The Hope of the Resurrection: Is Your Faith a Human Decision or a Divine Gift?

[00:00:14] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Holy is our God!
[00:00:40] Mighty is our King!
[00:00:41] Mighty is our Lord!
[00:00:41] Ruler of everything!
[00:00:41] Glory to our God!
[00:00:42] Glory to our King!
[00:00:42] Glory to our Lord!
[00:00:43] Ruler of everything!
[00:00:43] His fame is high!
[00:00:49] His power is greater than history and everything Mighty is our God Mighty is our King Mighty is our Lord Lord of everything Glory to our God Glory to our God

[00:01:24] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Let me just begin today by welcoming those of you that are joining us via live stream, which that's pretty much everybody today of the Trinity Baptist family and those that would be watching at a later time as well on a recorded period.
[00:01:44] This is a special snow edition, if you will, of Trinity Baptist Church.
[00:01:50] Now for the second week in a row, we have found our Sunday services being disrupted by inclement weather that makes it too dangerous for folks to travel.
[00:02:00] We are once again bringing you via video the message continuing in our series through the Gospel of John as we come to this great 20th chapter today.
[00:02:17] But this is also a time that we need to just invite you, if you would like to participate in the offering today of Trinity Baptist Church, you can do so online at
[00:02:28] Many of you are already there at TrinityBaptist.com and if you are, you just click on the give button or donate button and it's a way that you can be a part of sustaining this ministry.
[00:02:42] I've talked to several pastors this week and to lose two weeks of being able to have in-person services due to weather is very unusual and very, very challenging.
[00:02:54] to make that up in the budget so I'm very grateful for the folks here at Trinity who do give faithfully and we just invite you if you want to give online today to do just that let me pray for us father I do want to just pause right now this time of our offertory prayer
[00:03:11] Just to thank you for the ways you do provide for us, for the way that you meet our needs, for the way you guide our footsteps, and Father, for the way that you see things that we can't see, and you, Lord, just guide us in ways that we would never imagine.
[00:03:28] And Lord, we're praying on this special Sunday, once again, as we find ourselves snowed in in this part of North Carolina, that you would just move faithfully through the means that we have here of being able to share the word through the technology that has been provided.
[00:03:48] So Lord, just bless each giver, each gift, that it would be done in obedience and faithfulness to you.
[00:03:55] For we lift this prayer in Jesus' name.
[00:03:58] Amen.
[00:03:59] This morning as we begin our time together, I want to invite you to turn in your Bibles, if you will, to the Gospel of John and the 20th chapter.
[00:04:08] And we go to the beginning of the 20th chapter this morning because if John chapter 19 were the end of the story, I mean, it would all be over.
[00:04:18] I mean, if all you could write is that he lived, he died, and he was buried,
[00:04:25] Then the biography of Jesus would really be no different than any other notable person in history.
[00:04:32] But you see, we move this morning into the 20th chapter of John's Gospel and it's here that we find the great news really is
[00:04:43] Great News.
[00:04:44] That's what we call it, the gospel, meaning good news.
[00:04:47] It's here in John chapter 20 that without it, we don't really have any good news.
[00:04:54] But if John chapter 20 is true, and we know that it is, then we have some great, great news.
[00:05:03] Now, I know you're listening at home, so that's a great place for you to say amen.
[00:05:08] Well, it's this event that brings the church into existence and gives us reason to really follow and be here worshiping even this morning.
[00:05:20] It's in this truth, the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
[00:05:24] That brings hope to the human family.
[00:05:28] So in the spotlight of chapter 20 this morning as we're studying God's Word together, you're going to see the spotlight fall on several key places and key people.
[00:05:39] For instance, it's going to fall on Mary Magdalene as she approaches the tomb on the first day of the week.
[00:05:45] The spotlight is also going to fall on a couple of disciples in particular, John and Peter.
[00:05:51] And then the spotlight is also going to fall on all of the disciples that gather as a group.
[00:05:57] And it actually comes to bear on a particular disciple a little bit later in the chapter, and his name is Thomas.
[00:06:06] And so as we move through this chapter, you and I are going to see folks as the event unfolds and what happens in their lives.
[00:06:16] And what you discover in the empty tomb of John chapter 20 is really what I believe brings hope alive in a life.
[00:06:28] Think about that for a moment.
[00:06:30] Hope alive in a life.
[00:06:34] Without question, the empty tomb serves as the centerpiece of our faith.
[00:06:41] Why?
[00:06:42] Because it's empty.
[00:06:44] Because it's empty.
[00:06:46] And because it is empty, you and I are able to rejoice today in a living Savior who impacts our lives at every moment of every day.
[00:06:59] It's not that way with a lot of religions in the world.
[00:07:02] In fact, over all the tombs of religious leaders of the world, there is a message that goes like this.
[00:07:09] Over the tomb of Buddha, there is a message.
[00:07:13] Occupied.
[00:07:14] Over the tomb of Confucius, there is a message.
[00:07:18] Occupied.
[00:07:20] Over the tomb of Muhammad, there is a message.
[00:07:24] Occupied.
[00:07:25] But over the tomb of Jesus Christ, there is also a message.
[00:07:31] and it says he is not here he is risen just as he said that is the message of the Lord Jesus that you and I celebrate as we come to study this 20th chapter of John's Gospel today and see in that message there really is hope that comes to a life I want you to
[00:08:00] Just wherever you are, turn in God's Word to this 20th chapter of John and begin reading with me as we pick up here in verse 1.
[00:08:10] And we're going to read down about through verse 18 and then we'll stop there and we'll work our way through this chapter.
[00:08:18] Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early.
[00:08:21] 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.
[00:08:39] 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 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
[00:08:59] Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb, and he saw the linen clothes lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around his head, and lying with the linen clothes, but folded together in a place by itself.
[00:09:17] Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also, and he saw and believed.
[00:09:24] For as yet they did not know the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.
[00:09:30] Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.
