Christ is Our Only Hope

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Christ is Our Only Hope

Mark 14:53-72

February 7, 2021 • Aleksey Khizhnyak

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Sunday Service - Feb 7th (English)

Confidence in the Word of the Risen Savior

March 14, 2021 • Andrey Bulanov

Sunday Service - Mar 14th (English) Text: Mark 16:9-20 Main idea: The message of the gospels and the history of the church clearly shows us that we can only root our deepest confidence in the risen Lord and the enduring power of his Word, not in our own accomplishments, success or plans. Outline: We have total confidence that the text of the Bible has been accurately preserved. We have total confidence that from its earliest days, the church had a firm foundation in the true story of Jesus' life, death and resurrection. The early church drew its boldness and confidence from the risen Lord in the midst of hatred and persecution Cross references: Matthew 18:20 John 20:24-29 Matthew 28:16-20 1 Corinthians 10:12 Application: Dig to the bottom of your heart to see - Where does your deepest confidence truly lie? Take a careful look at the Bible you hold. Do you fully appreciate the power of the story that has brought that Bible into your hands? Let this story distill into your heart a DEEP confidence in the accuracy and power of this book. When you consider the Bible, do you see it as just a book? Or do you see that behind this book stands the living power of the risen Jesus? Do you believe that this Savior is alive today, working to confirm his Word among his people, as he did from the earliest days of the church? Are you aware of how much you have failed Jesus? What do you do with your sense of failure? Do you welcome it as a continual reminder to hate sin and to walk in the confidence of the risen Lord? ----------------------- Read text (Mark 16:9-20) We have reached the end of the gospel of Mark. For me this has been a totally transformative journey. It has given me an opportunity to come face to face with the person of Jesus in a way that I have never done before. Before we dive into the issues of our passage today, I wanted to pose a question for us - Where do you get your source of boldness or confidence, both for your life and faith? The challenge for us is that most often, even in our faith, we want to draw our ultimate confidence and strength from our own spiritual stability, our purity, our performance, as well as the spiritual stability of those we look up to and admire. Now, just to be clear, it is good to be encouraged by your progress in the faith. It is good to be encouraged by your peers and mentors. It is good to look up to heroes in the faith. And yet, it is very important that we place our true confidence and source of power in the Word of God and in the testimony of the risen Savior. As we look at this last section of Mark I want to unpack this idea a bit more. As many of you have heard, there is a lot of questions about this portion of your Bible. Many modern translations have double brackets around it and have a note that says it's not part of the oldest copies of the New Testament that we have. When we hear of such things, it can be deeply unsettling to us. It seems to cast doubt on the accuracy of the Bible and our ability to trust it. I will start by jumping right to the deep end of the pool by saying that we can be pretty certain that Mark 16:9-20 is was NOT written by Mark and was not part of the original ending of Mark. Does this make me have less confidence in the Bible? No. Actually the opposite. What do we know about the Bible, and the NT in specific? How much confidence can we have in the accuracy of its words? We have total confidence that the text of the Bible has been accurately preserved. Prepare to think here! This takes us into some very important information about our confidence in the Bible. You can access all my outlines and facts in the church app when the sermon is posted! This next 10 minutes is going to be a mini lesson on where the Bible comes from and is ESSENTIAL for you to have in your back pocket when people make statements like, "Who really knows?? The Bible has been changed so many times..." The Bible was is mostly written in two ancient languages: the OT in Hebrew and NT in Greek. If we want to know the accuracy of the text we need to ask three questions: How many copies do we have? How old are the copies? How many difference or errors do we have in this copies? The answers to these questions are very simple and powerfully encouraging. How many copies do we have? Nearly 6,000 copies No other ancient text has anything CLOSE to this many copies. The average for things like Caesars writings or the histories of Rome are around 10-12 copies. How old are the copies? The NT was written between 45-100 AD The oldest copy we have is from 130 AD Thousands of copies from the 200 and 300's How much difference or errors do we have in these copies? 95% of the errors of unintentional scribal errors that are easily identified 5% of remaining errors are very easily corrected by looking at the rest of the manuscripts and comparing. Side-note - NT scribes are one of the most under-appreciated people groups in church history!! So how do we know that Mark 16:9-20 was not original? (this is just SOME of the data) The earliest manuscripts (copies of the Greek New Testament) do not have it Numerous church fathers and early christian writers such as Clement of Alexandria and Origen shows no awareness of the existence of the longer ending Mary is mentioned, others are ignored. Mary is presented as a new comer (as if we don't know which Mary is being spoken of) No mention of Peter or Galilee (spoken by the angel just a verse earlier The transition between vs. 8-9 is very awkward, especially in the greek because the subject of verse 8 is the women and the subject of verse 9 abruptly switches to assuming Jesus to be the subject Verses 9-20 have a totally different style and structure of language. 18 totally new words never before used in Mark Many of the manuscripts that do have it include it also have scribal notes and marks indicating that its an addition Existence of ANOTHER shorter ending The shorter ending usually occurs in the above witnesses between v. 8 and vv. 9–20, and reads as follows: “They announced briefly to those around Peter all the things they had been commanded. And after these things also Jesus himself sent through them from east to west the holy and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. Amen.” Edwards, J. R. (2002). The Gospel according to Mark. Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos. All of these things and more point very clearly to the fact that this section was not originally written by Mark. This comes from a very clear and obvious confidence BECAUSE the evidence for the original is so clear. In the small few passages that are like this, it is clear it's not original. ALSO it does not include or question any of our foundational christian beliefs. What is it? And why have we left it in? We have total confidence that from its earliest days, the church had a firm foundation in the true story of Jesus' life, death and resurrection. Although it is pretty clearly not written by Mark and does not stand on the same level, it has been preserved as a witness of the early church and is part of the historical tradition that we inherit. This added segment tells us some important things about the history of the that are immensely encouraging to our faith. When we look closely at this passage, we see that is a collage of testimony that is drawing directly on the writings of other New Testament authors about the story of the resurrection. What is interesting about this is that very early on in the history there were already fake gospels circulating, seeking to tell a different story of Jesus. When we look at this addition, we see that very early in the church, there is a clear vision of which New Testament writers are to be trusted, and which ones are not. This short section, is in many ways a summary of the churches clear confidence in the full story of Jesus, against all the false stories that were competing for their attention. “the decision by the LE’s [longer ending’s] author that the end of Mark was deficient [was] only possible at a time when the four Gospels had been collected and compared with one another” (Kelhoffer, Miracle and Mission, 15) Even before the full Bible was officially assembled, we see the Spirit of God at work in the church to clarify and guide the church in the confidence of the truth. Its interesting because this additional passage is in some ways evidence of the fact that verse 20 was taking place - the Lord was working from the earliest days of the church to communicate a clear message of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. This is so clear that early readers of Mark felt the need to add to the end, to complete the story, to make sure that everyone knows the full message of the risen Jesus that they so clearly knew to be true. Mark 16:20 " And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word by the accompanying signs." Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them.” We have total confidence that the text of the Bible has been accurately preserved. We have total confidence that from its earliest days, the church had a firm foundation in the true story of Jesus' life, death and resurrection. As we look at the historical witness of these two points we need to see here the powerful example of God at work in his church to preserve and communicate his word. This deepens our confidence as we see that there are CLEAR answers to some of the biggest questions that people bring against the Bible. This passage is like a commentary note to us from the earliest believers that they had total confidence in the REAL message of Jesus apart from all the fakes that were circulating around them. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were the ONLY gospels that were regarded as unique and true authority for the church. The early church drew its boldness and confidence from the risen Lord in the midst of hatred and persecution Notice the emphasis here: "14 Later he appeared to the Eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table. He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who saw him after he had risen. 15 Then he said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes; if they should drink anything deadly, it will not harm them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will get well.” 19 So the Lord Jesus, after speaking to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word by the accompanying signs." We have a strong tendency to put our confidence and faith in strong leaders, in amazing experiences, in our stories and our statistics. Notice how this text shows us that from the earliest days, in the midst of intense cultural pressures, the early christians knew that they BEST leaders were actually very weak on their own. They were a band of frightened men. Jesus is the one who comes to rebuke them and Jesus is the one who promise to them strength and protection on their mission. Notice that this text DOES NOT say that all christians are immune to snake bites and poison, etc. It says that they signs will accompany his church as it goes forward. They do not have power to produce these signs or control them. It's just something that will take place and when it does, it's a reminder that the Lord is with, he is guiding, he is leading, HE is your confidence. John 20 gives us this clear picture of Jesus challenging the unbelief of Thomas - "24 But Thomas (called “Twin”), one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples were telling him, “We’ve seen the Lord!” But (Thomas) said to them, “If I don’t see the mark of the nails in his hands, put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe.” 26 A week later his disciples were indoors again, and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Don’t be faithless, but believe.” 28 Thomas responded to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”" Matthew 28:16-20 16 The eleven disciples traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped, but some doubted. 18 Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Notice how these gospel writers are all agreed in presenting the disciples as imperfect, weak and doubting through this season of life. The disciples are frequently misplaced their confidence. They were confident in themselves. They were confident in their ideas of what Jesus should be. And their false confidence failed them in this time of crisis. Jesus walks into the middle of that failure and calls them to follow him once again. Why? Because failed disciples actually make very good witnesses to the power of Jesus. We often get this idea that the most confident christians are the ones that never fail, the ones that always have it figured out. That is totally false. There is no such a thing as a follower of Jesus who has not failed. There are only those who UNDERSTAND that they have failed, and those who deny it and plunge deeper into sin. 1 Cor. 10:12 "...whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall." Truly confident christians, ones who are following Jesus in joy and strength, are christians who are totally aware of their total weakness and failure. Failed disciples make the best witnesses because have a deep and personal sense of how precious God's forgiveness and grace really is. They know they are forgiven much. They know they are not worthy to be called disciples. They know every breath of faith comes only through the Holy Spirit who is in them. As we look at this addition to Mark, see this clear conviction, not just in the gospel writers themselves, but in the witness of the early church - their power was not the apostles, not miracles, not signs - but the fact that Jesus is ALIVE, he is seated on his throne, HE is the one who is WITH them to take this message to the world. They are weak. But HE is strong within them. Application questions: Dig to the bottom of your heart to see - Where does your deepest confidence truly lie? Take a careful look at the Bible you hold. Do you fully appreciate the power of the story that has brought that Bible into your hands? Let this story distill into your heart a DEEP confidence in the accuracy and power of this book. When you consider the Bible, do you see it as just a book? Or do you see that behind this book stands the living power of the risen Jesus? Do you believe that this Savior is alive today, working to confirm his Word among his people, as he did from the earliest days of the church? Are you aware of how much you have failed Jesus? What do you do with your sense of failure? Do you welcome it as a continual reminder to hate sin and to walk in the confidence of the risen Lord?

