To the Christian Meme Community: Reverence for God

One thing the online Christian community should remember is the biblical concept of reverence for God. 

There is a burgeoning and beautiful Christian meme community out there on social media. This is a wonderful thing, don't get me wrong. Hundreds of thousands of Christians out there are using social media to spread the word of God. And part of that is meme culture.

But we should remember an important biblical concept: Reverence for the Lord.

Before you post a meme or picture on social media, ask yourself, "Is it reverent?" 

Things like Jesus dressed as a soccer goalie blocking a soccer ball and a statement that says "Jesus saves" is not reverent.  One might call it in fact sinfully irreverent.  What Jesus did for us on the cross was beautiful and powerful. 

There's a fine line here we should take note of. Jesus as a soccer goalie is irreverent. Then again, a meme can just as easily be honoring to God if done carefully.   

I've seen many others, many from the Babylon bee as well, that are irreverent. And don't get me wrong, I think we can be funny and clever while also avoiding irreverence toward God.  There's a wide path in between those two concepts where safe, funny and biblical is found.  Let's shoot for that. 

God bless you.

Scriptures on reverence for God: 

Hebrews 12:28 ESV Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe

Ephesians 5:4 ESV Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.

Ephesians 4:29 ESV  Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

1 Peter 2:17 ESV Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

Psalm 89:7 ESV A God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him?

Exodus 3:5 ESV  Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”

Ephesians 5:21 ESV Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Colossians 3:8 ESV But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.

Jesus is our King Right Now: Is Jesus King of your Life?

What does it mean for one to be a King? It is to be unchallenged leader of a nation, or group of nations. There have been many kings and presidents and prime ministers and dictators and leaders on planet Earth. Many have longed for that position, and done anything to get power over civilizations.

Thinking of one of the great leaders of history George Washington, he knew the importance of submission to God, when it came to power.

He said, in his thanksgiving proclamation so long ago…

Washington knew how important it was for those in power and indeed all free people to acknowledge and humbly submit to God.

Many empires and kingdoms and nations have been founded through power and violence and force. Think of great conquerors like Napoleon Boneparte. Here’s what Napoleon had to say about Jesus, the great king of the earth.

He said…

That’s how Jesus won our hearts, through His love and goodness. He is the perfect king. The king who makes you smile because he always does what’s right. He conquers our hearts through love. And right now many of us here would literally die for him. That’s an amazing thing.

Imagine if all we Christians stood together for our savior. Unfortunately the enemy often keeps us divided.

But perhaps we can learn from the words of John Wesley:

"Would to God that all names, and unscriptural phrases and forms, which have divided the Christian world, were forgot; and that we might all agree to sit down together, as humble, loving disciples, at the feet of our common Master, to hear his word, to absorb his Spirit, and to transcribe his life in our own!"

Advent beckons all who consider themselves Christians—to come to the stable and there fall on our knees, yielding our allegiance, our hearts, and our will to the newborn King. That will be our purpose today, to come together at the feet of the Master, Jesus, and to learn from Him.

What is the incarnation? The incarnation describes the concept that God became a human being, that Jesus the son of God was born as a human being.

Martin Luther said about the incarnation…

"The mystery of the humanity of Christ, that He sunk Himself into our flesh, is beyond all human understanding." -Martin Luther, Table Talk.

John wrote about it in John 1:14. Which says in the NIV: 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus is the King of every nation on planet Earth. He's king right now. 

Point 1: Jesus is King (right now)

When we talk about Jesus being King, it’s easy to think that yes, Jesus will be king one day. When he returns at his second coming he will be king. When the kingdom of God comes, Jesus will be king. But that’s not quite right. Those things are true.But, right at this moment, Jesus is king,

Though most on planet earth don’t acknowledge that, they are in fact rebels against the true king. We true Christians, do currently, right now, have Jesus as our king. Period. He is the king, right now, not later, right now!

