He Is Risen!

This morning, we celebrate one of the single greatest events in human history,

the resurrection of our Lord Jesus from the dead.

And I'm excited to celebrate together with those of you who are watching or listening at home.

But before we get to that moment in the story,

we want to take some time to go back and remember what has brought us up to this moment in the story of Jesus.

So I want to invite you to enter into the story of Jesus with me this morning.

A week ago today, Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey

to shouts of Hosanna to the Son of David.

Blessed is the King of Israel.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

And the people were taking off their cloaks

and throwing them down on the road in front of him

and laying palm branches down.

It was a great kind of a royal procession.

Up until this moment,

anticipation had been building in the nation.

For the past three years,

the crowds had been going out to Jesus

and following him.

No one had ever spoken or taught like Jesus did.

He was doing amazing signs and miracles

such as no one could do.

People were being healed

of their sicknesses and diseases.

He was even commanding evil spirits

and the spirits would obey him.

And so the attention on Jesus

has been increasing right up to this moment

as he rides into the city of Jerusalem.

And in this moment,

the big question on people's minds

is simply this.

Who is this man?

Matthew writes in his gospel,

when Jesus entered Jerusalem,

the whole city was stirred

and asked,

who is this?

Is he just a mere man?

Or is he more?

Is he a prophet?

Is he the Messiah?

The people want to know.

And so begins this week

leading up to the Passover in Jerusalem.

And it's a week full of intrigue

and excitement.

I should mention that

in these three years

leading up to this moment,

it hasn't all been smooth sailing for Jesus.

There has been tension

rising between him

and the religious leaders

all through this time.

And now as we come to this week

leading up to the Passover in Jerusalem,

those tensions begin to rise even more.

Jesus goes to the temple

there in Jerusalem

each day

and he teaches the people.

And again and again,

the religious leaders,

they challenge Jesus.

They try to ask him questions

that will discredit him

or humiliate him

in front of the people.

But as hard as they try,

they cannot stump

or trip Jesus up

in his words.

He answers everything perfectly.

Displaying such an amazing wisdom

and understanding.

He even asks a few questions

of his own

which put the Pharisees

on their guard.

They're not able to answer

his questions.

And they're the so-called experts

when it comes to the law.

This makes the religious leaders mad.

In fact,

they become furious

and they are plotting

and scheming

as to how they can get rid of Jesus.

As the week draws to a close,

Jesus,

who is staying outside the city

in a small town called Bethany,

he sends some of his disciples

into the city

to make preparations

for the Passover.

And while they're making preparations,

one of Jesus' inner twelve,

a man named Judas,

is making preparations of his own.

Preparations to betray Jesus

and hand him over

to the religious leaders

for a sum of money.

Finally,

that evening comes

when Jesus sits down

in the upper room

with his disciples

to celebrate the Passover meal.

They eat and they drink together.

Jesus says many things to them.

And that night,

he leads them out

to Gethsemane,

an olive grove.

It is there in Gethsemane

that Jesus is arrested.

Under the cover of darkness,

Judas leads a crowd of armed men

out to meet Jesus

there in the olive grove.

And Jesus surrenders himself

to them

and allows them to arrest him.

His disciples desert him

and flee

in that moment.

A couple of them

follow along

from a distance

to see

where they will take Jesus

and what they will do with him.

And so begins

this dark night

in the story of Jesus.

From there,

they take him

to the chief priests

in Jerusalem.

And he

is put on trial.

If you could even

call it a trial.

It was more of a sham

trial than anything.

In that moment,

it was almost as if

they were just rehearsing.

What could we possibly

say?

What accusations

could we possibly make

that would secure for us

the result

that we want to get?

Which is to see

him executed.

From there,

they take him

to the Roman governor,

Pilate.

Pilate sends Jesus

to stand trial

before Herod.

Herod

mocks Jesus

and sends him

back to Pilate.

Pilate

questions Jesus

and finds him

innocent.

