The Road of Our Risen Savior

What comes to mind when you think of Easter? Is it all the colorful pastels that break out on Easter weekend and those that attend church with the beautiful pinks & purples and yellows? Of course, we think of the Easter Egg Hunts, the chocolate and the eggs that are dyed. Usually, families gather at Easter. Photos of all the family in their Easter clothes, maybe Easter lunch together.

I hope and pray for you that church and your times of worship are an important part of that celebration. I have always enjoyed the gathering of the saints at Easter, my fellow church family. We enjoy the music of Easter and the extra effort our Worship leader, instrumentalist, the choir and our multimedia team give to contribute to a great celebration. Let’s give the choir and our worship leader and Barbara a big hand.

If you are a participant in through our worship times and our fellowship together, you realize there is a great build up of excitement of the hope of we have in Jesus. Yes, we reflect upon His harsh death on the cross and the price He paid for our salvation, yes, sacrifice yes, but its the resurrection, the empty tomb that offers hope! He’s alive! Amen.

Pope John Paul II said:

“We are an Easter People and Alleluia is our song!”

Can you say that?

Dwight L. Moody shared these thoughts:

“We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won’t need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don’t fire cannons to call attention to their shining-they just shine.” Oh, may we shine this Easter and each and every day in the blessedness of our Dear Jesus.

Richelle Goodrich, American Author, Novelist & Poet said this that I like:

“Easter is the soul’s first taste of spring.”

Easter is the hope of a new day dawning in the lives of His people. Amen!

But the one thought that topped my findings of every thoughts I take in at Easter is this:

John 3:16 “16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, now take this age old story and bring new life to each of us today. Lord invigorate us with the keen awareness of how much You love everyone here, how much You loves me. Help us to gain a deeper understanding of the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made because His great love for us. Lord, allow Your light to shine in us that people may see Jesus in us and that people are drawn to saving faith in you. Amen.

Message

Read this text aloud:

Matthew 27:45–50 NKJV

45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 47 Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” 48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. 49 The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.

The Reality of Our Risen Savior

Dearly beloved, before Jesus came there was darkness over all the earth. There was 400 years of spiritual darkness. God had not revealed Himself to His people Israel for the last 400 years.. There was a hunger for something. There was a vacuum that could not be filled.

Do you ever feel as if you are just going through the motions of life? There is a reality we see to the road our Lord and Savior took to offer a life besides going through the motions. He offers a life with mission and meaning.

The reality of what Jesus did for us is more than we will ever be able to absorb. He experienced human death on your behalf. He walked this road I describe as the most horrible manner of death known to man. Jesus died upon a cross, a slow, agonizing painful death for your salvation, my salvation, the world’s salvation if they accept His gift of salvation.

The type salvation I am speaking of is accepting that Jesus died for your sins, asking Him for forgiveness of the sins you’ve committed and falling in love with Him and trusting Him from this point onward.

You ask, sin? I’m a good person. I’m sure you are a good person. You probably have never stolen, not murdered anyone, but have you gossiped, have you lusted for another person, have you told a lie?

James 2:10 “10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.”

The scripture reminds us not just visually, but emotionally and spiritually that there was a long dark period on the road of our Risen Savior. The scripture states “from the sixth to the ninth hour” meaning from Noon until 3 pm “was darkness all over the land.” The sun had never stopped shining, but in the midst of an act that was converse to nature, Jesus sacrificial gift of life would shine until eternity end.

The greatest reality of Jesus’ death was in His humanity, He said,

“Eli, Eli, lama Sabachthani? My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

When I think of that cry of our Lord and Savior on Calvary’s cross, I know that action would be more than my emotions would handle.

AS Jesus gazed with half vision, blurred I am sure from dehydration, total exhaustion with vision as if in a in a dream state, He looked with love over all those around Him and for that reason He was walking this road, the road of the cross. The Bible states Jesus said, “forgive them, they know not what they do.”

Let me ask you something this Easter morning. There may be one here today that does not attend but on certain Christian holidays as today. Maybe one is watching on YouTube or FaceBook that does not watch any other time except Christmas or Easter.

Do you know what you do? Jesus asked that question.

There is nothing you can do that will insure your future. Jesus did it all at Calvary’s Cross so that you can have newness of life.

There are two roads in the reality of our Risen’s Savior’s journey we can reflect on in this section.

One person in verse 48 states:

Accommodating Person

Matthew 27:48 “48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink.”

The majority of the others as is stated in verse 49 said,

Apathetic Person

Matthew 27:49 “49 The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.””

One offered something to bring ease in a sinful world

The others found Jesus an obstruction or obstacle to the agendas of their own lives.

Could you be challenged to be the one that offers a cup of water in Jesus to a dying sinful world, or will we be like the majority and say to the world, save yourselves. I’m too busy to have time for you.

In verse 50 we see that Jesus cried out and yielded up His spirit.

John 19:30 “30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”

Dearly beloved, let it never be said that Jesus did not feel all the suffering we feel. He experienced the full of humanity as He walked the road of death and suffering.

Hebrews 4:15 “15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

Because you suffer from the sins of this fallen world, Jesus died in your stead to offer you a hope from your suffering. He came to save. As His child, will you like the person that offered the sour wine to ease the pain, are you going to offer an answer to others in the pain they suffer or will you be too busy to get involved?

