Happy Easter to all of you! Welcome to Easter Sunday, including those of you online.
Easter is a time when God's people celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As much as you may admire Abraham Lincoln, your parents, or MLK, JR., there are not even two people who gather every Sunday to celebrate him. But over a hundred million people will gather together to celebrate Jesus today.
Why does Easter matter?
I want everyone to have the "Communication Card" near you. You'll find one in the pew in front of you. Please keep that handy. I'll share with you some instructions about this a little later in the service.
Keep your Bibles open to Ephesians 2 (page 1160 in your pew Bibles).
If there was ever a day that gives us hope, it is resurrection Sunday! The empty tomb of Jesus gives us hope. But how does it give us hope? How does His empty tomb give me hope for my life? In a word, it's grace. The big deal about Easter is grace.
1. What's the Big Deal about Easter?
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).
Ephesians 2:8 is so simple and straightforward. For many here this morning, this is one of your most favorite passages in all the Bible. You could even put Ephesians 2:8 right above Jesus on the cross. Ephesians 2:8 does such a fantastic job explaining the "why" behind the whole event of Easter.
Programming Note: All throughout this morning's message, the passage will appear here next to me so you can see exactly what the Bible says. If you're having trouble seeing this screen, then you'll see the same thing on the screens above as well.
1.1 What is Grace?
If you are really going to understand what's the big deal about Easter, then you're going to need to understand the word grace. Grace isn't just the name of a woman in your family, and grace isn't just a way of describing how someone dances – "she dances with such grace." No, it's so much more than this. Grace is when God favors you even when He shouldn't. It's what many receive even when you (and me) deserve the exact opposite of grace. And Easter is all about grace.
And grace is all over your Bibles. David says in Psalm 103:8, "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love." The two blind men who wish Jesus to see their plight and heal them cry, "Have mercy on us, Son of David" (Matthew 9:27). The author of Hebrews tells us that we should "draw near to the throne of grace" so that "we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16). Grace is all over the Bible.
1.2 Contrary to Human Nature
Grace is absolutely contrary to human nature. We think that, somehow, it's up to us.
The military says that we're to fight our way out.
Politicians say that we're going to legislate our way out.
Industry says we're going to work our way out.
Philosophy says we're going to think our way out.
And the "Working Man" thinking says there's no way out.
There's only one way out, and His name is Jesus.
1.2 What Are the Odds?
But again, grace is absolutely contrary to human nature – it goes completely against the odds.
A teacher was teaching her students how to spell. She told the class that she wanted each of them to describe what their parents did for a living and then spell their occupation. A girl named Mary went first and said, "My mother is a baker. B – A – K – E – R." If she were here, she would give everyone a cookie. Next came Tommy, who said, "My father is a banker. B – A – N - K – E – R." If she were here, he would give everyone a dollar. The third child was Jimmy, who said, "My mother is an ophthalmologist." Jimmy tried spelling the word, but he just couldn't do it. Finally, the teacher said, "Sit down, Jimmy, and you can try again after you have thought about it awhile." She turned to Johnny, who said, "My dad is a bookie. B – O – O – K – I. – E." And if he were here, he would lay down 8 - 5 odds that Jimmy ain't never going to spell ophthalmologist." And no human mind would have laid down odds that God would have engineered everything by the grace of God.
1.2.2 Contrary to Human Nature Cont.
Again, grace is absolutely contrary to human nature. And we all know this intuitively. As a matter of fact, you finish these sentences for me: "There's no such thing as a ????" "Free lunch." That's right. Somebody says, "I want to buy your lunch" — lookout.
How about this one, "God helps those who ???? … "help themselves."
And here's one more …. "You get what you ???? … "pay for."
Again, Easter is about grace because Jesus is about grace. And grace is counterintuitive.
1.4 Easter and Grace
Because of Easter and the cross, Jesus is able to freely hand out God's mercy, His grace: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).
I want you to pay attention to the words, "this is not your own doing" and "so that no one may boast." The Bible is pointing away from what you can contribute. It's not helping yourself. It's not "getting only what you can pay for."
1.5 Are You Saved by Math?
How are you going to save yourself? Are you going to save yourself by subtraction, or are you going to stop doing things? Do you think that's going to save you? Suppose you're a cheat, and you stop cheating. Is that going to save you? No, you just go to Hell, honest. If you stop drinking, you'll go to hell sober. Friend, you're already a sinner already. If subtraction won't work for you, maybe you going to save yourself by addition? Are you going to start doing good things? But what about all the bad things you've already done? Are you going to start going to church more often? How do you erase the bad things you've already done. Again, the Bible says you cannot save yourself by subtraction or by addition, my friend.