Point 2: Jesus is our King (Community)

Luke 1:26-33 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

His kingdom will never end. He will be enthroned over all. It says this in Isaiah as well, a prophecy about the coming of Jesus, from Isaiah 9:6-7

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”

So we ought to follow the leading and guidance of Jesus Christ our King, as a community. That’s why we gather together on Sundays to worship God together. That’s why we gather with other churches and worship Jesus. That’s why we as a nation, ought to worship God together. That’s why the body of Christ, the church, should work together to help people in our community and spread the gospel.

But it’s easy enough to say the community should worship Jesus, though most do not. Jesus is the perfect King. He’s the perfect leader.

And he’s not just for Americans, or for one nation, or just for Israel, or just for India or Rome or any one particular group, but for all peoples, of all nations.

His incarnation was and is for the redemption of the whole world. Do you understand why we celebrate? He is the perfect true leader who can bring together people from all nations, all those willing to repent of their sins and put their faith in Him.

No wonder Herod, the roman leader, was threatened. No wonder that Rome was threatened at the spread of the gospel 30 years later. They were still threatened because they were all vying for power and control against the One who already had all of the power and control. Jesus is THE King! Is Jesus YOUR King? Or are you still vying for power and control? Trying to manipulate events to your personal desire? Let it all go. Drop the control. Let Jesus be King. He’s the only one qualified.

So fair enough, we see Jesus is king of the world, for all who will believe. Easy enough to say it’s about community. But let’s make it more personal, what about you?

Point 3: Jesus is my King (personal level)

Is Jesus the King of your heart, mind, and life, or have you put yourself (or maybe something else) on the throne of your heart? 

When you pray, do you pray as Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:10, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done”? Or really, are your prayers more in the line of “My kingdom come, my will be done”?

This is where the rubber meets the road. I’ve talked to enough people. Even people who go to church regularly. And often when you really get down to it, they come to church, they even read their bible and pray, but they don’t really allow Jesus to be king of their life. They are their own god. And when it comes down to it, they do what they want ot do, and no one is going to stop them from doing what they want to do.

And that is not a Christian. That is someone playing church. Period. They are not on their way to heaven, because they don’t really know Jesus. He isn’t their lord. They are their own lord.

Is Jesus your King? This is what Christmas and this advent season is all about: recognizing, remembering, and reorienting your life to your King. And when we do, something beautiful happens.

Luke 1:32-38 “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Remember that promise from verse 37: “For nothing is impossible with God” (NRSV). And second, look at Mary’s response in verse 38: “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Mary’s response to God’s will—to God’s kingdom come in flesh and blood to Earth—was recognizing herself in relationship to the Lord and responding with obedience. Maybe the response you need to have to Jesus our King today is vs. 38. Put yourself in that verse. Can you say, “I am the Lord’s servant! Lord, what are you asking me to do?” May it be so.

First, Submit to God, Lord, I’m your servant. Say it with me, Lord, I’m your servant.

Second, ask him, again and again in prayer, What is your will? What are you asking me to do today? Lord, I have this idea, is it your will? Lord, this job, this person, this relationship, this house, what’s right Lord? And God will lead you.

So again, reflect within yourself, for the challenge today…

Challenge: Is Jesus the King of your heart? Embrace a new allegiance to Christ, an allegiance that goes beyond mere words, but flows into your actions and how you plan your future. 

The lights, the traditions, the reminders of Christmas all around us are beautiful symbols of who God is, but none of the symbols or the celebrations can replace the One who wants to be in relationship with you. Jesus deserves your allegiance.

Too many people separate their spiritual lives from their everyday living lives. What do you think might happen if we started living in a way that showed our allegiance to Jesus, instead of…well...ourselves?

Let me remind you that Jesus is more than a story. He is the only One who truly has dominion, and power, and authority. Will you worship Him?

Jesus is the One, True King who deserves our allegiance.

