WEBVTT 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:06.660 Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone 00:00:06.660 --> 00:00:08.080 had been taken away from the tomb. 00:00:08.419 --> 00:00:13.259 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, 00:00:13.320 --> 00:00:18.420 and said to them, They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where 00:00:18.420 --> 00:00:19.160 they have laid him. 00:00:20.160 --> 00:00:24.519 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 00:00:24.620 --> 00:00:26.280 Both of them were running together. 00:00:26.280 --> 00:00:30.220 But the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 00:00:31.520 --> 00:00:37.280 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 00:00:38.380 --> 00:00:41.660 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. 00:00:42.859 --> 00:00:48.280 He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, 00:00:49.340 --> 00:00:53.480 not lying with the linen cloths, but folded up in a place by itself. 00:00:53.479 --> 00:01:01.000 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed. 00:01:01.959 --> 00:01:05.439 For as yet they did not understand the Scripture that he must rise from the dead. 00:01:05.519 --> 00:01:07.739 Then the disciples went back to their homes. 00:01:08.780 --> 00:01:12.299 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. 00:01:13.299 --> 00:01:16.280 And as she wept, she stooped to look into the tomb. 00:01:16.280 --> 00:01:22.980 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head 00:01:22.980 --> 00:01:23.739 and one at the feet. 00:01:24.700 --> 00:01:27.579 They said to her, Woman, why are you weeping? 00:01:28.560 --> 00:01:33.020 She said to them, They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid 00:01:33.020 --> 00:01:33.260 him. 00:01:34.480 --> 00:01:37.040 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing. 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:39.760 But she did not know that it was Jesus. 00:01:39.760 --> 00:01:43.640 Jesus said to her, Woman, why are you weeping? 00:01:44.420 --> 00:01:45.500 Whom are you seeking? 00:01:46.820 --> 00:01:52.520 Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, Sir, if you have carried him away, tell 00:01:52.520 --> 00:01:55.420 me where you have laid him, and I will take him away. 00:01:56.800 --> 00:01:59.120 Jesus said to her, Mary. 00:02:00.180 --> 00:02:06.000 She turned and said to him in Aramaic, Rabboni, which means teacher. 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:13.139 Jesus said to her, Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father, but 00:02:13.139 --> 00:02:24.120 go to my brothers and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and 00:02:24.120 --> 00:02:24.659 your God. 00:02:25.699 --> 00:02:32.039 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, I have seen the Lord, and that he had said these 00:02:32.039 --> 00:02:33.300 things to her. 00:02:33.300 --> 00:02:38.140 Why are you here this Easter Sunday? 00:02:39.540 --> 00:02:44.660 Perhaps you're here out of respect for a friend or family member who invited you to join them. 00:02:45.640 --> 00:02:51.560 Perhaps you're curious about what Christians do when they meet in these odd-looking buildings. 00:02:52.700 --> 00:02:54.660 And a major holiday seemed like a good time to visit. 00:02:55.939 --> 00:03:00.780 Perhaps you were brought up in the church, and even though over time you have drifted away, 00:03:00.780 --> 00:03:02.620 there's still something that draws you back. 00:03:03.300 --> 00:03:04.100 Every so often. 00:03:05.040 --> 00:03:09.719 Perhaps you come to church every Sunday, and this week is no different from any other. 00:03:11.100 --> 00:03:13.840 But let me go one step further with this question. 00:03:14.719 --> 00:03:19.260 Not just what brings you here this particular Sunday morning, but deep down, what are you 00:03:19.260 --> 00:03:20.580 searching for? 00:03:21.620 --> 00:03:25.500 In verse 15, Jesus asks Mary, whom are you seeking? 00:03:25.500 --> 00:03:32.139 At the beginning of the Gospel of John, in chapter 1, Jesus asked his first would-be followers 00:03:32.139 --> 00:03:34.060 almost the same question. 00:03:34.759 --> 00:03:36.500 What are you seeking? 00:03:37.759 --> 00:03:42.840 Beyond mere survival, what drives you to get out of bed in the morning, do what you do all 00:03:42.840 --> 00:03:46.340 day, come back to where you live at night, and do it all over again? 00:03:47.199 --> 00:03:50.240 Who or what are you searching for? 00:03:50.240 --> 00:03:54.640 Well, let me begin by suggesting three common answers to this question. 00:03:55.360 --> 00:04:01.080 Perhaps you're searching for truth, for a coherent system of beliefs that makes sense 00:04:01.080 --> 00:04:03.460 of the world and shows us how to live well. 00:04:04.439 --> 00:04:10.920 This is the quest of scientists, who through painstaking experiments seek to understand the 00:04:10.920 --> 00:04:13.100 underlying structure and order of the universe. 00:04:13.099 --> 00:04:18.899 The quest of students, who stay up until 4 a.m. trying to sort out the meaning of life 00:04:18.899 --> 00:04:20.000 in a college common room. 00:04:21.279 --> 00:04:26.540 The quest of philosophers, ancient and modern, who have sought out a path to wisdom and virtue. 00:04:27.659 --> 00:04:32.040 Luke Ferry, the French secular humanist philosopher, wrote this, 00:04:32.040 --> 00:04:39.500 At the heart of every great philosophical system is a quest for salvation without God. 00:04:39.500 --> 00:04:46.800 Philosophy, like religion, also claims to save us, if not from death itself, then from the 00:04:46.800 --> 00:04:53.199 anxiety it causes, and to do so by the exercise of our own resources and our innate faculty 00:04:53.199 --> 00:04:53.720 of reason. 00:04:55.060 --> 00:04:57.620 So perhaps you're searching for truth through reason. 00:04:58.759 --> 00:05:06.040 On the other hand, maybe you've tried that, but it all seems too abstract, too complex, too 00:05:06.040 --> 00:05:06.740 inconclusive. 00:05:06.740 --> 00:05:11.160 So instead, you're searching for a spiritual experience. 00:05:12.100 --> 00:05:16.560 The world is confusing, full of pain and suffering and injustice. 00:05:18.139 --> 00:05:22.420 You're not trying to figure it all out, but you're looking for a spiritual experience that 00:05:22.420 --> 00:05:30.060 will replace anxiety with confidence, grief with comfort, restlessness with peace. 00:05:30.060 --> 00:05:38.280 Isn't that why we seek out things like music, or sex, or even food and drink? 00:05:38.920 --> 00:05:44.899 That they can provide that solace, that comfort in a harsh world. 00:05:45.620 --> 00:05:47.660 Perhaps that's what brings you to church this morning. 00:05:48.800 --> 00:05:54.259 A hope of being lifted above the weariness of everyday life into the realm of the transcendent. 00:05:54.259 --> 00:05:59.500 Or perhaps even more than a spiritual experience, perhaps you're longing for community. 00:06:01.339 --> 00:06:06.000 Because even with all the knowledge in the world, and all the pleasant feelings one could 00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:10.759 hope for, we might still be alone and unfulfilled. 00:06:11.719 --> 00:06:14.959 As human beings, we long to be known and loved. 00:06:14.959 --> 00:06:20.699 Isn't that why we pursue friendship, or romantic love, or building a family? 00:06:22.139 --> 00:06:28.740 Even though at the same time, we fear the vulnerability that close relationships require of us. 00:06:29.479 --> 00:06:33.019 As human beings, we seek truth to satisfy our minds. 00:06:33.120 --> 00:06:35.359 We seek comfort to heal our hearts. 00:06:35.360 --> 00:06:39.379 And we seek community, where we're known and loved. 00:06:40.540 --> 00:06:46.199 What we see in our passage today is that the resurrection of Jesus speaks to us on all three of those levels. 00:06:47.500 --> 00:06:48.819 It speaks to our mind. 00:06:49.560 --> 00:06:50.819 It speaks to our hearts. 00:06:51.660 --> 00:06:53.000 It speaks to our relationships. 00:06:54.660 --> 00:06:57.660 So I want to take those three themes in turn this morning. 00:06:58.800 --> 00:07:02.960 The first thing that we see is that the resurrection of Jesus speaks to our mind. 00:07:02.959 --> 00:07:06.060 It's grounded in objective evidence. 00:07:07.859 --> 00:07:12.739 Now, sometimes we think that people in the ancient world were prone to believe just about anything. 00:07:14.079 --> 00:07:15.339 They believed in miracles. 