Welcome to the Banner of Truth broadcast. This program is brought to you by the Free Reformed Churches of North America. Your host is Pastor Jack Schumann, pastor of the Emmanuel Free Reformed Church of Abbotsford, British Columbia. And now, here is Pastor Jack Schumann. Since today is Easter, I am again interrupting our series on the Gospel of Mark to bring you this special message on the resurrection of Christ. I invite you to turn with me to the Gospel of John, chapter 20, as we read the verses 1 through 10. Let us hear the Word of God. Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early while it was still dark and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple 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. Peter therefore went out and the other disciple and were going to the tomb. So they ran both together and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there, yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb, and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who came to the tomb first went in also, and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not know the scripture that he must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again to their own homes. May the Lord bless the reading and preaching of his word to our hearts. Dear friends, in the Apostles' Creed, we confess that three days after he died, the Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead. This is one of the most important doctrines of the Christian faith. The entire Christian faith is built on our belief in the resurrection of Christ. Paul himself says so in 1 Corinthians 15. In that chapter, the apostle Paul defends the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead. And he does so because there were some in Corinth who denied this doctrine. They simply did not believe that the dead rose again. Now Paul rebukes them for this. And he spells out for them the implications of that teaching. He says that if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then the preaching of the apostles is empty and their faith is also empty. What is more, the apostles would be guilty of bearing false witness, he says, because they have preached that Christ did indeed rise from the dead. And what is even more, those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. Now over and against this, Paul strongly affirms the resurrection of Christ. He says, but now Christ is risen from the dead and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. And so belief in the resurrection of Christ is vitally important. Unless we believe that Christ rose from the dead, we cannot be saved. Now as important as this doctrine is, it is not easy to believe. After all, who ever heard of anyone rising from the dead, much less by his own power? Such a thing is impossible. And for that reason, many also in the church do not believe that Christ actually physically rose from the dead. Significantly, they are not alone in this. So did the disciples of our Lord. We read together from John chapter 20, the verses one through 10. In those verses, we have the record of Peter and John entering the tomb of the Lord Jesus Christ on the day of resurrection. Now at first they too did not believe that Jesus had risen from the dead, but when they came to the tomb and they saw the linen grave clothes and the napkin lying by itself, John says they believed. However, he goes on in the next verse to say that they did not know the scripture that he must rise again from the dead. They believed that Jesus had risen from the dead, but it took a while for them to embrace it fully. and it took even longer for them to understand its implications. Well, with this in mind of the help of the Lord, let's reflect for a few moments on the words of our text under this theme, Peter and John believe in the resurrection of Christ. And we'll consider, first of all, the report they heard, secondly, the evidence they saw, and thirdly, the conclusion they drew. It was early on the first day of the week. The Lord Jesus had been in the grave for some three days. John informs us that while it was still dark, very early in the morning, Mary Magdalene made her way to the tomb of Jesus in order to anoint his body for burial. Now from the other Gospels, we know that she was not alone. She was accompanied by Mary, the mother of James, Salome, Joanna, and perhaps several others, all of them friends of the Lord Jesus. But John mentions only Mary, probably because later in this chapter, she's the one who first encountered the risen Christ when he appeared to her in the garden. Well, as Mary and the other women made their way to the tomb, she saw that the stone that sealed the entrance to the tomb had been rolled away and was lying flat on the ground. No doubt this came as quite a shock to Mary, as well as to the other women who had accompanied her. But Mary was especially shocked, so shocked that she left the women at the tomb and ran back to Jerusalem to tell the disciples. When she arrived in the city, she either came across Peter and John by accident, as we say, as they were walking down the street, or she went directly to the place where they were staying. Now, if that's the case, why did she go to them? Why not to any of the other disciples? Well, we cannot say for sure. Most likely, the reason is because Peter and John were leaders among the disciples. They were also very close to Jesus. They were with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, as well as in the Garden of Gethsemane. They were also with him when he was being tried by the Sanhedrin. John stood by him, at least for a time, while he was being crucified. It's