Easter Sunday Sermon – April 17, 2022 – Pastor Dave

WELCOME

Good morning First Baptist. We welcome you to worship this morning. Be sure to remember your brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the week as you pray for them, and as the Holy Spirit brings their faces to your mind. Be sure to also connect with them in the ways that are possible. And if you have any questions or would like to talk to someone, please don’t hesitate to contact the church through the church telephone and leave a message. (519-733-4144)

Call to Worship

This day dawns brightly!

Hope is restored!
Christ is Risen!

He has conquered death!
Come, open your hearts and spirits to the joyous Good News!

Let us celebrate the greatest victory of all time. Christ is Risen! Amen!

Songs

Prayer

O God of all our days,
we come this morning with eager anticipation.
We seek to know you, to see you, to touch you.
Open our hearts,
that we might experience you anew.
Open our lives,
that we may be faithful witnesses
to your resurrection.
May we, with shouts of joy,
proclaim your steadfast, liberating love
to all people, everywhere. Amen.

IT IS A DAY FOR CELEBRATION SO LET’S WORSHIP SOME MORE TOGETHER!

Good Morning FBK & welcome to worship!!!

Songs

Prayer

Prayers of Confession & Assurance:

Gracious God, we come before you with so many things which weigh us down. We would like an “easy” faith, one that doesn’t cause us to look within ourselves, to identify those many ways in which we have forsaken you. But faith is never easy. It requires our very souls.

Forgive us, God, for all those things which we have neglected to do that would have helped someone else to be closer to you. Heal our hearts from the wounds which have been inflicted upon us by the anger and misunderstandings which occur in relationships. Prepare our lives to be of service to you.

This day, as we have gathered to celebrate the joy of Easter, let us remember that we are to become “Easter People”, people of the Resurrection; people who know that what was thought to be impossible has been conquered. Forgive our stubbornness and fears. Fill us with your healing love and help us to become the disciples that you need to serve in this world.

Amen.

Assurance of Pardon:

Darkness is gone! Light floods into our souls! Christ is Risen! His love and mercy are poured out for you. Rejoice! You have been saved and forgiven through the gift of Jesus Christ. AMEN.

Easter Service

Today's Message: Pastor Dave Page

Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Revelation 1:17–18 (NIV)

These are the words of Jesus given to John the Apostle, the one whom Jesus loved – given to John in the great revelation he receives from Jesus….Can you hear the power in those words, Can you hear the triumph – the authority….you see these are the words that Jesus Disciples and all of those lining the streets that Palm Sunday, 1 week ago, these are the words of a conquering messiah that they wanted so desperately to hear…but now….a week had passed…and what a week it had been….in fact many of those that had lined the streets shouting Hosanna, Hosanna…I think some of them were also likely in the mob that shouted…

“crucify Him, crucify Him”on that terrible Friday… Are you familiar with the saying, “What a difference a week makes.” That familiar phrase highlights how much things like the weather forecast to the price of gas even world peace can change in the blink of an eye…it seems today that all of this can change in a very short period of time. But, considering the drastic effects of recent events, this traditional saying seems to have some prophetic worth these days doesn’t it….?

From extreme fluctuations in the stock market and housing prices, to the rapid spread of the next wave of disease , our lives have been rapidly and completely turned upside down in such a short time….

While we will certainly reflect on this unprecedented season as one that changed life as we know it, when it comes to a week that made a difference in history there is no greater one than the Holy Week we have celebrated together as His Church, these past days.… Within the week itself, from the time Jesus arrived in Jerusalem to the time he rose from the dead, the situation changed entirely for him. The crowds went from applauding him to accusing him, from praising him to punishing him, from celebrating him to crucifying him, and from exalting him to executing him….and in that week, for Jesus’ disciples and those that followed him….those that hoped in him at the the triumphal entry into Jerusalem….at the end of that week, all hope seemed gone…utterly gone…

Hope is a very powerful word for Humans. It’s absolutely essential to life….and for each of us in our own unique way, I truly believe that sooner or later, we realize and have to deal with the fact that the hope the world offers…the hope that is based on our wants, desires and conjectures, that ‘false’ hope never really seems to provide what we all are searching for… but the hope Scripture talks about is different. The hope that Jesus taught of and ultimately delivers…that hope is as an expectation all of us know, b/c that hope is based on the truth and promises of God.

