"Resurrection: Reality, Reckoning, Receiving"
Easter Sunday Apr.20/03
Acts 10:34-43
Reality
If you'd been an Iraqi depending on your national TV service for news the past few weeks, it would be understandable if you feel like you've been jolted back into touch with reality. All the time the coalition forces were invading, false reports were fed onto the network: supposedly the Iraqi forces had the enemy "surrounded" when in fact it was the other way around. Just a few days before the regime fell, the Information Minister was telling reporters, "Baghdad is secure" - while the same news clip showed a statue of Saddam at one of his palaces being toppled by coalition forces. Whatever you may choose to pretend, reality has a way of crashing in around you.
What about the Easter story? Is it "make believe" like the supposed Iraqi staunch resistance, or did it really happen? Is this pastor (and thousands of others) just another "MISinformation minister" spouting forth the party line with a vested interest in the regime at stake? From the apostles on down, the Good News is that the message about Jesus' resurrection is really that -- news, not wishful thinking or deceptive plot. And because it's reality, Jesus is someone to be reckoned with in the future as Judge; so we need to receive Him today.
First, pay particular attention to the way Peter presents the story of the resurrection in Acts 10. Starting in v.36 he said, "You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace...You know what has happened throughout Judea...We are witnesses of everything he did...He was...seen...by witnesses...by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead." Christianity is not primarily a clever system of ideas, or an abstract philosophy of life; it's not even a sequence of wonderful feelings we've had, marvelous as they may be. Essentially, Christianity is an historical account of how God stepped into time and space in the person of Jesus Christ -- in order that we might step into eternity with Him as a direct result of what He did within history. It is Good News, just presented by Peter BarJonah rather than Peter Mansbridge.
How can we be sure it's factual? Consider Peter's situation as he speaks to Cornelius and the group of other Gentiles assembled at Caesarea. What's this tale cost him already to this point? Back in Acts 4(3) the authorities in Jerusalem jailed him the first time, interrogated him, and threatened him. Next chapter he's thrown in jail again, then flogged - terrible torture! (5:18,40) This was a bloody, cruel scourging applied to one's bare back. And this is the same man who the night of Jesus' arrest sang like a bird denying 3 times he even knew Him! Why is he now so persistently sticking to his story if it isn't true? Later, in Acts 12(4), Herod has the apostle James killed and Peter jailed awaiting public trial. Now the pressure is really on. But Peter and all the other apostles keep on insisting to their dying breaths as martyrs that the resurrection really happened. As he wrote in his last circulated letter, "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty." (2 Peter 1:16) In 1Cor.15(3-6) Paul lists several occasions and hundreds of witnesses to the appearances of the Risen Lord, most of whom were still living when he was writing, so his readers could check out his story.
When your life is threatened in a deadly fashion, whether by persecution or disease, it really helps you clarify quickly what's most important to you and what you really believe. Our family has found the message trustworthy these last few months, and so did Peter. As Chuck Colson said, "Nothing less than a witness as awesome as the resurrected Christ could have caused those men to maintain to their dying whispers that Jesus is alive."
Something exciting has come to light archeologically even since last Easter that offers strong indirect evidence for the resurrection. That's the stone burial box discovered last fall that reads "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus". It was extremely unusual for such a bone box to refer to one's brother - it would have to be a very famous brother, not a phoney. The scientists of the Geological Survey of Israel found the inscription had not been tampered with; the ossuary passed all the tests, it's the genuine article. The editor of the Biblical Archeology Review observed, "The James ossuary may be the most important find in the history of New Testament archeology." Our superintendent Phil Delsaut notes, "Here we have an artifact speaking to us out of the past with the Easter message. James is dead and here is the place of his remains, but his Brother, there is no bone box for Him!" Hallelujah!
Reckoning
So...if Jesus is no longer in the tomb, He's a dude you'd better be ready to reckon with. Peter says he's preaching "the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all." If I'd been in Iraq with hundreds of thousands of coalition troops heading my way, I'd have been interested in peace, too! Jesus Christ is more powerful than Saddam, more powerful than any army that could be assembled - He's "King of kings and Lord of lords". If He is alive and is "Lord of all" as Peter acknowledges in passing, we'd better get ready to do business with Him.
Jesus offers a true peace that no earthly accord or alliance can give: a peace resulting from overcoming the forces of sin, death, and evil. A peace grounded in the fact of His resurrection, which sealed God's plan of redemption prophesied for centuries. A peace that other religions can't offer because they're based on our action rather than God's accomplishment.
