Easter Sunday

So, in previous Easter Sundays, I presented the evidence for the resurrection, and I thought today instead of presenting the evidence for the resurrection, it is there, and the book The Verdict gives the evidence. It is historical fact. This is not myth. This is not a fairytale. This is the crucifixion, the burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ is based on strong historical evidence.

It is a fact. There was a man called Jesus, he was put to death on a cross, he was buried, and on the third day he rose again. And if you're skeptical about that, do read the book about the verdict for the open tomb. But I want to emphasize this, that this is the day, when we think of the day as the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, that this is the day that changes the world. If it is true that Jesus Christ actually rose from the dead, if that is true, it changes everything. It changes our whole life. This day, the day of His resurrection, is a day that changes the world. You say, well, that was 2,000 years ago, John.

How can that have any relevance for me? I want you to think of it in this way. I want you to think of three words. The first word is forgiveness. Forgiveness. That deals with our past. You know what it is to do wrong? We have some of it here. Frequent disobedience, right?

One little boy trying to strangle the next. I mean, in the space of five minutes, do I need to have convinced you that we have a past? These children have a very short past. Some of us have a very long past. Think of your past. There are some things that you're proud of. There are some things that you've done very well, you've achieved, you've done well. But there are other things in your life, isn't this the case, that you don't really talk about too much about? In fact, there may be even secrets. There are things that you're ashamed of. There are things that you feel guilty about. We don't like dealing with guilt. People say, well, there's false guilt.

Yeah. But often, if you feel guilty, it's because you are guilty. We've done wrong. On Good Friday, I read from Isaiah chapter 53, where Isaiah, one of the Old Testament prophets, likens us to sheep.

Not very flattering. And we're like sheep in this respect, that we've all gone astray. He says we've turned to our own way. That's what sheep do in a flock. They just wander all over the place. I was in Scotland this past June with my 11-year-old grandson, and Fred of mine's got this huge sheep farm, 1,200 sheep. And when we're there, he said, John, I want to move one flock from one field to another.

Can you help me? He's in his lane range rover. He's got two sheep dogs and he said, your job is to stand on the road, I mean talk about wishing death, and stop any cars coming as the sheep cross the road. And I knew what was going to happen. Many of them were scattered.

Some of them come charging towards me instead of going into the field, and I'm shouting to get them going back, hoping a Ferrari doesn't come and plow me down. We're like sheep who've gone astray. What about your past?

How is it? The Bible says all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God. God is holy. We saw on the slide, Jesus is the sinless, dying for the sinful. We are sinful people. We are not perfect people, far from it.

And we've messed up. And this is what Paul says in that great chapter of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15. He says in verse 3, I delivered to you as of first importance.

Paul has got many things to say. He says this is of first importance, what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures. Notice he roots the Gospel on the authority of Scripture. There are those who try to unhitch the resurrection from Scripture.

How foolish. He says, I received it 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 says in verse 17, 1 Corinthians 15, if Christ has not been raised, this is his argument, your faith is futile and you're still in your sins. That is, if Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead, there is no forgiveness. But Paul's argument is this, he has risen from the dead and because of that, because he comes the sinless and pays the price of our sins on the cross, there is forgiveness. One of the beautiful words of the Gospel. Just think of this.

You can walk out of the sanctuary this morning. Written over your past is this word, forgiven. That's all of God's grace.

It's not because we deserve it, it's not something we work for. The Scripture is clear that we're saved by grace. God lavishes His grace upon us that the forgiveness of sins is not by my doing penance or by joining a church or by trying to turn over a new leaf. It is all rooted in the Gospel that Christ died for my sins.

He paid the price for my sins and as I receive Him as my Savior, my sins are gone. That's the first word. Forgiveness for the past. The second word is power for the present.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not just a past event, it has everyday impact in the life of the authentic Christian. Power for the present. You feel helpless sometimes. You feel you mess up. You say I could never live the Christian life. I'm so, I just can't do it. I'm too sinful.

I don't have the power. Listen to Paul in Galatians 2 verse 20. He writes, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

Do you get that? This is the message of the New Testament. That Jesus Christ who rose from the dead not only gives forgiveness to those who come to Him, but says Paul, Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith.

That's it. Faith. In whom? Not just faith in faith. Faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. Here is the transformation of the Gospel. That the Gospel is not just that I ascend to certain theological facts about Jesus. I am to learn about Jesus. Children told us He's the Son of God.

He's perfect. He's truly man and truly God. But an understanding of that by itself will not save you.

No, there must be personal appropriation. The key word there is faith, trust, reliance, receiving Christ. Martin Luther said that Christ is outside of us. That is salvation. This forgiveness and this powerful living is not something we achieve through our own strength. It's not by looking for inner enlightenment as it were. Far from it is by looking to Christ who comes to us, the living Christ, forgives our sins and now, in a miracle, lives in us. So Paul says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Life of the Christian then is life of faith each day. I have to trust Christ. I have this difficult situation. I'm going to ask Him for His strength. I've got an important decision to make. I'm going to ask for His wisdom. When I feel alone, I'm going to ask for a sense of His presence. A loving one has died. I'm going to ask for His comfort.

