Easter 2023

Northside Church

Important pictures #5 Tomb we see the victory of God

Jamey Mills

4/9/23

He is risen…

Do you believe that?

Good morning… Happy Easter! Welcome

My name is Jamey Mills, The lead pastor here at Northside…

So blessed to celebrate Easter with all of you today…

When it comes to Easter, it is always mind boggling to me… to think about the millions of people around the world… celebrating the same thing that brings us here today…

Why? What happened? Whatever it was… had to be massive. Surviving thousands of years of history… to meet us here.

Today marks the end of a sermon series… the greatest pictures of all time… (SLIDE)

We’ve talked about the power of pictures… and how they make us remember… They sort of call us back to things that deeply matter.

This week it got me thinking… about some of the world's major events… both good and hard… that so quickly and easily… fade from our minds. We stop thinking about them… and why they mattered… and the lessons we should learn…

As Christians we have them too…

We’ve looked at several in our series… each one bring a greater understanding of God and each one moves us a step closer to what it is we celebrate today.

In the Manger… we see the great intervention of God.

In the boat… we see the peace of God’s presence

In the upper room… we see the servant heart of God

Palm Sunday… We see Jesus willingly coming back in Jerusalem… to the cheer of those who missed Him… didn't know what this was all about.

Cross… we see the pain and promise of God.

Here is today’s picture…

Why does this picture matter?

When you see it, what comes to your mind?

Why does it matter?

What is it that you really… deeply believe about it…

What difference has it made in your life

What impact will it have on the way you’ll live your life today?

The last couple weeks as I have prepared for today… I looked at all four gospel accounts of the resurrection… and I did my best to do it with fresh eyes… but this is the account that really stood out to me…

I’ve invited some of the coolest people at Northside to come and read it…

Would you welcome Ashley Hemmer and Addison Atharinikrough

John 20:1–21 (NLT)

John 20:1–21 NLT

Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed—for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. Then they went home. Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. “Dear woman, why are you crying?” the angels asked her. “Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him. “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?” She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.” “Mary!” Jesus said. She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”). “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message. That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”

Ashley Hemmer

Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 2 She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

3 Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. 4 They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. 6 Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, 7 while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. 8 Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed—9 for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. 10 Then they went home.

11 Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. 12 She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” the angels asked her.

“Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”

Addison Atharinikrough

14 She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him. 15 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?”

She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”

16 “Mary!” Jesus said.

She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”).

17 “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”

18 Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message.

19 That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. 20 As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! 21 Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”

Thank you…

What do you notice?

The resurrection is a tough one…

As I was reading this week, I began to see some things I’d never noticed before…

Mary was living, acting and talking as if Jesus were still dead.

Mary continually asks and at one point accuses… someone… likely those who hung Jesus on the cross… of taking his body somewhere.

And it’s odd… because even as Mary starts to tell the disciples… those closest to Jesus… they aren’t seeing it any differently…

Luke 24:11 says the disciples thought Mary was talking nonsense.

And it's not that Jesus didn't tell them about this… it’s not that He didn’t prepare them… It’s that they didn't listen… we see it over and over… He’d try to tell them and they’d either sort of ignore it or argue about it.

That sort of suffering savior… that sort of dead messiah, a deceased king… was not what they wanted to hear or what they were thinking.

At this point… they all expected Jesus to do what dead people do…

And with that are a few things…

Jesus first revealed His resurrected self to Mary

…

So what… right… but in that incredibly misogynistic culture… if someone was trying to manufacture a story and wanted people to believe it… this is NOT what they would have done or how it would have started. Some prominent male.

We see real people reacting the way real people would.

It seems significant that the NT writers included what feels like doubt and disbelief from those who were closest to Jesus.

… we can all agree… that's not a great look. But it speaks to the credibility of it!

It also shows us if we struggle with it… we are in good company.

Another thing I noticed was…

The enemies of Jesus claimed that disciples stole the body.

… which is absurd but matters for a few reasons.

The disciples' behavior is not at all what you’d expect. They all ran when Jesus was arrested and crucified… they hid. There was legit fear.

Documents found in Nazareth tell us that grave robbing was a capital offense.

They had.. Nothing… literally nothing to gain for it.

Video

… this is a humorous look at what it literally would have been like.

That's literally how little sense it would have made for them to steal Jesus’ body.

Matthew 27:65–66 (NLT)

Matthew 27:65–66 NLT

Pilate replied, “Take guards and secure it the best you can.” So they sealed the tomb and posted guards to protect it.

65 Pilate replied, “Take guards and secure the tomb the best you can.” 66 So they sealed the tomb and posted guards to protect it.

The tomb was sealed and guarded. Roman soldiers… who failed at their following directions… would have met the same fate.

There have been all kinds of theories… including… No one knew the location of the tomb… but the critics of that day proved that false…

they knew… and they guarded…

The enemies of Jesus argument proves which two important things?

The tomb was empty.

They didn’t know what do make of it either.