An Empty Tomb and the Message of the Risen Savior

March 7, 2021 • Victor Kuksenko

Sunday Service - Mar 7th (English) Mark 16:1-8 We are coming to an end in our study of Mark, today and next week will be our last sermons from Mark. The passage that we read, is a conclusion to the whole book of Mark. It is thought that the Gospel of Mark ends with verse 8, the following verses, 9-20 have been added on a bit later. The later verses serve more like a summary of Mark, rather than part of the story line. It seems because of the abrupt ending in verse 8, there was a need to finish on a positive note. That is why there were two different endings added very early in the church. The one that is in our bible is the longer of the two. Next week we will hear a sermon on the next passage, so stay tuned, we still think it's God's word. But important to realize that Mark himself probably ended in verse 8. For our purposes today we will treat Mark 16:1-8 as the ending to the story that Mark intended to have. The ending is unique. And we will talk about why Mark might have wanted to end it like this SO as Mark is ending this Gospel with the resurrection, we need to keep in mind the main purpose of the whole gospel: That is:"Jesus the mighty Messiah and Son of God obediently suffering to pay for our sins , and he became a model of suffering and sacrifice for his disciples to follow"." In Mark the central point is to show that Jesus is indeed the Messiah, the Son who comes with authority. And this Messiah came to die. The central point of the whole book was Jesus saying: "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark. 10:45). Jesus was rejected by his people, and betrayed by one of his disciples. He was left by his closest people and denied by Peter the strongest of his disciples. He was beaten and shamed. He was nailed to the cross, mocked and despised. He experienced the darkness of sin on our behalf. He felt the deep separation between him and the Father. And He died! All of this is to pay the ransom for our sins, and to show what it truly means to be a disciple of Jesus. That is the point of the whole book. Our text today points us to the empty grave and the message of the raise Jesus Christ, Yet the way it ends is surprising. Rather then joy and excitement, the women experience fear and silence Mark intends us to ask ourselves "What will be your response to the empty tomb and the message of the raised Jesus"? What will be your response to the gospel he wrote? Will you merely be a spectator, on the sidelines sitting comfortably in your chairs. And when the show is done, you go back home, as if nothing happened? Will you play a hypocrite, who comes to church, sings and worships God, yet in reality you are here for the sense of community, the crucified and risen Jesus has no impact on you and your personal life? Will you harden your heart to this good news? Will you coward in your own comfortable life, silencing the call to be truly a disciple of Jesus who came and died for you? Will you receive the message of Jesus Christ, and become truly his disciple? Will you live a life of sacrifice for Him? When we are impacted by the Savior of this book we realize that our life is not to find security or self-fulfillment, but to respond to the radical call of commitment to the risen Savior, taking the cross and following him. Our human tendency is to run scared and do nothing! The women in this story have seen the dying savior, they have seen where they have laid his body, and they were the first to see the empty tomb and receive the message of resurrection, YET...... their response to the command to tell his disciples is fear and silence. As we are going through the story ask yourself, how do you respond to the message of the risen Christ? Let's observe the story. We will make 3 points. PP The Women and the Dilemma Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome are the same women whom we read about watching the crucifixion from the distance In Mark 15:40 we read"There were women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the young and of Joses, and Salome" Two of these women witness the burial of Jesus, we read in 15:47 "Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were watching where he was laid" These women were on the sidelines of the story, but now they become the main character of our story today. When the Sabbath was over these women out of their caring hearts, bought spices to anoint Jesus. Mark specifies that this was after Sabbath was http://over.pp On Sabbath (which is Saturday) people could not work and the shops were closed. For us normally the day ends as we go to sleep and wake up with a new day. But not for Jews, for Jews the day ended at sundown around 6pm. That means Sabbath was over after 6 pm and the shops opened up, and so the women were able to buy spices, for Sunday morning. Let's put things in Perspective: Jesus dies on Friday before sundown, and Passover started Friday at Sundown (around 6pm). That is why they wanted Jesus to be taken down so quickly because at Sundown Sabbath is approaching and on it they celebrated the Passover. ANd they could not have bodies on the crosses on Sabbath. At the end of Saturday at sundown, the Passover and Sabbath were over, so the women were able to buy spices and prepare them for burial. The next morning before sunrise. Why did they buy spices? The Jews anointed bodies to cover the stench of decay this was done for people out of respect for them. Because of Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea who took the body of Jesus, did not have the time to anoint Jesus with oil he simply wrapped him with linens. So the women wanted to perform this honorable task. Even though Jesus was technically already anointed for burial in verse 14:8 The women went early in the morning on"the first day of the week", PP Notice Mark emphasizes "the first day of the week" This emphasis is also made by all other gospel writers. This was a Sunday, and since then the early church considered Sunday as the first day of the week and on it the church gathers together in Acts 20:7"On the first day of the week, we assembled to break bread". Christians have always from its beginning gathered on Sunday not Saturday. We don't agree with the Sabbatarians who emphasize that we need to gather on Saturday because of the Jewish Sabbath. No, Jesus was raised on a Sunday and we as the church gather on this day. The women were walking to the bomb, but it seems that they realized the dilemma during their journey . They were discussing "Who will role away the stone from the entrance of the