Good morning, everyone.
If I've met you before, my name is Steve.
I'm the senior pastor here at St. Paul's.
And I just want to say as I kick off,
really grateful for those who do the translation work for me in advance,
submit a sermon in advance so that they can do the translation
so that those who are not as sharp with English
or can't follow my English
have got something in their own language.
And so thank you, John, for this last week.
Let me just say I've actually changed it since then,
particularly the introduction bit mainly,
mainly because I read something this morning
which prompted my attention
and I thought would be particularly useful for us this morning.
So if you've got John chapter 20 open in front of you,
that would be awesome.
Also, there's St. Paul's app.
You can download that and I've got an outline there for us.
So here it is.
Read this this morning in the Australian newspaper.
Immortality has become the great question mark.
The answer used to be provided at Easter
with the Christian climax in the death by crucifixion
followed by resurrection.
The Jesus story wrestled with death,
not being merely death.
Today, however,
the sacred meaning of Easter is little more than a dusty relic.
For the secular modern age,
belief in any form of life after death is in doubt.
Most no longer believe in any form of supernatural being.
God has become a figment of the archaic imagination.
Gods of any type are mere alien superstitions
held once upon a time by naive and even primitive ancestors.
All in all,
human consciousness has narrowed down to focus on mortal life.
Here,
now,
and on this worldly plane.
A finite span bound by death,
by birth and death,
and governed by everyday pleasures and pains.
Well,
it's Easter Day 2021
in modern Australia,
so,
frankly,
why are we here?
If that article's true,
why are you here?
Why even bother?
Why not just eat the chocolate,
go out for breakfast,
and get ready to head to the beach?
Why bother even turning up?
This article,
and many like it,
raises two big questions
about Easter,
and not just about Easter,
but about the truth of Christianity.
It's central,
and the essential event
of the death and resurrection of Jesus.
The first question is,
the truth question.
The second question is,
the meaning question.
Whenever we talk about the resurrection of Jesus,
the truth question and the meaning question
are intertwined.
They are deeply connected.
The truth question,
did it actually happen?
The meaning question,
who cares that it happened or not happened?
Humanity rejects Easter,
Christianity,
the lordship of Jesus Christ,
on both of those accounts.
See,
about 50 years ago,
an article like that
would not have appeared
in an Australian newspaper.
50 years ago,
people lived with the assumption
that there are universal laws
that govern the universe.
Resurrection was rejected
on the basis
of it not fitting
into the common person's
observable laws.
That's now changed.
Today,
the assumption is that there is a personal law
inside of me.
Not a universal law,
a personal law.
It's called individualism.
And one form of individualism
is the personal law that says,
I don't have to adapt my life
to anything that I don't find
personally helpful for me.
Truth for me
is what I find acceptable,
helpful,
useful,
and affirming of me
and my worldview.
That's truth.
So both questions.
The truth question
and the so what question
are important to address
at the same time
and no more important
than now
on Easter Day.
And so the next little while
I'm going to briefly tackle
those two questions
and land with a third point.
So I've got the truth question,
the who cares question,
and what it means for us
on Easter Day
to discover some certainty,
certain hope.
So the truth question.
The great C.S. Lewis
once wrote
that in a world
that was making
rapid advancement
in scientific understanding,
he said,
there's a great danger for us
in our modern age
of what he called
a chronological snobbery.
It's the assumption
that any conclusion
that's made
from previous generations
is fundamentally based
on ignorance.
for instance,
chronological snobbery
might lead
some to conclude
that the people
around Jesus' time
were just gullible,
simple peasants
who were just
ignorant of reality
and just believed anything.
And yet that's not
the picture we get
when we look at
John chapter 20.
If you've got
John chapter 20,
open it up for me again.
Look at the very first
two verses there.
Early on the first day
of the week,
while it was still dark,
Mary Magdalene
went to the tomb
and saw that the stone
had been removed
from the entrance.
And so she came
running to Simon Peter
and the other disciple,
the one whom Jesus loved,
and said,
and notice what she says,
they've taken the Lord
out of the tomb
and we don't know
where they put him.
Now you see,
Jesus,
a number of times
before his execution,
he said,
I'm going to come back
to life after they kill me.
And yet,
in this moment,
this is not what Mary's expecting.
One of his keenest followers
doesn't come to the conclusion,
he said he was going to rise.
The first assumption here,
somebody,
whoever they is,
somebody has taken
the body,
moved it.
It's the same in verse 13.
She was working on the assumption
that most likely
the Jewish leaders
or the Romans
or someone
have taken the body
and dumped it
outside the city limits.