00:07:15.959 --> 00:07:19.060 They believed in angels and ghosts, or many of them did. 00:07:19.839 --> 00:07:25.459 So perhaps they wouldn't find it too hard to believe that, some rumor, that somebody rose from the dead. 00:07:26.659 --> 00:07:28.259 But that's actually not true at all. 00:07:28.259 --> 00:07:34.339 They might have believed in miracles, ghosts, and angels, but they knew just as well as we do, 00:07:34.740 --> 00:07:41.000 that when a person dies, their body decays, and they don't return to life in this world. 00:07:41.879 --> 00:07:42.639 In a body. 00:07:44.019 --> 00:07:48.379 Now, some Jewish people believed that one day God would raise all the dead to life, 00:07:48.779 --> 00:07:53.459 and usher in his everlasting kingdom, but that would happen all at once, at the end of time. 00:07:53.459 --> 00:08:00.859 So when Jesus was crucified, and his body was laid in a tomb, no one expected him to rise again. 00:08:00.959 --> 00:08:05.839 Not the ruling authorities who had executed him, not his opponents who had accused him, 00:08:06.000 --> 00:08:07.939 not his disciples who had followed him. 00:08:09.500 --> 00:08:15.279 When Mary Magdalene came to the tomb in the darkness of early morning and saw the stone taken away, 00:08:15.719 --> 00:08:18.219 she didn't immediately conclude, he's alive. 00:08:18.220 --> 00:08:20.740 She ran away in terror. 00:08:21.980 --> 00:08:26.400 She said, they've taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him. 00:08:28.140 --> 00:08:33.019 When she found Peter and the other disciple, probably John, 00:08:33.700 --> 00:08:36.879 John doesn't refer to himself by name in his gospel, 00:08:37.460 --> 00:08:40.500 they didn't immediately believe he was alive either. 00:08:41.759 --> 00:08:43.480 They went to see for themselves. 00:08:43.480 --> 00:08:47.639 Some people have said perhaps they were mistaken. 00:08:48.700 --> 00:08:52.500 In the dim light of early morning, they went to the wrong tomb. 00:08:54.080 --> 00:08:58.759 But if they went to the wrong tomb, if Jesus' tomb wasn't really empty, 00:08:59.639 --> 00:09:02.240 the Christian movement could never have survived in Jerusalem. 00:09:03.659 --> 00:09:11.639 Perhaps it could have sprouted up hundreds of miles away in the Greco-Roman world as a mystery cult. 00:09:11.639 --> 00:09:17.100 But it could never have survived in Jerusalem where these events were supposed to actually have happened. 00:09:17.980 --> 00:09:21.480 Jesus had been accused of blasphemy by the religious leaders, 00:09:21.899 --> 00:09:24.240 accused of treason by the political authorities, 00:09:25.080 --> 00:09:26.679 condemned to death under Roman law. 00:09:26.799 --> 00:09:30.539 There were all kinds of people who wanted him and his movement to stay dead. 00:09:32.519 --> 00:09:34.439 If Jesus' body remained in the tomb, 00:09:35.659 --> 00:09:38.340 while his followers were claiming that he was alive and risen, 00:09:38.340 --> 00:09:41.420 anyone could have pointed to the body, 00:09:42.200 --> 00:09:43.600 discredited the Christian movement, 00:09:44.040 --> 00:09:46.899 and plenty of people had a motive to do just that. 00:09:47.600 --> 00:09:48.800 But no one ever did. 00:09:50.180 --> 00:09:52.420 Instead, the Christian movement survived and grew 00:09:52.420 --> 00:09:55.259 and maintained a consistent presence in Jerusalem, 00:09:55.440 --> 00:09:58.379 as well as spreading out to the world, 00:09:59.420 --> 00:10:02.800 despite frequent persecution and opposition, particularly in Jerusalem. 00:10:02.799 --> 00:10:06.620 The Christians maintained their claim that this Jesus, 00:10:06.719 --> 00:10:08.019 who was crucified and buried, 00:10:08.579 --> 00:10:10.379 had been raised to life by God himself. 00:10:10.779 --> 00:10:12.799 And none of their opponents ever challenged that claim, 00:10:13.419 --> 00:10:15.479 that the tomb of Jesus was empty. 00:10:16.839 --> 00:10:17.759 Now we might ask, 00:10:18.079 --> 00:10:21.859 well, is it possible that someone stole or removed Jesus' body, 00:10:21.939 --> 00:10:23.699 like Mary wondered? 00:10:24.740 --> 00:10:27.159 Well, Peter and John seem to have had this very question. 00:10:27.639 --> 00:10:29.679 That's why they ran to the tomb and looked inside. 00:10:29.759 --> 00:10:31.199 They had a little race to the tomb. 00:10:31.200 --> 00:10:33.920 Interesting details. 00:10:34.800 --> 00:10:37.400 John, the younger and more agile one, 00:10:37.540 --> 00:10:38.259 got there first. 00:10:38.360 --> 00:10:40.580 Peter, a bit older by all accounts, 00:10:40.700 --> 00:10:42.360 and perhaps not in quite as good shape, 00:10:43.000 --> 00:10:44.820 arrived second, huffing and puffing. 00:10:45.960 --> 00:10:48.720 John, the restrained and reflective one, 00:10:49.840 --> 00:10:52.520 looked inside and noted the linen cloths lying there. 00:10:53.220 --> 00:10:54.980 Peter, no holds barred, 00:10:55.900 --> 00:10:56.860 barged right in, 00:10:58.020 --> 00:10:59.480 saw not just the linen cloths, 00:10:59.480 --> 00:11:00.720 but also the face cloth. 00:11:01.200 --> 00:11:02.860 Which had been on Jesus' head, 00:11:02.940 --> 00:11:04.480 not lying with the linen cloths, 00:11:04.920 --> 00:11:06.520 but folded up in a place by itself. 00:11:07.180 --> 00:11:08.520 Now what's the point of all this detail? 00:11:09.520 --> 00:11:10.660 Well, when Jesus died, 00:11:11.140 --> 00:11:12.220 when he was buried, 00:11:13.060 --> 00:11:14.980 his body was wrapped in linen cloths. 00:11:16.480 --> 00:11:18.040 Chapter 19, verse 40 says this. 00:11:18.120 --> 00:11:20.420 But that was the common Jewish burial custom. 00:11:21.759 --> 00:11:23.060 He was embalmed with spices, 00:11:23.900 --> 00:11:25.180 his body was embalmed with spices, 00:11:25.300 --> 00:11:27.920 and a separate cloth was wrapped around his head, 00:11:27.919 --> 00:11:29.699 leaving only the neck exposed. 00:11:30.839 --> 00:11:32.860 Now if someone had carried away the body, 00:11:33.579 --> 00:11:36.240 they would have carried away the linen cloths, 00:11:36.240 --> 00:11:38.719 and the face cloth along with the body. 00:11:39.159 --> 00:11:40.539 If you were a grave robber, 00:11:41.099 --> 00:11:43.120 or if you were simply transporting the body 00:11:43.120 --> 00:11:45.019 to another location for whatever reason, 00:11:45.579 --> 00:11:48.279 you wouldn't unwrap the dead body of a man 00:11:48.279 --> 00:11:50.059 who had been beaten to a pulp and crucified. 00:11:50.059 --> 00:11:52.859 But this is what they saw. 00:11:54.139 --> 00:11:57.059 The linen cloths that had bound Jesus' body, 00:11:57.939 --> 00:11:59.299 lying there undisturbed. 00:12:00.079 --> 00:12:02.659 The face cloth that had been wrapped around his face, 00:12:03.559 --> 00:12:04.979 folded up neatly by itself. 00:12:06.299 --> 00:12:07.419 In the words of John Stott, 00:12:07.500 --> 00:12:11.279 the linen cloths were like a discarded chrysalis, 00:12:12.079 --> 00:12:15.099 a cocoon from which a butterfly has emerged. 00:12:15.100 --> 00:12:18.000 And so verse 8 says, 00:12:18.120 --> 00:12:20.220 the other disciple saw, 00:12:21.159 --> 00:12:21.940 and he believed. 00:12:22.680 --> 00:12:24.180 He saw the objective evidence, 00:12:24.300 --> 00:12:26.100 the linen cloths and the face cloths, 00:12:26.100 --> 00:12:27.759 and he concluded, 00:12:28.340 --> 00:12:29.759 contrary to all expectation, 00:12:30.980 --> 00:12:33.600 that this Jesus had come to life again. 00:12:35.279 --> 00:12:36.480 You see, the resurrection of Jesus 00:12:36.480 --> 00:12:39.240 is not simply a fairy tale, 00:12:39.600 --> 00:12:41.040 like the Easter bunny, 00:12:41.840 --> 00:12:44.560 as much as I enjoy eating those marshmallow puffs. 00:12:45.480 --> 00:12:47.920 It's not simply a metaphor for the coming of spring, 00:12:48.040 --> 00:12:49.200 as relieved as we all are 00:12:49.200 --> 00:12:50.680 that it finally seems to have come. 00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:54.120 The early Christians were convinced 00:12:54.120 --> 00:12:56.920 that Jesus' resurrection had actually happened, 00:12:57.180 --> 00:12:59.159 and they testified to what they had seen. 00:13:01.019 --> 00:13:02.259 But of course we might think, 00:13:02.320 --> 00:13:04.040 well, 2,000 years have passed since then. 00:13:05.440 --> 00:13:06.060 Perhaps you wonder, 00:13:06.139 --> 00:13:07.159 what if it's not so simple? 00:13:08.259 --> 00:13:09.700 I mean, the story we're reading here 00:13:09.700 --> 00:13:12.360 wasn't written down until 50, 60 years 00:13:12.360 --> 00:13:13.540 after the events it describes. 