The Great Exchange!
Luke 24:13-34
Imagine with me for a moment if you will. For years you have been slaving at
your job with nobody ever noticing your diligence or the backbreaking work
you undergo on a daily basis. The hours are long. The work wears you out
every day. The pay is barely enough for you to put food on your table for
you and your family. You would have changed jobs years ago, but you never
finished your education and therefore you feel stuck.
One day, the CEO of the corporation walks out on the dock where you are
loading a truck. He asks if he can talk to you for a few minutes and as the
two of you walk and talk he makes you an offer. The boss says, "You were so
young when you first came to us. Full of energy and always willing to do
more than we've asked of you. You've been here for more than twenty years
now and there is nobody who knows more about the work that has to be done
than you. The suggestions you have made through the years have all worked
to enhance our efforts, cut our overhead, and increase our productivity. I
am going to retire in two years and I would love to have you work with me as
Vice President of Operations until that time. During the next two years I
will teach you the business side of our company so that in two years you can
step into my position as CEO and lead us into the next twenty years. What
do you think?" What do you think!? Man, what a deal! From the dock to the
Boardroom! From loading trucks to a leather high-back chair! From taking
directions from an ego inflated supervisor to casting a vision for the
entire company. I'd call it the great exchange.
It's the story of Cinderella cleaning, cooking, and clearing the clutter of
her wicked stepmother and in the blink of an eye becoming the belle of the
Ball. It is the great exchange! It is the story of Aladdin, a petty thief
who becomes the Prince. It is the great exchange. It is the story David, the
little shepherd boy taking lunch to his brothers on the front-line and in
the blink of an eye standing over the Giant with victory swirling in the air
and cheers rising up from the crowd. It is the great exchange! It is the
story of a nameless woman, who we have come to know as Mary, pouring
expensive perfume on Jesus' head to prepare Him for burial. The disciples
were indignant with the woman for "wasting" the expensive perfume, but Jesus
said that she would be remembered throughout history because of her
beautiful act toward the Lord. Indignation for exultation - the great
exchange! It is the story of a despised tax collector, looked down upon by
everyone in society and moments later entertaining the Savior in his own
home. It is the great exchange!
Jesus was known for such things as these, but the greatest exchange He ever
made was at Easter. On Friday, Jesus took upon Himself the sins of the
world as He hung writhing in pain on a wooden cross. But on Sunday, the
stone was rolled away, death was defeated, sin was overcome, the darkness
was dispelled, agony and death were exchanged for glory and life
everlasting. A crown of thorns was exchanged for a crown of glory! Oh, it
is the great exchange.
That really is the story of Jesus. It is the Gospel given to you and me. It
is the story of Easter. The great exchange.
This morning, in the time that we have to open God's Word, I want to share
with you the pressing message that God has laid upon my heart. It is the
message of the great exchange. Before we get any further into our study you
need to know that if the stone had not been rolled away there would be no
possibility of exchanging anything. You and I would still be lost in our
sin, death would still rule the hearts of people, and Easter would still be
a pagan holiday with no meaning, no purpose, and no hope. Everything about
our faith ultimately depends on the empty tomb. If they were to find the
bones of Jesus then we would have to dismiss class - our faith would be
useless. Paul said as much when he wrote to the Corinthians and said,
13If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been
raised. 14And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so
is your faith. (1 Corinthians 15:13-14)
The truth of our faith hinges of the fact that the stone was rolled away
and death was exchanged for eternal life by God. John Stott once wrote,
"Christianity is in its very essence a resurrection religion. The concept of
resurrection lies at its heart. If you remove it, Christianity is
destroyed." (John R. W. Stott) Another great figure from history, Matthew
Henry, the great Bible scholar wrote,
All who believe in Christ have hope in Him; all who believe in Him as
Redeemer hope for redemption and salvation by Him; but if there be no
resurrection, their hope in Him must be limited to this life. And if all
their hopes in Christ lie within the compass of this life, they are in a
much worse condition than the rest of humanity, especially at that time and
under those conditions in which the apostles wrote, for then they were hated
and persecuted by all people. "Preachers and believers therefore have a hard
lot if in this life only they have hope in Christ. Better to be anything
than a Christian under these terms! It is a gross absurdity in a Christian
to admit the supposition of no resurrection or future state. It would leave
no hope beyond this world, and would frequently make his condition the worst
in the world. "Indeed, the Christian is by his religion crucified to this
world, and taught to live upon the hope of another. Carnal pleasures are
tasteless to him in a great degree, and spiritual and heavenly pleasures are
those which he pants after. How sad is his case indeed, if he must be dead
to worldly pleasures and yet never hope for any better! (Matthew Henry)
The good news is that Christ is alive! Jesus has overcome sin, death, and
the grave. You and I have the opportunity to exchange our state of
hopelessness, despair, anxiety, fear, guilt, and shame for the abundance
that comes only through Jesus.
