Easter 2018
April 1, 2018
No Fooling . . . Jesus Rose! Maybe you’re one of the people who struggle with believing it. Maybe this crazy kind of miracle is out of your realm of believing and thinking. I’m with you. It sounds totally crazy and implausible.
There are tons of theories about the resurrection . . .
There’s the Swoon theory, which believes after Jesus died on the cross, He was wrapped in 75 pounds of linen and spices, and placed in a tomb. But He didn’t really die, but woke up and after 3 days, wriggled His arms free and rolled a 1 ton stone from the entrance and walked to the disciples telling them He rose from the dead.
Then there’s something called Docetism, which denies Jesus’ humanity, believing His humanity and suffering was an illusion.
There’s also the theory that Jesus really didn’t go to the cross. Instead a look-a-like went instead of Him. Poor guy!
The one I believe most is that Jesus went to the cross, suffered, but didn’t die. As His wounds healed, He left Jerusalem, traveled to Rome, married Mary Magdalene and they had three children, aptly named, Moe, Larry and Curly!
Ah, had to do something like that since it’s April Fools Day! That really is a belief by many people. Very sincerely, lots of people have a difficult time with Easter. We may struggle with Christmas, but coming back from the dead? And believing it? Really? Who’s the fool!?
Well, that’s exactly what the apostle Paul was alluding to in his first letter to the church in Corinth. Paul was a Jewish leader. He was being groomed to be the High Priest. He would have been like the pope. Paul hated Christ followers and was thrilled when they were executed. But then Paul met Jesus and his life changed forever. Paul became the most vocal and famous of the apostles. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul speaks at length about the resurrection. In one section he wrote this ~
32 What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus?
If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”
34 Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning.
For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.
This passage may seem a little obscure for an Easter morning. But what’s really important for us to understand . . . for Paul, the resurrection wasn’t just about life everlasting or forgiveness of sins . . . which it is . . . but for Paul, the resurrection was the central truth which brought meaning to everything he did. It was his purpose. Everything he did was based on the fact that Jesus really was alive!
Paul’s telling us everything in life is based on the fact that Jesus rose from the dead. Paul was a great debater and that’s what he’s doing in this passage. Paul’s arguing that if Jesus is alive, then we must live for Him, that’s our purpose. But if Jesus isn’t alive. If He didn’t rise from the dead, then party hard! It’s one of those black and white decisions we have to make in life. This is the most important one.
We have a decision to make. Either we’re going to follow Jesus and say He rose from the dead — or we’re going to say, NO, I’m living for myself.
So, Paul argues - -
Why do you think I keep risking my neck? Do you think I’d give up my past life and do this if I wasn’t convinced by the resurrected Jesus? Do you think I was trying to act heroic when I fought those crazy people in Ephesus? Not on your life! It’s resurrection, resurrection always, that undergirds what I do and say, the way I live. If there’s no resurrection, “Then let’s eat, and drink, the next day we die.”
Do you see his point? Why would I risk my life if this wasn’t true? I’m not an idiot. I had a great life, it was easy, I was a high ranking official. I had my own guards. What would I have gained by following Jesus and telling the world about Him? People don’t want to hear it. They don’t want to give up their way of living
Earlier in 1 Corinthians, Paul said ~
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. – 1 Corinthians 15:17-19
Do you hear that? If it’s not real, if Christ didn’t really rise from the dead, then we are, above anyone in all creation to be pitied, because we’re the biggest fools in the world!!
Even if you were to hedge your bets and say, ‘well, maybe Jesus is real, maybe this all happened’ so I’ll kind of believe. You know what I mean? Then you can say -- I tried to live a good, pure and moral life. But that’s crazy! According to Paul’s logic, you should’ve lived it up, because if there’s no resurrection, then Jesus is a fraud and we’re not forgiven and there’s no hope. When we die, we just simply cease to exist. So, who cares about being good!
So, without going on and on about living in a sea of nothingness. There’s another thought, a better reality. It’s a better way to live, because we believe Jesus really did rise from the dead.
If He didn’t rise, then we have no hope in the future. We have no hope for our loved one’s who have died in Christ. But isn’t that part of the hope of a person who believes in Jesus? We have that hope in life everlasting, hope in a heavenly dwelling where there’s not only peace, but there’s constant activity, worship, strength, power. It’s a place of perfection - - - AND - - - even we (sinners - - imperfect people) we’re allowed in, simply because we say YES to Jesus!
But I don’t want to wait to live until I die. I want my life to make a difference. I want to live today and tomorrow and everyday in a way which gives me life and strength and power. The same power God gave to Christ. That’s available to all who believe in this resurrection! So, Paul told the people ~
33 Do not be deceived . . .
34 Wake up from your drunken stupor . . . and do not go on sinning.
You see, people will tell you, if it feels good, do it. Satisfy your needs. But that’s not going to get you to live the abundant life Christ offers. So, Paul is telling us don’t be deceived by all the bad that’s out there. And if you look around just a little, there’s lots of bad stuff out there. So, don’t associate with people who are going to pull you away from what is true and right and noble. Don’t do it. Don’t buy into the lies. That’s what the deceiver wants for you. Don’t believe life is all about you, and if it’s not about you, then life isn’t worth it.
Paul demands - - wake up from that drunken stupor and stop sinning. He believes the only way to live is to follow the risen Christ. Follow Him, even if life is more difficult, even if you don’t win because you’ve done what’s right, you’ll be rewarded. It doesn’t always make sense and it’s not always the easy way.
