Sermon Title: THE ENDING THAT SENDS US
Sermon Text: MARK 16:1-8
Sermon Series: THE PASSION NARRATIVE: FROM BETRAYAL TO THE CROSS
By: PTR NIC SY
Mark 16:1-8 ESV
When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large.And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed.And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. [Some of the earliest manuscripts do not include 16:9–20.] [[
SERMON NOTES
I. BEFORE THEY ARRIVED, GOD HAS ALREADY MOVED THE STONE
God may move the stone, but not always for the reason we came.
Reflect: What stone are you asking God to move, and what if God moves it for a purpose bigger than the one you imagined?
Because resurrection does not merely help us continue with business as usual. Resurrection changes the whole situation.
II. BEFORE THEY UNDERSTOOD, GOD HAD ALREADY RAISED JESUS
“alarmed” | ekthambeó (ἐκθαμβέω) | “to be utterly struck with terror, thrown into a state of panic, or overwhelmed to the point of complete physical immobility.”
The resurrection is not merely a past event we affirm. It is the present reality in which we live.
Reflect: Do you actually live as though the resurrection is true or does it remain a doctrine you believe without a life that reflects it?
III. BEFORE THEY OBEYED, JESUS WAS ALREADY GOING BEFORE THEM
The good news of Jesus is not chained to the perfection of the messenger.
Reflect: What will you do with the news that the grave is empty?