Risen Savior

I Can’t

It is important to know our limitations. We have to know what we can do. And we need to come to grips with the things we can’t do.

I can’t fly. Don’t have wings and I’m not a pilot.

Be in 2 places at once.

Read minds. Though, sometimes my wife may assume that.

You don’t want me performing your surgery.

I’m not great w/ tools. Carpentry, electrical, sheet rocking are things you want someone else to do.

I call somebody. YouTube is helpful. But we’re all better off if someone else has the tool in their hands.

There are things I can do. Every one of the things I can do is b/c someone else did something for me enabling me to do it.

I Can

I’m alive and breathe b/c my mom gave birth to me.

My dad didn’t do much for me beyond his contribution to my conception.

She taught me basic cooking and housekeeping skills. Single mom. We all had chores.

Sara has taught much more and much better.

I can read b/c Mrs. Goff, my 1st grade teacher taught me.

I can ride a bike b/c my grandfather ran with me.

He taught me to fish and shoot a shotgun.

I can throw and hit a fastball and coach my kids and grand kids b/c John Simon and Jim Deckinger coached me.

Curveball, not so much.

I can fry a frozen patty on a griddle b/c I worked at McDonald’s.

I can tag a newborn calf, bale hay, and drive a tractor b/c I worked on a cattle ranch in college b/c Dale Garner taught me.

I understand the bible and can study it for myself b/c seminary profs like Howard Hendricks, John Walvoord, and Mark Bailey taught me.

I can say w/ certainty I know Jesus and I’m going to heaven b/c Frank and Ann Harris introduced me.

Then, as I’ve had the chance to get to know Jesus better, I realized what I can do now b/c of what He did for me, and you.

This Easter season I’ve been focusing on the roles we play in our relationships. The most important relationship we can have is w/ Jesus. He alone makes that possible.

With every relationship it is important to know our role. We can’t try to do what someone else is uniquely qualified to do, especially if we are not.

Husbands and wives.

Parents and kids.

Friendships and business.

The big questions about Jesus are, can He do it? Did He do it? And, will He do it?

B/C, if the answer is ‘no’, then we are wasting our time.

But, the answers are ‘yes’ to all of them. The events of Easter prove, take all the anxiety out, give us security in knowing that everything is going to be okay, forever.

The possibilities for us are endless. Not b/c of what we can do. But, b/c of what Jesus has done for us and will continue to do.

We can be sure that Jesus is Who He says He is and can do what He says He can do because of Easter. Once we believe that, then there is nothing that can bind us up or hold us down.

Today we celebrate the fact that Jesus rose from the dead and makes possible so many good things for us.

What Happened?

Matthew 28:1–10 NIV

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. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

It was anything but a typical Sunday. It started out like so many other Sundays. But the grief and pain was palpable among the disciples.

They were grieving the loss of their Rabbi, Shepherd, Good Friend, and Messiah.

W/ his horrible death, they struggled to conceive the idea that their organization would live on. In their minds, the church was dead, too.

It was customary for women to visit the tomb and wash the dead body and reapply the spices and perfumes. No one wanted their loved one to offend anyone even after they were dead and the natural processes took over.

So, just after Mary and Mary head to the tomb, that’s when everything natural stopped and things got supernatural in a hurry.

Matthew recorded these events as the Marys recounted for him what happened.

Did it really happen? So many have questioned the events of the day, beginning with the witnesses themselves.

If the story was made up, fiction, the author never would have claimed women were the first to discover the empty tomb.

Culturally, women were not even allowed to testify in court. Their testimony was not considered trustworthy. So, for a woman to be told to go testify to the disciples, the notion was controversial at best.

Have a man be the first to witness. An important man. Not even a fisherman or a teenager. How about a religious leader who visited to tomb to worship there?

No. It was the women.

Then, there are the guards. The Romans posted guards at the tomb b/c of the political importance of the deceased and the common practice of robbing the grave of important people.

The spices and perfumes had value on the black market.

The guards were prepared to defend the tomb against another human invader. They never expected an angelic one.

And, in Acts, when an angel helped Peter escape prison w/out awaking or alerting the guards, all 4 guards were executed for dereliction of duty allowing the prisoner to get away.

Imagine the feelings stirring in the guard as he watched Jesus walk away.

Wow! that’s a miracle. I’m a dead man.

No human group would have stolen the body w/out the guards dying to protect it. They knew they would die anyway. So no sense in not risking it all to prevent the body from being stolen.

