In The Long Run

I think every Lord's Day I am tremendously encouraged by the songs of God's people. I love hearing you sing and I love the message that we sing back to God and how it affects us. Before we look into the Word this morning, let's ask God to bless our time there as we come to the living Word of God. Let's pray. Father, we now worship you by hearing your voice in your word.

Father, I pray that there is no confusion between the voice of this speaker and the voice of God in his word, in your word. I pray that you would use this to the end, that we would glory in Christ. I pray Father that you would use this to cause us to think clearly about the resurrection. I pray Father you would clarify our thoughts. That amongst us there would be no doubts about what this means.

Use your word today we ask in Jesus name. Amen. There was once a very small congregation. It wasn't very big, but it was in a very large city that was a very important commercial center. It was a congregation at Corinth. It's the church that the Apostle Paul founded on one of his missionary journeys and spent 18 months there.

Of course, with any local church ministry, there's always teaching and always a good deal of discussion. It's always been that way. and some folks in the congregation had proposed an interesting idea, although it was an idea that was not uncommon. They were saying things like, current thought makes it clear that the resurrection of dead people is an impossibility.

Actually, no one could possibly be raised with an immortal body free from the natural forces of decay. And besides, when it comes to our faith, it doesn really make much difference in the long run if Jesus has not been raised from the dead Now those voices are still present in the church today That wasn just long ago and far away It's still true today. Scott Korb, a New York University professor who calls himself a non-practicing Catholic, said this about the resurrection.

What I mean is that we can reach the lowest points of our lives, of going deep into a place which feels like death, and then find our way out again. That's the story the resurrection now tells me. And at Easter, this is expressed in community and at its best through the compassion of others. Marcus Borg, who's a canon theologian at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Portland, Oregon, dismisses the physical bodily resurrection of Jesus as really inconsequential to the faith.

He says, Easter is not about believing in a spectacular long ago event, but about participating in what we see in Jesus. As I was looking at different comments about Easter, I found this one blog. And one guy, I don't know who he is, his name is Doug Sloan, wrote, you know how you read a blog and then there's all those responses to it. This fellow, I don't know where he's from, name is Doug Sloan, wrote this.

What difference would it make? if a vault was found that undeniably contained the bones of Jesus. To the message of Jesus, that God is personal and present and characterized by love and grace, whose passion for us is to provide justice and compassion, generosity and hospitality, and who invites us and welcomes us and includes us without exception or exclusion, that message would neither be changed nor diminished in any way. In the long run, does it really make any difference that Jesus actually rose from the dead?

That the message would neither be changed nor diminished in any way? Can't we still follow Jesus' teachings? Can we not tell others that the way to live is to follow the way Jesus taught us to live? Can't we still say that? We can do the things he did in his magnificent life and we can make it the standard of true humanity right That what a lot of people are saying Well let see if that works by running a test case Alright Let have a test case here this morning Let's see if we can participate in what we see in Jesus if he never came out of the grave so many centuries ago.

Let's see if the message would neither be changed nor diminished if Jesus had just died on the cross like any other condemned man and had not come out of the grave. Let's see if that's true. So I'm going to ask you to turn your Bibles to the Gospel of John, chapter 5. The Gospel of John, chapter 5. Now, the background to this is Jesus has come to Jerusalem.

It's one of the Jewish feast days. It's one of those celebrations that God had commanded. And so he comes to this feast day, and as he comes to Jerusalem, he goes through what's called the Sheep Gate, and he sees this crowd gathered all around this pool of Bethesda. there he cures a man who's been sick for 38 years telling him to pick up his mat and walk well this infuriates the religious leaders of the day because by their tradition jesus and that man were breaking the sabbath he by carrying his mat jesus by healing him because you can't do work on the Sabbath day.

This leads then to a confrontation with Jesus in which he says some rather extraordinary things. I'm going to start reading in verse 16, and we'll read through verse 24. No, I'm sorry, verse 18. This is why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

So Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will He show him so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He will.

The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father Whoever does not honor the Father who sent Him whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

Well, the first thing we need to do is acknowledge what Jesus claims. Verse 19, Jesus claims to be someone who does what God does. Jesus claims to be someone who does what God does. Here Jesus responds to the leader's anger about breaking the Sabbath and making himself equal with God. He says, look, I'm only doing what I've seen my father do. He did the right kind of work on the Sabbath.

