Will Easter Exceed Your Expectations? (John 20:1-22)

VIDEO 

Will Easter Exceed Your Expectations? (John 20:1-22)

GIST: Jesus came to bring abundant life in the midst of brokenness, devastation, despair, emptiness, fear, and death (to name a few ☺️).

Easter is often a springtime activity lacking any lasting meaning. I have four kids, so I get it. I’ve been to the Easter egg hunts.I’ve cleaned up the candy wrappers. I’ve dyed the eggs. It’s easy to get sucked into what we expect this time of year to be like, bogged down by what society has turned it into, assume we already know the “Easter story”, give half-hearted ascent to that message, and move on with our lives. The problem is, the message of Easter shows us how God came to completely exceed expectations. And, if taken seriously, it’s not something we can just walk away from.

Today, I want us to look at the events of the first Easter Sunday as recorded in John 20. We won’t be able to cover everything expressed in these verses, but I want us to consider how Jesus exceeded the expectations of those who first witnessed His resurrection. Here’s our gist, and I really want us to hold on to this truth: Jesus came to bring abundant life in the midst of brokenness, devastation, despair, emptiness, fear, and death (to name a few ☺️).

Let’s walk through this.

I. Brokenness

“1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”

Three days after His death, Mary Magdalene, along with several women close to Jesus (as recorded by the other gospel writers), went early in the morning to anoint His body. The sun was just beginning to rise. They were walking toward a tomb expecting to see the disfigured body of a man they’d followed and loved— a man who had poured out His life to show them the love of God. In the case of Mary, this was also the man who had rescued her from demonic possession. It was a somber, heartbroken procession to say the least. The events leading to His death had been jarring and traumatic. Their current circumstances were eery and uncertain. Their expectations were bleak… but the tomb was empty! They expected only brokenness but found none. 

II. Devastation

“3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.”

John records that Mary Magdalene then ran to tell him and Peter what the women found. The two disciples then booked it to the tomb. John, referring to himself only as “one loved by Jesus, adds this little side note about outrunning Peter. There could be a spiritual reason behind this (he was eager to get there, but afraid to enter the tomb), or he might have just been proud of his athletic accomplishment ☺️. Either way, the passage tells us they weren’t looking for a miraculous resurrection. They both probably came expecting to see the aftermath of a grave robbery. Instead, they discovered… folded laundry. Robbers don't typically tidy up after themselves. Jesus, however, left the grave clothes behind because He didn't need them anymore! Peter and John expected a desecrated crime scene but found order. 

III. Despair & Emptiness

“11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him." 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away." 16 Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to Him in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.'" 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"--and that He had said these things to her.”

John’s gospel then picks back up with Mary. After this emotional roller-coaster, she was distressed to the point of irrationality. We see this in a couple ways. One, she looked into the tomb and appeared unmoved when angels showed up and asked why she’s weeping.  Then, when she turned and actually encountered the risen Jesus, she immediately assumed He was the gardener, and, as such, might have taken away the body. Why? She was heartbroken and expecting only emptiness. Until.. He called her name. She heard His voice, and that changed everything. It does the same for us. Early in his gospel, John records Jesus saying this: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” ( John 10:27-28). Mary came expecting despair but found perfect joy.

IV. Fear & Death

“19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you." 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.”

The day ends back with the disciples. They’d heard Jesus had resurrected, but were still hiding out of fear for their lives (they were the known associates of a man who had just been crucified by the Roman empire). Then, Jesus showed up and gave them hope and purpose. He showed them His scars and filled them with the Holy Spirit. They were afraid and expecting death but found abundant life.

TAKEAWAYS

We all expect things out of life. Often, we are frustrated when these expectations are not met. A frequent accusation against God is that He fails to produce the kind of happiness, prosperity, protection, etc., we feel we deserve or at least need. The problem here is that we're assuming that our expectations are the gold standard. We don't allow for there being a better plan in mind. 

C.S. Lewis put it better than I ever could: “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.” 

Stephen Curtis Chapman expressed the same thoughts in his awesome song, “See The Glory”: “What is this thing I see/ going on inside of me?/ When it comes to the Grace of God/ Sometimes it's like/ I'm playing GameBoy standing in the middle of the Grand Canyon./ I'm eating candy sitting at a gourmet feast./ I'm wading in a puddle when I could be swimming in the ocean./ Tell me what's the deal with me?/ Wake up and see the Glory!”

Now, please don’t misunderstand me. I don’t want this to feel like a blindly optimistic graduation speech. I’m not saying if you come to Jesus life will be easy and all the pain of this world will just dissolve. That’s not true at all. This world will still hurt. There will still be brokenness, and devastation, and despair, and emptiness, and fear, and death. BUT, Jesus came to conquer sin, so it and its effects no longer have to have dominion over our lives because He came offering us rescue. If we believe in Him and give Him control of our lives, we’ll be saved; we’ll be His. Therefore, knowing we are looking forward to a day when life will be exactly as He designed for all eternity should change the way we see the pain of this world now. 

