The Right Side of Easter
Point of sermon: Many Christians are living on the Calvary side of Easter. They live as if Jesus died for their sins (ie… they are saved) but without the power, the joy, the redemption and the transformation of Easter.
Sermon:
Earlier we sang the familiar words, "Low in the grave Christ lay — Jesus my Savior..." Then we sang the glorious chorus, "Up from the grave he arose — he arose!"
We are on the other side of Easter... the resurrection experience.
Perhaps you have had a resurrection experience in your life. By resurrection experience I mean coming alive in Christ.
Maybe hearing the word of God, you were touched and said, "Yes! I want to live for him!"
Or perhaps you had a resurrection experience as a result of hard times. You saw the leading of God’s hand.
You experienced his miraculous restoration;
God raised you out of the pit, and you said "Yes! I will live for him!"
Or perhaps, you had that moment when you were born again, when you accepted Jesus into your heart.
In one way or another, you have been touched by the Holy Spirit, made alive in Jesus.
You can identify with the disciples on that Easter morning… the joy and the excitement of the experience.
Now however, here you are, a little later. The initial excitement has subsided. You ask yourself, "Did something really happen?"
You are on the other side of resurrection experience, your Easter. BUT…
It is tempting to go back to where you were.
It is tempting to go back to who you were.
It is tempting to go back to what you were doing.
This was also true for the disciples.
Remember, Easter was not the glorious event for them that it was for us. Their whole community did not get together. The trumpets did not sound. Easter lilies did not fill their homes. They didn’t hunt eggs or get a visit from the Easter bunny.
Unexpectedly, momentarily, they saw Jesus alive!
Now, here they are wandering by the Sea of Galilee, waiting, as they had been told. They are on the other side of Easter.
Jesus had miraculously appeared to them, transformed their life… AND THEN LEFT… just saying, I’ll be back.”
Think about it for a moment. Before Easter, more concerned with their own status, the disciples were not very good at discipling. They were unruly students. They rarely understood what Jesus was saying. His parables confused them. When he walked on the water, they never recognized him. On occasion they performed miracles, but they never healed anyone of significance.
Put honestly, they never really understood what was going on.
On Friday, Jesus died. The disciples scattered. They were told that this was going to happen, but they did not understand.
Then, Jesus appears, alive! They are apprehensively joyful. They are hesitantly hopeful.
Now, HE is gone… and they are wandering by the Sea of Galilee. There are no more appearances. Jesus is gone.
They are on the other side of Easter.
The disciples are tempted to go back to where they were. They are tempted to go back to who they were.
They are tempted to go back to what they were.
They were tempted to let things get back to normal.
Listen to Peter say, "I am going fishing."
These are four of the saddest words uttered in scripture.
When he said “I am going fishing” he was really saying…
It is over. It was a great run, but it is over. There is nothing left but to go back home, back to the old life, back to the way life was before.
What he did not express out loud was… “Back to how things were… huh! Things will never be like they were. There will forever be a hole in my heart. Fishing will never be like being with Jesus. Nothing can ever be like that again. I will be sick, remembering how things were. Fishing will never bring fulfillment. Life will be empty and meaningless. Fishing… just catching dumb fish. What kind of life is that? I would have been better off if Jesus had never come. At least back then… before He came… life was good. But now, after being with Him, everything else is chopped liver.
Just making a living is not really living!
So, Peter went fishing and the other disciples joined him.
Things were back to normal.
For years they had fished, making their living, providing for their families. Now they were doing what they were good at. They fished for the whole night.
They caught nothing, not one little fish.
Imagine the scene on that boat. Look at Peter… look at his face… what do you see?
Do you think he is happy? Does the smell of the sea and salt and fish invigorate him? Is he light on his feet, laughing? Does it feel like homecoming?
What about John… James… the others?
No! It feels more like a funeral.
Early in the morning, through the grey mist, a man called out from the shore, "Friends, do you have any fish?"
There was more to this question than meets the eye.
Jesus knew his disciples better than they knew themselves.
He was asking, "Is your work producing any fruit? Are you happy? Is your work giving you joy?" Do you really want to go back… back to how things were?
He could ask you today, "Friends, do you have any fish? Is your work producing fruit? Are you happy? Is your work giving you joy?" Is there joy in your home… work… family?
"No" was the disciples answer.
For many of you here, “No” would be your answer too.
People of God: after you come alive with Christ,
you cannot go back to where you were.
You cannot go back to who you were.
You cannot go back to what you were.
You were worldly, carnal, striving after what makes you happy, whatever feels good, living by your own power, for your own purpose and to please yourself.
You may even have thought you were happy.
