WEBVTT 00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:06.060 Well, good morning, church. Would you turn with me again to Luke chapter 24? 00:00:07.160 --> 00:00:12.400 I'd like to pick up Luke's resurrection narrative in verse 36. 00:00:13.980 --> 00:00:17.500 So that's page 832 in the Pew Bible. Let me encourage you to follow along there. 00:00:18.039 --> 00:00:20.960 We will look at Luke 24, 36 through 49. 00:00:22.160 --> 00:00:25.480 Let me pray, and then I will read for us. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:35.299 Father, on this great day when we remember and celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus, 00:00:36.439 --> 00:00:41.700 grant us by your Holy Spirit open minds and receptive hearts to embrace the risen Christ 00:00:41.700 --> 00:00:46.379 and to live in the hope and the power of his resurrection. 00:00:47.679 --> 00:00:50.900 In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Amen. 00:00:50.900 --> 00:00:54.780 All right, so Luke 24, 36 through 49. 00:00:54.780 --> 00:01:01.039 As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them and said, 00:01:01.740 --> 00:01:02.439 Peace to you. 00:01:03.480 --> 00:01:06.200 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. 00:01:07.159 --> 00:01:12.640 And he said to them, Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 00:01:13.379 --> 00:01:17.159 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. 00:01:18.040 --> 00:01:23.920 Touch me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have. 00:01:23.920 --> 00:01:27.460 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 00:01:28.280 --> 00:01:32.219 And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, 00:01:32.879 --> 00:01:34.140 Have you anything here to eat? 00:01:34.960 --> 00:01:39.359 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them. 00:01:41.140 --> 00:01:45.680 Then he said to them, These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, 00:01:45.820 --> 00:01:50.820 that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. 00:01:50.819 --> 00:01:55.339 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures and said to them, 00:01:55.419 --> 00:01:59.839 Thus it is written that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 00:02:00.199 --> 00:02:08.539 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations beginning from Jerusalem. 00:02:09.180 --> 00:02:11.419 You are witnesses of these things. 00:02:12.199 --> 00:02:15.079 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. 00:02:15.080 --> 00:02:19.960 But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high. 00:02:22.480 --> 00:02:30.420 Well, from the earliest days, Christians defined their message, their belief, 00:02:31.040 --> 00:02:39.020 their understanding of the person of Jesus with a word that we translate into English as gospel, 00:02:39.640 --> 00:02:41.900 or better translated, good news. 00:02:41.900 --> 00:02:48.180 You know, but the funny thing is that this word that they used to encapsulate their message, 00:02:48.640 --> 00:02:52.980 gospel, good news, it wasn't necessarily a religious word. 00:02:54.120 --> 00:02:57.879 It wasn't a word that you'd hear at the local temple or visiting the local shrine. 00:02:58.500 --> 00:03:03.480 In fact, you were more likely to hear the word gospel or good news in the marketplace or in the Senate. 00:03:03.479 --> 00:03:11.099 It was what we might call today a secular word, a word about realities in this world. 00:03:12.599 --> 00:03:18.919 You know, the word gospel was used in the Roman Empire often to describe great victories that had been won 00:03:18.919 --> 00:03:24.120 or momentous events that changed the live reality of those in the empire. 00:03:24.120 --> 00:03:29.280 Something like, you know, Caesar has conquered the barbarians along the Danube. 00:03:29.480 --> 00:03:30.780 Send forth the good news. 00:03:31.200 --> 00:03:32.280 Our borders are now safe. 00:03:32.379 --> 00:03:32.900 Four is over. 00:03:33.039 --> 00:03:34.099 Prosperity is on the way. 00:03:34.240 --> 00:03:36.480 You know, some kind of imperial edict like that. 00:03:38.500 --> 00:03:39.680 But isn't that interesting? 00:03:40.640 --> 00:03:46.120 For the first Christians, what happened in the person of Jesus was not an event that could be relegated 00:03:46.120 --> 00:03:51.300 or put into a merely religious or spiritual category. 00:03:52.400 --> 00:04:01.060 Instead, it had profound history-altering impact on every part of our shared human experience. 00:04:02.180 --> 00:04:04.480 It meant something in this world. 00:04:06.680 --> 00:04:09.540 But a gospel wasn't just about realities in this world. 00:04:09.620 --> 00:04:11.740 It was also good news. 00:04:12.140 --> 00:04:14.800 It was news about something that had happened. 00:04:14.800 --> 00:04:19.699 You know, we can often mistakenly think of Christianity not as news, 00:04:20.240 --> 00:04:24.300 but primarily as instruction or advice, can't we? 00:04:25.020 --> 00:04:28.800 You know, we mistakenly think that Christianity is just sort of a new moral code to follow. 00:04:30.040 --> 00:04:33.900 I think in our popular imagination, Christianity is not like reading the New York Times. 00:04:34.100 --> 00:04:36.560 It's more like reading Better Homes and Gardens, right? 00:04:37.180 --> 00:04:38.000 It's not news. 00:04:38.120 --> 00:04:40.400 It's just some tips about how to live a better life. 00:04:40.399 --> 00:04:48.079 And this mistaken approach to Christianity, I think it goes very deep into our shared cultural memory. 00:04:49.279 --> 00:04:52.159 Recently, I've been reading the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. 00:04:53.659 --> 00:04:59.379 You know, and in his mind, nearly every religion could be boiled down to a few core principles. 00:04:59.379 --> 00:05:06.719 That there's a God who made everything, and that there will be rewards and punishments based on your moral progress in this life. 00:05:08.259 --> 00:05:15.060 So that means for Franklin that religions are really about teaching us how to live moral and virtuous lives. 