He is risen.
Just checking you.
If you got a Bible, we're going to look at John chapter 20.
I told the first service there could be a little bit of astronaut preaching this here.
Is it still morning?
but
astronauts preaching
is you know when you
you read the text
depart from the text
never to return
to the text
it won't be that bad
but a little bit
well we're going to talk about the resurrection
and we're going to read the resurrection
story this morning and
the resurrection
I mean you either believe it
you don't and uh been to a lot of death beds went to a couple beds this this week and um one man
departed this world prayed we prayed on thursday and he was gone Friday pretty powerful
and um our hope is in jesus and the resurrection the other man i ran up to montana and talked to him
and asked him if he had ever asked Jesus to come into his heart, he's in his 80s.
Now's the time.
It's getting a little late.
And he said, oh yeah, yeah, I have.
And he humbled himself before the Lord as we prayed.
And so God is good, and he's gracious, and he's got in a hand extended to those who would come to him.
And this here is the power of the gospel.
what we're going to talk about today
and when we celebrate this day of resurrection.
And the Bible talks about two resurrections.
The first and the second.
The first one, let me tell you something.
That's what you want to be a part of.
The second one, you don't want to have anything to do with.
It's also dubbed as the second death,
the second resurrection,
because people will be resurrected to be judged
and cast into the lake.
of fire. And depending on how those who have rejected Christ have lived their life will determine
on what hot is hottest part of that lake of fire they're in. So,
praise God for the resurrection. For him being risen in the grave being empty. So we're going to,
I'm going to read the resurrection story. I'll try to be fairly quick.
it will be 30 verses, I think, or 31 verses in the Gospel of John, chapter 20.
And it says this.
It says, 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 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.
Peter therefore went out and the other disciple and were going to the tomb.
So they both ran together and the other disciple outran Peter.
This is a young guy, kind of got a little puffed up, and came to the tomb first.
And he stooping down and looking in, saw the linen claws lying there, yet he did not go in.
And then Simon Peter came following him and went into the tomb.
And he saw the linen claws lying there in the handkerchief that had been around his head,
not lying with the linen cloth, 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.
Yet as yet, they did not know the scripture that he must rise again from the dead.
And then the disciples went away again to their own homes.
But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the tomb,
and she saw two angels in white sitting at the head and the other at the feet,
where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, woman, why are you weeping? She said to them,
because they have taken away, my lord, and I do not know where they have laid him. Now, when she had said
this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there and did not know that it was Jesus. And Jesus said to her
sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.
and Jesus said to her, Mary.
And she turned and said to him, Rabonai, which is to say teacher.
And he said to her, do not cling to me, for I have not ascended, yet ascended to my father,
but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my father and your father,
to my God and your God.
Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had spoken
these things to her.
And then the same day at evening being the first day of the week when the door
doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood in the midst
and said to them, peace be with you. When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
And then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. And so Jesus said to them again,
peace to you. As the father has sent me, I also send you. And when he had said this, he breathed on
them and said to them, received the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any,
any, they are forgiven them. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained. Now Thomas called the
twin, one of the 12, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him,
we have seen the Lord. And so he said to them, unless I see his hands and the print of the nails,
and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.
And after eight days, his disciples were again inside and Thomas with them. And Jesus came and the doors were
being shut and he stood in the midst of them and said, peace to you. And he said to Thomas,
reach your finger here and look at my hands and reach your hand here and put it into my side.
Do not be unbelieving, but believing. And Thomas answered and said to him, my Lord and my God.
And Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who
have not seen and yet have believed. And truly, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his
disciples which are not written in this book. But these are written that you may believe that the
son, that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that believing you may have a, have life in
his name. Let's pray. Lord, thank you. Thank you for your word. That is, it's alive. And just like you're
alive. And you're on the ready, even today, to hear our prayer. Lord, so we humble ourselves. We come
before you, Lord, in this time as we look at this beautiful event, the greatest event in human history,
you rising from the dead, Lord, and giving us an eternal hope, Lord, it's an incredible life that
you've given us. We thank you for it. Help us not to squander it, but help us to honor you with
what you've given us. In Jesus' name, amen. So this is, this is sandwiched in between this day,
Resurrection Day and Palm Sunday, a lot of things happened.
