WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:12.880 Can you turn with me in your Bibles to John chapter 20, page 1089. 00:00:12.880 --> 00:00:21.199 ! Now we're going to think about these journeys of this first Easter Sunday morning. 00:00:21.199 --> 00:00:26.240 ! I imagine many of us over the last couple of weeks have been making journeys for holiday, 00:00:26.240 --> 00:00:29.199 to visit family, to try and find some sunshine. 00:00:30.399 --> 00:00:36.719 And journeys, of course, play a big part in our stories. Maybe you can still remember 00:00:37.439 --> 00:00:43.519 the first journey that you made to your school or to your new school, or the journey that you made 00:00:44.240 --> 00:00:51.679 in order to become a student at university, or taking that journey, moving location to find work. 00:00:53.039 --> 00:00:59.519 We take journeys that are often routine. If you regularly come to church, you probably made the 00:00:59.520 --> 00:01:05.520 same drive, or the same cycle, or the same walk as you did this time last week. But sometimes, 00:01:06.719 --> 00:01:11.840 our journeys are life-changing. They represent a new chapter in our lives, perhaps. 00:01:11.840 --> 00:01:20.719 And as John puts the journeys of Easter under the spotlight for us, the journey of Mary Magdalene, 00:01:20.719 --> 00:01:28.240 or the journeys, the journey of Peter and especially John, we recognize for them that first Easter 00:01:28.239 --> 00:01:35.199 Sunday, the visits to the empty tomb are going to change everything for them. 00:01:38.640 --> 00:01:45.119 But John is also reminding us that Jesus has been on a journey. And we've been following that journey 00:01:45.120 --> 00:01:53.760 for the last few weeks as a church. We've traced it from His arrest. We've seen Him stand trial. 00:01:55.200 --> 00:02:02.640 We have seen Him face suffering and abuse. If you're here on Good Friday, we reflected on Jesus' 00:02:02.640 --> 00:02:10.319 death on the cross. But that wasn't the end of His journey. Now, this first Easter Sunday, He has risen 00:02:10.319 --> 00:02:18.719 from the dead in victory. And as we'll see, He is returning to heaven in glory. And it's this great 00:02:18.719 --> 00:02:25.920 journey that has the power to change everything for you and for me, just as it did for those first 00:02:25.919 --> 00:02:35.039 disciples that first Easter Sunday. John writes his gospel for a very particular reason. As he tells us 00:02:35.039 --> 00:02:40.879 in verse 31, all of these signs that he writes, and the resurrection is of course the great sign, 00:02:41.599 --> 00:02:46.239 these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, 00:02:46.959 --> 00:02:55.439 and that by believing, you may have life in His name. So, Easter Sunday is an invitation to believe, 00:02:56.479 --> 00:03:01.519 and to find true life. So, let's get into our journeys. We're going to see some evidence that 00:03:01.519 --> 00:03:10.399 we're invited to examine. There's an emotion that we are invited to experience. And there's an 00:03:10.399 --> 00:03:17.759 explanation of events designed to encourage our hearts. So, let's begin with the evidence. If you 00:03:17.759 --> 00:03:28.159 turn with me to the first 10 verses, we read an eyewitness record of this first Easter Sunday. And 00:03:28.159 --> 00:03:36.000 it sounds and it feels like an eyewitness report. This is being written maybe 50, 60 years after the 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:42.319 event. But for John, as he writes it, it's an unforgettable day etched in his memory. So, he records the 00:03:42.319 --> 00:03:48.639 honest reaction of Mary, who presumes Jesus' body has been stolen. There's the physical scenes, there's 00:03:48.639 --> 00:03:53.840 the running, there's the bending, there's the evidence, the physical evidence. There's a stone 00:03:53.840 --> 00:03:59.039 that's been rolled. There are burial clothes that are not needed. There's an empty tomb. 00:03:59.039 --> 00:04:09.919 But as we begin our story, we see Mary on her first journey. Early on the first day of the week, 00:04:09.919 --> 00:04:15.840 while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed. 