The End of the Story - March 26, 2017 sermon

By Pastor Greg

So … the other day I decided to wash my car. As I started toward the garage, I noticed some mail on the table. I decided to look through it before I washed the car, so I laid my car keys down, sorted through the mail, and tossed the junk in the trash. Since the can was full, I decided to take out the trash, but then I thought, since I'm going to be near the mailbox, I might as well pay the bills.

I took my checkbook off the counter and noticed there was only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I laid the bills back down and went to my office where I found the can of Coke that I had been drinking.  I didn’t want to accidentally knock it over, so I pushed it aside, noticing that it was getting warm.  I decided I should put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I headed toward the kitchen with the coke, I noticed the humidifier needed to be refilled, so I sat the Coke down on the counter and discovered the pen I've been searching for all morning.  I decided to put it back on my desk before I misplaced it again, but first I needed to fill this humidifier.  I sat the pen back down on the counter, went to fill a container with water and suddenly I spotted the TV remote.  Someone left it on the kitchen table. I realized that when we go to watch TV, we will be looking for the remote, but nobody will remember that it's on the kitchen table. So, I decide to put it back in the family room where it belongs, but first I'll fill the humidifier tank.

I sat the remote on the counter, filled a pitcher with water, but spilled some on the floor. So, I sat the pitcher down, got some towels and wiped up the spill. Then I headed down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day, the car wasn’t washed, the bills were not paid, there was a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter, the humidifier still needed water, there was only one check in my checkbook, I could not find the remote or my good pen, and I didn’t remember what I did with the car keys. Then when I tried to figure out why nothing got done that day, I was really baffled because I know I was busy; I was exhausted.

The good news is that one day, this noggin of mine will be fixed.  I won’t have these frequent moments of forgetfulness.  Actually, a whole lot of broken things in my life will become new again.  Better than new!  And I have this hope because of the resurrection of Jesus.

The Bible teaches us that one day, “God will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things [will pass] away” (Revelation 21:4). This promise gives us hope.  But can you imagine what it must be like to not have this hope?  Can you imagine what life would be like without the resurrection of Jesus?  I wonder what the followers of Jesus must have thought the moment Jesus died.  Certainly, they figured this was the end of the story.

(John 19:38-42) ³⁸ Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus’ body. When Pilate gave permission, Joseph came and took the body away. ³⁹ With him came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought about seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes. ⁴⁰ Following Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth. ⁴¹ The place of crucifixion was near a garden, where there was a new tomb, never used before. ⁴² And so, because it was the day of preparation for the Jewish Passover* and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

A secret disciple named Joseph asks for Jesus’ body.  And He and Nicodemus prepare the Lord for burial.  It’s clear these two men felt this was the end.  Even the women felt Jesus’ life had ended.  They headed out to the tomb on Sunday morning to continue the anointing process.  Even His apostles believed Jesus was gone.  The resurrection of Jesus never even crossed their mind.

The story had ended; all they had left were the memories.

At least, that’s what they thought.

You and I know that the death of Jesus was not the end.  We know what happened just two days later.  Jesus is not merely revived, but reborn.  He walks out of the grave becoming the first human to defeat death permanently.  But that Friday evening in April when Jesus died, His followers assumed this was the end of the story.

Let me ask you a question; what difference would it make if it was?  How would our lives be different if the death of Jesus was the end of the story?

Well, for starters, if Jesus had merely died, He would not have been the Messiah.  He would have only been a good teacher that impacted the lives of a few hundred people.  He also would have been a liar, especially since He said He would rise from the dead (Matthew 17:22-23 and Luke 9:22).  But beyond those things, it is our hopelessness that really stands out.

Please listen carefully to this.  Without the resurrection of Jesus, we are still held captive by death; meaning, when we die, we remain dead.  Without the resurrection of Jesus our life of devotion to God is pointless; meaning, we gain nothing by following Jesus because, in the end, we are still handcuffed by sin.  If Jesus had merely died, Satan won a victory.  He would still be the ruler of this world.

Isaiah says that the Messiah, Jesus, would set us free from a life held captive by sin and death (Isaiah 61:1), and the only way the Lord could accomplish this was to defeat death.  By His resurrection, Jesus proves that death has been conquered.  Humanity finally has a way to be set free from the chains of death.

This means our physical death is not the end of the story.