Why? He lives in me. He gives us the power through His Spirit to do His will. It's not that we are sins are forgiven and then He leaves us alone. No, there is a transformation. This is why it's sometimes called being born again.

Think of it. Here is a new beginning. The old, says Paul, has gone and the new has come. My sins are forgiven. That's my past.

In the present, I have Christ living in me. Incredible. You've been watching the Masters, golf, watching the trees fall down. I'm sure the insurers thought wow, thank you.

They saw these trees fall. But just imagine, I used to play a little golf very badly. But supposing, who's number one world golf? Scott Scheffler, right? Supposing he, in some miracle, that when I take my club, my grip, it's the grip of Scotty. When I take my stand, it's the stand of Scotty. When I swing that club, I draw on the power of Scotty, the best golfer in the world. That would transform my game, wouldn't it? It would be wonderful just for one round any hour to play like that. You say, John, that's impossible.

Yes, it is impossible, but this is not impossible. But the living Christ lives in me. And our faith, as we trust Him, as we depend on Him, it changes our whole world. Power for the present. Forgiveness for the past, power for the present. What's the word for the future? Hope.

We're thinking about it. One of the great words of the gospel, hope. All of us need hope. Many of us are hopeless.

We're told in our society that more and more people, including our children and our students, are struggling. They find life is unbearable. It is hopeless. They're overcome by anxieties and fears.

What's the answer? Hope. We need hope. Where does that come from? From Christ. Hope for the future.

You say, how does that work? Here is how the Apostle John explains it. In the first epistle of John chapter 4, he writes, and John was an eyewitness of Christ, an eyewitness of the risen Christ, he says, this is the testimony that God gave us eternal life.

Not marvelous. To receive eternal life. Notice, He gives it. It's not a word based on what we do, it's entirely of His grace. He gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life. Whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. These are the words of the Apostle John under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Here is then hope for the future. One out of one dies. In a congregation like ours at Calvary Church with the impact in the community, it's almost certain that at least one person dies every week in the Calvary family.

Sometimes like the past week, many. You say, well I'm pretty young, I'm pretty fit. Yeah, you are. I've done funerals since I came here for all ages. Never unborn babies to people in their nineties. Visit our cemetery. You see the ages.

No one is exempt. Life is short. Life is fragile. You are not here forever. Please believe it. One day you will face God. What is your hope? Wishful thinking.

I'll take my chances. I'm not such a bad person. I'm better than the other, and I even came to Calvary Church on Easter Sunday.

That's not it. Do you know Christ? Have you received Christ as your personal Savior? Is there a personal connection with Christ?

One of the boys quoted John 3.16 that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. That's hope, isn't it? I have this hope. Not because inherently I'm a good person, I'm not. I'm a bad person. But through the transformation of the gospel, I have received forgiveness of my sins.

I have received eternal life. And so whatever happens, there is no force in the whole universe. No, not a nuclear holocaust. Think of the worst thing that could happen in your life.

This is true. If you know Christ, if you have His eternal life, Paul says there's nothing in the whole universe, certainly not death, which can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. An unbreakable union. A permanent union.

A secure union. Hope for the future. Isn't that wonderful to go through life?

Isn't it incredible being a Christian? That your hope is in Christ and in Christ forever. And when a loved one dies, we miss them. We sorrow. There's tears. We miss them every day.

That is true. But we have this hope that because they have received this eternal life, we will see them forever and that life is at best is very brief. It's very short. It comes and says gems like vapor and then it vanishes away. It's like grass which flourishes in the morning and then it's gone. It withers. It dies. That's it. That's your life.

It's like a beautiful flower and after a few days the petals fall off. Life at best is very, very brief. Therefore if we're wise, if we're not blind to spiritual realities, we make sure that our trust is in the Lord Jesus Christ. So the message of the gospel is this. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you'll be saved.

You say, I don't believe that rubbish. That is your choice my dear friend. You have the capacity to choose. The Scripture is choose you this day whom you will serve. But as you walk out, today you have to make a decision either humbly to repent of your sin and to embrace Christ, to put your trust in Him and He will save you. Forgive your sins, give you power for the present and a magnificent, eternal hope for the future. And as we sometimes sing when we've been there 10,000 years, bright shining as the sun, there'll be no less days to sing His praise than when we first begun. So I ask you as your trust is in Christ. I'm going to pray.

We're going to finish with a couple of wonderful songs. But here's an opportunity for you quietly just where you sit. You're a little boy or girl that came and sat here.

You're an older man or woman. Perhaps someone invited you to come and you realize you do not yet know Christ, you know about Him. He's a living Christ and says whoever comes to me, I will in no wise cast out. Confess your sin. Acknowledge that He's the Son of God who died for my sins, was buried and who rose again. Come, Lord Jesus. Wash me, cleanse me, save me, transform me. And so I pray, Father, that even now there'll be spiritual business being done in the hearts of those who are here. Some know Christ but they've strayed. May they renew their trust and faith in Him. May some for the first time open their hearts to Christ and receive Him as their Savior and Lord, we pray in His name. Amen.