[00:09:34] 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, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
[00:09:52] Then they said to her, Woman, why are you weeping?
[00:09:55] She said to them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.
[00:10:01] Now when she said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there and did not know that it was Jesus.
[00:10:11] Jesus said to her, Woman, why are you weeping?
[00:10:15] Whom are you seeking?
[00:10:17] She, supposing him to be the gardener, said to him, Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.
[00:10:28] Jesus said to her, Mary,
[00:10:32] She turned and said to him, Rabboni, which is to say, teacher or master.
[00:10:41] And Jesus said to her, Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father and to my God and your God.
[00:10:57] Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples,
[00:11:00] That she had seen the Lord and that He had spoken these things to her.
[00:11:09] Father, I do pray in these next few moments that you would just let your word come alive in our hearts, that we would see and understand, and Lord, would be captivated by the power of this passage of Scripture in the 20th chapter of John.
[00:11:26] Lord, thank you, thank you for the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
[00:11:33] Grant us insights that could only come through and from you.
[00:11:38] and Lord, be shared everywhere we go.
[00:11:42] And I pray personally that you let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight.
[00:11:47] In Jesus' name I pray.
[00:11:50] Amen.
[00:11:53] Well, I want you to think about with me this morning as we dive into this 20th chapter that really and truly it's that message of an empty tomb that brings hope and a life.
[00:12:07] Now the Bible says that all of us have been given this commodity called faith, or this commodity you might call hope.
[00:12:18] In fact, if you want to turn for a moment, hold your finger here, and flip over to Romans chapter 12, I want to show you something.
[00:12:25] In Romans, the 12th chapter, in verse 3, I want you to look at what it says.
[00:12:31] For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
[00:12:53] See it again.
[00:12:55] As God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
[00:13:01] Faith.
[00:13:03] But listen, a key here is not do we have faith, because the Bible makes it clear we all do.
[00:13:12] But it's where we place our faith that ultimately becomes our hope.
[00:13:20] And you know something?
[00:13:21] It's where you place your faith that determines if your hope comes alive or
[00:13:31] If your hope dies.
[00:13:35] See, you and I don't have to look far around us to realize that we're living in a day where a lot of folks, well, their hope has died.
[00:13:46] We see it.
[00:13:47] We see it as we live our lives.
[00:13:49] There's a lot of folks that have placed their hope in technology and it's failed them.
[00:13:55] There's a lot of folks that have placed their hope in institutions and even in government and it's left them disillusioned.
[00:14:02] There's a lot of people that have placed their hope in religion and you know what they've discovered?
[00:14:08] That religion is a dead end street.
[00:14:11] Let's be aware.
[00:14:14] So many people around us, in our families, where we work, people we interact with, there is nothing for them to believe in.
[00:14:27] And they're reaching that and dealing with that every day.
[00:14:32] Someone has said, the whole world is looking for a song to sing and a creed to believe.
[00:14:40] Well, I think there may be truth to that.
[00:14:42] The whole world is looking for a song to sing and a creed to believe.
[00:14:46] People want to believe and yet it seems their hope is dead.
[00:14:53] But what I want you to see with me this morning as we look at this John chapter 20 together is how hope can live in you, just as we see come off the pages of this scripture.
[00:15:08] In fact, there's several things that I want you to notice with me this morning and jot down, if you will, as we walk through this 20th chapter together.
[00:15:15] And the first thing is I want you to notice that there is the seeking of hope.
[00:15:20] There is seeking hope that we see in this chapter.
[00:15:24] We notice right from the get-go that there is one that is seeking hope and grabbing hold of the facts.
[00:15:34] You see, the chapter begins introducing us again to Mary Magdalene.
[00:15:39] We're told in verse 1 what?
[00:15:41] The first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early while it was still dark.
[00:15:50] and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.
[00:15:55] I want you to circle Mary Magdalene's name.
[00:15:57] I told you earlier that the spotlight falls on different people in this 20th chapter and Mary Magdalene is certainly one of those to whom the spotlight falls.
[00:16:08] And to be truthful, we don't know an awful lot about Mary Magdalene.
[00:16:14] I mean, we're told what we're told here in verse 1, but we do know something also else about her.
[00:16:21] The Bible says that Jesus cast seven demons out of her.
[00:16:27] That's something we know.
[00:16:30] We also know that she was one of the group of women who accompanied Jesus throughout His ministry.
[00:16:35] We know that she helped provide for the material needs out of her resources.
[00:16:41] She was evidently a woman that was somewhat well-to-do and so she provided for the needs out of her resources.
[00:16:50] We also know that she was just grateful for what Jesus had done for her in her life.
[00:16:59] But while there are not a lot of things we know about Mary Magdalene,
[00:17:05] There's really one thing that I think is most important for us to note about her.
[00:17:10] When you read about the crucifixion of Jesus in John chapter 19, Mary Magdalene was there.
[00:17:19] When you read about the resurrection of Jesus in John chapter 20, Mary Magdalene was there.
[00:17:27] Think about that.
[00:17:29] One of the last at the cross and the first at the tomb.
[00:17:35] And I want you to notice what Mary Magdalene sees.
[00:17:40] I mean, the Bible tells us very clearly a lot of detail here about her trip to the tomb.
[00:17:45] She's on her way now.
[00:17:47] It's in the darkness.
[00:17:48] She's wondering who, I can only imagine, is going to roll away that stone.
[00:17:53] That stone certainly would have weighed several hundred pounds.
[00:17:57] There's no way in the world she could have moved it.
[00:18:00] But you see, she saw something incredible when she got to the tomb.
[00:18:04] The stone had already been rolled away.
[00:18:08] Matthew actually records the details of what happened.
[00:18:11] He says there was an earthquake, an angel of the Lord came and rolled away the stone and was sitting on that stone.
[00:18:19] Now, what does the stone being rolled away say to you and say to me?
[00:18:26] Well, I got great news.
[00:18:28] It tells us that death has been conquered and victory has been won.
