WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:21.500 Again, happy Easter. Welcome to Church of the Advent. My name is Thomas. I'm the rector here and we're delighted to welcome you this morning. Hands down my favorite time of the year, Easter Sunday, and especially wonderful to be here in this new church home, this new space. Many of you have been a part of making this happen. 00:00:21.500 --> 00:00:43.659 So we are deeply indebted to you and to the Lord for his goodness in bringing us here. There's a musician named Joshua Bell whom you may be familiar with. He's considered to be one of the finest classical musicians in our era. Widely recognized, many, many awards and recognitions. 00:00:43.659 --> 00:01:01.420 And Joshua Bell typically charges about $1,000 a minute to play wherever he plays. Years back, the Washington Post, and those of you who have been around D.C. for a long time may remember this, the Washington Post brought Joshua Bell in to try a little social experiment. 00:01:01.420 --> 00:01:28.180 And they set him up at a metro stop on a busy weekday morning, and they asked him to play for 45 minutes at the metro stop. Joshua Bell, one of the finest musicians in the world, played some of the most beautiful music ever composed in human history on a Stradivarius violin worth, at that time, $3.5 million. 00:01:28.180 --> 00:01:40.160 One of the finest instruments in the world. One of the finest instruments in existence. Over 1,000 people passed by that morning on their way to work and various things. How many people do you think stopped? 00:01:42.420 --> 00:01:57.360 Seven. Over 1,000 people passed by. Seven people stopped to listen. And whatever the reason might be for these people going on their way, maybe they were busy, maybe they were late, maybe they were distracted. 00:01:57.359 --> 00:02:07.319 This is the same year the iPhone came out. It was in 2007, so maybe that had something to do with it. Or maybe they just weren't music aficionados. Whatever their reasons might be. 00:02:07.319 --> 00:02:19.799 You read about that story and it immediately provoked and said, if that had been me, if I had been walking by that morning at that metro stop in downtown D.C., would I have stopped? 00:02:20.560 --> 00:02:29.139 Would I have looked? Would I have recognized the significance of what was happening right in front of my face? Or would I have missed it? 00:02:29.139 --> 00:02:59.119 Would I have missed it? 00:02:59.120 --> 00:03:10.960 Second glance. But those who have stopped and those who have looked and those who have come to understand the significance of that moment have had their lives transformed. 00:03:11.780 --> 00:03:17.379 And those of you who are part of our church who know my story know that is exactly what happened to me at age 22. 00:03:17.379 --> 00:03:26.280 I stopped. I looked. I didn't know what I was expecting to find, but it ended up changing the course of my entire life. 00:03:26.359 --> 00:03:31.319 I came to realize that what we're dealing with when we talk about the resurrection of Jesus is not a myth. 00:03:31.859 --> 00:03:34.960 It's not a fanciful idea that got a religion going. 00:03:35.500 --> 00:03:37.340 It's actually a historic fact. 00:03:37.340 --> 00:03:40.800 And it presents the world with a question of what do you believe? 00:03:40.919 --> 00:03:43.280 How do you make sense of the empty tomb? 00:03:43.280 --> 00:03:48.180 And this morning we're going to look at the very first person to stop and look. 00:03:49.319 --> 00:03:54.920 The very first person in history to come to understand the significance of the empty tomb. 00:03:55.020 --> 00:03:56.039 The first witness. 00:03:57.920 --> 00:04:08.099 St. Augustine referred to her as the apostle to the apostles because she's the one that Jesus commissioned to go and tell the other apostles about the meaning of the tomb. 00:04:08.099 --> 00:04:10.500 And of course, we're talking about Mary Magdalene. 00:04:11.139 --> 00:04:13.479 So we're going to look at Mary Magdalene in John chapter 20. 00:04:13.579 --> 00:04:21.139 She gives us a beautiful example of how to stop and look and investigate and ultimately come to believe in the resurrection. 00:04:21.339 --> 00:04:27.779 She shows us that faith is what happens when honest inquiry meets divine grace and they come together. 00:04:27.899 --> 00:04:28.319 Let's pray. 00:04:29.879 --> 00:04:34.180 Our heavenly father, we thank you for this morning and the joy that is so evident here. 00:04:34.259 --> 00:04:35.939 Your presence, which is so obvious here. 00:04:35.939 --> 00:04:44.360 Lord, I thank you that in whatever state we came in this morning, whatever we were expecting, whatever might be tugging at the edges of our mind, distracting us. 00:04:44.500 --> 00:04:48.660 We thank you that you're here with us and it's your voice we seek. 00:04:49.560 --> 00:04:53.519 Lord, not human thoughts or wisdom, but your voice speaking to each one of us. 00:04:53.600 --> 00:04:57.240 Lord, we pray and that we would have open hearts. 00:04:58.100 --> 00:04:59.560 We pray this in Jesus' name. 00:04:59.779 --> 00:05:00.000 Amen. 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:00.139 Amen. 00:05:01.339 --> 00:05:09.139 So the first thing we see in Mary and her encounter with the tomb is we see a beautiful example of what we would call honest inquiry. 00:05:09.860 --> 00:05:15.139 The first thing we learn about Mary in this passage is that Mary is not naive. 00:05:16.500 --> 00:05:21.279 She doesn't show up expecting a miracle and that's extremely important. 00:05:21.459 --> 00:05:23.439 She shows up expecting a body. 00:05:23.439 --> 00:05:34.339 She shows up expecting to grieve by the dead body of the teacher and mentor that she had come to love and follow. 00:05:34.660 --> 00:05:38.720 And so when she sees that the tomb is empty, her first thought is not resurrection. 00:05:38.899 --> 00:05:40.860 Her first thought is grave robbers. 