Easter Reality

It's great to be here this morning.

On Easter Sundays, we celebrate life and new life.

And that's the segue into announcing that Sam and Sal are expecting a second child.

So, what a great day.

But wait, there's more.

Adam and Brenda are expecting their first child.

Fantastic you guys.

Good morning.

My name is Steve Jeffrey.

I'm one of the ministry team here.

I grew up one of three boys.

My cousins, all the ones we had anything to do with, were all boys.

I grew up on a farm, motorbike riding, shooting guns,

explosives licensed by the age of 18.

So, my life was surrounded like that, flanny shirts, boots.

And I'm the dad of three girls.

And so, I've been introduced to a world that I've never had any interest in

or was unaware of, a Barbie world.

And so, 7,000 kilometres in a car last August and September

with Barbie playing in the TV screen behind my headrest

causes one to be familiar with Barbie world.

What I discovered with all the Barbie movies

was that there was a good versus evil plot.

And there's always a tense moment in the middle of the movie

with a protagonist who looks like Barbie,

but is more evil than Barbie.

And it appears in that tense moment that evil will win the day.

But with a quick change of clothes and a reapplication of make-up

and a little dose of self-confidence,

Barbie's character always comes through at the end to win the day.

What I find interesting, though,

is in that moment, the concern which is expressed

on the face of my daughter is that evil will triumph.

The youngest, or the middle one, would say,

Turn it off, Izzy! Turn it off!

Yell in the back seat.

And she could not cope with the fact that evil was going to win the day.

Oh, there was an attempt to fast-forward that bit of the movie.

What is surprising to me is that they've seen it a dozen times.

They know how it's going to end up.

And they've seen a dozen of these movies

and they always know that Barbie will win in the end.

It's a world of pink and purple

and good always triumphs with flowers

and colour and delightful stuff.

And it surprises me

because a number of times I would say,

But you know how it's going to end.

And yet it's something delightful as well.

The storyline has not lost its thrill.

Although I must say,

several months down the track,

it has lost its thrill.

I don't hear the crying out,

Turn it off, Izzy!

Turn it off!

Which, of course, is my concern with Easter.

It was bad news for Jesus on Good Friday,

but we all know how it works out.

You know the end of the story.

So in preparing for today,

it makes me feel like I'm talking about something,

talking about a book,

and you've all read the end of the book.

And so where's the surprise in it?

Where's the thrill in it?

Of course, the temptation is to have a mere historical

or academic engagement with Easter

and to miss its impact for us today.

And so I'd like us to recapture some of the awe.

I'd like to see that for myself,

to marvel at the resurrection,

even though we know how it works out.

To walk out of here with hearts filled with joy

and hope and purpose and expectation and love.

Let's be astonished at the resurrection.

And to do that, you must begin with understanding.

You need to know the story and how it ends.

If you make less of the truth and the facts and the reality,

then your wonder of it all will just be shallow.

Take, for instance, the article

that was printed at the Sydney Morning Herald

on Good Friday in 2005.

It was written by Hugh Mackay,

social commentator,

and he made this comment about Easter

and the resurrection of Jesus.

He says,

Christians celebrate new life at Easter,

but in a religious sense.

The focus of their festival is the belief

that tragedy and grief,

symbolised by the crucifixion,

can give way to new life,

symbolised by the resurrection,

and that pain and loss are essential steps

on the journey towards enlightenment.

And so he says that

Easter is a festival of hope,

a celebration of faith in the future,

and a reminder

that despite our failures and frailties and flaws,

personal resurrection is always a possibility for us.

It's positive.

And yet,

Mackay's point is that the resurrection is symbolic.

Whether it happened or not

is not the issue for him.

He suggests that

what it's all about

is symbolism,

and that symbolism is positive

and powerful in your life.

It's an example and a metaphor for our life.

New life and growth through suffering.

To grow, we're going to need to suffer a little,

just like pruning a rose.

That's the point of the resurrection.

And I think Mackay's representation of Easter

is probably the view of a number of people

when it comes to the resurrection.

And while many would see his view as intelligent

and conciliatory and positive and rational,

it fails to grasp

is that the resurrection is not merely symbolic.

It is not a myth

that is okay to believe

if it works for you.

And so as I look at the Bible,

as we're going to do that together

in Philippians 2 and 3,

and so grab your Bibles in preparation for that

and turn to Philippians 2 and 3,

the passage we just read out for us.

As I look at the Bible,

as we do this together

and speak about the resurrection of Jesus,

I'm not merely putting another alternative

in front of you this morning.

The resurrection of Jesus

is not a satisfying myth

that helps some people,

us in this room maybe,

to interpret life

so that it becomes livable

and even possibly more enjoyable for us.

