Mark chapter 16 and verse number one in just a moment, we'll begin reading. But we have come to, I believe, one of the most crucial moments in all of history, and that is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything we believe as Christians hinges on the resurrection. Because without the resurrection, there is no gospel. Without the resurrection, there is no salvation. Without the resurrection, there is no hope of eternal life. Which is why Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile. It's in vain. And you are dead still in your sins. But today I want us to take a look at this passage and I want to preach a message that is maybe more apologetic in nature. I want us to look at this passage concerning the resurrection from a perspective that helps us understand why we trust that the resurrection of Jesus Christ actually happened. Why we believe it is a historical fact. I pray that for you who are here and are believers, you already uphold dearly to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I pray that through this message that your faith is strengthened in that. And for those who are here who have doubts, And you have questions concerning the Lord Jesus rising from the dead. And I pray that the Holy Spirit would use this message to give to you an understanding of the truth of what the Bible says. Not just what I say as a preacher, as a man, but that the Holy Spirit would reveal to you what the Holy Bible has to say concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Listen, this is more than just a defense of a doctrine. It's something much bigger than that. It is the very foundation. As we speak about the resurrection, it's more than just a doctrine. It is, beloved, the foundation of our faith. The resurrection is just not a concept to understand. It is a life-changing truth that impacts every part of our life and how we live. And so, beloved, the resurrection is a historical event that demands careful thought. It demands careful response. Let's read our passage together. Mark 16, verse 1, tells us now when the Sabbath was passed, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James and Solomon, bought 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 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, and see the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you into Galilee, and there you will see him as he said to you.' And 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." I want to give you three things as we think about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. First of all, I want us to notice the historical reality of the resurrection. The historical reality of the resurrection. It is critical that we understand that the resurrection is a historical fact. And it is critical because it is vital to our understanding of who Jesus is. Listen, Jesus is more than just a teacher. He was more than just a prophet. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And so it's key for us to understand the resurrection because if you miss the resurrection, you miss who Jesus is. And so Mark provides for us just some key details that really point to the reality of Jesus' resurrection. Number one, he gives us some eyewitness testimony. Eyewitness testimony. Mark 16 verse 1 tells us, now when Sabbath was passed, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome, bought spices that they might come and anoint Him. So Mark begins in this chapter, in this section, by identifying the women who first witnessed the empty tomb. And as we mentioned the last couple of weeks, Mark has placed and he has named these women during some very critical moments. We know that, first of all, he mentions them at the foot of the cross. They were there witnessing the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ. Second of all, Mark mentions them concerning as they were watching and following Joseph of Arimathea as he and Nicodemus were going to bury the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the women who not only saw his crucifixion, witnessed his crucifixion, but they witnessed where They placed the Lord Jesus' body. And here, Mark mentions that they are the first ones to the empty tomb. And we thank the Lord for these women because all the men were all hiding. They were all in fear. They did not witness Jesus' death. They did not witness where Jesus was buried. And they certainly did not wish to bring any spices to anoint the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, mentioning these women is very significant for defending the truth of the resurrection even though it was frowned upon in that society. You say, okay, Brother Wade, if this is true, how could Mark's mention of these women be so important defending the truth of the resurrection? Because we know that in first century Jewish culture, the testimony of women was not regarded as being reliable. It was not regarded as being trustworthy. As a matter of fact, Josephus, the renowned ancient historian, noted that women's testimonies were often dismissed outright. So again, how can Mark, in him mentioning these women, be yet a defense of the reality of the resurrection? Well, if the gospel accounts of the resurrection were made up, If they were fabricated, then think about this, the inclusion of women as being the primary witnesses of the resurrection would have been absolutely counterproductive