Sunday, April 12, 2015

The Reality of the Resurrection - an overview of my message today at NRN

Today was an awesome day of worship at NRN.  Here are some excerpts from my message today:


The Reality of the Resurrection

INTRO: “He is risen! He is risen indeed!”                                                   Many of us repeated those words last Sunday morning, confident that our relationship with God is right because of this miraculous historic event—and rightly so. Christ’s incarnation, crucifixion and physical resurrection are cornerstones of human history and our faith. Last Sunday I asked you the question that Jesus asked often:  Do you believe this?
Jesus said to her (Martha), “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even if they die. And whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”                              John 11:25-26


No matter the situations of life you find yourself, how dead and hopeless, burdened and frustrated your situation is - it is no match for the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Life is still a very real possibility for you, if you believe.   The early Disciples were devastated when Jesus was crucified. They lives were filled with fear and uncertainty.   If you viewed the first episode of AD last Sunday evening – you may have noticed the episode concluded with the clip I showed last Sunday – 

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the axis around which our faith resolves. When Jesus rose from the dead, it radically redefined reality. The resurrection is a history changer!  We must learn to live as if Jesus was crucified yesterday, rose from the dead today, and is coming back tomorrow! The resurrection is something we celebrate every day – in every way.  Today we revisit the resurrection and take a step deeper into our understanding of the effect of the resurrection upon our lives today! Let’s look how it was a game changer for the disciples: 




The reality of the resurrection strengthened the disciple’s RESOLVE.
 
Resolve is defined as “commitment, BOLDNESS, and COURAGE.”

When Jesus was arrested, tried, and crucified, it seemed that in one sweeping moment, the disciples lost all their resolve. What happened?
I believe their fear and lack of courage surprised even themselves.   We tend to think highly of ourselves. We imagine scenarios where we face our weaknesses and our oppressors, and we imagine ourselves saying just the right words at just the right time. 
Can you imagine the disciples coming together after the death of Jesus? One looks to the other: “Where did you go? What did you do? What did you say? Did anyone stand up for Jesus?” Imagine the shame and humiliation.
Resolve is hard to come by when your life is in danger. It quickly diminishes when your family’s life is in danger. Questions and doubt fill your mind.
Today we are going to feature a look at Thomas. He wasn’t the only one to doubt. He was just the most vocal. Thomas, like Peter, really loved Jesus. Why do I say that? Because he, like Peter, was willing to die with Jesus. 
When Jesus wanted to return to Judea, the disciples reminded Jesus that recently they wanted to stone Him there. Thomas was the only one who said to the rest of the disciples

Then Thomas, who was also called Didymus, spoke to the rest of the disciples. “Let us go also,” he said. “Then we can die with Jesus.”                                                                                                  John 11:16

Like many in that day, Thomas had two names: “Thomas” is Aramaic, and “Didymus” is Greek (John 20:24). They both mean “twin.” It could mean Thomas literally had a twin. Or it could refer to his faith struggle. Thomas was obviously struggling with doubt. Thomas was like a lot of us. We believe and then we don’t believe. We are courageous and then we fear.
This reminds me of the father who exclaimed to Jesus, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24).

So Thomas’s doubt didn’t make Jesus reject him. Instead, his doubt drew Jesus to Thomas. Jesus wanted to prove to Thomas that His resurrection was real because He wanted Thomas to believe. There is no doubt that all the disciples, including Thomas, were changed after seeing Jesus resurrected.  They learned a valuable lesson—one they would never forget. The resurrection was never far from their lips. It is what drove them, what made them wake up every morning, and what motivated them for the rest of their lives. 


Scripture after scripture attests to the power of the resurrection story in the lives of the disciples:

·       “They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.”   Acts 4:2.

·       “With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all.”                                                                                         Acts 4:33.

·       “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.”                                                                                                                                 Romans 6:5

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. . . . We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. . . . Because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. . . . Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”     2 Corinthians 4: 7, 10, 14, 16


2. The reality of the resurrection strengthened the disciple’s RELATIONSHIP with Him.

The reality of the resurrection is found in the relationship that Jesus had with His followers. How the disciples lived out the rest of their lives tells us a greater story. It tells us a story of relationship.

Not only did the disciples find the Messiah, they found their Savior and friend.  The disciples were invested because Jesus was invested in them. He not only talked about brotherhood—Jesus lived out brotherhood. 


After the resurrection, Jesus told Mary Magdalene and the other women, “Go and tell my brothers”                                            Matthew 28:10.


On the evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were together. They had locked the doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Jesus came in and stood among them. He said, “May peace be with you!” Then he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were very happy when they saw the Lord.                                              John 20:19-20

Thomas was one of the 12 disciples. He was also called Didymus. He was not with the other disciples when Jesus came. So they told him, “We have seen the Lord!”        “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”                                                                                  John 20:24-25

Jesus proved the reality of the resurrection. He appeared to Mary Magdalene and other women, to the Emmaus disciples, to the disciples without Thomas and then again with Thomas, to five hundred others, and finally to Paul himself. 
While Jesus walked on earth, He was relational. He was Emmanuel (“God with us”). Jesus touched people, walked with people, ate with people.  After the resurrection, Jesus was still meeting with them, walking with them, eating with them.  He taught us that the purpose of it all is relationship.
              
The reality of the resurrection is found in RESTORED   LIVES.


 In John 21:15-17 we find what is called Peter’s Reinstatement:
After a meal with the disciples on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus addressed Peter directly for the first time since His resurrection.  The last time Jesus spoke to Peter, it was a command in the Garden of Gethsemane—a place of suffering. Jesus was arrested, tensions were high.

This time with Peter after the resurrection was different. The place was different. Jesus met Peter in a place of comfort—where Peter had first met Jesus: “From now on you will fish for people” (Luke 5:10).

It was a place of audacious faith, where Peter once walked on water, a place where Peter felt most at home.

Here is a preview of the episode for tonight - don't miss it! 





Here, Jesus asked Peter this question: 

“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” (John 21:15).

To Peter’s surprise, Jesus asked him three times, “Do you love me?” Why three times?  To remind Peter of the three times he had denied Him? Maybe, but I like to think of it this way: Jesus gave Peter the opportunity to make up the three times he had denied him—kind of like a do-over. 

He offered Peter a second chance.  

The death and resurrection of Jesus left a profound impact on Peter’s life. He finally learned what it meant to be a disciple of Christ. After denying Jesus, it’s probably a lesson he would have preferred to learn differently. But it was a moment Peter would never forget.

ClosingIt matters how we treat the resurrection. It either entertains us or propels us forward. We are either a passive participant in God’s liberating, redeeming plan or we are actively engaged, moving in the power and authority of the resurrection. 

Thomas’s faith needed to be once and for all resolved before he could receive the fire of the Holy Spirit. Thomas needed to move from a relationship with his rabbi Jesus to a genuine, authentic relationship with his Savior Jesus Christ, and he needed to be restored to his calling and assignment. 

Invitation: The resurrection of Jesus Christ is meant to be real in our everyday lives—not tucked away in some nice little story but living, breathing, and powerfully stirring our lives just as it was in the lives of the disciples. PRAYER


Next week we begin our journey through the first 10 chapters of the Book of Acts.  We will begin with this promise of Jesus:

On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: ‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.’”                Acts 1:4



Next Sunday: The Work of the Holy Spirit. 



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