HG169-175 pt2 Easter Day pm Service
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed, Hallelujah!
1 Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. 5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, 7 saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ”
8 And they remembered His words. 9 Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. 11 And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.
In the Easter letter I tried to pose: What is the most important day of the Christian Year? Christmas? Good Friday? Easter? In Countries like Macedonia Christmas passes by almost as a non-event but Good Friday and Easter Day are celebrated. I think that they have got their priorities right.
Were you there when they pierced Him in His side?
Were you there when they pierced Him in His side?
We can only imagine the grief that the disciples, His mother, and others who were there when they saw and looked upon His body on the cross. The cross has become the emblem that is in almost all Christian Churches. Some even wear crosses around their necks. But these crosses are nothing like the cross that Jesus bore and was hung upon for it would have been rough and with splinters.
The reason why we are here today on Good Friday, Easter Day and on Christmas Day and on other Sundays and at other times is because of the most famous verse in the Bible that quotes Jesus saying:
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Christmas Day or Good Friday or Easter Day was not the start of this love story – it started a long time before, long before we even existed on planet earth:
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
Before the world was created He chose us to be adopted us into His family. He wants us in His family. After all that is why He created us in the first place. He wants us in His family. He wants to accept us if we will simply accept Him.
This is all fine but, and there had to be a ‘but’ didn’t there?! This love story has a problem and like many love stories the road was not exactly smooth. There were problems to be overcome first. The problem was that we did not want Him even though He wanted us. He wanted us to be in His family but we did not want it.
And that has been the problem ever since we humans existed, starting with the very first one, Adam. Adam sinned and we have carried on his tradition ever since. Yet it was God who created us and made us in His image so that we could know Him. And because we all have gone and done our own thing without regard to God and His ways our relationship with Him broke. And nothing we could do could repair it. We were irreconcilable.
God in His majesty and holiness cannot and could not bear sin:
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Every single one of us has failed to come up to God’s standards. Even as Christians we do not manage it. And the sentence has been passed. It is not one that anyone could like.
And what is the judgment that has passed? Is there anyone who can escape it?
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
If anyone has ever sinned it is the death penalty. And not one person has lived without sin and so all have died or will die. All, that is, except one, and He is Jesus. Only Jesus did die didn’t He? What is that about?
God is absolutely holy and absolutely just and absolute love: On one hand he had to punish wrong doing for what judge is he who does not pass sentence for it to be carried out? What kind of judge is it that will not send people to jail? But God’s love said: I don’t want to pass sentence but I have to because justice demands it – but I will sentence myself in Jesus. That’s the amazing thing about the verse we just read: ‘For the wages of sin is death, (and it continues…) but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord’. The sentence has been passed but as soon as He says it a solution is offered to us: Not death but eternal life as a gift.
On Good Friday and this morning we read Isaiah 52 and 53 that gives us a harrowing description of what Jesus went through. All our sin, all our crime, all our pride, all our hate, all our coveting, all our lust, all our disobedience, all of what we have ever done wrong, was placed upon Jesus to pay the price. We read the words that it pleased the Lord to bruise Him. The fullness of God’s wrath was poured out upon Jesus instead of upon us. That’s how Christ loved us. He has the scars in His hands, He has the scars in His feet, He has the scars on His head, He has the scars on His back, He has the scar in His side, all the scars He has were because He came for us.
Were we there at the crucifixion – yes we were – for it was our sin that was borne upon that tree. We were crucified with Christ.
Were we there at the crucifixion – yes we were – for it was our sin that was borne upon that tree. We were crucified with Christ.
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
His friends, His family. How could they or would they cope? But these were the same friends who were not with Him when He needed them most. So, not only had they lost their friend and had to cope with grief, they were also in despair for they had failed him and were full of guilt. Not only that, everything that had given their lives meaning for the previous three years was suddenly yanked away from them. Their hopes, their dreams. Despair descended upon them. How to cope with emotions such as these as well as the fact that there had been a betrayer among them. They feared that they might be next. What were they to look forward to? Where were they to go? Things were as black as black.
Were we there when he was buried? Yes we were – for it was there that our wages of sin came to its completion for the wages of sin is death.
Were we there when he was buried? Yes we were – for it was there that our wages of sin came to its completion for the wages of sin is death.
Were you there when God raised Him from the dead?
Were you there when God raised Him from the dead?
Preaching the Word: Luke, Vol. 2—That You May Know the Truth Bewildered (vv. 1–3)
As we consider the state of the Galilean women, we must not let our knowledge of the glorious revelation that awaited them dull us to the dark sackcloth covering these women’s souls. They were depressed, exhausted, mourning, with no hope whatsoever—and according to Mark, fretting over how they would get into the tomb (16:3). They did not expect anything except more sorrow. If you take flowers to the cemetery, do you expect to see an empty grave? And if you did see one, would it occur to you that the deceased had risen from the dead? Of course not!” On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus” (vv. 1–3). Now they were definitely confused and bewildered! They apparently assumed Jesus’ body had been stolen—that is what John tells us Mary Magdalene thought (cf. 20:13). The empty tomb intensified their distress.
But distress soon gives in to a change of emotions – what is going on? Suddenly, Joy! Uncertainty! Belief! Unbelief! Incredulous!
Preaching the Word: Luke, Vol. 2—That You May Know the Truth Rebuked (vv. 4, 5)
one of the angels voiced the immortal rebuke, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” (v. 5b). They were accused of coming to anoint a lifeless Jesus when they should have known he would rise from the dead. It was scandalous to look for Jesus in the grave.
