April 8, 2012
Introduction This past week we moved through the annual observance and celebration of Holy Week. And now it’s Easter Sunday. In a compact week, we experienced the Word of God in Person and in Scripture as Jesus gave his life for the salvation of all those who trust in him as Savior and Lord. So, how does the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus shape your life?
In the life of Christ, we learn of the amazing love that God has for us. In the life of Christ, we are called to follow him with his grace and compassion for people in our families, in our community, and in the world around us – especially for those who are lonely, those experiencing ill-health, the poor, rejected, or those in need. We are invited by Jesus (actually commanded) to “Love God,” “Love One Another” and “Love Neighbor” (all in the life of Christ).
In the death of our Messiah Savior, we learn how it is that we are forgiven. As fallen human beings you and I are fraught with every kind of sinful attitude, act and behavior. We were in danger of God’s wrath and judgment. For the holy, righteous God cannot and will not accept the sinful rebellion of self-centered people (i.e. you and me). Yet God loves us! He sent his one and only Son to give his life as a perfect sacrifice (a substitute in our place), as a ransom (payment), a redemptive gift. The Cross of Christ, the death of Jesus is that Good Friday gift.
Today is Easter Day. This morning in the resurrection , everything that Jesus said and did is validated as true. He is “the way and the truth and the life.” He is “the bread of life; light of the world; the resurrection and the life.” When anyone trusts in the Word of God, it is then that the gift of eternal life, assurance of God’s love and grace, and the promise of God’s hope and joy are fulfilled.
It is my constant prayer that each person connected with 1st Presbyterian Church has and will receive and live in the Christ-shaped life that our Lord offers and sustains from day to day and year to year.
I. What Kind Of Shape Are You In? (vs. 13-16)
Think for a moment a special day or time in your life when your joy was just overflowing. As a child, maybe it was an awesome birthday gift that just thrilled you. For me is was a Mickey Mantle Triple Crown Winner baseball glove. As a high school kid, maybe it was winning a game that meant so much to your teammates and school. For me it was making and singing in All-State Chorus. Maybe it was coming home from the first date with the one you were hoping for or pursuing. Or it was your wedding day or the birth of a child. A clean bill of health after a challenging illness or magnificent sights on a once-in-a-lifetime trip.
Now imagine the joy the disciples felt (after the initial shock and strange doubt) when the Risen Lord Jesus came to them. He was dead and buried. He was gone. Their hopes had been crushed. But now he was alive and with them again – speaking and eating together, teaching them more about the nature of life, faith, resurrection hope and the kingdom of heaven.
Peter, James and John (the big three) could hardly contain themselves as they set out with the great news of Jesus. And they wrote letters to the early church to help believers stay on track with their faith, hope and joy in Christ. How blessed we are to have them in the Bible – to read and understand, to share with others.
We read this morning from Peter’s first letter: “Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.” Jesus rose from the dead! So, get out of bed! Put your mind in gear. Roll up your sleeves, says Peter. Be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus shows up in your life.
Last fall, several teens from our church went to one of those haunted houses. The encountered a young girl playing the part of some kind of ghost or ghoul. When finding out they were a church youth group, she said as nastily as she could, “Jesus is dead.” Our kids immediately responded out loud and with joy, “No! Jesus is alive! He’s alive!” Their minds were alert and fully sober in the hope they have in Christ. As they moved along, I’m sure that young girl didn’t know quite what to do or think.
II. Transformed By Easter Day (vs. 14-19)
Peter writes in verse 14: “Do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.” He says that we didn’t know any better then; but we do now. So, let yourself be pulled into a way of life shaped the Risen Lord. “For you know that it was not with perishable things that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ.”
Look at the contrast in the human experience: living without faith in the Lord or living with the Risen Christ. Jesus confronted our sinful nature quite directly, recorded in Mark 7: “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness” (Mark 7:21-23). The apostle Paul pressed it home in Galatians 5: “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
And why not? Dostoevsky, well known 19th century Russian of Crime and Punishment fame wrote: “Anything is permissible if there is no God.” Just do it… Go for it, they say. Why wouldn’t we pursue our own advantage and gain in this life if it takes deceit, envy, or slander? Why wouldn’t we enjoy the pleasures multiple sex partners or fulfilling selfish ambitions or being a party animal?
In an extended discourse on the resurrection in I Corinthians 15, Paul wrote, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith… If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins… If so, we are to be pitied more than all others” (I Corinthians 15:14-18).
“But Christ died for our sins… he was buried, and he was raised on the third day,” writes Paul. “He appeared to Peter and then to the Twelve. He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters. He appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also.” Paul quotes the prophets and answers the question: “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
With the resurrection, life is meant to be shaped by the Risen Lord. “The fruit of the Spirit is love and joy, peace and patience, kindness and goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). What a contrast! The seven deadly sins are traded in for the seven not-so-deadly alternatives. The Biblical word for embracing this new life in Christ is holiness. Peter reminds us, “Just as the One who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” Moral perfection is not attainable in this life. We should not self-righteously claim that we are in and of ourselves “good” or that we have “arrived” spiritually. I think this call to be holy is the Lord beckoning us to recognize and live into the sacredness that pervades life and finds its origin in God. The seven not-so-deadly alternatives are gifts given by the Lord. As followers of Jesus we simply and always ask God to grow in us things like humility, kindness, patience, diligence, generosity, contentment and holiness.
Conclusion (vs. 20-21)
This is why Peter can say, “Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.” Can you say that for yourself this Easter morning – that through Christ you believe, that your faith and hope is in God? If you can, I rejoice with you. If you can’t, please don’t leave here without inviting Jesus Christ into your life. For me it was 1971. I was 19. After a few months of listening to the faith of some new college friends; after reading the Gospel for myself; and while singing some great hymns and choral works; I was persuaded to say “Yes” to God in Christ: one of the most joyful days of my life. Whether you are 19 or 90, you too can set your faith and hope in the Risen One.
Let us pray together. |
