The Only Two Questions That Really Matter (Easter)

3. Verses this morning John chapter

John 20:19–22

20, verses 19 through 22 Jesus comes to earth, takes on flesh,

lives the perfect life and then he's.

Put to death. On a cross.

It shatters everybody's expectations.

All of his followers go. Running for their lives.

And then? And then this happens in John

chapter. 20 a couple days. Later.

On the. Evening of the 1st.

Day of the week. The doors were.

Locked where the disciples were. For fear of the Jews.

They're locked in their room. They're terrified.

Their thought. Process is not.

Oh, let's wait for the. Resurrection their.

Thought process says they killed our leader.

They're probably. Coming for us next.

So they're. Behind locked doors, Afraid.

And then suddenly Jesus shows up.

He's alive. He's not where they last saw

him. He's out of the tomb.

Jesus came and stood. Among them and talked.

He said to them. Peace be with you.

And when he had. Said this he showed.

Them. His hands.

He has real flesh. And his side?

He has a real. Body that's been resurrected.

And when the disciples saw that, then the disciples were glad.

When they saw. The Lord.

And so Jesus said. To them again, peace be with

you. As the.

Father has sent me. Even so, am I sending you?

And when? Jesus.

Had said this, he. Breathed on them.

What a strange detail. He.

Breathed on them and said to them.

Receive the Holy Spirit, Heavenly Father, it is just.

Not enough. It's not enough to have oxygen.

It's not enough to just talk about resurrection life or.

Think about. Resurrection life or even sing

about resurrection life. We don't.

Just want oxygen? We want the.

Breath of Jesus. I don't just want to think about

the resurrection this morning, I want to experience that

resurrection power. And so, Lord, I'm desperate to

taste that. I'm desperate to feel that.

Would you? Take my old heart.

And make it new. Would you take?

Our old hearts and. Make them new.

Would you take our old? Minds and make them.

New Would you take every? Square inch of us.

Breathe into us. And make us new, that's what we.

Want this morning, Lord? And we ask all these things in

the precious name of Jesus and all God's.

People said. Amen, You can be.

Seated. You know this.

But in the ancient world there were no Listerine strips all.

Right. There was no mouthwash.

There were no mouth. Mints.

And so this is a strange. Move for Jesus it was not.

Common courtesy in the ancient world without breath mints.

To just. Going around breathing.

On people and so immediately you should ask the question, what's

going on here? Why?

Why does the resurrected? Jesus breathe on his.

Disciples, what could possibly be going?

On and that brings us. To the first.

Question that we have. This morning, which is.

Who? Is Jesus, The text says he

breathed on. Them.

Who's he? Who's Jesus?

And the answer. To that question is.

Jesus is fully human. That's one of the most important

things that we got to wrap our. Minds around as we.

Begin to think about. Who this Jesus figure?

Is that has shattered. All of.

Human history. The Bible.

Loves to refer to him as the second.

Adam or the new Adam and if you. Don't know why it's because.

In the book of Genesis, first book of the.

Bible Adam is the first human being in the book of.

Genesis. And what Adam does as he.

Represents all of humanity. He's the family.

Tree from which? All of the apples.

Fall from and if you know how, the story.

Goes he screws up. And he?

Screws up royally on his first. Job of being.

A human being. Tough to read about.

It's like, come. On man you had.

One job being a human being, and he fails at that job.

So why would the Bible call Jesus the second?

Adam Well, the idea here. Is that for salvation to come

to? Us as human beings.

The idea is that salvation It can't be.

It it can't. Be like a claw.

Machine from an arcade game. You know God.

Can't just reach a. Mechanical hand from heaven, and

then pluck us out and save us that way.

And the reason why he can't do that?

Is because of justice. Here's.

The problem that we're up against when we think about the

human. Problem and salvation human.

Beings. Only human beings sin, and so

only human beings should pay for that sin.

Here's the problem. Human beings are not perfect,

only God is. Perfect.

So only. God.

Can pay for their sin. This is what you.

Call, in the philosophical world, an impossible problem to

solve. It's an impossible nut to crack.

