- Happy Easter, happy Resurrection Sunday, whatever you call it at your house, what a great, great weekend. What a great, great day for the whole kingdom of God to rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the platform, the foundation, of what every Christian worldwide, that's what we build everything on. So, thank God, he is risen, the earliest disciples would say hey, he's risen and the others would say he has risen indeed. Man, that's pretty good. I hope it's great for your family. I hope you got to get to church. If not, get to church and rejoice in the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. There's nothing like the word of God to help you along the way, that's the truth. I just wanna tell you about this, I have a series that's in two volumes and so it's a lot of good teaching and you need to get it. Everybody I know needs to get it. It's just called I Am A Christian and what do you do once you accept Christ, meet Christ, know Christ, become born again, what do I do now? What about baptisms, what about church service, the Bible, prayer, and all these things? I'm gonna answer all of these questions for you on these two volumes. You gotta get a hold of this right away. Listen, you can download it, you can get it in DVD, CD, you gotta call the number on your screen as fast as you can while the supply is made up for you. Happy Easter, let's go study the book together. Amen. Today, I am a believer, therefore I'm a receiver and I do believe that I will receive absolutely everything that God has for me today, in Jesus' name. Clap real good, come on, do it, just because we're serving the king of Glory, hallelujah. I want you to turn with me please over to the book of John chapter 19, John chapter 19, amen, thank you. John chapter 19. I just wanna talk a few minutes and read and teach some about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now, if you weren't here, you could get the recording, we went through the whole, you know, Passover week, you know, the Last Supper, how these events occurred in what order and what do we mean by Good Friday and what is, you know Palm Sunday? So, that, we just did that in the past service, so if you'd like to get that, you can, or if you're by television or internet, you call the ministry and we can get that to you and I think it's important because I went through everyone from the betrayal to the arrest to, you know, each time, all five times Jesus shed his blood, the death, the burial, the resurrection, and the ascension of Jesus Christ. I think it's important that you get that engraved in your mind so you understand number one, all that he did for us, but number two, you can explain it to somebody else, praise God, but everything that Christians believe in is based on what we're celebrating today. If Jesus would not have been risen from the Father, by the Father, from the grave, from death, then you'd have no life. See, the Bible says even your mortal body, if that same spirit, that's the Holy Spirit, that raised up Christ from the dead lives in you, he will quick your mortal body. The Bible refers to Jesus Christ as the first born, the first one, to be raised from the dead and to live into eternal life but your day's coming, praise God, and I'm praying for the rapture, that's what I'm looking forward to, the catching away of the church and the twinkling of an eye, woohoo, man, we'll be out of here in Jesus' name. All right, John 19, did you find it? Now, if you amen really good and you read really fast, I'll get done really quick and we'll be able to go and come back for communion tonight and have a great afternoon, praise God. Verse 40. John 19:40. Then they took the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices as the manner of the Jews is to bury. They don't embalm, even really to this day. All right, now it goes onto tell you know how he was laid in a, you know, from the garden to the sepulchre and you can keep reading all of that but we won't this morning just for the sake of time. And then here in chapter 20, verse one, The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. She runneth, and came to Simon Peter, to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. In other words, they moved the body. That's what she's thinking, they moved the body, where's the body of Jesus? By the way, the first day of the week in that calendar is Sunday, not Monday. If you're Americanized, Monday's the first day of the week, usually considered, because our work week but technically Sunday's the first day of the week, that's why, you know, we don't claim, at least