We know from the next verses in Matthew that a fake news story concocted by the Jewish leadership cover the truth while they tried to figure out a better story to tell.

They paid off the guards and ran interference for them w/ the Roman leadership. We don’t know if that saved their lives or not.

The point is, if this story was fiction, it never would have been written this way.

Then, sometime between leaving the tomb and before Jesus appeared to them, they ran into Peter (the fisherman) and John (the teenager) and told them what they found, or didn’t find, at the tomb.

John picked up the story from there:

John 20:3–8 NIV

So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.

The one important detail to draw from this is the cloth that covered Jesus’s face was still lying in its place. In fact, it was neatly folded where his head had rested.

His body was wrapped in grave clothes and they were heaped on the ground like He stood up, unwound them, and they fell off in a pile and he left them.

The head cloth, like a napkin, was neatly folded and placed where his head used to lie.

In Hebrew culture, when someone was finished w/ a napkin, they wadded it up and left it in a heap.

But if it was folded neatly, it told everyone who saw it, the user of the napkin was going to return b/c he had unfinished business.

Besides, if the body were stolen, the thieves never would have taken the time to fold the napkin, risking discovery by the guards.

At that sight, John immediately believed, the lightbulb came on, he remembered what Jesus had said about his death, resurrection and return.

These events happened as they are described in the gospels. Any of the minor discrepancies in the accounts actually help confirm their validity.

Lies are memorized down to the detail. If witnesses tell slightly different stories then the highest likelihood is the events are truthful and happened as they describe.

Paul later wrote this

1 Corinthians 15:13–14 NIV

If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.

1 Corinthians 15:19 NIV

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

What a waste of time it would be if Jesus stayed dead.

By far, the most important thing to us that Jesus provides is hope for us after we leave this life. Because Jesus lives after he died, so can we.

That’s hard for us to wrap our minds around. But, it’s true.

This life seems like everything to us, right now. Yes the future. But how do I deal w/ the tough stuff in my life right now?!

He’s not saying we don’t have hope for this life. He’s saying we do have hope for the next, which is the most important. But we still have hope in this life which is almost as important.

Jesus’s death and resurrection is the single most proven fact of history.

And since we can be sure it happened, then we can also be sure that God is at work in good ways we can’t see right now but will in time.

We have hope for today b/c there is so much Jesus does for us today. What He did that Sunday means, among other things, we can count on what He offers here and now.

What He Does

What Jesus did on Easter confirms He can do what He says He can do.

Daily, He is our prophet, priest, and King.

He is the Lamb of God and our Scapegoat.

At Easter, He became our Risen Savior making everything possible because of the roles he plays.

Among them:

Prophet

A prophet is someone who preaches powerfully. Their message elicits a response. There is no passive response to a prophet.

Often times, a prophet speaks a warning about what is going to happen in the future.

A prophet of God is right 100% of the time. Never wrong.

Jesus predicted what would happen to Him. We now look back and know He knew what He was talking about.

Mark 9:31 NIV

because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.”

And He predicted this about us.

John 3:36 NIV

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

A prophet’s message demands a response. And Jesus is always right.

Do not reject Jesus. Accept Him. Believe in His name and receive what He offers.

Priest

Jesus is the perfect priest.

A priest is a mediator between people and God. Jesus is both. He understands God b/c He is.

He understands us b/c He was one of us.

Hebrews 4:14–16 NIV

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

He faced the same things you do. He felt the same emotions. He had the same physical limitations. Intellectually, He had to work to find the right words.

He did it successfully and makes it possible for us to successfully navigate our lives and remain at peace with God.

It’s not that we don’t mess up. When we do, Jesus provided a way for us to make things right.

That’s what a priest does.

King

As King of God’s kingdom, Jesus has the authority to enact his own immigration laws and the ability to enforce them.

No one sneaks in, across the border, into His kingdom.

No one gets in who’s sins have not been forgiven.

There is only 1 requirement for admission.

Mark 1:15 NIV

“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Repent. Own your mistakes. Write them on 3x5 cards if you have to. Apologize for them. Stop doing them.

Believe the good news that Good Friday led to Easter. And today, not only is the tomb empty, so is the cross.

Everything we nailed to that cross is gone b/c Jesus removed it and the guilt that goes w/ it.

Only the Lamb of God could do that.