I said Hope is absolutely essential to life. Harvard Medical School once did a study and found that when they diagnosed patients with serious diseases, all of them were:

“looking for a sense of genuine hope—and indeed, that hope was as important to them as anything prescribed by a physician.”

Even with all the medical technology available to us now, we still come back to this basic human need to believe that there is a possibility to reach a future that is better than the what we know now. That is all the more important when we face overwhelming times of hopelessness, or moments when it seems the world is against us and when it seems we have no control over what is happening to us. That’s what the Disciples were facing on that Sunday morning when they awoke….that’s what Mary Magdalene was experiencing as she approaches the tomb on Easter morning, shedding tears of hopelessness, despair and frustration. Jesus had healed her of demon possession, and more importantly, he had shown her how to have peace with God. He had made so many promises, said so many good things and performed so many miracles. But now he was dead and all the things that she had place so much hope in had died with him. Hope it seemed, for her….was lost.

Scripture Reading: John 20

1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”

I personally think this is one of the most climatic scenes of the post crucifixion timeline. Mary likely thinking, things couldn’t get any worse discovers that they had – Now Jesus Body, along with her hope was gone….

She wasn’t alone however. The disciples had given up everything: home, family, job and possessions. They watched as the crowds flocked to Jesus. They listened as He taught like no one before him. They watched in awe at his miracles and healings. They heard his claims that God was His Father, that He was one with God and that He had come to usher in God’s kingdom on Earth. And as he was crucified, they still held out hope He would be delivered. But then it happened. Scripture tells us that with a loud cry, Jesus breathed His last breath and, with Him, their hope died too.

We’ve all been there haven’t we? Moments when the world seemed like a very cruel place – a place of broken promises, unsuspecting diagnosis, unfulfilled dreams, unthinkable betrayal or lies, and devastating disappointments? Like when it seems like the cards are stacked against us and we have absolutely no control over what’s happening. And without warning, we find ourselves wrapped in hopelessness and despair. How can we face such situations and overcome them? As with Mary and the disciples, our only hope is bound up in Jesus and the power of the resurrection…That’s the message I want you to hear this Easter Sunday.

Only one thing can bring hope to a hopeless situation.
Only one thing can bring joy where there is only sadness.
Only one thing can bring life where there is nothing but death.
Only one thing can give you optimism when it seems that you’re defeated.

And that’s the power of the resurrection! Look at what Mary discovers next:

14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

After Peter and John had come and found the tomb empty, they went home.

But Mary remained.

Sometimes I wish I’d wait a little longer in my grief or distress. Sometimes I wish I would take the time to stay in my tears a few more minutes instead of rushing away from a painful sight, or brushing aside appropriate mourning for something more pleasant.

Mary sat with her tears long enough to peer into the tomb and see something the men hadn’t seen. Angels. They asked her why she was crying.

Do not read to quickly past here answer here Church – She gave the most telling answer:

“They have taken away my Lord” 

John 20:13

Not the Lord, or the disciplesLord, or Israels Lord, but my Lord. Mary Magdalene was close enough to Jesus to tell an angel that he was hers. And when another Man, whom she thought was the gardener, asked her the same question, she begged him to help her find Jesus’s body.

Not the Lord, or the disciples Lord, or Israels Lord, but Her Lord.

This is the most beautiful display of intimacy with the Savior. This is fellowship. This is family. Mary Magdalene shows us something about how close all of us can and should be to Jesus.

That Man she thought was the gardener revealed himself to her as Jesus. He did so by simply calling her name.

“Mary” (John 20:16).

Mary….Oh Mary….my beloved Mary….

Hear her name. Hear your name.

Can you hear your name this morning??? That same feeling he has for Mary in this moment is what Jesus feels for you, right now!

17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”

18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

John 20:1–18.

He is risen! I have seen the Lord! We have said to you over the past weeks of our Ephesian study that the the same power which raised Jesus from the dead is available to you in your life and the circumstances you face – the power of the resurrection.

Here is the heart of the message this morning – Don’t lose Hope. Hope is a word we throw around too casually. “I hope this works, I hope you feel better, I hope for that promotion.” The true essence of the word gets lost. As I said earlier, the hope the world offers is all too often based on our wants, our ideas of what we need to be fulfilled, but the hope provided through resurrection power is different.

