The Impact of the Risen King

Open: Good morning and welcome to our Resurrection Sunday service! The coronavirus pandemic has us quarantined and isolated, but it is not able to stop believers from celebrating the reality of the Resurrection! We have victory through our Risen Savior each and every morning, and we are going to rejoice and praise Christ for being the Magnificent and Majestic King of the Kosmos. Jesus is at the Right Hand of the Father on high and He is worthy of our Praise and Worship!!

I want today’s message to be an encouraging message of hope. There is no denying that our world is vastly different due to the pandemic. The changes of the past month have been fast, drastic, and difficult to process. The news is dominated by the negative effects of the coronavirus, both physical and economical. Adding to the distress levels is the uncertainty: when will this be over? how many people will die? when will I be able to go back to work? and other questions without solid answers. Well, I am not an economist, a politician, nor a doctor so I can’t help with the uncertainty in those issues. It is, however, my privilege to serve as one who proclaims the Gospel, and I can state several things with 100% certainty.

Jesus is Alive - the grave could not keep Him!

The coronavirus cannot stop the Celebration of Easter

We don’t have to fear this virus or any other form of sickness or death when our trust is in Christ

Jesus is in control and He is coming back. Until He does or He calls us home, it is our privilege and responsibility to serve Him in hopeful living

Transition: Over the past few weeks leading up to Easter we have been taking a closer look at our King. We have seen the King in His Triumphal Entry, we have seen the the Nature of the King and His Kingdom, and last week we looked at the Injustice the King received at His so-called trial. Today, we see the King as the Resurrected Victor, and we are going to see how this truth will give us hope for daily living.

If you have your Bibles, turn to . Today’s message will come from verses 36-52. As you are locating the passage, I want to remind you to have your Interactive Easter box at hand. We prepared these boxes with items that relate to the text. I will be referencing the various items as the message proceeds, and the intent is to form a level of connectivity as we remained separated.

We have the Peace of Christ ()

Explanation: The 24th chapter of Luke records events on the first day of the week following the crucifixion of Jesus. The women were told that Jesus was alive by the angels, Peter and John went to the empty tomb, and two of their associates had just returned from a journey and were telling the ten disciples that they had seen Jesus. All of this was fascinating, and they were all probably talking about whether such a thing could really be true.

All of a sudden, the Risen Christ appeared among them. Out of nowhere, the subject of their conversation appears. The first thing Jesus declares to them is, “Peace be to you”

Interaction #1: The first item to take out of your box is the button pin with the peace symbol. Some of you in your 60’s or older may be thinking of Woodstock when you look at these, but the idea is to think about the Peace that only Jesus brings to those who trust Him.

Argument: It is interesting that the first thing Jesus says to His disciples is about peace. He is obviously aware that His sudden appearance would be a shock to them, and He wants to comfort and reassure them.

Interaction #2: Look in your box and take out the emoji that is startled and surprised. This is meant to represent how the disciples may have looked when they realized a dead man (at least they thought He was dead) had supernaturally appeared and was talking with them.

Argument: Notice how Jesus addresses their fears and concern. He knows they think He is a ghost, so He takes steps to reassure them. He encourages them to touch Him and feel that He is real, and not a ghost

Interactive #3: look in your box and take out the fish. Even after the disciples had looked at His hands and feet, in v. 41 we observe that the disciples are still struggling to comprehend what they are seeing. So He goes a step further and asked for some food and ate some fish that was there (v. 43). The normal act of eating was to reassure them that He was actually real.

NOTE: Generally when we hear of a great deal, or exciting news about how we have “just won a new car” because our three scratch offs match, we make the statement, “That’s too good to be true.” And 99% of the time it is. This was the exception - this news was great, AND Jesus was real!

Application: Jesus reassured His disciples He was very much alive and He wanted them to be a peace instead of being anxious. His physical presence with them was a great comfort.

Since Jesus is physically in heaven, seated at the right hand of the Father, we do not have His physical presence. We have something better - We have the Presence of Jesus with us through the Spirit of Christ, and we are never alone.

You may be experiencing anxiety and distress (hold up the startled emoji), but I want to remind you that you have the Peace of Jesus (hold up peace sign). If you are struggling with this during the pandemic, place the emoji in a visible spot, but right next to it, place the peace sign and the fish. Allow these visible reminders to direct your thoughts and prayers to focus on the King of Peace!

We have the Precepts of the Word ()

Explanation: After Jesus finished eating, He began to prepare them for their continuing mission. He first reminded them of His own teachings while He had been with them (v. 44a), and then He directed their attention to the Scriptures (the Old Testament). Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. What an incredible Bible Study that must have been with the Author of the Book showing them how the Book had been pointing to Him!

Argument: Jesus used the OT Scriptures to show the disciples what had just happened to Him was in fulfillment of prophecy. He was giving them even more confidence in the Word by proving that His suffering and death on the Cross was not an accident. He is revealing that even though he really died physically and was placed in a tomb, it was part of God’s plan.

Interactive #4 & #5: Take out the Cross and the Stone from the box. These two items belong together. The Cross reminds us of the cost of God’s love. Because He is holy and just, sin required a payment. Because He loved us, Jesus atoned for sins as our substitute. Let the Cross remind us of the high price Jesus paid for our forgiveness.

But the Cross is not the end of the story. Jesus is not still on the Cross. He was placed in the tomb for three days and then He came forth as the Risen Lord with victory over the grave. The stone represents the Empty Tomb and reminds us that we aren’t simply commemorating the death of a lost Hero, but we are celebrating the Victory of New Life in our Living Lord!!

Application: Freedom from guilt is possible. We do not have to go through life crippled by sin and without hope. Forgiveness of sin and being at peace with God is possible through faith in the Finished Work of Jesus. This is great news and Jesus commissions His disciples to proclaim this truth to the nations. Jesus tells them to start in Jerusalem and to keep going.

Interactive #6 & #7: Take the arrow and the globe out of the box. These two items also go together. The arrow is to remind us that we are on mission - that as Christ-followers we are to live our lives on purpose in carrying out the mandate from Jesus. The Globe is to remind us of the scope of the mission - Christians are to share the Good News of the Gospel at home, in our state, in our country, and to the far reaches of the world.

We have the Promise of God in the Person of the Holy Spirit ()

The work of proclamation is ongoing and the task seems more difficult as the years pass. Unlike the disciples, we have never visually seen the Risen Christ. We didn’t have Jesus Himself open our minds to understand the Scriptures. We did not have the privilege of watching Him ascend into heaven in His glorified body.

Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the size of the task, along with the increased hostility of the world towards the Church of Christ we CAN do our part. We have been given the Promise of God, and the Power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told His disciples that He would not leave them as orphans, but that He would come to them in the Spirit of Christ.

Jesus reminds them of that Promise in v. 49, and tells that they will soon be empowered from on high. This Promise, like all the other promises of God, was fulfilled. The Holy Spirit empowered and birthed the Church on the Day of Pentecost and believers have been sharing the Gospel ever since.

What a faith legacy that we are joined in! What a privilege to be considered worthy to tell others about Jesus!

Interactive #8 Take the last item from the box. This emoji is of joy. As we see in v. 52, the disciples “returned to Jerusalem with great joy.” I pray that each listening this morning has the joy of the Lord. Yes, the task is large, and yes, many oppose our message; but take heart. The Joy of the Lord is our strength! As I close this Resurrection Message I encourage you to rest in the joy of the Lord and trust in His Power and Promise and God will do great things through us as His surrendered servants.

Go and serve the Risen King!

We have the Power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49b)