Easter Sunday

Main Idea: Hope is found where you least expect it. Jesus doesn’t come to meet our expectations He comes to supersede them.

Intro

He is Risen Amen? (He is Risen Indeed)

Well PRAIZE God! We have reason to rejoice this morning because the tomb is empty and our God is Alive! Jesus is alive amen!

We’re at the U and today, we’re gonna give the devil reason to be annoyed, we’re gonna remind the devil, sin and death, they have no power over us!

could use example of looking for the amazon gift card zae dropped in between the washer/dryer, // (find better example?)

Have you ever found something where you didn’t expect it to be?

You know it’s interesting. Often times we search for things. We search for them with the expectation that we will find what we’re looking for where we’re looking for it.

Some of you want love - and so you hope to find it in a romantic relationship or even from family members; and because you expect to find love, where you’re looking, you find yourself disappointed when those expectations aren’t met. When you don’t experience the love you long to have.

Some of you want approval - and so you work as hard as you can just to try and get your boss, your teacher, your children to look at you with pride and satisfaction.

Some of you want joy - and so you seek to find it at the bar, at the party, in the movie night, in escapism - and when you finish partying or you finish binging that show on Netflix and you lay your head down on the pillow at night you find yourself in a lull of loneliness and depression.

(Prob skip this one) Some of you crave success, why? because if you can succeed, then maybe you will have significance and value. So you try to be the best student, the best daughter/brother/mother, employee, athlete etc you can be - and yet

Life is filled with unmet expectations. You might even say, our expectations are left empty. Why?

I believe 2,000 years ago Mary, also searched with the expectation that she would find Jesus, but he was not where she expected Him to be found

All of us have ran to that which is empty expecting it to be full

Passage

Mark 16:1–8 ESV

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.

Mary went to the tomb that morning with expectations.

First, she went expecting to have to roll away the stone, or at least find someone to do so.

Stone weighed about 1-2 tons which would have been a few thousand pounds

Mark 16:3 ESV

3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”

Second she went, expecting to find Jesus inside.

Mark 16:1 ESV

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.

But neither of her expectations were met.

What expectations do you have? Which expectations are not being met?

Did you expect this Churchplant to be bigger faster?

Did you expect to enjoy your degree more?

Did you expect to find an internship for summer?

Did you expect to Did you expect to love your job?

Did you expect the alcohol to numb the pain?

Did you expect the dessert to calm your anxiety?

Did you expect hooking up to bring happiness?

All of us have ran to that which is empty expecting it to be full

Sometimes Jesus allows our expectations to be left unmet.

He allows them to be empty; because they are a reminder that in Him and in Him alone will we find life.

Unmet expectations are like death; they can be discouraging, lead to hopelessness.

But the story isnt left without hope, our story is not without hope.

Mark 16:6 (NLT)

6 but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body.

JESUS IS ALIVE! Jesus HAS RISEN AND IS RISEN from the dead.

What does that mean for you and I?

Jesus did not come to meet our expectations but to exceed/supersede them.

Supersede: “take the place of (a person or thing previously in authority or use); supplant.”

to supersede is not just to exceed, but rather to exceed by substitution. Jesus wants to exceed your expectations but He does so by replacing them with something greater than you could have ever hoped for

He want’s us to know that the world was never meant to satisfy. But that He does satisfy. That He is alive. If he is alive, than our soul has reason to rejoice, reason to hope. Because Jesus chose to die for the thing that we sought to find fulfilment in and rose again to remind us that He is greater than all we could think or image.

(slide: superseded expectations)/ Mary’s expectations:

She thought she’d have to move the stone —> It was moved for her

Thought JC would be in the tomb —> He was outside of the tomb thought

She thought she’d find Him dead —> He was alive!

Cultural expectations:

If Jesus did raise from the dead, the most reputable/credible source/person he could have revealed himself to first to confirm his resurrection would have been a man. —> Jesus appeared first to the least expected person in that day and age - a woman - a woman from whom he cast out 7 demons from - a woman of little reputation

Sin death and devil’s expectations unraveled

1 Corinthians 15:55–57 NLT

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.

(slide: tomb of expectations)

Is your hope in the right place? Are you going to the tomb expecting to find it full?

If the tomb is empty, than you need not go there any longer. If Jesus is alive than you need not tarry in the tomb. No you can run from the tomb, and tell others of the hope, joy and fulfilment that is only found in Jesus.

What’s your tomb? What’s the thing you run to hoping to find fulfilment?

Gospel opportunity/ present gospel and give moment for them to put their faith and hope in Jesus

IF JESUS IS RISEN - How does this change our expectations?

Victory

Freedom

Transformation in us and in the world

I love the lyrics of Christ be magnified

“Death is just a doorway into resurrection life, if I’ll join you in the suffering then i’ll join you when you rise”

Response:

Mark 16:7 ESV

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.”

Connection card

Go & Tell