*1 Cor 15 3- 10. NLT
3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. 5 He was seen by Peter[c] and then by the Twelve. 6 After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers[d] at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him. 9 For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.10 But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace. *

Everything has already taken place, but His story is alive in us.
It is finished, but it’s not over!

*1. God will do what He said He would do! *

Mark 16:2-7 ESV
*And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 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 back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”

*

Jesus had done everything that He said He would do, and all doubt of who He was, was gone!

“See the place where He lay.”
Invite you in your life to look back: Where he has been?
How has He worked in your life before?

Seeing and remembering where He has been will give us confidence that He is still moving today.

“Just as He told you.”
If God said it, He will certainly do it!

God always answers our skepticism with His faithfulness!

*2. Our Failures aren’t Final. *

Jesus came and desires relationship with the lost and the broken.

Mark 2:16-17 NLT
16 But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees[a] saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum?[ 17 When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do…. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

Matthew 26:75 ESV
75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Our failures may feel like our end, but redemption is always near.

There is temptation with failure to abort our healing by;
1)Rushing past the pain to get back to normal.
2) Sitting and wallowing in our pain.

Some of your greatest victories ahead will come from our greatest pain and sorrow.

Resurrection life will have the final word!!

Mark 16- Go Tell my disciples and PETER!

3. His Finish, is Our Invitation.

John 19:30 ESV
30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

“It is Finished”

to bring to completion.
to bring to a conclusion.
to complete.
to accomplish; to fulfill; or to finish.

a. He had finished the work the Father had sent Him to do.

b. His sacrifice is enough.

c. The full payment of a debt has been received.

d. A turning point when one period ended and another new period began.

1 Corinthians 15:54-57 NLT
54 Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die,[a] this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory.[b]
55 O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?[c]” 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Discussion Questions:

1- Describe a time when God’s grace was working through you?

2- How can Christ’s story work through you today?

3- What is one thing God has told you that you are still believing for in your life today?

4- How has God used your greatest pain to bring about great change in you or others?

5- If our debt has already been paid, how are we supposed to respond when shame and guilt still remind us of our past?

6- Read 1 Corinthians 15:54-57. How does God give you victory over sin and death. How do we enforce that victory?