EASTER: BECAUSE HE LIVES
Scott Bayles, Pastor
Blooming Grove Christian church: 4/8/2012
Welcome to the Grove. I just want to take a moment to thank everyone for choosing to spend Easter morning with us here at the Grove. Whether you’ve been coming to the Grove all your life, or this is your first time visiting, or you just haven’t been back since last Easter—we’re glad you’re here because Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and it’s the capstone in the arch of Christianity
A Sunday School teacher once asked her class to write one sentence on “What Easter Means to Me.” One student wrote: Egg salad sandwiches for the next two weeks!
Another Sunday School teacher once asked her class, “Why do we celebrate Easter?” The children gave a variety of answers: because of the Easter bunny, Easter eggs, candy, spring, etc. Then the teacher said, “No, those are Easter traditions and symbols, but what is the reason why we celebrate Easter? What happened at the very first Easter?” A little girl raised her hand and said, “Easter celebrates Jesus coming out of the tomb.” The teacher exclaimed, “Yes!” excited that the correct answer finally surfaced. Proud of herself for having the right answer, the little girl continued, “Then Jesus looks to see if he can see his shadow, and if He can then we have six more weeks of winter!”
Have you ever wondered what bunny rabbits and colored eggs have to do with the resurrection of Jesus, anyway? The short answer is—nothing. The longer answer is that rabbits and eggs were both symbols of springtime and new life in many ancient near-eastern cultures. In fact, some historians claim that the tradition of hiding colored eggs in a field for children to find dates back to ancient Babylon many centuries before Jesus was born. And no one is quite sure where the name Easter comes from either. There are several theories about it. Some say that it comes from the ancient Germanic calendar because their word for April is actually Easter. Others believe the name Easter is derived from the Eostre or Esther, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring, for whom a spring festival was held annually. Still others see a connection to the Babylonian goddess of spring, called Ishtar or the Phoenician goddess Astarte.
But far from attempting to Christianize pagan springtime festivals, early Christians intentionally choose to establish a rival celebration of the resurrection of Jesus which took place on the Sunday morning following the Passover celebration in early spring. Jesus essentially usurped springtime celebrations of all sorts all across the globe. Early Christians readily adopted the eggs as symbols of new life and birth. Ashley even used special Easter eggs called Resurrection Eggs in order to share the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection with all the children who attend our community Easter egg hunt yesterday. And while the world has all but forgotten the Greco-Roman gods of ancient mythology, they are annually reminded that two thousand years ago Jesus Christ rose from the grave and changed the world!
But, let me ask you—what difference does Easter make? Does it really matter? How does it impact the way you live your life on a daily basis? Even people who believe Jesus rose from the grave on the third day sometimes have difficulty articulating its relevancy to their lives. So whether you are a follower of Christ or are still examining His claims, I want to invite you to travel back with me to that first Easter morning—Resurrection Sunday—when Jesus appeared to his faithful followers and explore the significance of the resurrection and the difference it can make in your life.
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”… Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:19-22, 30-31 NIV).
Bill and Gloria Gaither have written many wonderful Christian songs. Gloria wrote one in particular in the 1960’s came while she was expecting her first child. The couple was going through some terrible problems. Bill had been seriously sick, their music had been criticized for not being spiritual enough. On New Year’s Eve, Gloria writes, “I sat alone in the darkness thinking about the rebellious world and all of our problems—and about our baby yet unborn. Who in their right mind would bring a child into a world like this?” But then something happened. She said, “I can’t quite explain what happened in that next moment, but suddenly I felt released from it all. The panic hat had begun to build inside was gently dispelled by a reassuring presence and a soft voice that kept saying, ‘Don’t forget the empty tomb, don’t forget the empty tomb.’ Then I knew I could have that baby and face the future with optimism and trust for I had been reminded that it was all worth it just because He lives.” Out of that experience she wrote the lyrics: “Because He lives I can face tomorrow, because He lives all fear is gone, because I know He holds the future. And life is worth the living just because He lives.”
When Jesus got up and walked out of that tomb, he changed everything—for you, for me, for the whole world. I want to share with you three simple ways that the resurrection has impacted my life and the lives of untold myriads of believers and they can all be found right here in this passage. First, because He lives I have peace.
