Published: July 28, 2024 | Speaker: Mark Freitag | Series: Gospel of Mark - Part 110 | Scripture: Mark 16:1-8
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we'll be looking at the end of Mark chap chapter 15 and beginning of chapter 16 this morning I'm going to read uh to set the
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context again a little little longer passage here starting in Mark
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15:42 and when evening had already come because it was the preparation day that is the day before the Sabbath Joseph of ARA came a prominent member of the council who himself was waiting for the
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kingdom of God and gathered his up courage and went in before Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus and pilot wondered if he was dead by this time and
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summoning the Centurion he questioned him as to whether he was already dead and as raining this from the Centurion he granted the corpse to Joseph and
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Joseph bought a linen cloth took him down wrapped him in the linen cloth and laid him in a tomb which had been y out in the The Rock and he rolled a stone
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against the entrance of the Tomb and Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph were looking on to see where he was laid and when the Sabbath
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was over Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and salomi bought spices that they might come and anoint him and very early on the first day of the week
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they came to the tomb when the sun had risen and they were saying to one another who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the Tomb and
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looking up they saw that the stone had been rolled away although it was extremely large and entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting at the
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right wearing a white robe and they were amazed and he said to themo not be amazed you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene who has been crucified he has
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risen he is not here behold here is the place where they laid him but go tell his disciples and Peter and he is going
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before you into Galilee there you will see him just as he said to you and they went out and fled from the tomb for trembling and astonishment had gripped
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them and they said nothing to anyone for they were afraid let us pray Our Father we read these familiar
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words and yet we ask that you would cause us to know their their impact their import to our lives even today we look at these people
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and we wonder what thoughts were going through their minds and yet father again we ask that by your Holy Spirit you may teach us you may put
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the love for you the awe as we have just sung how sweet and awful is the place with Christ within the doors and so we
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ask that you would impact us with these things for your glory and honor and that we might be worshippers in Christ's name we pray
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Amen in the early 16th century early 1500s hun holine the younger a German Swiss painter became somehow they the painter of the tutor Court painting
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mostly portraits of the men of the court and then and then the wives of Henry
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VII he was instructed by Henry to paint an of an of cleaves and her sister not because he particularly was interested in her but wanted to make an alliance with William her brother but he
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instructed Hine to paint her as accurately as accurately as possible so that he could see what kind of woman she was how attractive she was
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because the reports of her beauty were uh quite largely spread but when Henry met the actual an of cleaves um I
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guess to say it this way perhaps Hine um invented the 16th century version of version of Photoshop Henry did not really like the
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way she looked and it is reported that the day after their wedding he said I liked her before not well but now I like
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her much her much worse the marriage lasted 6 months and I don't know all the rest of the history some of you but Oliver
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Cromwell was mixed up in that and Henry accused him of the setup I told you all that to tell you this Hans Hine also in a including his
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portraits of the tutor Court he painted a few religious paintings one of which is called the passion it is an altar
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piece depicting Jesus in in four four uh sections in this piece he is shown at trial and he is shown being whipped so
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he's gripping this pillar in the court and he is being whipped and it shows Jesus on the cross between the crosses
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of the two thieves and he has is shown being carried by a group of men to Joseph's
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tomb and I have read in one of the commentaries that this scene this painting appears in a dostoevski novel
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called the idiot and two men are standing looking at this painting of Hine of Jesus hanging on the cross in agony and once says I love that
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picture and the other exclaimed that picture that picture why some people's faith is ruined by looking at
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that picture and it doesn't this describe the the mood of us as Christians we look at the picture of
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Jesus hanging on the cross and we look at Jesus being dragged dead to the tomb but what if nothing comes after
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this what if this is all there is what if as depicted in the crosses that many churches
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cross what if the tomb was not empty what if the resurrection had never taken place Would we not exclaim why some people's faith has been
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ruined by looking at that
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Corinthians 15 he says if Christ has not been raised your faith is worthless you are still in
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sins the attemp attempts by critics to disprove Jesus resurrection are still prevalent and by the way in the scriptures in the four gospels I do not
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believe that any of the writers you actually use the word Resurrection but we've talked about some of the theories at least one of those
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theories that that Jesus did not actually die we mentioned last week the Swoon Theory Swoon Theory that Jesus didn't die from the crucifixion but he swooned or he fell
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unconscious while on the cross and in the Tomb somehow he recovered from his injuries and was
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resuscitated I've read a number of modern medical scientists and doctors who have said all that preceded that with the whippings and the torture and
