Easter Sunday

April 4, 2021 · Ben Hoyer · 43:22

An Easter Sunday sermon continuing Matthew's Passion account from chapter 27, moving through the torn temple curtain, Jesus' burial by Joseph of Arimathea, and the resurrection, emphasizing our need for a Savior and that Jesus' self-giving service works.

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I get so energized on Easter. I try to point to exactly why I get so energized. I think partly it's like the way that I grew up, but also like it's just a really good story. It's worth being excited about and building traditions around and we're gonna look a little bit at that this morning. Before we do let me pray for us. Hey Lord, thanks for the chance to be your church. Lord, we say together and agree you're the reason we're here. This is your story.

We are your people. This is your world. We look for the beauty of your world to come. This morning would you love us and convict us and heal us, restore us, renew us, and live in us as only you can in all areas and corners of our life. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Last week we were looking at this at the story of

the Passion Week. We've been following getting ready for today for the last six weeks. We've been following this historic season of Lent where the church has laid out these scripture readings and this order of behavior, pattern of behavior, order of thinking that allows you to kind of walk you towards today. It all leads up towards today to say how are you prepared to celebrate the resurrection and those that are prepared to celebrate the

resurrection are the ones who recognize their need for it. So part of the reason that I get so excited about Easter is I am a person who is acquainted with my need for saving. I am aware that I fall short of my own hopes, operations, expectations, ideals, even my best motivations. At times my basis instincts and worst motivations get the best of me and I bear the fruit of that in my life.

I see the fruit of my basis instincts and my worst motivations. They rear their head in relationships that I care about and in casual interactions I don't care about. My need for salvation is born out in the ways I interact in the city and in the ways that I don't. My need for salvation is born out in the way I interact in my home and in the way that I don't. My need for salvation is born out in the way that in the matters of my heart and mind that only me and God know.

Part of the reason I celebrate Easter is because I am a person who is acquainted with my need for salvation. I desperately need a Savior and every year I come back to Easter and look at the story again with anticipation and great need and find there the Savior promised. We're going to look at that story this morning in case you are a person like me. We left off in Matthew's account of the gospel.

The church last week assigned this Matthew's account of the gospel and if you were around for that if you were watching online or here with us last week we talked about the Passion Week which normally I would talk about Palm Sunday but the church told me we had to talk about Passion which I was kind of bummed at first but then it was kind of great. It felt like oh wow I'm really prepared for holy week having spent the last week looking at the story of the crucifixion and if you remember what we said about the story of the crucifixion

is Jesus goes before he's had out of guest so many ways in that painful conversation with with God the Father and then he's arrested and all his best friends fleeing they're worried about their own protection and safety they're worried about themselves and then he's called before a false trial with the leaders of the church and the leaders of the church crump up charges against him and have a fake jury because they're worried about protecting themselves and their their own power and their own position and then they bring him before

Pilate and Pilate asked them a couple questions and tries to get Jesus to get himself off but in the end Pilate is just worried about himself and protecting his position as governor and keeping the peace and the soldiers execute their job by mocking Jesus and punishing him they're just worried they start actually gambling even for his clothing while he dies in front of him because they're just worried about what they will get and in the midst of all of this where everybody is worried about themselves Jesus is unilaterally focused

on everyone else and if the crucifixion when we when we commemorated Good Friday is the moment where Jesus fully gives himself to everyone else all that he has remember he says life is not taken from me but he breathes out life at the end and gives up his spirit said Lord in your hands I give my spirit he gives everything he has to everyone else and immediately we read last week in Matthew chapter 27 immediately the earth and splits open right the sun is blotted

out the curtain in the temple is torn in two right and there's significance in all of that but right where we left off in Matthew chapter 27 verse 51 and behold the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom and the earth shook and the rocks were split the tombs were opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised and coming out of the tombs after after his resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many and when the

centurion of those who were with him keeping watch over Jesus saw the earthquake and what took place they were filled with awe and said truly this is the son of God we left our conversation last week at the crucifixion going holy cow the service of Jesus works the service of Jesus work immediately as he gives up his spirit people believe who didn't before people's eyes are opened who's were closed

before and we continue the story this morning the Easter story starting in Matthew chapter 27 verse 57 when it was evening there came a rich man from Aramathian named Joseph who also was a disciple of Jesus it's important that they name him and where he's from that tells you that people that were reading the gospel of Matthew would know Joseph of Aramathia so if you were in the first

century you are around the early church this letter this copy of the biography of the life of Jesus comes to you you're reading through the story it's like a little aha like a little Easter egg in the story right where it's like oh that's where Joseph of Aramathia comes in right how we heard that he knew Jesus he actually gave him the tomb right and he went to pilot and asked for the body of Jesus and then pilot ordered it to be given to him and Joseph took the

body wrapped it in clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb which he had cut in the rock and he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there sitting opposite the tomb they wanted to watch Jesus's body be cared for and put away now verse 62 next day that is after the day of the preparation the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before pilot and said hey man we remember that the impostor