00:04:16.480 --> 00:04:25.039 She's walking with sorrow. She is in the dark. Literally, it's still dark. But also, her understanding 00:04:25.040 --> 00:04:31.760 is still dark. She doesn't understand that Jesus died and would rise again. She has come to the tomb 00:04:31.760 --> 00:04:38.720 to honor a dead body, so she thinks. But she discovers this huge stone has been rolled away. 00:04:40.560 --> 00:04:49.200 This stone which was, on the one hand, a seal for the tomb to keep the smell and predators in and out. 00:04:49.199 --> 00:04:58.560 But it was also a stone that had been sealed by Rome. There was a false report spreading that someone 00:04:58.560 --> 00:05:05.279 might come and steal Jesus' body. And so, there were guards there at the tomb in front of the stone to 00:05:05.279 --> 00:05:12.399 prevent it. But nevertheless, as Mary arrives, the tomb is now empty. And that leads her to take her second 00:05:12.399 --> 00:05:17.519 journey. Verse 2, she came running to Simon, Peter, and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, 00:05:18.319 --> 00:05:23.919 they've taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they put him. This is her best guess. 00:05:23.919 --> 00:05:27.680 She looks at the evidence she has so far, and her presumption is grave robbers. 00:05:28.879 --> 00:05:34.799 It was a problem around that time. The Roman governor had to issue a decree just a few years later 00:05:35.599 --> 00:05:40.399 to basically give the sentence of death for grave robbery. So, it was an issue. That's what she presumes 00:05:40.399 --> 00:05:49.279 has happened. And I think this reminds us. Nobody in the circle of Jesus, nobody anywhere really, was 00:05:49.279 --> 00:05:57.919 expecting Jesus to rise in the middle of history. And it reminds us as well, because sometimes people 00:05:57.919 --> 00:06:03.120 say, oh, the people in the first century, they were really naive. I think they saw and understood a lot 00:06:03.120 --> 00:06:09.439 more, especially about death than we do, because we have hospitals and they don't. Mary was one of many 00:06:09.439 --> 00:06:15.600 who heard Jesus' words, but until the evidence of resurrection, couldn't see how his words could be 00:06:15.600 --> 00:06:22.000 true. So, there's another journey that takes place. There's the journey of Peter and John. We find them 00:06:22.000 --> 00:06:29.120 running. They hear the surprising news, and they get running. John, who is younger, he arrives first. 00:06:29.120 --> 00:06:36.399 In verse 5, what does he do? He bends over and looks in at the strips of linen lying there. Okay, 00:06:36.399 --> 00:06:42.240 so he sees that the burial cloths are there that had wrapped Jesus' body. They're still in place, 00:06:42.240 --> 00:06:49.439 but Jesus isn't there. And then we find Simon Peter arrive, and he's always bold as a disciple. And so, 00:06:49.439 --> 00:06:55.360 he goes straight into the tomb, and he saw the strips of linen as well as the cloth that wrapped Jesus' 00:06:55.360 --> 00:07:03.920 face, which has now been laid to one side and neatly folded up. And so, John examines the evidence. 00:07:03.920 --> 00:07:09.040 There's a stone that's been rolled away. There's a tomb that's empty. There's burial clothes that are 00:07:09.040 --> 00:07:16.160 still lying in place, and there's a face cloth wrapped up. And he concludes, Jesus is risen. 00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:33.040 He has seen that Jesus has passed through the grave clothes. The same Jesus who has passed through death 00:07:33.680 --> 00:07:42.800 into new life. He has folded up the face cloth. There is no need of it any longer. Death has no part of 00:07:42.800 --> 00:07:48.639 Jesus' life. And so, he sees this evidence, and he believes. Now, he doesn't understand fully. 00:07:49.600 --> 00:07:54.160 He still has to understand the significance, but he knows that this changes everything. 