00:05:41.860 --> 00:05:47.240 Her first thought is somebody has done something awful and we have to figure out where they've hidden his body. 00:05:47.240 --> 00:05:56.439 And the gospel writer, John, who wrote this account, tells us that the disciples did not yet understand the scriptures about the resurrection. 00:05:57.740 --> 00:06:00.079 Nobody was expecting resurrection. 00:06:01.139 --> 00:06:04.000 Nobody was thinking this is what was going to happen. 00:06:04.079 --> 00:06:09.519 And that's important because it's easy to assume that people way back then were simply more gullible. 00:06:09.519 --> 00:06:18.439 You think the people lived a couple of thousand years ago are just more primitive, they're more superstitious, they're more prone to believe these fanciful ideas, but we've moved on. 00:06:18.500 --> 00:06:22.740 And now on the far side of the Enlightenment, we've become much more sophisticated. 00:06:24.519 --> 00:06:28.819 C.S. Lewis rightly called this kind of assumption chronological snobbery. 00:06:29.819 --> 00:06:34.019 The idea that we're somehow inherently smarter than people who lived before us. 00:06:34.019 --> 00:06:44.479 The truth is, if we look at historical record, the idea of a bodily resurrection like this was no more plausible in the first century than it would be today. 00:06:44.639 --> 00:06:46.939 People would think that was utterly absurd. 00:06:48.079 --> 00:06:48.799 Utterly ridiculous. 00:06:49.659 --> 00:06:53.000 So Mary has no idea how to make sense of the empty tomb. 00:06:53.219 --> 00:06:55.299 And at first she makes lots of wrong assumptions. 00:06:55.620 --> 00:06:58.180 But here's the thing, she's willing to investigate. 00:07:00.439 --> 00:07:02.419 And that's the example that she sets. 00:07:02.420 --> 00:07:08.780 Even after the other disciples come and they see the empty tomb and then they leave, Mary refuses to leave. 00:07:09.540 --> 00:07:15.420 And by the way, I love how it describes, you know, this is written by John and John refers to himself as the one whom Jesus loved. 00:07:15.460 --> 00:07:17.840 And there's a little foot race that happens. 00:07:18.240 --> 00:07:23.139 And it says, you know, between Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved and they're both racing to the tomb. 00:07:23.180 --> 00:07:24.220 And he just slips in there. 00:07:24.439 --> 00:07:27.600 And by the way, the disciple whom Jesus loved made it there first. 00:07:28.020 --> 00:07:30.639 You know, he's like, I won that race, by the way. 00:07:30.639 --> 00:07:32.759 And then he keeps telling us the story. 00:07:32.899 --> 00:07:35.000 But they run, they see, they don't understand. 00:07:35.159 --> 00:07:35.800 And then they leave. 00:07:35.879 --> 00:07:36.819 But Mary stays. 00:07:38.180 --> 00:07:39.759 And she sits by the tomb. 00:07:40.779 --> 00:07:45.959 And she says, essentially, I'm not leaving until I understand what happened. 00:07:47.180 --> 00:07:50.740 And that, my friends, is a beautiful example of honest inquiry. 00:07:50.740 --> 00:07:59.340 And by that phrase, I simply mean this, that you're willing to look at the evidence for the resurrection with a genuine desire to know the truth. 00:08:00.579 --> 00:08:05.439 With no preconceived notions, you're willing to consider the evidence. 00:08:05.579 --> 00:08:08.280 And friends, there is compelling evidence. 00:08:08.500 --> 00:08:13.360 This is something that I didn't fully understand in the years before I came to faith. 00:08:13.360 --> 00:08:22.420 The gospels, which are the first four books of the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, are written as eyewitness accounts. 00:08:22.800 --> 00:08:26.360 And we have these gospels in their original languages. 00:08:27.960 --> 00:08:33.399 And scholars used to claim, well, of course, these are written hundreds of years after all of this has happened. 00:08:33.440 --> 00:08:35.560 But that scholarship is actually outdated. 00:08:35.559 --> 00:08:43.319 The most recent scholarship has determined that these accounts were written much earlier than previously thought. 00:08:43.479 --> 00:08:47.959 So if you want to read more about that, pick up Richard Baucom's Jesus and the Eyewitnesses. 00:08:48.779 --> 00:08:53.639 These accounts were written within the lifetime of people who were around when all this happened. 00:08:55.019 --> 00:09:01.879 And the fact that these are eyewitness accounts helps us make sense of why all these random details are included. 00:09:01.879 --> 00:09:07.899 This isn't the kind of story that you read and it says, once upon a time in a land far, far away, there lived a man who overcame death. 00:09:07.980 --> 00:09:09.139 It's not written like that. 00:09:10.200 --> 00:09:14.840 It's written in a much more detailed and sometimes meaningless detailed kind of way. 00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:21.639 So John tells us that there was a miraculous catch of fish due to encountering Jesus. 00:09:21.820 --> 00:09:26.259 And so all these fish are caught in the net after the disciples encounter the resurrected Jesus. 00:09:26.460 --> 00:09:29.620 And then he says it was 153 fish to be exact. 00:09:29.620 --> 00:09:35.860 And I'm sure that there are preachers out there who have said, well, 153 has spiritual significance. 00:09:35.960 --> 00:09:38.940 And it stands for the exact number of vertebrae in your spine or something like that. 00:09:39.100 --> 00:09:39.740 I don't know. 00:09:40.100 --> 00:09:42.840 But there's no spiritual significance. 00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:46.860 It's simply a detail that he's including because it's true, because that's what happened. 00:09:46.919 --> 00:09:48.720 And that's what they remember. 00:09:48.899 --> 00:09:49.500 Remember how many? 00:09:49.679 --> 00:09:50.679 There were 153. 00:09:50.759 --> 00:09:51.700 You remember we counted them. 00:09:51.700 --> 00:09:52.140 Right? 