 Today we are FINISHING up our summer sermon series, as we are FINISHING up summer and the Apostle Paul is FINISHING up his third missionary journey. The last time Paul had been on the continent of Asia, things had ended abruptly. He had been in Ephesus and there had been a riot. People thirsty for his blood had chanted against him for over two hours. For his own safety, Paul left early the next morning. He left the congregation that he had served for over two years very abruptly without any kind of final, farewell sermon.
Knowing what it’s like to be a pastor. And how easy it is to love a congregation. I’ll bet Paul wished he had that chance. Similarly, I imagine the Ephesians also wanted one more sermon. Because without Paul, ministry questions came to them. Should they keep preaching in Bob’s home downtown or should they move to Bill’s home in the suburbs? Should they serve the community of widows or focus on the community of the homeless? Would their new fellowship hall look better with Neutral Gray or Eggshell White trim? How should we do ministry? That’s a good question. Even for us at Gethsemane Church. Today we’re going to look at Paul’s encore sermon to the Ephesians and we’ll consider his encore sermon to us this summer. Our goal is to learn from Paul some key principles for Gospel ministry in Raleigh, NC in 2019. Before we begin, a prayer: O Lord, strengthen us by the truth, your Word is truth. Open our eyes to see what you want us to see, our ears to hear what you want us to hear and our hearts to believe what you would have us believe. Amen. I. Lessons about Ministry The lesson starts with a bit of geography. Check out verse 17: From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. Paul had been up in Troas. He wanted to get back to Jerusalem. An easy route would have taken him right past the Ephesians that he wanted to encourage. But Ephesus was still filled with people who weren’t very welcoming. So, rather than risk a riot, Paul took a trip down around Ephesus to Miletus. It was a city about 30 miles to the Southwest of Ephesus. From there, he sent words for the leadership of the Ephesian church to meetup with him. When they arrived, they hugged. They high fived. They swapped stories about things that have happened without him. Then, Paul got to teaching: You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. I served the Lord with great humility… (v.18-19) This is strange. Because by the time Paul had gotten to Ephesus, he had already started over ten different churches. He had preached to thousands of people. He had even begun writing a few books of the Bible. You would imagine that Paul would come to town full of pride. Talking about how impressive he was… …and how the people needed to listen to him for community revitalization, …as he handed out T-Shirts with his smiling face on them. Nope. Paul was humble. Paul reminded people how he was the chief of sinners, How it was Jesus who saved him. And Jesus who worked through him to do anything worthy of praise. Here’s the lesson: (1) Gospel Ministry is HUMBLE. Gospel ministry points people to Jesus. It lowers the importance of self. It gives all glory to God. Because if it doesn’t… I’ve got this long-distance social media friend who recently underwent a bit of a transformation. He had been an alcoholic, now he’s been clean for a couple of months. He was a smoker; now he doesn’t own a pack. He had been drinking three coffees a day and now he drinks one lightly caffeinated tea. He’s been sharing the story and, to be fair, when he first started doing this, he gave a lot of credit to Jesus. Jesus was the one who influenced him. The one who became the purpose behind his life. The one who empowered him to give up his addictions. But it recently changed. His most recent post sounded something like this: “Man, I’m feeling the change. I’m transforming myself. I reached down. I dug deep. I can give up all my vices. It feels good. It feels empowering. I love what I’ve become. If you need help, talk to me. I’ll get you the transformation that you need.” Did you hear it? No Jesus. All about him. If Gospel ministry is about YOU, it’s NOT Gospel ministry. If you tell your family that you’ve been on leadership for years and that’s why Gospel ministry is good at Gethsemane, that’s NOT Gospel ministry. If you tell your friends that YOU have been teaching your kids some awesome values and YOUR devotion is the reason their life will be good, that’s NOT Gospel ministry. If you post on social media that YOUR life has changed since YOU accepted Christ and YOU chose to change your life, that’s NOT Gospel ministry. In those scenarios, there isn’t Gospel ministry going on, because none of those scenarios involve teaching the Gospel. And, (this is a shocker), Gospel ministry involves teaching the Gospel. It points people to Jesus. It points people to their Savior. It points people to the one who lived for them, died for them, and rose for them. You didn’t do that for you, Jesus did. And you didn’t do that for your friends, Jesus did. You can’t save you, Jesus does. You can’t save your friends, Jesus will. Share the Gospel by humbly pointing to Jesus. (2) Gospel Ministry is BOLD. But don’t think of Gospel ministry as this meek, milquetoast thing. (Like the guy at Food Lion who is being forced for donations because his boss told him to. “Do you want to roundup and donate to the local hospital? It’s ok. I totally understand if you don’t. My boss makes me ask.”) Nope. Gospel ministry is humble, but it’s also BOLD. Check out what Paul says next: You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. (v.20-21) Think back to some of the ways that Paul was bold on his missionary journeys: In Athens, he preached that Greeks gods weren’t gods at all, to a group of people who had devoted themselves to worship of these gods. In Thessalonica, he taught that people are saved by Jesus and not Jewish customs, to a group of people who were firmly entrenched in the fact that their Jewish customs saved them. In Corinth, he told people that sexual immorality was sinful, in a culture that sexual immorality was what all the cool kids were doing. In Ephesus, he taught that money wasn’t everything, Jesus was; to a group of rioters who were upset that he was costing them money. Gospel ministry is BOLD. In fact, if you look closely at what Paul says, he mentions two different ways that Gospel ministry is bold. First, Gospel ministry BOLDLY preaches ALL of God’s Word. It isn’t like a timeshare salesman. (Ever listened to one of those?) The venue is marvelous. The site is incredible. You’ll have a wonderful vacation and it’ll be so great for your and your family. This week-long vacation at a five-star resort will be yours for only one yearly payment of $500! …Plus, monthly maintenance fees. …and monthly checking fees. …and you’ll probably never be able to book a room when you want. …and you’ll have this timeshare forever. …and we own your soul. Paul wasn’t a timeshare salesman. He didn’t hide anything. If you want to participate in Gospel ministry, you don’t either. And don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t mean that the starting point becomes… “Friends, let me tell you what hell is like.” Nope. But it does mean that we don’t shy away from truth in Scripture, even when it’s difficult to hear. We BOLDLY preach ALL of God’s Word. Second, Gospel ministry BOLDLY preaches to ALL. Again, think of Paul. Some of the people he had to preach to might have been kind of nerve-wracking to talk to. There were the Athenians, whose entire city was so foreign to him. Instead of the familiarity of churches, there were statues of other gods, another religion, everywhere. Paul was bold. Paul preached to them. There were the Jews. People who looked like him and talked like him, but when Paul told them they needed Jesus, they repeatedly persecuted him. Paul was still bold. Paul preached to them. The same is still true today. God is calling us at Gethsemane to share the Gospel with people who look like us, sure. But also… Those who look differently than us. Those who dress differently than us. Those who speak differently than us. Those who cover their heads. Those with tattoos all over their arms. Those with three children from three different fathers. Those who like the sports team that we can’t stand. Those who came from a different state. Those who moved from a different country. Those who have a legal visa and those who don’t. God simply calls us to BOLDLY share Jesus with ALL. (3) Gospel Ministry is DANGEROUS Look at what Paul says next, “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” (v.22-24) Because when Paul preached, sometimes people didn’t like it. In Philippi, he was thrown into jail. In Thessalonica, his friends were fined. In Ephesus, a riot filled the streets. The truth is that Gospel ministry is DANGEROUS to the sharer. In fact, when we are doing it right by boldly preaching ALL God’s Word to ALL people, there’s going to be an element of danger. Whether that danger is… …Danger of losing a job. “You don’t bring up Jesus at work.” …Danger of losing a friend. “We’re done. Keep your stupid mumbo jumbo to yourself.” …Danger of losing a relationship. “I like you, but if you’re all about Jesus? We’re through.” Gospel ministry is dangerous to the sharer. But before you call it quits and say: “It’s too dangerous! I can’t handle that.” Consider this: It’s even more dangerous if you don’t share the Gospel. That loved one? Is in danger of never knowing God’s love. That friend? Is in danger of a lifetime of guilt and shame. That family member? Is in danger…of hell. Share the Gospel. It might be momentarily dangerous to you. But…it will be eternally dangerous to the devil. When the Gospel is preached, the devil’s stronghold on a person’s heart weakens. When the Gospel is preached, Satan’s hold on a person’s conscience is lifted. When the Gospel is preached, death is defeated. That’s why Paul preached. In fact, look at what he says next: “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. Paul didn’t know what might happen next. But Paul didn’t hesitate either. Because God had his back. God also has yours. Don’t hesitate either. II. What Now? These lessons from Paul lead up to a shift in his sermon. First, the sharing lessons from his own ministry and now give straight up imperatives on what to do next. It’s kind of like his own WHAT NOW? section. Secondly, he shifts from talking about outreach to talking about inreach. Look at Paul’s own WHAT NOW’s: (1) Be a Shepherd Paul says, “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God. which he bought with his own blood.” (v.28) Understand: Paul isn’t that interested in the Agrarian lifestyle. He doesn’t love wool so much that he wants whatever shepherds are in the congregation to “keep on sheering those sheep!” Nope. This is an illustration of life in a church. Because shepherds care for sheep. They feed the sheep. They give the sheep water. They protect the sheep. They go looking for the sheep when one of them is lost. They comfort the sheep when they are scared. It’s the same way in a church. A pastor (which is the Greek word for “shepherd”) cares for his people. He feeds them God’s word. He gives them the water of life. He protects them from doubts. He goes after them when they are straying from Jesus. He comforts them with God’s promises when they are scared. Here Paul is sharing this with the Ephesian leadership. But it’s also written down. Which means it applies to you. First, shepherd those assigned to you. If you’re an elder in the church, check in with those sheep. If you’re a spiritual mother to someone at this church, care for them. If you have been assigned children in your family, make sure they’re being fed God’s Word. If you are a Garden Kids’ teacher, guide your little ones to the Savior. If you’re a Precious Lambs teacher, keep your Precious Lambs safe. Second, shepherd each other. We’ve got a great opportunity to do that. Back to Church Sunday is coming up next week. You might know someone who had been attending this church who hasn’t in a while. Go after them. Ask them how life is. Tell them you miss them at worship. Remind them the importance of being fed the Gospel. If next week is Back to Church Sunday, consider this: Be a Shepherd Sunday… …and Monday… …and Tuesday… …and…you get the point. (2) Guard against Wolves Paul says: I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! (v.29-31) Spiritual wolves are those who distort the truth. They are those who change the Gospel. Those who feed their pride by leading others away from Jesus and to following them. We need to be on our guard. First, that we aren’t those wolves. Second, that those wolves don’t get us. Third, that those wolves don’t get others. That can be hard. Because sometimes the wolf is in disguise. Sometimes he looks like a lamb. Sometimes the wolf looks nice. But you’ll be able to tell who they are. Based on if they are someone leading you closer to Jesus or away from him. Guard against wolves. A wolf could be a coworker, a friend, a neighbor, even a boyfriend. If they are leading you away from Jesus, be on your guard. (3) Commit to the Word Paul says it this way: “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. (v.32) Because if we are going to be shepherds of each other, we need a tool. Just like the shepherd has his staff, you have God’s Word. And…just like a shepherd commits himself to learning how to use that staff to protect his flock, we commit ourselves to learning how to use God’s Word to protect each other. That means more than just being able to conk a spiritual wolf on the head. We learn to graze its pages for spiritual food. We learn to drink deeply from its well of life. We learn to wield its truth like a sword driving away sin and doubt. We learn to dwell within its pages, protect from death itself. (4) GIVE! Look at how Paul ends: I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (v.33-35) Because the main reason that Paul was so involved in ministry wasn’t to get rich. It’s the same for you and me. We don’t participate in ministry so that God blesses us financially. We don’t participate in church so other might bless us financially. We don’t become part of this ministry in order to get something. Because we’ve already got all we need in Jesus. Instead, we GIVE. We give gifts to help others. We give time to help others. We give talents to help others. Ministry is all about giving because the one our ministry is about is all about giving! It’s about God who gave his life. God who gives forgiveness… God who will gives eternal life… After Paul says all of this. He left. But he left with confidence. Because that church was in God’s hands. Friends, we leave with confidence. We are in God’s hands. Amen.
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 Last week we talked about the riot in Ephesus where the crowd chanted against the Gospel for two straight hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!!” The crowd was rowdy. They were violent. They were angry. In fact, the situation was so dangerous that Paul’s friends wouldn’t even let him appear before the crowd in order to defend himself.
