Jesus has Risen

This morning on Easter Sunday, it is really the high point of the Christian calendar when we gather to remember that he is risen. We really wanna focus on the resurrection every Sunday as it is our hope, but as we think about the Christian year, it all hinges upon the resurrection as does really the entire faith, everything we believe. really hinges upon the fact, or our belief, that Jesus Christ is risen from the grave. If you're new with us, we walk through books of the Bible chapter by chapter, verse by verse, as much as we see the sections, and we come to this third prediction. If you look at chapter 10, verse 32, where Sheila just read, This is the third time in this section that Jesus has predicted his death and resurrection. He is trying to prepare his disciples to be ready for when he will die so that they do not lose heart, so that they don't abandon the way. And some do forsake him. There's three predictions. One is in 831. One is in 930. One is in, the third is 1032. Each one of these predictions, if we were to look at them, the follow-up from the disciples is a foolish response. They argue over position. They show they're constantly not getting it. Here we see the foolish response of James and John. They're going to try to jockey for position among the disciples and get the seats of privilege. Every time He predicts His death and resurrection to show them what kind of Messiah, what kind of Savior He's going to be or is, they demonstrate they don't yet get it, and then Jesus gives a very clear teaching on discipleship. The pattern holds true here. Jesus predicts, verses 32 to 34, the foolish response, 35 to 40, and then 41 through 45, a very clear teaching on discipleship. This morning, we're going to focus on this prediction. We're going to spend some extra time on that declaration. After three days, He will rise because of our occasion today. And we're going to see two real points. First, a declaration. Christ is risen. And then a question. Are we following Him? Are we following Him? Let's look at verse 32. And they were on the road going up to Jerusalem. Now, this is a very clear, intentional direction. Jesus, in just a few days, is going to get on a donkey and ride into Jerusalem for the last time. We really recognized this last week with the children, with the olive branches. It was Palm Sunday. And with palm branches, I always say that. We saw this, yes, last week with the entrance into Jerusalem. He's headed there. There is a clear direction given to him by God to enter into that city one last time. And he's still teaching them. Look at verse 32. See, behold, we're headed to Jerusalem. This is the city, the capital city. The Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priest and the scribes. Those are the religious leaders, and who's going to deliver Jesus over to them? We know the chief priests and the scribes will hand Jesus over to the Romans, but who delivers Jesus to the religious leaders of Israel? It's God the Father. He's leading His Son to this death. He'll be delivered over to the Gentiles. And as we thought about and meditate upon Friday, they will mock Him. The pastors by Him mocked Him. The soldiers mocked Him. The Jewish leaders mocked Him. The criminals He was on the cross next to mocked Him. They will spit upon Him. They will flog Him. They'll crucify Him. He will be murdered. The God who created them will be murdered by them. That is not the end of the story. He will rise in three days. It's important we understand why He died. It's because we're sinners and that is the only way we can be forgiven. He, the righteous one, the one who became like us in every way, yet without sin, lived that perfect life we refuse to live. And then He, He died in our place. So the wrath of God was satisfied when He was crushed. He was our substitute. That is why we can be forgiven of sin. And it only makes sense that He rises after this death to demonstrate He does have the power over sin. He does have this power over death. Notice here, He's promising for at least the third time. After three days he will rise. The Gospel of Matthew makes it very clear. He rose again just as he said. All of Christianity hinges upon the resurrection. You know it's important when everyone really goes out of their way to try to attack it as much as possible? You know it's really important the more ridiculous the theory is to try to undermine it. Here are some recent or historical theories to try to disprove the resurrection, because there's people who just, their literal job, their vocation is to raise money to try to go and attack Christianity to undermine it. Here's a few theories. The swoon theory. This is a belief that Jesus merely fainted on the cross, and that it was confusing, and when he got in the tomb, he woke up. Okay, this is kind of difficult. The Romans were masters of crucifixion. They knew exactly how to kill someone. It was very clear. They stuck the spear in his side to verify that he