Life’s Most Important Question
Mark 16:1-8
• To read about the resurrection of Jesus is – well – just plain exciting. Jesus’ heart stopped bleeding, His blood stopped flowing, His human brain stopped working, & He was buried for THREE DAYS before HE CAME BACK TO LIFE is nothing shy of AMAZING! It is so amazing that many, throughout the years, haven’t believed it & refuse to celebrate it. Our text is this story in living color.
• Let me give us the cliff notes: Jesus was betrayed by a member of his inner circle. Judas was not just a member, he was the treasurer. Handed over to his enemies, Jesus suffered much. Declared innocent by the only one with the authority to hand out the death sentence, Jesus was scourged, abused, and killed by crucifixion. Joseph and Nicodemus received permission to bury Jesus. His body was laid in a new tomb, the massive stone was rolled in place to cover the entrance, and the stone was sealed into place to make sure no one bothered it. They did, in fact, prepare His body for burial (but they were just men). So Mark 16 opens around daylight on Sunday morning with the ladies headed to the tomb to complete what they knew the men had started. What develops is a landscape altering event which impact you and me even today. Jesus was gone, He was & is alive.
• Against the backdrop of the resurrection story we discover a simple message which I would like to glean from the words of this text. After the ladies arrived at the tomb, the young man dressed in white on the right said these words, “You see Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.” My question for you today is “Who or what is it that you seek?” This question is answered not so much by our words, but by our lives. These ladies were heartsick about the death of Jesus. The watched as the tomb was closed. That was then, but now they are coming back to express their commitment.
1. They recognized the obstructions – the stone, the seal, & the soldiers.
2. They recognized the opportunity – To see their Lord one more time, To make sure He was honored in death more than He had been in life, To give Him their all
3. They recognized the outcome – It might be said, ‘The potential outcome’ because they couldn’t see into the future – THEY could have peace of mind, personal closure, and move forward.
• They came seeking Jesus. The rest of their lives were on hold because “Jesus was indeed the sweetest name they knew” and the Lord of their lives.
1. Look at their APPROACH – The got up early in the morning to seek Him, their goal was to see Jesus. In the face of opposition, they made their way to Him. What was that opposition? The aforementioned soldiers, seal of the government, and the stone. Even though they face insurmountable odds, they came. Even though they had NO IDEA that they would actually get to see Him, they came seeking Jesus. Let’s us pause and apply that thought to us. You and I can honestly answer the question about “Who is it we seek” or “What is the purpose or the main focus of our lives” when we look and see what it is that we do or seek to do that we cannot be deterred from. Some say, “I love my God, I love His church and this is what I seek.” Yet, when we look at our lives & schedules, the decisions we make about faithfulness to God, participation with God, and to His church do not line up with the words we speak. These women would let nothing stop them from coming to Jesus. How many times do we allow the least little thing stop us from serving the Lord, being faithful to His church and by extension to Him. It all comes down to your most important question in life, “Who is it that you seek and what is it that you are focused on?” Allow me to point out one other truth: When you seek Jesus – God will make a way for you to get there.
• I love the way verse 4 is phased; “Looking UP – they saw.” What did they see? They saw the stone was rolled, the seal was broken, the soldiers gone, and they had a clear opening to Jesus.
• Had they not come seeking & they not ‘looked up’ – they would have never witnessed the miracle. Yes, they would have heard about the resurrection, just like today people have ‘heard’ Jesus is alive, but it is one thing to hear about it and another thing to experience it. Today Jesus is alive, the stone is rolled away, and all the obstacles have been removed – you are invited to approach Him, just like the ladies did. Why not turn loose of the other things you seek & seek Jesus? He’ll give you forgiveness from your sin, He’ll give you freedom from your past, & He’ll give hope for the future! NOTE: it is interesting that Jesus sends us the Holy Spirit, & at the tomb He sent an angel.
