Easter Message March 23, 2008
The Resurrection of Jesus ‘what difference can it make?’Luke 24:1-12 (Acknowledgement - this message was adapted from Rick Warrens 2004 Easter Message delivered to Saddleback Church, California)
o Happy Easter. Four years ago Time Magazine had a picture of Jesus and asked the question ‘Why did Jesus have to die?’ That is the most important question someone will ever ask.
o I went to church for the first sixteen years of my life
o I really had no idea why Jesus died on the cross. Well I knew that he suffered, but I had no idea how to personalize this. What did it mean to me?
o This morning I am going to give you Christianity 101. If you are already a Christian don’t snooze on me. Listen carefully; this message should move you to pray fervently for those who have yet to say yes to Jesus.
o If you have never been to church before I want to make you a guarantee. You will clearly understand why Jesus died on the cross and arose again.
o You will clearly understand that the resurrection sets you free. You will understand why a billion plus people believe Jesus is the hope of the world.
o You will clearly understand why millions of people have given their lives for Jesus Christ.
o I believe there are many people will one day be devastated that nobody clearly told them.
o I don’t want you to come to this church for years and never know the reason why Jesus died and arose from the dead.
o This morning I am going to make nine statements about the cross and resurrection that are 100% true. When I came to believe these profound truths they changed my life forever.
o Here we go!
1. Jesus died and arose to prove He was the Son of God
o The Bible says that Jesus appeared to many people for over a 40 day period (Acts 1:3).
o Who did he appear to? Who were these people?
o He appeared to Mary Magdalene, the 12 disciples, the men on the Road to Emmaus, over 500 people at once, and to the Apostle Paul
o He was alive, back walking around Jerusalem
o All of these people saw the risen Christ
o Was it a figment of their imagination?
o No it wasn’t.
o He first appeared to Mary Magdalene
o That makes it credible right there
o If you wanted to make the resurrection credible, a more plausible story would have been to appear to a man first
o Why is that?
o First in Jesus day women were unlearned. Out of the 613 laws a man had to know 100% of them; a woman only 4 laws
o Secondly this woman Mary Magdalene was way different-7 demons cast out (Luke 8:2)
o Thirdly a woman’s testimony was inadmissible in a court of law
o So when Mary ran to tell the disciples that she had seen Jesus alive they said we don’t believe you; your testimony is not valid
o So we see the disciples knew Jesus as a great teacher and miracle worker but did not believe Mary that Jesus was alive
o That was where many are at today
o That Jesus was a great teacher, moral man, political leader
o But there is one huge problem with that
o Jesus never claimed to be a great teacher, a political leader
o Jesus claimed to be God
o He said he would go to the cross and rise again, and he did it (John 2:19)
o Lots of people claimed to be the Messiah
o Wikpedia lists 24 Christian Messiah claimants
o One of the most recent is Sun Myung Moon is the leader of the Unification Church in Seoul, South Korea.
o Moon claimed he is the second coming of Christ, the true savior, the Returning Lord.
o Pay no attention to anyone who claims to be the Messiah, because they are not
o Tiberius, one of the Roman governors records that there were 1,632 executions in one year, over 4 per day
o But only Jesus died on the cross and arose from the dead, proving He is the Son of God, the Messiah
2. He died and arose to pay for our sins (the cross and resurrection are the parts that saves us)
o Jesus was a great teacher; best preacher there ever was
o But his teachings do not save you
o It is belief in his death and resurrection that saves you
o The Bible says we have all blown it, sinned (Romans 3:23)
o That is pretty obvious
o There is a price to be paid for my sins, your sins
o We have a saying, ‘you do the crime you pay the time’
o You speed down the 105 you pay for it
o The Bible says because of our sins were not going to make it.
o The Bible says the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23)
o That means somebody has to pay for all the wrong things we have done in life – our sins
o Either you go to hell or someone pays for your sins to get you to heaven
o The good news is Jesus said I will do it; I will pay for your sins
o I have fantastic news for you today
o On the cross Jesus paid for every one of your sins
o The greatest gift a person can give someone is to sacrifice their own life for them
o Jesus gave his blood on the cross for us
o Your very, very valuable to God
o Through Jesus God shows how much you matter to Him
o How do you know the value of something?
o Now I have news for you this morning
o You have all heard of the term market value
o That is what experts perceive something is worth
o The truth is that the market value of your things is only what people are willing to pay for it
o How much is your house worth
o Good news - it is worth more than five years ago
o How much is your vehicle worth
o Bad news – it is worth way less than two years ago
o But I have greater news for you than all those temporary things
o Jesus died on the cross because your of infinite value to God
o He died on the cross to save you, to set you free from your sins
o Here is the best news – everything you have done wrong has been forgiven at the cross
o He gave his life for you – take that in right now!
