The God Who Resurrects

Oh, My God!

Jeff Jones, Senior Pastor

April 6/8, 2007

Luke 24:13-24; 30-35

Happy Easter everybody! Great to see you today. How cool to hear her story, a great story of how God changes lives, transforms us, makes us new. And that is what we are celebrating today at Easter. Today around a billion people will gather in services like this to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, to celebrate the God who raises things from the dead, to celebrate hope. Easter is all about hope…because of the truth and power of the resurrection, hope is never dead. Our God is a God of resurrection, meaning there is always hope.

Slide: __________________ JPEG of kids

As kids (show pictures), we start out with high hopes don’t we. Kids start out as optimists, the future is going to be great, anything is possible. Yet, over time, what happens? Reality crashes in to our lives as we grow up. Life has a way of squeezing hope out of us.

Slide: __________________ JPEG of Collin after hole in one

A couple of months ago I told you about my son Collin who is 13 playing golf. He has been playing maybe a year and a half and at the end of December hit a hole-in-one at Twin Creeks in Allen. How cool is that! I was thrilled. I really was. I don’t have a hole-in-one, and he got one at 13. That’s great. Really. However, I now have a confession to make as your pastor and as a golfer. I am a bitter golfer. And here’s why. Two weeks ago Collin and I were playing golf at the Firewheel Bridges course, and we were at the tee box of the masters nine, 2nd hole, 156 yards away. And guess what he did? Duffed it. No, it was a beautifully shaped shot to an elevated green. Since it was elevated we couldn’t see where the ball landed, and when we got up there, guess where he looked first? He didn’t even hesitate. He didn’t look around the green. He went right up and looked in the hole and guess what? Yet, it was there in the hole. I wish I could say I was elated. Part of me was. On the outside I was. 13 years old, and within a few weeks gets his 2nd hole in one. Goober.

I couldn’t believe it, though I really am thrilled for him. It has taken two weeks of counseling every day, but I am thrilled for him. Now when Collin goes up to the tee box of a par 3, guess what he’s thinking. I’m holing this ball. It is going in the hole. And why not? For me, I get up to a par 3, and I am just praying to hit it in front of me. I’m just praying to knock it within 100 yards of the green. I’m sitting there thinking of all the bad places my ball could go.

Maybe you can relate. Maybe for you right now or in your life in general, you can relate to me more than Collin stepping up to the ball. At one time, you had high hopes for your marriage, for your career, for your spiritual life, for your family, for your kids…but now those seem out of reach. Life does that to us. Maybe we make some mistakes, or life just happens, but life can extinguish hope.

However, Easter changes all that. If not for Easter, I’d say, “You are right. Give up hope. You can never count on the impossible.” But because of Easter, everything is changed. God is a God of resurrection, who loves to take those things that seem dead, that seem hopeless, and redeem them…make them alive again. Anything is possible.

Slide: __________________ JPEG of tough road

Look at this road (show screen). It’s the road of disappointment, disillusionment, a road of broken dreams. A tough road. That may signify your past, and you think that because of your past your life is doomed. Or when you think about your present or your future, when it comes to your biggest dreams, they just seem out of reach. You look ahead to the road of broken dreams.

Today we are going to see two people who were walking down that road who encounter resurrection hope, and everything changes for them. The story is in Luke 24, the two on the road to Emmaus, and these two men were some of those who left their normal lives behind to become a Jesus follower. Their family and friends all said they were crazy. Why do you believe this Jesus is the Son of God? Why do you think he is different from anybody else? Why leave everything to chase a dream that seems so high risk? So impossible?

And they are walking on this road from Jerusalem back home to this little village called Emmaus, to face their family and friends all saying, “I told you so.”

Slide: __________________ Luke 24:13-14

says, Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. The Greek words used here are highly emotional words. This was an emotional conversation, heated even. They were banging their heads on the wall. How could they have been so stupid? How could these things have happened? How could they have been duped? They were so sure that Jesus was the One. As they are talking, another traveler joins in the conversation as they are walking on this road.

Slide: __________________ Luke 24:15-16

As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16but they were kept from recognizing him. So, Jesus himself comes up, but they don’t recognize him. God keeps them from recognizing him, and the one they are so despondent about, who died and took their hopes to his grave, is right there with them—but they don’t know that. Jesus is alive and right there, but they don’t know So, Jesus asks,

Slide: __________________ Luke 24: 17-18

He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?" They stood still, their faces downcast. 18One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?" How could this guy coming from Jerusalem not know the biggest news in town? Where has he been?

