Your King Is Alive

“Don’t be alarmed,” he told them. “You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they put him.”

Mark 16:6, CSB 

I will never forget being in my early twenties hearing my pastor talk about his trip to Israel. He told us how he walked around and saw many of the sites detailed in the gospels. He also talked about traveling down the same road that they believed Jesus had walked before His crucifixion. Then my pastor spoke about the highlight of the tour. He went into the tomb where it is believed that 

Jesus was buried after His crucifixion. I remember vividly how my pastor spoke with tears in his eyes: “The most beautiful part of the tomb was that it was empty!” 

The resurrection is the crux and climax of our faith. “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). 

The fact that the tomb is empty gives us validation for our faith, and it promises that those who have repented and put their trust in Christ are forgiven of their sins. 

Mark 16:1–13 is a beautiful account by John Mark about Jesus’ resurrection. He is risen! He is not there! Rest assured today that you do not follow after a dead man, but a Risen King! 

Think about it. The stone was not rolled away from the tomb so Jesus could get out. The stone was removed so we could see inside the tomb and see that it was empty! 

PRAY: Pray for your one right now. Pray they would begin to worship and follow Jesus, the Risen King. Ask the Holy Spirit to open their hearts to this truth. 

ACT: Take time to write down or type out all the Scriptures in the New Testament that talk about the resurrection of Jesus. It may take a little effort to do this, but it will be worth it. Let them be a reminder that when you share the gospel, you’re not talking about some dead false god. You’re talking about a living God that was victorious over death!