1.6 Jesus and Grace
Interestingly, did you know that Jesus never said the word "grace"? Now, Jesus oozed grace, but He's never recorded as saying the word "grace." By the way, something else Jesus never said to an individual was "I love you." I don't have any doubt that Jesus loves us because He certainly showed love, didn't He?
Now, the word grace appears more times in your New Testament than the word love. And the first place we think of the word grace is right here, "For by grace you have been saved…" (Ephesians 2:8).
It is one thing to think you don't deserve grace (by the way, you don't). It is another thing to think you don't need grace (by the way you do).
2. Why Do I Need Grace?
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).
There's such power in the clarity of the statement, "For by grace, you have been saved through faith." Grace saves you.
2.1 A Do Named Lucky
Some years ago, there was a "lost and found" ad in a newspaper, and the ad said something like this: "Lost dog, mixed breed, blind in one eye, limps due to an arthritic condition, patches of fur missing due to manage, does not hear well. Answers to the name Lucky." I tell you what, we're lucky dogs ourselves because Somebody loves us. Those people love that dog enough — mangy, crippled, blind, deaf dog. Somebody loved that little dog. Even the kind of people who go the pound to get a dog would have passed Lucky by. The Bible says you're like this dog, Lucky – you are a moral and spiritual mess.
2.2 What is Grace?
Again, the big deal of Easter is grace. Modern Americans understand love, but we do not understand grace because few of us feel undeserving. What is grace? Grace is God's ability to deal with your indifference toward Him and your rebellion toward Him. Grace is God's inexhaustible capacity to forgive you and to bless you despite what you've done. Grace is doing something good for someone who not only doesn't deserve it, but he/she deserves the exact opposite. Whenever you experience God's grace, you'll be left with the feeling, "I don't deserve this."
Now, you desperately need God's grace even if you don't feel like you need it. One of the worst things I can do is tell you that you can be good without Jesus. The fact is God doesn't offer grace to good people any more than doctors offer life-saving surgery to healthy people. Never believe anything about yourself or God that makes His grace to you seem anything less than amazing because that is exactly what it is.
2.3 The Purpose of the Universe
Grace is such a big deal. Your Bible says the purpose of everything in the universe is to show God's grace: "so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:7). God wants the entire universe to sing about his grace for all eternity, to never get over it. The purpose of everything He has given you is so the whole world might understand God's grace.
Christianity is all about God's grace. The very purpose of history is about God's grace. Everything he is doing is to show forth the riches of His grace.
We're going to be display cases for eternity.
We're going to be fireworks displays for eternity, if you will.
We are going to be trophies of God's amazing grace.
Again, grace is such a big deal.
2.4 You Have Been Saved
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).
So we've seen that the Bible points away from what we can do, and it points to what Christ has done on the cross. The cross and resurrection are designed to save you. Jesus' death is not an award for your hard work or your religious nature.
The cross isn't a payment for your labor. Instead, Jesus' death and resurrection is a free gift for you. You are not saved because you earned your way to be saved. The gospel says, "You're not saved by being a good person." You're not saved by your good deeds.
2.4.1 Larry Bird
Larry Bird is the famous NBA player for the Boston Celtics. Nicknamed "Larry Legend," Bird was one of the greatest players in basketball history. Bird's former coach, KC Jones, tells of one game where the Celtics were tied with Seattle with five seconds left to play in the game. The coach drew up a play that didn't involve Bird taking the potential game-winning shot. Bird wasn't happy, and in the huddle, he told the coach, "Why don't you just give me the ball and tell everybody to get out of the way?" Jones reminded Bird that he was the coach and he would call the plays. He then turned to the rest of the team and said, "Get the ball to Larry, and everybody else get out of the way."
Easter is when Jesus said, "Give me the ball, and everybody get out of the way."
2.4.2 The Bible Doesn't Say
Would you please notice that the Bible says, "you have been saved." Notice the Bible does NOT says, "you're halfway home!" It does NOT say "you're going to be saved" or "I hope you'll be saved." If you saved yourself, then you would expect the Bible to say, "You're going to be saved" or "I hope you'll be saved." Instead, the Bible says, "you have been saved." Since Christ does the saving, so you can be absolutely confident you're saved.