He makes his

verdict known

publicly

in front of

all the people.

But the religious

leaders stir up

the people

to demand

that Jesus

be executed,

that he be

crucified.

And so,

even though

Jesus is

innocent,

Pilate,

after having

him severely

flogged,

hands him

over

to be

crucified.

From there,

Jesus is

made to

carry his

own cross

to Golgotha,

the place

of the

skull.

There,

the soldiers

nail

Jesus'

body

to a

wooden

cross

and then

lift him

up

on that

cross.

where he

hangs

for all

to watch

as he

dies.

A horrific

death

of suffocation

and blood

loss.

The charge

above his

head

reads

on a sign

that was

posted there,

this is

the king

of the

Jews.

It was

an awful

day,

a dark

day,

a bloody

day.

But

it was

a day

that

God

had

planned

long

ago.

The

religious

leaders

thought

that they

had

triumphed

over

Jesus

that

day.

We

got him.

Little

did they

know,

little

did they

realize,

all of

this was

part of

God's

plan

from

long

ago.

All

of this

had

deep

significance.

Jesus'

suffering

and

death,

it had

a distinct

and clear

purpose

from

God.

God

had given

an

explanation

to

these

events,

to what

Jesus went

through

hundreds

of years

before it

had even

happened.

And I'm

going to

read some

of that

for us

this

morning.

I

encourage

you to

think

about

those

moments

before

and

on

the

cross

as

Jesus

suffered

while I

read

from

Isaiah

53.

God

said this

through the

prophet

Isaiah,

he was

despised

and

rejected

by

mankind.

A

man of

suffering

and

familiar

with

pain.

Like

one

from

whom

people

hide

their

faces,

he

was

despised.

And

we

held

him

in

low

esteem.

Surely

he

took

up

our

pain

and

bore

our

suffering.

Yet

we

considered

him

punished

by

God,

stricken

by

him

and

afflicted.

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.

We

all

like

sheep

have

gone

astray.

Each

of us

has

turned

to

our

own

way

and

the

Lord

has

laid

on

him

the

iniquity

of

us

all.

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

its

shearers

is

silent

so

he

did

not

open

his

mouth.

By

oppression

and

judgment

he

was

taken

away

yet

who

of

his

generation

protested

for

he

was

cut

off

from

the

land

of

the

living

for

the

transgression

of

my

people

he

was

punished.

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.

Yet

it

was

the

Lord's

will

to

crush

him

and

cause

him

to

suffer.

The

Lord

makes

his

life

an

offering

for

sin.

By

his

knowledge

my

righteous

servant

will

justify

many

and

he

will

bear

their

iniquities.

Long

ago

before

any

of this

had

taken

place

God

had

made

known

that

there

would

be

a

specific

purpose

for

the

suffering

of

this

servant

of

his.

He

was

to

bear

the

punishment

of

his

people

so

that

they

might

be

healed.

Like

a

sin

offering

being

offered

for

their

atonement.

John

the

baptizer

three

years

before

this

moment

at

the

cross

pointed

to

the

same

thing.

He

pointed

to

Jesus

and

said

behold

the

Lamb

of

God

who

takes

away

the

sins

of

the

world.

Jesus

himself

spoke

of

this

moment.