And so am I. You're angry because I call God my own father. But then I've seen him doing these things and he gave me the right to do them as well. Essentially, Jesus says, look at what I'm doing. I'm doing the very same things that God does. Now, don't miss what he's saying here.

Jesus is claiming he's no mere human being. He's not just doing good things. He's doing the actual things that God does. Things that neither you nor I could ever do. You see. I'm doing what God does.

That's why I call him my own father. Because I do the same things he does. Look at verse 21. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He will. In the same way that God gives life, Jesus says He gives life. Here Jesus says, This is the realm where death reigns, but I have the power of life in this realm.

What an extraordinary claim. How many of you have the power of life and death? How many of you have that? Let's face it. Death may come quietly and unexpectedly. Death may come violently and unsurprisingly.

But however it comes, you can't stop it. You can't stop it. You can't stop it. All of us here have mothers and fathers, maybe even some sons and daughters, grandpas and grandmas, aunts and uncles who died and they couldn't do anything about it and neither could you. No one stops death. Jesus says I can.

I can give life to anyone I choose. I can give life the way God does it. You see? Later in the same book, in this same book, he's going to make another extraordinary claim. Let me quote him. For this reason the Father loves me.

Because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me. But I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down. and I have authority to take it up again. What? What?

You mean, you have the authority to die when you want to, you can do that, and then you can come to life when you want to. Is that what you're saying? Are you serious? Yeah, that's exactly what he's saying. He can give life. One of the reasons why he can is he can give himself life when he chooses. you want to escape death right jesus can deliver you from the undeliverable he can rescue you from the unrelenting march of death look at verse 22 and 23 the father judges no one but has given all judgment to the son that all may honor the son just as they honor the Father.

Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. Well, the first thing Jesus says is that God has given His authority to Jesus to judge. God has given His authority to Jesus to judge. Wow! You know what Jesus is saying here? When you face, when you come to the last and final judgment, when you arrive there, you won't be looking at God the Father.

You'll be looking at me. I'm the one who's going to be sitting there. What You joking right Like here Jesus Can you see it He standing in the temple Got these religious guys around him and they really busting his chops about this stuff And he says, look, when the final judgment comes, you'll be looking at me. Can you see why they were picking up stones to throw at him?

Are you getting the idea here? He makes another claim. Because of His authority to judge, Jesus deserves the exact same honor that you give to God. Here's His statement. You must honor Me with the same devotion and the same intensity that you give to God. You have to honor Me in the same way that you honor God.

Just as you hold God in awe and submit to every one of His commandments and worship Him, you finish the sentence. Right? Man! That claim is absolutely to me. That claim is absolutely breathtaking. That anybody would ever claim that.

And then lastly, verse 24, truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears My Word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment but has passed from death to life. Jesus has the message that gives you life. He says here, if you want to escape God's judgment and move from the realm of death to the realm of life, then you have to believe what I'm saying to you.

I've got the message that moves you from one realm to the other. From the realm of death and sin and condemnation to the realm of life. And freedom. He says you live in the domain where death rules because of the condemnation of God. But if you listen to my message, it will deliver you from the judgment of God. Such are the claims of Jesus.

This is what He said. We have to acknowledge His claims. But not only that let acknowledge what happens to his claims if he is not resurrected Let acknowledge what happens to his claims if he is not resurrected Let imagine that next May May of 2016, coming up in just a few months, let's imagine that in May, an archaeological dig right around the area of Jerusalem uncovers a burial vault that undeniably contains the remains of Jesus.

It says, Jesus of Nazareth on the vault. No doubt that it's Jesus. What then happens to all these claims? What happens? Again, is it possible that Easter is not about believing in a spectacular long ago event, but about participating in what we see in Jesus? Can we still do that? the message would neither be changed nor diminished in any way if they actually found the burial vault and could clearly prove that Jesus had been buried there and not been raised from the dead.

Would those things be true? Would the fact that the message is neither damaged or diminished or changed or Easter is just about participating in what Jesus is, is that still possible? Well, if Jesus was not raised from the dead, then he's just another human being. It would be impossible for him to do the same things that God does. No matter what he says.