Oddly, this is Good News for some people, but for others …

I know, I know. This wasn’t such a big deal for me when I was younger as well.  Maybe you’re thinking, “Okay, so Jesus rose from the dead.  That’s such a beautiful thing for Him to do, but how does it affect me?”  Well, rather than ask yourself this question, maybe you should ask the older person who is suffering in pain right now.  Ask how important the resurrection of Jesus is to them.  Ask the person who lost a loved one.  Ask them if they find hope in the resurrection of Jesus.  Ask the young mother and father who lost a child.  Ask how important Jesus’ victory over death is for them.  Ask the parent whose child has suffered from physical disabilities all its life, and how this mother and father find strength in the resurrection of their loved one; looking forward to seeing their child reborn with an immortal body that will never die.  Each of these people has hope because Jesus proved that death is not the end of the story. 

If you don’t long for the resurrection today, one day, you will.  You will long to be reborn.

The Apostle Paul says that if you take away the resurrection, you take away all hope.  And an individual who lives in this world without hope is to be pitied more than anyone else.  ¹² But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? ¹³ For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. ¹⁴ And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. ¹⁵ And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. ¹⁶ And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. ¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. ¹⁸ In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! ¹⁹ And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.

²⁰ But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.

²¹ So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. ²² Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. (1 Corinthians 15:12-22).

By His resurrection, Jesus rewrites the end of our story.  He gives us hope that we too will one day break free from the chains of death and arise to a glory that outshines the sun.

Maybe then I’ll be able to remember where I put my car keys.

His Death - March 12, 2017 sermon

By Pastor Greg

While driving through town, a motorist saw a fortune teller sitting in front of her shop smiling and laughing.  The driver came to a screeching halt, walked up to her, and started slapping her across her face.  A policeman passing by wrestled the man to the ground. After cuffing the motorist, the officer asked, "What do you think you're doing?" After a moment, the man replied, ... "Well, I've always wanted to strike a happy medium."

I suspect right now you would like to strike someone else.

Although that story was a terrible pun, it does share one particular truth: we certainly like to hit one another.  There seems to be an awful lot of hitting going on nowadays.  And this violence is a reminder that we humans are poisoned by sin.

The Bible teaches us that Jesus came to address that sin; that His death on the cross is God’s solution to sin.

John 19:28-37 ²⁸ Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” ²⁹ A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. ³⁰ When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and released his spirit. ³¹ It was the day of preparation, and the Jewish leaders didn’t want the bodies hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath, because it was the Passover). So they asked Pilate to hasten their deaths by ordering that their legs be broken. Then their bodies could be taken down. ³² So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus. ³³ But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs. ³⁴ One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. ³⁵ (This report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account. He speaks the truth so that you also can believe.) ³⁶ These things happened in fulfillment of the Scriptures that say, “Not one of his bones will be broken,” ³⁷ and “They will look on the one they pierced.”^[1]

Apparently, there was some “Fake News” being circulated that Jesus had not actually died (suggesting He had merely fainted or passed out) because John insists that he was an eyewitness to this whole event (John 19:35).  John saw Jesus give up His spirit.  He saw Jesus pierced all the way through the heart.  The fact that Jesus physically died is confirmed by eye witnesses, Roman authorities, and Jewish historians.  The Man died.  End of discussion.

But why did He die? 

See, that’s the real question we should be asking; not debating whether He did die or not, but understanding the significance of His death.

To understand the death of Jesus, we must first understand what happened in the Garden of Eden.  What happened to the first man and woman helps us understand why Jesus died, why it was necessary for Him to die.

In the beginning, God gave humanity blessing after blessing.  The man had freedom to live in the Garden and make choices for himself.  I mean, it’s not like God was a dictator.  He didn’t watch Adam’s every step (Watch out for the log.  There’s a log up here!  You run too fast, that’s your problem.  Why do you have to run through this garden so quickly?  You never listen to me.).  The only restriction God gave the first man was a command against eating the fruit from one particular tree; the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  God knew this knowledge would destroy the man, which is why He gave such a stern warning.  God said the consequences of disobedience would be death (Genesis 2:17).

I suspect you know what the man did.  He and his wife disobeyed.  Satan came along and changed God’s command ever so slightly, and Adam and Eve fell for his deception.  And since God is faithful to His word (and He must be, or else He isn’t God), they suffered the consequences.  Adam and Eve became sinful creatures marked for death.