00:05:15.139 --> 00:05:19.000 They're not really good news, but they ought to be good instruction, good advice. 00:05:19.000 --> 00:05:23.060 And Franklin was all for religion in that sense. 00:05:24.139 --> 00:05:30.279 But the truth is, while Franklin's summary is a woefully inadequate view of any religion, 00:05:31.079 --> 00:05:35.680 it misses the mark completely for the heart of Christianity. 00:05:37.360 --> 00:05:42.779 Because it wasn't merely good advice or good instruction that Christians proclaimed. 00:05:43.439 --> 00:05:44.899 It was good news. 00:05:44.899 --> 00:05:50.859 It was like a victory report from the front lines that brought hope and joy, 00:05:50.859 --> 00:05:59.679 because something had happened that changed history and had the power to change our lives if we let it. 00:06:01.599 --> 00:06:03.359 So what was this news? 00:06:04.120 --> 00:06:08.179 Why was the death and resurrection of Jesus good news? 00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:13.379 Well, the passage in Luke 24 that we just read shows us. 00:06:13.379 --> 00:06:19.019 When Jesus appears to his disciples on this first night after the resurrection, 00:06:19.420 --> 00:06:24.040 we see just why his resurrection is gospel good news. 00:06:25.180 --> 00:06:28.120 And there are two things here that I want us to see. 00:06:29.000 --> 00:06:33.120 The first has to do with our material world. 00:06:34.120 --> 00:06:37.659 And the second has to do with our moral world. 00:06:37.660 --> 00:06:43.400 In other words, the resurrection of Jesus is good news for our material world, 00:06:43.480 --> 00:06:44.800 for our broken creation. 00:06:45.860 --> 00:06:50.220 And it's also good news for our moral world, for broken creatures. 00:06:51.500 --> 00:06:53.120 So let's consider those two things. 00:06:53.240 --> 00:06:56.720 Consider first that if the resurrection of Jesus is true, 00:06:57.800 --> 00:07:02.400 then it means that the broken material creation is being and will be mended. 00:07:02.399 --> 00:07:05.879 The broken material creation will be mended. 00:07:06.219 --> 00:07:10.339 We see this in the first paragraph of our passage, verses 36 through 43. 00:07:10.839 --> 00:07:13.319 The risen Jesus comes among his disciples and says, 00:07:13.599 --> 00:07:14.299 Peace to you. 00:07:15.060 --> 00:07:16.179 And then Luke writes, 00:07:16.500 --> 00:07:20.279 They were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. 00:07:22.039 --> 00:07:24.219 Well, I think that's a pretty reasonable response. 00:07:24.439 --> 00:07:24.879 Don't you? 00:07:24.879 --> 00:07:30.399 I mean, after all, here's something that people in the first century believed 00:07:30.399 --> 00:07:32.459 that sounds very modern to us. 00:07:32.980 --> 00:07:37.519 Everyone in the first century believed that dead people stay dead. 00:07:39.639 --> 00:07:40.120 Right? 00:07:40.240 --> 00:07:40.879 Just like us. 00:07:41.779 --> 00:07:42.839 Dead people stay dead. 00:07:42.939 --> 00:07:45.620 Especially after crucifixion, which was a terrible way to die. 00:07:46.199 --> 00:07:48.719 And especially after being in a tomb for a couple of days. 00:07:49.659 --> 00:07:53.019 So we mustn't think that belief in the resurrection just sort of cropped up 00:07:53.019 --> 00:07:56.379 because first century people were superstitious or pre-scientific. 00:07:57.039 --> 00:07:59.519 They had seen Jesus killed and he was dead. 00:07:59.759 --> 00:08:01.279 And that was the end of the story. 00:08:02.039 --> 00:08:04.620 But now, here was Jesus in front of them. 00:08:05.680 --> 00:08:07.639 And how would they account for it? 00:08:09.299 --> 00:08:11.939 Perhaps, they thought, it's an apparition. 00:08:12.060 --> 00:08:12.579 It's a spirit. 00:08:13.959 --> 00:08:20.299 But notice how adamant Jesus is to demonstrate that he is before them bodily. 00:08:20.300 --> 00:08:24.720 It's not a spiritual experience they're having. 00:08:25.340 --> 00:08:28.920 He's there in the flesh, in his body. 00:08:29.939 --> 00:08:31.360 See my hands and my feet. 00:08:31.819 --> 00:08:32.539 Touch me. 00:08:33.279 --> 00:08:34.600 I'm flesh and bones. 00:08:35.480 --> 00:08:38.360 And then he says, do you have anything to eat? 00:08:39.340 --> 00:08:43.580 And he takes the broiled fish that they hand him and he eats it before them. 00:08:45.159 --> 00:08:48.379 That's a wonderful kind of earthy scene, isn't it? 00:08:49.179 --> 00:08:52.679 It's so earthy that it just sort of has this ring of truth about it. 00:08:52.720 --> 00:08:57.679 In other words, it's hard to believe the disciples making up a story like this. 00:08:58.179 --> 00:09:04.299 I mean, if I were making up a story, right, about someone conquering death and overcoming the grave, 00:09:04.799 --> 00:09:06.860 I don't think I'd have it run like this, would you? 00:09:06.860 --> 00:09:09.600 There he stood in our midst. 00:09:10.340 --> 00:09:12.259 We were scared out of our minds. 00:09:12.700 --> 00:09:15.159 He showed us his hands and feet, his flesh and blood. 00:09:15.240 --> 00:09:19.139 And then, oh, then, he ate some lunch. 00:09:21.840 --> 00:09:24.539 I mean, talk about an anticlimax, right? 00:09:24.539 --> 00:09:36.980 But if it is true, perhaps this risen body of Jesus is more important and wonderful than we realize. 00:09:36.980 --> 00:09:43.580 Why is the risen Jesus so adamant that they know that he's been raised in the flesh? 00:09:45.039 --> 00:09:47.779 Well, think about the last time they saw Jesus' body. 00:09:49.240 --> 00:09:58.460 He was hanging a few feet above the ground, arms splayed, nailed to an implement of imperial torture, a cross. 00:09:58.460 --> 00:10:04.900 And his body had been wounded and torn and bruised and pierced. 00:10:07.060 --> 00:10:10.200 There was the one that they had begun to put their hope in. 00:10:10.940 --> 00:10:15.519 There was the one they thought was their king, and perhaps even more than a king. 00:10:16.700 --> 00:10:22.200 But as they saw him crucified, how could any of those things be true? 00:10:22.200 --> 00:10:28.960 He was beaten and torn, his body broken, never to be mended. 