No matter what he says. If he's died, he's just another human being. It sounds to me like it would change and diminish his message. It does sound that way to me. If Jesus was not raised from the dead, could he give life to others? Because frankly, he's as dead as the next guy.

If he can't escape death, then how's he going to give you life so you can? How is that possible? And what in the world makes him think he's going to judge the entire world if he's dead? He's just like you and me. You know what? frankly, I'll be honest with you, I do not worry about facing any of you on Judgment Day. Okay?

That just doesn bother me at all You know why You not God that why Simple as that And neither is Jesus so he won be the judge there either And if he isn't raised from the dead, he's no different than you or me. Why should I then honor him with the same honor that goes to God? my goodness, if he hasn't been raised from the dead, he's one of the worst blasphemers that ever lived. If he hasn't been raised from the dead, then he's got just another man's message that could never possibly deliver me or you from death and condemnation.

Just another religious guy peddling his wares. you know Jesus in this light is no more than a maniacal deluded blaspheming idolater that is the only conclusion we're left with can you trust anything he says? not just these, can you trust anything he says? ok so let's get rid of the claims for deity ok let's just say the disciples made all that up later which is what a lot of bible scholars tell us Oh, that Jesus never said that. The real Jesus never said that. His disciples put that in His mouth.

Alright? Well, let's get rid of all the claims to Him being equal with God. Does that mean now that everything else He taught? That everything else He taught or claimed is good? I mean, let's say, if the disciples did make it up, then what in the world? We just got, okay.

How are we going to judge whether it's good or not? I mean, come on. So we've just got you and me again making up stuff. But if Jesus did say these things, if he did make these claims, these are actually the words of Jesus, and he didn't come from the grave, right? Then why should I accept anything else he says? You know, why should I accept this whole business about loving my enemies?

Why should I even accept that? if he's this maniacal, deluded, blaspheming idolater? Why should I even accept that? You know, some of us are old enough to remember John Wayne Gates. John Wayne Gacy from the 1970s. He killed 33 teenage boys in the span of about six years, buried them all around his place. Okay?

Would you buy a book he wrote? If he wrote a book, would you buy the one which says, How to Be a Good Neighbor? Would you buy that book? It's like, no! Everything he writes in that book, It may sound good, but it's totally discredited. And that's the exact same thing with Jesus.

Let's not fool ourselves with such talk as participating in what we see in Jesus. Come on! And you know what? We shouldn't mourn Jesus' death then as a travesty of injustice. We ought to instead rejoice that a blasphemer got his just rewards. That's what we ought to be doing.

Let's get rid of Good Friday. Why even at our Good Friday service, we sang a song called Come and Mourn With Me. Why? Jesus just got what He deserves. The stinking blasphemer that He is. If all these things that He says here cannot be true, if He's been raised from the dead, He's calling upon people to give Him worship.

He's saying, I do the same thing God does. He says, I give life. He says, I will be the final judge. If He is not raised from the dead, then He does not deserve our pity. We ought to be having celebrations that such a blasphemer as this was crucified. But that leaves us with only one other alternative, and that is acknowledge how you must respond to the claims of Jesus if He is indeed resurrected. what actually, if it really is true that He's been raised from the dead, then that only leaves you with one alternative.

You have to deal with what He says. You have to deal with what He says. Now, the nature of Jesus' claims does not leave you with a choice of whether you want to follow Jesus or not. Like suppose you wanted to buy a truck. You wanted to buy a pickup truck, right? And so you buy the latest issue of Consumer Report which compares Dodge Toyota Ford and Chevy And the magazine tells you that Ford the Ford pickup is the best buy Well, you could buy the Dodge, right?

You could buy the Dodge if you wanted. No big deal. You might not have the best, but at least you have a truck. Or maybe you don't buy anything. Your life hasn't been radically changed at all. whether or not you buy the truck or not. But you cannot put Jesus' claims in the same category of the claims of Toyota, Ford, Dodge, or Chevy.

Because Jesus deals with life and death issues. So, if He's been raised from the dead, you can't treat His claims like you can the claims of a brand of toothpaste. There are entirely different kind of claims there. You cannot say, well, I'll just ignore what Jesus says and do what I think is best. You don't have that alternative with the nature of His claims.