But then you met Jesus and He changed your life and transformed your life.
He gave you real purpose, real joy and hope even in the middle of your trials.
Some of you may be thinking… I got saved and those things never happened to me. I never felt that deliverance from the old life.
You never moved to the other side of Easter… you got stuck between the crucifixion… your salvation experience… and the resurrection… where you experience the new life that Jesus can bring.
You have a lot of company.
Most Christians are stuck right there.
Other Christians had the Easter resurrection experience… they knew the abundant life, the purposeful life the feeling of walking with Jesus and feeling the joy and happiness that it brings. They saw strongholds fall, they experienced victories over temptations and habits. They truly knew the abundant life.
But something happened!
And now you are back to where you were… living for the flesh and pleasure, living with no sense of God’s presence, it seems like he is either far away or just gone. Life is hard, temptations are overcoming you, doing spiritual things is tedious and brings no joy, you feel powerless to do the things you know you should. Life is just empty and hopeless.
That is where the disciples were… back on the boat but hopeless and joyless. Living as if there is no Jesus.
God does not want you there!
So Jesus came to them… to bring them BACK to the right side of Easter… the side with joy and purpose and happiness.
Jesus calls to his disciples, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat."
I think the boat here represents Easter… Jesus is saying you are casting your net… living your life… on the wrong side of Easter.
What happened when they did?
OVERFLOWING NETS! OVERFLOWING LIVES!
They fished all night… NO FISH
One cast… HAUL!!!!
What is the difference? Right side vs wrong side
On the wrong side there is emptiness, defeat, failure, hopelessness, lack of joy, lack of victories
Because on the wrong side is NO JESUS!
On the right side is fullness, victory, success fulfillment, peace, hope and abundance.
Because on the right side is JESUS!
Let me illustrate:
Many Christians are in trials in their marriage. The waves of dissention, resentment, unmet expectations, unfulfilled needs and painful past are sweeping over the bow and you feel the ship is about to sink.
Those on the wrong side of Easter are weathering these storms alone… in their own strength, using worldly weapons like blaming, cursing and anger.
Worse… they are doing it on the wrong side of Easter… as if there is no Jesus.
They have no hope for this marriage. They believe that the way things are is the way they will always be… or even worse. They don’t see God in this thing and don’t even look for His will.
God would say, “Cast your net on the right side and you will get results.”
Realize that God is with you, alive and powerful. There is hope for the marriage. God wants very much to see you be successful. He will help you. He will guide you. He has a plan for your life and it includes the marriage you are in.
Don’t give up. Don’t throw it away. Go to God and pour out your heart. Let him know how it feels. Tell him you don’t feel like keeping on. GO TO HIM!
I love what Peter did. When the nets were full and about to break… He recognized Jesus. What did he do?
No hesitation, no stopping, no thinking… HE WENT TO JESUS.
The heck with the nets. The heck with the fish. The heck with the water.
Only one thing mattered… BEING WITH JESUS!
When Peter looked on that shore he saw more than a man… he saw hope, he saw joy, he saw purpose, he saw meaning, he saw life, he saw LIFE!
And nothing on earth could stop him from going to Jesus.
The scripture tells us Peter grabbed his shirt, put it on, and jumped in the water.
Now you may picture Peter swimming like mad for the shore… abandoning the boat, the fish and the friends to get to Jesus.
Not me!!!!
I believe Peter jumped out of the boat… and walked on the water!!
Why do I believe that? Earlier in his life, when he was very close to Jesus, he did it.
Now, he is going back, and I believe he walked on water… victorious, full of hope, with his eyes on Jesus.
Some of you are going through trials today… unemployment, underemployment, sickness, broken relationships, loneliness, depression, temptations, failure, unmet expectations, loss of something or someone special.
And some of you have your nets on the wrong side of the boat… the wrong side of Easter… the side that has no Jesus, no hope, no joy, no light… just dark and cold and lonely.
Jesus stands on the shore today and calls to you… cast your nets on the right side… and COME TO ME!
Start living your life with joy and happiness… with victory… with hope… with purpose.
The first step is… COME TO JESUS… COME BACK TO JESUS…
REALIZE THAT HE IS ALIVE AND HE CAN GIVE YOU VICTORY IN WHATEVER YOU ARE GOING THROUGH.
Don’t live on the wrong side of Easter… the cold and hopeless side…
Come to him today… and find life on the right side of Easter.
Based on a sermon called “The Other Side of Easter” by Rev. Fred Vander Berg, Strathroy, Ont. on www.crcna.org/pages/vandenberg_jhn21.cfm
4/12/09 Easter, am