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the torment that he was undergone the fact that his flesh would be literally hanging off the bones Jesus was in fact
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dead even before the sword was thrust into his side and out came blood and water but there's also other theories
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about the tomb there's the wrong tomb theory that the women must have gone to the wrong tomb and when they looked in they saw it was empty and then they went
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berserk but had the women spread the stories about the resurrection because they had seen the wrong tomb wouldn't you imagine that the Roman and Jewish authorities could have
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swiftly referred them to the right tomb the still occupied tomb there's the stolen body theory that
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his body was stolen by the disciples or the women or by Joseph of ARA who happened to be the the owner of the Tomb in fact in Matthew we read that the
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Pharisees remembered jesus' prophecy about rising from the dead on the third day and they convinced pilate to have a guard set and make the tomb secure by
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Rolling a stone in front of the stone and sealing it with the Roman seal of authentication of the power and authority of Rome
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seal but we do read in the scriptures that the chief priests and the elders got together and paid the soldiers guarding the tomb to claim that the disciples had come during the night while they slept and stole the
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body there's also what is called the hallucination Theory hallucination Theory those who claim to see Jesus after the crucifixion are imagining it because of
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the reappearance of a loved one the desire so much to see them again comes out of a sort of Wishful
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fulfillment but Gary Collins a psychologist says hallucinations are individual occurrences by their very nature only one person can see a hallucination at a time neither is it possible that one
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person could somehow induce an hallucination in someone else the cross is vacant because
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Christ's body is no longer there and I am glad for one that we do not have a cross nor do we have a cross with Christ still hung on
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it the cross is vacant of Christ's body but the cross is not vacant of meaning it is more than an icon to be
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held up to be prayed with and the attacks by the critics illustrate a simple truth I think the Cross of Christ divides
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people we see in the scriptures there will be a division the goats on the left and the Sheep on the right the broad way leads to death but
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the narrow way leads to life to one
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person the cross is the Wondrous Cross on which the prince of Glory died to another the cross is the Christian's crutch on which he leans on the Superstition and the man who died on
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that cross becomes to that person a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense in 2 Corinthians 2 Paul writes
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this for we are a fragrance of Christ to God Among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing there's the division to the one an aroma from
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Death to death to another the aroma of life to life the cross divides but the suffering of Christ on the cross accomplished his mission
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in Luke 19 we read Jesus saying of himself for the son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost it does not mean that we bargain
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with God about our sin that we bargain with God about how we feel about Sin and how we think we deserve his forgiveness notice what Jesus says he
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came to seek and to say that which was lost you are already lost you are already an enemy of his and yet he suffered in your
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place and for God's glory he brings many with him to Glory the cross is vacant but the cross has deep
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has deep meaning again Mark does not use the term Resurrection but what do we read in the women when they came on that
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morning that first day of the week and looking up they saw that the stone had been rolled away the the empty grave is the visible fact when when we
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read I there is some question I guess in modern society people looking at this saying did Jesus actually die and could
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he actually have been risen but what we see in the scriptures the people are not asking did he die they're asking where he is he they're they're seeing the empty tomb and they're going okay where
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could he be the empty grave is the visible fact the
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fact the resurrection is the Eternal inference the young man that they see is an angel we see from the other gospels and I'm no expert on the angel there are
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those who wax elegant about his his reignment his his white robe and where he was when one gospel writer has two angels and what did they see and when did they see him but Mark focuses on
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what he what he says and what he says he speaks in an Abrupt disconnected Abrupt disconnected style it's almost as if he's speaking as
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Yoda speaks he he's speaking Jesus you seek the Nazarene the crucified he is risen he is not here see the place where they laid him is in it's
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almost to me and I and I say this after thinking about it some many say it's a very dignified style to me I think the angel is slightly ticked
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off the the women come and it says of them they entered the tomb they saw young men sitting at the right wearing a
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white robe and they were amazed they were dumbfounded and what does the angel say to them do not be
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dumbfounded in the Greek it's saying stop what you're already doing I know what you're doing I know why you've come here but I know
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something you don't know do not be amazed Jesus you seek the Nazarene he's saying to them in words that connects to
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them I know you are seeking Jesus the the Nazarene the crucified he has risen he is not here see the place it's empty
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where they laid him the manner may seem Curt but the words are full of meaning why because there's no need to
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fear there's no need to be amazed he is risen just as he
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said he acknowledges their heart I know why you're here because you honor Jesus your friend your master your lord and you're coming to do what you think is proper for his
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burial but he knows how to connect to what they really want is they want to see him he calls him the crucified Jesus shame has become his