It was a busy week for the Lord.
And this is called the Holy Week or the Passion Week between Palm Sunday and Resurrection Sunday.
Jesus spoke to some of the most profound teachings and final instructions during this time.
these words range from public parables in confrontations with religious leaders to the intimate
seven last words that he spoke from the cross. And so once he turned over the tables there on
Palm Sunday, it was game on. And he fired him up and it just stirred that fire of hatred
that they had for him. Palm Sunday to Monday, Tuesday, that's an actual
term monday it's a religious term he had public teachings and parables following the the triumphant
entry on the donkey that we looked at last week jesus taught in the temple where he spoke on the
necessity of praise right out of the mouths of babes praises perfected i love talking to kids about jesus
you ever talk to kids about jesus i like the one little kid said his favorite story was
the favorites was the virgin birth and Mary's immaculate contraption.
Kids need our help, but they do know how to praise Jesus.
When I was at the school, I'd be leading worship for the kids.
And, man, they would take off and start praising the Lord, and it was like, it was euphoric.
It was just like, does this what?
what heaven's going to be like?
You know, I'd be undone up there missing cords and starting to blubber.
It's powerful.
And Jesus talked to the people about this.
And later, other places he tells us, though, you come to me like a child, right?
I had my little two-year-old with me this week.
He slept with me a few times.
That was interesting.
It was the first time Papa had to pop him on the heine
he's kind of getting out of line.
You know, two-year-olds, they'll take over if you let him.
And I whipped his little hind in, and I mean, he looked at me like,
Papa, you ain't supposed to do that.
But there's never a time when that little boy has come up to me with his hands up
that I don't pick him up.
He just, he comes to me like this, and I pick him up.
And that's the heart that the Lord has for us.
He'll pick you up.
And we just got to let him.
We've got to humble ourselves and cry out to him.
And so in Luke 19, he wept over Jerusalem, and he challenged the misuse of the temple.
We saw that when he overturned the tables.
And the key moments, including praising the widow's offering, right?
And delivering the Olivet discourse on the end of times.
Something we should pay attention to in these days in which we live.
On Wednesday, while Mary was anointing Jesus for the time when he would be buried,
Judas was conspiring with the scribes and Pharisees on how he might betray him.
Just a little more money, 30 pieces of silver.
On Thursday, Jesus instituted the new covenant instructing disciples to do this in remembrance of me.
He delivered the new commandment to love one another and predicted his betrayal in Peter's denial.
In predicting his betrayal, we have one of the most hair-raising verses in Scripture recorded in two of the Gospels.
It's found in Luke chapter 22 and in John 13.
I'm going to read the John 13 version in verse 27, where it says,
now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him.
Speaking of Judas Ascariot.
And Jesus said to him, what you do, do quickly.
What you do, do quickly.
Satan entered him.
It is a horrific thing for a human to let his guard down enough
where Satan would enter him.
Now, we know that according to what Satan,
or what Peter said, excuse me, what Jesus said to Peter about Satan,
that he's asked to sift you as wheat.
Peter, Satan is asked for you by name to sift you as wheat.
But see, Satan can only go as far as God will let him.
Are you under that covering of the protection of Jesus?
It's a good place to stay.
Not only that, to beg for, Lord, please.
Lord, please, keep me cover.
covered. Put your hedge up, man. I don't want that dude getting after me. Because he gets a hold of my
heart. I'll do the most, yeah, hideous stuff known to man. Notice what says, Jesus says, what you do,
do quickly. Who's he talking to right now? Is he talking to Judas? Is he talking to Satan?
I believe he's probably talking to Satan. Satan has to serve Jesus. He has to yield to him.