tomb?" PP They realized the dilemma but still kept walking. In reality they didn't realize the magnitude of the dilemma. The gospel of Matthew points out that the great big rock was not the only problem but it was sealed and guarded (Mt. 27:62-66). Roman seal was a waxy imprint to ensure that no one could tamper with the tomb without being detected. Any unauthorized persons who broke the seal defied the authority of Rome and could be punished by death. EX: It's like you deciding to enter the Pentagon. They had no way to get into the tomb without a miracle. But as they approach the tomb they saw that the "very large stone was rolled away" At that moment there comes a supernatural sense to the story. This is not what they envisioned. They saw the roadblock, even though they didn't realize the magnitude of the problem There were guards and an imperial seal. Yet, when they got there, Jesus did something way more than they had expected. The stone is rolled away and he is resurrected. Important point here: We might have various roadblocks in our lives. They may seem impossible to overcome. And oftentimes they are way worse and more difficult then we even understand. We might have hope, but in reality we have no strength. In ourselves we have everything working against us: lust, laziness, anger, selfishness... To fix our problems is not just to "try harder" Even if you really tried to change, to become different. To serve Jesus fully now. You don't realize that you're trying to start the fire in pouring rain, it will not happen. You have flicker of light, but then darkness. "Your will, your discipline" are not enough!!!! Imagine the women with their muscles trying to roll the stone and fight the guards. The tip of an Iceberg is only a small percentage of what is underneath the water. Your problem is deeper then you see; it is closer than you think; it is more deadly than you understand! Your main problem is yourself, how can you fight against something you desire and love? You can't We need supernatural work in our lives. We need God given grace to lead us through, to take down the rocks from our lives. PP We read in Titus 2:11-12 "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous and godly way in the present age." The Grace of God: Is what saves us from this dark world, it gives us the strength to say no to godlessness and worldly lusts. It helps us live in a godly way in this broken world. You are saved by grace and you are led and empowered by grace. EX: You might be free from the paralyzing poison in your blood, but you also need the heart to pump the blood to live. Grace saves and leads us forward. Jesus was dead but now he is alive and reigning. He was raised from the dead to live among us. No matter how difficult the stone is in your life, he is alive and active. Come to him, truly come to him, because he can help. PP The Angel and the Message The women enter the tomb. This means they go through the entrance of the tunnel into the inner chamber. PP Here is a picture of how they think the tomb might have looked. The original tomb was destroyed by Roman Emperor Hadrian As you can see in order to see if the tomb was empty, the women had to actually enter the tomb, and they did. They saw a "young man dressed in a white robe" - in other word they saw an angel. Notice that the tomb was darkish, but they were able to see white robes, signifying that his clothing was unnaturally white. They might have been glowing, shining clothes with light coming from it. The interesting thing is, "he is sitting" - which was a traditional posture for teaching or speaking with authority. The women became "alarmed" PP This word t is synonymous with being "afraid". Probably their heart starts beating out of their chest. They got paralyzed and could not move. Important note:::: Every time there is an interaction of humans with heavenly beings, there is fear. (Dan 10:12, 19; Mt 28:5; Lk 1:13, 30; 2:20 Acts 27:24) We live in our physical world and we don't realize that there is another world that we don't see, the spiritual one which is quite powerful. Once we get in contact with that world we are deathly afraid and paralyzed. Actually the soldiers that were guarding the tomb were literally paralyzed, and could not move because of fear. This should humble us, realizing that often we think people are powerful, but in reality they don't stand a chance against the God of the universe. The Angel speaks with authority PP First he calms them down so that they hear what he is about to say. Then he points to why they are there. "You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified" The angle calls Jesus "Jesus of Nazareth", Mark refers to Jesus like that three other times throughout his gospel (1:23; 10:47; 14:67). This is important because: he connects the historical Jesus, who was living among the people, teaching, performing miracles and the one who was crucified. He was not a ghost, or an angel, or some kind of image of mankind. NO he was a human being. This Jesus is raised from the dead and is not in the tomb anymore. The angel probably points to the central chamber saying "See the place where they put him" The angel is not saying that someone took the body away. But rather Jesus became alive and walked out himself. Jesus didn't merely disappear and became a spirit, but rather his body was raised from the dead. He probably sat up and then walked out. With that same body he continued to be on earth until he ascended into heaven. These are vital words, because he is clear that Jesus was dead and now he is physically alive, he was raised from the dead. We believe in a physical resurrection of Jesus. Then the Angel gives these women a command, to deliver an urgent message to his disciples and Peter to meet Jesus in Galilee. What is going on with the disciples at this point? They were disheartened and didn't know what to do. They were in despair and were scattered all over the place. Jesus predicted that this would happen in Mark 14:27 "Then Jesus said to them, 'All of you will fall away, because it is written 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.' But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you to Galilee." Notice that Peter is included separately here, why? Probably because traditionally the gospel of Mark was Peter's account of the story of Jesus written by Mark. He screwed up the most, he denied Jesus three times. How can someone live with themselves after that, especially after they were so ready to die for Jesus, but when trials came that foundation was just straw, that didn't stand a chance, but went into flames. The message