Mark 16.1-14

Title: The Resurrection: What did it do?

Text: Mark 16.1-14; 1 Corinthians 15

CIT: Paul presents 4 elemental truths of the Resurrection

CIS: To present these 4 truths and challenge the believers to a changed life.

Intro: I’m not much on Topical sermons. I preach them from time to time, but my preference is to preach through books. Oftentimes, it is hard to narrow down all of the information in a certain topic, so problem #1 is that you just have too much material. 2nd, I like knowing on Monday morning what I’m preaching next Sunday. Besides, preaching through books makes it where I must cover every doctrine at some point. You just can’t avoid it. But, the downside of not being prepared to preach a topical sermon on special days can create a situation where a preacher is presented with an awkward situation.

            CJ Mahaney is a preacher I always love to hear. Whenever he is on the schedule at a conference, I make sure to get a good seat! CJ tells the story of how he concluded a three-part sermon series about the afterlife. That last sermon in the series just happened to fall on Mother’s Day. He had not connected the special day with his topic nor with his sermon title. That Sunday morning, mothers came dressed in their pretty dresses, some with hats, some with gloves, some with a corsage. CJ was totally caught off guard, as were many of his moms when the time came for CJ to present his message, a sermon in the afterlife series which simply read: Hell!

Things have worked out well on my calendar, as I have done my best to be at this particular place in Scripture on this particular holiday. I decided to start there and move out from there to another passage on the resurrection. There is a question that I’d like to answer and, today is a great way to spend some time looking at that question: We all know what Christ’s death accomplished, but, what about His Resurrection? Was the resurrection even necessary? He died for our sins, and paid the penalty required in his death; so, why did he need to be resurrected?

            Our text is Mark chapter 16. We’ll also spend some time in 1 Cor 15; take a moment to mark those places with a bookmark. This morning I’d like to present four theological truths about the resurrection as presented by Mark and Paul. Here they are:

• The Resurrection is an essential part of the Gospel Message
• The Resurrection is validated by a tremendous body of evidence
• The Resurrection offers us the hope of a resurrection
• The Resurrection will impact how you live your life

Transition: let’s look at the 1^st truth

I. The Resurrection is an essential part of the Gospel Message (16.1-6)

exp.: rd v 1-2; the word gospel, and the word evangelism are basically the same word; the difference is that one is a noun, and the other is a verb; it is the word Ευαγγέλιον; From which we get evangelism; So, what is this good news? Rd v 6; He is not here, He is Risen! Check it out… the place where he lay. And the 2^nd part, evangelism…rd v 7; I love that the angel places an emphasis on Peter. I wonder if he was having a tougher time because he had denied his Lord.

Paul makes this point to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 15; rd v3f;

app.: Paul and Mark are establishing a very important point: without the resurrection, there is no gospel! The Resurrection is an essential part of the Gospel message. Had Jesus simply died – then he would have been like every other man who has ever died. But, Jesus proved his divinity by being raised from the dead!

t.s.: The 2^nd Theological Truth presented is found in this same sentence; 1^st – he died; 2^nd, he was buried; 3^rd, he was raised (Pft. Pass. Ind.); 4thly, he was seen; this is the 2^nd theological truth…

II. The Resurrection is validated by a tremendous body of evidence (4-34; Mark 16.7-14)

exp.: There, in 1 Cor 15, we just read “in accordance with the Scriptures: 

1. The Scriptures; rd v 3-4; Jonah; Isaiah; Jeremiah; David; Psalms; Genesis; Exodus; Numbers; Deut.; etc., etc., etc. Read v.5-8;
2. The Appearances of Christ to so many; Cephas; the ‘12’; Jn 20.19-29; 500+; James (prob, his brother); Paul; In Mark 15, we see the Mary listed first in v9; and v12. One of my favorite passages on this is in Luke where Luke gives us more information on this story. In that passage, Luke says, “²⁷ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”
3. There is a third group listed in 1 Corinthians: The Martyrs: Death of the Witnesses v 29-34; 1^st, what do we know about Scripture and Salvation? Baptism cannot save you; ὑπέρ; NASB/NIV trans.: for; because of; So, who are the dead? They are the martyrs: those who preached in spite of persecution and even death; why? Because they knew death is not the end, no – there is the resurrection;

In fact, each of the disciples here will die for their faith. Why would they do that if these testimonies here were lies? Who is going to die for a lie? And, even if you could find one person foolish enough to die for a lie, how could this overwhelming group of witnesses all be willing to die for a lie. Someone, at some point, would have said, “hang on, it’s not true, I don’t want to die.” But that didn’t happen. One by one, each gave up their lives because they knew of a greater hope!

app.: the resurrection: that’s what they knew, that’s where their hope was placed! Acts 1.15-22; 2.32; 3.15; 5.32; 10.39-43; That’s more evidence for us to view…

t.s.: Truth #1: The Resurrection is one essential part of the Gospel Message. Truth #2: The Resurrection is validated by a tremendous body of evidence. Truth #3

III. The Resurrection offers us Hope that one day we, too, will be resurrected. (35-57)

exp.: The Resurrection is explained in a simple fashion. There are two prerequisites to being resurrected: Death and Faith. 1. Death: You must die in order to be resurrected.  2. Faith: You must have faith.