When we follow Christ, when we accept the gift of the Holy Spirit, we’re made into a new person. That old person is gone and the world sees a new man or woman. Paul tells us to stop sinning so the world can see who you are in Christ. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead and brought Him to heaven, now is in every believer.
With that in mind, the first person to see Jesus experienced that transformation. While the disciples were hiding, getting ready to go back to their day jobs. On that first morning, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, somehow she hoped to anoint His body. She wanted to say good-bye and give Jesus a proper burial.
When she arrived at the tomb, John tells us ~
1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark,
and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.
2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them,
“They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”
3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb.
4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.
6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there,
7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself.
8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;
9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise from the dead.
10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.
Now, I don’t want to beat these guys up. They were sleeping, but Mary was up in the dark of the morning. She went to see Jesus. Even just to weep and cry over her loss. These guys race one another to the tomb, Peter looks in, then John . . . and they believed Jesus was not there!
That’s pretty obvious. They really hadn’t understood what Jesus meant, so what do they do? They went back to their homes!!
What does Mary do?
11 Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb.
12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.
13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”
14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.
15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”
Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to Him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).
For too many of us, we would be like the disciples. We saw, we say OK, then we take off and go back to sleep. It was a miracle of epic proportions. It was the greatest of all miracles. Yet the disciples leave. They witnessed countless miracles performed by Jesus, but now, they aren’t quite too sure.
What about you? Are you more like Mary or the disciples? Do you believe in miracles or not? Mary stuck around, she was investigating. Something was going on inside her. She couldn’t explain it, but there was a miracle! But isn’t that what a miracle is . . . We can’t explain them away. We just trust that it’s a miracle.
Physical healing, someone’s forgiveness, redemption, God’s love, bitterness turned into grace. Lots of us would say we’ve experienced a miracle, we just don’t talk about them.
That day a miracle occurred and Peter and John looked right past the angels and walked right past the gardener - - - oops, I mean Jesus. But they went home.
Mary stuck around and wept in the dark. These weren’t just soft tears, they were audible uncontainable loud crying. Have you been there in the darkness? Your tears turn into weeping. You cry out, you question, maybe you yell and kick and scream. It’s your most intimate moments of prayer and you’re wanting a miracle. You’re wanting to experience the power and presence of the risen Christ.
Mary was a sinner! Then she met Jesus and He healed her, offered her the gift of forgiveness, and she was transformed into one of God’s children. It was a miracle. Now, here’s another miracle and John and Peter missed it.
And let me ask you, do you miss the miracles of God when they’re offered to you? Are you too cynical, too unbelieving, too cold hearted, too much of a know it all.
Mary didn’t miss the miracle! She was the first to meet the risen Christ!
Imagine if John and Peter stayed with her, asking, seeking, and knocking. Wasn’t that something Jesus taught them?
7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. – Matthew 7:7
My friends, on this Easter, maybe you need to wrestle a little bit more. Maybe it’s asking, seeking, knocking? Maybe it’s trusting that miracles, like the resurrection really did happen! It’s believing in the unbelievable. Can you say
YES, I BELIEVE!! I believe in THE miracle. If not, party on!
In the book of Romans, Paul wrote ~
11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.
And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. – Romans 8:11
Friends, that’s the great news of Easter! The same Spirit of God which raised Christ from the dead, lives in you! That same Spirit gives you the power to do more than you can ever imagine. You must believe. You must believe in that miracle over 2000 years ago.
The beauty and power of being a Christ follower is that it doesn’t matter what you’ve done in the past. When you believe, God forgives. He tells us ~
12 I will remember your sins no more! – Hebrews 8:12
That’s one of God’s gift to you and I. God has this unquenchable, never ending love for you and I. We’re all sinners in need of His grace, mercy and power! So, God sent His Son to redeem you, to forgive you for every sin, even though we don’t deserve it. God did it anyways! It’s the most powerful of love stories. It’s filled with the miraculous, as God pours His love into our hearts.
Let me end with 2 final thoughts . . .
If you’re sitting on the fence and you’re not sure, I want to challenge you. If you’re not sure you believe this, then for the next 4 weeks of April I want you to go to church.
I’d love for you to come here, but frankly I don’t care where! I want you to challenge you to go to church so that you can try to worship God. I don’t want you to rate the sermon, the air temperature, the videos, the audio, the music. I want you to only do 1 thing . . .
I want you to ask God to meet you in that place of worship! I want you to prepare yourself beforehand. I want you to kind of take a deep breath and walk in and participate and seek Jesus. Ask God to meet you in that place. I want to challenge you to do that for the next 4 weeks of April. Just be sure that it’s a place which really preaches the Word of God.
I want you to see if anything happens to you. You can come back and tell me. But I really think if you do, we’re going to hear about some pretty miraculous moments. But you must be open to them.
Finally, I always end by reading the final verses of the Thomas Jefferson Bible. Yes, Thomas Jefferson edited the Bible according to his beliefs. It is called The Jefferson Bible: The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth. Let me read to you the final 3 verses of The Jefferson Bible - -
7 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury
8 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein never man yet laid;
9 There laid they Jesus; and rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. Jefferson 69:7-9
That’s it! Jesus was dead and buried and that’s the ball game! Jefferson didn’t believe in miracles! So he took the resurrection out! God has given us the greatest gift. The greatest miracle ever! But you must believe in the miracle - - this great gift of God!
Dear friends, today, April 1, no fooling, it’s the day to say yes to Jesus!