from the angel is a message of forgiveness and http://restoration.pp Jesus is calling them to himself as the loving Shepherd he is. He is not punishing them, but rather he is instructing them what to do in this situation, and that is to go where He is at, to Galilee. This is a sobering truth to us: no matter how much we screwed up, Jesus is ready to forgive and restore. His arms are outstretched ready to embrace you after you truly repented of your sins. He takes us out of this deep pit of sin, with his bloody hands that were poured out for you. He is our Shepherd, who seeks out that lost sheep. Our sins are serious, and have great consequences, but he is with us, and ready to rescue us. PP The Response and Your Response How do the women respond to the empty tomb and hearing the glorious message of the risen Savior? v. 8 "They went out and ran from the tomb, because trembling and astonishment overwhelmed them. And they said nothing to anyone, since they were afraid". PP That is how the text originally ends... What??? It's like the movie where everyone dies at the end, what's the point? Well here Jesus dies and is raised but this ending begs so many questions: Did the women ever recover from fear and tell the disciples? Did the disciples go to Galilee and see Jesus? Why are there no resurrection appearances reported?" This is why there was an ending added probably by someone in the early church. We know from other gospels the the women got over their fear and ultimately ran to tell the disciples In Matthew 28:8, "So, departing quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, they ran to tell his disciples the news". It seems that this fear and silence was only for a little bit, until they got the courage to tell the disciples. Yet Mark for some reason ends with fear and silence. "Why did Mark decide to end his gospel with a negative note?" It seems that the death of Jesus is already bitter and horrible, the resurrection should be full of joy and excitement The women heard the good news that should have lifted them up but it seems that the first response was to quickly escape the supernatural unexpected situation. Notice not only is Mark pointing out how the women are the first witnesses of the glorious message, (and in the Jewish context women were not considered as reliable witnesses in the legal court) but these same women are afraid and don't spread the good news. If I was trying to convince people of a story to be true, I would not end it like. But the fact this was the response points out that it is true. They were entrusted with the greatest news in all the world that the Savior Jesus Christ is raised from death, yet they remained silent. In this passage we don't see the risen Savior, we merely hear the news about him being raised. The reason Mark ends this gospel like this, and I stand on the shoulders of commentators here is that he intentionally ends this gospel with a question to the reader, the question is targeted to us. The women were in that state for a little bit, later on they were excited telling the disciples. Mark wants us to pause and consider our very own response to this news. PP What is YOUR response to an empty grave and the message of the risen Lord? How will you ultimately respond to this Gospel?????? When we read the gospel, we don't read to be informed of some truth, but we read to be changed, this truth should lead us to a decision, we either believe or reject. You cannot be neutral. In the Gospel of Mark, we see three main emphases. 1. Mark showed that Jesus is indeed the promised Messiah and Son of God. He is the Son of God who has absolute authority over sickness, nature and the spiritual world. He is the conqueror, and the Royal heavenly King over all of life. He performed miracles like healing people, he would multiply food, he would calm the raging sea, he casted out legions of demons with a single word. His teaching was permeating the hearts of people, and destroying the arguments of the wisest of them all. 2. Mark also pointed out what this Jesus came to do, through servanthood and suffering he came to give his life for us. He is the suffering servant of the Lord, He took our disease, our sickness, our sin He experienced the darkness, the shame for us He literally died 3. Mark constantly called the believers to follow in the suffering path of Jesus. To take up your cross daily and follow him. This resurrection is an ending point saying, What will be your response to this? PP Are you going to reject him? - Notice that our human tendency is to not do anything. TO let the fear and doubt control our life. Because to receive it is to do something about it, it's easier to hide away and forget about all this discussion. Run away afraid into the unknown. Live your own life for your own self, because you don't believe Him. To be an "agnostic", a state of questioning everything, will never get you anywhere It's rejecting Jesus. He actually was raised from the grave, and if that's true, and there are numerous witness accounts then everything he said is true, then he is the only way, the truth and the life. Then he is coming back to take his church and to judge the world. Ex: it's like rejecting the smoking volcano that is about to erupt, you can only reject it so long, until it erupts and it will be too late. You might know all the facts and "truths" about Jesus and what he had done, but when it's time to make a decision you are "afraid and silent". That happens to those who sit under the teaching of the word without realizing it's always calling you to action! Ex: Like a giant rock, that goes nowhere just sits where it was found. The world rejects Jesus, are you???? PP Or are you going to receive him by faith? To place your trust in the risen Lord and Savior. To receive the free gift of grace. This is not just saying: I believe as if that does anything, but it is to fully place your life in full trust on the achieved work of Jesus on the cross, it is to come in faith to Jesus as your salvation from this broken life. He is alive and worth living for. Your life counts because of Him. To acknowledge him as King over this earth, and serve him with gratitude. Who cares if you know some complicated theological ideas, when your heart is not under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. PP If you trusted Jesus by faith, do you live for him? This is a simple question but has so many implications for us, really look into your life, do you live for HIM???? The whole book of Mark is calling us to follow the path of radical faith and self-denial. PP Jesus says he is going to die for us, and thus