This Changes Everything

THE RESURRECTION: WHAT NOW?

About half of us here raised families and had careers, and hobbies, and lived good lives without this thing called the internet. before we had all human knowledge at your finger tips and before you could carry it around with you i n your pocket. Some even remember when the location you could talk on your phone was not limited by cell phone c overage, but my how far the phone cord could reach. Some remember when television only had 3 channels and you had to readjust your antennae on the roof to be able to change channels.

And then you remember the storefront sign you've seen on your way to work:

Computer Repair Center. We fix computers.

You think, "Perfect. I'll drop it off on my way to work, and pick it up on my way home. How convenient."

The next morning you walk in the door, take out your laptop, and the man behind the counter says, "What seems to be the problem?"

You say, "I'm having a hard time connecting to the internet."

He says, "Excuse me. Connecting to the what?"

You say, "The internet. You know, the World Wide Web."

I guess you could say that there is not much in our world, that hasn’t changed because of technology. could you imagine trying to navigate today’s world with only a phone attached to a wall.

He looks more confused and says, "I'm sorry. I'm not familiar with the term. What is this 'internet' of which you speak?"

You say, "Are you serious? How can you not be familiar with the internet? You're a computer repairman!"

He says, "Well, I admit that it's been a few years since I received my certification. Actually, my specialty is DOS 5. If you've got a problem with your config.sys file, I'm your man."

Now, I realize that this is pretty far-fetched scenario, but I'm about to make a point with it, so let's keep on.

You realize he can't help you, so you take your laptop to another shop, and they fix it right away. And then you decide to repay a visit to Mr. Config-Dot-Sys.

You walk in the door and put your computer on the counter and you say, "Sir, let me show you this internet that I was talking about." You open a browser and you type in a search term — cats, Tim Tebow, angry birds, something like that — and you hand him the laptop and let him explore.

It wouldn't be long at all before he turns to you and says, "You know what? This internet — this changes everything." And, of course, he would be right.

Now, I know that this example is more than a little over-the-top, but it illustrates a tendency I've observed among many. I'm talking about the tendency to live in today's world with a yesterday mindset.

There are times when you could say that we're not working with the most up-to-date update in our approach to daily life. And there are times when we make life choices that aren't based on the most recent information available.

Now, if you make health decisions or financial decisions or business decisions based on outdated information, it will certainly work against you.

But much, much worse is when we do this in our spiritual lives.

We have a new covenant with God with through his Son, Jesus Christ — but we sometimes live as if the old covenant is still in place.

Jesus Christ came into this world to make a difference in the way we live, and in the way we relate to God, and in the way we relate to one another — but sometimes we're guilty of living as if he hasn't been here at all ... or as if what he accomplished during his time on earth didn't matter so much after all.

We live in a new covenant Reality with an old covenant approach. We live in today's world with a yesterday mindset.

And so today I want to tell you about an event that took place in the life of Jesus — an event can be described as the ultimate this-changes-everything event.

Now, it's Easter Sunday. You know why we're here and you can guess which event I'm talking about. It's the story upon which this church — and every church — is built.

Here's how the story goes.

Toward the end of Jesus' ministry on earth, he had come to be seen more and more as a threat to the religious establishment, as well as a nuisance to the political establishment, so leaders from both groups got together and co-conspired to make an example of this rabble-rousing rabbi.

They chose a time when Jerusalem would be filled with tourists and religious pilgrims. They arranged to have him arrested. They put him through the mockery of a trial. They sentenced him to death. And then he was publicly executed on the outskirts of town, on a hill called Mount Calvary.

At this point, those in power thought that that was that: his followers would surely disperse, and it would be the last they would hear from this carpenter who claimed to be a king.

And they were almost right, because his disciples, for the most part, also thought that that was that. After he was arrested, all of the men among them, except for one, abandoned him and ran for their lives.

One of them — who had earlier betrayed him for a few pieces of silver — ultimately took his own life.

Another — who had days before boldly promised to be faithful to the end — he, instead, boldly deniedhim in the public square, calling down curses and saying, "I never even knew the man."

So those in power were correct in thinking that his disciples would disappear into the night.

Only one disciple, named John, and a few women stayed with Jesus until the bitter end. Together they watched from a distance as he died a humiliating death: naked, forsaken, and alone. Their hearts were broken, because they were sure that the dream was over.

Later that evening, after his spirit had left his body, these few remaining faithful followers took his corpse and placed it in a tomb.

And that appeared to be that.

But here's something those in power didn't consider.

