Good morning and let me add my welcome.
My name is Sam and I'm on the ministry team here at St Paul's.
I'm going to pray for us and then we're going to reflect on that passage
and the story of Easter that we have been reminded of this morning.
Father God, we thank you for the chance to gather this morning
and we ask that you might give us clarity
as we reflect on a story that might be familiar,
that might even have baggage attached for us personally.
Please give us the ability to look fresh
and to hear what it is that you want us to hear. Amen.
This week, the British comedian Ricky Gervais
was asked by the Wall Street Journal to write an article for Easter.
It was a follow-up to an article that he did around Christmas time
entitled, Why I'm a Good Atheist.
This article he entitled, Why I'm a Good Christian.
He was quick to concede that the heading was provocative and misleading.
But in his article, he talked about how he admired Jesus.
He admired the teachings. He admired the life.
Although he rejected any claim that Jesus might be a God or a saviour.
And he expressed that he was frustrated with Christians
who claimed to follow Jesus but were so drastically
nothing like the one they claimed to follow.
And from there, his article proceeded to work its way through the Ten Commandments,
one at a time, basically showing how he was ticking the box on all ten of them.
And then finished with the sentiment that he guesses,
in light of his ticking the box on the commandments,
he's as good a Christian as anyone.
Now, I find Ricky Gervais a very funny comedian.
I really enjoy the stuff that he does.
And so, I was interested in his reflections.
Obviously, I disagree with him on a bunch of stuff.
But what stuck out for me was where he ended up
having been asked to write something about Easter.
He's clearly not a believer.
He doesn't think that Jesus legitimately died and rose again.
But having been asked to write this article,
he didn't wrestle with the historical reliability of Jesus.
Didn't touch it.
He doesn't express difficulty believing that Jesus rose again.
For him, an article about Easter is an article about morality.
That was, for him, what it meant to respond to the question,
what is Easter for me?
It was to measure how good or bad he thought he was
by this apparent standard that God sets.
And for a lot of people, and even for some Christians,
that's all Easter is.
Following Jesus is about little more than living
some kind of exemplary moral life.
And, of course, holding other people to do the same,
being the moral police.
Now, I don't know what your perspective on Easter is.
I don't know why you came into this building this morning.
This could be your annual or your biannual church visit.
Now, I don't know what interactions you've had
with Christians in the past, good or bad.
But I do know that many people I speak to
approach a day like today feeling guilty.
We've sung and we've been reminded of the savageness
savageness of that first Good Friday.
That an innocent man would be butchered.
And it could be that you're here today
because you know you're supposed to be.
You know that it is significant, you know it matters,
and you get this sense that if you don't come here,
you might be doing something wrong.
And so you are here.
But maybe there's a part of you,
maybe it's even a really big part of you,
that will breathe a sigh of relief
when we get to the end of our time together.
And maybe you can go back into that normal pattern
where maybe you know that God might not be happy with you,
but it's easier to kind of hold it at arm's length.
If that's you,
I want to say I'm really glad you're here.
Because I actually believe that God has something significant
that he wants to say to you this morning.
Something that might actually transform the way
that you not just view Easter,
but the way that you view Jesus himself.
Because Easter is not about guilt.
Jesus didn't die on the cross
so that then he could spend the rest of our lives
making us feel bad about how far short we fall
of the kind of life that he calls us to.
Jesus didn't go through everything he went through
so that we could be pressured into being more moral.
Easter is the high point of God showing us who he is.
Easter is the moment where God tries to just zoom in on himself for us
so that we might get a picture of what he's like,
how he works, who he is.
And the Bible makes it really clear,
God is love.
Not just God loves, although that's true,
but the Bible actually says love is who he is.
It's how he works.
And so importantly,
it's how he feels towards you.
I want to show you two things this morning about God's love
that I hope and pray will transform the way you feel
when you come to Easter,
when you think about church,
when you think about Christians.
But more than that,
I want to show you two things about God's love from the Bible
that I believe could transform your whole life.
And so I want you to bear with me.
I want you to give God a chance to speak a little bit louder
than maybe some of those negative interactions
or unhelpful voices have spoken in the past.