00:10:31.080 --> 00:10:36.759 And yet now, now here he was before them, whole, mended. 00:10:39.759 --> 00:10:43.000 And it would take time for them to realize the full meaning. 00:10:43.140 --> 00:10:44.080 But don't you see? 00:10:45.360 --> 00:10:49.379 If in Jesus God took human flesh, 00:10:49.379 --> 00:10:55.620 then that means the creator willingly became a part of his material creation. 00:10:56.700 --> 00:10:59.500 Though it was broken and full of pain, 00:10:59.939 --> 00:11:02.480 God didn't reject it or abandoned it. 00:11:02.539 --> 00:11:04.419 Instead, he entered into it. 00:11:05.120 --> 00:11:10.360 And on the cross, he endured the worst that the material world could endure. 00:11:10.639 --> 00:11:13.879 Suffering, pain, brokenness. 00:11:13.879 --> 00:11:18.379 The broken body of Jesus that went into the tomb 00:11:18.379 --> 00:11:25.860 was the creator's solidarity with the brokenness of the whole fabric of the material world. 00:11:27.720 --> 00:11:29.700 Every grief that you and I feel, 00:11:30.019 --> 00:11:33.299 all the decay, all the death, all the loss, 00:11:33.700 --> 00:11:38.299 Jesus Christ willingly became one with the whole story 00:11:38.299 --> 00:11:40.679 of the broken and groaning material world. 00:11:40.679 --> 00:11:46.799 So don't you see what wondrous love this God has for you and me? 00:11:48.319 --> 00:11:50.179 But that wasn't the end of the story. 00:11:51.279 --> 00:11:56.359 When Jesus emerged from the tomb on Easter in the same body that was torn, 00:11:57.500 --> 00:12:01.039 it meant a new direction for all creation. 00:12:01.039 --> 00:12:04.799 You see, the God who made all things 00:12:04.799 --> 00:12:08.139 and in solidarity suffered with all things 00:12:08.139 --> 00:12:11.599 was now making all things new. 00:12:12.839 --> 00:12:18.219 The healing of the material world began on Easter Sunday. 00:12:19.399 --> 00:12:21.480 God was righting the wrong 00:12:21.480 --> 00:12:27.339 and mending his broken world from the inside out. 00:12:27.340 --> 00:12:33.220 But of course, right, we rightly ask, 00:12:33.680 --> 00:12:35.320 where is this healing today? 00:12:36.680 --> 00:12:38.200 There's still brokenness. 00:12:38.399 --> 00:12:39.360 There's still injustice. 00:12:40.019 --> 00:12:41.759 Still creation is groaning. 00:12:43.340 --> 00:12:49.019 And yes, God's healing, mending work is not yet fully complete. 00:12:49.019 --> 00:12:52.679 But because of Jesus' resurrection, 00:12:53.159 --> 00:12:55.600 we know it will be. 00:12:57.059 --> 00:12:57.860 How so? 00:13:00.120 --> 00:13:02.179 Well, how do you know that spring is coming? 00:13:02.639 --> 00:13:02.759 Yeah? 00:13:04.059 --> 00:13:06.319 Well, the days get a little longer. 00:13:06.500 --> 00:13:07.840 The weather gets a little warmer. 00:13:08.720 --> 00:13:10.259 Unless you live here in New England, 00:13:10.460 --> 00:13:13.179 then it's always cold and it's always dark. 00:13:13.659 --> 00:13:15.000 And we live in utter despair. 00:13:15.000 --> 00:13:20.360 But then one day as you're walking along, 00:13:21.179 --> 00:13:24.019 you see something utterly out of place. 00:13:25.860 --> 00:13:28.980 Where once there was only withered grass and dirt, 00:13:29.919 --> 00:13:33.379 a flower has pushed through to the sky. 00:13:34.580 --> 00:13:36.700 A crocus pushes through a sign 00:13:36.700 --> 00:13:39.740 that winter's cold will be broken 00:13:39.740 --> 00:13:42.580 and a new season is coming. 00:13:42.580 --> 00:13:46.340 And how do you feel in that moment? 00:13:47.500 --> 00:13:48.379 What do you feel? 00:13:50.759 --> 00:13:51.400 Hope. 00:13:53.540 --> 00:13:54.200 Hope. 00:13:55.740 --> 00:13:58.740 Now, friends, if we feel that way 00:13:58.740 --> 00:14:01.280 because a flower pushed through the dirt, 00:14:02.040 --> 00:14:05.379 how much more can we live in hope 00:14:05.379 --> 00:14:08.040 knowing that in Jesus, 00:14:08.820 --> 00:14:12.100 God has taken our material creation into himself, 00:14:12.100 --> 00:14:13.980 suffered its deepest pain, 00:14:14.180 --> 00:14:16.840 and broken through death into resurrection life. 00:14:18.240 --> 00:14:20.220 The mending has begun 00:14:20.220 --> 00:14:22.440 and it cannot be turned back. 00:14:24.519 --> 00:14:25.820 And do you know what this means? 00:14:27.680 --> 00:14:30.220 It means that the human longing, 00:14:30.379 --> 00:14:33.600 the human longing for justice 00:14:33.600 --> 00:14:38.480 is not a mere wish, dream, 00:14:38.540 --> 00:14:39.860 or a cruel joke. 00:14:41.180 --> 00:14:44.320 Our hearts cry for the world to be put right, 00:14:44.580 --> 00:14:45.540 to be mended, 00:14:45.779 --> 00:14:46.759 to be restored. 00:14:47.220 --> 00:14:50.540 That hard cry is not just a mirage. 00:14:52.740 --> 00:14:54.820 You see, I think when humans long for justice, 00:14:54.940 --> 00:14:55.940 what we want, 00:14:56.440 --> 00:14:57.700 what we really want, 00:14:58.240 --> 00:15:01.620 is more than just for people to be treated fairly, 00:15:01.620 --> 00:15:03.080 although that's certainly part of it. 00:15:04.539 --> 00:15:06.360 I think what we yearn for 00:15:06.360 --> 00:15:09.980 is what the Bible calls not merely justice, 00:15:10.799 --> 00:15:11.820 but shalom, 00:15:13.240 --> 00:15:13.820 peace, 00:15:14.500 --> 00:15:17.019 the fabric of the world repaired, 00:15:17.019 --> 00:15:20.220 and the world made right and whole. 00:15:23.480 --> 00:15:26.179 What is it that sustains you? 00:15:27.220 --> 00:15:28.939 What is it that sustains you 00:15:28.939 --> 00:15:30.539 to keep longing 00:15:30.539 --> 00:15:32.159 and keep working 00:15:32.159 --> 00:15:33.840 for that sort of healing? 00:15:35.840 --> 00:15:37.379 Do you have an anchor? 00:15:38.179 --> 00:15:40.340 Do you have an anchor that supports you 00:15:40.340 --> 00:15:41.740 through disappointment, 00:15:42.299 --> 00:15:43.240 through setback, 00:15:43.620 --> 00:15:44.439 through failure? 