Mark 16:1-20.
Key Verse 6

"'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.'"

Mark, Chapter 16 is the story about the glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. In this story Mark tells us that the women who had followed Jesus were so faithful, but they did not believe the resurrection of Jesus. Moreover his disciples, who saw the Risen Christ, did not believe in his resurrection. Still the Risen Christ helped them believe in his resurrection by teaching them the Bible. The Risen Christ also commanded them to go into all the world and preach the gospel.

First, he has risen (1-7).

They say that this world is ruled by man. But everybody knows that a man is ruled by a woman. Why? Because women are wise and very faithful. For example, my wife Shepherdess Rebekah always notes when I am loosing my point and helps me to make my point more sharp. Here also, Mark begins his story by mentioning three women: Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome. These women had seen God in Jesus and had begun to serve him and his disciples out of their own expenses. Serving Jesus and his disciples was not easy, but the women loved Jesus so much. Unexpectedly, Jesus was crucified. On Sunday, before the sun rose they went to the tomb in order to anoint Jesus' body. As they walked, they worried about who would roll the stone away from the tomb. Suddenly, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. What does it mean that the stone was rolled away? This plain fact means that Jesus has risen!

What did the women do? Look at verse 5. As they entered the tomb, instead of the dead Jesus they saw a young man dressed in a beautiful white suit, like beautiful UBF dancing sister, sitting on the right side. They were alarmed! What did the angel say to them? Look at verse 6. "'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.'" Let's read this verse together. "'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.'" The angel's message was the key point of the whole Bible. It was good news of great joy to all men. Jesus' death was not a tragic death. It was to fulfill God's will for world salvation. As we heard in the previous message, Jesus died for all our sins as the Lamb of God (Jn.1:29). But God has raised him from the dead. In John's gospel Jesus said: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." (Jn.11:25-26) The Risen Christ gave us a living hope in the Kingdom of God.

When I was 15, my father slowly died at the hospital for two weeks. But I did not visit him, because death made all things meaningless to me, even my father's life. I lived in fatalism under the power of death. No one could save me because no one has overcome the grave. But Jesus rose from the dead. This Risen Christ saved me from the power of death. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the only Savior for all those who live under the power of death.

Jesus reminded them of the promise he made to see them again. Look at verse 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.'" In Mark 14:28 Jesus said to his disciples, "But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee." But the fearful disciples did not remember it. The women were beautiful and faithful and knew how to serve Jesus, but they also did not remember his glorious resurrection promise. They had no point.

Second, the Risen Christ visits his disciples (8-14).

The women who had heard the angel's message were trembling and bewildered. They went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. Still, the Risen Christ did not give up on them. Let's read verse 9 together. "When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons." Mary Magdalene had been an immoral woman. She had been tortured by seven demons seven days a week. But by believing in Jesus she was cured and became a heavenly princess. Now, this once wretched woman was the first person in history who saw the glorious Risen Christ. By the power of the resurrection she was changed from a sorrowful woman to a joyful woman. She went to the disciples and told them that Jesus is alive! How did the disciples respond? They were weeping and mourning, saying, "O my broken dream, O my marriage problem!" In self-pity, they did not accept the resurrection message.

Look at verse 12. Afterward, Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. The Risen Christ met them, taught them the Bible and opened their spiritual eyes to see the Risen Christ. So they came to the other disciples and told them with great conviction: he has risen! But the disciples did not believe it. These men were the ones whom Jesus had called. They followed Jesus and came to love him. They realized that he was the Son of the living God. Once Peter confessed his faith, "You are the Christ." After this event, Jesus taught them the meaning of his death and resurrection. At every opportunity Jesus planted resurrection faith in them. But when Jesus was crucified, they were paralyzed with fear and could not remember even one word of Jesus.

What did Jesus do with his unbelieving disciples? Let's read verse 14 together. "Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen." The Risen Christ visited his disciples and rebuked them for their lack of faith. They decided not to believe because their hearts were stubborn. The disciples followed Jesus to learn of him. But they had a fixed idea that Jesus would establish the earthly messianic kingdom, and each of them would be his cabinet members. Today there are many fixed ideas in students' minds. A main one is: "money can make me happy." In the Ukraine people have another fixed idea, that immigrating to a rich country will make them happy. Such fixed ideas make our hearts stubborn and don't allow us to believe in the Risen Christ and to live strong and happy lives. Jesus' disciples loved him, but in believing his resurrection they were so slow. So Jesus began to rebuke them. It is very dangerous to rebuke someone, especially while eating, but Jesus did so. Jesus' rebuking really worked. Through the Risen Christ's rebuking they could repent of their unbelief and have resurrection faith in God.

If we do not believe the resurrection then only one thing is left to do–eat and drink, for tomorrow we die (1Co.15:32). Post-modernism originated from this fact. But when we believe the resurrection of Christ, we can live strong and happy lives. Because we believe the resurrection, we can love and embrace our sheep. Because we believe the resurrection, we can go through training, grow spiritually, become one to one Bible teachers and go out as missionaries to North Korea, China and Muslim countries. Let's believe the resurrection of Christ.

Third, the Risen Christ gave them the world mission command (15-20).

What did Jesus say to these doubting disciples? Let's read verse 15 together. "He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.'" Jesus gave them the world mission command, in spite of their spiritual condition. Of course, Jesus knew that his disciples were weak. He knew that they were in a helpless situation. Still he believed that God would give them the power of the Holy Spirit. He believed that through these men God would preach the gospel to the whole world. Jesus wants us to obey his world mission command absolutely, no matter what the situation is.

Jesus also believed that the gospel is absolute. Let's read verse 16 together. "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." Those who believe in Jesus will be saved. Their sins are forgiven. Those who do not believe in Jesus will be condemned. Some people take the gospel lightly. They will be condemned to eternal punishment in the lake of fire. The only way to be saved from eternal punishment is to believe in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

After Jesus finished speaking to his disciples, he ascended into heaven and sat at the right hand of God. Then what happened to the disciples? Let's read verse 20 together. "Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it." When Jesus' disciples had faith in the resurrection of Christ, they became powerful servants of God. We cannot carry out the world mission command by ourselves. Never! But the Risen Christ will carry it out through us when we have absolute faith in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let's read our key verse, verse 6 together. "'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.'" May the Risen Christ change all sorrowful women into joyful women. May the Risen Christ change all fearful men into powerful witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. May the Risen Christ command each of us: "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." Amen.