It's what happens when an unstoppable object meets an

unmovable wall. Sin.

Only humans should pay for it. But.

Only God can pay for it. Impossible problem unless.

There's only one way. The only way to solve this

problem is unless. God became a human.

Being then man who should pay for sin, but God who can pay for

sin, would come together in the person.

Of Jesus. Christ.

It's really important that we see that Jesus is 100%.

Fully human like we. A couple days ago we went.

To after Good Friday service couple.

Me and my friends we we took a bunch of kids to.

The new Mario movie. In theaters.

Which was the craziest? Turn of emotional events, you

know. What I'm saying like we're.

We've got like 30 kids. We're walking.

Into this movie. Theater.

We walk by a couple high school kids and they're like.

Is this place a daycare or what? We're like, yeah, as long as

we're here. And so we get to the movie

theater and like, where is I don't know.

This cracked me. Up.

We're getting kids snacks. And Russell's like, I want an

icy, so he gets one of those bright red ices.

You know what I'm talking about, the slushy icy thing.

So I'm holding this bright red icy.

And all. The kids are coming up and

they're like, can I have a sip? I'm like, yeah sure, can I have

a sip? Yeah, I'm sure.

And and then, and then Calvin comes up to me.

How old is Calvin 6? 6 year old Calvin comes up.

He gets on his tip toes. He looks into the icy.

And I think, oh, he's. Going to ask for a drink.

He looks into the icy. He looks up at me and I'm like,

here comes can he have a drink? But instead he looks.

At the icy and then he looks up at me and he says, boy, looks

like there's a lot of. Artificial red dyes in.

There. Do it go, man.

Do it go. One of the earliest.

Christian heresies that the. Church had to deal.

With was exactly about that. The ancient people struggled

with this. Idea that matter.

Was. Evil and the physical world was

evil, and so how if Jesus was God, how could he really have a

body? And so.

They formulated some wrong ideas.

About God or about Jesus. They were like, well, maybe he's

just like a hologram. And so they started.

Teaching. Well, Jesus was actually.

Just a spirit. And he just appeared to have.

A body, Just just. Appears like a holograph from

heaven when he was crucified on the cross.

It was. Just like the appearance of of

a. Body being crucified.

It's, it's just, it's. Just a a holograph.

And the the. Thing that we've got to wrap.

Our minds around. If we want to really understand

the biblical. Jesus is that.

It was not. Possible to achieve salvation?

For Jesus to bleed artificial red dye.

It's not artificial red dye. It's not a.

Hologram of blood. It's not the likeness of blood.

It doesn't. It's not.

Just the. Appearance of blood.

It's blood. It's blood.

Blood. It's human.

Blood that comes from. Human flesh.

Out of. A out of a human body.

It was absolutely necessary if Jesus is going to be.

The new Adam who? Represents new.

Humanity, then he must. Be fully human, feel all the

things that. Humans feel all the.

Pain. All the suffering he had to have

a. Nervous system.

No, I can't he. Got it.

And he knows what nerve pain feels like.

He. Had to experience.

All the suffering body odor. Fully human and.

He's also different. From Adam.

So he's the new Adam. Fully human, but distinct from

Adam? How?

Because Jesus is fully. Human.

But the other equally important. Thing we have to wrap our minds

around. Is that Jesus is also.

Fully. God.

No artificial red dyes, 100% man, 100% God, 100% Jesus.

In this detail it actually. Explains that.

Awkward detail of when Jesus. Breathed on his disciples.

You notice, and I drew a lot of your attention to that.

What's? What's going on there?

Have you ever had somebody breathe on you like?

That I have. It's very awkward.

I had a guy walk into the church one random day, as people

sometimes do and. He was.

A wild 120 seconds to hang out with and.

He started praying for. Me and he was praying for me in

tongues and. I'm not a hater.

I believe that God. Continues to give those gifts.

Out. I've never experienced them.

I asked them, but I haven't. The problem?

Was As he prayed for me in tongues, I started to notice

that the pattern was. He just kept on.