He can only do what God allows him to do.
right we see that with the whole story of job just reading through the book of job this
this last two weeks has been a blast just like wow a lot of stuff going on
job asked that age old question if a man dies will he live again that's in verse chapter 14
and then in chapter 19 job says i know my redeemer lives i know he lives
God has put eternity in our hearts.
So Jesus is teaching all these things.
And then we get to Gethsemini in the garden.
Father, if you're willing, you can take this cup from me,
but not my will, but your will be done.
Pilot.
He tells Pilate, my kingdom's not of this world.
He said, if my kingdom was this world,
I'd call for a legion of angels.
I think Pilate didn't even know what that meant.
A legion?
We see in the Old Testament when Snaccharib comes against Israel and Hezekiah lays out the letter that Sanakrabah writes that he's going to destroy Israel.
Hezekiah lays the letter out there in the temple.
See what he's saying about you, Lord?
Lord goes, don't worry about it.
I've got somebody on it.
He sends probably Michael.
Michael, one angel goes and wipes out a hundred.
185,000 soldiers.
One angel.
Jesus has a legion at his beck and call.
But I like what it says two verses later,
when Pilate sarcastically responds to Jesus with a question, right?
He says, I've come to do the truth,
and Pilate looks at him scoffingly.
What is truth?
what is truth
is that a good question
how would you answer that question
and the truth project
with uh with del tackett he asked that question
what is truth
and then you listen to all these brilliant bible scholars
i can't remember augs last name but
uh john lennon and and ravi zacharias
and r c sprawl and they all give their take on what truth is
and they all really come to
a consensus that truth is ultimate reality. But what Pilate doesn't realize here, he says this
in verse 38 of John chapter 18, it says, and Pilate said to him, what is truth? And when he had said
this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, I find no fault in him at all. What's
interesting is Pilate asked the question, what is truth? And then he answers his own question.
because the truth is I find no fault in him at all. None.
Jesus was a perfect sacrifice, a perfect human being. He was perfectly human and perfectly God.
How's that all work? I don't know. It's bigger than me. My little pea brain can't really get a
grasp on that. I find no fault in him at all. That was what truth was.
That's what qualified Jesus to be the way, the truth, and the life.
He is the truth.
And then we have the seven last words on the cross on Good Friday.
Jesus made seven final statements detailed in scripture,
including requests for forgiveness.
Remember, he said, Father, forgive them.
They know not what they do.
The promise of paradise to the thief.
The entrustment of his mother to the apostle,
John, the cry of abandonment, Elo, Elo, Elo, Lama, Sabakhani, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
The expression of thirst, the declaration of completion when he says, it is finished.
It's done.
Finito, paid for, you and me.
What he came to do was complete.
And that final commendation of his spirit to the Father, into your hand, I commit my spirit.
See, all this stuff, folks, was foretold.
Hundreds of years before Jesus even came on the scene.
That's who God is.
He tells the future before it happens.
Isaiah, the prophet, talks about the virgin birth, the suffering servant, and the resurrection.
resurrection. Daniel the prophet talked about the eternal kingdom that would never end. The end of the age and the
resurrection. He talked about both of them, all of them. David mentions the deity of Christ,
the crucifixion of Christ, right down to his last word that we just read. It is finished. It was prophesied
in Psalm 22. I have the amplified Bible version here so it says,
they will come and declare his righteousness to a people not yet born,
that he has done this and it is finished.
That's the whole passage on the crucifixion in Psalm 22.
He talks about his bones staring at him and not one of his bones was broken.
Hundreds.
Over a thousand years, some, before Jesus was even born.
There are over 300 prophecies about the Messiah.
because most prophecy is about the Messiah, right?
They say the Bible consists of about 23 to 28% prophecy.
And so it's all about him.
That's what it tells us in Revelation, chapter 19, verse 10.
It says, for the testimony of Jesus, check this out.
For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
It's all about Jesus.
It's pointing to him.
That's why we're looking now
because there's more prophecies
about him coming a second time
than there was about him coming the first time.
The ones that said he was coming the first time,
guess what? He did.
