RESURRECTION DAY 2021
“The Day Death Died”
John 17-20
I want to begin today with a rhetorical question. A rhetorical question is one that we often ask but we really don’t want an answer to. It’s often used to make a point; to get someone’s attention. In fact you might not want to answer the question because it could be embarrassing. So here is the question. Have you ever been arrested? I was 17 the first and only time I was sort of arrested. I was attending a Bible study with our youth group and the man who was leading the study was a farmer and he owned a cotton gin. So that is where we met for the study. That night I remember he was talking about the Apostle Paul and how Paul was basically a jailbird. Paul spent about 6 years of his life in jail for doing exactly what I am doing today---preaching the gospel. He explained to us that it was very dangerous at that time to openly teach the gospel. In fact Paul was beaten for preaching the gospel. As I recall we hadn’t been meeting for long when suddenly, several police officers walked in and claimed that we were breaking the law and they arrested the Bible teachers and every teenager in the place, claiming that we were trespassing on private property. Walked us all out and put us in the back seat of the squad cars and drove us to the Police station to the county jail. Marched us in, in single file, opened the bars for us to go in and I remember thinking, you know this Bibles study’s not any fun anymore; took us inside the cell and then he smiled and laughed and said they actually had arranged all of this so that we could experience a bit of what the Apostle Paul experienced in his day. I’’ never forget that evening because as far as I knew I was being arrested but I really wasn’t.
Let’s start by defining the word arrested.
To seize by legal authority and take
Into custody.
So, if you walk with me into the week we call the week of Passion there were major events that happened each day. At the beginning of the week Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of donkey; they spread palm leaves on the ground as though they were laying out the red carpet. Jesus was so popular and the people loved Him so much they were ready to crown Him King. Then Monday came and when Jesus walked into the temple, he became angry. Yes Jesus got angry. The bible actually says, “Be angry and sin not.” So anger is not the problem; it’s what you do with it. We all get angry. And Jesus was angry because of what they were doing with the temple. The moneychangers were there and they were forcing everyone to pay an excessive amount for a sacrifice; a lamb or a dove for their offering. The animal had to be perfect; no blemish; so for those who brought their own sacrifice; they were simply told it wasn’t acceptable. They would have to buy one. When Jesus saw this, He was furious and said, “My house is a house of prayer but you have made it into a den of thieves.” He took some cords and made whip, picked up the tables and turned them over. You can picture now doves flying everywhere, money likely flying through the air. The Son of God was angry. And in my mind this was the beginning of the end for Jesus. This was when everything changed. Who was this man who would defy authority? Who was this man who would question the religious authorities of the day?
Tuesday came and Jesus preached his last sermon. And it was quite harsh. He repeatedly said the words, “woe to you teacher of the law, calling them hypocrites at least 6 times, telling them they were spiritually blind; told them they were clean on the outside but filthy on the inside. And again Jesus offended the religious crowd. Let’s move now to Thursday, a very eventful day that week. The Lord’s Supper was put into place and Jesus went into the Garden to pray. Jesus prayed so intensely that He sweat drops of blood; a very rare condition known as Hematidrosis. It was that night that Roman soldiers came into the Garden; Judas had alerted them as to where they could find Jesus that evening. And Jesus was arrested. From the time that he was arrested that Thursday evening until the next morning he would endure 6 different trials, passed from one authority to another until finally a decision was made and our Lord was sentenced to death on a cross.
The crucifixion was a severe form of punishment primarily used for slaves and political or religious agitators. They used this punishment to make an example of people; it was very public and I’m sure once you witnessed one, it would certainly make you think twice before you committed a specific crime. Jesus was making waves among the religious crowd now so the crime seem to fit the punishment. Our Lord spent 6 incredible hours, from 9:00 to 3:00 that Friday until He bowed His head and said, “It is finished.” In the background you would have heard the shofar being blown announcing the forgiveness of sins as those lambs were slaughtered that had been purchased on Monday in the temple. But what really mattered is that the actual Lamb of God, Jesus Christ has been sacrificed; the final sacrifice; the only sacrifice that would remove our sin. We would be forgiven. All of our sins were forgiven. They were also forgotten. The Bible tells us that He removes out sin as far as the East is from the West. That can’t be measured. The prophet Micah says that our sins have been cast into the deepest part of the sea. They are not only forgiven; they are forgotten. Our Lord is amazing as He tells us, “I will remember your sins no more.” Now others will and they may even remind you frequently and you might even remind yourself. But Jesus won’t. Why? Because He has forgotten about them. They are forgiven, forever. He has forgotten about them forever. Forgiven, Forgotten, Forever.