possible, too, that she was closer to them than to the other disciples. Well, whatever the case, she went to them. And upon seeing them, perhaps puffing to catch her breath, Mary said to them, they have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him. Now, notice what Mary says here. She immediately assumes that someone stole the body of Jesus. Now that, of course, raises the question, why on earth would she think that? Why would anyone want to steal the body of the Lord Jesus? Well, his disciples might. That way they could claim that he had risen from the dead, just as he had said. But how would they ever get past the guard? That would be impossible. Well, what about his enemies? Well, they certainly would not want to steal his body. That would only add credence to Jesus' claim that he would rise again. And you may remember, this is the exact reason why they asked Pilate to seal the tomb and post a guard in the first place. The point is, it never once entered into Mary's mind that Jesus was alive and that he had come out of the tomb by himself even though he said to his disciples that he would. Oh, how slow of heart Mary was, and how slow of heart Peter and John were, too. For you notice, they did not contradict Mary's explanation. They didn't say, Mary, that's not what happened. No one stole Jesus' body from the tomb. He has risen from the dead, just like he said he would. No, they said nothing at all. They simply got up and ran towards the sepulcher to see for themselves, implying that they actually believed her. Well, my friends, what about you and me today? How would you have reacted if you, like Mary, saw the empty tomb of Jesus? What conclusion would you come to? Would you look for some kind of naturalistic explanation like Mary did? For example, that someone stole the body of Jesus? Or would you conclude that Jesus had risen from the dead, just as he said he would? You know, our natural tendency is to find naturalistic explanations for everything. And that's why so many people today believe in evolution and deny the biblical account of creation. This is also why people deny that Jesus and the apostles performed miracles. This is why people deny that Jesus rose from the dead even. It's because like Mary, they have a naturalistic mindset. In their view, if something is contrary to nature, it cannot be true. But my friends, the Bible teaches anything. It teaches that what we see is not necessarily all that there is. There is a natural realm to be sure, but there is also a supernatural realm. There are things that we can verify with our senses, and there are things that we cannot. But that doesn't mean they don't exist. And Mary's a case in point. It never occurred to her that Jesus had risen from the dead. She believed, she was convinced that someone had stolen his body. She looked for a natural explanation rather than a supernatural one. But she was wrong, and so were Peter and John. And that's precisely what our Lord is going to teach them. That brings us to our second point, the evidence that they saw. Mary had just informed Peter and John that someone had stolen the body of Jesus. Well, upon hearing this, Peter and John immediately started running towards the tomb in order to see for themselves. John writes in verse 3, Peter therefore went out and that other disciple, referring, of course, to John. Now, you'll notice how John singles Peter out. And by doing so, he seems to be suggesting that Peter was the first one to start out to the tomb. It's almost as though upon hearing Mary's report, he jumped out of his chair and ran out the door. Before John even realized what was happening, and before he could even process what Mary had said, Peter was gone. Now that doesn't surprise us. From what we can tell, Peter was the most rash and impetuous of all of Jesus' disciples. He was also a man of great action. If something needed to be done, Peter was the one to do it. If something needed to be said, Peter was the one to say it. And so we see that same thing happening here. As soon as he hears that the tomb was empty, Peter jumped up and ran towards the tomb. Well, before long, John caught up to him, and for a while they ran together. But John tells us that he outran Peter, and he was actually the first to arrive at the tomb, probably because he was younger or perhaps he was in better shape. Significantly, when John arrived at the tomb, he refused to go in. We read in verse 5, and he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there, yet he did not go in. Now, why John did not go in the tomb, we don't know. Maybe having seen that the grave was empty, he had seen all he wanted to see. Maybe he was scared. We don't know. All we know is he didn't go in. But a few seconds later, Peter arrived. And as John stood there peering into the tomb, Peter, impetuous and impulsive as always, proceeded right past John and immediately entered inside the tomb to get a closer look. And emboldened by Peter's example, John followed him behind. Now the fact that both Peter and John went into the tomb together is very significant. This ought not to be overlooked. The law of Moses required that the truth of an important matter had to be established by at least two witnesses. And if the testimony of two witnesses agreed, then the matter was true. If it did not agree, then it was not true. And our Lord understood this. And so for the benefit of the other disciples and those of us who came long after them, he ensured that Peter and John entered into the tomb together so that they and we might believe that their testimony was true. Well, as Peter and John entered into the tomb, what did they see? John tells us