And he's coming again.
And we better be ready.
So there was this fella,
an MIT professor and mathematician named Dr. Peter Stoner.
Stoner, what a name.
He'd fit right in today, wouldn't he?
Who wrote a book entitled, listen to this.
This guy's pretty brilliant.
He wrote a book entitled Science Speaks.
You know, it's so funny because people say, well, science in the Bible are, they contradict each other.
No.
True science confirms the Bible.
The Bible is full of science.
The word science means knowledge.
Colossians tells us that all knowledge and wisdom are found in Christ Jesus.
He knows everything because he made everything.
He knows how it all works.
And so this Peter Stoner,
he writes this book and in his book,
taking into account that 300 predictions are about this one person,
he did some calculations.
Most of you have heard this.
If you've been in Christendom very long,
you've heard this and it's old hat and I apologize.
But for you who don't, the numbers are staggering.
Don't they say numbers don't lie?
I think they say that.
Unless you're a...
Unless you're a wicked accountant.
And the boss asks you, what's two plus four?
And the accountant says, what do you want it to be?
So he did the calculations on the odds of this.
So there's 300 prophecies.
So he did calculations on eight.
Just eight prophecies.
The odds of one man fulfilling eight specific biblical.
Prophyses by chance are astronomically low.
And he estimated that it was one in 10 to the 17th.
That's a 10 with 17 zeros behind it.
What is that?
Well, I'll tell you what it is.
It's 100 quadrillion.
One chance in 100 quadrillion could one man fulfill eight of those prophecies.
quadrillion how much is a
I don't know I don't even really get a grip on trillion
except for I see the numbers just keep going like that
when they show it on the thing with the national debt
it's just like numbers just keep going
it's like in real time right
it's just adding up
and all of you have heard this story right
the visual that he gives about the silver dollars
over the state of Texas two feet deep
right if you took the it would be the chances
of filling the state of
Texas with two feet high of silver dollars, painting one of those silver dollars red,
blindfolding a guy, happening walk out into the vastness of the Texas wilderness,
reached down and the very first coin he picks up is the one that's painted red. That's the
chances. For eight prophecies. I'll say it backwards. Wow.
He doesn't stop there, Stoner.
He doesn't stop there.
He says, let's times that time six.
So the chances of one man fulfilling 48 prophecies, 48 of those 300 prophecies, one man, the chances are
one in 10 to 157th.
That's a 10 with 157 zeros behind it.
I don't know.
Maybe a gazillion.
I don't know how that goes.
So the probability becomes so low that according to the numbers, it is impossible due to chance,
indicating, listen, purposeful fulfillment.
That's the God we serve.
I thought it was pretty cool.
So the resurrection of Jesus is pretty significant.
Because it's kind of the pinnacle of what he came to do.
think about if he just died on the cross when he assumed that was it well he'd be like every other
religious guru Muhammad Confucius you name them their graves are full of bones but not our
Jesus amen so the significance of the resurrection think about these people right they come to
the tomb expecting to see the marred, mutilated,
chopped steak body of Jesus.
That's what they came to see, and they came to anoint him.
And they had been devastated because they watched it, especially the girls.
The girls sat there and watch a lot of the disciples fled.
John was there, obviously, at the cross we know.
And so they saw him marred.
Isaiah tells us he was marred more than any man. In other words, he was marred beyond human recognition.
You could not recognize him as a human because of the swelling and the bleeding.
The fact that he stayed alive through the brutality was miraculous because they didn't take his life from him.
He gave it up. He chose the moment it was to give up. You and I would have, we would have never made it to the cross.
We would have died from shock from the scourging.
And so it's extremely significant.
And think about, talk about PTSD, watching that.
I know PTSD is a real thing.
And I've not really experienced.
I've had some, you know, hard things happen in my life.