[00:18:35] I mean I know that there are those that are listening to me this morning who have lost a loved one.
[00:18:40] I've lost loved ones.
[00:18:42] And what this says to us is that there is a joy that can run deep down inside us this morning in knowing that the fact that the stone was rolled away means there is victory for every child of God who goes through the tomb of death.
[00:19:01] There is victory.
[00:19:04] And there's also in verse 2, we're told that she runs in to Simon, or runs and finds Simon Peter and John, and look at verse 2 of what she said to them.
[00:19:17] Then she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, which by the way, just stop right there for a moment.
[00:19:26] Isn't that the coolest thing to notice?
[00:19:29] That the thing that meant the most to John all of his life
[00:19:34] was the fact that Jesus loved him.
[00:19:38] He describes himself this way as the disciple whom Jesus loved.
[00:19:43] See I think John would have truly believed that the greatest theological truth of all time is Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.
[00:19:56] It really is the greatest theological truth of all time.
[00:20:00] So Mary tells John
[00:20:03] Why?
[00:20:04] Because she's seeking hope.
[00:20:10] She's searching.
[00:20:12] She's trying to come to grips with what's really taking place.
[00:20:16] Now Mary's obviously made a very reasonable assumption, wouldn't you think?
[00:20:21] Now, it was an incorrect assumption, but it was a very reasonable assumption.
[00:20:25] Look what she says in verse 2.
[00:20:27] She says, "...they have taken away the Lord out of the tomb."
[00:20:34] You see, she's assuming that the enemies of the Lord Jesus have come and done something with the body.
[00:20:42] Well, we know, of course, that before too much time passed, the enemies of Jesus would sort of turn that around, and they would actually accuse the disciples of having come and done something or stolen the body.
[00:20:56] But I want to say something to those of you this morning as you think about resurrection.
[00:21:02] Either way you go there, you got a problem.
[00:21:06] Because if the disciples had stolen the body, why were they not arrested for defiling themselves with a dead body on the Sabbath?
[00:21:17] And they were not arrested by the Jewish Sanhedrin.
[00:21:21] But on the other hand, if the enemies of Jesus stole the body, then don't you know that days later when the disciples were preaching and sharing all over Jerusalem that Jesus arose and was alive, that the enemies of Jesus would simply have produced the dead body and paraded it through the streets?
[00:21:45] And buddy, listen, if they had done that, it would have been all over.
[00:21:49] So the tomb is empty.
[00:21:54] Mary is talking to Peter.
[00:21:56] She's sharing her perspective.
[00:21:59] She's seeking hope.
[00:22:01] In fact, I see Mary here in these first few verses and I just see a woman who is trying to understand.
[00:22:07] I see a woman who is trying to comprehend what she has seen with her own eyes.
[00:22:14] And I have to stop and realize
[00:22:18] that truly God honors those who are seeking hope.
[00:22:23] Go back if you will for just a moment to Romans chapter one.
[00:22:27] Romans the first chapter is where I want you to look and look at verse 20.
[00:22:32] Romans chapter one and verse 20.
[00:22:35] Look what it says here.
[00:22:38] It tells us, for since the creation of the world
[00:22:42] His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.
[00:22:59] You see what he's saying there?
[00:23:01] The Bible is saying clearly that there are certain things about God that are very, very clear.
[00:23:11] Very clear.
[00:23:12] In fact, man's without an excuse because of those things that are so clear of the power of God.
[00:23:22] So Mary is seeking hope.
[00:23:26] That's important.
[00:23:27] She has seen the empty tomb.
[00:23:30] She has seen the stone rolled away.
[00:23:33] She has run back to the disciples now.
[00:23:36] And she has told them the facts as she sees them and the facts as she knows them.
[00:23:45] She's one who is seeking hope.
[00:23:50] But there's a second thing I want you to see here in chapter 20 that ought to catch our attention.
[00:23:56] And that is seeing hope.
[00:23:59] Not just seeking hope, but secondly seeing hope.
[00:24:05] Look down at verse 3 and verse 4.
[00:24:08] We're told here that Peter therefore went out and the other disciple and were going to the tomb.
[00:24:14] So they both ran together and the other disciple outran Peter.
[00:24:19] John's doing a little bragging about he was a little faster than Peter would be.
[00:24:22] And came to the tomb first.
[00:24:25] And you notice there
[00:24:28] That it's Sunday morning and they take off running toward that tomb.
[00:24:32] Now according to verse 5, it says, And he, talking about John who got there first, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there, yet he did not go in.
[00:24:50] Verse 6, Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb, and he saw the linen cloths lying there.
[00:25:02] So here we are.
[00:25:04] It's Sunday morning.
[00:25:05] Both of these guys have gotten this news.
[00:25:07] They're taking off running.
[00:25:08] John comes to the tomb first.
[00:25:11] He looks in and he sees the linen cloths.
[00:25:14] And then in verse 6, Simon Peter.
[00:25:17] He has no inhibitions.
[00:25:19] We know that.
[00:25:20] And he does exactly what you would think he would do.
[00:25:23] He brushes right by John.
[00:25:25] He goes in and he sees the linen cloths.
[00:25:29] So, get the picture here.
[00:25:32] Look at verse 7.
[00:25:34] and the handkerchief that had been around his head not lying with the linen cloths but folded together in a place by itself.
[00:25:46] John gets to the tomb first.
[00:25:49] He looks in.
[00:25:49] He sees the linen cloths and a napkin.
[00:25:54] Round the head.
[00:25:55] Simon Peter rushes in.
[00:25:58] He sees the linen cloths and a napkin.
[00:26:01] But now really key in in verse 8 and following.
[00:26:06] It says, Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also, and he saw and believed.
[00:26:18] For as yet they did not know the scripture that he must rise again from the dead,
[00:26:25] Then the disciples went away again to their own home.
[00:26:29] What do I want you to see?
[00:26:30] There's some words that in these verses we've just looked at that need our attention.