00:13:13.539 --> 00:13:16.219 That's plenty of time for legends to develop, 00:13:16.219 --> 00:13:18.899 and by then no one would be able to prove them wrong. 00:13:20.240 --> 00:13:21.240 But that's the thing. 00:13:22.519 --> 00:13:23.860 This story wasn't made up 00:13:23.860 --> 00:13:26.279 50 or 60 years after the fact. 00:13:26.839 --> 00:13:27.779 From the very beginning, 00:13:27.899 --> 00:13:30.379 the earliest Christians testified to their belief 00:13:30.379 --> 00:13:32.579 in a resurrected Lord Jesus, 00:13:33.819 --> 00:13:36.099 that the same Jesus who was crucified and buried 00:13:36.099 --> 00:13:37.639 was raised from the dead. 00:13:37.639 --> 00:13:40.240 Earlier we read from 1 Corinthians 15, 00:13:41.179 --> 00:13:43.779 which is one of the earliest letters in the New Testament 00:13:43.779 --> 00:13:45.620 written by the Apostle Paul, 00:13:45.720 --> 00:13:47.379 written around A.D. 53, 00:13:47.639 --> 00:13:50.659 20 years after Jesus was crucified. 00:13:51.659 --> 00:13:53.059 And in the passage we read, 00:13:53.319 --> 00:13:57.080 he quotes from an early Christian summary of the faith. 00:13:58.319 --> 00:13:58.699 He says, 00:13:58.700 --> 00:14:00.020 I delivered to you, 00:14:00.920 --> 00:14:01.980 as of first importance, 00:14:02.080 --> 00:14:03.660 what I also received. 00:14:05.259 --> 00:14:05.840 In other words, 00:14:05.900 --> 00:14:08.700 he had received this summary from others. 00:14:09.460 --> 00:14:11.180 He said that Christ died for our sins, 00:14:11.240 --> 00:14:12.080 that he was buried, 00:14:12.900 --> 00:14:14.780 that he was raised on the third day, 00:14:15.180 --> 00:14:16.860 and that he appeared. 00:14:17.820 --> 00:14:19.440 And then he lists a bunch of people 00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:20.440 that Jesus appeared to, 00:14:21.140 --> 00:14:22.520 who were witnesses of his resurrection. 00:14:22.519 --> 00:14:26.159 And this wasn't something that Paul had invented himself. 00:14:26.259 --> 00:14:26.500 He says, 00:14:26.759 --> 00:14:28.759 I already delivered this to you. 00:14:29.460 --> 00:14:32.659 He's referring back to when he had visited the Corinthians in person, 00:14:33.220 --> 00:14:34.399 probably around A.D. 50, 00:14:34.519 --> 00:14:35.639 a few years before that, 00:14:35.939 --> 00:14:36.899 before he wrote the letter. 00:14:37.500 --> 00:14:38.399 Previously he said, 00:14:38.500 --> 00:14:39.679 I received this, 00:14:40.519 --> 00:14:42.360 most likely from the Christians in Jerusalem, 00:14:43.059 --> 00:14:43.960 most scholars think. 00:14:45.100 --> 00:14:46.439 He had visited Jerusalem, 00:14:46.600 --> 00:14:48.960 where some of the leaders of the church were, 00:14:48.960 --> 00:14:53.139 and he had received this summary tradition from them. 00:14:54.080 --> 00:14:54.920 And by then, 00:14:55.000 --> 00:14:57.340 it had already become an accepted summary of belief 00:14:57.340 --> 00:14:58.460 within the Christian community. 00:14:58.600 --> 00:14:59.620 Now, in any community, 00:14:59.700 --> 00:15:02.820 it takes time for traditions to develop. 00:15:03.720 --> 00:15:05.420 And accepted summaries of belief 00:15:05.420 --> 00:15:08.960 to be actually accepted summaries of belief, 00:15:09.040 --> 00:15:10.400 and not just somebody's new ideas. 00:15:10.980 --> 00:15:12.400 So many scholars believe 00:15:12.400 --> 00:15:14.420 that the statement Paul was quoting 00:15:14.420 --> 00:15:17.540 originated from within five years or even less 00:15:17.539 --> 00:15:19.759 of when Jesus himself was crucified. 00:15:21.039 --> 00:15:22.500 You see, the earliest Christians, 00:15:23.240 --> 00:15:24.419 not just the later ones, 00:15:24.639 --> 00:15:25.679 the earliest ones, 00:15:25.939 --> 00:15:27.980 believed in Jesus' physical resurrection 00:15:27.980 --> 00:15:29.939 because they were convinced 00:15:29.939 --> 00:15:31.099 that it had actually happened. 00:15:31.779 --> 00:15:33.480 That it wasn't merely wishful thinking, 00:15:33.959 --> 00:15:35.959 it was grounded in real evidence. 00:15:37.219 --> 00:15:38.360 Let me challenge you. 00:15:39.279 --> 00:15:40.699 If you are not a Christian, 00:15:41.659 --> 00:15:42.620 have you grappled 00:15:42.620 --> 00:15:45.639 with the objective claims of the Christian faith? 00:15:45.639 --> 00:15:47.480 In particular, 00:15:47.639 --> 00:15:49.819 have you considered the historical evidence 00:15:49.819 --> 00:15:51.819 for the resurrection of Jesus, 00:15:52.659 --> 00:15:54.100 the most central claim of all? 00:15:55.699 --> 00:15:57.879 You know, most people haven't. 00:15:59.019 --> 00:16:00.139 C.S. Lewis once said, 00:16:00.879 --> 00:16:01.860 many people compare 00:16:01.860 --> 00:16:03.519 a version of Christianity 00:16:03.519 --> 00:16:05.120 suitable for a six-year-old 00:16:05.120 --> 00:16:07.659 to a thoughtful, nuanced, 00:16:07.899 --> 00:16:08.759 articulate case 00:16:08.759 --> 00:16:09.639 for agnosticism, 00:16:10.779 --> 00:16:11.639 or atheism, 00:16:12.139 --> 00:16:13.019 or another worldview. 00:16:13.019 --> 00:16:15.519 Please don't assume 00:16:15.519 --> 00:16:17.559 that what you remember, 00:16:18.299 --> 00:16:19.279 the tidbits you remember 00:16:19.279 --> 00:16:20.980 from being sent to Sunday school 00:16:20.980 --> 00:16:21.699 as a child, 00:16:22.779 --> 00:16:24.879 or what the major news outlets 00:16:24.879 --> 00:16:25.860 portray Christians 00:16:25.860 --> 00:16:28.139 as being primarily concerned about, 00:16:28.699 --> 00:16:29.620 is the whole story. 00:16:30.919 --> 00:16:32.319 Christianity is not primarily 00:16:32.319 --> 00:16:33.600 an abstract philosophy. 00:16:34.139 --> 00:16:35.220 It's not primarily 00:16:35.220 --> 00:16:36.299 a political agenda. 00:16:36.939 --> 00:16:38.559 It's not a list of ways 00:16:38.559 --> 00:16:40.159 to become a better person 00:16:40.159 --> 00:16:41.959 that you can pick and choose from 00:16:41.959 --> 00:16:43.240 on and off 00:16:43.240 --> 00:16:44.799 if they seem helpful. 00:16:45.919 --> 00:16:47.240 The central claim of Christianity 00:16:47.240 --> 00:16:48.319 is that God 00:16:48.319 --> 00:16:50.279 has decisively intervened 00:16:50.279 --> 00:16:51.839 in human history, 00:16:52.480 --> 00:16:54.719 in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, 00:16:55.259 --> 00:16:56.240 and that these events 00:16:56.240 --> 00:16:57.740 that occurred 2,000 years ago, 00:16:57.860 --> 00:16:58.559 Jesus' life, 00:16:59.259 --> 00:16:59.980 Jesus' death, 00:17:00.219 --> 00:17:01.159 and particularly 00:17:01.159 --> 00:17:02.620 his resurrection from the dead, 00:17:02.959 --> 00:17:04.240 make all the difference, 00:17:05.139 --> 00:17:06.539 both for you personally, 00:17:06.539 --> 00:17:09.180 and for the destiny 00:17:09.180 --> 00:17:10.579 of the entire cosmos. 00:17:12.039 --> 00:17:12.940 Now here at Trinity, 00:17:13.139 --> 00:17:14.159 we want to take 00:17:14.159 --> 00:17:15.299 these questions seriously. 00:17:16.359 --> 00:17:17.279 Today in particular, 00:17:17.399 --> 00:17:18.159 we've made several books 00:17:18.159 --> 00:17:19.339 available for free 00:17:19.339 --> 00:17:19.980 at the back. 00:17:21.059 --> 00:17:22.420 There are 10-page booklets, 00:17:22.539 --> 00:17:23.839 there are 800-page treatises, 00:17:24.000 --> 00:17:24.339 take your, 00:17:24.720 --> 00:17:25.720 and everything in between. 00:17:28.279 --> 00:17:29.220 Start where you want. 00:17:30.559 --> 00:17:31.319 There's a book called 00:17:31.319 --> 00:17:32.119 The Reason for God. 00:17:32.200 --> 00:17:33.279 If you haven't read it, 00:17:33.339 --> 00:17:33.839 take a copy 00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:34.720 and read it with a friend. 00:17:34.720 --> 00:17:36.779 If you don't have a Bible 00:17:36.779 --> 00:17:37.579 that you can read, 00:17:38.319 --> 00:17:39.019 feel free to take 00:17:39.019 --> 00:17:40.259 one of the few Bibles with you 00:17:40.259 --> 00:17:41.759 as our gift to you. 00:17:43.120 --> 00:17:44.059 So that's the first thing 00:17:44.059 --> 00:17:45.059 we see in this passage, 00:17:45.480 --> 00:17:46.480 that the message 00:17:46.480 --> 00:17:47.360 of Jesus' resurrection 00:17:47.360 --> 00:17:48.100 is grounded 00:17:48.100 --> 00:17:50.000 in objective evidence. 00:17:51.539 --> 00:17:52.200 But second, 00:17:52.299 --> 00:17:53.000 we also see 00:17:53.000 --> 00:17:54.839 that it was confirmed 00:17:54.839 --> 00:17:56.200 by personal experience. 