DATE: 4-20-25

He is risen! He is risen indeed! As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time — if you’re joining us at our North Main Campus or are with our friends in Bucyrus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.

SERIES INTRO

We’re concluding our Easter series today. Last Sunday — Palm Sunday — we remembered Jesus entering Jerusalem and all that will happen during the final week leading up to his death on a cross and his resurrection three days later. Then on Thursday evening — we had our Maundy Thursday service. A tradition in the Christian church where we remember the night when Jesus ate the Passover meal with his disciples and how — during the meal — gave new meaning to the bread and the cup. No longer a remembrance of the death of the lamb during the Israelites rescue from the land of Egypt — it’s now a meal that points to the death of Jesus and the sacrifice he made in giving his body and blood to rescue his people from God’s wrath.

A little Holy Week trivia for you — if you’ve ever wondered what the word maundy means — we call it Maundy Thursday after all — the word maundy comes from the latin word for “command” as Maundy Thursday not only celebrates the Lord’s Supper, but also the new command that Jesus gave to his disciples: to love one another — a love he displayed by washing their feet before his greatest act of love — his sacrifice on the cross.

Which leads us to today — Easter Sunday — also known as Resurrection Sunday — when we remember and celebrate that death did not defeat Jesus — no — Jesus defeated death for the tomb was empty on Sunday — and is still empty today.

Our text — for this Easter — includes some verses we looked at last week from Psalm 118. Today we’ll be looking at verses 14 to 24 from Psalm 118. There we read…

Psalm 118:14–24 ESV

14 The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. 15 Glad songs of salvation are in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord does valiantly, 16 the right hand of the Lord exalts, the right hand of the Lord does valiantly!” 17 I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord. 18 The Lord has disciplined me severely, but he has not given me over to death. 19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. 20 This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. 21 I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. 22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. 23 This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. 24 This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

As we learned last week — this psalm was an important one for the Jewish people during the week of Passover — the week where they remembered and celebrated their rescue out of Egypt which took place under Moses’ leadership. This is the same week that Jesus entered Jerusalem which led to his crucifixion.

Last week — however — we focused on the shout of the people as Jesus was entering Jerusalem. If you remember — the people were quoting from Psalm 118 when they shouted…

Matthew 21:9 ESV

9 “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

Again — that’s old news for us — we saw that last week. The reason why we’re revisiting Psalm 118 is because — not only does it have strong connections to Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem — but it also has equally strong connections to Jesus’ death and resurrection. We’ll look at two and then an implication for all of us.

THE ONE WHO WAS REJECTED

The first connection we’ll look at is to Jesus’ death. In verses 22 and 23 our psalm states…

Psalm 118:22–23 ESV

22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. 23 This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.

Some strange language — to be sure. A stone — that’s rejected by a group of builders — who apparently think the stone isn’t worth using — actually is the most important stone in the building project — the cornerstone. But — this rejection of the stone — is God’s plan. Again — strange, vague language.

Let’s see if we can clear this up.

Earlier in his ministry, Jesus told this parable — a parable is a story that’s meant to teach an important lesson.

Mark 12:1–12 NLT

1 Then Jesus began teaching them with stories: “A man planted a vineyard. He built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. 2 At the time of the grape harvest, he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop. 3 But the farmers grabbed the servant, beat him up, and sent him back empty-handed. 4 The owner then sent another servant, but they insulted him and beat him over the head. 5 The next servant he sent was killed. Others he sent were either beaten or killed, 6 until there was only one left—his son whom he loved dearly. The owner finally sent him, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’ 7 “But the tenant farmers said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ 8 So they grabbed him and murdered him and threw his body out of the vineyard. 9 “What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do?” Jesus asked. “I’ll tell you—he will come and kill those farmers and lease the vineyard to others. 10 Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures? ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. 11 This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.’” 12 The religious leaders wanted to arrest Jesus because they realized he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers. But they were afraid of the crowd, so they left him and went away.

You don’t have to know the Bible very well to pick up on — if the religious leaders are the wicked farmers in the story — and given that he quotes our verses from Psalm 118 — which we know are connected to his death — somewhere in this story Jesus must have included himself. And — again — it doesn’t take an advanced degree in the Bible to put two and two together and see that he’s the son in the story — the heir of the master who the wicked servants murder.

Jesus predicted ahead of time the rejection he would experience. For he’s the Son of God and — just like the son of the master in the parable — Jesus would be rejected, and schemed against, and — ultimately — killed. Yet — according to Jesus — this is all the LORD’s doing. Meaning — this is the will of God. Jesus being rejected and killed — though rightfully horrific — in some way is “wonderful to see.” How so?

IS THE ONE WHO LIVES

We find the answer to our question in verse 17 of our psalm.

Psalm 118:17 ESV

17 I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.

Though murdered on a cross and buried in a borrowed grave — three days later the tomb was empty — for Jesus was not dead — but alive. Just as our psalm says — the One rejected and killed is the One whom death could not keep in the grave.

As you heard read earlier — from Acts — the apostle Peter said…

Acts 10:39–41 ESV

39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

Or — as we read in Luke’s gospel — after his resurrection — while walking with some men on a road leading to the village of Emmaus…

Luke 24:25–27 ESV

25 He (Jesus) said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Jesus recounted for them — not only the deeds of the LORD — but all of the ways the Old Testament was pointing to Jesus and the hope now offered to the world because of what he accomplished in his death and resurrection.

WHAT SONG ARE YOU SINGING?

And what this news of hope is meant to do is stir a reason in each of us to rejoice and sing and be glad because Jesus — the One who was rejected — is now the Lord of our salvation. Beginning in verse 14 of our psalm we read…

Psalm 118:14–16 ESV

14 The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. 15 Glad songs of salvation are in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord does valiantly, 16 the right hand of the Lord exalts, the right hand of the Lord does valiantly!”

I love the picture these verses are meant to bring to our mind. Joyful and joy-filled songs being heard sung from the tents — the homes and houses — of those who are right with God. Songs that proclaim the mighty strength of our saving God. The victory that he’s secured. That our God has triumphed over our enemy. Because the Lord is my strength. He’s my salvation. He’s the song that I sing.

A song that declares there’s nothing better in life than our God. For the One who knows everything about us — our shortcomings, flaws, failures, sin and rebellious ways — is the God who chooses to call us his sons and daughters — even his friends.

A song that praises the One who turns seasons of mourning into reasons for dancing. Who makes beauty out of ashes. Who takes our shame and turns it into glory. And — he does so — because he’s also the God who took a grave — and turned what was a place meant for death — and turned it into a garden — a place where new life would begin for all who turn to the death-defeating Savior.

And it’s this new life that we celebrate and sing about and are to live out — not just on Easter — but all our days — because this new life was made possible because our Savior — Jesus — is not dead — but is alive. Let’s pray

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for life — new life. For knowing everything about us — our failures, flaws, shortcomings, sin, and rebellion — and choosing to love us anyway. What a God you are.

Holy Spirit, I’m sure there are many listening to my voice who are in a season of mourning, of ashes, of shame — of what feels like the grave. Would you do the work that only you can do and turn their mourning into dancing, make beauty out of the ashes, transform their shame into radiant glory, turn their grave into a life-giving garden.

And — Jesus — all of this is possible because you gave your life in love for us. Though we rejected you — you didn’t reject us. Though we crucified you — you did not allow our lust for death to be the final answer — instead you defeated death and our lust for it — and offer us life — new life — everlasting life. For this we thank you, and praise you, and sing songs of salvation in response to all that you’ve done for us. In your name we pray. Amen.

Release date: 3/19/2024

Chapter 32: The condition of man after death and the resurrection of the dead

1. Heaven and Hell. Those are our only options.

1. Sproul 643
2. Sproul 644
3. Sproul 649 (both quotes)

2. Aka — the rapture

3. All people — Christian or not — will be raised to eternal life (or eternal death).
4. Sproul 651

Chapter 33: The last judgment

1. This is the last judgment.

2. The last judgment will also be a time of God’s mercy (for those who believe in Jesus).
   1. Sproul 656 (all quotes)

3. Eternal judgment should keep people from sinning. It should also reassure us that injustice will not go unpunished.
   1. Sproul 660

Date: 05/12/2021

Lighting Round: All

1. A riddle: Johnny’s mom has 3 children. One is named Jan. The other is named Feb. What is the other child’s name? Cohen, Age 7

Questions

1. Why didn’t God just make us perfect? Why did he make sin a thing? Emma, Age 8 / Why didn’t Jesus just say, “Satan, go away” and then there would be no sin forever? Levi, Age 6
   1. God did make us perfect.
   2. God didn’t make sin; we chose to sin and rebel against God.
   3. What God has done, in sending Jesus, is to rescue us from sin.
   4. Jesus did tell Satan to go away. In the gospels, Satan tempted Jesus three times and Jesus tells Satan to go away.

