Introd.
Story of Phil Caputo – Viet Nam
job was to count the dead bodies “I could look into the eyes of the
living and tell you what they would like when they were dead”
Our privilege as
Christians is exactly the opposite; The
Bible says that non believer are spiritually dead – but as Christians who
have the living hope of the resurrection, we can look into the eyes of the
spiritually dead and envision what they would like if they were fully alive in
Christ. We have the privilege of
bringing hope to the hurting.
For many people Easter
is just another holiday, bunny rabbits and easter eggs.
For others it’s like a ghost story that is unbelievable.
For believers in
Christ; Easter means the resurrection of Christ from the dead.
It means the promise of life after death because Jesus conquered the
grave.
Resurrection
Sunday is the single most important day in the history of the world.
It is the supreme miracle of Christianity – it is at the
very heart of our faith. If it
never happened, Christianity collapses into mythology and billions of people
have been deceived. If it did
happen, it authenticates everything Jesus said and did.
Paul says it strongly in I Cor. 15:17:
“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless.”
The resurrection is the basis of
our faith.
The words
he is not here = he is risen changed the course of history.
Let’s see why this event is so important:
I PETER 1: 3-9
3 Praise be to the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new
birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead, 4 and into an inheritance
that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for
you, 5 who through faith are
shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to
be revealed in the last time. 6
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have
had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7
These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater
worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in
praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him
now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,
9 for you are receiving the end
result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (NIV)
At the time of this
writing Peter was an old man. A
disciple that had been through many battles.
He had sorted through life and determined there were some things that
aren’t worth fighting for and there are other principles so important they
are worth dying for. Wisdom is knowing the difference between the two. Here is one truth he discovered:
Christians
have a living hope because of the resurrection. Not a dead hope –-not a cheery optimism but a
hope based on a historical fact that Jesus died and rose again and promises
that those who believe in Him will do the same. A living hope grows stronger
with time.
There are a lot of
things that I’ll never hear:
Joe Madden say: Tom, would you like to play shortstop for the Rays this week
Shawn Viars say: Tom, would you like to sing a solo this week
I will never have a
stranger stop me and say: Hey,
aren’t you Brad Pitt
I will never hear Carol
say: honey, your getting so
skinny, you need to put on a few pounds.
I
will never hear God say:
Tom, there
is no hope for you.
Our very hope for the
future is rooted in the truth of the resurrection.
It is one of the reasons, Christians changed the primary day of worship
from the Sabbath to Sunday. The
Sabbath represented the sacrificial system but Sunday is the first day of the
week called the Lord’s Day and we are to give him the first of everything in
our life. Every week we hold a mini celebration of the resurrection.
Do you need hope today?
Over the years, life has a way
of grinding us down. Squeezing
the hope out of us. Some of you
here today have been beaten down by the circumstances of life. Tough year for
some of you.
…you are feeling the
weight of yesterday’s failures
…you are being
slapped around by the waves of broken dreams
…you are a wife who
has been traded in for a younger model
husband who has been betrayed
…you are a parent who
has seen your child make some bad choices
….you have crossed a
line you never thought you would cross
…you have had a
recent visit to the cemetery for a loved one
…you have a boss who
said I no longer need you
…you are ready to
wave the white flag of surrender and give it up – it’s hopeless
If you can relate to
any of those feelings, than the message of the resurrection is for you – it
is a message of hope.
Have you ever felt
rejected? Because of the color
your skin; the appearance of your body; your lack of education, a physical or
mental handicap; or maybe for no apparent reason.
It hurts – it stings – a heaviness envelops you, you learn to cope
by lashing out at others, withdrawing, become critical of addicted to
something. I want you to know
that God loves you and offers you a living hope through Christ.
Jesus
can identify with you because he too was rejected. The Jewish prophets said that a messiah is coming
that will save you from your sins but when Jesus claimed to be the Messiah he
was rejected. His own brothers doubted him. His close friend betrayed him.
His disciples deserted him; even his father had to temporarily turn his
back as he died.
Through his victory
over sin and the grave Jesus wants to encourage you by helping you overcome:
1.
the scars of your past
2.
the problems of today
3.
the fear of the future
The cross was a
difficult assignment for Jesus. He
suffered as no one before or since. The
agony of an innocent person dying for someone else is overwhelming.
How could he stand it? The
humiliation, the spitting in his face, the lashes of the whip, the crown of
thorns, the suffocation of
crucifixion
Hebrews 12: 2 gives us
the answer to that? Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for
the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame and
has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Endured it because he
knew it was temporary. We can endure any hardship because we know it is only temporary.
Once we get through the pain and grief, joy comes in the morning.
In this life there will
be many disappointments, heartaches, and suffering.
No one is immune. We know
it is only temporary. Things may
not get better, they may get worse on this earth. But there are things we know
for certain: God promises us:
1.
forgiveness of our past
2.
comfort for today
3.
hope for tomorrow
times when all we can
do is hold on. Space mountain
illustration – small compartment – can’t move – people you don’t
know – dark – car jerks you around – sudden dips
breakneck speed but
it all ends and people get out smiling
wow that was fun.
Life is often like that
– unexpected turns – blackness – sudden stops and starts – when we put
our trust in God and hang on to his promises, it all ends safely and we come
out smiling.
Maybe you are one of
the fortunate few who have never known rejection – life is good now – on
target -why do I need the hope of the resurrection
because one day you will die
How can I know for sure
that I will be resurrected with Jesus?
Gospel presentation –
3 men talking one day about how they want to be remembered.
What would you like for people to say when they file past your casket?
First: a
great business man very
successful
Second: great
family man close knit
Third: hey
look he’s moving.
Rom.
10: 9 says that 'if we confess
with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised
him from the dead, you will be saved.'
Our
hope rests on the finished work of Christ.