1. Death: Two bodies; one must die for the other to live; (rd v 50); The perishable must perish, in order that what is imperishable may inherit eternal life.
2. Faith: Paul says that it is a mystery; rd v 51-57;

t.s.: Truth #1: The Resurrection is an essential element of the Gospel Message. Truth #2: The Resurrection is validated by the tremendous evidence. Truth #3: The Resurrection offers us hope that we’ll one day be resurrected. Truth #4:

IV. The Resurrection will impact how you live your life (58)

exp.: In our text in Mark, he records miraculous signs that accompanied those believers in the Apostolic Age. We see in our text that many lives were changed and impacted such that, they were willing to die for what they knew to be true! Listen to what Paul says in 1 Cor 15.58:  “Therefore”; Marker of result; Because of this; For this reason; Because you have received the Gospel, Because of the tremendous body of evidence, Because of the hope you have of your resurrection, then you should – One imperative vb: to be; become; γίνομαι; two adjectives to describe; two participles (verbal adjectives) to describe;

1. Become steadfast; this info, the gospel message, the overwhelming evidence, and the hope of your resurrection, as well as those you love who’ve gone before you, should plant you firmly where you are; and
2. Become immovable – this info should not only plant you firmly but also make you immovable; there is a 3rd description of what this does to you;
3. Abounding in your Work; always; every day of your life characterized by the Resurrection; your job, raising your kids, loving your neighbor, serving your brothers and sisters! Christians do their work, because of this last ptc mentioned: we know
4. Knowing your work isn’t empty; κενός; Phil 2.5; I love this word knowing – this is faith in action! Heb 11.1

t.s.: When you gain an understanding of the resurrection, not just of Christ’s, but even your own: The Resurrection will affect your life and how you live. – and might I add, how you die.

Conclusion: Show the 7-minute video of Padina (https://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=FE92J1NU)

            I began with the question: What did the resurrection accomplish? It completes the gospel story and is validated by a body of evidence. But even more, it gives us hope and impacts our lives to live for him. I hesitate to show videos like this because I don’t like it when they are used to manipulate people. That’s not my goal. I shared this video because.

• I want to challenge you over this next year to consider adopting a UUPG somewhere in the world.
• I want to challenge you to pray! Pray for God to lead us step by step. I honestly don’t know what that will mean… what will it cost us? Will some of you go and give your lives so that others may know? That burdens…
• I want to challenge you to prepare, research, acquaint, and yield.
• I pray Christ’s resurrection inspires you to live your life for others.

Easter: Hope vs. Hopelessness

Title: Hope vs. Hopelessness

Text: Luke 24.13-35

CIT: Two men who had followed Christ headed home after the events of the weekend. They were confused about all they had heard and experienced. But, an encounter with Christ changed it all.

Introduction: We’re in Luke 24.13-35.

This past week Al Kaline passed away. “Mr. Tiger”, as he was known, was 85. 22 years with the same team – the Detroit Tigers. I look at his life in baseball and wonder where all of the heroes have gone. I miss the days of solid play, where men joined a team and stayed for a career. I miss the days where money wasn’t the driving force and fans were. I miss men like Al Kaline who, as was written about him: when he came up to shake your hand, even though he was the star, he made you feel like it was you who was most important.

Did you see that Linda Tripp, the former White House whistle-blower, who recorded conversations with Monica Lewinski passed away on Wednesday? She was only 70 years old.

Shirley Douglas, Kiefer Southerland’s mom, passed away this past week.

Bill Withers, singer, songwriter, passed away the week before: he wrote and recorded “Ain’t No Sunshine”, “Lean on Me,”

And Kenny Rogers passed away the week before that. I remember as a little kid, my dad had an 8-track of Kenny Rogers and the 1^st edition.

When we lived in Tyler, there was a woman who lived about 12-15 miles away from us in Jacksonville, TX. She was one of the oldest living people in the world at 116 years old. So, I followed the list closely, watching as she moved up the list to become the oldest living person.

Every so often I’d check the list. One such lady who held that record was Misao Okawa, of Japan. Show pic: I think she was the last person to be born in the 1800s! What struck me about her was a comment she made at her last birthday: She commented that her life seemed rather short. What! If 117 years is ‘rather short’, what hope do most all of us have! Think about this: if God told you today that you were going to die in the next few minutes, would you think to yourself: wow, that went by really fast?

Emily Phillips, someone I’m sure you’ve never heard of, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Knowing that she was dying, she decided to write her own obituary. She wrote: So…I was born; I blinked, and it was over. Talk about hopeless… BTW: she was 69 years old.

I want to spend the rest of the morning talking to you about hope in the midst of what appears to be hopeless.

Where there is hope vs. where there is hopelessness

Life has a way of squeezing hope out of us. People betray us and let us down. The loss of a job; the fracture of a relationship; the despair from crushing news brought by a doctor; the disappointment we bring to ourselves…I never thought I’d find myself here. Gary Inrig: In any situation in life, Hope is like Oxygen to the soul, but hopelessness is like leukemia to the spirit.

That’s what Resurrection Sunday is all about: hope. It is a day that reminds us that there is hope. Despite all that may attack us, despite what may happen in the course of this life, there is hope.

Now, when we get to our text, we find a group of hopeless people. Many of them had given up the last three years to walk with Christ and learn from him. So, someone they loved had died, but there was more: their hope was that he indeed had been the long-awaited Messiah. And, now that hope had faded…

We pick up in our text, Luke 24, in verse 13: rd

But we had hoped… let those words ring in your ears for just a moment. My guess is that every single member of this tiny group of disciples believed Jesus was dead. They knew it. Not one of them believed he was alive after many of them had witnessed his death and burial.

When I think about Peter and his despair, how he ran away and wept. Friday must have been the worst day of his life, as he saw it. It was probably that way for all of them! Saturday was probably the longest day of their lives as they waited in silence and secret, for fear of what would happen to them. I don’t imagine Sunday was anything they were very excited about.

