Have You Heard the News?

Introduction

Have you heard? Today is Resurrection Day! Well maybe you have, maybe you haven’t – some people call today Easter, and I suppose that’s ok too because well, churches all over the world have paused today to celebrate a very significant event. You know, that very first Resurrection Day, they couldn’t spread the news the way we can today. Think about it, what seems to be just a few short years ago – back when I was in college, nobody had cell phones and the internet was in its infancy and was only in use by military and government research types. Who would have ever guessed that you could have instant access to anything at the tip of your fingers? I mean even in comparison to just 5 years ago, our access to information is mind boggling. 5 years ago – phones weren’t as smart as they are now.

It reminds me of a story I heard:

There was an Illinois man who left the snow-filled streets of Chicago for a vacation in Florida. His wife was on a business trip and was planning to meet him there the next day. When he reached his hotel, he thought he would send his wife a quick e-mail. However, he could not find the scrap of paper on which he had written her e-mail address, so he tried to type it from memory. Unfortunately, he missed one letter and mistakenly sent his note to an elderly woman whose husband had passed away just the day before.

When this grieving widow checked her e-mail, she took one look at the monitor, read the message, let out a tremendous scream, and fell to the floor in a dead faint. Her family rushed into the room and saw this note on the screen:

Dearest wife:

Just got checked in. Everything prepared for your arrival tomorrow.

Your loving husband

P. S. It sure is hot down here!

The First Easter

But that first Easter was a very different story. You see, the one they called savior had risen from the dead.

Just when they thought all of their hopes and dreams had vanished, here He was, just as He promised He would be!

John 20:1–10 TLV

Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it is still dark, Miriam from Magdala comes to the tomb. She sees that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb. So she comes running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Yeshua loved. She tells them, “They’ve taken the Master out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve put Him!” Then Peter and the other disciple set out, going to the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and arrived at the tomb first. Leaning in, he sees the linen strips lying there. But he didn’t go in. Then Simon Peter comes following him, and he entered the tomb. He looks upon the linen strips lying there, and the face cloth that had been on His head. It was not lying with the linen strips, but was rolled up in a place by itself. So then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also entered. He saw and believed. For they did not yet understand from Scripture that Yeshua must rise from the dead. So the disciples went back to their own homes.

The women ran to the tomb and they go back and tell the news of what they’ve seen – only they get it half right (not unlike our modern media). Jesus isn’t there, but they’ve assigned a reason in their own mind as to why He’s not there.

Now Peter and John filled with anxiety at the women’s report rush over to the tomb only to find it empty. Still not sure what to make of it – the men return to their homes, yet one woman stayed behind out of desperation.

John 20:11–18 TLV

But Miriam stood outside the tomb weeping. As she was weeping, she bent down to look into the tomb. She sees two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where Yeshua’s body had been lying. “Woman, why are you crying?” they say to her. She says to them, “Because they took away my Master, and I don’t know where they’ve put Him.” After she said these things, she turned around. And she sees Yeshua standing there. Yet she didn’t know that it was Yeshua. Yeshua says to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” Thinking He’s the gardener, she says to Him, “Sir, if You’ve carried Him away, tell me where You’ve put Him, and I will take Him away.” Yeshua says to her, “Miriam!” Turning around, she says to Him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Yeshua says to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet gone up to the Father. Go to My brothers and tell them, ‘I am going up to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.’ ” Miriam from Magdala comes, announcing to the disciples, “I’ve seen the Lord,” and what He had said to her.

The first lesson we get from this story, is that Jesus makes Himself known to those who are desperate for Him. Mary Magdalene had been delivered from a life of hardship. She loved Jesus dearly, and as a final act of love and respect had come to embalm the body. Now she was not even going to be permitted to do even that! She became desperate and it was this desperation that moved Jesus to appear to her.

Even today, Jesus shows Himself to those who desperately seek Him. Do circumstances in your life have you feeling desperate? Well then today is your lucky day, because just as He showed Himself to Mary, He can certainly make Himself known to you through His Holy Spirit. Can you imagine her excitement? He was standing right there in front of her! At first she wouldn’t let Him go, but when she finally did, she couldn’t contain herself – she had to tell the whole world her good news. And really, that is the type of love and excitement that we should reflect as Christians isn’t it? After all, He found us when we were desperate and filled us with an unspeakable Joy! Shouldn’t we be just as excited about telling everyone the good news?

