The Resurrection
Sometimes I want my children to obey me. just because
And I don't know. I mean your kids probably aren't inquisitive. But mine are right now I'm getting every little kid is inquisitive. Right? Hey, we're going to do this why I need you to do this. Why? And then you find yourself uttering these words because I said so everybody say it with me because I said so then doesn't that feel so good.
we we want our children to a best because we said so and because we have that desire in us we tend to think God wants us to believe him just because he said so
and I'm here to tell you today. God doesn't want us to believe in just because you said so Now listen, if you are here and you've heard that before, let me be clear about this. We should obey him because he said so He has all the right all the privilege all the authority to be trusted and believed in and obeyed just because he said joke, we should say.
But here's what's so beautiful about our God.
our God
our God doesn't go I want you to trust me because I said so our God comes to us and he builds within us trust in him
So that we will do as he says and here's the other thing he doesn't want us just to do it because he said it he wants us to do it because it's going to rescue us.
Go get that.
That's what the burden that's on my heart this morning. Important of my heart this morning is that we would understand this.
That the god of scripture that God has revealed in scripture. He stands in contrast to any God that you could imagine and any God that has been imagine and I'm going to tell you this sometime you ascribe to the god of scripture and to his son Jesus things that you have imagined, but they're not of God.
God is scripture stands in contrast to all her ideologies Oliver vain imaginings. If we were going to make a God, he would never look like they got a scripture. He would never look like the gods to Humble themselves and put on flesh and blood and went suffered on a cross. He would never do that. And then here's the other thing in today. This is kind of like where this burden comes from.
If we were going to imagine a God, we would never think that that God not only after doing all these things. He would go. Hey just in case you weren't sure. I don't want you just to trust me because I said so here. I'm going to come back to life and let you see that everything I said is so.
That's the god that we have. And I don't know why I couldn't get that in my office, but I'm going to say it again cuz that's a good line. He's not The God Who wants us to trust him because he said so he's the God who comes to reveal that everything I said is so
And that's thank you. Holy Spirit right there, right we can put that on the card, you know, we can mark it then I can write a book about that don't want my Twitter page. Anybody want to take care of my TWIC my tweet twits my tweets.
anybody
so here's what we're going to do. We're going to read the story of Jesus's resurrection because that I do sometimes I just assumed that everybody's done this and in and you have it in a while and I and I think me and if you don't do it at home and you come in here, we don't do it. Then what's going to happen is Easter is going to turn Easter Sunday is going to turn into no work or no school Monday. And then Tuesday is going to call me or back at the ball field and guess what Easter was a distant memory.
Let's read the story. We're reading in John chapter 20.
It says this is beginning of first number one, if he if you have a Bible on a phone, you can look at it. If you don't have a Bible, you might just put your hand somebody who has a hard copy who's a couple they might just lie next to their partner and he don't get cozy for the story and and hand off your Bible to somebody who might need it. So if anybody needs a Bible just judge somebody next to you and say hey, I need a Bible. If not, just just listen and imagine. This is live reality. This is not a myth. It's not a fairytale. This is the story. About the day that they discovered that Jesus was no longer in the two. What's up, the first day of the week old is Mary Magdalene early when it was yet dark under the Sepulchre and she see at the stone taken away from the Sepulchre then she run it and she coming to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved and he said unto them when she sent them to them. They have taken away the Lord out of the Sepulchre and we know not where they have laid him the first and foremost. Let me just let's just make sure that we're tracking with the story here on the third day that Jesus had been dead Mary Magdalene goes off early in the morning because she wants to take care of his other other gospel countenance and Marianne and some other women, right? You'll see the stories the same just a few different details and if you're an eyewitness, you would tell the same story with a few different needles in another eyewitness wood. And you know this because you've been at a car accident or are seeing something to take place and you've heard one person story and they saw the front of the exit and you saw this other person store in the back of the accident. They come together and this story is a little bit different than this story. But when you put them together you like all the details are all still there. So many ways she comes early in the morning and here's what I want y'all to get what John says John says penguin Mary for showed up married and it Go heroes from gas. What did Mary think somebody told me? They stole his party on Friday. He was crucified and crucifixion is the most degrading way that you could die. It was a horrible suffering that the physical acne, but it was also a dehumanizing way to die. And usually they didn't take the bodies off of the Crossett. Usually what they did was they left the bodies up there and the corpses up there so that the birds and the Beast could come and eat the Flesh and then the bones would fall down there around the foot of the cross said this Friday just so you'll know pick this up an entry on never had thought about this way. But you know, whatever they say he went to the place of the school and everybody's looking for the mountain that looks like a skull it probably wasn't a mountain that looks like a skull. The place of the skull is hey, that's a place where they do the execution and they leave the bodies and then whenever the flush decomposes or cooked Away by all the birds in the bones fault and guess what you have their schools. If that makes your stomach turn if that's what God humbled himself. 2 for you Hey, what's up, all this to say they they would usually leave those bodies. There wasn't Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus they came and they and they prepare Jesus's body and the juice. I didn't want dead bodies hanging outside of the holy city on Passover weekend. So they said Hey, listen, let you take all the bodies down and the other two, we don't know what happened. But Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, they wouldn't I prepare Jesus's body and they laid him in the the Sepulchre that have never been used before. Here's what Mary thinks. His agonizing suffering horrible death wasn't enough for them.