One of the hardest things that really hit me like a brick was doing the, I was doing the,
the concealed weapons training with the county and you do videos right you have these electronic
pistols so i went into this uh training and you're so a cop's standing right next to you and you're going
walking into this active shooter it's like a video but you're in the video and all of a sudden we're
in this school and we're stepping over people that are crying and bleeding and um and i'm in this cafeteria
and this guy steps out from one of them fold-up tables, you know,
and he has a teenage girl.
And before I can pull the trigger and shoot him, he blows her head off.
And the graphics are pretty graphic.
When I left, as I was driving away, I started crying.
I just like, whoa, that was so, because it was so real.
And kind of, in a sense, it's on your watch.
So, but to see this crucifixion,
of what happened.
No doubt it messed with them.
It messed with them.
And they're in this place.
They're afraid.
What they saw happen to Jesus, they're thinking, oh, no.
Right?
They're hiding for fear of the Jews.
Oh, no, it's going to happen to us.
And I'm wondering, is it the trauma?
Because several times in the scriptures,
when Jesus appears,
At the resurrection, when he resurrects and he appears to Mary,
notice she didn't recognize him until he spoke her name.
She recognized his voice.
You recognize the Lord's voice?
Listen, when the Lord speaks to you, respond.
Just say, yes, Lord.
Remember one time I was walking through,
I was staying with my grandpa after my grandma passed away.
He was in pretty good health and everything,
but I walked through the house one day,
and I felt this impression.
I'd never felt it before.
And it was like, tell your grandpa you love him.
It's just like, and I don't know.
Have you ever argued with the Lord?
I'm like, he's playing, he's playing solitary,
and he knows I love him, right?
And I mean, it wouldn't go away.
And so I said, okay.
I said, hey, grandpa, I love you.
He looks at me, he stops playing his card,
and he looks at him, he goes, hmm, that's good.
I don't know what that did for him,
but I mean, maybe it was just an obedience thing for me.
But when the Lord speaks to your heart, respond.
Right?
Just simply respond.
And so she recognizes him.
He tells her, don't cling to me, right?
That just meant don't cling to me now because I'm going to go.
You know, I'm good.
I'm alive.
But they didn't recognize.
recognize him. The two going on the road to a mess, they didn't recognize him. Why? We know he had his
scars because he showed him to Thomas, right? He says, here, stick your hand right here,
stick it in there. Here's my side. Go ahead. So was he so scarred? Isaiah tells us they pulled
his beard out by the roots. Was he so scarred that he was unrecognizable? Was it the trauma that
they saw watching it and the last thing they saw was him just a piece of meat? I don't know.
But when he talks to him and he confirms who he is, I like the one at breakfast, you know,
there's, Peter goes, that's it. This stuff is too much for me. I'm going fishing. Right? I'm going
fishing. And he's out there. And the Lord had told him, he said, I'll meet you in Galilee. And he's out there and they're
looking and they see this guy on the shore. He goes, hey, boy.
Lord is catching any?
I love the Lord.
He just seems to be so cool,
down to earth.
You catching any?
No.
Chuck it on the other side.
Try the other side.
Notice they don't argue with him.
Right?
They don't argue with him.
Jack in Luke chapter 5, they argue,
Peter, Lord,
I'm a fisherman.
You're a carpenter.
I've been fishing all night.
You're telling me throw my nets.
I know what I'm doing.
But nevertheless,
your word. And this time, maybe they had a little more faith than they thought. What about you?
You might just have a little more faith than you think. Why'd you come on Easter morning?
Right? Maybe you want your faith to grow? I want mine to grow. Right? Because I've examined all
the options, right? I could go the divorce and adultery and, you know, another chick route. I know
what that would do to my family. I could go the drug and alcohol route. Kind of tried that.
It's kind of blasé, actually, well, gets old really fast. Or I can go this route where I can stay
faithful to my wife. I can love my kids where they still come home. And I've got this hope of heaven.
and if I die and it's not there, I've lost nothing.
I've lost absolutely nothing.
Because I've put my faith in this, in him.
I got nothing to lose.
Got everything to gain and got nothing to lose.