we as his disciples take up our crosses and follow him. Ex: Jesus pointed to a seed that needs to die to bring fruit. We have sinful desires that we need to fight with grace, and pick up the cross of Jesus and follow him: In our jobs, in our families, in our private lives Jesus is supreme. And if he's not, then you are very concerned, and repent and stand back on your feet. Follow him no matter the cost! The goal of Christian life is not self-fulfillment but rather a commitment to Him. PP You are fighting sin, you are serious about growing in love for Him through his word. Ex. You are not playing a spiritual game, but rather you are in a spiritual war! You realize that your whole life is a sacrifice for the one who sacrificed himself for you. As one commentator put it: "The gospel holds no promise for those who are seeking power and wealth and fame and prestige. To be first, Jesus says you must be last. TO be a leader, you must be a slave. To live , you must die" PP How does your life look like in comparison to what a disciple of Jesus Christ should be? Behind the superficial life Is there rot or Is there faithfulness? Is there unbelief and hypocrisy? - I'm here only for the community, and I feel welcomed, I'm good Or is there genuineness, openness, growing in God's grace to be the tool in his kingdom. I don't have the strength and so I come to Jesus because he has done it all PP You have been entrusted with this glorious news of the risen savior, what will you do with it? We have not seen the risen savior, but we have heard about the empty grave and the risen savior. And we believe it! It changed our life. Do we spread the news that he is alive and is with us? Or are we afraid? May God help us, to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, the one who is Lord and Savior, he died for us and left us a path to follow. Do we follow the path? Amen.

Jesus' Death For You

February 28, 2021 • Andrey Bulanov

Sunday Service - Feb 28th (English) Text: Mark 15:33-47 Main idea: Through the cross we see our darkest darkness and our greatest hope. Jesus came to swallow up the terrible punishment that was meant for us in order to open the way to the love and presence of God. Outline: A. Jesus came to face the darkest darkness - Darkness covered the land - The cry of separation - A painful surrender to death B. Jesus came to unleash the greatest victory - The curtain torn - The unlikely confession C. Application: Come to the cross... …and see Jesus, the Son of God. …and see that the ultimate source of death and darkness has been defeated. …and receive the power to wait upon the Lord and his final victory. …and learn that being a disciple is a process of life and victory through death and surrender. -------- Example - The shadow that looms over Glipwood. You will get from christianity is determined by what you seek. What do you want today? What do you seek to get from God? The reality of our world is that it is in a very dark and terrible place, beautiful as it is. There is a looming darkness over all creation. Separation from our Creator. Pain. Sin. Suffering. Death. What is the cure? In our time it is easy to surf from one thing to another and not really stop to consider the depths of our darkness and our suffering. That is until it hits you like a semi truck. A major loss. Severe illness. Mental or emotional breakdown. A lot of people want a cool Jesus that will make their lives all the better but they don't want to pause and think about the depths of their need, and so they are satisfied with a cheap fake substitute. Hipster Jesus. Prosperity Jesus. Religious Jesus. We have been spending the last few weeks as a church examining the last few hours of the life of Jesus. We have watched as he is abandoned by his friends. As he is arrested in the dark of night by a corrupt and powerful religious leadership. We have seen how his is unjustly accused and sentenced by a foolish mob and a selfish ruler. We have seen him mocked and shamed by a people who witnessed his perfect life of love and service to all. At every step of the way we have seen the evil and pain of the story grow thicker and darker. And today we get to the mountain top of his journey. The pinnacle of his suffering. The final destination of his difficult mission. Throughout his life Jesus has sought to make it very clear to his disciples WHY he came. But the things he said did not make sense to them. They wanted victory and power. He predicted pain and suffering. They wanted joy and success. He predicted sorrow and isolation. They wanted a superficial solution. But the real Jesus came to deal with something very painful, difficult and dark. The real Jesus came to deal with the heart of what is broken in the world. As we look at this text, we want to see in it our darkest darkness and our brightest hope. We need to see the true problem of the world in the darkness that fills our hearts and the death that awaits us all. And we want to see that Jesus is the only one who came to swallow up that darkness and to put an end to the power of death. A. Jesus came to walk through the darkest darkness Having given us a detailed picture of Jesus' suffering Mark gets to the story of his death. Darkness covers the land "33 When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon." J. Edwards notes: "The ancients were familiar with accounts of extraordinary occurrences accompanying the deaths of human luminaries. Rabbinic literature records strange and fantastic accounts of events at the deaths of famous rabbis—including the appearance of stars at midday, the weeping of statues, lightning, thunder, and even the dividing of the Sea of Tiberias. Likewise, at least two Roman writers record that at the death of Julius Caesar a comet shone for seven successive days. These and similar portents were usually regarded as divine eulogies honoring the noble dead. For Mark, however, the darkness at midday is not a divine eulogy but something ominous and evil, like the plague of darkness over Egypt at the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart (Exod 10:21–23) or even the darkness of chaos before creation (Gen 1:2)" The final moments of Jesus' life are not in praise for all the good he has done. The land is covered in darkness. What is the meaning of the darkness? At its most foundational level, darkness refers to sin and its results. 