Dr.D.James Kennedy tells of a believer who was once asked, "There are hundreds of religions in the world, and they all have their own ideas. How do you know yours is right?" He replied, "No, there are only 2 religions in the world. They are either 'do' or 'done'. The other religions in the world teach that man will be saved by what he does: Do this and don't do that. But Christianity is the only religion that teaches 'It is done.' It is finished." That's the peace Jesus can offer because He cried out as He died on the cross, "It's finished! It's paid off!" referring to our sin-debt. He died for all and lived again that He might be Lord both of the dead and the living. (Rom.14:9)
Peter says in v.42, "He commanded us [note the authority there] to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead." If you don't come to terms with Jesus now, you'll certainly have to deal with Him in the hereafter! Now be careful. Many Canadians in polls agree that Jesus is the Son of God and even that He has risen from the dead, but they fail to make the connection that this impacts our decisions in everyday life. What we say and do and think and decide has eternal consequences. Life really matters! A living Lord has expectations of me, there's a divine yardstick sizing up all my actions! What I do and who I am in this present life matters in a final sense. Other famous religious leaders all died and most have tombs where they are venerated; Jesus is different. He now possesses a marvelous spiritual body that's not bound by the atoms and forces of this created order. And because He lives, what He said before death now matters tons more than what other religious leaders taught. If we want a bright future in eternity, we'd do well to take to heart what He said and pray to find out His directions each day.
Paul wrote of Jesus' final victory in 1Cor.15(24-26), "Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.The last enemy to be destroyed is death." He who rose from the tomb at Easter is the ultimate Boss of the universe. Are you pleasing Him? Do you submit your plans for approval, or are you just trying to do your own thing like those who pretend there's no God - in Biblical terms, "fools" - out of touch with reality (Ps.14:1)? The Bible definitely says a time will come when "the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels.He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power." (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9) Even for believers, all our deeds are tested for final value. In 1Cor.3(10b-15), Paul wrote, "Each one should be careful how he builds...his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light.It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames." Resurrection means there will be a day of reckoning - be ready!
Receiving
Now we come to the crux of the matter. If the Resurrection is historical happening, and judgment is a future fact, what does that require of us now in the present? Peter proclaims in v.43, "All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." Believe - receive. To believe means determining to make the necessary adjustments in your life in response to the truth of a matter. Don't be like Saddam's cronies who, whatever they actually knew, refused to acknowledge the statues and bunkers were crumbling around them. The King is at the gate! Persisting in your pride and willful ways must spell disaster. Accept the wonderful truth that Jesus lives and offers you new life and direction! Confess your need for Him, get serious about a daily walk with the help of God's Word and prayer. Hand over the remote so He will be in control of your life and deepest desires; only He can quench that thirst within you that's crying out for something more.
Peter recalls the prophets' promise that those who believe in Jesus receive forgiveness of sins on account of His sacrifice, His putting forth Himself as a sin-offering in our place. Remember at the Last Supper Jesus took the cup and described it as "my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." (Matthew 26:28) That's why He went through that whole trauma, to dispose of all our disgusting spiritual junk, to make us clean and fresh inside. Paul declared, "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus...For what the law was powerless to do...God did by sending his own Son ...to be a sin offering." (Romans 8:1,3)
When we receive Christ as Saviour and Lord, God's Word says we'll receive forgiveness, but something even more precious: the Holy Spirit. As Peter was speaking to Cornelius and gang, the Holy Spirit came upon them as upon the disciples at Pentecost. Back then in Acts 2(38), Peter had preached that those who repented and were baptized would receive forgiveness of sins "and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Now, surprisingly to the Jewish believers, it'd happened again to these Gentiles; Peter observes in v.47, "They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have."
A cup or drinking-glass is not fulfilling its purpose when it's washed and dried and sitting all pretty and clean on the shelf. No, a cup's function is to be a conveyor of something to drink. Some Christians have the mistaken notion that Jesus' goal was just to die for our sins so we could be forgiven and made righteous but that's all; but God's not glorified if we just go so far as being forgiven, then come to church all self-righteous to look good and take pride in our legalistic flawlessness. What a dry futile cup! God's aim rather is to wash us then put us to use ladling out His kindness and truth and grace through continuous filling with His Spirit. Before He died, Jesus said in John 16(7,12f), "I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away.Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you...I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth."
When we believe and receive the living Christ, God gives us power to become His very own children (Jn.1:12). It's His Spirit that comes to make us eternally alive with God's willing and energy and diverse gifts. Paul writes, "Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." (Galatians 4:6) The Spirit's moving in our soul is the sign that we have a relationship with God, that the Resurrection has worked in us and re-connected the fellowship that was disrupted in Eden.
The Difference Jesus Makes
It was interesting to watch Iraqi officials distance themselves from Saddam Hussein after his downfall became obvious. The Iraqi ambassador to the United Nations was speaking to reporters outside his home shortly after the capital city was occupied. He made a point of saying, "I have no relationship with Saddam Hussein." The power of the butcher of Baghdad had been broken.