And I want you to hear from him two things.
First one,
God loves you.
I remember growing up as a kid,
one of my biggest fears was whether or not God loved me.
Now, it's not something that I would focus on regularly.
It's not like I walked around thinking,
does God love me now?
But I had this awareness.
I knew enough about God.
I'd heard enough Bible stories.
I'd heard the Easter story enough times.
And I knew enough about me
that there was some sort of a gap there.
I knew God was powerful.
I knew he was holy.
I knew he was perfect.
I knew he was in charge.
And I knew that I was the kid at school
that other kids' parents would say,
don't hang out with that kid.
I knew what it was to do the wrong thing and get punished.
I understood how life worked.
If you do something bad,
then there's consequences.
And so for me,
taking that correct understanding of life,
that do something wrong,
pay the price for it,
and then this God who is good and requires me to be good,
those things coming together didn't make sense to me.
I'd heard the phrase,
God loves you.
I'd heard the sentiment that God is loving.
But I couldn't understand how someone like me,
who was bad,
is bad,
could be loved by God.
The way I had experienced love in my life
was so restricted
to when I do good things,
I'm loved.
And when I do bad things,
I'm punished.
It's not to say my parents were harsh or bad
or anything like that.
They were great.
But that is how we engage with love with one another.
We tend to love when it's positive coming back the other way.
But when someone hurts us,
that love quickly dries up.
And so from that place,
the idea of a God who is love and could love me
was really difficult to comprehend.
And this is why Easter can be offensive.
This is why I understand,
and it makes sense that some people maybe don't want to
be in church or around Christians
or hear this message.
Easter and the cross and Jesus' death
is the answer to the problem
that God is holy and we are not.
So even wrapped up in this message
and wrapped up in the fact that God is trying to show you
how loving he is towards you,
part of that message is
you actually don't deserve that love.
It's not the whole message,
and that's the problem.
When we just stop there,
hearing that we're not good enough
and walk away feeling worse
or feeling this pressure to try harder,
it's not the whole message,
but it is part of the message.
And so if you have come here this morning
and you do feel that sense of guilt or failure,
I want to say on one level,
that's actually kind of okay.
Because it's true.
You and I and everybody else
isn't worthy of the love of a perfect God.
The way that we treat him when we live,
the things that we put in front of him in our lives,
the things that we treat as more important,
is not okay,
is offensive,
but it's just not the whole message.
And see, the issue is,
when you come to Easter
and you hear something like that,
what do you do with that?
You can do the Ricky Gervais trick
and just move the goalposts a bit.
He just changed the way he read the Ten Commandments
to give himself a tick on all of them
and then you might feel a little bit better.
Alternatively, you could just reject God
and say, I'm not interested
and I won't be held to your standard.
But maybe there's a third option.
Maybe there's something better
that God actually designed for us.
As Steve was reading out that passage for us,
two thieves were crucified on either side of Jesus.
So one on either side of Jesus.
And there's two responses there.
I remember hearing this story as a kid.
There was a children's storybook version
of the thief on the cross.
And I always found it entertaining
because one thief just looked like a derelict.
You know, he was unshaven.
He had a scowl on his face
in each of the illustrated pictures.
You knew straight away that he was the bad guy.
But the other guy who eventually asks for Jesus' mercy
somehow looked like it was an accident that he was there.
He'd been mostly good.
I mean, he was even clean shaven.
And then somehow he just ended up in the wrong place
and was alongside this other criminal.
But just to be clear,
that's the kid's story version and it's wrong.
All the Bible says is that there were two criminals
and they both deserved to die for how they had lived.
That's the man's own admission.
We're getting what our deeds deserve.
These two men,
when confronted with the innocent death of Jesus,
respond in two completely different ways.
One is to mock and reject the fact
that Jesus could possibly have any right over his life,
could possibly be loving towards him.
The other one is to recognise
that actually when you stand next to the perfection of Jesus,
the only response is to recognise,
yeah, I am unworthy.
But this thief recognises something else.
That Jesus is here to deal with that unworthiness.
The whole reason he came
was so that God's love could steamroll our inadequacy.