Think about this: why were the ladies on their way to the tomb that morning? It was to give Jesus a proper burial. Because back a couple of days, the Sabbath was upon them, they ran out of time. Two men buried Jesus. It was a hasty burial. The women were coming to do it right. This group, called his disciples, was hopeless. Jesus was executed – the death of a criminal – he was dead and buried. Their expectations would be the same as yours and mine – that a dead body would do what a dead body does: lay there and rot. Rd 21b; and now it’s been three days – he’s dead.

I’m sure this was tough on them. I’m not sure how you get over something like this. Peter had betrayed Jesus with his denial. They all had fled when Jesus was arrested. Some, though, appear to be doing their best to move on – to put this behind them: It’s over. Let’s go home. Geographically, Jerusalem is to their backs. Metaphorically, the events of Jerusalem are behind them. They’re talking about all that was to be. What happened? It was just a week ago that the whole city was in an uproar, welcoming him, laying out palms on his pathway and crying out, Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. We thought: this is it! It’s finally going to happen. Where did it all go wrong? How could things change so quickly!

Then, as they’re walking and talking – remembering – a stranger happens along. No big deal, many would have been traveling home after the Passover Celebration. Somehow though, they didn’t recognize this stranger. Their eyes were ‘kept’ from seeing him (16). The way it’s written here, it sounds as if this was God’s doing.

Now, you might be asking, how is this possible?

Ill.: When I was in Cotulla, I organized a youth choir. We were tiny – not really a choir at all. But I had a friend who was taking his youth to Florida on a long Choir tour/Mission Trip. My few grew into a big choir! There was only one problem. I had classes at seminary that interfered with the tour. My pastor was in full support of my schooling and felt I should get everything organized and send them off. Lisa was going to go with them. So, I did. Then I went back to school in Ft. Worth.

During the first few days on their journey, my adults noticed that they were being mistreated. They got all of the ‘dirty jobs’, the harder meals to prepare and clean up. The other group was getting preferential treatment. As it was, I had no classes the next day and only one on the day after that. I was sad that I couldn’t be there. One of the sponsors decided to buy me a ticket if I could come. Lisa asked and I said yes. Tickets were purchased and no one knew I was coming except my wife and this one chaperone. They wanted it to be a surprise. And a surprise it was!

I remember the flight. It was the first time I saw Pacman in a field. I landed and Lisa and this chaperone, Linda, were there to pick me up. We were in Tallahassee/Crawfordville, Fl. They took me back to the church were our kids were in downtime. The church we were staying at has a swimming pool and gym. Pretty cool. Anyway, I walked into the gym and saw a group of men and teens playing basketball. They were from that church and I didn’t know them. My kids were all out playing in the pool. About that time, Donna Van Cleve, a mother of a couple of youth and one of my chaperones, walked into the gym. She saw me standing there with Lisa and Linda, but she didn’t recognize me. She figured I was one of the men from that church. I couldn’t believe that she didn’t say anything to me. So, I walked over to her and stood beside her watching the game. She just continued watching the game. So, I got closer and closer until I actually touched her shoulder to shoulder. She moved away and looked up to see who this creep was invading her space.

I’ll never forget her reaction. It was priceless. But, I’ll also never forget that she looked right at me and didn’t even recognize me. She said later that she was standing there thinking about me – that if I were there, I’d be playing basketball with those guys. That’s funny, I was on her mind, she saw me with her eyes, but didn’t even recognize me.

App.: I guess it was because she didn’t figure I should be there. That’s what’s going on with these guys: they thought Jesus was dead. They never expected him to be there.

Now, this stranger asks them what they’re talking about. What are you guys talking about as you walk along? The Gk here is so descriptive. Most literally, what words are you tossing back and forth between the two of you as you walk along? It’s kind of playful. Upbeat.

But they are not as he. The text actually tells us that they stop and standstill. Read v 17; And they stood still, looking sad. They actually stop walking. And they’re blown away that someone could be coming out of Jerusalem and not know what has been happening. Cleopas breaks the momentary silence with a question that I imagine he asks incredulously: rd v 18 Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” And Jesus answers: what things?

Are you serious?!? What things? Jesus said, Lit.: Things?

“Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ²⁰ and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him.

But there is more: rd 21-24;

If your taking notes this morning, I’ve come to my first point: Hopelessness comes when you are confused.

 

I.     Hopelessness comes when you are confused (22-24)

exp.: Hopelessness comes when you can’t make sense of your situation. That’s how these guys were. You know, it’s the same today: many are confused over the empty tomb. It doesn’t make sense to them. Here’s the situation: There was an execution. He was dead and buried. But today, the tomb is empty – there is no corpse.

They actually tell us why they’re confused. They don’t know this, but we can see it now. It’s because they don’t understand who Christ really is. To them, he is: (rd v 19)

•             Jesus, a Jewish name
•             Nazareth, from a town around Galilee
•             A man – just a simple man, who did great things
•             A prophet – mighty in deed and in word
•             But he was condemned and put to death

Yes, they’re confused because they didn’t really know who he was.

2^nd, they’re confused because they didn’t really understand what he came to do. They said, ²¹ But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. What they say is right, but their understanding of what it means is different. They are thinking from a human, earthly standpoint. Yes, he’s come to set them free – but not from the Romans, but rather from their sins.

