Easter Life Song

His Song for us to Sing

Luke 24:1-12

Online Sermon: http://www.mckeesfamily.com/?page_id=3567

The songs that we sing often speak volumes about our character. Music is powerful for the melody and words not only pull at our emotions but can transport us back in time to experience both good and bad memories. When I hear some of the songs of my youth such as Phil Collins “In the Air Tonight,” Foreigner’s “I Want to Know what Love is,” Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven,” or Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger;” I can’t help but relive the emotions of times when I experienced injustice, breakups, deaths in my family and the difficult times that required shear grit to survive! And then there are those songs such as Josh Groban’s “You Raise me Up,” Queen’s “We are the Champions,” Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World,” or Michael Jackson’s “Heal the World;” which remind me of God’s loving tender kindness, my potential, my obligation to thank God for the beauty of creation and my responsibility to be compassionate towards others. The songs we love speak volumes as to how we view ourselves in relation to this world and God’s kingdom. The following sermon is going to review the resurrection of Christ and in doing so invite you to think about what kind of “life song” you are currently singing!

Big Fish and Fishers of Men

Ever wonder what it must have been like to be Peter? Before being called into ministry Peter had joined the family, fishing business with Andrew, James and John (Mark 1:21, 29; Luke 5:10)? After having heard John the Baptist’s testimony that Jesus was the “Lamb of God” (John 1:35-40), in an incredible act of faith both he and Andrew dropped their nets to “fish for people” (Matthew 4:20). This “fishing expedition” was not accomplished through mere words but with the demonstration of Jesus’ sovereignty over all things seen and unseen (Colossians 1:16). Imagine what it would have been like to witness Jesus change water into wine (John 2:1-11), curing the blind (Matthew 9:27-31; Mark 8:22-26; John 11:1-38; Matthew 20:30-34), casting out demons (Mark 1:30, 31; Matthew 8:28-34; Matthew 12:22; Matthew 17:14-21), enabling Peter to walk on water in a storm (Matthew 14:22-36), and the raising of the Widow’s son and Lazarus from the dead (Luke 7:11-18; John 11:1-46)! Not only was Peter told that he would fish for men with the same miraculous wonders as Jesus did (John 14:12-14) but would one day become the rock and future leader of the early church (Matthew 16:17-20)! I can’t help but think that Peter would have loved the song “I Can do all Things.”

Jesus’ Prediction of His Death and Resurrection

Even though Peter was more than glad to give up everything to listen to Jesus’ teachings, watch and participate in miraculous signs; both he and the other disciples were uncertain and maybe even a little terrified of the thought of His death and resurrection. The first time Jesus made these predictions was right after Peter had declared Jesus was “the Messiah, the Son of the living God” and was offered the keys to the kingdom of God. When Jesus told the apostles, He would soon go to Jerusalem, be killed and raised from the dead Peter rebuked Jesus who in response said “get behind me Satan” (Matthew 16:13-28). The second time Jesus made these predictions was right after Jesus had healed a demon possessed boy. This time the apostles did not understand or grasp what Jesus was saying and were afraid to ask Him (Luke 9:37-50)! The final time Jesus made these predictions was right after His teaching on the rich ruler. Jesus sat the disciples down and despite clearly telling them of His death and resurrection they still did not understand or grasp what He was talking about (Luke 18:18-34). Maybe the apostles were like this man imitating an ostrich with its head stuck in the sand! Before Jesus gave enough proof of His resurrection the disciples could and would not have accepted Jennie E. Hussey’s song “Lead me to Calvary.”

Burial of Jesus

The arrest and death of Jesus were so terrifying that even the disciples fled from His presence. When Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane Scripture states that all the disciples deserted Him (Matthew 26:56). It is only when Jesus was brought before the Sanhedrin that Peter courageously returned to the courtyard to only moments later deny ever having known Him three times (Matthew 26:57-75). Even Jesus’ mother, the other women and the disciple Jesus loved stood “near” or at a “distance” from the cross (John 19:25-27; Matthew 27:55-56). The moment Jesus gave up His spirit, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, the earth shook and the tombs broke open; those guarding Jesus became terrified and “exclaimed surely he was the Son of God” (verses 51-54)! One of Jesus’ disciples Joseph placed the body of Jesus in his “own new tomb” and Pilate ordered that it be secured and guarded so that no one could steal the body and claim that He had risen from the dead (verses 57-65). So devastated were the disciples that their Master’s body lied in a grave that it would take three long, excruciatingly painful days before Jesus’ followers would accept and sing Daniel Thornton’s song “Up From the Grave He Arose.”