Stopping where we did when we met on Thursday means that where we stopped, Jesus was dead. And what he meant by, it is finished, was not comprehended by any of his followers who were still there. They likely would have taken it as, we are finished. For Jesus' disciples, all who are following him, the hope that they had in Jesus that one day he would be the king and that he would inaugurate his kingdom and that they would be a part of that kingdom. Those hopes were now gone. What good would a dead Jesus be? They thought that they might soon be next, that they too would be dead. From three o'clock in the afternoon on that Friday, Jesus's lifeless body hung there, limp on the cross, and his followers were crushed. The Jewish religious leaders were so concerned with doing the right thing, quote unquote, please note the sarcasm. They were very hypocritical, didn't care anything for doing what was right, but they wanted it to look like they did. So they didn't want any bodies to be left on the crosses during the Passover, which would start at sundown on that Friday. And so before the sun went down on that Friday evening, the Roman soldiers made sure that all who were hanging on those crosses were completely dead. As they came to Jesus and saw that he was dead, just to be absolutely sure, one of those soldiers took his spear and drove it into Jesus' side. And there are two men, Joseph and Nicodemus. They asked for Jesus's body so that they could give it a proper burial. Pilate agreed, let them have the body. They took it down from the cross. They wrapped the body in linen, along with about 75 pounds of spices. They laid him in a new tomb and rolled a very heavy stone over the entrance of that tomb. That stone was then sealed under the orders of Governor Pilate, and it was constantly guarded by Roman soldiers. Now, those are all details that we can find about the crucifixion and burial throughout the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And these are some important events to have in mind to understand the significance of what comes next. We cannot overstate the significance of what comes next. And we put a lot of emphasis on the cross. And it's good, we should. The cross is very important. We have a cross on our sign out front. And for those of you who haven't been here for a while, hopefully you remember that sign. And hopefully you'll be able to see it again soon. We talk a lot about the cross. We sing a lot of songs about the cross. And that's good, we should. But as we emphasize the cross, we need to make sure we don't neglect the importance of the resurrection. In 1 Corinthians chapter 15, the Apostle Paul very thoroughly makes the case that if Jesus has not been raised from the dead, everything about Christianity is a complete waste. It is completely meaningless. The cross is meaningless if it's not for the resurrection. We have no hope if it's not for the resurrection. In fact, all of Christianity and our eternity stands or falls on the resurrection. That's how important this celebration, what we are remembering today is. So this morning, I would like to take a look at the accounts of the resurrection as recorded in Mark chapter 16, verses one through eight. And that will help us to remember the truth of the resurrection so that we can rejoice in it. And we'll notice a few details that prove to us that Jesus really did rise from the dead so that we can constantly say, He is risen. Get signs up there, kids. He is risen indeed. And make sure you're listening for that. He is risen indeed. So Mark chapter 16, if you turn there in your Bibles once again, We'll start in verse 1. It says in Mark 16 verse 1, when the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Siloam bought spices so that they might come and anoint him. I encourage you to read back through verse 1 and notice what's happening here. Make some observations. Try to picture what's going on here in your mind. Think about what they're doing, what these ladies are doing. Why are they doing what they're doing? We find that that Saturday evening, after the sun went down, the way that they kept time and kept track of days, when the sun went down on Friday, that was the start of the Sabbath. When the sun went down on Saturday, that was the end. And so after the sun went down on that Saturday, the shops around town opened up briefly. And so these ladies went and bought some spices on that Saturday evening to anoint Jesus's body. Why did they do that? Well, one reason, the main reason, something that we should notice about why they did that is because they fully and thoroughly thought that when they went to that tomb the next morning, they would find Jesus's body still there. still dead. They knew without a doubt that Jesus was dead. Everyone who was involved knew without a doubt that Jesus was dead. And just by human reason when someone has died a few days later what we expect is they're still dead. Now they probably believe from what Jesus had taught that one day there would be a resurrection And so someday when all believers were resurrected, Jesus's body probably would be resurrected too. But for now, they were certain that when they went to the tomb that next morning, they would find the body still there. They loved Jesus, they respected him. But he died. It's over. But out of their respect for him, they wanted to take these spices and anoint his body. Now, the reason that they want to do that was because Jesus's body hadn't been embalmed. And that was something that Jews didn't do. But when the body had been taken off of that cross, it was wrapped up in strips of cloth. They put in like 75 pounds of spices. And the reason for that was because that body would begin to deteriorate pretty quickly. And so just to preserve a little bit of dignity and brutal honesty to mask the smell, they put