“The Light After the Suffering”

Sunday, April 8, 2007

Isaiah 53:10-12; 1 Corinthians 15:20-26; Luke 24:1-12

Introduction: What are some of the greatest events to ever happen in the world?

· The creation of the world;

· The parting of the Red Sea and God supplying manna to the Israelites (around thirteenth century B. C.)

· Jonah surviving being swallowed by a whale (750 B. C.)

· The virgin birth of Jesus Christ (3 B. C.)

How about some non-biblical events:

· The painting of the Sistene chapel by Michelangelo (1512)

· The signing of the Declaration of Independence (1776)

· The discovery of the electron (1897)

· The development of atomic power (1945)

· The first man on the moon (1969)

· Or how about all the modern day miracles of medicine, communication, and transportation?

Now there are many, many great events that have happened, that I have not mentioned. But I submit to you this morning, as we are here with the sun rising, on Easter Sunday, that the greatest event ever to happen in the world is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This morning we celebrate the fact that even though Jesus was crucified on Good Friday, on Easter day He was raised from the dead. What was such a great suffering for Jesus, became a light for the world.

I. What has happened? (Luke 24:1-12; John 3:16; Mark 8:31-32)

The disciples did not believe what Mary Magdelene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of Jesus told them, about what they were told at the tomb. Peter, wanting to see, got up and ran to the tomb. He saw the strips of linen, the burial cloths of Jesus lying there empty. And the Bible tells us: “…and Peter went away, wondering to Himself what had happened.”

What happened? Jesus was crucified, but now He was not in the tomb. They had all seen Jesus die and be prepared for burial, and buried in the tomb. Was Jesus still dead? If not, then why did He have to die?

1. So we would not fear death- Ex. “College Philosophy Professor,” Amusing Grace, p. 351, #1201.

In Jesus, we have someone who was experienced with death. We can go to

Jesus and know that all is well. If we are afraid of death, Jesus is there to tell us that all is okay. He has suffered the pain and defeat of death for us, and is now alive.

2. So we would have eternal life- But there is a second reason why Jesus had

to die, and that is so that we would have eternal life. As John 3:16 (a verse we know so well) tells us, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” To have eternal life is to have the same life that God’s has. It is to share in God’s nature, since God is eternal. It is not just a future promise, but one we receive as soon as we believe. It is a relationship we have with God that is filled with power; the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, and the same power that gives us the ability to live this life we have to the fullest.

Jesus, out of love, became our substitute, to die so that we could live. God loves each one of us so much and longs to be in an eternal relationship with us. It is not just that Jesus died for everyone. He died for YOU…..and He died for ME; it is very personal. As Paul writes in Galatians 2:20, “the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” If you had been the only person in the world, Jesus would have died for you. Once we see the cross, and Jesus’ death in these personal terms, our lives can then be transformed. That is the second reason He died.

3. Jesus told us this needed to happen- There is a humorous quote, where

Joseph of Arimathea was asked why he gave up his beautiful, costly tomb to allow Jesus to be buried in it. Joseph responded: “Oh, he only needed it for the weekend.”

We read in Luke 24:6-8, “⁶Jesus is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ⁷'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' " ⁸Then they remembered his words.”

Jesus Himself told us that this was going to happen; that this needed to

happen. Jesus told His followers that death would be only for a short time. But they didn’t understand why Jesus had to die or how it could only be temporary. On the cross, Jesus disarmed the powers of evil. On the cross, Jesus defeated the powers of death and demons. On the cross, God revealed His love for His son. God showed that He was willing to suffer the death of His Son to save us from eternal separation from Him. On the cross, Jesus sets an example of self-sacrificial love.

II. Death Destroyed- (1 Corinthians 15:20-26; Luke 22:42-44;

John 19:10-11)

But as we come to Easter, we need to also understand that Jesus came to destroy death.

1. The obstacle (death) introduced- 1 Corinthians 15:26 says, “The

last enemy to be destroyed is death.” Now the death that Paul is referring to here is not physical death, we all know that there will be a day when we will physically die. The death Paul is referring to is spiritual death. Christ is saving us from eternal separation from God. When God came to earth in human form, in Jesus Christ, the main purpose for which He came was to complete the work of salvation.

That is why Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:21- “For since death came through one man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” Way back when, in the Garden of Eden, Eve and Adam’s sin of eating the fruit brought sin and death into the world. This was an obstacle in the path of God’s plan for the world; an obstacle that needed to be overcome; overcoming the sins that lead to eternal death.

Illus. I remember when I was a boy, I would go with my parents to my brother’s baseball game, and sometimes I would get bored watching the game. His game’s were at the high school, and by the diamond there was an obstacle course. I couldn’t really do it, because I was too small, but I would fool around on it. One part of the course was a tall ramp that you had to run up, and then run down. I remember one day trying to run up it, but I didn’t quite make it. As I turned around to run down, I remember tripping, and falling. I hit the ground trying to catch myself, but I hit my jaw on the ground. Fortunately, I didn’t break my jaw, but I hurt it pretty good.