00:09:53.180 --> 00:09:59.540 This is why Luke tells us that the resurrected Jesus appears to his disciples and he's hungry. 00:09:59.960 --> 00:10:00.900 He's been through a lot. 00:10:01.560 --> 00:10:04.759 And he says, can I, and I'm hungry. 00:10:04.820 --> 00:10:05.540 Is there anything to eat? 00:10:05.560 --> 00:10:07.900 And they say, so we gave him a piece of broiled fish. 00:10:07.960 --> 00:10:10.300 There's no spiritual significance to broiled fish. 00:10:11.780 --> 00:10:14.220 I mean, it's good to eat, but there's no meaning to that. 00:10:14.259 --> 00:10:16.540 It's just a detail because this is an eyewitness account. 00:10:16.539 --> 00:10:22.139 This is why we get the names and hometowns of people, even when they're not really relevant to the story. 00:10:22.299 --> 00:10:25.439 And in John chapter 18, a couple of chapters earlier in this same gospel, 00:10:26.319 --> 00:10:29.599 after reading about the servant who got his ear cut off, 00:10:29.679 --> 00:10:33.980 there's a little parenthetical statement where it says the servant's name was Malchus. 00:10:34.980 --> 00:10:36.740 That's the only time we see Malchus. 00:10:36.819 --> 00:10:41.099 He doesn't play any, all he does in the story is get his ear cut off and healed. 00:10:41.100 --> 00:10:48.320 And what we need to understand is these references are like the first century equivalent of footnotes. 00:10:49.240 --> 00:10:54.460 So if you're writing a historic account, you're footnoting it by saying things like, 00:10:54.700 --> 00:10:56.420 hey, the eyewitness is still alive. 00:10:56.960 --> 00:10:59.519 You might not have been in the garden when that happened. 00:10:59.860 --> 00:11:04.480 But if you want to check, the servant's name was Malchus and Malchus lives in Jerusalem. 00:11:04.800 --> 00:11:07.340 Go find Malchus and ask him and he'll tell you the same thing. 00:11:07.340 --> 00:11:11.460 See, this is incredibly significant. 00:11:13.180 --> 00:11:17.580 Most other religions, with all due respect, start because someone has, 00:11:18.420 --> 00:11:23.139 typically a man has a private dream or a private revelation from God 00:11:23.139 --> 00:11:27.700 or some private experience or private insight that occurs only to them. 00:11:28.580 --> 00:11:31.200 And then that one person tells everyone else and says, 00:11:31.300 --> 00:11:33.700 essentially, you're just going to have to take my word for it. 00:11:33.700 --> 00:11:37.460 So there's no way to, again, with all due respect, 00:11:37.560 --> 00:11:40.320 there's no way to disprove Muhammad's claim of revelation. 00:11:41.040 --> 00:11:44.680 There's no way to disprove Joseph Smith or the Buddha or Confucius. 00:11:44.860 --> 00:11:47.520 You either take them at their word or not, 00:11:47.759 --> 00:11:52.920 but there's no way to falsify objectively what they're saying 00:11:52.920 --> 00:11:54.560 because there were no witnesses. 00:11:56.480 --> 00:11:59.620 Christianity, friends, is completely different. 00:11:59.620 --> 00:12:03.799 Christianity does not hinge on private revelation. 00:12:03.980 --> 00:12:07.100 It doesn't hinge on even the things that Jesus said. 00:12:07.820 --> 00:12:12.240 Christianity hinges on the very public things that Jesus did. 00:12:13.159 --> 00:12:14.200 Very unique. 00:12:14.759 --> 00:12:16.940 Jesus had a very public ministry. 00:12:17.139 --> 00:12:18.620 He had a very public death. 00:12:18.879 --> 00:12:20.139 He had a public burial. 00:12:20.419 --> 00:12:21.679 He had a public resurrection. 00:12:22.679 --> 00:12:27.000 Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15 that after the resurrection, 00:12:27.000 --> 00:12:29.139 there were over 500 people, 00:12:29.860 --> 00:12:32.500 many of whom are still alive when he's writing, 00:12:33.340 --> 00:12:35.639 who were witnesses of the resurrected Jesus. 00:12:36.919 --> 00:12:40.139 Now, if you're trying to make a story up to get a religion going, 00:12:40.360 --> 00:12:40.980 you're not going to say, 00:12:41.200 --> 00:12:43.960 if over 500 people saw this, go ask them 00:12:43.960 --> 00:12:47.019 because those people are still alive when Paul's writing this. 00:12:48.019 --> 00:12:50.799 You know, in Acts chapter 26, Paul says to King Agrippa, 00:12:51.120 --> 00:12:52.240 they're talking about the resurrection, 00:12:52.779 --> 00:12:53.659 and he says to the king, 00:12:53.659 --> 00:12:55.199 he doesn't say, 00:12:55.299 --> 00:12:56.579 you're just going to have to take my word for it, 00:12:56.600 --> 00:12:56.899 O king. 00:12:58.019 --> 00:12:58.659 He says, 00:12:58.799 --> 00:13:01.120 you know that these things are true. 00:13:02.240 --> 00:13:02.740 He says, 00:13:02.779 --> 00:13:04.519 you know that this didn't happen in a corner 00:13:04.519 --> 00:13:06.740 because this is public knowledge. 00:13:06.839 --> 00:13:08.759 The whole, everybody was buzzing about it. 00:13:10.819 --> 00:13:12.620 The debate in the first century 00:13:12.620 --> 00:13:14.360 was not about whether or not this happened. 00:13:14.799 --> 00:13:16.779 The debate was how to make sense of it. 00:13:18.039 --> 00:13:19.199 It was so public. 00:13:19.360 --> 00:13:19.659 It was so, 00:13:19.860 --> 00:13:20.279 you have, 00:13:20.379 --> 00:13:21.939 there were many powerful people 00:13:21.940 --> 00:13:24.220 who were doing everything they could possibly do 00:13:24.220 --> 00:13:26.680 to discredit Jesus and the disciples. 00:13:27.620 --> 00:13:29.320 But you never see them saying, 00:13:29.480 --> 00:13:30.720 oh, it didn't happen. 00:13:30.840 --> 00:13:31.000 It's all, 00:13:31.080 --> 00:13:32.080 they're making it all up. 00:13:33.520 --> 00:13:35.340 They're attributing these things to demons. 00:13:36.500 --> 00:13:39.060 They're trying to discredit it in other ways 00:13:39.060 --> 00:13:40.340 because the fact is, 00:13:40.400 --> 00:13:41.700 there were too many witnesses for them 00:13:41.700 --> 00:13:44.200 to even try to argue that it didn't happen. 