You might have expected that to end in tragedy. It didn’t. The crowd quieted. They went home. Paul was safe. But the Christians didn’t think it would be wise to keep Paul in Ephesus. So, after two years pastoring in Ephesus, Paul left. Acts 20:1 says, “He said goodbye and set out for Macedonia. He traveled throughout that area speaking many words of encouragement to the people.” It means Paul headed east. He crossed the sea and began revisiting the churches that he had started. He went back to Philippi. He went back to Thessalonica. He went back to Berea. He went back to Apollonia, Amphipolis, and Corinth. Finally, he arrived in Greece where he stayed for three months. (v.3) While there he most likely revisited Corinth. Maybe even Athens. After those three months (most likely winter months where sailing is discouraged), Paul was about to sail for Syria, but because some Jews had plotted against him, he decided to go back through Macedonia. (v.3) Whether they were plotting to throw him overboard, sink the ship, or get him really drunk on rum in order to convince him to walk the plank, Paul found out and was kept safe. Again, tragedy avoided. In fact, Paul safely returns through all those cities to Philippi and from there he crosses the sea back to the Middle East and gets to Troas. It’s not far now. It’s should be a smooth journey, right? Home is just around the corner. And it’s there that tragedy strikes. Today we’re going to learn about that tragedy that hit close to home. Then, we’ll learn how Jesus helps us through tragedy. Before we begin, a prayer: O Lord, strengthen us by the truth, your Word is truth. Open our eyes to see what you want us to see, our ears to hear what you want us to hear and our hearts to believe what you would have us believe. Amen. I. A Tragedy The lesson starts in verse 7. It says, “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.” Slow down. Read that again. The disciples came together on the first day of the week. That’s a Sunday. It’s neat to note that Christians are gathering together, not on a Saturday like they did in the Old Testament, but on a Sunday. The same day of the week that Jesus rose from the dead. It’s also shortly after Passover. Just it was shortly after Passover that Jesus rose from the dead. As they gathered, they were planning to break bread. That’s a reference to a fellowship meal. A 1st century potluck. Complete with Mazza balls, lamb casserole and (if it’s anything like our potlucks) about 17 different kinds of dessert. But before they could get to the meal, Paul began preaching. Since it was the dinner hour, that the gathering probably started happening somewhere around 6pm. During that first hour, people greeted each other, the fellowship team arranged the meal, and the musicians warmed up on their instruments. That means Paul would have began his sermon about an hour later, around 7pm. Five hours later? He’s still talking. Insert joke about sermon length here. One person there that evening was a young man named Eutychus. That’s impressive. Because most young people in Troas would be focused on other things in the evening: Spending their money at local establishments. Getting home to their families. Going out to eat with a young woman so that he might one day have a family. But Eutychus was at church. In the evening. Since it was their version of Monday, he was probably tired and ready for a nap at home. But he didn’t want to miss seeing the Apostle Paul one last time before he left so… Eutychus attended the gathering. He greeted other church members. He let his elders have the seats in the front. He let the women with children have seats in the back. He stood near the back, excited to listen to what Paul had to say. And that’s what he did. For fifteen minutes. Thirty minutes. An hour. An hour fifteen minutes, an hour thirty minutes, two hours. Eutychus started fanning himself: Why is it so hot in here? Probably all those lamps. I mean…it makes it easier to see at night, but they are torches. It’s like there’s fifteen mini bonfires in this room. Eutychus made his way over to the breeze of the nearest open window. Two hours and two and a half hours. Three hours. Three hours, forty-five minutes. My legs are started to get tired. I’ve been up on them all day at work. It’ll be ok. I’ll just sit on this window ledge right here. Four hours. Four and a half hours. Five hours. Suddenly, Eutychus started to get rather sleepy. Paul’s words sounded so far away. He was sure if he had just mentioned the Gospel or the Blospel… Maybe, he’d close his eyes. Just for a second. He could still listen to his words. He could still hear his sermon. He could still… ZZZZZ. And then… THUD. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story… (v.9) And suddenly, there was a commotion. What was that? I think someone fell. From on the ground. Nope from the window. Who was it? I don’t know. I didn’t see. It’s Eutychus! That’s where he was sitting. And they rushed down the stairs. And they rushed out the building. And they rushed to his body. And they tried CPR. And they felt for a pulse. Meanwhile, Paul was up in the front of the room where he had been preaching. His heart was racing. And then he heard it: He’s dead! Eutychus is dead! Paul rushed to the door. He ran to the steps. He looked at Eutychus’ now limp body. Oh God! This is a tragedy. Oh God this is… Oh God? That’s it. Now I don’t know exactly what happened next. Did Paul speak any words? Did Paul say prayer? I don’t know exactly what Paul did next. But… We do know what Eutychus did next: Sat up. “Don’t be alarmed,” Paul said. “He’s alive! (v.10) II. Dealing with Skeptics This account is amazing! A young man falls to his death in the middle of worship. But when Paul gets down to the body without performing CPR, without a defibrillator, without hitting his chest repeatedly in desperation…Eutychus lives! It’s a miracle. Granted. You might be skeptical about this. If you tried this with a dead ant out on your driveway, it wouldn’t work. In fact, a Google search for Eutychus, will lead to some scholarly articles that propose an alternative. They write that: (1) Eutychus never died. He just got knocked out. (2) Paul simply got him out of his stupor, because someone dying and coming back to life is IMOPSSIBLE. But there are quite a few things in the text that defend against that interpretation: (1) The Number of Witnesses Back to the mapwork section. In verse 4, there’s an interesting list. It’s a list of all the different people who are now accompanying Paul on his missionary journey. This list is interesting because it’s a where’s where of places Paul has shared the Gospel: Sopater…from Berea, the place where the people studiously God’s Word. Secundus from Thessalonica, the place where persecution was quite intense. Gaius from Derbe who along with Aristarchus had been dragged through the streets of Ephesus during the riot. Timothy from Lystra who joined Paul all the way back at the beginning of the second missionary journey. Tychichus and Trophimus from the province of Asia…representing the various churches of the Galatians. That’s seven men in all who present in that upper room. Add in Eutychus for eight. Then, verse 7 says that Paul was speaking to “the people”. If it would have been just these seven guys, the writer would have said the disciples. By choosing the word “people”, the writer reflects the fact that there were more than these eight. In fact, there were so many that Eutychus had to sit on the ledge of the window. Here’s the point: Fooling the whole crowd into thinking that Eutychus had resurrected when he never really died in the first place would have been very challenging with so many present. Especially since, the crowd got there first. (2) Logistics of a Lecture Notice how our church is setup. The pastor is in the front. You all are facing me. The doors to exit the place are closest to you, the audience. I am the farthest from the common exits. It’s the same in most churches and lecture halls. Why? So, it is easy for someone to slip out without causing much of a disturbance. If a mom is quieting a child or someone needs to use the restroom, leaving from the back is so much easier than having to leave through the front and walking right by the pastor in the middle of the sermon. Can you imagine reversing it? (Leaving worship would soon be the “walk of shame.”) It would have been the same way for Paul’s speech. Even though the room may not have been any kind of lecture hall, they still would have setup the room so that Paul was farthest from the door so that the people could easily come and go if needed. Why is this important? Because Paul was not the first to get to Eutychus. The people were. He couldn’t trick them into thinking Eutychus was dead, when he really wasn’t. In fact, some get to Eutychus and pick him up “dead” in verse 9 and it isn’t until verse 10 that Paul “goes down” to see him. Paul couldn’t have tricked them. Eutychus died. And that really solidifies when you consider one more thing (3) The Presence of Dr. Luke Back to the group of missionaries with Paul. I left one out. It’s subtle, but it’s there. Verse 6 says, “We sailed…to Troas.” The “we”? That’s a reference to the man who wrote down the book of Acts. It wasn’t Paul, but a man named Luke. Luke had joined Paul’s missionary crew in Mysia. He travelled with Paul throughout missionary journey two and three. Paul even references Luke in some of the letters that he writes to the various churches. Look at what he reveals about Luke in Colossians: Our dear friend Luke, the doctor…” (v.4:14) Did you catch that? Do you see the significance? Luke knew how to look for a pulse. Luke knew how to check for breathing. Luke knew how to identify a dead person. I guarantee that Luke was one of the first people down to check on Eutychus. And he was one of the first people to say: “There’s nothing we can do. He’s dead.” “Time of death: 12:16am” In fact, when Paul had stones thrown at him Lystra on his first missionary journey, the crowd left when they saw him fall to the ground in a clump. Luke wrote that Paul was dragged out of the city and that the Jews were “supposing that he was dead” (Acts 14:19). Here’s the point: if Luke wanted to present the idea that the believers in Troas merely “supposed” that Eutychus was dead, he could have written that. But he didn’t. Because he was dead. Until he wasn’t. Because of Jesus. Stop being skeptical. The miracle was real. III. Transforming Tragedy Jesus really transformed the situation. He really transformed the tragedy. (1) Jesus Transforms Tragedy into Celebration. Look at what happens next: Then Paul went upstairs again. He broke bread and ate. (v.11a) Which...praise the Lord, the potluck food is finally being eaten. At least by Paul, probably by anyone else who didn’t want to be rude and hadn’t eaten while Paul was speaking. After the tragedy of falling out a window, people aren’t sobbing and crying tears, but laughing and eating some potluck eclairs! Jesus transformed the situation so that now they’re having a dinner party. Jesus still transforms tragedy into celebration even today. Because Jesus said that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (Jn. 3:16) Just to prove his power to make that promise, Jesus brought people like Eutychus back to life. But better than that: Jesus brought himself back to life. He died on the cross. Hundreds of people watching his bloody, lifeless body taken down from the cross. No one! Not a single person stopping to say: “Wait, he’s just knocked out.” Nope. He was dead, dead. Dead, dead, dead. Dead enough to be wrapped up in clothes and placed in a grave. But… Three days later, Jesus came back to life. He breathed. He moved. He walked. Jesus has power over life and death. He provides believers with eternal life even when they die. It’s why at the last funeral that we had here at Gethsemane. And people were feeling sad. And people were thinking it was a tragedy. But then, we read the Gospel. Then, we heard about Jesus promises. Then, we remembered that our dear brother was in heaven above residing in eternal life. And suddenly, people are in the fellowship hall, talking, laughing, swapping stories and in general, celebrating! Because Jesus transformed tragedy into celebration. (2) Jesus Enables ministry to Keep Going…Even when Tragedy Strikes. Because sometimes when tragedy happens, life comes to a stand-still. Even during lesser tragedies! Like Spiderman. This past week Sony Pictures and Marvel/Disney ended their deal working together. As of right now, Spiderman cannot appear in the MCU anymore. And…tragedy. People are on social media like HOW CAN I MOVE ON!?! The same is true for bigger tragedies. People stop. They’re shocked. They need a moment to process. And to be fair, for a moment that evening in Troas, Paul stopped his sermon. The people stopped listening. Everyone needed to process. But once Jesus brought Eutychus back to life, Paul grabbed some food and continued doing ministry. He kept talking until morning. (v.10b) Then, he set off for the next stop on the missionary journey. Jesus enables ministry to keep going even during tragedy. He gives us comfort. He gives us joy. He keeps us uplifted and implores us to keep sharing the Gospel. In fact, the fact that tragedy happens doesn’t decrease the need for ministry; It increases the need for ministry. Because awful things happen in this sin filled world. Terrorism. Racial hate crimes. Hurricanes, car accidents, and horrific illness. Somewhere something horrible happens every day. That doesn’t mean we should run and hide. But we need run and tell. About the God who saw the sadness of tragedy. About the God who saw the tragedies of this world. About the God who saw the tragedies in your life. And didn’t run from it. But to it. He came into this tragic world and died on the cross. To rescue us from the tragedy of death. To transform tragedy into celebration. Through your message of the Gospel, he transforms the tragedies of others into celebration. That’s our job. That’s your job. Whether it’s your child, your spouse, your friend, your neighbor, your coworker, or your followers on social media. Because tragedy exists, God calls you to increase your ministry and share the message of Jesus. Because… (3) Jesus brings GREAT Comfort That’s the final verse of the account. It says that after Paul left, “The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.” (v.12) Because that evening, they heard about God’s grace for sinners and saw his power over death. That message of Jesus still brings great comfort even today. Even amid horrific tragedy. This past week Monday I was on social media, because sometimes as a pastor of a small medium sized church you’re in charge of social media. So, I was sitting there trying to plan (what kind of posts should we have this week) when I came across a post from a friend’s account that shocked me. It was from a former Precious Lambs’ parent. One that had been a part of our preschool family a while back. We had ministered to her. Talked with her. Shared the Gospel with her. The kid sang in worship. The parent attended, even got their phone out to record his dancing while he was singing. I enjoyed them. On Monday, I saw a Facebook post that said she had passed away. Young mom. Son of around 3rd grade. She passed away. Tragedy. But… When I looked closer at the post, I had seen that the one posting was her son. He was writing from her account. He had posted a picture of him and his mom and he had written this: “I’m sorry to say that my mom is gone. But she is in heaven now. Thank you, Jesus.” Are you kidding me? I’m tearing up as I’m reading about the tragedy. I’m tearing up as I’m thinking about the tragedy. This young man? He’s found comfort. Great comfort. Great comfort in his Savior. May Jesus be the one who gives you great comfort, too. Amen.  Last we left the Apostle Paul, he was in the city of Ephesus preaching the message that Jesus is the Savior. He stayed there for two years. During that time frame, a congregation had developed in Ephesus. A decent crowd of people would gather together each week to hear Paul’s sermons, sing hymns, say prayers, and high-five each other in the fellowship hall.