In one sense, our sin is such a great obstacle, that we can’t make it over by ourselves. When we try, it just hurts us. We need help getting past this obstacle.

2. The obstacle (death) overcome- Jesus, being human, experienced a

taste of this obstacle of sin and death. Jesus saw people die around Him; many of who were lost in their sin. Jesus knew this obstacle, death, needed to be overcome and destroyed. That is why Jesus went to the cross. Jesus didn’t have to go to the cross. No one could have made Him. Even to Pilate, Jesus says in John 19:10-11, “Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?" Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."

And yet, we need to understand that this was a big deal for Jesus. That is why we are told in Luke 22:42-44, where Jesus is praying in the Garden of Gethsemene, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”/ Jesus sweated blood out of His anguish for what was to come. There are many in our world who have encountered obstacles; obstacles that seemed like sure defeat. But they overcame them and were victorious.

EX. “Overcoming Obstacles,” (#’s 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, and 13), Chicken Soup for the Soul ( A Second Helping), pp. 251-256. The Beatles were turned down by Decca Recording company not liking their sound and saying guitar bands were on they way out. Jimmy Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry fired Elvis Pressley after one performance telling him to go back to truck driving. Marilyn Monroe was told by the Blue Book Modeling agency to learn secretarial work or get married. Thomas Edison was asked by a reporter: “How does it feel to fail so many times?” To which Edison said: “I didn’t fail. I invented the light bulb. It was just a 2000 step process!”

We see that these people struggled with obstacles, but they overcame them and found success. And thankfully, Jesus chose to overcome the cross, and sin, and death, and this success was passed on to you and to me!

III. The Light of Life- (Isaiah 53:10-12; Matthew 11:1-5)

So we come to the climax, which Isaiah tells us about in 53:11, “After the

suffering of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied.”

Jesus will be satisfied, because He will know that His suffering and death

isn’t the end. Jesus was raised from the dead and has won a great reward. And that reward would be experienced by all who believe and follow. We see this illustrated in the gospel of Matthew, where John the Baptist has been put in prison and is frustrated and begins to doubt whether Jesus really is the Messiah; the One come to save the world. So John the Baptist sends some of his followers to ask Jesus a question. And the question is this: “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?”

Now when Jesus hears this question, He doesn’t get angry of frustrated. Because Jesus is always willing to receive openly the questions of those who are sincerely searching.

1. The rejected received- So Jesus answers this question with these words:

“Go back to John and report what you see and hear; the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.” (Matthew 11:4-5) The reward is that no one is rejected. God’s love is for all. God’s forgiveness is for all. Eternal life is for all. And all this is receive through faith in Christ Jesus as Savior and Lord!

EX. When I was a kid, my mom tells me that I had this red sweatshirt that I loved. In fact, I loved it so much, that I wore it every day. Now after a while, this sweatshirt began to get holes in it. But because I loved it so much, I wouldn’t let my mom take it from me. I kept it, and continued to wear it, even with holes in it!

We all have or some time or another have had a shirt, or dress, or shoes, or something that we were attached to, and so when it came time to get rid of it, it was difficult. WELL, this is how God feels. Because of His great love, He doesn’t want any to be rejected, even those with sin. In Christ, God has provided a way for all to be saved.

2. The dead have life- Now, if you have a good self-esteem, and have lived a

good life, and have things somewhat together, you might feel that you don’t need what Christ offers us through His death and resurrection. However, it is important to remember that God doesn’t judge by the world’s standards. God only allows the righteous to enter heaven, because God is holy, and heaven is holy, and only that which is holy is allowed in.

Illus. “Robert Ingersoll,” The Applause of Heaven, p. 172.(Robert Ingersoll was a skilled orator who drew immense crowds when he spoke. But he was an agnostic and a follower of naturalism. He had no belief of the eternal; he stressed the importance of living only in the here and now. To him the Bible was a fable. When Ingersoll died, his wife kept his body because she didn’t want to part with it. Finally his remains were cremated. The public’s response to his passing were dismal. His death came with the consolation of no hope.)

Here is a man who was a famous lawyer, and had much in this life on earth, but in death he had no hope. The good news is that in Jesus, we are made holy and given the power to enter heaven. Jesus Himself emphasized to John the Baptist’s followers: “In ME, the dead are raised.” If we have faith in Jesus Christ, we will be raised from the dead just as Christ was raised from the dead! We will have life; eternal life.

Conclusion: Within fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus, Jesus’ disciples (who had been hidden away for fear of their life), Jesus’ disciples began to boldly declare that Jesus was raised from the dead and that they were His witnesses. These followers, who had become cowards, were cowards no more. They had become courageous confessors of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

How did this happen? The power of the resurrection transformed their lives. Jesus Christ was alive, not only in heaven, but in their lives as well. Jesus Christ can be alive in your life starting today. And if He is already alive in your life, then today He can begin to be even more alive in you!

Read poem “Christ is risen—Hallelujah!”

Let us not leave this morning without realizing that Christ is risen, He is alive, and the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is there to transform you and me into courageous believers and witnesses for the Lord. There is light after Christ’s suffering. Amen.