John Chapter 20:8-14

Mark chapter 12 verse 24 Jesus answered some of them are you not therefore mistaken because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God. Matthew 2229 Jesus answered them. If you are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures power got so look at Jesus attribute certain mistakes and believe and doctrine to what people not nonviable lessons that has no present-day applications move along. Now you know what I mean. You see this all the time you see this on television you read about in the newspapers.

You definitely see it on the Internet of people coming up with these weird theories in this weird thing and that weird thing and you know what they're out of the boat there out of the book and once you began to get out of the book you get in trouble, you begin to go. All this sounds good.

This sounds good Lester, welcome to cross the bridge with David McGee. David is the senior pastor of the bridge in Kernersville, North Carolina. As a follower of Jesus Christ we should both know and love.

The Bible today pastor David explains why the Bible is so would as he continues in the Gospel of John, chapter 20 now. You stated McGee with part two of his teaching is risen. Turn with me to the gospel of John we are in chapter 20 begin work on and his last couple chapters were kind of taken her time to really think about what's being said in the personal application here because a very important these are the high holy ground. If you will, of the whole Bible in the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus was pick it up with verse nine.

This is for as yet as backup verse eight give the context and the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, when it also and he saw and believed. Verse nine for as yet they did not know the Scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.

This is an interesting verse we talk about the cross. A lot. And we should we talk about the crucifixion a lot and we should. But what's interesting is how little we talk about the resurrection.

I enjoy crosses and seeing across and reminding me of the death of Jesus. But it's interesting how often do you see empty tombs as a symbol of Christianity see what we hear of the crucifixion, tall, and a lot of places see this is the thing.

This is one of the differences we go expositional, your verse by verse. See, we spend time on the resurrection. Why is that important because you realize that a lot of fellowships talk about the resurrection once a year at Easter resurrection Sunday mass at but this is part of the power that's been given to us is we we see in the resurrection, and again I think I talked about this last week, but understand in order to die. That does not have to be a supernatural thing you people die every day and is not necessarily a supernatural thing for Jesus to dial did not notice it did, but it didn't necessitate there being something supernatural, but the resurrection while for semi to be dead and come back to life.

Something supernatural has to occur and I think that's where I think people actually begin to get a little uncomfortable with the resurrection. And that's why you see the more liberal churches. That's one of first things that goes in they say why we don't believe in a literal resurrection and the other supernatural thing we narrowly believe in the virgin birth, but it's a very important thing that life lesson off the bat. The resurrection of Jesus is a central theme and belief of biblical Christianity is a central theme. You can't abandon the resurrection, as some churches have done some movements of done some Bible colleges have done they they back off of the resurrection. You can't do that because it is part of the proof is it talks about in first Corinthians part of the proof that the sacrifice was accepted and Jesus was the son of God, and you notice after his resurrection, there is less doubt. Once the disciples really grab a hold of what is going on. That's why in Romans chapter 10 verse nine key verse says that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Look at what that verse says if you confess with your mouth. That's why every Sunday morning I will lead people to prayer and ask them to say it with me because the verse says is not if you say it in your heart but if you say it if you confess with your mouth in a piece of that is that if you believe that God has raised him from the dead.

That's an important part of being saved or being born again. Now notice there's a lot of things that this verse does not tell you you have to do in order to be saved. You can draw your own parallels from your own upbringing of you know of to take communion to be saved or to be baptized to be saved or some people believe you have to show the fruits of repentance in order to be saved, when you met. How do you show forth the fruits of repentance in your life before you saved, she can't do that you can't do that. What happens is your heart get stirred and you're sorry for what you've done but you know that's as far as you can take into say Lord forgive me of my sins. Then he gives you the power to begin to live for him and we need to be careful about see because a lot of religious stuff would say okay here's what you need to eat.

Need to get in. This is the equivalent of what they're saying you need to get your life straightened out. And after you get your life string that then you can come asked Jesus to forgive your percent while if you believe that you believe in salvation by works which we reject here we reject because the Bible says it's bike race and here it says believe in, confess, well, you can't be that easy role. Apparently it is. I mean, I didn't write the book, but I do believe it. Now it's interesting that he says they knew they did not know the Scripture, and again, let me paint a picture of the disciples and understand in the Jewishness of the situation. We put in our modern-day context. There were schools that were set up yeshivas and basically you went through elementary school okay and then at that point they made a decision of who went to junior and and only the cream of the crop then went to junior high and then they made another decision after junior high. Only the cream of the crop went to high school if you will know you could go on with the college thing but there is actually three divisions in the Jewish education system at the top so by the time somebody be began to be trained as a rabbi.

