John chapter 20. I'm reading the first two verses. And that says the Lord. Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb while it was still dark and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the rest of the disciples whom Jesus loved and said to them, they have taken away the Lord out of the tomb and we do not know where they have laid him. I would like to start by saying that I am not a Muslim. I am not a Muslim. I am not a Muslim. I am not a Muslim. I am not a Muslim. I am not a Muslim. I am not a Muslim. Let's pray together. Our risen King and Lord, our hearts are full of gratitude for everything that you did for our good and for the sake of your holy name. Bless us together as we sit under your words. Please use us, me and my brother, interpreting that you may bring forth your word through us. be glorified in our midst. Jesus Christ, the risen one, we pray. Amen. Yeah, we are reaching the end of this beautiful gospel according to John. which is all from the beginning to the end about one man called Jesus Christ. It begins with Him in glory in eternity passed with the Father. When we read that in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. It takes us through His many glories. We saw His glory in His teachings, a unique way of teaching. We saw His glory in His miracles, signs and wonders. We saw His glory in His unique love. When He loved you to the end according to His own words. And yes, up to the level, up to the point of giving His life for you. It's ending with Christ's glory in his resurrection. But at this point, it is still dark. People are full of sorrow. People are full of disappointment. These brothers who were our Lord's disciples, they loved Him truly. But they were still carnal. They were following Him with their own agendas. Just like many in this world today are Christians because of their some agendas. They knew that this guy who has promised a kingdom and will be also reigning with him here. Some even went ahead asking for positions. I want me and my brother to be on each of your sides. They loved him but they were carnal. Are you here and you truly love Christ but you are still carnal? It's dangerous. You need the power of the Holy Spirit to work in you. So they knew that with this one who is performing miracles, he brought Lazarus from the dead in their presence, will be okay in the near future. They could not believe when he was arrested. They thought that he could just perform a miracle and go free so that their dreams could be fulfilled. Even when he was on the cross, some thought that he could just do something and walk out of that cross. They didn't trust their minds when the guy said it is finished and he gave up his spirit. It was a time of darkness and sorrow in the life of his disciples, to the point that some even had to abandon the team, went back to their fishing duties. He's gone. We have no more hope. Let's go back and do our work. And many Christians behave exactly like that these days. Some tell us, you've been telling us that he will come back, now 2,000 years ago, I mean, down the road. Where is he? Where is he? A young man was telling me and Pastor Samuel Roach that though I'm still young, let me first make money, then I'll come to him when I'm old and rich. So they are master, they are lord. is dead. Those who mocked, mocked. Where is your power? You hurt others. You resurrected the dead. Bring yourself forth from the dead. Some were happy, others were sorrowful. they laid him in a tomb. Now, in this sermon we look at the glory of Christ in his resurrection. We have just points the first one is the empty tomb and the second one is the evidence of the empty tomb yes so now let's go I want just to labor trying to show you that he is reason And let me begin with the empty tomb. You find that in verses 1 through 10. And the first thing to point to you is the fact that this empty tomb is there versus your failure to take God's word seriously. I mean, the empty tomb and your failure to take God's words seriously. Many Christians don't take God's words seriously. This is showing us the glory of Christ as God who knows the future and who never lies. Verse 20 begins like this, chapter 20, verse one. Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb while it was still dark and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. So all these evangelists, they wrote their gospels according to what they were pointing at. It's good to see how they complement each other. Everyone was looking at the story of Christ at his unique angle. You see Johnny here just puts his attention to Mary Magdalene for his reason. But in reality, Mary Magdalene did not go there alone. That early morning when it was still dark, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome were together going towards the tomb. Salome. No, no. Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of James and Salome. Yes, thank you. So they were together. These three ladies. I want to attract your attention quickly on what they were going to do there. Don't forget that Jesus Christ died when the Passover feast was about to start. So they were rushing to get them from the crosses because nobody was supposed to remain hanging there. One of his disciples, Nicodemus, that you know very well, had provided expensive spices to anoint his body. Okay, they did what they did, but they did it hurriedly. So now, that's why these three ladies wanted to go and do it better on the body of their master. Mark 16, verse 1. tells you that it was those three and they were going to anoint the dead body of Christ. Now, let me show you how you don't take God's word seriously. During his lifetime, Let me say, during his ministry, Christ had told his disciples nine times that he would die and rise again. on the third day. In Matthew 16, 21 he told them that. Matthew 17, 22 and 23. Matthew 20, 17 up to 19. Matthew 8, 31. Sorry, Mark 8, 31. Mark 9, 30, 32. Mark 10, 32, 34. Luke 10, 21, 22. Luke 9, 43, 45. Luke 18, 31, 34. Pastor Bido, why are you wasting time to just tell us about all those scriptures? I want you to see how many times Christ was serious talking about His resurrection. This shows His glory as a God who knows the future. He predicted about His resurrection. This is to show that His glory as a God who never lies. Some people ask, when he said it is finished, what was finished? My answer, my belief, personally, it's everything was finished. But he was not yet raised, I mean, he was still dead, not yet risen from the dead. He knows the beginning from the end. Nothing could refrain his resurrection. So when he said it is finished, it was finished. Everything. After repeating many times that I will die and then on the third day I'll rise from the dead, in their presence, you know as a teacher by profession I know that among our students in class we have what those we call slow learners. You need to repeat one thing many times for it to stick to their mind. Check these guys here. If you sit in this room today and you are like these, please pray for grace. When this lady are on their way going to the tomb, it is that third day when their Lord said, I would rise from the dead. The men were not caring. He's dead, he's dead, we are disappointed. The ladies still have much love on their dead lord. Are they going to check whether he's risen? No! Luke 16.1 tells us clearly that the early morning they were going with spices to anoint the body of their dead Lord. How foolish are you, the disciples of Jesus! All those many times He told you that you would not be among the dead on that very day, but you are still going to look for a body. Verse 2, so they ran and came back to the man, Peter and other disciples and said, no, They have stolen the body of our Lord. We don't know where they have laid him. Listen, Peter was one of the leaders. I wish you would have said, no ladies, no. He told us nine times. Okay, which day is this? Oh, the first day of the week. Let's go and check whether he's still there. I was expecting something like that. But even all of them, even the men join their sisters. No, they've taken our load. Let's go and check. And they started competing in racing like Kiprotich. One goes very fast, another one comes and overtakes him. What are they going to do? To verify whether he's risen? No. They are 100% believe the story from their sisters. So this marathon is full of worry. Now, ask yourself, even these ladies who are going to anoint a dead body, so that what? Because if you can't remember that he had to come from the dead, no you don't. So, did they mean that they wanted to anoint the body so that it does not rot and stink? So that they might keep seeing their dead Master, how do you benefit from a dead master, a dead Lord? You better leave the body roast because he's dead anyway. It seems they enjoy just surely they loved him. But they enjoy just to keep seeing the body there. Just like Muslims enjoy to believe in dead people. Roman Catholics, dead people. Peter and John race towards the tomb. Listen. During that period of time, there was a lot of tomb or, let me say, cemetery theft. Yes, thieves used to go and steal. In most cases, they were stealing the things that people could, like with Jesus, Nicodemus had prepared very expensive spices. Yes, so they could go there and steal that, go and sell you, make money. Although, some thieves could steal even their bodies. Yeah, maybe in rushing, you say, no, let us just carry the whole body, we'll go and check whether they put some dollar in the pocket somewhere. That's why some tomb. Owners used to put there something to protect, to keep people from entering. Because Jesus Christ was a public figure, who was so much hated by the Jews, the Jews made sure that they put the heaviest stone on the tomb. Because they believed that his disciples could easily come and steal his body. So they reached there. John fears to enter. Starts peeping from outside. Peter came and entered direct. They both The tomb is empty. The tomb is empty. But the linens of the Lord are still there where the body was laid. So now, the tomb is truly empty. They have confirmed the words from their sisters. They are also worried, who might have taken our Lord? And so, that's our first point, the tomb is truly empty. It's not only the story of ladies, even the men have also confirmed that the tomb is empty. So what if the tomb is empty, so what? Now we go to the evidence or the proof for the empty tomb. And this is very important because it's one thing for you to say that you are a good husband or a good father. It's completely a different thing for you to prove that you are what you say. In other words, you are free to say whatever you want to say you are. Tell the whole Uganda that you are born again Christian. It's very easy and it's your freedom. You to prove that is very difficult. And many of you are still failing to prove to your neighbors, to your colleagues that you are what you say you are. Someone goes and tells the boss, yes, I qualify for this job because I have a PhD. And the boss says, well, show me your