00:15:44.440 --> 00:15:47.920 What will be your ballast 00:15:47.920 --> 00:15:49.460 when the brokenness 00:15:49.460 --> 00:15:51.220 seems to have the upper hand, 00:15:51.920 --> 00:15:53.880 when the dark winter of injustice 00:15:53.880 --> 00:15:55.880 seems to be never ending? 00:15:57.340 --> 00:16:00.140 What will be your anchor and your ballast? 00:16:02.320 --> 00:16:03.340 For Christians, 00:16:03.900 --> 00:16:06.600 we have an anchor. 00:16:07.560 --> 00:16:08.600 There is a ballast. 00:16:08.600 --> 00:16:11.200 There is a sturdy hope. 00:16:12.540 --> 00:16:14.019 The resurrection of Jesus, 00:16:14.379 --> 00:16:15.620 the body of our Lord, 00:16:16.060 --> 00:16:16.379 mended, 00:16:17.139 --> 00:16:17.600 promising 00:16:17.600 --> 00:16:19.300 that all of creation 00:16:19.300 --> 00:16:21.040 will not be abandoned to the gay, 00:16:21.740 --> 00:16:23.060 but one day healed. 00:16:24.960 --> 00:16:27.200 Do you have that kind of ballast 00:16:27.200 --> 00:16:28.139 in your life? 00:16:28.139 --> 00:16:32.779 But the resurrection of Jesus 00:16:32.779 --> 00:16:33.939 wasn't just good news, 00:16:33.980 --> 00:16:34.960 isn't just good news, 00:16:35.080 --> 00:16:36.299 for a broken creation. 00:16:37.039 --> 00:16:38.419 It's also good news 00:16:38.419 --> 00:16:40.000 for broken creatures. 00:16:42.639 --> 00:16:43.779 What this passage of Luke 00:16:43.779 --> 00:16:44.419 is showing us 00:16:44.419 --> 00:16:45.240 is that if the resurrection 00:16:45.240 --> 00:16:46.460 of Jesus is true, 00:16:47.120 --> 00:16:48.240 it means not just that 00:16:48.240 --> 00:16:50.100 the broken material creation 00:16:50.100 --> 00:16:50.840 will be mended, 00:16:51.600 --> 00:16:52.559 it also means that 00:16:52.559 --> 00:16:54.080 broken moral creatures, 00:16:55.080 --> 00:16:56.819 broken moral creatures 00:16:56.820 --> 00:16:58.120 can be forgiven. 00:17:00.120 --> 00:17:01.140 Look at what Jesus says 00:17:01.140 --> 00:17:02.000 in the next paragraph 00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:02.820 of our passage, 00:17:02.940 --> 00:17:04.100 starting in verse 46. 00:17:05.080 --> 00:17:05.820 And he said to them, 00:17:06.259 --> 00:17:07.019 thus it is written, 00:17:07.840 --> 00:17:09.019 that the Christ should suffer 00:17:09.019 --> 00:17:10.299 and on the third day 00:17:10.299 --> 00:17:11.220 rise from the dead, 00:17:11.640 --> 00:17:12.400 and that repentance 00:17:12.400 --> 00:17:14.120 for the forgiveness of sins 00:17:14.120 --> 00:17:15.880 should be proclaimed in his name 00:17:15.880 --> 00:17:16.860 to all nations 00:17:16.860 --> 00:17:18.320 beginning from Jerusalem. 00:17:20.360 --> 00:17:21.900 Because Jesus died 00:17:21.900 --> 00:17:23.160 and rose again, 00:17:23.799 --> 00:17:26.039 there is forgiveness of sins. 00:17:26.819 --> 00:17:28.519 And according to Jesus, 00:17:28.659 --> 00:17:29.679 nearly all of Scripture 00:17:29.679 --> 00:17:30.980 pointed to him in this way. 00:17:31.059 --> 00:17:31.759 That's what he says 00:17:31.759 --> 00:17:32.659 in the verses leading up 00:17:32.659 --> 00:17:33.480 to what I just read. 00:17:34.379 --> 00:17:35.460 Nearly all of Scripture 00:17:35.460 --> 00:17:37.679 pointed to this central fact. 00:17:38.879 --> 00:17:39.579 Think about it. 00:17:39.879 --> 00:17:41.019 In the law of Moses, 00:17:42.119 --> 00:17:43.720 the rock was struck 00:17:43.720 --> 00:17:45.460 and water poured out. 00:17:46.659 --> 00:17:48.619 A Passover lamb was slain 00:17:48.619 --> 00:17:50.659 and the people escaped slavery. 00:17:51.859 --> 00:17:52.779 In the prophets, 00:17:53.039 --> 00:17:54.500 the return from exile 00:17:54.500 --> 00:17:55.240 was foretold 00:17:55.240 --> 00:17:56.900 because a coming king 00:17:56.900 --> 00:17:59.900 would in a mysterious way 00:17:59.900 --> 00:18:02.559 bear the sins of the people. 00:18:04.000 --> 00:18:05.059 And in the Psalms, 00:18:05.160 --> 00:18:07.119 we hear the psalmist cry out, 00:18:07.200 --> 00:18:08.180 my God, my God, 00:18:08.240 --> 00:18:09.579 why have you forsaken me? 00:18:09.779 --> 00:18:10.799 But then we also hear 00:18:10.799 --> 00:18:11.579 the psalmist say, 00:18:11.880 --> 00:18:13.079 you will not abandon 00:18:13.079 --> 00:18:14.279 my soul to the grave 00:18:14.279 --> 00:18:16.099 or let your Holy One 00:18:16.099 --> 00:18:16.799 see corruption. 00:18:19.059 --> 00:18:20.180 These threads, 00:18:20.700 --> 00:18:21.740 these tunes, 00:18:21.740 --> 00:18:24.079 this symphony of the Old Testament 00:18:24.079 --> 00:18:27.539 resonates with the recurring theme 00:18:27.539 --> 00:18:28.980 again and again 00:18:28.980 --> 00:18:33.339 that sinners will be reconciled 00:18:33.339 --> 00:18:34.940 at a great cost 00:18:34.940 --> 00:18:38.640 and that cost will be borne 00:18:38.640 --> 00:18:40.019 by another. 00:18:41.960 --> 00:18:43.420 But who will bear it? 00:18:44.200 --> 00:18:45.420 Who will bear the cost? 00:18:46.660 --> 00:18:47.259 A lamb? 00:18:48.519 --> 00:18:49.400 A servant? 00:18:49.400 --> 00:18:49.680 No. 00:18:50.880 --> 00:18:51.440 No. 00:18:52.640 --> 00:18:53.740 The king will. 00:18:55.720 --> 00:18:57.580 God will bear it for his people. 00:18:59.200 --> 00:19:01.200 God will divest himself of glory 00:19:01.200 --> 00:19:03.840 and stand in the place of sinners. 00:19:05.519 --> 00:19:07.000 The offended one 00:19:07.000 --> 00:19:09.000 will take the offense 00:19:09.000 --> 00:19:11.040 so that the offenders 00:19:11.040 --> 00:19:12.320 can be forgiven. 00:19:12.319 --> 00:19:16.119 Do you see what was happening 00:19:16.119 --> 00:19:17.480 at the cross? 00:19:19.059 --> 00:19:21.240 The true rock 00:19:21.240 --> 00:19:22.779 was being struck. 00:19:23.619 --> 00:19:25.119 The true lamb 00:19:25.119 --> 00:19:26.240 was slain. 00:19:27.019 --> 00:19:28.159 The true king 00:19:28.159 --> 00:19:28.980 cried out, 00:19:29.119 --> 00:19:30.200 my God, my God, 00:19:30.299 --> 00:19:31.839 why have you forsaken me? 00:19:32.099 --> 00:19:33.319 What was it 00:19:33.319 --> 00:19:34.799 that was happening there? 