So in the end what does all this mean? It’s easy enough to say “Jesus is king. Jesus is our king. Jesus is my king. But the test will come with how you live your life. Whose running the show? Is it you or is it God? Do you check your decisions with God? Do you pray about the big decisions first?

Are you really led by the Spirit of God? Or are you doing your own thing? Jesus said not everyone who says to me Lord lord will enter eternal life, but only those who do the will of my father in heaven.

So I think it’s fair to say, one who is truly made Jesus king of their life is practically led by Jesus through life on a daily basis. They truly have Jesus as king of their heart and life. That’s how you’ll know, if you really have made Jesus king. You’ll be a servant like Mary, a servant of God, who obeys God’s leading in your life.

Otherwise you’ll simply do whatever you want, and if that’s you, then saying Jesus is king is just words. It’s not really true. But, if you really let God lead your life, then Jesus is your king, and you belong to Him.

That’s the difference. Maybve you need to to resubmit your will to God today, and say God, take over, I don’t want to be in control of my own life, I need you to run my life and guide it all. Come and pray and name him king of your life once again, or for the first time, and watch what he does with it!

So to review:

1. Jesus is King right now - in heaven (and over every true Christian on alive Earth)

2. Jesus is our King – as a community we are called to obey Jesus’ leading

3. Jesus is my King – individually we must make Jesus King of our lives

"Praise Him for the incarnation,
for the word made flesh.
Tonight I will sing praise to the Father
who stood on heaven's threshold
and said farewell to his Son
as he stepped across the stars
to Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
And I will sing praise to the infinite, eternal Son,
who became most finite, a baby
who would one day be executed for my crime.
Praise him in the heavens,
Praise him in the stable,
Praise him in my heart." -Joseph Bayly.

Sources:

-Includes quotes and references from materials associated with Incarnation by Adam Hamilton 

King David's Last Instructions to his son Solomon

King David, an old man, exhausted and unable to keep himself warm, called in Solomon his son, the young man who would one day replace him as king of Israel and gave him instructions on how he should live his life.

He’s also going to ask for Solomon to deal with his enemies after he is gone. David was a man. A man after God’s own heart, but a man non-the-less.

It says this, in 1st Kings chapter 2, verse 1: “When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son.”

And this is what David said: “I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said.

Every human being on Earth faces death. It brings a challenge to our faith as Christians. It brings despair and great fear for those who reject Christ. The world fears death, so much that we ignore the mention of it. We refuse to think about it. It’s too traumatic to even think about. Yet it happens to everyone.

First point today, take stock on your own mortality. Understand the immense consequence of rejecting Christ, and instead embrace Christ and follow him diligently.

Let us take stock of who we are. We know after death we’ll be judged by the ten commandments by God. No one can stand up to that. No one has obeyed God. Which is why we need a savior to forgive us our sins and change us from within. That’s why God sent Jesus Christ, to be our savior.

We have until our last breath to come to the saving faith in Jesus Christ. If we don’t, that’s it, no more chances.

All the earth dies. Every human born will die. So we must face it.

Next, David says to Solomon, “so be strong, act like a man.”

As we guys will sometimes say to each other, “well, it’s time to man up.” What that phrase tends to mean is, make the hard decision. Stop taking the easy route. Man up, and do the right thing.

Second point today, be strong and act like a man (or woman.) Act like a man, means to be mature, make mature choices. It’s easy to avoid the hard thing and take the easy path.

It’s time to step up, and make the hard decisions. Being a human, man or woman, means making sacrifices for your family, for others, caring for others ahead of yourself. It means doing things you don’t want to do, for the good of the future.

Your own future I mean.

Sometimes we wake up in the morning and think, I don’t want to go to church. I’m tired. I have errands to run. But, you can sense within yourself, I need to go, it’s good for me.

Now you’re faced with a decision: Will I do the easy thing, or the harder thing that’s good for me?