In

his

conversation

with

Nicodemus

he said

this

he said

just as

Moses

lifted up

the

snake

in the

wilderness

referring

to how

he had

lifted

it up

on a

wooden

pole

so

the

son

of

man

must

be

lifted

up

that

everyone

who

believes

in

him

may

have

eternal

life

in

order

for

people

who

believe

in

him

to

have

eternal

life

something

must

happen

the

son

of

man

must

be

lifted

up

the

lamb

of

God

must

be

sacrificed

in

the

words

of

Jesus

the

ransom

must

be

paid

the

death

of

Jesus

was

absolutely

necessary

to

secure

this

gift

that

God

desires

to

give

to

his

people

eternal

life

and to

secure

their

just

pardon

for

their

sins

against

him

and we

have all

sinned

against

God

we

all

deserve

to

receive

from

him

the

punishment

that

he

has

prescribed

death

hell

there

was

no

other

way

for

us

to

be

forgiven

for

us

to

escape

this

punishment

and be

saved

Jesus

had

to

come

and die

on that

cross

and suffer

as he

did

the

innocent

for the

guilty

to make

that

possible

for us

Jesus

said so

himself

that night

that he

was betrayed

he

told

Peter

to put

his

sword

away

he

said

do you

think

I

cannot

call

on my

father

and he

will at

once

put at

my

disposal

more

than

twelve

legions

of

angels

but

how

then

would

the

scriptures

be

fulfilled

that

say

it

must

happen

in

this

way

it

must

happen

in

this

way

and so

the

death

of

Jesus

was

absolutely

necessary

but

it's

not

the

end

of

the

story

we're

here

listening

watching

on

Easter

Sunday

morning

and the

story

goes on

if

the

death

of

Jesus

was

the

darkest

day

in

human

history

this

morning

we

celebrate

the

brightest

day

in

human

history

so

let's

read

the

story

together

from

Luke

Luke 24:1

chapter

24

verse

1

on

the

first

day

of

the

week

very

early

in

the

morning

the

women

took

the

spices

they

had

prepared

and

went

to

the

tomb

they

found

the

stone

rolled

away

from

the

tomb

but

when

they

entered

they

did

not

find

the

body

of

the

Lord

Jesus

while

they

were

wondering

about

this

suddenly

two

men

in

clothes

that

gleamed

like

lightning

stood

beside

them

in

their

fright

the

women

bowed

down

with

their

faces

to

the

ground

but

the

men

said

to

them

why

do

you

look

for

the

living

among

the

dead

he

is

not

here

he

has

risen

remember

remember

how

he

told

you

while

he

was

still

with

you

in

Galilee

the

son

of

man

must

be

delivered

over

to

the

hands

of

sinners

be

crucified

and

on

the

third

day

be

raised

again

then

then

they

remembered

his

words

would

have

been

a

wonderful

moment

I

would

have

loved

to

have

seen

it

he

is

risen

he

is

not

here

this

is

just

as

he

said

this

must

happen

it

must

happen

in

this

way

but

he's

not

here

he's

alive

the

big

surprise

would

come

later

that

evening

as

almost

all

of

Jesus

disciples

and

many

others

with

them

were

gathered

together

in

Jerusalem

I'm

reading

from

verse

36

there

they

are

gathered

while

they

were

still

talking

Jesus

himself

stood

among

them

and

said

to

them

peace

be

with

you

they

were

startled

and

frightened

thinking

they

saw

a

ghost

he

said

to

them

why

are

you

troubled

and

why

do

doubts

rise

in

your

minds

look

at

my

hands

and

my

feet

it

is

I

myself

touch

me

and

see

a

ghost

does

not

have

flesh

and

bones

as

you

see

I

have

when

he

had

said

this

he

showed

them

his

hands

and

feet

and

while

they

still

did

not

believe

it

because

of

joy

and

amazement

he

asked

them

do

you

have

anything

here

to

eat

they

gave

him

a

piece

of

broiled

fish

and

he

took

it

and

ate

it

in

their

presence

oh

what

a

moment

that

must

have

been

I

love

the

reaction

of

the

disciples

their

first

reaction

is

that

of

unbelief

but

not

the

bad

kind

of

unbelief

kind

of

the

kind

of

unbelief

that

wow

this

can't

be

I