2. How does baptizing purify us? Hudson, Age 10
   1. Water baptism doesn’t purify us. It’s a symbol of the Spirit’s inward baptism of us that does cleanse us of our sin.

3. Could you explain the Trinity and how they are one person but different people at the same time? How can Jesus be praying to God when he is God? Claire, Age 10
   1. One God. Three persons (not one person; three people).
   2. The Trinity is a mystery. Meaning, we can both understand it, but it will always be difficult to understand at the same time. 
   3. Things to avoid:
      1. Thinking that the Father, Son, and Spirit are three different gods.
      2. Thinking that the Father, Son, and Spirit are three different versions of the same God (not distinct persons; sometimes God shows up as the Father, sometimes as the Son, sometimes as the Spirit).
   4. Jesus prayed to his Father because they are two distinct people, this was how Jesus could communicate with his Father while here on earth.

4. Why was Jesus the one who had to die on the cross? -Cooper, Age 9 / Why couldn’t Jesus die peacefully and come back? Mitchell, Age 11 / Why didn’t God just get rid of our sins and not have Jesus die on the cross? Elaine, Age 11 / When did Jesus die on the cross? Boone, Age 7
   1. Before time began, the Father, Son, and Spirit had decided that Jesus would die for our sin.
   2. Jesus didn’t die peacefully because the people hated him so much for telling the truth.
   3. Only perfect people can be in the presence of God. For us imperfect people to be in his presence, means we needed a perfect substitute to die in our place, pay the penalty for our sin, and experience the judgement we deserve. Jesus is the only perfect human to have lived, thus he died in our place because he loves us.
   4. He died sometime around 30-33AD.

5. How do we get in heaven? Cora, Age 9 ½
   1. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. It’s both simple and complex. Simple because it’s really that easy. Complex because true belief means living a life fully devoted to living for God.

6. They say that God can do everything but then they say God has never sinned, so can God sin? Max, Age 10
   1. Technically, God can’t do everything. Like you said, he can’t sin because it goes against his nature (he is holy and without sin).
   2. Another example, God can’t make a math mistake. He knows everything (that’s his nature), so math mistakes are something he can’t do.
   3. He can’t make a rock so big that he can’t lift it. Because he’s all-powerful. Yet he’s also a Creator. 

7. When is God not with us? Emma, Age 10 / Is God ever not with us? Cora, Age 9
   1. God is always with us. Jesus promised that he will never leave us.

8. How did Jesus raise from the dead? Colton, Age 6
   1. By the power of God. 

9. How old do you have to be when you want to be a pastor? -Malachi, Age 8
   1. There’s no set age.
   2. A couple of things to consider:
      1. It’s a good idea to get a Bible degree. And a seminary education (pastor school).
      2. Be active in the church as you grow up. Serve. Grow. Be involved.
      3. You may want to consider working on a church staff or interning so you see what it’s like being in ministry.
      4. Know that there are many ways to serve God — both in and outside of the church.

Date: 5/19/2024

Questions

Rev 14:1-5 & Rev 21:1 seem to say that the earth will be made new. If that is true, why do we say Christians will go to heaven for eternity, not the new earth? Was God’s original plan for believers to live eternally on the earth with God & the angels ruling over us, but then somewhere along the lines he changed his plan?  What will our roles be – either in heaven or on the new earth? Why is the promise in Revelation 14 not taken as a literal 144,000? (2:15)

Why is the only requirement for salvation to believe that Jesus died on the cross? I understand we are not saved by works, but if believing in Jesus is all that’s required, why devote your life to living in a God-honoring way? Does that mean those who believe the gospel but who do not live in god honoring ways are saved? (8:20)

Where did Jesus go after he died before his resurrection? (11:15)

Advice for being in a season of singleness! What to do in the waiting. (13:25)

Where should I start when trying to grow my relationship with the Lord and Bible? What is your advice to better follow Christ on an individual level (14:55)

Advice to knowing your career path is what God planned for you. I always pray but I still feel lost. (19:20)

Why does God allow so much suffering? (20:55) 

• IF GOD IS GOOD  
• The Goodness of God

When we pray, is there a specific reason why most people usually end with saying “in Jesus name” or is this just something we do? (24:40)

Final Thought:  (25:30)

Be sure to send in your questions. If you’re watching or listening to this at a later time, you can send questions in on our website — gatewayepc.org — and on our church app.

SCRIPTURE: Romans 6:5-11 (ESV)

DATE: 9-22-19

It’s great to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And one thing I want you to know is that God loves you and I love you too. 

SERIES INTRODUCTION

Today we’re continuing our series in the book of Romans. A few weeks ago we finished chapter 5 and began our time in chapter 6 — where we noticed a shift in Paul’s focus. Paul — who wrote this letter — has shifted his focus from the idea of justification — our being declared righteous — no longer guilty — because of our faith in what Jesus has accomplished — Paul’s shifted from justification to the freedom given to those whom God has justified.

So let’s turn to our passage for today and discover more about this freedom.

ANNOUNCE THE TEXT

If you have your Bible please turn with me to Romans chapter 6. We’ll be looking at verses 5-11.  

And, if you’re a guest with us, something we like to do at Gateway is let you ask questions that we answer on our weekly podcast. So if you have a question, you can text it in to the number printed on the bottom of the sermon notes sheet or you can submit it on the Gateway app.

RE-ANNOUNCE AND READ THE TEXT

Here are the words found in Romans 6. Beginning in verse 5. 

“For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:5-11 ESV)

SERMON INTRODUCTION

We’re talking about freedom in this series and we’re seeing how freedom — true God given freedom — has some similarities to what our culture thinks about freedom. Now there are some differences — between our culture’s definition of freedom and the Bible’s — which is to be expected. For example, last week we saw something that’s counterintuitive — how death leads to freedom — because it’s through Jesus’ death — that our freedom has been made possible. So — to be a Christian — is to be someone who’s now free from the penalty — and the reign and rule — of sin and death. Sin and death are no longer undefeated enemies for you. They’ve been defeated and God’s people are now free from their reign and rule. And one result — of all of this — is that death is no longer the end for us.

And in our text — for today — Paul stays on this theme of freedom — because — with death no longer being the end for the Christian — after death — comes resurrection. And just like we’ve been given freedom from death, God’s people are given freedom through resurrection. Our freedom comes through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

Death leads to new life through resurrection.

Now — to talk about resurrection — is to talk about an idea that’s not widely accepted by many today. Many people don’t see a need for resurrection. Similar to what we’ve been talking about for the past few weeks, many people don’t see anything fundamentally wrong with humanity — they believe that we’re all basically good — and because we’re good there’s no real need for us to change — we’re all so swell just the way we are — so there’s no need for a new life — a better life — even eternal life. And if there’s no need for a new life, then there’s no need for a resurrection.

Now — and I’ve said this many times — in the beginning when God created humanity — he looked at his creation and said, “It’s good.” So we were originally created good — in fact — all of creation was declared to be good. And — and this is important — even our relationship with God and his creation — were good — in the beginning. 

But there’s an event that happened that has — to say the least — messed things up. What happened? The fall. Because of Adam and Eve’s sin — death and destruction and disease and all sorts of bad things were introduced into our world. In fact, all of creation has been corrupted by the fall — from the farthest star in the universe to the smallest molecule — everything has been corrupted by sin. And this is why we not only experience things like hate and murder, but also experience things like cancer and hurricanes. Creation has been corrupted. And it’s groaning to be renewed — creation — if you listen closely — you’ll hear it longing to be remade — creation is groaning for a resurrection.

And this is why Jesus came into our world. He came not just to defeat Satan, sin, death, and Hell — which he did — he also came to reverse the effects of sin — both in humanity and in all of creation. And this reversal — which is taking place right now — all things being made new — this reversal was made possible because of Jesus’ death — as we saw last week — and it comes through his resurrection. So — for God’s people — not only have we participated in Jesus’ death — but through faith in him — we’ve experienced a resurrection — a spiritual resurrection. We look forward to the day when we’ll experience a physical resurrection — along with all of creation — but for now — God’s people — through faith in Jesus — experience a spiritual resurrection. Through faith we’re raised to new life with Christ. And — like creation — we long for the union of our spiritual and physical resurrections.

Now — something I find interesting — is how this need for a resurrection — though not widely accepted — still finds its way into the language and thoughts of people in our country. For example — last month — Bernie Sanders was on the Joe Rogan Experience. Now put whatever you may think about Bernie’s politics to the side and listen to his response — when asked — “What’s the solution to the massive drug problem we have in the United States?” His answer may surprise you. And — no — I’m not going to do a Bernie Sanders impression — I sang last week — but no impressions — that’s where I draw the line. 