But this church crowd wasn’t the only kind of crowd that developed in Ephesus. Today we’re going to learn about a crowd that developed in direct opposition to the Gospel. Our goal is get some guidance about the dangers of crowd-following in 2019 Raleigh. Before we begin, a prayer: O Lord, strengthen us by the truth, your Word is truth. Open our eyes to see what you want us to see, our ears to hear what you want us to hear and our hearts to believe what you would have us believe. Amen. I. A Crowd Forms The lesson comes from Acts 19. It says, “There arose a great disturbance about the Way. A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there.” (v.23) A couple of notes: Demetrius is a Greek name. It means, “servant of Demeter.” Demeter was the Greek goddess in charge of crops. She made sure that the grains grew. She made sure the oats grew. She made sure the corn grew. She made sure that they were golden and delicious. She made sure that they were a part of a daily balanced breakfast. (Something tells me that Demeter looked something like a breakfast food character). But Demetrius wasn’t only worshipping deities around the food pyramid. He worked for the temple of Artemis. Artemis was the Greek goddess of hunting (meat). The story was that you could call on her and give gifts at her temple to increase your likelihood of bagging a quail on the morning hunt. In Ephesus was the Temple to Artemis. It was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The temple was 425 feet long by 200 feet wide. It was tall and ornate with beautiful marble columns. People came from across the ancient world in order to visit this incredible wonder. And while the tourists were visiting the temple, they could pick up a souvenir! That’s where Demetrius came into play. He was a silversmith. His job was to build replica temples and replica statues of Artemis that he would sell on the corner right outside the monument. The little silver statue would become a keepsake or a household idol that people would pray to and hold close for protection. But business had been down recently. It wasn’t related to the economy. It wasn’t related to a lack of work. It wasn’t due to the weather keeping people from going outside. It was because of Paul. Paul had been preaching against idols. Paul had been telling people that Artemis wasn’t a real god. Paul had been telling people that Jesus was the only real God. People were believing him and subsequently buying fewer idols. So…Demetrius called together a meeting of all the people involved with the temple. Silversmiths, store owners, gift shop employees, temple janitors, even Amazon Prime drivers who delivered the statues across town… Demetrius gathered together everyone involved with the trade and said: You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty. (v.25b-27) Do you see the issue? Paul is ruining Demetrius’ fine way of living. Before you know it, Demetrius might not be able to go the Angus Barn. He might not be able to afford his fancy jewelry and fine cheese. He might not be able to buy Grey Poupon at the local grocery store. Demetrius was upset because he was losing money. You can almost hear him: Sure, these people get forgiveness. They get joy. They get the promise of heaven. But I won’t be able to make my payment on the second Lexus I bought, so… Paul must be stopped! Here’s the truth: Crowds led by SINFUL HUMANS are opposed to HOLY GOD. That was Demetrius. He was a sinful human. He was leading a crowd against God’s message. But this will be true in any situation. Why? 1) Because Sin opposes God. God is good. Sin is bad. God is against sin. Sin is against God. God doesn’t say to sin: “You’re awesome.” Sin doesn’t say to God: “Let’s be best friends.” They are drastically opposed to one another. It’s like UNC and Duke. When they are playing one another in their next basketball showdown, every time one team makes a basket those points are good for one side and bad for the other. Duke can’t throw an alley-oop slam dunk and divide the points evenly among both squads. UNC can’t hit a three pointer and have it appear on the other team’s scoreboard. By the very nature of a game with opposing teams, good news for one team means bad news for the other. By the very nature of reality, when something godly happens that’s good news for God’s side and bad news for crowds led by sin. When a sinful leader is the leader of the crowd, that crowd will inevitably clash with God. 2) Because the Perspective is different. Humans live on a timeline. We are born. We grow. We live 30, 40, 50 years. Everything we do is on a timeline: I need a report in by Friday. I need to finish schooling by December. I need to make enough money for my son’s inheritance before I die. God is different. God is eternal. He is off the timeline. He is concerned with eternity. Because the temporal perspective is so different from the eternal perspective, there’s a contradiction. Case in point: God wanted people to stop worshipping idols so that they could know the Savior and have eternal life. Demetrius wanted people to stop worshipping Jesus so that he could have more money and buy himself a nice steak dinner. The perspective is different. The result? Crowds led by SINFUL HUMANS are opposed to HOLY GOD. This is still true today. In 2018 in rural Mexico, Pastor Eduardo Garcia served at local country church. One of the struggles in Mexico is drug addiction. Crystal meth has taken over in the area. It’s ruined health, finances, and family. Pastor Eduardo Garcia preached against the danger of Meth. He taught that Meth couldn’t save you; only Jesus could. He taught that Meth didn’t remove guilt; only Jesus did. He taught that Meth eventually brought death; and Jesus brought life. And a few drug addicts listened. He got them help. They got off the drugs. Great news, right? Except for the Drug Cartel. They were losing money. So… The Drug Cartel had Pastor Eduardo Garcia gunned down in the streets. Crowds led by SINFUL HUMANS are opposed to HOLY GOD. Beware. II. The Crowd Rages Back to the story. When the crowd heard Demetrius’ speech, “They were furious and began shouting: ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’ ”(v.28) They rushed into the city. They shouted. They screamed. They pumped their fists. They motioned for others to join them. People joined the crowd who agreed with their cause. People joined the crowd who loved Artemis. People joined the crowd who enjoyed shouting. People joined the crowd who didn’t want others to get mad at them for not joining the crowd. People joined the crowd because they didn’t want to miss out on whatever was about to happen. Regardless, the crowd grew in number. They grabbed two men – Gaius and Aristarchus – two church members that worked with Paul. They dragged them through the streets. Eventually, the streets were so narrow – and the crowd was so big – that they had to make their way to the local theater. It was the only building big enough to house the large crowd that had gathered. As they gathered and shouted, they threw a guy named Alexander to the front in order to explain this message of Jesus. But – thing was – Alexander wasn’t even a believer. He just looked like he might be. When he tried to explain that, the crowd got angrier. They didn’t want to listen. And then it started. Two hours. Two straight hours of shouting: Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! She’s the greatest god of all time. Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! This guy named Jesus is costing us money. Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! I really, really hate the Jews. Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! I just drank a bunch of booze. Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! I don’t know what I’m doing. Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! That plane in the sky? Is that a Boeing? Two hours of screaming. Screaming from people who don’t even know why they’re screaming in the first place. Here’s the warning: Crowd following can be a MINDLESS activity. Maybe you’ve fallen victim. Peer pressure in high school, “It’s what the cool kids are doing.” Friends egging you on at a bar, “Come on. Just say it.” Your family, “Hate those people. It’s what we do.” Comments on your social media profile, “If you don’t believe this, you are despicable.” Society, “If you want to fit in, get rid of the god stuff. That’s the way the crowd is going.” It’s so easy to follow the crowd. Even mindlessly. But MINDLESS crowd following is NEEDLESLY dangerous. Jesus is loving. Jesu is our Savior. You trust him, right? He died for you. He rose for you. He loves you. There’s no one more trustworthy than Jesus, right? Look at what your trustworthy Savior said in the Gospel for today: Do not be afraid of the one who can kill the body, but be afraid of the One who can destroy both body and soul in hell. (Mark 10:28) Do you hear what Jesus is saying? Don’t fear a dislike on Facebook more than holy hellfire. Don’t fear the loss of a friend more than the loss of your God. Don’t fear society calling you a name more than your Lord calling you DAMNED. Don’t fear anything more than your God. III. The Crowd is Defeated Because no crowd can OVERPOWER God. Back to Ephesus. The shouting had been going on for a solid two hours. Finally, the city clerk, who is a high-ranking individual in Ephesians society, made his way to the front of the steps. After motioning for them to be quiet, they finally chilled. He said to them: “Calm down; don’t do anything rash.” (v.36) Guys, we need to stop. Artemis is still known around the world. We’re still rich. Tourists are still visiting. These two church members haven’t done anything illegal. The reality is that if Caesar hears about this riot – we’re the ones who did something illegal. And we’ll be the ones getting into trouble. Chill. Relax. Go home. Then, he dismissed them. And the crowd went home. Because sometimes God protects his people through people that aren’t even his people. TRUTH: No crowd can OVERPOWER God. Take one more example from Jesus. He was arrested by a crowd of angry men. They brought him to the Assembly. They shouted for hours, not ‘Great is Artemis!’, but “Crucify Him!” They dragged him through the narrow streets. They hung him on a cross…all the while jeering, mocking, and spitting. He took his last breath and it looked like the crowd had won. But… Three days later. Three days later… Jesus came back to life. And that wasn’t the only crowd against him! Because Jesus went to the cross with a crowd of your sins on his back. The sins of rebelling against his Word. The sins of bowing to peer pressure. The sins of following the crowd opposed to God. But those sins didn’t overpower Jesus. He overpowered them. Through faith in him, those sins won’t overpower you. You are forgiven. You are victorious. Christ will bring you home to heaven. Because… Christ following ALWAYS leads to ETERNAL life. No other crowd will do that. Not a crowd of your friends. Not a crowd of your coworkers. Not a crowd of social media followers. Only Jesus can. And does. Only Jesus will. IV. What Now? 1) Identify the Leader. Have you ever driven cross-country in a caravan? That’s when a bunch of cars all follow one another. If you’re going to do that, suddenly it becomes very important that you know who you’re following. Because if you don’t pay very good attention. Well… I remember one time I was following a red van. I was supposed to follow it to a place in Durham. But after it was taking awhile, I looked up at the road signs and saw that I was approaching Greenville. Turns out? I had been following a red van that wasn’t the one my friend was driving. It’s important to identify the leaders in your crowds of people. Because that will tell you where you’re going. Is the leader a sinful human? Is it a sinful human who doesn’t care about Jesus? Is it a sinful human who is led by Jesus? That’s the crowd you want. 2) Unfollow the Sinful Crowd. Unfortunately, this is a lot harder than simply going onto Facebook and hitting “UNFOLLOW.” (Although that might be part of this.) If it’s a crowd that you’ve been following for a while, you might have acquaintances, friendships, and good friends in that crowd. Those relationships, emotions, and feelings will make it hard to unfollow that crowd. But… If that crowd is leading you away from your Savior… Don’t be Demetrius. Don’t forfeit the Christ in exchange for money, for fame, for fortune, for good times, for a momentary pleasure…for stuff that doesn’t last. 3) Follow the Christ. Because Christ is not overpowered by any crowd. And if you’re following him, neither will you. Because Christ always leads to eternal life. If you’re following him, that’s where you’ll be. Check out Revelation 7. It describes a different kind of crowd. A bigger crowd. A more diverse crowd. A crowd shouting louder than that Ephesus crowd. A crowd shouting longer than that Ephesus crowd. A crowd shouting about a being greater than the Ephesus crowd was shouting about. A crowd shouting in heaven: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” Friends, that’s the crowd you want to be in.  We are in the middle of our sermon series on Acts. In this series we have been to a lot of different places and learned a different lesson in each place. Today we’re getting a potpourri of lessons from one place and all on hypocrisy.