In fact, earlier, the Bible says not only are you "saved," but the believer is also "raised." The Bible will speak about your resurrection from the dead in the past tense. It's so confident you will be raised it speaks about it as if it already happened. Can you imagine if I grabbed the Lombardi trophy from the NFL headquarters and handed it to the Dallas Cowboys ahead of next year's Super Bowl? It would be a profound statement of how confident I am in one team's ability to win the big game. Likewise, the Bible is so confident you will be raised from the dead it speaks of your future resurrection in the past tense.
That's the difference grace makes. The Bible says, "you have been saved."
Jennifer Garner and Samuel Jackson ask us every 15 minutes, "What's in your wallet?" with their popular Capital One commercials. I ask you, "What's in your heart and mind?" Salvation - you either have it, or you don't.
2.5 Jesus' Death & Resurrection
Again, Jesus' death is not an award for your hard work. The cross isn't a generous bonus or a booster shot to get you over the top. Instead, Jesus' death and resurrection are free gifts. You are not saved because you earned your way to be saved. You don't do your part, and then God does His part.
Christ takes us from:
Hell to Heaven!
From bondage to freedom!
From darkness to light!
From despair to hope!
From God's wrath to God's glory!
And from death to life!
The psalmist said, "The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation" (Psalm 118:14).
2.6 Grace Makes You Good
There are some sitting here saying to themselves, "Then I can do whatever I want to do, and God forgives me by His grace. I can simply pray this prayer, and God will forgive me." It's like carrying a celestial pardon in your pocket for any future trouble you might have with God. You're thinking, "And now that Christ died for me, I can do whatever I want to do." And yes, many people across America have misconstrued the cross to do just that. They run around in the name of Jesus and do whatever they want, thinking God will forgive them by His grace. But such people really don't understand the grace of God.
2.6.1 Paying Your Bill
Imagine if a friend of yours said, "I was at your home the other day, and you weren't there. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have looked, but I saw a bill on the table. I looked at the bill, and I said, 'You know because I'm your friend, I'm going to pay that bill.'" So imagine that your friend actually wrote out a check, put it in the envelope, and sent it in, and said, "I paid your bill. I just wanted you to know that." How would you feel? It all depends on how big the bill was. What if it was your last month's cell phone bill? What would you say? You'd say, "Wow. Thank you." But what if it were something bigger than a cell phone bill?
2.6.2 Repossession
Several years ago, when Traci and I were married with no kids, we sat down with a couple that retold how they had been in dire financial straits. They had lost all their income for months on end. And they couldn't make the house note. The local bank had set a deadline of the exact date when they were going to repossess the house. The date was set for a certain date at the end of a business day. Our friends had explored all they could do, and there was no way to pay it. And they paid for so long on the house and were only short $10,000 or so on a house that cost several hundred thousand. They sat together in their home, worried about their home being repossessed. That afternoon, a friend stopped by to tell them that he had paid the banknote for them. He went by the bank with cash in hand to pay the note only hours in front of the repossession.
What are you going to do with something like this!? You might fall down on the floor, kiss their feet, and say, "Command me. What would you have thy servant do?" You would certainly hug their neck and thank them profusely! When your house is but minutes away from being auctioned off at the courthouse's steps, you are more than a little grateful.
2.6.3 Real Motivation
And that's what the grace of God does for a believer. Real believers who treasure God's grace know how much this grace costs our Savior. A genuine believer knows that God's grace costs the Son of God His very life. So this grace of God does something no rule could ever do. It motivates us to love Christ with something more powerful than fear of Him. You live life with grateful worship to Christ. This grace humbles you and stirs you to tremendous love for your Savior.
3. How Does This Happen?
So the Bible says any of us who are saved are saved by grace. Now, it doesn't say ALL of us are saved by grace, but ANY of us can be saved by grace. And the Bible says faith in Christ is the "on-ramp" to knowing Christ: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).
How does faith work? Let me see if I can help us think about faith on this Easter.
3.1 Skitching
I learned a new term this week, Skitching. A form of skitching is when you skateboard behind a vehicle. I immediately think of Michael J. Fox and Back to the Future movies. Get the mental picture? It's skateboarding behind a car that adventurous people will try and a great way to hasten your funeral, in my opinion. Let's just say you're on a skateboard, and along comes a car only going ten miles per hour. So what do you do? You have a car tow rope or a rope of some kind, and you attach the rope around the bumper of the car. Once you secure your strap to the car, it's pulling you along. Now you're going ten miles per hour on a skateboard.