God's love is an offer for anyone.
When I say God loves you,
it's not some vague hope that possibly he might love you
and you might think,
Sam, you don't know who I am, what I've done.
You don't know my past.
You don't know my thoughts.
It's not a hope that God might love you.
What this story shows us
is that God can and does love the worst person
on the worst day.
In this passage,
he offers forgiveness to a thief
who does nothing except ask for it.
There's not even the opportunity for this thief
to somehow try and make up for the life that he had before.
He's about to die.
And yet Jesus says,
I love that person.
One of the most significant prayers in Scripture
was in verse 34.
Just try and be in this moment.
Jesus has just had nails
driven through his wrists and feet.
He's hanging on a cross,
slowly suffocating,
barely alive from the beatings he's had
for the previous few days.
And he looks down at the people
who have done this to him.
And he prays,
Father,
forgive them,
for they do not know what they are doing.
Even in their moment
of most active opposition to Jesus,
he still has love for them.
He still has care for them.
And so I can say,
and you can know,
that even in your worst moments in your life,
even in the points
where you most actively reject God
and ignore him
and treat him like he doesn't matter,
that love is still offered.
If Easter time makes you feel guilty,
I guess that's okay.
Because you are guilty.
But you need to understand,
there is no standard to meet
if you're going to be loved by God.
The fact that you don't deserve God's love
doesn't actually disqualify you from it.
There's no entry requirements.
Just stop running
and ask God for his mercy.
There were probably nicer, better people
than the thief and the soldiers on that day.
But they were the ones who said,
God, I want the love that you're offering.
God's love isn't his way of saying,
look, let's forget about
some of the rough edges in your life.
Let's pretend they never happened.
He's not looking at you
through rose-colored glasses.
Easter is God saying,
I know the worst bits about you.
And I love you anyway.
But more than that,
the second thing that God says to you at Easter
is look at how I love you.
Because just love in itself
might actually just add to the guilt.
I mean, the idea of love sounds fantastic,
but maybe that's not enough
if you're feeling guilty.
I believe it was a few months ago
that some hackers
cracked the internet site
Ashley Madison.
It's a site that exists
to facilitate extramarital affairs
discreetly.
Some hackers decided
that they would go in
and take the database of members
from that site
and make it public.
The result being that
thousands and thousands
of marriages
were thrown into disarray
when suddenly
the infidelity of one partner
became public.
The awkwardness of this,
it even resulted in instances
of some people committing suicide
because they couldn't deal
with the guilt.
And I read one story
of a wife
whose husband
had committed suicide
and her devastation was
that she would have
worked through it with him.
She would have continued
to love him.
But can you understand
that the awkwardness
in a scenario like that
is that even though
one party has been unfaithful
and the other party
has said I'm willing
to keep loving you,
the unworthiness of the love
that this cheating partner
is receiving
almost makes the love
hurtful.
It almost makes you feel worse
because you know
you don't deserve
to be treated this way
because that's not the love
you've been giving.
And so it could be
that you hear God is loving
and it's not that you haven't
heard that message
but really it just makes
you feel worse.
You hear that Jesus
loved you so much
he died on the cross
and if anything
you're like
stop telling me that
because he would love me
that much
while I'm over here
treating him like
he doesn't matter.
If anything it might
just heap guilt on you.
But Easter isn't just
God saying he loves you.
It's showing you
how his love
fixes that issue.
God's love
is more than just
some feeling
or some sentiment.
The cross is not
some masochistic
bunch of flowers
or hallmark card.
It's effective.
It works.
It does something.
In the Old Testament
in the book of Isaiah
written a long time
before Jesus turned up
God promised
that he would provide
a saviour
to deal with that issue
that gap.
And the way
that saviour
would save us
was through an exchange.
Now let me read it to you
from Isaiah 53
it'll be on the screen.
He grew up before him
like a tender shoot
this is describing Jesus
and like a root
out of dry ground
he had no beauty
or majesty
to attract us to him
nothing in his appearance
that we should desire him.
He was despised
and rejected
by mankind
a man of suffering
and familiar with pain
like one
from whom people
hide their faces.
he was despised
and we held him
in lower seam.