00:07:55.439 --> 00:08:01.600 Just before going on holiday, I was on a phone call with someone, and on the course of the call, 00:08:01.600 --> 00:08:08.240 he was telling me how his dad had come to faith. He spent a weekend a number of years ago listening to 00:08:08.240 --> 00:08:16.879 talks on the evidence for the resurrection. And after these few days, this gentleman concluded, 00:08:17.759 --> 00:08:26.720 this is true. And since this is true, Jesus is Lord. And because this is true and Jesus is Lord, 00:08:26.720 --> 00:08:33.279 this has to change everything. And it did for his life. Everything changed because the resurrection is 00:08:33.279 --> 00:08:40.720 true. And in a sense, isn't that the same journey of discovery that John is making? He comes and he 00:08:40.720 --> 00:08:50.079 sees and he believes. And it reminds us that the resurrection of Jesus is the great fact that our 00:08:50.079 --> 00:08:59.279 faith depends on. Without resurrection, we have nothing. But because we have a risen Jesus, 00:08:59.279 --> 00:09:05.839 we have a guarantee of forgiveness. We have the certainty of peace with God. We have the hope 00:09:05.839 --> 00:09:12.240 and promise of life with God now and eternal life in the future because our faith is in a risen Savior. 00:09:14.159 --> 00:09:22.559 And so, John presents the evidence that he has seen for himself so that we too might believe that Jesus 00:09:22.559 --> 00:09:29.439 is the Messiah and the Son of God. As John looks in at the empty tomb, he sees that the resurrection 00:09:29.439 --> 00:09:37.679 is proof that Jesus is who God says he is. Here is this verdict being reversed. The world said, 00:09:37.679 --> 00:09:44.399 Jesus is worthy of death. He's a blasphemer. He makes false claims. God the Father raised him from the dead, 00:09:45.120 --> 00:09:53.279 vindicated victorious, calling us to believe in trust today. So, I wonder as we come to think about 00:09:53.279 --> 00:09:58.159 the evidence of this first Easter Sunday and as we think about this these journeys, I wonder if you've 00:09:58.159 --> 00:10:06.559 ever had this experience where you come to a fork in the road or a crossroads moment and you take the 00:10:06.559 --> 00:10:14.079 wrong turn. Some of you must have had this experience, it can't just be me. And you're going and you have 00:10:14.080 --> 00:10:18.480 that recognition, do you know what, this is not the right way to go. And there's that part of you that 00:10:18.480 --> 00:10:23.200 wants to keep going because we're kind of stubborn and resistant. But we know, don't we, that the way 00:10:23.200 --> 00:10:28.720 to make progress, if we take a wrong turn, it is to turn back and get on the right road. 00:10:31.280 --> 00:10:38.160 As we're here today, maybe you've been invited along, you might have doubts and questions about Jesus and 00:10:38.159 --> 00:10:44.480 the Easter story. Perhaps your understanding of the message of Easter is more shaped by 00:10:45.279 --> 00:10:52.639 kind of vague ideas from culture, maybe influencers on social media, rather than by the eyewitnesses who 00:10:52.639 --> 00:11:04.559 wrote the Bible. Let me encourage you to do what John did, to make that journey, to consider the evidence, 00:11:04.559 --> 00:11:10.159 to ask God to help you, to ask God to help you, make use of the resources at the back. 00:11:12.959 --> 00:11:22.479 And here's why. If Jesus really did rise, if Jesus really did defeat death, 00:11:22.480 --> 00:11:30.480 then He really is Lord. And that really does change everything. 00:11:33.759 --> 00:11:40.320 So, that's the evidence that we are invited to consider. But the next thing we're going to look 00:11:40.320 --> 00:11:49.440 at is an emotion that we are invited to experience. And that's here in Mary's story, verse 11 to 18. 00:11:49.440 --> 00:11:56.080 18. But before we get to that, I was chatting to a guy in a coffee shop just around the corner this 00:11:56.080 --> 00:11:59.920 week. And as we were chatting, he started telling me his story. He saw I was reading the Bible and so 00:12:00.560 --> 00:12:06.400 he wanted to tell me his story. He was a man who'd been in and out of prison over a number of years. 