I don't, I don't claim today's the Sabbath. I claim Saturday's the Sabbath and you should do your best to keep Holy that day. Sunday's a work day. Something, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, those are work days and those earliest disciples said because he rose on the first day of the week, not the last day, the Sabbath, but on the first day of the week, we're gonna set that day aside to work for Jesus Christ, to build the church, to evangelize and to have a special day where we just actually go to work for Christ. Amen. Now, over time, I don't wanna get deep into that topic today but over time what's happened is a lot of people, a lot of Americans, I think, especially, they think Sunday's the Sabbath day and uh, but the Sabbath wasn't necessarily a day to come out here to church and work for Jesus Christ and do all that we do, the Sabbath was meant to be a day of rest, a day with family, amen, and a day to invite the Lord to a special dinner with your family called the Shabbat, you can study that another time if you want to but here on the first day of the week is when Jesus was raised from the dead, the number one element of all Christian faith is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Amen? Now, I wanna bring your attention back to something in verse 40, 19:40. They took the body, wound it in linen clothes with spices. Now, if you keep reading down through verse 20, excuse me, chapter 20, you're gonna come to verse three, verse four, they ran together, got to that grave place, that sepulchre, that tomb, and stooping down, and looking in, verse five, they saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. He wasn't in it. The clothes were laying there but he wasn't in it. Six, Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin, that's the facecloth, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Hm. And as you read down through here, Jesus begins to appear to them and they realize nobody's moved this body, he has risen from the dead by the power of God. But I'm pointing out to you today the grave clothes. I'm pointing out to you the linen. It wasn't exploded into many pieces, it wasn't torn, ripped, and thrown in a pile on the floor. The grave clothes. The grave clothes were folded and laid, separated. Feet by the feet, I suppose the hands by the hands and the head dressed separate and when Jesus rose from the dead, I see this very clearly, I didn't always but as I begin, you know, because I came into the church not a Christian, of course, got born again through people like you, it wasn't you but somebody just like you and I began to realize that Jesus Christ purposely folded those clothes and laid them and when they stuck their head into that tomb and if you go with me sometime I'll show you a rich man's tomb, the one that they kind of sort of think is either the place of Jesus Christ was buried or awful close to it, you know, so you get a picture of what it looks like, it's not a hole in a cave with a big round rock, it's a professional sepulchre with a disc like a CD, like a big old rock. This wide, big cylinder, it rides in the tracks made by some men and they had instruments that they rolled that stone and then they could roll it back so the loved ones could get into the tomb. If you had money, remember, it was Joseph the rich man who comed to get the body of Jesus to lay him in a tomb, I suppose made for himself because no man, the Bible says, ever laid in that tomb. Jesus laid in that tomb that had never been used before. Huh? From that tomb, whichever, from that tomb, he came into everlasting life. But notice what we're reading. They looked into that tomb and Jesus wasn't there? There wasn't a bunch of powder everywhere where the power of God exploded all the cloth and pulverized it into little pieces of fabric and it was blown everywhere like an explosive. No. He took it off and he folded it like he was in no hurry, like he knew what he was doing, like he did it on purpose. As I believe also, those grave clothes were a sign to those looking in that he knew exactly what he was doing and he was in no rush and nobody stole that body 'cause anybody stealing a body wouldn't have taken time to unwrap it and fold the clothes, huh? No, man. Jesus did that for you and me. One last verse I wanna share with you, then we're gonna pray over you. Here in John, I want you to turn over to John 11, would you do that? John chapter 11, say praise God, he's risen.
- [Congregation] Praise God, he's risen.
- I'll say he's risen, you say he's risen indeed. He is risen.
- [Congregation] He is risen indeed.