That is,
Mary,
first century,
gullible peasant,
doesn't jump to the conclusion
that Jesus is resurrected.
Even Peter and John,
two of the key followers of Jesus,
didn't automatically
jump to the conclusion
that Jesus had been resurrected.
Have a look at verse 8.
Finally,
the other disciple
who had reached the tomb first
also went inside.
He saw
and believed.
But verse 9,
they did not understand
from scripture
that Jesus had to rise
from the dead.
That is,
they believed the testimony
of what Mary had said,
the tomb's empty.
And so they believed that,
but they had not yet
come to the conclusion
that Jesus had resurrected.
This tells me
that these early followers
of Jesus
were not gullible people.
Jesus told them repeatedly
that he would come back to life.
But they weren't looking for it.
And yet,
what they were confronted with
on that morning
was a bodiless tomb.
All the evidence
pointed to a bodiless tomb.
There was no body
in the tomb.
In fact,
one of the great
historical evidences
of the resurrection
is that to this day,
no one can explain
why the tomb was empty
apart from a resurrection.
To this day,
historical evidence
that tomb was empty
and it still cannot be explained
except for a resurrection.
And even the enemies of Jesus
could not produce the body.
And if they could have,
they would have ended
this whole Christian movement thing
within a day.
Done.
Finished.
There's your Messiah.
Right there.
So what are some of the more
modern explanations
of an empty tomb?
What are the ones
people that have come up with
more recently?
Some have suggested,
well, in actual fact,
Jesus didn't really die.
He was revived.
You know,
put in the coolness,
of the,
you know,
tomb.
He revived,
moved the stone himself
and disappeared
in history somewhere.
Of course,
that doesn't come to grips
with the actual
horrible realities
of crucifixion.
The rigorous steps
that Pilate
and the leaders
demanded
to make sure
that he was,
in fact,
dead
on the death,
on the cross
before they took
his body down.
And the steps
that were also taken
to make sure
that no one
got in
or out
of that tomb.
Of course,
that was never
an argument
that neither Jews
or the Romans
came up with.
Neither of them
came up.
The actual people
there at the time
never came up
with that as an argument.
Some have suggested
that the disciples
of Jesus
stole the body.
if they did,
then these guys
began to risk
their lives
and, in fact,
give their lives up
for what they knew
to be nothing more
than an April Fool's joke.
The fact is,
these disciples
were utterly
dejected.
They were terrified
after the crucifixion
of Jesus.
They were scared
that they were
going to be treated
in exactly the same
way as Jesus.
They feared
for their lives.
They did not have
hope of a resurrection
and they were ready
to go back
to fishing.
They were hiding
in a secluded room
unwilling
to believe
the first reports
of Jesus' appearance
three days
after he was executed.
And yet,
that bunch
of cowards
who deserted him
with a matter
of weeks,
these same men
were overflowing
with joy
and courage
and they were
not only just
ready to die
for Jesus
but most of them
did.
This little band
of ordinary believers
changed the course
of human history.
They and those
who came to believe
through them
loved and served
their enemies
and gave their lives
to their enemies
across the entire
Roman Empire
in such a way
that the world
was changed
within three centuries.
How?
What happened?
Their own
explanation
was that they
saw Jesus
alive
after he was
dead
as Jesus
had promised.
Now there is
far more
historical
and rational
evidence
than just that
but
much more
that could be said
except to say
that doubting
the resurrection
of Jesus
is a normal
starting point
and if that's
you
just out there
on the table
out in the atrium
there is a book
here called
The Case for Easter
there is a few
copies out there
if that's you
and you are really
wrestling with this
take it as a gift
and go
read it
please
or come and speak
to one of us
we would love
to have a chat
with you about that.