Repeating over and over. Hakuna matata.

And I was like. I know where that comes from.

And then he goes and he brings on me and I sensed nothing

besides really bad. Breath.

That's it. Why would?

Why this is weird? Why?

Why would Jesus? Breathe on his disciples.

After his resurrection, we'll Cole read the text.

It's to give them the Holy Spirit.

No, I get that. What I'm saying is there are

better ways to do this in the ancient world.

Like why doesn't? Jesus, just like clap.

And give them the Holy Spirit. Kids, on the count of three, I

want you to clap 123. He didn't do that.

What? Why didn't Jesus just snap his?

Fingers and give them the. Holy Spirit, kids, if.

You can snap your. Fingers on the count of three.

Let's do it one. 23. He didn't do that.

Like if I was Jesus I would I would like give the.

Holy Spirit. Out by like.

Getting a sword out and knighting the disciples you

know. Like that?

Like 80s. Action.

Movie. Style knight them and that's how

they. Get the Holy Spirit.

That's not. Read the text.

That's not how it goes down. He doesn't snap.

He doesn't clap. He doesn't knight.

He breathes on them. Why lock in here?

This is. Profound the.

Bible. You can never find the depths of

it, I promise you. Lock in here.

Jesus. By breathing on the disciples is

signaling something. Very important to.

You the reader. You.

Notice this if we go. All the way.

Back to the first. Book of the Bible, Genesis and

we Go. All the way.

To the first creation of. Human beings.

How does God? Create the first human being,

not by snapping his fingers. Could have not.

By clapping his hands in heaven. Could have, but.

He didn't do it. How does he do that?

Let me read it. Because I.

Want you to be. Sure.

That I'm not making. This up.

This is Genesis 2 all the way back in the Old Testament, the

creation of the first human being, then the Lord.

God. Formed the man of dust from the

ground, and he breathed. He.

Breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man

became a living. Creature, did you see that?

Do you see that detail? There it is.

What's what's? Going on right here, Jesus is.

Signaling in his resurrection. He's signaling to you.

That the same. God.

Who? Created humanity the same.

God, who created everything out of nothing, is Jesus Christ.

And by. Breathing again into his

disciples what Jesus is. Doing is he's.

Signaling that he is God, He's alive and he's up to something

new. He's breathing on his disciples.

Because he's launching a new creation.

Within the old. Creation.

He's creating a. New humanity within the old

humanity. We got to understand that the

point of the resurrection isn't. Just for Jesus to keep it to.

Himself Jesus's. Resurrection is the intro scene.

To the full length. Movie where he passes.

On. The gift of resurrection life to

all who. Believe.

You guys with me? We need the resurrection, right?

We if. We don't have the resurrection.

We don't understand Christianity like.

So many western modern people think.

That the. Christian faith is about bad

people becoming good people, wrong good people becoming

better people wrong people people.

Morals. Maxim wrong.

It's not about bad people becoming good people, it's about

dead. People becoming alive, people.

About dead hearts. Coming to life.

It's about hearts that. Don't know Jesus?

And don't love Jesus. Going boom.

Experiencing resurrection breath and.

All of a sudden I love Jesus. Getting a new heart?

That's the resurrection. What is the resurrection?

The resurrection is. The greatest story ever told.

It's the story that God. Came to the world.

And the world hated him. Which makes perfect sense,

doesn't. It.

Watch the news. For five.

Minutes. 5 minutes. Like.

It makes. For me, I don't know about you,

it would be impossible for me. To believe in a God.

Who comes to this? World.

And then just gets along with it.

Right, it'd be impossible. For me to believe.

In a God-given the state of the world.

It'd be impossible for me to believe in a God.

Who comes to this? Earth.

Lives a Really. Long life.

And then just dies. Peacefully in his sleep of.

Old age, even Plato like. 304 hundred.

Years before Jesus came predicted that if.

There were a perfect man. He would get beaten up by the

world. He would get his eyes.

Gouged out. By the world and he would be

killed and beaten. By the world, of course.

When God comes to. The world.

The world. Hates him the.

