Believing the Resurrection — Part 2 Today's Three-minute Bible Study Print, Study and Apply Title: Believing the Resurrection — Part 2 Keyword: "resurrection" Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual temptation. Passage: Mark 16:1-8* 1. And when the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the [mother] of James, and Salome, bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2. And very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3. And they were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?" 4. And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large. 5. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed. 6. And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, [here is] the place where they laid Him. 7. "But go, tell His disciples and Peter, 'He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He said to you.'" 8. And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. Question Which of the following statements best describes you? 1. I am very sensitive to what people say about me. I wear my feelings on my sleeve. 2. I could care less what people say about me. It’s my life not theirs. 3. I trust God and expect people will react to this fact in a variety of ways. Practical help In the gospel of John we learn that many of the Jewish leaders believed Jesus was the Messiah. (John 12:42-43) 42. Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing [Him,] lest they should be put out of the synagogue; 43. for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God. Following Christ’s death on the cross, a few of these men finally decided to step out. One of them was Joseph of Arimathea. You can bet he was no longer welcome in the company of the religious elite from that time on. If you believe in the resurrection of Christ, be prepared to be called narrow-minded or a fool. Be prepared to be written off as un-intellectual. Remember, however that you were warned this would occur. Jesus said in his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:10-12): 10. "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11. "Blessed are you when [men] cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. 12. "Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Note what happened to a few of the disciples who professed the resurrection and claimed to have seen Jesus after the crucifixion (Acts 4:1-4): 1. And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple [guard,] and the Sadducees, came upon them, 2. being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3. And they laid hands on them, and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening. 4. But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to you this day to free you from the powers of darkness. To break free from life in the shadows, you must walk into the light. Do so with your eyes wide open. Don’t expect applause and don’t be surprised if you receive rebuke. Understand that misery not only loves company but actually rails against those who find the way out. eXXit homepage Index of three-minute studies Copyright 2004 by eXXit *"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission." ---