Hypocrisy comes from the Greek word “hypokrusis.” The word was used in Greek theater. It meant: “to play a part,” which, in Greek theater, often meant “wearing a mask.” It’s a part of theater still today – specifically known as the Marvel Big Screen. Chris Evans dons a mask and becomes Captain America. Chadwick Boseman dons a mask and becomes Black Panther. Evangeline Lilly dons a mask and becomes The Wasp. Hypocrisy, then, is when someone claims to be one thing, when they are not. Before we begin our study of hypocrisy, a prayer: O Lord, strengthen us by the truth, your Word is truth. Open our eyes to see what you want us to see, our ears to hear what you want us to hear and our hearts to believe what you would have us believe. Amen. I. One Kind of Hypocrisy The lesson from Acts 19 is the first big stop on Paul’s 3rd missionary journey. Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. (19:1a) Ephesus was the Capital of the Ancient province of Asia and a bustling commercial center. Paul had briefly been there at the end of the 2nd missionary journey. Before he left, he promised to return if God allowed. Paul’s appearance in chapter 19 is a fulfillment of that promise. When Paul arrives, he finds some disciples. (v.1b) These men claimed to be followers of the Christ. Paul greets them pleasantly. (Maybe with some high fives, jokes about not having rocks thrown at him, and an invitation to go grab lunch at the local Smashburger). As they are hanging out, Paul asks them some conversational questions: What’s your favorite worship song? What do you do to serve at the church? Do you like your coffee dark or light roast? And… Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? (v.2) Some explanation: The Holy Spirit is absolutely in the heart of all believers. 1 Corinthians 12:3 says, “No one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.” It’s simple. It’s clear. If you believe in Jesus, you have the Holy Spirit, because you need the Holy Spirit in order to believe. But what Paul is talking about here is something different. Early in the history of the Christian church, during key faith-filled events, the Holy Spirit would visibly manifest his presence within a group of believers. This would serve to prove the truthfulness of the Gospel through miraculous signs. It happened at Pentecost (Acts 2) when tongues of fire appeared on the Apostles’ heads as they spoke in languages that they had never learned. It happened again in the house of the Roman Centurion Cornelius (Acts 10). In both instances, God was making it clear that this faith – and the message that this faith was placed in – was a very real and very divine message. Paul’s question was about whether that had happened with them. Did you get to speak in tongues? Did fire appear on your heads? Did you open your mouth and rainbows started shooting out? The answer was a bit surprising: “We hadn’t heard there was a Holy Spirit…” (v.3) Paul responded, “Wait. What!?! You don’t know the Holy Spirit? He’s a key part of our teachings. He’s the one who brings us to faith. He’s the one who came down on Jesus like a dove. And Baptism! Haven’t you been baptized? Into whose name were you baptized? Because as far as I know…believers are baptized into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the HOLY SPIRIT.” The men responded, “We were baptized into John’s Baptism, into the name of the Christ who is going to come in the future.” “OK… The Christ. Good. Did you know he has already come? Did you know he already did his Christ work? Did you know his name?” And the men looked on at another, shrugged, and replied, “I don’t know…maybe…Bob?” Divine forehead slap. Here’s the truth: Sometimes hypocrisy comes from IGNORANCE. It’s like the time I was at Buffalo Wild Wings and a lady near me was decked out in Tarheel gear as she watched them battle on the football field. A while later, the Tarheels had their quarterback sacked in the end zone. The woman stood up, clapped, and shouted, “Great job! Way to go.” Until, her friends (also in Tarheel gear) motioned for her to sit down: “Stop cheering. That was a safety. That means its two points for the other team.” Sometimes hypocrisy comes from IGNORANCE. Yes, I’m a believer in Jesus…and I believe you can sleep with whomever you want. Does the Bible say differently? Yes, my social profile says: “Christian”; I like all kinds of quotes from the Bible. Also quotes from the KKK. Is there something wrong? Yes, I’m a Christian. I’ve been my whole life. But what do you mean when you are talking about salvation by grace? Never heard of it? I thought I’d get to heaven, simply because I was good enough…. Before you say, “But if someone doesn’t know, it’s no big deal.” Remember that ignorant hypocrisy is still hypocrisy. It’s still wrong. If your son winds up and punches your little daughter in the face, you don’t say, “It’s ok. He didn’t know. Let him be.” No! You course correct immediately! In the same way, it’s still wrong when we say we are followers of Jesus, but then do the opposite of followers of Jesus, even if we simply didn’t know followers of Jesus don’t do that. There’s a simple cure for this kind of hypocrisy. It’s called knowledge. That’s what Paul gave these men. He said to them in verse 4, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” Jesus is the Christ. He lived perfectly when you couldn’t. He died innocently in your place. He rose triumphantly for the forgiveness of your sins. I saw it with my own eyes! And the group believes. They are baptized into Jesus’ name. And that Holy Spirit that they didn’t know about? He makes himself visibly known. They began to speak in tongues, and they prophesied. (v.6) Visual proof of the invisible truth that their faith in Jesus wasn’t fake; it was real. The same is true for you. Repent of your any hypocrisy of ignorance. To do that, look at the truth. The truth may be that what you’ve been doing is sin. But the truth also is that you have a Savior. And in Jesus, you are forgiven. II. Another Kind of Hypocrisy But not all hypocrisy is caused by ignorance. Next Paul entered the synagogue, a place where they studied God’s Word. He went and spoke boldly there for three months. (v.9a) You would expect this to produce real believers. These people wore religious jewelry. They went to worship. They knew lots of the Bible. They knew all the words to all their favorite religious songs. They knew prayers. They knew religious logos. They knew God’s Word. And yet…when Paul was done speaking… Some of them were obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. (v.9b) And think about the hypocrisy of it all: They studied God’s Word. They knew God’s Word. Then, they refused to believe God’s Word. And even openly mocked God’s Word. Only to sit around congratulating each other for following that Word that they were mocking. It’s would be like sitting in the Fellowship Hall after worship and gossiping about another believer not being a very good believer and then congratulating yourselves on being such good believers even though you’re doing things that believers aren’t supposed to do. Take note: Sometimes hypocrisy comes from ignorance; but sometimes hypocrisy comes from obstinance. In fact, the Greek word there means “hardened.” Tough, rough, impenetrable. Like a rock. There’s nothing getting through the exterior into the heart of the rock. Try it. You can punch the rock. You can hit the rock with a blow dart. You could try karate chopping the rock. Nothing. Even if you took a hammer to it - that rock isn’t splitting. The same can happen with people’s hearts. Even the hearts of long-time Christians. I know racism is wrong. God is for all people. You should go tell it to those people over there. They’re the racist ones. In fact, that’s how all people like them are! I know it says that sex outside of marriage is wrong. And I haven’t had it! Look at my purity ring! Now excuse me…the adult film. I uploaded on my iPhone is coming after it’s done buffering. I know it! Pride is wrong. Preach it pastor! Especially at that guy over there. But don’t you preach it at humble me. There’s nobody humbler than I am. And God’s Word connects with the heart. And the heart hardens. And hypocrisy ensues. Take warning. If you are a long-time church goer, take extra warning! Don’t harden your heart to God’s Word. And then sit around congratulating yourself for following God’s Word. Instead of hardening your heart, look at God’s heart. Because God’s heart was not hard. His heart was filled with compassion. His heart was filled with love for you…even when you repeatedly hardened your heart against him. His heart was not hardened like a rock. Want proof? When he hung on that cross… Bleeding… Dying… For you… The soldiers reached up with a spear. They plunged it into his him. Blood. Not hardened. But softened with love for you. Even now. Even if you’ve hardened your heart before, listen to his heart for you. Repent of your hypocrisy. And do it quickly. III. All Kinds of Hypocrisy As Paul continued his ministry, God continued to bless Paul. In fact, look at the amazing things that God did through Paul: Even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched Paul were taken to the sick and their illnesses were cured, and the evil spirits left them. (v.12) That’s amazing! Paul’s handkerchiefs cured from the flu and his aprons drove out evil spirits. But look at what happened, “Seven sons of Sceva (Which…Listen to the name. It sounds shady. Almost like an evil muppet or something) they went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon possessed. They would say, “In the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” (v.12-13) To be fair, this doesn’t look hypocritical. It looks like they are trying to help. They aren’t ignorant of Jesus’ name. They use it. They aren’t obstinately opposed to Jesus. God is against demons, too. Yet, look at what happened. One day an evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. (v.15) Do you see the problem? I can’t. But God could. Maybe they weren’t doing this out of love for Jesus. But out of love for power. Maybe they weren’t doing this out of love for others. But out of love for themselves. They were hypocrites. Good ones too! It was hard to tell that they were doing anything wrong. But here’s the truth: Sometimes hypocrisy comes from ignorance. Sometimes hypocrisy comes from obstinance. But hypocrisy is always exposed. A family member finds out. A pastor discovers the truth. Your spouse learns about what you were trying to hide. Always hypocrisy is exposed. Even if you successfully hide it from all other human beings, God knows. God knows and he will expose it. At the end of time, you won’t be able to hide it. And he won’t be able to hide his displeasure. He’ll simply say: Jesus, I know… And Paul I know… But…You? Who are you? IV. What Now? Therefore, God calls us to repent. To turn from hypocrisy. To turn to our Savior. And the way to do that is to: (1). Switch Your Mask We said that hypocrisy is putting on a mask. Covering up our sins with a nice looking, “Christian” façade. Make me think of Halloween. That’s a time for masks. There’s a wide variety of them at Precious Lambs. I remember there was one kid who made his own mask. It was made of string and paper. The paper covered up…one of his eyebrows. He said: “You don’t know who I am.” And I said: “Uh-huh.” Hypocrisy? That’s like hiding behind the paper eyebrow mask. We think it hides our sinfulness from God. It doesn’t. Instead, check out Galatians 3:27 All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. Christ’s clothing? It’s righteousness. It’s purity. It’s impenetrable. Just like a full-fledged mask, it fully and completely covers up all your sins. Jesus covers up your obstinance. Jesus covers up your ignorance. Jesus covers up your sin so much so that when God looks at you, He only sees – His child. That’s comforting. That’s empowering. So much so that God calls us to our second WHAT NOW: (2). Go Public Look at the reaction of the people to what had occurred. Many who believed came and openly confessed what they had done. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. (v.18) Think about that: Believers gathered in the middle of the city with their arms filled of books that they had been storing in their homes. Books that weren’t about the Bible. Books that were about Satan, witchcraft, and sexual immorality. It’d be like someone coming to the front of church and making a pile of a raunchy racist DVDs, two illegal drug baggies, and an iPhone loaded with pornographic content. That’s take courage to do in front of everyone, right? But they had the courage. Why? Because Jesus. Because they were covered in Christ’s righteousness. Because they knew they were God’s children. Because they knew God’s children were serious about getting rid of sin. Because they knew God’s other children wouldn’t ridicule them, but support them. And so… They went public with it. Do the same. Examine your heart. Find your hypocrisy And Go public with it. Go public with a friend, a pastor, or a family member! And if someone trusts you enough to publicly confess a secret sin to you, don’t say: “Just a second while I share what you did on social media.” Nope. Help them. Share the Gospel. Remind them of Christ’s mask. Help them incinerate whatever it is they are struggling with! Because in that, God’s Word is spread. Conclusion: In fact, look at the last verse: In this way, the word of the Lord spread widely. (v.20) Because when God’s Word gets us to stop being hypocrites and start being real, then God’s Word really spreads. If we’re real -- real with God and real with each other -- then the community will notice.  Today we are looking at the final sermon in our EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS sermon series. It is based on the final time Jesus appeared to his group of disciples.
Trivia time: Have you counted up the appearances so far? How many are there? Mary Magdalene. The other women. The Emmaus Disciples. The group of disciples on Easter. The group of disciples - plus Thomas – one week later. The group of disciples on the fishing trip. That’s six accounts so far. But that’s not all of them. There’s another time that Jesus saw Peter – one-on-one. (1 Cor. 15:5) There’s a time that Jesus appeared to a guy called James – either the disciple or Jesus’ half-brother. (1 Cor. 15:7) There’s a time where Jesus gives his disciples the Great Commission (Mt. 28:19-21) There’s a time that Jesus appeared to more than 500 disciples all at one time (1 Cor. 15:6) There’s even a time when Jesus appears to a guy named Saul who was hell-bent on destroying Christianity, but Jesus’ appearance transforms his heart into a guy named Paul who goes on 4 missionary journeys, starts 20 churches, and writes 13 books of the Bible (Acts 9). If you were counting – that’s 11 different appearances to over 500 different people. The resurrection is not made up. It is REAL. But if so…maybe you still struggle with this. Because would it be so much easier if you could SEE Jesus? If you could take a trip to the Holy Land and get a selfie with him? If you could check out his Twitter handle for his perspective on any cultural situation? If you could text him every time you had a question on a Bible passage… Why did Jesus leave? Why did he disappear? Today’s EYEWITNESS account is the 12th recorded account in Scripture. It is the last one that occurs before he physically disappears. Today we want to learn (1) where Jesus went (2) why he disappeared (3) and what he wants us to do in the meantime. Before we begin, a prayer: Lord, strengthen us by the truth; your Word is truth. Open our eyes to see what you want us to see; our ears to hear what you want us to hear and open our hearts to believe what you would have us believe. Amen. I. The “Disappearance” The lesson we are looking at to begin with comes from Luke 24:50-51: When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Timeline wise this is the 40th day after Easter. We find that out from Acts 1 – which is an expanded version of this same exact account. Note that this final appearance starts with Jesus leading his disciples. That’s appropriate. He had led his disciples for 3 years. He had led him the last 40 days. He would lead them up until his last day on earth. In fact, that’s literally what disciple means: “follower.” And he led them to Bethany. Bethany is a small town just to the east of Jerusalem. The city is the place where Jesus commandeered the donkey for his entrance into Jerusalem. In this instance, they are just outside of Bethany where a few hills are located. And as they get to the top of the hill… Jesus teaches. He preaches. He disciples his disciples just like he had done so many times before. But then…. Unlike so many times before… His feet go up. They lift off the ground. And his body begins floating. Begins hovering. Begins ascending. And he goes up. And up. And up. Until… A cloud hid him from their sight. Do any of you know who Criss Angel is? He’s like a tattooed, goth version of David Copperfield. He is famous for street magic. One of the tricks that he did was he began to levitate in the air. Mind you – this is on the sidewalk, in the street, apart from a magician’s stage. I thought that was amazing. Until… There’s a YouTube video of him explaining the trick. Essentially, he is wearing a special pair of pants that (1) break away in the front (2) have a mannequin’s foot attached to the back of it. This enables him to plant his real foot on the ground, balance, and go into a squat that makes it look like he is beginning to float parallel to the ground. The rest is misdirection and camera positioning. And voila! Magic. Jesus’ ascension is not a magic trick. He isn’t floating on a false leg. There isn’t camera misdirection. He doesn’t hitch a ride on a hot air balloon, a jet pack or even a drone. He goes all the way up to the sky Without any strings attached. Until he is hidden by a cloud. This is a miracle! This is Jesus’ ascension. TRUTH: Jesus didn’t disappear; he ASCENDED into heaven. This is a really important distinction. Because if Jesus disappeared – we’re left confused and frightened. But Jesus didn’t just disappear. He ascended to heaven. That word is really important. If any of you watched Game of Thrones – and I haven’t – but I think I can reveal this without giving a spoiler. I heard that at the end someone conquers all of the other people and ascended to the throne. He wins the Game of Thrones. He ascended to his position of power. He did it because the struggle was over! Jesus ascended because He conquered sin. Jesus ascended because He conquered guilt. Jesus ascended because He conquered shame. Jesus ascended because He conquered death. TRUTH: Jesus ascended because the work of salvation was completed. That’s so important to remember! Because Jesus’ whole purpose on earth was to defeat all of our spiritual enemies. If he ascended to heaven? That’s because his work is done. Remember that – it’s really easy to think: I’ve got more to do. I’ve got to become the perfect mom. Jesus weakened sin, guilt and shame – but I have to finish them. There’s even churches out there that preach – you’ve got more to do! You’ve gotta get to perfection. You’ve gotta improve. You’ve gotta do some things to complete Jesus’ work for him. Nope. Jesus doesn’t leave tasks unfinished. Jesus always completes. And Jesus completed completely conquering your sin. If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have left! TRUTH: Jesus ascended where he rules over all. Ephesians says this: “He raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” (1:20-21) Did you hear that? The one who loves you more than you could ever dream is in control of all things. He’s ruler over cities, counties, and states. He’s ruler over kings, despots, and presidents. He’s ruler over wind, waves, and the hot temperature outside right now! He’s is ruler over all things! Nothing’s more powerful. Nothing can defeat him. And yet… There’s one more place that he would love to rule: Your Heart. I went to McDonald's the other day with a coupon for a free meal that someone had given me. After I ordered Value Meal number seven, I handed them the card and the person said: “Just a second. I can’t authorize this.” She called over her coworker who looked at the card and said: “We need a manager to authorize this.” She called over a shift manager who looked at the card and said: “I’m sorry. I can’t authorize this.” She called over her manager who looked at the card, entered the code and authorized it. It’s the same thing with life. We want peace. We want joy. We want courage. And we try to find it from all the things that don’t have the authority to give it: Things like lust. Things like greed. Things like money, fame, career…a desire to be perfect! “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” (Colossians 3:15) Because Christ is God. Christ is the one true ruler. Christ offers true peace. And Christ also offers us direction. II. Our Mission Because if the boss leaves and you don’t know what to do, it can be stressful: Should we finish the reports? Should we work on new clients? Should we try to recover old ones? UGH! Maybe we should just drink all of the coffee. Christ didn’t leave us unclear with what to do. Look at what he told his disciples before his ascension: Jesus told his disciples, “This is what is written (that’s a reference to Old Testament prophecy.) The Messiah will suffer (Jesus suffered) and rise from the dead on the third day (Jesus did), and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”(That hadn’t happened yet…) But then look at what Jesus says next: “You are witnesses of these things.” (Lk. 24:46-48) Do you get it? The final part of God’s plan is bringing the message of forgiveness to everyone. And while all the other parts happened through Jesus… This is the part that happens through you: TRUTH: Before being UPLIFTED, Jesus commanded us to UPLIFT. You don’t need to be confused about your task on this earth. You see a coworker who is down? Approach them, listen to them, and share the message of Jesus. Tucking your kids in for the night? Tuck them in, kiss their forehead, and share the message of Jesus. Have a spouse who doesn’t believe? Go home, give them a hug, and share the message of Jesus. Serve in ministry here at school? Do the lesson plans, cut out the art project, and share the message of Jesus. Serve in leadership here at church? Think about funding, consider maintenance, but don’t forget our goal is to SHARE THE MESSAGE OF JESUS! But don’t think you have to do it alone. “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” More specifically in Acts: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you….” (1:8) Spoiler alert: Ten days later. The disciples are in Jerusalem just like Jesus told them to be. And suddenly… There’s the sound of a hurricane like wind without the wind coming from within the room they are staying. They look around and they see tongues of fire appear on the top of each other’s heads. They are able to speak fluently in languages that they have never even studied. The Holy Spirit was with them. And they immediately find courage. Because they go out that day and do some sidewalk preaching – in the middle of downtown Jerusalem – with the end result that over 3,000 people are baptized and believe. The Holy Spirit was with them. And the Holy Spirit is with you. TRUTH: Jesus left you with the promise of the HOLY SPIRIT. By faith, the Holy Spirit is with you and he does the impossible. He made fire appear on the heads of disciples. He made them speak in language they never learned. He made the sound of a hurricane occur without any hurricane winds. He does the incredible! The miraculous. The seemingly impossible. Including… Working through you. To bring others to faith! But that’s not all. Look at verses 49-50 of Luke 24: When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, Jesus lifted up his hands and blessed them. Throughout Scripture, whenever Jesus’ hands are involved, there are some amazing blessings: In Luke 13 he lays his hands on a woman who had never been able to straighten her back…and instantly she did. In Mark 7, he lays his hands on a man who is deaf and mute and…instantly he hears and speaks. In Mark 8, he lays his hands on a blind man’s eyes and…instantly he sees. In Mark 6, it simply says, “He laid his hands on…sick people and healed them.” (v.5) Talk about blessings. And then, there’s the final blessing that pours from his hands. He heads to a cross. They take his hands and nails them. The right… The left… And then blood flows forth. But not just blood. Blessings: Forgiveness. Peace. Eternal life. TRUTH: Jesus left, but left us with BLESSINGS pouring from his HANDS. Even though you can’t see his hands. Even though you can’t touch them. The truth is no less true. The blessings are no less real. It’s one of the reasons that pastors for centuries have continued this tradition. Using the words of Scripture – God’s Word – they lift up their hands. They communicate God’s blessings on the congregation. They say: “The Lord bless you and keep you.” This is more than just wishful thinking. This is God’s real blessing given to you. III. What Now? I think that if you were a passerby and saw the aftermath of the Ascension, you might have laughed. Because there were 20 some dudes. Eyes lifted upwards. Staring into the cloud. Gazing into the sky. Mouths dropped wide open. And this continued… Until… A tap on the shoulder: “The angel said, ‘Why do you stand there staring up into the sky? This same Jesus who left you…will come back in the same way you saw him go into heaven.’” (Acts 1:10) In other words: Stop stalling. You have a job to do. Stop looking into heaven. And start looking around. Don’t you see…? There are souls who need this message. Souls in your office. Souls at the garage. Souls in your neighborhood. Souls in your kid’s room. Souls in your kitchen. Souls in the easy chair across from you while watching Netflix tonight. Everywhere you look there is work that needs to be done! What a privilege God wants to work through YOU! Stop stalling. Start sharing. Keep your eyes on the task that Jesus has given you Be a WITNESS of the EYEWITNESS truth of your Risen Savior. Amen.  We are in the middle of our Eyewitness sermon series and so far, we have heard Eyewitness reports from Mary Magdalene and from the Emmaus Disciples (Named? Cleopas and the other guy). In addition, we heard there’s a group of at least three other women (Mary the mother of James, Joanna and others—Lk. 24:10) who saw Jesus alive as well. That means by evening on Easter Sunday there are 5 people who have witnessed Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.
The unlikely story is building credibility. DNA testing was introduced into our court system in the early 90s. Did you know that hundreds of people who were previously convicted by eyewitness reports have been found not-guilty thanks to the DNA Testing? In 70% of those cases, the reason for conviction was the eyewitness testimony of one or two people. John Wixted, a psychologist for the University of California, San Diego – wanted to see how useful eyewitness testimony was. He conducted an experiment with police that focused on 348 robberies in 2013 that involved an eyewitness and a single suspect. He showed the eyewitness a group of 5 photos in which one was the convicted robber. The eyewitnesses got the correct suspect 1/3 of the time. Not great. But…in addition to quizzing eyewitnesses on the correct suspect, he also asked them about their certainty – whether they were unsure, certain, or very certain. Of the people who were very certain? They correctly identified the suspect 75% of the time. And when there was even one other supporting eyewitness, the rate of correct identification shot up to 90%. By evening on the very first Easter, Jesus was identified as risen by at least 5 eyewitnesses. Not one. Not two. Five. And their confidence? It was through the roof! They didn’t see Jesus running away or from a distance, but up close and personal. But…they aren’t even the beginning of the eyewitness accounts. Today we’ll look an eyewitness account that probably quadruples the eyewitnesses to Jesus’ resurrection. The goal? Gain your confidence that Jesus is alive. Before we begin, a prayer: Lord, strengthen us by the truth; your Word is truth. Open our eyes to see what you want us to see; our ears to hear what you want us to hear and our hearts to believe what you would have us believe. Amen. I. The Eyewitness Account The eyewitness account is recorded in both the Gospel of John and the Gospel of Luke. We’re going be in both, starting with John. It says, “On the evening of that first day of the week...the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders…” (Jn. 20:19) The section starts by describing a group of disciples together. The Gospel of Luke helps us better define who the group was gathered together. A few notes: It doesn’t involve Judas – he betrayed Judas and took his life because of the guilt. It doesn’t involve Thomas – take note – we’ll talk more about that next week. It does involve the Emmaus disciples – Cleopas and what’s-his-name show up to tell them all about their eyewitness experience. It involves the women – Mary Magdalene, other Mary and Joanna, the other woman – who had seen Jesus rise from the dead. And…maybe even a few others. In short, the group is somewhere around 15-20 people. That’s important. And the doors were locked. It’s almost a horror film like setting. The disciples have the doors locked, latched, barred, with a couple pieces of furniture stacked against the door – all because they are afraid of the Jewish leaders. Why? The Jewish leaders just killed Jesus. They crucified him. They acted like a mob, wrongfully arrested him, falsely accused him, illegally convicted him, and forced Pilate’s hand to have him crucified. What if the leaders did the same to them? What if they had 12 more crosses just waiting to be filled with 12 more disciples? What if any encounter with a Jewish leader would end the same way that Jesus’ encounter did…death? And so, they hid. And…all day long people had been entering the room with really weird accounts. “We went to the grave and we thought he’d be dead, but the stone was moved!” “An angel. A brilliantly bright angel. He saw us and spoke to us and said Jesus was alive.” “It’s true. We listened to Mary. We ran to look. There wasn’t a body in the tomb.” “I came back later and saw Jesus himself! I know it…because I heard his voice. A voice that healed me from demons.” “We walked on the road with him. We talked with him. Would we have come all the way back here from Emmaus – a 7-mile sprint? – if we hadn’t really seen something?” And to be fair – the reports brought excitement. They brought mystery. They brought questions. But mostly…they brought fear. Lots and lots of fear. Because this fear of the Jews – had obviously caused their friends – delusions…. …their mind was playing tricks on them! …a slow descent into madness. How long until it hit them? In the midst of the fear, confusion and hushed conversations… Another guest appeared into the room. Everyone was so distracted that they did not hear him enter. Granted --- he didn’t knock. He just appeared. While they were…talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” (Luke 24:36-37) And the disciples…have anything but peace! It’s the ghost! He’s seeking vengeance. He’s back to haunt us. Jesus lifted up his hands. The disciples braced themselves for the inevitable plasma-ball to come out and consume them. But… Instead… Jesus said this, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” (v.38) One by one…the disciples looked at each other. “Touch him? Touch the ghost?” “You do it.” “No, you do it.” “I’m not touching the ghost!” Finally, Peter pushes his brother Andrew forward. Andrew gulps. He lifts up his hand. He places it on Jesus’ hand…and… “Whoa…Guys. It’s real.” The other disciples quickly come over. They feel the bumps on his skin. They feel the hairs on his arms. They touched the holes near his hands. He has flesh and bone – just like any other living human has. Jesus asks, “Do you have anything here to eat?” (v.42) One of them hands over the fish sandwich. They pass it to Jesus. It’ll probably fall to the floor – he’s a spirit. Nope. Jesus ate it in their presence. (v.43) It went into his mouth. Chewed by his teeth. Tasted by his tongue. Into his throat Into his belly. Digestion happened. Just like it does with any living human being. Then, Jesus gave them something else. He said to them, “This is what I said would happen. Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Old Testament.” (v.44) I had to die. And I had to rise. Just as it was written: “God, you will not abandon my soul to the grave, nor let your Holy One see decay.” (Psalm 16:10) “After he has suffered, the Messiah will see the light of life…” (Isaiah 53:11) “Just as Jonah was three days and night in the belly of a fish, so the Son of man will be three days and three nights in the belly of the earth.” (Mt. 12:40) Friends I am alive. Jesus’ words echoed… Seemingly…joyful. And the disciples came to a realization. This wasn’t a hallucination. This wasn’t a vision. This wasn’t even a ghost. Nope. This was something much worse. This was real. Jesus rose. And it couldn’t be more terrifying! Why terrifying? Because the last time most of them saw Jesus? It was in a garden, late at night, running away as he got arrested. They had abandoned him. They had denied him. They had watched…without doing anything…as he died a slow, painful death on the cross. They sinned against him… Greatly. Now he was back. Proof that He was who He said He was. Proof that He was God Almighty who controlled hurricanes, volcanoes and flash floods. Proof that He was real --- and He was back – and He was back for one reason only: Vengeance. One by one by the disciples looked towards the grounds. They winced. They knew they were sinners and they were awaiting their sin-hating God to utterly destroy them. But… He didn’t. Instead he repeated: “Peace be with you.” I am God. I am alive. I have the power of life and death. But I am not angry. (Isaiah 27:4) I am not here to get you. I am not here for revenge. I am here because we won. Because your sins are forgiven. Because we are at peace. II. Resurrection Truth There it is. The biggest, most populated eyewitness account that we’ve encountered to date. It’s filled with reasons for confidence. It’s filled with truth. What is that truth? Three things: (1) Jesus Rose from the Dead Yep. Third time that it’s come up as a truth to learn from the eyewitness account. Think about it. Jesus goes out of his way to prove that His physical, tangible body is in working order again. His digestive system works. His joints work. His skin works. He even invites the disciples – all 20-some of them – to do a full, thorough investigation. Don’t you think they did everything possible to determine if it really was real or not? Some tapped him. Someone pinched him. I gotta imagine someone might have even tried to pluck his arm hair out. And Jesus allows it! Because it’s real. And, it’s not just any old tangible working body, but his own working body. He’s had the nail marks in his hands to prove it. He’s had holes in his feet to prove it. He had a big, old slit in his side to prove it. If this was all one big ruse, then Jesus would have had to convince someone, “Hey, do you mind posing as me after I die on the cross? Really? Cool. Now…I know it sounds crazy, but would you be willing to shove nails into your hands, a stake through your feet and a spear into your side? We’re gonna need those wounds to heal up in order to convince people that it’s really me.” It didn’t happen. What did happen? Jesus really, absolutely, complete rose from the dead. And that’s important. Because that means… (2) We Have Peace It’s a phrase that Jesus repeats a few times. “Peace be with you.” “Peace be with you.” Because as hard as it might be to believe that Jesus rose from the dead, it might be harder to believe that we have peace with God. Because we have guilt. We have sinned. We have shame. Truth is – you might be believing that God is so angry with you. Because of past sins. Because of BIG past sins. Because of repeated sins. Because of unbelief. Because of not following Jesus. Because you haven’t been whom God called you to be! And so…you don’t believe. And the biggest reason you don’t believe in the resurrection is not be a lack of evidence. But your biggest reason for not believing in the resurrection is the ramifications. I am a sinner and lo, God hates me! But…if Jesus rose. Then, sin has been defeated. And…if Jesus rose, Your sin has been paid for. And…if your sin has been paid for. Completely. 100% perfectly. Then, God’s wrath has subsided. And if God’s wrath has subsided. Then, you have no reason to be afraid. Hear Jesus’ words to you: “Peace be with you.” Understand. It isn’t because your sin isn’t a big deal – it’s a huge deal. It isn’t because God doesn’t hate sin and evil – He absolutely does. It isn’t because you’ve done enough to make up for it – you can’t, and you won’t. It’s because of Jesus. Unbelievable as it is – it’s true. About as unbelievable as a resurrection – also true. The visible nature of the resurrection provides tangible proof of the invisible truth of reconciliation with God. (Romans 4:25) The resurrection is the visible proof of the invisible truth: You have peace with God. Which leads to our final truth: (3) You have been Sent To end his encounter with the disciples, Jesus says, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” Do you get it? God sent Jesus to bring us back to peace with Him. And He sent risen Jesus to His disciples to confirm that peace with Him. And He is sending us to share that peace with others. He is sending YOU to share that peace with others. Because there are people out there who are far apart from God. Who are entangled in sin. Who are covered in guilt. Who are like those disciples huddled in that room afraid to face the world because they have no peace. You give them that peace. You tell them about Jesus. And there aren’t any qualifications! He doesn’t say, “If you have Seminary Certification then you have been sent.” Nope. Qualifications for sharing Jesus include: (1) Believing in Jesus. (2) Hearing his call to “Go” and “Be sent.” Which you just heard… SO…this means you! If you’ve known about Jesus since you were a child? Sent. Go, tell about Jesus. If you’ve known about Jesus since this last Easter. Sent. Go, tell about Jesus. If you are a 40 plus year member of this church? Sent. Go, tell about Jesus. If you aren’t even a member yet? Sent. Go, tell about Jesus. If you are going home to a retirement community? Sent. Go, tell about Jesus. If you are going home to hang out in your playroom? Sent. Go, tell about Jesus. If you have a master’s degree? Sent. Go, tell about Jesus. If you have a bachelor’s degree? Sent. Go, tell about Jesus. If you have a high school degree? Sent. Go, tell about Jesus. If you don’t have any degree? Sent. Go, tell about Jesus. If you live near people who look and act like you? Sent. Go tell about Jesus. If you live near people who don’t look and don’t act like you? Sent. Go tell about Jesus. If you are a Republican? Sent. Go tell about Jesus. If you are a Democrat? Sent. Go tell about Jesus. If you are a political agnostic? Sent. Go, tell about Jesus. If you live in Raleigh? Sent. Go, tell about Jesus. If you live in Durham? Sent. Go, tell about Jesus. If you live in Wake Forest? Sent. Go, tell about Jesus. IF you live in Chapel Hill? Sent. Go, tell about Jesus. If you live in Cary, Zebulon, Fuquay Varina, Rolesville, Louisburg…or any other villle or burg that I’m forgetting to mention here: Sent. Go, tell about Jesus. If you are a someone or an anyone who knows about Jesus… (And friends – Jesus is talking to you) You have been sent. Go and tell about Jesus. And the Holy Spirit will be with you. Amen.  We recently got a cat.
