Mark 16:1-8 - "When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, 'Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?' But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 'Don't be afraid,' he said. 'You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb."
What we celebrate this weekend is the greatest victory of all time. A victory over evil - a victory over death. This Easter Sunday, we aren't just marking an event in history - a stable moment that happened 2,000 years ago..No, today we celebrate the difference that this alive Jesus makes in our lives (even now). And we celebrate that our souls are made alive by Jesus Christ..Today we celebrate the power of the resurrection and how that power can transform who we are and how we live..In these next moments I would like to clarify what this day really means for our souls..and to describe the life changing power that Jesus offers. And in the next few minutes I am going to give every one of you an opportunity to choose Jesus and to respond to his offer of life..to connect with him in a way that perhaps you never have before.
This week I have been uniquely challenged by the truth of the resurrection and its power, and folks that truth has begun to change me. My prayer all week has been the same - that each of you, wherever you're at on your spiritual journey, would feel the power of Jesus in a new way today. I did an abundance of reading this week - and one thing I did - go back and reread some of the messages we have spoken here during past Easter seasons..And as I did that, I got a profound sense of truth..some of those messages are in this message today..
So let's take a look at how the resurrection can profoundly and how it gives us..
1. Power to walk with God.
Now, I don't know where you're all at today - people come to church at Easter for different reasons - but I know some of you are here searching for God..searching to fill that empty spot in your life..and you wonder if God will ever get close to you..See folks, I think life is often about searching and seeking..and about finding truth and relationship. I think life is a lot about finding answers to spiritual questions.
Let me tell you about a couple phone calls I got the other night..They were both from older women who are not from here, and both of them are dying. One's got a bad heart and the other is just worn out from a life of hard work and tough times. But both of them are spending lots of time these days thinking about their own mortality - and a lot of time thinking about eternity and a lot of time thinking about the state of their souls..
Planning funerals à I asked, "can we laugh?" "Yes," she said. "Laugh and eat." "Well," I said, "I can get that done.."
One of those women has had an especially profound effect on my brother's life - the other has on mine..and I will see her this week. One of the things she and I are going to talk about is how God honors seeking people. She has been seeking Him for years..and we're gonna talk about the power of having a relationship with Jesus Christ..and how he never designed for us to be alone..See, loneliness is a dark place. It's empty and helpless and hopeless. And some of you have felt that and don't need me to remind you of it. But she and I are going to talk about how she can have the very much alive Jesus walk with her - through these next weeks and months and I'm going to read her these verses..
"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you follow me with all your hearts. I no longer call you servants... instead, I have called you friends..."
(John 15:13-15)
Folks, if we had any idea how much God desperately wanted to be in relationship with us..if we could fathom the extent to which He is willing to go in order to be our friend (friends with God)..
if we understood that, it would clearly change us. We would not be the same anymore.
See, part of understanding the resurrection means understanding the reality that Jesus is alive and wants to walk with us in friendship through our lives today and every day. Listen to these verses:
Romans 5:10 & 11 - "Now just think of how our spiritual lives will expand and deepen by means of the resurrection life! So now we rejoice in our wonderful new relationship (friendship) with God."
See folks, the big news of this day - the big news of the resurrection..(and this is big news)..is that the power of the resurrection is about Jesus walking with us into the future to expand our spiritual lives. Now, we say that so much here at Lakeview that you might miss the potency of what I just said.
Realize this..the reason Jesus hung on that cross and died, the reason He was raised to life... was so that we could be in relationship with Him every day, so we would never have to feel alone again. When you walk in a friendship with Jesus, it will change your loneliness into the knowledge that...
- Jesus longs to spend time with you
- Jesus longs to walk beside you and expand your soul
- He longs to hear the pain of your heart, and its passions..
People - hear this truth again - Jesus is alive and very real. That's what we're celebrating this weekend....that we can walk every day with Him into the future.
Let me say this another way.
Here's the second truth of the resurrection..it gives us
2. Power to live free.
Jesus said this in John 8:32 - "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free...". Freedom is an amazing word..complex word..
And it's one that we are so often confused about. See, in North America we think we are very free, compared to the rest of the world. I mean, we have rights and choices, we make our own decisions, we can vote, we can be educated - really the world is at our disposal. We can live as we please and chase our dreams at will.
And to be honest - all of these things are true - it's a wonderful privilege to live where we do..but I believe there's an element of freedom we don't understand - or perhaps, it's bondage we don't understand....
See...I think in life we create our own prisons, our own chains, our own bondage - in our false search for freedom..Somehow we have gotten the idea that freedom is about doing what we want when we want it, no matter what the cost to us or those near us. And folks there are many examples of this search for freedom..that lots of us have tried....