said that while he was still alive after three days I'll rise therefore orders of tomb to be secure made secure until the third day left the disciples go and steal away and tell people he has risen from the dead and less of fraud and the last fraud will be worse than the first and pilots said to them okay fine take a guard of soldiers so they went and they put guards at the tomb because they were worried that the followers of Jesus would fake the resurrection verse 28 now after the Sabbath towards the dawn of the first day of the week Mary Magdalene and Mary the other Mary went to see the tomb and behold there was a great earthquake

again earthquakes he's and an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back with stone and sat on it his appearance was like lightning and closing white snow and for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men people are always afraid of angels it's fascinating they must be terrifying verse 5 but the angel said to the woman a don't be afraid for I know that you see Jesus who was crucified he's not here for he has risen as he said

come and see the place where he lay and then go quickly and tell the disciples that he has risen from the dead and behold he is going before you to Galilee there you'll see him I like they go home Galilee's home goes to meet the disciples at home he sees him fishing on leg they go home to Galilee trying to find him they go out fishing and he calls them from the boat you know and then he makes breakfast for them on the beach Jesus raises from the dead and then goes

home we'll see later that he also on his way appeared about 500 people it's interesting I wonder sometimes how Jesus picked who he appeared to and who he didn't so as fast-sayed to me that he didn't appear to Paul he came to Paul later after he had already ascended he made stops for 500 people and forgot Paul it seems like this is becoming a marker of our people Matthew tells the story explicitly to help understand the events of how they happened because they were already under attack in the first century because because you see

that the Pharisees were starting to say that people were going to fake the resurrection so he goes to say that they had said this would happen before but look at here's how it really happened the angel came rolled away the stone told the women and go quickly and tell us disciples that he has risen from the dead and behold he is going before you to Galilee and there you'll see him see I have told you so they departed quickly in the from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to the south tell the disciples and behold Jesus met them and said greetings and they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him and

then Jesus said them I don't feel afraid go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee and there they will see me this is the lynch pin of the whole story everything in the formative meta narrative that you and I live in the

the purposeful story that is animated families and generations organizations and churches across time and space from one generation to the next in every country on every continent all hang on this story that that didn't have a hold of Jesus that he did die once but did not stay dead that he comes up out of the

grave and makes good on all of his claims the evidence of the workings of Christ is born out in the faith that has that has gone forward from one generation to the next that faith that is not hindered by death and loss by broken relationships by poverty all the circumstances of life all throughout

the history of time cannot hold back faith in God's people and that faith is created and sustained by the reality that Christ though he was dead once did not stay dead that wherever he is now he's alive fully alive and has this path to spirit through the torn curtain in the temple out to his people to animate their lives and bodies and bring them to a future that he has prepared for them for you this is the lynch pin because he came out and met the women at the tomb

because he went home to Galilee and gathered his 11 closest friends because he stopped and visited the 500 because he ascended and dispatched his spirit we know every claim of Jesus is true every claim of Jesus is true because he is risen because he did not stay dead because he lives today wherever he is and we

wait for his return you know what's kind of fun to me is to see the way that this truth this first truth that he has risen the reason you and I know that call and response he is risen he is risen indeed it is not because it like sounds cool or someone it's been a meme that's passed around but it's a refrain among the

people of God that has the core belief that animates all others that has been spoken back and forth as a greeting on this celebration for generations I mean back to the beginning look with me in first Corinthians the Corinthian letters are Paul's letters back to the church in Corinth we have to listed in our New Testament we call them first Corinthians and second Corinthians most scholars think that there were more than two letters that have been kind of amalgamated

into two here that these are a couple fragments of maybe as many as four letters back to the church in Corinth the other thing most scholars think is that the Corinthian letters are some of the oldest New Testament documents we have right maybe written in the 50s and 50s in O50 right like maybe maybe 20 years after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus now when I was young 20 years sounded like a long time but I turned 40 this year and 20 wasn't that

long ago I don't feel much different from when I was 20 maybe some of you in the room can remember 20 years ago without much work imagine we sit in a room they met in small rooms or in homes in Corinth and we can remember 20 years ago when there was news on the other side of the Mediterranean that bubbled up

and came this way of a Jewish rabbi who was crucified on a cross didn't stay dead and people claim he is the king of kings ruling over a kingdom now and they greet each other with he is risen Paul writes the letter back to them in the 50s first Corinthians chapter 15 and we're going to skip around here a little bit because Paul's a little bit long winded it's not that he's not brilliant he is but we don't need all of what he has to say this morning so we're going to

skip around just a little bit because I want to get the main lines of what he says here because it's really fun for us chapter 15 of first Corinthians now I would remind you brothers of the gospel I preached to you which you received in which you stand and by which you are being saved I mean right there is beauty the gospel is does something the gospel being the good news about Jesus that he was raised from the dead that that gospel that message that truth does something in which you received in which you stand and by which you are being

