Power or Propaganda

"The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.” “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard. " (Matthew 27:62-66, NIV) [1]

" 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." (Matthew 28:1-4, NIV) [2]

It’s amazing to me when I read the Easter story to see the lengths to which religious people will go to deny the truth. While on one hand we should be absolutely comfortable with it, we go to lengths to “spin” it as though we have to protect God somehow.

The chief priests anticipated what the missing body of Christ might mean and took the greatest precautions that they could to make sure that the remains remained. A tomb sealed by Rome and guarded by it’s finest – that ought to have done it. The disciples who ran away in the garden were not likely to suddenly find the bravado tackle such a contingent.

But then it happened, in and around Jerusalem. Bizarre occurrences following what should have been just another crucifixion.

"And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”" (Matthew 27:50-54, NIV) [3]

You wouldn’t have to be a CSI to say that this is a little strange – when the earth itself and the order of creation groans in protest at the enormity of the sacrifice for people.

It’s hard to ignore all that – as a resident of the city, you’d have to notice something ominous afoot. Wouldn’t you? I mean the Gleaner reports dirt devils spinning on occasion through our city. Imagine an earthquake in Fredericton. It might be a topic of conversation.

And so the Roman guards come to the chief priests with this amazing but “not-so-surprising” story.

" 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." (Matthew 28:11, NIV) [4]

Now these guys don’t know how to shift out of “Rev.” and they are already in spin mode again. Trying to avoid admission that perhaps Jesus was who he claimed to be. They ignore the testimony of the guards – almost like they never heard what was being told to them. They launch their propaganda, a vain effort to deny what was taking place.

"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." (Matthew 28:12-15, NIV)[5]

It’s crazy isn’t it, our efforts to stand in the way of truth by times when truth does not cast us in a favorable light. Whether the issue is religious or not it seems a human thing to do. We see it repeatedly in our world today.

During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf repeatedly claimed Iraqi forces were decisively winning every battle. Even up to the overthrow of the Iraqi government at Baghdad, he maintained that the United States would soon be defeated, in contradiction with all other media. Due to this, he quickly became a cult figure in the West, and gained recognition on the website “WeLoveTheIraqiInformationMinister.com”. The Iraqis, misled by his propaganda, on the other hand, were shocked when instead Iraq was defeated.

This whole effort by Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf seemed utterly ridiculous to the North American audience. It had nothing to do with the idea of losing a war. It had more to do with the idea of being unwilling to acknowledge a certain undeniable reality. That unwillingness made this man laughable, pitiable.

And it wasn’t just on the Iraqi side that we saw people nervously wrestling with unpleasant truth. I wanted to be able to show a video today of George Bush standing on the deck of an aircraft carrier declaring “Mission Accomplished – we have prevailed”. The video poignantly claims that there have been nearly 3000 lives lost since victory was achieved. And what about the WMD, “weapons of mass destruction” intelligence that built the case for war initially. Flawed to say the least. The latter spin offered evidence to suggest that they were planning to make them.

Now let’s come back closer to home today.

At Easter we celebrate the victory that Christ has gained. We speak of resurrection and power and try to personalize that victory. A good many people seem to believe that it is necessary to profess their personal spiritual prowess and the idea that their faith has helped them to put life together perfectly. I am convinced that they do this with the very best of intentions and I do believe that there is a victory to be found in a relationship with Christ. I also believe that if we are not careful to describe what this victory entails, then we will launch people on a quest to find something that may not exist. You see, I don’t believe that coming to Christ means that we are all going to be happy and peaceful and fulfilled in this life. There are unimaginable twists and turns that life takes, heartaches that lay us on our backs by times in sorrow and grief. Some of this comes to us because of our faith. I know that for parents especially who find an intimate connection with God, they want their children to know the same faith, . . . the same experience. The pain of seeing your children walk away is by times unbearable for many here this morning. So where is the victory – where is the resurrection power that Christ offers.

First of all, the major battle that we remember at Easter is one that we can never fully comprehend. Paul describes what is unseen in Colossians 2.

"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." (Colossians 2:13-15, NIV)[6]

There was a spiritual battle that raged on that God forsaken

hillside and prior to Calvary, from a spiritual perspective you and I were hopelessly lost and separated from God.

The Bible records in the gospels the “flesh and blood” side of that battle. In Christ’s agony, his suffering we see the physical consequence of a spiritual battle.

What looked like defeat from an earthly vantage point became great victory from a spiritual perspective. The gospel us sown in weakness – from an earthly perspective a raised in power – from both an earthly and a spiritual perspective. But our victory begins in the spiritual realm.

Have you ever wondered how the world sees your faith portrayal – how they hear your faith profession. Does it ring true or are you like Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf, or the American spin doctors, . . . or perhaps like the chief priests who feel that you need to somehow control the picture of God that people see. Are your words pitiable, laughable or plausible?

Let me take just a few more minutes to suggest to you some ways that you can live out of the “real” victory that Christ can bring to our lives.

" Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." (Hebrews 10:19-22, NIV) [7]

1. You are given by Christ’s victory on the cross, direct access, 24/7 to the throne room of God.

Most people have too little prayer and too much propaganda.

In other words we spend too much time trying to make ourselves look right, to try to convince other people that we are what we say we are rather than simply enjoying the connection that we are given to God. While we need to be aware of the impact of our behavior, the vital connection that we have with God is more important than what others think of us.

(ILL. – failure of power grid – a few years ago)

2. The power that God gives you is meant for daily living.

We have heard some testimonies this morning from people who have had to seek God for his help in “everyday” situations and circumstances. This, in my opinion is where God is most glorified, when by His power and strength you and I choose to live in such a way as to honor Him first.

There are people who do this dutifully, simply because they feel they have no choice. There are others who live heartily for God because of the choice that they have freely made. It is a response to the overwhelming love of God. It is a response to the grace of God, and the mercy of God.

You see, we can talk of resurrection power all we want, stones rolled away, the dead being raised to life but if you can’t find enough of a connection to simply respond to people in love when they are not particularly loving then the talk of power is powerless.

There are times when the power of God is at work in our lives simply to help us to persevere. Other times His blessing flows in abundance to multiply our efforts to further His kingdom.

Part of daily living is acknowledging our weaknesses as much as our strengths, our defeats as much as our victories. There is authenticity in this – the firm conviction that I do not have to portray myself to anyone to be anymore than what God has made me to be. When I speak of my failings and my weaknesses, I am not rejoicing in them but rejoicing in the fact that my eternal victory was won for me on Calvary and that somehow God loves me and accepts me as a result of that sacrifice.

3. Condemnation is gone.

" Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:1-4, NIV) [8]

Do you realize how people flourish in an environment where there is no condemnation? It is one of unconditional love. Could I suggest to you that if God has removed condemnation from your life that you should be intolerant to it when the tendency to condemn someone else rears itself in your heart.

I had an e-mail the other day from a homosexual friend that I had known from Moncton. This man has prayed for years that God would help him with this area of his life. In recent days he believes this help has come. For others that I know, this is not the case. This man wrote to tell me that my words had hurt him years ago when our views collided. It was a great e-mail exchange and I enjoyed the chance to reconnect with him. I also assured him that I had never considered him to be anything but a friend and that I had prayed for him over the years.

I believe with all my heart that there is incredible power that can flow through the church when we stop believing that we have to pronounce judgment on God’s behalf. The way that we choose to live and the way that we choose to love is the way that God chooses to convict and to draw others to Himself.

WHEN I SAY, "I AM A CHRISTIAN"

By Carol Wimmer