00:17:58.700 --> 00:17:59.360 Verse 11, 00:17:59.460 --> 00:18:00.100 we see Mary 00:18:00.100 --> 00:18:01.559 weeping 00:18:01.559 --> 00:18:02.640 beside the tomb. 00:18:03.579 --> 00:18:04.360 Now we're not told 00:18:04.359 --> 00:18:05.359 exactly when Mary 00:18:05.359 --> 00:18:05.919 came back 00:18:05.919 --> 00:18:06.740 to the tomb, 00:18:06.839 --> 00:18:07.539 whether she had talked 00:18:07.539 --> 00:18:08.339 with Peter and John 00:18:08.339 --> 00:18:09.259 about what they had seen 00:18:09.259 --> 00:18:10.419 or how she reacted 00:18:10.419 --> 00:18:10.719 to them, 00:18:10.759 --> 00:18:11.479 but we see her 00:18:11.479 --> 00:18:12.319 overwhelmed 00:18:12.319 --> 00:18:13.500 by grief. 00:18:14.679 --> 00:18:15.659 Four times, 00:18:16.519 --> 00:18:17.000 just in 00:18:17.000 --> 00:18:18.339 verse 11 through 15, 00:18:18.419 --> 00:18:19.039 the text refers 00:18:19.039 --> 00:18:19.740 to her weeping. 00:18:21.119 --> 00:18:21.459 Twice, 00:18:21.539 --> 00:18:22.500 she basically repeats 00:18:22.500 --> 00:18:23.159 what she said 00:18:23.159 --> 00:18:24.199 to Peter and John 00:18:24.199 --> 00:18:25.079 back in verse 2. 00:18:26.079 --> 00:18:26.759 They have taken away 00:18:26.759 --> 00:18:27.319 my Lord, 00:18:28.119 --> 00:18:28.819 and I don't know 00:18:28.819 --> 00:18:29.559 where they've laid him. 00:18:30.139 --> 00:18:30.399 Sir, 00:18:30.479 --> 00:18:31.579 if you've carried him away, 00:18:32.079 --> 00:18:32.539 tell me where 00:18:32.539 --> 00:18:33.199 you've laid him. 00:18:33.200 --> 00:18:36.620 She was completely 00:18:36.620 --> 00:18:37.140 overwhelmed. 00:18:38.220 --> 00:18:38.759 And considering 00:18:38.759 --> 00:18:39.420 all that Mary 00:18:39.420 --> 00:18:40.140 had been through, 00:18:40.519 --> 00:18:41.420 it wasn't surprising 00:18:41.420 --> 00:18:42.019 that she was in 00:18:42.019 --> 00:18:42.759 such a fragile 00:18:42.759 --> 00:18:44.039 emotional state. 00:18:45.600 --> 00:18:46.059 Mary had been 00:18:46.059 --> 00:18:46.799 a devoted follower 00:18:46.799 --> 00:18:47.259 of Jesus 00:18:47.259 --> 00:18:48.680 for some time. 00:18:49.700 --> 00:18:50.200 According to 00:18:50.200 --> 00:18:51.039 the Gospel of Luke, 00:18:52.200 --> 00:18:53.019 chapter 8, 00:18:53.100 --> 00:18:53.480 she belonged 00:18:53.480 --> 00:18:54.380 to a group of women 00:18:54.380 --> 00:18:56.000 who followed Jesus 00:18:56.000 --> 00:18:56.740 throughout his public 00:18:56.740 --> 00:18:57.259 ministry 00:18:57.259 --> 00:18:59.420 and provided for him 00:18:59.420 --> 00:19:00.519 out of their own means. 00:19:00.519 --> 00:19:02.039 these women 00:19:02.039 --> 00:19:02.660 were some of his 00:19:02.660 --> 00:19:03.779 most loyal followers. 00:19:04.400 --> 00:19:04.960 Even when he hung 00:19:04.960 --> 00:19:05.660 on the cross, 00:19:05.940 --> 00:19:06.980 while he was being 00:19:06.980 --> 00:19:07.480 executed, 00:19:08.440 --> 00:19:09.379 they stayed near him. 00:19:10.200 --> 00:19:11.079 When he was buried, 00:19:11.879 --> 00:19:12.319 they witnessed 00:19:12.319 --> 00:19:12.819 the burial. 00:19:14.039 --> 00:19:14.539 And for Mary 00:19:14.539 --> 00:19:15.139 in particular, 00:19:15.259 --> 00:19:15.960 Jesus wasn't just 00:19:15.960 --> 00:19:16.980 a respected leader 00:19:16.980 --> 00:19:19.240 whom she had followed 00:19:19.240 --> 00:19:19.859 and supported. 00:19:20.700 --> 00:19:21.599 Jesus had powerfully 00:19:21.599 --> 00:19:23.279 transformed her own life. 00:19:24.879 --> 00:19:25.059 Luke, 00:19:25.119 --> 00:19:25.579 chapter 8, 00:19:25.619 --> 00:19:26.039 verse 2, 00:19:26.139 --> 00:19:26.379 says, 00:19:26.740 --> 00:19:27.500 Jesus healed many 00:19:27.500 --> 00:19:28.480 of evil spirits 00:19:28.480 --> 00:19:29.420 and infirmities. 00:19:30.220 --> 00:19:31.079 And for Mary 00:19:31.079 --> 00:19:31.660 in particular, 00:19:31.759 --> 00:19:32.079 he says, 00:19:32.140 --> 00:19:33.039 seven demons 00:19:33.039 --> 00:19:34.299 had gone out 00:19:34.299 --> 00:19:34.660 from her. 00:19:35.660 --> 00:19:35.920 Now, 00:19:35.940 --> 00:19:36.420 we aren't told 00:19:36.420 --> 00:19:37.039 the details. 00:19:38.279 --> 00:19:38.980 Perhaps she had been 00:19:38.980 --> 00:19:40.180 plagued by a complex 00:19:40.180 --> 00:19:40.680 illness. 00:19:41.759 --> 00:19:42.599 Perhaps her life 00:19:42.599 --> 00:19:43.359 had been characterized 00:19:43.359 --> 00:19:44.200 by addictive 00:19:44.200 --> 00:19:45.640 and self-destructive 00:19:45.640 --> 00:19:46.119 patterns. 00:19:46.420 --> 00:19:46.940 Perhaps she was 00:19:46.940 --> 00:19:47.839 literally possessed 00:19:47.839 --> 00:19:49.559 by multiple evil spirits. 00:19:49.559 --> 00:19:51.700 Perhaps all of the above. 00:19:53.160 --> 00:19:53.519 But through 00:19:53.519 --> 00:19:54.339 encountering Jesus, 00:19:54.500 --> 00:19:55.920 she had been released 00:19:55.920 --> 00:19:57.240 from bondage. 00:19:57.500 --> 00:19:58.319 She had found 00:19:58.319 --> 00:19:58.920 wholeness 00:19:58.920 --> 00:19:59.799 and joy 00:19:59.799 --> 00:20:00.420 and peace 00:20:00.420 --> 00:20:01.140 in her life. 00:20:02.559 --> 00:20:03.519 And now it seemed 00:20:03.519 --> 00:20:03.980 that perhaps 00:20:03.980 --> 00:20:04.819 all was lost. 00:20:06.279 --> 00:20:07.500 Not only had her teacher 00:20:07.500 --> 00:20:08.740 died a shameful death, 00:20:09.000 --> 00:20:09.900 but his grave 00:20:09.900 --> 00:20:10.740 had been violated, 00:20:11.259 --> 00:20:11.819 his body 00:20:11.819 --> 00:20:13.599 carelessly removed. 00:20:15.140 --> 00:20:15.880 Mary was a mess. 00:20:18.220 --> 00:20:19.279 Have you ever been there? 00:20:21.359 --> 00:20:21.839 Overwhelmed 00:20:21.839 --> 00:20:23.160 by grief 00:20:23.160 --> 00:20:24.180 and shock, 00:20:25.240 --> 00:20:26.660 feeling that you've lost 00:20:26.660 --> 00:20:28.920 your last friend. 00:20:29.779 --> 00:20:30.940 Feeling humiliated, 00:20:32.160 --> 00:20:32.660 violated, 00:20:33.800 --> 00:20:34.160 alone. 00:20:37.259 --> 00:20:38.380 In light of Mary's 00:20:38.380 --> 00:20:39.160 emotional state, 00:20:40.300 --> 00:20:41.060 Jesus approached her 00:20:41.060 --> 00:20:42.000 with tender compassion. 00:20:43.460 --> 00:20:44.380 He began by asking 00:20:44.380 --> 00:20:45.500 two simple 00:20:45.500 --> 00:20:47.060 and yet searching 00:20:47.060 --> 00:20:47.660 questions 00:20:48.259 --> 00:20:50.160 in verse 15. 00:20:50.160 --> 00:20:51.800 woman, 00:20:51.800 --> 00:20:51.880 woman, 00:20:52.880 --> 00:20:54.180 why are you weeping? 00:20:55.980 --> 00:20:56.759 Who are you seeking? 00:20:58.680 --> 00:21:00.180 Isn't that what a good counselor 00:21:00.180 --> 00:21:02.519 or a good friend 00:21:02.519 --> 00:21:03.820 does 00:21:03.820 --> 00:21:06.040 if you're an emotional wreck? 00:21:07.279 --> 00:21:08.259 Takes the initiative 00:21:08.259 --> 00:21:09.300 to come near to you. 00:21:10.480 --> 00:21:10.980 Listens 00:21:10.980 --> 00:21:12.420 to your weeping. 00:21:13.540 --> 00:21:14.440 Perhaps listens to you 00:21:14.440 --> 00:21:15.300 saying the same thing 00:21:15.300 --> 00:21:15.900 over and over. 00:21:15.900 --> 00:21:18.259 and ask simple 00:21:18.259 --> 00:21:19.780 yet thought-provoking 00:21:19.780 --> 00:21:20.420 questions. 00:21:22.920 --> 00:21:23.700 And yet Jesus 00:21:23.700 --> 00:21:24.580 didn't stop there. 00:21:25.360 --> 00:21:26.000 The turning point 00:21:26.000 --> 00:21:26.500 of this story 00:21:26.500 --> 00:21:27.380 is verse 16. 00:21:28.480 --> 00:21:29.280 Jesus said to her, 00:21:30.380 --> 00:21:30.660 Mary. 00:21:32.340 --> 00:21:33.160 And she turned 00:21:33.160 --> 00:21:33.720 and said to him, 00:21:34.420 --> 00:21:34.920 Rabboni, 00:21:36.040 --> 00:21:37.019 my very own 00:21:37.019 --> 00:21:37.900 dear teacher. 00:21:39.900 --> 00:21:41.200 Jesus is the good shepherd 00:21:41.200 --> 00:21:41.340 shepherd 00:21:41.340 --> 00:21:43.080 who calls 00:21:43.080 --> 00:21:44.460 us by name. 00:21:45.640 --> 00:21:46.920 Who leads his sheep 00:21:46.920 --> 00:21:47.900 and goes before them 00:21:47.900 --> 00:21:48.380 and the sheep 00:21:48.380 --> 00:21:49.519 know his voice. 00:21:50.140 --> 00:21:50.779 Some people come 00:21:50.779 --> 00:21:51.200 to believe 00:21:51.200 --> 00:21:52.259 in the risen Lord Jesus 00:21:52.259 --> 00:21:54.160 like Peter and John. 00:21:55.039 --> 00:21:55.700 Through a process 00:21:55.700 --> 00:21:56.620 of thinking 00:21:56.620 --> 00:21:57.680 and reflection. 00:21:58.279 --> 00:21:58.580 Reading, 00:21:58.960 --> 00:21:59.340 discussing, 00:21:59.620 --> 00:22:00.000 questioning, 00:22:00.279 --> 00:22:00.640 observing. 