They hated him so much that that wasn't enough. They wanted to really they wanted to hurt him and they wanted to her all those who trusted in him. That's taking his body away.
She comes in she tells Peter and John this. Peter therefore with 4th and and just so you know Peter and John don't go Ono Mary if he's not there he rose from Death. Okay, everybody's tracking with this.
And you can guess what your Peter and John they do this thing that guy's kind of do sometimes they didn't believe Mary right? Sometimes those guys were not really good at believing are our wives are or women in our in our lives up here something as powerful about the gospels the first witnesses to the resurrection or women and in that Society couldn't even testify in court.
So God is really awesome about couple things. First of all, he say I'm going to reveal this to untrustworthy Witnesses in the eyes of the court and then he's also say hey ladies I value you greatly.
Might we hear that word from him. But Peter and John they go to see for themselves that says Peter therefore went forth and that other disciple and they came to the Sepulcher so there and they both together, but guess what the other disciple did outrun Peter. I love that little tidbit because it's like John's like I'm faster than Peter if this was a real lived story, you don't go in that detail. Right, if you're making up the story if your manufacturing is me to throw that needs help, but because you're kind of proud and arrogant and yeah, you tell the story you both are running together until we weren't because I have freedom because I'm faster than Peter and then also not only am I faster than Peter. I'm a little bit more gracious than Peter because hear what they listen to I stoop down and I looked in and I saw the linen clothes line, but I didn't go in. So not only am I faster than Peter. I'm more gracious, but that's what happens when Peter comes in, Simon Peter following the other disciple John speaking in third person writing to the Sepulchre mean I'm fast and I'm gracious and we know Peter is slow. And he's just kind of brash and so John gets there and he looks in and Peters like climbing and you know crawling into this this this tomb.
Play says we both saw this. We saw the linen clothes. We saw the napkin that had been about his head and it was not lying with the linen clothes. It was wrapped together in a place by itself. Then John says I came in then went in also that other disciple which came first of the Sepulchre. What I saw and I believe that this point all they believe was he's not his body is not here. That's all they believe. That's all they know. And John says it for as yet, they knew not the scripture that he must Rise Again from the dead. Dim the disciples went away into their own home, but Mary still without the Sepulcher weeping and that she wept she stooped down and she looked into the Sepulcher and she see if two angels in white sitting one at the head and the other at the feet and they're sitting where the body of Jesus was previously Lang, but now there is no body of Jesus. And guess what? She sees the eye John and Peter's and see the angels.
And my point to that just so y'all think about it. I would want to see the angels and if I'm making up the story, I'm not going to say I didn't get to see the Angels if I'm making up the story. I'm going to go I'm a man riding a story. She's not going to get better lawyer than I'm getting right? She's not going to get to see the angels and I'm not going to get to see the angels.
Especially as we've already noted if I'm John writing the story and I have to put in the details about me out running Peter. I'm probably if I'm telling a story and I'm making it up. I'm probably going to be the one cc angels.