If I go one of those other ways, I've got everything to lose and nothing to gain.
So I want to close today with six things on the significance of the resurrection for us.
Six things.
Really simple, real quick, and I'll do it quick.
Number one.
Number one, you might want to jot these down.
You can go, you can look at the scriptures or whatever.
Number one, the resurrection proves that he, Jesus, is the son of God.
It proves that he's the son of God.
John chapter 10, verse 17 and 18.
Therefore, my father loves me because I lay down my life that I may take it again.
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself.
I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it up again.
This command I have received from my father.
Jesus has the power of life and death.
He holds the keys that tells us in the book of Revelation of life and death.
He determines.
The Old Testament tells us in two places, I kill and I make alive, says the Lord.
when you got a God like that, it's a good idea to fear him.
So number one, proves he's the son of God.
Number two, the resurrection verifies the truth of the scripture, right?
Psalm 1610, for you will not leave my soul in shield or hell, nor will you allow your
holy one to see corruption.
Right?
So when Jesus resurrects, he goes away, moves away from corruption.
Psalm 110 verse 1,
The Lord said to my Lord, sit up my right hand
till I make your enemies your footstool.
This is the father speaking to the son
and calling him Lord.
Much like Hebrews chapter 1 that says,
and God said to my God.
The father calls the son God.
Not with a little G, but with the big G.
So first he proves his son of God.
the resurrection verifies the truth of scripture.
Thirdly, it assures our own future resurrection.
Huh.
Yeah.
This ain't it.
We're getting a new one.
We're going to be raised from the dead.
First Thessalonians, 4, 13 through 18.
I'm not going to read it.
Go check it out.
It's about the rapture of the church that we resurrect.
First, John chapter 11, verse 25 and 26, my favorite funeral verses.
Jesus said to her, I'm the resurrection in the life.
He who believes in me, though he may die.
Yet shall he live.
And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.
Do you believe this?
Love that question.
It assures our own future resurrection.
Fourthly, it's a proof of a future judgment.
The resurrection gives Jesus the authority to judge your life and mind.
It tells us in Acts 1731,
because he has appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained.
He has given assurance of this to all by raising him from the dead.
Number five, the resurrection is the basis for Christ's heavenly priesthood.
We've been going through this through the book of Hebrews, right?
That there's this priesthood, there's one priesthood, this one Malkesnik.
priest. His name's Jesus because he's the only eternal priest. All the other people would be prevented
by sin and death. Jesus is eternal because he took sin head on and death head on and conquered both of them.
And he is that eternal priest, the one with whom you and I have to do. No one else. No other mediator.
I don't have to go to my pastor or my priest or my bishop or my rabbi to get close to God.
I can do that through Jesus.
He's the mediator.
He's our great high priest.
And number six, it gives power for the Christian life.
You got power?
Power is from the Holy Spirit.
My boy coined a phrase one time we were just talking about life and the Christian life.
and he said the Christian life is a supernatural life.
It's a supernatural life.
You and I, we can't do this thing.
I can't.
All you'd have to do is following me around for me.
He'll go, Scotty, you need help, dude.
Right?
And I do.
But I got it.
Because I got God's Holy Spirit.
Right?
Romans chapter 6, verse 4.
Therefore, we were buried with Christ through baptism.
into death. So that's what baptism is all about, is when you go down under the water,
you're identifying with the death of Christ. You're saying, Lord, I'm dying to myself. Right? I'm dying
to myself. And that, and just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father,
even so we all should walk in the newness of life. And that's what happens when you come up. It's a
resurrection life. It's that supernatural life that God helps you and I to live. Because
powerful thing that Jesus came back from the dead, isn't it?
Romans 8-11.
But if the spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through
his spirit who dwells in you.
So the resurrection proves He is God's son,
verifies the truth of Scripture, assures your own resurrection.
Reaction, proof of a future judgment. The resurrection is the basis for the priesthood of Christ Jesus,
and last of all, it gives power to the Christian life. Amen and amen. Let's all stand, shall we?