He said, “Why is it that so many of our people are turning to drugs, to alcohol — I don’t mean a drink a night, but I mean serious alcohol problems — and tragically to suicide? We now have — for the last 3 years — something that is a-historical — something that has never happened before in modern history — and that is that our life expectancy is actually going down. And this is hitting all over the country but is especially hitting rural areas. And what the doctors are saying is that these are ‘diseases of despair.’”

He then goes on to say that the reason for these ‘diseases of despair’ is that people have given up on hope. Then — of course being a politician — he goes on to give his ideas of what will give people hope — and then he says — about his ideas that he believes will give hope to people in our country — he says — “And people tell me all of this is utopian.” 

Now this isn’t a Democrat vs Republican observation — so hear me out. His ideas — any politicians ideas for that matter — are always about a better future — I mean — who’s going to vote for the politician whose campaign slogan is “The future — meh”? 

So what’s my point? Even our politicians can’t help but talk about things in a way that’s utopian — they can’t help but speak the language — of what the Bible calls — resurrection. 

Now many politicians — many Americans — for that matter — think we can create this utopian world by our own effort — but that’s not what we Christians believe. 

• We agree that people are in despair. 
• We agree that many are hopeless. 
• We can even agree on the result of all of these diseases of despair — death is winning. 

And to all of this hopelessness — and darkness and despair — our Christian faith says, “There is reason to have hope because Jesus has promised a resurrected life to those who believe in him.” And this resurrected life isn’t just a “someday in the future” life — even though it includes our future life — that’s not all it is. It’s also our “right now in the present” life. And it’s only by living a resurrected life — now — that anyone — yourself included — will live — not in despair — but will live in freedom.

DEATH AND RESURRECTION

So let’s go back to verse 5 and learn more about this resurrection life. “For if we have been united with him in a death like his (Jesus’ death), we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” (Romans 6:5 ESV)

So Paul wants us to see the connection between our being united with Christ — in his death — and how this guarantees our being united with him in his resurrection. And he wants us to see the glorious hope that’s found in our union with Christ. Our being united to Christ. As I said — last week — our being stamped on Jesus’ Heavenly passport — sealed — his — forever. And this is what Paul’s trying to get us to see — that our union with Christ is our reason to have hope. 

And he makes his argument — that we have hope because we’re united to Christ — by using conditional statements — “if this is true — then this is also true.” This is how he builds his case for us to have hope — to not despair — he wants us to know — to believe — to live differently because of these truths about us — those who believe in Jesus — he wants us to have hope because we’re united to Christ in his death and in his resurrection. 

So — before we go any further — what does all of this mean anyway — I mean — why should any of this matter to you? Well — for one thing — it means that there’s more to believing in Jesus than just believing in Jesus. Meaning, when you believe in Jesus you’re given freedom to live in a new way — a God honoring way — a resurrected way — an “according to what God has said in his Word” kind of way. And God’s people have a responsibility to live this “new life.” So you can say you believe in Jesus and it not have any affect on how you live — and that’s not the kind of believing that leads to freedom — not in this life — and — not in the life to come. 

So there’s more to believing in Jesus than just waiting out this life until the eternal one begins. And this is because God’s people are not supposed to just sit on our hands while we wait for a future resurrection. Living the resurrected life isn’t just for “when you’re in Heaven some day.” For the Christian, living the resurrected life is for the here and now. 

And I know this can be hard because that old self of yours — of mine to, by the way — but that old “you need to get back in the grave” dead, rebellious self — is still hanging around. Stinking up the place. And this — at times — can make it seem pointless to keep on trying to live for God — I mean — how many more times do I need to mess up to prove that I can’t do this? 

And living the resurrected life can be hard because others are struggling with their old “stinking up the place self” right along with you. And sometimes their stank makes your life stinky.

So here’s what we need to remember. We live in an overlap — our old self is still stinking up the place — even though we’ve got a new resurrected self. But the lie we must resist — is that our old self is dominant — that it has the power — that it reigns and rules your life — that’s a lie. Your resurrected self is where the power’s found because your resurrected self is a gift given to you from the All Powerful — resurrected — Jesus. Don’t give your old sinful nature self too much credit. Give credit where credit’s due — to God’s resurrection power in your life.

Now this isn’t a perfect analogy — but it may be helpful. Think of your old sinful self like a peewee football team. A bunch of — I don’t know — 5 or 6 year olds playing football. And your new resurrected self is like a professional NFL team made up of the greatest players of all time — in their prime. Now there’s no competition — right — if those kids play against a team made up of the greatest players of all time. Those kids would get crushed — defeated — every single play — every single down — every single second of every single game. That’s the power of your resurrected life against your old sinful self.

And this is true — as we saw last week — because of your faith in Jesus. When he died to sin — you died to sin right along with him. And just as sin — right now — has no power over Jesus — right now — sin no longer has power over you because of your faith in Jesus. Sin doesn’t rule your life anymore. Sin no longer reigns. You — if you’re a Christian — you don’t have to give in to sin. 

Christians love to debate about how much freedom we have in our choices — but we tend to focus the whole discussion about whether or not an unbeliever can choose to follow Jesus. How about we focus the discussion on when we — Christians — who’ve been set free from the power of sin — choose to sin anyway. Because every time you or I sin — it’s a choice — because we’re no longer slaves to sin. 

And here’s why this is glorious — even though it can feel like a burden because of the weight of knowing how fickle we are in going back to drink from the polluted water of sin when we’ve been set free to drink the pure — living water — of Christ. Here’s why this is glorious:  If you’re united to Christ — yes you died to sin with him — but even more wonderful is the fact that you’ve experienced a resurrection with him too. Which means you’re now empowered to live out of this new life — this resurrected life — this life of living for righteousness that Jesus has made possible.

But we’re not done talking about our death in Christ yet.

CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST

For — in verse 6 — Paul writes, “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin.” (Romans 6:6-7 ESV)

Now this truth — that we’ve been crucified with Christ — is marvelous — it’s a bit mysterious — it sounds a bit weird — but it’s something true about you — if you believe in Jesus. Your old — sinful — rebellious — against God self — was crucified with Christ. I’ve got that tatted on my arm as a reminder. 

• That old you was nailed to Jesus’ cross. 
• That’s not who you are anymore. 
• That you — who was controlled by the power of sin — that old you — who was following in the footsteps of Adam — that old you — who lived for things that have caused you to have all kinds of regrets — was nailed to a tree. 
• So there’s a spiritual tombstone with the date of your death to sin on it.

And I keep talking about our death to sin over and over again because this is where the fight against sin — where the victory over sin — happens in our Christian walk. So often we don’t tap into the resources that Jesus has given to us and — instead — we walk around like we’re defeated when we’re the victors. This is why our being united to Christ is such an important part of our faith. 

• Because it means — being united with him in his crucifixion — your old self — that sinful and rebellious — “I hate God” demeanor that was controlling you — has been terminated. 
• Your sinful nature — which you were enslaved to — was drowned in the sea like Pharaoh and his army. 
• That tyrant of a slave master you were forced to submit to has been defeated. 

But let’s be real — though the power of sin is defeated — it’s lingering effects are still around — like I said earlier — “stinking up the place.” And this is because we’re living — as Christians — in the “in between times.” One author has said, “The church lives…in two times:  It lives in the time of this passing world, that is in the midst of ongoing secular history and world events, the time of decay that flows down into the past and into the ashes of death, but also in the time of the risen Savior and of the new creation that is already a perfected reality in him.”

And this means we’re in a pretty strange situation.

• For example — because of our faith in Christ — we’re seated in heaven with Christ right now — yet — here we are in Northwest Ohio. 
• Because we’ve been crucified with Christ — and have died to sin — we’re told that we are holy, spotless, and without blemish in God’s sight. Yet how many of us have — today — said, done, or thought things that were anything but holy? 
• And because we’ve died to sin — and have been raised to new life — we have God’s Spirit in us and can live in a way that pleases him. And yet — though dead to sin — we often bend our knee to it as we give in to temptation. 

We live in the “in between times.” This time of tension and harmony. This time of war and peace. This time of already, but not yet. It’s like we’re on a train that’s pulling into our station, but we’re in the back of the train. The people up in the lead cars are pulling into the station, but our train car hasn’t arrived yet. We know we’re going to arrive — we know that others — who are ahead of us — have arrived — but we’re not there yet — to our final destination — and there’s this longing in us to arrive — because we want to go home.