Let me ask you, "What's causing you to move along?" One thing you could say is, "Well, the strap is causing me to go." Not exactly because the strap has no power of its own, the strap is simply transferring the power of the car to you. The actual cause of your progress is the car and not the strap. Faith is simply the strap that attaches to Christ. Your faith doesn't have any power. Jesus does the saving, and you place your faith in Christ.
3.2 Johnny
Earlier this week, I listened to a man named Johnny tell how he came to Christ the first time he had the message you are hearing today. He didn't know the books of the Bible and couldn't quote John 3:16 at the time. Johnny didn't own a Bible and had not been inside a church but maybe three times, and that was years before when he was a child. Yet, when Johnny heard the message that Jesus died and rose on the cross to pay the penalty for his sins, he knew he needed to be saved. So Johnny embraced Christ by faith. For Johnny, faith was the strap that attached itself to the vehicle, Jesus' death and resurrection.
3.3 I Wish I Had that Kind of Faith
I hear non-Christians say, "I wish I could believe. "You believe; I wish I could believe. But, you know, some people can have that faith. I'm just not one of those people. I wish I was like you." It's like you are an extraordinary person to have faith. Listen carefully, the strap might be ugly, or the strap might be beautiful, but the important thing is the strap attached? The question is: is the strap attached to the car? That's really all that matters.
3.3.1 The Branch of the Cliff
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).
Imagine that you're about to fall off a cliff, and you see a branch sticking out of the side of the cliff. As you're falling, how much faith do you need in the branch to be saved? The answer is just enough to grab it. You might have no assurance of faith at all, and you'll still be saved. You might have lots of doubts, lots of fears, and you'll still be saved. You don't have to have great certainty for it to save you, as long as you grab it.
3.3.2 An Ugly Strap
The strap might be ugly, or the strap might be beautiful, but the important thing is the strap attached. A believer is someone who knows that Jesus has the power to change lives, save the lost, heal the sick, and secure eternity.
3.3.3 Faith in Christ
It's faith in Jesus himself: "because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).
You have either found the Savior, or you'll still search for a savior all your life. Before you pick a savior, before you decide in whom you'll put your faith, you need to check out his track record. Who else has he saved? Who else's life has he changed? Who else’s tears has he wiped away? Has he picked up the heavyhearted or walked through the stormy seas with anyone else? Who else can testify that this Jesus of Nazareth, whom God raised from the dead, has the name by which a man has been made whole? Who else has given sight to the blind? Who else has told Lazarus to come forth? Who else has turned drug addicts, pimps, prostitutes, and alcoholics?
Jesus saves! He has a track record! He addresses the most difficult tasks head-on! If you are struggling with all this, then I encourage you to say, "Lord, if you're real, talk to me." What you need is faith in a Person, and He will find you. Remember, God saves you. Christ accepts you. Christ loves you and welcomes you, and embraces you because of what Jesus has done on the cross. You're not saved by your good works; you're saved through faith in Christ. All you do is respond to His invitation.
3.4 Not My Accomplishments
"not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:9).
Can you imagine the pressure you'd feel if your eternal destiny was based on your daily success and your personal choices. When the crushing weight of saving yourself is place squarely on your back, it is a devastating burden.
The cross shows us what Jesus accomplished for us matters more than what we accomplish. Sometimes we feel like we are only as good as our most recent accomplishments. Today, we often base our worth on our appearance or accomplishments, and when those fade, we feel like our worth fades. When I experience the rich love and grace of God, I live from a place of security rather than a place where I must perform. You are more than your beauty and your trophies.
Please take your communication card in your hands.
Non- Believers - Invitation
If you are here this morning saying, "The Son of God was born, He died, He was raised, He ascended, and He's coming again, that doesn't make you a Christian. But if you say, "The Son of God was born for me, He died for me, He was raised for me, He was ascended to the right hand of the Father for me, and He's going to come again for me," that's what it means to be a Christian. If you have already committed your life to Christ prior to this service, write down the letter "A." If you say, "Scott, I haven't made that decision yet, but I'm considering it, and I want you to know that I am considering it, write down the letter' B.'" If you feel today, I am embracing the cross Christ by faith to save me, then please write down the letter "C" on your card. If today have no intention of following Christ, then down the letter "D." It's important to be honest, especially in church. I am already a believer in Christ, and I have come to a new appreciation for the grace of God in your life, then I invite you to write down the letter "E."
