Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Special Services / Easter Season 2009

Easter Sunday 2009

Title: 'The Rising Hope'

Text: John 20

Introduction: What a wonderful day! All over the world people are celebrating Jesus: Son of God, King of Kings and Lord of Lords….alive forever!!

Easter Sunday. What does it mean to people today? Well it depends on who you ask.

·          A group of 4yr olds were in Sunday School in Chattanooga, TN and the teacher asked ‘Does anyone know what today is? One child said ‘Today is Palm Sunday.’ Yes! That ‘s correct. Now, does anyone know what next Sunday is? The same little girl raised her hand and the teacher figuring she was on a roll, called on her. She said ‘Next Sunday is Easter.’ Great!! Do you know what that means? ‘Yes, the little girl answered ‘Easter is when Jesus came forth from the grave, but if he sees his shadow, he will have to go back in for 7 weeks.’ (Tom McCrossan)

On a more serious note…

ILL: Many years ago a submarine sank off the coast of Massachusetts. As soon as possible divers descended to the disabled sub, listening for signs of life. One diver heard a gentle tapping. Listening intently he recognized the dot and dashes of Morse Code. The message was simple ‘Is there hope?’ (Decision Magazine)

People, everyday, all over the world still cry ‘Is there hope? Easter is the answer to that cry. Yet they refuse to believe so they continue to cry out ‘Is there hope?’ Why?

ILL: The Devil was having a yard sale, and all of his tools were marked with different prices. They were a fiendish lot. There was hatred, jealously, deceit, lying, and pride--all at expensive prices. But over to the side of the yard on display was a tool more obviously worn than any of the other tools. It was also the most costly. The tool was labeled DISCOURAGEMENT.

When questioned, the Devil said, "It’s more useful to me than any other tool. When I can’t bring down my victims with any of the rest of these tools, I use discouragement, because so few people realize that it belongs to me."

Satan’s is never happier than when he sees people lose hope by giving in and giving up to discouragement. (Gerald Flury)

Have you ever felt like your whole world is caving in around you, like your troubles mount up and it seems there is no end in sight?

 

Well, I have good news. There is hope!

Transition: Open your Bibles to John 20:1 (pg. 828 in the Bibles under the chair in front of you.) For it’s there we will see Jesus ‘The Rising Hope.’

I. John 20:1-9

Read: John 20:1-9

On Easter Sunday morning, just before sunrise, there was no hope…But once the people did have hope. For 3.5 yrs, Jesus the prophet from Nazareth went from city to city proclaiming the Kingdom of Heaven and the people flocked to hear him. They recognized something different in Him. His words of hope and life took their breath away. Hope was kindled in the human soul.

Then came Friday. Jesus was nailed to the cross, executed with common criminals. And when Jesus said ‘It is finished’ and breathed His last breath, it was like someone had knocked the air right out of them…that’s what utter hopelessness feels like.

Mary Magdalene was one of those who had the wind knocked out of her and she was there at the tomb, in tears.

·       Tears of hopelessness,

·        tears of despair and frustration.

Her love for Jesus was strong, but her hope couldn’t find anything left to hang on to. She was only there that morning to complete the final burial process. For Mary, all hope was lost when she saw Jesus die on the cross.

When she arrived at the tomb and saw the stone removed, she immediately ran to the other disciples to tell them someone had stolen Jesus’ body. I can imagine she was thinking ‘What else could go wrong?’

For Mary and the other disciples life had become a place of broken promises, unfulfilled dreams and big disappointments. Know what I am talking about? Life can be hard and the devil uses all his tools to make you feel discouraged. He wants you to say ‘God is dead. There is no hope.’

Peter, John and Mary arrive back at the tomb and find it empty. John has an idea what has happened but the others are still clueless. Notice they do nothing, but go back to their homes. All except Mary who returns to the tomb…and cries.

Transition: But what happens next changes everything as we know it..forever.

II. John 20:10-18

Read: John 20:10-18

Mary’s best guess, her hope for why Jesus’ body is gone, even after seeing and talking to angels, is….a gardener.

Her discouragement and hopelessness was so great, she couldn’t recognize Jesus standing right in front of her. But the voice of Easter would penetrate not only the darkness, but Mary’s heart.

‘Mary.’ One word from the lips of Jesus and she knew. One word from the lips of Jesus and her life was changed…forever.

Jesus came to Mary because she needed Him…Truth is, we all need Him. We all desperately want to believe that God knows us, that we matter to Him. Mary felt the same way and in her despair, Jesus met her with hope.

What is the hope that changed Mary’s life? That

can change our lives? Jesus Christ, risen from the dead…He is the Rising Hope.

Transition: But Mary was not the only one who desperately needed to have their hope restored.

III. Acts 20:19-23

Read: John 20:19-23

Can you imagine? I mean really, think about it. Jesus was dead, buried…ok His body was missing but the religious leaders must have been up to something. In fact, Jesus’ body missing made everything even worse.

Then, without knocking, without opening a door, Jesus is suddenly in the room with them and He says: ‘Peace be with you’ in other words…don’t be afraid, don’t despair, don’t be discouraged any longer…I’m here…I’m the hope you thought you lost…I’m here.

