Sermon Central
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Four Things To Remember At Easter Series
Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Apr 19, 2025 (message contributor)
Summary: This was a talk for a family service on Easter Sunday. It has four symbolic actions that remind us that Jesus is the truth, Jesus is the key, Jesus is the king and Jesus is the life.
N.B. The parts of this 'talk' were broken up through the service.
Today, it’s Easter Sunday. Easter Sundays are always great days! For us as Christians, Easter Sunday is one of the most important days of the year. Perhaps it’s the most important.
This Sunday, I’m going to do things a bit differently to usual. Most Sundays, I give a talk. But if you’ve looked at the ‘Order of Service’ you’ll see that it doesn’t say talk. You’re thinking, ‘Hooray! A service with no talk!’
But perhaps you’ve also noticed that the Order of Service says ‘Activity.’ In fact, four activities! Now you’re worried! It sounds as though you’re going to have to do something!
Actually, I am going to do some talking. But not too much. My emphasis today is more about activities than on me talking. I’ve got four simple activities to do which I hope will remind us of things that are important in this season of Easter.
JESUS THE TRUTH
My first activity is called ‘Jesus the truth’. Can my helpers please give out these little booklets? [‘The Reason for Easter’ by Jago Wynne.] Children can have the children’s sticker book if they prefer.
About four Sundays ago we had the first talk for Lent, and we looked at ‘Jesus the truth’. I quoted this passage:
“There was an occasion when some scribes and Pharisees told Jesus, ‘Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.’ Jesus replied: ‘An evil and adulterous generation craves a sign. YET NO SIGN WILL BE GIVEN TO IT EXCEPT THE SIGN OF THE PROPHET JONAH, because just as Jonah was in the stomach of the sea creature for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights’” [Matthew 12:38-42].
Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees who wanted a sign, ‘No sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.’
Just take a moment to think what a significant statement this is! Jesus said that the sign of the prophet Jonah would be the ONLY sign given to those doubting scribes and Pharisees. If Jesus said this sign was the ONLY sign, then it must be THE MOST IMPORTANT SIGN in the Christian faith.
So, what was the sign of the prophet Jonah? Jonah was in the stomach of the sea creature for three days and three nights and then miraculously emerged. The same thing was true of Jesus – but even more so! Jesus was truly dead and then, on the third day, God raised him to life.
Our faith as Christians is founded on facts. We become Christians on the basis of facts. We continue as Christians on the basis of facts. We need to be confident that our facts are true. For Christians, the fact that God raised Jesus from the dead is the fact above all other facts. If this fact is true, then everything else about the Christian faith is true.
On March 22nd, when I gave this talk, I looked at some of the arguments for the resurrection being true. I’m not going to go over the arguments now. But I’m giving you this little booklet as a way for you to remember some of the arguments. It’s by someone called Jago Wynne, who is the rector of a church in Clapham. In the first part of the booklet, Jago Wynne reviews some of the arguments for Jesus’ resurrection. Your first ‘action’ is to take this booklet home and read it. It’s just 16 very small pages long, so that shouldn’t be difficult!
Let’s go on to the second action.
My second activity is called ‘Jesus the key.’ Can my helpers please give out these keys? [They are keys laser cut in coloured 3mm acetate with part of the key in the shape of the cross. If you would like the .svg file, please contact me.]
We looked at ‘Jesus the key’ about three Sundays ago. I started off by talking about a famous hymn by Charles Wesley: ‘And can it be.’ Wesley’s hymn continues, ‘And can it be … that I should gain an interest in the Saviour's blood? DIED HE FOR ME who caused him pain…?’ Wesley was asking, ‘Did Jesus really die for me?!’
Wesley believed he did. What about us? Did Jesus die for US? Did he need to?
Further on in Wesley’s hymn he describes his situation. This is how verse 4 starts: ‘Long my imprisoned spirit lay…’ Wesley thought of himself as imprisoned. He wasn’t in a physical prison. But his spirit was imprisoned.
That’s the picture the Bible gives. It talks about us being prisoners and us being slaves. And it tells us that only Jesus can release us.
