Jesus Keeps Hanging Around

The passage of Scripture this week is from 1 Corinthians 15, verses 1 through 8.

1 Corinthians 15:1–8

It's not James. We're done with James. Well, this time around, anyway.

So let's read from chapter 15, verses 1 through 8 of 1 Corinthians.

Now, dear brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you,

which you received and on which you have taken your stand.

By this gospel, you are saved. if you hold firmly to the word I preach to you.

Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

For what I received, I passed on to you as of first importance,

that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures,

that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures,

and that he appeared to Cephas and then to the twelve.

After that, he appeared to more than 500 of the brothers and sisters at the

same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.

Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all,

he appeared to me also as to one abnormally born.

Now this is being written by the apostle Paul.

We see this passage, and you kind of wonder, well, why are you preaching this today, Pastor?

Well, if you didn't know, today in the Christian church is what is celebrated as Ascension Sunday.

Ascension Sunday is one of the few remaining events in the Christian church

that has not been touched by secular society.

We don't think—I mean, you think about Christmas and Easter,

and there are two main celebrations on the Christmas calendar,

and yet they also have secular ideas.

I mean, who thought that we would celebrate the resurrection of Jesus with an

egg dropped out of a rabbit?

That's not what it's all about. And the traditions that have come with those

two holidays do not even have a spiritual or Christian meaning to them.

Ascension Day, however, is always a little different. No one—well,

I believe that no one has ever received a Happy Ascension Day card in the mail. Has anybody?

No. In fact, no one even went out for Ascension Day dinner, right?

None of the stores had a big Ascension Day sale, and there's no character like

the Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny associated with Ascension Day.

In fact, I'm willing to guess that most of you here this morning didn't even

realize that it was Ascension Day, didn't know when it was.

In fact, Actually, Ascension Day was this past Thursday, but we celebrated on Sunday.

Ascension Day is 40 days after the celebration of Easter, and it's always on a Thursday every year.

The 40 days represent the 40 days that Jesus hung around after his resurrection,

and then he ascended into heaven.

And one of the things that makes this day so unique is that it's the last time

recorded in Scripture that Jesus is seen on earth.

Now, Paul, as read in this text, does encounter him, but that was later on in

the book of Acts when Paul was on the road to Damascus to persecute Christians.

But Paul did not see the actual physical resurrected body of Christ.

He saw a bright light heard a voice, which is the reason he says that he was

born out of due season, out of time.

Because according to Acts 1, verse 21, the qualification for being an apostle

Acts 1:21

of Jesus Christ was that you had to physically see Jesus.

You had to hear him teach. You had to see him perform miracles from the time

of his baptism until the time he ascended.

When we read this passage of Scripture, one thing we must note is the number

of appearances that Jesus made as the resurrected Christ and triumphant Lord

of history before his ascension to his father.

The question could be raised as to why he hung around so long,

40 days, that's a long time after he was resurrected to hang around.

After all, he had accomplished everything that he had come here to do.

He had preached the good news of the God's love and provision for those who

were economically and spiritually poor.

He had brought release to those who were held captive to a religious legalism

with its thousands of rules that neither saved nor brought satisfaction.

He had brought sight to those who had never seen and returned vision to those who had lost it.

He had given those who were oppressed the liberating assurance of their worth

in Christ. He had announced that the kingdom of heaven was at hand and had transformed

a bleak time in history into the acceptable year of our Lord.

He had healed the sick, raised the dead, cast out demons.

He had made the ultimate sacrifice of allowing humans to misuse him,

abuse him, and crucify him so that they could be redeemed and bought back to God.

On the cross of Calvary, in Jesus' dying moments, he pronounced that his work was finished.

One would expect, then, that after some initial appearances to prove his victory

over death, hell, and the grave, he would have been really anxious to go back to the Father.

One would expect Jesus would have been anxious about his imminent return to

take his people home and would have been in a hurry to leave this sinful world

with its fickle humans and their cruel acts so he could return to the joy,

peace, and glory of heaven.