So, the next few verses they fill Jesus in on what happened:

Slide: __________________ Luke 24:19-24

"About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see." Ironic. They didn’t know they were talking to Jesus about the life and death of Jesus, and they didn’t get that Jesus not being in the tomb could be that he was raised from the dead…that he was alive. They had just learned not to believe the too-good-to-be-true. Notice what they say when they summarize the story, a key phrase: “but we had hoped.”

At one time they had hoped, but those hopes were dashed. Hope was in the past. They had hoped. Have you ever said that? Ever felt that way? “I had hoped to get out of college and find a secure job in the telecom field.” “I had hoped to be married by now, have two kids and a dog.” “I had hoped to have a solid relationship with God, to be the kind of person that I would admire.” “I had hoped my marriage would be warm and happy.” “I had hoped my spouse would mean it when he or she said, ‘Till death do us part.’” “I had hoped that my cancer would never return.” “I had hoped my child would grow up to make great choices and live to his or her potential.”

I had hoped. I just talked with a wonderful Christian lady a couple of weeks ago who is new in our church and is on the road of dashed hopes. She married what she hoped would be the husband of her dreams, a godly man in ministry even who promised to love her and cherish her. But he was abusive, and ended up abandoning her. She has held out hope even after divorce that God would work, that they could remarry, and just found out that he is engaged to someone else. She has handled it with incredible grace and obedience to God. I’ve met few people like her…but now the hope of remarriage, the hope of that life she thought she’d have…is gone. It’s hard for her to think about her future right now. Right now she is dealing with her “I had hoped” moment.

So, these two guys on the road to Emmaus were on that road, but they had no idea what was really going on. They had no idea that Hope was right there with them…that Jesus was walking with them on this tough road…that the source of all hope was right there. They get to Emmaus, and the two guys decide to ask Jesus to stay the night with them and share a meal. Jesus had begun to teach them, and they were curious about this strange stranger. And it is not until when they sit down for the meal that Jesus shows himself to them:

Slide: __________________ Luke 24: 30-32

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"

What a story! Hope was there all along. Hope had not abandoned them. Hope was at the table, and when they stopped, God revealed hope. And once that happened, everything changed for them. Hope came alive again, and so did they. The next verses say,

Slide: __________________ Luke 24:33-35

“33They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." 35Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.

An incredible change, from hopeless to hopeful, from despondency to elation. And you see that change in all the Christ-followers and disciples as they realized the truth of the resurrection. Hope came alive again at the resurrection. They understood not only that Jesus was alive, but also that God is a God of resurrection…that God is a God who takes things that appear dead and makes them alive again…that God is the God who makes the impossible possible, that nothing is out of reach of God’s power…that there is always reason for hope.

There’s this great story that demonstrates the change in the Christians after the resurrection in Acts 9. It is the story of this lady named Dorcas who died. Dorcas grew up with kind of a tough name, Dorcas (named after her dad, Dork), but she was a wonderful Christian lady that had this incredible reputation as a bridge-builder, serving the poor and helping people come to know Christ. But she dies. And the Christians in that city begin to grieve, but they pause and think, “Wait a minute. She may have died, but there is no reason she can’t come back to life.” They find out Peter is near their area, so they send some people to go get him to come back and with God’s power bring her back to life. They don’t bury her, they are waiting for God to raise her from the dead. A few weeks before that would have seemed crazy, nuts, but not now. Now that Jesus is alive, why not ask God to do the impossible? Peter comes, and sure enough God does the impossible…the God of resurrection shows up, and she comes back to life.

Do you see the difference in the Christ-followers? They are on a new road now, not one of despondency but hope, of new possibilities. After the resurrection, the Christians are stepping up to the tee box and saying, “Let’s knock this one in.” I’m not saying their lives were easy, they weren’t. The road was just as rocky as ever, but now they had a different cadence to their step…the cadence of hope, of trust in a God who resurrects. That’s why the early Christians were unstoppable and Christianity continued to spread, even though the Romans did all they could to stamp it out, to make life hard, to discourage Christianity.

For the two on the road to Emmaus, it took them a while to recognize hope. They didn’t recognize Jesus right away. Not until they stopped did God allow them to see it. Hope was right in front of them.