00:22:02.400 --> 00:22:03.039 Other people 00:22:03.039 --> 00:22:03.680 come to believe 00:22:03.680 --> 00:22:04.660 in the risen Lord Jesus 00:22:04.660 --> 00:22:06.000 like Mary. 00:22:07.420 --> 00:22:08.039 Through a personal 00:22:08.039 --> 00:22:08.840 experience 00:22:08.839 --> 00:22:10.199 of Jesus' 00:22:10.699 --> 00:22:11.899 steadfast love 00:22:11.899 --> 00:22:12.599 and mercy. 00:22:13.639 --> 00:22:14.299 Meeting them 00:22:14.299 --> 00:22:15.240 in their darkest hour. 00:22:17.319 --> 00:22:18.319 On the one hand, 00:22:18.399 --> 00:22:19.159 Mary's experience 00:22:19.159 --> 00:22:19.599 of Jesus 00:22:19.599 --> 00:22:21.019 is not a standard 00:22:21.019 --> 00:22:22.259 to measure 00:22:22.259 --> 00:22:23.439 our experiences 00:22:23.439 --> 00:22:24.000 against. 00:22:25.319 --> 00:22:26.220 According to the Bible, 00:22:26.379 --> 00:22:27.379 Jesus is now 00:22:27.379 --> 00:22:28.139 seated at the right 00:22:28.139 --> 00:22:28.819 hand of God, 00:22:29.039 --> 00:22:30.000 the Father in heaven. 00:22:30.759 --> 00:22:31.759 That means you and I 00:22:31.759 --> 00:22:32.480 will not touch 00:22:32.480 --> 00:22:33.240 Jesus physically. 00:22:34.019 --> 00:22:35.279 We are not promised 00:22:35.279 --> 00:22:36.839 to hear Jesus' voice 00:22:36.839 --> 00:22:37.839 speaking to us 00:22:37.839 --> 00:22:38.859 in the same way 00:22:38.859 --> 00:22:39.480 Mary did. 00:22:40.559 --> 00:22:41.619 If it was necessary 00:22:41.619 --> 00:22:42.759 for every believer 00:22:42.759 --> 00:22:44.039 to have such a 00:22:44.039 --> 00:22:44.839 dramatic personal 00:22:44.839 --> 00:22:45.720 experience in order 00:22:45.720 --> 00:22:46.459 to authentically 00:22:46.459 --> 00:22:47.119 believe, 00:22:48.279 --> 00:22:49.139 Jesus' command to 00:22:49.139 --> 00:22:50.059 Mary in verse 17 00:22:50.059 --> 00:22:51.099 would make no sense. 00:22:53.399 --> 00:22:54.220 Telling her to go 00:22:54.220 --> 00:22:56.000 and tell the others. 00:22:58.079 --> 00:22:59.679 If the experience 00:22:59.679 --> 00:23:00.699 was only for her, 00:23:00.799 --> 00:23:01.299 he would simply 00:23:01.299 --> 00:23:01.679 have said, 00:23:02.299 --> 00:23:02.500 Mary, 00:23:02.599 --> 00:23:03.159 now I have appeared 00:23:03.159 --> 00:23:03.599 to you. 00:23:04.399 --> 00:23:05.419 Now you are in the know. 00:23:05.420 --> 00:23:06.800 But that will do 00:23:06.800 --> 00:23:07.580 no good for anyone 00:23:07.580 --> 00:23:07.980 else. 00:23:08.600 --> 00:23:09.259 So you may keep 00:23:09.259 --> 00:23:10.220 this all to yourself 00:23:10.220 --> 00:23:11.480 and I will appear 00:23:11.480 --> 00:23:12.039 to the others 00:23:12.039 --> 00:23:12.880 one by one 00:23:12.880 --> 00:23:14.420 if and when I choose. 00:23:15.400 --> 00:23:15.920 But no. 00:23:17.120 --> 00:23:18.120 Mary's experience 00:23:18.120 --> 00:23:18.620 of Jesus 00:23:18.620 --> 00:23:19.420 was not just 00:23:19.420 --> 00:23:20.440 for her own benefit. 00:23:21.220 --> 00:23:22.019 Her experience 00:23:22.019 --> 00:23:22.820 wasn't an end 00:23:22.820 --> 00:23:23.440 in itself. 00:23:24.740 --> 00:23:25.500 Her experience 00:23:25.500 --> 00:23:25.920 of Jesus 00:23:25.920 --> 00:23:26.660 was ultimately 00:23:26.660 --> 00:23:28.000 for the benefit 00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:28.640 of others 00:23:28.640 --> 00:23:30.080 who would hear 00:23:30.080 --> 00:23:30.860 her testimony 00:23:30.859 --> 00:23:32.139 and believe 00:23:32.139 --> 00:23:32.899 in the Lord 00:23:32.899 --> 00:23:33.779 whom she had 00:23:33.779 --> 00:23:34.479 experienced. 00:23:35.419 --> 00:23:35.939 Verse 18, 00:23:36.059 --> 00:23:36.699 Mary doesn't just 00:23:36.699 --> 00:23:37.479 tell the guys 00:23:37.479 --> 00:23:38.240 this is what 00:23:38.240 --> 00:23:38.959 I've experienced 00:23:38.959 --> 00:23:40.240 but she also says 00:23:40.240 --> 00:23:41.519 that he had said 00:23:41.519 --> 00:23:42.599 these things to her. 00:23:43.419 --> 00:23:43.899 She conveys 00:23:43.899 --> 00:23:44.599 the message 00:23:44.599 --> 00:23:46.679 of who Jesus is 00:23:46.679 --> 00:23:48.000 and what he has said. 00:23:48.899 --> 00:23:49.799 Now our experiences 00:23:49.799 --> 00:23:50.740 of Jesus today 00:23:50.740 --> 00:23:52.379 may not exactly 00:23:52.379 --> 00:23:53.539 parallel Mary's 00:23:53.539 --> 00:23:55.799 but Jesus is still 00:23:55.799 --> 00:23:57.099 the same 00:23:57.099 --> 00:23:58.000 compassionate 00:23:58.000 --> 00:23:58.899 friend 00:23:58.900 --> 00:24:00.380 and counselor 00:24:00.380 --> 00:24:02.160 who draws near 00:24:02.160 --> 00:24:02.720 to us 00:24:02.720 --> 00:24:04.000 as we grieve 00:24:04.000 --> 00:24:04.400 the loss 00:24:04.400 --> 00:24:05.200 of loved ones 00:24:05.200 --> 00:24:06.759 who listens 00:24:06.759 --> 00:24:07.759 to our fears 00:24:07.759 --> 00:24:09.220 and anxieties 00:24:09.220 --> 00:24:10.800 as we look 00:24:10.800 --> 00:24:11.420 into an uncertain 00:24:11.420 --> 00:24:11.900 future 00:24:11.900 --> 00:24:13.580 who asks us 00:24:13.580 --> 00:24:14.060 probing 00:24:14.060 --> 00:24:15.180 questions 00:24:15.180 --> 00:24:17.140 simple questions 00:24:17.140 --> 00:24:17.940 but profound 00:24:17.940 --> 00:24:18.620 questions 00:24:18.620 --> 00:24:19.600 in the midst 00:24:19.600 --> 00:24:20.259 of our confusion. 00:24:21.380 --> 00:24:21.700 He's still 00:24:21.700 --> 00:24:22.259 the same 00:24:22.259 --> 00:24:23.320 good and 00:24:23.320 --> 00:24:24.360 gracious shepherd 00:24:24.360 --> 00:24:25.940 who calls 00:24:25.940 --> 00:24:26.320 his sheep 00:24:26.320 --> 00:24:26.820 by name 00:24:26.820 --> 00:24:28.100 who knows 00:24:28.099 --> 00:24:28.959 the very details 00:24:28.959 --> 00:24:29.339 of our 00:24:29.339 --> 00:24:30.719 personal histories 00:24:30.719 --> 00:24:31.699 and present 00:24:31.699 --> 00:24:32.399 circumstances 00:24:32.399 --> 00:24:34.639 and finds 00:24:34.639 --> 00:24:35.240 a way to our 00:24:35.240 --> 00:24:35.559 heart 00:24:35.559 --> 00:24:36.839 in the midst 00:24:36.839 --> 00:24:37.179 of them. 00:24:38.439 --> 00:24:39.039 He knows 00:24:39.039 --> 00:24:39.659 you. 00:24:40.399 --> 00:24:41.279 He loves 00:24:41.279 --> 00:24:41.839 you. 00:24:42.839 --> 00:24:43.859 If you haven't 00:24:43.859 --> 00:24:44.599 experienced him 00:24:44.599 --> 00:24:45.079 yourself 00:24:45.079 --> 00:24:46.839 consider the many 00:24:46.839 --> 00:24:47.359 other people 00:24:47.359 --> 00:24:47.980 who have. 00:24:49.059 --> 00:24:49.599 There are many 00:24:49.599 --> 00:24:49.980 people 00:24:49.980 --> 00:24:51.179 right here 00:24:51.179 --> 00:24:51.759 in this room 00:24:51.759 --> 00:24:53.379 with their own 00:24:53.379 --> 00:24:54.079 stories of how 00:24:54.079 --> 00:24:55.019 they've experienced 00:24:55.019 --> 00:24:56.639 Jesus healing, 00:24:57.599 --> 00:24:58.420 Jesus presence, 00:24:59.240 --> 00:25:00.220 Jesus deliverance, 00:25:00.940 --> 00:25:01.599 sometimes in 00:25:01.599 --> 00:25:02.240 very dramatic 00:25:02.240 --> 00:25:03.319 ways, 00:25:04.539 --> 00:25:05.139 sometimes in 00:25:05.139 --> 00:25:05.779 very ordinary 00:25:05.779 --> 00:25:06.480 but still 00:25:06.480 --> 00:25:07.940 life transforming 00:25:07.940 --> 00:25:08.839 ways. 00:25:09.379 --> 00:25:10.279 If you're curious 00:25:10.279 --> 00:25:11.579 ask someone 00:25:11.579 --> 00:25:11.980 who's sitting 00:25:11.980 --> 00:25:12.460 next to you 00:25:12.460 --> 00:25:13.299 after the service. 00:25:14.879 --> 00:25:15.639 But whether 00:25:15.639 --> 00:25:16.099 we come to 00:25:16.099 --> 00:25:17.319 faith through 00:25:17.319 --> 00:25:17.759 an intellectual 00:25:17.759 --> 00:25:18.599 process or 00:25:18.599 --> 00:25:18.859 through a 00:25:18.859 --> 00:25:19.879 personal experience 00:25:19.879 --> 00:25:20.740 the path to 00:25:20.740 --> 00:25:21.619 Christian maturity 00:25:21.619 --> 00:25:23.579 involves engaging 00:25:23.579 --> 00:25:24.399 both the mind 00:25:24.399 --> 00:25:25.779 and the heart. 00:25:26.939 --> 00:25:27.579 If you've had 00:25:27.579 --> 00:25:27.979 a dramatic 00:25:27.979 --> 00:25:28.879 experience of 00:25:28.879 --> 00:25:29.299 God 00:25:29.299 --> 00:25:31.079 share that 00:25:31.079 --> 00:25:31.399 with other 00:25:31.399 --> 00:25:31.879 people who 00:25:31.879 --> 00:25:32.479 might benefit 00:25:32.479 --> 00:25:33.279 from it 00:25:33.279 --> 00:25:34.179 from hearing 00:25:34.179 --> 00:25:34.779 your story. 