and embarrassing. I say that because if you were going to fabricate a story, if you were going to make up the resurrection of Jesus Christ, then you would not say that the women were the first ones to witness the empty tomb. You would have placed men in being the first witnesses to lend credibility in that culture. And so this embarrassment factor of these women being the first witnesses of Jesus' empty tomb speaks of the validity of the narrative and how that the gospel writers, they faithfully recorded what happened, even if it was unconventional or socially taboo at that time. And so again, the gospel writers had nothing to hide. They had nothing to fabricate, and so therefore they faithfully recorded what happened, thus again validating the resurrection narrative. Mark tells us why these women came to the tomb. They came to the tomb with spices, such as myrrh and aloe, and they came to anoint Jesus' body, as this was a common practice in Jewish culture, to honor the deceased. But it showed, beloved, their love for the Lord Jesus Christ. It showed their devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. And again, with these ladies bringing the spices. Think about this. They fully expected to anoint the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. They did not understand at all that Jesus would rise from the dead as he had promised. This is why they're going to the tomb bringing spices because they believe, fully expect, that they're going to find the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so, beloved, listen, these ladies were not conspirators planning to fabricate a resurrection story. No, instead, they were mourners seeking, beloved, to honor their Lord in death. I mean, again, their complete lack of anticipation of an empty tomb just speaks of the validity of their account. Jesus had risen. Of course, this is not the only place in Scripture that eyewitness accounts are mentioned concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. It's all over the New Testament. The New Testament consistently emphasizes eyewitness testimony as foundational to belief in the resurrection. For example, Paul lists in 1 Corinthians 15 many people of whom Jesus revealed himself to after his resurrection. He appeared unto all of the apostles and to James, and he says that he appeared unto 500 people at once. eyewitness accounts of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And then John, the apostle John, writes of his personal experience with the risen Christ. In 1 John, and there he says, I heard with my ears. I saw the Lord Jesus with my eyes. He says, I handled the word of life. And so eyewitness testimony is absolutely huge to validate anything, whether it is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, whether it is a court of law, or any type of historical fact, having eyewitness testimony is huge as it validates a narrative or a story. A while back, I had a conversation with a young man who said that he did not believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He did not believe in the resurrection. Now, he believed that Jesus actually lived, He believed that Jesus died, but he did not believe in the resurrection because he said there was just no proof of the resurrection. And so I asked him, I said, well, look. Do you believe that the Declaration of Independence was actually signed by those whose names appear on it? And he said, well, absolutely I do. And I said, well, hold on a second. Why do you believe that they actually signed it? Were you there? Did you watch them dip their quill in ink and sign their name to that document? And he said, no. We know because of the historical accounts. I said, that's exactly right. We know that the Declaration of Independence was signed by these men, not only because we look at the Declaration of Independence itself, but other documents that, through eyewitness testimony, reveal those people who signed that document. And listen, in the same way, the eyewitness testimonies that are recorded for us in Scripture bear witness to the truth of the resurrection. And so the women's firsthand encounter with the empty tomb just provides continuity with the resurrection narrative. So we have the eyewitness testimony, big, big thing as we think about the historical fact of the resurrection. Number two, we look at the stone was rolled away. Verse two tells us, 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?" We see, again, the women's concern about the stone, which just reveals what they believe to have been a legitimate problem, a legitimate issue Because they think, how in the world are we going to be able to anoint the body of Jesus Christ if the stone is not moved for us? And so again, these ladies knew the stone was there sealing the tomb. They knew that the stone was very large, very heavy, weighing several hundred pounds. On top of this, in Matthew chapter 27, it says that the day after Jesus' burial, the chief priests and the Pharisees, recalling Jesus' claim, remembering what Jesus said, that after he was dead, after three days, he would rise again from the tomb, rise again from the dead, they asked Pilate to secure the tomb. And so they asked Pilate because they feared the disciples might steal the body and claim he had risen, and so they sought to prevent any potential deception. And of course, the Bible tells us that Pilate approved their