00:12:07.760 --> 00:12:13.680 And the last time he was in prison, he picked up a book by Charles Dickens. And in this Dickens book, 00:12:13.680 --> 00:12:18.560 I'm not sure which one it was, there was a reference to Jesus. This man had never really thought 00:12:18.559 --> 00:12:25.759 about Jesus before. But just the mention of the word Jesus persuaded him that Jesus is someone 00:12:25.759 --> 00:12:30.319 that he needed to consider. He started reading his Bible and he spoke about this being a start of a 00:12:30.319 --> 00:12:39.439 whole new direction for his life. Encountering Jesus in prison. I was just reading Mary's story and so 00:12:39.439 --> 00:12:44.879 I was telling him, this reminds me a lot about Mary's story. When we think about the story of Mary Magdalene, 00:12:44.879 --> 00:12:48.720 she was met at a very different low point in her life. For the first time Jesus met her, actually, 00:12:48.720 --> 00:12:53.600 she was possessed by demons. That's a really low point in life. But Jesus came and saved her. 00:12:54.399 --> 00:13:00.960 But Easter Sunday, another low point in Mary's life, because she thought she lost her friend forever. 00:13:01.600 --> 00:13:05.759 But Jesus came to her, met her where she was, and the risen Jesus gave her joy. 00:13:05.759 --> 00:13:15.519 I imagine this will be true for many of us in our own stories. That it is this remarkable kindness and 00:13:15.519 --> 00:13:24.720 ability of Jesus to meet us where we are often at our low points. Whether that's illness, whether that's 00:13:24.720 --> 00:13:30.240 suffering, whether that's confusion, whether that's loss, whether that's despair, it can often be those 00:13:30.240 --> 00:13:37.919 moments where we come to an end of ourselves, that Jesus steps in and reveals himself to us, either for the first 00:13:37.919 --> 00:13:48.480 time or in new ways. Through his word, speaking love and power, through one of his people, coming to 00:13:48.480 --> 00:13:56.240 encourage us, point us to Jesus. Well, let's follow Mary's emotional journey just for a moment. We have already seen 00:13:56.240 --> 00:14:06.480 something of her grief at the beginning of the day. And we see this grief continue. Verse 11, verse 15, we find Mary 00:14:06.480 --> 00:14:19.440 outside the tomb crying and weeping. We need to recognize who Jesus was to Mary. As we already said, Jesus was her 00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:29.360 Savior, the one who rescued her from demon possession. Mary considers Jesus to be her Lord. It is Jesus who 00:14:29.360 --> 00:14:40.400 reveals the glory of God to her. She calls Jesus her teacher. He is the one whose wisdom she trusts. He is the 00:14:40.400 --> 00:14:49.280 one who has brought the way of salvation to her. And for Mary, Jesus was a friend who welcomed her, 00:14:49.440 --> 00:14:54.720 who honored her, who honored her at a time when others honestly would probably run in fear from her. 00:14:57.040 --> 00:15:05.280 And so, her grief is real. As verse 11 continues, she weeps and she bends and she looks into the tomb 00:15:05.920 --> 00:15:13.920 and notice what she sees, two angels seated where Jesus' body had been. And they ask her a question, 00:15:13.919 --> 00:15:23.919 woman, why are you crying? And it's really striking that so deep is Mary's grief that she is unable to 00:15:23.919 --> 00:15:30.079 grasp the significance of what's happening. Whenever angels turn up in the story of the Bible, we know 00:15:30.079 --> 00:15:38.480 that God is doing something significant. God is present in power, but she doesn't see it. And so, 00:15:38.480 --> 00:15:49.200 she rehearses the idea that someone has stolen Jesus' body. And even when Jesus comes, verse 14, 00:15:49.200 --> 00:15:54.960 she turned and saw Jesus standing there, but she didn't realize it was Jesus. And Jesus asked the 00:15:54.960 --> 00:16:01.440 same question, woman, why are you crying? And she doesn't know who He is. And we don't know, 00:16:01.440 --> 00:16:09.360 is that because she's blinded by tears? She's still blinded by a lack of understanding because Jesus 00:16:09.360 --> 00:16:16.800 needs to speak truth? Is it in a sense because Jesus' body, while being the same, is somehow 00:16:16.800 --> 00:16:24.640 different so it still has the wounds but now it's glorified? We don't know. But at this point, 