HOLY WEEK BLOG #7 – HE’S ALIVE!

Today I would like to share with you, not a detailed account of the first Easter, as much as the feeling the events of that day generated.  It’s an Easter feeling…a feeling we, as believers, should have every day.  We are called an Easter people.  That should mean something. 

I’d like to begin with a few comments about a very simple word which had tremendous implications on this Easter morning.  The word is ‘empty’.  That’s right…EMPTY!  Now right off the bat that word often brings up a negative image.  Think about how it affects your thoughts.  If I mention an empty plate or an empty cup that might conjure up an image of a hungry child.  If you hear someone speak about having empty cupboards or an empty fridge then you know they need to get some food.  If I spoke of empty promises or empty words you might think of a friend, a co-worker or even your spouse offering you lip service and little else.  If my wife or I jump in our car and see that the fuel gauge is on empty that’s going to definitely mean something negative because we live many miles from the nearest gas station.   If I go to find some gasoline and then try to write a check but discover that the account is empty I now have an even bigger problem.  You see, empty can carry a very negative feeling.  God, through Jesus Christ, turned the world upside down on that first Easter morning!  He also turned the word ‘empty’ completely around.  After Easter morning ‘empty’ came to mean the source of a life which could be full and overflowing!  Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)  You see, ‘empty’ can have a whole new and positive image.

                             OUR FAITH IS A LIVING FAITH BECAUSE "JESUS ALIVE!"   

That is the essence of Easter (Resurrection) Sunday.  The empty tomb means a risen, living Savior, not a dead, dusty God.  The empty tomb means we have a God who is always there for us no matter where we are.  The empty tomb means we can have a full heart and a full life (John 10:10).

- We are alive because He is alive and we will live forever when He lives in our hearts.

- Our God is a God of "will be" not a God of "was".

- Our God is a God of second chances.

- Our God has already been where we are going. We don’t have to fear the future because God is already there!

- God knows the days of our life and he knows when and how it will end.

WE SHOULD LIVE IN JOY BECAUSE "JESUS IS ALIVE!"

Our lives can and should be:

            - a parade, not a post mortem

            - a march of victory, not a dirge of the dead or dying

            - a fair, not a funeral

            - a wedding, not a wake

            - singing, shouting, smiling...not sadness, sorrow and sobriety

            - a continuously new beginning, not an ending

            - a pleasure, not pain

            - excited anticipation, not dread

            - filled with faith, not fear

            - filled with love, not legalism

            - filled hope, not hatred

- filled with joy, not sadness

Worship should be joy, celebration, enthusiasm, anticipation because Jesus, the one we worship, is alive!  Not rituals or rules and regulations but a living experience with a living God.  I read a great quote somewhere that I’d like to share with you right now. 

"Some churches have so successfully cultivated a somber mood that their sanctuaries resemble funeral parlors more than a place of celebration.  Worship has the feel of a memorial service.  If the Gospel really is good news, when do we get to shout "Whoppee!"  We should come to worship with the enthusiasm of one invited to a party, not the reluctance of one going to the dentist."

At the church in Upstate New York where I served as pastor we had a lighted sign out by the road.  One week I put this message on the sign in large capital letters: “HAPPY HOUR – SUNDAY 10:30AM – JOIN US”!  Some of you may take issue with that but it was to make a point.  Church should be a place where can experience the joy of the Lord…and we certainly experienced it there.  As a matter of fact we had new people come and check us out just because of that sign.  When we fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ it’s a celebration of life, or it should be.  We can have this new life because Jesus is ALIVE!  If Jesus Christ is in your heart then know that He’s alive.  God is alive in you!!!  And you should know that He will be with you no matter what.  It can make such a difference if you will let that assurance take root in your heart.

Now don’t misunderstand what I’m saying.  This joyful attitude doesn’t mean we won’t have troubles.  Jesus made that abundantly clear in John 16:33 when he said, “I tell you this so that in me you can have peace.  In this world you will have troubles but take heart.  I have overcome the world.”  (John 16:33)  And again, in

"The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid.?"  (Psalm 27:1)

Listen (or read) the words of Psalm 100.  Better yet, read them out loud if you dare!

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.  Worship the Lord with gladness;  come before him with joyful songs.  Know that the Lord is God.  It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.   For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Aren’t these wonderful words (and actions)!  We can feel this way about God for one reason…HE’S ALIVE!   Jesus had victory over death and because He did, we can too!  Baptism symbolizes the Easter experience.  Whenever I baptize an individual as I put them beneath the water I say “You are buried with Christ in baptism.” And then as I raise them up out of the water I say “And you are raised up to walk in new life!”  We are buried with Christ in Baptism and raised up to walk in new life.  We are a new creation.   Just as Paul said, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)  When we understand and accept that our God is alive it makes all the difference in the world about: our faith, abundant life, the ability to handle difficulties and problems… not just to survive another day, but to live it victoriously “to the full” just as Jesus said.  (John 10:10)  Like the old hymn says, “Because He Lives I can face tomorrow;  Because He lives, all fear is gone.  Because I know He holds the future, and life is worth the living just because He lives."