So all these things are just things to think about if we read it, but she sees Angels an angel said to her and she's taken away my Lord and I know not where they have laid him again. Somebody came and stole all over body not heroes from Dad just like the scripture says we don't know what's going on is what the story says. We're and was a mystery and we didn't know what was happening when she had said these words. She turned herself back and get this. She saw Jesus stand, but she did not know that it was Jesus and Jesus said unto her woman why weepest thou I'm sick as those same words that the angels have said to her and she supposing him to be the gardener which I love this this wink-wink-nudge-nudge by John remember and Genesis chapter number one. God created man and woman and in Genesis chapter 2, we find out that he built the garden and replace them with in it and John started out his gospel think and the beginning was the word and the Word was with God in the beginning of Genesis the gardener. is back I remember how creation started guess what a new creation is has been inaugurated a new life as is starting right now. Jesus to her woman why weepest thou who see cast out and she supposing him to be the gardener said unto him sir. If you've taken him somewhere tell me where you have laid him and I will take him away. And Jesus said unto her Mary. And I love this. Here's what John saying. Remember Jesus said earlier on in John's gospel. my sheep know my voice and I know my shapes name. And she doesn't recognize him. Now. There's a lot of things that y'all need to understand. She's crying and she's emotional and she's hysterical and if I'm crying and I'm emotional and I'm hysterical my eyes are usually filled up with tears and they're swollen and I can't process a whole lot of things really. Well. There's one aspect of this. The other thing is Jesus was beaten within an inch of his life.
And guess what whenever he came back resurrected from the dead. Jesus was a whole and Beautiful. Jesus was still beaten and bruised and bloodied. His body had already begun just began to decompose.
behold he speaketh
So when Jesus comes back to life and he's standing there in Flesh and Blood Jesus looks like a beaten bloody Bruce up messed probably has a room on because that's what they laid him down in the Tomb and they covered him but before that he didn't have his clothes and guess what his clothes that he did have have been torn asunder to or or or or or or his outer coat was being done by one of the one of the lucky ones who won the crap game, you know, I mean, they had parted his Raymond they taking it in the store for me. Here's another don't know what I look like on Sunday mornings.
If I came out here and I had shorts and a t-shirt you and who is that guy not even like really truly what you and what's going on with your calling. If he does everything close on there's a lot to this. I just probably won't come down as you probably crying and she doesn't see Jesus is Tunic to chasing somebody else's tunic. Maybe like those maybe they didn't have a tuna maybe like those pictures of Adam and Eve maybe he just has like just just rightly. Sorry. Y'all don't appreciate my humor. That was really funny to me, and I'm sorry.
But here's to do here to do.
She doesn't recognize him until he says her name. Because he's a good shepherd and because she's a sheep of his pasture. She knows his voice and he prefer name.
And she turned herself and she said unto him rabboni, which is to say master teacher and Jesus said unto her touch me not from not yet ascended to my father, but go to my brother and saying to them I listen to my father into your father into my God and to your God. This idea about him not to sending some people sexy. He wasn't he was just a ghost. That's not what Jesus is saying hear. Jesus is saying hey don't cling to me. I'm not staying here. I'm alive, but guess what? I'm about to go to the right hand of the father.
Hillary told the disciples a little while and I will not be with you.
He says I'm about to leave unless you want me to stay here Mary, but I have to leave. I have to leave but you go tell the disciples. I'm alive. But I'm going to be sending to the father. So I'll check back in with y'all soon. But but guess what? It's not just my father. He is your father now, too. Not just my God. He's you or God to Who's he the father of who's he the God of all those who trust in his son and in the way of his son?
so merry go up and she tells the disciples all these things that she had spoken the same day evening being the first day of the week when the doors were shut where the disciples were symbol for the Jews came to Jesus and stood in the midst and set them to them. Peace be unto you. And when he had so said he showed unto them his hands and his side then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord. The eye with y'all just to hold on to that. He showed them his hands and his side because in a minute we're going to read about another character and I want y'all to remember he showed it to the other disciples to just hit wink-wink-nudge-nudge should hold on to it. All right. So here we go.
Then were the disciples glad when they saw him then said Jesus to them again. Peace be unto you as my father has sent me even so send I you and when he had said this he breathed on them and he said unto them receive ye the Holy Ghost whosoever sins you remit they are remitted unto them and whosoever sins you retain they are retained he gave them power and authority to lead his movements. This movement that says there's a way to live outside of the bogus way that the world calls you to live and it's this way of humble suffering love. It's the way that that Jesus not only lived throughout his whole life, but the way in which Jesus walked to his death and he's telling them Halos and not always humble suffering love the way that you should live if you live that way there's a reward And that reward is resurrection. There's new life. There's new life in life eternal. No. Thomas one of the twelve called didymus was not with them. When Jesus came the other disciples. Therefore said unto him. We have seen the Lord but he said unto them except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails and put my finger into the print of the Nails Plus my hand into his side. I will not believe
and after 8 days again, his disciples were within and Thomas with them then came Jesus the doors being shut and stood in the midst and said Peace be unto you. Density onto Thomas. Hold on. We're just parked here. Are you here paying attention to the bus now shake it off. It's going on the bus get us.
