Getting More Than We Deserve
Easter Sunday, April 16, 2006
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, Thank You for this resurrection day! Thank You for the infinite power of Your grace and love that can even raise the dead! I praise You for fulfilling Your plan to redeem the world through Jesus, by vindicating His perfect, sacrificial death with resurrection! As we celebrate His victory over death, empower me with Your Holy Spirit, fill me anew that I may proclaim His lordship and salvation in worship, in my relationships with family, friends, and acquaintances, and that I may live that new life I have received through Him. Glorify Yourself in Your people today and everyday, that the lost may know the reality of Your power. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
God’s Word Today – Mark 16:1-18
1The next evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene and Salome and Mary the mother of James went out and purchased burial spices to put on Jesus’ body. 2Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise, they came to the tomb. 3On the way they were discussing who would roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb. 4But when they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone—a very large one—had already been rolled aside. 5So they entered the tomb, and there on the right sat a young man clothed in a white robe. The women were startled, 6but the angel said, “Do not be so surprised. You are looking for Jesus, the Nazarene, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He has been raised from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. 7Now go and give this message to his disciples, including Peter: Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died!” 8The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, saying nothing to anyone because they were too frightened to talk.
Then they reported all these instructions briefly to Peter and his companions. Afterward Jesus himself sent them out from east to west with the sacred and unfailing message of salvation that gives eternal life. Amen.
9It was early on Sunday morning when Jesus rose from the dead, and the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10She went and found the disciples, who were grieving and weeping. 11But when she told them that Jesus was alive and she had seen him, they didn’t believe her.
12Afterward he appeared to two who were walking from Jerusalem into the country, but they didn’t recognize him at first because he had changed his appearance. 13When they realized who he was, they rushed back to tell the others, but no one believed them.
14Still later he appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating together. He rebuked them for their unbelief—their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.
15And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere. 16Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. 17These signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak new languages. 18They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick and heal them.”
Reflecting on God’s Word
As you read Mark’s account of the resurrection, you may notice that it seems a little “disjointed.” That’s because there are two “endings” to Mark. In some of the ancient manuscripts of Mark’s gospel, the account ends at Mark 16:8. Others contain the additional information found in verses 9-20. As you read the account today focus on the actual resurrection event. What does the Scripture tell us that demonstrates Jesus DID rise from the dead and empower the disciples to move His Kingdom forward after His resurrection?
A Deeper Exploration of God’s Word
Review Mark 16:1-18. As you read ask yourself this question: If I had been there on that first resurrection Sunday, and was among the apostles, would I have believed the accounts of Jesus’ resurrection? Why or why not? Write your response and reasons below:
Understanding God’s Purpose for Us
What does Jesus’ resurrection from the dead tell us about God’s purpose for our lives?
Applying God’s Word to Our Purpose
On Easter day one of the key aspects of our application of God’s word must be PRAISE! After all, nothing in all of history is as significant as Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins and His resurrection to show that His victory over sin and death are final and complete! Take some time on your own to praise God for the great miracle of Easter, and then invest some time in thanking Him for what that resurrection means to you personally.
Thoughts—He Has Been Raised From the Dead!
magine the amazement of the women when they entered the tomb and heard the angel’s announcement that Jesus had been raised from the dead! No announcement in all of history could have been more hoped for and yet more unbelievable. The women had thought that they were simply paying their final respects to the man they had hoped was the Savior of the world, God’s anointed deliverer. They brought burial spices to ensure that His body would be appropriately preserved in death. Instead, the angel told them that Jesus was alive! The news seemed unbelievable. In fact, when the women told the disciples that Jesus was alive they didn’t believe it. How easy for us to condemn the disciples for their lack of faith, and yet if we had been there would we have believed it? How many people do you know who have died and come back to life? It was to much for the disciples to hope. Their dreams had been extinguished as they watched Jesus’ arrested, beaten and crucified. For them to believe that Jesus had been raised from the dead---even though He had told them at least three times that this was precisely what was going to happen, was just to much. Then Jesus stood there in their midst—rebuking them for their stubborn refusal to believe that He had been raised from the dead! Imagine what it would have been like to be standing there in that moment. The mix of emotions must have been overwhelming! Jesus WAS alive. He WAS the Messiah after all. That group of despondent followers, whose hopes had evaporated a few, short days before, was now about to become the most powerful organism on the planet—the Church of Jesus Christ. We are direct descendants of those followers who doubted then believed, whose hopes were dashed and then resoundingly re-established. Whether we actually believe that Jesus has been raised is the most important single question in our lives. If we believe it, then we know that nothing is impossible for God in our lives. If we believe it then we know that hope is never dead, and that every situation has the potential for victory. Let’s live this day with the resurrection reality guiding our thoughts, our words, our actions, and let’s make sure that the world knows that Jesus has risen! He has risen, indeed!