Strangely however
in John 20
the first person
to doubt the
resurrection
verbally
was not a person
who was opposed
to Christianity
it's one of Jesus
closest supporters
a man named
Thomas
and Thomas
is the most famous
of all doubters
in fact we have a saying
in our culture
to this day
for the skeptic
of any news
ah you're just
a doubting Thomas
so for those of us
who are struggling
to understand
or accept the
resurrection
you've got to
ask yourself
right now
can Thomas
help me
if this is me
now
can Thomas
help me here
now we're told
that Thomas
was not there
when Jesus
first appeared
to his disciples
soon after
he rose from the dead
so have a look
there
verse 24
so the other
disciples told him
we have seen
the Lord
but he said
to them
unless I see
the nail marks
in his hands
and put my
finger
where the nails
were
and put my
hand into
his side
I will
not believe
it
in other words
I will believe
in Jesus
if he
shows himself
to me
his response
to the news
is absolute
he makes
his terms
his demands
in absolute
terms
unless I see
I place
my hands
I will
not believe
he demands
here in this
moment
exhaustive
proof
rather than
sufficient
evidence
belief in
Jesus
belief in the
resurrection
comes down
in the end
as we see
here with
Thomas
not just
to a matter
of evidence
but a battle
of the will
Thomas
rejects
the witness
of 10
of
and more
in fact
more than
10 of
his trusted
friends
and he
dictates
in absolute
terms
to God
about what's
required
for him
to believe
now we
aren't told
specifically
in John
20
why Thomas
was so
skeptical
so anything
I say
is speculation
but I'm
going to
speculate
anyway
because it
might be
helpful
for us
so let
me
speculate
maybe it
was his
personality
that's
maybe why
he's doubting
he's a
personality
thing
maybe he
was well
you know
one of
those
what the
personality
tests
call a
sensing
person
sensing
people
paying
more
attention
to
physical
reality
to
facts
to
hard
evidence
the
opposite
is the
intuitive
person
who
goes
on
perceptions
gut
feel
instincts
that
may be
a
personality
thing
another
alternative
is that
he was
skeptical
about
the
supernatural
unlikely
but
possible
you know
dead people
don't come
back to
life and
that's
it
it's a
common
western
view
in fact
it's
primarily
just a
western
view
a very
small
minority
of our
world
have
that
view
and
Thomas
wasn't
a
westerner
so it's
unlikely
what we
tend to
think when
we come
to this
text
as
westerners
we assume
that
Thomas's
doubting
here is
an
intellectual
one
but
skepticism
is
not
simply
intellectual
so let
me
speculate
imagine
for
instance
that
someone
very
close
to
you
is
dying
in fact
some
of you
may
not
even
need
to
imagine
much
and you
finally
accepted
that
all
hope
of
recovery
is
lost
and
your
loved
one
is
going
to
die
it's
shocking
news
and
then
all
of
a
sudden
someone
says
comes
in
with
some
new
news
there's
a
possible
cure
in
a
clinic
on
the
other
side
of
the
world
and
you
had
there
a
hope
of
recovery
there's
a
hope
of
recovery
here
then
your
hopes
are
dashed
when
you
realize
that
you're
going
to
die
and
with
the
news
of
a
possible
cure
most
people
in
that
moment
don't
go
fantastic
you've
gotten
used to
the fact
that you're
going to
die
most
people
do
not
go
fantastic
news
most
people
cannot
bear
the
concept
of
their
hopes
being
raised
only
to be
dashed
again
most
people
do
not
step
out
in
hope
for
fear
of
losing
again
and
maybe
this
is
what's
happening
with
Thomas
there
is
no
indication
in
the
New
Testament
at
all
up
until
this
point
that
Thomas
did
not
love
Jesus
as
much
as
the
other
disciples
no
reason
to
believe
that
he
wasn't
as
devastated
as
the
other
disciples
at
the
execution
of
Jesus
and
now
they
come
along
and
say
hey
Thomas
in
his
grief
hey
Thomas
good
news
he's
alive
and
so
maybe
Thomas
in
this
moment
in
the
upper
room
is
don't
you
dare
get
my
hopes
up
don't
you
dare
get
my
hopes
up
I'm
just
coming
to
terms
with
the
fact
he's
dead
maybe
he
was
afraid
to
hope
in
the
same
way
that
many
in
our
world
are
afraid
to
hope
it
may
be
our
narrow
secular
western
worldview
that
says
it
cannot
happen
I
have
no
hope
it
might
be
a
personality
thing
that
says
I
need
more
evidence
it
may
be
a
heart
that
is
afraid
to
be
drawn
into
something
only
to
be
disappointed
in
the
end
Thomas
believed