I know. I know…this sounds like a confessional. But, it’s true. After 33 years of claiming that I would never own a cat, I caved, and I did. And it’s been fun. She enjoys keeping us safe from any fuzz balls and dust balls that she sees. She loves to go hunting for leaves. She even enjoys a playful, piercing bite to my front toe. But the other day, my wife told me that she had done something crazy. Julianna texted me that we needed to close the windows so that the cat couldn’t climb the screen. I said, “Yeah. How could she do that?” Julianna said, “I see holes in the screen right now.” I said, “Those are probably from bugs or some severe storm.” She said, “I’m pretty positive it’s from the cat.” I said, “Oh yeah. Prove it. How do you know?” My wife texted me a photo of the cat climbing the screen. Oh. Eyewitnesses are important. They are verbal proclaims of the visual truth. They are the difference between… Fiction and non-fiction. A fairy tale and history. A lie and truth. Over the next couple of weeks, we will be starting our sermon series called EYEWITNESS. It’s all about the eyewitnesses to the resurrection of Jesus. I think we need to do this because the resurrection of Jesus is too big a deal to rely on hearsay, to trust maybes and to listen to theories. Our goal today is to look at a real eyewitness accounts… Of real people… Who had real interactions… With the really risen Jesus… As real proof of your real salvation. Before we begin, a prayer: Lord, strengthen us by the truth; your Word is truth. Open our eyes to see what you want us to see; our ears to hear what you want us to hear and our hearts to believe what you would have us believe. Amen. I. Mary’s Background The first eyewitness account that we are going to look at comes from a woman named Mary Magdalene. What interesting about Mary is that she doesn’t play a big part in Jesus’ three years of ministry on earth. In fact, there’s very little that is written about her except for this: Mary Magdalene, out of whom Jesus had driven out seven demons. (Mark 16:9) It’s not even a full sentence. Just a passing adjective comment. But…one that’s pretty heavy. She had been possessed by 7 demons. Evil spirits. Fallen angels. Powerful. They had taken hold of her mind. Something that Bible theorists will suggest happens from dabbling in the demonic activity (the occult, psychics, blood sacrifices) and excessive drug use. Regardless how it happened to Mary, we know it was terrible. She had no control of her personality. She was a prisoner in her own mind. In a state of deep depression. With a helplessness that doesn’t go away. Except, it did. Mary was possessed. Jesus healed her. I don’t know exactly how, but if it is anything like Jesus’ other miracles, then it was probably as simple as Jesus lifting his hand and saying: “Be healed.” Which…Can you imagine? If you’ve ever had a counselor help you with a breakthrough. Or a pastor help you grasp God’s forgiveness. Or a fatal diagnosis that a doctor diagnosed, prescribed medicine and helped you defeat. You know the kind of deep connection that Mary had with Jesus. That’s why she had become a follower of his: She had been trapped, Jesus freed her. She had been guilty, Jesus brought her forgiveness. She had been depressed, Jesus brought her joy. She had been lonely, Jesus brought her family. She had been hopeless, Jesus made her hopeful. Until… Jesus died. He was violently, publicly, cruelly crucified on a cross. And all of her hope? Went away. All of her joy? Evaporated. All of her sanity… Started to slip away…. She could feel the devil’s grip tightening on her again. II. The Eyewitness Account That’s why she got up so early Sunday morning. You see -- Jesus had been killed Friday evening. They buried him. She would have gone to his grave to mourn, but they have this Sabbath rule where you can’t go to visit the dead on a Saturday. But Saturday was over. Like…just over. So…5am. It was still dark. It’s not like she was sleeping anyways. She threw on her sandals. Fastened on her cloak. And walked off to her friend’s house. KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! “What do you want?” “It’s Sunday. We were going to go to his grave. We were going to go to Jesus’ grave so that we can honor him.” “But Mary. It’s not even light out yet. It’s still night time. It’s…just gonna take me a second while I get ready.” As they walked through the slowly evaporating darkness, it was mostly quiet. Whenever her friends tried to make small talk, Mary quieted them. “We’ve just gotta get to Jesus’ grave.” As they approached the garden, Mary worked into a sprint walk. She began opening up the bottle of perfume she had brought to pour on his grave and anoint his body. “Mary, did you think about how we were going to get into the grave? There is that giant stone that the soldiers put there to make sure that no one could get in. I saw some of those guys. They’re built like models. It took about 5 of them to move it, I don’t see how we…” She stopped talking. Off in the distance was Jesus’ grave. And… The giant stone? It was moved. Immediately, Mary burst into tears: “What did they do? What have they done? They couldn’t just leave him alone. Those jerks! Those losers! How could they do this? How could they leave us like this? Without even a chance…to heal.” She broke down. Her friends tried to console her. But Mary shrugged them off. She turned around and sprinted back towards town. She could barely see where she was going with tears clouding her vision. She made her way to where some of the twelve disciples were staying. She pounded at the door. She screamed at the door. She made a commotion till their let her in: “They took his body. They took his body. They book his body…the tomb is empty!” Two of the disciples rushed out. They sprinted to see what she was saying. And Mary tried to follow, but she grew too tired. Her legs got wobbly. She slammed her back against tree trunk. And fell to the floor. A mess. After sobbing for a good 15 minutes, She stood up. She didn’t have any tears left. She had to get to the bottom of this. She had to get back to the tomb and find some kind of a clue…a witness…a footprint that would lead her to Jesus’ body. She went back to the tomb. Her friends were gone. The disciples were gone. The stone…was still gone. This time…she took a deep breath…and approached the tomb. Inside the tomb, she found some men. Dressed in white. A gleaming, blinding white light. Radiating from their clothes. Radiating from their faces. Both sitting on the bier where Jesus’ body had been. Between them? Grave clothes. Folded ever so nicely, ever so gently, as if they were no longer necessary. “Woman, why are you crying?” they asked. “They have taken my Lord away! And I don’t know where they have put them!” Mary turned around. The men were nice. And it was strange that they were glowing, but…she didn’t have time. She needed to find his body. Outside the tomb, someone else. Hard to tell who – with the tears blurring her vision. It was probably the gardener. “Woman, why are you crying?” This is the one. He must have taken the body. He must have moved it at the requests of the Pharisees! “Tell me sir. Tell me…Please…Where did you take his body? Why did you leave the grave….empty?” “Mary!” The air was still. Mary’s breath paused for a moment. She had heard that voice before. She had heard that voice teach her about God. She had heard that voice proclaim forgiveness. She had heard that voice drive away her own demons! It was Jesus! “Teacher!” She cried as she grabbed a hold of him with a hug. As she hugged, she knew it was real! She felt his shoulders. She held him by the back. She felt the warmth of his breath. Jesus was alive. III. Resurrection Truth This is the eyewitness account of Mary. It is an eyewitness account that is recorded for us in Scripture. The guy who wrote it? John – he was one of the disciples that went running to the tomb after Mary told him it was open! And the book of John? It was written down and passed around at a time when Mary Magdalene would have still been alive. And she didn’t say “Nah, man. That’s wrong. It didn’t happen this way.” Nope. She said, “That’s the truth.” Which means. There are three really important divine truths that we need to take home with us today. (1) Jesus Rose from the Dead Granted. You might be skeptical of that truth. That’s understandable. Because most people when they are dead? They can’t do much. Their bodies just lie there and slowly decompose. And even people who are living – they haven’t figured out a way to bring people that are dead back to life either. But if this is true… When Jesus was dead, he figured out one thing that no one else could ever figure out while they were alive – conquering death itself! If you’re skeptical, Mary’s account is for you. Because think about how long it took her recognize that Jesus was alive. She saw the immovable stoned – moved and her first reaction? “They took his body.” She went into the tomb and saw two angels –glowing with divine splendor. Her reaction? “They took his body!” She went outside the tomb and saw Jesus – but was so overcome with emotion that she says to Jesus, “You must have taken his body!” Thing is. She wasn’t wrong. It isn’t until Jesus… Gently… Calmly… Calls her name… That she realizes the incredible truth right in front of her! Friends, you might be dealing with sadness. You might be dealing with difficulties in your marriage. With abandonment. With challenges at work. With a financial crisis. With a terrifying diagnosis. With guilt, shame, and sin. And sometimes that can all cover our hearts and close our eyes and make us say, “There is no HOPE in this world! This Jesus’ thing can’t be true.” But… When that happens… Hear Jesus’ voice… He’s calling to you. “I am alive.” (2) The Work of Salvation is Finished Check out verse 17: “Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” The reason Jesus came to earth was to win your salvation. He came to suffer death for your sins. He came to earn your way to heaven. He came to pay for eternal life. If he’s heading up to heaven, guess what? That work is done. Granted – that can be hard to believe. It’s like Easter weekend. Maybe you are planning on having relatives to your house. Maybe you wanted to clean for your relatives -- so you make a check list: Sweep the floor, dust the counters, disinfect the countertops, clean the bathrooms, do the laundry, make the beds, clean up the toys, etc. And you go to work. And you come home and…. Your husband says, “Surprise! I did it already. It’s finished. You don’t have to clean anymore!” How do you respond? Probably…by sweeping the floor, dusting the counters, disinfecting the countertops, etc. When Jesus tells you that it is finished. It is finished. Your salvation is won. Your sins are forgiven. Eternal life is yours. Heaven is your home! “It is finished.” You don’t need to try and earn his love. You don’t need to complete your salvation. You don’t need to pay your way into heaven by working hard and becoming perfect. Nope. Jesus did it for you. Believe. And… (3) Go and Tell Because right after Mary realizes that Jesus is standing right in front of her… Having conquered sin and death… Renewing her hope again… She’s overcome with emotion. She holds onto him. She doesn’t want to ever go back to guilt and loneliness and despair. Never again! But Jesus says something interesting: “Do not hold onto me. Instead, go and tell.” (v.17) Why? Because there were others who had lost their hope. There were others who were in despair. There were others who were shacked to guilt. Mary’s eyewitness message – would change that. She would give them hope. She would give them joy. She would give them freedom. Friends, there are still people like that today. There are people who don’t know their Savior. People who don’t know the resurrection story. People who think Easter is all about sugary yellow marshmallow chicks They are overcome with guilt. They are dealing with a lack of joy. They are struggling with despair. Can you do me a favor? Listen to your Savior. Go and tell. Later today at your Easter party, turn to the people who didn’t come to worship to celebrate this message and share the story of Easter. Go and Tell. Later this evening when you are on your phones, take a note or two from this sermon and share on social media. Go and tell. Tomorrow morning as you head to work – gather around the coffee pot, talk with your coworkers about why you liked Easter and how amazing this message of the risen Savior is. Go and tell. And understand this. You won’t be just giving them a story. You won’t be just telling them a fairy tale. You’ll be giving them true hope. Absolute. Real. True. Hope. Amen.  I'm excited to get the chance to talk to you all this morning. I know I'm not Pastor Phil, but I spent a lot of time getting today's message ready for you, and I really hope you find it just as beneficial as his.