00:16:24.639 --> 00:16:34.720 she's still lost in that sense of grief at Jesus' death. What changes? Verse 16, as we said to the 00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:43.759 children, Jesus speaks her name. The Good Shepherd speaks and the sheep know His voice and listen to 00:16:43.759 --> 00:16:56.080 His voice and instantly, grief turns to joy. She cries out with joy because she sees her teacher is a lie. 00:16:58.080 --> 00:17:08.559 If you've ever had those, I thought I'd lost you moments, then you'll have a tiny insight of what 00:17:08.559 --> 00:17:18.159 Mary must have experienced in this instant. What is it? What is this joy that Mary experiences? 00:17:19.039 --> 00:17:29.039 What is this joy that you and I are invited into today? Well, isn't it that the joy of reunion, 00:17:29.039 --> 00:17:37.200 the joy of relationship, here beyond death stands her Lord, her teacher, her Savior, her friend, 00:17:37.200 --> 00:17:47.519 speaking to her. And there is the promise from Jesus that the one who came to be with Mary at the 00:17:47.519 --> 00:17:54.480 tomb is the one who will always be with His followers as He sends the Spirit from heaven to live in our 00:17:54.480 --> 00:18:03.200 heart. And so, we are invited into the joy of knowing regardless of circumstance, when our faith is in 00:18:03.200 --> 00:18:12.799 Jesus, He always loves us, He is always with us and for us. And that's tied to the second reason for joy 00:18:12.799 --> 00:18:19.279 that's hinted at here in the gospel, it's the joy of new life. Again, John loves to make the point that 00:18:19.279 --> 00:18:28.080 all this happens in a garden. So, he says that Mary thought that Jesus was the gardener. So, we said this a 00:18:28.079 --> 00:18:36.720 while ago, John likes to go back to the book of Genesis, where it all began. First creation, Adam and Eve 00:18:36.720 --> 00:18:45.519 placed in a garden and they enjoyed true life with God, the joy of living in God's place, enjoying Him 00:18:45.519 --> 00:18:51.039 walking and talking with them. That was all lost because of their sin, because they turned their back 00:18:51.039 --> 00:19:00.480 on Him because they didn't believe His words. But Jesus comes and in this garden where He is raised to 00:19:00.480 --> 00:19:06.960 life, there is the promise of restoration. There is the promise, there is the hope of new life, 00:19:09.119 --> 00:19:11.680 of a relationship re-established, 00:19:11.680 --> 00:19:23.840 of love restored, because sin and death have been defeated by Jesus at the cross. Now, the way is open 00:19:23.840 --> 00:19:32.400 for us to have true life through being forgiven. And so, as we think about the joy that Mary has that 00:19:32.400 --> 00:19:38.320 first Easter Sunday, it's an invitation for you and for me to experience this for ourselves. 00:19:42.160 --> 00:19:45.440 Our emotional lives are often very complicated. 00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:55.120 If I was to ask you, how are you feeling this Sunday morning, this Easter Sunday morning, I imagine many 00:19:55.120 --> 00:20:00.480 different answers. Some of us would perhaps struggle to give the truthful answer, 00:20:01.440 --> 00:20:03.039 because things are really difficult. 00:20:07.599 --> 00:20:17.279 The wonderful thing is, regardless of how our life is, regardless of how our circumstances are, 00:20:19.120 --> 00:20:27.360 this is true, that we can have deep down, everlasting, unbreakable joy 00:20:27.359 --> 00:20:36.719 and our joy through knowing Jesus as our Lord and our Saviour. We can have today what Mary had, 00:20:38.240 --> 00:20:44.799 Jesus speaking to us through His Word, as we read it, as it is preached. 00:20:44.799 --> 00:20:55.279 We can have the presence of Jesus with us, as He would give us His Spirit to live in us. We can have Jesus teach us 00:20:55.839 --> 00:21:04.399 good news, the good news of forgiveness, the good news of peace with God. We can have Jesus as the Lord who 00:21:04.400 --> 00:21:14.960 rules over our lives for our good, so we can gladly obey Him. We can have Jesus as the friend who meets us 00:21:15.920 --> 00:21:23.920 wherever we are, however we're feeling, to give us comfort and to give us hope. 00:21:23.920 --> 00:21:34.720 And not only is this a joy for us to experience, it's also a joy for us to grab hold of and to value. 