But, Easter Series

It started as a day marked with mourning, but today it is a day of celebration.

It started as a day when the forces of Evil celebrated victory, but today it is a seen as the day when goodness and grace triumphed.

It started as a day when people paused to remember what man did to God, but today is a day when people stop and remember what God had done for man,

This is week three of our “after the but . . .” series here at Cornerstone. And over the next couple of months we are unpacking the reality of “After the But, comes the truth.”

And we use that every day in conversation. How often have you added but to a statement to modify it? Last week I was in the Miramichi and asked someone about a local restaurant and they replied, “The food is good but, . . .” They went on to say the décor of the restaurant was really dated and there was no sense of ambiance. So, I went there for lunch and the food was awesome, I might have said, “The décor is a little dated, but the food is incredible.”

‘But’ is such a powerful word, only 3 letters however it is the hinge that turns the entire meaning of a statement.

For example, C. S. Lewis wrote, “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” After the but, comes the truth.

The bible uses the word ‘but’ over 4500 times, so we shouldn’t have a lack of material. This morning I want to look at a statement that occurs in the book of Acts.

Paul is preaching to a crowd in Antioch and he is telling them the Jesus story. And part of his sermon is the Easter weekend summed up in 115 words.

And in those 115 words there are two buts. Which is perfect, there was a ‘but’ for Friday and now there is a ‘but’ for today.

And that one little word was literally a world changer. It was the hinge that history now turns on.

Because of that but, all of history is divided into BC, Before Christ and AD, Anno Domini, The Year of the Lord.

We find the story in Acts 13:27-31 The people in Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize Jesus as the one the prophets had spoken about. Instead, they condemned him, and in doing this they fulfilled the prophets’ words that are read every Sabbath. They found no legal reason to execute him, but they asked Pilate to have him killed anyway.

And that was Friday, But this is Sunday.

So, let’s keep reading, “When they had done all that the prophecies said about him, they took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead! And over a period of many days he appeared to those who had gone with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to the people of Israel.

Did you catch the ‘but’? . . .they took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead!

And that was the deal breaker right there for everyone who was present on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. With that ‘but’, everything changed.

Because of the But, Their Present was Changed

On Thursday the Apostles had been on top of the world, they had arrived in Jerusalem and that evening they had celebrated the Passover feast together.

But by Friday one of the twelve was dead by his own hand, one had denied he had ever known Jesus and nine had scattered rather than be associated with the one they had called master and friend.

When Jesus needed them most, they had given him their least.

And now on Sunday morning they were defeated and discouraged.

They felt that they had not only lost their friend, but they had lost their dignity in their denial. Not only that but they had lost the three years of their lives they had invested in following Jesus.

I don’t know what they talked about through the day on Saturday or what plans they were making on Sunday. Were they wondering when the Romans would arrive at the door to take them away? Were they planning on leaving Jerusalem and heading back to the Galilee, resuming the lives they had left behind?

Were they wondering what they were going to tell their friends and family? After all, they had been so confident that Jesus was the one, that Jesus was the messiah. But now Jesus was dead, and they were defeated.

But that all changed when the women arrived at the tomb and found it empty.