Mark chapter 16, beginning in verse number 1, is one of a few accounts of the resurrection of our Savior. Today I'd like to preach this message. Remember the resurrection. If you'll remember in life that Jesus is alive and well and He defeated death, hell, and the grave, if you'll remember the resurrection, it'll help you. It'll help you. Remember the resurrection. The Bible says in Mark chapter 16, verse number 1, And when the Sabbath was passed, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome had bought sweet spices that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they came into the sepulcher at the rising of the sun. And they said among themselves, who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher? When they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away. For it was very great. and entering into the sepulcher, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment, and they were affrighted. And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted, ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified, he is risen. He is not here, behold the place where they laid him. But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee. There shall ye see him, as he said unto you. And they went out quickly and fled from the sepulcher, for they trembled and were amazed. Neither said they anything to any man, for they were afraid. Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. And she went and told them that had been with him as they mourned and wept. And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. After that he appeared in another form unto two of them as they walked and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the residue, neither believed they them. Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meet, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Father, we pray you'd bless your word, the preaching of your word. Hide me behind the cross. May you be exalted in this message. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Remember the resurrection. Folks, I want you to know something. Jesus Christ bodily, literally rose from the dead. He did not swoon in the grave. He did not fool the folks who hung him on the cross and pierced his side. He was dead. And when they laid him in the grave and wrapped his body in grave clothes, he was dead. The three days later, as he said, Jesus Christ rose from the dead. He defeated death. He defeated hell. He defeated the grave. He defeated sin and the curse of sin. And you and I should be very thankful because of his victory We can be victorious also. We can be victorious over the condemnation of sin. You know, the Bible is really plain. The wages of sin is death. That's hell and separation from God forever. The wages of sin is death. It's a fact. You can't believe part of the Bible and leave out part of the Bible. It don't work like that. Look, we're all condemned. Because Jesus rose from the dead. Because He paid our sin debt. Because He was victorious over something that we could never become victorious over. We have sweet promise of eternity in life through Him. Oh, what a Savior. Remember the resurrection? He died. He was buried. He rose again. The resurrection of Christ teaches us so many things. We couldn't begin to cover them all, but there's a few things in this passage of scripture that I want to show you that I think will be a help to you in your everyday life. The most important thing you can do is to repent of your sin and get saved. If you're here today and you know for certain that if you were to die today, you'd spend eternity in heaven because you've trusted in Christ and Christ alone for your salvation, you're saved. If you're saved today, would you say amen? Amen. Isn't it wonderful to know you're saved? Oh, it's wonderful. If you're here today and you've never been saved, don't you leave here without talking to somebody like me that loves you. I'd like to show you from the Bible how you can go to heaven when you die because of what Jesus did on the first day of the week, the first Easter Sunday. For those of us who are saved, there's lots of wonderful things that we can apply to our lives and victories that we have because of the victory that Jesus gained when he defeated death, hell, and the grave. We need to remember the resurrection. Number one this morning, the resurrection reminds us that God is greater than our obstacles. Let me show you something in this story. This is a wonderful story. Mary Magdalene and Salome and Mary, the mother of James, they're going to the tomb. to anoint the body of Jesus. It's the third day, it's early in the morning, on Sunday morning, first day of the week. And they're going to anoint the body of Jesus, and they have an interesting scenario, what happens here. The Bible says in verse one, when the Sabbath was passed, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome had brought sweet spices that they might come and anoint him. Verse number two, very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they came into the sepulchre, the rising of the sun. Verse 3, and they said among themselves, who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher? What did they find? They're on their way to the tomb where Jesus is, and they're going to anoint his body. It's sad to me to think that these ladies who had followed Jesus so closely, women of faith, who had forgotten what Jesus had promised. It breaks my heart to think about these little seasons in our lives where we forget that God has promised to be faithful and we wring our hands and we fret and we worry about this and that and everything, but really and truly God's got it under control the whole time. They're on their way to anoint his body. Jesus already said, on the third day I'll rise again. But they're carrying the spices to anoint his dead body. And on their way, not only are they concerned about their Savior