That’s the challenge of life. It’s like that with church sometimes. I don’t always want to go, but I know I need it. Similarly, the same is true with exercise, we know we need it, but sometimes we don’t want to. It’s when we do it anyway, even when we don’t want to, that is being strong and acting like a man, or woman.

Next David says, in verse 3, “…observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses…”

Now if David was speaking to us today, under the new covenant of grace in Christ, I think he would say.. “observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to Christ, and keep the Lord Jesus’ commands to love God and love others, and the other commands of Jesus from the parables, as well as the instructions from the new testament letters of Paul and the other apostles, as written in the New Testament of the Bible.”

Point number three today, learn and follow the commands of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. To do that we need to first read and reread and study the New Testament, and particularly look at the parables of Jesus and what he taught there, and then look at what is written in the letters, and the prophecies as well. And know it all first, then learn to follow it.

David includes this promise, that if Solomon does follow God faithfully,

He says in verse 3, “Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go…”

So David is saying, if Solomon does faithfully follow God’s commands, then, he will prosper in all he does. He will have success in what he attempts to do. His plans will succeed.

That was true for David, he found success as he followed God. It wasn’t always easy, but he did find deliverance and victory.

But, there were times when David disobeyed God, and at those times David did not prosper, his plans didn’t succeed, and David wants to make sure Solomon doesn’t make those same mistakes.

Growing up my parents always tried to make sure my sister and I avoided the mistakes they had made. I’m sure your parents did something similar, don’t do what I did!

Point number four today, follow Jesus faithfully and you will prosper. Your life will be like a tree planted by clear waters, with roots growing deep, and tree branches bearing beautiful fruits unto the Lord.

David continues and says in verse 4, “…and that the Lord may keep his promise to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’”

Now David is talking about the actual throne of Israel. And the nation itself. If Solomon is loyal to God and obeys his the law of Moses, then the promise of God will come true, which was a conditional promise.

The promise was conditioned on obedience by King David and his descendants. It says “If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully with all their heart and soul, then… you will have always have a successor on the throne of Israel.”

Point number five today, the promises of God are conditional. You must receive Christ to receive them. You must obey Christ to keep them to the end.

Those are two big “ifs” if Solomon watches how he lives. If he follows God with his whole heart and soul, then.. the promise will come true.”

It’s the same with Jesus Christ. All the promises are conditional. The condition is continued obedience and faith. If we continue to follow Jesus, the promises remain. But if we become disobedient, and faithless, we forfeit the promises. And Jesus may say to us one day, “I never knew you, depart from me you worker of lawlessness.

It’s all conditional. The promises of Jesus Christ don’t apply to those who have not received Jesus Christ as their lord and savior, right? They must receive Christ to receive the promises. It’s conditioned upon receipt of the gift.

You can give me a gift, but if I don’t open it and put it in the dumpster outside have I received it? No I haven’t. Similarly, if I open it and enjoy it, I do have it, but if I take it outside and put it in the dumpster, I’ve now lost it. Make sense?

So now David continues to ask Solomon to take revenge on his enemies. We see David is a very human man. Even in his old age he wants to make sure his enemies do not prosper after he dies. Take it for what it is, we know justice is for the Lord.

We as Christians do not try to defeat or destroy our enemies. We’re told to pray for our enemies, forgive our enemies, and turn our enemies over to God. And we’re told God will pour up burning coals on their heads if we turn them over to Him and let God be the judge. He’s the only one qualified to judge.

And he will deal with them. Either with grace or justice. That’s up to God though, not us. Pray for your enemies. This will expedite the process.

Here’s what it says in verses 5-9: “Now you yourself know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to the two commanders of Israel’s armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He killed them, shedding their blood in peacetime as if in battle, and with that blood he stained the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet. 6 Deal with him according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace.

7 “But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and let them be among those who eat at your table. They stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom.

