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| Rev. Brent Russett |
Pastor of Sunnyside Wesleyan Church in Ottawa:
http://www.sunnysidechurchottawa.com/ ___________________________________________________
PODCAST LINK to CFRA broadcast - Sunday, April 1st, 2018:
Broadcast Notes:
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Easter Morning
What
it takes to Believe
Good
morning and Happy Easter. Welcome to
good news in the morning. I am so glad that you have tuned into the program
today. My name is Brent Russett. I am the Lead Pastor at Sunnyside Wesleyan
Church here in Ottawa. I have been pastoring there for 28 years. One of the
things I love to do is show how God’s word that was written a long time ago,
connects with our world right now.
This
morning is Easter. It is the time when we celebrate Jesus rising from the dead.
It is the most important day on the Christian Calendar.
I
know that some of you who are listening have been followers of Jesus for a long
time, and I know that others of you think of yourself as spiritual, but you are
not really sure of this Christian thing, and I know others of you just curious
how people of faith think. I trust that wherever you are on yours spiritual
journey, that you will find this program interesting and informative, and I
believe that for those of you desire it, God can use a program like this to
take you another step closer to Him
This
morning I want to talk to you about what it takes to believe
One
thing I love, is hearing people’s stories of how they came to Jesus. There is a
movie based on a book that just came out, that tells the story Lee Strobel’s
story. His wife came to faith, but faith made no sense to him. He was an
investigative journalist, who decided to investigate the claims of Jesus. After
a long investigation, spoiler alert, he puts his faith in Jesus.
Then
there are testimonies like the one of a friend of mine. He has so many coincidences
happen in their lives, that get them to a certain place, and then they hear the
gospel, and there is some that is just so compelling, they hardly know why but
they take that step of faith and give their lives to Jesus.
Then
there are other testimonies where people hit bottom. They really hit bottom,
and they cry out to God for him to show himself, and he does. That becomes the
beginning of faith where they believe in Jesus and give their lives to Jesus.
Then
there are people like me who was raised in a Christian home, and it was the
most natural thing in the world to give my life to Jesus at an early age. For
people like us, initial belief is easy, walking out our faith continues to be a
choice to believe.
How
about you? Where is your faith at?
Now
when we talk about faith, we are not taking about mental accent to a given set
of theological claims:
Jesus is the son of God – Check
Jesus died for my sin- Check
Jesus was raised to life again – Check
Jesus loves me – Check
Those
beliefs are really important. But the real question is, do you believe in Jesus
enough to allow him to make a change in your life. Do you believe in Jesus
enough to give him your life, to make him captain of your life?
This
morning we are going to look at the Easter Story in John 20. You will see
different ways of how people believed. The way those people believed changed
the world. This belief changed the way they lived.
*****
If
you are an astute human being you will know that words have consequences. If
you are an authentic human being then you will know that your words will
reflect you beliefs.
So
think about this for a moment with me. Pretend you don’t know the rest of the
story. What do you think the likely outcome would be if a guy who was sentence
as a criminal, who was severely beaten, crucified, and then after death stabbed
with spear in his side – if someone went around and started saying – he is
alive. He has been raised from the dead. What do you think the consequence of
that belief and those words are going to do.
Well
you know that the people who are in power who sentenced him to death are going
to be threatened – they are going to come after you. You know that normal
people, are going to just think you are crazy, on the level of alien abduction
– because – well, dead is dead.
This
kind of belief was going to cost them something. It wasn’t just a mental assent
to something – it was a life changing faith.
Not
to mention, if Jesus was raised from the dead, then everything I thought I knew
about life, and death, and God and religion, well that just turned on its ear.
This belief would cost them something. True faith often does. But they came to
faith anyways, Because it was true, and because they encountered the risen
Lord.
Let me take you to the story.
John 20:1–10 (NLT)
Early on Sunday
morning,* while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found
that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 2 She
ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She
said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where
they have put him!”