00:19:36.619 --> 00:19:37.899 Well, an innocent one 00:19:37.899 --> 00:19:38.779 was being condemned 00:19:38.779 --> 00:19:39.779 as a criminal, right? 00:19:39.779 --> 00:19:40.839 But why? 00:19:43.079 --> 00:19:44.599 Because he stood there 00:19:44.599 --> 00:19:46.339 in our place. 00:19:47.920 --> 00:19:49.799 It wasn't just the suffering 00:19:49.799 --> 00:19:51.059 of material creation 00:19:51.059 --> 00:19:52.139 he took upon himself 00:19:52.139 --> 00:19:52.899 at the cross, 00:19:53.319 --> 00:19:56.420 but it was the just sentence 00:19:56.420 --> 00:19:58.980 of our failed moral record. 00:20:00.759 --> 00:20:02.319 The judge of all 00:20:02.319 --> 00:20:03.700 was judged 00:20:03.700 --> 00:20:05.119 in our place. 00:20:05.119 --> 00:20:08.339 But in the resurrection, 00:20:09.239 --> 00:20:11.039 in the resurrection, 00:20:11.319 --> 00:20:12.879 a new verdict 00:20:12.879 --> 00:20:13.919 was cast. 00:20:14.739 --> 00:20:15.879 If at the cross 00:20:15.879 --> 00:20:17.199 Jesus was condemned, 00:20:18.059 --> 00:20:19.199 in the resurrection 00:20:19.199 --> 00:20:20.359 he was vindicated, 00:20:20.500 --> 00:20:21.539 he was justified, 00:20:21.639 --> 00:20:23.099 he was pronounced innocent. 00:20:24.099 --> 00:20:25.699 But that new verdict 00:20:25.699 --> 00:20:27.019 that overturned 00:20:27.019 --> 00:20:27.659 the old verdict, 00:20:27.919 --> 00:20:28.979 that new verdict 00:20:28.979 --> 00:20:30.679 wasn't just for himself. 00:20:32.059 --> 00:20:34.139 If he died for us, 00:20:34.140 --> 00:20:37.160 he also rose for us. 00:20:38.540 --> 00:20:39.720 In his death, 00:20:39.820 --> 00:20:41.100 we see our sins 00:20:41.100 --> 00:20:42.820 and all their horror. 00:20:44.100 --> 00:20:45.460 But in his resurrection, 00:20:45.860 --> 00:20:47.060 we see our forgiveness 00:20:47.060 --> 00:20:47.960 and our healing 00:20:47.960 --> 00:20:49.200 and our acceptance 00:20:49.200 --> 00:20:50.480 in all of its beauty. 00:20:51.940 --> 00:20:53.180 So the risen Jesus 00:20:53.180 --> 00:20:54.500 stands among his disciples 00:20:54.500 --> 00:20:55.160 and he says, 00:20:56.200 --> 00:20:57.040 peace to you. 00:20:58.820 --> 00:21:00.340 Peace to you. 00:21:00.339 --> 00:21:02.519 And the forgiveness 00:21:02.519 --> 00:21:03.199 of sins 00:21:03.199 --> 00:21:04.299 can now be announced 00:21:04.299 --> 00:21:05.259 to all people 00:21:05.259 --> 00:21:06.319 everywhere 00:21:06.319 --> 00:21:08.439 starting right here 00:21:08.439 --> 00:21:08.980 in Jerusalem, 00:21:09.139 --> 00:21:09.579 he says. 00:21:10.259 --> 00:21:11.659 But it won't stop there. 00:21:13.119 --> 00:21:13.759 This forgiveness 00:21:13.759 --> 00:21:15.539 is for not just Jerusalem, 00:21:15.720 --> 00:21:16.579 but for Judea 00:21:16.579 --> 00:21:17.539 and for Samaria. 00:21:18.659 --> 00:21:19.439 And then the gospel 00:21:19.439 --> 00:21:20.139 will advance. 00:21:20.279 --> 00:21:21.119 It's for India 00:21:21.119 --> 00:21:22.039 and it's for Ethiopia 00:21:22.039 --> 00:21:23.419 and then it will keep going. 00:21:23.500 --> 00:21:24.259 It's for Rome 00:21:24.259 --> 00:21:25.459 and it's for Shanghai 00:21:25.459 --> 00:21:26.859 and then it will keep going. 00:21:26.980 --> 00:21:27.859 It's for New Zealand 00:21:27.859 --> 00:21:29.500 and it's for New Haven. 00:21:29.500 --> 00:21:34.579 The forgiveness of sins 00:21:34.579 --> 00:21:36.359 is for you, friends. 00:21:39.619 --> 00:21:40.400 Now I wonder, 00:21:40.500 --> 00:21:41.500 is the forgiveness of sins 00:21:41.500 --> 00:21:42.859 a practical matter for you? 00:21:44.519 --> 00:21:45.119 Of course, 00:21:45.180 --> 00:21:45.799 if there is a God 00:21:45.799 --> 00:21:46.700 who created us, 00:21:47.440 --> 00:21:48.859 then a reconciled relationship 00:21:48.859 --> 00:21:49.720 with our Creator 00:21:49.720 --> 00:21:50.839 seems fairly practical, 00:21:50.940 --> 00:21:51.299 I think. 00:21:53.500 --> 00:21:54.420 But if you're struggling 00:21:54.420 --> 00:21:54.819 with that, 00:21:54.880 --> 00:21:55.700 think about it this way. 00:21:57.160 --> 00:21:57.680 You know, 00:21:57.700 --> 00:21:58.380 in this life, 00:21:58.380 --> 00:22:00.280 you are certain 00:22:00.280 --> 00:22:02.600 to have broken relationships 00:22:02.600 --> 00:22:03.820 with fellow humans. 00:22:05.060 --> 00:22:06.020 As human beings, 00:22:06.100 --> 00:22:06.620 the one thing, 00:22:06.760 --> 00:22:07.240 tragically, 00:22:07.300 --> 00:22:08.480 we seem really good at 00:22:08.480 --> 00:22:09.580 is hurting 00:22:09.580 --> 00:22:10.720 and offending one another. 00:22:12.500 --> 00:22:13.420 And of course, 00:22:13.640 --> 00:22:14.740 we're told 00:22:14.740 --> 00:22:16.140 we must forgive. 00:22:16.860 --> 00:22:17.780 We have to forgive. 00:22:17.880 --> 00:22:18.880 It's the only way 00:22:18.880 --> 00:22:19.540 to release 00:22:19.540 --> 00:22:20.060 the bitterness 00:22:20.060 --> 00:22:20.720 and the pain. 00:22:20.820 --> 00:22:21.340 It's the only way 00:22:21.340 --> 00:22:21.940 to stop 00:22:21.940 --> 00:22:23.140 the cycle of violence. 00:22:23.140 --> 00:22:23.960 we have to forgive 00:22:23.960 --> 00:22:24.340 each other. 00:22:24.860 --> 00:22:25.660 But how? 00:22:28.259 --> 00:22:29.540 How will you forgive 00:22:29.540 --> 00:22:30.900 those who've wronged you? 00:22:32.200 --> 00:22:33.420 How will you release 00:22:33.420 --> 00:22:33.960 the bitterness 00:22:33.960 --> 00:22:35.200 and pain 00:22:35.200 --> 00:22:36.740 that eats you up inside? 00:22:38.800 --> 00:22:40.320 Or must you carry it 00:22:40.320 --> 00:22:41.500 all your days 00:22:41.500 --> 00:22:42.660 like a weight 00:22:42.660 --> 00:22:43.440 that drags 00:22:43.440 --> 00:22:44.200 against your soul? 00:22:44.200 --> 00:22:47.120 How will you do it? 00:22:49.920 --> 00:22:50.400 Friends, 00:22:50.480 --> 00:22:51.720 try as we may. 00:22:53.240 --> 00:22:54.480 The reality is 00:22:54.480 --> 00:22:56.860 only those 00:22:56.860 --> 00:22:58.319 who've been 00:22:58.319 --> 00:22:59.539 forgiven 00:22:59.539 --> 00:23:01.600 have the power 00:23:01.600 --> 00:23:02.340 to turn 00:23:02.340 --> 00:23:03.259 and forgive. 