credentials, your academic papers that proves what you've just said. In other words, for people to find the tomb empty is not anything much. Both before the world and even before these very disciples. That's why now Christ wants to show us different evidences that the tomb that you saw empty, it is truly empty because I left it alive. And we go with the first evidence. Many preachers say the first evidence is the first appearance of Christ to Mary Magdalene. No, that's the thought. The first one is the stone had been taken away. Mary Magdalene, the first thing that attracted our attention is that that huge stone that could be moved only by many men, the Kanyamas, is no more there. It's put on the side. And the question you can pose and ask is this. Did the reason Jesus truly need the stone to be taken away so that he could get where to pass? Really? He did not. Check down there in verse 19. What does it say? On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, listen, the door being locked where the disciples were, Jesus came and stood among them. Did he really need a stone to be rolled aside so that he could get where to pass? No. But that was an evidence. One of the evidences. Second evidence. He was wrapped in linen clothes. And then a different cloth was put on the face. During that time when thieves came to and they could steal the whole body, they took everything. Just start to imagine even if Me and my brother Stephen want to go and steal a body of a rich man so that we can... Do you have time to start at the graveyard to say, let us remove this? No. You just carry the body. After getting the dollars and what you want, you leave the body and what there. But here, they find those clothes where Christ was laying. You are just in disorder, disorganized. But this cloth that was put on his face, on his head, was not only in disorder there, but it was folded and placed in a particular place. This is another evidence that no one stole the body of our Lord. You find that in verses 5, 6, and 7. In verse 8 we read this. The other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered and he saw and believed. He now believes what the master had told them. My brother, my sister. You don't need to first see before you can believe. Unfortunately, many of you are just like that. You first want to see things before you can believe them. It is so sweet to trust in Jesus. And to take him at his word. Just to rest upon his promise. And to know that thus says the Lord. Just by his words. Believe everything. Third evidence. Christ's appearance to Mary Magdalene. Verses 11 through 18. 11 says, but Mary was standing outside the tomb crying. Listen, the men have also proven, they say, yes, according to our sisters, our Lord has been stolen. They go back. Mary McDonnell remains there. What do you see from this love? Do you love Jesus to this point? You are still loving a dead person? You see, even women and men, if your spouse dies, you start thinking on the thing that he has left behind. But we see them, we go to many places of mourning, and you see this lady crying, crying, crying. But after some time, she calls the children or the friends and says, go and make sure you close that room. Make sure the car, bring the car keys here with you. Why? Because they are saying, he's gone. He can't help me in any way. He's gone. But this lady, remember, I'm not saying that she's not weeping because she believes that he will come from the dead. No. She could not remember about him coming from the dead. But she simply loves her dead master. And she's just weeping because someone has taken her master. If Mary Magdalene could love her dead master to this point, what about you with your living master? You have a living master, but you don't love him the way he wants you to. She was weeping, seriously weeping. And I know the weeping of women is always different from ours. Women can weep. Mary Magdalene was weeping, and when I was reading this text, I saw love flowing into my mind. This is love. Someone that you don't believe that will come back and show you that they love and what, but you still love. Why have they stolen him? And so she was weeping. She stooped to look into the tomb. She's still trying to peep. She has not believed yet. Is it true? I'm dreaming. She's crying and still trying to peep inside. That's when she saw the two angels asking her, woman, why are you crying? They said to her, woman, why are you crying? She said to them, because they have taken away my Lord. And I do not know where they have laid him. So as she was just saying that, verse 15, Jesus said to her, woman, why are you crying? In verse 15. And whom are you seeking? Thinking that he was the gardener, she said to him, sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him and I will take him away. What a love in ignorance. If someone could love a lord in such ignorance, what about you who know that he is a reason Your love would be more. In verse 16, Jesus said to her, Mary, and that's when she turned and recognized that this was my Lord. She wanted to touch him, just told her what he told her there, it's not for this message. And he sent her with a message. and she went in verse 18 to announce what she saw and what I heard and saw that the Lord, she had seen the Lord. So that's the third evidence Mary Magdalene has seen the risen King and she's full of joy. The fourth evidence, Christ's appearance to the disciples. So he does that in two phases. First, when they were in the closed room, verses 19 through 29. Verse 19 says, So while it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and while the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, peace be with you. And when he said this, he showed them both his hands and his sides. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. And he said to them again, peace be with you. As the Father sent me, I also send you. So, the disciples see the risen Lord. Now, the idea that he was stolen is gone. Remember, many of them, if not all of them, were already disappointed. They had gone back to their duties. Thomas was not here when the Lord appeared. In this first encounter. So when they saw him, they told him, we've seen the Lord. He doubted. I said, no, I can't believe that. Then, next time when he was around, Christ again appeared from the walls. And this is another glory of the risen King. He can no longer be controlled by the things of nature. You can now walk wherever you want on the space. You can walk. And his attention, the second encounter, went straight to Thomas, the doubter. He said, come over here. Touch. Touch. and then when he sees him says oh my lord and my god and just says no why you need to believe because you see blessed are those who have not seen and yet they believe my brother my sister what are you waiting to see before you can believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you think that whatever we tell you on this book are just stories? How can I be sure that they happened? How can I be sure that even this Jesus is real? Jesus says, blessed are those who have not seen and yet they believe. As I always tell you, in many countries of the world, People give their lives to someone that they believe because they've seen him with the eyes of their faith. Can you pray today that God will open the eyes of your face to see Christ? You want to first touch before you believe? and the yeah the fourth evidence so okay it appears them first in the closed room and then by the sea of Tiberias just chapter 21 verses 1 up to 14 So in other words, he is still appearing to many so that he could remove any form of doubt. And John left it here. But read further. accounts in the Bible, you see He appeared to even 500, to many, many people. Now, as we have seen, the glory of Christ is manifest, is shown in His resurrection in many and different ways. Let me take you through them. One, In His resurrection, we see His victory over death. Jesus' resurrection demonstrates His power over death and the grave, showing His divine glory. So you who are in Him here, you don't have any reason to fear death. It was already defeated for you. When the immortal came and died, this is the day that I say when the earth first vomited. It eats people. It has been eating people before Christ. It wanted also to swallow him. It vomited. It could not contain him. Number two, his glory, his resurrection shows the fulfillment of prophecy. As we already read in Psalm 16, verse 10 says, for you will not forsake my soul to shield. You will not give your only one over to see corruption, to see decay, decomposition. Jesus did not think. So the fulfillment of prophecies showing Jesus' glory as the Messiah. Christ's resurrection is a demonstration of divine power. Divine power and authority that reveals Christ's glory as the Son of God. Christ's resurrection shows triumph of Christ of our sin. A triumph of our sin, showing His glory as the Savior of humanity. It also shows assurance of eternal life. You just sang this morning that because he lives, you can face tomorrow. It's because Christ lives that we can face tomorrow. And finally, his resurrection demonstrates his exaltation and glorification. which proves His glory as the risen Lord. Christ is risen. You just, what you need to do, trust His words. You've already seen in His resurrection, His glory as That God who never lies. Now, did he only talk about his resurrection from the dead? No. When he was still with us, he also told us about his second coming. He will be coming to do what? To take his own, to be with him in glory, and to judge the world. Do you want to be judged by him? Or like other people, you also say, you've been telling us these things over 2,000 years, maybe to never happen. Have you seen that he never lies? Everything that he talked about has to come out to pass. The Bible says God is going to avenge the blood of his son. It will be terrible when God the Father wants to avenge whatever his son went through. And that will be on you who are outside Christ. Remember the day of the Passover. in Egypt. God bring instruction and say, let all the people be within their houses. And you need to put blood on the door posts. When the angel is coming to slaughter the children, don't blame me. If he does not find the blood on your house, you will perish. You'll never blame anyone if you don't have the blood of Christ in your heart, on the doorpost of your heart. Give your life to Him today. How do you do that? by talking to him even where you are seated. Tell him, Lord, I believe that you are the Lord, you are Christ, that you rose from the dead. I know that I'm a sinner and that if I die today, I'll be separated from you. Forgive my sin. And he will immediately. You don't need a pastor to lay his hands on you. You don't need to repeat Cry to him. As you go back home, cry to him. He just need a phrase. It does not even need to give him the whole list of all your sins. Just tell him, Lord, have mercy on me. Save my life. Amen. Father, we thank you for these words. Bless them in our hearts. In Jesus Christ's name.