We are called to be an "Easter People", living each day in the newness, the freshness of the resurrection.  We can begin each day, each new moment with the wide-eyed expectancy and assurance of God's presence, His forgiveness, His promises, and His provisions for us. 

I’ve selected a few quotes from people whose names should ring a bell.

"God is not a God of sadness, but the devil is.  Christ is a God of joy.  It is pleasing to the dear God whenever you rejoice or laugh from the bottom of your heart."  Martin Luther

"Sour godliness is the devil's religion."  John Wesley

"Leave sadness to the devil.  [He] has reason to be sad."  St. Francis of Assisi

Rev. Frank Yates of St. Luke's Presbyterian Church in Amarillo, Texas had this to say about the "Risus paschalis" (Easter laugh):  "Easter is the morning when the Lord laughs out loud, laughs at all the things that snuff out joy, all the things that pretend to be all-powerful, like cruelty and madness and despair and evil, and most especially, that great pretender, death.  Jesus sweeps them away with His wonderful resurrection laughter." 

I want to leave you with a picture that I absolutely love.  It’s entitled ‘Risen Christ By The Sea’ and it was painted by Jack Jewell.   When I was serving as Pastor in a church in Upstate New York we ordered this picture in poster size and place it in the foyer on Easter Sunday morning just outside the entrance to the sanctuary so all could see it as they arrived for Resurrection Sunday worship. The last I knew it still hangs in the sanctuary.  Can you think of a better image of Jesus on the morning of his resurrection?  I can’t. 

HE IS RISEN!  HE IS RISEN, INDEED!  JESUS IS ALIVE!  Believe it!  Live it!  PASS IT ON!"

The angels told Mary and the other women.  Then Mary and the women went and told the disciples.  Then the disciples began to tell others.  Now it’s our turn.  We are to continue passing that word on today and telling the world that…

"HE'S ALIVE!  HE'S ALIVE!  CHRIST JESUS IS ALIVE"!

Warning!  Shameless Plug

If you like this picture of Jesus by the sea and want a framed copy of it, or business card sized to share, or even bulletin covers with it is available through a wonderful Newsletter called the Joyful Noiseletter.  Here’s the information from their page (http://www.joyfulnoiseletter.com/risen_Christ.asp).  To order, you can use their secure online store, their printable order form, or call toll-free 1-800-877-2757.

HOLY WEEK BLOG #6 – The Cross!

On this Good Friday I wanted to share some scripture that relates to the cross.  They won’t all have that word in them, necessarily, but they will all speak to the message of the cross.  But for just a moment or two let’s talk about the cross itself. 

The cross was a hated symbol of the early church.  Having a cross on your collar or on a necklace would be like having an electric chair pinned there today.  It was a gruesome, torturous was to execute and was meant to be as grueling as possible to act as a deterrent to those who gathered to watch a crucifixion taking place or for those who traveled by the site.  And the crucifixion, as we know it, was civil when compared to some earlier forms of public execution!  Then in 325 AD the emperor Constantine, at the Council of Nicaea, declared the cross to be the official symbol of Christianity.  And today that is really what it has become…a beloved symbol of the sacrifice of a loving Savior.

I’m not sure that anyone wrote about the cross as much as the Apostle Paul.  He was a very educated man who had reached the upper echelon of the religious leaders of his day.  He was, in his own words, “circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.”  (Philippians 3:5, 6 )  But, if you recall, he was sharing these facts about his background to make the point that all this was worthless compared to knowing Jesus Christ.  Well, let’s read his own words:

“But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”  (Philippians 3:7-11)

Paul says that all of his background and knowledge and prestige were “garbage” compared to belonging to Christ.  Paul speaks about the power of Jesus’ resurrection, that’s the power over death itself.  In 1 Corinthians Paul begins his letter to the church at Corinth reminding them that when he came to them the first time he focused solely on Christ and the cross.  Read his words from 1 Corinthians 2:1, 2.

 “And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.   For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”

If we back up just one chapter we can read more of Paul’s focus on the cross.

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.   For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

“Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?  For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.  Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.”  (1 Corinthians 1:18-25)

Paul says that Jesus, as the Son of God, allowing himself to be killed just didn’t make sense to the Greeks, the Jews or even the Gentiles.  They didn’t understand the power of the cross.  Paul says that a minister’s primary mission (‘prime directive’ if you’re a Star Trek fan) is to preach the cross!  The message of the cross is the basis for all other “Christian” concerns.  Without people understanding their need of a Savior, unless they truly understand what Christ did for them on that cross, then the rest of the discussion is worthless!  The cross is God’s ultimate object lesson, His example to us of how much He loves us.  It is an example to us of how we are to love others.