Many fears fill our minds

·       Fears involving our future

·       Fears involving our job

·       Fears involving our relationships

·       Fears involving serious illness, even death.

And these fears can leave us discouraged, confused, and if felt for a long time, hopeless. But Jesus wants to ease your fears and remove your discouragement, to bring you hope…with His presence in your life.

But unlike these early disciples, you need to invite Him in. And when you do, you’ll hear what they heard… ‘Peace be with you’.

Transition: Well, as usual not everyone was present at that Sunday worship service.

IV. Acts 20:24-29

Read: John 20:24-29

Thomas made one critical mistake after Jesus’ death. In his despair, he withdrew from the fellowship and company of other Believers…he stopped going to church, so to speak. And boy did he miss out.

In his hopeless condition, he refused to believe what they were saying because he didn’t want to be disappointed again. Know how he feels?

Notice that Jesus helps doubters, He doesn’t condemn them. He was kind and gentle with Thomas and Thomas’ faith was restored, his hope renewed…like Mary his life was changed forever by the presence of Jesus.

Transition: Every Easter church services are pretty much the same, at least the theme…why?

V. Acts 20:30-31

Read: John 20:30-31

I really don’t have much to say here…John says it all.

Read: John 20:31

Conclusion

Read: Hebrews 6:19a ‘We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.’

With the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, God has embedded an anchor of hope in the world sturdy enough to withstand any fear, any doubt, any hurt, any discouragement.

This wonderful anchor is the hope that declares:

·       God can overcome my past.

·       God can be with me in the present.

·       God has promised me a future with Him in heaven forever.

You can choose to continue to live in fear, without hope or you can live with peace because of hope. The choice is yours. The work has been done. Your sins have been paid for. But here’s the catch, here’s where most people stumble.

They’ve heard the message time and time again.

Maybe they even come to church on Christmas and Easter, but they’ve never chosen to accept what Christ did for them and make it real for themselves. It’s never moved those few inches from the ears to the heart.

That’s what Easter is all about. Movement….from the grave to sky as the popular song ‘Lord I lift your name one high’ tells us.

It’s about understanding that God loved you so much that He became one of us, lived a perfect life, for us, suffered and died for us, and …rose from the dead to give us the victory over death.

‘Death where is your victory?’ You’ve heard the words at funerals but have you ever thought about them. The fact is, the victory of

death was crushed by the stone that rolled away from the tomb!

Death no longer has victory for those who believe in what happened in that tomb that very first Easter morning!

Jesus Christ is risen from the dead! He’s alive and

·       He’s calling you to no longer be afraid

·       He’s calling you to let Him give you hope

·       He calling youo to let Him give you a new life.

·       He’s calling you to follow Him.

Hear the words… ‘He is risen’

See the empty tomb, and let it travel from your ears and eyes to your heart.

Believe and accept the gift that God is offering you: eternal life in Jesus…the rising hope.

 

Hope…do you know what I think is our greatest hope? It’s not…that there is a God…we are too selfish and practical for that. I think our greatest hope is…that there is life after death. And not just life after death, a better life after death. Isn’t that what we always hear at a funeral…so and so is in a better place.

That’s what the Hindu religion is based on. It’s the foundation of reincarnation.

·       If you are a ditch digger and you live a good life before death, you help others and do a good job at digging ditches, you hope you will reincarnate, come back to a better life..perhaps as a business owner with a nice home and more than one car.

·       But, if you don’t appreciate your place in life as a business owner and take advantage of others, you might come back as a rat or an ant.

Like Hindu’s, we hope that there is life after death and that it will be better than this life before death. And like the Hindu’s we try to be good, to do good things, to help others, maybe even go to church and give to the poor…we do whatever we can in hope that it will be enough to earn a better life after death.

And we base our most foundational and heart felt hope on ‘what if’s’ and ‘maybe’s’…’what if I do this’ or ‘what if I don’t do tha’….’maybe I will have a better life after death.’

I am here to tell you that is not the kind of hope you have been reading, singing and hearing about this morning. The hope of the Christian is not based on ‘what if’s’ and ‘maybe’s’. It’s a hope based on Jesus Christ…It is a hope based on what He said on the cross, just before he died and rose from the dead… ‘It is finished!’

What is finished? Our struggle…not His.

·       Our struggle with hoping and wishing there is life after death.

·       Our struggle hoping and wishing there is a better life after death.

·       Our struggle hoping and wishing that we were good enough.

When Jesus said ‘It is finished’ He was telling us

·       I have done it,

·       I have been good enough,

·       I have obeyed God in every way

·       I have made the way for you to have a better life after death.

Trust me…believe me, follow me…place your most basic and fundamental of hopes…in me. And watch. Watch what? Watch me rise from the dead…for you. To show you what you can expect when you die.

Trust me…believe me…follow me, place your most basic and fundamental of hopes…in me…I have shown you the way.

And that’s what we celebrate on Easter Sunday. Jesus is….the rising hope.

And like Him, we too will rise when life on earth is over…when we trust Him, believe Him, follow Him and place our hope in Him.

Your struggle is finished…when you place your hope for salvation, a better life after death, in Jesus, the rising hope.