was dead. Beyond that, okay, let's just say he did faint and then he woke up, and the disciples, they believe, they kind of thought he was resurrected, but then if he wakes up again, he still has to ascend, right? The whole gospel is based upon the fact that he rose and he ascended up to heaven. If he merely fainted on the cross, he's still gonna die. And you start to have that complication that the disciples were willing to die for a lie that he was risen. That doesn't make any sense. The other one is that the body was stolen. So here you've got fishermen and tax collectors overpowering Roman centurions to steal a body. Not real likely. This is my favorite. In 1995, a philosopher argued that Jesus had a twin brother. In a real public debate, Jesus born of the Virgin Mary, had a twin brother. They were separated at birth, reunited at the crucifixion, and when Jesus died on the cross, the twin brother came in and started impersonating Jesus to masquerade as a resurrection. We laugh, but I just want to make the point here, when we want to reject God, there is no limit to our imagination. When we want to despise God, when we want to say no to God, when we want to justify our own sin, think about how creative we can be. There is one last theory that is interesting. It's the Muslim theory. And the Muslim theory is that he actually never died. He was the righteous one. And the person on the cross who looked just like Jesus is actually either Judas, Pilate, or Barabbas. And this was really interesting because they would actually say, Jesus never died. He's perfect and in righteousness and lives forever. The problem with the Muslim theory is the same problem the disciples have when Jesus teaches he must die. They cannot grasp that a righteous God would bring suffering upon the righteous man. that they can't grasp, that God would not simply reward righteousness, that God would actually cause him to die because we are so unrighteous. They mixed up our problem and God's solution, just like we oftentimes do ourselves. If you ever think about if the resurrection happened, the evidence for it is quite staggering. If you just look at the witnesses, These fishermen, these very fearful cowards, they turned into robust, bold evangelists, almost all of which died because they saw the risen Lord. And really it wasn't even the resurrection, it was when the Holy Spirit comes down and empowers them to be witnesses. One of the more interesting things about the gospel narrative if you were going to write a lie and try to make it work, you're not going to have women be the first witnesses. Right? In this culture, women were not allowed to testify in court. They did not, they were not considered as a valid witness. That's not right, but that's the way that the culture worked. That's the way that the courts worked. But in God's providence, that's what He brought about. One last evidence that Christ is risen. The church still exists. The fact that we are still a people who gather. We grieve over what's happening this morning in Sri Lanka. But the first 300 years of the church, the Roman Empire sought to extinguish it, to destroy it. For the first 300 years, there was never a sword taken up. There was just murder after murder after murder, and the church only grew and grew and grew. If you want to ask if Christ is risen, the fact that the church, His body, still exists after being attacked. The resurrection. Christ rose, literally, from the grave. The stone was rolled away. He rose in a full, glorious new human body, still with the marks in His hands and His feet and His side. As we're reflecting on the Resurrection, I want to just give you the one key word that I think the Resurrection gives us. It's hope. He has risen so that we always have hope. Christian, it's never hopeless. The God of the universe, who controls everything, He's risen, and Jesus is at the right hand of the Father. We always have hope. Hopelessness is a lie that we easily believe. But it's something we have to put off. We always have hope. Let's reflect upon that a little bit further. Jesus' resurrection gives us hope in his promises. Every promise that God has made is a yes and amen in Jesus Christ. Jesus himself promised he would rise from the grave. He has. He also promises to always be with us and for us. As much as we believe in the resurrection, we must always believe his love is perfect. His power is perfect. He is with us. He is for us. Have hope. His resurrection gives us hope of forgiveness. He came to die, His death in our place, to forgive us of our sin and guilt. He rose to give the church the authority to be the ambassadors of that forgiveness. Now because He's at the right hand, having made the perfect atonement, that once and for all sacrifice, we have a hope of forgiveness. When we confess our sin, We're washed, we're cleansed, we're forgiven. Third, Jesus' resurrection gives us hope of eternal life. Not just a generic life. He shares with us his own eternal, perfect