They were they were the cream of the crop they were top-notch, if you will well notice that the disciples most of more North Callaway. They weren't in the schools.

They had gotten the holy boot. I guess you, even if they went to elementary schools like it. We don't need you guys anymore don't cause will call you kind of think and they didn't have a rabbi that they were falling following in Jesus led them so there was some reason they didn't understand the Scripture, but I want you to understand that this is important to Jesus because he mentions it several times about the Scriptures we run through few real quick look 2432 talks about and they said to one another did not our heart burn within us while he talked with us on the road and while he opened the Scriptures to us in the resurrection of Jesus on the Amassed Rd. in Luke 24.

He talked about what the Scriptures and opened them up to these people and I don't love DeBenedetti can put all ask him about it when I get there, but he opened up what the Scriptures then say did any miracles contained anything like that.

He opened up the Scriptures.

John 738 says he who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water Mark chapter 12 verse 24 Jesus answered some of them are you not therefore mistaken because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God. Matthew 2229 Jesus answered and you are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures are power got so look at Jesus attribute certain mistakes and belief and doctrine to what people not known about Wilson's that has no present-day application was move along. Now you know what I mean. You see this all the time you see this on television you read about in the newspapers. You definitely see it on the Internet of people coming up with these weird theories in this weird thing and that weird thing and you know what their out of the boat. Their out of the book and once you begin to get out of the book you get in trouble, you begin to go. All this sounds good. Let's do this well it sounds good. Let's try this was a have to do with the Bible didn't really have anything to do with the Bible but you know I think it work.

I think this'll be good.

Slow down. Have you not even read the Scripture in Mark 1210 Jesus asked them, have you not even read the Scripture, the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief portion have you not even read the Scripture is a pretty cutting question. If you have a red letter addition Bible that's in red letters because you know the red letters are what Jesus says it's important, and he's going you don't have you not even read the Scriptures second life lesson, a follower of Jesus should know and love, Bob follower of Jesus should know and love.

The Bible see there's no other book that would impact our lives the way the Bible has, and let me go ahead and say and I know I'm get ready step on some toes. If you've read the whole left behind series but yet to read your Bible, your priorities are messed up. You need to be in the book. I enjoy some of that stuff and you know I don't really get that I don't read a lot of Christian fiction simply because I want to be in this book. I want to be studying this book and thinking in this book any of this book has so many treasures and I will spend a lifetime.

In this book and can you imagine the conversation mean this is what we do we teach the Bible here. This is what we did. Imagine the conversation when you get to heaven if you cannot read the Bible from cover to cover how you can explain that the gun by others is didn't have to. You have to you read gone with the wind four times and you didn't have time to read my book. Yeah well you know it was marginally gave me like 73.2 years. Not as good work that one book in doing to be explained and that the God what about if you meet some of the authors you know your stand around and and there's a guy standing there and I don't get it. What's your name my name is Amos all is nice to me.

James had a dream about what the book of the Bible is no name is in the Bible give a good bullet book of Amos enters yeah read it sure be in the block. That's why we teach the Bible because it impacts lives here and guess this is understand this is a high priority. You can go to some churches to week after week, spend the 20 minute teaching basic event. Eight. There basically evangelizing everybody every week for this 20 minutes I heart for evangelism.

Don't get me wrong, that's all I'm doing every week. You understand what's happening.

The 8085 9095, 98, 99% of people in their literary saved or receiving nothing there not been said. That's why here a chapter present milk meet in the gospel something for the young believer something for the mature believer and something for the unbeliever will be right back with more from David McGee on cross the bridge right now. Here's a word from associate pastor DA Brown.

We want to take just a couple seconds here to pray for some cities in our listening audience. Specifically, Southlake, Sun Valley to noble wells Winnemucca Nevada and also Cape May, New Jersey, Farmington, New Mexico, where we thank you for the people tuning in. In the cities. We pray that you would pour your Holy Spirit out that you feel people with the faith to say yes to what you want to do in our life. People who are downtrodden full of despair.