So Jesus comes eight days later and Thomas's there and Jesus stands in the midst and he says peace be unto you been said unto Thomas Thomas reach Heather your finger and behold my hands. I reach Heather your hand and thrust it into my side. Any sit and be not faithless, but believing look see who I am. I'm here. Not trusting now start trusting.
And Thomas answered and said unto him my Lord and my God and Jesus said unto him Thomas because you have seen me you have believed in Jesus says blessed. Are they that have not seen and yet believe? And this is a many others signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples which are not written in this book, but these are written so that you might believe that Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Christ the son of God and believing you might have life through his name. That is the story. Here's where I went to get back to my burden this morning.
if God wanted you just to believe in because he said so Not only would Jesus never have come
Think about this. Jesus would have just said hey, let me tell you a bunch of things.
And just take it up on my word. But Jesus didn't just tell people a bunch of things and they take it out my work Jesus signs and miracles to prove pay. I have power and authority from God and then Jesus said Pay wasn't the way that I'm calling you to live the way of suffering love it is the way Why he had to tell him this is because it's not the way that you and I want to live the way that you and I don't want to live is the way of I preserve myself. I don't want those who are lovely to me to put the second that they're not what we can make their not mine anymore.
And take care of my family and my friends and my Close Associates, but but anybody outside of that they're on their own.
And I have to live for myself because all I have is this life to live in Jesus's know you have a whole other way which you can Live and Not only would you could you live that way in this life, but you could live that way and then enjoy eternal life. with God resurrected life
and if Jesus just wanted us to take it out his work. You would have never done the signs and miracles that he did and Jesus said paper all the works that I do everything. I do it's to pitch to reaffirm the word that I'm saying. It's never just because I said so today on Resurrection Sunday. What I want us to think about is this if Jesus wanted us just to believe he went to his father and he was going to come back and he just wanted us to believe it because he said so there would have been no Resurrection. He would have said no, just believe me.
And guess what? You know, what's so funny to me is we would take that you're going to take that. You know, how many people have followed so many vein religions and philosophies because somebody said so you know the Mormon church and I love Mormon people but the Mormon Church believe this they believe that Joseph Smith received two golden tablets of a further Testament and he wrote it down and then he bury the tablet and then the tablets you don't disappear. Joseph Smith said, so
I don't want you to believe just because I said so I don't want you to believe it. So I'm going to show you that it is so if he is so careful, and it's 11. Could you give us some evidence and witness testimony?
Because it's his church in this world. If you understand that the church is not just to be the place where people come in on Sunday mornings and everybody feels good because we're all here because we're doing the right thing. The church is to be a mature adult probation in this world.
We're going to be the ones who are going out showing people suffering love it. I don't need no politics to be correct. I need all the work to be correct. Why racism Prejudice is to put to death to somebody because they're different for me. Sexually, that's most people cuz that's what the world needs is his church people who are the live testimony than left evidence that there is another way.
There was a new way to live and breathe and you don't have to preserve yourself. You don't have to hang out with your click and you can go into this world and give your life and guess what you might lose it.
But it's not the end.
Here's where the sporting came from Thomas comes to Jesus comes to the group and he wasn't there and everybody gives Thomas a hard time because Thomas says unless I see his hands and his side and I put my finger in his nail hole which I think is kind of bald.
I won't believe and we all go rally should I just believe because he said so and I don't know where that boy came from. I don't know whose voice that is. My wife hates, whatever I do the voices.
But here's the deal we went to none of them showed up. There you go. Tell the disciples that I go back to my father or something that powerful tell them that I'm going back to my father, but you're going to be the witness. Could you imagine them going? Okay. Well he's here because we got to believe in Jesus cuz that's not going to be good enough. I need to go show up. It's a good guy that took Jesus cuz I'm not just going to go to my father just quite yet. I need y'all to know that I'm really here. I just want Jesus to do whenever you get some this insightful shows them his hand and it's really mean guys. That wasn't just like show-and-tell. That was like that was that was pay. Let me test a theory. Is this really Jesus evidence evidence or proof that Jesus was there. I shall whenever Thomas does this but here's what I want y'all to understand instead of looking at Thomas A Go Go Thomas Downing and I'm never going to be like Thomas. Did you better start being like Tom is because here's what Thomas did Thomas said this matter so much cuz I need to make sure that it's real.