o Your personal value is way more than you think - your worth everything in the eyes of God
o He died and arose from the dead to pay for our sins
3. He died on the cross and arose again so we would be acceptable to God
o The Bible says God the Father raised Jesus to life to make us acceptable to God (Romans 4:25)
o When you’re a pastor you discover something real fast
o It is crystal clear
o I have discovered that most people do not accept themselves
o They think ‘I am not good enough;’ my body is not good enough, I am not smart enough.’ I just do not measure up
o People spend their lives looking for acceptance
o Some of you may be accepted by others but how do you become acceptable to God
o That is a huge problem
o God lives in a perfect sinless place
o God is perfect and holy and were not
o So how will God bridge that gap
o How will God allow imperfect people to live in a perfect place
o It is through the cross of Jesus
o A great exchange took place on the cross
o God came up with a plan to take imperfect people and make then perfect in his sight
o In Toronto they are trying to reduce pollution that is killing us
o They looked at all these tar and cement rooftops and thought why don’t we grow plants, shrubs, and small trees on these flat roofs – great idea
o Because plants take in CO 2 what will kill us and give off Oxygen that gives us life
o We have sins, like CO2 that are killing us
o I don’t know how to say it any clearer than this
o Your never going to be good enough to get into heaven
o Your sinful but Jesus is sinless
o He says I will take all your sins, your C02 on the cross and give you oxygen, His perfection so you can get to heaven
o Jesus says I will forgive all your sins; accept you as sinless; just believe in me
o When we believe in the cross and resurrection God accepts us and declares us not guilty no matter who we are and what we have done (Romans 8:1)
o God says here is the deal, Jesus will take your sins and give you eternal life in exchange
o That is how you become acceptable to God – by believing in Jesus death and resurrection
o Just stop trying and start trusting in Jesus
o I have met many people who have said Randy if you knew what I did you would know why God does not accept me
o Well I don’t know all you have done but God does
o And here is the greatest news
o He still accepts you; still loves you today
o Jesus died on the cross and arose again so you would be acceptable to God
4. He saved us by His grace
o Grace is giving me what I need, not what I deserve
o Perhaps you think if I don’t do too many bad things I will make it
o Or you think I am better than most others
o That is like saying ‘I can beat my grandmother in a hockey game”
o So what?
o I have no doubt your better than me
o But so what?
o It does not matter because your not perfect and God does not grade on a curve
o Your either perfect or your not
o Being saved is a gift from God so nobody can brag about it
o Not the result of anything you can do (Romans 8:2-4)
o Can you imagine if you got to heaven and had to listen to everyone’s story about how they got there
o That would be boring, really that would be hell
o Well I got here because I was a hockey coach; I got here because I gave to charities; I got here because I served in the church
o Well, whoop to do!
o God came up with a different plan
o Relax it is not a matter of effort
o One time I was working with a drill – and no matter what I did the screw was not going into the wood
o I kept pushing harder
o Then I realized I had the drill in reverse
o Now when you have it in reverse all the additional elbow grease is not going to work
o Some of your ideas about getting to heaven are in reverse
o You have it backwards – it is not a matter of your own effort
o You need to move your mindset from reverse to forward
o It is believing in Jesus, accepting God’s grace, a free gift from God
o He died and arose from the dead to show you His grace
5. Jesus died and arose to release us from the judgment
o Here is another thing I discovered
o People are sweating bullets for the day they come before God
o Is there going to be a huge big 20 foot video screen TV that will bare all
o Oops, pause that sin; back it up; let look at that sin from a different angle
o Not at all
o Good news – promise of Jesus ‘those who believe in Him will not be judged’
o Here is the real picture ‘Jesus says I know you, we have been friends for years’
o You trusted in me at Calvary, Easter time 2008
o I covered all your sins when you believed in me
o Come over here in the fast lane
o You get to by-pass the judgment
o Isn’t that good news? (PAUSE)
o When you trust in Jesus, God the Father forgives you
o He is reformatting your disk drive
o He is hitting the delete button
o No Norton software is going to bring that back
o God is love and love keeps no records of wrongs
o If you put your trust in Jesus Christ you are released from the judgment (Romans 8:1)
o He died on the cross and arose again to release you from the judgment
6. Jesus died and arose to show us God’s purpose for our lives
o You were made by God and for God and until you figure that out you will be unhappy in life
o It is not about you; it is all about God
o You were made for a far greater purpose than to live for yourself
o How do you discover the purpose you were created for?
o The first option is take a guess, your own opinion, mere speculation
o And that is how most people live, they just guess or are indifferent about their purpose in life
o But there is another option, a successful one
o Ask God who revealed it to you in the Bible
o He has not left you in the dark with a nighty light to try to figure it your way
o The fundamental question of life is ‘what on earth am I here for?’
o The Bible says ‘It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.’
