Sermon Tone Analysis

Dear Congregation of our Lord jesus Christ,

This week a strong Christain asked me: So are you a Good Friday or an Easter Guy? How would you answer that?

Of course many don’t have a stomache for Good Friday - the Cross is foolishness tot eh Greeksand offense to the Jews.

It is anaroma of death to those who are piershing.

Why on average attendanace each Easter Sunday is way higher than Good Friday.

Of course, theologically I know nieither stand by themselves - and the Cross moves to the Resurrection, to the Ascended Lord Jesus - stand as vicotry of greatest significnce.

Of course, theolgoically I know nieither stand by themselves - and the Cross moves to the Resurrection, to the ASscended Lord Jesus - stand as vicotry of greatest significnce.

But how would answer that?

While the miracle of the resurrection its significance equal importance, it is ithe denoument to the gospels - the concucison, and our hearts are magnetized to the shocking wonder of the Cross!

Cross is the real peak of intense spiritual action and the climax for the life of jesus Christ and His working our salvation.

I can’t wit to unpack the wonders of resurrected Christ in a series on Acts, I look forward each year to preaching on the signficance of Christ as King Ascended!

But I answered from the heart Good Friday person.

But how would answer that?

While the miracle of the resurrection its significance equal importance, it is ithe denoument to the gospels - the concucison, and our hearts are magnetized to the shocking wonder of the Cross!

Cross is the real peak of intense spiritual action and the climax for the life of jesus Christ and His working our salvation.

I can’t wit to unpack the wonders of resurrected Christ in a series on Acts, I look forward each year to preaching on the signficance of Christ as King Ascended!

But I answered from the heart Good Friday person.

And then it struck me how many of the 10 resurrection appearances (interesting all on the first day of the week, Sundays) of the Lord Jesus Christin the gospels, are less about the action in Jesus life in this world, and more about the action now that he commissions his followers to.

8 out of 10 have a commission a job assignment attached tot hem. 5 of those being to toake the gospel to the nations!

And what struck me is that though world is a different place because of Good Friday - X’s finsihed salvation -complete atonement accomplished, the action si about His life in the past - still has most important significance - salvation of the Cross has to be applied today.

The action of the resurrection is present and it is future and it is focused as much on what happens to us His follwoers, as what Haoppens to Christ raised up as Lord of Life.

A big concern of the Resurrection is what we could call the Rest of the Story of the Kingdom of God.

In the Resurrection Christ commissions us to

Key Truth: Push on in Chirst’s Mission ‘to the rest of the story’ with peace and forgiveness

Good Friday is Salvation accomplished, but Easter is Jesus raised in power to apply that slavation to this world!

So follow me up to that room where the Resurrected Chrsit first met with the disicples as a group!

Key Truth: Push on in Chirst’s Mission ‘to the rest of the story’ with peace and forgiveness

A. You can’t press on to the rest of the story if you remain in fear! and so must receive the Rsisen Christ’s peace!

Though less detail than of Christ arested, trial and crucfiication, The Sunday mornign and Sunday afternoon accounts of Christ’s resurrection are full of troubled rumours, suspense and surprise.

Consider the msytery not of the open grace but of the grave clothes with 40lbs of embalming spices - still laid out but with no bodyin it - how in the world?

Consider seal on the stone broken and the rumour of angels and an earthwauke.

imagine the surprise when an angel gaurd watching outside that tomb.

What could it all mean.

What would they think/ Where is Jesus?

Why only showiong himself in ones or twos?

Mary and teh women, to Peter, to the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus.

What a day - and what to think?

But now night is falling and this isn’t like the previous inght where they all ascattered ass the shepherd was taken, scattered.

Now instinctively they knwo they must aseemble and gather - But Judas is dead, and Thomas is still off on his own.

The ten have found security in a friendly home within the walls of Jerusalem.

But the door firmly shut, probably barred and lcoked.

And you can imagine them speaking in husshed tones, they were in the heart of the icity in which Jesus had just been condemned and crucified - they had posted soldiers because of rumours, now the roumours seem to have come true - coutner rumours dsisciples stole body away… Surely they can expect the foot falls of a whole squadron of Romans soldiers in the streets.

Surely they will be the next to be rounded up.

They speculate, they plan, what’s next -

You speculate and plan too don’t you - about the future - take this job, move to this city, school, nursing home - so much of our converssation about the rest of our stories - .

Even about the rest of our church’s story - what will happen what should we do… what now; But then there is a suddencahnge in conversatyion.

You speculate and plan too don’t you - about the future - take this job, move to this city, school, nursing home - so much of our converssation about the rest of our stories - .

Even about the rest of our church’s story - what will happen what should we do… what now; But then there is a suddencahnge in conversatyion.

SOmehow and JOhn doesn’t know how - but they are aware of the preence of another … and there is Jesus - he simply stepped into their midst.

What a hush - what will Jesus think of such plans, what direction will he give us!

