It had been an amazing week. The disciples felt like they had been on an emotional roller coaster ride. A week earlier, they had come into Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover Feast. That was a real emotional high. Jesus came riding as if in victory. His disciples surrounded Him, and as they came into the city, many of the Passover celebrants joined in their procession. They were so excited, Jesus had finally come to claim His throne and establish His Kingdom. I suspect none of them could remember having experienced this much excitement before!
Neither could any of them remember the warnings that Jesus had given them. Several times He had told them what would happen to Him; but those comments were lost in the joy and excitement of the moment. After all, how could anything bad happen to Him with all these people to support Him? How could things turn sour now? He was ready to claim His victory and set the Hebrew people free.
But within a few short days, things did go wrong. Four days after His triumphal entry to the city, He sat in a little upstairs room with His hand picked leaders, the first 12 disciples, and shared the Passover meal with them. Again, He warned them of what was to come. He spoke about His death, and He changed the Passover celebration. Yet, undoubtedly, they were so wrapped up in the celebrations, that they didn't quite catch the meaning, the urgency of it all. "This bread is my body, given for you?" "This cup represents the new covenant set in motion by my blood, that I have established for you?" What did He mean by those statements?
Then, Jesus even made a comment about the one who would betray Him. They had no idea who He was referring to. And He told Peter that he would deny Jesus three times before morning. Peter swore his allegiance to Christ. Still, none of them, with the exception of Judas, perhaps, seemed to know what was coming.
When they finished their meal, they went out with Him to the Mount of Olives to pray. This was His custom and they still had not caught on that this time things were different. He asked the men to pray and then went off to pray by Himself. When Jesus returned, He found them sleeping and woke them with what was almost an angry tone of voice. You can identify with that, can't you? Haven't you all found a quiet place to go and pray. You close your eyes and bow your head, you begin to pray. The next thing you know, it is some time later, and all you can remember is starting out your prayer.
The disciples were still pretty upbeat about things at this point. Then came Judas with the guards who arrested Jesus and took Him away. Fear apparently struck the disciples, for Peter was the only one who followed along to see what was going to happen. Soon, however, Peter learned what Jesus meant about him denying Christ - he did so three times, then heard the rooster announce the morning's first light. Peter wept. The other disciples hid. Things changed rather drastically in such a short time. The next thing they knew, Jesus had been tried (if you could call it that), convicted and sentenced to die immediately. No appeals process in that legal system.
The joy was gone from their hearts as they gathered, locked safely in a house in town. They wondered what to do now. They wondered how they could have been so wrong. They wondered how this wonderful, loving teacher, who had worked so many miracles for others, could not work one for Himself.
For the Hebrew people, the Sabbath began at sundown on Friday. So they were anxious to get the crucifixion over and have Jesus' body buried before the Sabbath began. The trial was a joke, as neither Pilate nor Herod knew what to do with this man. They tried their best to dismiss the charges, but to no avail since there seemed to be such anger and enmity against Him among the Chief Priests of the Israelites.
They rushed through the trial and sent Him off to be executed by crucifixion. Jesus' disciples watched from afar. They were afraid for their own lives - guilt by association, I suppose. After all, if the Son of God could be convicted so readily, what chance would they have to defend themselves? But we are told that, as He was dying on the cross, He spoke to John. So we know that at least one of the twelve was there in the crowd.
The Chief Priests and the Roman soldiers made fun of Jesus. They commanded Him to free Himself if He was, in fact, the Son of God. Of course, He did not do so at that moment. But we are told that the sky went dark for three hours at mid-day, while Jesus was hanging there dying. At that, people began to realize that this was indeed the Christ, the Messiah. As a matter of fact, one of the soldiers, who no doubt had seen many crucifixions, declared that "Surely this was God's Son." (Matthew 27:54 LB).
As soon as He was dead, they hurried to get Him into a tomb before the Sabbath began. A man named Joseph, from the town of Arimathea, offered the use of a tomb which he owned and they took Jesus' body there and buried Him. Surely by now the disciples had begun to talk among themselves and relate the things Jesus had told them. As they did, things began to add up and they realized that this was what He had talked about in the weeks prior to this. I would guess that by now, some had remembered His teaching - that the greatest love of all is demonstrated by one who gives up his life for another.
