrender our all.”
In Romans 10:9-11, the Apostle Paul outlined the two essential elements of a genuine confession of faith.
- “If you confess with your mouth, (Y’shua Christos) Jesus is Lord, and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.”
- Eventually, every created being will confess Jesus as Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
- Those who refuse to make such a confession in this life will make it in the next life, but it will be too late, for the day of grace will be over.
- To commit to following Jesus leaves us in control, and those who stop at this level will never have the assurance of salvation.
- To be born again is to die to ourselves, receive Christ and fully surrender our lives to the Lordship of Christ.
It is one thing to accept Jesus as our Savior so we can go to heaven when we die, but it is another thing to surrender our lives unto the Lordship of Christ, and live each day for Him until we die.
Mark entitled his writings “the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God!”
- The term “gospel” means “good news!”
- The term “sin” means that evil nature we inherited from Adam that is at the root cause of every problem in the world today.
- The “good news” is that God took the initiative to do something about the sin that separated Him from the people He created.
- John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:1-7, “I declare to you the gospel which received, that Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”
- The Bible is God’s revelation of Himself to man; it outlines His eternal plan for our redemption through His Son.
- The four gospels tell us about the birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who carried out that plan.
- The Gospel of Mark proves Jesus was the Son of God who became our Savior through His death and resurrection.
1. The Certainty of Jesus’ Crucifixion – Mark 15:42-47 – Vs. 45 – “When [Pilate] found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.”
- Jesus died personally –
- After Jesus cried out, “It is finished,” He bowed His head and gave up the ghost.
- Jesus expressed His last breath of earthly air, and dismissed His earthly spirit, affirming that no one took His life from Him but that He willingly laid it down.
- Jesus died physically –
- When the soldiers came to break His legs, they discovered that Jesus was already dead, and the soldier pierced His side to prove He was dead.
- Jesus died prophetically –
- At the same hour, Jewish Priests were sacrificing the lambs, remembering how God had delivered their forefathers from the angel of death through the blood of a lamb.
- Jesus was our Passover Lamb who delivered us from the penalty of death for our sins.
- There were 27 other specific prophecies fulfilled during the Lord’s final hours on the cross.
- Jesus was buried triumphantly –
- Our sins were forever forgiven.
- Our sins were forever forgotten.
2. The Certainty of Jesus’ Resurrection – Mark 16:1-14 – Vs. 6 – “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here.”
Even though the death of Jesus Christ was in full payment for our sins, without the resurrection of Jesus Christ we would have no hope of eternal life. But Jesus’ physical resurrection is validated by:
- The stone being rolled away – not by man or men, or by an earthquake, but by an angel.
- What the women and the men saw in the tomb – both John and the women saw the strips of cloth they had used to wrap Jesus’ body, and Peter saw the cloth that had covered Jesus’ face.
- His physical appearances to the people – beginning with Mary Magdalene, the disciples, Thomas, the two men on the road to Emmaus, Peter, and then to 500 people at one time.
Of the four world religions that are based upon human leaders, Christianity is the only system of faith based upon the facts of an empty tomb:
- Abraham – the father of Judaism, is dead!
- Mohammed – the father of Islam, is dead!
- Buddha – the father of Buddhism, is dead!
- Jesus – the father of Christianity, is alive – because He rose from the dead to prove He was the Messiah: The Savior sent from God.
“We know more about the details of the resurrection of Jesus Christ
than we know about the death of any other man in the ancient world.”
Wilbur Smith – historian
- If Jesus was indeed resurrected from the grave, and He was, then He is Lord, and He deserves to be worshipped as Lord.
3. The Certainty of Our Salvation – Mark 16:15-16 – Vs. 16 – “He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned.”
- If Jesus Christ was not resurrected from the grave, it doesn’t matter how successful our lives here on earth are, for we have no hope beyond the grave.
- If Jesus Christ was resurrected from the grave, it doesn’t matter how much suffering we endure, for in no way will it compare with the wonderful things the Lord has prepared in heaven for those who love Him.
- For those who have confessed Jesus Christ as their Savior and surrendered unto Him as their Lord, their best days are out of the world, for they will be in the presence of the Lord forever.
- For those who have yet to make such a confession, until they do, this is the best life they will ever know, for on the other side of their date with death is an eternal life apart from God, with no hope of being reconciled with Him, and the Bible describes that as an eternity in hell.
