He Is Risen

Today we celebrate the resurrection of Christ! It is a day of celebration, of joy, of hope, a day on which our faith is grounded.

I’ve thinking about the word faith lately. Faith is defined in scripture in Hebrews 11:1 as this:

Hebrews 11:1 NIV

1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

As this relates to our celebration today, it means we have a confidence in hope of Jesus’ resurrection. Hope in what that means for us, hope in what he accomplished. Faith is having an assurance in this happening, even if we did not see it with our own eyes.

But faith is not just something in our head - faith comes with action based on the faith. It is our actions that makes our faith real.

In the Old Testament, there is this guy Abraham who God spoke to on several occasions. He promised him descendants when Abraham and his wife Sarah were not able to conceive. God promised him land that was occupied by others. In both cases, the Bible says that Abraham believed and it was credited to him as righteousness.

A few passages later, God commanded Abraham to circumcise all the men in his household, including the servants. It says that Abraham took all the males in his household and circumcised them, including himself. This is a man who had a faith in God that left him no alternative but to act.

Faith is not just a head confidence, or an assurance in our mind of the hope we have, our faith should bring us to an action.

So, what is our hope that we have assurance of? What is it that we believe with confidence? Based on our belief, what then should be the outward action of that faith be?

This is something I was thinking about recently as I was looking ahead to this day where we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. What action should our faith prompt in us? We’ll get back to that in a bit...

When I was younger, in my late teens to early 20s, I was often told that I should set aside money every month for retirement. The earlier I started, the better. I was shown this thing called compound interest. I believed what they were telling me about this compound interest, but I did not have faith in it.

I had faith in myself. I had faith that I would have enough time to figure it out. I had faith that someday I would have enough money to be able to invest. I wish I could say that I had faith that God would provide, but that wasn’t really what I was thinking.

I believed in what I was being told intellectually, but I didn’t have faith. Faith is an action word - it requires us to take an action.

Now the story I just told is not a great analogy. I would agree that if I were to poke at it a bit, it would fall apart as an example of what is being asked of us in our faith in Christ. One way it worked for me it to realize that by not acting on the information early in life caused me to lose some valuable time that I cannot get back.

I fear that I, and possibly you, have done something similar with our faith in Christ. Perhaps you are at a place where you’ve put your faith in Christ, but if you were honest, you would say that you aren’t really living out that faith in a meaningful way. You’re saved, you’ve believed, but there is a lack of action in your faith.

I want to spend the rest of our time today looking at what happened on the first day of the week after Jesus was crucified. We’ll look at several passages, but we’ll start in Matthew 28, verse 1.

Matthew 28:1–10 NIV

1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” 8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

***Talk about Mary - In Luke 8 - She had seven demons come out of her.

The events of the resurrection are told in all 4 gospels. Let’s take a look at the account John wrote.

John 20:1–31 NIV

1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying. 11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). 17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her. 19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” 24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” 26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Vs 10 - Peter and John did not understand at this point. They saw him gone, but didn’t understand

vs 16-18 - Mary is the first to understand and see him. Jesus knew the love and faith she had. Disciples knew it as well.

vs 29 - We are among those who have not seen and yet have believed. Jesus calls us blessed.

The events of the resurrection are corroborated by so many different sources. Many tried to suppress the telling of what happened, but word spread by many eyewitnesses. Everything Jesus spoke about happening, happened and John wrote about them all in his gospel.

vs 31 - The purpose of John’s Gospel is that we would believe in Jesus and have life in his name.

When someone comes to faith in Christ, I always recommend reading this part of the Bible first as John wrote this under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit with the goal of setting the record straight on all that happened - including the resurrection, that we might believe and have life.

Inside every human being is this instinct that there is a difference between right and wrong, good and evil. While many differ on which is which, with that instinct comes a basic understanding that wrong and evil deserve punishment. The Bible calls the evil and wrong actions in our life sin. Sin is anything that contrary to God’s holiness and righteousness. It is not something that is up for debate by the way.

In the book of Romans, Paul writes that the consequence of that sin is death - eternal death. Death is essentially a separation from life, ultimately a separation from the source of life - God. Jesus death on the cross was a substitutionary death for us. He took on our consequence, he paid our debt for us. He took on all of our sin that we might be set free from it.

We call that mercy - Jesus took our punishment so we didn’t have to.

Not only did he pay the penalty for our sin on the cross, but he rose again, conquering death. He defeated death so that in him, we are also victorious over death. Not our physical death, but the death that would separate us from the source of life.

John recalls the life of Jesus, all that he said and did - he recalls the death burial and resurrection so that by faith we would walk in life in Jesus name.

I recognize that perhaps there are some here who have not come to the place where you would say you have faith in what Jesus did for you. I’m not just talking about a head faith, I’m talking about a heart faith. A faith that causes change in us. The Bible says in Jesus that we are a new creation in Christ. Can you point to a moment in your life where you became a new creation in Christ? Where there was a belief you now have that changed you?

From that first moment of faith in Christ, things begin to change. Hopefully over time, you continue to change and become more Christlike in your life.

If you can’t remember a time where you have done that, I would like to give you an opportunity to respond in a few moments. Our desire here at Crossroads is much like what John expressed. We do all that we do that those who come might hear about Jesus, place their faith in him and walk in a new life in Jesus Name.

For those who have placed their faith in Jesus already, I want to give you all a opportunity to respond as well. At the start of our time, I mentioned that our faith should be accompanied by action. There are so many ways in which we walk out our lives as a Christ follower. I’m going to keep it simple and read to a passage from the end of the book of Matthew....

Matthew 28:16–20 NIV

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Part of me wonders if most church goers read this passage and think that Jesus was only talking to the advanced Christians, the pastors and ministry leaders in the church, the missionaries...that’s who Jesus was talking to...Let me challenge you this morning and say this great commission is for the whole church - all of us. We are to all of these things.

Go - If someone were to look at your schedule, your activities, is there evidence of you going to others in the name of Jesus? Are you spending time with others with a gospel intent in mind?

Make Disciples - Are you encouraging others in their faith? Do you challenge others to be more like Christ?

Baptizing - Did you know there isn’t a restriction on who can baptize? We like to do baptisms at our church picnic, but if you know what it means to be baptized, you can walk someone through that. You can help people come to a place of wanting to be baptized and you can even baptize people. Any of the pastors and elders can walk with you through that.

Teaching them - The old testament talks about teaching our children God’s word - it says to teach them at home, on the road, when you go to bed, when you wake up, to write it on your hands and on your doorposts...essentially have teaching our kids on our minds all the time. The same idea applies here. Teach others to obey Christ.

Then a promise - Jesus promises to be with us always to the end of the age. If Jesus is with us and will help us...do we believe that...if we do, then why would we fear doing any of these things in and through him?

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