1. We see brokenness but know He came to make all things new.

2. We face devastation and remember He’s still sovereign.

3. We watch as He transforms despair into joy & hope.

4. We feel consumed by emptiness…until we find belonging in Him.

5. Our fear dissolves into faith.

6. Where there was once only death, we can now experience abundant life!

Don’t let the despair you’re dreading cause you to miss out on the hope He promises! Will you let the truth of Jesus exceed your expectations this Easter?

PONDERING... Do You Want The One You Need? (Acts 14:8-28)

VIDEO

Do You Want The One You Need? (AM Sermon Notes)

Easter 2019

GIST: There is a real Jesus who really died and really rose again, and you really need to follow Him.

SCRIPTURE: Acts 14:8-28

Happy Easter! Today we come together to celebrate the central truth of the Christian faith: Jesus is alive! He came and lived a perfect life and died the death that we deserved...and rose again that anyone who calls upon His name, anyone who believes in Him and gives Him control of their lives, will be saved!

As always, it was tempting to switch up our study a bit to preach a more “Eastery” message. But again, as always, the passage we were coming to anyway was incredibly relevant. As we come together to celebrate this day, there is an important question we need to be asking: Are we worshipping the real Jesus? Is the Jesus we need, the one we want? Or are we worshiping the god we’ve created in our own minds to best meet our needs as we perceive them? We said this last week--everyone is looking for something to fix their problems. What if what you’ve always thought would fill that void or fix that gap isn’t what you expected? That’s a question I see addressed in this next passage of Acts. As we move through it together this morning, I want us to keep this gist in mind: there is a real Jesus who really died and really rose again, and you really need to follow Him. Not because I’m telling you to, but because He loves you so much He faced Hell so you could experience amazing grace!

Let’s pray and then move through this passage together.

I. Will You Believe In The One You Need?

Verses 8-19 open with a picture of individuals cloaked in disbelief since what they want to believe isn’t what Paul and Barnabas come proclaiming. However, the first truth we see in this is that→

The Power Of Jesus Is Life Changing! Look at verses 8-10. “8 Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well, 10 said in a loud voice, "Stand upright on your feet." And he sprang up and began walking.” This is incredible! Paul is preaching the truth about Jesus. That He came and died for us and rose again making a way for you to be saved if you believe in Him and give Him control of your life--if you really want to be changed by Jesus! While he is preaching, Paul recognizes that Jesus is working in this man’s life, a man who has never been able to walk, so he looks at him and tells him to stand up, and he does!

We’ve talked about this before, but miracles aren’t ends in themselves, they are always pointing to a deep need and a better change. This man was healed physically. However, as awesome as that is, it pales in comparison to the spiritual change that happened here. This man was transformed. His life would never be the same. That’s what Jesus does, and He can do it in your life, too.

Despite this display, we see that the power of Jesus is life changing→

But, It’s Hard Not To See What You’re Looking For. God does this amazing sign, but look at what happens next.  “11 And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, "The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!" 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 13 And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds.”

We have to understand these peoples’ background and expectations here a bit to really get the implications of what’s happening. At this time, they were primarily worshippers of their variant of the classic Greek gods and goddesses. As such, there was a local myth that told of a time Zeus, the lead god of Greek Mythology, and Hermes, the chief messenger of the gods, had visited their city, but no one welcomed them except one old couple, so they killed everyone else. Seeing this obvious display of divine power, and noticing you have two men, and one doing most of the talking, they assume this is round two. Last time, it ended poorly, so they don’t want to make the same mistake twice. They saw what they expected to see. →

“14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, 15 "Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.” Since they were speaking the local language, Paul and Barnabas didn’t immediately recognize what was going on. However, when they start trying to make sacrifices to them, they get the idea☺️! Unlike what we saw in the life of Herod a few weeks ago (where he accepted praise as a god), Paul and Barnabas start mourning the very thought that they could be considered gods. That’s what’s being expressed by the tearing of their garments (...in case your minds had no context for that and took you the entirely wrong direction☺️).

Then, Paul starts presenting them with the truth of who they are: messengers sent to turn them from these vain things. In our modern context, calling their religious beliefs pointless might seem harsh. However, keep in mind Paul isn’t saying this from a close-minded perspective. He hadn’t always worshipped Jesus. He had followed the Old Testament Law zealously and even sought to kill people who threw a wrench in his preconceived notions. He had to be turned from vain things too. He’s not questioning their sincerity or zeal. He’s saying what they’re devoting their lives to isn’t real. Harsh? If it wasn’t true, sure. But since Jesus was demonstrated to be the One true God, telling people they need Him and not any gods made by men is an act of mercy, not bigotry.

