Resurrected Life

Good morning, everybody. And I'm sorry that we have to meet this way. This is seem to be our best option with so just be in prayer that we will make wise decisions as the time goes on as we battle this. This disease is a nation and hope you're all doing your best. You can to stay safe in this difficult situation. Just want to know so hard decision that we made to cancel the service this morning and we will keep you updated as far as future activities. We hope to be able to meet next Sunday, but we will just have to wait and see how this thing plays out and see what happens just a reminder that we would like if if possible for you to go to time that l y give to be able to give to return your tithes and bring offerings to church and to to the kingdom. We do encourage you to do do what you can there and also we didn't get to just check on your neighbors and your loved ones. Make sure they have everything they need and we're so glad that you decided to listen in this morning.

What we've been talking with these last few weeks about what it means to have resurrected living in this morning. We're going to continue that theme in John chapter 5 beginning of verse 25. We read these words very truly. I tell you the time is coming and is now, when the dead Pier the voice of the son of God. And those who hear will live for as the father has life in himself. So he is granted The Sun Also to have life in himself and he has given him authority to judge because he is the son of man did not be amazed at this for a time is coming over in their graves will hear his voice and come out those who have done. What is Good Will Rise to live in Jerseyville will rise to be condemned. May God is blessing to the reading of his word. You know, we just we live in this culture this day and age when we're just so uncomfortable with the whole idea of when I we we recognize that it's going to come someday, but as my dad said to be just this week, we know it's coming but we aren't really in a hurry to get there. We avoid it if at all possible, you know, we have skin care regimens or plastic surgeries or hair. Dye those kind of things do the best they can to to cover up the sign. Is of Aging what are the clear signs of our mortality signs at day, but if our employers give us bereavement leave its own usually only just a couple of days that we're kind of part of this get over it culture one that doesn't like to sit with death to what makes this whole coronavirus code 19, whatever we're dealing with here. It's part of what makes it so uncomfortable for us because although the the death rate is still fairly small among those among the entire population among those get this disease. It's 10 to 20 x depending on who you talk to who you specifics you look at ten to twenty times more likely that somebody will die who has it then then who has the flu the same time way more people have gotten the flu so so far. The death rate is much higher for those that had the flu so fearful of death and and I get it. You know, we we struggle to stay on this Earth as long as we can but but don't we avoid physical Earthly death as much as possible? We know that there are other deaths around us spiritual death is isn't quite so rigorously avoided people just don't seem to to be too concerned about that at times even we see people run toward spiritual jet thinking there's no other way other times. We see people who appear to be trapped in systems of death sometimes by your own making but others and social systems of death, like poverty and pollution or racism just so many things in our world today where to buy our own making of the making of others. We live in a world that permeated by spiritual death When is the season that we've been going through here leading up to Easter? Is it to season 2 to recognize and acknowledge death? Gas can fuel so pervasive it can almost be suffocating at times. We may know that feeling in our own lives or see it in the people around us and we aren't careful. It can be easy to speak in the hopelessness and despair in the midst of it all to let the darkness over cummis but there's a voice calling us in the midst of that Darkness. It may seem far away is there and it is a voice of Life a voice of hope. It pulls us from Darkness. It pulls us from Despair and reminds us that while death holds a tight grip on our world death does not have the final world are the final word. Excuse me death does not have the final word. Life is the final word.