[00:26:38] And it, to your eyes and mine in reading this passage, seems to be the same word.
[00:26:45] But they're really very, very different.
[00:26:49] Because three times we are told that Peter and John saw what was in the tomb.
[00:26:57] Verse 5 says, he saw the linen cloths.
[00:27:02] Verse 6, underline that phrase, he saw the linen cloths lying there.
[00:27:09] And verse 8, underline that phrase, and he saw and believed.
[00:27:16] Now why is that important?
[00:27:17] Why do I want to just drill down here for a moment?
[00:27:20] Because in the original language, all three words for the word translated saw, saw, saw are different words.
[00:27:32] And what you find is they start seeing hope.
[00:27:38] Let me explain that to you.
[00:27:40] Go back to verse 5.
[00:27:42] For instance, when it says in verse 5,
[00:27:46] and he saw the linen cloths lying there.
[00:27:54] That word saw there simply means physical sight.
[00:28:00] He just saw it with his two eyes.
[00:28:03] You see there are a lot of people just like that who see things
[00:28:09] You know what I mean?
[00:28:12] We see things, but we don't really grasp it.
[00:28:15] They see something with their physical eyes, but the fact of what they're seeing never really does grip their hearts.
[00:28:23] John got there first.
[00:28:26] He looks in and he saw the linen cloths.
[00:28:30] It was simply an observation.
[00:28:32] He just glances at it.
[00:28:34] He just sees it.
[00:28:35] But the impact didn't really lay hold on his heart.
[00:28:41] Listen, man can see the things of God clearly.
[00:28:48] I mean, let's face it.
[00:28:49] Walk out and see God's creation.
[00:28:52] Walk out and see the trees, the beautiful blue sky, and see God's majesty and His justice just in looking at creation.
[00:29:04] And yet, man may never really see that.
[00:29:09] In fact, Jesus in Matthew 13, 13 said, it is possible to see and yet not see.
[00:29:19] I mean, let me just ask you to think about something this morning.
[00:29:22] What do you see when you look at God's world?
[00:29:26] What do you see when you look at His creation?
[00:29:30] I'll tell you what I see.
[00:29:31] I see everywhere the evidences of the existence of God.
[00:29:39] I really do.
[00:29:40] Everywhere I look.
[00:29:41] When I see a tree, you know what comes to mind?
[00:29:44] When I look at a big oak tree?
[00:29:45] God made that tree.
[00:29:47] You know what I see when I look up and see the blue sky?
[00:29:51] What comes to my mind is God made that beautiful sky.
[00:29:57] When I look out and see the snowfall, these big, beautiful, fluffy flakes that you've been seeing for the last, I don't know, 24 hours, what do I immediately have come to mind?
[00:30:10] God made that beautiful snowfall.
[00:30:14] And yet, there are thousands and thousands of people who every day look at the things that are clearly seen and that
[00:30:25] Well, they just never see it.
[00:30:28] They never see the hand of God.
[00:30:33] Look over, if you will, at 1 Corinthians 2.
[00:30:35] I want to show you something.
[00:30:37] In the 14th verse of 1 Corinthians 2, look what the Bible says.
[00:30:46] But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him.
[00:30:55] Nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned.
[00:31:04] They are spiritually discerned.
[00:31:11] The first word of Saul in verse 5, just the physical eyes glancing at them.
[00:31:21] But the second time you see that word saw is there in verse 6.
[00:31:25] It's not talking about physical sight.
[00:31:27] It's talking about intellectual sight.
[00:31:32] The word literally means to observe with intellectual understanding.
[00:31:37] Now it's interesting in verse 6 because it says, Then Simon Peter came, following him, talking about following John, went into the tomb, and he saw the linen cloths lying there.
[00:31:51] So Peter comes in, he looks at those linen cloths, and he also saw the napkin, and it means Peter began to somewhat understand what took place here.
[00:32:07] In other words, Simon Peter realizes with intellectual understanding, wow, something's happened here.
[00:32:18] But you know something?
[00:32:20] That's not enough.
[00:32:22] That's not enough.
[00:32:25] It is possible to intellectually be convinced that Jesus rose from the dead and not be saved.
[00:32:37] Let me repeat that.
[00:32:38] It is possible to be intellectually convinced that Jesus rose from the dead and not be saved.
[00:32:49] Remember Romans chapter 10 verse 9?
[00:32:52] If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your what?
[00:33:00] Heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved.
[00:33:08] It's not your head ultimately, but your heart.
[00:33:14] And that's what brings me to the third Saul that is used here the third time is there in verse 8.
[00:33:21] Because it comes back to John and it says, And the other disciple who came to the tomb first went in also, and he saw and believed.
[00:33:36] It's a totally different word.
[00:33:38] It's not talking about physically seeing or glancing.
[00:33:42] It's not talking about intellectually seeing and thinking with his mind something's happened here.
[00:33:48] But it's actually the word saw there is describing spiritual sight.
[00:33:56] Spiritual sight.
[00:33:59] And it means a word that brings hope.
[00:34:03] He saw and what did he do?
[00:34:07] The Bible says he believed.
[00:34:10] In other words, John puts the facts together and now he exercises a belief which is spiritual.
[00:34:19] With his heart, John believes and comes to understand that Jesus really, actually was resurrected from the dead.
[00:34:31] So that's amazing to us.
[00:34:34] When you stop and think about it,
[00:34:36] There is a seeking hope when we see there with Mary Magdalene, and there is a seeing hope when we focus on John and Peter as they came to that tomb and noticed those claws that were lying there.
[00:34:56] But then there's a third thing I want you to see real quickly, and it's the solid hope.
[00:35:01] Because there is a solid hope.
[00:35:04] Now I mentioned a moment ago verse 10.
[00:35:07] Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.
[00:35:11] Now think about that for a minute.
[00:35:13] The disciples take off home.
[00:35:15] Now you know and I know that back at John's home there's somebody there who would be very excited to hear what they had to say.
