“EXPERIENCING EASTER”
TEXT: LUKE 23:32-43
Sunday, April 11, 2004
Now I will talk to the adults [sermon follows children’s message] about the meaning of Easter and having an Easter experience. There are three movies I want you to think about. The first one is It’s a Wonderful Life - George Bailey. How many have you seen the movie It’s a Wonderful Life? It’s a wonderful story of a man. He’s a good man, a self-made man. He has a lot of goals, ideas and desires for his life and he is frustrated that he never gets to accomplish them. He’s not a very religious man; he does his own thing. In a turn of events, his life just becomes a mess and, in humility, he finally turns to God and asks God, “God, I’m not a praying man but I need your help,” and God rescues him graciously.
How many of you have seen the movie Thelma and Louise? It is an awful movie and it’s depressing. It is a story about two women who, like George Bailey, live their lives their way and, as a result of their choices, are faced with the consequences. Rather than making a change in their life, they remain very self-destructive. They remain on that self-destructive path; they drive off a cliff, resolute, adamant that their life is their life to the end.
How many of you have seen The Matrix? In The Matrix, if you haven’t seen it, it’s a story about a messianic figure called Neo, who is referred to interestingly as “the one.” Only one person can save the world. He understands his purpose. He understands that he is the only one who can save Zion (which is figuratively the world); and he accomplishes his mission, but at the cost of his own life.
Why do I mention these three movies? Because although they are contemporary stories, they really do illustrate the gospel message; or they really illustrate the Easter story; in particular, the story of the three people on the cross. There are three people on crosses that we think of when we think of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Their experiences then are the same experiences we see in these three movies. What I am going to do is go through these three crosses and ask you this question: Of these people, who are you? Of these people, who do you resonate with the most? Which one describes your life and your Easter experience?
To help us look at this picture we are going to read Luke 23:32-43, look at these three characters, then ask ourselves who we are. Now probably from the get-go I should say that the third person, the person in the middle, is Jesus the Messiah, the Savior of the world. Now can we all agree this morning that none of us is Jesus the Messiah, Savior of the world? Does anyone here believe that they are Jesus the Messiah, Savior of the world? (If you do, you can see me following the service.) With that said then I think we can relate to one of the other two people, and I ask you which are you. [Reading from Luke]
Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him along with the criminals – one on the right and the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
The people stood watching and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ, the Son of God, the chosen one.”
The soldiers also came up and mocked him and they offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” There was a written notice above his head which read THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him and asked, “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!”
But the other criminal rebuked him, “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly for we are getting what our deeds deserve, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
[Let’s pray.]
Let’s look at these two men on the cross. First is the man on the right, the one we read about first. When you look at him, how would you describe him? There are some things we do know about him. One, he has broken the law and he is being punished for his crime. He has not only broken the law of man, but he has broken the law of God - one of the Ten Commandments: “Thou shalt not steal.” So he is, you would say, someone who is imperfect. He has made mistakes in his life and he is paying for those mistakes. His lifestyle has caused his life to be cut short. He is a man who when you saw him as a little boy, you saw how cute and how innocent and how full of potential he was. He has gifts and talents. God gave him a body, mind and a spirit, and he went and wasted them. He spent them, abused them and misused them. He is the picture of a person who lived his life his way and his life is a mess. He had made a mess of things. He is now faced with his mortality; and in facing his mortality, the surprise is, he doesn’t change at all! He remains resolute, unhampered, unaltered, unrepentant and unsorrowful. He keeps his life his own. Even though it’s a lifestyle that has ruined his life, he remains absolutely resolute. This religion thing is not for me, it’s a crutch for other people. I don’t need it. I’m my own man. I’ve made myself. I’ve chosen my way. I’ll reap the fruit. I still will not bow my head to any God because there is no God.
So he stubbornly resists even though he has heard the same thing the other man has heard. Here is Jesus, some religious figure who is offering him hope and forgiveness, and he turns it down. He says, Thanks but no thanks. I don’t need it and he dies hardened, without God and without hope. And he experiences at the end of his life as he faces death, the absolute silence of God. Jesus does not speak to him. He is totally alienated, totally cut off. His experience of death is of a dark, deep hole, a hole of despair, meaninglessness, senselessness, frustration, and anger. He is like the men in the movie The Pirates of the Caribbean. They are the prototype of a person who has lived their life their own way. They are described in the movie as men who thirst; and they drink, but they are always thirsty. They hunger and they eat, but they are never satisfied. They have bodies but they cannot feel. They are a walking dead. They live in utter despair, unsatisfied with their choices, unsatisfied with their lives. This is the picture of this first man on the cross who goes his own way. Even though it’s leading him to destruction, he will not change. He remains absolutely resolute. His life - he will live his way. Is that you? Are you happy with your choice, your experience of life and your experience with your mortality?