1 John 1 "5.God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in him. 6 If we say, “We have fellowship with him,” and yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth. 7 If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." The light of God's presence in our life cleanses us from the darkness of sin in our hearts. When we speak of darkness in general, we are speaking of evil, scary, twisted things. We refer to the brokenness of the world. The source of all darkness is sin. It is our rebellion against our Creator. This rebellion unleashes brokenness and evil in the world. Darkness is sin and its results. In a way, the darkness points to the darkness before the creation of the world - pointing to the fact that sin leads to the undoing of creation, it turns the good world inside out. That is why we say that evil is not a thing by itself. Evil is always a perversion of the good. Example - Stranger Things - the invasion of the darkness into our world is the most terrifying thing. This is the darkest moment in history. This is the moment when all that is broken is brought to light. This is the moment when you can't unsee the corruption and twisted perversion of sin - God's Son, the only perfect man to ever live, the Creator of the Cosmos, murdered on a cross. This is the very opposite of creation. It is the undoing of the world. But darkness is also judgement on sin. Sin and its effects calls out a response from the sovereign Lord of the universe, the Creator, the Maker, the Owner of all. Amos 8:9 ‘In that day,’ declares the Sovereign Lord, ‘I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight.’ ” This darkness hangs over HIM. In his greatest moment of need, he does not shine in glory and power (as we might have expected) but hangs suffering alone in the dark. The cry of separation Jesus hangs on the cross in this darkness for three hours. "34 And at three Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lemá sabachtháni?” which is translated, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” The reason why we see the two versions of the words here is because Mark, who is writing this account of Jesus' life is writing in Greek, switches to Aramaic when he inserts the quote. Aramaic was the everyday language that Jesus and the Jew's spoke, so Mark is giving you an exact quote of his words and then translating it into greek. "35 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “See, he’s calling for Elijah.” 36 Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, fixed it on a stick, offered him a drink, and said, “Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down.” Elijah is one of two people in the Bible who are taken up into heaven alive. There was a common expectation that Elijah would come and deliver the suffering of a prophet or righteous person in the future. "Eloi" and "Eli" sound very similar and it makes sense how his words can be misunderstood. But in this dark moment Jesus gets no answer. Heaven is shut to his prayers. These are the words that take us to the very heart of judgement, to the heart of sin, to the heart of that which is broken in the world. The most terrifying thing about sin is that creates in us a rebellion against God, and it leads to our ultimate separation from God. That separation from our God is what creates the blackness in our hearts. That separation is the reason we fear. The reason why we can't have peace. As Jesus hangs on the cross, that darkness of our sin was gathered up and poured out on him. Isaiah 53 speaks to this moment is striking specificity: "4. Yet he himself bore our sicknesses, and he carried our pains;(G) but we in turn regarded him stricken, struck down by God,(H) and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced because of our rebellion,(I) crushed because of our iniquities;(J) punishment(K) for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds.(L) 6 We all went astray like sheep;(M) we all have turned to our own way; and the Lord has punished him for the iniquity(N) of us all.(O)" A lot of people really don't like this idea. This call it a form of "divine child abuse", saying that it presents God as a cruel and blood thirsty God. Let's tone it down a bit. "Jesus' death is an example of faithfulness. Of humility. Jesus' death is victory of injustice and evil." "This is just a moment when Jesus realized that his who mission failed and he was very depressed." Anyone who has carefully read the story up till now can clearly see that that is NOT what is happening here! His whole ministry Jesus predicts that he will suffer. This is his mission. Mark 10:45 Jesus says that he has come, not just to suffer, but to give his life as a ransom, as a payment for others. Isaiah says it was the will of the Lord to crush him. THIS is the plan. That he takes the darkness of our sin and our punishment on himself. And as he does he cries out the desperate words of Psalm 22:1 - he is not just saying his own feelings. He is echoing the feelings of suffering sinners in his suffering. This moment is not an accident! It is not a failure! It is a moment of fulfillment. 2 Cor. 5:21 "He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." This is the center of the mission of Jesus and our whole faith. We call this the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement. This is a doctrine that you can never get over. It is the heartbeat of the gospel. Jesus came to face the darkness of YOUR sins, he came to take your rejection upon himself. This is not a moment when we see how HARSH and JUDGMENTAL God is, it is a moment when we see the fullness of his love! The perfect Son of God came to face YOUR darkness for you! As Henri Nouwen writes: “Where God’s absence was most loudly expressed, God’s presence was most profoundly revealed." The Death of God's Son "37 Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed his last." Mark gives multiple sources of confirmation that Jesus really died. Joseph of Arimathea and Pilot multiple sources confirm his death, including trained roman soldiers Many people who deny the resurrection saying that Jesus only passed out Those of us who have seen death know that it really is the worst thing in the world. Death is the ultimate undoing of good. Death is reality turned inside out. When you see a dead body you get this unshakable feeling like something is really wrong. This is something for us to consider - the Son of God died. God tasted death. Death should not exist. The most twisted thing that every happened was the fact that the Son of God died. God can't die. But God becoming a man can. For Jesus to kill death he had to first be swallowed up by it. "Let our a loud cry... and breathed his last" This is not the normal way to die. This is a death that is a willing surrender. Jesus suffered purposefully here. Even his last breath is an intentional act. How could this