00:13:45.420 --> 00:13:46.680 So that's the first thing. 00:13:46.679 --> 00:13:49.779 These eyewitness accounts that we have 00:13:49.779 --> 00:13:52.019 with all kinds of details and footnotes 00:13:52.019 --> 00:13:53.319 challenging us. 00:13:53.359 --> 00:13:53.919 Hey, go out. 00:13:54.120 --> 00:13:55.679 We're making our religion openly falsifiable. 00:13:56.539 --> 00:13:57.559 Go, check for yourself. 00:14:00.079 --> 00:14:01.279 The second reason, 00:14:01.559 --> 00:14:03.039 or just the second of many, 00:14:03.159 --> 00:14:04.359 we don't have time this morning 00:14:04.359 --> 00:14:05.299 to go through all the evidence, 00:14:05.399 --> 00:14:06.139 but another thing, 00:14:06.339 --> 00:14:08.019 given the passage that we're looking at this morning 00:14:08.019 --> 00:14:08.879 that I think is relevant, 00:14:09.919 --> 00:14:11.219 one of the other reasons 00:14:11.219 --> 00:14:13.279 why I think the claims of the resurrection are credible 00:14:13.279 --> 00:14:15.579 is that the primary witnesses were women. 00:14:15.580 --> 00:14:17.940 And that's a big deal. 00:14:18.580 --> 00:14:19.360 In this culture, 00:14:19.480 --> 00:14:21.660 if you wanted to make up a credible story 00:14:21.660 --> 00:14:23.440 to launch a religion, 00:14:24.080 --> 00:14:25.759 to begin to have influence 00:14:25.759 --> 00:14:27.860 or whatever your motivation might be, 00:14:28.120 --> 00:14:29.860 you would never use women 00:14:29.860 --> 00:14:32.320 as your primary star witnesses. 00:14:32.960 --> 00:14:34.960 And it's hard to say that in our day, 00:14:35.139 --> 00:14:36.080 in our culture, 00:14:37.120 --> 00:14:38.040 but Celsus, 00:14:38.180 --> 00:14:40.340 the second century critic of Christianity, 00:14:40.680 --> 00:14:42.520 so here's another person in the second century 00:14:42.520 --> 00:14:45.100 trying to discredit Christianity and Christians. 00:14:45.580 --> 00:14:49.160 he openly mocks the idea of Mary Magdalene 00:14:49.160 --> 00:14:50.900 as an alleged resurrection witness. 00:14:51.700 --> 00:14:54.700 He refers to her as a hysterical female 00:14:54.700 --> 00:14:56.259 deluded by sorcery. 00:14:57.520 --> 00:14:59.000 And I would love to be able to tell you 00:14:59.000 --> 00:15:00.020 that he was an outlier. 00:15:01.320 --> 00:15:04.100 That reflects some of the broadly held assumptions 00:15:04.100 --> 00:15:06.580 about the credibility of women's testimony. 00:15:06.960 --> 00:15:08.920 So if you wanted to make up a credible story 00:15:08.920 --> 00:15:09.879 to convince the world 00:15:09.879 --> 00:15:11.200 of something like the resurrection, 00:15:11.200 --> 00:15:12.620 you would never use women 00:15:12.620 --> 00:15:13.560 as your star witnesses. 00:15:13.980 --> 00:15:14.759 So then we say, 00:15:14.840 --> 00:15:17.160 well, why do Matthew and Mark and Luke and John 00:15:17.160 --> 00:15:18.960 all say that women were the first 00:15:18.960 --> 00:15:20.360 and primary witnesses of the resurrection? 00:15:20.879 --> 00:15:22.000 I mean, I hate to say it, 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:22.840 but they're probably saying, 00:15:22.940 --> 00:15:24.300 oh, nobody's gonna believe this. 00:15:25.240 --> 00:15:26.100 So why would they do it? 00:15:26.120 --> 00:15:27.740 Well, the only reason it's there 00:15:27.740 --> 00:15:28.580 is because it's true. 00:15:30.840 --> 00:15:32.160 It's because that's what happened. 00:15:32.259 --> 00:15:33.280 And so they're writing it down, 00:15:33.560 --> 00:15:35.160 maybe even cringing while they do it. 00:15:35.159 --> 00:15:38.219 This is gonna hurt our case. 00:15:40.079 --> 00:15:42.259 So if you're here and you're not sure 00:15:42.259 --> 00:15:43.759 what you believe about the resurrection, 00:15:44.019 --> 00:15:45.000 let me ask you this. 00:15:46.199 --> 00:15:49.039 Are you open to a little honest inquiry? 00:15:51.919 --> 00:15:53.699 Are you open to following the evidence 00:15:53.699 --> 00:15:54.480 wherever it leads? 00:15:54.659 --> 00:15:55.919 A lot of people I would say, 00:15:56.039 --> 00:15:57.459 and even conversations I've had, 00:15:57.559 --> 00:15:59.819 and again, this was my experience at one point, 00:16:00.019 --> 00:16:01.360 a lot of people reject Christianity 00:16:01.360 --> 00:16:02.720 not because it lacks evidence, 00:16:02.839 --> 00:16:04.740 but because they've never examined the evidence. 00:16:05.159 --> 00:16:11.480 Years back, NPR played an April Fool's Day prank. 00:16:12.699 --> 00:16:13.480 You may remember this. 00:16:13.519 --> 00:16:15.480 They posted a fake headline on social media 00:16:15.480 --> 00:16:16.740 and the headline said, 00:16:17.139 --> 00:16:19.039 why doesn't America read anymore? 00:16:20.240 --> 00:16:20.419 Okay. 00:16:20.719 --> 00:16:23.799 And if you actually clicked on that headline link, 00:16:23.819 --> 00:16:27.199 it would take you to a page that said April Fool's, right? 00:16:27.379 --> 00:16:28.299 It wasn't a real article, 00:16:28.740 --> 00:16:31.039 but guess what happened online, right? 00:16:31.240 --> 00:16:32.860 People, it was a feeding frenzy 00:16:32.860 --> 00:16:35.580 and people were posting all kinds of things 00:16:35.580 --> 00:16:36.960 in response to this article 00:16:36.960 --> 00:16:38.080 and all the, you know, 00:16:38.080 --> 00:16:39.180 they were just tearing into it. 00:16:39.180 --> 00:16:40.860 The society's falling apart and nobody reads. 00:16:40.980 --> 00:16:42.180 And, but of course, they're saying, 00:16:42.240 --> 00:16:43.899 but I read, but other people are worse 00:16:43.899 --> 00:16:44.519 and they don't read. 00:16:44.899 --> 00:16:46.779 And so there's all kinds of virtue signaling 00:16:46.779 --> 00:16:48.019 that just takes off, right? 