Paul then continued to point them to the truth of Jesus by starting where they were. Last week, he did the same thing. He was talking to a Jewish audience, so he started with the history and Scripture they knew and revered. This group doesn’t have the same cultural context. However, they do live on earth. He starts there. → “16 In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. 17 Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness." He points to how God has revealed Himself in nature. He’s given you good weather, provided you with food, and given you joy. It’s like what James says, “17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (James 1:17) If you want to see that there is a God, look around you. Could you make an argument that this world is broken? Absolutely! I make that argument all the time, and Jesus told us that. Sin has corrupted this entire planet. However, is life here any less miraculous? Take all the morality out of the equation for just a second, and the mere fact that there is sustainable and complex life here against all the odds points to creative design. Then, look at all the goodness that comes even in the midst of these storms and you can start to see a glimpse of His goodness. That would be enough to point to something, but Jesus came with flashing lights showing exactly what that something is!

Still yet, “18 Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.” Why? Because they saw what they wanted to see. It’s hard not to→

And It’s Easy To Reject What Challenges Your Expectations. After getting the crowds to stop worshiping them, Paul and Barnabas face a complete 180! Look at verse 19. “19 But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.” What! To give you a little context, this morning we read the first 7 verses of this chapter. Here, we saw Paul and Barnabas enter Iconium. Many people were saved, but there was great persecution. Still, Paul and Barnabas stayed. They only left when people were trying to kill them. What happens here is people from that city and Antioch (which was about 100 miles away!) came to finish the job! Again, remember Paul’s context here. He was just like this before Jesus appeared to him...while he was traveling to kill Christians. He’s come full circle.

What made these people so angry? Were Paul and Barnabas stirring up riots? No. This intense anger came because their worlds were being flipped upside down...and they didn’t like it. They were comfortable with how they did religion and didn’t want anyone to mess with this. But if what Paul and Barnabas were claiming was true, they couldn’t keep living that way anymore. It’s easier to just reject Him, or even stomp Him out, than to let Him come in and change everything!

So the first question to ask ourselves this morning is are we worshiping the One we need? The second is this→

II. Will You Live For Him...Even If Others Don’t?

So, in the opening verses, we saw those who were cloaked in disbelief. Then in verses 20-28, we see, or further see, how Paul and Barnabas were devoted to the truth. Let’s just read these last 8 verses and then I’ll make some closing observations.

“20 But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. 21 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. 23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. 24 Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. 25 And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia, 26 and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. 27 And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they remained no little time with the disciples."

This is awesome. They faced persecution. Paul was stoned, dragged out of the city, and left for dead. But then, he just got up! What! How? God wasn’t done with him yet. And look at this, he didn’t lick his wounds, or mope around, or rant about the injustice of it all. Instead, he went back into the city and continued sharing the Gospel!

In fact, they don’t just go back into town. On their way home, instead of going the fastest way, which would have been by boat at this point, they deliberately retraced their steps through the communities where people had just gone out of their way to try and kill them. Why? Because their priority was making disciples! They weren’t in the business of just making converts. Instead, they went back into these towns and fed these people the word and prayed over leaders who would continue this work in their absence. This wasn’t a “pat yourself on the back, you did something nice” project. These were lives lived in complete surrender to Jesus--no matter the personal cost.

When they finally made it home, how did they spend their time? They rejoiced in what God had done! I had this conversation with my 3-year-old daughter yesterday...mostly because her 30-year-old dad needs reminded of this truth as much as she does. In life, there will always be an abundance of things to bring you down. And truthfully, there will be plenty to really cry about. This world will be hard. BUT, we serve the overcomer! We are children of the Risen King! We can face this life and dwell on the hardships that come from living in this broken world, or we can look at the blessings He continues to pour out even in the midst of this brokenness and look forward to the fact that we’re just passing through! There is so much to be thankful for here, and there is so much more to be thankful for if we get to spend eternity with Jesus! Are you willing to have that perspective even if no one else does?

TAKEAWAYS

Let me close with these three quick thoughts.

1. What or who are you worshiping today? If it’s not Jesus, it’s a god of your own making, and it can’t fix what you know is broken.

2. Are you willing to really follow the real Jesus? Not the Jesus you want Him to be. Not the Jesus of American convenience. The Jesus who loves you so desperately He took on Hell for you, and the Jesus who calls you to take up your cross and follow Him every day!

3. Come to Him today. This reminds me of the hymn “I Have Decided To Follow Jesus”. I didn’t learn until a few years ago that this was written based on the dying words of a Christian from India who was witnessing his family being shot for not renouncing their faith in Jesus. What he said before he too was killed inspired these words.

I have decided to follow Jesus;

I have decided to follow Jesus;

I have decided to follow Jesus;

No turning back, no turning back.

Tho' none go with me, I still will follow,

Tho' none go with me I still will follow,

Tho' none go with me, I still will follow;

No turning back, no turning back.

My cross I'll carry, till I see Jesus;

My cross I'll carry till I see Jesus,

My cross I'll carry till I see Jesus;

No turning back, No turning back.

The world behind me, the cross before me,

The world behind me, the cross before me;

The world behind me, the cross before me;

No turning back, no turning back.