Easter is about real persons

and historical events

and divine intentions

that really happened.

The resurrection is more real

and more exciting

and more terrifying

and more life-changing

than any myth

or any other truth claim.

Now friends, this is Easter.

It is the celebration

of the historical resurrection

of Jesus from the dead.

He is alive.

He is not mere memory,

a mere historical figure

like a Julius Caesar

or a Shakespeare

or an Abraham Lincoln.

He is back from the dead

with a new glorious body.

He is alive.

He is reigning

as the king of the universe

as Philippians 2 says

and he is making this offer

of real life

and hope to us today.

Now I know that I'm taking

a lot for granted

when I say that.

So let me put it

into some sort of context.

We Christians believe

that what the 27 books

of the New Testament

record about Jesus

are true.

These books uniformly teach

or assume that Jesus

lived in history,

that he died

as a substitute for sinners

and he rose on the third day

and that he ascended to heaven

and rules the world

as the God

of all the universe.

These 27 books

are riddled

with references

to the physical resurrection

of Jesus from the dead

as we declared together

a little bit earlier

in our service

reading out

from 1 Corinthians 15.

These accounts

of what happened

in the life of Jesus

are totally different

than myth

like Greek

or Roman mythology

which is shrouded

in a distant past

that does not connect

with real history.

The New Testament books

are talking

about real history.

Pilate,

Roman governor,

Herod,

the king from Galilee,

Caiaphas,

the high priest.

They are not

mythical figures.

These people are known

from history

outside of the New Testament.

The accounts

of the New Testament

were all written

while eyewitnesses

were still alive.

We said that

a little bit early

in our service.

Paul's letters

were written

15 to 30 years

after the death

of Jesus.

As we just read,

he mentions the fact

that 500 people

had seen the risen Jesus

at one time

and that most of them

were still alive

as he pens the history.

Most of the books,

maybe all of them

were written

before 70 AD,

40 years

after the death

of Jesus.

This is not mythology.

This is history.

It is remembered history.

It is eyewitness history.

And add to this

that the enemies

of Christianity

would have loved

nothing better

than to wheel

a dead body

in a wheelbarrow

into Jerusalem

to prove

that it was

all a hoax.

And they couldn't.

The Romans

themselves

stationed their own

soldiers

at the entrance

of the tomb

and it was empty.

There was no dead body.

And the thought

that the scared

disciples

who abandoned

Jesus

at his crucifixion

for fear of their lives,

that they would

suddenly come together

and agree amongst

themselves

to create a hoax,

that they would

steal the body

and then that they

would die for that

hoax

is ludicrous.

These disciples

of Jesus

were not wacko.

They were witnesses.

And what we have

in the New Testament

is not mythology.

But Jesus

as eyewitnesses

remembered him.

And the point

of all this

is simply to say

that when we

Christians say

Jesus is risen

from the dead,

we're not speaking

mythically.

We're not speaking

blindly.

We're not speaking

symbolically.

We're not speaking

spiritually

or just emotionally.

We're speaking

historically.

Now, of course,

the aim of all

this history

is that we might

be astounded

at the majesty

of Jesus Christ

this Easter.

The point is

that we might

marvel

and stand

in awe

and be amazed

and get

the impact

of Easter

Sunday

in 2013.

Some of this

majesty

and impact

was there

for us

in Philippians

Philippians 3:20–21

3

verses 20

to 21.

So if you

want to go

there,

Philippians 3,

Adam read out

to us.

Have you got

a page

there on

your Bible,

Adam?

Sorry?

1140.

Page 1140

in the pew

Bibles

if it's there

in front of you.

Philippians 3

Philippians 3:20–21

verses 20

to 21.

But our

citizenship

is in heaven

and we

eagerly

await a

saviour

from there,

the Lord

Jesus Christ

who by the

power that

enables him

to bring

everything

under his

control

will transform

our lowly

bodies

so that

they will

be like

his

glorious

body.

What an

astounding

couple of

verses.

Now something

is assumed

there in

verse 20

and 21.

What is

assumed is

that Jesus

was raised

from the dead

and that he

is now

alive

and is

now very

powerful

to put it

mindly.

The reason

Paul assumes

it here

in chapter

3

is because

it's what

he said

in chapter

2.

It's what

was read

out to us

as well.

And so let

me go back

to chapter

2 and make

it explicit

and clear

for us.

And let me

say by way

of introduction

you will

never read

anything

anywhere

in any

literature

more sweeping

and important

and true

than these

verses

in chapter

2 of

Philippians.