The foundation for the great exchange was put into place long before Jesus
ever felt the excruciating pain of being whipped by a cat o' nine tails with
rock and metal tied into its straps. The exchange was on the heart of God
before Jesus ever carried that large wooden cross up Calvary's hill. The
exchange was a deep yearning in the hearts of people before the spikes were
ever driven into Jesus' hands and feet. All of humanity has longed for
peace, forgiveness, and restoration, but there has always been one big
problem that no human being could solve - only a perfect person could offer
himself to pay the price for the forgiveness of our sins. Scriptures tell us
that there is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood. (Hebrews 9:22)
All human blood is tainted because all people are born sinners. (Romans
3:23)
In the midst of despair God foretold long ago that He would take our problem
upon Himself. He would send a Deliverer. God spoke to the prophet Isaiah to
comfort His people. Look at Isaiah 52-53.
13 See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and
highly exalted. 14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him- his
appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred
beyond human likeness- 15 so will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will
shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will
see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.
1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been
revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot and like a root out of
dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his
appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide
their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he took up
our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by
God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our
transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that
brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all,
like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the
LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and
afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the
slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open
his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak
of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the
transgression of my people he was stricken. 9 He was assigned a grave with
the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the LORD'S will to crush him
and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt
offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of
the LORD will prosper in his hand. 11 After the suffering of his soul, he
will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous
servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I
will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with
the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with
the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for
the transgressors.
(Isaiah 52:13-53:12)
Isn't God good! God is always true to His promises and at just the right
time - Jesus came to deliver us from the penalty of sin. The Son of God.
Sinless. The perfect offering who willingly suffered death so that you and I
could have eternal life if we would accept His offer of exchanging our grave
clothes for His garments of life everlasting.
How could anyone resist that offer? Why would anyone want to resist the
offer of eternal life from God? I hear so many reasons coming from well
meaning people. I knew a young man one time who told me that he was
planning on accepting Christ when he got older, but right now he wanted to
live it up and have fun while he was still young. I have known many people
who realized their need for their sins to be forgiven, but they felt that
they couldn't give their life to Christ until they cleaned up their life. I
have known others who said, "I don't want to hear all of that stuff about
God because you know as well as I do that all of those folks in the church
are hypocrites." Those answers all avoid my question - "Why would anyone
want to resist God's offer of eternal life?" Is there anyone here this
morning who wouldn't want to give up death and eternal separation from God
in exchange for life and life everlasting?
All of the responses I mentioned earlier deal with peripheral issues. My
young friend who wants to "live it up" doesn't realize that Proverbs says,
25 "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to
death." (Proverbs 16:25) My friends who say that they have to get their
"act together" before they give their life to Christ do not understand that
it is God who transforms us once we give our life to Jesus. Those who
refuse to accept the exchange offered by God because of hypocrites have
never heard the exchange that took place between the Pharisees and Jesus.
Take a look at Matthew 9:10-13,
10While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and
"sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw
this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax
collectors and 'sinners'?" 12On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the
healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13But go and learn what this means:
'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous,
but sinners." (Matthew 9:10-13)
If you or I had the ability to clean up our lives by ourselves then we
would have no need for a Savior and God could have been spared the agony of
having His only Son die on a Cross.