these spices in there. These ladies wanted to do something for Jesus because they loved him. So they thought that they would extend that dignity a little longer by bringing these spices. So verse two, it was very early on the first day of the week. They came to the tomb when the sun had risen. Very early Sunday morning. If this was a regular resurrection Sunday, we oftentimes commemorate that by coming early on Sunday morning to remember and celebrate how early that Sunday morning these ladies went and found what they found there at that tomb. Well, it didn't really seem like it would help this year, as different as everything is. So we're here at our regular time. But it is still Sunday. It's the Lord's Day. Every Sunday is a remembrance of what happened on that Sunday, that He is risen. I don't see the signs, kids. He is risen indeed. There you go. So this was the third day after Jesus had died, and by the Jewish way of counting days, Friday was the first day, Saturday was the second day, now Sunday is the third day. As they're walking there to the tomb, that early Sunday morning, verse 3 says, they were saying to one another, who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb? This stone that had been placed in the front of that tomb over the entrance was large. It was very heavy. It probably would have been sitting in a carved out groove right in front of the door. So it went downhill into its place in front of the entrance to seal that tomb. So in order to move that stone, it would have had to have been pushed back uphill That would not have been an easy task. This was something that these ladies on their way to the tomb that early morning had just thought of as they were walking. They suddenly realized they might need some help to get in. They had seen with their eyes this large stone being placed across the entrance of that tomb. One other detail that I don't think they probably knew about was how that tomb had been sealed by the order of Pilate, and the fact that there was now a regiment of soldiers, guards, in front of that tomb. That was another layer of difficulty for these ladies, that if Jesus' body was still in that tomb, I don't think they could have gotten in once they got there. But that turned out to not be a problem. Look again at verse 4. Mark 16 verse four, looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large. By comparing all the gospel accounts, we find that there were at least five women in this group. And they knew that there was no way that the five of them could move the stone themselves. It was big, big stone. But when they got close enough to see it, The stone had already been moved. Why was it moved? Someone steal the body? No, we don't have time to go into all of that this morning, but it's something that we've looked at in the past and we have seen that there is no possible scenario where that could be a possible explanation that the body had been stolen. There is no way that that happened. That could not possibly be the explanation for why the stone was moved. It also wasn't moved so Jesus could get out. By the time the stone was moved, I believe Jesus was already out. In his resurrection body, Jesus didn't have to depend on things like stones being out of the way or doors being opened to be able to get where he wanted to go. We find later that Jesus enters a room that the doors were shut and locked. But in his resurrection body, that was not an issue for Jesus. The stone being in front of this tomb was not an issue for Jesus. He didn't need it moved to get out. So I believe the only reason the stone had been rolled away was so people could get in to see the things that these ladies saw when they got there. Look at verse five. Entering the tomb, They saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe, and they were amazed. Now Matthew tells us that this young man was an angel. Now doesn't that seem like that would be pretty amazing? To be walking up to this place, and to suddenly see an angel, and get to hear and talk to a real, live angel? They were amazed. But the angel said to them, verse 6, Do not be amazed. And why should they not be amazed? They're standing there looking face to face with an angel. How could they not be amazed? Well, they shouldn't be amazed because he's just an angel. He's just an angel. There are much bigger things going on here than an angel being visibly present. Such big things going on that this angel shouldn't even make the front page of that Sunday's newspaper. And maybe on down a few pages later he could mention, oh yeah, there was an angel that some ladies got to talk to. That's not the big news of what's going on on this day. Of much greater significance, something that these ladies hadn't quite comprehended, in the days before Jesus's death, they had been walking and talking with God in human flesh. Now, just considering who Jesus was and the fact that they had been with Jesus, they should still be amazed by that more than standing there talking to an angel. But on this Sunday morning, the lead story and all the newspapers that went out that day should have been still should be front page news even today that after he died, he is risen. There you go. He is risen. Indeed, he defeated sin and death that Jesus opened the way to God by rising from the dead so that sinners could be forgiven. So sinners could actually know God and have eternal life. This resurrection that just happened is much bigger than just some angel sitting there and talking to them. Another reason they shouldn't be amazed is that although they went there, verse six, looking for Jesus, the Nazarene who had been crucified. They shouldn't be amazed that they didn't find Jesus there, because really, they should have been expecting that. They shouldn't have expected to find Jesus's body at the tomb. The angel says in