However, according to our text, Jesus took his time about his ascension.

He seemed to be in no hurry to leave this terrestrial plane.

You didn't see him going, Jesus falling home, like E.T. did.

He wanted to hang around and be here for us people.

The passage that we read this morning refers to several people and groups of

people that Jesus appeared to after his resurrection and before his ascension.

You see, what? There we go.

Jesus simply just keeps hanging around. And that's kind of the theme of our message this morning.

He appeared to his good friend Peter, who before the others had recognized him

as the Christ, the son of the living God, the embodiment of God.

He appeared to Peter, this one whose names, Peter, Cephas, meant rock,

who in this hour of testing seemed more like a broken stick than a rock of a man.

Jesus hung around long enough to restore a fallen saint, to lift the spirits

of a downcast friend, to forgive the denial of a trusted follower.

And to reclaim as his very own the one whose faith Satan had tried to break

and whose soul the evil one desired to sift like wheat.

You see, Jesus always hangs around for saints who stumble.

When our weaknesses and our failures seem to mock our faith,

when our adversaries seem to have gotten the victory, when our consciences have

beaten and shamed us by things we've done or said or thought,

Jesus hangs around to let us know that he loves us just the same.

After Peter had denied him three times, Jesus turned to him and restored him

by asking to feed his sheep three times.

Regardless of our broken promises and shattered resolves, he still reclaims us as his own.

Jesus hangs around to let us know that though our sins are as red as scarlet,

his blood can make them even the foulest clean, that we are forgiven and that

we can still walk in the noose of life.

So Jesus simply keeps hanging around. I want you to turn to somebody next to

you and just say that Jesus just keeps hanging around.

If you say that enough, you'll remember it. So do it again. Jesus just keeps hanging around.

Jesus hung around long enough to appear to the twelfth. He appeared to those

whom he had called by name to drop their net, leave their tax collecting tables,

and give up everything to become itinerant heralds of the dawning kingdom.

Theirs was a unique place in the emergence of the Christian faith.

No other humans, before or after them, would have the privilege of knowing the

Master so upfront and personal.

It had been their privilege to see and hear things that the prophets and others

who had gone on before had only longed to see and hear.

It had been their privilege to see and hear things that we would only read about.

These 12 apostles were the leadership nucleus of the movement.

Fishermen, tax collectors, zealots, farmers.

These 12 apostles were the leadership movement.

Coming generations would depend upon the accuracy of their recollection and

their writings for the passing down of the baton of their faith,

continuing on the theme that Adam preached about.

Jesus was passing that baton onto us, onto his followers and onto us.

The movement of Christ would expand or dissipate, live or die,

based upon their efforts and their obedience to Christ's commission.

Because much had been given to them, much would be required of them,

because they were the leaders, they would be the first to die when the church was persecuted.

And if you've ever read the book called Fox's Book of Martyrs,

you will see how many saints of old have died and been persecuted and put to death.

And we read about the executions of all of Jesus's apostles—.

Except Judas, who hung himself, and John. We don't record an execution.

They don't record an execution of John. We just know that he died.

They would be used as examples of what would happen to a person who openly confessed Jesus as Lord.

When the master was crucified, each of them had been gripped by a deep and painful

sense of personal loss and tragedy.

However, our text tells us that before his ascension, Jesus hung around long

enough to appear to the twelve.

So let's never forget that Jesus always hangs around for those from whom much is required.

There are those, always those, who bear more than their fair share of burdens,

who experience more than their fair share of suffering, and who carry more than

their fair share of responsibilities.

There are those whose lives have more than their fair setbacks,

problems, tragedies, and misfortune.

There are those whose bodies endure more than their fair share of suffering

and sickness and demoralizing pain.

There are those upon whose shoulders the mantles of leadership and responsibility

rest like a heavy weight. They have enough responsibility for two or three people.

Imagine, as you will, as children, that they must grow up faster and assume

adult responsibilities because of the death or abandonment of a parent.

As single parents, they must be both mother and father to their children,

both husband and wife to hold the homes together, both son and daughter for

aging parents and in-laws.