Sadly, too many people today won’t hear the news. What kind of news? Well, really both good and bad. Easter is about good news for sure, but it does contain bad as well.

Let’s take a look at a passage that I like to call the Christian's headline news.

Ephesians 2:1–7 TLV

You were dead in your trespasses and sins. At that time, you walked in the way of this world, in conformity to the ruler of the domain of the air—the ruler of the spirit who is now operating in the sons of disobedience. We too all lived among them in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind. By nature we were children of wrath, just like the others. But God was rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us. Even when we were dead in our trespasses, He made us alive together with Messiah. (By grace you have been saved!) And He raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Messiah Yeshua— to show in the olam ha-ba the measureless richness of His grace in kindness toward us in Messiah Yeshua.

Now you’ll notice that verse one begins with the word “and”. That means that the thought is connected to something before it. In verses 19 and 20 we see what the news was all about:

Ephesians 1:19–20 TLV

and what is His exceedingly great power toward us who keep trusting Him—in keeping with the working of His mighty strength. This power He exercised in Messiah when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in heaven.

This good news of Christianity all starts with the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

There is more to the news of the resurrection of Jesus Christ than just the fact that Jesus was raised from the dead. Because that news in and of itself is good news, but it's good news because of the bad news, the better news, and the best news.

The Bad News: Man Is Lost

I know by saying that "man is lost" I have committed a crime that will get the PC police on me for being uncouth, un-Christian, and well intolerant. But if that’s true, then the Apostle Paul was one of the most un-Christian, uncouth individuals in history. For he gives a devastating description of the spiritual condition that afflicts every person from the time they are born.

First of all, Paul declares man is spiritually dead.

Ephesians 2:1 TLV

You were dead in your trespasses and sins.

Every person that comes into this world is born “D.O.A.” Dead on Arrival. We used to say that no one died in our Ambulance – we wouldn’t let them. We kept trying until we handed them off to the doctors. They ALWAYS died in the hospital. But that is only because we kept them alive artificially. You see, people that do not yet know the saving grace of God, are similarly alive. They are only alive artificially. What do I mean by that? Well, they are alive physically, but dead spiritually. Now it is not that people are not following God TikTok when they are born and simply need to click the little plus to start getting his posts. The problem is deeper – They haven’t even gotten on the internet to sign up for TikTok to begin with!

There was a chicken farmer who was losing a lot of his flock, and he wrote a letter to the Department of Agriculture and said:

“Gentlemen: Something is wrong with my chickens. Every morning when I come out, I find two or three lying on the ground cold and stiff with their feet in the air. Can you tell me what is the matter?”

Three months later the reply came back from Washington:

"Dear Sir: Your chickens are dead."

Every person without Jesus Christ is spiritually dead. We do not become spiritually dead because we sin, we are born spiritually dead because we are sinners. People do not become sinners because they sin, they sin because they are born sinners.

There is one thing that is true of you right now. Either you are dead, or you were dead. Verse one speaks either of your past or your present. If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ, you are a "dead man walking." Every home without Jesus is a funeral home. Every person in that home without Jesus is a corpse, and every bed in that home that is slept in is a casket. We are spiritually dead apart from Christ.

Man is also spiritually depraved. Paul says a person who is dead is controlled by three things. First of all, he is controlled by the world.

Ephesians 2:2a (TLV)

At that time, you walked in the way of this world...

From the time you are born, if you do not trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and as your Savior, you'll not only live in this world, you will live for this world and you will think like this world. There are only two ways you can walk in this life: You can walk according to the Word, or you can walk according to the world.

The Word says abortion is the taking of a life; the world says abortion is the making of a choice. The Word says sex is a sacred act; the world says sex should be a safe act. The Word sees hell as a judgment; the world sees hell as a joke. The Word sees man as a creation in the image of God; the world sees God as a creation of man’s imagination.

So don't be surprised by the way the world thinks, acts or talks; it's just doing what comes naturally.