00:23:05.180 --> 00:23:06.120 When you see 00:23:06.120 --> 00:23:06.700 the weight 00:23:06.700 --> 00:23:07.559 of your wrongs 00:23:07.559 --> 00:23:08.220 and failings 00:23:08.220 --> 00:23:09.519 borne by Jesus, 00:23:09.519 --> 00:23:11.879 when you see 00:23:11.879 --> 00:23:13.200 that His resurrection 00:23:13.200 --> 00:23:14.599 is the real verdict 00:23:14.599 --> 00:23:15.420 over your life 00:23:15.420 --> 00:23:16.519 that you've been released 00:23:16.519 --> 00:23:17.619 of your great 00:23:17.619 --> 00:23:18.799 and many wrongs, 00:23:19.279 --> 00:23:20.200 only then 00:23:20.200 --> 00:23:21.900 can you turn 00:23:21.900 --> 00:23:22.319 to those 00:23:22.319 --> 00:23:23.180 who've wronged you 00:23:23.180 --> 00:23:25.559 and do the unthinkable. 00:23:26.799 --> 00:23:27.619 Only then 00:23:27.619 --> 00:23:28.579 can you too 00:23:28.579 --> 00:23:30.039 forgive. 00:23:33.480 --> 00:23:34.619 How many friendships, 00:23:34.980 --> 00:23:36.079 how many marriages, 00:23:36.339 --> 00:23:37.619 how many wars 00:23:37.619 --> 00:23:38.660 and conflicts 00:23:38.660 --> 00:23:40.040 could be healed 00:23:40.040 --> 00:23:42.000 if we knew 00:23:42.000 --> 00:23:43.200 this power? 00:23:44.279 --> 00:23:46.040 If this power 00:23:46.040 --> 00:23:46.920 was ours 00:23:46.920 --> 00:23:47.460 that only 00:23:47.460 --> 00:23:48.080 the resurrection 00:23:48.080 --> 00:23:48.720 of Jesus 00:23:48.720 --> 00:23:49.420 can bring? 00:23:50.800 --> 00:23:51.279 And friends, 00:23:51.320 --> 00:23:51.980 this is a power 00:23:51.980 --> 00:23:52.759 held out to you. 00:23:55.720 --> 00:23:56.300 And so, 00:23:56.380 --> 00:23:56.740 the resurrection 00:23:56.740 --> 00:23:57.140 of Jesus 00:23:57.140 --> 00:23:58.380 is good news. 00:23:59.140 --> 00:23:59.660 It's good news 00:23:59.660 --> 00:24:00.480 for this world, 00:24:00.560 --> 00:24:01.220 not just some 00:24:01.220 --> 00:24:02.380 corner of our lives 00:24:02.380 --> 00:24:03.120 we call spiritual 00:24:03.120 --> 00:24:03.660 or religious. 00:24:03.840 --> 00:24:04.420 It's good news 00:24:04.420 --> 00:24:05.600 for our material lives 00:24:05.600 --> 00:24:06.720 and our moral lives. 00:24:07.180 --> 00:24:07.820 It's good news 00:24:07.820 --> 00:24:08.400 of justice. 00:24:08.400 --> 00:24:09.000 It's good news 00:24:09.000 --> 00:24:10.160 of reconciliation. 00:24:10.660 --> 00:24:11.759 It's the good news 00:24:11.759 --> 00:24:12.780 from the front lines 00:24:12.780 --> 00:24:14.019 that the decisive victory 00:24:14.019 --> 00:24:14.780 has been won 00:24:14.780 --> 00:24:16.440 and now we're called 00:24:16.440 --> 00:24:17.320 to order 00:24:17.320 --> 00:24:18.560 our entire lives 00:24:18.560 --> 00:24:19.200 around it. 00:24:20.500 --> 00:24:21.860 To take this truth 00:24:21.860 --> 00:24:22.740 into our hearts 00:24:22.740 --> 00:24:23.180 and our lives, 00:24:23.240 --> 00:24:24.220 to receive it 00:24:24.220 --> 00:24:25.220 with what the Bible 00:24:25.220 --> 00:24:25.980 calls belief 00:24:25.980 --> 00:24:26.519 and to order 00:24:26.519 --> 00:24:27.560 our whole lives 00:24:27.560 --> 00:24:28.200 around it. 00:24:28.460 --> 00:24:29.460 And that reordering 00:24:29.460 --> 00:24:30.780 is what Jesus means 00:24:30.780 --> 00:24:31.380 by the word 00:24:31.380 --> 00:24:32.540 repentance. 00:24:32.539 --> 00:24:32.740 repentance. 00:24:33.740 --> 00:24:34.899 In verse 45. 00:24:36.859 --> 00:24:37.240 Now, 00:24:37.279 --> 00:24:37.839 of all the words, 00:24:37.920 --> 00:24:38.519 that one sounds 00:24:38.519 --> 00:24:39.359 like a religious word, 00:24:39.420 --> 00:24:39.559 right? 00:24:39.639 --> 00:24:39.940 Come on. 00:24:40.460 --> 00:24:40.859 Repentance. 00:24:42.259 --> 00:24:43.259 But it simply means 00:24:43.259 --> 00:24:44.200 to change your mind. 00:24:45.779 --> 00:24:46.960 To change your mind 00:24:46.960 --> 00:24:48.119 and to live your life 00:24:48.119 --> 00:24:49.740 in light of the good news. 00:24:49.740 --> 00:24:52.980 I remember hearing 00:24:52.980 --> 00:24:54.279 a story of World War II 00:24:54.279 --> 00:24:56.440 about a Japanese soldier 00:24:56.440 --> 00:24:58.059 stationed on a remote island 00:24:58.059 --> 00:24:58.880 in the Philippines, 00:24:59.339 --> 00:25:00.420 I think in like 1944 00:25:00.420 --> 00:25:01.180 or something, 00:25:01.279 --> 00:25:01.960 as the war was 00:25:01.960 --> 00:25:04.420 kind of grinding on 00:25:04.420 --> 00:25:05.019 in the Pacific. 00:25:06.299 --> 00:25:07.099 But when the war 00:25:07.099 --> 00:25:08.019 had come to an end 00:25:08.019 --> 00:25:08.980 in 1945, 00:25:10.259 --> 00:25:11.019 this soldier 00:25:11.019 --> 00:25:12.200 apparently kept fighting. 00:25:12.200 --> 00:25:14.319 At first, 00:25:14.380 --> 00:25:15.299 he hadn't heard the news, 00:25:15.400 --> 00:25:16.240 but then search parties 00:25:16.240 --> 00:25:17.440 actually did reach him, 00:25:18.059 --> 00:25:19.620 but they couldn't convince him 00:25:19.620 --> 00:25:21.220 that the battle had ended. 00:25:21.759 --> 00:25:22.980 One article I read 00:25:22.980 --> 00:25:24.200 said that they actually 00:25:24.200 --> 00:25:25.100 carried photos 00:25:25.100 --> 00:25:26.380 from his family members 00:25:26.380 --> 00:25:27.360 to him, 00:25:27.400 --> 00:25:27.759 but he thought 00:25:27.759 --> 00:25:28.600 that they were fakes 00:25:28.600 --> 00:25:30.200 because his hometown 00:25:30.200 --> 00:25:30.700 during the war 00:25:30.700 --> 00:25:31.680 had been bombed and rebuilt 00:25:31.680 --> 00:25:32.299 and the buildings 00:25:32.299 --> 00:25:32.740 and the images 00:25:32.740 --> 00:25:33.720 didn't match his memories. 00:25:34.880 --> 00:25:36.100 So he couldn't be convinced. 