On Sunday morning ... well, you know what happened next. We read this text earlier and you've heard this story all your life.

On Sunday morning, some women went to the tomb to the anoint his dead body will oil. This was an ancient custom; they did it to delay decomposition for as long as possible.

Now, since Jesus was such a notorious character and his death had been so high-profile throughout the city, the stone that sealed his tomb was being watched by a handful of Roman guards — just to make sure some crazies didn't come along and steal his body and start making outrageous claims.

So, while the guards were watching the tomb, and while the women were on their way, the ground began to tremble. And when they arrived at the tomb, the guards were still there, but they were terrified. The stone had already been moved, and there was an angel dressed in dazzling white, and he said to the women, "Do not be afraid any longer. The one you are looking for isn't here. He is risen. Quickly now, go tell his tell his disciples that Jesus Christ is no longer dead."

As the women hurried away, still afraid but beginning to experience an awakening of tremendous joy, they came face-to-face with the risen Son of God.

And what did they do? They fell at his feet and worshipped him.

He said to them, "Do not be afraid any longer. But go and tell my brothers that I am alive. Tell them to go to Galilee and I will meet them there."

These brothers he referred to, these disciples, found their way to the mountain in Galilee and there they met him face-to-face, the risen Son of God.

And what did the disciples do when they saw him? They worshipped him.

And then he gave them what we call the Great Commission. He said...

18 "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."

This is how the book of Matthew ends, so I don't know what the disciples said next. But here's what I suspect they said.

"Now this changes everything."

I'm here today to tell you that the resurrection of Jesus Christ turns the old way of living — and our old approach to making sense of the world around us — completely upside down.

Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, your life no longer has to be what it might have been before. You are no longer bound by yesterday's news and yesterday's information. That's because today there is a new story, and it changes everything.

Today I want us to a second look at some of the details of this story in , because it shows us how to respond to the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This is why today's message is titled The Resurrection: What Now? Since Jesus is raised from the dead — what does that mean? What do we do now?

The ramifications of the resurrection of Christ are too many to name in a single sermon, however, today I want us to look at three ways we need to respond to the resurrection of Jesus. These three responses — or reactions — will put us on the path to a "this-changes-everything" approach to life.

First of all, in light of the resurrection of Jesus Christ...

1. You need to let go of yesterday's fear.

When the women went to the tomb, and they saw the stone had been moved and the angel sitting there, what did he say to them? He said...

5 "Do not be afraid."

The literal translation of this phrase in Greek is: Stop being afraid.

Later, when they meet Jesus along the way, he spoke to them using the very same phrase: Stop being afraid.

I don't think that the fear the women in this story were experiencing — the fear that the angel and Jesus were referring to — was a brand-new in-the-moment fear. It wasn't because of the earthquake and the rolled away stone. Both the angel and the risen Lord were referring to the fear that most certainly had consumed these women — as well as all of Jesus' followers — for the past few days. It was an unrelenting fear, a fear that had caused the majority of them to run and hide.

The very first message they heard on Easter morning — and they heard it twice — was this: You can stop being afraid now.

Jesus would say the same thing to you today: You can stop being afraid now.

What do we fear, you and me? I would say that the fears we face are all-but-identical to the fears the disciples faced during that dreadful weekend.

Like the disciples, we fear that perhaps "the dream is over."

We fear that we're facing battles that ultimately God cannot win — battles that the bad guys are bound to win, that sin will eventually win.

We fear that we're alone in this world. Vulnerable. Unprotected. And we fear that we just might be next in line for the enemy's attack. And then what will do?

Do you know what causes us to feel afraid? It's when we think that Jesus is still in the tomb, and the best we can hope to do is anoint his dead body with oil and think about what might have been.

But I want to tell you something. He's no longer in the tomb. It is empty. The tomb is empty. Up from the grave he arose ... and now we can sing Christ the Lord is Risen Today. And if he can conquer death, and sin, and the grave, then he can help you and me conquer our puny little problems.

That's why the angel said, "Stop being afraid." That's why Jesus said, "Stop being afraid."

And just like the angels told the women to "come and see where he lay," we need to take a long hard look at the grave that no longer holds him, and we need to give serious consideration to all that the empty tomb means.

If Jesus can conquer death, why in the world should we be afraid?

Fear is yesterday's story. It's yesterday's strategy for living. Today there's a new story making the rounds: Jesus Christ is alive. You can let go of your fear.

This brings us to next "what now" response. Instead of giving in to fear...