Let's

start at

verse 6

referring to

Jesus

who

being in

very nature

God

did not

consider

equality

with God

something to

be grasped

but made

himself

nothing.

Taking the

very nature

of servant

being made

in human

likeness

and being

found in

appearance as a

man he

humbled himself

and became

obedient to

death

even death

on a cross.

And therefore

God exalted

him to the

highest place

and gave him

the name

that is above

every day

that at the

name of

Jesus

every knee

should bow

in heaven

and on

earth

and under

the earth

and every

tongue confess

that Jesus

Christ is

Lord to

the glory

of God

the Father.

There is

Easter impact.

Christ was

and is

equal with

God

he is

God

he became

human being

he obediently

suffered and

died

and that

means that

it was a

planned death

it was not

an accident

of history

it was a

planned death

and the point

of the plan

was that the

Lord Jesus

Christ be a

substitute for

all sinners

who would

trust in him

that was

God's loving

plan for the

salvation of

sinners like

us

and then it

says

therefore God

exalted him

to the highest

place

in other words

because of his

obedient and

successful life

and death

God raised him

from the dead

and gave him

great glory

as the Lord

of the universe

that is the

astounding

assumption behind

Philippians 3

20 to 21

but our

citizenship is in

heaven

and we

eagerly await a

saviour from

there the

Lord Jesus

Christ

who by the

power that

enables him to

bring everything

under his

control will

transform our

lowly bodies

so that they

will be like

his glorious

body

when you put

Philippians 2

and Philippians 3

together

we see that

because of the

death and

resurrection of

the Lord Jesus

he has

astonishing

power to

subject all

things to

himself

this

is

resurrection

impact

that is

relevant for

us right now

that is

he rose

victorious from

the grave

never to die

again

and he

rules

over all

time and

space

you see it

there again

in verse 21

by the power

that enables him

to bring

everything

under his

control

in one sense

Jesus has the

right to rule

the universe

because he is

God

not just because

he died and

rose again

he did not

have to die

and rise

in order to

be who he

is

and what he

is from all

eternity

is God

and this gives

him the right

to exercise

authority over

all things

but in another

sense God

decreed that

the one

who would

rule in

power

would be a

saviour who

suffered with

us and for

us in this

world

the Lord and

judge and

saviour over

all the universe

was tested

and found

perfect through

human suffering

and now he

is doubly

suited for his

role as

Lord of the

universe

he is God

by God

with all the

natural rights

to go with

that and he

is saviour

with purchased

rights

and so he

can put his

foot on

Satan's neck

and not just

because of the

raw divine

power he has

but also because

he exposed

himself to

Satan's

temptations

and to

Satan's

biggest weapon

death

and he broke

it on Easter

Sunday

he is doubly

suited to rule

the universe

he has

creator rights

and saviour

rights

and the

impact of

Easter Sunday

morning is

that there

is no higher

authority

there is no

place or

sphere or

realm or

dimension of

existence anywhere

in the universe

that is not

under the

absolute

authority

of Jesus

Christ

and when the

world in which

we live

doesn't look

like it's under

the authority

of Jesus

it would be

wiser for us

to marvel at

the mystery

of his ways

than to

question the

scope of

his power

Christ's power

pervades the

universe from

the largest to

the smallest

elements of

reality

no galaxy

no atom

no demon

would stay

in being

without the

authority of

the Lord

Jesus

so be

astonished at

his power

to subject

all things

to himself

Easter Sunday

is no mere

symbolism of

how to endure

hard things

in life

it means that

Jesus rules

the universe

as the name

that is above

every name

and he does

it

out of love

for us

notice that

there are two

astounding

implications for

us in this

power of the

resurrected Lord

Jesus

they are

staggering

and they are

filled with

hope and joy

and life

for us

verse 20

our citizenship

is in

heaven

citizenship

means you

belong

citizenship

means you

are protected

we take it

for granted

but become a

refugee

and be a

person of

no fixed

abode

with no one

in the United

Nations

speak it

on your

behalf

and see

how secure

you feel

and our

citizenship

is in

heaven

the power

of the

Lord Jesus

guarantees

our citizenship

of heaven

and if you're a

believer in the

Lord Jesus

you don't have to

wait for the

second coming

of the Lord

Jesus to know

where your

home is

when you trust

in Christ

your name is

sealed on the

citizen roles

of heaven

because your

king is

there

where he

is

there you

have the

privilege to

be

and so

you will be

with him

forever

and your

amazement

and your

wonder

and your

awe

will never

cease

it will only

increase