Only thing that's surprising. To me.

About the crucifixion of. Jesus is that he made.

It all the way to 33. Years old, the world.

Always crucifies whatever gets in the way.

Of its destructive desires. I remember thinking about this

and thinking OK. If you think that there's a God,

you think he would be like us. No.

And if there's a. God who's not like us, and he

comes to this world. You think he'd be a coward?

No. What he would do is he would.

Up and our pride cut. Down our idolatries disrupt.

Our. Vices.

And that's exactly what Jesus did.

And so this world puts this God to death.

On a cross. Where human?

Sin and suffering was. Experienced in totality.

By this God. Again.

I can't think of any idea of God.

That makes more sense to me than that.

The idea that there's. Some God out.

There. But he's a long.

Ways. Away and he's ignorant.

And doesn't know know what pain and suffering.

Feels like could. Never believe in that God.

Could never worship a God who? Doesn't know what pain and

suffering feel like. Who doesn't know what nerve pain

is like? And so this God.

Is crucified on a cross. Experiences human suffering and

sin and. After this God is.

Crucified because he. Was and is eternal and the

author of Life. This God is resurrected.

And walking around chilling a couple days later.

What? Jesus.

Does in the resurrection? As he demonstrates that.

Death. Is an abyss that has a back.

Door. There's a crack at the bottom of

the foundation and Jesus. Ripped it open.

And he came out the other side, dies for our sin.

Descends into hell. Overthrows.

The enemy rises again. And.

Breathes his spirit into all who.

Believe he's alive. Amen this.

Is the resurrection. And I know you say.

Come on ma'am. Dead bodies coming back to life.

Get real. I know this is, I know this is

church, but let's live in the. Real world, ma'am.

That's what I'm advocating for. If you reject the resurrection

of. Jesus, you're not living in the

real. World.

Even as Christians, sometimes there's this pocket in our

hearts. Maybe it's a?

Small one. Maybe it's a big one that when

we think about Jesus. 'S.

Dead body coming back to life. We think.

Well, you know, of course ancient people thought.

That. Because ancient people are

gullible. And they didn't have science and

they didn't understand that dead bodies.

Don't rise from the dead. So of course they were gullible.

To which I would say bro they. Know that better than you.

Like they. The modern world that we live

in, it's the most sanitized, scared of death, put makeup on

the dead. Body and let's.

Be done with. It in a day culture in the

history of the world if anything, as modern people,

we're the. Ones.

Who are the most gullible about death?

The ancients who saw Jesus. Rise from the dead.

More than 500 of them. They were equally surprised to

see. Him resurrected.

Did. You.

Notice the. Response of the disciples.

In the text that we read. They weren't gullible.

What? What was going on with them?

Did you notice the emotional state of the disciples, the

people who are closest to Jesus when they were resurrected?

They were. Huddling in a room, cowering

like kick dogs. Afraid that the Jewish leaders

were. Going to come for them next you

got to. Realize this they.

Sometimes we think that. The disciples after the death of

Jesus were like. Well, you know.

That was tough. But we're ancient people, so

sometimes you just got to hold on to hope.

And so. Let's wait around a couple days

for the resurrection, get some Life One O 1.9 bumper stickers

and listen to Forrest Frank and we'll.

Wait for the resurrection. I like Forrest Frank.

I don't know why I said that. That's not what's going.

On, though, that's not. That's not their worldview.

The problem with the disciples it.

Was the same problem. That we have.

They were. They were.

Realists. They're being realistic.

We live in a. Materialistic world.

If you can't measure it, it's not real.

If you can't see it, it's not real.

We've seen dead bodies. Go into tombs we've.

Never seen dead bodies come out of tombs, therefore I'm afraid

that was the state that they were in and that's why Jesus.

Needed to breathe the. Holy Spirit into them.

Without the Holy Spirit. They got nothing like faith

without the Holy Spirit is like giving a book.

To somebody that can't read, it's just.

All unintelligible symbols that mean nothing but the spirit.

Gives life. The Spirit gives sight.

The Spirit gives resurrection life.