I pray that that would turn to hope and trust in you. Jesus got up, pray for those in leadership positions in these communities that you would give them wisdom and discernment that they would look to your word for advice and counsel and answers on how to lead low. We prayed that they would get plugged in church and received from biblical authority and direction. Lord I pray that many people get plugged in churches they begin serving and looking for opportunities to use the gifts that you've given them to be a blessing to other people in the same way they've been blessed in Jesus name, amen, amen. Thank you brother and now get back to David McGee as he continues teaching verse by verse, verse 10. Then the disciples went away again to their own homes. I really understand this, but I think the disciple still thought it was over and I think they thought well I did more you know we were gonna they had in their minds.

Well, you know, working to overthrow the Roman government and restore Israel to the to an independent nation.

It didn't happen and and all their dreams and all her hopes in that sense were – and they knew something in happen. I don't think they knew what just yet. This way some people are about God and that's why some people are about to cross its way some people are probably Baptist Church relish. Some happen, I'm just not sure what's going or something. Something happen with Jesus. I'm just not sure what it is and it's important that you go from that curiosity, if you will do knowing what happened and no one how that can change your life. We need to be careful not believe me phrases correctly so nobody freaks out. I believe in being sensitive to the seeker now I have a serious problem with being seeker sensitive. If my goal is to make sure that everybody feels comfortable in here spiritually. I can't do that. There are some people in here right now.

They should not feel comfortable spiritually because they're not at a good place with the Lord. I have to present the word of God, what so they can move from just thinking something happened and that curiosity in seeking the Lord to moving to believe in Jesus and the way that happens is I need to challenge them to the word of God and so these guys go back home and so farther miss you realize that. I mean, they're not. They been to the tune now they're not dancing in the streets like we saying they're not going around. Please visit Leon to go back to what should they have been doing going until what did they do. Went back to the house where should we be doing going until what do we often do go back to the house. This is interesting because if this was a normal biography understand it would've closed with chapter 19, there would be a chapter 20 or 21 but this is not a normal biography. This is the story of Jesus and it doesn't end with death.

Romans 811 says, but of the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you understand what that saying that resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to you to serve them. Now it's not just you know so you can stand around and show how spiritually strong you are, it's for actually doing things for the Lord and that's kind of that's kind of the line in the sand.

I guess between a believer in the disciple of a believer believes a disciple does he serve see ministers the people in and more able everyone in here is able to do that one, because if you know the Lord, you have the power rest of the resurrection available to you to not only can it raise you from the dead. It can like get you up to get here Sunday morning and all kinds of things so that power resurrection is available to us in verse 11. But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping and she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb we read this verse and we get a wrong picture that picture is that you know Mary's gone outside the tomb and she's it's it's like that that's weeping. That is not weeping to a Jewish woman.

Some of you know that when we were over in Israel last year coming down the Mount of olives. There's a cemetery layer and I heard a Jewish woman weeping and men about the hair on the back of my neck because it wasn't since it was wailing as loud as she could go.

She was grieved. That's more than likely the type of weeping that she was engaged in, and often take a comical approach this. I don't want to take a comical approach.

This because look at the team but Jesus chose here the disciples of gone back home. Mary's outside the tomb wailing because she thinks he's gone forever, and this is who Jesus is using that's encouraging me because you know what we think we think back to that yeshiva system. We think God only uses the cream of the crop MME we've bred that mentality into our churches now with all the doctorates and then I'm not anti-education at all, but I don't think you can ever assume simply because somebody has a certain amount of education that they understand God and know God and are necessarily anointed to teach the word I said under some people that were highly educated that I just had nothing in and upset under people who had little education who walked away just filled spiritually in verse 12, and she saw two angels in white sitting wanted to head and the other at the feet were the body of Jesus settling as I thought about this there at the tomb. There's one Angel at the head. There's one Angel of the foot, but it's interesting the way the Angels are positioned in the tabernacle in the holy of holies there was the ark of the covenant on the top of the ark of the covenant. There was the mercy seat on the mercy seat. You know what there was, there was an angel at each end facing one another just like were told this verse can't be coincidence.

Meanwhile, tell us that for no reason, no receipt understand that part of the ark of the covenant was called what the mercy seat.

I think that little detail is introduce the fact there's a new mercy seat from Jesus.