00:25:35.399 --> 00:25:36.000 But don't 00:25:36.000 --> 00:25:36.739 simply try to 00:25:36.739 --> 00:25:37.859 live in the 00:25:37.859 --> 00:25:38.399 wake of that 00:25:38.399 --> 00:25:39.239 experience 00:25:39.239 --> 00:25:39.919 forever 00:25:39.919 --> 00:25:41.199 because the 00:25:41.199 --> 00:25:42.000 feeling may 00:25:42.000 --> 00:25:42.639 fade. 00:25:43.859 --> 00:25:44.459 And the 00:25:44.459 --> 00:25:45.019 reason why it 00:25:45.019 --> 00:25:45.739 fades is because 00:25:45.739 --> 00:25:46.559 Christianity is 00:25:46.559 --> 00:25:47.299 not ultimately 00:25:47.299 --> 00:25:48.419 about our 00:25:48.419 --> 00:25:49.299 experience of 00:25:49.299 --> 00:25:49.739 God. 00:25:49.740 --> 00:25:51.400 it's about 00:25:51.400 --> 00:25:52.000 the God 00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:53.000 whom we've 00:25:53.000 --> 00:25:53.319 come to 00:25:53.319 --> 00:25:54.000 experience. 00:25:55.160 --> 00:25:55.519 And so let 00:25:55.519 --> 00:25:56.319 your experience 00:25:56.319 --> 00:25:57.079 propel you to 00:25:57.079 --> 00:25:58.259 know this 00:25:58.259 --> 00:26:00.000 God more 00:26:00.000 --> 00:26:01.920 deeply and 00:26:01.920 --> 00:26:02.599 fully as he's 00:26:02.599 --> 00:26:03.319 revealed in the 00:26:03.319 --> 00:26:03.640 scriptures. 00:26:05.319 --> 00:26:06.059 On the other 00:26:06.059 --> 00:26:06.579 hand if you've 00:26:06.579 --> 00:26:06.940 come to 00:26:06.940 --> 00:26:07.720 belief in 00:26:07.720 --> 00:26:08.460 Jesus largely 00:26:08.460 --> 00:26:08.839 through an 00:26:08.839 --> 00:26:10.019 intellectual process 00:26:10.019 --> 00:26:10.779 let me encourage 00:26:10.779 --> 00:26:11.599 you to bring 00:26:11.599 --> 00:26:12.240 your heart to 00:26:12.240 --> 00:26:13.059 Jesus as well. 00:26:14.460 --> 00:26:15.099 Bring your 00:26:15.099 --> 00:26:15.779 fears to him. 00:26:17.420 --> 00:26:18.200 Let them be 00:26:18.200 --> 00:26:19.259 reshaped in 00:26:19.259 --> 00:26:19.619 the light of 00:26:19.619 --> 00:26:20.200 his promises. 00:26:21.279 --> 00:26:21.519 Let the 00:26:21.519 --> 00:26:22.000 glory of 00:26:22.000 --> 00:26:22.299 God's 00:26:22.299 --> 00:26:23.279 kingdom kindle 00:26:23.279 --> 00:26:24.180 your imagination 00:26:24.180 --> 00:26:25.359 and refine 00:26:25.359 --> 00:26:26.039 your desires. 00:26:26.160 --> 00:26:26.720 Be open to 00:26:26.720 --> 00:26:27.500 all the ways 00:26:27.500 --> 00:26:28.519 both rational 00:26:28.519 --> 00:26:29.379 and intuitive 00:26:29.379 --> 00:26:31.039 that God's 00:26:31.039 --> 00:26:31.579 spirit may 00:26:31.579 --> 00:26:32.160 choose to 00:26:32.160 --> 00:26:32.660 work in 00:26:32.660 --> 00:26:33.059 you and 00:26:33.059 --> 00:26:33.599 through you 00:26:33.599 --> 00:26:34.440 to bless 00:26:34.440 --> 00:26:34.960 others. 00:26:36.079 --> 00:26:36.500 Christianity 00:26:36.500 --> 00:26:37.299 is not only 00:26:37.299 --> 00:26:37.859 a matter of 00:26:37.859 --> 00:26:38.680 objective evidence 00:26:38.680 --> 00:26:39.599 it's not only 00:26:39.599 --> 00:26:40.099 a matter of 00:26:40.099 --> 00:26:40.900 personal experience 00:26:40.900 --> 00:26:41.599 it's both. 00:26:42.759 --> 00:26:43.299 It's meant to 00:26:43.299 --> 00:26:43.960 engage both 00:26:43.960 --> 00:26:44.579 our mind 00:26:44.579 --> 00:26:45.539 and our 00:26:45.539 --> 00:26:45.900 heart. 00:26:47.519 --> 00:26:48.039 But there's 00:26:48.039 --> 00:26:48.359 one more 00:26:48.359 --> 00:26:48.619 thing. 00:26:49.259 --> 00:26:50.900 The 00:26:50.900 --> 00:26:51.200 resurrection 00:26:51.200 --> 00:26:51.700 of Jesus 00:26:51.700 --> 00:26:52.339 is not only 00:26:52.339 --> 00:26:53.259 grounded in 00:26:53.259 --> 00:26:53.660 historical 00:26:53.660 --> 00:26:54.160 evidence 00:26:54.160 --> 00:26:54.640 appealing to 00:26:54.640 --> 00:26:55.240 our mind 00:26:55.240 --> 00:26:56.339 and confirmed 00:26:56.339 --> 00:26:56.900 by personal 00:26:56.900 --> 00:26:57.539 experience 00:26:57.539 --> 00:26:58.000 appealing to 00:26:58.000 --> 00:26:58.539 our heart 00:26:58.539 --> 00:27:00.019 but it also 00:27:00.019 --> 00:27:00.619 results in a 00:27:00.619 --> 00:27:01.160 new community. 00:27:02.379 --> 00:27:02.900 We see this 00:27:02.900 --> 00:27:03.440 at the end 00:27:03.440 --> 00:27:04.799 in verse 17. 00:27:06.420 --> 00:27:06.879 Jesus said 00:27:06.879 --> 00:27:07.319 to Mary 00:27:07.319 --> 00:27:08.819 Mary do 00:27:08.819 --> 00:27:09.399 not cling to 00:27:09.399 --> 00:27:10.879 me for I 00:27:10.879 --> 00:27:11.139 have not 00:27:11.139 --> 00:27:11.679 yet ascended 00:27:11.679 --> 00:27:11.980 to the 00:27:11.980 --> 00:27:13.299 father but 00:27:13.299 --> 00:27:13.779 go to my 00:27:13.779 --> 00:27:14.359 brothers and 00:27:14.359 --> 00:27:14.659 say to 00:27:14.659 --> 00:27:15.019 them I 00:27:15.019 --> 00:27:15.539 am ascending 00:27:15.539 --> 00:27:16.019 to my 00:27:16.019 --> 00:27:16.619 father and 00:27:16.619 --> 00:27:17.299 your father 00:27:17.299 --> 00:27:18.720 to my 00:27:18.720 --> 00:27:19.579 God and 00:27:19.579 --> 00:27:20.139 your God. 00:27:22.839 --> 00:27:23.439 Now at 00:27:23.439 --> 00:27:24.759 first Jesus 00:27:24.759 --> 00:27:25.279 words to 00:27:25.279 --> 00:27:26.960 Mary might 00:27:26.960 --> 00:27:27.399 seem a little 00:27:27.399 --> 00:27:27.839 harsh. 00:27:28.619 --> 00:27:29.279 Don't hold 00:27:29.279 --> 00:27:29.759 on to me. 00:27:30.859 --> 00:27:31.659 But I don't 00:27:31.659 --> 00:27:32.119 think we should 00:27:32.119 --> 00:27:32.919 imagine Mary 00:27:32.919 --> 00:27:34.379 recognizing Jesus 00:27:34.379 --> 00:27:35.319 trying to give 00:27:35.319 --> 00:27:35.879 him a hug and 00:27:35.880 --> 00:27:36.340 Jesus saying 00:27:36.340 --> 00:27:37.000 don't touch 00:27:37.000 --> 00:27:37.260 me. 00:27:41.520 --> 00:27:42.300 He says 00:27:42.300 --> 00:27:43.260 don't cling 00:27:43.260 --> 00:27:43.760 to me. 00:27:44.400 --> 00:27:45.320 Which implies 00:27:45.320 --> 00:27:45.920 that Mary was 00:27:45.920 --> 00:27:46.760 already doing 00:27:46.760 --> 00:27:47.460 just that. 00:27:48.580 --> 00:27:49.080 She had 00:27:49.080 --> 00:27:49.840 embraced Jesus 00:27:49.840 --> 00:27:50.380 and didn't 00:27:50.380 --> 00:27:50.740 want to let 00:27:50.740 --> 00:27:51.160 him go. 00:27:53.800 --> 00:27:54.520 What Jesus 00:27:54.520 --> 00:27:55.180 is doing here 00:27:55.180 --> 00:27:55.940 is redirecting 00:27:55.940 --> 00:27:56.720 Mary's focus 00:27:56.720 --> 00:27:58.340 from her own 00:27:58.340 --> 00:27:59.240 personal comfort 00:27:59.240 --> 00:28:00.760 and experience 00:28:00.760 --> 00:28:01.740 to the good 00:28:01.740 --> 00:28:02.220 of the larger 00:28:02.220 --> 00:28:02.780 community. 00:28:04.700 --> 00:28:05.400 Don't cling 00:28:05.400 --> 00:28:05.800 to me. 00:28:06.260 --> 00:28:06.740 But instead 00:28:06.740 --> 00:28:07.380 go to my 00:28:07.380 --> 00:28:07.720 brothers. 00:28:09.100 --> 00:28:09.360 And he 00:28:09.360 --> 00:28:09.720 says give 00:28:09.720 --> 00:28:10.040 them this 00:28:10.040 --> 00:28:10.360 message. 00:28:10.520 --> 00:28:11.300 I am 00:28:11.300 --> 00:28:12.200 ascending. 00:28:13.460 --> 00:28:13.880 In other 00:28:13.880 --> 00:28:14.540 words I am 00:28:14.540 --> 00:28:15.200 in the process 00:28:15.200 --> 00:28:15.660 of being 00:28:15.660 --> 00:28:16.620 enthroned as 00:28:16.620 --> 00:28:17.340 king over 00:28:17.340 --> 00:28:17.880 everything. 00:28:18.780 --> 00:28:19.220 Having 00:28:19.220 --> 00:28:19.760 accomplished 00:28:19.760 --> 00:28:20.220 his great 00:28:20.220 --> 00:28:20.700 work on 00:28:20.700 --> 00:28:21.040 earth. 00:28:21.980 --> 00:28:22.320 Jesus is 00:28:22.320 --> 00:28:22.960 now ascending 00:28:22.960 --> 00:28:23.500 to the right 00:28:23.500 --> 00:28:23.980 hand of God 00:28:23.980 --> 00:28:24.420 the father 00:28:24.420 --> 00:28:24.940 to reign 00:28:24.940 --> 00:28:25.700 over all. 00:28:27.160 --> 00:28:27.680 But he 00:28:27.680 --> 00:28:28.080 doesn't just 00:28:28.080 --> 00:28:29.680 say I am 00:28:29.680 --> 00:28:30.240 ascending to 00:28:30.240 --> 00:28:30.800 reign as king 00:28:30.800 --> 00:28:31.280 over the whole 00:28:31.280 --> 00:28:31.720 universe. 00:28:31.980 --> 00:28:32.540 He says I 00:28:32.540 --> 00:28:33.000 am ascending 00:28:33.000 --> 00:28:34.880 to my 00:28:34.880 --> 00:28:36.920 father and 00:28:36.920 --> 00:28:38.180 your father. 