If Jesus came out of the grave, then He is God, and He does deserve your faith and your obedience. To follow Jesus means you worship Him, you love Him, and you organize your whole life around Him. If He's been raised from the dead, then that's the only thing left for you. You must organize your whole life around Him. If He's been raised from the dead, then He is your judge.

And you ignore Him at your peril. This is not the same as whether you're going to buy a Chevy or a Dodge. This is actually, Is He the judge or if He's not? If He's raised from the dead, then He's going to be the one that we all stand before on the final day of judgment. And you ignore Him then at your peril. If Jesus came out of the grave, then He does have the power of life and death.

And to ignore His message then is to be condemned to eternal death. see that what we left with that what we left this now you sitting here this morning every one of you is sitting here this morning if you paid attention and you have heard the claims of Jesus If He has indeed been resurrected, then you must respond with faith and obedience. It's the only thing that's left for you. But if He remained in that grave, then let's quit playing the religious game.

Huh? If he hasn't been raised from the dead, we are wasting our time. And I know this may surprise some of you, but the hours I spend in preparing to speak to you every Sunday are a complete total waste of time. I have then wasted the last 31 years of my life. And by the way, you've wasted yours too. If Jesus has not been raised from the dead, then why do we play this game?

Let's quit. So what difference does it make in the long run whether Jesus was raised? Some of you here this morning have never embraced Jesus by faith. And some of you here this morning come here every week. and you hear the gospel, you hear about Jesus every week, but you've never embraced him by faith, you have not believed his message of life. If you do believe that Jesus has been raised from the dead, there's many people that believe that, but then have never submitted to Jesus.

If you do believe that Jesus' resurrection did happen, and you haven't believed in him, you're playing with fire. You are playing with fire. Yeah, I know Jesus was raised from the dead. Are you ready to look at him face to face then? Are you ready to look at him face to face? You know, and I don't want to beat a dead horse here.

In September, right? I can remember the day, September 2nd. I had a stroke. I could have been face to face with Jesus a couple months ago that was a real possibility you ready for that you believe Jesus has been raised from the dead You believe it but Jesus I telling you friends you in a dangerous place if that's what you're doing. Or, if you do not believe in Jesus' resurrection, then at least be honest and say, I'm not going to follow the teachings of Jesus because they are just lies and gibberish.

At least be honest and do that. Stop trying to live a life based on them. They're foolishness. They're nonsense. They're gibberish. And I would say this.

Be honest with yourself and know this. You really have no hope in the face of death. You can talk about death being a natural part of life and all this kind of stuff. But when your mama dies, face it. You've got no hope. Or if you've been diagnosed with cancer and you're looking death in the face, be honest.

You've got no hope. And if you do have hope, you have no reason for it. Why would you even hope? You've got no reason. If Jesus is in the grave, oh my goodness, folks. There's no one to give you life.

There's no one to deliver you from condemnation. So be honest and say, well, frankly, I don't have any hope in the face of death. But, if you have embraced Jesus and his claims, then you do have reason for hope. Jesus is exactly who he says he is, and you are not foolish then for denying everything you are and everything you have for his sake. It is not foolishness.

It's the only way to live. Jesus can accomplish all that he promised. He will bring judgment. But he also brings freedom and life to all those who believe. And of all people, you have real hope. You have hope.

Listen. The resurrection means this. there is no such thing as neutrality when it comes to Jesus. You're either with him. or you're against him. There's no middle ground. I pray that because he's been raised from the dead, you would cast your all with him. You would throw yourself at him and say, Lord Jesus, the risen Lord of all, I trust you because you've conquered death.

Father, thank you for your word. thank you so for its clarity. Lord, you know the hearts of everyone here this morning. You know those who do not believe the resurrection. I pray, Father, that you would work in their hearts. You know those who do believe in the resurrection but have never embraced you. Oh, God, work powerfully in their hearts as well. and for those who have embraced this Jesus, embraced him as the living Lord, work in their hearts too.

That they would shine before an unbelieving and dark world with the hope that we have in Jesus. Not the hope we have in a system, not the hope we have in a religion, but the hope that we have in a real living person who conquered death. God, help us to stand out in this world, this desperate, despairing world, as people of hope. Thank you for your Son.

In his name we pray. Amen.