Why is Easter Important?
Notes
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Why is Easter important?
Text:
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
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. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 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.”
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matt. 28:1-20
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.”
11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards
went into the city and reported to the chief priests
everything that had happened. 12 When the chief priests had
met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the
soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to
say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away
while we were asleep.’ 14 If this report gets to the governor,
we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So the
soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed.
And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews
to this very day.
The Great Commission
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.”
Because it’s the day that God conquered death and offered life to
humankind.
But what does Easter mean to me today, and what does it mean
to you today? Well, those are the questions I want to spend the
next little while answering, and then I’m going to give you an
opportunity to do something about it. I’m going to ask you two
questions: Do you believe, and do you receive? Do you believe in
Jesus, the Son of God who conquered death and rose from the
grave? And do you receive what He is offering to you today?
Before we get to that, though, let me give you the four “I Cans”
of Easter.
The Four “I Cans” of Easter
The first one is this:
1. I can have confidence in Jesus.
1. I can have confidence in Jesus.
The resurrection proves one thing: Jesus was
who he said he was.
Who did Jesus claim to be?
Who did Jesus claim to be?
He claimed to be God. The resurrection proves it.
resurrection proves it. That’s a big “if”, though. How do
How do I know that the resurrection is true?
I know that the resurrection is true? What proof is there? That’s a
What proof is there?
That’s a big question and it’s a good question.
big question and it’s a good question. I don’t know all the
answers and if I did we certainly wouldn’t have time to cover
Let me give you just 5 of the proofs that Jesus rose from the dead.
them all this evening. But let me give you just 5 of the proofs
that Jesus rose from the dead.
A. The change in the disciples.
Change in the disciples.
Change in the disciples.
Theologian John Stott said this:
leading theologians in the world today.
“Perhaps the transformation of the disciples is the greatest
“Perhaps the transformation of the disciples is the greatest
evidence of all for the resurrection… When Jesus died, they were
heartbroken, confused and frightened. But within less than two
months they came out of hiding, full of joy, confidence and
courage. What can account for this dramatic transformation?
Only the resurrection, together with Pentecost which followed
soon afterwards.”
(Second part taken from “The Contemporary Christian” p. 80)
And this bizarre group of mostly uneducated men went on to
change the world.
Eyewitness accounts.
Eyewitness accounts.
Do you know that there are eleven times recorded in the Bible
that Jesus appeared to people after his death.
He appeared to individuals, to the disciples, and one time appeared to a group of
individuals, to the disciples, and one time appeared to a group of
over 500 people. When the Biblical accounts were being written
most of these people were still alive and could have denied that it
ever happened. But they didn’t. Some people today claim that
these were all hallucinations. And I could understand that if Jesus
only appeared to individuals. It could have simply been wish
fulfillment.
But he didn’t just appear to individuals. He appeared
to groups of people, too. And the truth is that
events, at least not outside of the 1960’s. And the truth is that
having 500 different people experience the same hallucination at
the same time would be a greater miracle than the resurrection
itself! Wouldn’t you agree?
Modern-day accounts.
Modern-day accounts.
We’ve already talked about the change that happened in the lives
of the disciples. But do you realize that Jesus is still changing
lives today? Many of us here know that to be true by personal
experience. We have a relationship with Him today. Our lives
have been transformed. And that power to change is only a
reality because Jesus rose from the dead and is alive today.
The Roman and Jewish leaders couldn’t disprove it.
They tried to, they desperately wanted to, but they couldn’t.
They couldn’t produce the body,
hey couldn’t show that the body
They couldn’t show that the body was stolen
was stolen, they couldn’t say that he was in a different grave,
They couldn’t say that he was in a different grave
They couldn’t explain why the highly-trained guards failed
they couldn’t explain why the highly-trained guards failed, and
and
They couldn’t explain away the appearances
motivation and power in the world to squash this new religion,
They had all the motivation and power in the world to squash this new religion,
but they simply weren’t able to do it because they couldn’t
disprove it.
The disciples were willing to die for their beliefs.
The disciples were willing to die for their beliefs.
Do you realize the disciples had nothing to gain? They would be
beaten, imprisoned, persecuted, and killed for their beliefs. Now,
I am aware that there have been plenty of people throughout
history who have died for their faith, whether what they believed
was true or not. We’ve seen this in recent days with terrorists
and suicide bombers.
People will die for their faith if they believe it’s true.
People will not die for their faith if they know it’s false.
