04.24.2011 Extreme Makeover HOPE Edition - Easter!

04.24.2011 Grace Summit Sermon - Extreme Makeover, HOPE Edition - Easter! from Grace Summit on Vimeo.

SermonAudio

We are closing off this series of bringing help and hope in uncertain times – there has been much written about the resurrection – and probably more than anything else.
This is the road to Emmaus – Two disciples are walking – and this guy approaches them – and they are talking about Jesus’ death – and the women looking for the body – What are you talking about? And they are like – are you the only one who hasn’t heard? And they tell him the story of Jesus – and
Luke 24: 25 And He said to them, "O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 "Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?" 27 And beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. 28 And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He would go farther. 29 And they urged Him, saying, "Stay with us, for it is [getting] toward evening, and the day is now nearly over." And He went in to stay with them. 30 And it came about that when He had reclined [at the table] with them, He took the bread and blessed [it,] and breaking [it,] He [began] giving [it] to them. 31 And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight. 32 And they said to one another, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?"
I think, because we have heard the story so many times, we lose the wonder and marvel of it all. I hope and pray that we would be able to look at the story with fresh eyes – as if we have never heard it before and are hearing it for the first time. May God allow us to be like the disciples – were not our hearts burning when we heard the story – no matter how many times you have heard it – may it burn in our hearts this morning.
Lord, we ask that You would open our eyes afresh, anew. To understand the glory of what happened on that Easter morning – to be given a great hope – because Christ rose from the dead, so will we. We look forward to that day – when all things will be restored – may we celebrate Easter as You would have us celebrate it – with wonder and amazement – how You brought all of these things to pass. That we might love You because You loved us. The grave couldn’t hold You down.
There are a number of – I’m a pastor – and I teach the Bible. I am not a theologian – and I want you to know that I have ‘borrowed heavily’ today!
There is one big story that the Bible is telling – a meta-narrative – and it reaches its climax on Easter morning. His purpose for all of creation is revealed on Easter Sudnay by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The whole story is opened up – and that is what Jesus did for the disciples on the road to Emmaus.
It starts in Genesis 1:1 – God is the creator of all things – so when we look out – we see that God created all these things.
Then He created people to have a love relationship with Himself. He creates everything so people can enjoy this relationship with Him. But there is a villain in the story – an antagonist – who enters the story early and turns God’s people away from God. He incites a rebellion – Theologians call this The Fall. The relationship we were meant to have was broken. Humans are no longer able to live in that relationship with God. But God initiates with people and sets a plan to renew the world - this is redemption. A new creation.
Adam represents all humans – as sinners – broken – but what happens – there is a second Adam – who restores everything and renews everything. We know Him as Jesus.
This is clouded in mystery – partially fulfilled and partially understood – but we see more and more. Before that there was corruption and alienation – and it seems like the promise is never going to be fulfilled.
Then we enter the new Testament – and people are in a state of hopelessness – people are being treated poorly – and this thing they have hoped for – is never going to come – but there is this slight hope – they have the promises and are looking for that day.
I am going to look at three stories in the Easter story – All four gospels, obviously, have an account of Easter and resurrection – and each comes from a different perspective – each with a different point of view. But there is one common thread – all four gospels have these words in the story of Easter – and what each of them does – “On the first day of the week – very early in the morning – the women took the spices they had prepare and took them to the tomb.” I don’t think that is an accident. What did they go there expecting? To find a body! They are bringing spices – to prepare the body – they didn’t have time on Friday to finish the burial. They are doing what is expected of them – but really, they are just going through the motions.
It is not an accident that this happened on the first day of the week – nor that it happened during Passover week. When he rode in on a donkey on Palm Sunday – that was planned. The first day of the week. This should start clicking in our heads – on the first day of the week – the King/Creator enters the city. Jesus knew what He was doing – and He knew what the people would think. It was almost like he acted it out – but not in a bad way. He comes in on the first day. He curses a fig tree and it dies. He purges the temple of the money changers. And then comes Friday – and it was no accident – when Jesus died on the cross, he died at the exact same time the Passover lamb was being sacrificed – And on the 6th day, the King was crucified – and He said – “It is finished.” On the 6th day – His work was finished.
And so he rests on the seventh day – in the grave. In 6 days He created the heavens and the earth – and then He rested. But then what happens? The eighth day - Restoration has begun. His love relationship with us began then. And the world became new. Sure it is only starting that way – but the eighth day was important. Our relationship with God was restored and He began the process.
John 19: 41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been laid. 42 Therefore on account of the Jewish day of preparation, because the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
There was another garden in this story – and there is another story about a Garden, isn’t there? This is not a coincidence – the Garden of Eden – where The Creator created us. Both gardens have a woman – in this case, it is Mary – Who bent over and saw two angels where Jesus[s body was supposed to have been….
In this garden, the angels asked, why are you crying?
In the garden of Eden, the serpent asked – Has the Lord God really said that …
They ate and everything went horribly wrong – their lives were changed forever. They realized they were naked and ashamed – and clothed themselves with leaves. Then we see a gardener in the garden – who had planted the garden – They were afraid of the gardener – He asks, “Where are you and what have you done?” They hid from the gardener. They knew they had done wrong.