If you remember the veil of the curtain was torn into to give access into the holy of holies for us in there and that tomb an angel standing at each and I believe gives a picture that I'm thankful for the new mercy seat, a man verse 13 then they said to her, woman, why are you weeping, she said to them, because they have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid him. As I thought about this verse. I wonder why ask because I don't I just this is way my mind works, and once my asked me a question often wonder father asking the question, no somatic observances. Hey, it's okay to is okay for a believer to drink the Christian drink menu can be saved in a bobbin alcohol in a lifetime. Somebody is asking that because you know they've been alcoholic for 10 or 15 years in the rotten meat of make him feel good about drinking every night, why are you weeping now wonder why are they asking, do they do they not understand that she's going through this emotional thing are they coming their Angel so I don't think they would be when the beaker their Angel so I'm not sure they're clouded or confused about Simmons and emotion. I am sometimes. I mean, I gotta be. Gotta be honest, I confused with their Angel. I don't. I'm not sure they're confused, so are they thinking well, he's risen, why are you crying, I think that's probably why they're asking verse 14. Now when she had said that she turned around and saw Jesus standing there and did not know that it was Jesus supposing verse why did she not know it was Jesus. I don't mean I can probably thought is the right day… I don't know. I mean, I can tell you some of the series that sound plausible one is that Jesus still had his scars and were told that his visage was so marred that he no longer looked like a man with the book of Isaiah says maybe that was it.

Maybe because of the weeping, and she still had tears in her eyes and couldn't recognize her. Not sure what was she looking for in that tomb may help you.

Who was she looking for she's looking for Jesus. We need to be looking for Jesus and notice what didn't happen. She didn't see the Angels and go Angels, let's worship them.

This is great Angels you guys a religious must engage in worship at the end shouldn't do that what she's looking for Jesus was looking for angels. She wasn't who she wasn't looking for just something simply religious. She wanted more today in society and culture. We are so caught up in religion and understand liturgy informality and and I can actually appreciate some of that we don't do it here because I think far too many people are intimidated by that I can. I can appreciate the beauty of an old hymn played on a pipe organ or the formal liturgy of the service or responsive readings and things I can appreciate that is the Lord is there will happens is is so much of that formality is introduced because that's been taken out and it's amazing how cheaply people are satisfied. Sometimes as long as they go in there able to engage in a ritual and they go to the formality and and then they can walk out and never haven't been in touch with God.

Never haven't touched base with the risen Savior of the world never making that connection and somehow feel like something happened. It makes everything okay maybe you never be so cheaply satisfied friend.

You know for sure that your sins have been forgiven. You can know right now only Legion a short simple prayer simply telling God you're sorry and asking him to help you to live for him.

God wants you to pray this prayer so much that he died to give you the opportunity and the ability to ask him to forgive you. Please pray this prayer with me out loud right now. Dear Jesus, I believe you died for me that I could be forgiven and I believe you were raised from the dead that I could have a new life not done wrong things I have sent and I'm sorry. Please forgive me of all those things. Please give me the power to live for you. All of my days in Jesus name, amen it friend of you prayed that prayer according to the Bible you've been forgiven you've been born again. Jesus said he would not turn anybody away who comes to him and he came for those people who knew they needed forgiveness.

Those who were sick, not the righteous to congratulations bring you just made the greatest decision that you will ever make. God bless you, if you pray that prayer with David for the first time we'd love to hear from you. You can visit cross the bridge.com to receive our first steps package with helpful resources to help you begin your walk with Christ. Or you can write to cross the bridge at PO Box 12, 515 Winston-Salem, NC 27117 and share how God is working in your life you're the Bible tells us that the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. But it does cost for us to come and bring that message to you and to others in your neighborhood through radio through the Internet and through the mobile technologies that God has gifted us to be able to use so if you like to support this ministry. Please go to cross the bridge.com. Click on the donate button and ask God how much he would have you give either on a one-time basis or continuing basis each month to help ensure that the teaching of God's word continues to go out through cross the bridge. Thank you so much ODA before we go. What are some ways that we can bless our listeners each day. You can wake up with encouragement from Pastor David to the word of God with his email devotional life lessons to consider daily reading and the thought to meditate on.

Throughout today from the heart. David McGee those are terrific and it's easy and it's free so folks sign up today@crossthebridge.com. Thanks again for listening and join us next time.

As David McGee continues to verse by verse in the Gospel of John