Did that sound believable? Honestly, I'm not that concerned about it, moreso that I wanted to demonstrate just how hollow our use of the word “hope” can be. Have you noticed that? I mean, it's a word that's meant to elicit – well – hope! But when you think about how we use the word, about what our typical hope really is... hope is not much comfort. Think about how you use the word. Most of the time we're actually using it to express the idea that we don't really think something will happen, or that we don't really believe what we've been told. “The party is going to be a blast. Sure, hope my cousin remembered to reserve the venue.” “Just got my hair done, sure hope it doesn't rain.” (I wouldn't know about that one.) I mean, what are we really saying when we use that word "hope"? Seems to me it's just a way of expressing that this is the outcome I would prefer but I have no actual reason to believe that it's going to go my way. It's what I'd like – but my wishes aren't going to influence the outcome. It's basically an empty word of wishing. In fact, sometimes we even use the word to indicate we don't actually expect the outcome! “Dad says we're finally getting together for dinner tonight!” “Really? Well, I sure hope so.” This can get a little more bleak when we get to more serious examples of when we throw this word around and then start to realize exactly how hollow it rings. “I hope I have enough money to pay the bills this month.” “I hope this relationship works out.” “I hope my health improves.” How are those kinds of sentiments any better than just outright wishing and the horses they would conjure? Let's be honest, they're not. And yet we cling to these empty "hopes" so tightly, invest so much in them that what happens when they're crushed? When we don't get what we're hoping for (which, depending on how good you are at tempering expectations, can happen a lot)… when we don't get that outcome we're hoping for... what happens? Fear? This was how I pictured my life. This was the only way I saw my life proceeding normally. Now, I can't pay these bills. Now, I won't have that someone I think I need in my life. Now, I won't be in this life much longer. I thought, wished, hoped life would be one way and now it's not going to be. What is going to happen? It's not alright the way it should have been so what is going to happen?? I can't handle the uncertainty of this road I did not plan for. Disappointment? This was to be my life. That was the only way I thought I would live. And any alternative isn't worth bothering with. I might as well sit here and just pine after what should have been. I don't know how to deal with this. Anger? I deserved this. This is what is owed me. It should have been this way! And now it's not. It's someone's fault. I don't know whose but I'll figure it out and I'll blame everyone I can along the way until I get what was coming to me. And all that leads me to this extremely dangerous conversation that I am sure you have heard before and probably even spoken part of in your life. When trouble or difficulty hits, when bad stuff happens that we struggle to react to: “It's going to be okay.” “I hope so.” If we're trying to offer hope in bleak circumstances, what could possibly ring more hollow than some kind of statement like that without anything behind it? “It's going to be okay.” By what authority, proof, or truth can you state that? And the response is just as hollow. “I hope so.” Sure would be nice but on what basis do you even hope that it will be? And when that is crushed too? Then what? What if instead of all that muck and mire of empty hope that's no better than wishing, what if instead there was a different kind of hope that was guaranteed? What if I could say, “It's going to be okay,” and that were a fact not an empty platitude? We can, because of the NEW kind of hope that Jesus offers us through Easter. And that's where this new kind of hope actually begins. In the grave. I mean, that's the real problem, isn't it? Looming out there beyond all the other things in life that could go wrong, and all the problems we might face here for a time is the one that we can't avoid and the one that can cause the most fear, anger or sadness: death. What will happen when I die? What will happen to me after I die? Will it be good? Bad? We can hem and haw and fret about everything that happens in the meantime, about every wish or hope we have for this life but in the end they all add up to zero and conclude at this one question, same for you or me or anyone else. In Jesus, this one all-consuming question is answered, and it is answered definitively. Though St. Paul speaks from the negative, this is his conclusion for us. Listen again to his words to the Corinthians: 12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. I don't want to get too far into it, but the problem in Corinth was that some people had started saying we wouldn't actually be raised from the dead. But, Paul, says, you didn't think that through! If no one is raised from the dead, guess who else wasn't raised from the dead? Jesus! Jesus was a new kind of raised from the dead, you know. He wasn't just brought back to life like some of the miracles he did: Lazarus or Jairus' daughter or the like. Those people came back to life, lived a normal life and then... well they died again at the end of it. Jesus was a new kind of being raised. He was raised forever. He lived a normal life, he died, and then he came back to life forever. And he did that not just because he is God, he did it to model for us what would happen to us now. He was the prototype, the first, the firstfruits as Paul calls him here. His journey is what we all follow. So, Paul says here, if you're saying that no one is raised from the dead like that, well then neither was Jesus. And if Jesus was not raised from the dead...you're in serious trouble. Because Jesus being raised from the dead was like a promise to us. A promise that because he did what he did, that is what would happen to us too. Jesus lived as a human. He never doubted the love of the Father, he never questioned the will of his Father, and he always obeyed his Father perfectly. Kind of exactly not like us. But for us. In your place. And then, as we watched just a little over a week ago, he walked willingly to death for you. He took your place in hell and handed you the perfect life he lived. And he died. If he had stayed dead, all of this would have meant nothing. He would've been a liar. His sacrifice would've been rejected by God. And we would still be trapped in our debt to God. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead. You are forgiven. Your debt is paid. Jesus was and did everything he said. His resurrection is proof. And again, more than proof of what his death means, it's proof of where you're going. It's proof that you will rise. He is the firstfruits from the dead. He is the first one to die and be alive forever and ever but he is just the first. All who sleep in him will follow that path. Which includes you! So you want a new kind of hope? Here it is. Everyone who dies will rise. Everyone who dies in Jesus will rise with Jesus, like Jesus, to eternal life in Jesus. Not a well-wish, not a daydream, not a “sure would be nice”. This is a fact. If you're ever troubled by doubt look to the cross and ask yourself, “Did Jesus die?” Look to the grave and ask, “Did Jesus rise?” The answers are yes. And so the answer to the biggest question of “how will this all end?” is: in the best possible way. In the end, everything from this life will be left behind. Whatever hurts between now and then will be washed away and forgotten, it is temporary. You'll be alive forever in eternal glory and perfection. That is real hope. It's a fact of a better future that cannot fade or be taken away and will never end when you get there. It doesn't get better than that. And the beauty of that hope is that combined with God's promises, this changes our perspective on all hope throughout the rest of this life. God promises you this end. And on top of that promise, he promises that everything he allows or causes in this life is designed to get you to that end safely. I want you to think about that. It is a promise that because Jesus died and rose, you are going to heaven. Your end is the best possible end that anyone could ever imagine. And it is a promise that everything in between is managed by God to get you there. That means everything's covered. That's a certain hope that lasts from now until forever. Gone are the symptoms of false hope because we don't need them anymore. Fear? Fear is a result of not knowing what's coming. You know what's coming and how it will end. Look to the promise of the empty tomb and fear evaporates. Disappointment? That comes because what we have doesn't measure up to what we think or expect we should have. But the promise God makes to us – it literally cannot be better than that. Eternity in heaven with our Creator. You can't go higher and it won't fail you. Anger? At what? You might feel like circumstances in your life are unjust and the things that happen to you, the things that people do to you or others demand an angry response... but God allowed them to happen to accomplish his promise – to see you safely home to heaven. Can you really get angry at that? Brothers and sisters let's replace this meaningless and stale conversation with something far better, with something that means something. Something based on truth that cannot change. Something that reminds us of real hope. “It's going to be okay.” “I know it will. Because of Jesus.” Amen.  Picture the scene. You’re standing nearby. A friend of yours has someone come up to them who starts making all sorts of obnoxious, false statements targeting them. Afterwards your friend comes over to you and says, “Why didn’t you say anything?”
Picture another scene. You’re seated near your friend. A fabricated, false lawsuit has been brought against them. So there you sit in a courtroom as the case is heard. You’re not called on to say anything at the hearing. But after it is done your friend turns to you and says: “Thanks for your support. It meant the world to me.” You didn’t say a thing in either case. You were just there. So why the different reactions from your friend? Isn’t this true? That…
In both cases, we see an important truth: there are instances a person “speaks”/communicates without even opening their mouth. Agreed? Now think of your connection to Jesus, and think of the ways you face attack – ways you’re under siege to follow the one (pointing to failure to stand) and give up the other (pointing to making a stand for what is true). That’s the issue we’re exploring tonight in our Disciple under siege topic of Silence. Sound like something relevant to our lives as disciples today? Yeah. Let’s start with the narrative of our Bible section, then move on to make application in our lives. As we hear our Bible verses listen for which one of the two kinds of silence (noted above) we observe here in John 18:15-18. I thought I had an answer for that. But I had to take a step-back from my presuppositions and ask: “What do we know for certain, based on what God reveals here?” Take a look for yourself: (Read John 18:15-18) 15 Simon Peter and another disciple kept following Jesus. That disciple was known to the high priest, so he went into the high priest’s courtyard with Jesus. 16 But Peter stood outside by the door. So the other disciple, the one known to the high priest, went out and talked to the girl watching the door and brought Peter in. 17 “You are not one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” the girl at the door asked Peter. “I am not!” he said. 18 The servants and guards were standing around a fire of coals that they had made because it was cold. While they warmed themselves, Peter was standing with them, warming himself too. Ok, for the following statements that I’m going to project, choose an answer: T, F, or WJDK. Everybody understand those options? T is for? True. F is for? False. WJDK is for? Maybe if we shorten it to the texting lingo “DK” it will help. DK is for? Don’t Know. So answer WJDK if there is something We Just Don’t Know. Ok, statement #1:
Answer: We DK. We don’t even know if it was John. Even if we take it to be John, which I personally think is the case, the other gospel accounts indicate that Peter’s denial in John 18:17 goes with the description in vs.18. │So though John is with Peter in vs.16, WJDK where John is at this time when Peter is gathered with others by the fire. Let’s do one more statement – T, F, or WJDK:
Answer: WJDK. Though some come to this conclusion, others don’t. And one small word in vs.17, which I had previously overlooked, tipped the scale for me personally on how I’m leaning on seeing John’s “silence” during this time of Jesus’ trial. We hear right away in vs.15 that this other disciple, we’ll take it to be John, was known to the high priest and obviously also to others there like the girl watching the door. But there is more known to those others about John than just his identity. He is known at the scene this night as being a disciple of Jesus. This makes sense, right? He was seen all over Jerusalem with Jesus. The high priest’s servant girl shows that she knew this about John. It’s in the question she asks Peter. It shows up in one little word: “too.” The NIV didn’t specifically bring out this word in its translation. You see, the servant girl wasn’t just asking if Peter was a disciple of Jesus. She knew John was a disciple of Jesus, and was asking if Peter was also one of his disciples. And so, with that snippet of info in view, we might very easily come down on the side of viewing John’s presence during Jesus trial much like this conclusion I read: “it sets up John and Peter as two very different disciples [at this scene]. John is not at all secretive about the fact that he is a disciple of Jesus—even the high priest’s servant girl knew this about him!” And even if you’re left wondering about how to take John’s presence at this scene – because we don’t have definitive word –, here’s a place to land. A place from which to move forward. The People’s Bible commentary on this section simply handles John’s presence by leaving us with questions to ponder, questions like this: “And John – why did he tell this part of the story of Peter’s denial…?” This seems to be the best approach to get at the application for ourselves. Leave the issue of John’s silence posed in the form of a question. What that really can encourage us to do is: ask the kind of questions that will make concrete application for our lives. When it comes to the topic of “silence,” what we do know – with certainty – are the ways we are under siege. I said at the outset: Think of the ways you face attack – to follow the one (silence as a failure of friendship or of standing up for truth) … and give up the other (making a stand for what is true, even sometimes by presence). I know the different paths I’m tempted to take, and I know where I’ve failed and fallen to temptation. What are the different junctures where you have encountered temptations to be silent? Take a few moments. Either jot down or come up with a mental list. If you’re with your child(ren), talk it through with them. Did you have any examples like these:
Or more specific to tonight’s account: to be silent where untrue comments are spoken about Jesus - about truths we know from the Bible.
The prior topic in our disciples under siege series that I shared was “fleeing” from Jesus. “Fleeing” and “silence” that fails to stand up for what is true - both deal with fear. One does something in reply. The other does nothing in reply. But both have this in common: they are failures to follow God’s will. The one: doing something God forbids. The other: failing to do something God commands. We can’t look at this topic without seeing and confessing the times in our lives when our silence has been sin. I could have spoken more often. I missed opportunities because I was scared of people’s response, because I didn’t want to receive ridicule, because I feared the potential tension it might insert into the moment or into future interactions with the person or people involved. I confess the good that I’ve failed to do – my sins of silence are one type. Here’s the good news. We don’t walk away tonight weighed down by our past failures. What Jesus did this night (John 18) and the next day (Good Friday) assures us of that. Read Mark 14:60-62. We heard earlier tonight a time Jesus was silent too. Jesus was silent in reply to the false accusations brought against him. His silence is for a different reason. He doesn’t run from God’s will. He doesn’t try to defend himself; he doesn’t try to step away from all the shame and blame and punishment coming his way. He is silent as he goes about his task. He only speaks up to tell the truth of who He is: God the Son. And then He goes to complete the work for which He came: to take our sin and curse of hell. He took that all without complaint, or objection, all so that… He may loudly proclaim us as FORGIVEN at his death and resurrection. That’s the news that gives you peace. It means peace in your relationship with God: through faith in Jesus you have the complete peace of your sins all removed. Something else brought about at the same time is this; it’s brought through the same assurance. When I keep that relationship in view, that reality in view of the peace I have with God, it puts me at peace as I go into the world and let my connection to Jesus show. I’m strengthened with the assurance that Jesus has provided me a security that is eternal and priceless. Every time I hear God’s good news bringing that truth, it takes away the reasons I thought I had to fear. I’m freed from feeling that my security is dependent on what people think of me. I’m filled with joy to know my connection to Jesus provides my security. And I’m set free through that news to let shine my connection to Jesus and the joy it brings me. I’m given heart and strength to give voice for the world to know: the truth of what Jesus had done, the truth that I hold dear. May the grace of our God give us strength, peace and joy that overflows in lives – lives that they shine with our connection to Him, reflecting His love and truth for all to hear and see!  Xanthe Pajarillo.