00:28:39.180 --> 00:28:40.019 My God 00:28:40.019 --> 00:28:41.119 and your 00:28:41.119 --> 00:28:41.940 God. 00:28:43.279 --> 00:28:43.740 In other 00:28:43.740 --> 00:28:44.279 words Jesus 00:28:44.279 --> 00:28:45.180 in his 00:28:45.180 --> 00:28:45.619 resurrection 00:28:45.619 --> 00:28:46.140 has become 00:28:46.140 --> 00:28:46.720 not only the 00:28:46.720 --> 00:28:47.480 rightful king 00:28:47.480 --> 00:28:48.319 over God's 00:28:48.319 --> 00:28:49.460 new creation 00:28:49.460 --> 00:28:51.420 he has also 00:28:51.420 --> 00:28:51.859 become our 00:28:51.859 --> 00:28:52.160 brother. 00:28:53.940 --> 00:28:54.660 Through whom 00:28:54.660 --> 00:28:55.079 we can draw 00:28:55.079 --> 00:28:55.779 near to God. 00:28:57.339 --> 00:28:57.819 You see by 00:28:57.819 --> 00:28:58.519 taking on our 00:28:58.519 --> 00:28:59.160 human nature 00:28:59.160 --> 00:29:00.339 Jesus the 00:29:00.339 --> 00:29:00.920 son of God 00:29:00.920 --> 00:29:01.799 fully identified 00:29:01.799 --> 00:29:02.639 with us. 00:29:03.539 --> 00:29:04.139 By living a 00:29:04.139 --> 00:29:04.559 life of 00:29:04.559 --> 00:29:05.240 unwavering 00:29:05.240 --> 00:29:06.900 trust and 00:29:06.900 --> 00:29:07.539 obedience to 00:29:07.539 --> 00:29:08.099 God and 00:29:08.099 --> 00:29:08.980 steadfast love 00:29:08.980 --> 00:29:09.980 of neighbor 00:29:09.980 --> 00:29:11.619 Jesus fulfilled 00:29:11.619 --> 00:29:12.339 God's calling 00:29:12.339 --> 00:29:13.019 for humanity. 00:29:14.259 --> 00:29:14.900 In his 00:29:14.900 --> 00:29:15.400 death on the 00:29:15.400 --> 00:29:17.139 cross Jesus 00:29:17.139 --> 00:29:17.559 took our 00:29:17.559 --> 00:29:18.019 place. 00:29:18.900 --> 00:29:19.319 Dying the 00:29:19.319 --> 00:29:20.079 death that we 00:29:20.079 --> 00:29:21.220 deserve to 00:29:21.220 --> 00:29:21.539 die. 00:29:22.660 --> 00:29:23.099 Paying the 00:29:23.099 --> 00:29:23.759 price for our 00:29:23.759 --> 00:29:24.480 rebellion so we 00:29:24.480 --> 00:29:25.039 could be 00:29:25.039 --> 00:29:25.500 forgiven. 00:29:26.720 --> 00:29:27.160 And through 00:29:27.160 --> 00:29:27.779 his resurrection 00:29:27.779 --> 00:29:28.480 and ascension 00:29:28.480 --> 00:29:28.980 Jesus has 00:29:28.980 --> 00:29:29.599 blazed a 00:29:29.599 --> 00:29:30.839 trail into 00:29:30.839 --> 00:29:31.319 glory. 00:29:32.559 --> 00:29:32.859 He has 00:29:32.859 --> 00:29:33.240 opened a 00:29:33.240 --> 00:29:33.559 new and 00:29:33.559 --> 00:29:34.119 living way 00:29:34.119 --> 00:29:34.759 from earth 00:29:34.759 --> 00:29:35.559 to heaven 00:29:35.559 --> 00:29:36.359 from our 00:29:36.359 --> 00:29:37.119 flawed and 00:29:37.119 --> 00:29:37.859 fallen state 00:29:37.859 --> 00:29:38.240 into the 00:29:38.240 --> 00:29:39.019 holy and 00:29:39.019 --> 00:29:39.579 everlasting 00:29:39.579 --> 00:29:40.319 presence of 00:29:40.319 --> 00:29:40.700 God. 00:29:40.980 --> 00:29:41.379 Through Jesus 00:29:41.379 --> 00:29:41.879 we can draw 00:29:41.879 --> 00:29:42.759 near to God 00:29:42.759 --> 00:29:43.899 as our 00:29:43.899 --> 00:29:46.500 father who 00:29:46.500 --> 00:29:47.119 loves us. 00:29:48.099 --> 00:29:48.639 This is the 00:29:48.639 --> 00:29:49.079 message that 00:29:49.079 --> 00:29:49.539 Mary was 00:29:49.539 --> 00:29:50.819 commissioned to 00:29:50.819 --> 00:29:51.379 bear to the 00:29:51.379 --> 00:29:52.059 apostles that 00:29:52.059 --> 00:29:52.940 Jesus father is 00:29:52.940 --> 00:29:54.240 now our 00:29:54.240 --> 00:29:55.019 father. 00:29:55.480 --> 00:29:55.819 That the 00:29:55.819 --> 00:29:56.379 God who sent 00:29:56.379 --> 00:29:57.160 Jesus is now 00:29:57.160 --> 00:29:58.720 our God. 00:29:58.900 --> 00:29:59.380 That together 00:29:59.380 --> 00:29:59.900 we can draw 00:29:59.900 --> 00:30:00.820 near to God 00:30:00.820 --> 00:30:01.920 like Jesus 00:30:01.920 --> 00:30:02.700 himself did. 00:30:03.340 --> 00:30:03.960 As people who 00:30:03.960 --> 00:30:04.340 are deeply 00:30:04.340 --> 00:30:05.779 known and 00:30:05.779 --> 00:30:06.600 deeply loved and 00:30:06.600 --> 00:30:07.420 fully accepted. 00:30:09.180 --> 00:30:10.060 Let me close 00:30:10.060 --> 00:30:10.340 with two 00:30:10.340 --> 00:30:10.880 questions. 00:30:12.980 --> 00:30:13.700 First do you 00:30:13.700 --> 00:30:14.440 have this kind 00:30:14.440 --> 00:30:15.019 of relationship 00:30:15.019 --> 00:30:15.680 with God 00:30:15.680 --> 00:30:16.980 that verse 00:30:16.980 --> 00:30:17.980 17 describes? 00:30:19.300 --> 00:30:19.980 For many 00:30:19.980 --> 00:30:21.100 people God is 00:30:21.100 --> 00:30:21.680 basically a 00:30:21.680 --> 00:30:22.720 distant law 00:30:22.720 --> 00:30:23.060 giver. 00:30:24.060 --> 00:30:25.019 A judge. 00:30:25.019 --> 00:30:27.599 God is 00:30:27.599 --> 00:30:28.000 and your 00:30:28.000 --> 00:30:28.460 goal is to 00:30:28.460 --> 00:30:28.740 do your 00:30:28.740 --> 00:30:29.019 duty. 00:30:30.279 --> 00:30:31.099 Check the 00:30:31.099 --> 00:30:31.639 boxes on 00:30:31.639 --> 00:30:32.200 his list 00:30:32.200 --> 00:30:34.119 and then go 00:30:34.119 --> 00:30:34.579 your way and 00:30:34.579 --> 00:30:34.839 hope he 00:30:34.839 --> 00:30:35.259 doesn't bother 00:30:35.259 --> 00:30:35.579 you too 00:30:35.579 --> 00:30:35.940 much. 00:30:38.200 --> 00:30:38.900 Sort of like 00:30:38.900 --> 00:30:39.319 when you 00:30:39.319 --> 00:30:40.519 see the 00:30:40.519 --> 00:30:40.980 police car 00:30:40.980 --> 00:30:41.299 with the 00:30:41.299 --> 00:30:41.619 sirens. 00:30:43.599 --> 00:30:44.099 And you 00:30:44.099 --> 00:30:44.500 hope that 00:30:44.500 --> 00:30:45.440 you haven't 00:30:45.440 --> 00:30:45.759 been going 00:30:45.759 --> 00:30:46.119 too much 00:30:46.119 --> 00:30:46.400 over the 00:30:46.400 --> 00:30:46.900 speed limits. 00:30:48.200 --> 00:30:48.779 For other 00:30:48.779 --> 00:30:49.559 people God 00:30:49.559 --> 00:30:49.879 is much 00:30:49.879 --> 00:30:50.440 more like 00:30:50.440 --> 00:30:52.039 Santa Claus 00:30:52.039 --> 00:30:52.259 or the 00:30:52.259 --> 00:30:52.740 Easter Bunny. 00:30:54.639 --> 00:30:55.279 Merely a 00:30:55.279 --> 00:30:55.859 projection of 00:30:55.859 --> 00:30:56.259 our own 00:30:56.259 --> 00:30:56.619 wishes. 00:30:57.980 --> 00:30:58.599 Simply an 00:30:58.599 --> 00:30:59.359 affirmation of 00:30:59.359 --> 00:31:00.019 ourselves as 00:31:00.019 --> 00:31:00.500 we currently 00:31:00.500 --> 00:31:00.899 are. 00:31:03.059 --> 00:31:03.839 And yet that 00:31:03.839 --> 00:31:04.879 will never 00:31:04.879 --> 00:31:05.720 deeply change 00:31:05.720 --> 00:31:06.059 us. 00:31:07.539 --> 00:31:07.879 You see the 00:31:07.879 --> 00:31:08.279 God that 00:31:08.279 --> 00:31:09.220 Jesus describes 00:31:09.220 --> 00:31:10.680 is the 00:31:10.680 --> 00:31:11.420 holy God. 00:31:12.000 --> 00:31:12.399 The 00:31:12.399 --> 00:31:13.079 sovereign and 00:31:13.079 --> 00:31:13.659 transcendent 00:31:13.659 --> 00:31:14.680 creator of 00:31:14.680 --> 00:31:15.319 the universe. 00:31:16.119 --> 00:31:16.500 The law 00:31:16.500 --> 00:31:16.940 giver and 00:31:16.940 --> 00:31:17.379 judge. 00:31:18.619 --> 00:31:19.099 And yet at 00:31:19.099 --> 00:31:19.399 the same 00:31:19.399 --> 00:31:20.000 time he is 00:31:20.000 --> 00:31:20.460 the God who 00:31:20.460 --> 00:31:20.980 has sacrificed 00:31:20.980 --> 00:31:21.599 everything. 00:31:22.039 --> 00:31:24.659 in order to 00:31:24.659 --> 00:31:25.680 adopt you 00:31:25.680 --> 00:31:26.879 into his 00:31:26.879 --> 00:31:27.240 family. 00:31:28.639 --> 00:31:29.299 So that you 00:31:29.299 --> 00:31:29.700 could belong 00:31:29.700 --> 00:31:30.099 to him. 00:31:31.420 --> 00:31:31.819 And King 00:31:31.819 --> 00:31:32.420 Jesus the 00:31:32.420 --> 00:31:32.879 son of God 00:31:32.879 --> 00:31:33.399 himself is 00:31:33.399 --> 00:31:33.720 now your 00:31:33.720 --> 00:31:34.980 brother who 00:31:34.980 --> 00:31:35.619 loves you. 00:31:36.859 --> 00:31:37.440 And who 00:31:37.440 --> 00:31:37.700 will be 00:31:37.700 --> 00:31:38.420 forever loyal 00:31:38.420 --> 00:31:38.899 to you. 00:31:39.639 --> 00:31:40.039 And who 00:31:40.039 --> 00:31:40.399 will never 00:31:40.399 --> 00:31:40.980 leave you. 00:31:43.619 --> 00:31:44.220 If you 00:31:44.220 --> 00:31:45.819 know that 00:31:45.819 --> 00:31:46.619 God, 00:31:47.180 --> 00:31:47.440 Jesus' 00:31:47.779 --> 00:31:48.399 God, 00:31:49.259 --> 00:31:49.720 you will 00:31:49.720 --> 00:31:50.119 have deep 00:31:50.119 --> 00:31:51.500 awe and 00:31:51.500 --> 00:31:51.740 great 00:31:51.740 --> 00:31:52.240 assurance. 