8 “And remember, you have with you Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, who called down bitter curses on me the day I went to Mahanaim. When he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord: ‘I will not put you to death by the sword.’ 9 But now, do not consider him innocent. You are a man of wisdom; you will know what to do to him. Bring his gray head down to the grave in blood.”

Point number six, let God be the one who judges your enemies.

There isn’t anything wrong with what David does here, asking Solomon to deal with those who had harmed him in the past. Part of the job of the King is to deal out justice. If you served as a judge today, in a court room, part of your job, is going to be dealing out justice in different terms, and if God has gifted you for that role, then you’re not doing anything wrong by fulfilling it. Similarly part of Solomon’s job as king is to meet out justice, so it’s right for him to do it.

But for us today, we want to remember, in general, as a general principle, let God judge and deal with our enemies. We do this by...

A. praying for enemies

B. forgiving our enemies

C. Putting our enemies in God’s hands

Remember those 3 steps for dealing with anger or resentment toward someone.

Lastly in verses 10-12: “Then David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. 11 He had reigned forty years over Israel—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. 12 So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his rule was firmly established.”

At last, after such a life of ups and downs and difficulties and victories, David rested with his ancestors. David found rest with the Lord.

Point number seven today, at last one day we will find rest. Do you long for rest after a long and weary life? I’m sure many of us do.

For the Christian, the faithful man or woman, we find great rest in paradise in the kingdom of God.

For the non-Christian, they will find only endless sorrow and pain in hell. The misery is only beginning for them here on Earth.

But for the follower of Jesus, we find great rest in paradise. That’s what we all long for.

So to review, the main points for today were as follows:

1. Take stock on your own mortality.

2. Be strong and act like a man (or woman.)

3. Learn and follow the commands of Jesus Christ in the New Testament.

4. Follow Jesus faithfully and you will prosper.

5. The promises of God are conditional. You must receive Christ to receive them. You must obey Christ to keep them to the end.

6. Let God be the one who judges your enemies.

A. Pray for our enemies
B. Forgive our enemies
C. Put our enemies in God’s hands

7. At last one day we will find rest (if we have Christ as savior)

Is there Life after Death? The Empty Tomb of Jesus Examined

“When Corrie Ten Boom of The Hiding Place was a little girl in Holland, her first realization of death came after a visit to the home of a neighbor who had died. It impressed her that some day her parents would also die. Corrie's father comforted her with words of wisdom. "Corrie, when you and I go to Amsterdam, when do I give you your ticket?" "Why, just before we get on the train," she replied. "Exactly," her father said, "and our wise Father in heaven knows when we're going to need things too. Don't run out ahead of Him, Corrie. When the time comes that some of us will have to die, you will look into your heart and find the strength you need--just in time." -Today in the Word, MBI, October, 1991, p. 30.

Will you have the strength when the day comes for you to move from this world to another? We can trust the Father, that he will give us the strength we need in the moment, just like Corrie ten boom was taught by her dad.

That’s why it’s unwise to look into the future and worry about what might come. Sometimes I’ll be very tired after a long week, and I’ll sit and worry about the next week: How can I make it? But the next morning I wake up with the strength I need for that day. Then the next day, same thing. And on and on it goes. He gives us the strength we need for the moment. But don’t think about the future and stress, you have not strength yet for that, yet, in time, it will come.

Can a human live beyond the grave? That is the question we consider today. Many in our world today believe after death, there is nothing, life is simply over. People live that way. They expect no life after death. So they live how they please in this life. They do whatever they want, betting on the fact that there is nothing coming later.

They live in fear of death. In fact, the word of God says, from Hebrews 2:14-15, “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”

Jesus Christ is the way to life beyond the grave. He frees those who are held in slavery to the fear of death.

I don’t fear death anymore. I know where I’m going. I know that there is life after the grave.

Why? Because it all started with Jesus Christ, the first man to rise from the dead. He showed us he could do it, so he showed us he can and will make it happen for us as well.