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Crown of Crown of Glory in Galatians Paul says far far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ through which
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the world has been crucified to me and I to the world there is no longer any fear
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he is risen in Greek it's one word risen the crucified risen and end of it it's one it's one word a one-word fact but it's a
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permanent statement he has gone from the the curse of hanging on the cross to to the Cure he's gone from
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well I'll let Paul say it for I handed down to you as of first importance what I also receive that Christ died for our sins according to the scripture and that he was buried and that he was raised on
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the third day according to the scriptures here here is the first Christian Creed here is the thing of first importance yes he died for our
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sins according to the scriptures and yes he was buried and he was raised on the third day
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behold the place the angel says behold the place he's no longer here and women I got news for you staring at the empty place is not serving any
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purpose there's something to be done because immediately says verse 7 but go tell his disciples and Peter he is going before you into Galilee and there you
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will see him there is something to be done so stop staring and go spread the
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news and Peter and Peter does in Acts chapter 2 where he says but God raised him from the dead the one that you put to death that you hung on the cross God raised
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him from the dead putting an end to the agony of death since it was was impossible for him to be held in its power risen the crucified
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risen there's no longer need to fear but go and tell the news to believe in the resurrection is
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more than an acknowledgement that Miracles can happen and that's what we see some people do they may not hold to the the the stolen body Theory or to the wrong tomb Theory or the hallucination
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Theory but they do hold that well you know yeah maybe Miracles can happen but that is not a belief in the
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resurrection ENT wri in his book calls it a new reality it's a new reality that even many Christians don't understand but he describes the resurrection this
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way as quote the chain breaking Idol smashing sin abandoning power called forgiveness called utter gracious love
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called Jesus the crucified risen Jesus the Nazarene he is not here he is
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risen but there's a group of men who are missing from this scene it's a vacant cross vacant cross it's an empty tomb but there are absent
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Apostles and I don't know quite what to make of
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it it is interesting that when the angel tells the women to go tell his disciples and
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Peter why would he say it that way and why weren't the disciples here G Peter was a disciple who denied his Masters three times on the night in
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which Jesus was betrayed he was the one who often put his foot in his mouth he had his what we say Modern
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English he had his issues but he was the first among equals and he was a favored friend of
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Jesus and perhaps the angel not only reminding them of what he had said in Mark chapter
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14 The Shepherd will be struck and the Sheep will be scattered but I will go before you into Galilee and there you will see will see me that familiar scene of galile beside
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the lake the fishermen in their boat and Jesus coming to them and saying follow me me I will make you Fishers of
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Men but I think also wanting to remind Peter of that day when Jesus told him Satan has requested to sift you like
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wheat but I have prayed for you and when you return strengthen your
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brothers and yet I think the disciples and we'll have opportunity next week to talk about the genuiness of the rest of Mark chapter Mark chapter 16 but I think the disciples perhaps
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felt the same way as the despairing but faithful women they show by their love their
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determined purpose but they also show by their trembling and astonishment that the scripture says held them fast it bound them they are of mixed emotions they can
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say nothing they have no ordinary conversation on the way home they were fled they were afraid and what does Mark say they
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fled Alexander McLaren writes Mark's object is to bring out the very imperfect Credence which at best was given to the testimony that Christ was risen and to paint the tumult of feeling
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in the breasts of its first recipients I think this shows that the disciples were
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not succumbing to the hallucination Theory they did not expect Christ to rise and I think it makes their
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subsequent belief and clinging to him as we see in Peter and those around him that he taught that their belief their faith is
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genuine and reliable but we do see that very early in the history of the
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church that the Christian Creed of 1 Corinthians 15 and I do believe it can be called a Creed it witnesses to the
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genuiness of their faith that Paul says and they believe that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures that he was buried and
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that he was raised on the third day in according to the scriptures and that he did appear to Peter and to the 12 let us
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pray Our Father we ask that you would again help us to meditate on these things that by your spirit we may understand we may come to be again as those who have seen the light rejoice
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and we are glad and we even laugh because we know that you have done a great thing for us and we will rejoice
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we ask that you would use these things to build your church to build our faith that it may be solid and reliable and we may Proclaim we ask in Christ's name
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amen amen you please rise for the benediction and I turn again to 1
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Corinthians 15 for the good news Paul says in one place but now Christ has been raised from the dead the first fruits of those who are
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asleep and then he says later but behold I tell you a mystery you shall not all sleep but we shall all
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be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable and we shall be
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changed amen