I’ve got to stop here and make an application: could it be that many are confused today because they’ve misunderstood the purpose for which Jesus came? Maybe you’re there today? Maybe you’ve thought that giving your life to Jesus meant that he was going to make everything perfect in your life. You’d never get sick, you’d always have enough money, you’d always prosper in all you do. No! The purpose of Christ’s coming to this earth wasn’t so you’d be healthy, wealthy and prosperous in the physical sense. He came to make atonement for your sin. And not your sin only, but for the sins of the world.

He then speaks to them in v 25; rd v 25-27;

He then takes them methodically through the O.T. and reveals to them just how this was all supposed to happen; rd Ps 22.1-18; Isaiah 52.13-53.12; It is as if these two men were eyewitnesses to the crucifixion. It’s like they were sitting there at the foot of the cross, watching and listening in.

Rd 28-29; the time has passed quickly as they’ve walked together on their way. Jesus has opened the Scriptures to them and explained to them how it is that this has been God’s plan from the beginning. They ask him to stay:

1. Because it’s practical – the day is far spent, if you keep going, you’ll be out on the road after dark
2. Because it’s personal – there is nothing like the excitement of someone who knows what he is talking about.

ill.: There are certain scholars I have experienced this with. #1 David Helm. David has a mind for the deep things of God but uses a vocabulary for us simple folk. He has a gift for communicating clearly and concisely. I sat under his teaching and was amazed that his hour was up. It felt so short. R. Kent Hughes is another man like that. These men explain things and I’m like: why didn’t I see that?

That’s probably what has happened here: they want to spend a little more time with this stranger. I say this because there is something unusual about the setup; rd v 30; The Jewish custom was pretty particular about this: the man of the house was given this responsibility. He would lead his family in this manner. For some reason, unknown to us, Jesus performs this duty. Rd v 31;

I wonder what it was exactly that caused this.

• Did he say something in Hebrew to begin the meal, something they had heard before or something with which they were familiar?

• Was it simply the way he said it, the way they had heard him say it before?
• Or, was it the way he broke the bread as he spoke?
• Or, did they see the wounds in his hands?
• Or, was it simply as the Scripture records: ³¹ And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. Before, they were kept from recognizing him. Now, their eyes are opened.

I don’t know the answer to that, I only know their eyes were opened – and they knew. It’s him! It’s Jesus!

And the passage reads in v. 31: And he vanished from their sight.

t.s.: I told you point #1 is Hopelessness comes when you are confused. Here is Point #2

II.    Hope comes when it all finally makes sense (31-35)

exp.: like these guys, I don’t know what that will be for you. Maybe you’ll finally understand his purpose. Maybe for the first time, Scripture will make sense. Or maybe, just maybe, you’ll see him for who He is – The one sent to die for your sins.

ill.: I guess it should be too amazing to me that the Empty Tomb didn’t confirm for these guys that Jesus rose from the dead. The disciples began to think of physical possibilities. Mary: They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him. And again: “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” The Pharisees, too: The disciples have stolen the body.

Maybe, you’re like Thomas, who said that it was just too much for him to understand. Unless he could see the hands with the nail wounds and the whole in his side that he would not believe.

For these people, it has to make sense physically. But, maybe, just maybe, something is happening to you like happened to these two disciples, Cleopas and his friend. Rd v 32: ³² They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”

I love what happens next: rd v 33-35; They got there, I’m guessing with the hope of telling everyone, but boom: they got upstaged! “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” Isn’t that just like Simon Peter!

I love the logical reasoning behind the understanding that Jesus rose from the dead. William Lane Craig outlines them in his Paper – Contemporary Scholarship and the Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. We see them in this text:

1. First of all, there is an Execution that takes place. rd 19-21; He died.
2. 2ndly, there is the Empty tomb. We see this in 22-25; pretty simple and straight forward. There is so much work that has been done on the historical accuracy of the resurrection. There are so many non-biblical accounts that verify the resurrection.
3. 3rdly we have the Eye-witness accounts, the resurrection appearances. We see this in 33-35; It’s more than just an empty tomb – there are verifiable witnesses to a resurrected Jesus. As Luke says in Acts 1.3: ³ He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
4. 4thly, we have the Explosion of growth through the early church. What would cause 3,000 men to get saved at a fisherman’s preaching? What would cause 2,000 more in another time of preaching? I love what Paul said to Agrippa and Festus in Acts 26.24-26

²⁴ And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.” ²⁵ But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words. ²⁶ For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner.

The early church exploded because they were eyewitnesses to these accounts of an empty tomb and his appearances.

I think this is summed up best by an orthodox Jewish Rabbi, who by the way, believes in the resurrection, but denies Jesus as the Messiah. He believes God raised Jesus because of the incredible injustice done to him by his enemies and his followers alike. Pinchas Lapide writes: When the scared, frightened band of the apostles which was just about to throw away everything in order to flee in despair to Galilee; when these peasants, shepherds, and fishermen, who betrayed and denied their master and then failed him miserably, suddenly could be changed overnight into a confident mission society, convinced of salvation and able to work with much more success after Easter than before Easter, then no vision or hallucination is sufficient to explain such a revolutionary transformation.