And once we get a grasp of all of this, we then realize the importance of the cross. Without the cross, there is no salvation. And without the resurrection, the cross doesn’t really matter. It was not enough for Jesus to die, He must also overcome death. Let me say that another way. Jesus must arrest DEATH. Remember Webster’s definition of arrest.
To seize by legal authority and take
Into custody.
Most people, if they will admit it, have an innate fear of death. We have a fear of the unknown. One of the best ways to overcome a fear of anything is to learn more about the topic. Then you often realize there’s not any reason to actually be afraid. So Jesus took death and He exposed it for what it actually is. For the believer, death is simply a door to an eternity with Jesus in a perfect place we call Heaven. That’s why Jesus said I am the “door.” Jesus arrested death and because of Him, we have the victory. And Jesus did all of that through the resurrection.
(1) The resurrection marks the first time in history that anyone rose from the dead, never to die again. Lazarus was dead for four days but Jesus brought him back from death. But guess what? Lazarus died again. In Mark 5 Jesus brought a little girl back from death; later in her life she died again. But the resurrection of Jesus marks the first time in history when anyone rose from the dead, never to die again. The resurrection of Jesus completely arrested death. The resurrection of Jesus stopped death in its tracks. Jesus overcame death once and for all. Peter tells us in the book of Acts that it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him. In Revelation Jesus says, “I am the Living one; I was dead and now look I am alive for ever and ever. How is this possible?
(2) The resurrection is only possible because of a man who was completely sinless. Jesus had the power to stop death because He was sinless. God placed a curse on mankind in the Garden; brought about because of their sin. When God saw their sin He said to Adam and Eve, “you will certainly die.” Paul said the wages of sin is death. But you see Jesus had no sin. So death had no power over Him. Jesus had all the power. Remember our definition. Someone can only be arrested by someone who is in authority. Then once you make the arrest, you take them into custody. So Jesus arrested death because He had the legal authority to do so. In Revelation Jesus says, “I am the living one; I was dead and no look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Keys are a symbol of authority. Jesus has authority over death.
(3) The fact that Jesus arrested death means that as believers we also have been granted authority over death. Paul says, “We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” He also reminds us that the resurrection of Christ is the first of many. Now as believers we will also be resurrected. Jesus put it this way: “Because I live, you also will live.” It seems that of all the weapons that Satan attacks us with, of all the fear he can throw in our path; the fear of death is the hardest to overcome. And because we’ve never experienced it personally we have to take the word of someone who has. We have to speak to someone who has died and actually come back to tell us what it’s really like. And that person is Jesus. He told us, I am the resurrection and the life. NO man comes to the Father except through me. Why? Because we must go through someone who has arrested death in its tracks. And that is Jesus. In Saint Mary’s, Georgia you will find the tombstone of Samuel Burr. The stone reads, “Here rests Samuel Burr, age 42. In search of health far from his home, death arrested his progress on April 2nd, 1831. Quietly he fell asleep in the Christian hope of immortality and glory forever. And one day, so will, we. Are you ready? To walk through that door into eternity. Today is the day of salvation. No need to wait. On our first day here, this is the best day I know of.
Everyone please take one of our blue connection cards. We want to know who all is here today and how we can pray for you and want to know if you are making a decision to follow Christ for the rest of your life. Look at this card with me.
CONNECTION CARDS. I want to:
Follow Christ.
I want to be baptized.
Become a member.
I want to volunteer. Don’t have to be a member to volunteer.
When small groups start, I want to join one.
Place your card along with your offering, if you have one today, in the wooden offering containers as you leave. Pray with me.