Some of us feel freedom will be found in attaining wealth and power - you know the pattern - "If I could just have that house in that area of town", or "if I could just get that job or this position in the company", or "if I could just drive that car or afford to wear that dress or be invited to that function..then I will have achieved and attained...". Somehow we are fooled into thinking, that more stuff or a larger position equals freedom - and folks - what a joke that is - really - because we spend half our lives (or sometimes all our lives) chasing stuff and things or a position - and guess what? That's not freedom..Spending years of your life focused on that, is called bondage... because what happens is this..the chase for more, becomes your life..and it's like a rope around your neck..Just a few more hours work; just one more position up the ladder; just one more pay raise; just one more..then I'll be free..Folks - that's a prison, that will leave you alone and empty and joyless and peaceless and frustrated - because enough never is enough..That's not freedom.
Others of us have been duped into thinking that freedom is about choosing whatever we want to do with our lives morally ,
or we believe that freedom comes by chasing hard after the pleasures of life available to us. But do you have any idea the bondage that something like free sex has caused our society? And I spoke of this a couple weeks ago.all free sex has caused is this:
- millions of cases of sexually transmitted diseases
- AIDS
- soaring abortion rates
- sexual violence and abuse running rampant
I don't know about you, but I don't see those as very freeing in our society... or in your life. They're prisons...
Or do you have any idea the freedom that has been stolen by the misuse of booze and drugs in our society?....
- you should see the stats on how alcohol increases the chance for violence within the home
- or the number of people killed every year because of driving drunk
- or the downside, the low points after the highs of years of doing drugs
Solomon, perhaps the richest man in all of history, in all his wisdom, put it like this: "Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 2:11)
People, freedom is not about that stuff..(Hear this.) Real freedom comes when you know your Creator and when He gets to know you intimately - to walk hand in hand with Him every day. That's the truth that will set you free. Folks, do you have any idea the plans that God has designed for your life? They are so much better than anything we could find on our own..
So much more freeing it's incredible. See, real freedom is found when we get a true sense every day that we are doing what we were created to do - that we are becoming what we were created to become.by connecting with the alive Jesus. Folks, Jesus is alive..and the truth about the resurrection is that we don't have to look for false freedom. We don't have to be chained to sinful and harmful patterns and addictions. We can walk with Jesus every day in his power. See, to wake up every morning and be able to choose Jesus - that's freedom. To fill up your soul with Jesus and with truth - and not anything else - that's freedom.
So it's Easter and folks, if it's true that Jesus rose from the dead, then why wouldn't you chase His freedom? Let's talk about the third truth of the resurrection. It gives us.
3. Power to be transformed
Now let me talk for a moment about transformation connected to freedom. There are lots of things in our lives and our character that hold us back from living the way we want to live. Things we can't seem to change. (Things we're not free from but we'd sure like to be) [REPEAT]
Things like:
- Anger that lashes out at loved ones.or
- Our mouths and the hurt they cause.or
- That sin that keeps coming up time and time again.or
- That dark part of our lives that we know is holding us back from walking closer with God.
So let me ask you. What do you do with this stuff..Can we ever get free?
Well - the answer is yes - because of the resurrection of Jesus. Listen to the Apostle Paul:
"So now there is no condemnation for those who follow Jesus Christ, for the power of God has freed you from sin.and you are no longer controlled by sin. Since Christ lives within you.you are now alive to God."
(Romans 8:1-3)
Did you hear that? The implications are really quite astounding if you think about it. People, this is one of the critical points of the resurrection, because Jesus is alive and by faith He lives in our lives. We then have the power to be free - free from the chains of sin - free from those things that hold us back from living the way we should.
- Free from our mouths getting us into trouble.
- Free from the stuff that hurts the people we love the most.
- Free from our angry outbursts.
- Free from the control money or sex or power has on us.
- Free from addictions.
People, hear it.. We can be free and our lives can be transformed. Not because we can do this on our own. We can't. There is no way you can beat these things on your own - that's just futile. But when we engage the living Christ to deal with these darker parts of life..That's when there's enough power to break those sinful patterns. That's when there's enough power to really get free.
Here's how I described it in a previous message: "Jesus Christ has the power to change your character..to release you from that part of you that leads to damage and destruction and then He brings you to light and life."
Romans 8:11 - "The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.and will give you life."
Romans 6:4 - "Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the power of God.now we also may live new lives."
The power of God is available to change us..So why wouldn't you want that in your life?
Let me tell you what happened to me this week. I read my Bible.. Now that may not seem all that profound to you .but it was to me.because when I read these verses about Easter - about the power of God in the resurrection and all that it means for us - I got pretty excited.