00:16:48.300 --> 00:16:51.120 And of course, it was this beautifully ironic joke 00:16:51.120 --> 00:16:53.360 on the people who only read the headline 00:16:53.360 --> 00:16:55.419 and then made all kinds of assumptions. 00:16:55.419 --> 00:16:57.399 And I love that kind of joke. 00:16:57.439 --> 00:16:58.599 It's a wonderful prank. 00:17:00.599 --> 00:17:02.639 Honest inquiry means that when it comes 00:17:02.639 --> 00:17:04.019 to the empty tomb and the resurrection, 00:17:04.960 --> 00:17:08.639 you don't just read the headline 00:17:08.639 --> 00:17:09.759 and make your assumptions. 00:17:13.059 --> 00:17:14.599 You consider the evidence. 00:17:16.339 --> 00:17:17.960 You consider the claims. 00:17:20.200 --> 00:17:22.480 Read N.T. Wright's Resurrection of the Son of God. 00:17:22.639 --> 00:17:25.139 Read Richard Baucom's Jesus and the Eyewitnesses. 00:17:25.140 --> 00:17:26.840 Consider the evidence. 00:17:27.000 --> 00:17:28.440 N.T. Wright's book is a doorstop. 00:17:28.520 --> 00:17:29.220 It's about that thick. 00:17:29.280 --> 00:17:30.160 It'll be good summer reading. 00:17:32.259 --> 00:17:33.000 Read it. 00:17:33.680 --> 00:17:35.240 He's one of the foremost Bible scholars 00:17:35.240 --> 00:17:36.160 in the world right now. 00:17:38.580 --> 00:17:40.560 If this is true, friends, 00:17:41.480 --> 00:17:44.420 if Jesus has opened the way to God, 00:17:44.820 --> 00:17:46.560 if he has conquered sin and death, 00:17:46.900 --> 00:17:48.740 isn't that worth your full attention? 00:17:50.200 --> 00:17:51.520 Now, having said that, 00:17:51.580 --> 00:17:53.880 honest inquiry is not the only 00:17:53.880 --> 00:17:57.100 component of genuine faith. 00:17:57.100 --> 00:17:58.000 It's necessary, 00:17:58.180 --> 00:17:59.200 but it is not sufficient 00:17:59.200 --> 00:18:00.680 for genuine faith. 00:18:01.480 --> 00:18:03.420 There is also a role 00:18:03.420 --> 00:18:05.300 played by divine grace. 00:18:07.000 --> 00:18:07.920 Divine grace. 00:18:08.300 --> 00:18:09.640 Mary's standing by the tomb. 00:18:10.140 --> 00:18:10.820 She's weeping. 00:18:11.300 --> 00:18:12.300 But then she turns 00:18:12.300 --> 00:18:14.080 and she sees Jesus, 00:18:14.300 --> 00:18:16.080 but she doesn't recognize him, 00:18:16.120 --> 00:18:17.100 which is very interesting. 00:18:17.200 --> 00:18:18.280 She doesn't recognize him. 00:18:18.279 --> 00:18:21.579 She's looking directly 00:18:21.579 --> 00:18:23.079 at the answer to her question. 00:18:24.099 --> 00:18:25.160 She's looking directly 00:18:25.160 --> 00:18:26.000 into his face, 00:18:26.000 --> 00:18:28.420 but she doesn't see it. 00:18:29.200 --> 00:18:30.160 Until what? 00:18:32.960 --> 00:18:34.319 He speaks her name. 00:18:35.440 --> 00:18:37.180 And as soon as he speaks her name, 00:18:37.680 --> 00:18:38.119 Mary, 00:18:39.319 --> 00:18:40.099 her eyes are open, 00:18:40.200 --> 00:18:41.940 she realizes who she's looking at, 00:18:42.079 --> 00:18:42.279 right? 00:18:42.460 --> 00:18:43.240 She's filled with joy. 00:18:43.339 --> 00:18:44.039 Everything changes. 00:18:44.039 --> 00:18:46.319 Here's what this means. 00:18:47.180 --> 00:18:48.480 Faith is not just something 00:18:48.480 --> 00:18:49.940 you can reason your way into. 00:18:50.059 --> 00:18:50.680 I know I just gave you 00:18:50.680 --> 00:18:51.460 a whole bunch of evidence, 00:18:51.899 --> 00:18:53.680 but that will not get you 00:18:53.680 --> 00:18:54.339 all the way there. 00:18:55.259 --> 00:18:56.500 There's a lot of amazing evidence, 00:18:56.599 --> 00:18:57.899 but you cannot reason your way 00:18:57.899 --> 00:18:58.700 into faith 00:18:58.700 --> 00:19:00.079 because ultimately, 00:19:00.259 --> 00:19:01.059 we're dealing with 00:19:01.059 --> 00:19:01.779 something spiritual. 00:19:02.579 --> 00:19:02.940 Ultimately, 00:19:03.059 --> 00:19:03.940 this is something that God 00:19:03.940 --> 00:19:06.000 has to awaken in you. 00:19:08.920 --> 00:19:10.200 You can examine the evidence. 00:19:10.339 --> 00:19:11.259 You can read the scriptures. 00:19:11.259 --> 00:19:12.900 You can talk to Christians 00:19:12.900 --> 00:19:14.440 who have strong arguments 00:19:14.440 --> 00:19:15.019 for their faith, 00:19:15.140 --> 00:19:16.019 but at some point, 00:19:16.119 --> 00:19:17.279 Jesus has to call your name. 00:19:20.440 --> 00:19:21.640 There's something in us, 00:19:21.680 --> 00:19:23.160 and maybe you have experiences, 00:19:23.319 --> 00:19:24.059 there's something in us 00:19:24.059 --> 00:19:24.879 that is resistant 00:19:24.879 --> 00:19:27.240 to the truths of Christianity. 00:19:28.299 --> 00:19:29.140 There's a kind of 00:19:29.140 --> 00:19:30.140 spiritual resistance, 00:19:30.319 --> 00:19:31.619 maybe even a spiritual blindness. 00:19:31.839 --> 00:19:32.200 In other words, 00:19:32.420 --> 00:19:33.119 we're not coming 00:19:33.119 --> 00:19:35.180 from a spiritually neutral place. 00:19:36.539 --> 00:19:38.539 I love reading honest atheists, 00:19:38.539 --> 00:19:40.759 and I love the honesty 00:19:40.759 --> 00:19:41.779 of Aldous Huxley, 00:19:42.279 --> 00:19:43.500 and he has a book of essays 00:19:43.500 --> 00:19:44.639 called Ends and Means, 00:19:45.279 --> 00:19:46.379 and he says essentially, 00:19:46.500 --> 00:19:47.559 he kind of confesses 00:19:47.559 --> 00:19:48.519 in one of his essays, 00:19:48.639 --> 00:19:48.920 he says, 00:19:49.279 --> 00:19:49.480 you know, 00:19:49.539 --> 00:19:51.079 all of my friends and I, 00:19:51.180 --> 00:19:52.240 all of us who hung out, 00:19:52.319 --> 00:19:53.559 all these kind of smart academics 00:19:53.559 --> 00:19:54.940 who were all atheists 00:19:54.940 --> 00:19:55.619 for the most part, 00:19:55.940 --> 00:19:56.399 he says, 00:19:56.579 --> 00:19:57.700 if I'm really honest, 00:19:57.819 --> 00:19:59.359 we were all motivated 00:19:59.359 --> 00:20:02.460 to reject the idea of God 00:20:02.460 --> 00:20:03.119 or that the world 00:20:03.119 --> 00:20:03.859 has any meaning 00:20:03.859 --> 00:20:07.539 because by rejecting that, 00:20:07.639 --> 00:20:08.819 it was a way for us 00:20:08.819 --> 00:20:10.019 to avoid any kind 00:20:10.019 --> 00:20:10.599 of accountability 00:20:10.599 --> 00:20:12.339 to anything bigger than us. 00:20:13.699 --> 00:20:14.919 As soon as you start 00:20:14.919 --> 00:20:15.399 to believe 00:20:15.399 --> 00:20:16.740 that there is something out there, 00:20:16.779 --> 00:20:17.599 that there is a God, 00:20:17.839 --> 00:20:18.599 that there is a reason 00:20:18.599 --> 00:20:19.199 that you're here, 00:20:19.379 --> 00:20:20.099 that there's a purpose 00:20:20.099 --> 00:20:20.699 to your life, 00:20:20.919 --> 00:20:22.199 then you're accountable 00:20:22.199 --> 00:20:22.859 to something. 