The Lamb And The Cross

So you see, when the disciples went home from the hillside on that FRIDAY afternoon, their world had ended. A curtain had been drawn over their lives, and it was pitch black. There was no hope, no promise that tomorrow would be any better, and no belief that anything would ever be right again.

2. EASTER SUNDAY –HE’S ALIVE – HE IS RISEN – INDEED! EASTER SUNDAY REPRESENTS EVERYTHING AWESOME IN OUR LIVES!

But then, on SUNDAY morning, something happened! God opened a whole New World! Their eyes saw His wonders. The lights went on again in the Father’s house and it made all the difference in the world. It was in the early morning hours, and someone had discovered that the TOMB WAS EMPTY. It didn’t take long for it to dawn on these men that while they had given up, God had continued to work. They had been defeated, but God had BEEN VICTORIOUS!. Instead of SHAME and BITTERNESS, HOPE and THANKFULNESS and JOY BURST over the horizon with the morning sun. Slowly, the truth was sinking in - GOD was using the FOOLISHNESS of man in His PLAN OF SALVATION. There was TRUTH in GOD’S WORD! And never again would that TRUTH be hidden.

God had turned DEFEAT into VICTORY and TRAGEDY into TRIUMPH. When these men were finally able to comprehend what had happened through all this, something MYSTERIOUS and MIRACULOUS happened. They were no longer AFRAID, no longer DEFEATED. They swung open those locked doors, walked into the streets of the whole world, and proclaimed the GOOD NEWS of GOD’S LOVE. COWARDS? No more. Never again. They were men now, brave men, bold men, God’s men! And ALL the mighty forces of the Roman army and ALL the lies of the Scribes and Pharisees could never silence these men of COURAGE. One by one they went to the grave. But they never looked back, they never compromised, they never lost faith, they never gave up, never bowed under. And the MESSAGE they preached – the GOOD NEWS OF JESUS THE MESSIAH – has LITERALLY changed the course of human history!

Can you see what happened to these men? On FRIDAY they were cowards. The Bible doesn’t try to hide it. They ran and hid. They were afraid.

But on SUNDAY they heard the Angel’s words –Why do you look for the living among the dead? “HE IS NOT HERE – HE IS RISEN!” Then they SAW THE LIVING CHRIST and they MIRACULOUSLY became MEN OF FAITH AND MEN OF COURAGE – and nothing - ABSOLUTELY NOTHING - could stop them. Because now they knew – HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! HE’S ALIVE! HE’S ALIVE! (SONG-HE’S ALIVE)

The most AMAZING thing about the Easter Story is not the RESURRECTION OF CHRIST! As truly astounding and miraculous as that was, Jesus promised it would happen! I believe the MOST AMAZING thing about the Easter story is the men Jesus entrusted with His Kingdom and His Kingdom’s work! Do you see it? Fishermen like Andrew, Peter, James, and John. Matthew the tax collector and Simon the zealot! COMMON MEN. ORDINARY MEN. That is the AWESOMENESS of God, that His belief and trust in common men could not be daunted or shaken! He believes in us. Jesus believes in US! COMMON MEN! ORDINARY MEN! Teachers, businessmen, construction workers, secretaries, homemakers, salesmen, mechanics, white collar workers, blue collar workers, even preachers! Jesus believes that you and I CAN make a DIFFERENCE in the world in which we live!