Surely he took up
our pain
and bore
our suffering
yet we considered
him punished
by God
stricken by him
and afflicted
but he was pierced
for our transgression
he was crushed
for our iniquity
the punishment
that brought us
peace was on him
and by his wounds
we are healed.
What happens
in the cross
is that
that all the things
that are part
of our life
and our character
and our values
and our actions
and our thoughts
and part of us
that in any way
draw the just
judgment of God
it is completely
transferred
to Jesus.
When we look at him
on the cross
as an innocent man
we look rightly
but what we need
to look harder
and see
is the reason
he's there
is not just
to do something
dramatic
as an innocent person
but so that
the punishment
we deserve
can actually
be given.
God can't just
shrug his shoulders
he can't just
let us off.
What we have done
deserves to be punished
and what Jesus does
is absorb
that punishment.
The forgiveness
that God offers
isn't a
let's forget
what you've done
it's a
let me pay for it
let me cover
it over
let me atone
for it
he takes on him
every bit of you
that is unworthy
of God
and his love
and not just
takes it
but exhausts it
satisfies it
absorbs it
deals with it
finishes it
Easter
isn't just
God
saying
he loves
you
but it's
God saying
my love
is enough
for every bit
of you
it's God
saying
if you would
just
accept
my love
if you would
just
ask for
my mercy
then you
would never
be unloved
it's God
saying
the death
of the
God
man
of Jesus
is sufficient
for everything
you've ever
done
or will
do
and so
guilt's
not there
anymore
even if you
make mistakes
in the future
Jesus' death
in your place
is enough
Easter is not
a time
to feel guilty
there is a
weight and a
gravity about
Good Friday
but it's not
a time for
guilt
today is the
day that we
remember and
celebrate
that God
offers freedom
from guilt
forgiveness
from sin
love
unconditional
unending
please hear
God today
as you are
right now
no changes
no improvements
no adjustments
as you are
right now
God says
I love you
that's why
Jesus came
that's why
he died
so that you
could know
God loves
you
so that you
could have
confidence
that in spite
of who you
are God
will keep
loving you
but one last
thing
this isn't
some transaction
going on
it might all
sound a bit
mechanical
so ours goes
over here
dealt with
we're good
ticket to heaven
fantastic
might sound
like we get
this little
bit of God's
love to be
forgiven
we look
forward to
heaven and
then we've
got this
earth waiting
room
and maybe
there's some
half truth
there
but the cross
means more
than that
God's love
is bigger
than just a
tick on your
report card
and something
to look forward
to in the
future
remember that
the whole
point of
Easter is
that we
might see
what God
is
see how
he works
see what
he's like
being loved
by God
is not so
much about
the love
that God
gives
it's about
the God
who gives
that love
that's what
Easter is about
that's what
the barrier
of us not
being good
enough and
God being
perfect
that's the
problem
that we're
not connected
to him
that we can't
relate to him
that we can't
talk to him
that we can't
depend on him
Jesus death
in our place
doesn't unlock
a fix of love
it doesn't give
you a shot in
the arm to
make you feel
better about
yourself and
so that you
don't have to
fear hell
Jesus death
on the cross
actually takes
you from being
far away from
God the Bible
even says being
an enemy of
God and
draws you into
a relationship
with him where
you are a
precious child
where you are
immovably
brought into
the family
loved
protected
provided for
Jesus love
isn't a fix
it's a
foundation for
life
I remember
as a kid
growing up
I used to
sometimes question
my parents
love for me
in the little
things
they would do
big things
for me
they would
look after me
they would
provide food
for me
they would
take me to
school
they would
support me
and encourage
me in
whatever I was
doing
but oh
horror
sometimes they
would deny
me McDonald's
and in
anguish
sometimes in
tears I'm not
embarrassed to
admit
I would wonder
whether they
still loved me
I would sit
in my room
reflective
angry
mopey
thinking how
could they
possibly love
me and deny
me something
so amazing
and as I
grew and
matured
ever so
slightly
I began
to realise
that
the costly
ways that
they loved
me
the big
things that
they did
in my
life
at their
own
expense
gave
context
to the
little
ways they
loved me
that I
didn't
understand
it was
out of
love for
me
that they
didn't
allow me
