Broadway Christian Church · Columbia, Missouri
Morning Worship · April 12, 2009
Easter Sunday
Prayer of the Day
Most Gracious and Loving God, You have conquered death with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We lift our hearts to you in praise this morning. We celebrate the Good News revealed by the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. We thank you for the miracle of this day and for the eternal hope it gives to all of us. Amen.
Scripture
John 20:1-18
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. Be bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do no hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.
Message
They Didn’t Know
Larry Gallamore
Hold on to your seats. Today I’m going to tell you the Easter story. Not everyone knows the Easter story.
Perhaps you have heard the story of the three little boys who were trying to impress each other with how much they knew. One said to the other two, “Guys, I bet you don’t know the Easter story.” The other boys said, “Oh, yes, we do.” One said, “It’s the story we tell in the fall of the year. Every year we have turkey, dressing, and a big meal. We celebrate the early pilgrims in America. That’s Easter.”
The other little boy said, “That’s not Easter. Easter is a holiday in December. We get all kinds of presents for being good all year long. We celebrate the birthday of Jesus. That’s Easter.”
The first little boy said, “See, guys, I knew that neither one of you know about Easter. Easter is when Jesus was crucified on a cross. He died and they buried him in this huge tomb. They rolled a stone up to the tomb. Every year they roll the stone away and Jesus comes out. If he sees his shadow, we have six more weeks of bad weather.”
There are still some who do not know the Easter story. Listen carefully as I tell you this remarkable story, the story of what happened to Jesus of Nazareth.
Only a few days ago, they took him to Golgotha to nail him to a cross. They didn’t know he was the Son of God. The angry crowds mocked and scorned him. They didn’t know he was the Son of God. His closest friends just stood there in stunned silence. They didn’t know he was the Son of God. They drove cold nails into his hands and feet. They didn’t know he was the Son of God. They beat him with a whip. They didn’t know he was the Son of God. They placed the cross in the ground and hung him high. They didn’t know he was the Son of God. They left him hanging there for all to see. They didn’t know he was the Son of God. They pierced his side. Blood and water flowed down his body. They didn’t know he was the Son of God.
Jesus died on that cross. He hit bottom before he died on that cross. Hitting bottom means you recognize you are not going anywhere, because you’re already there. He hit bottom when he asked, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me.”
They took him away and placed him in a borrowed tomb. They didn’t know he was the Son of God. They wrapped him in white linen. They didn’t know he was the Son of God. The rolled a huge stone up to the entrance of the tomb and said, “It is finished.” They didn’t know he was the Son of God.
That’s when God said, “Enough. No one knew what was about to happen. God would not let death win.
On the day after the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene, one of his best friends, came to the tomb to finish preparing the body of Jesus. She came to pay her respects. Some of you know why she came. You have placed flowers upon the grave of a loved one. You have gone to the cemetery with tears in your eyes to visit a mother, father, sister, brother, husband, wife, or a child. Mary came to the tomb where Jesus was buried. She had no idea what was about to happen. The huge stone in front of the tomb had been rolled away. As she entered the tomb, she was shocked, stunned. There was no body. Someone had stolen the body. She ran to tell Simon Peter and the other disciples that someone had taken the Lord out of the tomb, and “we don’t know where they have laid him.”
They ran back to the tomb to look inside. Peter and another disciple reached the tomb. They looked inside to see the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head lying there all folded up. Jesus didn’t need them anymore.
The disciples remembered what he had said. He told them God would raise him from the dead. They saw evidence. They could no longer doubt. The disciples returned home. Just like Jesus told them, God would raise him from the dead. Didn’t he say three days? He believed it before it happened. “Believe you will receive, and you will receive.”
Mary stood there weeping. She looked into the tomb and saw two angels, one standing at the head of where they had laid Jesus and one at the feet. The angels asked Mary, “Why are you crying?” In grief, she said, “They have taken my Lord!”
She turned to leave and there he was. There was Jesus. She thought he was the gardener. Your senses bring reports to you from the outside world that are not always true.