can't

believe

what

my

eyes

are

seeing

I

can't

believe

what

my

hands

are

feeling

you're

here

you're

alive

he

is

risen

this

is

amazing

it

can't

be

we

saw

you

die

you're

alive

here

you

are

with

the

human

body

flesh

and

blood

and

scars

to

prove

it

Luke

tells

us

that

they

had

joy

and

amazement

what a

wonderful

and

glorious

moment

that

must

have

been

and

even

this

moment

too

Jesus

had

told

them

about

on

the

eve

of

his

betrayal

do

you

remember

those

words

that

he

spoke

to

his

disciples

he

said

very

truly

I

tell

you

you

will

weep

and

mourn

while

the

world

rejoices

you

will

grieve

but

your

grief

will

turn

to

joy

it's

like

a

woman

giving

birth

a

woman

giving

birth

to

a

child

has

pain

because

her

time

has

come

but

when

her

baby

is

born

she

forgets

the

anguish

because

of

the

joy

that

a

child

is

born

into

the

world

so

with

you

now

is

your

time

of

grief

he

told

them

on

the

night

of

his

betrayal

but

I

will

see

you

again

and

you

will

rejoice

and

no

one

will

take

away

your

joy

the

resurrection

of

Jesus

is

cause

for

great

joy

the

resurrection

of

Jesus

is

everything

that

that

God

raised

Jesus

from

the

dead

is

is

heaven's

declaration

that

yes

he

is

the

son

of

God

he

is

my

son

whom

I

love

yes

he

is

the

Messiah

the

king

that

I

promised

long

ago

the

shoot

from

the

stump

of

Jesse

the

son

of

David

the

one

who

will

reign

over

the

never

ending

kingdom

of

heaven

which

is

coming

in

its

fullness

Jesus

being

raised

from

the

dead

by

God

is

is

is

is

God's

proclamation

that

yes

the

ransom

payment

has

been

accepted

you

can

be

made

right

with

me

through

him

by

believing

in

his

name

Jesus

being

raised

from

the

dead

is

is

God's

declaration

that

there is

nothing

that can

stand in

the way

of him

giving

to his

people

all that

he has

promised

the

greatest

of

promises

eternal

life

not

even

death

can stand

in the

way

the

resurrection

of

Jesus

is

everything

it's

it's

God's

ultimate

sign

his

ultimate

certificate

of

authenticity

on

Jesus

his

son

and

on

every

word

that

Jesus

spoke

and

so

as

we

celebrate

the

resurrection

of

our

Lord

Jesus

this

morning

I hope

that

you just

feel ready

to praise

and to

thank God

for this

amazing

glorious

reality

it doesn't

matter

what you're

going through

there is

nothing

that can

stand in

the way

of all

that God

has

promised

to give

to you

if you

have

believed

if you

have

repented

and

believed

in the

name

of his

one

and only

son

the

coronavirus

can't

stand

in the

way

your

physical

health

and

sickness

or issues

that you're

going through

with your

body

can't

stand

in the

way

death

itself

can't

stand

in the

way

hear these

words of

Jesus

again

in this

world

you will

have

trouble

but

take

heart

I

have

overcome

the

world

where

oh

death

is your

sting

where

oh

death

is your

victory

over

me

it's

gone

forever

that's

what the

resurrection

of Jesus

declares

thanks be

to God

he has

given us

the victory

through our

Lord

Jesus

Christ

and this

good gift

of eternal

life which

guarantees

in a

solid and

certain way

all of the

good things

that God

has promised

to his

people

is available

to all

who will

repent

who will

seek God's

forgiveness

and believe

that he

has provided

the way

and that

the way

is his

son

Jesus

and so

I wish

you joy

with your

family

or with

or on

your own

if you're

celebrating

on your

own

this Easter

Sunday

morning

Christ

is risen

he is

risen

indeed

let's

pray

Lord

Jesus

thank you

for offering

your life

for ours

thank you

for enduring

the suffering

of Calvary

so that we

might be

forgiven

and receive

new life

forever

in you

father

thank you

that nothing

can

can stop

your love

from breaking

through

fill our

hearts with

joy and

enable us

to feel

it today

we ask

this in

Christ's

name

amen

you