But, the Psalmist reminds us, "Joy comes in the morning" (Psalm 30:5 RSV). Early in the morning on the first day of the week, the day we now call Sunday, the women went to the tomb to give His body the proper treatment for burial. You see, they were in such a hurry to bury Him before the Jewish Sabbath began, that they didn't have time to do that in a proper manner. When the women arrived, they found that the stone was rolled from the entrance and Jesus was gone. When they learned that He had risen from the dead, they were beside themselves! The women ran in both fear and excitement, we are told, to tell the others. When they found the disciples and told them, they were all filled with excitement once again.
But their excitement was tempered with caution. After all, Jesus had been murdered by the Jews. What would happen to His followers? As they hid themselves away in a house, Jesus appeared to them and gave them reassurances. Over the next seven weeks, Jesus appeared to them in many ways, in many different places. He appeared to Peter and gave him the reassurance of His forgiveness for the denial in the courtyard the night of His trial. He appeared to two men who were returning home to their own village, a place called Emmaus. At one point we are told that Jesus appeared to over 500 people. So it's a pretty sure thing that He was, in fact, alive again; it had not been a trick, as the Jewish leaders had tried to claim.
Now, we find these same people who had followed Jesus for three years, the same people who had gone into hiding when He was arrested, they are now so bold in their faith that nothing can stop them from telling others about Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah sent from God. Not even the threat of death can stop them. Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13 NIV)
You see, once Jesus gets hold of you, once He breaks through your tough outer shell, once He penetrates your intellect, He demands a commitment from you. A seminary professor of mine used to say that he disagreed with Billy Graham on the concept of decision. This professor felt that once a person has heard the Gospel message, the Good News about Jesus and what He has done for us, there is no decision to be made. A person can do nothing but receive Christ into their life. I'm not sure I agree with his statement, but I see what he is saying. Once a person has heard the claims of Christ, he/she would be very foolish to turn away from a commitment to Christ.
Eugene Peterson makes the point: "The do-it-yourself, self-help culture of North America has so thoroughly permeated our imaginations that we don't give much sustained attention to the biggest thing of all: resurrection. And the reason we don't give much attention to it is because the Resurrection is not something we can use or manipulate or control or improve on. It is interesting that the world has had very little success in commercializing Easter, turning it into a commodity, the way it has Christmas. If we can't, as we say, "get a handle on it," and use it, we soon lose interest. But resurrection is not available for our use; it is exclusively God's operation."
You don't see weeks and weeks of Easter sales and special events in schools. You don't see Easter displays in public places undergoing scrutiny by anti-Christian organizations. Sure businesses have tried to commercialize it, with the ideas of a new outfit for Easter Sunday or an Easter bouquet of flowers for that special someone. Easter just doesn't have that big a commercial appeal. Resurrection parties are not as big as birthday parties. That is one of the problems people have who are not strong in their faith. They want to just celebrate Easter and then go back to life as usual. That's what we do with Christmas.
That may be the reason people try to make Christmas the central fact of Christianity. But that is wrong. The Resurrection is the central fact around which all of Christianity turns. Without the Resurrection, Christianity has no special claim, nothing that differentiates it from any other religion. The risen Christ is the power that makes Christianity real, and every other religion just that - a religion, a set of rules and regulations and rituals to follow. The resurrection of Jesus Christ means that we can know there is life after this life for those who trust their lives to Him and ask Him to be their Lord and Savior. That takes more than just an annual celebration. It takes commitment and living life in a new way - even in a way that may cost you.
You see, friends, Easter is all about the resurrection and the new life that can be yours in Christ.. That's what it's all about. It is the proof of Jesus' claim to be the Messiah sent from God to save His people. There have been many, many people across the ages who have come along and claimed to be sent from God. But let's face it, all but one have died and that's the last we've seen or heard of them. Buddha made that claim, his grave is still occupied. Mohammed made the claim and began the religion of Islam, but he supposedly just ascended into heaven, and has not been seen or heard from again. More recently, Jim Jones and David Koresh have made such claims, but they, too, have died and never been heard from again.
