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Gospel of Mark
Part 69: The Resurrection of the Dead
By Rev. Bruce A. Shields
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SERMON TIMELINE
- Introduction
- John the Baptist
- The Baptism of Jesus
- Temptation of Jesus
- The Preaching Ministry of Jesus I
- The Preaching Ministry of Jesus II
- The First Disciples
- A Teacher with Authority
- At the Home of Simon and Andrew
12. Jesus and the Tax Collector
13. Jesus Questioned About Fasting
15. Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath & Resurrection Sunday 2025
16. Hard Hearts and Hard Thoughts
18. Jesus Appoints the Apostles
24. Parable of the Growing Seed
25. Parable of the Mustard Seed
26. Benefits of Private Teaching
30. When Familiarity Breeds Contempt
32. Weakness in the Seat of Power
34. Feeding 5000
38. The Source of True Defilement
39. Gentile Blessed for Her Faith
40. He Has Done All Things Well
41. Jesus Feeds 4000
42. Jesus Sighs
43. Beware of Leaven
44. The Blind Man at Bethsaida
45. Who Do You Say That Jesus Is?
46. Mindful of the Things of God
49. Ashamed of Jesus and His Word
51. The Disciples ask Questions
54. Principles of Discipleship
58. The Cost and Reward of Discipleship
59. A Couple Days Before Palm Sunday
61. Greatness in the Kingdom Comes from Serving
62. Blind Bartimaeus
63. Triumphal Entry
66. Is it from Heaven or from Men?
67. Parable of the Wicked Vine Grower
68. Our Duty to God and Country
69. The Resurrection of the Dead
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE
Mark 12:18-27
The Sadducees and the Resurrection
18 Then some Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection) *came to Jesus, and began questioning Him, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves behind a wife and leaves no child, his brother should marry the wife and raise up a seed for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers; and the first married a wife, and died leaving no offspring. 21 And the second one married her, and died leaving behind no seed; and the third likewise; 22 and so all seven left no seed. Last of all the woman died also. 23 In the resurrection, whose wife will she be? For all seven had married her.” 24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures nor the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 But regarding the fact that the dead are raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; you are greatly mistaken.”
INTRODUCTION – Our Duty to God and Country
Before our break last week for Father’s Day, we looked at Jesus telling the blatantly obvious parable about the wicked vine growers, which the religious leaders understood was directed at them.
The lifelong enemies, the Sadducees and the Herodians, realizing they hated Jesus more than each other, teamed up to confront Jesus and set a trap for Him.
The Herodians were a political faction that supported the Herodian Dynasty of Herod the Great and his descendants.
We have read of the two working together against Jesus before in Chapter 3 of Mark.
“And the Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.” Mark 3:6
Today, we read of the same encounter; they attempt once more to trap Jesus in what they believe to be an unanswerable question.
Unlike some of the other Hebrew sects, the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection or the afterlife. We see some examples, such as here in Mark 12:18 where we are told they taught there is no resurrection, and Acts 23:8 “For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.”
So this shows some of the major differences between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Sadducees believe there is no resurrection, or angels, or even spirits, and the Pharisees do.
So they challenge Jesus with this seemingly unanswerable argument.
Romans 1:21-22 “For even though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or give thanks, but they became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools”
You see, Sadducees were educated in the word of God, trained throughout their lives about Yahweh, and memorized scripture from youth. However, they became vain in their imaginations, believing they understood more than they truly did. In their vain imaginations, scripture says their foolish hearts were darkened. They professed to have the wisdom of God’s word, but were fools.
This is how Satan works in the church. We were not only warned about this in scripture, but told how to keep those things from making us fools and darkening our hearts.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 “4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the tearing down of strongholds, 5 as we tear down speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,”
That’s how we tear down spiritual strongholds in the warfare against our souls in this world. Not by our own strength, not by the flesh, our weapons are divinely powerful, from the Spirit of God within us, as we measure speculations, thoughts, even our own vain imaginations against the knowledge of God, His written word, and cast out anything that does not measure up to the Word of God. This is how we win against the vain imaginations, falsehoods, false teachings, false teachers, false beliefs, all the things Satan has devised in this world to confuse and confound us into wrong thinking so that in our own imaginations we think ourselves wise, but our hearts become darkened, and we become fools.
I know so many who have lost their way because they believe in their hearts they understand more than they actually do about God and His word.
If this could not be, if this were not a danger, to wander from the truth and lose our way, we would not have so many warnings like James 5:19-20, Ephesians 4:17-18 “futility of their mind”
Colossians 2:8 “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ."
1 Timothy 6:20-21 “”O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called ‘knowledge,’ which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith.”
Well-meaning people seeking knowledge of God who have strayed outside of scripture to places of deception that have been disguised and marketed as angels of light and understanding.
False teachings and teachers who are nothing more than wolves in sheep’s clothing, leading those who lack discernment away through vain imaginations and the promise of deeper understanding.
So, the supposed unanswerable question was posed to Jesus, using the instruction of Moses, in hopes of causing Him to trip, but was answered quickly by Jesus. He struck down their inference of no resurrection, no afterlife, no angels or spirits, by using the word of God, and another teaching of Moses in scripture to clarify their error and strike down their vain imagination.
First, by saying they were wrong in their assumption, and did not understand scripture, nor the power of God, saying material relations do not continue in the resurrection, then proving there is a resurrection, an afterlife, angels, and spirits.