saved if you hold fast the word I preached to you unless you believed in verse three for I delivered to you as of first importance that which I also received that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures that he was buried that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures and then he appeared to see this and then to the 12 and then appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time most of whom are still alive those whom have fallen asleep the reason I love this passage is because you see the way

that in my text the publisher their off your verse three has a colon I fly delivered to you as a first importance that which I also received colon this is what I received that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures that he was buried in that he was raised from the third day according with the scriptures then he appeared to see this and part of the and then the 12th most scholars believe that Paul is quoting an early formulation of the Apostles Creed remember the apostrophe I believe in God the Father Almighty Maker of heaven earth and in son Jesus Christ was born of Virgin Mary

self-energetic poncents by Christ by dying was buried he rose on the third day according to scriptures ascended to heaven according to scriptures that that already in the 50s Paul has received from someone a truth that is anchoring their whole story and that truth is this that Christ was killed and then raised to life again that that already realized that this truth cascades into so many others that this is the lynch pin that all the rest of the story hangs on that

if this is true we can extrapolate so many things that are true if this is true God is the creator of the world if this is true God made you by not by accident but on purpose if this is true God has secured a future for you that he won't let death take away if this is true every promise of Jesus can be found to be true listen if you are compelled by the story of Easter and you sit for a minute and go why do I feel a sense of gratitude and excitement on today it's more than

the ham it's more than the family gathering it's more than the Easter eggs it's that the story of the gospel punches through the circumstances of life with the power of that original spirit that created spirit of God to do something in you to bring to life something new in you Easter is the lynch pin of the whole story and if you are at all compelled to

believe that he has risen there is so much more for you there is so much more for you I wanted to give you just one other thing that I think it means that he is risen that he is risen means for us and it's in back and mouth you again because I was like wrestling with this like truth that because Jesus made good

on the promise of resurrection it means he'll make good on all the other promises and good Friday I we have the church open and we had these stations of the cross out and I was sitting here I had some time by myself we just had the place open and people came to walk through and good Friday is like a commemoration that is meaningful to me already but it was interesting this year because I felt like really ready to let some things to hide like I was really

ready to be done with a certain season you know like I'm like ready to like to not be in limbo and look to something new and I thought this is opportunity with Easter to say that something new is starting that something new is starting in the world and maybe something new is starting in you with Easter and if the promise if the resurrection means that all the promises

of Jesus are real and good and true what other promises might there be for us and this is what I got them Matthew chapter five if you want to look there with me then that's great if not you can take my words for this year Matthew chapter five Jesus is speaking to a crowd of people and he makes some promises chapter or verse two of chapter five and he opened his mouth and taught them saying blessed are the poor in spirit for there's this the kingdom of

heaven blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted blessed are the me for they shall inherit the earth blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be satisfied and blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy and blessed are the pure and heart for they shall see God and blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God children of God and blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness

safe for theirs is the the kingdom of God and blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven for sort that so they persecuted the prophets before you that's beautiful right the beatitudes I was think of Jordan when I think about the beatitudes we read this book together called poor in spirit poverty of spirit the synopsis is

because of the gospel gospel being Christ was killed on your behalf that could not hold him he raises up out of the grave for your benefit in order that all the worst parts of you the worst desires the basis instincts the darkest motivations would be put to death and something new could be brought to life you want to know what is new that is brought to life in you you can be all

of these beatitudes all of these are you in Christ Jesus you can be poor in spirit and inherit the kingdom of God you though you mourn you will be comforted you can be meek and inherit the earth though you hunger and thirst for righteousness you will be satisfied you can be merciful and shown mercy you can be pure and hard and see God you are the peacemakers you are the children of God though you may be persecuted yours is the kingdom of heaven that that these

beatitudes are for you Easter means that God has every good thing lined up for you he gives to you freely because believe my prayer for us today is that we would be people who on Easter morning pull out the little thread of faith in us

like the little inclination to go this story is more than a story why has it been a linchpin for so long millennia why have people been been saying to one another in every generation across every country in every language he is risen he is risen indeed that we would pull at the a clean to believe as we go deeper

into the question of Lord what might this mean God what might this mean that you died and rose we encounter a faith that animates every corner of our life and we find hope in the promises of Jesus with the comfort that because Easter is true all of his promises are true for us as I processed that on good Friday and examined

my excitement this morning I realized that I have every reason to hope for new things this year because Christ is not dead he is alive he has risen he's risen indeed let me pray hey Lord Lord we love you because you have loved us and

Lord we don't always understand what that means and what it doesn't mean we don't even we're not even always caught for the end of the location of our faith what we believe and what we don't but Lord this morning we are aware of your empty tomb and Lord we want to believe it is true for us we affirm that you are alive

not dead Holy Spirit come and open in our hearts and minds what that means for us today you are alive what that means for us today your gospel your good news what that means for us today or may we not forget but may we cling to the reality of your resurrection and then uncover all the truth that that means for us in Jesus name we pray

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