The Good News of Jesus Christ | Mark 16:1-8
Dr. Alan Brumback   -   June 11, 2023
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Have you ever heard of a game changer? It is an event, idea, or procedure that effects a significant shift in the current manner of doing or thinking about something. Think of some game changers in past 25 years:

  • September 11, 2001: changed our views on terrorism and air travel forever.
  • January 2007: the iPhone was introduced and it changed how we communicate and live our daily lives.
  • December 2019: 1st case of COVID-19 and it literally changed the world.
  • November 2022: Chat GPT and AI was released into the world and it will change how we think about AI forever.

But the ultimate game changer in history is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Everything we know in this life and the life to come hinges on whether or not Jesus is alive. What is the gospel? Sadly, I’m afraid that a lot of people have heard the word but are not sure how to define it. The word gospel comes from the Greek word “euangelion” which means “good news.” It was a word used before the days of Jesus to describe good news of such magnitude that it changed your life. In ancient days, before social media and TV, people called, “evangelists,” would go from village to village telling everyone the good news. The Gospel is the ultimate game changer: Jesus was crucified for our sins, was buried, and God raised Him from the dead.

We have traveled through this book in 36 sermons. Chapter 15 is the darkest chapter of the book ending with the death of Jesus Christ. In Israel, for decades there would be messianic movements that would die with the leader. But from the very first line, Mark makes a promise that his book is about the “gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God.” In other words, Mark promises “good news about Jesus.” At the end of the book, in Chapter 16, Mark tells us the good news of Jesus Christ. Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him, Jesus rose triumphantly from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus is confirmation of Christianity, an expectation for the future, and an invitation to a greater mission.