Living in this “already, but not yet” — this “in between times” — is like a story told about some prisoners during World War II. Some “soldiers had bailed out of an airplane behind German lines and eventually were caught and put in a prison camp. Two of the soldiers — one named MacDonald — was put in the American barracks — and the other — a chaplain — was put with the British soldiers. Every day the two men would meet at the fence separating the two groups and exchange a greeting. But unknown to the guards, the Americans had a little homemade radio and were able to get news from the outside. And everyday, MacDonald would take some news to the fence and share it with the chaplain. 

And then one day news came over that little radio that the German High Command had surrendered and the war was over. MacDonald took the news to his friend, then stood and watched as the chaplain disappeared into the British barracks. A moment later, there was a roar of celebration. Life in that camp was transformed. Men walked around singing and shouting, waving at the guards, even laughing at the dogs. And when the German guards finally heard the news — three nights later — they fled into the dark, leaving the gates unlocked. And the next morning, the British and Americans walked out as free men.” 

OK. When were the soldiers free? Was it when they heard the news on the radio or when the Germans found out 3 days later? There was some “in between time” wasn’t there — time between the soldiers hearing the news — that the war was over — and for the victory to reach their camp.

So what does an old World War II story have to do with our faith? Well here’s the great thing about having a Bible — but more than having it — a great thing about reading it. The Bible is like our little radio with news updates from God. And what we see in the Bible is that — yes — we will face struggles in this world — yes — we’re told that this world is not our home and is a bit like a prison camp — but we’ve been told the outcome of the war. We know that we’re on the winning side — that good will triumph over evil — that truth will win out over lies — that love will conquer hate — that life has defeated death — because Jesus crushed the Serpent’s head once and for all on the cross — I’ve got that tatted on this arm as a reminder. 

So there’s reason for us to be cheering in our prison camp even though it feels like we’re still under the guard of our enemy. This is one of the reasons why we gather for worship each weekend as God’s people — to rejoice — to celebrate — to laugh at the dogs — because our victory is secure. Our enemy is defeated. And we rejoice because we know that our enemy will soon be gone forever and the gates of Hell cannot stop God’s church from finding her way home. The train is pulling into the station and we’re almost home.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer — while in prison — wrote:  “A prison cell, in which one waits [and] hopes…is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened ‘from the outside.’” We can’t open the door to this prison cell of a world, but we wait expectantly for the Promised One to return — who will come and open the door for us. And that day will bring upon us the greatest freedom we’ve ever known — which we read about in verse 8.

FREEDOM THROUGH RESURRECTION

“Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:8-11 ESV)

Here — once again — Paul argues that the reason for our hope — the reason why we Christians believe that we will spend eternity with Christ — the reason why we have confidence in our future resurrection — is because we’ve died with Christ. No death. No resurrection. This isn’t just true for us physically — this is true for us spiritually as well. 

• For just as death no longer has dominion — it has no power — over Jesus — because his resurrection — the empty tomb — is his “winner’s trophy” over death — “Jesus 1 — Death 0” — is on the scoreboard. 
• And just as Jesus’ death was “once and for all” — by that Paul’s saying that Jesus’ resurrection signals the end of what Adam began — the reign of death and destruction because of his rebellion. 
• Therefore death and sin no longer have lordship over God’s people. Jesus has said, “Death, you no longer rule.” 
• And why can Jesus say this? Because he defeated death. 
• And when someone stronger comes around — well — they’re the new sheriff in town. And Jesus came and defeated death and has put the sheriff’s badge on his chest — or even better — he put the crown of the King of all kings back on his head. 

• And — for those of us who believe — Jesus is Lord — not sin — not death. 
• Jesus is King — not sin — not death. 
• And — having died with Jesus — we now live for him. We’re free from Satan, sin, death, and Hell and are free to live for Jesus — by the power of his resurrection. 
• We’re to live in freedom — through his resurrection. Or as Paul says, “Consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” 
• We’re to live the life of the age that is to come — we’re to live our eternal life — in the here and now. 
• Acknowledging — by the way you live and by the things you value — that you have a new King and Lord. 
• Showing — by the way you live and by the things you value — that sin and death have been kicked to the curb — and the One you now follow — the One you now live to please and honor and obey — is Jesus.

“But Josh — this is nice and all — but what does being alive to God — what does the resurrection life look like in the here and now?” Now the Bible is full of examples of what this life looks like, but here are some quick thoughts — some ways to live this resurrected life.

First, immerse yourself in who God is. Not in who you think he is. Not in who Hollywood or your favorite Youtuber says he is. Immerse yourself in the Bible and let God tell you who he is. And — I promise — you’ll discover a God who’s the definition of beauty — who’s the definition of goodness. You’ll encounter a God who has all power, and is all knowing, and is everywhere, and is wonderful, and just, and righteous, and holy, and full of never-ending love — among many other things. Immerse yourself in who God is. The gospel of John is a great place to start.

Second, forgive. We live in a world that holds grudges. We keep tabs on who’s hurt us, and who can and can’t be trusted — we even keep a list — even if it’s just in our heads — of who we want to pay back some day and — for some of us — it’s our spouse. But the only way you live the resurrected life is by — first — being forgiven. And those who’ve been forgiven — Jesus says — are to be those who forgive others. Who’s someone you need to forgive?

Third, obey the unpopular commands and virtues in the Bible. In our culture, there are parts of our Christian faith that’s appreciated. Sometimes it’s easy to think that people are completely against us — but that’s not always the case. Think about the biblical virtue of love — that’s a great example of something widely accepted by people who don’t follow Jesus. But there’s much about Christianity that goes against what our culture values. Submission and humility would be a couple of examples. But a resurrected life wants to live according to God’s standard and not simply meet the standards of our culture. What commands of the Bible should you be pursuing as a resurrected person? What biblical virtues do you need to begin practicing?

Finally, renew and use your mind. Someone has said that “we’re a culture that thinks with its feelings and hears with its eyes.” If someone wants to know how you’re doing they ask, “How are you feeling?” Now our feelings are important, but they aren’t everything. And this is why I’d encourage you to renew — and use — your mind. Read God’s Word. Study it. Memorize it. Meditate on it. Go see who God says you are — in Christ — and then start living according to who you are.

CONCLUSION

Have you experienced the freedom that comes through resurrection? Freedom by being united to Christ in his death and resurrection? Freedom that comes from experiencing your old self having died and a new you having risen from the spiritual grave?

For it’s this new you — it’s by living a new life in the freedom that comes through resurrection — that we — God’s people — are to show this world full of people suffering from “diseases of despair” — where hope is found. We’re to show them that salvation isn’t just about God saving us from eternal judgment — of course our salvation includes that — but our salvation is so much more than that. Our salvation is about resurrection. It’s about hope. It’s about death being defeated — it’s about a new way of living. A God-honoring, Christ-exalting, Spirit-empowered — I once was lost but now I’m found — or even better — I once was dead, but now I’m alive — life of freedom. I’m going to pray for all of us — that this resurrection life is what we will all leave here living. Let’s pray. 

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for the freedom that you’ve given to your people. Jesus thank you for making our freedom possible through your life, death, and resurrection. And Spirit, thank you for uniting us to Christ — through faith — so that we’ve died to sin’s reign in his death — and have been resurrected to a new life in his resurrection.

Father, Son, and Spirit, this world is a prison for many. It’s a place of hopelessness. Of anxiety. Of regrets. Of broken relationships. Of heartaches. People are literally dying from “diseases of despair.” And they are desperate for someone to come and unlock the door to their prison. 

Help us — your people — to show others that the One with the key has come and has unlocked the door. That they no longer have to be trapped in this prison cell of a world. That freedom is available to all who turn to Jesus. Help us to be faithful in telling others about the freedom that comes through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It’s in his name that we pray. Amen.

BOWLING GREEN TEAM SEND OFF

At this time, if you’re part of the Bowling Green launch team, go ahead and make your way up front. 

Usually at this time — we’ve got our worship teams back on stage — but this weekend is special for us. This is “sending weekend” for our Bowling Green campus launch team. 

For the past two weeks, they’ve been worshipping with us somewhat in secret. Making sure they’ve got the set up and tear down worked out. That the Kidway area is put together. That all of the things we take for granted — in permanent buildings — well —is all taken care of in a location we’re renting for a few hours each weekend. 

They’ve got some great stories already. Not having offering baskets their first weekend. My sermon video froze on them. Blank stares from college students — during the announcements — who’ve never heard of a Christmas Tea before. We’ve had some good laughs as Mike tells us the latest “well here’s something we learned” story. The Norman family even had a little extra excitement — in the last few days — as one of their boys had emergency surgery to remove an about to burst appendix.

But — these folks are here — because we want to bless them as we send them out to represent us — but more importantly — as they go to represent Jesus and his Kingdom to the city of Bowling Green. 