Source: William Lane Craig – Contemporary Scholarship and the Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

**Show next screen: execution, empty tomb, eye witnesses, explosion…

Conclusion: Let me ask you this morning: Where is your hope? Do you have hope? Do you understand that your life is like a vapor of steam that appears for just a moment? You are born, you blink, and boom, it’s over! As I talk about these things this morning, is there more confusion than confidence? Is your heart burning within you – is that the best way to describe it? Is there something going on and you don’t even understand it, but you know – for the 1^st time or maybe the 1^st time in a long time that you know – you really know Jesus died to pay the penalty for your sins, that he was buried in a borrowed tomb and that three days later he rose from the dead and is alive today! I want to encourage you to do the same thing: to rise up at this moment. Reach out to us via tarpleybaptistchurch@gmail.com…

Romans 5.1-11

Title: The Demonstration of God’s Love

Text: Romans 5.5-11

Central Idea of the Text: We have peace with God because he has reconciled us to Himself through the death of his Son.

Central Idea of the Sermon: Christ took the punishment of our sin upon himself in order that we might be reconciled to God.

Opening: We’re in Romans 5 this morning. We’ll be looking at verses 1-11.

Introduction: Make Your Bed, pg 85-88; end at I could see the instructor smiling. He knew once one man quit, others would follow.

Hopelessness is a tough place to be. I suppose that’s right where the disciples were on that last day of the week. Jesus had died the day before. I imagine Satan standing there in the darkness with the light of the fire around him exposing his smile, too.

But Sunday was coming! And things were about to change!

We’re in Romans 5 this morning. We’re in the midst of a story of hope. In 5.1 Paul writes: Therefore, since we have been justified by faith… he’s talking about the faith we have that is just like Abraham’s. You see, Abraham heard God’s promises and he believed God. God then credited his faith as righteousness. And Paul is saying that we, too, are justified by faith when we believe God.

The incredible blessings that the justified experience are what follows in v 1-3 (rd v1ff):

• We have Peace,
• We have access into this Grace in which we now stand,
• We have Joy, and this joy expresses itself in Hope…
• We have Hope. And this hope that he writes about isn’t just for the future, but it exists even now – in the midst of suffering. Paul then tells us that God loves us. We know this because of two actions that God takes to express His love:

1^st, he pours his love into our hearts via the Holy Spirit who he has given to us. This was our focus last week.

2^nd, he then demonstrates or proves his love by sending his Son to die for our sins. This is where I’d like to focus our attention this Easter Sunday morning.

Now the first action is subjective and can only be expressed by the person experiencing that action. There isn’t an observable marker to verify it’s authenticity. I can’t say: Oh, you’ll cry! Some people do and some people don’t. I can’t say: you’ll get goose bumps. Some people do and some people don’t. It’s an internal experience. And in that moment… we only have your word.

This second action is objective and can be verified by the fact that God gave us an historical event. We see the cross and it is an object we can point toward. We have the historical evidence of an empty tomb. The disciples saw it. The Jewish leaders made excuses for it. The Roman soldiers reported it.

I’m so glad for both an internal and an external expression by God.

Transition: But let’s focus our attention now on this last part: the external, historical demonstration of God’s love as displayed on the cross. You know,

I.     It’s pretty amazing when you consider our condition.

exp.: rd 6a; we and us; who is he talking about? Gentiles and Jews who have come to faith in Christ. Now, look at the words Paul uses to describe how we were:

• Weak (6); sometimes this means weakness from being sick; other times it means morally weak, incapable of acting on our behalf; Think sin sickness or spiritually sick; just one sin in your life is too great of a barrier for you to remove. Just one! And you and I are plagued with sin! And while we were in this condition… Christ died for us. And here is where we see our 2^nd term:
• Ungodly (6); this is simply a word that describes someone who lives without God. You might consider the word godless. Ungodly is a good translation because the idea being expressed is the action of the individual. People behave outwardly in a way that displays their inward disposition. When they’re being watched, they’ll often times act a certain way because they want you to think they’re good. But, if there is a hidden camera, you’ll catch their true disposition. Well, no hidden cameras with God. He sees all and knows all. He knows what is in mankind – and yet loved him enough to send his son to die for all of mankind.
• Sinners (8); the noun form of άρμαρτια, missing the mark; falling short of the glory of God. This past week Duffey and I led Chapel for the students at the BMA Seminary in Jacksonville. Duffey led worship and I brought the message. In the message, there was this term In the Hebrew, it has the connotation of not being equal. God is perfect and we’re unequal to him. We’re subpar – way below his level. You’re probably very familiar with the verse: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. That word sinned is the same word we have here. The defining of that word – falling short describes that unequalled state. Here is God’s glory and we’re not equal to the task of ever obtaining. That is what being called sinners means: we’ve sinned and fallen short of His perfection.
• Enemies (10); Romans 11.28 gives us the idea that this word is the opposite of love – ²⁸ As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. In verse 10 of Romans 5, we see God loving us when we were just the opposite of toward him. And yet he loved us still!

This is truly amazing when you consider that it wasn’t like we deserved this. Who we were…where we were.

t.s.: It really is pretty amazing when you consider our condition. The second amazing fact concerning the demonstration of God’s love is:

II.    It’s pretty amazing when you consider the cost.

exp.: I’ve often wondered why God didn’t just say: Oh, don’t worry about it. I forgive you. The answer is really quite simple. God set the standard: Perfection. God set the punishment for failure: Death. To be perfectly just, God had to carry out the punishment for the failure to set the standard. We must die for our sins. So, God made a way… Note:

• Christ died; 4x’s in v6-8; it is the last word in each sentence (in Gk) giving it prominence, importance in the sentence. Also in v 10; Paul is placing great emphasis upon the fact that Christ died.

ill.: John 3.16: the manner vs. the measure; Thus or So; meaning, God showed you his love through the death of his son.