A dead man is also controlled by the devil. He also walks

Ephesians 2:2b (TLV)

... in conformity to the ruler of the domain of the air—the ruler of the spirit who is now operating in the sons of disobedience.

The world will teach you to sin, but the devil will tempt you to sin. Whether it is pornography, prostitution, drug addiction, or family destruction, you can see the devil's handiwork in the lives of lost people everywhere.

The dead man is also controlled by the flesh.

Ephesians 2:3a (TLV)

We too all lived among them in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind.

The world will teach you to sin, the devil will tempt you to sin, but the flesh will take you to sin. The dead man is not only corrupted from the outside in, he is also corrupted from the inside out. I can assure you that we can sin just fine without any help from the world or the devil.

There was a little boy who was disciplined by his mother for kicking his sister in the shins and then pulling her hair.

His mother said, “Sam, why did you let the devil make you kick your little sister and pull her hair?”

He said, “Well mother, the devil made me kick her, but pulling her hair was my idea.”

A lot of times sin is our idea because we live according to the flesh.

But the dead man is also spiritually doomed.

Ephesians 2:3 TLV

We too all lived among them in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind. By nature we were children of wrath, just like the others.

Now look carefully at what it says. We are not only sinners by choice, and sinners by practice, we are sinners by nature. We sin because it is our nature to sin. You don't have to teach children to lie, cheat, or steal. You have to teach them not to lie, cheat, and steal, because that is their nature.

I heard the story about a scorpion who wanted to cross a lake. But being unable to swim, he had to find another way across. He noticed a duck swimming across the water and said, “Mr. Duck, would you please help me get across this lake and fly me to the other side?”

The duck said: “Mr. Scorpion, there is no way I would do that because you would sting me and kill me.”

The scorpion said: “Mr. Duck, I wouldn't do that, because if I stung you, we would both die by crashing into the water.”

The duck said: "Well, now that you put it that way, I guess I will."

So the scorpion jumped onto the duck's back, and the duck took off. Halfway over the lake the scorpion stung the duck in the neck. As the duck was dying, plummeting into the lake, he looked back and said:

“Mr. Scorpion, why did you do that? We are both going to die, and you told me you wouldn't sting me.”

The scorpion looked at the duck and said: “I just can't help it, it's my nature.”

Well, because we are sinners by nature, we are born “children of wrath.” We are not born children of God, we are born children of wrath. We must be born again to become children of God. That is the bad news “man is lost”.

The Better News: God Is Love

I know the news is about to get better because of the first two words of verse “But God,” Have you ever thought about what a difference that little three letter word “but” makes? Think about these statements:

- The phone rings your son is on the other end of the line, and he says: “Dad, I have been in a wreck.” Your heart leaps into your throat, but then you hear him say, “But, I'm okay.” Makes all the difference, doesn't it?

- The doctor says: “You have cancer.” Your breath is literally taken away until he says, “But, it is completely curable and we have caught it in time.”

Makes a big difference , doesn't it?

- Think about this statement: “My husband has lost his mind” but it wasn't a big loss. Oh wait, that doesn’t work too well.

The bad news is man is lost, but the better news is:

Ephesians 2:4–5 TLV

But God was rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us. Even when we were dead in our trespasses, He made us alive together with Messiah. (By grace you have been saved!)

There are three great words in these verses that make the difference between heaven and hell. They are love, mercy, and grace. Now in love we see the motive of salvation. Just as by nature man is lost, so by nature God is love. Before we could ever respond to God, God first responded to us with His love.

We can have a relationship with God “because of His great love with which He loved us.” That is the motive of salvation. That is why God sent Jesus, because He loved us.

Jesus Himself said:

John 3:16 TLV

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

That is Jesus chose to die on the cross; because He loved us.

Romans 5:8 TLV

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Messiah died for us.

They say “love is blind.” But God’s love is not! He saw me with all of my flaws, my weaknesses, my stubbornness, failures, and faults, and He still sent Jesus to die for me. I don't know what God saw in me, but thank God He saw something nobody else could see!

I'm sure the devil said to God: "I don't know what you see in that guy, I don’t see anything in him worth sending Jesus to die for.” I can just hear God say, “Do you know why you don't see anything in him? Because you don't love him like I love him.”

