Risen! First Easter Night - Tewantin

Anglican Church Noosa Risen! First Easter Night Luke 24:36-53 Rev’d Chris Johnson April 21, 2024 Today we come to the third sermon in our Easter series looking at the resurrection appearances of Christ. Our passage, Luke 24:36 to 53 is the evening of the first Easter day. We are three weeks into our series and we haven't moved beyond the first Easter day. Three weeks of Easter day! The world doesn't know what it's missing. -The first week we looked at Jesus encounter with Mary Magdalene at the tomb in the morning. -Week 2 we looked at Jesus encounter with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus in the afternoon. -And now we come to the evening and we find the disciples, scratching their heads, wondering what on earth is going on. They have had the report of the stone being rolled away, from the women who went to the tomb early in the morning. They have had the report of Peter and John who discovered the empty tomb. They've also just heard from the two disciples who talked to Jesus on the way to Emmaus. And have rushed back to Jerusalem and reported having seen Jesus. And now Jesus appears not just to Mary Magdalene and two unknown disciples, but to the 10 Apostles (Judas and Thomas not there) and other disciples who had gathered that evening. There are two major things Jesus does with the disciples at this gathering. 1. He wants to convince them that he really is risen from the dead. He does this by inviting them to see the nail prints in his hands and feet, to touch him and to eat a piece of broiled fish. 2. He commissions them to be witnesses, beginning from Jerusalem, but then to all nations. This is Luke's version of the Great Commission. What are they witnessing to? That Jesus died and rose on the third day and that all this happened in order to fulfil the Scriptures. Their Commission is to call people to repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And Jesus promises them power from on high to fulfil the task. But after Jesus leaves them it says in v’s 52 & 53 “They worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.” Knowing Christ had risen from the dead prompts worship and praise to God. And we're told the outcome of all this is wonderful joy. So it seems to me we have here the two great themes of the Bible here - mission and worship and all based on the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. • • The resurrection of Jesus prompts mission - You are witnesses of these things, preach in his name to all nations. The resurrection of Jesus prompts worship - they were continually in the temple praising God. 1 I have to admit to you that I used to think the goal of mission was simply to make disciples. It certainly is that, but now I’m not sure that fully captures it. The goal of mission is to make disciples who worship God. The appropriate response to the gospel, (a gospel that has the resurrection of Christ at the heart of it), is worship. There is a lovely little phrase, which I think was first coined by John Piper. “Mission exists because Worship doesn't.” The goal of mission can be stated as bringing people to worship the one true living God revealed in Jesus Christ. In v47 Jesus talks about “repentance for the forgiveness of sins”. Repentance is turning away from one thing to embrace another. We're calling people to turn away from worshipping their false idols, all the things that they think will give them significance and bring them happiness, and to worship the true living God. Of course idols do bring some immediate satisfaction, otherwise people wouldn't keep pursuing them; but ultimately they let you down. They cannot give the satisfaction that only a relationship with Jesus provides. When the risen Christ stands in front of his disciples that evening what are the first words from his lips? “Peace be with you.” It is only knowing that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead that can bring peace, a deep inner peace knowing that sin and death have been conquered. At the heart of this peace is a conviction that Jesus Christ bodily rose from the dead. There are some who would prefer to only talk about Jesus’ resurrection as a metaphor. That it is just the inner experience of a new beginning, a spiritual experience of new life. Some say this is all the disciples were trying to convey by recording these resurrection accounts. But this doesn't accord with the nature of these accounts. In this account from Luke, Jesus is at pains to point out he is not a ghost, he is not an hallucination that the disciples have conjured up in their own minds. Jesus invites his disciples to look at his hands and feet. Why? The only reason could be to see the nail prints. This resurrection body has continuity with Jesus’ earthly body when he was crucified. Jesus invites the disciples to touch him. His resurrection body has flesh and bones, it is a real body, a real person. It is a body which is able to eat a piece of fish. It is a person who is able to talk with words, and communicate love and grace to troubled, doubting hearts. The wonder is that we are promised a resurrection body as well. We're not going to be souls floating around in the clouds of heaven. Christian understanding is bodily resurrection. The Bible doesn't really give us a lot of detail about the nature of the next life. There is a great mystery about it. What we do know is it will be a very real world, a bodily existence, and somehow we will all have face to face fellowship with Jesus, and the opportunity to worship him. And singing his praises for eternity will be enough. And sadly and tragically, non-believers will not be there, because without repentance there is no heart to worship. An unbelieving heart has no desire to worship. Hence the call to repentance and the need for mission. ‘Mission exists because worship doesn't.’ The second half of the passage from v44 spells out the mission. 2 The mission is about spreading the message that's in the Scriptures. And of course it's a message all about Jesus. In v44 Jesus says, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms.” Jesus is saying the Old Testament is all about him. And verse 45 goes on to say he opened their mind to understand the Scriptures. I think this must have been another sermon similar to the one he gave to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus in the afternoon. If you had to boil it all down what is at the heart of the message in the Scriptures? What does Jesus focus on? Well the fact that “the Messiah will suFer and rise from the dead on the third day”. It's all about Jesus death and resurrection. And the next thing he mentions is the appropriate response to this incredible gift, “repentance for the forgiveness of sin”. So they are to be witnesses, telling out this message. Now in many ways those first disciples had it easier than us. They were living in a Jewish society which recognised the authority of the Jewish scriptures. They had a starting point with people to show them how Jesus fulfilled all that is written there. There is no agreed starting point in our society. There are all sorts authority figures out there that people follow today. I think we should be grateful that there are lingering traces of Christendom such as public holidays for Christmas and Easter and these are still key times we can try and connect with people. There are still people asking for • their children to be baptised, • to get married by a Christian minister • the request for a Christian funeral. All these opportunities are still there, but they are diminishing. Whenever you have family or friends seeking the pastoral ministry of the church, this can be an opportunity to understand why they are connecting with the church and what their understanding of faith is. It can be an opportunity to be open about your church commitment and what faith means to you. Christmas and Easter can also open up these opportunities. It is basically about showing you really care for someone, and sharing with them about the love of God in Jesus as part of that care. Is there someone you care about, who might be open to an invitation to Alpha? We have Introductory Sessions starting soon at Peregian - May 1st and Tewantin - May 22nd. Is there someone you could invite? Mission exists because worship doesn't. We want to bring people into a wholehearted commitment to Christ which necessarily involves worship. This may seem like a huge task and it is, but remember we only do it as we are clothed with power from on high, i.e. with the help of the Holy Spirit. Those first disciples were clothed with power from on high and we have the same promise. 3 So my friends there are two great themes going on here, mission and worship. And all prompted by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. We long for people everywhere to • meet the risen Lord, • be enlisted in his great mission to the world and • know the joy of worship. Let us pray, Father thank you for these stories of Jesus’ resurrection appearances which feed our faith. Lord give us your power from on high, to take our faith into the world with us and openly witness to your saving love in Jesus. Anoint our humble ehorts so that we may speak words of grace that bring the gospel to people. Open hearts, we pray, for people to see the risen Lord and to want to worship him. We look only to you and the power of your resurrection. In Jesus name. Amen 4