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.