Sermon - April 4, 2010
The Ultimate Comeback
1 Corinthians 15: 1-8, Matthew 28: 1-9
Over twenty years ago, my son Christopher and I trained a year to ride
one day of Ragbrai: Registers Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. I hope
to make a comeback this summer. As an amateur cyclist, I was inspired by
the story featured on ESPN “Who's Number One: Greatest Comebacks of all
time. In 1996, professional
cyclist Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with stage three testicular
cancer. It had spread to his lungs, his abdomen, and his brain. His
doctors told him he would never race again. He had less than a 50%
chance of living. But after two years of treatment, the cancer was
gone. The following year, he raced in the 1999 Tour de France, and won!
First he comes back against
cancer, then he comes back and blows away his competition to win the
championship. It was considered the most inspiring comebacks in
professional sports.
That is stunning and amazing. But the greatest comeback of all
is not to be found in the sports world, or the world of entertainment,
but in faith of Christ believers. I say Christ believers to
differentiate from Christians: some folks who call themselves Christians
hardly know Jesus, if at all.
Three days ago, we witnessed Jesus' execution by crucifixion.
If he had an obituary, it would objectively sum up His life, and
describe the events of this past week. From the Jerusalem Times it might
read something like this:
Calvary-Jesus Christ, 33, of Nazareth, died Friday on Mount
Calvary, also known as Golgotha, the place of the skull. Betrayed by the
Apostle Judas, Jesus was crucified by the Romans, by order of the ruler
Pontius Pilate. The causes of death were crucifixion, extreme
exhaustion, severe torture, and loss of blood. Jesus Christ, a
descendant of Abraham was a member of the House of David. He was the son
of the late Joseph, a carpenter of Nazareth and Mary, His devoted
Mother. Jesus was born in a stable in the city of Bethlehem, Judea. He
is survived by His mother Mary, His faithful Apostles, numerous
disciples and many other followers. Jesus was self educated and spent
most of His adult life working as a teacher. Jesus also occasionally
worked as a medical doctor and it is reported that He healed many
patients. Up until the time of His death, Jesus was teaching and sharing
the Good News, healing the sick, touching the lonely, feeding the hungry
and helping the poor. Jesus was most noted for telling parables about
His Father's Kingdom and performing miracles, such as feeding over 5,
000 people with only five loaves of bread and two fish, and healing a
man who was born blind. On the day before His death, He held a last
Supper celebrating the Passover Feast at which He foretold His death.
The body was quickly buried in a stone grave, which was donated by
Joseph of Arimathea, a loyal friend of the family. By order of Pontius
Pilate, a boulder was rolled in front of the tomb. Roman soldiers were
put on guard. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that
everyone try to live as Jesus did. Donations may be sent to anyone in
need.
Jesus' did not have an obituary. He did not even have a
funeral. His body was buried hastily because it was almost sunset and
the Sabbath was about to begin. That is why, after the Sabbath, on the
first day of the week, at first light, the first opportunity, Mary
Magdalene and the other Mary came to the tomb. The Gospel of Luke
informs us they brought spices and embalming ointment, to bury Jesus
properly. But there could be no funeral then either, because there was
no body.
The Gospel explains everything. Mat. 28:2 There was a
violent earthquake. Why? For an angel of the Lord came
down from haven, and going to the tombe, rolled back the stone and sat
on it. His appearance was like lightening and his clothes were
white as snow. Don't you find that a bit curious? We are told what
the angel looked like. But we aren't told what Jesus looked like. During
the week and just last night the History Channel aired a program about
the Shroud of Turin, the linen cloth believed to be Jesus' burial cloth,
which has imprinted on it the face and figure of a crucified man.
Could this be the real face of Jesus? The Gospel tells us
about the the likeness of the angel, but not of Jesus because He's not
there. He had already risen. The reason the angel rolled the 300 plus
pound stone away was not to let Jesus out, but to let the women in to
see for themselves, “He is not here. He is risen! Just as He said”
He's outta here, the tomb is empty! Nothing but grave clothes lying
there.
The appearance of the
angel was so mighty, brawny tough Roman soldiers fell flat out like dead
men. Then along come the women frail in their sorrow and grief. And from
his perch on top of the stone, the illuminous glorious angel tells them.“Do
not be afraid, for I know you are looking for Jesus. He is not here; he
has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go
quickly and tell His disciples.