The hope promised by a resurrect Jesus is eternal and won’t fail us. Hebrews 6:19 says, “We have this hope (talking about God’s promises and purposes) as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” The hope that God offers is something to build on,

it’s a secure anchor to hold us and keeps us from drifting after this and that,

it is the rock on which we stand, and a Truth that cannot be moved or shaken.

And it is forever found in the resurrection power of Jesus, which took a cross and a tomb, the very symbols of death, despair and hopelessness and turned it forever into a symbol of life and hope, no matter what we face!

HE IS RISEN – Can you here Mary’s voice – HE IS RISEN!

And here is why I want you to see Hope this Easter…. because, in spite of all that is going on around us in the world or what might be going on in your world – Hope in Jesus allows us to see what others can’t. Consider this:

The Resurrection Means Union with Jesus:

We’ve already seen an example of this with Jesus and Mary at the tomb – and in the days after the resurrection we see it repeated over and over again with those Jesus meets with…God loves us higher and wider and deeper than we can possibly imagine.

By our faith, you and I received the righteousness of Christ because we are united to him. This means that when God looks at us, he does not see our unrighteousness, but the righteousness of Jesus in our place.

Now, as new creations in Christ, in-dwelt with the Holy Spirit, we can walk in the way of love….we are in Him, we are in Christ – we are united with Jesus.

It also means that, The Resurrection Defeated Death!

9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

Romans 6:9–10.

You are Truly free.

Yes, death is the just punishment for sin. But wonderfully, Jesus rose from the dead because the grave could not hold him. Death had no mastery over him. Therefore, you and I need not fear death. We are truly loved.

And then, there’s Hope.

The Resurrection Gives Living Hope

In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.

1 Peter 1:3–4.

We Jesus followers have great hope. Not a false hope. Not well wishes…or good luck.

We have a trustworthy hope based on faith.

We have been justified before God.

We are no longer his enemies headed for hell.

No, because He is Risen, we are blessed, chosen, forgiven, redeemed, and sealed by the Holy Spirit, guaranteed eternal life.

And we can now live according to our identity as children of God. – That’s what Peter is saying when he wrote this letter of encouragement to Christians who were undergoing intense persecution at the hands of Nero and the Roman Empire.

Peter – Peter, who had himself betrayed Jesus three times! The same Peter who just a very short while after he had found the tomb would be restored by Jesus himself – restored to relationship…and in that restoration would have his own hope restored. So much so that he would never deny him again and ultimately give his life for His Saviour.

What Peter and so many others in the Scriptures proclaim to us is this:

THE RESURRECTION IS NOT SIMPLY A DOCTRINE TO BE BELIEVED. IT IS AN ACHIEVEMENT TO BE EXPERIENCED AND PUT INTO PRACTICE!

Here is our challenge to you living in the light of the resurrection truth:

He is calling you today to:

  • Embrace resurrection values not – earth-bound values.
  • Serve with resurrection love – not earthly motivations.
  • Live with resurrection power – not with the power of the flesh.
  • and when the time comes, Die with resurrection hope – not time-bound hope.

“THE RESURRECTION CHANGES EVERYTHING!”

Jesus said these words to another woman – early in John’s Gospel – Martha:

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies”

John 11:25

Here’s what living in the hope of the resurrection means:

  • We are daring to identify ourselves with the resurrected Son of God.
  • We are saying that Easter isn’t over just because Easter Sunday will pass today
  • We are daring to say we will live and serve and love as He did.
  • We are saying we will, by our deeds, proclaim Him until He returns.

He has risen. He has risen indeed.

Prayer

God of Awesome Joy,

…..be with us this day as we celebrate the resurrection of your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Let the light of your love flood into our lives and through us to all those who have been captured by darkness, that the light may give them healing, freedom and hope. As we witness the surprise of the women at the tomb, the appearance of the Savior to Mary, and her good news brought to the disciples, let us remember that this good news exists for us today. Darkness does not win. Death is not victorious. Christ is Risen, for us, for you and for me. We are raised with Christ to a new life of hope and service. Let the joy of this good news swirl around in our hearts. Let excitement for service and ministry burst forth from us. Let us truly be the “Easter People” that you have called us to be. For we ask these things in the name of the Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. AMEN.

Song

Benediction

Dance, celebrate, sing, and shout for joy!

Christ is Risen and He goes before us!

Go in peace, and feel the presence of the Risen Lord with you,

Now and forever. AMEN.

Have a great Week!