00:25:36.340 --> 00:25:37.700 So for 30 years, 00:25:37.799 --> 00:25:38.059 apparently, 00:25:38.160 --> 00:25:38.840 he held out 00:25:38.840 --> 00:25:40.279 continuing to wage war 00:25:40.279 --> 00:25:42.100 on his little island 00:25:42.099 --> 00:25:43.939 despite all the messages 00:25:43.939 --> 00:25:44.839 he had received. 00:25:48.519 --> 00:25:50.240 Imagine if this lonely soldier 00:25:50.240 --> 00:25:52.919 had just believed the news. 00:25:54.539 --> 00:25:55.740 He could have come home. 00:25:56.719 --> 00:25:57.679 He could have been reunited 00:25:57.679 --> 00:25:58.419 with his family. 00:25:58.539 --> 00:25:59.039 He could have been 00:25:59.039 --> 00:26:00.319 part of rebuilding 00:26:00.319 --> 00:26:01.799 his life and his country. 00:26:05.619 --> 00:26:06.259 I wonder, 00:26:06.359 --> 00:26:06.839 what do you make 00:26:06.839 --> 00:26:07.579 of this good news 00:26:07.579 --> 00:26:08.679 of Jesus' resurrection? 00:26:10.939 --> 00:26:11.919 Perhaps you're not ready 00:26:11.920 --> 00:26:13.300 to fully embrace it 00:26:13.300 --> 00:26:14.200 and order your life 00:26:14.200 --> 00:26:15.259 around him as Lord. 00:26:15.519 --> 00:26:16.779 And that's understandable 00:26:16.779 --> 00:26:17.920 if you're new to Christianity 00:26:17.920 --> 00:26:19.080 or still trying to figure out 00:26:19.080 --> 00:26:20.320 what you believe about Jesus. 00:26:20.460 --> 00:26:21.440 But, you know, 00:26:21.560 --> 00:26:22.740 what is on offer 00:26:22.740 --> 00:26:23.900 in the resurrection of Jesus 00:26:23.900 --> 00:26:24.920 is so great. 00:26:25.360 --> 00:26:26.620 The news is so good 00:26:26.620 --> 00:26:27.820 that you can't just 00:26:27.820 --> 00:26:29.019 sort of forget about it. 00:26:30.060 --> 00:26:31.660 You have to look into it. 00:26:32.420 --> 00:26:33.720 You have to look into 00:26:33.720 --> 00:26:34.759 what this passage calls 00:26:34.759 --> 00:26:35.340 the witnesses. 00:26:37.080 --> 00:26:38.240 Jesus says to his disciples 00:26:38.240 --> 00:26:38.740 in 48, 00:26:38.740 --> 00:26:40.099 you're witnesses 00:26:40.099 --> 00:26:41.140 of these things. 00:26:41.960 --> 00:26:43.440 The best thing you can do 00:26:43.440 --> 00:26:45.059 is to consider 00:26:45.059 --> 00:26:45.900 these witnesses 00:26:45.900 --> 00:26:46.779 for yourself. 00:26:47.799 --> 00:26:48.599 Take up a book 00:26:48.599 --> 00:26:49.799 like the Gospel of Luke 00:26:49.799 --> 00:26:51.380 or the Gospel of Mark 00:26:51.380 --> 00:26:52.500 and read it. 00:26:55.039 --> 00:26:56.279 Consider this good news 00:26:56.279 --> 00:26:56.980 for yourself. 00:26:58.579 --> 00:26:59.519 And if you do, 00:26:59.680 --> 00:27:00.559 it's good to keep in mind 00:27:00.559 --> 00:27:01.099 a few things 00:27:01.099 --> 00:27:02.220 about these witnesses. 00:27:04.039 --> 00:27:05.220 Consider the date 00:27:05.220 --> 00:27:06.120 of these witnesses. 00:27:06.339 --> 00:27:07.059 Most of the New Testament 00:27:07.059 --> 00:27:08.579 was written only a few decades 00:27:08.579 --> 00:27:09.960 after the events 00:27:09.960 --> 00:27:10.799 that they describe. 00:27:11.579 --> 00:27:12.000 Historically, 00:27:12.039 --> 00:27:13.259 that's incredibly close 00:27:13.259 --> 00:27:14.339 to the events themselves. 00:27:15.259 --> 00:27:16.379 Certainly not enough time 00:27:16.379 --> 00:27:17.119 for sort of legends 00:27:17.119 --> 00:27:18.240 to grow in the telling. 00:27:20.379 --> 00:27:21.419 And consider not just 00:27:21.419 --> 00:27:22.659 the date of those witnesses, 00:27:22.859 --> 00:27:24.000 but consider the character 00:27:24.000 --> 00:27:24.720 of the witnesses. 00:27:25.559 --> 00:27:26.200 As you read, 00:27:26.259 --> 00:27:27.099 do they seem to be 00:27:27.099 --> 00:27:28.099 spinning a tale 00:27:28.099 --> 00:27:29.899 for power or prestige? 00:27:31.899 --> 00:27:32.419 Historically, 00:27:32.419 --> 00:27:33.839 we know that nearly 00:27:33.839 --> 00:27:34.599 all of them 00:27:34.599 --> 00:27:36.219 died as martyrs 00:27:36.219 --> 00:27:37.000 for their testimony 00:27:37.000 --> 00:27:37.579 to Jesus. 00:27:38.259 --> 00:27:39.199 They had very little 00:27:39.199 --> 00:27:39.759 to gain, 00:27:40.019 --> 00:27:40.759 earthly speaking. 00:27:42.319 --> 00:27:42.919 Their character 00:27:42.919 --> 00:27:43.899 seems trustworthy. 00:27:46.319 --> 00:27:47.139 But finally, 00:27:47.299 --> 00:27:47.939 consider not just 00:27:47.939 --> 00:27:48.419 the date 00:27:48.419 --> 00:27:49.099 or the character 00:27:49.099 --> 00:27:49.779 of the witnesses, 00:27:50.679 --> 00:27:51.399 consider also 00:27:51.399 --> 00:27:51.959 the power, 00:27:52.079 --> 00:27:52.699 the impact 00:27:52.699 --> 00:27:53.299 that they had. 00:27:55.279 --> 00:27:56.159 Kenneth Scott Lotzerey 00:27:56.159 --> 00:27:56.959 was a church historian 00:27:56.959 --> 00:27:57.319 at Yale 00:27:57.319 --> 00:27:57.879 in the first half 00:27:57.879 --> 00:27:58.740 of the 20th century, 00:27:59.619 --> 00:28:00.719 and he wrote this 00:28:00.719 --> 00:28:01.819 in one of his works 00:28:01.819 --> 00:28:02.299 on Christianity. 00:28:02.439 --> 00:28:02.639 He said, 00:28:02.640 --> 00:28:03.420 why did Christianity 00:28:03.420 --> 00:28:05.500 succeed despite 00:28:05.500 --> 00:28:06.480 getting more severe 00:28:06.480 --> 00:28:07.240 opposition than 00:28:07.240 --> 00:28:08.060 any other religion? 00:28:09.340 --> 00:28:10.320 Why did Christianity 00:28:10.320 --> 00:28:11.259 succeed though it had 00:28:11.259 --> 00:28:12.480 no influential backers 00:28:12.480 --> 00:28:13.180 in high places 00:28:13.180 --> 00:28:14.280 but consisted mainly 00:28:14.280 --> 00:28:15.360 of the poor and slaves? 