Hey in the Old Testament times. We we see that many Jews held a belief in the Sunday resurrection of the Dead. It was a common belief that God would come that he would restore all things one day someday out there in the far distant future the day of the Lord would be a day of Resurrection, but it would also be a day of judgment whether to punishment or to reward. The day of the Lord intended to revolve around judgment and we see that in the the Old Testament prophets that the Jews didn't really fear the day of the Lord instead. They viewed it is a day when God was going to restore all things going to make all things, right the righteous would be raised and they would no longer be oppressed as a people the idea that it's time was coming when the dead would hear the voice of God. What would have already been familiar to the people that Jesus was speaking to hear in the Gospel of John? There's a look forward to the end time in this text as well as in the language of coming. We we see that Jesus is affirming their belief that there's going to be a day that God restores all thing. The final day the the end the the final coming the the the day of the Lord and of course, we we hope someday as well. Are we usually think of the end times that they'll be sometime in the far-off future maybe sometimes we think that like with the covid 19 virus signs that the end might be coming soon. We've never really been good at reading from the beginning of Christianity. It seems like there are people that constantly have said well the end is going to be within my lifetime. The end is going to be within a few weeks. The end is going to be just in this these few days and it seems like we always are feeling that way we focus heavily on what happens to us when we die and we think about where we go. What happens when we die. What does that mean? Do we just wait for for a Resurrection Day is is is there a is there any time in between or death in the resurrection to do we immediately go and be in the presence of God? To be honest with you many of our thoughts many of our ideas even in Christian Christianity are skewed not biblical by popular beliefs about end times and in about what's going to happen after we die. We also focused on the idea in true Christianity idea that the Jesus is going to come again. He's going to not only raise the dead but he's going to restore thing that they God's going to comment and bring judgment to our world. We similar belief that the Jews had that in a belief in the Sunday resurrection of the Dead other Jews also would have been familiar with the system of family apprenticeship seem to be totally connected here. But but it if you go back a few verses you'll find it that way. Find us this whole idea of how it in their culture. So often a person would grow up Amanda grow up to do what his father did his father was a fisherman. He learned to become a fisherman and he can't even do that from his father. Jesus is illustrating in in a text previous to this. As I said that he is apprenticed to God the Father with the father does Jesus does vs. 19 to 21. We see how John touches on this idea when he says Jesus gave him this answer very truly. I tell you the son can do nothing by himself. He can do only what he sees his father doing because whatever the father does the Sun Also does for the father loves the son and shows him. All he does. Yes, and he will show him even Greater Works than these so that you will be amazed for just as the father raises the dead and gives them life even to the sun even so the sun gives life to whom he is. Needs to give it. It's either the sun is an apprenticeship. He's an apprentice to to the father Jesus an apprentice to God the father that he's not working outside of the will of the father. But he is working as the father works for the power of Resurrection isn't just relegated to some future day some far-off time. But but we see in this passage bit that the the resurrection is already at work. It's at work in the present that did because Jesus is doing the work of God in the world even is he was alive and we also know that he's doing that that Resurrection work today verse 21 explicitly points to Jesus doing the work of Resurrection because he's doing the work of his father and that's the work of Resurrection. Well, Jesus talks about the future to come. He also speaks of a present Rex resurrection that he's bringing in Jesus. He is the embodiment of God on Earth that we've talked about that how he is God With Us and he's doing the work of God in the present. He's already doing the work of the Resurrection. It's not just for something way out there in the future God is already at work through Jesus doing the work of resurrection of work is Illustrated in the various Miracles that he does throughout the Gospel of John probably obvious is the the physical bodily resurrection of his friend Lazarus who had been dead and in the grave for 4 days when Jesus told him to remove the covering from the the Tomb in and it said Lazarus come out that if you find that story and John Chapter 11 We also see that Jesus heals others others and he resurrects them from the disease and social death all these Miracles that he performed. They ultimately point to the larger miracle that Jesus is going to be resurrected from the dead. Resurrection isn't just something that happens in the future, but but it's happening now. Those who listen to Jesus and follow after him the experience Resurrection in their current lives. Now, I'm not saying that they can look to their their friends or loved ones who have died and say come out of that that that tumor or come out of that coffin, but but there's so much Resurrection living in our current wife bodily Resurrection after death is just a continuation of the life abundant already being live by those who follow after Jesus that we are supposed to be living a wife Upon A week. We're not to be living in fear. And I know somebody think well, you can't Pump services today. It isn't that living in fear and into that. I would say no living in fear. We are trying to to be wise and we decided that it was best to err on the side of caution this morning, especially in this day and age when we can. Get the