in verses six and seven. He writes, then Simon Peter came following him and went into the tomb, and he saw the linen cloths lying there and the handkerchief that had been around his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Now we have here an important proof that Jesus did indeed rise from the dead. You see, had the body of Jesus been stolen, as Mary had claimed, Why would the robbers remove the grave cloths from the body? Especially since it would take some time to remove them. And why would they fold them up and place the headpiece in a place by itself? It would serve no purpose. What is more, it could have increased their chances at getting caught. since all of this would have taken a considerable amount of time. No, there's only one possible conclusion. The tomb was not ransacked. It was vacated. Jesus really did rise from the dead. Well, my friends, do you see how the Lord took care to convince Peter and John and us of the truthfulness of his word? As I've already mentioned, the resurrection of Christ is one of the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith. If you deny this doctrine, you deny the faith. But how wonderful that the Lord has provided us with abundant proof of this doctrine. Not only did he provide us with two witnesses, he also provided us with concrete evidence. And because of this, we too may believe and rest assured that what the word of God says is true. Jesus really did rise from the dead. Well, what about you today? Do you believe this? Do you believe with all of your heart that Jesus rose from the dead? Oh, it's not easy to believe this, I know. As I've already mentioned, many professing Christians deny the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. They say that the gospel accounts of the resurrection contain only what the disciples wanted to see, not what they actually did see. Others say that Jesus didn't actually die. He just fell into a deep coma, only to be revived by the coldness of the tomb three days later. But all of that is utter nonsense. The fact is Jesus did rise from the dead. The grave cloths prove it. The question is, do you believe it? Well, having been confronted with this unmistakable evidence, how did Peter and John react? What conclusion did they draw? That brings us to our third and final point. Peter and John were confronted with strong evidence of the resurrection of Christ. Now what impact did this have on them? Well John tells us in verse 8. There we read that upon entering the tomb and seeing the grave cloths lying in the tomb that John saw and believed. Now the Greek word for see here means to see with understanding. In other words, John got it. He grasped it. He pieced together everything that he saw and he came to the inevitable conclusion that Jesus' body had not been stolen, that in fact he had risen from the dead. And although John says nothing about Peter's reaction, it's likely he also saw and believed. Now needless to say, this was quite a breakthrough. For up until this point, Peter and John, as well as all of the other disciples, were convinced that Jesus was dead, period. But now for the first time, they realized this was not the case. Jesus was alive. He had risen. He had risen from the dead. Now was it the evidence alone that convinced them of this? No. As mentioned before, this was the work of the Holy Spirit. But the evidence was important. The evidence was the means that the Spirit of God used to convince Peter and John that Jesus had risen from the dead. And so Peter and John believed, but not completely. They believed that Jesus had risen from the dead, but they still did not understand why. And why is that? Well, John tells us, because they did not know the scriptures. Look at verse nine. For as yet they did not know, meaning they did not yet understand the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. Now, the word scriptures here refers, of course, to the Old Testament. Those were the only scriptures available to the disciples since the New Testament had not yet been written. In fact, the Old Testament contains several prophecies concerning the resurrection of Christ. We think, for example, of Psalm 16, verses 8 through 11. In those verses, David declares that when he dies, his flesh would rest in hope. And he explains why. He says, for you will not leave my soul in Sheol, that is the grave, nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore. David here expresses his absolute confidence that the Lord would not leave him in the grave. On the contrary, he would raise him up and bring him to himself and live and reign with him forever. Now, we know that this was a prophecy of the resurrection of Christ, because in Acts chapter two, verses 25 to 28, Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, applies these very verses to the Lord Jesus Christ, and he declares that they were fulfilled in his resurrection. And Paul does the same in Acts 13, verse 35 to 37, when he addressed the Jews in the synagogue at Antioch. Another verse is Isaiah 53, verse 11. Thereafter describing the death and burial of Christ, Isaiah writes, he shall see the labor of his soul and be satisfied. Now that raises the question, of course, how would Christ ever see the labor of his soul and be satisfied if he was dead? Well, the answer, of course, is that he would rise from the dead. That's implied in what Isaiah says. And so Isaiah predicts that Jesus would rise from the dead. The point is, the Old Testament clearly teaches the resurrection of Christ. Now, Peter and John should have known this, but they didn't. John says they did not know the Scriptures. Now, to be sure, Peter and John were familiar