Grace Gives us Resurrection (2)

Intro

What we are going to read together is not just a story. It isn’t even another Bible story it is the reason that the church is still here 2000 years later. Jesus is alive. I could spend this whole morning appealing to your mind. convincing or reassuring you that the resurrection happened. I could point you to historical arguments and logical reasoning. of which there is so much in favor of the resurrection.

But I believe a day like today isn’t about learning new facts. We celebrate Easter not to focus on facts we celebrate easter to spend time in awe of our God. So I want to focus on talking to your heart today and not just your head. My prayer today is that weather you have been in church all your life or this is your first time, you leave in awe of God, and you go forward from today through the rest of the year choosing to be in awe everyday of what God did and he still does in your life because of the resurrection of Jesus on Easter morning.

John 20:1–18

This is it. This is why we are here. looking here at the greatest story ever told. I want to give you three things today that I see in this passage. These arent little take aways or action steps these are simply things that when I read this, this week they brought me to a sense of awe of our God and what Jesus did, and I hope they do the same for you.

1. The Resurrection Wasn’t Random

The resurrection wasn’t an audible, it wasn’t a hail marry, it wasn’t plan B. God did not watch Jesus die on good Friday and sit there like well what do I now? I didn’t see this coming. What could we do to salvage this situation? ah yes ill raise him up from the dead.

That is not what happened at all. God had directly said three times in the Old Testament that the messiah would die and rise again. Jesus himself said 3 times that he would rise again. The resurrection wasn’t random it was planned and orcastrated before the foundations of the earth were laid.

Ephesians 1:3–6 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.”

Before the mountains that you will see when you walk to your car existed. God had already set in motion the plan so that you could have the option to be adopted into his family. The cross, the tomb, it wasn’t random. It was God’s plan before he created Adam he knew that we would commit treason against him the high king, he knew that the cross was the only way to pay the price for that treason and he knew that death would be defeated once and for all in the tomb on easter morning.

What is so beautiful about all this for us is John, Peter, and Mary did not understand this on easter morning.

John 20:8–9 ESV

Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

John went in, he saw the empty tomb and he believed that Jesus was alive, but it says he did not understand the scriptures. He did understand that this had been predicted, he didn’t see the whole beautiful picture that God was drawing, he didn’t understand that what was happening wasn’t random, and yet he believed and that was enough.

We don’t have to understand every nuance of God’s plan before we believe. but the deeper we dive into his word and the more we understand. The more awe and wonder we are led into. The more we understand that the events of Holy week weren’t random. they fell into place in God’s grand story of our redemption that he set in motion before the earth was made. Our only response should be awe and wonder. Before the tree was planted that became the cross he knew his son’s blood would run down it, before the iron that made the nails was formed he knew it would pierce Jesus skin. Before your great grandparents met he knew you would be in your seat today hearing about how the events that made your redemption possible weren’t random they were part of a perfect plan put in motion by a perfect God who was never going to leave your rescue to random chance.

The second thing that I want to slow down and wonder at together is in Jesus’ interaction with Mary.

John 20:13–16 ESV

They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).

Mary here by her actions shows that she is searching for a corpse not a victorious Lord. And then Jesus spoke her name and her tragedy turned to triumph. and she responds Rabboni. which was a very personal title it meant my own dear teacher. Looking at this beautiful moment the thing that leads me to awe is

2. The Resurrection isn’t just the end of Death, it’s the Beginning of Joy

Mary was at her lowest point the person who she had put her faith in was dead. The person who had casted demons out of her was gone. She was heartbroken for the loss of Jesus, and she was also probably full of anxious thoughts if with Jesus gone would the demons come back. and now she thinks someone has stolen and desecrated her beloved teacher’s body.

Of all the people Jesus could have gone to first. He chose the least put together, least respected, and most heartbroken person he could choose. In the middle of her heartache he stepped in, called her by name, and changed everything for her. Her heartbreak turned to joy.

We spend a lot of time in church talking about the cross and death being defeated and that is good and true. But I think it is equally important that we recognize what the result of that should be for us. It is joy. It is an ability to have an intimate relationship with our dear teacher.

Even on our darkest days because of the resurrection we have joy knowing that God has secured a big picture victory for our salvation but also a joy knowing that Jesus is there for you even on your worst day. When you get the bad report from the doctor, he is there, when your kids wont talk to you, he is there, when you have been betrayed and let down, he is there. In the middle of your grief, he is there, in your battle with anxiety he is there.

Jesus offers you hope for tomorrow and a joy for today that perseveres through the trials of life. Mary came face to face with Jesus, just like every individual that we have been talking about the last several weeks. Coming face to face with Jesus changed everything for the woman at the well, nicodemus, the woman caught in adultery, Zacheus, the thief on the cross, Mary. and coming face to face with Jesus and experiencing his grace can change everything for you to.