- John 11, verse 39. John 11:39. We're talking about the resurrection and these grave clothes. Jesus said, this is Lazarus if you don't know the Scriptures in this passage, this is Lazarus, he died, the family come to get Jesus, Jesus was friends with the family, that'd be a good friend for your family to have, by the way, Jesus Christ, and he came in the time of death, verse 39, and Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. 40, Jesus said unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? 41, Then they took away the stone, Jesus didn't do. You've heard me preach on this before. They took away the stone, Jesus told them to roll away the stone, he didn't do it, for the dead was laid, middle of verse 41, and Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. 42, And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. 43, And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. 44, pay close attention, And he that was dead, Lazarus, came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes. Just like the ones Jesus had because they were both buried according to Jewish tradition of burial. Graveclothes. And his face was bound about with a napkin. Remember, we just read when Jesus was buried, they had wrapped his face in a grave napkin. Bound with a napkin, Jesus said unto him, excuse me, Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. You're looking at a man today, Mark Barclay, that is a fulfillment of those verses because, as some of you know in my testimony, even after I met Jesus Christ and became what we call born again or born of his Spirit, redeemed, began my walk of redemption, even after I accepted Jesus as my savior, I was just like Lazarus and I was, I came forth, bound in graveclothes, the clothes that, the wrappings that represent death to the spiritually speaking, that's depression, man. I don't mean something that's caused you to be depressed, I mean, you know, true in the soul of depression. It is the feeling of being lost, it is absolutely condemnation that you know that you're damned inside and as a sinner, you don't know how to get out of that. Do you do a good deed, do you give some charity money, do you try to pray, do you try to live right? You know, most sinners do not know that it takes the blood of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Now, we all know God loves us if you've even read one verse in the Bible, God is love, we just showed you a video this morning about the love of God. Amen. But the knowledge of God loving you is not enough to get you born again and delivered and healed, filled with God, and walking as an earth warrior. Let me clarify, thank you for throwing nothing at me. God's so, you know, this verse John 3:16? You wanna say it with me? For God, so loved the world, that's everybody, that he gave his only begotten son, pause, so the love of God gave. When you fall in love with God's work, you'll give. The more you fall in love with God's work in your life, and your friends and your relatives, you more serve him, the more you wanna help build a church for other people to come in. The more you give of your money and your time and your service, the less love you have for God, the less we'll see it or anybody else, the less you serve him. But this revelation of God's love, God so loved, his immediate reaction was to send the only begotten son. Let's pick it up again. That whosoever believeth on him, do you know it? Shall have everlasting life. Huh? Whosoever believeth in him? That's correct. God wanted you to have a choice. God wanted me to have a choice. God could've made humans robots like angels. No choice. God could have said you'll love me and that's that, you'll be my disciples and that's it. And you, if you didn't have a free will like you do, you wouldn't know the difference, you'd just be like a robot, like a spiritual machine, and you'd respond to God but God said no, no, no, no, I don't want a bunch of people that I programed like angels to worship me. I mean, the angels are programed, the Seraphims, the Cherubims, when there's action, God says something, he moves. In fact, as far as we know, there may be more, but according to the Scripture, in one great room where God is, there's 24 hour worship where angels were just made. Now yeah, there's the elders that are there but the angels are made to just worship him and praise him around the clock. But God said when it comes to my creation, humans, I want them to be able to have a choice, to love me or not, to accept my great love sacrifice, Jesus Christ, who did not just come to die for you, though that's the greatest act of love, but he was risen from the dead and the graveclothes were folded on purpose for all those looking in to say, you not only can beat death, you can beat the graveclothes and amen? You can have the full work of Jesus Christ in your life. I'm a Lazarus. Now, did I die physically? No. Was I dead spiritually? Yes. And when I met Jesus Christ, did I explode inside? Yes. Did I come alive? Yes. Was I born again? Yes. And nobody will ever convince me different of that. Nobody ever has been able to. I'm an Acts one guy, I have many, not one or two, I have many infallible proofs that Jesus rose from the dead. In Mark Barclay's mind, in Mark Barclay's body, in Mark Barclay's family, in Mark Barclay's disciples unto Christ, and on and on and on, miracle after divine miracle and protection and supply, I have proof. It's infallible. You'll never change my mind. However, I was still bound in graveclothes. I still drank like a drunk, I smoked two and a half packs a day, when I wasn't smoking, I was chewing tobacco and spitting it. Oh, those recruits, I could chew tabbacy and spit perfect, hit them right on the toe of that shiny boot and go after them of why their boots weren't shined when they come for inspection. Don't look at me like that, I've got saved sense. I