Sometimes their shoulders begin to ache from the weight on their backs,

and they begin to wonder if they can ever hold up under the strain.

The message of this text, however, is that Jesus hangs around to comfort,

empower, preserve, and strengthen those from whom much is required.

If we go in Jesus' name according to his word, we will never walk away.

He will not walk alone. He will not forsake us. Jesus is always there.

Jesus just keeps hanging around. And Jesus hung around long enough to appear

to 500 believing Christians. Jesus kept hanging around until he was seen by the whole church.

He didn't simply appear to those who held special positions or those who were

ordained to certain orders or those to whom they seemed to have been endowed with special gifts.

Jesus hung around long enough to be seen by the whole church.

Jesus understood that it takes more than the ordained clergy to do the work of the kingdom.

It takes the whole church. As Dave preached about the unity of the body,

it takes all of us in this.

In his appearance before the 500, Jesus demonstrated his lordship,

ownership, care, and commitment to the whole church.

Jesus was not simply Peter's Lord or Lord of the Twelve. Jesus was Lord of the whole church.

Jesus is not simply Lord of those who belong to a certain clique or club or

board of administration.

He is the Lord of the entire universal church. He is Lord of everyone whose

lives have been changed by his gospel and who are no longer bent on evil or

under the control of the evil one.

He isn't just simply the Lord of those who give the most or talk the most.

He's Lord of everyone, the whole church. We believe in the priesthood of all

believers, which demands life-changing service of everyone who calls themselves Christian.

We believe that the same gifts that are given to some, the same spiritual experience

that happened to some, the same

spiritual depths that are achieved by some are available to all of us.

He didn't appear just to the leaders.

He appeared to everyone. We believe that God is no respecter of persons or positions,

and that each of us carries within us the capability of having a believing heart,

a faith line that reaches the throne of grace.

Consequently, the presence of the risen Lord is as available to the so-called

newcomer as he is to the so-called church pillar.

Jesus is as available to the poorest as he is to the most prosperous,

to the disabled as well as the healthy of body and mind, to women as well as to men.

Jesus' appearance before 500 says,

believing Christians demonstrates the proof that wherever God's children are

doing the work of the kingdom and calling on the name of Jesus, Jesus will be there.

Jesus just keeps hanging around long enough to proclaim the black backslidden,

strengthen the weak, confirm the faith of anyone who doubts,

save to the uttermost, anoint, and fill with the Holy Spirit.

When it comes to the life and well-being of God's church, say it with me.

Jesus just keeps hanging around.

He's longing to make his presence known to each one of us and to all of us.

Jesus hung around long enough to appear to his brother James.

One of the most discouraging and painful experiences of Jesus' life must have

centered around the coolness, disbelief, and rejection from many and his own

family toward his mission.

Can you imagine growing up in a house with a man who did no evil, spoke no evil,

lived no evil, whose mom thought he was the son of God?

Can you imagine living in a household? Can you imagine being Jesus when your

brothers reject you as the Son of God.

When Jesus went back to Nazareth after doing mighty works in Capernaum and other

places and met the hostility, mockery, and disbelief of his own home community,

his comment that a prophet is not without honor except in his own home was not

just a reference to neighbors and distant relationships, but it was also a reference

to his own brothers and sisters.

Family and friends and those who work closest to us can often hurt us in ways no one else can.

Jesus' family just didn't understand him. To some, he was as crazy and eccentric

as his cousin, John the Baptist.

To others, he was an embarrassment, and to still others, he was a mystery.

Sometimes when God begins to move in our lives in special ways,

those closest to us will not understand.

However, we cannot afford to sacrifice our convictions or the joy of the Lord

because of the lack of understanding or hang-ups or lack of vision of others.

They may try to get us to tone down our enthusiasm, but we need to resist that temptation.

We must be prepared to let nothing, including the approval, disapproval of those

whom we love, to separate us from the love of God and the ministry that he has for us.

Christ is risen, and he's still with us.

However, sometimes we can accomplish in death what we cannot achieve in life.