And I know the next. Response is OK I.

So they weren't gullible. But where's the?

Evidence for the resurrection. And that's a fair question.

I want to be. A little bit careful with it

though. Because what we don't want to do

is treat God. Like he's a captive.

In a materialistic universe. Like God is.

Just a. Thing.

Among other things, and just a. Really big.

Object. Among.

Other objects within the world that you can put within a Petri

dish and say. Aha.

I found the evidence for God. I found the fingerprint.

God's not like that. He's not an.

Object among objects. Or a thing.

Among things, he's not just. Another thing within the time

space continuum that we can prove like a fossil.

He's above and. Beyond and outside of.

Existence. He's the self.

Giving donor of all of existence.

So one thing we have to wrap our minds around.

Is that there? Actually is no evidence.

For God in the. World besides.

Everything right? Everything.

Your consciousness. The created world, the.

Experience of the Spirit, the conditions of life.

Being met. For the world, everything.

There's no evidence. For God in the world.

Besides everything, he's not. Something you put underneath a

microscope and then say. Aha, he proved himself.

To me, he doesn't need to prove himself to anybody, but there is

evidence of the resurrection. It just happens.

To be that that the. Things that generally get in the

way. Of us.

Embracing the resurrection isn't arguments for the resurrection.

It's usually like emotional. Barriers, right?

It's usually. Like you're going.

Through a tough. Season and you're like.

How did if Jesus is alive, how does he fit?

Into all that like. Have you ever tried to believe?

In the resurrection of. Jesus.

While you are potty. Training your two year old, that

was our. Week, Easter week, baby.

Because what's? What's a few more?

Chocolate eggs hidden around the house on Easter week, You know

what I'm saying? Now you're doing most of the.

Chloe's crushing it. That's those are, those are.

The things when you're going through a hell.

And suffering. And you're like, Jesus is alive.

Then why is life like? This OK?

Like I remember I was hanging out with an athlete a couple

years ago. He's going through a tough.

Season of life. And that was his question, man.

If life sucks, so. Much how?

Could Jesus be? Alive.

That's the. That's the.

Barrier, right? And so I'm talking with this

athlete, and I do this a lot. OK.

So I say. Do you like the movie Rocky?

He's an athlete, so he says. Yeah, of course.

Yeah, I love the movie Rocky. I was like, what do you think

about the training montages? Like Rocky 4.

Have you guys seen? Rocky 4 Rocky. 4 Where the

trainer goes, you're going to go through hell like no other man

has gone through before, Worse than any other nightmare.

You've ever gone through? Put on the other end.

I know you'll be the one standing.

Chills. Did you guys get the chills I

get? The chills every time I watch.

That scene. So I was like.

Do you like? The training montages, he's

like, yeah, it's like one of the best parts of the movie.

And. I was like, what would you think

of the? Movie.

If they took the training montages out.

It's like, well, it wouldn't be. A good movie anymore.

So why would God take the? Training.

Montages out of your. Story.

You can't. Remove the resurrection from.

The cross. Can't have resurrection without.

Death don't get the good. Movie without the training.

Montages. Those are the things that.

Generally are the. Obstacles for us embracing.

The Resurrection. Yes, there are plenty of logical

AND. Argumentational.

Evidence for the resurrection we could, for instance, observe the

fact that. The 12 disciples were cowards

before Jesus death. And then became so convinced of.

His resurrection. That the same ones who sold out?

Jesus. All literally.

Died for the sake of Jesus. You don't die for a lie.

How did all? Of them do that.

How do you account for that? We can observe.

The fact that Jesus. Breaks the messianic pattern,

Did you know that? Plenty of other men around the

time of Jesus claimed. To be the Messiah, do.

You know that. Do you know what their names

are? No.

Why not? Because they're still dead.

What happened is when men. Claimed to be the.

Messiah. They would get a.

Large following then. They'd be put to death.

And the following. Shrank to 0.

What happened with? Jesus, he gets put.

To death. And then his following.

Grows afterwards, explodes afterwards.

Rather than dwelling down to 0, that's.