Easter is a new beginning! The stone was rolled away and the Savior
emerged from the grave with victory in His hands! Ever since Jesus rose
victorious on Easter morning the great exchange has been under way. God's
desire is to exchange your sin for His forgiveness this morning. God's
desire is to exchange your hopelessness for His hope that springs eternal.
God's desire is to exchange your fear for His faithfulness. God's desire is
to exchange your shame and guilt for His mercy and grace. It is the great
exchange!
The truly tragic reality that many of us face this Easter morning is that
we are unaware that the exchange is taking place. We're still living in
Saturday with the tomb sealed, gray skies hanging low overhead, and hope
wilting before us. We do not understand that Sunday has come, that the
stone was rolled away so that our lives might be different than they are,
and that we might be delivered from sin and condemnation.
Jesus is alive, but many of us are living like the disciples of Jesus who
were walking on the road to Emmaus. Let me read you the story found in Luke
24..
13Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about
seven miles from Jerusalem. 14They were talking with each other about
everything that had happened. 15As they talked and discussed these things
with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16but
they were kept from recognizing him. 17He asked them, "What are you
discussing together as you walk along?" They stood still, their faces
downcast. 18One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor
to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these
days?" 19"What things?" he asked. "About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied.
"He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people.
20The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death,
and they crucified him; 21but we had hoped that he was the one who was going
to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took
place. 22In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb
early this morning 23but didn't find his body. They came and told us that
they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24Then some of our
companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him
they did not see." (Luke 24:13-24)
They had hoped that Jesus would be the One who would redeem all of Israel,
but they only knew that He had been crucified and died. They didn't know
that it was resurrection day! Jesus was walking right beside them,
preserving their lives, keeping them company, but they did not know.
There are many of us here for Easter that are unaware that it is
resurrection day. There is a difference between Easter and resurrection day
you know. Easter is a popular day when kids hunt eggs, get a basket full of
goodies, and have to wear nice clothes. It is a day when it is popular in
our country to take pictures with our Sunday best on in front of a beautiful
flower bed spilling over with color. Resurrection day is something all
together different. Resurrection day is the day of the grand opening! The
grand opening of an empty tomb that couldn't hold the love of God down. The
grand opening of eyes that have been blinded by the enemy and the world for
far too long. The grand opening of hearts that have become cynical and
hardened by life's difficult days. The grand opening of our spirit to the
Spirit of the living God. Resurrection day is the day of the great
exchange - the opening of life where there was only death, the opening of
righteousness where there was only sin, and the opening of hope where there
was only hopelessness.
I've got good news for any of us who need a resurrection day. I've got good
news for those of us who need to experience a grand opening. Let me read you
more of the story of the disciples who were living in Saturday even though
Sunday had come.
25He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe
all that the prophets have spoken! 26Did not the Christ have to suffer these
things and then enter his glory?" 27And beginning with Moses and all the
Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures
concerning himself. 28As they approached the village to which they were
going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. 29But they urged him
strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over."
So he went in to stay with them. 30When he was at the table with them, he
took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31Then their
eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their
sight. 32They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while
he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" 33They got
up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those
with them, assembled together 34and saying, "It is true! (
Luke 24:13-34)
It is true my friends - Christ is risen! There is hope for you and me.
There is eternal life for all who will come to Jesus as they are and allow
Him to become King and Lord of their life. The world will continue to try
and tell you that it is all a fantasy, a myth, a fable of epic proportions,
but I want to encourage you today to accept the gift of eternal life that
God has offered to you and me. Allow Jesus to take your sin, guilt, and
shame and give you peace that surpasses all understanding, joy - unspeakable
joy, and life everlasting.
Jesus is the fulfillment of the longings of our heart. He is the remedy for
the sin that is stealing of the life God desires for us, and He is the
Victor who alone has overcome the grave. God wants to make the great
exchange with you and me this very day.
11 You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed
me with joy, 12 that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my
God, I will give you thanks forever. (Psalms 30:11-12)
3 To all who mourn in Israel, he will give beauty for ashes, joy instead of
mourning, praise instead of despair. For the LORD has planted them like
strong and graceful oaks for his own glory. (Isaiah 61:3)
Mike Hays
Britton Christian Church
922 NW 91st
Oklahoma City, OK. 73114