But I want to remind all of us that — though these folks are going — the rest of us are sending. There’s no “doing nothing” when it comes to us starting a new campus. You either go — which is what they’re doing — or you send. So as they go, we’ve got work to do at our Country Road 9 and North Main campuses because we’re sending out key servants from among us and will need you to step in and fill some big shoes. What do I mean? Well…

• There are 5 current nursery volunteers on this launch team.
• 2 cafe workers.
• 5 greeters.
• 3 youth volunteers.
• 5 Kidway volunteers
• 4 worship team members — including two bass guitarists — hint hint — if you play bass — we could use your help. Drummers too.
• There are security team volunteers, prayer team folks, people who count the offering, and some who help park cars.

And as we send them out — for those of us who are remaining — who will step into their shoes and serve our children, and be a friendly face to new folks, and lead us in worship, and invest in our youth? Sending them is an opportunity for you to step up and serve — to fill their shoes.

So here’s what we’re going to do. And I want everyone to participate — North Main folks — just yell it loudly — we’ll hear you over here. I’m going to bless you with a closing prayer — we do this every week. And — then — at County Road 9 — I usually end the service by saying what? God loves you. I love you. You are sent. But instead of just me saying it this week. After I say amen. I want us to all say “God loves you. I love you. You are sent.” to our Bowling Green team. OK? 

And know that we’ll have prayer teams up front — at all of our campuses — if you would like to be prayed for. Especially if you desire to live in the freedom that Jesus has made possible for you to experience. So I’ll pray. And then we send them out with “God loves you. I love you. You are sent.”

BENEDICTION

May you go living in resurrection freedom — freedom that comes by being united to Christ. Amen. 

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

SCRIPTURE: Mark 16:1-8 (ESV)

DATE: 4-17-22

Happy Easter. He is risen! He is risen indeed! As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time or are joining us at our North Main campus — the one thing I want you to know is that God loves you and that I love you too. 

SERIES INTRODUCTION

If you’re a guest with us — you should know that for the past few months we’ve been in a series titled “This is the End!” We’ve been in Mark’s gospel — nearing the end of the book — which we’ll finish next week. But the series title has a layer of meanings to it. For example, one layer is that — when we returned to Mark’s gospel — back in February — we found Jesus teaching on the end times — one layer of “This is the End!” Another layer — that we recently experienced — was the end of Jesus’ life with his death on the cross. 

And — the final layer of meaning of “This is the End” — is that we’re finishing up Mark’s gospel next week. So after a long journey in this gospel next week we’ll all be able to say, “This is the End!” 

Yet — today — in our verses — we find that as we approach the end of Mark — we’re actually entering into a new beginning. A page turn in history. Something happens that’s so monumental that it’s obvious an ending has taken place and something new has begun. Which leads to an obvious question. What happened that had this kind of massive influence on all of history? And the answer — as you probably know — is the resurrection of Jesus — which is what we find in our verses for today. 

ANNOUNCE THE TEXT

So — if you have your Bible — please turn with me to Mark chapter 16. We’ll be looking at verses 1-8 together today. This is Mark’s recording of the resurrection of Jesus. We’re in Mark chapter 16. Beginning in verse 1. 

“When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back — it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” (Mark 16:1-8 ESV)

SERMON INTRODUCTION

Now — let me say here at the beginning — that I understand how ridiculous the resurrection may sound to you if you’re not a Christian. Belief in the resurrection of Jesus isn’t as acceptable today — as it once was — though many still believe in the resurrection. What’s acceptable these days? To believe that nothing happens after death or to believe that everyone goes to a “better and happy place when they die.” 

And — though — there’s nothing to back up either of these beliefs — there’s a demand for evidence to prove that the resurrection of Jesus actually happened. This is a bias of our culture — no evidence is needed to back up what it’s deemed acceptable — while it demands evidence of beliefs it finds unacceptable. And — even with evidence — culture will most likely still reject a belief it doesn’t approve of.

Now — asking for evidence isn’t a bad thing — it’s really not. All I want us to consider is, “Why do some beliefs — in our culture — require evidence while other beliefs are to be accepted without any evidence?” This inconsistency should bother us.

Thus I’m hopeful for all of us today. For what we find — in the gospel of Mark — is an invitation. An invitation to examine the evidence of Jesus’ resurrection by stepping into an empty tomb — with some women — and see for ourselves that Jesus’ resurrection isn’t some fabricated story — but was so surprising to those who first witnessed it that it took them some time to believe it was true. 

But once they were convinced — by the evidence — they knew they couldn’t keep this news to themselves — resulting in the world being changed. And one chapter of history came to an end and a new chapter began — not simply because a tomb was empty — but because these witnesses saw Jesus alive even though days earlier he had been killed on a cross.

THE WITNESS OF WOMEN

So let’s go on a journey investigating the evidence of the resurrection. Let’s return to verse 1.

“When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” (Mark 16:1-3 ESV)

Something you may or may not know — is that in each of the four gospels — women are the first to witness the resurrection of Jesus. And the women are named in each of the gospels. I bring this up because this is evidence in regards to the reliability and truthfulness of the resurrection of Jesus. “What do you mean — Josh — how is this evidence?”

Well — in ancient times — women were not considered to be valid witnesses. Their testimony would’ve been questioned and highly scrutinized. So — with apologies to all of my female listeners — women — back in the time of Mark’s gospel — women were not the first people you’d write down as witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus if you wanted your story to be widely accepted and believed. 

In the culture of Mark’s day — this would’ve made the resurrection harder to believe — not easier — which gives evidence to its truthfulness. 

For example, if you’re going to make up a story about a guy being killed, buried in a tomb, and then being resurrected three days later — you’d pick non-controversial — easy to believe — witnesses. You don’t want it to be difficult for people to believe your story — especially if you’re just making it up. 

Now — ladies — again, please forgive me — but women as the first witnesses didn’t fit this kind of bill in the first century world. They would’ve made the resurrection of Jesus harder for people to believe. But in all four gospels women are recorded as the first to arrive at the tomb. The first to see that Jesus’ body was gone. The first to be told that Jesus was not in the tomb — “he is not dead — but is alive.” Not your conventional witnesses of the day. But what honor God gives to these women in being the first witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection. 

If you ever wonder if Christianity naturally belittles or oppresses women — remember who God chose to be the first witnesses of his Son’s resurrection. He chose women — for God loves his daughters — he honors them even when doing so makes the resurrection of his Son harder for others to believe.

But — and I think this is evident in the text — the women aren’t going to the tomb expecting Jesus’ body to be resurrected — they’re going to the tomb to anoint his dead body with spices. Another display of their love and devotion to Jesus. It’s early in the morning when they head to the tomb. A few days earlier Jesus’ disciples — men by the way — couldn’t stay awake to pray with Jesus — yet these women demonstrate their love and commitment to him by going to his tomb early in the morning. And the spices — they bring with them — would’ve been expensive — costly — a visible sign of how much they valued and cherished Jesus.

But they’re in for a shock, aren’t they? Can you imagine their surprise when they arrive at the tomb? 

While they’re on their way they ask, “I wonder how we’re gonna get the stone rolled out of the way so we can get into the tomb?” They’re not expecting a miracle. They’re not expecting the stone to be rolled away. They’re going to the tomb expecting Jesus’ dead body to be right where it was laid a few days earlier. 

THE TOMB IS AND ISN’T EMPTY!

And — returning to verse 4 — we find something shocking. The tomb is and isn’t empty! I know, I know — we talk about an empty tomb — but the tomb actually isn’t empty. Now — Jesus isn’t in the tomb — but that doesn’t mean it’s an empty tomb.

“And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back — it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. (Mark 16:4-6 ESV)

You may remember that Mark’s spent half of his gospel leading up to the crucifixion. So you’d expect it to be the highlight of the gospel — the climax — so to speak. Yet — though very important — the crucifixion isn’t the climax of Mark’s gospel — Jesus’ resurrection is the climax. Death doesn’t have the final word — life has the final word. Defeated isn’t the headline; victory is the headline. Jesus crucified isn’t the end of the story — Jesus resurrected is the story.

Now — something we’ve seem to have forgotten — in recent days — is that our belief in something — or lack of belief — doesn’t make something true or not. What do I mean? You can believe in unicorns, but that doesn’t mean unicorns exist. And you can not believe in unicorns, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. The existence of unicorns isn’t true or false because of what we believe about them — unicorns either exist or they don’t. 

You can believe that your football team’s going to win the Superbowl this year — but your belief means nothing. And — I know — you Browns fans are hoping that you not believing they’ll win will have the opposite effect. But even that’s not a guarantee!

One more example. Do you want to know something the vast majority of people in our country believe? I mean — this belief is so common in our country — and it doesn’t matter you political affiliation, your sexual orientation, your gender, or socio-economic status. What could all of these different groups possibly agree on? Are you ready for it? We all think we’re better than each other. 