This event is called “The Fall of Humanity”; it marks a change in mankind’s relationship with God and a biological shift in the nature of humanity.  From this point forward, human beings would die.  They would die because they had a sin nature.  Humanity lost its innocence, became poisoned; became infected with a disease which was transferred to the children.  It’s obvious their son Cain was infected.  He killed his brother (Genesis 4:8).  Actually, this “infection” – this disease – has been passed along from one generation to the next.  Even today, we are suffering from this disease called sin, and we know this is true because people are still dying today.  Death is still part of our reality, which means Sin is still present in our lives.  The words of Paul are still true today.  “The payment for sin is death.”^[2] (Romans 6:23a).  We die, not because we are old, but because sin is still present.

Humanity has been poisoned – bitten by sin and destined to die.  But what if God could break that curse somehow?  What if God could provide a way to atone for our sin – a way to make that payment for us?  What if God could justify us in some way – take away the sin, so we appear Just as if we never sinned?  Well, God can do this, and He did.  Jesus volunteers to become one of us and die in our place.  His death becomes the payment for our sin.

This payment is legitimate because physically, Jesus was just like you and me.  Physically, He could be killed, but spiritually He was different.  You see, because of His miraculous birth, Jesus did not inherit the disease.  Jesus did not have a sin nature like you and me.  Jesus was born without the curse, which means He would not suffer the penalty.  He was not marked for death.  Yet He chose to die in our place.  He took upon Himself the sins of humanity – all of humanity – and provided a way to be healed.  Because of this, anyone who trusts in Jesus – anyone who believes His death pays the penalty for their sin - will not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16).  It’s like Jesus became the cure.  He takes away the disease.  You and I don’t have to pay the penalty for our sin because He did, and because of that, we no longer must suffer the consequences; we don’t need to die.

What I am sharing this morning is not deep theology.  It is simply logic.  It is the only reasonable answer to the question “Why did Jesus have to die.”  Jesus died to provide a way to undo the effects of sin.  He died so we might have a choice; we could choose to remain poisoned by sin and suffer the consequences (not just physical death, but spiritual death as well), or choose to accept the sacrifice of Jesus and experience eternal life.

If you believe Jesus was the sinless Son of God sent to free us from sin, and if you believe His death on the cross paid the penalty for your sin, you have an opportunity to experience eternal life … even if you die physically.  Even if you or I die a physical death, we will not experience a spiritual death.  We will continue to live and exist even though our body dies.  Which is something we will talk about the next time.

But for now, please know this: By allowing Himself to be killed, Jesus rewrites our story.  Before He died, it looked like the story would end in hopelessness and death.  Humanity had no hope of ever escaping the chains of death.  Sin held us captive.  But all along God kept hinting about a day when the captives would be set free -  a day when His suffering servant would bear our sins; a day when He would be punished for all the things we did wrong (Isaiah 53).  And that day came when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, headed for the cross.  He gave Himself over to death so we could be set free.  On the cross, our debt was paid.  Because of the cross, humanity now has hope.

Without it, we only have death.

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^[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2007). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (3rd ed., Jn 19:28–37). Carol Stream, IL.

^[2] The Everyday Bible: New Century Version. (2005). (Ro 6:23). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc.

His Crucifixion - March 5, 2017 sermon

By Pastor Greg

A poor vagabond, traveling a country road in England, tired and hungry, came to a roadside Inn with a sign reading: "George and the Dragon."  He knocked.  The innkeeper's wife stuck her head out a window.  "Could ye spare something to eat?" he asked.  The woman glanced at his shabby clothes and apparently poor condition.  "No!" she said rather sternly.  "Could I have a pint of ale?"  "No!" she said again.  "Could I at least sleep in your stable?" "No!"  By this time, she was fairly shouting. The Vagabond said, "Might I please... ?"  "What now?" the woman interrupted impatiently.  "D'ye suppose," he asked, "I might have a word with George?"

Did you ever look back on your life and wish you could have a “do-over”?  Boy, I do.  I am haunted by careless words spoken and selfish deeds; they were so disrespectful and arrogant.  And I hurt a lot of people because of this. I wish I could make these memories go away, or at least go back and do what was right.