with him

forever

and ever

which leads

to the second

implication

Jesus

will use

his power

to transform

your body

into a

resurrected

body like

his

Philippians

3 21

the Lord

Jesus Christ

who by the

power that

enables him

to bring

everything

under his

control

will transform

your lowly

bodies

so that they

will be like

his glorious

body

all that

power that

Jesus has

will be used

to take

our dead

bodies

and raise

them from

the dead

no longer

to be sick

and disabled

or frail

or mentally

ill or addicted

or weary

or tempting

or tempted

but

rather

it will

be like

his

glorious

body

this is

not

a mere

symbolic

hope

if you

belong to

Jesus

Christ

by trusting

in him

he will

give you

a new

body

fit for

eternal

life

with him

not a

ghost

not a

spirit

you'll

be

recognized

by your

mates

and you

will

eat

and drink

with

Jesus

in the

kingdom

of God

just like

he did

with his

mates

when he

was here

after he

rose

be

astounded

therefore

that Jesus

will use

his

infinite

authority

and power

to raise

you for

the dead

to give

you a

body like

his

that will

never wear

out

and to

live

forever

the aim

of all

this

is that

we might

be

astounded

at the

majesty

of Jesus

Christ

this

Easter

rather than

a mere

intellectual

awareness

of history

I want us

to marvel

at the

truth

and the

hope

and the

joy

of

Easter

I don't

want

it to be

a mere

take it

or leave

it

symbolism

where you

respond

after this

service

thanks for

a stimulating

service

now off

to the

Easter

egg

hunt

this is

life

transforming

this is

not just

a mere

gathering

of historical

facts

this is

a marvelling

at those

facts

and the

difference

is this

suppose

you hear

that last

year in

Chatswood

10

children

were hit

by

cars

while

playing

it's

there

on the

news

you read

in the

paper

and you

wince

and you

think

what a

tragedy

that must

have been

really hard

for those

parents

and then

you read

the next

article

you look

at the

next bit

of news

and then

suddenly

the front

door bursts

open and

your 10

year old

daughter comes

screaming into

the house

with the

news that

it was

your 9

year old

son

has just

been hit

by a car

playing in

the front

yard

and now

the news

is different

news

the first

piece of

news was

true

you didn't

doubt it

good evidence

for it

but now

there was

a piece

of news

that goes

to the

core

of your

being

it shakes

you

everything

in you

comes alive

to this

reality

that it's

your son

it touches

your existence

it will

change

everything

in your

life

it will

break

your heart

it will

shatter

things

in you

more deeply

than you

have ever

touched

before

and so

here again

the news

of Easter

Jesus died

in your

place

for your

sin

against

God

Jesus

is risen

from the

dead

Jesus

will never

die

again

Jesus

has been

appointed

as ruler

of the

universe

and all

who trust

in him

will be

raised

like him

and live

forever

with him

my friends

I long

for you

here today

not just

to hear

that truth

as merely

provable

reports

of some

religious

claim

but as

the cry

of your

child

bursting

through

the door

it has

to do

with you

this is

your death

and your

life

and your

hope

the

resurrection

changes

everything

it did

for the

bigoted

hate

filled

proud

Paul

who

approved

of the

murder

and the

imprisonment

of

Christians

and then

he met

the

all

powerful

risen

Jesus

and

everything

changed

for him

this is

how he

puts it

in

Philippians

3

from

verse

10

but for

whatever

was to

my

profit

I

now

consider

loss

for the

sake

of

Christ

what

is

more

I

consider

everything

a

loss

compared

to the

surpassing

greatness

of knowing

Jesus

Christ

my

Lord

for whose

sake

I

have

lost

all

things

I

consider

them

rubbish

that I

might gain

Christ

and be found

in him

that is

through faith

in Christ

the righteousness

that comes

from God

and is

by faith

this is how

he sums up

his life

I want to

know

Christ

and the

power

of his

resurrection

and the

fellowship

of sharing

in his

sufferings

becoming

like

him

in his

death

and so

somehow

to attain

to the

resurrection

of the

dead

everything

changes

because

of the

resurrection

it is the

core of

his being

in which

he views

his life

what about

you

is your

citizenship

in heaven

have

have you

laid down

the arms

of unbelief

and rebellion

against

Christ

have you

received

the

blood

bought

amnesty

that we

celebrate

at Easter

have you

bowed the

knee of

submission

and loyalty

to the

king of

the universe

my friends

do it

today

let your

response

be a

life of

faith

and love

and joy

and worship

and join

today the

citizens of

heaven

who eagerly

await a

saviour from

there the

Lord Jesus

Christ

who by the

power that

enables him

to bring

everything

under his

control

will transform

our lowly

bodies

so that

we'll be

like his

glorious

body

Amen