message out, even if if we're forced to not be able to be together today. Now, I get it. It's not the best medium in which to do this. But this isn't the best way to experience a sermon. I understand that but but we can at least hear the word of God together this morning and so I would say no we are not acting out of fear. We are acting out of what we believe to be wisdom and we're going to continue to do that. This this is a statement of the already not yet. Kingdom of God or God is in fact going to come someday and he's going to judge and and Eric's going to be a bodily resurrection of the Dead. The work is already happening. I think it's important for us to remember it in in this season of Lent and in an all through the year that spit while we were in in a season that maybe you personally are in a season of grief many in our church our our our kind of reeling after the the news of Ava of a seemingly very healthy fairly young man passing away while on a cruise in and then you know, we we we know that that we're dealing with that many of them and we got can or confronting or ID at the idea of mortality as we look around us. And we we see the hundreds of thousands around our world has been infected by this virus and in the thousands who have died across our world. We were dealing with that idea that that we are Mortals that that we are going to face death someday. And we also in the season of Lent were facing sin realizing that that we still fail and realizing that we're still weak. And and that we need a savior A&M we we we still live in the ultimate hope that there is going to be a resurrection. We're going to be part of that Resurrection. We recognize that we live in the ultimate hope and Power. A Jesus's resurrection even in a difficult time. We live in the hope of Resurrection, even when the world is going crazy and everybody is running in fear. I mean, have you been to Walmart this week? I had to go to Walmart on Friday after I got off work at the hotel and I went over there to a little after 3 in the afternoon. Oh my goodness. It looked about like Black Friday. Not that I do Black Friday shopping. But but there were hundreds and hundreds of people everywhere in at Walmart since I felt so sorry for the people who kept trying to keep the shelves stocked and and the people were trying to check people out and it just was was was crazy. And I'm sure that Miss some of you experience that craziness this week as well it with everybody running in fear week. We need to be reminded that we are are people of hope that that there is hope in the resurrection. Even in this day when people are running in fear, and it's a reminder for us to do the work of Resurrection in our world even in the face of all kinds of obstacles. Just as Jesus was following the way of God into getting the work of God in the world were to follow in the same way. And so we go into the dark and we go into the dead places and in our world to places that need a refreshing word of resurrection and we we run headlong into situations where others may be running away and we offer help if if we know somebody has a need we want to offer help if you know somebody who who needs some groceries if you know somebody who let's be honest, if you know somebody who needs some toilet paper and you got extra take it to be what if we want to help out in this world, so that were in today, we we can join God in his work while this work may not yet be completed it. It's good Resurrection work. happening right now in the present So this morning I just want to ask you this question is are we living like people of the Resurrection now or we only longing for the coming of God in the future? I don't want to be a church that is just sitting back waiting for the resurrection someday Waiting for God to come back and and make things right and and and we're not doing our part to hear the word of Resurrection should transform our lives right now to Transformers right here in the present ways. We used to gravitate toward death or or overcome by the power of the resurrection of Jesus began. It is a continuing work a work in the world through to the Holy Spirit and through the people of God and we want to be part of that. We don't need to fear a void death like the culture around us because we have confidence that the work of Resurrection is already at work in the world and will one. Play be fulfilled. That's the truth is that the work of Resurrection is already begun in US? The moment we hear the voice of Christ call out to us with words of life it the moment. We respond the moment. We accept his offer of forgiveness and cleansing. We we come into the power of the Resurrection. Some of us have a great restaurant in great Resurrection or great salvation Story the ways that God has saved us from the brink of spiritual death or maybe even some have stories about how God is his released us and saved us from the brink of physical death. How does the vas share a story of how God is continuing to work in our lives our everyday lives and no less beautiful ways. We're all people of the Resurrection were called out of Darkness were called out of death were called to an abundant life.

Walmart culture avoids death in places that reeked of it we can look death in the face. We can face it with deep confidence that the resurrection is already at work in our lives. We can grieve unlike the people of the world. We can grieve in Hope and we can work in the dark and broken places not through to spare, but we can be a people of Hope.

Honestly the work of Resurrection off and feels hard it it feels unrelenting because there's so much Despair and hopelessness in our world today.

Even in these days when so many people are facing uncertainty in and as we all look out and we Face the unknown. When the days can be long somber and waiting. We can still celebrate even if we end up being quarantined stay in our houses. We can still celebrate because there is resurrection power. Power of the Resurrection is already here. Work Jesus began is still at work in the world. He's still working in US. Praise His. Holy name

God bless you and stay safe. I trust this morning that that we will together work to be Resurrection people.

God bless you.