20:1 Now on the first [day] of the week Mary Magdalene ^came early to the tomb, while it ^was still dark, and ^saw the stone [already] taken away from the tomb. 2 And so she ^ran and ^came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and ^said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him." 3 Peter therefore went forth, and the other disciple, and they were going to the tomb. 4 And the two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter, and came to the tomb first; 5 and stooping and looking in, he ^saw the linen wrappings lying [there;] but he did not go in. 6 Simon Peter therefore also ^came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he ^beheld the linen wrappings lying [there,] 7 and the face-cloth, which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb entered then also, and he saw and believed. 9 For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. 10 So the disciples went away again to their own homes. 11 But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; 12 and she ^beheld two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13 And they ^said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She ^said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him." 14 When she had said this, she turned around, and ^beheld Jesus standing [there,] and did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus ^said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" Supposing Him to be the gardener, she ^said to Him, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away." 16 Jesus ^said to her, "Mary!" She ^turned and ^said to Him in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" (which means, Teacher). 17 Jesus ^said to her, "Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren, and say to them, 'I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'" 18 Mary Magdalene ^came, announcing to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord," and [that] He had said these things to her.
When God called out to Adam and Eve – it was in the sense of righteous angerl
And then here – she thinks he is the gardener – and I don’t think that was an accident. He asks two questions – Why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?
But when Jesus came to Mary – there is a different sense – giving assurance and comfort – everything that changed in Genesis – is changing again. As bad as that was, so THIS will be good.
And here she clings to him. He is not reproving her… IN the first garden – the gardener came and asked the questions – and two people were cast out of the garden. In this garden, the woman wraps her arms around Him and won’t let go! A whole different story, isn’t it? You’ve got a job to do – I want you to get at what you are supposed to be getting at.
Luke 24: 30 And it came about that when He had reclined [at the table] with them, He took the bread and blessed [it,] and breaking [it,] He [began] giving [it] to them. 31 And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight.
Their eyes were opened … This phrase is used in one other place – Genesis. 3:7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.
Here their eyes are opened and their hearts burned within them
Resurrection is the foundation of a new way of life in and for the world. This is a marvelous story – that God has pained and written – where are you in this great story? What place are you? Have you walked away? Are you living separate from the King? Are you a part of the story? Have you allowed Jesus to make all things new inside of you. Easter Sunday is about recognizing all of this.
Are your eyes opened? I pray that God would open your eyes – understand what He has done for You – and that You would let him. It is time to enter into relationship with Him – it just requires simple faith – in what Christ has done for you. The relationship is restored. But in failing to believe and allowing Him in – we are still alienated – separated in corruption and no hope -
Paul – 1 Cor. 15 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.
Imagine these guys on the Road to Emmaus – there was something about Him that was the same – ande there was something about Him that was differnet –
Here is what I want you to think about – First fruits – we’re going to be doing this garden – over at Joe and Gigi’s house – when the first fruits come – it will be a tomato. For us – when we are resurrected – it will be the same – and it will be different – really spectacular – an amazing body – all new – we won’t be ghosts with harps – we get these pictures of heaven and we think, who would want to go there?! It will be so much more real than you are now. You will experience it more deeply than now. We have something to look forward to because Christ is alive on Easter – all things – will be new – and the changes have begun.
Here is what we need to do – we need to be like Scrooge – who celebrated Christmas every day – If you take Christmas out of the Bible- you lose two chapters – but if you take Easter out, you don’t have a Bible.
It is no wonder people find it hard to believe in the resurrection if we don’t throw our hats in the air.
Gen. 1: Gene 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Revelation 21: 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
One final quote – when the final resurrection occurs, we will discover that everything we did in Jesus’ name will be celebrated, rewarded. And appropriately transformed in the next. Let's pray...