The same thing is true today. You are here, many of you traveling down a difficult path that can make hope seem like a distant fantasy. But you are here, and my prayer is that today you will recognize hope…the hope of the resurrection…the hope of a new life. Hope is here. Jesus is here. He is alive, and he is here today. The whole point of today is this: Open up your life to the God of resurrection, to the one who raises things from the dead, who takes those things that seem dead and redeems, rebuilds, and puts back together. Open up your life to God, and say, “God, you know the road I’m on, and you know where I’ve been. You know what I’ve done, but I’m choosing today to believe that you can forgive my past and give me a whole new future.”

At an Easter service like this one, I know there are many of you who are here because you were dragged here. I know. You didn’t want to be here, but you got dragged here…and I understand that. It’s not that you hate Jesus and don’t want anything to do with God, but when you think about your life, you just don’t seem to fit the profile of the kind of person God is going to be really interested in. This Easter stuff is great for good people, for religious people, but your life up to now hasn’t been about all that. You may feel too far gone down the other path for God to be that interested in you. But that’s not true. Jesus said he didn’t come for the good people, but the bad people…and the Bible lets us know that we are all bad people in the sense that we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s perfect standard. That’s the whole reason Jesus came to this planet and took on humanity and allowed people to nail him to the cross. That wasn’t a vacation. He came and suffered because of your sin and my sin. We all deserve God’s judgment. None of us deserve forgiveness from sin and a whole new future with God, but he loved us anyway. He came to take the punishment on himself that you and I deserve. That’s why he died on the cross. The Bible says,

Slide: __________________ 2 Corinthians 5:21

“He made him who knew no sin to become sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him.” What that means is that Jesus took your sin and my sin on himself on the cross and paid the penalty. He took your punishment. And the Bible also says that he offers forgiveness from sin and a whole new life with God as a gift…forever life with God as a gift. You can’t earn it, you can’t perform for it, all you can do is receive it. In a few minutes, after a song, we are going to give an opportunity for you to make that choice, to choose relationship with God. Once, he told his people in the Old Testament a wonderful promise. Their past was messed up, but God wanted to redeem them, to take their life and give them a whole new future. That promise is in Jeremiah 29, and I believe one that God still holds out to all who are willing today:

Slide: __________________ Jeremiah 29:11

11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. He has a whole new future for you, one that is full of hope. Your past is irrelevant. He wants to give you a whole new life.

That’s why the stage is set up like it is. On this side, as you I’m sure have noticed, everything is dead. On this side, everything alive and vibrant. That’s true of your life in general, and no one has to stay over here. The invitation is wide open for anyone to move from spiritual death (no relationship with God) to spiritual life…to trade your past for a whole new future.

Today is also an opportunity for those of us who have accepted the gift, who have life with God, to go to him and find hope in those areas of life that feel hopeless…to open up our lives also to the God of resurrection, to say, “The road is tough right now, but I choose to believe. I choose to trust you and walk with you even if the road stays difficult. I trust you to empower me to keep going when I feel like quitting. I trust you to fill me with the hope that you are here on this road with me and are working things out for good in my life. And I choose to believe that you can do anything, that these dreams that seem dead are never dead…not as long as You are a God of resurrection.”

Today is an opportunity to take those things that are dead or seem dead in our lives, and hand them over to the God of resurrection…to trade no hope for hope, to take those things that seem dead and give them over to the God of resurrection…to trade discouragement for hope. [Take a dead flower]. What area of your life are you struggling with hope? A relationship? A job? A ministry? A child? Some health issue?

Let’s give it to God, and in exchange be filled with his hope. He can change the circumstances, nothing is beyond his ability. No matter what, he promises to work those things out for good and to give us sustaining grace and hope. So, let’s give those things over to the God of resurrection, open up our lives to his redeeming power. Hope is here today. Stop long enough to recognize him. Open up your life to the God of resurrection, just like those two on the road to Emmaus did. As we hear this song, it will be an opportunity for you to encounter the God of resurrection. As you hear this song, submit your life, your hopes, to God.

Song.

God is a God of resurrection, and here is what that means. There is no sin beyond God’s grace. No problem bigger than his power. No life beyond his redemption. No sickness beyond his healing. No dream beyond his ability. Nothing dead that he cannot resurrect.

Let’s go to that God right now in prayer.

- Opportunity for those to say yes to new life.

- Opportunity for those to trade sorrow for hope.

End of prayer.

Transition?

Slide: __________________ Eph 1: 18-20

18I pray…that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand…

Song