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Can I ask you a question- who are you in the Easter story? Who do you identify with? If you read through the entire story from beginning to end- is there a character that you say “That is me, today!”

We are not going to do a show of hands or a poll or anything, but I bet it is a safe bet that every person in this story is represented in this congregation. There are some Marys; some Thomas; some Johns; and some Barabbas----

But there is a solid truth we need to remember today- that Jesus did not just die for the faithful friends; his death was bigger than Peter, James, John, Marry, Simon the Cyrene and the thief on his side---- Listen to Romans 5:6-11

Romans 5:6–11 ESV

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Jesus’ death was not just for those who we might call righteous. In the same way that Jesus died for those folks- he died for Judas, for Pilate, for the centurions, and even for every person in the crowd that yelled “crucify him!” every person that tore on his beard, spit on his face, and threw stones at his body.

Today we celebrate an every person Gospel- a resurrection that is good for all. I know, it is mind-blowing when you think about it, that anyone would give their lives for those who are evil- but that is the good news of the Gospel.

Paul tells us that when we were still weak- in other words when we were the people in the crowd, the ones hurling stones and insults, the ones standing as enemies of the cross- it was in those moments that Jesus chose to die for us. This trumps all of the ideas that we can conjure up that we can be “good enough” for the Gospel.

So, when Jesus walked out of the tomb that faithful morning, we walked out for us all- his death and resurrection is an every person event.

So, no matter who you are today- no matter if you walked into this place as a believer in Jesus or not; whether or not you feel deserving; even if you are skeptical of this entire thing- he died and walked out of the tomb for you today. And in Paul’s’ words he offers you new life. Specifically he offers you 4 things today, and I want to share them with you. These are 4 victories that we can claim, live, and celebrate today in this place.

Easter means Jesus justified us by his blood- Do you know who Glen Duhigg is? You may not know his name, but if you have seen the Mission Impossible movies, you have seen some of his work. Glen Duhigg- an ex-lawyer, was Tom Cruise’s stand in for those movies. Glen once said that

“It sounds very glamorous saying you’re the stand-in for Tom Cruise but I don’t think many people realize the long hours and constant demands that deflate your ego very quickly. The days are long. Whatever scene Tom was in, I would be the one standing there, being him sometimes for ages as the crew set up the shot – getting the lighting just right and the props just so. I’d be standing there for hours out in the weather, getting drenched in the rain or sun stroke out in the heat. And then Tom would just walk on the set from his air-conditioned caravan or out of his beautiful sports car once the scene was ready.” As one of the other stand-ins said, “I realized very quickly the difference between being a star and being a stand-in.”

Praise God we have a stand in for us today- and it’s Jesus. As Jesus took our place that day on the cross, and allowed his blood to be shed for us the Scriptures tell us that we were justified. Now, justified basically means “just as if it never happened”

Easter means we are reconciled to God through Jesus’ death- v10 tells us that “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son”

Justification is a legal idea- but reconciliation is a relational term. When we are reconciled it says something about our status with God. In the context of the Bible to be reconciled means to bring God and man together. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross empowers a new kind of relationship between God and mankind.

Reconciliation is at the heart of God, not merely forgiveness, because you do not have to have a relationship with someone in order to forgive them. That is because forgiveness deals with emotions and consequences, but reconciliation deals in action and power.

For example, I can have a friend that hurts me, betrays me, and does me wrong; I can forgive them, but not save our relationship. I can stop calling them, texting them, and never have the same kind of friendship again. But reconciliation is when we both decide that the offense will not destroy our friendship, we move past just forgiveness and put action to it- we intentionally sit down and talk about what happened, we pursue not just forgiveness, but a stronger relationship.

Jesus told the disciples a little bit about his reconciliation work in John 15:15 around the table of the Last Supper he told them “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you” Jesus’ death and Resurrection means that God is not just some big, unknowable force in the sky- it means that God invites us to the table as friends. So many religious ideas are based on an impersonal, mean, vindictive God who never interacts with his people in a real way; but the sacrifice of Christ shows us that is no God like ours!

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