Nobody knowingly dies for a lie.
John Singleton Copley, one of the greatest legal minds in history,
three times the High chancellor of England, declared:
“I know what evidence is, and evidence like that for the
resurrection has never broken down yet.”
~ John Singleton Copley
Lee Stobel has a Master of Studies in Law degree from Yale and
was an award-winning journalist for thirteen years at the Chicago
Tribune. And when it came to Jesus he was a skeptic and an
atheist. This is how he described his position:
“I had read just enough philosophy and history to find support
for my scepticism—a fact here, a scientific theory there, a pithy
quote, a clever argument. Sure, I could see some gaps and
inconsistencies, but I had a strong motivation to ignore them: a
self-serving and immoral lifestyle that I would be compelled to
abandon if I were ever to change my views and become a
follower of Jesus.”
~ Lee Strobel, The Case For Christ p. 12
But when he was forced to re-evaluate the evidence for Jesus, he
had to conclude that the resurrection did occur, that Jesus was
who he said he was. And in fact he’s put out an excellent book
that you might want to get a hold of. It’s called “The Case For
Christ.” Just a great book examining the evidence.
Easter means that I can have confidence in Jesus, because he is
who He says He is. The proof is there: He is risen! But you must
decide: Do you believe it or not?
I can have new life.
I can have new life.
What kind of life?
A Life Of…
Purpose
Col.
Christ is your life, and when he comes again, you will share in his glory.
also appear with him in glory.
~ (CEV)
When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Passion
Passion can be defined as an “intense emotion compelling action.
A strong devotion to some object, activity, or concept.” It’s the
longing of your heart. It’s your vision, your dream. It’s your
calling. And it’s given to you by God.
Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.
The apostle Paul wrote:
Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life
worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.
~ (NLT)
Possibility
Nothing will be impossible for you if you’re living the new life
Jesus offers.
For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the
strength I need.
~ (NLT)
Purity
He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.
He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us,
and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing
what is right.
~ (NLT)
Permanence
D. L. Moody lived during the 1800’s and was one of the most
influential men of his time. And as he was approaching his death
this is what he said:
“Some day you will read in the papers that D. L. Moody of East
Northfield is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. At that moment
I shall be more alive than I am now… I was born of the flesh in
1837. I was born of the Spirit in 1856. That which is born of the
flesh may die. That which is born of the Spirit will live forever.”
~ D. L. Moody
D.L. Moody supposedly died one hundred and 17 years, three
months, and 2 days ago (Dec. 22, 1899)… at least, that’s what
the death certificate says. But in truth he is alive and well today
and will spend eternity in the presence of God because Jesus
gave him a new life of permanence.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only
Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life
and never really die.
~ (CEV)
The life is there. It’s on the table. But you must decide: will you
receive it, or not?
I can be forgiven.
I can be forgiven.
One day Jesus was teaching a crowd of people when a group of
men brought a crippled friend to Jesus to be healed. Jesus looked
at the man and told him, “My friend, your sins are forgiven.” This
made some of the people who were there quite upset, and this is
what they said:
“Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
“Why would he say such a thing? He must think he is God! Only
God can forgive sins.”
~ (CEV)
Well, we’ve already talked about how if the resurrection really
happened then Jesus is who He claimed to be. And that means
that He does in fact have the power to forgive. He can forgive
me, He can forgive you. It’s one of our basic human needs and
one of God’s greatest gifts.
During the last supper Jesus ate before he was arrested and
killed, he took a glass of wine and used it as a metaphor when he
told his followers:
This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
This is my blood, and with it God makes his agreement with you.
It will be poured out, so that many people will have their sins
forgiven.
~ (CEV)
What was Jesus saying? He was saying that through his death
the price would be paid for our sins. We would be spared and
forgiven.
But throughout the years many people have promised things only
to be incapable of delivering.
Think about some of the promises that have been made to you that haven’t been kept. Think about promises like…
that have been made to you that haven’t been kept. Think about
promises like…
“You car will be ready in an hour.”
“This won’t hurt a bit.”
“This won’t take long.”
“True friends always.”
“Till death do us part.”
Did people mean to break those promises when they made them
to us? No, they were just incapable of keeping them. Jesus
promised that he would forgive me for the wrongs I have done…
for my sins. How do I know that he can keep that promise?
The Bible says…
And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.
Unless Christ was raised to life, your faith is useless, and you are
still living in your sins.