• The timing: while weak (6), right time (6), while sinners (8), while enemies (10); You might ask: how does the timing relate to the cost? Well, simply this:
  1. We didn’t have to get “cleaned up” to get saved. Most people act like they’ve got to get clean before they can come to Christ. I love that Jesus told the disciples that he’d make them fishers of men. You catch ‘em and the Holy Spirit will clean them!

Ill.: I think of those who say: I’ll diet and exercise when I lose some weight.

App.: We didn’t have to get clean first – God sent his son to die for us while we were still weak, ungodly sinners – while we were still enemies!

Transition: #2, when you consider the timing…

2. God structured it all in his plan: – Revelation 13.8 declares for us that it was all planned before the foundation of the world. …all who dwell on earth will worship (the Beast), everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.
   1. Your name was written in the Lamb’s Book of Life before the foundation of the world was laid. Or,
   2. The Book of Life, which belongs to the Lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world. I like option #1, but it really doesn’t matter, because either one you choose shows that God had a plan to redeem you before the world was formed – before Adam and Eve even sinned! Psalm 139.16: ¹⁶Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

t.s.: It is truly amazing to try and consider the mind of God who planned all of this before the creation of the World. It is pretty amazing when you consider the cost – that Christ would die on the cross for our sins. And 3^rd,

III.   It’s pretty amazing when you consider what it all accomplished.

exp.:

• Justified by his blood. Rd v 9; And more than that: we’re saved from his wrath; The punishment due for our sin is death – the shedding of blood. Have you ever realized that the penalty has always been death? If you journey back to Genesis chapter 2, you’ll find that God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden and told them they could eat from any tree in the Garden, but ceptn’ one: the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil. God told them: in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die. But now, we don’t have to die to pay the penalty for our sins, because Jesus paid that debt for us!
  • Paul calls Jesus our Passover Lamb in 1 Corinthians 5.7; If you follow the requirements in Exodus 12 for the Passover Lamb, you’ll see that Jesus was performing that function for the world at the same time…
  • In John 1.29, John the Baptist is quoted as seeing Jesus and telling everyone: Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!
• Reconciled by his death – and even more, saved by his life. This part is so important because Jesus didn’t just die and then was buried – No! There is more to the story! He rose again!

Conclusion: It’s pretty amazing when you consider the hope this one man, Jesus, brought to us. Read Make Your Bed, pg 85-89.

Application: We have this hope because God has poured His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who he has given us. And we have this hope because God sent his son to die on the cross of Calvary and then three days later, to rise from the dead. And that’s why we celebrate this morning. Because He is Risen!

In a moment we’re going to celebrate the Lord’s Supper: a time that we as Christians remember the costly sacrifice of Christ. I’d like to invite the Deacons to come and prepare the Lord’s Supper Table.

Don’t participate if you’re not a Christian.

Don’t participate if you’re a Christian, but right now you’re in Rebellion. Use this time to repent.

Fellowship, following the hymn…

Where is the hope?

Title: Where is the hope?

Text: Luke 24.13-35

CIT: Two men who had followed Christ headed home after the events of the weekend. They were confused about all they had heard and experienced. But, an encounter with Christ changed it all.

CIS: I wonder if there is some confusion on the part of people listening in this morning. Let me clarify some information for you.

Introduction: We’re in Luke 24.13-35.

This past week Robert Schuller died. He was 88 years old. Cindy Lennon, the 1^st wife of John Lennon passed away at the age of 75. Eddie LeBarron, the 1^st QB of the Dallas Cowboys also died this week. He was 85. Furthermore, I was reading this week of the death of the oldest person in the world – Misao Okawa. Show pic: My guess is that she is the last person to be born in the 1800’s! Guiness is doing a search for the new oldest person.

What struck me about this article was a comment she made at her last birthday: She commented that her life seemed rather short. What! If 117 years isn’t is ‘rather short’, what hope do most all of us have! Think about this: if God told you today that you were going to die in the next few minutes, would you think to yourself: wow, that went by really fast?

A 5^th person, someone you’ve probably never heard of who died last week is Emily Phillips. Emily was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in February. She decided to pen her own obituary. The part that caught my attention was: So…I was bon; I blinked; and it was over. Talk about hopeless… BTW: she was 69 years old.

Today, my message is about hope, in light of hopelessness.

Where there is hope vs. where there is hopelessness

Life has a way of squeezing hope out of us. People betray us and let us down. The loss of a job; the fracture of a relationship; the despair from crushing news brought by a doctor; the disappointment we bring to ourselves…I never thought I’d find myself here. Gary Inrig: In any situation in life, Hope is like Oxygen to the soul, but hopelessness is like leukemia to the spirit.

That’s what today is all about: Resurrection Sunday. It is a day that reminds us that there is hope. In spite of all that may attack us, in spite of what may happen in the course of this life, there is hope.

Now, when we get to our text, we find a group of people who are hopeless. Many of them had given up the last three years to walk with him and learn from him. But there was more: their hope was that he was indeed the Messiah.

Let’s stand and read our text together. I’ll read vs13-21a; read;

But we had hoped… let those words ring in your ears for just a moment. My guess is that every single member of this tiny group of disciples believed Jesus was dead. They knew it. Not one of them believed he was alive after many of them had witnessed his death and burial.

When I think about Peter and his despair, how he ran away and wept. Friday must have been the worst day of his life, as he saw it. It was probably that way for all of them! Saturday was probably the longest day of their lives as they waited in silence and secret, for fear of what would happen to them. I don’t imagine Sunday was anything they were very excited about.