You know what the rabbis would have called that Moxie and put Spa Jewish people do they go that's exactly what you're supposed to do with your face. You're supposed to wrestle with your face. You know, why because Jacob's name was changed to Israel and Israel literally means wrestle one who wrestles with God. Because I'm denied that he's cuz they was changed literally wrestle with God. It's on the Jewish mind was not like hay to God says it that settles it in the Jewish mine was this that God says it and he's free and loving and cares for you. Kenny wants you to go to are you sure God? And he goes yeah because if he says it it means the whole world. It means more than just like simple of superficial obedient if he says if he says this is the way it means something and he's fine with you going. Are you sure? God says it. Well, let's say that this way if you hear something don't you want to be sure that it's God who sang it?
Extreme example stream example woman drowns five of her children in a bathtub and says God told her to do it. That we can all look at that go but you know what, she'll probably wasn't also wasn't raised in the church. There's a lot of things going on but one of the things just you probably was Raising this American Evangelical movement. That just says Hey God doesn't that settles it don't challenge him. It said she heard something and she didn't read the other part that says test the spirits.
Or her husband said, you know that lady in particular her husband just kept safe have more children have four children have more children. And her doctor if we're going don't have any more children and God said be fruitful and multiply and cut also said be wise.
Pull up to that. I don't know where that story just came to my mind because it's an extreme example. but we do it in little ways to and we do it daily.
Can can I say this?
My burden today has not just been to say hey Jesus rose from Death by burning today is to say look Jesus rose from death and in the world for the for the wrong bread from 1st Corinthians 15 earlier. This is the gospel. The gospel is that Jesus is the son of God and how do we know that because he was crucified buried and he rose again the third day and guess what Jesus wanted to make sure that everybody knew it so he and he wasn't going to be here for the next two thousand years and he was going to his father before he returns to us. Jesus said I need to get as many witnesses as I possibly can. So he just showed himself to the 12th and he showed himself to offers a 500 people even later whenever the Apostle Paul railing against the church, but Jesus said you don't want this is delos. You know what Paul would be good if I bet you if I could turn that Zealand. Parkwood Dynamite for my kingdom movement just as I was against you. I'm going to be zealous for you. Apartment say I believe because God said so pulsatile only cuz I told Jesus. so all this is to say
leave because God said, so please believe because God has revealed that it is so
Because here's the deal.
everything rides on this
your home rides on this and you got what I believe I believe in the gospel and then you don't live the gospel at your house. And what I mean is this you're at each other's neck all the time.
One little one little word and listen, you should understand. I'm preaching this cuz I live this one little word can turn you into a firestorm. Oh you are you practice homework suffering love anywhere else except for whatever it comes from your criticism from your spouse. Are patient with everybody else's kid, but your kids better get it right because I said so.
Your home depend on you living suffering love. I'm bearing the Fruit of the Spirit.
your job needs people who are not there to your gummies people who are there to be the best for the sake of others? not for their own sake
this world means the living Witness. That there is another way to live.
And guess what personally your life depends on it?
One day you will stand before holy God. Holy God and he will say Hey, listen, did you not know? And you won't have the excuse even if this was the only time that you've heard it you will not have the excuse to say I didn't know. You will stand before him and you might forget this message by lunchtime, right? But but listen, here's what we'll be reminded to you on that day. I stood or I sat in the church. And I heard that you are good God who loves me.
Who came so that I would trust in you? And I rejected that.
God will ask you did you not know and you will have no excuse whenever you stand before holy God of holy God. And get this and God through tears.
Not not through Pride arrogant bravado but through tears. I believe. I don't think I'll be able to look up at you. His hands will be in his hand. It'll go.
You have to depart from me.
You know what Jesus said before he went into Jerusalem. He said oh Jerusalem Jerusalem how often I would have protected you like a mother. Hen protects her chicks on Judgement Day.
I wanted you to trust me so much that I put on flesh and blood. And I love suffering love and I suffering for the life that I lived.
on the cross of Calvary on the third day I Rose and that wasn't just so that you can put pastels on that so that you wouldn't know that it is so it's so you would know that it is so so here's the call. Do you know that it is so and if you do It better mean everything to your life. It had every application. The first call is this if today you're going it is so terrible it is so come and confess. It is so what you said is so Your son Jesus is so your spirit is soaking your way is so and I want to give my life to you. because It is so.