This is not what the two women expected! Felled soldiers
and a mighty angel. They had come to lay Jesus to rest, not to find He
had vacated. The had come to honor the dead, not to rejoice in the
living. So they took off, they ran away from the tomb. They were
frightened and they were joyous all at the same time. They had a
mission: to tell the disciples what they had been told by the angel of
the Lord: He is risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into
Galilee. There they will see Him.”
John's Gospel tells us that they returned to the disciples
with their report, but the women were not believed. Poor Mary Magdalene.
Jesus had cast seven demons our of her, now under this grief, she's
having a relapse. John and Peter race to the tomb and find it empty just
the women said. Shocked, and stunned, they return to the house.
Everyone, but Mary Magdalene who lingers. She hears some one speaking to
her, “ Woman, “ he said, “why are you crying? Who is it you are
looking for? She thinks he is the gardener and pleads, Sir if you
have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get
him.” Then the living Jesus calls her by name, “Mary.” The familiarity
of her name in His voice, she recognizes the risen Master, and cries
out, “Rabonni,” teacher. It was not a dream, or a vision.
It is all very real. Jesus made the Ultimate Comeback: hated,
beaten, scourged, cursed by His enemies, deserted by His friends,
crucified, dead and buried, laying in a borrowed tomb for three days,
and then at dawn, He springs the grave. Only God could do that. And
only God who loves us infinitely and intimately would do that.
That same evening Jesus
appeared to two disciples on the Road to Emmaus, and then greeted the
apostles in the upper room,
“Peace be with you.” He showed them
His scarred hands and feet, and they were overjoyed. It is truly the
Lord, alive. For forty days Jesus walked, talked, and ate with the
apostles, and 500 followers until they watched Him ascend into heaven,
to sit at the right hand of God where He rules today.
This moment, through the Power of His Holy Spirit, this same
living Jesus who bears the marks of the cross, is here with us. He
offers us His blessings of the resurrection.
The first is forgiveness. Because of the resurrection we are
pardoned. Without forgiveness of sin, we could never approach God, much
less dwell with Him. But look here: Rm. 4:25 “He was delivered over
to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” Because
of Christ's sacrifice for us, we are made right with God.
Blessing # 2 His resurrection bought our peace. One of the
last thing Jesus said to His disciples before His death, was the first
thing He said to them after His resurrection: “Peace be with you.” The
living Christ brings to us His peace.
Blessing # 3 The living Christ brings purity as our high
priest before God, through His blood and the water of baptism: Not only
does He forgive our sins, but He cleans us up. and since we have a
great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a
sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to
cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with
pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who
promised is faithful. Hb. 10:21-23
Blessing #4 Know Him. This
living Jesus who walked the earth over 2,000 years ago desires for you
to know Him today. No founder of any other faith can say or do as much.
Budda founded Buddhism, but Buddha died. Judaism was founded
by Abraham, but Abraham died. You can visit his tomb where his body
rests. You can go to Medina, and see the tomb of Muhamad, the founder of
Islam. But if you go to Jerusalem, you won't find Jesus in a tomb. The
Apostle Paul exclaims “I want to know Christ and the power of His
resurrection ” Phil. 3:10 Jesus lives today to love you, help you,
walk with you through everything everyday through the power of His
resurrection. Any situation in your life can turn around because of His
ultimate comeback.
Finally, blessing # 5 is His
presence here and now, then later and forever. Mt. 28:19-20 Jesus
instructs us to you always, to the very end of the age. In the
power of the resurrection, we have the continual presence of our living
Lord Jesus, in all places and under all circumstances in this life, that
will one day usher us into the place He has prepared for us in heaven.
Look here, Rm. 8:11 And if the Spirit of Him
who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ
from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His
Spirit, who lives in you.
Please, beloved, know and believe this with certainty: Jesus
is coming again! He is coming in glory. As the apostles and followers
watched Jesus ascend to heaven on the clouds, angels proclaimed to them.
“Men of Galilee,” they said, “ why do you stand here looking into the
sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come
back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” Acts. 1:10
Jesus never had a funeral. But He does have a memorial service which
He Himself attended before His death. It was the Passover, His last
supper with His disciples; He blessed bread, broke it, “This is My body
given to you”. He blessed the cup, “Drink all of you from this: This cup
is the New Covenant in my blood poured out for you. I will not drink
again of the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of God comes.” The
ultimate comeback was a preview of the greatest comeback yet to come.
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