being dead, they're also worried that the stone was so heavy in front of the tomb that it couldn't roll away. The Bible says something interesting in the fourth verse. And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away for it was very great. That morning God had sent an earthquake and some angels and rolled that heavy stone that the Romans had used to seal the grave of Jesus. Now I want to tell you something really simple. I want to remind you when we think about the resurrected Savior that the resurrection reminds us that God is greater than our obstacles. What were they worried about? They were worried, first of all, that Jesus was dead. They were also worried that the stone in front of the tomb was too heavy for them to move. But what did God do? The resurrected Savior took care of the obstacles that stood before them in their lives. I'm so thankful that I serve a God that cares about the things that burden me. How many of you are looking ahead to the next few days and you see an obstacle? How many of you can identify an obstacle? I've got one. I want to remind you of something. Because Jesus is alive, because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because the resurrected Savior reminds me that God is bigger than my obstacles. The stones that need to be moved, God will move them. The victories that need to be won, God will give them. And you, as a child of God, can rest in the resurrected Savior and in His power. because God is greater than our obstacles. Number two, the resurrection reminds us that God forgives sin. This is so wonderful to me. The Bible says in verse number five, and entering into the sepulcher, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment, and they were afraid. You remember the angel of the Lord in the tomb? And he saith unto them, be not affrighted. I don't know about you, but I kind of like that word, affrighted. It's kind of an odd word. Be not affrighted. If you're talking about, tell your children tonight, be not affrighted. He saith unto them, Be not affrighted. Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified. He is risen. He is not here. Behold the place where they laid him. But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter. that he goeth before you into Galilee. Now this is fascinating to me. God says, hey, angel servant of mine, when you talk to those girls when they come to the tomb that I've already rolled the stone away, when you talk to those girls and you let them know and remind them I've been raised from the dead, here's exactly what I want you to say. You tell them. You send them a message. Tell his disciples. and Peter. I love that. I'll tell you why I love it so much. Where's the last place in the New Testament we see Peter? Was Peter being an upright, wholesome, awesome servant of the Most High? No! Do you remember Peter? Peter said in the upper room just a few days ago, he said, Jesus, I'll go with you even unto death. And Jesus said, uh-uh. He said, you'll deny me three times before the cock crows. And he surely did. Peter followed afar off. Peter failed miserably to stand up for Jesus. Peter denied him three times. Peter, when the cock crew, he denied the Lord and Jesus looks at him from a distance. as he's going to the cross, and they look eyeball to eyeball, and Peter had followed afar off, and Peter had failed miserably, and Peter had dropped the ball. But the message that God sends on Resurrection Sunday, he said, tell his disciples and Peter that I've risen from the dead. You know what God's doing? He's like, hey, Peter, send a message. Let Peter know it's okay. Let Peter know it's okay. Oh, I'm thinking about that. And I know so many times I fail. So many times I drop the ball. So many times I've come up short. And I'm thankful that God sends a message. Hey, I love my people. And you too, Cody. I love my people and I love you too. And you fill in your name. The resurrected Savior reminds us that God forgives sin. He rose from the dead so that we could be forgiven. And he sends a little message to Peter. Peter, I've not cast you to the side. Peter, I've not given up hope on you. Peter, I've not dropped you. You dropped me, I've not dropped you. I love you. The resurrected Savior reminds us that God forgives sin. The resurrection, number three, reminds us that God's word can be trusted. Look at what the Bible says in verse number seven. Go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee. There shall you see him as he said unto you. What does God teach us? God teaches he's always going to keep his word. The angel of the Lord reminds us that Jesus had prophesied and said that he would be buried and rise again from the dead. If you'll look back just a few pages in your Bible, it won't take but just a second, Mark chapter number 9. Look at Mark chapter number 9. Jesus was speaking to his disciples. Mark chapter 9 and verse number 9. Mark 9, 9, the Bible says, and as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen. They had come off the Mount of Transfiguration, till the Son of Man were risen from the dead. And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean. Verse 31. For he taught his disciples and said to them, the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him. And after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day." What did Jesus do? He did exactly what he said he would do. When Jesus said, I'll rise the third day, you could guarantee it, he'll rise the third day. But you know what that reminds me of? Because Jesus has kept his word consistently and persistently, I can trust it. You see, when the Bible says, but my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches and glory, that's a promise that you and I can claim. When the Bible says we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, we can trust it. When the Bible says that we confess our sins, He's faithful and just, forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness, you can trust it. When the Bible says whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved, you can trust it. When God says, I will never leave you nor forsake you, you can trust it. When the Bible says, fear thou not for I am with thee, you can trust it. When the Bible says, be not dismayed, I am thy God, you can trust it. He is your God, He will be your God, He wants to be your Savior. The resurrected Savior reminds us that God is faithful to keep His Word. The resurrection reminds us that God's Word can be trusted. Finally, number four, the resurrection reminds us that sorrow of the hope we have in Jesus. You remember the characters of the resurrection? Man, they were devastated. Mary and Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome in our story, and the disciples, and the Emmaus Road disciples, those couple of folks who were going away with their tails tucked between their legs. broken-hearted because their hopes and dreams had been shattered on a cross and in a tomb. They were devastated. The Bible actually says in verse number 10, and she went and told them that had been with him as they mourned and wept. What's the spirit of the disciples at the after the crucifixion. They mourned and they were scared, they were hiding. They mourned and they wept. News comes and finally Jesus comes and proves himself risen from the dead. And you know what the resurrection did? The resurrection turned their sorrow into joy. The resurrection turned their hopelessness into the bright future and promises of God. And the resurrection reminds us that sorrow the hope we have in Jesus. How many of you have had any hard blows in the last year? It happens. How many of you would raise your hand, you've suffered the loss of a close relative or friend in the last 12 months, would you raise your hand? Hard isn't it? I'm going to raise my hand. How many of you have dealt with some tragedy in your home or in your life this year, would you raise your hand? Our hearts break, do they not? But I want you to know something, because of the resurrected Christ, those of us with a sorrowful heart can hope in Christ. We have a bright hope. We can hope because there's life beyond life and there's victory over death. It's not final. You know the resurrection is a theme that God was preparing us for before Jesus ever came on the scene in the New Testament. How many of you have heard of the character Job? Job, the book of Job, is believed to be the oldest book in the Bible. The story of Job accounts A man who was very wealthy, had a big family and lots of things going for him. And Job, he loved God. He feared God. He trusted God. And the devil questioned God and Job and his dedication and said, yeah sure, Job loves you, but he loves you for nothing because you've given him everything he ever wanted. And God allowed Job to be tested and tried. Some of the most devastating things you could ever imagine happened to Job. Among which was the loss of his children and family and wealth and home. Then his own health. Job, the Bible says, was in sackcloth and ashes with boils all over him. He refused to turn his back on God. He said something very important. He referenced something very important in the book of Job. I'll read it to you. Chapter 19, if you want to write it down, verse 23. He says, O that my words were now written, O that they were printed in a book, that they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock forever. Verse 25, he says, For I know that my Redeemer liveth. and that he shall stand at the lighter day upon the earth, and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God, whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another, though my reins be consumed within me." Do you know what Job hailed to? The resurrection, the truth of the resurrection. I'll just tell you, at this moment in time, Moses hadn't written any books of the Bible. At this time, he didn't have stories of people, Bible people rising from the dead. At this time, he didn't know that Jesus would rise from the dead, but God had been speaking through creation and letting Job know that resurrection is something I do. Job was a farmer. And Job year after year and time after time had put seeds in the ground and covered them up dead and dry and watched God bring to life something that was dead and dry. Job for year after year and season after season had watched the green leaves of the trees fade into color and fall off and the sap from the trees return to the ground. But he'd watch as the nights began to warm again, things began to bud and bloom, and the leaves would grow again. Job said, I've seen the seeds, I've seen the trees. I don't know how it works, but I know it does. I've watched the seasons, and I've felt the cold, and I've felt the warm again. I don't know how it works, but I know it does. And this Job, one by one, took the bodies of his beloved children, put them in the grave. His hope was, I know my Redeemer liveth. And he knew that what he put in the grave, what he put in the ground, because that's how God works, it would rise again someday. And Job said, I don't know how it works, but I know it does. He says, I want to write it down. I want people to know, my Redeemer liveth. Folks, I want you to know something. The resurrection of Jesus Christ changes things. Jesus died on the cross. He was buried. I don't know how it all works, but I know it does. And we need to remember the resurrection because the resurrected Savior will bring joy and peace and hope to hearts and lives. of people who put their trust in Him. Oh, what a Savior. You remember the resurrection, and you'll find God is faithful. He's faithful to remove the obstacles. He's faithful to forgive the sin. He's faithful to keep His Word. He's faithful to give you hope in the midst of a sorrowing heart. God is faithful. Remember the resurrection.