00:31:53.900 --> 00:31:54.380 Deep 00:31:54.380 --> 00:31:55.619 awe in 00:31:55.619 --> 00:31:55.880 light of 00:31:55.880 --> 00:31:56.140 God's 00:31:56.140 --> 00:31:57.200 majesty and 00:31:57.200 --> 00:31:57.400 great 00:31:57.400 --> 00:31:58.759 assurance in 00:31:58.759 --> 00:31:59.000 light of 00:31:59.000 --> 00:31:59.259 God's 00:31:59.259 --> 00:31:59.559 love. 00:32:01.500 --> 00:32:01.740 You know, 00:32:01.779 --> 00:32:02.339 holidays can 00:32:02.339 --> 00:32:02.799 sometimes be 00:32:02.799 --> 00:32:03.160 painful. 00:32:04.619 --> 00:32:05.259 Because our 00:32:05.259 --> 00:32:06.079 family relationships 00:32:06.079 --> 00:32:06.779 often fall 00:32:06.779 --> 00:32:08.140 short of what 00:32:08.140 --> 00:32:08.640 they should or 00:32:08.640 --> 00:32:09.039 could be. 00:32:11.680 --> 00:32:12.339 But through 00:32:12.339 --> 00:32:13.059 Jesus Christ, 00:32:13.460 --> 00:32:14.559 we can know 00:32:14.559 --> 00:32:15.039 that we have a 00:32:15.039 --> 00:32:16.740 place in God's 00:32:16.740 --> 00:32:17.339 family. 00:32:18.339 --> 00:32:18.779 Forever. 00:32:18.779 --> 00:32:21.259 the apostle 00:32:21.259 --> 00:32:21.920 John wrote 00:32:21.920 --> 00:32:23.399 to all who 00:32:23.399 --> 00:32:24.079 received him. 00:32:25.579 --> 00:32:26.220 To those who 00:32:26.220 --> 00:32:26.740 believed in 00:32:26.740 --> 00:32:27.240 his name, 00:32:27.480 --> 00:32:27.720 Jesus' 00:32:27.920 --> 00:32:28.180 name. 00:32:29.379 --> 00:32:29.879 He gave the 00:32:29.879 --> 00:32:30.200 right to 00:32:30.200 --> 00:32:30.759 become children 00:32:30.759 --> 00:32:31.259 of God. 00:32:32.000 --> 00:32:32.639 Born of 00:32:32.639 --> 00:32:33.059 God. 00:32:33.799 --> 00:32:34.500 Born into a 00:32:34.500 --> 00:32:35.180 new kind of 00:32:35.180 --> 00:32:36.039 life that 00:32:36.039 --> 00:32:36.759 even death 00:32:36.759 --> 00:32:38.259 cannot finally 00:32:38.259 --> 00:32:38.819 take away. 00:32:41.319 --> 00:32:41.920 Have you 00:32:41.920 --> 00:32:42.899 received this 00:32:42.899 --> 00:32:43.200 Jesus? 00:32:45.339 --> 00:32:46.099 And come to 00:32:46.099 --> 00:32:47.000 know this 00:32:47.000 --> 00:32:47.319 God? 00:32:48.819 --> 00:32:49.199 Second, 00:32:50.559 --> 00:32:50.879 have you 00:32:50.879 --> 00:32:51.319 joined his 00:32:51.319 --> 00:32:51.659 community? 00:32:52.859 --> 00:32:53.639 The invitation 00:32:53.639 --> 00:32:54.059 that this 00:32:54.059 --> 00:32:55.219 passage extends 00:32:55.219 --> 00:32:55.919 to us is not 00:32:55.919 --> 00:32:56.659 only to consider 00:32:56.659 --> 00:32:57.259 the historical 00:32:57.259 --> 00:32:58.379 evidence for 00:32:58.379 --> 00:32:58.599 Jesus' 00:32:58.759 --> 00:32:59.179 resurrection, 00:32:59.379 --> 00:32:59.879 not only to 00:32:59.879 --> 00:33:00.740 experience Jesus 00:33:00.740 --> 00:33:01.299 personally, 00:33:01.439 --> 00:33:01.859 ourselves, 00:33:02.159 --> 00:33:02.799 but to join 00:33:02.799 --> 00:33:03.399 the community 00:33:03.399 --> 00:33:05.459 of brothers and 00:33:05.459 --> 00:33:05.959 sisters in 00:33:05.959 --> 00:33:06.859 Christ who 00:33:06.859 --> 00:33:07.439 draw near to 00:33:07.439 --> 00:33:08.079 God together. 00:33:09.399 --> 00:33:10.059 Knowing that 00:33:10.059 --> 00:33:10.699 we are loved, 00:33:11.879 --> 00:33:12.279 knowing that 00:33:12.279 --> 00:33:12.959 we belong to 00:33:12.959 --> 00:33:13.379 God, 00:33:14.699 --> 00:33:15.099 knowing that 00:33:15.099 --> 00:33:15.480 in Jesus 00:33:15.480 --> 00:33:16.079 Christ even 00:33:16.079 --> 00:33:16.639 our worst 00:33:16.639 --> 00:33:18.259 failures have 00:33:18.259 --> 00:33:18.679 been atoned 00:33:18.679 --> 00:33:19.019 for. 00:33:19.779 --> 00:33:20.359 We have the 00:33:20.359 --> 00:33:21.319 potential to 00:33:21.319 --> 00:33:22.179 become a new 00:33:22.179 --> 00:33:23.399 kind of 00:33:23.399 --> 00:33:23.819 community, 00:33:24.279 --> 00:33:25.559 where we can 00:33:25.559 --> 00:33:26.179 be known 00:33:26.179 --> 00:33:27.740 without the 00:33:27.740 --> 00:33:28.240 fear of being 00:33:28.240 --> 00:33:28.679 rejected, 00:33:29.639 --> 00:33:30.259 where we can 00:33:30.259 --> 00:33:31.079 extend ourselves 00:33:31.079 --> 00:33:31.679 to one another 00:33:31.679 --> 00:33:33.719 in love and 00:33:33.719 --> 00:33:34.439 to our world 00:33:34.439 --> 00:33:35.039 instead of 00:33:35.039 --> 00:33:35.740 simply guarding 00:33:35.740 --> 00:33:37.839 and fearfully 00:33:37.839 --> 00:33:38.339 protecting 00:33:38.339 --> 00:33:38.939 ourselves. 00:33:40.519 --> 00:33:41.259 Following the 00:33:41.259 --> 00:33:41.659 risen Lord 00:33:41.659 --> 00:33:42.459 Jesus is not 00:33:42.459 --> 00:33:43.519 a solitary 00:33:43.519 --> 00:33:44.019 endeavor. 00:33:45.099 --> 00:33:45.819 It's not 00:33:45.819 --> 00:33:46.500 about privately 00:33:46.500 --> 00:33:47.619 clinging to 00:33:47.619 --> 00:33:48.159 Jesus, it's 00:33:48.159 --> 00:33:48.740 about joining 00:33:48.740 --> 00:33:49.099 with his 00:33:49.099 --> 00:33:50.099 followers and 00:33:50.099 --> 00:33:50.839 proclaiming his 00:33:50.839 --> 00:33:51.459 good news to 00:33:51.459 --> 00:33:51.980 the world. 00:33:53.139 --> 00:33:54.079 Come and join 00:33:54.079 --> 00:33:55.639 this new 00:33:55.639 --> 00:33:57.159 community that 00:33:57.159 --> 00:33:57.679 the risen Lord 00:33:57.679 --> 00:33:58.159 Jesus has 00:33:58.159 --> 00:33:58.539 created. 00:33:59.919 --> 00:34:00.699 What are you 00:34:00.699 --> 00:34:01.339 searching for 00:34:01.339 --> 00:34:03.019 this Easter 00:34:03.019 --> 00:34:03.339 Sunday? 00:34:04.159 --> 00:34:04.799 Are you seeking 00:34:04.799 --> 00:34:06.500 truth grounded 00:34:06.500 --> 00:34:08.400 in objective 00:34:08.400 --> 00:34:08.920 reality? 00:34:09.079 --> 00:34:09.819 Are you seeking 00:34:09.819 --> 00:34:11.519 a God who 00:34:11.519 --> 00:34:12.039 knows you 00:34:12.039 --> 00:34:13.539 personally and 00:34:13.539 --> 00:34:14.239 relates to you 00:34:14.239 --> 00:34:15.539 love? 00:34:16.579 --> 00:34:17.079 Are you 00:34:17.079 --> 00:34:17.439 seeking a 00:34:17.439 --> 00:34:18.039 community where 00:34:18.039 --> 00:34:18.479 you know you 00:34:18.479 --> 00:34:18.919 can belong? 00:34:20.299 --> 00:34:20.979 This is what 00:34:20.979 --> 00:34:21.519 the risen Lord 00:34:21.519 --> 00:34:22.739 Jesus provides. 00:34:23.519 --> 00:34:24.259 Let us pray. 00:34:24.260 --> 00:34:48.180 Almighty God, we 00:34:48.180 --> 00:34:48.580 thank you. 00:34:49.940 --> 00:34:50.800 We thank you for 00:34:50.800 --> 00:34:51.600 creating us in your 00:34:51.600 --> 00:34:51.980 image. 00:34:51.980 --> 00:34:54.119 church and 00:34:54.119 --> 00:34:54.860 putting in us 00:34:54.860 --> 00:34:58.000 the desire for 00:34:58.000 --> 00:35:00.300 truth, the 00:35:00.300 --> 00:35:03.619 desire to know 00:35:03.619 --> 00:35:04.480 you personally, 00:35:04.599 --> 00:35:06.519 the desire to be 00:35:06.519 --> 00:35:06.960 part of a 00:35:06.960 --> 00:35:07.280 community. 00:35:09.980 --> 00:35:10.980 We thank you for 00:35:10.980 --> 00:35:11.780 the resurrection of 00:35:11.780 --> 00:35:12.019 Jesus. 00:35:15.199 --> 00:35:16.199 Lord, we pray 00:35:16.199 --> 00:35:18.300 that your spirit 00:35:18.300 --> 00:35:20.679 would lead us to a 00:35:20.679 --> 00:35:21.519 deeper knowledge of 00:35:21.519 --> 00:35:23.980 you, deeper love 00:35:23.980 --> 00:35:24.379 of you. 00:35:28.519 --> 00:35:29.419 We pray that you 00:35:29.419 --> 00:35:30.839 would draw near to 00:35:30.839 --> 00:35:33.399 us as you drew 00:35:33.399 --> 00:35:33.980 near to Mary. 00:35:36.019 --> 00:35:36.859 We pray that you 00:35:36.859 --> 00:35:37.919 would guide our 00:35:37.919 --> 00:35:40.279 minds in our 00:35:40.279 --> 00:35:40.619 searching. 00:35:43.139 --> 00:35:43.980 And we pray that 00:35:43.980 --> 00:35:45.159 you would dwell with 00:35:45.159 --> 00:35:47.500 us as we gather as a 00:35:47.500 --> 00:35:47.860 community. 00:35:50.260 --> 00:35:51.019 Lord, that we may 00:35:51.019 --> 00:35:51.480 know your 00:35:51.480 --> 00:35:53.280 presence, that we 00:35:53.280 --> 00:35:56.699 may be confident in 00:35:56.699 --> 00:35:57.420 your truth, that we 00:35:57.420 --> 00:35:58.159 may be assured of 00:35:58.159 --> 00:35:58.599 your love. 00:36:00.420 --> 00:36:01.280 We pray these things 00:36:01.280 --> 00:36:01.900 in Jesus' name. 00:36:02.619 --> 00:36:02.840 Amen. 00:36:02.840 --> 00:36:02.980 Amen. 00:36:09.519 --> 00:36:10.280 Well, as the music 00:36:10.280 --> 00:36:11.280 team comes to the 00:36:11.280 --> 00:36:12.659 front, please stand 00:36:12.659 --> 00:36:13.960 as we sing our 00:36:13.960 --> 00:36:14.539 closing hymn. 00:36:14.539 --> 00:36:14.659 Amen. 00:36:14.659 --> 00:36:15.659 Amen. 00:36:15.659 --> 00:36:16.659 Amen. 00:36:16.659 --> 00:36:17.659 Amen.