A Greater Love

He Was Willing

Here it is Easter Sunday. I am never quite sure if I should say that quietly and reverently or if I should shout if from the rooftops, or maybe both. I am going to make an assumption today. The assumption is that everyone knows that Easter Sunday is when we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, but just in case someone doesn’t know I just slipped it in anyway.

I want to thank you for giving me your time and attention for these three weeks, it has been my honor and privileged to share God’s word with you.

When I started this series I told you that one of these three sermons would be a really good one. Last week someone reminded me that I have one more chance to make good on that promise. Well here it is.

This is a really great sermon, I might mess it up and bring you a really boring and useless sermon except that the subject is so wonderful, so life changing that even a bad sermon about Jesus and eternal life is a good sermon. So here we go, get ready for amazing, not because of my words or my abilities but because today is about the fact that Jesus died for you and not only did he die for you but he came alive again for you so that you could live forever with him. God is truly great.

I want to start by looking at the arrest of Jesus. I want to show you what Jesus thought about you, how much he loved you and what he was willing to do for you.

Matthew 26:50–52 NASB95

And Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you have come for.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him. And behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached and drew out his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.

I want you to notice that the one who betrayed Jesus was called friend. I am not sure that is how I would refer to someone who came to have me tortured and killed, but Jesus did.

Notice that Jesus’ disciples tried to defend him because they loved him, they were outnumbered and outgunned but they didn’t pause to think about themselves, only Him.

Notice that Jesus was polite and that he kept the peace, another writer even tells us that Jesus healed the man who lost an ear.

The thing I want you to really notice though was this, Jesus did not have to do it. Jesus knew what was coming, he knew the pain and the scorn that would result from this arrest and he wasn’t looking forward to it, the anguished prayer in the garden of Gethsemane proves that.

Jesus could have walked away, he could have called down angels from heaven to defend him and keep him from being arrested, it would have been no problem at all for Jesus to avoid arrest and avoid all of the pain and anguish that he knew was coming, but he didn’t. Have you ever wondered why not?

I am reminded of the story of a certain farmer who was out plowing his field and as he plowed he watched his two sons playing at the end of the row. They had their toy tractors and they were plowing in the dirt and imitating their dad. Each round that he made he would watch them playing and smile with pride that his sons wanted to be like him. He would get to the end of the row and turn in the opposite direction and lose sight of them until he turned and plowed back towards them again. He loved his sons and he dreamed of the day when they would take over the family farm, in fact one of the reasons he worked so hard was to have something to give to his sons as an inheritance, to care for them and give them the best start possible. It was a good day.

As he made another round and turned toward his sons he saw something that his sons did not see, they were concentrating on their play and their world had shrunk to their game of farming just like dad, but their father saw a bigger picture.

A large dog was moving closer and closer to the boys. As the father plowed the row he watched the dog and it was staggering a little bit. It soon became clear to the farmer that the dog had rabies. he could see the foam around the dogs mouth and he immediately became concerned for his sons.

He stopped the tractor and jumped off running toward his boys, as he ran he shouted to them that they should run to the house and get inside. The boys were confused and for a moment they just stared. They had heard the tractor stop and now their father was running toward them screaming and they became afraid.

After a moment or two of indecision the boys began to run toward home and their father shouted at them to run to their mother and not stop. All of this commotion had attracted the attention of the rabid dog and he began to lope toward the boys picking up speed.

Their father turned and ran to intercept the dog. He had no weapon, he had no plan, he merely put himself between the threat and the ones that he loved. He fought with the dog and was scratched and bitten several times.

Meanwhile the boys ran home to mom who came out with a shotgun to check on dad. They found him bitten and bleeding from many wounds after driving off the dog. The father had put himself between his children and that which would harm them. He used his own body to protect his children.

Of course he contacted rabies. The doctor said that the bites were too many and that the poison had gotten too god a hold on the mans body, there was nothing they could do, he was dying.

As his wife sat beside him and wept she wondered aloud why did this have to happen, I wish I had gotten there sooner or that I had kept the boys inside today then you would be OK.

The farmer took his wife’s hand and looked up at her with a pain wracked smile saying Dear, I don’t regret what happened, I am in pain and I did not want to die, but I always intended to spend my life giving a better life to my kids. This wasn’t how I would have preferred it but I got to protect my boys and know that they will grow up big and strong, I love you and I love them, I can’t think of a better way to spend my life than protecting what I love. I don’t regret a second of it.

Jesus gave his life as a ransom for you and for me because he loved us, he said no one takes my life from me, I lay it down willingly. Jesus did not enjoy being beaten, he did not enjoy being crucified, he did not like the pain, he did not like being whipped or spit on or cursed. It was not a pleasant experience but he did it willingly.

Why would anyone do such a thing, only because of love. Jesus loved you so much that he would willingly lay down his life for you, Jesus loved you so much that he would endure pain and suffering for your sake and never experience a moments regret, never look back, never wonder if he did the right thing, he loves you too much for that.

If there were nothing else to it that would be the most wonderful gift anyone could give. If that were the end of the story we would owe Jesus love and honor and respect. We respect and honor those who lay down their lives in our military, those who give their lives as police officers, the firemen and all who protect us and serve us, especially those who lay down their lives for us and it is right that we should do so. If that was the sum total of what Jesus did it would deserve this day of honor and respect, but it wasn’t.

Jesus died to protect us from the effects of sin and from the consequences of that sin but he didn’t stop there, the story wasn’t over.

Matthew 28:1–10 NASB95

Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. “Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.” And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.”

Not only had Jesus died to protect us from the consequences of our sin but he also lived for us. Not just once, but forever. God raised him from the dead so that Jesus could always be there to offer us not just forgiveness, as if that were not enough but eternity. Not only did Jesus die for us but he also lives.

Knowing that men in the military have died for my freedom I served my country as a debt that I owed, I honor those men and respect them but they are past knowing, they are past the point where they can do anything for me or where I can do anything for them, I can only honor their memory. But Jesus is different.

We can go today and see the tomb of the unknown soldier, we can go to the grave of family members who have given part or all of their lives for us but we can’t see them, talk to them, they have spent their lives and given what they could and the best we can do is to carry on in the spirit of their legacy, to live up to their example. But Jesus is different.

He is alive. He is still working for us, he is pleading for us in heaven, He is building a place for us and he is preparing that place for us to live forever with him.

Burial is sad, it is unnatural. We were not made to experience death and loss, we somehow know that it is not right, not fair, it just seems wrong. When Mary arrived at the tomb that day she already knew in her mind what she would find, she had seen it so many times before It was no different that cracking an egg. It would be messy, it would destroy the egg, the yolk and the white would be poured out and the egg would be no more. She had prepared herself for it, she had braced for it, but somehow, that day....

Smash the empty egg....

The tomb was empty. How could that be, what had happened. Jesus, the one who had given his life for us was not dead and the world would never be the same again.

Jesus lives, He is alive today and he has given himself so that you too could live, so that every time you ever sinned, ever willingly did wrong or even just failed to do what was right, every one of those times can be forgiven today, Jesus gave his life to make sure that was so, and now that same Jesus is preparing eternity for those who will accept him and love him, how could you not love someone who gave his life for you. He wants to protect you and care for you, you just have to let him, let him take over, let him be lord of your life, He cares for your life even more than he cares for his own, he’s already proven that, and now he’s just waiting on you, won’t you give him your life as he has given you his life, don’t wait, now is the time and this is the place. Jesus loves you..........Love him back.

The tomb was empty.