o You may have felt in the dark about your purpose in life
o Congratulations – you are about to walk into the light
o You are not the result of an astronomical random chance of the universe
o When you discover who Jesus is and who you are in Christ you will be free
o You will have a resurrection life and purpose– a far better life than any you have ever had before
o You will discover that living the good life isn’t good enough
o You don’t need the good life – you need the resurrected life
o You need Christ at the centre of your life
o You can teach your children the same truth
o Introduce them to Jesus early and show them how to ‘to love God with all their heart, soul mind and strength’ and they will have a purposeful life
o Don’t teach them put their hope in careers and the things of this world – if you do they are not going to make it
o Young couples – I have been praying for you
o Without Christ at the centre, reading the Bible, praying, your marriages are not going to make it
o And the eternal tragedy is your not going to make it to heaven
o You need Jesus today
o Jesus died on the cross and arose from the dead to show God’s purpose for your life
7. He died and arose to give us a fresh start
o Anybody ever want to do a day over; a week over; month over
o How about a life over
o Everywhere I go people are interested in spiritual things, a fresh start
o Sometimes I hear disturbing things
o Like I should not change to reach people who want a fresh start
o Are we saying people’s needs are not important?
o If you really listen to people you’ll discover that their felt needs are quite deep.
o They have the need for meaning; purpose; forgiveness; love.
o They want to know how to make right decisions, how to protect their family, how to handle suffering, and how to have hope in our world. These are deep issues!
o One lady I spoke to said “my boyfriend and I want to get married? Need for companionship; a deep issue.
o And the gospel of Jesus, by giving you a full life, begins to fill that emptiness, those needs
o But the greatest need is not for the full life, it is for eternal life
o Have you ever felt that you wanted to hit the rewind button in life
o I keyed in Fresh start on Google; I got 13,200,000 hits
o I concluded this: a lot of people would like a fresh start
o If your new here and you want to know what Calvary is all about it is this
o We are in the business of offering people a fresh start
o That is why God brought you here today so you could have a fresh start with God
o When you trust Jesus as you personal savior you get three things
a. Brand new life (all you past and sins are forgiven)
b. Current fulfilled life - Everything to live for (purpose for living today)
c. A secure future (home in heaven)
o Now why in the world would anyone walk away from that amazing offer
o He died and arose to give us a fresh start
8. He died and arose to give us eternal life
o That is the gift that just keeps on giving
o Do you like receiving gifts?
o Sure you do
o A gift is only good if you open it and receive it
o Supposing I have a new Toyota SUV for you – all you have to do it get in and drive off
o You just need to accept it
o Likewise you need to open God’s gift of eternal life before you need it
o Sometimes I minister at funerals to people without hope
o The resurrection of Jesus is a signal to give you hope
o The resurrection is to get your attention
o Some people just don’t pick up on the signals
o Stop light turns green
o Somebody waits and waits
o Are they waiting for a particular shade of green
o Or someone is on the cell phone
o They are not moving – your thinking hello there – it’s green
o A lot of people are oblivious to the green signal
o Since you were born God has been trying to get the signal to you
o I talk to people who say ‘I don’t see God – where is He when this happens’
o I don’t see him working - I need to see him – I need a sign
o A SIGN
o How big a sign do you want
o He gave you the resurrection
o Friend, one day your heart is going to stop
o You will either be in hell or heaven
o To go to hell you have to reject this marvelous gift of Jesus
o Why would anyone do that?
o That is crazy
o Because he died and arose to give you eternal life
9. Jesus died and arose to show his amazing love to you
o The only reason your alive is so that God can love you
o The Bible says that while we were still sinners Jesus died on the cross for you
o There is a myth that says “I got to clean up my act before God accepts me’
o I got to get it all together
o Why do we do this?
o We clean our teeth before be go to the dentist for teeth cleaning
o My friend the car dealer – greatest car wash with every service – what do we do – clean up the car before they clean it
o Wash the dishes before we put them in the dishwasher
o God says no don’t try to clean up your act - just bring me all your sins, all your dirty laundry – I will cleanse you
o The Bible says God the Father sent down Jesus to save us so we can have eternal life
o He loves you
o Jesus died and arose to how his amazing love to you
These are the nine reasons why we celebrate Easter.
Conclusion
No let’s go back to the question. Why did Jesus die on the cross and be raised from the dead?
1. Jesus died and arose to prove He was the Son of God
2. Jesus died and arose to pay for your sins
3. Jesus died and arose so you can be acceptable to God
4. Jesus died and arose to give you His grace
5. Jesus died and arose to release you from the judgment
6. Jesus died and arose to reveal God’s purpose for your life
7. Jesus died and arose to give you a fresh start
8. Jesus died and arose to show his amazing love to you
9. Jesus died and arose to give you eternal life
o God did all this for you. What are you going to do about it? If you choose not to do something about it then the resurrection is wasted for you personally.
o Religion cannot save you
o You need a relationship – with Jesus
o You need to honestly say ‘Jesus I want you to be Lord (manager, in charge) of my life. I accept your forgiveness today!
o God is not asking you to make a promise you cannot keep. He is asking you to believe in Jesus and he will give you eternal life. He is asking you to believe in a promise that He will certainly keep.
Concluding Prayer!