How? how can a historical event that happened 2000 years ago even if I believe it is true help me today.

3. The Resurrection is not just an Event We Celebrate, It is a Reality We Live In.

There are lots of events that happen that don’t affect your every day or future reality. A few weeks ago they knocked down the Long John Silvers building down the street. That is an event that happened. Someone went on Sevierville Speaks out and asked why they knocked it down? I commented on there. The real question is how did stay standing so long? I have never eaten there. I never saw anyone eat there. I had no desire to ever eat there. That event though true and I believe it to be true had no impact on me. If you were one of the few, the proud that ate there I am sorry for your loss. But for me it had no affect.

There are other events that have happened in the past that reflect my reality today. The events of July 4th 1776. The declaration of independence is signed and the 13 colonies then had to take steps that led to what became the United States of America. I am not a citizen of Britain today because of that event. That event affects the reality I live in today.

I turned 30 a couple weeks ago we celebrated that. My kids were way more excited to celebrate than I was but the event of turning 30 means that I live every day with the reality that my 20s are over Im old now and live in the reality that I am 30 whether I like it or not.

Jesus resurrection wasn’t just an event that happened. It is the reality we get to now live in. Like as Americans we experience freedoms that were secured in the 1700s. But even better than that because of the resurrection we are brought into the family of God with all the incredible benefits that come with being sons and daughters of the king.

John 20:17–18 ESV

Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

This is the first time Jesus refers to the disciples as his brothers. The weren’t just friends or disciples anymore. His father could now be their father. Everything had changed. The resurrection had changed the reality of who they are. Because of the resurrection the reality of who we are has also changed. Through the forgiveness of our sins made possible by the death and resurrection of Jesus. The Resurrection has stamped “paid in full” across history and now Our identity is rooted in the reality of our standing with God.

If you place your faith in Jesus Christ to not just believe that the events of easter happened, but choose to make Jesus your Lord, your boss to live in the reality that the penalty for your sins was paid on the cross. Then you aren’t a subject of the king, you aren’t a friend of the king, you are a son or daughter of the king.

You can have that deep relationship with him that Mary, Peter, and John had. A relationship that changes your life because Jesus wasn’t just resurrected he is the resurrection. It is through him that you can experience resurrection into eternal life when you die and spend eternity with Jesus.

But the reality we live in because of the resurrection doesn’t start when you die. You don’t keep it in your pocket until you cash it in when you die. You get to live in the joy and freedom now. Mary didn’t have to wait to experience the joy of Jesus she got to experience that day and for the rest of her life. And so can you.

Conclusion

Hearing about how your resurrection wasn’t random it was planned before the foundation of the earth should lead you feelings of awe of the God who could make that possible even if it meant the death of His Son.

Hearing about how Jesus’ resurrection gives you access to a joy now should lead you to feelings of awe and thankfulness, That God didn’t just resurrect you for the future he resurrected to enjoy the joys of knowing him now.

Hearing about how what happened on Easter isn’t just a historical event to celebrate but the reality we live in every day should lead to an even deeper feeling of awe knowing that it is more than a holiday we celebrate once a year and move on with our lives. The tomb is not only empty on Easter. On the first Easter morning the tomb was emptied never to be filled again, not be Jesus or by you. Because he is our resurrection and our life everyday.

I hope you have been led into awe of what God has done. If you are here today and you are a son or daughter of the king. You have placed your faith in Jesus as your resurrection and your life. My prayer and challenge for you is you would take the time every day to do what we have done this morning, just spend some time focusing on what God has done for you, because the more you think about and spend time with him you can’t help but be in awe of it. And let that awe lead you to do what Mary did. She didn’t just sit and take in all the joy of Jesus’ resurrection for herself. She listened to Jesus and took the message of joy to those who were just as heartbroken as she was and needed to hear about it. Let your awe lead to action.

If you are here today and you have never taken that step of entering the family of God by placing your faith in Jesus to save you. Maybe you have believed that he rose from the dead for awhile but you have never let it be anything that mattered in your everyday life. It was your long john silvers you knew it happened but it didn’t matter to you. Today can be there day where you recognize that no the empty tomb was my declaration of independence because it exists I have freedom, because the tomb is empty I can be free from sin, death and my joy can start today.

Let today be the day that your awe of what God has done moves from being a feeling to your reality by saying Jesus today I want to push all the chips in with you just like you did for me on the cross. I give you my life because if the story of Easter shows us anything, he is way better at making plans than us. Come down here and admit you need him to save you, that you believe that what did on the cross was enough to save you, and confess him as your Lord.