If not, Jesus says this in Matthew 11:28-29: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls”, which brings us to the man on the left. He is exactly like the man on the right. There is not much difference. He has broken the law of man and he is reaping the consequences of it. He’s also disobeyed the law of God. He broke the Ten Commandments as well. He has lived his life his way as well. He has not been very religious in his life. In fact, it says early on he’s doing the same thing as the other guy. He hurls insults at Jesus when he encounters religious things. He thinks of them in derisive terms. It seems very foreign and alien to him.
He is frustrated, as well. But as he hangs there, he listens to Jesus and His words, and sees His lifestyle as an example, then something changes in him. He somehow encounters God right then and there as he’s hanging there. He looks over his life and he realizes what a mess it is. He has deserved everything that he’s gotten and he’s not trying to tell God to save him (as in some jailhouse type of religion). He says God I’m sorry. I’m sorry for my life. I’m sorry how I lived. I left you out. I know what a mess I’ve made of my life and God can you forgive me? He cries out to Jesus in humble mercy and says Jesus I’m not asking you to take away my consequences of what I’ve done, all I’m asking is when you enter your kingdom, and I believe you are the son of God, and I believe you do have a kingdom. I believe you will reign there and that you will return and, when you do, will you at least remember me? That humbling of himself, casting himself upon the mercy and grace of God, just like George Bailey who has left God out and is not very religious but in crisis he humbles himself and calls upon God. God responds to George, and God responds to this man on the cross and Jesus says this, and it’s a powerful statement today, right now. Actually, the word “today” actually means “now.” “Now, you will be with me in paradise.”
What is it referring to? Well, it refers to two things. It does refer to heaven. One day when you die (which will happen today for the thief on the cross), you will be with me in an afterlife where you will live with me forever.
It’s not just referring to a future state; it’s also referring to a present condition (which is actually true of the word ‘eternal life’). When the Bible says eternal life, we think of the time aspect, the duration of it. It lasts forever. But that’s only one quality of eternal life. Eternal life also refers to the quality of living a life experiencing God’s presence and power in our lives here and now. This is what Jesus offers the man - not just life after you die, but life now. When the man said this to Jesus, God came into his life right then. He experienced paradise right then.
What is paradise? “Paradise” literally is the Persian word for garden. What does a garden remind you of? It reminds you of the Garden of Eden. It reminds you of the day when, at one time, long ago, people had a close, intimate relationship with God. There is nothing that separated them and God, and they lived walking and talking in complete peace and confidence and forgiveness and assurance; a complete relationship with God. It was such a close relationship it was as though they were walking together. That’s the type of experience that the man had right then and there. God came into his life. God rose into his heart and he experienced a personal relationship; a garden experience with God so that he walked and he talked with God in his heart.
Now you might say well okay, I’ll do that at the end of my life, I’ll hurry up and grab onto salvation like that guy did, but you don’t have to wait that long. Jesus says now, today, now . . . Now you can experience God’s forgiveness; now we can experience his presence; now we can experience his new life. We can experience hope, peace, freedom, power, freedom from the fear of death; we can experience Easter now.
I am not exactly sure why you are here, but a lot of people come to Easter morning services because it is a tradition. It is a religious observance, but it’s something that happens out there. It’s no different from an Easter basket or a bunny; or it’s a story, but it’s not internal. It’s an event that happened in the past and in history, but there’s no real experience here. Jesus did not come just to cause us to have a nice, pretty religious service one day. God doesn’t care that we are here having a nice religious service. That’s not why he came. That’s not why he rose. He came and rose in order to make it possible for us to walk with God. To have God not just risen as an event in history, but spiritually risen in our hearts and lives, so that our lives are full with the presence of God! He has risen within us; is that true? Well, John 10:10 says this: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. Romans 8:11 says this: “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you (now, your current state), he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you” when you die. So salvation is two parts. One, we can have the resurrection Easter experience now in our hearts which then guarantees we’ll have one when we die. In fact, I’ll go on to say this. If you do not experience the resurrection in your life here, you will never experience the resurrection to life later. God has come to raise himself, and put his spirit in our hearts and in our life.
How is that made possible? Well, Peter Jennings had an interesting series on Jesus; Jesus and Paul is a great documentary. He said a profound thing that caught my attention. It’s also on the cover of Time magazine as I noticed in the check-out line yesterday. Why did Jesus die? He says he’s walking down the road that Paul the apostle walked – it’s called the Via Apia or the Apian Way. It’s also referred to as the Roman Road. It was the road that Paul took when he brought this simple message about Jesus and what he’s done to Rome.
Now picture the power of Rome. There are people of every religion in the world, and people who’s lifestyles were so hardened that they were entertained by the execution of criminals and Christians in between the gladiator fights. They are of that character and quality, and yet, Paul enters into those huge towns of a million people bringing the simple gospel message, and what happens? People are touched by the power of God ; their lives are transformed to the point that today it is the center of Roman Catholicism. Today Rome is just an extremely religious place. It has been totally transformed from a people who enjoyed the barbarous execution of people at halftime, to a people who have a deep and intense spiritual walk with God. How did that happen? If Jesus is just an event of the past and not a real living presence that can come into our lives, then it doesn’t explain a thing, but if Jesus is indeed risen (and not just as an event in the past that we have a little Easter celebration service but a current experience that can transform me), then that tells you that’s what happened with Rome.