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13

 “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”                                                                                                                    Matthew.10:39

Rituals, celebrations, programs traditions, etc. are not wrong but they cannot be placed above Jesus’ message of salvation as shown to us on the cross!  All of the symbolic gestures should point us to the cross and the Savior how gave his life upon it.  In 1 Corinthians 1:17 Paul says “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel” and then he explains what that looks like, “Not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.”  Paul says that the true power isn’t in eloquent or powerful preaching but in the clear presentation of the message of the cross.  “Words of Wisdom” can empty the cross of it’s power in a person’s life!  If a preacher, or you, become more interested in flowery speech, descriptive terms, persuasive words, appearance, enticing arguments…if he focuses upon a good, dynamic interesting sermon, presenting new or novel ideas, sharing an intriguing position, stirring thoughts about some speculation or philosophy, rather that focusing your attention on the Word of God and the power of the Cross then he, and you, are in trouble.  We can focus on our own wisdom, pitiful as it is, and turn away from the cross, and then we have pulled the plug on the power that is there for us.  Read 17b again…!

“On Christ, the solid rock, I stand.  All other ground is sinking sand!”  That is true for anyone of us…especially preachers!  I pray that you will always leave worship service thinking about God’s Word and what the preacher got you to thinking about, NOT about the preacher.

“When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.  For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.  I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.  My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.” 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  (1 Corinthians 1:18)

   

The word for “message” used in this verse is the Greek word ho-logos which means ‘the Word’, meaning “the [Word] of the cross…” as compared to the “words of human wisdom” of verse 17.

Over and over in God’s Word we find that there are only two categories for people:

Sheep or Goats

Those who are being saved or those who are perishing

Those going to Heaven or those going to Hell.

To those who are saved, the ‘Word’ (the message) of the cross is the Power of God!  To those who are perishing, the ‘Word’ of the cross is foolishness!  Don’t rely on the wisdom of this world because it keep changing.  Seems we humans often get it wrong!  Let’s see, at one time in history the acceptable understanding was that the earth was the center of the universe and all the planets revolved around us.  Woops!  Then there was that miracle drug, thalidomide, which was widely used in England to help pregnant women deal with their morning sickness.  They discovered, too late, that it also caused major birth defects.   Oops!  We could go on and on couldn’t we?  Be careful about the wisdom of this age.  The best and brightest minds of this world don’t hold a candle to the one who made it!  You read earlier in 1 Corinthians 1:19 where God said, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

Paul continued after that verse.  Check out verses 20-25 below.  They are also found in 1 Corinthians 1.  I will add a few comments along the way ‘cause I just can’t help myself!

²⁰ Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?  ²¹ For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.  ²² Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom,

Herod wanted to see a miracle.  There are many accounts of Jesus performing miracles but they still didn’t believe he was the Messiah.  The Greeks wanted to be able to look within the mind to solve everything, to understand everything.

²³ but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,

The Jews based their faith on ritual and religion, a faith based on personal works.  The cross negated all of that.  They looked for a powerful, military leader or savior to free them from the Romans and thought that is what they were going to see in Jesus of Nazareth.  Instead of that, the gospel offered them a Savior nailed to a cross of shame.

The Greeks wanted a distant, intellectual God.  Their name for God was “apatheia”, which meant one with a “total inability to feel” and is where we get our English word “apathetic”.  They couldn’t believe that God would come to earth to sacrifice himself out of love for His creation.  And they couldn’t understand, intellectually, how one who died in such seeming weakness and failure could ever solve their problems.  It wasn’t rational, from their way of thinking.

²⁴ but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Christ crucified IS the Power of God (signs sought by the Jews) and the Wisdom of God (providing the only possible complete sacrifice for sin).  To the believer it makes absolutely perfect sense.  To the lost it is absolute foolishness, just as God said it would be.

²⁵ For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.”

The cross is a powerful symbol of the Easter season.  It stands as a constant reminder of God’s love for us, shown through Jesus, His only son.

Nelsons’ Bile Dictionary puts it this way, “The cross is the symbol of Jesus’ love, God’s power to save, and the thankful believer’s unreserved commitment to Christian discipleship. To those who know the salvation that Christ gained for us through His death, it is a “wondrous cross” indeed.

I hope that you see the cross of Calvary on this Good Friday as the truly “wondrous cross” that it is.  Jesus willing sacrifice on that cross opened the gate of heaven to all who believe in him as their Savior and Lord.  I hope that you carry such assurance in your heart today.  He paid an awful price for my sins and yours.  He went to the cross willingly so that we might have the chance to turn to him in faith, receive the free gift of eternal life and life for him here on earth until that day when he calls us home.

When Jesus died on the cross that day scripture says that he cried out “It is finished!”  That phrase can also be interpreted “Paid in Full”.  Jesus paid our sin debt in full that day.