It Comes Down to This
Luke 24:1-12
I am not a football fan. As a matter of fact, I’m really not a fan of any kind of sports. Now, I love to play golf, and maybe some other games, but I really dislike sitting and watching games. Unless it’s maybe an HS game, and I know some of the players, but College and Professional Sports—not so much. It’s boring.
However, there is one game that has stuck in my mind for a lot of years. Well, actually, it’s one play out of that whole game. Because I don’t remember any of the rest of the game—but I remember this one play. It was back in 1984, and I watched the college game between the reigning champions, the University of Miami Hurricanes, and the Boston College Eagles.
The game was tight, and with only 28 seconds left, the Miami Hurricanes were set to win. The score was 45-41, but Boston College had the ball. The quarterback, Doug Flutie, took the team down to the Miami 48-yard line. He took the snap and ran backward to avoid being sacked. From the Boston College 37-yard line, Flutie threw the ball toward the endzone. His receiver, Phelan, was there, but surrounded by Miami players. Everyone’s arms were up and trying to knock the ball out of the air, but it sailed right through them all and straight into Phelan’s hands. The referee’s hands shot up, signaling a touchdown, and the stadium went wild.
Talk about an amazing sight to see. Flutie threw that ball 63 yards into 30 mile an hour wind, and that was after having already thrown the ball 45 times during the game. For Doug Flutie, it all came down to this play. He was a good quarterback, but he was smaller than any other quarterback on any of the pro teams. So, if he hadn’t made this play, he would have probably gone off into relative obscurity. But, on completing this Miracle in Miami, which is what it came to be known as, his life and career was changed from that point on.
It all comes down to this… The young couple has been waiting for what seems like forever. Will that test the young wife took come out positive? Or negative? Hopefully, in 20 weeks or so, maybe they’ll also be wondering if another test is going to come out pink or blue.
It all comes down to this… You haven’t been feeling well lately. You finally got an appointment to see the doctor, and they’ve taken some samples of just about every liquid you have in your body. They took x-rays, hooked you up to all sorts of medical machinery to see what they could figure out.
You’ve been anxiously waiting for what seems like a very long time, and then the nurse calls you to set up an appointment. The doctor wants to deliver the news in person, and you’re pretty sure that this isn’t a good sign. Your life hangs in the balance. You’re on pins and needles. Will these test results be a major turning point in your life?
It all comes down to this… It’s a phrase we’ve all used at some point or another. It speaks of a defining moment—a critical stage in your life—a momentous occasion. A point in life where everything changes. In one way or another, nothing will be the same from this point on. It all comes down to this.
And today, we celebrate the most important occasion in all of world history. Easter—or Resurrection Sunday. The day when Jesus Christ rose from the dead and validated His claim to be the Son of God. Because it all came down to this…
When we consider the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the first thing I want you to understand is that it is the…
1. Most important event to ever occur. [Luke 24:1-8]
The story of the birth, death, and the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ is the story that changed the world. It is the singular most important event to have ever occurred, and it is the greatest story ever told.
Because, you see, His birth was both normal, and unique at the same time. He was born of a woman, just like everyone else in the world. And I’m pretty sure that His mother went through all the pains and discomforts that all pregnant women go through. I have no doubt that she had difficulty sitting down and standing up. And she probably went through all of those weird, pregnancy cravings too. But, you know, sometimes I wonder what women would have craved back then, since ice cream and pickles probably hadn’t been invented yet.
His birth was normal, but it was unique too. He wasn’t just born of a woman—He was born of a virgin. He had no human father to add to His gene pool, and because of that, He was totally untainted by the sin nature that all the rest of us inherit at birth.
And when we look at His death, it was both normal and unique too. Our Lord wasn’t the first person to have died on a Roman cross, and He wouldn’t be the last either. So, He died like anyone else would have. Suffering greatly and slowly, because you see, the Romans had crucifixion down to an art form. They could slow the death down, or speed it up however they desired.
So, His death was normal, but it was also very unique. Because in His death, He paid the price for the sins of everyone who believes in Him. You see, back in the beginning, God told our forefather, Adam, that if he disobeyed, then he would die. Death was the penalty for sin. But now, in the death of Christ, the penalty, or the wages of sin have been paid on our behalf. His death satisfied the judgment of God on sin and purchased our salvation. So, when we believe in Him, our sins are forgiven and removed from us as far as the east is from the west.
Have your sins been removed? Have you believed in Jesus? If you haven’t, then you need to do that today! First things first, repent and believe. Turn away from sin and trust in the Lord and live in obedience to His word.
His birth was both normal and unique. His death was both normal and unique. But His resurrection—well, that was totally unique, wasn’t it? Well, yeah, in a way. But actually, for it to be totally unique, then He would have had to have been the only one to have ever risen from the dead. But, in the gospels alone, we see that Jesus raised three people from the dead, and in the Bible, there are ten people who had been raised. So, His resurrection wasn’t totally unique, because it had happened before.
But it was totally unique in that all those other people who came back to life, eventually died again. But Jesus, rose and lives forevermore. His resurrection life isn’t temporary—it’s permanent—it’s final and complete.