• I HAVE PEACE
When Jesus appeared to his disciples that first Easter Sunday, the first words out of his mouth were, “Peace be with you!” (John 20:19). The peace Jesus spoke of was more than just a sense of calmness or tranquility. It was the Hebrew word shalom and it was pregnant with meaning. It meant wholeness, completeness, serenity, and harmony of life. At the very center of this peace is peace with God—reconciliation with the one who breathed life into the universe.
As a pastor, I’ve preached a lot of funerals. Oftentimes, especially when the person who died wasn’t religious and didn’t attend church, one of the family members will tell me that he or she made their peace with God. The truth is, though—we can’t do that. We’re not in a position to make peace with God.
When God created mankind, Adam and Eve, He gave them the Garden of Eden as a perfect paradise. He came and walked with them and talked with them and they had peace with God. Then came the tragedy of sin, and humanity was alienated from God. That wonderful peace was shattered. The earth, the animals, mankind, the entire universe was then cursed and we all now live in an imperfect world. Every one of us since then has sinned and our sins have put a chasm between us and God. No matter how hard we try or what we do, we always fall short and those short coming result in everlasting death. That’s fantastic, isn’t it? No, it’s not. That’s terrible.
But here’s the good news.
Our sins separate us from God, so if peace with God is ever going to be restored it’s up to him to find a way. That’s where Jesus comes in. For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son. Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. His shed blood was our only way out of this mess. Jesus died and rose from the grave so that you and I could have peace with God. Because he lives, I have peace with God. Because of him, I have a relationship with the Creator of the universe and so can you. You can know him personally. You can talk to him. You can ask his forgiveness. You can lean on him in times of trouble. You can experience his love, grace and compassion. Because of Jesus, you can have peace with God. And, because he lives I have purpose.
• I HAVE A PURPOSE
I want you to catch the next thing Jesus said. He tells his disciples: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21). Where was he sending them? Everywhere. In other words, they were going to become ambassadors of Christ. Their mission, should they choose to accept it, was to spread the word about the cross and the empty tomb—to share the message of Jesus with their friends, neighbors, and relatives. They would use their love, their lives, and their lips to testify about power of the cross and the promise of eternal life.
At some point in your life you have to ask yourself, “Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going?” Science attempts to answer the first question, and philosophy wrestles with the second; but only Jesus offers a meaningful answer to all three. The search for the meaning of life has puzzled people for thousands of years, primarily, because we typically begin at the wrong starting point—ourselves. We ask self-centered questions like: What do I want to be? What should I do with my life? What are my goals, my ambitions, my dreams for my future? But focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life’s purpose. I don’t know if anyone has ever told you this, but life’s not all about you. It’s about him.
It’s all about him.
The Bible says, “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation… Everything was created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:15-16 NLT). Because of Jesus, I know why I exist and what I’m supposed to do with my time here on earth. Because he lives, my life has purpose. And, because he lives, I too have the promise of eternal life.
• I HAVE A PROMISE
At the end of this encounter with the risen Christ, John tells us, “these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31 NIV).
That’s the promise of John 3:16 too, isn’t it? “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall no perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 NIV).
All throughout his ministry Jesus promised life-everlasting to those who believe in him. Jesus said so clearly, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10 NKJV). It’s that abundant life that we anticipate as believers. Many people today hope for a long and happy life, but Jesus offers so much more. He offers forever—eternity, life without end! The promise of life everlasting is the heartbeat of hope. And the resurrection of Jesus insures that we too will be resurrected.
Think of it this way—a Muslim in Africa became a Christian and some of his friends asked him, “Why have you done such a thing?” He answered, “Well, it’s like this: Suppose you were going down the road and suddenly the road forked in two directions. You didn’t know which way to go, but there at the fork were two men—one dead, and one alive—which one would you ask for directions?”
Conclusion:
Easter is so much more than candy, colored eggs, and cartoon bunnies—Easter is the cornerstone of the Christian faith; the celebration of Jesus rising from the grave, conquering death and giving us peace with God, a purpose for life and the promise of heaven.
That’s what today is really all about. That’s why we’re here, why this building exists, the greeters, the shepherds, the singers, the band members, the Sunday school teachers—all of us who follow Jesus.
And we’re here for you.
Invitation:
God loves you and me more than we’ll ever know. He gave his one and only Son so that we could live forever with him. Apart from him we die. With him we live. If you need to experience the power of Easter, if you want to have peace with God, a purpose for life and the promise of heaven, please consider it. Think about. Talk to us. Drop us an e-mail. Text us. Whatever it takes. We’ll walk you through it.