By speaking of one example, He answers all their falsehoods, Moses at the burning bush.
So, what facts are given in scripture about this subject that we should know?
I. THE FACT OF THE RESURRECTION
a. Jesus taught that there will be a resurrection
John 5:28-29 “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, 29 and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.”
1. All those who have died, both good and evil, will come forth when they hear Jesus call out.
2. Those who were not just hearers of the word, but doers to the resurrection of life, and those whose names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life to the resurrection of Judgement.
ii. Jesus assures us that those who belong to Him will be resurrected to life on the last day. John 6:39-40, 44, 54
b. The Apostles of Jesus also proclaimed the resurrection
i. Peter and John proclaimed in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. (Acts 4:1-2)
ii. Paul confessed before the Sanhedrin and Felix that his hope was in the resurrection (Acts 23:6, Acts 24:15)
iii. Paul talks of the necessity of the resurrection in his letter to the Corinthian church (I Corinthians 15:12-23)
iv. Paul also taught the doctrine of the resurrection to the church in Thessalonica (I Thessalonians 4:16-18)
II. THE AGENT OF THE RESURRECTION
a. Christ attributed it to the Power of God.
i. Far too many have been led astray by false teachers, believing the power of God is in signs and miracles.
1. This isn’t to say God does not have these, but that these were never meant to be the focus or example of the true power of God.
2. Why? As we learned early in the Bible, when Moses stood before the Pharaoh, signs and wonders can be imitated by Satan.
3. And we are also told at the end of the bible, signs and wonders are exactly how the antichrist will deceive many, “even the elect”
4. How were the elect deceived? Because they chased signs and wonders and believed they were the power of God, they were deceived.
ii. What does the bible say the true power of God is?
1. What sign and wonder could not be imitated by the Pharaoh’s magicians?
2. They could not bring the Hebrews back to Egypt. Why, because the true power of God was the salvation of His people. Not signs and wonders, which were used to convince the wicked Pharaoh, not God’s people, of God’s power.
Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,”
I Corinthians 1:18 “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
3. The Kingdom of God is demonstrated in power…What is it? Salvation I Corinthians 4:20
Ephesians 1:19-20 “…and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe according to the working of the might of His strength, which He worked in Christ, by raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.”
iii. Jesus warns of the dangers of following signs and wonders
Matthew 24:24 “For false christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.”
Matthew 12:38-39 “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, ‘Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.’ But He answered and said to them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation eagerly seeks for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet.’”
iv. Guess what, signs and wonders do not prove someone is of God
Matthew 7:22-23 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, in Your name did we not prophesy, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name do many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”
2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 “(the antichrist)…whose coming is in accord with the working of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of unrighteousness…”
Revelation 13:13-14 (about the antichrist) “And he does great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to do…”
Revelation 16:13-14, 1 John 4:1, 2 Corinthians 5:7
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his ministers also disguise themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.”
III. What is the true power of God that cannot be imitated by anyone?
a. The Salvation and Resurrection of God’s people
i. Jesus spoke many times of the resurrection on the last day
1. John 6:39-40, 44, 54
ii. Paul wrote of it occurring when Jesus comes again to deliver the kingdom to the Father, having destroyed the last enemy, even death itself. I Corinthians 15:22-26
iii. Saying it will occur at the last trumpet in I Corinthians 15:52
b. What about all the different doctrines of resurrections???
i. Many teach that there will be multiple resurrections, not just one, such as the premillennialists.
1. One of the believers at the beginning, another of the unbelievers at the end
ii. Dispensational premillennialists add…
1. A resurrection of tribulation saints at the end of the seven-year tribulation
2. A resurrection of millennial saints at the end of the millennium
iii. There are some reasons for discounting differing doctrines of several resurrections, such as
1. The bible represents the resurrection of believers and unbelievers happening at the same time
a. Daniel 12:2
b. John 5:28-29
c. Acts 24:14-15
d. Revelation 20:11-15
2. The bible also teaches that believers will be raised at the last day, not several different times (John 6:39-40, 44, 54)
3. Passages offered in support of several resurrections do not necessarily teach what Premillennialists say they do
1Thessalonians 4:13-16 concerns itself with the resurrection of the righteous, but that does not demand that the wicked are not being raised at the same time
Revelation 20:4-6 describes a resurrection of "souls", not bodies, and the reigning with Christ is likely to occur in heaven, not on earth - cf. Revelation 2:26-27; Revelation 3:21
CONCLUSION
The resurrection is the power of God, bringing us to our glorious new bodies (I Corinthians 15:35-55). By the power of God (Mark 12:24), our new bodies will be incorruptible and immortal in which to house our souls (I Corinthians 15:35-37).
Will be conformed to the glorious body of our Lord! - Philippians 3:20-21
That which is "lowly" will be transformed to be like that which is "glorious"
How? "...according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself" - i.e., by the power of God! - cf. Mark 12:24
FINAL THOUGHT
From scripture, we can see the fact, agent, and time of the resurrection. This alone should motivate you to desire whatever God has planned for those who love and obey Him.
Let this motivate you to be ready for the Lord’s coming. Motivate you to abound in learning His word. Motivate you to renew your mind, cast out vain imaginations, and let the Word of God, and the working of the Holy Spirit, create in you a mind like Christ!
· Matthew 24:44
· Colossians 3:16
· Romans 12:2
· II Corinthians 10:5
· Philippians 2:5
· II Corinthians 3:18
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