00:20:22.959 --> 00:20:23.519 Outside of your, 00:20:23.599 --> 00:20:24.359 there are all of a sudden 00:20:24.359 --> 00:20:25.839 standards that matter 00:20:25.839 --> 00:20:27.479 that are bigger than you, 00:20:27.639 --> 00:20:28.259 that you don't get 00:20:28.259 --> 00:20:28.839 to determine. 00:20:30.919 --> 00:20:31.339 And he says, 00:20:31.399 --> 00:20:31.500 you know, 00:20:31.559 --> 00:20:32.099 my friends and I, 00:20:32.179 --> 00:20:32.859 if we're totally honest, 00:20:32.859 --> 00:20:34.159 we didn't even consider 00:20:34.159 --> 00:20:34.679 the idea of God 00:20:34.679 --> 00:20:35.299 because we didn't want 00:20:35.299 --> 00:20:36.279 to be accountable to that. 00:20:38.219 --> 00:20:40.000 If Jesus rose from death, 00:20:41.019 --> 00:20:43.699 it means he is the most important 00:20:43.699 --> 00:20:44.979 being who ever lived. 00:20:45.079 --> 00:20:46.439 It means every single word 00:20:46.439 --> 00:20:47.819 of his is more important 00:20:47.819 --> 00:20:49.279 than any word ever spoken 00:20:49.279 --> 00:20:50.299 by anyone ever. 00:20:51.500 --> 00:20:52.679 It means that God 00:20:52.679 --> 00:20:53.819 has made us for himself. 00:20:54.099 --> 00:20:55.219 It means our lives, 00:20:55.319 --> 00:20:55.719 your life, 00:20:55.779 --> 00:20:57.419 is never going to make sense 00:20:57.419 --> 00:21:00.719 until you know 00:21:00.719 --> 00:21:01.899 that you were made for him. 00:21:02.859 --> 00:21:05.679 And it means that 00:21:05.679 --> 00:21:07.159 we're no longer in charge. 00:21:07.939 --> 00:21:08.879 And I think some of us 00:21:08.879 --> 00:21:09.939 are terrified of that. 00:21:11.099 --> 00:21:11.819 You know, again, 00:21:11.879 --> 00:21:13.119 that was me at age 22. 00:21:13.279 --> 00:21:14.579 I wanted to be able 00:21:14.579 --> 00:21:16.079 to live how I wanted, 00:21:16.199 --> 00:21:16.899 do what I wanted, 00:21:17.240 --> 00:21:18.399 be whatever I wanted. 00:21:18.500 --> 00:21:19.639 I did not want Christianity 00:21:19.639 --> 00:21:20.459 to be true. 00:21:21.500 --> 00:21:22.119 I was actually, 00:21:22.219 --> 00:21:22.639 at the time, 00:21:22.719 --> 00:21:23.719 I was reading the Bible 00:21:23.719 --> 00:21:25.059 to try to develop arguments 00:21:25.059 --> 00:21:26.639 to argue against the faith 00:21:26.639 --> 00:21:27.639 of my Christian friend. 00:21:27.640 --> 00:21:30.320 And the entire thing backfired. 00:21:31.640 --> 00:21:33.300 I was reading the Gospel of John. 00:21:33.360 --> 00:21:35.140 I was reading a few chapters earlier 00:21:35.140 --> 00:21:36.580 before John chapter 20. 00:21:36.720 --> 00:21:38.080 And I just literally felt 00:21:38.080 --> 00:21:39.800 something inside me shift. 00:21:40.460 --> 00:21:42.160 I felt something give way. 00:21:43.620 --> 00:21:46.220 I felt something sort of collapse in me. 00:21:46.780 --> 00:21:47.880 And with that came 00:21:47.880 --> 00:21:49.100 the crushing realization 00:21:49.100 --> 00:21:50.780 that it's all true. 00:21:50.779 --> 00:21:53.740 And I was so sad. 00:21:54.639 --> 00:21:56.379 I was so embarrassed. 00:21:57.799 --> 00:21:59.079 Despite my best efforts 00:21:59.079 --> 00:21:59.819 to deny it, 00:21:59.940 --> 00:22:01.240 Jesus was undeniably 00:22:01.240 --> 00:22:02.139 the Son of God. 00:22:02.399 --> 00:22:03.220 And I think that, 00:22:03.319 --> 00:22:03.660 in a way, 00:22:03.779 --> 00:22:05.539 Jesus called my name that day. 00:22:06.319 --> 00:22:07.700 And I didn't know it then, 00:22:07.759 --> 00:22:08.819 but it was the best thing 00:22:08.819 --> 00:22:09.899 that ever happened to me. 00:22:10.720 --> 00:22:11.819 I didn't know it then. 00:22:12.899 --> 00:22:13.500 I thought, 00:22:13.619 --> 00:22:14.639 now I'm going to have to admit 00:22:14.639 --> 00:22:15.339 to my friend 00:22:15.339 --> 00:22:16.480 that I was wrong. 00:22:16.480 --> 00:22:18.720 I'm going to have to admit 00:22:18.720 --> 00:22:20.019 to people that I was wrong. 00:22:20.099 --> 00:22:20.740 And I was so embarrassed. 00:22:20.860 --> 00:22:21.759 I actually kept it a secret 00:22:21.759 --> 00:22:22.400 for months. 00:22:25.640 --> 00:22:26.559 Here's what this means 00:22:26.559 --> 00:22:27.240 for those of us 00:22:27.240 --> 00:22:28.200 gathered here this morning. 00:22:28.380 --> 00:22:30.180 If you're curious about Jesus, 00:22:30.700 --> 00:22:31.559 if you're open 00:22:31.559 --> 00:22:32.319 to the possibility 00:22:32.319 --> 00:22:33.539 of seeking to understand 00:22:33.539 --> 00:22:34.519 more about Jesus, 00:22:35.299 --> 00:22:36.059 I don't know how this 00:22:36.059 --> 00:22:36.799 is going to strike you, 00:22:36.940 --> 00:22:38.019 that probably means 00:22:38.019 --> 00:22:39.360 that He's already seeking you. 00:22:40.380 --> 00:22:42.019 If you find that you're open, 00:22:42.299 --> 00:22:43.839 if something in you is stirring, 00:22:44.160 --> 00:22:45.380 that's not an accident. 00:22:45.380 --> 00:22:47.320 That's not a coincidence. 