Seven PM, Easter, 29 A.D.
Luke 24:33-48
Introduction
It was Easter Sunday for the Ibuga Christians of Western Tanzania. In one village, a large crowd had gathered to worship. Many came out of curiosity to hear about a God who conquered death. While they were singing and praising God, they didn't know the danger that awaited them. At that moment, a crazed mother lion was stalking their village, not killing to eat, but just killing every living thing in sight. She killed several goats, cows, and a woman with a small child. Then she turned toward the singing worshipers. When they saw her standing ready to charge, the crowd froze in fear. The village preacher shouted, "Pray, people, because we're worshipping a living Lord. The God who locked the lions' jaws for Daniel is here today!" Then he turned to the lion and said, "You lion, I curse you in the name of the living Lord Jesus Christ."
That day had been partially cloudy, but with no storm. Suddenly, a lightening bolt struck the lion, and she immediately fell dead! The tribal pastor ran over, jumped up and down on the carcass, and used it as a platform for his preaching. Before he could give an invitation, 11 people came forward immediately to be saved as did many others in the hours that followed.
They still call it the Easter miracle in Tanzania. But, a far greater miracle had already taken place nearly 2,000 years ago. Women, sad from the death of their leader and friend, approached his tomb in grief. Suddenly, an angel appeared and said Jesus had arisen victorious over the roaring lion and his ally, death. Now, let's look at "the rest of the story" in Luke 24:33-48.
Last week, I heard a church growth expert say today's baby boomers and baby busters are action oriented. They respond better to sermons that challenge them to get involved and make a difference in the world. I thought about this sermon and imagined the 90's generation asking: "Easter happened; so what? If it were true, what difference will it make in my life tomorrow?"
So, I want us to get a practical application of Easter. The best place to look is at the first application after Easter was over. You recall that our Christian calendar is off about 4 years. So, Jesus was probably born in 4 B.C. That makes the date of his crucifixion and resurrection around 29 A.D.
If you look at Luke 24:33 you'll see, after Jesus appeared to the 2 on the Emmaus Road, he went to eat the evening meal with them. The Jewish evening meal was traditionally at sundown or about 6 PM. At sundown the day ended and a new day began. Immediately after they recognized Jesus, he disappeared; and we're told they left that same hour to go to Jerusalem. The upper room where the disciples were gathered was about 7 miles away. This would put it about 7 PM when Jesus appeared to the believers there. They were behind closed doors for fear of the Jews when their Easter miracle happened.
So, at about 7 PM, Easter, 29 A.D. we have the first application after Easter. From that event, we can see that Easter brings 4 qualities to make a difference in our lives tomorrow:
1. Peace, V. 36
Jesus knew they were confused and frightened. He always understands our feelings, so he said in verse 36, "Peace be unto you." This is the first and immediate application of Easter: Peace. Everyone wants peace of mind. If you're afraid or worried, you can't think straight and you aren't yourself. For lack of peace men pine away. A lack of peace can drive people to commit terrible deeds, drive them to alcohol or drugs, or even to insanity. Tradition tells us the fate of Governor Pilate who could have released Jesus but washed his hands of the matter. Supposedly, he died in an insane asylum trying to wash invisible blood off his hands!
But, at peace with themselves, people can stand alone against great odds. They write songs about being able to pursue impossible dreams, climb every mountain, fly with the bluebirds beyond the rainbow! Think of the headaches and stomachaches you'd miss, the doctor bills you wouldn't have to pay, and the medicine you could throw away if you had perfect peace.
Peace of mind with oneself is a wonderful gift, but peace with God is even better! Easter also brings peace with God. When you believe in Easter you believe in God's Son who arose on Easter. If you know Easter is true, you make your peace with Jesus, because as surely as he arose, he's coming again for you. When you receive his gospel you have good news: You don't have to fear death; the grave is not the end; you've already passed your judgement test with God. Do you have that peace? If you apply Easter's peace today, tomorrow you can face your work or your plans with calmness, serenity, assurance, and confidence. You will know that whatever you and God undertake will ultimately work out for your good.
2. Joy, V. 41
Now, look at verse 41 and you'll see an unusual statement: "While they yet disbelieved for joy...". The preceding verses tell us the disciples were confused and thought they were seeing a ghost. They wanted to believe their joy; but their weak faith said, "This can't be happening!" Jesus let them feel him to see that he was flesh and bones, and he ate in their presence. The fish and honeycomb disappeared. If he were an apparition, real fish and honeycomb would have still been there.
When Jesus settles our frustrations, peace brings it's companion, joy. Joy is a natural byproduct of peace when we understand the reason for our peace. And, joy is always better than happiness. The world wants happiness and fun. Happiness depends on outside stimuli being right, but joy comes from inner peace. Fun disappears when we're sad, but we can have inner joy even in heartbreak. When we lose a Christian loved one, we're sad; but we have joy knowing they are with the Lord.
