Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Special Services / Easter Season 2004

Easter 2004

Message Title: ‘Trading Spaces’             Text: Matthew 27:15-26

Introduction: Has anyone ever seen the T.V. show ‘Trading Spaces’? It is a big hit for The Learning Channel and has spawned many similar shows on other networks. You know the premise…Two families agree to trade spaces in their home for the purpose of redecorating a room they want to change. And they have very little say in what happens to their own room. And when they are done, some of the reactions are…well some of them are not meant for TV and I am sure were edited. Of course most seem pretty happy with what was done.

If you have seen the show you know some of the rooms really needed a change. It takes a lot of courage to let a TV show come into your home and give a neighbor freedom to do whatever they want to your room. These are people who have looked past what is…to what could be. That’s a pretty positive attitude.

But I am sure there are also people who have rooms that they know need to be redone, but never do anything about it. They would never try to get on Trading Spaces. Why? Because they can’t look past what is to what could be. And because they are comfortable, they may not like the ugliness of the room, it’s what they know.  A rather negative attitude concerning their home, if you ask me.

The same is true for the Easter season. Some people, put such an emphasis on Good Friday and Christ’s suffering that they fail to appropriately celebrate Easter. Let me give you an example from history.

Ill: It is reported that Michelangelo once turned to a fellow artist and said with frustration in his voice, ‘Why do you keep filling gallery after gallery with endless pictures of the one theme of Christ in weakness, Christ on the cross, and most of all, Christ hanging dead?’ he asked ‘Why do you concentrate on the passing episode as if it were the last  work, as if the curtain dropped down there on disaster and defeat? That dreadful scene lasted only a few hours. But to the unending eternity Christ is alive; Christ rules and reigns and triumphs!’ 

Today, we remember, no we celebrate, that Good Friday, as dark and sad as it was..is over. Sunday has come. The Lord is risen, yes the Lord is risen indeed!

And the dark, ugly rooms in our life, the rooms where sin dwells and death awaits, can be redone, made over when we are willing to trade spaces with the one who died on Friday but rose on Sunday.

Let me ask you a question. Is there anyone here who doesn’t know what happened that first Easter morning? What happened, tell me? Yes, Jesus rose from the dead, the tomb that certified his death was empty. Death could not hold him in the grave. As we have given testimony this morning in song, He’s alive! Jesus is alive.

Let me ask you another question. Do you really know what that means…do you truly understand what Jesus’ death and resurrection means… for you? That is what I want to talk about this morning.

    I want to go back a few days in the life of Jesus of Nazareth.
    I want to go back to what took place when Jesus was before Pilate and the people who were demanding his death.
    I want to go back and look at a man not often associated with the Easter story.
    I want to go back to a man who needed to trade spaces because he had a room of sin in his life that he never did anything about.
        And he was about to die because of it.
    I want to go back and look at the man, Barabbas.

Transition: Turn in your Bibles to Matt. 27:15 where we will find that Barabbas found someone who would trade spaces with him.

Trading Spaces with Barabbas
Barabbas was a convicted murderer. In fact, he would be called a terrorist today. While this probable was not the first time he was caught, it seems to be the first time he was charged and condemned to death. And he knew he was guilty.

Imagine the scene. Pilate is in the courtyard with Jesus and the crowd. Historical records tell us that the holding cells were about 2000 feet from the public courtyard.
While Barabbas couldn’t hear what Pilate says to Jesus and the crowd, he can hear the crowd. What does he hear?  Barabbas, give us Barabbas…then shortly after that, crucify him! Crucify him! Can you imagine, Barabbas heart must have been pounding right through his chest with fear.

Barabbas was going to die that day. It was his time, it was a fact he could do nothing about. Then the guards come for him. Depressed, frightened, Barabbas then hears the guard say ‘You’re free. Go. Someone is taking your place, the man Jesus is being crucified and you are being released. Go. You are free.

Think for a moment. Place yourself in Barabbas’ sandles. Can you imagine what was going through his mind? Joy! Exhilaration! Bewilderment! Ecstasy!  I’m alive! I’m alive! Barabbas might have even shouted out.

I don’t have any proof, but I  think Barabbas went into the courtyard to see the man who took his place. To get a glimpse of the man who traded spaces on the cross with him. To see the man who will die, because I will live. 

Barabbas missed the cross and death that day because Jesus took his place. Jesus traded spaces with Barabbas. Jesus died that day, so that Barabbas could live.

Trading Spaces with you

Barabbas and what happened to him gives us a picture of what God want to do you us, for you. It gives us a glimpse of what the joy of Easter is truly about.
It’s not just rooms in a home that often need remodeling. Sometimes its our lives. We start out flawed and we continue to make things worse. We have a natural tendency to sin, to rebel against what we know is right, to rebel against God. And like Barabbas, we know we are guilty. And we means we, you, me , your children, your parents, your wife, we all have sinned. But we also have a natural desire for spiritual things because we were created in God’s image.

And like Michelangelo’s friend the painter, and many people who have rooms in their home that need a makeover but do nothing about it, we stay with what we know.

    Even though we have been told that Trading Spaces is in our city looking for people who want change.
    Even though we know about Easter and Jesus being raised for the dead.

You see, the joy and excitement associated with Easter is not just that Jesus rose from the dead. I mean that’s great and all, but unless it has some effect on me and you, then it really isn’t that big a deal. But Barabbas reminds us that it is a big deal for us.

Just as Jesus traded spaces on the cross with Barabbas and died, so he wants to trade spaces with you. Let me explain.

Remember I said we all sin, rebel against God, it is natural for us? Well that sin, that rebellion against God, although natural, also has consequences. And the consequence or penalty for sin is death.

Read: Romans 6:23: ‘For the wages (or penalty) of sin is death’

Like Barabbas we know we’re guilty and deserve the penalty for our sin. But also like Barabbas Jesus wants to trade spaces with us.

Read: Romans 5:6,8 ‘You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. But God demonstrates his own love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us’.

And while Jesus died for you he also rose again from the dead…for you. Why? So that John 3:16 could be true.

Read: John 3:16  ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, whoever believes in him should never die but have eternal life.’

Trading spaces is not just about death, it is about life. Life here and now and life then and there. That’s the Joy of Easter.

Conclusion: The Joy of Easter

Have you done something about the dark room of sin in your life?

Have you said yes to Jesus’ Trading Spaces offer to redo not just a room, but your whole life, now and eternally? Or are you sitting in a cold cell, like Barabbas, waiting for certain death?

Are you keeping the room of sin in your life because, well, it’s what you know?

The joy of Easter is the joy of knowing that Jesus died in your place and rose again so that your sins will be forgiven, your debt paid and eternal life secured.

The cell door is open, you have been told Jesus wants to take your place. Will you let him? Or will you go back into the cell of sin because it’s what you know?

The joy of Easter is that Jesus wants to Trade Spaces with you! And you don’t have to get your life straightened up before Jesus takes your place.

Remember, while we, were yet sinners, Christ died for us’.

    If you say yes to Jesus.
    If you tell God you are sorry for your sin and ask him to forgive you.
    If you believe that Jesus took your place on the cross.
    If you are anything like I was when I did that,

    you will feel like Barabbas did when the jailers set him free. You will truly know the Joy of Easter when you trade spaces with Jesus.