And their own testimony provides the greatest argument of two important things…

the tomb… was empty… They admit it.

They didn't know what to make of it either.

The resurrected Christ appeared to many…

1 Corinthians 15:3-8 (NLT)

1 Corinthians 15:3–8 NLT

I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him.

3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. 5 He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. 6 After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him.

When God used Paul to write this… he said look these people are still alive… go ask them. If this was some kind of trick… How in the world do you get that many people involved.

Lastly…

The biggest proof of the Resurrection is the disciples themselves.

What happened… to this fearful, hiding, doubting group?

Peter… literally went from belief, running in disbelief, to being taunted by a MS girl to belief.

James… Jesus ½ brother… one author said this… what would it take for you to come to the place of referring to you brother as… your Lord and your God? James did.

Two examples… but as a whole… something happened… These people are different.

Nearly all of them… went on to die horrible deaths because of their faith…

Would you do that for a lie?

Would you do that if you weren’t absolutely sure?

I don't want to undercut what happened at pentecost… but I think we far too often undercut the role of the resurrection when it comes to this change in these people.

What is it that caused them to go from fear to faith… from cowering to courage…

They didn't expect it… but they saw it… They saw a dead man walk and it radically changed their life.

Luke 24

The resurrected Jesus tells the disciples… I told you about this… everything that was written in the OT and had to happen… and it says that Jesus opened their minds so they might understand…

Luke 24:46–48 NLT

And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ You are witnesses of all these things.

46 And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. 47 It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ 48 You are witnesses of all these things.

I feel like Jesus tells them and us that He knows it’s hard…

But Jesus sort of re affirms them… tells them you… you will be my witnesses… you will be the ones that tell people what you saw.

Christian today have the same job… as his representatives…

and maybe… right here and right now a powerful prayer for you and I is… Jesus open our minds too. Help us see and understand.

But so what… What does this mean for you and I?

Why does the resurrection matter?

What most breaks your heart about what you see in the world today?

I watched a video this week… someone sharing why they decided to give their live to Jesus and it echoed a lot of how I’ve been feeling.

There's something broken? There's something not right in the direction our culture is going. It seems incredibly obvious.

We see things happening and even being defended…

Things like drag contests in our public schools…

Things like Christians not being able to adopt from Foster Care in Oregon if they hold on to biblical values when it comes to Identity, sexuality and gender.

There are all kinds of things… that make it feel more and more like there is an all out attack on God… and those who claim Him.

We live in a culture where people are looking for identity and meaning and purpose in things that could never deliver… and I don't say that in judgment… I say it with a broken heart.

But it’s nothing new.

The disciples faced it too.

The resurrection means hope even in hopeless times.

Rom 8 talks about how humanity… and all of creation… groans… aches… under the brokenness and pressure that sin brings…

Do you feel that?… reminds me of a boat in a storm… with every wave and the pressure it brings the boat groans… cracks…

Romans 8:37 (NLT)

Romans 8:37 NLT

No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

Romans 8:21–23 (NLT)

Romans 8:21–23 NLT

the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.

21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering.

Romans 8 teaches us that all the hardship… struggles that we face… is nothing compared to what God has for us.

Even in crazy times… the resurrection brings an even greater hope.

It's why Paul wrote.

1 Corinthians 15:54–58 (NLT)

1 Corinthians 15:54–58 NLT

Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

54 Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.

55 O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting?”

56 For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

That is what we celebrate…

That is what the resurrection means.

That is the face of all of this…

There is a hope that cannot be taken…

There is an immovable promise that is beyond the grip of humanity or culture.

Romans 8 goes on to say…

Nothing… can separate us…. Life/death, angles/demons, fears today/worries tomorrow… not even the powers of hell can rob you of what is yours… or from God's love in Christ Jesus.

Imagine for a moment… that God’s truth… His values… shaped our culture? Our community? Our churches? Our homes? You? Me… that's where it starts just so you know... is in you. You were created for better things.

Mary was still living as if Jesus were dead. Are you?

What would my life look like… if I really believed Jesus lives?

Not like it does… Everyone… would know. Why… because dead people don’t walk.

Because hope lives… because Jesus is…

So today… I want to make my colors clear… I’m gonna start with you.

I believe that all of creation groans… including my own heart… both in the brokenness of our world, but also in anticipation in that which all of this is leading to.

I believe that the very brokenness of the world we live in… and the reason we can see it and call it that… points to the very clear reality that we were created for something better. I am choosing that.

I’m with Him.

I believe He lives.

I wanna learn to live like that.

He is Risen… Did you hear what I said…

If you look for Him among the dead you won’t find Him there.

And… because of that… you won’t find me there either.

Hope lives… and it lives in me. What about you?

This victory… looks like breathing again… like living again… like real fullness and real freedom from all that is broken.

Where are you at?

All creation groans under the weight of it. Do you see it, do you feel it, do you ache for something new!

… Are you tired of it? Do you want something new?

It’s time…

Something has to change

That… that is what the resurrection is about.

Prayer