with
joy
he's
the
greatest
doubter
and
yet
his
confession
of
faith
becomes
the
greatest
look
at
verse
26
a
week
later
his
disciples
were
in
the
house
again
and
Thomas
was
with
them
and
though
the
doors
were
locked
Jesus
came
and
stood
among
them
and
said
peace
be
with
you
and
he
said
to
Thomas
put
your
finger
here
see
my
hands
reach
out
your
hand
and
put
it
into
my
side
stop
doubting
and
believe
and
then
Thomas
said
to
him
my
Lord
my
God
it's
a
remarkable
statement
Thomas
is a
Jewish
man
and
to
call
another
human
being
just
a
mere
human
being
not
just
your
Lord
but
your
God
is
incomprehensible
unless
Thomas
has seen
something
absolutely
life
changing
there
is no
higher
confession
of faith
in
Jesus
Christ
in
all
of
the
scriptures
in
my
view
so
that
brings
me
to
the
who
cares
question
for
some
doubt
is
not a
matter
of
having
not
having
enough
sufficient
evidence
it's
more
a
matter
of
claims
that
Jesus
has
made
about
himself
his
mission
and
therefore
what
his
claims
are
on
my
life
that
is
it's
about
the
heart
and
the
will
there
is
a
comfortable
place
of
happy
ignorance
if
I
ignore
the
evidence
I
can
just
go
on
and
live
life
my
way
this
is
broadly
the
meaning
of
the
resurrection
Thomas
says
to
him
my
Lord
and
my
God
notice
this
notice
what's
changed
with
Thomas
his
first
words
were not
okay
Jesus
said to
him
put your
hand
here
put your
fist in
the side
and
he doesn't
go
oh
the
evidence
his
immediate
response
is
my
Lord
and
my
God
the
whole
issue
that
Thomas
had
was
I
want
to
see
Jesus
for
myself
and
I
will
not
ever
believe
until
I
touch
those
wounds
Jesus
shows
up
and
Thomas
doesn't
even
touch
him
the
wounds
on
Jesus
were
not
so
much
more
than
the
evidence
of
the
resurrection
they
were
evidence
of
something
so
much
more
powerful
for
Thomas
what
he
is
saying
in
that
moment
in
encountering
the
risen
Jesus
is
that
everything
you
said
about
yourself
is
true
everything
you said
about
me
is
true
everything
you said
about
this
world
is
true
he
is
God
he
is
the
king
of
the
universe
he
is
my
lord
he
is
my
king
he
is
my
boss
he
is
my
ruler
he
is
my
god
he
is
my
savior
the
resurrection
means
that
what
Jesus
has
promised
he
delivered
Thomas
has
just
joyfully
discovered
that
the
wounds
on
the
cross
on
Jesus
that
he
thought
had
ruined
his
life
those
wounds
have
in
fact
saved
his
life
this
is
the
answer
to
the
so
what
question
the
resurrection
means
that
everything
Jesus
said
about
himself
is
right
and
true
he
is
the
way
for
humanity
to be
reunited
to
their
creator
the
resurrection
means
that
human
guilt
and
shame
has
been
dealt
with
finally
and
fully
through
Jesus
satisfying
God's
justice
on the
cross
for
us
it
means
that
death
has
not
only
been
confronted
but
it's
actually
been
conquered
by
Jesus
it
means
that
new
and
true
life
can
be
experienced
before
death
and
eternal
life
beyond
death
it
means
that
hope
for
better
things
have
gone
from
a
category
of
oh
I
hope
so
to
an
absolute
definite
certainty
it
means
that
a new
heavens
and
a new
earth
where
those
who
trust
in
Christ
will
live
forever
like
he
lives
forever
is
just
a
matter
of
time
that's
what
Jesus
offers
everyone
who
trusts
in
him
a
number
of
chapters
earlier
in
John's
account
of
this
good
news
we
have
Jesus
declaring
the
life
changing
news
of
Easter
he
says
I
am
the
resurrection
and
the
life
the
one
who
believes
in
me
will
live
even
though
they
die
and
whoever
lives
by
believing
in
me
will
never
die
it
means
that
Jesus
isn't
just
one
option
amongst
any
and many
that
you
might
have
to
turn
to
something
incredibly
unique
and
life
changing
and
worldview
shaping
has
happened
in the
resurrection
of
Jesus
that
is
what
Thomas
has
discovered
that's
what
people
across
this
world
for
2000
years
have
discovered
from
every
cultural
group
and
people
group
there
is
hope
in
Jesus
Christ
so
lastly
how do
we
discover
this
certain
hope
firstly
it's
important
to
listen
to
the
eyewitness
accounts
don't
cast
them
off
we
are
told
here
in
John
20
that
Thomas
wasn't
there
when
Jesus
first
appeared
to
the
disciples
one
week
later
Jesus
shows
up
again
with
Thomas
present
during
the
week
in
between
we
are
told
in
verse
25
of
John
20
that
the
other
disciples
kept
telling
him
we
have
seen
him
we
have
seen
him
we
have
seen
him
during
that
week
Thomas
was