If I asked you to rate yourself — on a scale of one to ten — with five being “I’m average” — if I asked you to rate yourself when it comes to things like being charitable, or kind, or being a hard worker — I could pick all kinds of things — but if I asked you to rate yourself compared to others — with five being average — do you know what happens? Nearly everyone picks “seven.” 

But do you know what? It’s impossible for everyone to be above average — yet we all rate ourselves above average.

• We overestimate our IQ. 
• We always think we’re a better driver than everyone else on the road — especially during the winter, am I right?
• Every pastor thinks they’re an above average preacher.
• And — though we’re free to believe whatever we want to about ourselves — we’re obviously not all the best drivers, or as smart as we think we are, or above average when it comes to being charitable, kind, or a hard worker. We can believe whatever we want — but that doesn’t make our beliefs true. 

Similarly, the resurrection isn’t true because Christians believe it’s true. And the resurrection isn’t fabricated just because others believe it didn’t happen. Either it happened or it didn’t. And you owe it to yourself to follow the evidence wherever it leads and let the evidence speak for itself. 

So let’s return to these women — the first eye witnesses. They see that the stone’s been rolled away from the entrance to the tomb — and it’s a big heavy stone. Then they go into the tomb. And — here — I can’t help but appreciate the bravery of these women. They see that something’s going on and — what would’ve made the most sense to them — upon arriving and seeing the stone rolled away — the most likely scenario would’ve been that a group of strong men — probably tomb robbers or something — would’ve rolled the stone away to loot the tomb. So not exactly a danger free kind of scenario. 

Yet these women go into the tomb and find that Jesus’ body is missing. Which might make one think that some tomb raiders did roll the stone away and steal the body. But — remember — the tomb both is and isn’t empty. Though Jesus’ body isn’t in the tomb there is someone in the tomb.

And — from the other gospels — we know that this young man is actually an angel. Mark gives us details about what he’s wearing — and a white robe is often worn by angels in Scripture. But here’s what I want you to notice. The angel tells the women to examine the evidence before them. 

“Jesus was crucified — but he’s not here in the tomb. Look — this is where they laid his body. Mary — you know this is where they put his body because you were here — you saw everything with your own eyes. But Jesus is not here — he is risen.”

Now — our culture demands that we listen to the stories of others — to hear them — to learn from them — especially minorities and women. Now’s not the time to debate the value of this or highlight ways we should be cautious with this cultural expectation of our day — so all I’ll say — to those who strongly believe in this cultural value — of learning truth from others through their story — especially minorities and women — if this is you — are you listening to Mary and these other women? 

These women are telling you their story — what they saw. And they’re giving you evidence of the resurrection. If you believe society would be better off if we’d listen to each other’s stories — are you practicing what you preach — are you listening to these women’s stories — that Jesus was crucified. That they saw his body placed in the tomb. 

And — now — they see that the tomb is empty — are you listening to them? I hope you’re listening to their testimony — their witness — listening to the evidence they’re presenting to you about Jesus’ resurrection.

GO AND TELL

And now the angel gives the women some instructions. We’re in verse 7.

“But go, tell his (Jesus’) disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” (Mark 16:7-8 ESV)

To these women — again whose testimony and word was considered unreliable in the culture of their day — these women are told to go and tell the disciples that Jesus will meet them in Galilee — they will see him in Galilee just as Jesus had told them before being killed. And the angel tells the women to make sure Peter hears the news — Peter needs to hear this news.

As one author notes — about Peter specifically being mentioned — “What a line. It’s as if all of heaven had watched Peter fall — and it’s as if all of heaven wanted to help him back up again. ‘Be sure and tell Peter that he’s not left out. Tell him that one failure doesn’t make a flop.’” 

Maybe you need to hear that today. Though you may have failed time and time again — not only does one failure not make a flop — neither does two or three or however many failures are on your resume. The grace of God and the love of Jesus Christ is more powerful than both the size and the quantity of your failures. Your failures do not make you a flop. Your failures do not define you. They don’t make you unloveable — unredeemable — or unworthy. God sees you — he’s aware of all of your failures — and are you ready for some wonderful news? Though God sees you and all of your failures he chooses to love you.

And the women leave the tomb. And Mark tells us that they’re both trembling and astonished. Matthew tells us that they’re filled with joy and that — though Mark leaves us with a cliffhanger with the words “they said nothing to no one” — Matthew lets us know that they eventually do tell the disciples about the empty tomb. Now — a response like this is understandable — I mean — it’s shocking news. They’re on an emotional rollercoaster. And there’s so much still to come — for them — in understanding what Jesus’ resurrection means. 

CONCLUSION

A study — from about a year and a half ago — found that “66% of American adults believe that the physical resurrection of Jesus occurred as it’s portrayed in the gospel accounts. Twenty percent believe the resurrection is not true. And 14% say they aren’t sure.” 

Now — regardless of which group you’re in — the majority who believe the resurrection to be true — a minority who doesn’t — or those who are unsure — are you following the evidence? 

Especially if you don’t believe in the resurrection — or are undecided — have you done a thorough investigation — examined the evidence — or are you ignoring the evidence simply because it goes against what you want to believe? Are you listening to the evidence presented by these women whose story we’ve looked at today?

And — if you believe in the resurrection — how has Jesus’ resurrection changed you? If you believe he is risen — that he’s alive — then surely this is news that changes everything for you — just as it changed everything for these women. As someone has said, “If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he didn’t rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not he rose from the dead.” 

Thus — if you believe in Jesus’ resurrection — that he is alive — then you must accept all that he’s said — and not just the red letter words in your Bible — for he’s the Author of this entire book. And — to say you believe in the resurrection — and then not live any differently because of it — indicates you need to keep following the evidence of Jesus’ resurrection and see how it changes the lives of all who believe. 

And that’s the opportunity for all of us who do believe in the resurrection. Our lives — how we live and love and laugh and parent our children and display patience and kindness, and are generous — even how we compare ourselves to others on a scale of 1 to 10 — all of these things are evidence that Jesus is alive — that he is risen. 

And we have the opportunity to show others evidence — in our own lives — that we are witnesses to something that can change everything in their life. For we are witnesses of something that offers hope, and joy, and peace to a world full of people desperately wandering around in the darkness — wandering around in the back of a tomb as if Jesus’ body is still buried there somewhere. 

But there’s no hope for those who believe his body is still buried. But what hope there is for those who follow the evidence for themselves and see that the tomb is empty. That the stone’s been rolled away. What hope for those who — after investigating the evidence — step out of the tomb and into the light of knowing that Jesus is alive. What joy there is for those who follow the evidence and see that he is risen — he is risen indeed. Let’s pray. 

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for perfectly executing your plan of salvation. A plan you put in place before time began. A plan to rescue and save your people from their sins and from all of the consequences because of our sin.

Spirit of God, give life — we ask — to those who are desperate to believe. Give hope to those who’ve been wandering in the darkness of an empty tomb. Help them to step out of the tomb and into your light and the life you offer to them. Give joy to those who are tired of the unsatisfying joy this world offers. Open their eyes and hearts and minds to believe that Jesus is alive.

And Jesus — how amazing it is to believe — having investigated the evidence — that you are alive — not dead — alive. Not buried — but risen. Death doesn’t have the final word — life has the final word. Defeated isn’t the headline; victory is the headline. A victory you’ve secured on behalf of all who believe in you. What undeserved grace and favor you’ve lavished on us. Thank you for showering us with such wonderful gifts. In your name we pray. Amen.

BENEDICTION

May you go living with great hope and joy having investigated the evidence of Jesus’ resurrection. Amen. He is risen. He is risen indeed.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

SCRIPTURE: Mark 9:2-13 (ESV)

DATE: 8-15-21

As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And the one thing I always want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time or are joining us at our North Main campus — the one thing I want you to know is that God loves you and that I love you too. 

SERIES INTRODUCTION

We’re returning to the gospel of Mark this week. This is another one of the books — in the Bible — that we’ve been going through for the past few years. Instead of staying in one book — from beginning to end — we spend a few weeks or months in a book and then move on to one of the other books we’re going through. And — if you’ve been at Gateway — you know we’re going through Mark, Romans, and the book of Acts — in addition to our Finding Jesus series in the Old Testament. 

Now — if you’re new to Gateway — I’d encourage you to go to our website — gatewayepc.org — and find the previous series we’ve done in Mark’s gospel. That way you can get all caught up as we’re already halfway through the book. And with that being said — if you have your Bible — please turn with me to the gospel of Mark. We’ll be looking at verses 2-13 of chapter 9. We’ll be in Mark chapter 9 today.

