(Play Song “Waiting on the World to Change” by John Mayer)
Introduction: That song is currently quite popular, and while I like John Mayer’s music I must say that this is one of the worst songs I’ve ever heard in my life. Musically it’s great but the lyrics offer no hope, no promise, no willingness to take responsibility or be a part of the solution for the troubles we experience today. Look at the lyric of this song and you’ll see what I mean.
[Read Lyrics to “Waiting on the World to Change” by John Mayer]
Unfortunately the lyrics to this song represent a prevailing attitude for many people. Many of us recognize that the world is broken, but we keep waiting for the world to change. We keep waiting for the world to get better. We’d like to get involved but there are too many problems, too much pain, too many obstacles and so we choose to abdicate our power, we choose to walk away from our responsibilities and wait for the world to change. Someday we’ll get our chance to be a part of the solution, but for today we’re waiting for the world to change.
We verbalize this attitude when we say things like…
• When things settle down, I’ll…
• When I can afford it, I’ll…
• When the situation improves, we can…
We’ve all been guilty of waiting for the world to change. We’ve all be guilty of waiting for a more opportune time to get involved. I’m not pointing a finger at the church or at our community and saying “you’ve messed it up, now fix it!” I’m pointing a finger at me and recognizing that I have failed to act at times when I could have and should have.
Now, before I get any further off track, let me tell you that this sermon isn’t about whether you or I have been change agents in our world. We need to be and there is change that we can affect, but that’s not my focus today. Rather than point out what we haven’t done, I want to deliver some good news. No! I want to deliver some great news!
It’s true that we have a tendency to procrastinate. We humans have a tendency to sit and wait for the world to change…but here’s the great news.
GOD DIDN’T WAIT!...GOD DIDN’T WAIT!
GOD DIDN’T WAIT.
While the world was still a mess, lost in complete selfishness and rebellion, sin prevailing, God chose to step in and do something about the problem. In fact, God had a plan to solve the problem of this world from the beginning.
With God, there was no waiting for the world to change. God chose to step in and actively change the world for each and every one of us.
God, at just the right time, stepped in and did more than just change the world, he radically transformed it.
But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.
Galatians 4:4 (NLT)
When the time was just right God chose to step in and free us and adopt us as his own children.
Stop for just a minute and think about that. GOD, the GOD OF THE UNIVERSE, the GREAT I AM, interrupted history and sent His Son so that He could ADOPT US! That’s a radical transformation and God didn’t wait for the world to change so he could adopt us…he stepped in and changed the world specifically so he could adopt us.
And not only did he not wait for the WORLD to change, but he doesn’t wait for US to change. Still to this day he is in the business of bringing change and he doesn’t wait for us to do the changing. He doesn’t wait for us to get it right and finally live up to his Holy standards. Rather, he offers to change us before we realize or acknowledge that we need to change.
He offers to make us new and to change us…to spiritually heal us…before we even realize we’re broken. The Bible tells s that God demonstrated that amazing love for us by giving us hope for life, by providing the means for us to change, before we knew of our need.
In Romans 5 we read.
God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8 (NIV)
Through the death and resurrection of Jesus the world changed. And it required both his death AND resurrection. Without his resurrection he was just another great teacher and religious revolutionary. Without his resurrection he is a man who taught great things but then died and was buried. But the resurrection changes everything. The resurrection changes the world. The resurrection means that he is alive and is still active in the work of grace and mercy that he began on the cross.
While we were still sinners, unaware of our need, God chose to step into human history and change the world for us, he chose to change US, so that we could be adopted by him.
But God wasn’t limited in his involvement. Often we tend to act as though we believe that, after sin entered the world, God realized how bad the situation was getting and decided he had better do something about it. But that’s incorrect thinking.
From the beginning, God knew that man would rebel, but he loved us enough…before he even made us…to put a plan in place that would heal the broken world that would result from our rebellion. Before the first day of creation, God was already at work on our redemption
God didn’t just decide to get involved at a specific time; He has been working since the beginning of time…
The Bible says, in 2 Timothy…
For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 1:9 (NLT)
EASTER IS THE CELEBRATION OF THE TRUTH THAT GOD DIDN’T WAIT FOR THE WORLD TO CHANGE, BUT RATHER HE CHANGED IT BECAUSE OF HIS AMAZING GRACE AND HIS INFINITE LOVE FOR MAN!
Through the death and ultimately the Resurrection of Jesus the world changed. Because the tomb is empty, everything has changed. Death is no longer the end. Sin no longer has to control our lives. We have freedom, we have peace, we have HOPE. Because the tomb is empty the world has changed. And this is no temporary change. Because the tomb is empty…things will never be the same!
THINGS WILL NEVER BE THE SAME
And the biggest change of all…we can live forever. Because the tomb is empty, because Jesus died, but rose again, we can all taste the joy and victory of defeating death. We now, know that death is not the end, but there is a resurrection…a promise of life everlasting with the God who loves us and changed the world for us.
The Bible tells us
He [Jesus] is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
Colossians 1:18 (NIV)
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
I Peter 1:3 (NIV)
I love the way the apostle Paul describes this amazing change...this new truth… in his letter to the believers at Corinth. There were some believers in the church there that weren’t sure that there would be a resurrection. They believed Christ had risen from the dead, but they didn’t have the belief of the hope that they too would experience this resurrection. So Paul says to them.
But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.
I Corinthians 15:12-23 (NIV)
Because the tomb is empty…because Jesus did indeed rise from the dead…because God chose to change the world…those of us who choose to be Christ followers will get to experience the resurrection…the new life everlasting with God!
And that new, resurrection, body will be amazing. Nothing like the bodies we are forced to live with now. Paul goes on to tell the believers in Corinth…
But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed. Similarly there are different kinds of flesh—one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.
There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies. The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory.
It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies.
I Corinthians 15:35-44a (NLT)
That’s more than just a change. That is a radical transformation. I don’t know about you, but I’m so glad that God didn’t wait to change the world and I’m glad that he didn’t wait to change me.
With the promise of the resurrection comes an amazing sense of hope. Hope that this life is not all there is, hope that my life has purpose and meaning, hope of being right with God, hope that people can change, hope that the kingdom of God is real and is advancing.
Because the tomb is empty the world has changed. There is now hope and life where before there was death and hopelessness.
The world was in need of a change…I was in need of change and you were in need of change…but God didn’t wait to change the world. He stepped in and through the death and the resurrection of his Son, Jesus, the world has been changed…I have been changed…and you can be changed too if you haven’t already experienced this amazing gift of grace and mercy from God.
SO WHAT?
Do you keep waiting for your world to change? The odds are that it won’t; especially if you keep doing what you’re doing now. A friend of my once told me that the definition of insanity is to keep doing that your doing while expecting different results.
So if you are like so many people and you keep waiting for the world to change…you will only experience disappointment. But I have good news for you today…
THERE IS NO MORE NEED FOR WAITING…THE WORLD HAS CHANGED.
• Because the tomb is empty darkness is changed to light.
• Because the tomb is empty mourning is changed to dancing.
• Because the tomb is empty defeat is changed to victory.
• Because the tomb is empty death is changed to life.
• Because the tomb is empty hopelessness is changed to hope.
No more waiting for the world to change…it has changed. Because the tomb is empty we can celebrate light and life. Because the tomb is empty we can rejoice in the victory of God and live lives of hope.
God didn’t wait for the world to change. He chose to offer his son to change the world and with that change comes the promise of help for today and bright hope for tomorrow. Today, as we celebrate the empty tomb, let God change your world too!