Think about this: why were the ladies on their way to the tomb that morning? It was to give Jesus a proper burial. Because back a couple of days, the Sabbath was upon them, they ran out of time. Two men buried Jesus. It was a hasty burial. The women were coming to do it right. This group, called his disciples, was hopeless. Jesus was executed – the death of a criminal – he was dead and buried. Their expectations would be the same as yours and mine – that a dead body would do what a dead body does: lay there and rot. Rd 21b; and now it’s been three days – he’s dead.

I’m sure this was tough on them. I’m not sure how you get over something like this. Peter had betrayed Jesus with his denial. They all had fled when Jesus was arrested. Some, though, appear to be doing their best to move on – to put this behind them: It’s over. Let’s go home. Geographically, Jerusalem is to their backs. Metaphorically, the events of Jerusalem are behind them. They’re talking about all that was to be. What happened? It was just a week ago that the whole city was in a uproar, welcoming him, laying out palms on his pathway and crying out, Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. We thought: this is it! It’s finally going to happen. Where did it all go wrong? How could things change so quickly!

Then, as they’re walking and talking – remembering – a stranger happens along. No big deal, many would have been traveling home after the Passover Celebration. Somehow though, they didn’t recognize this stranger. Their eyes were ‘kept’ from seeing him. The way it’s written here, it sounds as if this was God’s doing.

Now, you might be asking, how is this possible?

Ill.: When I was in Cotulla, I organized a youth choir. We were tiny – not really a choir at all. But I had a friend who was taking his youth to Florida on a long Choir tour/Mission Trip. My few grew into a big choir! There was only one problem. I had classes at seminary that interfered with the tour. My pastor was in full support of my schooling and felt I should get everything organized and send them off. Lisa was going to go with them. So, I did. Then I went back to school in Ft. Worth.

During the first few days on their journey, my adults noticed that they were being mistreated. They got all of the ‘dirty job’, the harder meals to prepare and clean up. The other group was getting preferential treatment. As it was, I had no classes the next day and only one on the day after that. I was sad that I couldn’t be there. One of the sponsors decided to buy me a ticket if I could come. Lisa asked and I said yes. Tickets were purchased and no one knew I was coming except my wife and this one chaperone. They wanted it to be a surprise. And a surprise it was!

I remember the flight. It was the first time I saw pacman in a field. I landed and Lisa and this chaperone, Linda, were there to pick me up. We were in Tallahassee/Crawfordville, Fl. They took me back to the church were our kids were in down time. The church we were staying at has a swimming pool and gym. Pretty cool. Anyway, I walked in to the gym and saw a group of men and teens playing basketball. They were from that church and I didn’t know them. My kids were all out playing in the pool. About that time, Donna Van Cleve, a mother of a couple of youth and one of my chaperones, walked into the gym. She saw me standing there with Lisa and Linda, but she didn’t recognize me. She figured I was one of the men from that church. I couldn’t believe that she didn’t say something to me. So I walked over to her and stood beside her watching the game. She just continued watching the game. So, I got closer and closer until I actually touched her shoulder to shoulder. She moved away and looked up to see who this creep was invading her space.

I’ll never forget her reaction. It was priceless. But, I’ll also never forget that she looked right at me and didn’t even recognize me. She said later that she was standing there thinking about me – that if I were there, I’d be playing basketball with those guys. That’s funny, I was on her mind, she saw me with her eyes, but didn’t even recognize me.

App.: I guess it was because she didn’t figure I should be there. That’s what’s going on with these guys: they thought Jesus was dead. They never expected him to be there.

Now, this stranger asks them what they’re talking about. What are you guys talking about as you walk along? The Gk here is so descriptive. Most literally, what words are you tossing back and forth between the two of you as you walk along? It’s kind of playful. Upbeat.

But they are not as he. The text actually tells us that they stop and stand still. Read v 17; And they stood still, looking sad. They actually stop walking. And they’re blown away that someone could be coming out of Jerusalem and not know what has been happening. Cleopas breaks the momentary silence with a question that I imagine he asks incredulously: rd v 18 Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” And Jesus answers: what things?

Are you serious?!? What things? Lit.: Things?

“Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ²⁰ and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him.

But there is more: rd 21-24;

If your taking notes this morning, I’ve come to my first point: Hopelessness comes when you are confused.

1. Hopelessness comes when you are confused (22-24)

exp.: Hopelessness comes when you can’t make sense of your situation. That’s how these guys were. You know, it’s the same today: there are many who are confused over the empty tomb. It doesn’t make sense to them. Here’s the situation: There was an execution. He was dead and buried. But today, The tomb is empty – there is no corpse.

They actually tell us why they’re confused. They don’t know this, but we can see it now. It’s because they don’t understand who Christ really is. To them he is: (rd v 19)

• Jesus, a Jewish name
• Nazareth, from a town around Galilee
• A man – just a simple man, who did great things
• A prophet – mighty in deed and in word
• But he was condemned and put to death

Yes, 1st, they’re confused because they didn’t really know who he was.

2^nd, they’re confused because they didn’t really understand what he came to do. They said, ²¹ But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. What they say is right, but their understanding of what it means is different. They are thinking from a human, earthly standpoint. Yes, he’s come to set them free – but not from the Romans, but rather from their sins.

I’ve got to stop here and make an application: could it be that many are confused today because they’ve misunderstood the purpose for which Jesus came? Maybe you’re there today? Maybe you’ve thought that giving your life to Jesus meant that he was going to make everything perfect in your life. You’d never get sick, you’d always have enough money, you’d always prosper in all you do. No! The purpose of Christ’s coming to this earth wasn’t so you’d be healthy, wealthy and prosperous in the physical sense. He came to make atonement for your sin. And not your sin only, but for the sins of the world.