be the climax of the story? How could this be a victory? It is a very bleak and dark finish to such a perfect and wonderful life. But notice how verse 37 is immediately connected to two main results that take place instantly as Jesus surrenders himself over to death. B. Jesus came to unleash the greatest victory "37 Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 Then the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 When the centurion, who was standing opposite him, saw the way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” The curtain torn The curtain hung in the temple separating the place where God dwells from the place where people could approach. It protected the Holy of Holies. It was a constant reminder that sinners cannot come into the presence of God. It was a massive and thickly woven curtain, close to 60 x 40 feet in size, and Mark says it was torn apart from top to bottom. Mark uses that same greek word he uses he to describe its tearing apart in the beginning of the story in the moment of Jesus' baptism. In that moment heaven was torn open and the Father spoke blessing on Jesus as he began his ministry. Jesus was the sign of heaven being torn open and God becoming revealed to a sinful world. Just like the sky was torn open at his baptism, the curtain is torn open at his death, opening the way to the presence of God. Jesus experiences our darkness to let the light of God shine out from the holy of holies to the rest of the world. From one side it seems that all is over. The corrupt religious leaders have won. The disciples and all Jesus was building is scattered. At this death, Mark notes that the only faithful ones left are a group of women who are watching from the distance. But as they make their way back to the temple to continue their celebrations, and see this massive and beautiful curtain torn to shreds, exposing the holy of holies, I am sure that their blood ran cold in their veins. His death was the end of nothing. It was the beginning of a force of life, of God's work in the world - the WAY TO GOD IS OPEN TO ALL. As James Hamilton says, "God is working victory through situations that look like defeat." The Son of God Confessed The second sign of victory that we see in Jesus' death is in the response of the soldier who was in charge of his execution. "http://...when the centurian, who was standing opposite him, saw how he breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God." A centurian is a captain of a "century" or about 100 soldiers. In the gospel of Mark, the title "Son of God" is the fullest and most complete title of who Jesus is. He is not just a good teacher. Up until this moment in the story, we see God the Father call Jesus the Son of God, we even see demons call Jesus by this title. But we never see humans call him the son of God. Not even his disciples. Of all people, the very first and only person in the story to confess that Jesus really is the Son of God is a pagan soldier?? A Roman soldier would be the least likely believer. In the Roman world, a person, no matter how powerful, who is killed on a cross is a person who is cursed, a person who is abandoned by the gods. But as he is standing in front of the cross, and he looks deep into the suffering of Jesus, the darkness in the sky, the cry of separation, as the curtain is torn, he SEES who Jesus really is. The cross is the center of the mission of Jesus. It is through the cross that the real identity of Jesus is revealed. It is in the cross that REAL FAITH is born, no matter how unlikely, how distant, how sinful, how far from God you are. "The cross is the blazing fire at which the flame of our love is kindled, but we have to get near enough for its sparks to fall on us." John Stott are you the least likely person to be a christian? are you the least likely convert? Are you struggling to understand the gospel, struggling to understand what real faith means? then you are EXACTLY the kind of person that he came for. LOOK TO THE CROSS. Look at what Jesus did for you. Look at the darkness that he came to face in your place. Look at what it tells you about the blackness of your own soul. And look at how his payment sets you free, how he is the only one who opens the way to God. C. Application What do you expect from christianity? Are you looking for superficial answers? Or are you looking for an answer to the darkness that hangs over the world? The darkness that fills every human heart? The cross reveals to you the Son of God who came to take your place. COME AND SEE THE SAVIOR, and be transformed by what you see. See the King who loved you and loves you. The King who will never leave you or forsake you. The King who have himself to have you. Come to the cross and see that the ultimate source of death and darkness has been defeated. The cross unleashes a process of healing and victory that begins to spread to the world through the hearts of those who see Jesus, and in seeing are transformed and washed clean by his death. Notice that this is a process. Accepting Jesus does not mean that I automatically get health, wealth and property. We still battle with our sin. We still feel pain. We still live in broken bodies. We still struggle with the effects of sin - fear, anxiety, depression, selfishness. But notice how the cross transforms our view of ALL our struggles. Through the cross we see that it is only a matter of time before ALL sickness, all tears, all suffering are wiped away. Isaiah 25 7.On this mountain he will swallow up the burial shroud, the shroud over all the peoples, the sheet covering all the nations. 8 When he has swallowed up death once and for all, the Lord God will wipe away the tears from every face and remove his people’s disgrace from the whole earth, for the Lord has spoken. 9 On that day it will be said, “Look, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he has saved us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him. Let’s rejoice and be glad in his salvation.” Come to the cross and receive the power to wait upon the Lord and his final victory because through his suffering you have been cleared of guilt and fear. Come to the cross and learn that being a disciple is a process of life and victory through death and surrender. this is the only path of victory because the very source of evil that needed to be stamped out was US. Thus, God had to kill evil by dying for us to save us. the devil has no power outside the power to lead us into sin. this is the posture that surrender's to GOD as God over our lives. It invites HIM to work in us, to fix us, to make us knew and use us for this purposes