The message of the empty tomb is that the power of the prince of this world is already broken, and the completion of his downfall is close at hand. Jesus had said that His death marked the point at which the prince of this world would be driven out (Jn.12:31). We who believe are now ambassadors for Christ; our ongoing Christian service is the mopping-up operation, like coalition forces ferreting out the last pockets of resistance. Satan's downfall is sure, it's just a matter of time.
If you're still allowing Satan turf in your life, confess and abandon that stronghold! You want no relationship with him! He's out to "steal and kill and destroy", inch by inch. Ally yourself instead with Jesus, so you can be a part of His operation to re-build people's lives and advance the only Kingdom that will outlast all other earthly kingdoms.
As we receive forgiveness through Jesus and the blessing of the Holy Spirit, not only are we changed, those around us are affected, too. Even the stoniest of hearts can be affected by Him whose resurrection power rolled away the stone that sealed His tomb. Elementary school principal Jaime Ayala believes that planting seeds of God's Word into the lives of the students in his inner city school in the slums of Bogota, Columbia, not only changes the lives of the children, but slowly changes the whole community. Jaime tells the story of a little girl who suffered from abuse and fighting in her home. Each time the teachers from the school visited with her family, they returned to school helpless and broken - there didn't seem to be anything they could do.
Then the little girl received a Bible Comic produced by the Bible Society. She brought it home and her mom read it too. She was intrigued by the message and came to see the chaplain at the school. Both the little girl and the mother gave their hearts to Jesus. Their home is slowly changing. Jaime smiles as he adds, "We can see the change in her face.It's the power of God."
Josh McDowell is a well-known Christian speaker and writer who has authored more than 45 books. His classic though is "Evidence that Demands a Verdict": the new edition has over 700 pages springing from his examination of the claims for the truth of the resurrection. But even with such impressive research, Josh McDowell admits, "You may think it was the irrefutable intellectual evidence that brought me to Christ. No, the evidence was only God's way of getting His foot in the door of my life. What brought me to Christ was the realization that He loved me enough to die for me."
Over the next year-and-a-half, the Lord worked several changes in Josh's life. One was in how he viewed people. He says, "Instead of using others to serve me, I wanted to be used to serve others." Another area that changed was his bad temper; before he became a Christian he almost killed a man, and he used to blow his stack if someone just looked at him the wrong way. But trusting Christ changed him so he wasn't set off by events that would have triggered his bad temper before.
Josh notes, "Perhaps the most significant change has been in the area of hatred and bitterness. I grew up filled with hatred, primarily aimed at one man whom I hated more than anyone else on the face of this earth. I despised everything this man stood for. I can remember as a young boy lying in bed at night plotting how I would kill this man without being caught by the police. This man was my father." Not only was Josh's father the town drunk, he physically abused his wife dreadfully. Josh's mother told her son she had lost the will to live, and was just hanging on to see him graduate from high school; she died two months later. Josh hated his father for breaking his mother's heart, and admits he might have killed him had he not gone off to college.
McDowell says, "But after I made a decision to place my trust in Jesus as Saviour and Lord, the love of God inundated my life. He took my hatred for my father and turned it upside-down. Five months after becoming a Christian, I found myself looking my dad right in the eye and saying, "Dad, I love you." I did not want to love that man, but I did. God's love had changed my heart."
That's not the end of the story. Some time later, Josh was in a car accident and his father came to see him when he was recovering at home. Remarkably, he was sober that day. He seemed uneasy, pacing back and forth, then blurted out: "How can you love a father like me?" Josh explained how trusting Jesus had changed his life. He said, "God has taken away my hatred for you and replaced it with love." They talked for nearly an hour, then Josh's dad said, "Son, if God can do in my life what I've seen Him do in yours, then I want to give Him the opportunity." Hearing his dad pray to trust Jesus as Saviour and Lord was one of the greatest joys in Josh's life.
Can a person who used to be habitually stone drunk change? Josh recalls, "My father's life was changed right before my eyes. It was like someone reached down and switched on a light inside him. He touched alcohol only once after that. He got the drink only as far as his lips, and that was it -- after 40 years of drinking! He didn't need it any more. 14 months later, he died from complications of his alcoholism. But in that 14-month period, over a hundred people in the area around my tiny hometown committed their lives to Jesus Christ because of the change they saw in the town drunk, my dad."
Josh McDowell concludes, "You can laugh at Christianity. You can mock and ridicule it. But it works. If you trust Christ, start watching your attitudes and actions -- Jesus Christ is in the business of changing lives." Let's pray.