Now, we have thousands and thousands of religious beliefs in our world, but there are 4 major religions: Buddhism, Islam, Judaism and Christianity. Each of these 4 religions rests on a historical figure. Buddha, Mohammad, Abraham (or Moses) and Jesus Christ. Inside the tombs of each of the first 3 religions you’ll find the bones of their prophets. But inside the tomb of Jesus, there were only angels and grave clothes.
It all comes down to this… Luk 24:5b-6a …Why do you seek the living One among the dead? (6) He is not here, but He has risen. He is not here—He has risen! The Lord Jesus Christ conquered death, hell, the grave and all of His enemies. He is triumphant. He is victorious. He is glorious! The account of the life of Jesus Christ is the only biography known to man that doesn’t end in death and burial—because He has risen! His biography never ends!
Don’t miss the point here. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important event in all human history, because in that event, He gave the promise of the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. He told His disciples, Joh 14:1-3 "Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. (2) "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. (3) "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
It all comes down to this… Jesus is alive, and He is coming back for His people. His resurrection proves that He is, was, and always will be the only begotten Son of God, and that we can have life—eternal life—in His name.
His resurrection was the most important event to have ever happened in all human history, and what you decide about Him and His resurrection will also be the…
2. Most important decision you will ever make. [Read Luke 24:9-12]
It all comes down to this… You’re faced with a choice. Believe and in faith turn to Jesus and experience a complete transformation of your life through the new birth or turn away in disbelief and reject the free gift that Jesus offers you. These are the only two options available to you, and it is the most important decision you will ever make.
Those women who went to the tomb that morning, and heard that He had risen, they did what we are commanded to do—they ran to where the disciples were gathered and told them all about it. They believed what they heard, and they went to tell someone about it.
But the tragedy is, Luk 24:11 …these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them. There are a lot of people who do this very same thing today. They’ll hear the message of the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and then they’ll do the same thing the disciples did, Luk 24:11 …they would not believe them.
There will even be some who are sitting in churches today, all over the world who will hear the gospel message and after hearing that amazing story about the love and the grace of God toward mankind, they will still refuse to believe and commit.
Let me challenge you today to consider the claims of Jesus Christ. This isn’t a fairytale. It isn’t a myth. It isn’t a legend. This is absolutely, and unequivocally real. The very same Jesus who rose from the dead around 2,000 years ago, lives today. And He can live within you through the new birth when the Holy Spirit comes and takes up residence within you. This is what happens when you turn to Him in faith, and give your life to Him.
The disciples didn’t believe, Luk 24:12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened. And there will be some people who hear about the empty tomb today, and after hearing, they’ll walk away in unbelief. Others though, they’ll go and see for themselves. And when you do that, what you will find is that Jesus Christ is who He says He is. He has done what no one else could ever do, but get this—He offers to do that same thing for you, too.
You see, His resurrection is called the “first fruits” which means that there is more to come. He was first to rise to everlasting life, and many more will follow. Joh 6:39-40 "This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. (40) "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day."
You can have this resurrection life, by believing in Jesus. Have you done that? Well, if you haven’t, then what better day to do it than on Resurrection Sunday? Just repent of your sins, which means to turn away from them, and from the heart, call out to Jesus to come into your life and change you forever. He’s promised that anyone who comes to Him in faith, He will never turn away. So, do it today.
But you know, I’m reminded of a story I heard some time ago. This young man was on his way to visit a friend who lived on a farm. And as he turned into the farm’s driveway that leads to the house, he passed by a barn. The closer he got to the barn; he saw that there were some things painted on the sides that looked unusual. When he came up next to the barn, what he saw were about 20 painted targets. Now, that was strange enough, but what really got his attention was the fact that each target had a bullet hole right smack in the middle. 20 bull’s eyes.
Someone had been using the barn for target practice, and apparently that person was crack shot. Each bull’s eye wasn’t just somewhere in the black middle, they were in the middle of the black middle. It was amazing to see, and he could hardly believe his eyes.
When he got to the house, his friend came out to meet him. He asked his friend about the targets he saw. He asked, “Just who was it that was doing the shooting?” To which his friend replied, “Well, that was me.” With a surprised look on his face, he asked again, “You mean to tell me that you made 20, dead center bull’s eyes, in 20 different targets?” His friend replied, “Yep. I made every shot.” So, the guest then asked his friend, “Where did you learn to shoot like that?” “Well, it’s simple. Shoot first, and then draw a picture of a target around the hole.”
And you know, a lot of us are just like that. We know the right words to say. Maybe we even know how we’re supposed to dress on Resurrection Sunday or any Sunday. But it’s not that we hit the bull’s eye—we’ve just learned to paint well.
Too many of us are just going through the motions, but we’re not really living a life that is on target.
And right now, you’ve got a choice to make. This is the most important decision that you will ever make in your life. It all comes down to this. Will you hear the gospel message and trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? This is that defining moment that will change your life forever, one way or another.
He lived the perfect and sinless life, and then He died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins. Three days later, He rose from the dead, victorious over both death and the grave.
1Co 15:55 "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?"
And now you have to make a decision. He offers you eternal salvation if you will come to Him in true repentance and faith. But if you turn away, then you will remain unchanged, unsaved, and under the judgment of God. And as the writer of the book of Hebrews said…
Heb 10:31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Today could very well be your defining moment. It all comes down to this.
So, what will you choose?