When it explodes. How do you explain that?

How do you account for that? We can observe the.

Fact that the. Mathematical probability that a

small Middle Eastern religion beginning with. 12 people.

Has overcome the world. In the last two. 1000 years and

filled the globe with Christianity and the possibility

of that happening 12 people spreading.

The faith is like .00. Times, 1,000,001.

It's basically a negative probability.

How do you explain that? We can observe the fact that

ancient. Judaism.

Put. People to death for.

Worshipping anything other than God.

That's how seriously they took idolatry.

And suddenly. After the death of Jesus.

You have ancient Jewish. People and everything.

People worshipping a human being.

Who, by the way? The Roman government told them

was a criminal and was put. To death.

Publicly on a cross. How do you account?

For that it's all. There.

And so. That's who Jesus is.

He's God. He's man.

He's the God, ma'am. He's the beginning, He's the

end. He's everlasting.

He's the Alpha. He's the Omega, he's our joy.

He's perfect. He's.

Everything. Amen.

That's the first of the two questions, but look at the.

Text again, he breathed. On them.

Is that you? That's the second.

Of the only two questions that are worth.

Asking in this world number one is who?

Is Jesus. #2 is who are you, brother?

Who are you sister? Who are you, Julian?

Can I give? Them knuckles it all.

Boils down to this when I ask you.

Who are you? I'm not asking for your name.

I'm not asking for your occupation.

Or how much you? Can bench.

Press Ben Bonwell. It's impressive.

Those are your baseball. Card stats?

That's not who you. Are who are you?

It all boils down to this. Are you?

An old creation. Or are you a new creation?

Do you have the breath of Jesus? Or are you just?

Breathing if you are an old creation.

And you don't know Jesus, and you don't.

Have His Holy Spirit, you're an old creation.

And you will live. A life of.

Fear you'll be afraid of. Everything you'll be.

Afraid of death? You'll be afraid of people

you'll be afraid of. Changing public?

Opinions you'll be afraid of. Slander you'll be afraid of.

Loss you'll be afraid of. Suffering.

You'll be afraid of whatever they tell you to be afraid of.

You'll be driven by fear for your whole.

Life. Are you an old creation or are

you a new creation? Are you a new creation?

Do you trust? Jesus.

Do you know? Jesus.

You believe he died for your sins.

You believe he was raised for your righteousness.

You believe He was resurrected to give you new life.

You believe? Death isn't the end.

Hopelessness isn't the end. You know the hell?

You're going through, right? Now is just the training.

Montage for the resurrection. You know.

There's a back door in the bottom of the abyss.

You know. That death publicly,

embarrassingly failed. In its one.

Job to hold. Down the body of Jesus.

And if that's. You if you believe that, if you

know. Jesus, then why are you so

afraid? What are you afraid of?

Who are you afraid of? Do not fear.

Don't be afraid of the world. Don't be afraid of death.

Don't be afraid of people. Don't be afraid of.

Changing public opinion. Don't be afraid of.

Failure, loss, pain. Suffering or even.

Death, because it's all. Been conquered in Christ.

It's all been slain by the Lamb who was slain.

It's all been defeated by the one who appeared defeated.

On the cross. It has been like Jesus said, it

has been finished. Wake up.

Wake up this morning. Wake up O sleeper, and rise from

the dead. Wake up to the breath of Jesus

in your lungs. Wake up.

Why? Why wake up?

Because, because he has risen. Heavenly Father I.

Pray that we would experience that new life right now.

That we would breathe. Deeply, the very breath of God

that we would know you, trust you, that we would be new.

Creations living within the old. Creation.

That we would not just be breathing in.

Oxygen, but that would we would be.

Breathing in the very. Breath of God, would you do?

That Lord. Would you come come again this

morning? Walk among us.

Breathe onto. US and give us the Holy Spirit

and radically change our lives we don't have to be who we were

when we. Walked in this morning.

We can be changed, we can be transformed, we can become new

because of the Holy. Spirit.

So it's. In the precious.

Name of Jesus that. All God's people.

Prayed.