I mean, I got it - I felt it - I understood the power of the resurrection -
I got it !
See, I have always focused my spiritual life around the cross - around Good Friday - around forgiveness for the past.and that's all good and fine - but it's not a complete picture of being a Christ-follower. See, Good Friday isn't complete without Easter Sunday.and the truth about Easter Sunday is in the power.that [the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead lives inside of us.when we commit our lives to follow Jesus] (REPEAT) God actually lives in us and the Holy Spirit's power is available to us.
Did you hear that? It seems so elementary - yet so profound! The power of God à power enough to make a dead man come alive - is in my life. And better yet, God wants to use that power to change my life..and He wants to change yours.
This news about the power of the resurrection has really affected me. This week it kinda put my whole world into 5 th gear and it's put my thoughts about my spiritual life to a whole new level - a different plane.
See, if it's true - think of the implications. If it's true that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to us every day by faith.
- Then sin will no longer have any hold on us.
- Then any fear we have about the future will disappear because we will walk boldly by faith.
- Then those false things we try to fill our lives up with will be shown to us as fake - because we'll really see Jesus.
- And those relentless addictions or habits don't have to ruin our lives..
See people, if all the power of God is available to us.our whole lives will be transformed.
- And we will be able to become the person we were created to become.
- We will be able to love like Jesus does and care like Jesus does.
- We will be able to respond like Jesus does.
- We will be able to have self-control like Jesus does.
- We will be able to have the wisdom that Jesus does.
- We will be able to see ourselves the way Jesus does.
- As beautiful children of the king
- As amazing creations
- As gifts from God
Do you see it now? Take it another step..If all these changes are possible, then what do you think will happen to:
- Our friendships and the way we respond to them
- The way we parent and how patient we are with our kids
- The way we love our spouses
- Our marriages
- Our families and the way we get along with them
- Our future and the difference we could make?
People, it's amazing to think about! I mean, if you think your life is good now, think again. Just add this truth to the mix..and let your heart get stirred with the emotion of it.
God wants to pour His power into your life..His power into your soul. Do you feel it? One more step..Eternity - heaven - life forever.
The moments of the resurrection, were a display of God's unlimited power to transform life and to conquer even death itself and open the door for us to see eternity - to see forever. I said before that this week I was going to see someone who was nearing the end of their life..and talk to them about death and eternity and God. Well, let me tell you about what that feels like..There is an amazing assurance/confidence/power/hope for those who follow Jesus Christ - even in death. And I can't describe the peace that becomes reality when someone's faith is sure. When they know the alive Jesus Christ..See, why would you fear even death - when Jesus clearly has already conquered it for us. Why fear? If he has been leading your life here, won't he lead it into that future as well?
People, that's the truth of the resurrection that we celebrate today. If you want victory in life over sin or over addictions or over your own personality, then by faith - engage the living Christ in your life. If you want real freedom and transformation, connect with Jesus today. Or if you want assurance of victory even over death, it only comes by one source - the power of the risen Savior - Jesus Christ .
Folks - there's really only one response as human being when we hear and understand this truth..and that's to say thanks - to fall on our knees and humbly acknowledge God's place in our lives.and simply say, "thanks". "Thanks for loving us so much that you sent your Son to die.but better yet, that you raised Him to life so we might find friendship with Christ and freedom from sin.and best of all, power to live on." God is so good.
People, today I want to give you a chance to respond to the power of God. And response is needed. This news is too great to simply hear and internalize but then not allow it to impact us.that would not do this truth justice. We must respond.(communication cards - everyone).
3 responses:
- Say thanks (I've got the power)
- Step into faith - into relationship (I want the power)
- Step out of sin that's been holding you back (I want to apply the power) - even if you've followed God for a long time.today you can get that sin habit broken by God.
Start thinking about which number you are.
If you are a #2, here's how to step into faith with Jesus Christ - please listen carefully:
- Simply open your heart to God and ask Him to come into your life - ask Him to forgive your past (to forgive anything that has stood between you and Him), then ask Him to begin to lead your life from now on.
I'll lead you in a prayer like this in just a minute.
If you're a #1 today, then spend these next moments saying thanks and claiming the victory of Christ in your life.
If you're a #3, use these moments to build your faith - to believe that Christ is alive in your life and has the power to break any sin - any habit that is destructive. I'll pray for you in a moment as well.
I want you to think for a minute and search your soul. Take a moment to talk to God. I'm gonna ask you to listen to this reading..then fill out the card - which you are: #1 - thanks, I've got the power, #2 - step into faith in a new way, or #3 - apply the power to an area of sin in your life. |