to eat
McDonald's
every day
and it's
out of
love for
me that
they
discouraged
my
habit at
the
moment
but in
that moment
I didn't
understand
it
it wasn't
until
I was
that little
bit
older
and could
actually
look at
the big
things they
done in
my life
the sacrifices
they made
so that I
could do
what I
needed to
do
that I
suddenly
realised
that even
though I
don't get
it
even though it
doesn't make
sense to me
they're actually
probably loving
me there
because it
would be
ridiculous
for them
to do
something
that costs
them and is
painful for
them out of
love
and then to
withhold something
small and
insignificant like
a five dollar
McDonald's meal
just to
spite me
the New
Testament tells
us in
Romans chapter
8 it's on
the screen
he who did
not spare his
own son but
gave him up for
us all how
will he not
also along
with him
graciously give
us all
things
he who did
not spare his
own son
God who
was willing
to send
Jesus to
the cross
put him to
that through
the anguish
of absorbing
our punishment
when that
becomes the
baseline of
the way that
God loves
us we
can be
confident that
there is no
moment no
circumstance
no difficulty
no struggle
no joy
where God
is not
actively
loving us
what Easter
does is not
just give you
the tick of
forgiveness
although that
is incredible
what Easter
does is not
just give you
the guarantee
of heaven in
the future
although that
is overwhelming
what God
does in the
cross is give
you the
baseline for
his love
he gives
you the
biggest thing
the most
costly thing
so that even
in struggle
you can say
even though I
don't get it
I know that
God would not
withhold something
good for me
even though he
might not be
making me better
quick enough
for me
even though he
may not be
giving me a
job quick
enough
even though he
may not be
solving my
financial struggles
quick enough
even though he
may not be
settling my
anxiety quick
enough
even though he
may not be
providing the
partner that I
desperately want
quick enough
or even at
all
I know he
still loves me
because the
baseline is he
gave me the
biggest best
most costly
thing first
so how would
he not also
give me every
other good
thing for me
out of love
what Easter
does what the
cross does
is gives us a
foundation for
life
because of
Jesus you can
know that God
loves you even
though you don't
deserve it
and you don't
have to spend
your life feeling
guilty about that
because he's
wiped away the
guilt he's
paid the debt
it's done
there's no point
dragging it back
out it's been
pushed to the
side Jesus has
said it's
finished and so
you can bask in
the love of God
confidently you
can know that his
love is sufficient
for even now when
you fail and you
can know that his
love is limitless
because the God
who created
everything has
already given his
best gift to
you his most
costly gift to
you and so in
any situation
no matter how
painful and
there will still
be painful
situations you
can know that
God is loving
you then because
of Jesus even
if you don't
understand it you
can look and
say I know he
loves me because
he's already given
me his best there
is nothing he
would withhold from
those who are his
precious children
I don't know why
you came today
I don't know what
Easter meant for
you when you
walked in the door
but I really pray
that today you
hear and believe
God's words to
you
he says I love
you just as you
are
no conditions
no strings
attached
my love is
enough to deal
with anything you
have done or
will do
and my love for
you is
unconditional
undeserved
unlimited
and unending
I pray that
today you might
taste and feel
that kind of love
for you
and have your
whole life
transformed by
it
let's pray
father God we
want to thank you
for Jesus
we want to thank
you that even
though we don't
deserve it you
were willing to
go to incredible
lengths that we
might be confident
that your love is
not just a
sentiment it's an
action it's
sufficient
God I pray that
if there are
people in this
room now who
maybe are following
you but are
wrestling with
doubts
wrestling with
their own
failures may
they know that
your love is
enough
there are people
in this room
wrestling with
the insecurity
or uncertainty
of circumstances
in life may
they see the
cross as the
guarantee that
there is no
limit to your
love
if there are
people in this
room who don't
yet know what
it is to be
loved like that
I pray that
today might be
the day where
like the thief
they ask for
mercy
and they
taste and
experience your
perfect love
Amen
beautiful
Amen
ippa