life. He takes our sin and gives us our life. Death is defeated in the death of Christ. There's no fear in death. When we think of believers dying, we mourn, but with hope. When we face death, we face death with the recognition life is ending, but with hope that a better state is yet still to come. Fourth, His resurrection gives us hope in trials. It's easy to get tunnel vision, or just see no further than beyond your nose. The more intense the trial, the harder it is to look up and out. We see the resurrection. He is able. He uses evil against us for good. Trials bring about treasure in the kingdom, which we'll see here in a moment in the latter part of the text. Finally, Jesus' resurrection gives us hope for a new life. No longer slaves to sin. No longer bound in the fear of guilt. There's no longer a meaningless monotony of life for those who are risen in Christ by faith. We have a mission to be known by God, to know God, and to make Him known. There's a new life that, that has a joy and a mission. The key question is, if He is risen, are we following Him? Are we following Him? And this is where we're going to turn now to verse 35. And, and look at what is going to be a, an opportunity for Jesus to teach what it means to be a disciple of Him, the risen Savior. Notice there are two brothers, James and John. They're called here the Sons of Zebedee. That's their family name. Elsewhere, they're called Sons of Thunder, and while that sounds like a WDF tag team title name, it's more of a nickname because of their personalities or dispositions, it seems like. Sons of Thunder. And we see this a little bit, right? And even the way they're talking to Jesus. After he just gave them one of the most helpful, clear teachings on who he is, they come and they say to him, teacher, rabbi, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you. My child sometimes comes to me this way. It's just kind of an odd thing. It's an odd approach, right? Whatever I ask, are you going to say yes? No. Of course not. But Jesus entertains them and he, what do you want from me? What is it you want me to do for you? They're very honest, they're very direct. Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory. We see some just signs of hope. We're going to be very generous here in this request. They get that Jesus is bringing about a glory. They see that He is a unique, righteous one. They see that there's something glorious that's going to take place. They do not yet get what it's going to take to get to that glory, but they understand there's a glory connected to Christ. They see he has a power. They ask him to grant this. So there's some things we can be encouraged about here. But at the same time, we see them jockeying for position over against other disciples. Kind of the first problem, whenever they were all arguing who was gonna be the greatest. Jesus responds, you do not know What you're asking. At this moment, it's a good opportunity for the disciples to kind of take a step back. Recognize that their master, the one they're actually calling rabbi, is, is instructing them that they're, they're, they're, they don't quite get it yet. I mean, this whole section, right, is, is, is, is, is bookended with a blind man seeing. The whole point here is that the disciples don't yet see and need to see. And he's telling them very directly, you're asking for something without really perceiving or understanding the truth. You do not know what you're asking. We've already heard the teaching, the first shall be last. They're not getting it. So Jesus speaks, I believe, very clearly. He has some rhetorical questions. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink? Are you able to, to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized? Now I say clearly because they should have just heard him say he's going to be mocked, spat upon, flogged and killed. They should get that he's referring to what he's told them he's going to go through Their response verse 39 we are able Okay, Jesus has said you have no idea what you're asking and now they've demonstrated they have no idea what they're talking about The hubris Right? No one's ever been able to say, we are able to endure this. Paul, at his, at his, at his greatest moment, is saying, by God's grace alone am I able to persevere in the, in the trials of persecutions. Now there's a lack of complete self-awareness. They think they're able. They, they, they're relying upon their competence. Now if you were thinking they were going to say, God, we, our Jesus, we trust by your grace, we're going to do it. But no, they're, it's a, it's a self-declaration. We're able. Jesus said to them, the cup that I drink, you will drink. The baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized. I believe here, as we think about this cup, I believe it's clearly associated not only with the mocking, the flogging, the spitting, the killing, but when Jesus goes and prays in Gethsemane, remember, these two brothers go up