00:21:34.720 --> 00:21:42.720 As we would recognize that what Jesus offers, the one who conquers death and lives forever, 00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:51.920 what Jesus gives is far better than anything else. So, we are invited to put Him first. 00:21:54.160 --> 00:21:59.839 We are invited to the joy of meeting with His people, to worshiping with Him. 00:21:59.839 --> 00:22:07.919 And when we have that joy, there is a sense in which that's always going to be overflowing. 00:22:09.519 --> 00:22:16.079 That's a joy that's going to be evident in the way that we live, in the things that we choose to speak 00:22:16.079 --> 00:22:25.839 about. And what we value becomes what we share. And so, this features then in our ongoing mission, 00:22:25.839 --> 00:22:34.000 that we are called to speak the good news of Jesus to one another. Because we know that we don't always 00:22:34.000 --> 00:22:41.039 feel instinctively joyful. And we are given to one another that we might support and encourage and build 00:22:41.039 --> 00:22:46.559 each other up. But we also know that there's a world around us that maybe doesn't know anything 00:22:46.559 --> 00:22:55.359 about Jesus. And maybe in God's wisdom, He places us exactly where we are, so that the good news of 00:22:55.359 --> 00:23:01.519 Jesus might be known through us. So, it's a joy for us to value and to share, and that's something that 00:23:01.519 --> 00:23:09.200 we can start even today. Well, having thought about the evidence for the resurrection, having thought about 00:23:09.200 --> 00:23:16.960 the emotion that we're invited into, we need to think for a few minutes about the explanation that Jesus gives 00:23:16.960 --> 00:23:28.240 to Mary in verse 17. He says to her, do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead 00:23:28.240 --> 00:23:36.960 to my brothers and tell them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. 00:23:36.960 --> 00:23:46.160 For those of us who make long journeys, many of us do that regularly, I wonder if you have a favorite 00:23:46.160 --> 00:23:54.160 stopping place. For us when we're heading south, it has to be T-Bay Farm Services. If you don't know 00:23:54.160 --> 00:23:59.600 the delights of T-Bay, next time you're heading south, you won't, well you might regret it, but I don't 00:23:59.599 --> 00:24:07.199 think you would. And then for so many of us when we head north, House of Brewer, it's got a nice 00:24:07.199 --> 00:24:14.319 waterfall walk, it's got very plush toilets, it's got very nice chips. It's a great stopping off point, 00:24:15.199 --> 00:24:20.559 and we often have these in our journeys, we kind of need them most of the time, but what we never do 00:24:20.559 --> 00:24:28.720 when we're on our long journeys is we get to a stopping point, we get to a service station, we say, 00:24:28.720 --> 00:24:36.799 ah, this is it, I've reached my destination, let me forget the holiday, let me just stick here 00:24:36.799 --> 00:24:44.079 in the service, we just don't do it. We stop, but we know there is still a journey to be taken. 00:24:44.079 --> 00:24:53.919 Think about the journey of Jesus here. Mary's joy is such, Matthew tells us, she takes hold of Jesus' 00:24:53.919 --> 00:24:58.720 feet. There's this posture of worship, but I think also there's that sense of I don't want to lose this 00:24:58.720 --> 00:25:08.079 moment, and I don't want to lose Jesus again. And Jesus says, don't hold on to me. Why? Because his 00:25:08.079 --> 00:25:15.759 journey is not complete. He hasn't reached his final destination. For Jesus, there is more glory to 00:25:15.759 --> 00:25:23.199 follow, and this ongoing journey of Jesus actually is really good news for us. Think about three aspects. 