When Jesus called her name, “Mary knew it was Jesus. She started to embrace him, and he said, “Do not hold me. I have not yet ascended to the Father.” The ties to earth that bound him were broken. He had no limitations. The bells of heaven were ringing.
As the first evangelist, Mary started spreading the word. “He is alive! He is alive! He is alive!” If course, they didn’t believe her. They didn’t know when man says there is no way, God says there is. They had seen people die before. Nobody ever comes back from the grave. No one is resurrected.
There are still may today who don’t believe in resurrection. Centuries later, with the witness of Mary, the message of the angels, the testimony of the disciples, empty crosses, Easter lilies, others coming back from the dead, people seeing the Light and returning to life to tell about it, some people still don’t believe.
Believe it or not, there are people in our world who still don’t believe. There are many who don’t even know the Easter story. Some people don’t believe in anything.
On Easter, Jesus was resurrected from the dead. Look all around you. Nature proves the Resurrection story. Listen to what others are saying. Listen as God speaks to you this morning. Hear that still, small voice that speaks to you as he spoke to Mary on that first Easter morning.
If God can raise Jesus from the dead, don’t you think God can solve all of your problems? Don’t you feel God can resurrect you? Don’t you feel God can take care of all the circumstances you are facing? That same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is here this morning. The signs of God’s Presence are all about us in the midst of all the world’s troubles and turmoil.
Listen! That same voice that called Mary by name is speaking to you. There is hope for you. When you weep, there is hope. When you believe, there is hope. When you feel despair, there is hope.
Jesus is risen! Death could not hold him, and death cannot hold us. We share in the promises of God made to ancient Israel. We share in the promises of God made through the prophets. We share in the promises of God made to the disciples. We share because when we heard Jesus knocking at the door of our hearts, we let him in. Easter is God’s promise of a new day. Easter is God’s promise of a new life. Easter is God’s promise of a new world.
There is a buzz of excitement everywhere. You need Jesus. Some of you are worn out trying to make it on your own strength. There are some who don’t think they need Jesus. You are Superman, Superwoman. You’ll find out you can’t make it on your own.
Years ago, Mohammad Ali was on a plane, and the turbulence got pretty bad. A flight attendant said, “Mr. Ali, fasten your seat belt.” Ali said, “Superman doesn’t need a seat belt.” The flight attendant replied, “Superman didn’t need an airplane either.” You can’t make it on your own.
Some of you will discover you need God when you find yourself in the hospital. The hospital is an experience in reality. One elderly guy told me a few years back, “Those hospital gowns are an experience in reality. The only thing that covers less than the hospital gown is my insurance policy.”
You need Jesus. He died on the cross for you. All you have to do is respond. All you have to do is ask him to save you from your sins. All you have to do is say yes to Jesus. You may be saying yes for the 100th time, or for the first time. Your belief in the One who hangs there on the cross is what saves you. You can say, “Yes, Jesus, I believe you died for me to pay the penalty for my sins. Help my unbelief.” You can say, “I believe that your way is best, and it’s the way I want to go with my life.”
You can say, “Jesus, I’m full of rage, resentment, bitterness, hurt, and loneliness, and I have tried coping with it on my own, but it doesn’t work. I believe you can take it all away, because only you can cover the high cost of my sin. You did nothing, Jesus, to deserve the cross, but I’m so thankful that you endured its shame for the sake of my salvation. I can live nobly now, because I can live forever. Jesus I come; I come to you. Today I come. This moment I come. Forgive me; resurrect me; and make me whole.”
That still, small voice is calling you. It’s saying, “I have made a path for you. I’m waiting for you. You cannot return to the Father’s house until you follow me. I’m waiting on you.”
So be it. Amen.
Benediction
There is a Redeemer! Jesus, God’s own Son; Precious Lamb of God, Messiah, Holy One! Thank you, Loving Creator, for giving us your Son, and leaving your Spirit until the work on earth is done. Amen.