We are told that God is "rich in mercy." You know God is rich in so many ways. He has paved His streets with gold. He has molded His gates with pearl. He has built His walls with jasper. He owns everything in this universe, but thank God, His wealth is not measured by mansions or materials, but by mercy.

It is a mercy that has no end. It never runs dry, never falls short and has a light that never goes out.

There was a mother one time who went to Napoleon, and she was seeking the pardon of her son who had been condemned to death. Napoleon told this mother it was the man's second offense, and justice demanded his death. The mother said: “But sir, I'm not asking for justice, I am pleading for mercy.”

Napoleon said: “But lady, he does not deserve mercy.”

The mother said: “Sir, you are exactly right, and it would not be mercy if he deserved it, and mercy is what I'm asking for.”

Napoleon said: “Well then, I will show mercy.”

And her son was saved. Thank God, that because of His mercy, He does not give us what we deserve.

Take a look at something else with me it says

Ephesians 2:5 TLV

Even when we were dead in our trespasses, He made us alive together with Messiah. (By grace you have been saved!)

Now the method of his salvation is grace. Here we see three great words that make God God, and allow us to know Him. Because of His mercy, He does not give us the hell we do deserve. Because of His grace, He is willing to give us the heaven we do not deserve, and because of His love He gives us mercy and grace. There is no reason for grace but grace, and the only reason there is even one Christian on planet earth is because of the grace of God.

The Best News: Jesus Is Lord

Now because Jesus was born, we can be born again. Because Jesus died for our sin, we can die to our sin, and because Jesus was physically raised from the dead, we can be spiritually raised from the dead. In the remaining verses of this passage we see what God has done for us because of the risen Lord Jesus.

Through Jesus we have spiritual regeneration. Notice it says we have been "made alive together with Christ." Because Jesus lives physically, I can now live spiritually in Him. Because Jesus lives physically, I can live personally for Him. Because Jesus lives physically, I can live eternally with Him. Jesus did for us the one thing any dead person needs done for him – He made us alive.

You know, the only thing a dead person needs is life. He doesn't need money because he can't spend it. He doesn't need food because he can't eat it. He doesn't need water because he can't drink it. He doesn't need air because he can't breathe it. He doesn't need light because he can't see it. He doesn't sound because he can't hear it. He needs life.

And though we were dead in trespasses and sins, we can be alive because He is alive. Because He lives, so can I and so can you. Christianity is not a sick man getting well; it is a dead man coming alive!

Through Jesus we have spiritual resurrection. When the Lord Jesus comes into a dead soul, He breathes into that soul the breath of eternal life. He makes you alive, and when He does, He doesn't leave you in the graveyard. He brings you out of that casket and He raises you up.

Now you think about this: What we are dead in – “our sins” is exactly what Jesus died for. Just as God rolled away the stone, He can cast away our sin and we can now live by His resurrection power.

But the best news gets even better because through Jesus we experience a spiritual reign.

Ephesians 2:6 TLV

And He raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Messiah Yeshua—

Now where is Jesus right now? Well, He's in the heavenly places. Well, where is He sitting? Well, He's sitting on a throne. Well, where are we right now? We're in the heavenly places, and where are we sitting? We're sitting right next to Him. Do you see why the news of Easter is so wonderful?

Mt. Whitney in California is the highest spot in the continental United States at 14,495 feet. If you hike to the top of that mountain, you will be surrounded by crystal clear air, cool breezes, and beautiful lakes. But if you look eighty miles to the southeast, you will see Death Valley, the lowest spot in the continental United States at 280 feet below sea level, and the hottest place in the country with a record 134 degrees in the shade!

Because Jesus is risen, you can go from the valley of spiritual death to the mountaintop of eternal life, and God wants to do all of this that we might one day be His eternal trophies of grace.

Ephesians 2:7 TLV

to show in the olam ha-ba the measureless richness of His grace in kindness toward us in Messiah Yeshua.

So, have you heard the news? Did you know that you don’t have to be a dead man walking anymore? You don’t have to live as a slave to the old way of doing things! There is hope for you! There is healing for a broken heart!