Sometimes it's only in the afterglow of a sainted life that has passed from

our midst that we can appreciate all that that person stood for and all that they tried to teach us.

Oftentimes, we would love to have told that person how grateful we were for

his or her life and how much he or she really meant to us.

But by then it's too late. Many of you have parents who have passed away,

and I wonder how often we have been able to go back to them before their passing

and just let them know how much we appreciated their prayers for us,

even in all of our struggles,

and just to let them know that we love them.

Perhaps James had been one of those who had rejected Jesus when he went back home to Nazareth.

However, as time passed by, perhaps toward the close of the master's ministry,

James began to understand the nature of the kingdom that his older brother had been talking about.

James had marveled at how his brother had prayed for forgiveness of his enemies

while he was on the cross.

Father, forgive them, for they know not what they're doing. What kind of person? No.

Could forgive those who were crucifying him. James may have regretted that he

hadn't done more to support Jesus while he was alive, and now that his brother

was dead, he might have felt it was too late, that his opportunities to serve Jesus had passed him by.

But according to the Bible, Jesus hung around long enough for James to see him

giving James the assurance that it wasn't too late.

You see, Jesus keeps hanging around to let us know that it's never too late,

even in our ages and stations of life,

regardless of what we've done or failed to do, it's never too late.

As long as there's breath in our bodies and we can call on the name of Jesus, it's not too late.

Now is still the acceptable time of our Lord. Now is still the day of salvation.

This day can be the first day of the rest of our lives because Jesus is still hanging around.

Not only did Jesus hang around for Peter and the twelve,

and for James, and for the five hundred, but he hung around long enough for

a young Pharisee whose name was Saul so he could meet him.

This young man wasn't around when the Lord called Peter and the others to follow him.

He wasn't around when Jesus appeared to the five hundred.

He didn't have the privilege of growing up with Jesus from childhood like James did,

and it was long after the others had encountered the risen Christ that one day

while he was on his way on the Damascus road, on his way to Damascus,

to wreak havoc on the church,

to persecute Christians, and to put Christians to death,

that Saul discovered that Jesus was still hanging around.

At midday, he saw a blinding light and heard a voice from heaven that called

him by name and asked, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?

When Saul asked, who are you, Lord? The voice replied, I am Jesus of Nazareth,

the once dead, but now living and exalted Lord, and it's not good for you to

fight the work of the kingdom. him.

If I had seen a bright light and heard a voice like that, I would have thought,

you've really gone crazy, dude.

I can't imagine that. But something about that voice and something about that

appearance struck Saul to his knees.

From that day forward, Saul became Paul, and his life took on a new direction.

The same Jesus who spoke to Paul is still hanging around even for those who

have rejected him their entire lives.

Jesus's grace is still sufficient. His strength is still perfected in our weakness.

His arm of compassion has not been shortened. His love has not been weakened.

His mercy is still from everlasting to everlasting.

His blood still sanctifies us completely, and His Spirit still set people free

from the bondage of evil desires and deception and disaster.

Jesus's forgiveness is still stronger than any sin.

His joy is still mightier than the ocean. His peace still passes all understanding,

and his salvation is still stronger than death.

You see, Jesus is still hanging around, wanting to give each one of us an experience

with him in complete relationship, as Saul experienced when he saw the light. Get it?

So say this with me.

Jesus is still hanging around. Isn't that a blessing to know?

He's still hanging around. Even though he ascended into heaven,

he is still present with us.

Even as we sit here in this church, we can trust him.

We can know that despite everything that's going on in this life,

everything that we're going through, all the struggles we have,

Jesus is still hanging around and he's here with us.

He will never leave us nor forsake us. Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, as we close this time of worship, we thank you for the life

that Jesus lived here on earth. We thank you for his death and resurrection.

We thank you that he hung around for those 40 days before he went back to be

with you, but we thank you that he is still hanging around. He is the way,

the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father, comes to you, except through him.

Father, we pray that you would be with us as we go from here to serve a world

that desperately needs Jesus.