00:22:48.140 --> 00:22:49.460 That may be the voice 00:22:49.460 --> 00:22:51.540 of Jesus calling your name. 00:22:51.840 --> 00:22:52.920 So my word to you would be, 00:22:53.140 --> 00:22:53.780 don't ignore it. 00:22:54.680 --> 00:22:56.140 There's nothing to lose here. 00:22:56.220 --> 00:22:57.460 There's nothing to be afraid of. 00:22:58.020 --> 00:22:59.000 Either you follow it 00:22:59.000 --> 00:22:59.580 to a dead end 00:22:59.580 --> 00:23:00.280 or you follow it 00:23:00.280 --> 00:23:01.160 to something that radically 00:23:01.160 --> 00:23:02.060 changes your life. 00:23:03.180 --> 00:23:04.080 Wouldn't that be a good thing? 00:23:07.060 --> 00:23:08.380 So let me apply this 00:23:08.380 --> 00:23:10.600 to a few different people 00:23:10.600 --> 00:23:11.880 who might be here this morning. 00:23:12.260 --> 00:23:14.300 And then in a few minutes, 00:23:14.299 --> 00:23:15.639 we're going to celebrate 00:23:15.639 --> 00:23:16.220 a baptism 00:23:16.220 --> 00:23:17.779 and it's one of our favorite 00:23:17.779 --> 00:23:18.720 things to do on Easter. 00:23:19.680 --> 00:23:20.940 But let me just say something 00:23:20.940 --> 00:23:22.200 to those of you who are here, 00:23:22.279 --> 00:23:22.759 depending on where 00:23:22.759 --> 00:23:23.339 you're coming from. 00:23:23.480 --> 00:23:24.220 If you're here 00:23:24.220 --> 00:23:25.299 and you're a skeptic, 00:23:25.399 --> 00:23:26.180 if you're not sure 00:23:26.180 --> 00:23:26.879 what you believe, 00:23:27.000 --> 00:23:27.539 we're delighted 00:23:27.539 --> 00:23:28.159 that you're here. 00:23:28.319 --> 00:23:29.579 All I would say to you is 00:23:29.579 --> 00:23:30.799 don't stay on the sidelines 00:23:30.799 --> 00:23:31.339 with this one. 00:23:32.180 --> 00:23:33.099 I would just encourage you 00:23:33.099 --> 00:23:33.680 to investigate 00:23:33.680 --> 00:23:34.240 and wrestle 00:23:34.240 --> 00:23:34.879 and ask 00:23:34.879 --> 00:23:35.740 and push back. 00:23:36.940 --> 00:23:37.839 Consider the evidence 00:23:37.839 --> 00:23:38.639 of the resurrection. 00:23:38.819 --> 00:23:39.799 Do a little honest inquiry. 00:23:40.480 --> 00:23:41.379 You've got nothing to lose 00:23:41.380 --> 00:23:42.340 and a whole lot to gain. 00:23:43.860 --> 00:23:44.760 If you're here 00:23:44.760 --> 00:23:45.560 and again, 00:23:45.640 --> 00:23:46.380 with all due respect, 00:23:46.540 --> 00:23:47.100 you're kind of 00:23:47.100 --> 00:23:49.280 more lukewarm 00:23:49.280 --> 00:23:49.920 in your faith. 00:23:51.160 --> 00:23:51.320 You know, 00:23:51.360 --> 00:23:52.260 maybe you're the kind 00:23:52.260 --> 00:23:52.620 of Christian 00:23:52.620 --> 00:23:53.400 and you come, 00:23:53.640 --> 00:23:53.760 you know, 00:23:53.800 --> 00:23:54.640 maybe it's like Easter 00:23:54.640 --> 00:23:55.160 and Christmas. 00:23:56.420 --> 00:23:56.660 You know, 00:23:56.680 --> 00:23:58.120 you come for the big ones 00:23:58.120 --> 00:23:59.700 when your family's in town. 00:24:00.800 --> 00:24:01.240 You know, 00:24:01.260 --> 00:24:02.080 there's some of us here 00:24:02.080 --> 00:24:03.440 who I think believe this, 00:24:03.500 --> 00:24:04.120 but it hasn't really 00:24:04.120 --> 00:24:04.960 changed our life. 00:24:05.800 --> 00:24:07.040 We believe in the resurrection, 00:24:07.260 --> 00:24:08.300 but we kind of still live 00:24:08.300 --> 00:24:09.800 as if it's not real. 00:24:09.799 --> 00:24:11.519 We're still dominated by fear. 00:24:11.639 --> 00:24:12.279 We're still dominated 00:24:12.279 --> 00:24:13.399 by anxiety and guilt 00:24:13.399 --> 00:24:13.960 and shame. 00:24:14.139 --> 00:24:15.879 We're sort of functionally atheistic. 00:24:17.019 --> 00:24:18.480 Here's all I would say to you. 00:24:19.819 --> 00:24:21.220 Imagine this coming week. 00:24:22.879 --> 00:24:24.799 What would actually change 00:24:24.799 --> 00:24:25.919 about your day-in, 00:24:25.960 --> 00:24:26.659 day-out life 00:24:26.659 --> 00:24:28.659 if you lived 00:24:28.659 --> 00:24:30.419 as though Jesus is alive? 00:24:31.960 --> 00:24:33.859 If you just live a few days 00:24:33.859 --> 00:24:35.440 as if Jesus is alive, 00:24:35.519 --> 00:24:36.639 what would change in your life? 00:24:36.799 --> 00:24:38.279 What priorities might shift around? 00:24:39.799 --> 00:24:42.079 If you're here 00:24:42.079 --> 00:24:43.059 and you're in pain, 00:24:43.359 --> 00:24:43.980 if you're here 00:24:43.980 --> 00:24:44.639 and you're wounded, 00:24:44.819 --> 00:24:47.099 if you limped in this morning 00:24:47.099 --> 00:24:50.419 and you cleaned up well, 00:24:50.500 --> 00:24:52.039 but inside you're falling apart, 00:24:53.240 --> 00:24:56.460 if you're struggling, 00:24:56.980 --> 00:24:58.299 I mean loss, disappointment, 00:24:58.500 --> 00:24:59.700 prayers that feel unanswered, 00:25:00.700 --> 00:25:02.500 I want you to understand 00:25:02.500 --> 00:25:03.279 that in this story, 00:25:03.440 --> 00:25:04.639 Mary came to a tomb 00:25:04.639 --> 00:25:07.079 and she came expecting death 00:25:07.079 --> 00:25:08.460 and instead she met 00:25:08.460 --> 00:25:09.240 the living Christ. 00:25:10.659 --> 00:25:11.980 And we see again 00:25:11.980 --> 00:25:12.679 and again and again 00:25:12.679 --> 00:25:13.720 in the Gospels, 00:25:13.799 --> 00:25:15.179 especially the Gospel of John, 00:25:15.539 --> 00:25:18.259 that Jesus meets people 00:25:18.259 --> 00:25:19.119 powerfully 00:25:19.119 --> 00:25:21.299 in places of grief and pain. 00:25:22.460 --> 00:25:23.939 And it is often 00:25:23.939 --> 00:25:25.599 those places of grief and pain 00:25:25.599 --> 00:25:28.179 where he most transforms us. 00:25:28.720 --> 00:25:29.619 And I would say 00:25:29.619 --> 00:25:31.159 if that happens with Mary, 00:25:31.559 --> 00:25:33.539 it can happen with us. 00:25:33.539 --> 00:25:35.519 And so in your pain, 00:25:35.619 --> 00:25:36.420 in your grief, 00:25:36.920 --> 00:25:38.619 you did the right thing 00:25:38.619 --> 00:25:39.559 by coming here. 00:25:39.720 --> 00:25:41.639 And it may very well be 00:25:41.639 --> 00:25:42.639 that Jesus is trying 00:25:42.639 --> 00:25:43.399 to speak to you 00:25:43.399 --> 00:25:44.539 in that place of pain. 00:25:45.920 --> 00:25:46.339 Right? 