We scope in to Mark chapter 16, we’ve just seen Jesus betrayed and crucified. He was shown to be dead. And Joseph of Arimathea requested his body, to give him a proper burial.

Joseph of Arimathea had placed Jesus in his own tomb and the stone had been rolled in front of the entry to the tomb.

Many have wondered where Jesus’ tomb is in Israel. Many believe Jesus’ tomb is located at the site of the holy church of the sepulche, the church built around what was believed to be the site of the tomb where Jesus was laid. It was first discovered in about the 4th century AD by Constantine the emperor of Rome who ordered that the location be found.

But there are other sites where Jesus tomb could’ve been. Some believe it’s the garden tomb in Jerusalem. Still others believe it was the Talpiot tomb in the old city. W

We see in Mark 16 it says this, verses 1-3: “When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

Jesus had been crucified on a Friday. It was the “day of preparation.” On Saturday the jews would practice the sabbath. And now it’s Sunday, the first day of the week.

It’s very early in the morning, just after sunrise. Three women, the women most important to Jesus’ ministry, his mom Mary, Mary Magdalene, the woman who was a prostitute but became a devout follower of Jesus, and Salome, who was the mother of James and John two of Jesus followers.

They are detail oriented. The men are hiding away somewhere trembling for fear of the roman and jewish authorities. The women are concerned with anointing the body of Jesus.

That’s how women are, they see something that needs to be done and they go do it. They aren’t worried about getting in trouble for loving Jesus, they’re too loyal for that.

But they do realize quickly, who is going to role the stone away?

Next, it says in verses 4-5…

"But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed."

The women are surprised to find that the stone blocking the entrance to the tomb has been rolled away. It’s very early in the morning. They aren’t expecting anyone to be there.

And I think we have to understand the grief the women are feeling right now. They’ve lost their savior, their lord, their dearest friend. They are grieving and struggling to understand what is happening. They are hurting and depressed and broken and filled with sorrow.

They don’t know what to do next. So they are going to care for the body. But God is about to completely flip the script on them.

They see this young man, in a white robe sitting there in the tomb. But this is no mere man. This guy is actually an angel, a messenger of God, coming to give them some very specific instructions.

The events become supernatural here. God is able to break the laws of nature. He does so regularly. He made the laws of nature after all is it any wonder that he can break them when he desires to do so?

Is it any wonder the God who made the universe made other life forms as well, like animals, and angels?

Don’t let that word “angel” scare you, it’s filled with a lot of old ideas and things from media. But the word means messenger, or envoy, a diplomatic agent of God, one who is sent.

And here we come to the key scripture of Mark 16, the breakthrough moment:

It says in 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.”

He has risen from the dead. Essentially this messenger of God tells them, Jesus is alive right now. He is not in fact dead. And very importantly: See the place where they laid him.

He was saying to them, inspect the evidence yourself. You are now eye witnesses to what is happening in human history at this moment. Your testimony matters. Remember this moment.

Jesus is not dead. And the entire world changes for these three women. The entire world changes for the disciples, though they don’t know it yet. The entire world changes for you and me, because Jesus does not stay dead. He is alive. And we find out, there is in fact, life after death, if it’s for Jesus, who is our brother in the faith, it can be for us too today.

We can live forever too. That is the great question, answered, can we live after death? If we’re in Christ, the answer is yes. We can have eternal life. We don’t have to suffer eternal death.

You’ve found the fountain of youth. The meaning of life. The truth about everything. The answer to the nagging question about death, can we survive death? The answer is yes. Through Jesus Christ.

Why then does the world seem so perplexed about this question? Because they don’t want to have to come through Jesus. They are busy with technology, medical science, and DNA manipulation among other things, busily trying desperately to find a way to overcome death through bio-technology, to find some way to stop the flesh of the human from failing. But it’ll never work.