Yet, what do we find among so-called professing UK Christians today? In a survey released last week only 46% believe Jesus died on the cross for their sins and was resurrected. Of course Scripture says that if you do not believe these things you are not a Christian - so what does that say about the 54% who either do not believe or are not sure - they are self-deceived - not Christian but unbelievers. They are still looking for the grave of Jesus.
But the women at the tomb: Surely and slowly the realisation dawned, just as the dawning of Easter Day, that it is true, what the angel said: He is not here! He has been raised! So, ...Jesus IS alive!
The resurrection proves He has won the victory. All this so we could go free, all this because He loved us, all this so we could be with Him for eternity – sin’s penalty was paid for by Jesus in full. We have been reconciled to God. And not only that, Jesus was happy to do what He did:
2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
For the joy set before Him endured the cross – Joy? What was this joy? Isaiah said something similar in 53.11 He shall see the labour of His soul and be satisfied. Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would live despite dying when He said these words. But who is the result of the labour of His soul? Who is His joy? Is it not us that He worked so hard to get? This is truly an amazing story – He worked hard to gain us and we are His joy.
Yes, the world rejoiced at His death and the disciples mourned! But how the tables have turned! Yes! Christ has defeated sin, defeated death, defeated the devil; for this purpose Christ was revealed; to destroy the works of the evil one. How can one keep this a secret?
Nelson’s Annual Preacher’s Sourcebook, 2008 Edition March 23, 2008: “He’s Alive (But Don’t Tell Anyone)”
Marty Halyburton’s husband, Porter, was shot down during the Vietnam War, and Navy representatives came to her home to tell her he had died in action. For several days, Marty was too numb to react. Flags flew at half-staff all over town, and a grave-marker was placed in Porter’s memory in the family cemetery. Eighteen months passed, and though Marty tried to adjust to her loss, it was very hard. Then one day, a group of military experts appeared again at her house, this time with dramatic news. Porter was alive, in relatively good condition, being held by the North Vietnamese. Marty’s emotions leaped as if on a roller coaster. But they told her to keep the information to herself for fear of reprisals against the POWs if the news got out. It was impossible to do. How do you hide the sparkle in your eyes, the bounce in your step, the smile on your face? How do you hide the sudden transformation of your personality? How do you talk to friends without blurting out the news? In the end, the Navy realized this and made it easier by officially changing Porter’s status, and Marty phoned everyone she could with the life-changing news: “He’s alive!”
This same joy that Marty had is ours for the taking. Jesus is alive! So many people were witnesses to this as we have read in our various passages of Scripture – they have told us this story, this history and we cannot keep it hidden either.
Were we there when He rose from the dead? Yes we were! And we have been raised to sit in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
Were we there when He rose from the dead? Yes we were! And we have been raised to sit in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
After Friday’s service I had a couple of people mention the prophesies about Jesus - the women at the tomb also were challenged - Jesus Himself had prophesied on several occasions. One instance was right after Peter declared to Jesus: “you are the Christ”, and right then and there Jesus plainly said:
saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.”
And on other occasions as we have found as we have been going through the Scriptures. It is the Word of God that makes sense of everything.
Preaching the Word: Luke, Vol. 2—That You May Know the Truth Instructed (vv. 6–8)
The prophetic word from Jesus and throughout the entire corpus of the Bible is central to the gospel. Jesus’ atoning death is fully understood only in the light of the whole Word. His resurrection is only understandable in conjunction with his Word. In point of fact, those who had rejected the prophetic word rejected the Resurrection, just as Jesus had taught they would: “ ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead’ ” (16:31).
This means that we are to be people of the whole Book. We are to devour the Word! Our minds and hearts will begin to embrace the massive dimensions of Christ only through the light of the Scriptures—all of them.
And it is this very Word that became flesh and laid down His life:
In the song ‘Above all powers’ it says:
Like a rose
trampled on the ground,
He took the fall,
And thought of me,
above all.
Indeed because Jesus is God He knew exactly what He was doing and He knew every single one who would respond to His love and He thought we were all worth what He went through.
The end of the African American Spiritual song: ‘Were you there’ that I have used as a frame for this sermon ends with these words:
Sometimes I feel like shouting glory, glory, glory!
When I think how God raised Him from the dead!
Where does that leave us today? We can read in 1 Cor 15 that our faith is futile if Jesus did not rise from the dead; we may as well not care about how we live, but Jesus did rise from the dead and so we ought to care how we live. He has loved us so much to go through what He has for us. And He has made it easy for us to come to Him:
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Is that our position today? Do we believe these things? Now all we have to do is declare it! Tell others! That’s what the women did…they went to tell the disciples that:
Christ is Risen! (He is risen indeed, Hallelujah!)
The first part of Isaiah 53:12 says that He will divide the spoil with us. What does this mean? It means He is coming back again to take us to be with Him forever where He has been preparing a place for us for almost 2000 years. He is exalted to the right hand of God the Father and He is there interceding for us. And He has raised us to Heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Every spiritual blessing is ours – all because He lived, He died, He rose again! All for us! Oh, what a Saviour!
Christ is Risen! (He is risen indeed, Hallelujah!)
Benediction
Benediction
Remind us, O Lord, that every day is Easter for the Christian, and may we live in the power of Your Resurrection all day, all week, all year, all our lives, and forever!
Bibliography
Bibliography
Hughes, R. K. (1998). Luke: that you may know the truth. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Morgan, R. J. (2007). Nelson’s Annual Preacher’s Sourcebook (2008 Edition). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
Ryle, J. C. (1879). Expository Thoughts on Luke (Vol. 2). New York: Robert Carter & Brothers.