2. You need to give Jesus the worship he deserves.

In church we talk a lot about obeying Jesus and following Jesus and trusting Jesus and praying in Jesus' name, and asking Jesus to work his wonders among us — and we need to make sure that, in the midst of all this, we are worshipping Jesus as he deserves to be worshipped.

What was the response when the women encountered Jesus on the way?

8 They came to him, clasped his feet and worshipped him.

What was the response when the disciples met with Jesus on the mountain in Galilee?

17 When they saw him, they worshipped him...

Why would we worship Jesus? Because he is God Almighty. He is God in the flesh.

Our one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father; through him all things were made.

He is worthy to be praised, worthy to be worshipped, worthy to be adored.

Now, I want you to notice something. The Bible says that when the disciples came to Galilee and saw Jesus, they worshipped him ... and then Matthew adds the phrase:

17 "...but some doubted."

This doesn't just refer to Doubting Thomas; "some" is plural. And we need to keep in mind that there will always be those who don't quite get it — even when the truth is right in front of them.

I also want you to notice what happened with the Roman guards. Matthew tells us that after the earthquake and after they saw the angel and their fear subsided just a little, they took a bribe from some religious leaders and fabricated a story that none of this really happened.

We need to keep in mind that there will always be those who, in their own self-interests, will deny the truth — even when it's right in front of them.

Here's what I'm saying. Don't be sidetracked by those who don't get it and those who refuse to accept it. Pay them no mind. Give them no heed. Instead, just worship Jesus as he deserves to be worshipped.

I also want to say that if you have doubts about the resurrection, you need to do what the angel said: Go back to the empty tomb and look at where he lay. Examine all the evidence for the resurrection of Christ — there's tons of it out there — and settle in your mind once and for all that Jesus is who he claimed to be and he did what he claimed he would do.

Just about every religion on the planet will tell you that Jesus was a good man and a great teacher. Even most skeptics and atheists will say that while they don't think much of organized religion, they agree that Jesus was a good man and a great teacher.

And they might have a point — if his bones had ultimately turned to dust in Mid-Eastern grave.

But that's not what happened. Death could not hold him. He rose again. For those who want to say he was merely a good, moral teacher — the resurrection changes everything. He was not merely a teacher. He was not merely a man. He is the King of Kings and the Lords of Lords, and he alone is worthy of our praise.

When things take place in your life that you don't understand — when you face circumstances over which you no control — instead of surrendering to fear, make this your "What Now" response: Worship Jesus as the King of all Kings.

Instead of bowing in submission to the fear that you may feel, bow your knee to the One who was raised from the dead on Easter Day.

In the final words he spoke to his followers, he said...

18 "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me."

Other translations, such as the King James, say...

18 All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

This Greek actually needs both English words to fully describe it. He has all the power, and all the authority — in all the world. He is Lord of all. What better reason to give him our worship?

This leads us to the third "What Now" response that I want you to consider today.

3. You need to live every day as if he is with you all the way — because he is.

We feel the fear that we feel because we feel that we are alone — vulnerable and unprotected. He wants you to know that you are not alone. And you will never be alone. He is right here with you, always. This is his promise.

20 "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

And I want to emphasize that he is not with you as a helpless but sympathetic friend. He is with you as the One to whom has been given all authority and all power in heaven and on earth. He is the King of Kings — and he is with you every step of the way.

Does his presence in your life mean that everything about your life is about to become a picnic? No, it means, instead, that your life is about to become a World Championship. It means that your life is about to become Victory. There will be plenty of battles for you to face along the way — his followers faced many in the years after the resurrection — but I want you to know that you will never face them alone. You need never face any problem without his resurrection power.

The promise he gave to his followers comes to this: You receive the power you need for daily living as you walk daily in his presence.

All authority has been given to him. And he is here is with you. He is with you always, until the very end of time. You don't need to look for him, you only need to look to him — because he is already here.

CONCLUSION

A Christian who lives in fear is like a doctor who's never heard of an antibiotic. A Christian who faces life alone is like a journalist who thinks Jimmy Carter is still President. A Christian who doesn't walk in the resurrection power of Jesus Christ is like a computer programmer who's never heard of the internet.

In other words, you're living your life based on old news and outdated information.

There's a new headline for you to hear today. Breaking News. This just in.

Jesus Christ is alive. He is risen from the dead and he is Lord.

And he is here right now, with you every step of the way.

There is nothing he cannot do. No problem he cannot see you through — because he is Lord.

The power you need for daily living, you will receive when you walk daily in his presence.

So ... say good-bye to fear. Fall on your knees and worship the Lord Jesus. Let him fill your life today with his resurrection power.