They experienced the same risen Christ that we can experience today. It transformed a culture, and it can transform our hearts and lives as well. How is that made possible? Again if you follow the Roman Road (meaning certain passages in Romans) which lead us as it did the Roman population then to God and the experience of Easter, these passages can lead us to the same Easter experience. Romans 3:23 says this: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” All of us are like those two men who have lived their lives their way. We are imperfect people. We make mistakes. Does anyone agree with that? Are there any perfect people here? No, all of us are in the same boat. What has God done in response realizing that all of us fall short? There is another similarity that we all have with these two men - that Christ died for them both. “But God demonstrated his love for us in this way. While we were still sinners Christ died for us.” Christ became our replacement.
If you can think in computer terms, he has downloaded our sins upon himself. Now if you know anything about downloads, a lot of them are free, but in order for them to be free, someone had to do the work earlier to make the download possible. That is what God has done for us. He has made forgiveness possible; he has done the work for us. As a result, he downloaded our sins and took them upon himself and went to the cross. That is what the movie The Passion of the Christ is all about. God loves us so much that he became the sin bearer. He took our sin upon him and he put it into him, dying on the cross; and he offers us forgiveness and the new life in him.
How do we receive this gift? Romans 6:23 says this: “For the wages of sin is death,” we all deserve what those men experienced and we will all experience death, “but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We receive the resurrection power of Christ into our life simply like we receive a gift. On Christmas how do you receive a gift? Do you purchase the gift under the tree? No, the gift has already been purchased for you.
God is talking right now. Are you listening? He offers you a gift and it’s a free gift. All you have to do is reach out and accept it. It’s “by grace you are saved through faith not of yourself. It’s the gift of God. Not of works lest anyone should boast.”
Note the two men. What’s the difference? One experienced the Easter presence of God and the other did not. Neither one could work for it. Neither could do anything. They died shortly afterwards. It’s the grace of God- simply by faith; it’s a gift received by faith- because God wants us to and because God chooses to, and we receive it by simply doing what the man did, he called upon God and humbled himself. He called upon God and asked for his forgiveness. Romans 10:13 says this: “for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:9-10 says: “That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart” (it has to be internal though, you have to really believe it) “that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”
Going back to the movie The Matrix, what I find interesting is a powerful scene in the last movie. I will go through it because it is absolutely powerful. There is Mr. Smith; Mr. Smith is the analogy of evil. He is evil personified and he has attempted to take over the world, control the world and destroy the world. There is Neo who is “the one,” and Neo is the only one. He is the only one who can save the world; no one else could do it. There is a battle. They are fighting and Neo is losing. He is laying down and Mr. Smith, the evil agent, is looming over him. Neo is trying to get up, and Smith asks him the question “Why, why do you persist? Why do you want to get up, why? Why do you go on? Why do you care? Do you think there really is a purpose? Is it love? Is it peace? Is it freedom? Neo is made of a weak human flesh. Mr. Anderson [Neo], there is no purpose and there is no purpose to life. Why, Mr. Anderson, why do you persist? Why do you get up? Why do you engage the battle?” Neo gets up and says, “Because I choose to, because I know my purpose.” He knows he is the only one who can save Zion. And like Christ, he is the only one who could save the world.
Scripture tells us that it was because God loved the world that he gave his only Son. That if we simply believe in him, we shall not perish but have everlasting life. Christ went to the cross. Why? Because he chose to, and because it was the only way he could save us and bring God’s spiritual presence into our life. We receive it by simply saying, God I have made a mess; I acknowledge my sin; I have made a mess of my life. I believe, though, the message of what you have done for me, and I confess to you like that man did. He realized his sin. He believed the message of Jesus and who he was. He confessed Jesus to be his king. Lord, remember me when you enter your kingdom. Lord, you are my King.
He experienced Easter joy, and may you experience it as well. Paul says this: I want you to know Christ and the power of his resurrection. I want you to know the same, so I ask you to bow your head and quiet yourself before God.
I want to ask you if you are prepared to, and I encourage you, to pray this prayer. I am not having anyone look around because maybe you have come and Easter seems to you just a story, something outside of you, it is nothing really real to you. It can be very real. Christ can rise in your heart and you can experience God’s presence in your life now. You can turn things to good and experience his peace and joy. If you are prepared to do that, I encourage you to pray with me. In fact, I encourage everyone to pray together so no person is singled out. Pray with me together this prayer: Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins separate me from you and I am truly sorry. Now I want to turn away from my past life. Please forgive me and help me to avoid sinning in the future. I believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, died for my sins, was raised from the dead, is alive and here is my prayer now. I invite him to be the leader of my life, to rule and reign in my heart, from this day forward. Send your Spirit to help me obey you and do your will the rest of my life. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