in
the
exact
same
spot
that
you
and
I
are
in
right
now
and
people
have
been
in
for
2,000
years
like
him
we
have
the
eyewitness
accounts
we
have
the
eyewitness
accounts
we
have
the
accounts
of
the
people
who
were
there
access
to
them
access
direct
access
to
the
people
who
had
direct
access
to
Jesus
the
eyewitness
accounts
have been
written
down
for us
and
preserved
through
history
in
the
New
Testament
if
you
haven't
got
one
you
can
grab
one
of
those
out
in
the
table
out
in
the
atrium
as
well
and
read
it
take
it
home
and
read
it
for
yourself
a
number
of
years
ago
it
was
common
accusation
that
the
gospel
accounts
the
historical
biographies
of
Jesus
the
gospel
accounts
were
fables
that
were
written
down
long
after
the
events
and
so
are
not
trustworthy
the
reality
is
enormous
amount
and I
mean
an
enormous
amount
of
scholarship
that
actually
argues
the
gospels
do not
even
carry
one
mark
of
fiction
in
them
written
by
people
who
know
their
stuff
not
even
a
single
mark
of
fiction
they
have
all
the
marks
of
oral
history
and
eyewitness
testimony
and
when
these
events
were
written
down
nearly
all
of
the
eyewitnesses
were
still
alive
and
could
vouch
for
everything
that
was
written
John
who
wrote
his
biography
was
one
of
the
eyewitnesses
and
this
is
what
he
says
about
what
it
means
to
come
to
certain
hope
in
Jesus
Christ
it
was
read
out
to
us
John
chapter
20
verse
30
one
of
the
last
things
that
was
read
to
us
what
he
is
saying
is
that
what
is
written
in
the
biography
of
Jesus
life
his
ministry
his
death
and
his
resurrection
by
eyewitnesses
account
is
all
that
you
need
for
certain
hope
you
don't
need
anything
more
for
certain
hope
than
what
has
been
recorded
and
that
makes
pure
sense
doesn't
it
I
mean
doesn't
it
make
pure
sense
it
is
in
fact
how
we
operate
every
single
day
of
our
life
what
I
mean
is
this
how
many
things
that
you
believe
actually
happened
in
world
history
that
you
actually
didn't
see
how
many
of
it
all
of
it
all
of
it
we
actually
believe
eyewitness
testimony
that has
been
written
down
by
historically
reliable
authors
and so
why
is it
that we
don't
do it
with
Jesus
why
because
it's not
about
historical
evidence
it's about
a battle
of the
will
and who's
in
control
of
my
life
we
don't
need
to know
anything
more
than
what
is
written
in
John's
gospel
or
any
of
the
other
biographies
of
Jesus
to
see
and
believe
and so
give
it
a
read
get
yourself
immersed
in it
and
see
read
them
as
eyewitness
accounts
and
think
the
second
thing
that we
need to
do
to
move
from
doubt
into
a
place
of
certain
hope
is
to
drop
our
conditions
every
single
one
of
us
moves
towards
Jesus
with
a
set
of
conditions
no
one
ever
goes
to
Jesus
just
because
he
is
awesome
and
he's
great
and
he's
the
saver
of
humanity
just
purely
on
those
terms
no
one
goes
to him
purely
on
his
sake
we
always
move
towards
him
because
we
want
something
which
means
we
have
conditions
I've
known
people
who
have
refused
to
make
any
move
towards
Jesus
because
it
would
mean
that
they
would
need
to
repair
a
relationship
that's
gone
wrong
and
they
don't
want
to
repair
it
would
mean
they
have
to
change
a
habit
and
they
don't
want
to
change
that
habit
it
means
to
confess
sin
and
they
love
it
and
that's
all
of
us
we
all
come
with
yeah
Jesus
I
know
you're
offering
me
eternal
life
it
sounds
fantastic
but
frankly
I
don't
want
it
to
disrupt
my
family
I
don't
want
it
to
hurt
my
career
and
I
don't
want
it
to
interrupt
my
long
weekends
we
need
to
drop
our
conditions
because
every
condition
says
I
will
love
you
Jesus
if
and
that
if
is
life
changing
Jesus
did
not
do
that
for
us
he
loved
us
unconditionally
the
death
of
Jesus
was
no
accident
of
history
Jesus
died
he
rose
to
redeem
us
and
to
reclaim
us
to
our
creator
God
it
was
all
of
God's
plan
it
is
a
plan
that
is
historically
reliable
and
experientially
satisfying
as we
navigate
life
historically
reliable
and
experientially
satisfying
as we
navigate
life
God
has
brought
you
here
this
Easter
make
no
mistake
God
has
brought
you
here
this
Easter
for
this
message
for
this
bit
of
the
Bible
for
this
story
of
the
resurrection
of
Jesus
for
this
eyewitness
account
so that
you might
believe
in
Jesus
and have
certain
life
of
immortality
life
forever
with joy
as Jesus
himself
is alive
forever
in joy
in a moment