I don't know about you, but I don't like snakes and spiders; and I don't like to be in places where they might be! When I was a teenager, my dad gave me a watch I really wanted for my birthday, but I had to work for it! Dad was a lot of fun, so he wrapped several smaller boxes inside larger boxes for me to unwrap. In the last box a note sent me following other notes all over the house. The last note sent me to the attic to follow a string over the rafters. Two things kept me going through all this: I knew something worthwhile was at the end of that string, and I knew my dad had to crawl over those rafters laying the string, so he had cleared out the cobwebs!
Jesus went through death and showed us it's not a boxed-in canyon; there's a light at the end of the valley! Jesus has cleared out all the cobwebs and opened up death for us. He beckons us to follow confidently. In Revelation 1:18 Jesus holds the keys of death and hell; he's unlocked death but he's locked up hell for us. Death is our ultimate fear; but, if it didn't hurt Jesus, it won't hurt us when we follow Jesus. If we can face death unafraid, we can face anything else. You can laugh at your boss or your hardest opposition tomorrow, when you've applied Easter's joy today.
3. Hope, Vs. 44
A third quality Easter brings is hope. We can read this into verse 44. If Jesus fulfilled all prophecies concerning his first coming, he'll surely fulfill the promise of verse 49. That promise is the Holy Spirit. Sure enough, Jesus has returned in spirit now. When Jesus was here in person he was limited by his physical body to once place at a time. Now he can be with all his children all the time! That gives us hope.
That also means all that Jesus promised will come true. He's promised to be with us and never leave us, to bless us, to comfort and guide us, to work all things out for our good, to protect us from evil, to answer our prayers, to come for us and take us home to live with him forever. There we'll hear our Heavenly Father say "Well done". Hope assures us we're going to reign over all things along with our Big Brother, Jesus! Hope makes us not ashamed and gives us boldness.
And, the Lord said to Noah, "Where is the Ark which I have commanded thee to build?" Noah replied, "Lord, doest thou not know that I have 3 carpenters off sick, my gopher-wood cutter is on strike, and my supplier of pitch hath gone bankrupt?" The Lord answered, "I know these things. Why thinkest thou I have waited 100 years for this Ark? Nevertheless, I will give thee 10 more years to finish." And, Noah said, "It will be so." But, in 10 years it was not so. And, the Lord came to Noah again saying, "Where is my Ark?" Noah replied, "Lord, my elder son Shem hath formed a rock band with his brothers Ham and Japheth. And, the male and female pairs of unclean animals which thou orderest were delivered to the wrong address! I will have to gather these personally for thee." "Very well," saith the Lord. "I have given thee 110 years; I will give thee 10 more years." After 120 years, the Lord asked Noah, "Is my Ark ready?" And, Noah answered the Lord saying, "Lord, the unicorns, dinosaurs, mammoths, and sabre-toothed tigers are all discontinued lines; we will have to leave without them. And the fowls of the air which thou orderest by 7's only come in half-dozen lots. Surely, Lord, thou knowest how confused this generation is!"
The Lord replied, "Yes, my son, why else doest thou think I am sending a flood to destroy this generation!" But, Noah and his family hoped in the Lord to be saved; and it was so! (Adapted by T. E. Lovorn) You'll have boldness to speak your mind and courage to make the right choices tomorrow if you've applied Easter's hope today.
4. Mission, Vs. 47-48
Yes, Easter brings peace, joy, and hope. And, if you look at verses 47-48, you can see that Easter also brings mission. Mission is a Bible word that the secular world has adopted lately. Southern Baptists have long taught that every church needs a mission statement to remind us who we are, why we're here, and where we're going. The mission statement of Monumental Baptist Church says we are God's representatives continuing his work of evangelizing, discipling, and ministering to our world.
Have you noticed that even stores now post their mission statement? I've seen them on the walls at Wal-mart, Sam's Club, and others. Luke 24:47 says our mission is to preach repentance and remission of sins to all nations beginning in our Jerusalem. We begin by telling everyone around us the good news of Easter. But, we don't stop there; the ripples continue around the world through our going, praying, and giving. Notice the order: We preach repentance before we preach remission of sins. Only the truly repentant will be forgiven. You have to be sorry for your sins and be willing to stop those thoughts and actions that God opposes. Then, he'll give you the strength to change your life and he'll remove those sins when you place them on Jesus' cross. And, of course, verse 48 says we demonstrate his forgiveness by the changed lives we live before others.
Will you accept the mission of Easter? If so, in your schedule tomorrow, your primary business will be changed. You'll be looking for ways to share the love of Jesus with everyone you meet tomorrow if you've applied the mission of Easter today.
Application
We don't have church tonight because of our full schedule this week, but I challenge you to stop where you are at 7 PM and think about that first application of Easter at 7 PM, 29 A.D. What difference is it to you? When you go to work tomorrow or back to school this week, you should be different if Easter has happened to you. With peace, you will have confidence and assurance. With joy, you will rejoice in whatever happens. With hope, you can claim the Spirit's guidance and power. And, with mission, you will have a reason for being where you are. You'll be purpose-driven to win your world for Jesus. Your whole image - the way you dress, talk, and walk; your attitude and outlook; your reaction to people and things - everything about you will be different. When people ask you, "What happened to you?" You can answer, "Easter happened, that's what!"