haven't spit on a recruit boot in a long time. Okay. And all this mean stuff that was in me and anger and rage and get even, all that was still with me, ladies and gentlemen, when I met the risen Savior. I did meet the risen Savior, I didn't meet church, I met the risen Savior. I met the church later, I'm glad I met the church, I love you, I love all churches that worship my God, but yeah, when I met him, it's an amazing thing, I wanted to be free all of a sudden. All of those things I did and felt and lived with all my life, I just lived them, they tormented me, but I never thought about ever how would you ever get rid of them until I met Christ. And then I met you, the church of Jesus Christ who has the assignment all the way to the tomb of Jesus Christ, find that guy and lose him and let him go free. That's Mark Barclay. The church got me free from all of that nasty stuff. Now, if you talk about freedom, I'm gonna close with this, you talk about freedom today and you talk about sin and all the stuff I'm wanting to get delivered from, preachers will claim that a guy like me, that I'm just preaching bondage, that I'm just condemning you, I'm making you unhappy, I'm making you feel sad and bad, I'm talking about sin, you know, I'm just an angry old preacher. No, they're all dead wrong. Terribly dead wrong. I'm trying to get you as free as I am and if you're as free as I am, we have a commission. Freely you have received, the Bible says, freely give. You go out, you cleanse that leper, don'tcha? You raise that dead. You got powered either in a human's life through Christ to remit sin or retain it. You know what that means? You can get them born again or they can walk away and go to hell. There is a heaven, there is a hell, and my Jesus did not be tortured at the torture center professionally, die in the cross, for no reason if there was no reason to be delivered, if there was no reason to get rid of bondages that hurt your life and cost you, if there was no reason to be healed from sickness and disease, if there was no hell, God must be one stupid individual. To put his son through such a sacrifice when this modern preaching says, modern preaching says, there is no judgment, there is no accountability, live any way you want to and if anybody makes you feel uncomfortable, they're from the old school. That would be a dumb, stupid, cruel God but because God is none of the above and God is love, he doesn't look for it, and he doesn't have to manufacture it. The Bible says God is love, Jesus Christ stood at that well with that woman as a story in the Bible and could not walk away because of his love. Love never fails and Jesus, you know, they talked about the water, they talked about the day, and finally, Jesus had to ask her about her sin, about her men, because love doesn't fail. Jesus knew if I walk away and don't tell her I'm the resurrection and the light and give her a way out, she'll live and be buried in that right there. It'll just keep demolishing her life. When Jesus, this Jesus we're talking about, this resurrection Christ, when he found, remember, they chased the prostitute to his feet, remember that story? They were gonna stone her? And Jesus wrote in the sand. And he said now where are your accusers? He didn't say go and sin some more, there's no condemnation, did he? What did he say? Go and sin no more. The man that was healed so horrible from his whole body that his friends had to bring him and lower him through the, into the building and Jesus healed him and Jesus said to him, now you go and sin no more lest something worst happens to you. What could be worse? Can't go to the bathroom by yourself. Your friends gotta haul you to the church building. They strapped you in the gurney, man. Something worse? The reason you and I are gonna take advantage of the church removing our graveclothes is that you don't belong to the dead anymore, you don't belong to the grave anymore, you don't belong to that guilty condemnation thing anymore, if you're guilty, you're guilty, and you'll feel guilty but when you repent and take on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, guilt leaves, confidence comes, and now you and I as disciples, we can take this wonderful resurrection power. I'm an expert at removing graveclothes because I'm a witness of how they can be removed in my own life, by the power of Christ that's in the church. Can I have an amen on it?
- Amen.
- Let's clap real good for Jesus, come on. Thank God he removes the graveclothes. Thank God. Mark T. Barclay again, listen, from my family and my team to you and your life and your family and your team, whatever you do, God bless you, happy Resurrection Sunday weekend to you and may the rest of your life be a living vessel of this great price that our Christ paid. Hope you enjoyed the broadcast today. It is so short, you know. I try to cram everything in there I can to challenge your life and to bring some life to you and bring some hope to you. I hope that happened for you. Hey, I told you about this at the beginning of the broadcast but just in case you weren't there, it's my series called I Am A Christian. It's one of the coolest, greatest things that answers so many questions for so many people. You know what? People meet Jesus, you know, pray the prayer of salvation, get born again, what about baptisms, what about church, what about all this religious stuff? I'm gonna answer question after question after question all about being a Christian and I want you to get it, you need it. Everybody I know needs this. I enjoy teaching it and studying it, you need it too, call the number on the screen right away, get on the bookstore, the internet, do anything you can to get I Am A Christian and it will change your life forever just like this Bible does. Send me an offering if you can, send some seed, pray for us, and I'll see you on the next broadcast. Amen.