00:25:46.500 --> 00:25:47.700 That famous saying, 00:25:47.779 --> 00:25:48.779 I think also by Lewis, 00:25:48.960 --> 00:25:50.299 God shouts to us 00:25:50.299 --> 00:25:50.920 in our pleasure, 00:25:51.759 --> 00:25:52.839 or God whispers to us 00:25:52.839 --> 00:25:53.319 in our pleasure, 00:25:53.420 --> 00:25:54.240 but he shouts to us 00:25:54.240 --> 00:25:54.799 in our pain. 00:25:55.599 --> 00:25:56.819 It is those times of pain 00:25:56.819 --> 00:25:58.379 when we can most clearly 00:25:58.379 --> 00:25:59.480 sometimes hear the voice 00:25:59.480 --> 00:26:00.659 of Jesus calling our name. 00:26:00.660 --> 00:26:02.840 And then finally, 00:26:02.980 --> 00:26:03.500 for those of us 00:26:03.500 --> 00:26:04.000 who are here, 00:26:04.259 --> 00:26:05.120 you're a part of a church, 00:26:05.380 --> 00:26:06.600 you're fired up about Easter, 00:26:06.900 --> 00:26:07.840 you're ringing your bell, 00:26:08.140 --> 00:26:09.180 you love this, 00:26:09.480 --> 00:26:10.000 you're like, 00:26:10.080 --> 00:26:11.140 yes, I believe this. 00:26:12.180 --> 00:26:13.160 I want to remind us 00:26:13.160 --> 00:26:14.779 that Mary's first instinct 00:26:14.779 --> 00:26:16.759 after seeing Jesus 00:26:16.759 --> 00:26:17.340 is not, 00:26:17.440 --> 00:26:18.320 I need to go process 00:26:18.320 --> 00:26:19.259 this privately. 00:26:20.860 --> 00:26:22.320 Her first instinct, 00:26:22.420 --> 00:26:24.340 and Jesus encourages this, 00:26:24.420 --> 00:26:25.019 tells her to do this, 00:26:25.180 --> 00:26:26.700 is to run and tell others 00:26:26.700 --> 00:26:27.700 what she has seen. 00:26:27.700 --> 00:26:29.019 I have seen the Lord. 00:26:29.019 --> 00:26:30.839 And based on everything 00:26:30.839 --> 00:26:31.519 that we shared, 00:26:31.859 --> 00:26:32.559 it's very clear, 00:26:32.639 --> 00:26:33.079 I hope to you, 00:26:33.200 --> 00:26:33.940 that Christianity 00:26:33.940 --> 00:26:35.019 is not meant to be 00:26:35.019 --> 00:26:36.680 a privately held religion. 00:26:37.339 --> 00:26:38.480 I don't care where we are 00:26:38.480 --> 00:26:39.019 in our culture. 00:26:39.319 --> 00:26:40.400 If this is true, 00:26:41.000 --> 00:26:42.339 why would we not share it? 00:26:42.759 --> 00:26:43.400 Penn Jillette, 00:26:43.559 --> 00:26:46.019 the famous magician, 00:26:46.359 --> 00:26:46.480 you know, 00:26:46.539 --> 00:26:47.139 Penn and Teller, 00:26:47.619 --> 00:26:48.160 Penn Jillette, 00:26:48.240 --> 00:26:48.879 he says this, 00:26:48.940 --> 00:26:49.619 he's an atheist. 00:26:50.579 --> 00:26:50.819 Again, 00:26:50.859 --> 00:26:51.980 I love honest atheists. 00:26:52.339 --> 00:26:52.660 He says, 00:26:52.799 --> 00:26:54.019 I don't respect people 00:26:54.019 --> 00:26:55.420 who don't proselytize. 00:26:56.339 --> 00:26:57.960 I don't respect that at all. 00:26:57.960 --> 00:26:58.440 He says, 00:26:58.559 --> 00:27:00.180 if you believe in all of this 00:27:00.180 --> 00:27:01.799 and you think that's not really 00:27:01.799 --> 00:27:02.960 worth telling people 00:27:02.960 --> 00:27:04.120 because it would make it 00:27:04.120 --> 00:27:05.019 socially awkward, 00:27:05.559 --> 00:27:06.660 how much do you have 00:27:06.660 --> 00:27:07.519 to hate somebody 00:27:07.519 --> 00:27:09.140 to believe that everlasting life 00:27:09.140 --> 00:27:09.779 is possible 00:27:09.779 --> 00:27:11.000 and not tell them? 00:27:12.779 --> 00:27:13.600 So I would say 00:27:13.600 --> 00:27:14.120 that Christianity 00:27:14.120 --> 00:27:16.079 is meant to be public knowledge, 00:27:16.279 --> 00:27:16.960 public truth. 00:27:17.059 --> 00:27:17.980 It's meant to be shared. 00:27:18.220 --> 00:27:18.440 Again, 00:27:18.500 --> 00:27:19.519 what's the worst that can happen? 00:27:19.620 --> 00:27:20.759 Somebody laughs in your face? 00:27:21.240 --> 00:27:22.019 Get used to it. 00:27:23.340 --> 00:27:24.120 Get used to it. 00:27:24.120 --> 00:27:24.920 Isn't it worth it? 00:27:24.920 --> 00:27:26.880 And this is news 00:27:26.880 --> 00:27:27.860 that needs to be shared. 00:27:28.160 --> 00:27:28.960 And I'm not saying 00:27:28.960 --> 00:27:29.740 that you have to go 00:27:29.740 --> 00:27:31.360 and open a doorstop of a book 00:27:31.360 --> 00:27:32.560 and make all the arguments 00:27:32.560 --> 00:27:34.480 and put your slide deck up 00:27:34.480 --> 00:27:37.160 and all it requires 00:27:37.160 --> 00:27:37.800 is the willingness 00:27:37.800 --> 00:27:38.940 to say what Mary said. 00:27:40.060 --> 00:27:41.420 I have seen the Lord. 00:27:42.500 --> 00:27:43.320 Come and see. 00:27:44.759 --> 00:27:45.400 Let's pray. 00:27:48.460 --> 00:27:49.720 Our Lord and Heavenly Father, 00:27:49.720 --> 00:27:50.519 we thank you 00:27:50.519 --> 00:27:52.940 that you are here with us 00:27:52.940 --> 00:27:53.860 and we thank you 00:27:53.860 --> 00:27:55.460 for the many of us here 00:27:55.460 --> 00:27:56.980 who have had our hearts 00:27:56.980 --> 00:27:58.160 and minds 00:27:58.160 --> 00:28:00.279 and lives changed 00:28:00.279 --> 00:28:02.700 when we have encountered you 00:28:02.700 --> 00:28:03.100 at the tomb. 00:28:03.880 --> 00:28:04.279 And Lord, 00:28:04.340 --> 00:28:05.500 we pray for those 00:28:05.500 --> 00:28:06.500 who are seeking you. 00:28:06.620 --> 00:28:07.720 We pray that you would continue 00:28:07.720 --> 00:28:09.759 to open their hearts, Lord. 00:28:10.460 --> 00:28:11.720 Lord, we pray for all of us 00:28:11.720 --> 00:28:12.539 in whatever way 00:28:12.539 --> 00:28:13.940 we need to be encouraged by you. 00:28:14.039 --> 00:28:15.120 We pray that you would give us 00:28:15.120 --> 00:28:15.900 that living hope 00:28:15.900 --> 00:28:17.400 that only you can offer. 00:28:17.900 --> 00:28:19.080 And we pray all this 00:28:19.080 --> 00:28:21.340 in the name of the risen Lord Jesus. 00:28:22.000 --> 00:28:22.320 Amen. 00:28:22.940 --> 00:28:23.700 Amen.