[00:35:27] You remember who was in John's home?
[00:35:31] Yeah, you do.
[00:35:32] Back there in verse 27 of chapter 19, where we're told that Mary, from that hour of Jesus hanging on the cross, that John took Mary, the mother of Jesus, to his own home.
[00:35:48] Mary, the mother of Jesus, was at John's house.
[00:35:52] So can you imagine how she must have felt when they got home and said, Mary, guess what?
[00:35:58] He's not there.
[00:36:00] God has raised him from the dead.
[00:36:02] Mary, he's alive.
[00:36:05] Mary, he's not dead anymore.
[00:36:07] Oh my goodness, can you imagine the jubilation in that home?
[00:36:11] Can you imagine the excitement in that home?
[00:36:15] Wow.
[00:36:18] The disciples returned to their homes.
[00:36:21] And then when you come to verse 11, the scene switches back.
[00:36:26] That spotlight goes back to Mary Magdalene.
[00:36:30] And Mary is on the backside of the sepulcher.
[00:36:34] And it says she's weeping.
[00:36:36] It says, "...but Mary stood outside the tomb weeping, and as she wept, stooped down and looked into the tomb."
[00:36:49] That word weeping, by the way, describes an uncontrollable sobbing.
[00:36:55] I mean, literally tears are bursting from Mary's eyes.
[00:36:59] Her heart is broken.
[00:37:00] She's expressing the grief of her soul.
[00:37:03] She stoops down and she looks into that sepulcher.
[00:37:07] And in verse 12, would you believe?
[00:37:12] That it says, And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
[00:37:25] So she sees two angels, and they're dressed in white.
[00:37:30] One sitting at the head, the other sitting at the feet of where Jesus' body had been.
[00:37:34] And these angels, dressed in white now, seem to be God's announcement angels.
[00:37:40] You say, what do you mean?
[00:37:42] Well, I mean every time you run into these particular angels, they got something to tell.
[00:37:47] You say, preacher, we're going to run into them again?
[00:37:49] Oh, yes.
[00:37:50] We run into them at the tomb, and Luke's record says that they say, he is not here, he is risen.
[00:37:59] Later on, they're going to appear at the Mount of Olives as Jesus ascends back to the heaven to the right hand of the Father.
[00:38:06] And they're going to be there to say, this same Jesus, who you have seen go into heaven once,
[00:38:12] will come again in like manner as you've seen him leave.
[00:38:18] They've always got some good news to announce.
[00:38:23] So in verse 13, they see Mary and they ask her a question.
[00:38:29] Woman, why are you weeping?
[00:38:34] And of course she answers them in verse 13.
[00:38:36] She says to them, because they've taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid him.
[00:38:44] And in verse 14, I want you to notice this.
[00:38:47] She turns around.
[00:38:50] When she said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there.
[00:38:57] Right in front of her is Jesus.
[00:39:00] But the note tells us she did not know it was Jesus when she turned around.
[00:39:09] Now that's true of a lot of us a lot of times, isn't it?
[00:39:13] Sometimes we have experiences in life and it brings us grief and heartache.
[00:39:18] It brings us tears.
[00:39:19] It brings us, I mean, as low as we feel like we could get.
[00:39:23] And yet Jesus comes to us in our grief and many times we don't recognize it's Jesus.
[00:39:32] Which, by the way, I want to say something to you this morning.
[00:39:35] If you're listening to me, please hear me this morning.
[00:39:39] You don't have a burden.
[00:39:41] You don't have a problem.
[00:39:43] You don't have a difficulty.
[00:39:46] But that Jesus Christ is not there.
[00:39:51] Now you may not recognize Him at the time.
[00:39:54] You may not even know that He's there.
[00:39:58] But I've got great news for you.
[00:40:00] Jesus has said in the Word, I will never leave you nor forsake you.
[00:40:05] If you're weeping today, just as Mary Magdalene was brokenhearted weeping that day, Jesus is there.
[00:40:15] Mary doesn't recognize Him.
[00:40:17] And in verse 15, Jesus said to her, Woman, why are you weeping?
[00:40:25] Who are you seeking?
[00:40:29] And then the rest of verse 15 says, She, supposing him to be the gardener, said to him, Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.
[00:40:42] And then in verse 16, do not miss this.
[00:40:45] Do not miss verse 16.
[00:40:47] Jesus said to her, one word, Mary.
[00:40:55] One word.
[00:40:57] Mary.
[00:40:57] Mary.
[00:41:00] Remember John chapter 10 verse 3?
[00:41:05] Jesus said, I know my sheep by name.
[00:41:09] I call them and they know me.
[00:41:17] Think about that.
[00:41:20] Out of Jesus' mouth comes that one word, Mary.
[00:41:28] When Jesus had said that,
[00:41:31] It was that same old voice.
[00:41:34] It was that old familiar ring.
[00:41:38] And she turns and she sees it's Jesus.
[00:41:41] And look what the Bible says.
[00:41:43] She turned and said to him, Rabboni, or Rabboni, which is to say teacher or master.
[00:41:56] I love that picture.
[00:41:58] That is a powerful scene.
[00:42:01] One word from each.
[00:42:03] Mary, Rabboni.
[00:42:10] What an incredible moment.
[00:42:14] Again, we see how this hope continues to build.
[00:42:23] A solid hope.
[00:42:25] A solid hope.
[00:42:28] As you follow through the rest of the chapter, I want you to notice one other thing with me.
[00:42:33] I want you to notice a surrendered hope.
[00:42:38] A surrendered hope.
[00:42:40] Because in the rest of the chapter from verse 19 all the way to the end, we really are kind of told some things that happened on the evening of the same day.
[00:42:50] All of those things we just talked about happened in the morning, but there were things that happened in the evening.
[00:42:56] I mean, we learn about two disciples who had been walking on the Emmaus Road and they had met Jesus and had returned and told the other disciples what they had seen.