And — this year in Mark — what we’re going to find are people asking Jesus different questions. And these questions are going to be what we focus on — because — we’ve all got questions, don’t we? And many of the questions — that Jesus will be asked — are questions we’re still asking today. For example — in the coming weeks — we’ll see Jesus get asked questions like, “Can you help?” and “What about divorce?” and “Who can be saved?” and “Jesus, will you do what I want?” along with other questions. And — each week — we’ll discover Jesus’ answer to these questions.

So let’s turn to our passage for today and the question we’ll be asking Jesus is this: “Jesus, why must you rise from the dead?” Today’s question is about Jesus’ death and resurrection. We’re in Mark chapter 9. Beginning in verse 2. 

“And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” 8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. 9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. 11 And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 

12 And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”” (Mark 9:2-13 ESV)

SERMON INTRODUCTION

How relevant are the dead to you — “Well that’s a crazy kind of question to begin with, Josh.” My guess — when it comes to the relevancy of the dead — is that it depends on who we’re referring to. A parent — who’s died — or a spouse or child — a close friend or teacher — their deaths may be very relevant to you. You miss them. You think about them. You tell stories about them. Though dead — they’re still relevant.

• But what about George Washington — the first president of the United States. How relevant is he and his death to you? 
• Or Mozart — one of the greatest musical composers in all of history. How often does his death cross your mind? 
• Or Princess Diana? Some of us remember her death and the shock it brought on the world. But — today — I don’t know that her death is all that relevant for most of us. 
• It’s hard to miss George Washington or Mozart or Princess Diana — why? Because we didn’t know them. 

So what about the death of Jesus? How relevant is his death to you? Now — if you’re not a Christian — my guess is that his death is about as relevant to you as George Washington’s. “Josh, I didn’t know George Washington and I didn’t know Jesus. So their deaths are the same for me — irrelevant.” 

And — let me say — it’s completely understandable to not miss someone you never knew — thus making their death irrelevant. Roughly 8,065 people die in the US every day — the number is 153,425 globally. And yet the vast majority — if not all — of these deaths are irrelevant to us. It’s the deaths of people we know and love that are relevant.

And even when we hear statistics about death — we tend to move quickly on with our lives — don’t we? We quickly get back to focusing on our future. A future — which most of us think — will go on and on and on. For some reason — our own impending death isn’t that relevant to us either — which is kind of crazy, right? In fact — when most of us think about our own death — what we probably think about is “how will I die” — meaning — “I hope it’s going to be quick and not painful.” And maybe a few of us wonder, “Will I be forgotten once I die — will I become irrelevant?”

All that to say — if we have a hard time connecting the relevancy of our own death — to our everyday lives — it’s understandable if we have a difficult time connecting the relevancy of Jesus’ death to our everyday lives. But that’s what we’re going to do today. We’re going to answer the question, “How should Jesus’ death and resurrection affect my everyday life?” 

And — I’m anticipating that — for some of us — this belief — in Jesus’ death and resurrection — is why you’re not a Christian. It’s just too far of a stretch for you. 

But I also know that — for others of us — some of us who are Chistians — Jesus’ death and resurrection may have lost their relevance. So — Christian or not — we’re going to discover their relevancy.

WHAT HAPPENED ON THE MOUNTAIN

Let’s go back to verse 2. 

“And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” 8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.” (Mark 9:2-8 ESV)

So — before we get to the relevancy of Jesus’ death and resurrection — we have this moment — from the life of Jesus — that’s unique in all of ancient literature. No other ancient writing has a story that’s comparable to what we see here in Mark’s gospel. Yet all three synoptic gospels — that’s Matthew, Mark, and Luke — record the transfiguration of Jesus. So let’s take a look at what’s happening here.

First off, Jesus takes Peter, James and John — three of his disciples — up on a mountain. Now — about a week earlier, Peter had made an incredibly bold statement about Jesus. Here’s what happened. “And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” 30 And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.” (Mark 8:27-30 ESV) 

So Peter — in this particular moment — made a monumental connection between the Old Testament promises — about the coming Messiah — and Jesus. “Jesus, you’re the promised Messiah — the Savior — the Rescuer of the people of God.” But Peter’s going to move from this moment of great, bold faith — to times where doubt and confusion cloud his thoughts. And this happens to us, doesn’t it? There are times when we speak out with great, bold, faith and then — on other days — our faith is small and our confidence and boldness is lacking. Thus, Jesus brings Peter, James, and John up on a mountain to reveal to them more of who he is to increase their faith. 

Now — going up the mountain — is a crucial detail — especially given the fact that Moses and Elijah show up. Why? Well — both Moses and Elijah had significant experiences of God’s glory while on a mountain. For Moses — the mountain was Sinai — when God spoke to him, revealed his glory, and gave him the 10 Commandments. 

For Elijah — the mountain was Horeb — where God came and spoke to him — and passed by him not in the strong wind nor in the earthquake nor in the fire — God revealed himself to the prophet in the sound of a whisper and reminded Elijah that he was not alone.

The second thing we see — here — is Jesus being transfigured before the three men. So what does that mean — that Jesus is transfigured? The word “transfigured” means “to change” and the word only occurs four times in the Bible. And all four occurrences give the idea of a “radical transformation.” 

Twice — the word is used referring to what we’re reading about right now — Jesus’ transfiguration. The word is here — in Mark — and Matthew also uses the word. And neither Matthew nor Mark use the word simply to describe some sort of external change — the transformation happening here is an uncovering — it’s a revealing of who Jesus truly is. 

So the transformation here — for Jesus — isn’t like a light switch being flipped on and now he’s God or something like that. The transformation is that who Jesus really is — the God who is man — who Jesus has and will always be — has now been fully revealed to Peter, James, and John.

But let’s not forget that this word is found two more times in the Bible. Let’s take a look at the other two occurrences. In 2 Corinthians, the apostle Paul writes, “And the Lord — who is the Spirit — makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” (2 Corinthians 3:18b NLT)

The word “changed” is the same Greek word translated as “transfigured” in Mark.

And — in Romans — Paul writes, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you (there’s our word) into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2 NLT)

Paul’s indicating the change — the transformation — that happens to a person when they believe in Jesus Christ. And this is a radical change. It’s a change where we go from following the behaviors and customs of the world — the world being those who are in rebellion against God — to being transformed into a completely new person — someone who follows the behaviors and customs of the One in whom they’ve been transformed into the glorious image of — Jesus Christ. This is a change that God does on the inside of us that reveals itself in our outward behavior.

So — to pause for a moment — and show the relevancy of Jesus’ transfiguration in the lives of all of us — Christian or not — what Paul is saying is this: We all need a radical change — every single one of us. If you’re not a Christian, surely you recognize that there are things in your life that need to change. Things that you’ve tried and tried and tried to change — without success. Things that you know need to change — yet you feel pretty hopeless about anything actually changing because you know you don’t have the power to make the change happen. Well — good news for you — Jesus can change you!

And — for the Christian — this isn’t a one time change that’s needed, right? We need to be changed over and over and over again, don’t we? Jesus comes in and changes us — radically changes us — but because we find ourselves in a spiritual war — there’s always room for improvement. There are always parts of us in need of transformation. Addictions. Unloving attitudes. Impatience. A lack of joy. Divisiveness. All kinds of things in which we need God to change in us for we can’t make these changes happen on our own. Especially when we’re talking about something more than mere external change — we’re talking about a transformation that’s an uncovering — or a revealing — of who we truly are on the inside — now — by the grace of God. 

So we’re on a mountain. Jesus is transfigured. And Moses and Elijah show up. Why are they here? I think it’s because Moses and Elijah are representing the Law and the Prophets — the Old Testament — which had promised that the Messiah would come. Where — what’s happening here — is that these two men are representing the Old Testament and Jesus is showing that he’s the fulfillment of all that’s written in it. And — if you’re a regular at Gateway — this is what our Finding Jesus series is all about — the whole Bible is about him. 

Additionally, both of these men are mentioned in Malachi — they’re mentioned as being forerunners to the great and awesome day of the Lord — so something monumental is happening on this mountain. 

And then — the final thing to notice about this moment on the mountain — is that God speaks. Now — God speaking here — connects the beginning of Jesus’ ministry — with the beginning of his passion — the passion is his journey to the cross. Do you remember how his ministry began? Jesus is baptized by John…“And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”” (Mark 1:11 ESV)

And now — as Jesus begins the final stage of his ministry — as he intentionally begins his journey to the cross — God speaks again and says, ““This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”” (Mark 9:7b ESV)

“Listen to my Son,” God says. Words that are practical for all of us. Are you listening to Jesus — listening to his words to you as found in the Bible? God is telling you to listen to his Son.

THE QUESTION THEY ASK

Now — I can only imagine how overwhelming this whole experience had to be for Peter, James, and John. So let’s see how they respond. We’re in verse 11.