verse six, he has risen. He is not here. Behold, here is the place where they laid him. Matthew, he fills in a little more of what the angel told these ladies in Matthew, it says he is not here for he has risen just as he said. He told them. He told them that this was the way it was going to be. This should not be news to them. because Jesus had told them of how it was going to happen. So in one sense, they should be amazed that Jesus is risen, that He is risen. He is risen indeed. So they should be amazed by that instead of an angel, because the resurrection is infinitely more important than that. But in another sense, they shouldn't be amazed that He is risen. He is risen indeed, because they should have expected it. They should have known this was going to happen. Jesus told them. With that being the case, it doesn't seem like the angel was scolding them, just reminding them. You remember? This is what Jesus said. This is how he said it would be. All the way around, this is a happy day. This angel was not scolding them for not remembering He was rejoicing with them. The angel was there to proclaim the good news that Jesus is alive. The single most important event in all of history, and these ladies got to be the first people there to see it, to witness it, and then to be the witnesses for the evangelists to tell of it. Verse seven says the angel said, but go tell his disciples and Peter He is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see him just as he told you. As you look at verse 7, why do you suppose we see Peter's name there? Why was Peter singled out? You remember the last time that Jesus and Peter interacted? The last time they spoke? The last time they saw each other? The last time Jesus spoke to Peter, it was to correct him in the Garden of Gethsemane. When Peter decided that he was going to take on that whole mob with his sword, Jesus stopped him, corrected him. The last time Jesus saw Peter was just after Peter had denied knowing Jesus for the third time. He swore that he did not even know who Jesus was. Jesus knew what Peter had done. And Luke tells us that Jesus turned and looked at Peter after he had denied him for the third time. When Peter knew that Jesus knew, Peter went out and wept bitterly. So can you imagine what's going through Peter's mind that Friday? knowing that Jesus is dead. What was going through Peter's mind on Saturday, thinking about Jesus being in that tomb, and that he had denied him. Can you imagine what was going on in Peter's mind that Sunday morning? Believing that Jesus was still dead. Even if Peter had comprehended that Jesus is going to rise from the dead, Peter probably thought that he was done, that their relationship was over. If Jesus was alive, he wouldn't want to see Peter. Or at hearing the news that Jesus was alive, it'd be pretty easy to see how Peter would probably assume that Jesus really didn't want to see him. If anyone that Jesus would want to meet with, why would he want to see Peter after how Peter had treated him? So there's this special message for Peter. Tell the disciples and Peter that Jesus wants to see them. And Peter, he wants to see you. There's so much grace in this passage. Grace that was accomplished by Jesus' death and resurrection. Peter had nothing to fear. Jesus wanted to see him. So these ladies have their instructions. Verse eight says they went out and fled from the tomb for trembling and astonishment had gripped them. Matthew again tells us that the women's response was fear and great joy. You ever experienced those two together? Fear and great joy. Sometimes those can go together. For these ladies, it did. They were afraid. They'd never seen an angel before. They didn't really understand and completely comprehend everything that was going on. So they were afraid. But at the news that Jesus is alive, they had great joy. Mark also says in verse eight, and they said nothing to anyone for they were afraid. When you think again about that picture, at least five women and all of them are speechless. Doesn't that tell us that something pretty big was going on? You ever seen five women together and not having anything to say? This was big. Let's think about what happened that morning. These grieving women, they go there that early Sunday morning and having no doubt that they would find Jesus's body when they got there to that tomb. All of their hopes had died with him. It was over. But just out of their respect for Jesus, they were going to go and do something for Him. But they were so sad going to that tomb. But then within just a few minutes, everything changed. I mean, everything, everything changed when they got there to see that He is risen. If you have put your faith in Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of your sins, then you have every reason necessary to have hope of eternal life in heaven instead of eternal punishment in hell. You have every reason to rejoice. You have hope because Jesus is alive and having that hope should change the way we live every day. We should no longer live with fear of the unknown. We should not live with fear of death. We no longer live for sin and for self. Because if we are resurrected with Jesus Christ, as we are told in Romans chapter six, we can live a life of victory over sin because we are no longer slaves of sin because Jesus is alive. And we can boldly live as his representatives and fear no man. Proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Remember, Paul said in first Corinthians 15, that everything about Christianity depends on the resurrection. So his conclusion to the fact of the resurrection should be the same as our conclusion to the fact of the resurrection. First Corinthians chapter 15 verse 58. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. And it's all because He is risen. He is risen indeed.