request, and he sealed the tomb with a cord and wax, which was a Roman practice to secure and to prevent tampering. It also symbolized Roman authority. And everyone knew if they tried to break that court or tried to break the entrance of that tomb that they would be in serious trouble. Plus, guards were stationed to make sure that the tomb remained undisturbed. And so this is why these ladies were concerned. How could they enter the tomb if it is sealed with the stone, if it is sealed also and guarded by the Roman soldiers." Oh, but listen, unbeknownst to these ladies, the Lord was already a step ahead of them. Amen? The Lord was a step ahead of them. God had already gone ahead of them and removed the stone. According to the gospel accounts, God removed the stone through an angel. Matthew chapter 28 tells us, it describes a great earthquake and an angel of the Lord descended, rolled back the stone and sat on it. And the guards who were there, who were guarding it, witnessed this, were so afraid, they were so terrified, that they fell like dead men. But listen, this was an act of God. This was a supernatural act that demonstrated His power, not so that Jesus could be let out, because Jesus was already gone. He opened up the mouth of that tomb so that those who were on the outside could come in. and witness the empty tomb. And so, beloved, listen, the empty tomb, again, is not just a theological claim, it is a historical fact that is acknowledged even by those who were opposed to Jesus Christ. As you keep reading in Matthew chapter 28, records how the Jewish leaders responded to the empty tomb. And instead of denying it, because they couldn't deny it, here's what they did. They conspired to explain it away by bribing the guards to claim that the disciples came and stole the body. And so they told the guards, hey, we'll give you a lot of money. We'll pay you whatever you think you need so that you can change the story, and that is the disciples coming in and stealing away the body. But do you see, beloved, how their cover-up attempt inadvertently affirms the tomb was indeed empty? It was indeed empty. Now, let me give you a few reasons this morning why the stolen body theory is not plausible. It's not plausible. Number one, The stolen body theory which states that the disciples came in and took the body is ludicrous because where were the disciples this whole time? They were hiding in fear. They had been hiding in fear since the trial of that sham trial started. And so they had been hiding since Jesus' trial. They were not there when Jesus was crucified. The women were there. They were not there to witness where Jesus was laid. And so do you really think that these disciples are gonna muster up the courage to come in the darkness of night to overtake these Roman guards who are highly trained to steal the body of a, in what their minds were, a fallen Messiah? A dead Messiah. That's ludicrous to think that. The disciples didn't care. They were fearful. Now, there are some alternative explanations, but these alternative explanations also lack credibility. Some skeptics suggest that the women went to the wrong tomb. They say, well, the tomb was empty because they just went to the wrong tomb. This theory is easily dismissed because Joseph of Arimathea's tomb was a well-known location and the fact that the angel said to these ladies, see the place where they laid him. Was the angel wrong? Did the angel have the wrong tomb? No. Others propose that the disciples just hallucinated Jesus' appearance and his resurrection. They just were seeing visions. And then others say, well, Jesus just came back in spirit form only. Some believe that. However, this theory fails to account for the physical interactions with Jesus, such as Thomas touching the literal body of the Lord Jesus Christ, as well as Jesus eating with his disciples after the resurrection. A spirit doesn't eat, okay? And you cannot touch a spirit. And so let me give you the most plausible explanation, the only explanation that fits all the evidence, and that is the empty tomb, the eyewitness testimony, the transformation of the disciples from being fearful to being bold and courageous men. And that is, beloved, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is real. It is truth. And again, as Paul writes, if Christ be not risen from the dead, then your fate is vain. I say all that to say that the resurrection is not a myth. The resurrection is not, beloved, a metaphor. It is a historical reality that has eternal implications. If you believe it by faith, it will lead to eternal life. But if you reject it in doubt, it will lead you on the road to hell. The historical reality, the resurrection. Notice, secondly, the message of the resurrection, the message of the resurrection. We see in verse 5 that there was a message of validation. 