with him closer to pray. They're part of what we call the inner circle of the 12. And Jesus is praying in Gethsemane, and after they've entered Jerusalem, Father, if there's any other way, let this cup pass from me. He's not holding a cup. He's referring to the mocking and spitting and flogging and crucifixion that's about to happen. Father, if there's any other way for these people, Your people, our people, to be saved, spare me from this treatment, the trial, being forsaken from You for their sin. His cup is not golden with sweet wine. It is consuming bitterness. It is consuming the deadly consequences of sin. His cup is carrying the weighty responsibility for others and their sin. His baptism. A baptism is a word that simply points to an identity change. It, it's a, it's an ordinance Christ has given us to, to point that we are a new creation in Him. Here, believe, Jesus is going to have to identify with sinners. He's come to identify with the lowly. He's come to identify as a servant, even though He is great God Himself. He's going to have to humble Himself, even to the point of death, death in the cross. These two brothers are jockeying for position because they think it means pomp, privilege, and pride. And Jesus can make it very clear, no, to be in a position in the kingdom, to be a disciple, to be someone who follows me is someone who lives like me, is poured out like me, who gives himself over like me. They still don't get it. Notice how Jesus does make the clear statement, verse 40, it is to sit at my right hand and my left. It's not mine to grant. He's taking the position of a son. The father is the one who's kind of the orchestrator. He's the one who's going to put everyone in their proper place. Jesus has come to die for them, rise again, empower them. And their responsibility is to be obedient to carrying the cup, following him in discipleship. It's interesting here as we think about trials. We love comfort. Right? We value comfort. We try to escape anything that does not feel comfortable as quickly as possible. The goal of the Christian life is not to live the American dream, where all we do is experience the glory of God in the face of great riches and comfort. Jesus says, if you want to know me and my grace sufficient and my love abounding, it's in the trials. And it's usually because in the middle of us saying, look how good I've got it, wow, look how able I am, we're not depending on Him and really seeing His power and grace. It's because of our problem of boasting too quickly and fully. And I believe Jesus teaches us, it's in our trials that he makes his grace perfect. Now I also want to make clear, these two brothers are going to be empowered by the Spirit. They're going to be martyrs. James is actually the first Apostle martyred in Acts 12. Reflecting on this, I want us to see here that, that Christ is, is a king, and he's a good king unlike any other king. He's not like any other king because he has all authority and power. No other king has ever had so much authority or so much power. He is the greatest, most powerful king. And the second thing that makes him unique is that he takes all, he uses all of his authority, all of his power to bless others. It's not to get his own position. No, he lowers himself. He humbles himself. He considers others more important than himself. He considers others' interests more important than his own. And then he calls us to be his disciples, living the resurrected life like him. We see he continues this teaching. The disciples, verse 41, the other 10 here of James and John and their bold claim, we can do this, and we want to sit in the most privileged positions, and notice how these other disciples react. They're indignant. How dare they? We want those positions. Jesus takes the opportunity to teach them. He calls them and says to them, You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Now, he's simply stating the fact. In the world, among the Gentiles, among the rulers of the earthly sphere, when someone has authority, they use it for their own power. They're over people. It's just a common, clear way people function. We kind of have this saying, absolute authority absolutely corrupts, right? It's because sin makes us so selfish. Jesus is using this as a foil to be clear. Just by basic observation, we know the Gentiles, they rule with authority, they exercise and lord over others. Verse 43, but it shall not be so among you. I'm going to give you a new way. As sure as he's died and risen, he's going to give a new way of valuing greatness, a new way of valuing life, a new way of leading, a new way of serving, a new way of pursuing greatness. Again, we see this in the most basic gospel teaching of Philippians 2. He did not grasp what was rightly his. He, he poured himself out. He willingly took positions lower than, than he was deserving. He, he considered others more important. Continuing in verse 43. