Are We Testifying
Notes
Transcript
This morning, Easter Sunday, we gather together to celebrate the greatest event in human and divine history.
A week ago, Palm Sunday, we celebrated the arrival of Jesus the Messiah into the city of Jerusalem. We waved palm branches and sang out Hosanna in the Highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!
For a few days Jesus worked in the city. He cured those who needed cured, fixed the broken, and taught many people. With growing aggression at what he was doing, the religious leaders plotted against him. It was more than just longing for him to quit or to leave the city, they planned to kill him.
Knowing their plans, Jesus took his disciples to the upper room. There, on Thursday, he broke bread with them and offered them the meal. He explained how his body was to be broken for them, and his blood shed. It was here he said he would be betrayed by the one who took a piece of the bread. Jesus took the bread, dipped it into the wine, and handed the bread to Judas, saying, “What you are about to do, do quickly.”
And he did.
Jesus and the others went to the garden of Gethsemane. As he did this, Judas went to the authorities and was paid to show them where Jesus was.
Jesus, in the garden, was praying, “is there no other way Father?! Please, let there be!”
He returned from praying to see his disciples sleeping, and he woke them up, upset that they would not stay awake with him while his heart and mind was so troubled.
Then, they came.
The soldiers and high priests came to Jesus, demanded to have him turned over, and after a small struggle Jesus said to stop, that he would go peacefully.
Then there was Friday, the day that Jesus died. He spent most of the night on Thursday and early Friday being beaten, spit upon, paraded around like a trophy. Look, we’ve destroyed the self-proclaimed “king”!
He continued in the early morning of Friday to face unfair trials, abuse at the hands of the Romans, and was selected by his very own people to be crucified over the convicted murderer Barabbas. The people of Israel shouted, “Give us Barabbas! Crucify Him!”
So they took him up to Golgotha, as he carried His cross, his mother watched in horror.
There, on that hill, on a cross, Jesus died.
They took him off the cross and placed him in a tomb.
There he laid, dead, for 3 days.
Today, we celebrate that he laid there no more than three days!
He arose from the grave, was raised from death, and proved his divine being!
Christ, our Lord, conquered death. O death, where is your sting?!
Today, we celebrate the very core of our faith, the resurrection of Jesus the Christ from death. That moment in time where the Spirit of God raised Christ from the dead and he walked amongst the living again.
It was the event that was spoken about for thousands of years, and here it was happening.
Later down the road, after Jesus ascended into heaven, Peter spoke the words that we read earlier and will read now...
34 Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. 37 That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; 40 but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
This message that Peter brought was one that shook the core of the people around him. Up to this point, God was faithful only to the people of Israel. However, Christ changed that. Here Peter claims that every person of every nation can be forgiven so long as they fear the Lord and do what is right and acceptable to him.
But, what I find interesting is verses 42 and 43 which says,
42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
As we gather together this morning with the greatest news possible, that Christ has risen, I wonder, are we preaching to the people and testifying?
It’s one of those things that are so much easier said than done. It’s difficult sometimes to go to other people, especially ones we do not know, and preach and testify.
However, this isn’t a suggestion from God. It’s a command from the Lord himself.
We need to be people who are willing to share our faith with others around us. Imagine if the apostles had been too afraid of what others around them would think. I don’t think any of us would be here today. We may not even know the name of the Lord.
We have the greatest, most life giving message that all of mankind has ever heard, and we need to be sharing that with the people around us. The people we love and call family, the stranger on the street, and even people we don’t really like all that much.
This Easter message of Christ risen from the dead was is not just a message for those of us who ourselves Christians, but it’s a message for everyone of any nation. So, what are you doing to make sure that message gets to the ears of those who need to hear it? Are you sitting on it and watching the world plunge into chaos, or are you willing to step out in faith and share the message?
It’s not easy, and often times it’s incredibly difficult and awkward, but it’s necessary. We can’t continue to sit around as believers and hope that the world gets better while actively doing nothing about it! The greatest antidote for this sick and broken world is the message of Christ crucified and Christ risen.
So, as believers, I pray that we can each step out into the world this week and the many weeks to come willing to testify and preach the Easter message. That Christ died for our sins, forgave us who believe in Him, and that he was raised from the dead and defeated death.
Let that be the message we leave with today, and proclaim it to the world.
Amen!