We Are Witnesses

I want to begin to simply say there is nothing about Easter that is routine or predictable. Even this sermon is not your typical Easter sermon. Many of you have heard the Easter story over and over, today I want to share a different perspective of Easter.

Yes, Jesus Christ is risen! However, I don’t think Jesus would want us to leave anyone with just that statement. That is why the Acts 10 text, I thought was appropriate for us today. Peter tells Cornelius, a Gentile, that he was a witness of Jesus’ ministry and even his resurrection. Today, as you sit here you are also witnesses of the resurrection.

You may have not been there physically 2,000 years ago, but you were there spiritually.

After the resurrection Jesus tells the disciples that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon them. They will be witnesses of Jesus in Jerusalem, in all Judea, Samaria, and to all parts of the world! Jesus plainly told them that their new vocation is no longer a disciple but now to be a witness, an evangelist, to share the good news. You have witnessed all of my acts, you have witnessed the Messiah, you have witnessed God in flesh on this earth, now go and tell others what you have seen.

It’s not the same as when Jesus told his followers to come and see, its now go and tell the stories of miracles that you have seen with your own eyes. Jesus wasn’t trying to make “Christianity” hard to understand, he wasn’t even making “preaching” hard, he just wanted them to share what they have witnessed while walking with him.

They spent three years with him and witnessed so much that even John shared that pages couldn’t contain all the stories of Jesus. The disciples were the eyewitness of Jesus. Their testimonies were enough evidence to prove that Jesus had risen from the grave.

Before they had seen the risen Christ, they cowered in hiding, fearing that the authorities would come after them next. But they were transformed by seeing the risen Christ. They came out of hiding and proclaimed Jesus publicly to the crowds assembled for Passover in Jerusalem—the city that killed Jesus.

Acts gives us the account of the early church being a witness of the resurrection of Jesus and the new life that comes out of it. As soon as the church receives the power of the Spirit, they begin to bear witness to the resurrection of Jesus. In fact, from then on, they rarely mention the events surrounding Jesus' resurrection without adding, “We are witnesses of these things.”

The apostles were excited because of what they had seen first hand. But when we take a look at our Gospel lesson we see that Peter and John were not real impressed by the fact that the tomb was empty. “They did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.” They just didn’t get it.

So, as Mary stood outside the tomb crying, they just went back to their homes. And many of us are content to just come to church on Easter morning, see some friends we haven’t seen in a while, sit through the service, leave unimpressed, and return to our homes ready to get on to the good things the Easter meal, the Easter eggs, the Easter nap, whatever.

Some of you just don’t get it. Your life has been changed once you have heard the Gospel. You have the greatest story that was ever witnessed to tell to someone who has not been affected by it. Let me give you some staggering statistics. The average church member has heard over 4,000 sermons, sung over 20,000 songs, and has brought less than 5 people to church with them in their entire lifetime.

And the most staggering thought of all; did you know that the average American churchgoer has helped zero people convert to Jesus Christ? The American Christian has a false sense of what Christianity really is.

Millions believe that as long as you believe in God, you are a Christian. Many more believe that if you go to church and live a good life, you are a Christian. Still others don’t know exactly what to believe. You are without excuse! If you have experience Jesus yourself then you must share it with someone. If you’ve been born again, then you have witnessed one of the greatest miracles ever.

Just imagine what these people experienced in Jesus’ time. Look at Mary Magdalene, she stayed at the tomb weeping because Jesus had done so much for her. She had been a very sick person, but Jesus had healed her by casting 7 demons out of her.

She had experienced the love of God through Jesus’ healing as she never had before. In gratitude, she returned that love. Mary Magdalene stayed close to Jesus. She was with Him in Jerusalem--the final week of His life; she witnessed the crucifixion, His burial. But God wanted her to experience and witness much more!

And this is what God wants for us. God wants us to experience much more!!! God wants us to be eyewitnesses to the resurrection of Jesus Christ! God wants to give us a story to tell! Jesus came to give us life, and to give it to us abundantly. And that abundant life begins when we experience the resurrected Christ for ourselves.

Read 1 John 1:1-4

Jesus Christ is still working in lives today...delivering all who believe from the oppression of the devil. The proof is seen in the lives and witness of genuine believers.

We might be tempted to think that our witness could not possibly rise to that level because we are not eyewitnesses of the events as they were. And yet, I would argue that we do have the same opportunity to become witnesses of what we have experienced. The power of the new life that was unleashed in this world by Jesus’ resurrection is still working to transform our hearts and lives today. And so when resurrection of Jesus transforms our lives and hearts we can also bear witness to what we have experienced first hand.

The sad truth is that the “witness” that the church has borne has often looked very different from the early church’s witness to the life-changing power of the resurrection of Jesus. Some say that the lesson from Acts for today is the story of how Peter had to be converted to the notion that non-Jewish people were included in the gospel of Jesus Christ—as did the church of his day!

I think like them we all need to be constantly converted to a way of life that flows from the life of the risen Lord Jesus. And that means constantly “learning new ways of being the church.” Only as we do that can we fulfill our calling to be “a sign in and for the world of the new reality which God has made available to people in Jesus Christ” and to be “Christ’s faithful evangelists.”

Many Christians do not give any testimony because they are afraid of what others will say about them. As Christians, we need to rise above that if we are to be faithful. God wants us to give our testimonies at every available opportunity. We have been told to do God’s will or we will not get into Heaven.

Mary Magdalene was left weeping at the empty tomb. Christ had already done so much for her; he had already changed her life. But He wanted to do even more than that! So, He appeared to her as the Resurrected Lord who overcame death itself! “I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God,” Jesus told her.

And Mary left the empty tomb with no more tears, she went to the disciples with the news. “I have seen the Lord!”, she exclaimed. Jesus declared, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Do we believe this? Please do not leave the empty tomb unimpressed, but go home with a story to tell, an eyewitness account!