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 so the angel's declaration that he is risen just encapulates, beloved, the victory of the Lord Jesus Christ. And here's what it does. It validates Jesus' identity. Paul tells us in Romans 1, verse 4, that Jesus was declared to be the Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness, by how? By the resurrection from the dead. And so Paul is saying that it is the resurrection that validates every claim that Jesus made during his earthly ministry. It is a resurrection that Jesus is who he says he is. That is, he is not merely a great teacher. Jesus is not merely a prophet or some moral leader. Jesus is the Son of God. He is co-equal, co-eternal with the Father. And so by conquering death, Jesus proved his divine authority and power over life and death. and setting him apart from every other religious figure in history. Think about Muhammad. He died and is still dead. Think about Buddha. He lived, he died, and is still dead. But the Lord Jesus Christ, he lived, he died, but he lives forevermore as he was resurrected by the power of the Father. A message of validation. Then we also see a message of Jesus' vicarious death. Listen, the resurrection confirms that Jesus' sacrifice for sin was sufficient and was accepted by God the Father. Romans 4.25 declares Jesus was delivered up because of our offenses and was raised because of our justification. And so again, if Jesus had remained in the grave, if Jesus did not resurrect on that third and glorious day, we would have no hope whatsoever of salvation. But praise the Lord, His resurrection is the Father's affirmation that the debt of sin has been paid in full, declaring our justification complete. message of Jesus' vicarious death, we also see a message of victory, a message of victory. That is, Christ's resurrection is described as the first fruits of those who have died. Beloved, listen, his victory over death guarantees the future resurrection of all who have united to him by faith. And so because Jesus rose from the dead, it gives us assurance that we can face death with hope. And for the believer, death is no longer the end. Amen? We no longer fear death. Death has been swallowed up. Jesus has won the victory. And so death now is but the doorway to eternal life with the Lord Jesus Christ. We move to verse 7, and we have the angels' command, which was, in essence, a message concerning their vocation. Verse 7 tells us, But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you into Galilee, and there you will see him as he said to you. And so the angel commands the women to go and tell the disciples. What does this tell us? Well, this tells us that the resurrection story is not a private matter. No, it is a truth that is to be proclaimed. He tells them to go and tell. Of course, this command echoes the Great Commission found in Matthew chapter 28 calling believers to declare the gospel to all nations. What do we declare unto them? We declare unto them Jesus' life, His death, and His resurrection. So the resurrection compels us to proclaim the good news that Jesus is alive and that salvation is available to all who believe. Now notice also in verse 7 we have a message of vindication. A message of vindication. I love this. Verse 7 again says, But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you into Galilee, and there you will see him as he said to you. Now he's speaking here. of the restoration of Peter. He's speaking of the restoration of Peter. And listen, the angel specifically mentioning the name Peter is no small detail at all. It is very significant. And it reveals, beloved, the depth of God's grace. And it reveals to us the personal nature of the redemptive plan of God. It is as if the angel is saying to these ladies, hey, make sure Peter knows that this message is for him as well. Don't forget to tell Peter. Very interesting. It's interesting when you realize that, and of course we know of Peter's denial and Peter's fall, his spiritual collapse. We know how Peter was once bold, he was once confident, speaking of the loyalty that he was gonna have to the Lord Jesus Christ, but yet, he denied the Lord Jesus three times. And listen, his failure was not a minor mistake, it was a devastating betrayal that left him broken. Remember, the last time we saw Peter, he was weeping bitterly. It broke him that he denied his Lord three times. Peter's still broken. He is still discouraged. He is still down and out. And so by singling Peter out, the angel affirms that Jesus has not abandoned Peter. I love that. By singling Peter out, Jesus is telling us that He does not disown those whom are His. And so even in the face of Peter's denial, Jesus, beloved, extends grace and includes him in His plans for the kingdom. And again, this is a message of grace and restoration. Listen, the resurrection is not just about conquering sin and death on a cosmic scale, and it is. I mean, every nation, tribe, and tongue, that's a cosmic scale. But listen, the resurrection is also about restoring individual sinners. It is personal in nature. And so Peter's restoration is a powerful example that no sin, no failure, or denial is beyond the reach of God's redemptive power. I love that. Go tell the disciples, oh, and tell Peter too. Now, why Galilee? What is the significance about Galilee? Well, again, the angel's mention of Galilee is not incidental. Jesus had already told his disciples during the Last Supper that after his resurrection that he would meet up again with them in Galilee. And so Galilee was the place where Jesus first called them to follow him. Galilee was where Jesus ministered for most of his three years in this place. And so by returning to Galilee, Jesus brings the disciples back to the beginning. It was to be a reminder of their calling, a reminder of their mission. And so this return to Galilee just symbolizes, beloved, a fresh start. It symbolizes a new beginning for Jesus' disciples. that