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant. Whoever would be first must be your slave. The word servant there is the same word we get deacon from. A deacon is an office in the church, but I believe every Christian is called to deacon. Service is an honor. I praise God for those who clearly have a servant's heart. I mean, just Friday night, one of our young men was running around with umbrellas to make sure people got in dry. That's a resurrected life. Trying to consider the importance and the interest of others. That's a small thing, but living that kind of life, looking for those opportunities, how can I help someone else? That's living under and in the resurrection. The other word to be first is the word doulos. This is bondservant, how Paul associates himself. He's bound. You know what's amazing about Christians is that we are simultaneously the most free and the most bound. Free from sin. You have the power to say no to sin. Free from death. You no longer have to fear what happens after the grave. Christ has risen. He's at the right hand of the Father. You're also the most bound. You're in Christ. United to Christ. Called to follow Christ. If you want to be great, be a servant. If you want to be first, be a slave. For not yet convinced, verse 45. Here's your memory verse for the day. For even Son of Man. That's Jesus referring to himself. It's a, it's a title that declares authority. For even I, Jesus says, the Son of Man, who, who came, he came from heaven. He left the glorious abode. He left the place where he was being praised and honored by angels. He came to a creation lower than himself, not to be served by those who he created, but, but to serve them. His own posture was not one where he thought, why isn't anyone coming to serve me? Why doesn't people approach me? No, he says, why don't I go and help them? See, we're, as sinners, we're just, by definition, bent in ourselves. And Christ is trying to teach us the way we're created to be. And it's bent away. It's bent up to God to love him and bent towards others to love them. This sounds like upside-down living because we normally think when I have authority I get to Lord But when Jesus says I give you responsibility it means you serve It sounds upside down, but the God who created us is teaching us this it's actually right side up We've been backwards all this time The world is backwards and The church is not to follow that pattern, but the pattern of the risen Savior He gave his life as a ransom. He paid the debt we owed by dying on the cross, releasing us from the guilt so that we might then be free. Jesus paid it all and now all to him we owe. As we conclude this meditation, let's remember Jesus is risen. We have a new life that we get to celebrate together. What a joy it is to sing together as your church. I love that we're described regularly as a singing church. To come together and sing these truths is one of the most encouraging times that I have in the week. The only thing more encouraging is whenever we get to walk alongside each other in suffering, in trials, and see how the gospel's working out in those trials. Jesus is risen so that we can live outside of the bondage and sin, of sin and death. To be able to resist sin. That is the power that Christ has given us in His Spirit that now dwells in us. Jesus is risen so that those who follow Him can see the heavenly honor of serving others. This is so connected to the two commandments. Love God and your neighbor as yourself. Believer. If you're here with us and you're a believer in Jesus Christ, Christ is risen. Believe in Him. And ask Him to help your unbelief. Ask Him to show you where are there areas of my life that I have not yet fully submitted to following Him in the way He has set aside my life to, to follow Him in His resurrection. If you're not a believer today, don't rush away. The call is to come to Christ and ask Him to forgive you of your sins. You understand that Jesus says, before you come to me, you need to count the cost. Our salvation was costly. Christ died. He suffered so that we could be bought, we could be ransomed. And the walking up to salvation, it is costly, but let me be very clear, it is worth it. Because the cost of rejecting Him is to face a God after death and pay your own dues for all the unrighteousness before a holy God. Believe in Him. Believe in Him who came to save us, who died to forgive us, who rose from the dead to give us new life, who ascended to the heavens to mediate before us. And who will return again to bring a righteous judgment? Will you pray with me? Father, we thank you for your kindness that you sent your Son to be delivered into the hands of wicked man. so that he would die for our own wickedness. We thank you that he has risen to give us new hope, hope of eternal life, hope of a new life in him. Lord, help us to believe in what he has done and what he has said so that we can be on your mission of being known by you, knowing you, and making you known. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.