Silence as they stand in the presence of the Risen Christ!

And as he oepns his omth to address his gathered followers for the first time - twice he speaks the same powerful words.

‘Peace be with you’.

Undewrtssand this is the structure of how John recrods Jesus first commison as Risen Lord to us.

Neatly divided two blessings of peace, each followed by the two dramatic actions of Jesus

Imagine Peter locking eyes with him, imagine each of them who had scattered and left him to endure the suffering in teh garden and the trial…imagne JOhn who had stood at the foot of that Cross with Mary.

And imagine their amazement, when after the resurrection their is a word of rebuke, or reproach for their failure and their sin.

They coudn’t forget how they forsook him, but he not only comes to them, but he speaks words of peace!

Undertand this that you can’t get to the rest of the story of Gods’ kingdom, unless you first come to the crucified one, who bore your sins sacrficially, who was raised to jsutify you - adopt you - you can’t go on to do the work of His ongoing, growing, continuin Kingdom - utnil you first appear f\before Him - and receive HIs peace!

Your fears of the future, your fears of being rejected, your life full of just little plans of your own little world - stuck in them - utnil the Lordof the Universe, the Saviour - drives out all fear and fretting with His Blessing of Peace!

To this day how a jew greet Shalom aleichem, Aleichem Shalom!

But why does jesus give it twice.

If you read the gospel of john closely see that the repetiotn of peace - almost like a code word.

like Jesus is telling them something more than a common greeting.

What is it?

The very night before as Jesus wasinthe Upper Room prouncing his last will and testament jesus was teaching them why he must die and what His death will mean - he says:

In that upper room Jesus had given them his fullest instruction about “The Rest of the Story” - about his departure to the Father, about Him going to receive the Holy Spirit and to send it on us!

Absoutlelly astounding instruction to you and me in

How are we going to do that… how prayin your name receive whatever we ask - how is this going to work when you are gone - ?

And Jesusd says, here is one resourece can’t do without:

And as he shows them his hands and His side - it is like Jesus is saying, Look what I said I was going to do - to die, to win greatest out of this world - shalom, bpeace, wellbeing - wholeness - I have done that.

I have won the peace - faced allthe hordes of hell, all of Satan’s evil schemes faced even death and hell itself - I have the vicotry and I share that with you - so hear is my twice promsied out of this world peace!

Some of you here this morning living on the peace that this world has - schemes and temptations of the Dveil and dmeons to you - traps of sin, guklt - turn to half a gospel, turn to gospel of self-help which is a lie, - Like days of

Absoutlelly astounding instruction to you and me in

Like the days of

And God declares there is no peace for the wicked!

And jesus as these dsiciples have to write the Resto f the Story of King Jesus on Earth - as they have to do the greater works - than jesus - he says - you who turns to my wounds, understand the Cross - trust me - - you I have healing, aeace, and protection -

I truly believe in a spiritual way as we gather as teh churc of jesus Christ, Christ Himself among us in apowerful way - appears to you - - and his peace can cahnge you today:

And did you catch the response of these follwoers who recevei His hard fought peace!

“And they were glad when they saw the Lord.”

Are you glad this morning?

Kind of low key - but calm and contiuing word - - so easy to go thrrough life, worried, angry, despairing, bored.

The actual word REJOICE - like OT all ofver the Psalms not just inward feeling, but outward and inward disposition of your soul - that nothing can erode.

oy in things like a wedding, like a harvest - who can’t smile - religiously in OT - joy is in the King - liek Liberation Day - kingdom come - Jubilation of a people when Messiah with them!

Jesus in promising this peace had said that when he dies, we are to rejoice in His death and that it will lead to other joy of Him departing to be the Father in fulness:

Jesus continues:

This is the good news of accepting the Christ of the Resurrection into your life - His presence both physically like they had, him but actually even more fully spiritually - equip you with out of world peace and joy - over come all fears and sadness that the world thrusts on us!

Marcus Loan believes in the rsuh of our plans and worries, that perhaprs there is nothing we so much stand in need of today as for Jesus to look into our eyes and speak our hearts, “Peace be with you.”

But the second half of the Resurrection accounts just as important.

In fact that is where the new and ongiong action of resurrection must issue from!

God does not give this peace and joy in the Risen Christ, just for us to stay huddled together in rooms like this.

And this is signficance of the two dramatic actions jesus takes after each annoucnement of peace.

Those actions give us the commission - our job asisgnment that actions we must take for the Kingdom of God to reach “The Rest of the Story”

B. The Dramatic Actions of Jesus Gives Us our Marching Orders!

First he shows them his hands and his side!

Do you seee what he is doing - holding up the visible evidence of atonement and sacrfice.

he is spreading that evidence before their eyes.

And it is enough.

This past week - true story of Lee Stroobel told - atheist jjournalisst - ddin’t want fluff wouldn’t commitm hisemlf to a lie - search for evidence - of course wihtout faith - never saved.

All evidence in the world interpreted won’t convince!