00:25:23.199 --> 00:25:35.519 Think about Jesus' glory. He's returning, I am ascending to the Father. The journey of Jesus can 00:25:35.519 --> 00:25:41.440 be described, it has been described by some as a J-curve, sorry, leaving the glory of heaven to 00:25:41.440 --> 00:25:48.160 become one of us is a going down. His suffering kind of reaches the bottom with his death. But then with 00:25:48.160 --> 00:25:54.400 his resurrection, there begins that path to glory. He's risen from the dead, and now as he says, I'm 00:25:54.400 --> 00:25:59.519 going to ascend to return to heaven. And when he returns into heaven, there's going to be that great 00:25:59.519 --> 00:26:09.039 triumphal entry that the angels, the saints would be worshiping Jesus as he returned from his battle, 00:26:09.039 --> 00:26:15.119 from his victory over the powers of darkness. He is welcomed to the throne of heaven as conquering king. 00:26:16.240 --> 00:26:21.039 And Jesus right now sits in glory, King of kings and Lord of lords. And one day, 00:26:21.039 --> 00:26:31.519 all of us, everyone will see his glory when he returns as judge. And Mary needs that journey to continue. 00:26:32.639 --> 00:26:41.039 And we need that journey to continue because this glorious King Jesus is still for his people at his 00:26:41.039 --> 00:26:48.399 Father's right hand. There is more that Jesus can do for his church now that he is seated on the throne of 00:26:48.400 --> 00:26:55.040 heaven. He now sits in heaven and what's he doing? Right now, Jesus is praying for us. 00:26:56.640 --> 00:27:04.320 As he sits on the throne of heaven, Jesus is sending the Spirit to us. As he sits in the throne of heaven, 00:27:04.320 --> 00:27:12.320 Jesus is speaking to us through his word and he is building his church and he has the power to guard 00:27:12.319 --> 00:27:19.279 and keep his church and he is at home in heaven, preparing a home for all his followers. And so, 00:27:19.279 --> 00:27:26.879 it is good for Mary and it's good for us that Jesus continues that journey. Truly, Mary would never 00:27:26.879 --> 00:27:33.919 lose her relationship with Jesus and nor will we, if we believe and one day we'll be with him in glory. 00:27:36.079 --> 00:27:40.399 Another aspect of the goodness of Jesus' journey is it reminds us of Christian privilege. 00:27:40.400 --> 00:27:48.400 Jesus says, I am ascending, tell my brothers this, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, 00:27:48.400 --> 00:28:02.080 to my God and your God. Isn't it amazing that Jesus would call his disciples, his brothers? They failed 00:28:02.079 --> 00:28:13.039 him miserably. They ran away at his point of need. But here is the loving heart of Jesus. He's not ashamed 00:28:13.039 --> 00:28:19.759 to call them brothers, even when they were ashamed of him. And the emphasis on Jesus' words falls on this 00:28:19.759 --> 00:28:30.000 privilege that comes because Jesus' followers are vitally connected to him. The emphasis falls on union with 00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:36.720 Christ. The good news for Mary, the good news for these disciples, the good news for all of us who believe 00:28:37.839 --> 00:28:44.720 is that we too are loved by the Father. We too have this wonderful relationship where we call the living 00:28:44.720 --> 00:28:54.319 God our Father in heaven. And that when we are united to Jesus by faith, we also share his journey. We're 00:28:54.319 --> 00:29:02.159 actually heading to go to our Father's home in the end. That just as Jesus died to sin, we have died to sin. Just as 00:29:02.159 --> 00:29:09.599 Jesus has resurrection life, we have new life in him. Just as he has gone home to glory, so will we. And this is good news. 00:29:09.599 --> 00:29:21.039 And this journey also reminds us again of our mission. Notice that Jesus says, don't hold on to me, 00:29:22.159 --> 00:29:29.039 but rather go and speak to them. Go and tell them the good news that he is alive. 00:29:29.039 --> 00:29:36.960 The good news is not limited to Mary. Indeed, the good news is not limited to those first disciples. 00:29:38.079 --> 00:29:43.519 Because those first disciples, as they receive the Spirit, these eyewitnesses will write the story of 00:29:43.519 --> 00:29:51.920 Jesus, will write the gospel that we have in front of us, will tell us the wonderful news that Jesus 00:29:51.920 --> 00:29:59.120 became one of us to pay the price to forgive us, to exchange our guilt for his perfect righteousness, 00:29:59.120 --> 00:30:03.600 to rise again as the light overcoming darkness, to give true life to all who believe. 