despite their failures, despite their denials, Jesus invites the disciples to recommit to Him. Powerful. And listen, do you know what we ought to do as believers from time to time? We ought to just go back to our spiritual Galilees. Go back to that place where the Lord first called us unto Himself. Go back to that spiritual Galilee when you felt The Lord calling you and you were born again. Oh listen, it's good for us. I'm not talking about going back to a specific physical location, but I'm talking about going back and recalling the goodness of God's grace upon your life and how he saved you and what he saved you out of. The spiritual Galilees are necessary. We see the message of the resurrection. Notice the response to the resurrection. First of all, in verse 8, we see it was a response of awe. It says, "'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.'" It is very clear that these women's physical and emotional reaction to the tomb just reflects the magnitude of what they witnessed that early morning. The words trembled and the word amazed described more than just a passing feeling that they had. No, it goes much more than that. As a matter of fact, the word trembling speaks of a physical response to encountering the supernatural. I mean, their bodies were just overwhelmed by the reality of what they had seen. Again, they're going to the tomb with the mindset that they're going to anoint the Lord Jesus' body. But yet when they get to the tomb, they see an empty tomb with an angel speaking to them. I've never had an angel speak to me, but I can imagine it's quite an experience, correct? As a matter of fact, remember how the guards reacted to this situation. Those manly, masculine guards who were well-trained, they felt like dead men. But yet we find these women who were trembling, they were afraid, and rightfully so. Then the Bible tells us that they were amazed. That word amazed conveys being swept out of one's normal self. It is the word we get our, the Greek word, we get our English word ecstatic from. So they were ecstatic in astonishment that overtakes the mind. And again, no wonder they were expecting to anoint the lifeless body of the Lord Jesus Christ. And they come to the tomb with a heavenly angel proclaiming that He is risen. So again, this just tells us that the resurrection, beloved, is not a routine event. This was a supernatural act of God that demands awe and reverence. Notice also we see a response of faith. We have a response of awe. but then also a response of faith. Verse eight again tells us, 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, here's a question. What does it mean that they said nothing to anyone, knowing that the other gospel accounts lets us know that these women told the disciples? Well, the Bible tells us that they fled, they ran quickly, and in their running they no doubt passed people along the way. And they are running and they are not saying anything to anyone because they were afraid to tell the story to anybody. But Matthew tells us that their fear in their running gave way to joy. Matthew chapter 28 tells us that they ran with joy as they were getting ready to proclaim the good news that Jesus Christ had risen from the grave. But what we see here, beloved, is this. This is faith in action. What these ladies did, and they're obeying the angel as he had commanded, this is faith in action. And they obeyed, why? Because they believed. They had faith. They believed that what the angel said was true. Jesus had risen. And they were to declare that to the disciples. As a matter of fact, in John's gospel, he tells us that when John looked into the tomb and saw that Jesus was not there, that John believed. He believed. And so true faith embraces the reality of the resurrection. And when we savingly believe in the resurrection, it transforms us and brings new life to us. And so the resurrection of Jesus Christ, beloved, listen, demands a response. There is no neutral ground when it comes to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. You either believe it by faith that he was resurrected, Are you rejected in doubt? And so this is not a story that can be brushed off. This is not some doctrine that can be just casually acknowledged. No, again, the resurrection is the foundation of our hope and the power of our salvation. It is the event that changes everything because if Jesus has risen, and we know that he has, then his claims are true. He is the Son of God. He is the Savior of the world. He is the rightful Lord of all creation. And listen, if you have not yet placed your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the empty tomb calls you to do so. Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. So will you, unbeliever, trust Christ today? And listen, for those of you who do believe, you have acknowledged the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Listen, is your life shaped by that reality? Are you walking in newness of life? Are you seeking things that are above? Hey, listen, maybe it would do you well to go back to your spiritual Galilee and to remember the Lord Jesus saving your soul. Maybe it's been way too long since you've meditated on what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for you and the grace that he exercised upon your life when he called you out of sin into salvation. How will you respond today? Let's pray together.