The theme of many of the sermons to be preached today will go
something like this: 'Today, we celebrate resurrection and that changes
everything.' Some will be more specific. 'Jesus has been raised from the dead.
So, we are freed from sin and death. And that changes everything.' Church folk
have heard these kinds of words every Easter. And if that's all that they hear
then some questions just might pop up. 'It doesn't feel like everything has
changed. My life doesn't seem all that different from my neighbor who has never
bothered to listen to even one Easter sermon. Does Jesus' resurrection really
change anything?' That’s the right question to ask. So, along with what I hope
are many other pastors, I am going to work at answering it this morning. Jesus
has been raised from the dead. What has changed? Is everything different
because of the resurrection? The answer to that is ‘Yes’ and ‘No’.
First, the 'No' part of the answer. Here's what hasn't
changed, what isn't different. The war isn't different. Last week I told you
that all of history is a war between the offspring of the serpent and the
offspring of the woman, those with Satan against those with Jesus. That war
hasn't ended. It's still going on. Satan isn't dead. Those with him haven't
given up. Sin, your sin, hasn't gone away. It's still there tripping you up.
None of that has changed. And that means that there are still battles to fight,
battles that you have to fight. And that's why, in so many ways, your life is
just like that neighbor who's never been in a church. You both live on a
battlefield. You're both in the middle of a war.
It's important to say all of that, to mention what has not
changed. It adds a needed note of realism. Jesus' resurrection didn't
completely change life so that it's all good now. Or to say that a bit
differently, you're not in heaven yet. Jesus was raised, never to have to face
death and sin and all the rest ever again. But that's not true of you. A little
reality goes a long way, especially on a day like today when preachers feel the
pressure to say something that will make everyone feel like life working so
very well. There are many things that haven't changed. And you feel it. That's
the first part of my answer. 'Is everything different because of the
resurrection of Jesus?' No, it's not.
Now, here's the 'Yes' part of my answer. While the war
continues and life is filled with many battles still to be fought, we live this
life and fight those battles so very differently than that neighbor of yours.
Because of Jesus, because of His victory over Satan, we are able to deal with
this life in ways that make no sense to that neighbor, but they are ways that
make life worth it. Because of Jesus, we are able to live well. The reasons why
that is the case can be captured with a few key words. These are all church
words, but they have great power for those who embrace them.
The first is peace. We are not at peace with Satan nor with
the world that fights alongside him. We are at war with these. But we are at
peace with God. Jesus has made peace by the blood of His cross. Because of Good
Friday God is no longer our Judge but our Father. Jesus has atoned for all of
our sin - past, present and future. Because of that the Father declares us
fully acceptable to Himself. We have peace with God. So, as we fight those
battles we don't do that in order to make God pleased with us. He
already is.
And here's one big benefit of knowing that. When we blow it,
when we fail, when we lose a battle - and that happens more than what we like
to say - the Father doesn't suddenly become that Judge again. No, He remains your
Father. His acceptance of you and His devotion to you stays the same. That is
just a fact that cannot be changed. It is a fact of the Gospel. And that gives
great freedom in fighting those battles. It gives great freedom when you lose.
Win or lose, you are still fully accepted. So, the crushing weight of losing is
gone. There is no shame, no lingering guilt-feelings. We have peace with God.
And that also means that we have peace with ourselves. No
more beating yourself up because of some battle with Satan that you lost. He
tempted you, and you fell for it. And how do you respond to that? 'What a jerk!
What was I thinking?!?' No! None of that. Not a jerk. Still a child. Still
loved by the Father. You have peace with God even when you lose badly. And that
means that you have peace with yourself. Grasping this will encourage you to
return to the battlefield to fight again and to win. Here's one thing that's
different: Jesus has brought you peace.
Next word: hope. Sadly, to so many people, hope is nothing
more than closing your eyes to reality and wishing real hard. That will always
disappoint. And that's why so many are also hopeless. They wished and wished
and wished, more times than what they can remember, but nothing ever happened.
So, they gave up hoping. But that's not you. Hope for you has nothing to do
with wishing. Hope is simply waiting for God to keep a promise. And here is one
promise that He has made to you. One day everything will be different.
Everything. No more Yes and No to our question. One day the war will be over.
No more battles. And that's because there will be no more Satan, no more sin,
no more death. Everything will be an expression of the life of God. He has
promised. So, being hopeful means that you know that the Father is going to
keep His promise. You will most certainly enjoy that yet future day. And being
hopeful in this way makes a difference in those battles. Talk to folk who know
about military history. They will tell you about the differences between an
army that fights well and one that doesn't. And one of those differences is
morale. At the heart of morale is hopefulness. 'We are going to win!' Fighting
your battles with hope will make a huge difference for you. And it will make
that difference especially in those times that you have lost a battle. Having a
certainty about the future will get you up and fighting again instead of moping
and doubting and beating yourself up. This promise of an awesome future is
yours because of Jesus. Gaining that promise for you is part of His victory. Here's
another thing that's different: Jesus has brought you hope.
Next word: joy. And let me remind you again that joy is
different from happiness. Happiness is fine, but as long as you are here
happiness will come and go. Happiness depends on the situation. But joy is
different. Joy depends not on the situation but on Jesus, the Lord who now
rules over every situation. Joy is tied to what He is doing as Lord. And He is
always doing something good. So, joy for you is an optimistic spirit. There are
some battles that are simply overwhelming. These are the battles where Satan
blindsides you. Some problem comes out of the blue and hits you with tremendous
force. Think Job. And there you are flat on your back, nearly overwhelmed by it
all. And the temptation is, of course, to curse God and die. Where is He when
you need Him?!? And how many have responded in exactly that way, never to
return to the fold. But joy, being optimistic because of what Jesus is doing,
is your protection against falling into that trap. Joy makes the difference
when life gets hard. Because Jesus rules, even in those dark valleys you know
that somehow He will bring good out of the evil that is crushing your soul. So,
you rejoice in Him even as you might be weeping over the evil. Because of that
joy you get up and continue the battle. You don't give up. You continue the
fight, pressing on until you gain the victory. Jesus has brought you joy.
So, is anything really different? Oh, yes. You have peace,
peace with God and with yourself. You have hope, the sure hope that the Father
will keep His promise of a glorious future. You have joy, rejoicing in the wise
rule of the one who is Lord over all things.
But … these are just words, empty words, mere church words -
unless there is one more word. These words are of no benefit to you unless, in
the midst of the battles, you continue to say, 'I trust You, Lord.' After all,
He is the one who has called you to this terrible war. He is the one who
expects you to fight against His and your enemies. He is the one who makes life
sometimes so very painful because of the battles that He sends your way. In the
midst of all of that, you need to continue to say, 'I trust You, Lord.' And you
say this because you know that He is the one who gives peace. He is the one who
gives hope. He is the one who gives joy. But He gives these gifts only to those
who trust Him, to those who trust Him and show that by returning to the battle
and fighting under the banner that says, 'Jesus is Lord'.
So, again, we're back to the same closing. Believe the
Gospel. Believe the Gospel when it tells you that Jesus is Lord. He is the one
who has defeated Satan and now rules the nations. He is the one who leads His
Church into her battles. And believe the Gospel when it tells you that He will
lead you to that place where there are no tears, no evil, no death – only
happiness.