But Jesus made that claim and backed it up by rising from the dead. During the next 40 days, He appeared to a number of people. The Bible tells us that He appeared to the disciples, to some of the women who were followers of His, even to a group of 500. Across the ages, millions of people have believed what the Bible said about Jesus and placed their faith in what Christ did for us all. They have experienced Him in their lives in many ways. I know! I'm one of them! Perhaps you too have experienced God's love in a powerful way and your life has also been changed forever. But, some folks are really unsure about the truth of the Bible. Some are downright anti-Christian. If you are still a little unsure, if you are a bit skeptical about this resurrection stuff, let me share a thought with you about why this resurrection has to be the real deal.
All of you who are old enough to remember the Watergate Scandal, which led to the resignation of President Nixon in 1974, will probably remember some of the details. Even if you are not old enough to remember it, you may have read about it in your studies of American History. In that crime, several men apparently hired by a committee working on getting Nixon re-elected, broke into the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate Hotel complex. Charles Colson, who was Nixon's Chief Legal Advisor, went to jail for his part in helping cover up the crime. He became a Christian as a result of that jail experience. He reminds us of how it took place and how it was uncovered.
"Watergate involved a conspiracy perpetuated by the closest aides to the president of the United States--the most powerful men in America, who were intensely loyal to their president. But one of them, John Dean, who was the White House Legal Counsel, turned state's evidence, that is, testified against Nixon, as he put it, "to save his own skin"--and he did so only two weeks after informing the president about what was really going on--two weeks! The cover-up, the lie, could only be held together for two weeks, and then everybody else jumped ship in order to save themselves. Now, the fact is that all those around the president were facing was embarrassment, maybe prison. Nobody's life was at stake."
"But what about the disciples? Twelve powerless men, peasants really, were facing not just embarrassment or political disgrace, but beatings, stonings, execution. Every single one of the disciples insisted, to their dying breaths, that they had physically seen Jesus bodily raised from the dead. Don't you think that one of those apostles would have cracked before being beheaded or stoned? Don't you think that one of them would have made a deal with the authorities? None did. Men will give their lives for something they believe to be true; they will never give their lives for something they know to be false."
You see, I believe in the Resurrection because of the witness of those twelve brave men. When I invited Christ into my life, He reached down by the power of His Holy Spirit and turned my life around. When I came to realize that He gave His life for me personally, then I was able to open up to Him and invite Him into my life. It has not been the same since. I've had my ups and downs, just as His first disciples did; but I've been a changed person, more content with life than ever, since that day.
How about you? Have you thought about the real reason for your presence here today? Is it because you are religious and feel the need to go to church on Easter? Or is it because you are a personal friend of the risen Christ and are here to celebrate His resurrection and get re-charged for another week of living for Him? Remember, Jesus loves YOU so much that He died for you. (But on your outlines, I want you to put Me in the blanks, to remind yourself that it was you for whom He died.) It wasn't just for all the other people in the world, it was for you and you and you and me. He died for all who would open their hearts to Him and welcome Him in as their Lord and Savior. His love was so great that He died for us.
If you have never really invited Christ into your life before and you desire to experience His amazing love in your life today, I would encourage you to come to the front after the service and have one of the Elders pray with you.
Prayer:
Gracious Living Lord Jesus: Your love is so amazing, so great it is beyond all that we can ask or
think. It is hard for us to believe that someone would die for us. But You did, and we give
thanks to You for that. We ask that You would cleanse us from all our sinfulness and help us
come to You in a new and renewed understanding of your love. Help each of us live new lives
for You and tell of the Resurrection wherever we go. In Jesus Name. Amen.
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Sermon October 7, 2007
Sermon October 14, 2007
Sermon October 21, 2007
Sermon October 28, 2007
Sermon November 4, 2007
Sermon November 11, 2007
Sermon November 18, 2007
Sermon November 25, 2007
Sermon December 2, 2007
Sermon December 9, 2007
Sermon December 16, 2007
Sermon December 23, 2007
Sermon December 24, 2007
December 30, 2007 - Guest speaker, transcript not available
Sermon January 6, 2008
Sermon January 13, 2008
Sermon January 20, 2008
Sermon January 27, 2008
Sermon February 3, 2008
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Sermon February 17, 2008
Sermon February 24, 2008
Sermon March 2, 2008
Sermon March 9, 2009
Sermon March 16, 2008
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If you have questions about this message or wish to contact Dr. Kile for further information, feel free to e-mail him at pastor@gulf-prairie.org