00:28:16.620 --> 00:28:17.540 How did Christianity 00:28:17.540 --> 00:28:18.940 succeed so completely 00:28:18.940 --> 00:28:20.000 that it forced 00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:20.800 the most powerful 00:28:20.800 --> 00:28:21.700 state in history 00:28:21.700 --> 00:28:22.540 to come to terms 00:28:22.540 --> 00:28:22.960 with it 00:28:22.960 --> 00:28:24.440 and then outlive 00:28:24.440 --> 00:28:25.240 the very empire 00:28:25.240 --> 00:28:25.660 that sought 00:28:25.660 --> 00:28:26.340 to uproot it? 00:28:28.020 --> 00:28:29.080 It is clear 00:28:29.080 --> 00:28:29.960 that at the very 00:28:29.960 --> 00:28:31.380 beginning of Christianity, 00:28:31.380 --> 00:28:33.040 there must have 00:28:33.040 --> 00:28:34.140 occurred a vast 00:28:34.140 --> 00:28:35.700 release of energy 00:28:35.700 --> 00:28:37.760 perhaps unequaled 00:28:37.760 --> 00:28:39.120 in our history. 00:28:42.120 --> 00:28:43.380 How does a failed 00:28:43.380 --> 00:28:44.680 messianic movement 00:28:44.680 --> 00:28:45.720 in first century 00:28:45.720 --> 00:28:46.420 Palestine 00:28:46.420 --> 00:28:47.780 change the world? 00:28:49.320 --> 00:28:50.760 How do you explain 00:28:50.760 --> 00:28:53.060 that unprecedented impact? 00:28:55.760 --> 00:28:56.500 But you know, 00:28:56.520 --> 00:28:57.100 as you consider 00:28:57.100 --> 00:28:57.680 these witnesses, 00:28:57.840 --> 00:28:58.220 it would be helpful 00:28:58.220 --> 00:28:58.740 to consider 00:28:58.740 --> 00:28:59.820 your own beliefs too. 00:28:59.819 --> 00:29:00.779 You know, 00:29:00.799 --> 00:29:01.359 don't just put the 00:29:01.359 --> 00:29:01.839 message of the 00:29:01.839 --> 00:29:02.839 resurrection to the test, 00:29:03.000 --> 00:29:03.919 put your own beliefs 00:29:03.919 --> 00:29:04.559 to the test. 00:29:06.119 --> 00:29:07.099 What resources 00:29:07.099 --> 00:29:08.159 do you pull from 00:29:08.159 --> 00:29:09.879 to work for justice 00:29:09.879 --> 00:29:10.759 when the setbacks 00:29:10.759 --> 00:29:12.200 and failures 00:29:12.200 --> 00:29:13.240 seem insurmountable? 00:29:13.879 --> 00:29:14.679 What resources 00:29:14.679 --> 00:29:15.639 do you pull from 00:29:15.639 --> 00:29:16.659 to practice forgiveness 00:29:16.659 --> 00:29:17.539 when you've been 00:29:17.539 --> 00:29:18.539 hurt or wronged? 00:29:18.700 --> 00:29:19.700 Is there anything 00:29:19.700 --> 00:29:21.079 in your worldview 00:29:21.079 --> 00:29:22.119 to empower you 00:29:22.119 --> 00:29:22.799 to live 00:29:22.799 --> 00:29:23.740 the way the 00:29:23.740 --> 00:29:24.720 resurrection of Jesus 00:29:24.720 --> 00:29:25.639 could empower you 00:29:25.639 --> 00:29:26.119 to live? 00:29:26.119 --> 00:29:29.099 And if not, 00:29:29.879 --> 00:29:31.779 why do you keep 00:29:31.779 --> 00:29:32.519 on holding on 00:29:32.519 --> 00:29:33.219 to your worldview? 00:29:35.699 --> 00:29:36.819 Why do you remain 00:29:36.819 --> 00:29:37.539 on the island 00:29:37.539 --> 00:29:39.239 fighting a long 00:29:39.239 --> 00:29:40.059 forgotten war 00:29:40.059 --> 00:29:41.759 when the victory 00:29:41.759 --> 00:29:42.500 has been won 00:29:42.500 --> 00:29:44.159 and the new creation 00:29:44.159 --> 00:29:44.759 is underway? 00:29:47.079 --> 00:29:47.939 Give your life 00:29:47.939 --> 00:29:48.319 to Him. 00:29:49.939 --> 00:29:50.579 Hear Him say, 00:29:50.739 --> 00:29:51.759 peace to you, 00:29:51.839 --> 00:29:52.839 your sins are forgiven. 00:29:52.839 --> 00:29:55.019 Now go and live 00:29:55.019 --> 00:29:56.240 as an agent 00:29:56.240 --> 00:29:57.199 of the new creation 00:29:57.199 --> 00:29:58.019 right here in the 00:29:58.019 --> 00:29:58.720 midst of the old 00:29:58.720 --> 00:30:00.959 until the great day 00:30:00.959 --> 00:30:01.859 comes when the glory 00:30:01.859 --> 00:30:02.399 of God 00:30:02.399 --> 00:30:03.740 covers the earth 00:30:03.740 --> 00:30:04.419 like the waters 00:30:04.419 --> 00:30:05.259 cover the sea 00:30:05.259 --> 00:30:06.899 and God makes 00:30:06.899 --> 00:30:07.679 all things new. 00:30:09.079 --> 00:30:10.059 Let's pray together. 00:30:16.599 --> 00:30:17.599 Father, we pray 00:30:17.599 --> 00:30:20.579 first a prayer 00:30:20.579 --> 00:30:21.819 of great rejoicing 00:30:21.819 --> 00:30:22.699 and thanksgiving. 00:30:22.839 --> 00:30:24.139 that Christ 00:30:24.139 --> 00:30:24.819 is raised 00:30:24.819 --> 00:30:27.099 and the great 00:30:27.099 --> 00:30:28.079 hope that we have 00:30:28.079 --> 00:30:28.879 not just for the 00:30:28.879 --> 00:30:29.639 life to come 00:30:29.639 --> 00:30:30.720 but the great 00:30:30.720 --> 00:30:31.679 hope and strength 00:30:31.679 --> 00:30:32.359 it gives us 00:30:32.359 --> 00:30:33.639 for living our lives 00:30:33.639 --> 00:30:34.039 now. 00:30:35.799 --> 00:30:36.639 Father, we ask 00:30:36.639 --> 00:30:37.099 that you would 00:30:37.099 --> 00:30:37.859 grant faith 00:30:37.859 --> 00:30:38.480 to those who 00:30:38.480 --> 00:30:39.099 have been wrestling 00:30:39.099 --> 00:30:39.759 with the claims 00:30:39.759 --> 00:30:40.379 of Christ. 00:30:42.059 --> 00:30:43.179 Let them surrender 00:30:43.179 --> 00:30:44.059 to His beauty 00:30:44.059 --> 00:30:44.899 and to know 00:30:44.899 --> 00:30:45.579 your peace. 00:30:47.659 --> 00:30:48.399 Father, grant 00:30:48.399 --> 00:30:49.279 courage to those 00:30:49.279 --> 00:30:49.879 whose hearts 00:30:49.879 --> 00:30:50.579 are drawn to 00:30:50.579 --> 00:30:51.699 consider these things 00:30:51.699 --> 00:30:52.419 more deeply 00:30:52.420 --> 00:30:53.820 Lord, help them 00:30:53.820 --> 00:30:54.980 to follow through 00:30:54.980 --> 00:30:57.920 with the curiosity 00:30:57.920 --> 00:30:59.480 and the desire 00:30:59.480 --> 00:31:00.420 to explore these 00:31:00.420 --> 00:31:01.240 things more fully. 00:31:03.240 --> 00:31:04.080 And for those 00:31:04.080 --> 00:31:05.039 who believe in you, 00:31:06.140 --> 00:31:06.880 grant us renewed 00:31:06.880 --> 00:31:07.320 hope 00:31:07.320 --> 00:31:09.740 that life in your 00:31:09.740 --> 00:31:10.740 resurrected kingdom 00:31:10.740 --> 00:31:11.920 is life abundant. 00:31:12.460 --> 00:31:13.259 Make us a people 00:31:13.259 --> 00:31:14.460 who rejoice in hope 00:31:14.460 --> 00:31:15.800 and who live as 00:31:15.800 --> 00:31:16.500 people of hope 00:31:16.500 --> 00:31:17.640 loving and forgiving. 00:31:17.640 --> 00:31:19.140 to the praise of 00:31:19.140 --> 00:31:19.880 your name, Jesus. 00:31:21.100 --> 00:31:21.400 Amen.