2. Look at their ADMONITION – I just love the verbiage in verses 6-7. The angel begins by trying to calm the ladies down. Think about it, they are expecting to find a dead loved one the tomb & instead they see a living being – would you have been ‘alarmed?’ Dr. Luke records that this man in white asked the most insightful question, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” Marry that question with the statement “You seek Jesus” & you can get a sense of the admonishment from the angel. He says in effect, “Look and see that Jesus, whom you thought dead, is alive. Here’s the place where He was laid, here are the clothes he wore, and here is the truth He tried to tell you. He will go before you & prepare the way for you.” Here is our take-away today: When we seek Jesus, we should seek Him as one who is ALIVE and LIVES FOREVERMORE! Turn to your neighbor and say, “He is alive!” Let us not act like our Lord Jesus is dead, He has overcome the grave, defeated death, and has risen in victory that we might live in victory.
• Look how personal this story, this truth, and this admonition is for you. Jesus died. Without Jesus, you are dead. The Bible says you are dead in trespasses and sin. Truth is, without Jesus you will die twice. You will die physically and because of being apart from Christ you will die eternally. How does this happen? The Bible tells us that those who die without Christ will spend an eternity in a place called hell, which is a place of darkness & punishment that lasts forever.
• When Jesus rose from the grave, He defeated sin, death, and hell. It is in His life that you & I can find/have life. Sin separates us from God the Father and Jesus’ death pays our sin debt & has the ability to make us right before God. Because of Jesus’ death, we don’t have to die for our sin. In Jesus’ resurrection, we are made right before our Heavenly Father. In scripture, on at least two occasions, the question is asked, “What must I do?” The Bible says, “Repent.” This is Jesus’ first & last word to mankind. This means to feel so sorry for your sin that you are willing to turn from it. It was those sin that nail Jesus to the cross. The Bible says, “Believe.” When God speaks the word to you & you know that your send sent Jesus to the cross and will ultimately send you to the place of outer darkness and eternal fire, you must believe that Jesus died in your place, for your sin, & that He offers forgiveness through His blood. You can’t pay that debt, but He has and He will, if you make the choice to believe. Then the Bible says, “Receive.” “The wages of sin is death but the “GIFT” of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Salvation is a ‘gift of & from God’ through Jesus & like any gift, you must receive it. It is only because the tomb was empty – that you can be offered this eternal life. Have you received this gift? Will you receive it right now?
• The story is not over. Many in this room are refreshed in their spirits to hear, once again, about the grace of God and can remember the time they received God’s gift of salvation through Jesus. These are the ones who have correctly made ‘life’s most important decision,’ & it is for these, who are believers, that the story continues. The young man admonished or talks to the ladies & finishes
3. Look at their ASSIGNMENT – Verse 7 stands as a repetition of Jesus’ focus.” The young man says, “Go and tell!” Ask yourself, “Go and tell what?” How about this: Jesus who was dead is now alive. The assignment hasn’t’ changed – In tonight’s message we’ll hear the final words of Jesus down in verse 15, “Go and proclaim the gospel.” This is not a suggestion or good idea, it is our assignment, our task, our marching orders. It began during Jesus’ lifetime & extends to today.
• The angel said, “Tell the disciples and Peter” which reminds us that those closest to Jesus had failed Him miserably. The disciples scattered and Peter denied Him to the point of pronouncing a curse. Jesus wanted to give these guys an opportunity to get in on what He was up to.
• This question can be asked in many ways, “What is the main purpose, focus, or drive of your life?” Ten days ago in men’s prayers meeting (I mentioned this last week), I offered to the men my one prayer for this congregation. It is, “That God does whatever is necessary to make us (not let us) dependent on Him & seeking Him.” Wonder what that will take for us? His calling is clear. We can respond or, more dangerously, ignore His call.
• Indeed, what is it that you seek? You think you know?
• In closing consider a few helpful, but painful questions: What is it that commands your first allegiance? In other words, what is there in your life that trumps everything else? What is it that you’ll say ‘yes’ to without hesitation? This week I read a quote from Evangelist Ron Dunn. He said, “I find it easier to say no to the devil than to say yes to the Lord.” Who you say ‘yes’ to reveals, painfully sometimes, what it actually is that you seek.
