Sermon Notes

The proclamation of what happened at Easter is the pivotal point in human history, but it's often not as well known as the Christmas story.

Mark 16:1-8 - When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"
But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into
Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' " Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

Jesus died late on Friday afternoon

It was getting near sundown.

The Bible says very little about Saturday
Luke says, "And on the Sabbath they rested."

Then came the sunrise surprise
Matthew says, "Late on the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week."
Mark says, "Early on the first day of the week."
Luke says, "On the first day of the week, at early dawn."
John says, "Now on the first day of the week . . . Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb."

"Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!” - Luke 24:5-6

Many people believe the resurrection is GOOD NEWS, but aren't sure if it's TRUE NEWS.

The human race has always been troubled with what happens when you die

When Jesus died, his followers were disappointed, disillusioned, and dispirited...
BUT THEN SUDDENLY, THEY WEREN’T.

WHY CAN WE KNOW THE RESURRECTION REALLY HAPPENED?
Some people think that in ancient times people were gullible—ready to believe anything. C. S. Lewis calls this “chronological snobbery.” Ancient people were not stupid. They understood the dead tend to stay dead.

"There were many messianic movements in the first century. In
every case, the would-be Messiah got crucified by Rome as Jesus did. In not one single case do we hear the slightest mention of the disappointed followers claiming their hero had been raised from the dead. They knew
better." - NT Wright

As we would expect, Jesus' followers believed they were finished in the wake of Jesus' execution. BUT THEN TWO THINGS HAPPENED:
First, witnesses saw that the tomb was empty.
Second, Jesus appeared to his followers.

ON THE OTHER HAND, if people had reported that they had seen Jesus but the tomb still had Jesus' body in it, skeptics could claim those people were suffering from hallucinations. If the Romans could have produced the
body, they would have.

THERE IS ANOTHER REASON WE KNOW THE RESURRECTION REALLY HAPPENED - Jesus was discovered by 3 women.

IT WASN’T LONG BEFORE THOSE WHO FOLLOWED JESUS CAME TO UNDERSTAND WHAT HAD HAPPENED DIDN’T JUST AFFECT JESUS

THE STORY OF THE RESURRECTION IS NOT JUST GOOD NEWS, IT’S TRUE NEWS AND IT IS STILL TRUE TODAY