But I can’t.  There is no such thing as a time machine. 

Oh, I know we would like one; a device that allows us to go back and right our wrongs.  But this simply cannot happen.  These moments of sin are a blemish which has stained the portrait of our lives.  What was once beautiful and innocent has become tattered and torn.  They will be with us forever.

Or will they?

(John 19:17-27) ¹⁷ Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha). ¹⁸ There they nailed him to the cross. Two others were crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them. ¹⁹ And Pilate posted a sign on the cross that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” ²⁰ The place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, so that many people could read it.

²¹ Then the leading priests objected and said to Pilate, “Change it from ‘The King of the Jews’ to ‘He said, I am King of the Jews.’”

²² Pilate replied, “No, what I have written, I have written.”

²³ When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided his clothes among the four of them. They also took his robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. ²⁴ So they said, “Rather than tearing it apart, let’s throw dice for it.” This fulfilled the Scripture that says, “They divided my garments among themselves and threw dice for my clothing.” So that is what they did.

²⁵ Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶ When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” ²⁷ And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home. ^[1]

Please do not overlook the significance of the cross.  All four gospel writers mention this event.  God spoke of this throughout the Old Testament.  The Cross on which Jesus died was no accident.  It was all part of God’s plan … which means it had a purpose.  Actually, God says the crucifixion of Jesus is a good thing.  He says that in the end, Jesus will be satisfied by what He accomplished on the cross (Isaiah 53:11). 

700 years before it even happened, Isaiah used words like “pierced” and “crushed” to describe the Messiah (Isaiah 53:5).  Isaiah says the Lord’s Servant would be “scourged”; that He would be killed at a young age – the prime of His life (verse 8).  Isaiah says this Servant would be executed as some common criminal but would be buried as a rich man (verse 9).  However, it is Isaiah 53:6 that really grips my heart.  This “suffering Servant” would be “punished for all the evil we have done”^[2]; for all the evil I had done.

The Crucifixion of Jesus was not an accident.  He was not taken against His will.  Jesus was not overpowered by a group of bad men.  He allowed Himself to be killed so our sin could be forgiven.  Therefore, Jesus gave up His spirit on April 3, 33 A.D., at 3 o’clock in the afternoon.^[3]  He allowed Himself to be nailed to the cross so we would be given an opportunity to have our sin forgiven.

And he did this 1,927 years before I was even born; before you or I had the opportunity to make a mess of our life.

Have you ever read the words of Paul in Romans 5:8?  “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners,”^[4] which means that God planned to forgive our sins – to take those who are tattered and torn and make them whole again.

God knew we were utterly helpless.  He knew we could not repair the damage.  He knew we would mess up our lives.  But at just the right time, Jesus died for us (Romans 5:6).

Could it be that there is hope for sinners like you and me?  Is it possible that God would forgive all the careless words spoken and selfish deeds?

Absolutely!

“So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away—look, what is new has come!”^[5] (2 Corinthians 5:17).  Paul also exclaims “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” ^[6] (Galatians 2:20).

This is what His crucifixion accomplished.  By His death, we are made whole.  We now have the opportunity to start a new life, to become someone different; someone who no longer makes the same mistakes or says the same careless words.  By His crucifixion, Jesus grants us a “do over.”  He erases the debt of our past sins, cleanses us – washing us whiter than snow – and grants us a life no longer marked by sin and death.

Unfortunately, we live with the consequences of our actions in this life.  We can’t take away the hurt and pain caused by our deeds and words, but the penalty for them has been lifted from us and carried to the cross by Jesus.  We must work hard to regain trust or mend broken relationships caused by our sin, but the good news is that Christ has provided this opportunity in the first place all because of His Crucifixion.  He lets us start over again.

And that is really good news.

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^[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2007). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (3rd ed., Jn 19:17–27). Carol Stream, IL.

^[2] The Everyday Bible: New Century Version. (2005). (Is 53:6). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc.

^[3] Grassmick, J. D. (1985). Mark. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, pp. 184–185). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

^[4] Tyndale House Publishers. (2007). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (3rd ed., Ro 5:8). Carol Stream, IL.

^[5] Biblical Studies Press. (2005). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible (2 Co 5:17).

^[6] Tyndale House Publishers. (2007). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (3rd ed., Ga 2:20). Carol Stream, IL.