[00:43:06] Peter and John had come from the empty tomb.
[00:43:09] They told others what they had seen.
[00:43:10] And so the news, by the time you get here to the end of verse 18, the news is getting out.
[00:43:18] And there's a lot of excitement that Jesus is alive.
[00:43:21] Now, Mark's Gospel tells us that there were some who weren't sure that it had actually happened, but nevertheless, we find here, when we get to verse 19, that the disciples have gathered again in the upper room, and they're talking and they're discussing this matter of the resurrection of Jesus.
[00:43:40] If you drop down to verse 24, it tells us something very important.
[00:43:45] Now, Thomas called the twin, one of the twelve,
[00:43:49] was not with them when Jesus came.
[00:43:56] Now that's very interesting to look at the disciples because just like us, every one of them was different.
[00:44:05] I mean you got Simon Peter, he's the impulsive one.
[00:44:08] We've talked about him a lot, a natural leader of the twelve.
[00:44:12] We've talked about John, the beloved one, more devotional, a little more laid back in nature.
[00:44:18] Thomas, well he seems to be one of those guys that look more on the gloomy side of things.
[00:44:25] In fact, when you find Thomas mentioned, it's always sort of in a pessimistic view.
[00:44:30] You might remember back in chapter 11 when Jesus said he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, it was Thomas who said, let us go also that we might die with him.
[00:44:41] Just again, thinking Jesus is going to get killed and we might as well die with him.
[00:44:46] And then later in chapter 13 and 14, Jesus told them not to be troubled, that he was going away.
[00:44:53] And it was Thomas who said, Lord, we don't know where you're going.
[00:44:57] How can we know the way?
[00:45:00] So Thomas was naturally one of those who was filled with question marks rather than exclamation points.
[00:45:08] In fact, I believe he was the kind of person that instead of figuring out how to do something, he was the kind of guy who would instantly tell you why it couldn't be done.
[00:45:21] So Jesus is going to come and he's going to do something in Thomas' life and I want to close with that today as we close out here in this 20th chapter.
[00:45:34] I want you to notice Thomas' situation in that he was absent.
[00:45:40] He was not there the first time that Jesus meets with his disciples.
[00:45:44] In fact, verse 24, as we mentioned, says he missed it.
[00:45:50] He was not there.
[00:45:52] And man what he did miss.
[00:45:55] I mean, Jesus has come to give them assurance.
[00:45:59] Jesus has come to give them an assignment.
[00:46:03] And he's assuring them, peace be with you.
[00:46:07] And we see all of that.
[00:46:09] I mean, if you understand the scene of verse 19 and following, the Bible says the doors were shut.
[00:46:16] And the reason they were locked in there, because they were scared to death of what the Jewish leaders were going to do.
[00:46:23] Word was out that they had stolen the body.
[00:46:26] Those kind of rumors were spread.
[00:46:28] So with every footstep they heard, their hearts skipped a beat.
[00:46:32] Every footstep they heard and every knock on the door filled them with all kinds of fear.
[00:46:39] But I love verse 19 because it tells me that in the midst of their fear, in the midst of their fright, in walks Jesus.
[00:46:50] and He stood in their midst.
[00:46:52] Look at verse 19.
[00:46:53] Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the 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.
[00:47:11] Peace be with you.
[00:47:14] That is such a familiar phrase.
[00:47:17] That was a greeting, frankly, that was very common in the day of Jesus, but oh my goodness, how Jesus carried it to a new level.
[00:47:24] And it's incredibly important that these guys would know the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
[00:47:30] It's so important that you this morning would know the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ, because there are thousands upon thousands who are living in their own
[00:47:42] Situation needing the peace of Jesus in their lives this very day.
[00:47:48] I don't care if you're a businessman who's facing a tough world of competition.
[00:47:54] You need the peace of Jesus.
[00:47:56] Or maybe you're a mom and you're trying to juggle responsibilities maybe of raising your family and at the same time having to hold down a career.
[00:48:05] You need the peace that only Jesus can bring.
[00:48:09] There are people listening to me this morning
[00:48:11] that need that peace that only He can bring.
[00:48:16] And Jesus says, Peace be unto you.
[00:48:21] Thomas missed it.
[00:48:23] Thomas missed the meeting.
[00:48:26] He was missing the assurance when Jesus says, Peace be to you.
[00:48:34] Not only that, he also missed an assignment.
[00:48:37] Notice what Jesus said.
[00:48:40] He said to them in verse 21, Peace to you, as the Father has sent me, I also send you.
[00:48:56] Now that's very important.
[00:48:58] Because here's the assignment that Jesus gives those disciples in that room.
[00:49:02] Very clearly he is saying, God the Heavenly Father has sent me into the world.
[00:49:09] And God the Heavenly Father, who had a mission for me by sending me into the world, I now give you a mission.
[00:49:20] You see, Jesus had fulfilled why he came.
[00:49:23] He was sent to die on the cross for our sins.
[00:49:26] Jesus came in response by being sent by the Father to be the sacrifice for our sin, to deal with our sin problem, to bring us salvation.
[00:49:35] That's why the Father sent Jesus.
[00:49:38] And Jesus is now saying, just as the Father sent me, I'm sending you.
[00:49:44] And that simply means, ladies and gentlemen,
[00:49:49] God's given us a world assignment through praying for those who are going to go outside of our community, by praying for those and giving to those who will go outside our community, by praying and giving and encouraging those who will go outside our community, by using your testimony right here in this community.
[00:50:13] Multiply thousands right here.
[00:50:17] Need to know
[00:50:19] From someone that Jesus died for their sins.
[00:50:26] Now I want you to notice in verse 22 how Jesus does something very symbolic.
[00:50:31] Read it.
[00:50:32] And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit.
[00:50:42] Now stop right there for a moment.
[00:50:44] That word breathe is the same word that you'll find used in Genesis, which by the way we're going to be starting this spring.
