Mark 16:1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. 2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. 3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? 4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great. 5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. 6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.

Three of the greatest trio of words in the Bible are these three words, "He is risen." What marks Christianity from all the religions of the world is that we have a resurrected, living Savior. We do not follow someone who just was but someone who is and ever shall be.

In regard to the cross three of the greatest words are some of the words that Jesus uttered on the cross, when He said, "It is finished" (Jn. 19:30). Those are words that mainly indicate that He finished the will of God in regard to the cross. Jesus was no doubt the pre-ordained Lamb of God.

Let’s look at those words in the various forms in which they are given:

1. John used the words (Jn. 21:14).

John speaks of Jesus showing himself to the disciples- "After that he was risen from the dead."

Angels announced both His birth and resurrection.

In John 2:19, Jesus answered and said unto them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

He was not talking about a building constructed with stones and mortar, but his body.

Let’s think for a few minutes this morning about those words–"He is risen." What do they say to me and to you as God’s chosen and redeemed people? There are several things we can think about that can be conveyed by those words.

Those who spoke these words knew the resurrection was not a supposition or wishful thinking on the part of man. They knew it had actually happened; they knew it was a reality.

The angels had seen Christ come forth. The disciples had seen the undisturbed grave clothes through which Jesus passed. Also, the disciples saw Him in the upper room after His resurrection.

I am glad there were many eye witness to the fact that "He is risen."

Paul spoke of over 500 brethren in 1 Cor. 15:6, that saw Jesus together at one time after He came forth from the dead. That would hold up in any court of law.

The word "declare" comes from the little Greek word "ginosko" which means "to know." In the New Testament, it is the knowledge that expresses "experience", not just a mental or intellectual awareness. It is a knowledge grounded and based on a personal experience.

Paul said, "I have found in my personal experience that He has risen."

When did Paul discover such a truth? He found out on the Damascus Road (Acts 22). Jesus appeared unto Him as a "Great Light" and a voice spoke unto religious Paul.

III. They Are Words Of Aggravation.

The words of Jesus resurrection made the authorities and the religionists upset and angry. They did not want Him nor expect Him to rise from the dead.

To the believer, "He is risen" are words of edification and elation rather than words of aggravation. We love to hear the old story. It never wearies us or tires us.

IV. They Are Words Of Affection.

The angelic being in Mark 16:7 told the Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, to go tell the disciples and tell Peter that Jesus had risen.

Why did the angel single out Peter to be told? There is at least a two-fold reason:

1. To comfort Peter because of his fall and denial.

2. To encourage him to meet Christ with the rest of the

disciples, even though he had denied Christ.

3. To let Peter know that Christ’s love is eternal.

V. They Are Words Of Foundation

Christianity rises and falls on the resurrection of Christ. A dead Savior cannot save. Thus, if our message is what it claims to be, then it is a foundational truth that the Lord Jesus bodily arose from the grave.

Anyone who denies or tries to explain away the resurrection of Jesus is an unbeliever and is under the guillotine of divine wrath.

It is foundational to our faith that it was impossible for the grave to hold down the body of the Lord Jesus, since He was the only begotten Son of God.

Jesus said in Jn. 14:19," Because I live, ye shall live also."

The resurrection of every believer is guaranteed because of who we belong to by faith. Our life is in him. If the grave could not hold Him down, it will not hold my body down, because I am in Him.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be in this cemetery when Jesus comes to take His church home to glory? We would renew old acquaintances with the friends we once knew. We will stroll all over glory together again one day.

Resurrection for the believer will happen in a "moment in the twinkling of an eye." A "twinkling" expresses something that is doing very quickly, such as the throwing down of something of as the beat of a song. It speaks of something that is done in a moment of time. It will probably be only a fraction of a second.

VII. These Are Words Of Stimulation

To "stimulate" means "to rouse to action or effort, by encouragement or pressure; it means to spur on or to incite."

A. Rouses me to live for Christ.

There is no better life than the Christian life.

Since He lives, when we suffer for serving Him, we know we are not alone. He is with us.

"Vile" body speaks of a "lowly" body. This one is subject to disease, death and decay, but not the new one.

Conclusion:

How blessed and wonderful to the child of God are the words, "He is risen." Make sure you keep that in your heart, put it in your vocabulary, and so live that others will know it is so.