“And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 12 And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”” (Mark 9:11-13 ESV)

So they respond with a question. And what’s the question they ask and — by the way — we’ll see in a moment that this isn’t the only question on their minds. But what do they ask? 

They ask a question about Elijah. Which seems pretty random other than the fact that they just ran into Elijah on the mountain. But they ask about Elijah and here’s why.

The reason why they ask about Elijah is because of a misunderstanding they have about the coming Messiah. You see — the rumor on the street — was that the “Messiah was going to be a warrior who would defeat the Romans and establish God’s kingdom on earth.” And — Elijah — was supposed to come and announce that God’s warrior — the victor over the Romans — had arrived. 

But — as we’ll see in a moment — their real question is about Jesus’ suffering and death — because the misunderstanding they have — about the Messiah — is that he isn’t going to suffer. And he especially isn’t going to die. So they ask Jesus about Elijah because — the question they really want to ask him — has the potential to blow up their expectations of what it means for Jesus to be the Messiah.

And — sometimes we do this too. We’ve got a question we want to ask Jesus — but we’re nervous about what his answer will be — so we ask him something else — we’ll actually look at this in a few weeks. And sometimes — instead of asking Jesus our question directly — we ask a pastor, or a fellow Christian, maybe our mom or dad — but we don’t ask them the real question on our mind — because we’re afraid to ask it. 

• Real question — Jesus do you really want me to pack up my family and move there to be a missionary? 
• Real question — like the rich young ruler, Jesus, are you asking me to sell everything I have and give all of the money away? 
• Real question — Jesus, do you want me to start attending in person and serving again because I haven’t really gotten involved since the pandemic? 
• But — instead of those questions — we ask all kinds of other questions.

So please hear me out. Ask your questions. We’ll see — throughout this series — that Jesus gets asked all kinds of questions. And know that Jesus can handle your questions — even the questions you’re afraid to ask. 

And — for Peter, James, and John — this question about Elijah isn’t what’s most pressing on their hearts and minds. There’s another question — a deeper question — a more disturbing question they’re wrestling with. But instead of asking Jesus that question — they ask him about Elijah.

THE QUESTION THEY DIDN’T ASK

So that’s the question they do ask Jesus. But what about the question they’re either too afraid or confused or — who knows what — but what about the real question on their minds? Let’s look at it. Back to verse 9.

“And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean.” (Mark 9:9-10 ESV)

Jesus tells them to not tell anyone what they’ve just witnessed on the mountain. Why? 

Well — for now — the time had not come for his true identity to be revealed to the world. They’ve been given a glimpse of something the world would see in due time — but now’s not that time. 

And — besides the timing — Peter, James, and John aren’t even sure what they’ve just witnessed. They have some questions — or at least a question. “Jesus, what’s the deal with you saying you must rise from the dead? What’s that all about? This doesn’t jive with our expectations of the Messiah.” But they don’t ask him their question.

Now — I mentioned earlier — that belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus may be what’s keeping you from becoming a Christian. Something I found interesting — though — is that according to research done in 2020 — “66% of American adults believe in the historicity of Christ’s resurrection. Around 20% of adults in America don’t believe the resurrection accounts are true. And 14% aren’t sure what they believe about the resurrection.”

Now — for sure — the popularity of a belief doesn’t make it true — our nation recently got excited because documents were going to be released about UFOs — remember that? Well guess what? Pretty much the same percentage of Americans believe in UFOs as do those who believe in the resurrection. Again, just because the majority of folks believe something doesn’t make it true. Evidence is needed — something more than “Yeah, there’s a bunch of stuff that we’re just gonna call unidentified flying objects” — which is basically what the UFO report told us. We should all write them a note that says, “Dear government, thanks!”

Yet the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is backed by credible evidence making it incredibly relevant to our everyday lives. How so? 

For starters, we’re justified before God by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. To be justified is to be “made right with God.” Due to our sin and rebellion we were all enemies of God — not friends — every one of us an enemy of God. 

Yet — through faith in Christ’s death and resurrection — God justifies us. He declares us to be not guilty of our sin. And this is one aspect of the radical transformation we experience. Though — once enemies — in being justified — we’re now friends of God. 

Additionally, Jesus’ resurrection was death’s defeat. Death no longer has a sting of victory on God’s people. Instead, death is our defeated enemy. Our enemy — defeated — not by us — but by our victorious Savior and King. And even though — unless Jesus returns in our lifetime — we all will die — we live knowing that we’ll never be forgotten. For we are known by the One who created us, saved us, who’s called us for his purpose, the One who’s told us that we’re engraved on the palm of his hands and have our names written in his book of Life.

Finally, something that should be relevant to all of us is the fact that Jesus’ death and resurrection prove the reliability and truthfulness of the Bible. Prophecies — from centuries prior — predicted the death and resurrection of Jesus. No other book is like the Bible in this way. 

Though written over the course of centuries by many different authors — God’s Spirit guided each of the writers to tell one, complete, accurate, truthful, non-contradicting story — the story of Christ and what he’s doing in the world. Thus Jesus’ death and resurrection are completely relevant to our everyday lives — for when we read our Bibles — the best selling book year after year — by the way. Guinness World Records estimates that over five billion copies of the Bible have been distributed since 1815 — which is amazing. But — when we read our Bibles — we can know and have confidence in its trustworthiness and reliability and truthfulness because of the death and resurrection of Christ.

These are just three examples of why Jesus’ death and resurrection is relevant for all of us. If we had time — we could keep adding to the list — but know that it’s a long one. A long list of the ways that Jesus’ death and resurrection are relevant to our lives. And — what should be encouraging for all of us — is that it’s a list full of reasons upon reasons upon reasons for God’s people to have hope. A hope being offered to all of us today — hope through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

For — as someone has said, “The resurrection of Jesus means the worst thing is never the last thing.” How about that for relevancy in your life? If the worst thing in all of human history — the death of God’s Son — is the means by which we have life and hope — well — that means — the worst thing in your life is never the last thing. The worst day of your life is never your last day. Through faith in Jesus — and remember his worst day was the beginning of our eternal days — because of our faith in Christ our worst days never have the last laugh. We get the last — most joy-filled and glorious laugh — that will last for all our eternal days — a laugh we will have with our Savior. What an eternal day that will be.

CONCLUSION

You know — honestly — I get why it’s easier to ask questions about Elijah than it is to wrestle with what the death and resurrection of Christ means for our lives. Maybe your questions aren’t about Elijah — but we all have questions we ask that — though they might be important — they’re not most important. I mean — it can be frightening to ask, “Jesus, why did you have to die?” 

But the reason why this question is both important — and frightening to ask — is because Jesus’ answer to our question changes everything for us. And — I think we all know — that if we dare to ask this question — and this is why the question is scary — we all know that Jesus’ answer is going to change us. Things won’t remain the same. Things — for us — can’t stay the same once we receive his answer.

As a late Yale University professor said, “If Christ is not raised, nothing matters; [but] if Christ is raised, nothing else matters.” And the death and resurrection of Christ puts the emphasis of the whole Bible — and all of life — yours and mine — on Christ and Christ alone. Not on Elijah. Not on Moses. Not on John the Baptist. Not on Peter, James, and John. Not even on you and me. 

And your life and my life — and our lives collectively — won’t ever experience the transformation that — deep down we know we need — without the emphasis of our lives being on Christ. 

And — this means — that the joy you long for, the peace you desire, the hope that’s been elusive to you, the wholeness in your relationships that you long for, the victory over that addiction, and so much more is possible — but only if Christ is the emphasis of your life — only if he’s the center of your life. For — it’s by his death — that your sins have been paid for. And it’s by his death and resurrection that your brokenness can be restored. And it’s through his life, death, and resurrection that a new life is being offered to you. A life transformed by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

Let’s pray and — as we do — I’m going to pray for all of us — that all of us would be transformed by the death and resurrection of Christ. Let’s pray. 

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, in your wisdom you know that we can’t change ourselves. And — in your great love for us — you sent your Son to do for us what we can’t do for ourselves. Make change — real change — possible.

Jesus, what hope and potential we have because of your life, death, and resurrection. Restored marriages are possible. No longer being slaves to an addiction is possible. Being peace-makers is possible. Being generous, and kind, and patient, and loving, and gentle are all possible because of the transformation you offer to us through your death and resurrection.

Spirit of God, change us. Transform us. Renew our minds. Give life to our spirits. Change our priorities and values. Resurrect us. All so that we live how we were created to live. For your glory and for the good of others. And — for those who are in desperate need of being changed — which is all of us if we’re honest — God we open our hands and our hearts to you. We acknowledge our need of being changed and welcome you to come and do a powerful work of change in us. And we pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

BENEDICTION

May you go and live having been changed by the death and resurrection of Jesus. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.