[00:50:53] Same word used in Genesis when God breathed life into Adam, the first human he created.
[00:51:00] You get it?
[00:51:01] God the Father breathed into Adam and he had physical life.
[00:51:08] Jesus in the person of the Holy Spirit comes upon the early church and they will have spiritual life.
[00:51:16] And so what Jesus is doing here is a symbolic representation of what's going to happen on the day of Pentecost in the upper room.
[00:51:25] You remember the sound of a mighty rushing wind.
[00:51:28] You remember they were filled with the Holy Spirit.
[00:51:31] Let me ask you something.
[00:51:32] Have you allowed your life to be filled with the Holy Spirit?
[00:51:39] What Jesus breathes on them and says, receive the Holy Spirit.
[00:51:44] But what I really want you to key in on is the strangest thing he says in verse 23.
[00:51:51] He says, if you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them.
[00:51:57] If you retain the sins of any, they are retained.
[00:52:04] So real quickly, in closing, what in the world
[00:52:08] Is Jesus saying there?
[00:52:10] Does Jesus mean that he's given you and he's given me the power to forgive sins?
[00:52:15] No.
[00:52:17] We all know that's not true.
[00:52:19] No human being has the power to forgive sin.
[00:52:22] Only God forgives sin.
[00:52:24] And the only way you and I would qualify to forgive anybody's sin is to be sinless ourselves.
[00:52:31] And we know that's not true.
[00:52:33] You say, then what does Jesus mean in verse 23?
[00:52:37] Well keep in mind the literal reading or translation of this verse.
[00:52:45] The literal translation is whosoever sins you forgive are already forgiven.
[00:52:54] Whosoever sins you forgive are already forgiven.
[00:53:01] Jesus is not saying that we have the power to forgive sin.
[00:53:06] He's saying we proclaim the message of the forgiveness of sin.
[00:53:14] Think about it this way.
[00:53:17] Jesus is the one who produces the message of forgiveness.
[00:53:23] We are the ones who proclaim the message of forgiveness.
[00:53:30] Let me rephrase that.
[00:53:32] Jesus is the one who produces the miracle of forgiveness.
[00:53:37] You and I are the ones who proclaim the message of forgiveness.
[00:53:43] And it's happened in my life plenty of times, hundreds of times over the years, and it probably has in yours.
[00:53:50] You know how it works.
[00:53:51] You go into a home, you take the simple message of salvation, all of sin, and come short of the glory of God.
[00:53:59] The wages of sin is death.
[00:54:01] But the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.
[00:54:05] Christ died on the cross in our place.
[00:54:08] And if we confess our sins, He is faithful and He is just to forgive us.
[00:54:13] And then I ask folks, as you have asked folks, will you ask God to forgive you of your sins and ask Jesus into your heart?
[00:54:23] And they do.
[00:54:23] And when they do, I can proclaim on the authority of God's Word
[00:54:30] Your sins are forgiven.
[00:54:34] Now, if the folks reject and they say, no, I'll not accept Jesus as my Savior, then I will say on the authority of the gospel, your sins are not forgiven and you are still living in your sin.
[00:54:52] Ladies and gentlemen, the church is here to do business with people about their sin problem.
[00:55:00] We have a message to announce that Christ has paid the price for sins and that through faith in Jesus, sins can be forgiven.
[00:55:13] There's somebody listening to me today and you would say, Preacher, I sinned shamefully.
[00:55:19] I've sinned tragically.
[00:55:21] I've sinned desperately.
[00:55:24] But the message for you is so clear that
[00:55:28] If you will receive Jesus today, you can be forgiven this morning.
[00:55:37] Thomas missed all that.
[00:55:40] He missed the assurance.
[00:55:42] He missed the assignment.
[00:55:47] But I also want you to understand and see as we close Thomas' skepticism.
[00:55:54] Thomas was skeptical.
[00:55:56] Look at verse...
[00:55:58] 24.
[00:55:59] Thomas called the twin when the twelve was not with them when Jesus came.
[00:56:04] The other disciples therefore told him, We have seen the Lord.
[00:56:07] So he said to them, Unless I see his hands, 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.
[00:56:19] Oh my goodness.
[00:56:21] Underline that phrase.
[00:56:22] I will not believe.
[00:56:26] Look at the testimony he rejects.
[00:56:28] I mean, Thomas has heard the other disciples have seen the Lord.
[00:56:32] They're all worked up about it.
[00:56:34] He's got the testimony of ten eyewitnesses.
[00:56:37] He's got the testimony of his closest friends.
[00:56:41] And yet he rejects the testimony.
[00:56:44] The disciples are so worked up, obviously they're so excited, and they say, Thomas, what a time we had!
[00:56:51] He's alive!
[00:56:52] He's risen!
[00:56:53] He was right here, Thomas!
[00:56:57] He just shakes his head.
[00:56:58] He says, I just don't believe it.
[00:57:01] And in verse 25, that's such an important verse because he sets up a test.
[00:57:08] What does Thomas say in verse 25, basically?
[00:57:11] He says, you gotta show me.
[00:57:15] I gotta see it for myself.
[00:57:19] I've gotta be convinced for myself.
[00:57:23] And what he does in verse 25 is establish the conditions by which he will believe.
[00:57:33] You see, that's a real problem.
[00:57:36] There's intellectual skepticism that had taken over in Thomas.
[00:57:46] And there are intellectual skeptics today.
[00:57:49] See, Thomas has a head problem here.
[00:57:52] He's now an intellectual skeptic who has said, I will not believe unless dot dot dot, fill in the blank.
[00:58:01] But that's not the only type of skepticism.
[00:58:04] There are people listening to me today that are scientific skeptics.
[00:58:07] They say, if God will not confine himself to my test tube and submit to my analysis, I'll not believe him.
[00:58:15] As if you could prove the existence and reality of God in your own little test tube.
[00:58:20] And there's some things that can't be proven by scientific method.
[00:58:23] Let's face it.