He then speaks to them in v 25; rd v 25-27;

He then takes them methodically through the O.T. and reveals to them just how this was all supposed to happen; rd Ps 22.1-18; Isaiah 52.13-53.12; It is as if these two men were eye witnesses to the crucifixion. It’s like they were sitting there at the foot of the cross, watching and listening in.

Rd 28-29; the time has passed quickly as they’ve walked together on their way. Jesus has opened the Scriptures to them and explained to them how it is that this has been God’s plan from the beginning. They ask him to stay:

1. Because it’s practical – the day is far spent, if you keep going, you’ll be out on the road after dark
2. Because it’s personal – there is nothing like the excitement of someone who knows what he is talking about.

ill.: There are certain scholars I have experienced this with. #1 David Helm. David has a mind for the deep things of God, but uses a vocabulary for us simply folk. He has a gift for communicating in a clear and concise way. I sat under his teaching and was amazed that his hour was up. It felt so short. R. Kent Hughes is another man like that. These men explain things and I’m like: why didn’t I see that?

That’s probably what has happened here: they want to spend a little more time with this stranger. I say this because there is something unusual about the set up; rd v 30; The Jewish custom was pretty particular about this: the man of the house was given this responsibility. He would lead his family in this manner. For some reason, unknown to us, Jesus performs this duty. Rd v 31;

I wonder what it was exactly that caused this.

• Did he say something in Hebrew to begin the meal, something they had heard before, like:

הָאָרֶץ וְאֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם אֵת אֱלֹהִים ׃בָּרָא בְּרֵאשִׁית

• Was it simply the way he said it, the way they had heard him say it before?
• Or, was it the way he broke the bread as he spoke?
• Or, did they see the wounds in his hands?
• Or, was it simply as the Scripture records: ³¹ And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.

I don’t know the answer to that, I only know their eyes were opened – and they knew. It’s him! It’s Jesus!

And the passage reads in v. 31: And he vanished from their sight.

t.s.: I told you point #1 is Hopelessness comes when you are confused. Here is Point #2

     2.    Hope comes when it all finally makes sense (14-16)

exp.: like these guys, I don’t know what that will be for you. Maybe you’ll finally understand his purpose. Maybe for the first time, Scripture will make sense. Or maybe, just maybe, you’ll see him for who He is – The one sent to die for your sins.

ill.: It is amazing to me that the Empty Tomb didn’t confirm for these guys that Jesus was risen from the dead. The disciples began to think of physical possibilities. Mary: They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him. And again: “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” The Pharisees, too: The disciples have stolen the body.

Maybe, you’re like Thomas, who said that it was just too much for him to understand. Unless he could see the hands with the nail wounds and the whole in his side.

For these people, it has to make sense physically. But, maybe, just maybe, something is happening to you like happened to these two disciples, Cleopas and his friend. Rd v 32: ³² They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”

I love what happens next: rd v 33-35; They got there, I’m guessing with the hope of telling everyone – but boom: they got upstaged! “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” Isn’t that just like Simon Peter!

I love the logical reasoning behind the understanding that Jesus rose from the dead. William Lane Craig outlines them in his Paper – Contemporary Scholarship and the Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. We see them in this text:

1. First of all, there is an Execution that takes place. rd 19-21; He died.
2. 2ndly, there is the Empty tomb. We see this in 22-25; pretty simple and straight forward. There is so much work that has been done on the historical accuracy of the resurrection. There are so many non-biblical accounts that verify the resurrection.
3. 3rdly we have the Eye-witness accounts, the resurrection appearances. We this in 33-35; It’s more than just an empty tomb – there are verifiable witnesses to a resurrected Jesus. As Luke says in Acts 1.3: ³ He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
4. 4thly, we have the Explosion of growth through the early church. What would cause 3,000 men to get saved at a fisherman’s preaching? What would cause 2,000 more in another time of preaching? I love what Paul said to Agrippa and Festus in Acts 26.24-26

²⁴ And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.” ²⁵ But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words. ²⁶ For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner.

The early church exploded because they were eyewitnesses to these accounts of an empty tomb and his appearances.

I think this is summed up best by an orthodox Jewish Rabbi, who by the way, believes in the resurrection, but denies Jesus as the Messiah. He believes God raised Jesus because of the incredible unjust done to him by his enemies and his followers alike. Pinchas Lapide writes: When the scared, frightened band of the apostles which was just about to throw away everything in order to flee in despair to Galilee; when these peasants, shepherds, and fishermen, who betrayed and denied their master and then failed him miserably, suddenly could be changed overnight into a confident mission society, convinced of salvation and able to work with much more success after Easter than before Easter, then no vision or hallucination is sufficient to explain such a revolutionary transformation.

Souce: William Lane Craig – Contemporary Scholarship and the Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

**Show next screen: execution, empty tomb, eye witnesses, explosion…

Conclusion: Let me ask you this morning: Where is your hope? Do you have hope? Do you understand that your life is like a vapor of steam that appears for just a moment? You are born, you blink, and boom, it’s over! As I talk about these things this morning, is there more confusion than confidence? Is your heart burning within you – is that the best way to describe it? Is there something going on and you don’t even understand it, but you know – for the 1^st time or maybe the 1^st time in a long time that you know – you really know Jesus died to pay the penalty for your sins, that he was buried in a borrowed tomb and that three days later he rose from the dead and is alive today! I want to encourage you to do the same thing: to rise up at this moment. Come on down and tell me about it. There will be others here to help you with just such a decision.