00:30:05.759 --> 00:30:09.920 And so Mary's go and tell mission becomes the disciples' go and tell mission, 00:30:09.920 --> 00:30:19.120 which becomes our go and tell and show and tell mission. This is our calling to make clear the 00:30:19.119 --> 00:30:27.359 difference that Easter makes. By our lives, by our words, it is good news that our guilt is removed, 00:30:27.359 --> 00:30:32.799 and that we have peace in our conscience and peace with God. It is good news that we know every day 00:30:32.799 --> 00:30:41.919 life with Jesus, and that we have the certainty of life with Him when we die. That is good news for our world. 00:30:43.679 --> 00:30:48.799 Some of you would have seen the news this week of a report produced by the Bible Society of 00:30:48.799 --> 00:30:54.559 England and Wales. They called it a quiet revival. We've been hearing the same stories in Scotland, 00:30:54.559 --> 00:31:01.039 a growing number of young people coming to church, asking big questions, exploring the Bible perhaps 00:31:01.039 --> 00:31:09.359 for the first time, wanting to know answers to the big questions of life, and coming to put their faith in 00:31:09.359 --> 00:31:20.879 Jesus. And this is what really gives a purpose for our life as a church, that we are here to enjoy a 00:31:20.879 --> 00:31:28.559 relationship with God and to tell others about Jesus so that they might come to have a relationship with 00:31:28.559 --> 00:31:37.839 God too. We go and tell to invite people to a direct living encounter with the most significant figure 00:31:37.839 --> 00:31:45.440 who ever lived, who is none other than the Son of God, who died and rose again, who truly is the answer 00:31:45.440 --> 00:31:55.440 to all life's questions, to all life's longings. And so, the journey of Jesus at the end of the day, 00:31:56.320 --> 00:32:03.759 from death to resurrection to ascended glory, is the journey that has the power to transform us, 00:32:04.880 --> 00:32:11.279 to transform our emotions, to transform our lives, to transform our purpose. 00:32:11.279 --> 00:32:21.680 Yes. Because we have seen the Lord and we have discovered that He is alive. May that be true for 00:32:21.680 --> 00:32:31.359 all of us today. Let's pray together. Our God and Father, we thank You for the wonderful truths of Easter. 00:32:32.240 --> 00:32:38.960 And we thank You for the resurrection of Jesus. We thank You for His return to glory. 00:32:38.960 --> 00:32:44.960 And we thank You for the wonderful things that we have to be here today. And we thank You that He 00:32:44.960 --> 00:32:53.360 continues to speak words that give comfort and joy and hope and life and love to us today and to people 00:32:53.360 --> 00:33:02.799 all around the world. We pray that You would give us that deep joy in Jesus that would lead us to encourage 00:33:02.799 --> 00:33:11.200 other believers and to share with the people around us that they too would find that living hope that we 00:33:11.200 --> 00:33:18.319 have come to find for ourselves. Please speak Your Word and press Your Word deep upon all of our hearts and 00:33:18.319 --> 00:33:28.399 lives. In Jesus' lives we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Now let's close with a hymn that again gives us the journey 00:33:28.400 --> 00:33:34.400 of Jesus as we sing together, come behold the wondrous mystery. 00:33:34.400 --> 00:33:55.440 Jesus' name. 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.440 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:57.440 Jesus 00:33:57.440 --> 00:33:55.440 ! 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:57.440 Jesus 00:33:57.440 --> 00:33:55.440 ! 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:57.440 Jesus 00:33:57.440 --> 00:33:55.440 ! 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:57.440 Jesus 00:33:57.440 --> 00:33:55.440 ! 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:57.440 Jesus 00:33:57.440 --> 00:33:55.440 !