~ (CEV)
Jesus promised that He would forgive us. But the only way we
can have any kind of assurance that He’s even remotely capable
of delivery on that promise is because He rose from the dead,
proving that He is God and has the power and position to forgive
us.
His forgiveness is real. It’s freely offered to you. But you must
decide: will you receive it, or not?
I can have hope.
I can have hope.
I heard this definition of hope one time and thought it was really
neat. It’s from that great philosopher Ano-ny-mous:
“Hope is enjoyment of the future in advance.” - Anonymous
“Hope is enjoyment of the future in advance.” - Anonymous
~ Anonymous
~ Anonymous
With the resurrection of Jesus we who know him personally can
With the resurrection of Jesus we who know him personally can
have hope. And what I mean by that is that we can live with a
confidence and an expectation that we are never alone and that
once this life is over we can spend forever in eternity with Him,
and forever is a long, long time.
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.
That wonderful expectation is eternal. That hope is sure. But you
Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ
rose again from the dead. For God has reserved a priceless
inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and
undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.
~ (NLT)
That wonderful expectation is eternal. That hope is sure. But you
must decide: do you believe it, or not?
Conclusion:
She wasn’t a very impressive woman. She was about five feet
tall, in her late 30’s, and wore cheap clothes. She couldn’t read,
she couldn’t write, and if she were to smile at you, you would see
that her top two front teeth were missing.
She lived alone. She had been married but left her husband when
she was 29. She gave him no warning. One day he simply woke
up and she was gone.
As for her employment, it varied. Most of the time she took
domestic jobs in small hotels: scrubbing floors, making up
rooms, and cooking. But a couple of times a year she would
disappear for a while, the come back broke looking for work
again. When she was working she seemed to work hard, but she
was also known to fall asleep on occasion, even if she was in the
middle of a conversation. She claimed it was the result of a blow
to the head during a fight when she was a teenager.
The woman’s name: Harriett Tubman.
Harriett was born in Maryland in 1820 and started life as a slave.
When she was 13 she tried to stop a white overseer from beating
another slave, and she took a blow to her head that nearly killed
her. Her recovery took months.
When she was 24 she married a man named John Tubman, a
free black man. But whenever she talked about escaping to
freedom in the north he wouldn’t hear of it. In fact, he said that if
she ever tried to leave he would turn her in himself. So when she
decided to take her chances and head north, she did so alone,
without a word to him. But as far as she was concerned she had
a right to one of two things: liberty or death. If she couldn’t have
one she’d take the other.
Harriett made her way to Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love,
by use of the Underground Railroad… a secret network of free
blacks, white abolitionists, and Quakers who helped slaves on the
run. The year was 1849.
But the next year, Harriett risked it all when she decided to go
back. You see, Harriett had vowed to go back and bring her
family out, too. So she started a new life as an Underground
Railroad Conductor… someone who would find and guide out
slaves with the help of sympathizers along the way.
So every summer and winter, she would work, trying to scrape
together the money she would need for her trips to the South.
And every spring and fall, she would risk her life by heading
south and returning with more people.
Over the course of the next ten years, Harriett guided out more
than 300 people, including many of her own family. She made 19
trips south in all, plus another 11 delivering slaves into Canada,
earning the nickname “Black Moses”, because of her ability to go
into the land of captivity and bring so many of her own people
out of slavery’s bondage.
Jesus did the same thing for you.
The Bible tells us:
For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.
H
Listen to me. Jesus Christ died to take your place and pay the
By his one sacrifice he has forever set free from sin the people he
brings to God.
~ (CEV)
Listen to me. Jesus Christ died to take your place and pay the
penalty for your sins, the times you rebelled and hurt God. And
he rose from the dead, proving that he had the power over life
and death, and is now offering you forgiveness and a new life
with Him. Don’t let the opportunity pass you by. Jesus loves you,
and he went to great measures to prove it. Now what are you
going to do with Him?
Now, as I promised, here’s your chance to respond.
Response Time:
Do you believe? Do you believe in the Jesus of the Bible... the
God who became a man, submitted Himself to execution on the
cross, and who rose again and is alive and well today?
Do you receive? Do you receive the love, the hope, the
forgiveness that he offers?
If you’re here this morning and you sense within yourself that
God has been speaking to you and that you need to respond,
here’s what I want you to do: I’m not going to mention you by
name or embarrass you in any way, but I want you to raise your
hand so I can pray for you.
The next step it to stand and make your way to this altar and give your heart to Him. You will not be sorry.