Have you heard of that name? She’s very famous in Santa Clara, CA. For an entire year she spent time organizing marches, leading Facebook groups, making YouTube videos to get people aware of her cause, getting petition after petition signed, meeting with the city council and protesting for the betterment of the Santa Clara community. Her cause? To bring the McRib back to Santa Clara. This isn’t a joke. This actually happened. And her protest was contagious. Check out some pictures of her supporters. The signs say, “Make McRib not McWar.” “Down with Breakfast, up with the McRib” and “Eat McRib” Good news! After the protesting, Santa Clara’s McDonald’s chain – brought the McRib back. There are a lot of protests in America today. Most have much more serious tone. There are protests for racial equality, for gun laws, and babies in the womb. But…what about Christians? Should we protest? If so, what? Where? How? Today we are continuing our disciple series and taking a look at a time that Jesus protested. We’re discuss what that means for Christians today, but before we do that, a prayer: Lord, strengthen us by the truth; your Word is truth. Open our eyes to see what you want us to see. Open our ears to hear what you want us to hear and open our hearts to believe what you would have us believe. Amen. 2. Jesus’ Protest Before we get going, I think it’s important that we have a working definition of the word “protest,” because the word means different things to different people. Some think of marches. Some think of picket signs. Some think of peaceful sit ins; others of violence. But those are different types of protests. They deal with the “how” of protesting now the “what.” The simple dictionary definition for protesting is this: “an expression of disapproval for something.” Take a moment and write that down, because it’s important so that we are all on the same page for the rest of this. Then, I want to take us to a very Biblical protest – one that’s led by Jesus himself. Look at John 2: When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves and others sitting at tables exchanging money. (v.13-14) A couple of points: Jerusalem was the center of Jewish culture. It was the largest city in Judea and it was home to the Temple – a beautiful, ornate building dedicated to worshipping God. It was lined with gold, studded with stones and decorated by gorgeous etchings in wood and stone. And it was around the Passover. The Passover was a celebration of when God brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. Since the Passover was a religious festival, many wanted to go to the epicenter of Jewish religion for the festival – hence Jerusalem being very crowded. (It might be similar to many people making their way to New Orleans for Mardi Gras or an Irish bar to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day). And when you’re in Jerusalem and you go the temple, you are going to want to bring a sacrifice. That’s because Old Testament Jewish religion demanded animals sacrifices for sin. Not that the animals blood actually took away sins, but (1) it taught how serious sin really is and (2) it foreshadowed the death of Jesus, the Lamb of God, as a sacrifice to actually take away the sins of the world. Practically speaking – if you want to bring a sacrifice to Jerusalem from a couple hundred miles away, it’s not very easy. It’s like taking a dog on a road trip only without a minivan and aq less domesticated version of a pet. This was a challenge. So…a new kind of industry developed. Situated in the temple courtyard – right before you made your way into the sanctuary portion of the temple – were a bunch of vendors. Each vendor offered animals for sacrifice – oxen, sheep and doves – whatever you needed. The idea was that this was a service – so that you didn’t have to take the animals on the long trek, you could just buy when you got there. Can you picture the advertising? Like a Good Neighbor Sheep farm is there. Open range, organic, cage free doves. Because God doesn’t like additives. Or my personal favorite: Got Oxen? But that’s not the only kind of temple vendor. There were moneychangers there too. This is because Jews would come to Jerusalem from various countries. Each of these countries had various coinage with various worth in the world market. Money changers at the temple did the same thing that money changers do at international airports – they exchange your foreign dollar for a domestic one. This is what was happening at the first table in the temple courtyard – it would get the money you need to buy the animals you need at a small percentage of the price. And you know what? People liked it! It was convenient, nice and easy. That’s why when the disciples made their way into the temple, they probably paid little attention to the sellers. This was common. This was ordinary. This was the way things were. But…for Jesus…something was off. Maybe it was the: The bleating of sheep as opposed to singing. Or the coins going into the merchant’s pockets as opposed to the offering boxes. Or the smell of the animals masking the incense of prayers. Whatever it was – Jesus had had enough. He walked over to a nearby vendor, grabbed a few cords used for animal transport and tied them together. Then, he moved to the nearest oxen stall. He threw open the gate. And… CRACK!!!! Immediately he started corralling the oxen out of the pen. The oxen grunting and snorting as their hooves hit the ground. People started looking. The vendor started shouting. But Jesus didn’t stop. He went to the next gate. He did the same. He made it to the sheep gate – same treatment – new noises: BAAAING and BLEEETING and SHOUTING! He ran over to the dove table and he thew open their cage doors. People started screaming as birds fluttered overhead. Some sought shelter under the archways. Jesus made his way to the money table… And scattered the coins on the floor – the talents, the kophers, the Roman coins with Caesar’s image on them…Clinking everywhere! He flipped the table over and shouted in anger: “Stop turning my father’s house into a market!” And…after many of the animals had been removed. As the bleeting of sheep grew faint. And the feathers of the birds slowly settled to the ground. A man – an angry man – an angry, angry man approached: What gives you the authority to do all of this? Jesus looked him straight in the eye. He didn’t stutter: “Destroy this temple and I will raise it in 3 days.” 2. Christian Protest And there it is. Protest. “An expression of disapproval of something.” Jesus did it. He publicly expressed his disapproval for something. But…what does his protest mean for 21st century disciples? Let’s take it one question at a time: (1) Should We Protest? This isn’t as easy as a commandment that says, “Thou shalt not protest,” or “thou shalt protest often.” But if you head back to that initial definition of protest: “to express disapproval of something,” there’s a few Bible passages that essentially say the same thing: Speak what is right. (Isaiah 33:15) If someone sins, rebuke them. (Mt. 18) Do not do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. (2 Cor. 13:8) That’s what Jesus was doing! The truth was that the temple was for communing with God – not making money. The truth was that their current practices were at best distracting, at worst soul condemning. The truth was that what was going on was wrong – and Jesus spoke. He protested. But this isn’t the only example of protest in the Bible: A guy named Daniel refused to pray to the King and he protested by continuing to pray to God. (Daniel 6) Three friends refused to bow down and worship a golden statue and instead continued to worship God. (Daniel 3) Peter and James would be told to stop teaching about Jesus or risk death – they protested by walking back outside and teaching about Jesus anyway. (Acts 4) Yes. Protesting – expressing disapproval of something – is something that Christians should do. In fact, it’s something that Christians are commanded to do. (2) Protest Where? Should we head to downtown Raleigh? Downtown Durham? A march all the way to the White House? I think it’s interesting to consider where Jesus protested. He protested in the temple. The temple was the epicenter of Jewish religious thought. The temple is where people would have gone to learn about the Messiah! NOTE: He did not go to the Roman governor’s mansion. He did not go to the Pilate’s palace. He did not organize a march to Caesar’s palace. In fact, when people asked him to –he refused. Jesus was focused on the spiritual not the physical. Jesus was focused on the spiritual not the political. There’s a lesson there for us: Before we protest out there, we’ve got to protest in here. We’ve got to protest in our temple. And where is our temple? Is it this church? Well – we do commune with God here. That’s true. It is a spiritual place that’s true too. But before you go tearing down the greeting cards free will offering stand in the hallway – consider this passage: “Your bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you…who you received from God.” (1 Cor. 16: 19) In other words – before we protest out there, we NEED to protest in here. This is a similar concept to the plank in the eye story. You’ve probably heard that one before. Jesus said, “Before you tell someone to take the speck out of their eye, take the plank out of your own eye.” Have you ever thought about how foolish it would look to see this passage played out? To see some guy with a giant, 2’x4” coming at you, trying to avoid hitting you with the plank and leaning in to say with a very concerned voice, “There’s some sawdust in your eye.” Foolish! And it’s just as foolish to go protesting all of the ‘sins that go on out there’ when there’s plenty of sins that go on in here. It’d be like the guy protesting the XXX club going in next door, when he’s up late watching porn every night. Or the woman protesting racial inequality, when she won’t converse with her neighbor because, “She’s different than me.” Or the guy that protests on Facebook the way that America has lost sight of religion and doesn’t have any relationship with God --- even though he hasn’t been to worship in about 6 ½ months. Friends – start your protest right here. Protest lust. Protest hate. Protest racism. Protest anger. Protest greed. Protest apathy. Protest the very things that threaten to ruin your temple! Because Jesus did. In fact, he protested your sins so much that he took a stand against them. A stand that ended as sometimes protests do with violent pushback from opposition. It was a stand that ended with both feet on a little block of wood and a nail was driven through the bones of his metatarsals. Jesus stood against your sin. And he won! Your sins are no more because Jesus stood against them. Your sins are no more because Jesus transformed your temple. Your sins are no more and Jesus calls you to protest against their return. Protest starts here (in our hearts) before it goes out there (in the world). (3) Protest What? And when we do take our protest to the world – what do we protest? Here’s a simple thought: Protest what God protests. Express disapproval of what God expresses disapproval of. Otherwise, you’re protesting against God. And that’s seems unwise. Pre protesting should be less about “what do I want” and more about “what does God want.” If you follow that rule, you’ll take your stand accordingly. But not all issues are so clear: Like Gun Control. It’s been on people’s minds and rightfully so. It was horrific and awful what happened to those kids in Parkland, FL. But over the past week, I’ve seen Christians friends say things that are going a bit farther than the Bible says: “It’s in the Bible God said we should have AR17s. Don’t you take that right from me.” “It’s in the Bible – God said, “if you own a gun, you’re going straight to hell.” Neither of those are Bible passages. (It’s easy to find that out too…just Google it!) Gun control like many issues in the social realm is a grey area issue. (The Bible doesn’t speak specifically about it). The Bible does say that God gave us life. The Bible does say that God wants us to protect life. How we do that is open for debate. But when Christians are dealing with grey area issues, the Bible has two things for us to keep in mind: 3. Think of others more than yourself. Because a lot of times people protest against things that they don’t like. “I am protesting this tax because I don’t like that I have to pay more.” “I am protesting this person in government because I don’t like that party.” “I am protesting the price of Doritos because I wish they were cheaper!” But the Bible says this: “Be humble…Become the servant of all.” In other words, think of others first. Not yourself. Fight the sinful, selfish urge to say, “Here’s what’s best for me,” and say, “I’m going to listen and learn what’s best for others.” It’s what Jesus did. Because having nails hammered into his hands was probably NOT what felt best to him. But it was what was best for us. Think the same way. 4. Think of spiritual more than physical. God is always more concerned with the spiritual than the physical. Yes, Jesus healed the sick, but only so he could tell them about salvation. Yes, Jesus spoke about this life – but only as a means to get to the next life. Yes, Jesus told his disciples to help other’s physical needs, but only after he gave the mission statement of going and making disciples of all nations by baptizing them and teaching them God’s Word. --- a very, spiritual task. Even in the temple the reason Jesus protested was against the physical: making money, saving the hassle, making the temple trip an easy thing…. And it was for the spiritual: an atmosphere focused on God’s Word – a temple dedicated to connecting with God spiritually that they might hear the message of the Savior – and be saved. (4) Protest How? Because once we have taken our stand against our own sins, God does call us to stand against sin out there. But how do we do that? Do we go downtown and start destroying things? Do we knock on our neighbor’s door and punch him tin the face? (I am offended by your lawn gnomes!) No. The Bible says this, “Be Kind.” It means (wait for it), “Be kind.” Even in protest. We don’t vandalize. We aren’t violent. We speak the truth in love. We speak the truth peacefully. But Pastor… Jesus wasn’t so kind! He knocked things over. He caused chaos. He was a bit of a vandal. But friend…Jesus is God! Simply put: He does what he wants. If God wants to violently oppose sin, He can – that fits within the job description of God. As for us, we are humans. We let God to be the judge. We remain peaceful. But...also we remain confident. We mentioned it earlier – at the end of his protest, the Pharisees approached and asked him, “What was his authority to do all this? What was his authority to free the animals? What was his authority to knock over the table? What was his authority to do all of this?” And Jesus’ answer was: “Destroy this temple and 3 days later I will raise it.” Only he wasn’t talking about the building temple. He was talking about his body temple. In other words – Jesus’ authority was based on his resurrection. And your authority is based on his resurrection. When you stand up for truth, When you stand up for God’s Word, When you stand up for what God has declared right, You stand with great authority. The authority of the resurrected Lord himself. May his power give us strength to protest the evil in our lives. Amen. |
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January 2020
Pastor Phil Kiecker
and his wife, Julianna love serving the community of North Raleigh.
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