[00:58:24] Things like love, things like justice, things like hope.
[00:58:29] How do you measure love?
[00:58:31] How do you count hope?
[00:58:34] And then there's the philosophical skeptic who says that God's got to narrow himself to the limit of the confines of your own intelligence.
[00:58:44] Friend, I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want a God that was limited to the understanding of my finite mind.
[00:58:52] If I could totally understand it, it wouldn't be...
[00:59:00] The Almighty God that I know.
[00:59:02] No way.
[00:59:04] Our God is an awesome God and you can't make a little test and put God in your system of logic or say, then I just won't believe.
[00:59:15] And then of course there's a religious skeptic who says that God's got to bring Himself within the limits of my religious perspective and I'll provide the system through which God can work and if He doesn't work the way that I say He ought to work then I'm not going to believe.
[00:59:32] I got news for you.
[00:59:34] God will never confine Himself to your opinions and your religious system because God is bigger than your system or my system or anything else we could create.
[00:59:45] My point is Thomas is now a skeptic.
[00:59:49] He set up a test and says, I got to see it to believe it.
[00:59:55] I got to see it to believe it.
[00:59:58] And by the way, while that's a real big problem, it's not his biggest problem.
[01:00:05] Because his biggest problem is his will.
[01:00:09] I told you to underline the end of verse 25.
[01:00:13] When he said, I will not believe.
[01:00:21] See, it's not that you can't believe.
[01:00:23] The Bible says, we've already talked about it, it's given to every man a measure of faith, right?
[01:00:29] It's not that you can't believe.
[01:00:31] It's that you will not believe.
[01:00:35] And I've got news for you.
[01:00:36] Every person gets to the point in life
[01:00:41] That they have to make a decision of the will.
[01:00:47] I mean, if time allowed, I could go through all of the evidences that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead.
[01:00:54] That proves Jesus Christ really is alive.
[01:00:57] But you know, no matter how many evidences I list, it all boils down to this point.
[01:01:03] Will you believe?
[01:01:07] Because the moment you make that decision, I will believe.
[01:01:12] Then, you're coming on God's terms.
[01:01:18] You're coming on His terms.
[01:01:21] You see, that's Thomas' surrender.
[01:01:24] Verse 26, as we end, eight days.
[01:01:30] After eight days, His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them.
[01:01:35] I've wondered often about those eight days, what it was like for Thomas.
[01:01:39] But Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace to you.
[01:01:47] Then he said to Thomas, Reach your finger here and look at my hands, and reach your hand here and put it into my side.
[01:01:58] Do not be unbelieving, but believing.
[01:02:04] Do you notice Jesus used almost Thomas' exact words?
[01:02:10] That must have shaken Thomas up when he heard his words coming from the lips of Jesus.
[01:02:16] And it's as if Jesus is saying, Thomas, I'm going to condescend to you, and I'm going to show you that you might believe.
[01:02:27] But then when he makes that statement, he says to him there in verse 27, Do not be unbelieving, but believing.
[01:02:38] I like the King James Version.
[01:02:40] Where he basically says, don't be faithless but become a believer, Thomas.
[01:02:48] Don't be faithless but become a believer.
[01:02:53] And what happens when Thomas is confronted with the presence of the living Christ?
[01:02:58] When Thomas saw these wounds and remembered that those wounds represented what Jesus had done for him on the cross, when he heard his words, I think Thomas was totally convinced.
[01:03:13] And one thing you can say for a person like Thomas, when the evidence was there, he's 100% totally surrendered.
[01:03:24] You can even picture it, can't you?
[01:03:27] Thomas standing there, Jesus holding out his hands, grabbing his hand perhaps and putting his finger into the nail prints, taking his other hand and putting it into his side.
[01:03:41] I don't know how it went down, but I can only imagine that Thomas had to have just fallen to his knee right then and there and said,
[01:03:53] and my God, my Lord and my God.
[01:04:03] You see, there was a moment of surrender in Thomas' life that had to take place.
[01:04:16] And it's the same for you and it's the same for me.
[01:04:22] You know, the Bible makes it very clear.
[01:04:26] Blessed are those who have not seen yet have believed.
[01:04:34] If you're one of those that's been waiting for a sign, if you're one of those that's been waiting for a wonder, God's message to you this morning is wait no longer.
[01:04:47] Surrender to hope.
[01:04:51] The hope that is yours in Jesus Christ who was resurrected from the dead.
[01:04:59] Would you pray with me?
[01:05:00] Father, I thank you for your word that you promised would never return void.
[01:05:08] I thank you for the power of the resurrection and I thank you for the way you lay it all out in the 20th chapter of John's Gospel.
[01:05:17] Lord there's so much there we've really just tapped on the surface of it today but I pray that every man and every woman under the sound of my voice would hear would hear your voice calling them for you indeed made it clear that your sheep know your voice
[01:05:45] and you know us by name.
[01:05:49] Father, move on each individual this very day.
[01:05:56] For it's in Christ's name I pray.
[01:05:59] Amen.
[01:06:01] Thank you again for your faithfulness.
[01:06:03] Thank you for tuning in to be a part of the service today.
[01:06:06] Again, it's been very challenging for two weeks to have to come to you in this way, but we pray that in the days ahead, the weeks ahead, that we will be able to be together once again, praising the Lord together in person.
[01:06:24] To Him be the glory.
[01:06:25] Stay safe, stay warm.
[01:06:28] In Jesus' name.

[01:06:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Amen The splendor of the King Loved in majesty Let all the earth rejoice
[01:06:53] and darkness tries to hide and trembles at His voice and trembles at His voice.
[01:07:18] How great is our God!
[01:07:19] Say with me, How great is our God!
[01:07:19] And go to see how great
[01:07:22] God is our God And age to age He stands And time is in His hands
[01:07:55] The Lion and the Lamb The Lion and the Lamb How great is our God Sing with me How great is our God And know with me How great How great is our God
[01:08:36] God bless you.