God decreed that humans would live and die, and then face judgment. And no amount of Elon Musk technology, or Yuval Noah Harari’s protestations about giving humans god-like powers will ever succeed in overcoming what God has ordained.

Only through Jesus Christ can we find eternal life. It’s so simple we just can’t quite face it. We want it to be more complicated. We want to use science and technology and medical knowledge and computer coding and DNA manipulation, but we can’t quite grapple with an intelligent designer of the universe who loves us and made us for a purpose. That offends our modern sensibilities too much. It makes us cringe. So we avoid it. But we shouldn’t, because there’s something there if we’ll allow ourselves to see it.

Next, we get the instructions from the agent of God.

In 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.’”

Go and tell the disciples, and Peter, their leader, everything you’ve seen and heard. Spread the word. Be the eye witnesses and report what you’ve seen.

We have that same calling today, to be the eye witnesses for what Jesus Christ has done in our lives. We are to describe it to others so they can see our witness and think to themselves, “Maybe God is real. Maybe Jesus really is real. Maybe God can help me the way they helped this person!”

We have all encountered Jesus Christ. We haven’t encountered him in the flesh, but in the Spirit. And we all know he’s done a real, genuine work within us. It’s not a myth, it’s not a mind game, it’s something solid, tangible, real, something we can’t explain, but has fundamentally changed us into different people than we were before.

Finally in verse 8, we see how the women respond: “Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.”

So at first the women are so shocked by what they’ve just seen, they are full of fear, bewildered, and they run for their lives away from the situation.

Here’s where it gets a bit confusing. Because chapter 16 actually includes another 11 verses, verses 9 through 20. But, you may notice that depending on your Bible translation, it may be in italics in your Bible. That’s because the oldest manuscripts of the Bible don’t include verses 9-20.

But, many ancient translations do include verses 9 through 20, so there is some debate among scholars, should we include verses 9-20? Some manuscripts say that 1-8 is the short ending, while 9-20 is the long ending.

In any case verses 9-20 don’t change the content of the Bible at all, everything mentioned in 9-20 is mentioned in the other gospels, Matthew, Luke and John. So it all lines up. But I chose for this sermon and our focus on Mark’s gospel to mainly focus on verses 1-8.

Some manuscripts also include this statement between verses 8-9, which says, “Then they quickly reported all these instructions to those around Peter. After this, Jesus himself also sent out through them from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. Amen.”

But in most manuscripts, including in our modern Bibles, you’ll see this portion, which I will read for you now. It says this…

"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. 10 She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. 11 When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.

12 Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. 13 These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.

14 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.

15 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 with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it."

Can humans live beyond the grave? The answer to that question is yes. The gospel of Mark has displayed for us, chapter by chapter, that this Jesus is really the son of God, come to Earth in human form. And Mark shows us why Jesus came, so that humans in the ugliest sins, the most filthy sins, can be reconciled to God, right relationship can be restored between God and sinful humans. And that is done through a mediator, Jesus Christ.

For most of Mark’s gospel we see present effects of what Jesus does, he heals someone of sickness, he teaches a parable, he gives wisdom, he confronts the authorities, he tells us about sin and righteousness, but in the end, we see the final and most important gift Jesus gives us: Life after the grave.

A way to heaven for sinful humanity. Eternal life. And then after receiving that gift we’re told, now share it with everyone you can, as Jesus said, go into all the world and proclaim the message.

That’s our mission today, as we live, to spread the message everywhere.

So we return to the beginning, like Corrie Ten Boom wonders, will we have the strength in the moment? I often wonder that, will I believe to the very end? In the Pilgrim’s progress before they enter the gates of heaven they must travel through deep waters, where their faith is tested one last time, you could call that death, the last test, will your faith remain through the test of death itself, and I believe for you and for me, when that time comes, not before, but when it does come, we will find we have the strength we need from God to stand that test of death, through which we will find eternal life on the other side.