Read this text aloud:

Responses to the Risen Savior

Matthew 27:51–56 NKJV

51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!” 55 And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

Immediately, our Heavenly Father sent signs of nature and acts of God that communicated all that was accomplished in His Son’s death upon the cross, His only begotten Son’s crucifixion.

Firstly, we see that the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

Exodus 26:31–33 (NKJV)

31 “You shall make a veil woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen. It shall be woven with an artistic design of cherubim. 32 You shall hang it upon the four pillars of acacia wood overlaid with gold. Their hooks shall be gold, upon four sockets of silver. 33 And you shall hang the veil from the clasps. Then you shall bring the ark of the Testimony in there, behind the veil. The veil shall be a divider for you between the holy place and the Most Holy.

The veil was the great separator. You are not good enough. You are not worthy. The veil was the great separator from sinful man and a holy God.

Initially there was a veil that created separation from the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy of Holies. You may remember that there was a religious cast system within Jewish religious life where Gentiles were only allowed in a certain section of the temple, Jewish women were allowed in another section, Jewish men were allowed closer to the center and only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies once a year on the Day of Atonement.

The Lord’s affirmation in the tearing of the veil meant that when we accept Christ as our Savior, there is no separation from our heavenly Father. Furthermore, the High Priest would offer a sacrifice for the sins of the people and for himself. Dearly beloved, we do not have to go through a priest because we believe in the priesthood of the believer.

John the Baptist said, behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

Hebrews 9:11–12 NKJV

11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

Matthew 27:52–53 NKJV

52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

God’s omnipotent hand gave the people a sign of what comes about as a response to the Risen Savior.

Oh the blessed hope I can offer when I share at a funeral of the believer, we do not die,we sleep, we are changed. The Scripture states “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” Amen!

1 Corinthians 15:51–57“51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Our Lord and Savior is recorded in the Bible as being seen by five hundred people. The women, the Mary’s, Peter & John, doubting Thomas, the two on the walk to Emmaus, Paul even records that he saw Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15:3–8 NKJV

3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. 7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.

Again, we read of how God responded to our Risen Savior. Let’s look at how we might respond:

We can respond as the Centurion who guarded Jesus as his call of duty in serving in the military. He was an officer over 100 men. The centurion recognized that Jesus “Truly this was the Son of God.”

Dearly beloved, we can be as the Centurion. There are God moments when are just living out the duties and the chores of life that God calls us to share Jesus as the Son of God and our answer to this world.

The other response and thankfully we have many that minister in this fashion. The hands and feet of Jesus simply ministering where needed and called for.

Matthew 27:55–56 “55 And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.”

We know from the resurrection account that women came to minister to Jesus at the tomb.

Rejoicing Over Our Risen Savior

Staying in a Matthew passion week,

Matthew 28:1–8 NKJV

1 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. 5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” 8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.

We know from the other gospels there were several women, two Mary’s and Salome went to the tomb.

They went to anoint His body. You heard me share in the narration of our musical that their ministry in that fashion was useless, the angel had shared, “Jesus has risen.” “Go tell the disciples.” but all the same, they had a ministry heart. They were told to run and tell the disciples what had happen and they did it flawlessly.

Dearly beloved, how can you rejoice this Easter to the Risen Savior? As you can, with what God has en-gifted you with, with your time, your talents, and your abilities. These women were obedient to what the angel shared. Go and tell the disciples and share all that you have seen.

Matthew 25:44–45 “44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’”

Notice the signs that God had intervened on earth and brought about a new day’s dawning! There was an earthquake and the women came upon an angel sitting upon the rolled back stone.

Dearly beloved, we reflected this morning on the signs.

An earthquake is something that will make us flinch and will cause us to lower our center of gravity to find stability.

Is your life shaken? Do you sense stability? Or, like an earthquake, do you feel the Holy Spirit’s arrest of your attention at this time?

The angel sat on the rolled back stone, not to let Jesus out, but to let the women and Peter and John in. God wanted to get their attention. Maybe this morning He is wanting to arrest your attention.

How are you going to respond?

Oh listen dear guest today, Jesus wants to let you in.

Everything that we read and share about this morning in the Easter story happened for you. God loves you. God wants your life to have meaning, to have purpose, and to sense vision for your life. God wants to answer why you were made? You’ve been searching for that answer in many different ways, but all roads come up blank until you make relationship with your Maker.

When you meet your maker and the Messiah, your mission will come clear. You will begin to gain clarity as to why you are here. You will find purpose. Your life will have meaning.

Do you know Jesus? Do you know the Jesus of the Easter story that came to live on earth a sinless life and to offer His life in your place for your sins? Scriptures state that He “offered His life as a ransom for many.”

Does that verse contradict John 3:16 “16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

In God’s amazing love for you and creating you because He wanted to have a relationship with you, He did not make you a robot. He does not force His will on you.

You have free will, you have choice. Jesus wants you to accept Him today not because you have to, but because you want to. He wants you to love Him as He loves you. Do you love Jesus? Have you ever made a public declaration of that love? Jesus loves you and how I know He loves you is that He made that most public declaration of His love for you on the cross. He bore the sins of the world of One who knew no sin out of His deep abiding love for you.

Declare your love for Him today by doing it publicly, accepting His gift of forgiveness of sin, following in believer’s baptism and from this day forward, declaring that love by sharing with others what the Lord has done for you. Amen.

Let’s pray.