with these verses and many others like them, but only at a certain level. They did not see that these and other scriptures pointed to the resurrection of Christ and were fulfilled in him. And why didn't they see that? Because their mind and their eyes were blinded. And there are still people like that in the church today. They read the Bible, but they don't get it. They don't see the connections. They don't see how it applies to them. And in some cases, they don't even care. For them, the Bible is not a living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. It's just a dead letter. It consists of just words on a page. Like the Jews of Paul's day, they have a veil on their hearts. And that's why they don't heed its warnings. That's why they derive no comfort from its promises. That's why they can brazenly ignore its teachings. For example, about sixth day creation, or the role of women in the church, or the sinfulness of homosexuality. They just ignore that. And why do they ignore it? Because they're spiritually blind. They simply do not understand. And sometimes, sadly, even true believers can be blind to certain teachings of scripture. So what's the solution to this problem? How can we understand the Scriptures? Well, I said it already. It's only by the power of the Holy Spirit. You and I need the Holy Spirit to apply the teaching of Scripture to our hearts. And my friends, it's absolutely vital. Unless the Holy Spirit applies the Scriptures to our hearts, we will not profit from it. and it will not have the desired effect. It'll simply bounce off of us like water off a duck's back. And that's why whenever we read the Word of God or whenever we hear it preached, we need to ask the Lord to apply it to our hearts by the Spirit. It's only when the Spirit applies the Scriptures to our hearts that we will understand it and benefit from it. Well, thankfully, as we have seen, that was also the case with Peter and John. Although the Holy Spirit had not yet been poured out, that would not take place until the day of Pentecost some 50 days later. Nevertheless, the Spirit was still active, also in the hearts of Peter and John. For as we've seen, it was by the power of the Spirit that they came to believe. Now later, however, when our Lord appeared to the disciples in person, he would give them even more of the Spirit. In Luke 24 we read that when Jesus appeared to the disciples on the evening of his resurrection, he said to them these words, these are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms concerning me. And then we read these significant words, and he opened their understanding that they might comprehend the scriptures. And John, in his account of this same event, writes that Jesus also said to them, peace to you, as the Father has sent me, I also send you. And then we read that when he said this, he breathed on them and said to them, receive the Holy Spirit. You notice the very close connection here between the Holy Spirit and the disciples comprehending the scriptures. It was because they had received the Holy Spirit that the disciples finally came to understand what the scriptures were saying. The point is, my friends, the Lord was faithful. He opened the hearts of his disciples to understand and to believe his word, and he still does the same today. All who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are partakers of the Holy Spirit, and by means of the Spirit, they come to understand and believe the word of God, also as it pertains to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Wonderfully, this same spirit is still available to us today. My friend, do you struggle to believe certain doctrines? Perhaps the doctrine of election or the doctrine of limited atonement or the doctrine of the resurrection? Do you struggle to believe, period? Well, then the message of our text is look to Christ. He is able to reveal to you his truth and to work faith in your heart such as you are unable to embrace it and to live out of it all the days of your life. Peter and John believed tentatively at first, yes, but then more and more that Jesus Christ has risen from the dead. What about you? Do you also believe this? Amen. Dear friends, we always appreciate hearing from our listeners. If you are blessed by or have a comment on the message you have heard today, won't you please take a moment and let us know? Our mailing address is Banner of Truth. 3386 Mount Lehman Road. Lehman is spelled L-E-H-M-A-N, and that's in Abbotsford, British Columbia, V4X 2M9. Or you can give me a call at 778-982-9102. And please remember to include the call letters of the station. If you would like to listen to the message you have just heard again, or if you would like more information about our program, including how to contact us and how to listen to other messages on this program, please visit our website at banneroftruthradio.com. That's all one word, banneroftruthradio.com. Support for this program is provided by the Free Reform Churches of North America. If you would like more information about these churches, including who we are and what we believe, and where you can find a church nearest you, please visit our denominational website at www.frcna.org. Your financial support for this program is welcome and deeply appreciated. If the Lord has placed in your heart a desire to help us to offset the costs of broadcasting this program on this station, you can send us a check in any amount. Again, our mailing address is 3386 Mount Lehman Road, Abbotsford, British Columbia. v4x2m9 or you can visit the donation section of our webpage. Thank you for listening and now until next week may the Lord be with you all.