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The Message for Easter 2016
This Changes Everything
John 20:1-18
Rob Miller, Pastor
(The bold statements appeared on the screens)
Welcome once again. I’mglad you are here to make this day so special. I want to offer aspecial welcome to those who don’t want to behere this morning. You know who you are.
Maybe you were dragged here and there are heel marks in the parking lot. Maybe you were drugged and somebody put something in your coffee this morningand you woke up a few minutes ago sitting here in worshipwondering - where am I. Maybe you were deceived andyou thought you were going out for breakfast butinstead you were brought you here to worship.
However you got here, I hope you leave today saying,“I am so glad I went to worship at First.”
Our theme this morning is…This Changes Everything.
I went on Amazon.com to see if there are any books claiming to have something that has changed the world. How many books do you think have the words This - Changes - Everything in the title?
If you said 11,028 books then you would be right. Here’s one of them…
Gunpowder: The history of the explosive that changed the world.
Wait, what, really? Well… I guess gunpowder changed the world,maybe not in a good way. I just don’t think of gunpowder when I think of something that changed the world. But I guess it did. Here’s another title…
Mauve: How one man invented a color that changed the world.
Wait what the color mauve changed the world? Really? How? I don’t even know what the color mauve looks like. Does anybody have the color on so I can see it? I really don’t understand how the color mauve could change anything.
Here is one thing we can all agree on,This world needs some serious changing. Doesn’t it? What we see and hear in the news these days is troubling. We are living in a broken world.
I don’t know about youbut I’m tired of hearing about angry spouses killing their partners. I’m tired of hearing about drive-byshootings andbombings in airports orsporting events. I’m tired of hearing about ISIS and dirty politics… and… well…
What are you tired of hearing about?
If you think about it,our world needs some serious fixing, doesn’t it? And gunpowder isn’t the answer. The color mauve isn’t the answer.
We follow a man named, Jesus. Hetaught usto love God andto love each other. We believe there is something that can actually fix this sorry world of ours. There is something that can change us and thisworld for good.
I’m not talking about coming to church or getting baptized or being confirmed. All those things are important but they will not change the world.
I’m talking about an event that happened over 2000 years ago. An event we call - Easter. It’s not about chocolate bunnies or marsh-mellow peeps. The only thing they will change is our waistline.
We are talking about that first Easter,after Jesus’ lifeless body was taken down from the cross and laid in a tomb. Three days later he rose from the dead. He lives again. And from that moment on everything about life in this world changed for good.
Everything certainly changed for those first disciples. They went running to the tomb and it was empty. Mary was the first one to see the risen Lord and he called her by name. Imagine how that changed her life.
Peter, the one who denied Jesus three times,went on to become a courageous communicator of the Christian faith everywhere he went.
James, the ½ brother of Jesus, saw him alive again and believed that Jesus, his brother, was the Messiah.
How many of you have a brother?
What would it take for your brother, who saw you go through adolescence,who knows all about you,to believe that you are the Messiah? You would have to rise from the dead after three days.
Those first disciples believed that Jesus rose from the dead. They saw him die on a cross. They saw him buried. They saw him alive again. As a matter of fact,hundreds of people saw Jesus alive after he was dead.
Some peoplethen andsome people today say that what really happened is all a lie. These followers of Jesus got together and made up this story about Jesus rising from the dead. It’s a cover-up story. It’s a big lie.
I could see that up to a point. But after a while all these Christians are being put to death for saying,“He is risen!” The persecution of Christians lasted for some 300 years.
Matthew died by the sword in Ethiopia.
Mark was dragged behind a team of horses in Alexandria until he died.
Luke was hanged on a cross in Greece.
Peter was hanged upside-down on a cross.
James the ½ brother of Jesus was beheaded in Jerusalem.
All because they would not stop saying that Jesus rose from the dead. I want to know,if this was all a big lie, how long would they keep this lie going.
People lie until the price/pain gets too high. Were they willing to die for a lie? I don’t think so.
The last thing the religious and political leaders wanted to see happen was for this little group of Christians to doing anything meaningful. ThatEaster event was a threat to the power andthe way of life the leaders had created for themselves.
These Christians couldnot be controlled. And that was a problem for the leaders. Jesus could not be controlled, that’s why they nailed him to a cross.
The leadersbelieved they were in control of everything. So if these Christians were going around saying that “Jesus is risen from the dead” what would you do to stop them.
Well… you would go to the grave and ask the guards to roll away the stone. You would go into the tomb get the dead body of Jesus and parade it all over the streets of Jerusalem. And every time a Christian would say,“He is risen.” You would say, “No he isn’t. He’s right here. He’s dead.”
That would have put an end to it. That’s what we call - Game Over! Here’s the problem. There was no dead body in the tomb to parade around.
Jesus rose from the dead and hundreds of people saw him and they believed. That’s what we call, A Game Changer. Jesus appeared alive to them and that changed everything.
All because of one event all because of something that is unexplainable yet undeniable.
Okay… so what does all of this have to do with me and you and our world that needs some serious fixing?
We find an answer in 2 Corinthians 5:15-17.
Paul writes: And Jesus died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them. So from now on we regard no one from a worldlypoint of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,the new creationhas come:The old has gone, the new is here!
Jesus did not do this for himself. He did this for you and me andthe whole world. Now -- this Easter event becomes personal for you and me. Jesus lived, died, and lives again for us. This changes everything…
What does this Easter event change?
- It changes our past – the old is gone. Paul writes…
That past you are not proud of, those things that you are ashamed of, those bad moves, those mistakes, those sins, they’re all gone. Jesus forgives us. God remembers our sins no more.
The old system is gone. The old system where we try to earn God’s favor by do good things to counter-balance all those bad things we’ve done. Tryingto be good enough so God will accept us, that’s all gone.
That old system of begging and pleading with Godhas become obsolete -- as obsolete as the manual typewriter. We no longer need to try and win or earn or buy God’s forgiveness with some kind of sacrifice in the temple.
Jesus came and did for us what we could not do. He became the perfect sacrifice for our sins. That means ours sins diedon the cross with Jesus, all of our sins. He paid for our sins with his life.
My ugly past is gone. Alleluia! Say that with me… My ugly past is gone. Alleluia!
The second thing this Easter event does for us is this…
- It changes our future – a new life has begun. Paul writes…
When Jesus rose from the dead something new, something powerful, something transformational became available to us - his spirit. His Holy Spirit now dwells within us.
That same power that brought Jesus up from the grave now lives inside of us. This is huge. Now what used to be impossible is possible.
- Abroken marriage can be restored.
- Addictions can be overcome.
- Hurts can be healed.
- Anger - that leaves a wake everywhere it goes - can be dealt with and released in a positive way.
Now people can get out of the rut of life and into the groove of living.
Now instead of going down the road that leads to death we have an alternative. We can follow Jesus on the road that leads to new life and restoration.
Restoration is what God does best. God brings the dead back to life. God fixes what is broken in our lives. Ask yourself this question…
What is broken in my life that needs God to fix?
My children got me a T-shirt for father’s day one year. Here it is. It reads,If it’s broke – dad can fix it. Now the truth is there are somethings I can’t fix. But please don’t tell my children that. We should all have a similar T-shirt that read. If it’s broke - Jesus can fix it.
The same power that brought Jesus from the dead is at work in you. Jesus can do for you what no amount of money, no political party, no psychotherapist, no gym, no cup of coffee can do for you. He can transform you and your life.
Jesustakes care of your past – and he makes your future possible.
Jesus rose from the dead now anything is possible. Amen.