Lamb of God

He is the Lamb of God as John the Baptist introduced Him when he strolled up on the scene at the Jordon River.

John 1:29 NIV

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Every year Jews worldwide would travel to Jerusalem w/ a perfect lamb to sacrifice for their sins. The high priest would evaluate their offering and approve it if it were spotless and healthy.

No animal could do what they wanted it to do. God never intended for that. The animals were only representations of what Jesus would.

Jesus was the last, final, and perfect Lamb that fulfilled the requirement of God’s law.

That made things right w/ God. What makes things right w/ in us?

What do we do w/ the guilt we feel when we mess up?

Scapegoat

Psalm 103:11–12 NIV

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Since He removed our guilt so far away...

Romans 8:1 NIV

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

This is why Jesus died for us on Good Friday.

He settled the judicial guilt and the requirements of the law. He also removed the guilt we feel and took it as far away as well.

He had to. We needed Him to do it. We can’t.

It was our sins that nailed him there. The sins we nailed to that cross on Friday nailed Jesus to His cross on Good Friday.

B/C Jesus was removed from His cross, our sins were removed from ours. There is no sin we have committed, nor can commit that cannot be forgiven, has not already been forgiven; except one. That one is unbelief.

A lack of faith is the only sin that cannot be forgiven. No one w/out faith gets to immigrate into God’s kingdom.

If you believe, there is nothing you have done that is not covered by the blood of the lamb and guilt removed by the scapegoat.

Now, in light of that, in light of what Jesus has done for us, what can we do?

What Can We Do?

Hebrews 12:1–3 NIV

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Whatever is holding your back, throw it off. Get rid of it.

In Christ, there is nothing we cannot overcome.

If it’s a bad habit. quit. If it’s a bad emotion, let it go. If it’s a bad thought, don’t think it.

Since Jesus walked out of his tomb, did the otherwise impossible, we can do the difficult things we need to do.

The peace that Jesus brings as our priest comes in spite of trouble.

John 16:33 NIV

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

When Jesus overcame the world, we were given the ability to overcome every worldly distresser we would ever encounter.

We don’t have to simply manage them, we can conquer them.

We are not just conquerors, we are more.

Romans 8:37 NIV

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Whatever has been left on the cross is the only thing that can you cannot overcome.

What’s left on the cross?

Jesus came off the cross and out of his grave confirming that we are capable of getting past everything that’s getting us down.

There is nothing that we cannot get past in our life. No baggage, no victimization, no abusive oppressor and the physical and emotional damage they do can bind us and prevent us from experiencing the freedom we have in Christ.

Applications

Faith

Do you believe this? The events of Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter are the most proven facts in history.

Do you believe?

You know, even the demons believe they happened but they are not getting into heaven.

They don’t have faith in Jesus to save them.

Once you believe it happened, then you have to take the next step and have faith in Jesus to be allowed to immigrate into heaven.

There’s no sneaking in across the border.

We only get in thru Christ. Do you have faith?

Hope

If you answered yes to the last question, then you have hope for eternity.

Do you have hope for today and tomorrow?

It’s available.

Peace means a lack of anxiety. Peace w/ God gives us peace in every other area of our lives.

There’s an entire basket of fruit Jesus makes available that improves your life.

Live in the hope you have everyday using the resources Jesus makes available to you.

Forgiven?

If you’ve answered yes to the above application questions then you have been. God has already forgiven you.

Nothing you have done surprised Jesus. Nothing you could do fall outside the blood of the Lamb on the post.

Jesus has already forgiven you.

Have you forgiven yourself?

Forgiving someone may be the hardest thing you ever do in your life. And you are the hardest person for you to forgive.

If Jesus has the ability to walk out of his grave, you have the ability to forgive yourself.

Nail to the cross and leave it there for Jesus to deal w/.

Don’t take it back.

Walk out today w/ a new lease on life that your have been forgiven by everyone that matters, including yourself.

The big questions about Jesus are, can He do it? Did He do it? And, will He do it?

B/C, if the answer is ‘no’, then we are wasting our time.

But, the answers are all ‘yes’. The events of Easter prove, take all the anxiety out, give us security in knowing that everything is going to be okay, forever.

We have hope for eternity and hope for today.

The possibilities for us are endless. Not b/c of what we can do. But, b/c of what Jesus has done for us .

We can be sure that Jesus is Who He says He is and can do what He says He can do because of Easter. Once we believe that, then there is nothing that can bind us up or hold us down.