3 Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. 4 They
were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb
first. 5 He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings
lying there, but he didn’t go in. 6 Then Simon Peter arrived
and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, 7 while
the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the
other wrappings. 8 Then the disciple who had reached the tomb
first also went in, and he saw and believed—9 for until then
they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the
dead. 10 Then they went home.
We
will come back to Mary Magdalene in a moment. Let’s take a look at Peter and
John. (John by the way, is the one who is writing this book, and he doesn’t
like to refer to himself by name – so he calls himself the other “disciple whom
Jesus loved.” I am not sure what that says about John – and that is rabbit
trail.
Peter
and John hear from Mary that the tomb is empty, so they have a foot race to the
tomb. John wins, but he is somewhat timid, and stands huffing and puffing
outside the tomb. Peter figures if I am going to huff and puff, I might as well
do it inside the tomb – so he barges right in.
He
noticed the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that covered Jesus faith
folded up. (for you men and women who fold laundry – you are being like Jesus –
and that’s a rabbit trail)
The
Bible doesn’t really say anything about Peter’s faith. But here is what it says
about John’s faith. John 20:8–9 (NLT)
8 Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw
and believed—9 for until then they still hadn’t understood the
Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead.
John
looked around and saw Jesus’ burial wrappings where no longer on Jesus – he put
that together with what Jesus had said about, rising from the dead – he put
that together with what it says in the Scriptures – and the bible says he saw
and believed.
He
hadn’t seen the resurrected Lord – but he believed. His leap of faith was going
from the evidence to believing that Jesus is risen. That is how some of you
came to faith. You put together the pieces and you believed.
There
are people is for people, like John, who can take the evidence in front of
them, put it together, - and faith can happen. I would recommend that course to
you.
****
Some
of you have seen the evidence – but you are like Peter – you see it but you
don’t get it.
You
see Peter’s last experience with Jesus was denying him three times. If Jesus is
risen from the dead, I have some explaining to do. If I run into Jesus after
saying I would never deny him – and then I end up denying him three times –
well awkward.
I
have found over the years, that there is often one issue that keeps people from
making the leap of faith. What is my girlfriend/ parent/ friend going to think
of me? If I make that leap of faith, I can just imagine some awkward moments.
The evidence that is in front of my eyes, I will just pretend it isn’t there.
If
that is you, I want you to know that knowing Jesus, is worth more than any
awkward moments. I would urge you, see Jesus and believe.
Rift on the guilt of Peter (or maybe it
was the guilt of Peter)
MUSIC – 2ND CHAPTER OF ACTS – EASTER SON
****
Let’s
go to Mary Magdalene. She has found the tomb empty.
When
Jesus was crucified, the bottom dropped out of Mary’s world. If you look at
here history, she had led a pretty messed up life, and Jesus had saved her from
that. Jesus was her hero. She didn’t know a whole lot other than she loved
Jesus, and now she was dead.
If
you have been around people long enough, then you know that some people are
more emotive than others. Some people feel emotional pain deeper than others.
Mary felt the pain of Jesus loss in an excruciating way..
John 20:11–17 (NLT)
11 Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped
and looked in. 12 She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting
at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had
been lying. 13 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” the angels
asked her.
“Because they have
taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”
I often think that those who hurt
the deepest , are sent angels more regularly – But Mary is so far gone, she
can’t even recognize the angels for what they are.
John believed because he saw the
linen. Mary talks to an angel, and it is so – Jesus is dead. – I don’t want to
talk to anyone now.
So
VERSE 14
14 She turned to leave
This is the first time that I can
think of where someone cuts off a conversation with an angel. She is polite
enough to answer their question then she just turns to leave.
VERSE
14
14 She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she
didn’t recognize him. 15 “Dear woman, why are you crying?”
Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?”
She thought he was the
gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have
put him, and I will go and get him.”
16 “Mary!” Jesus said.
She turned to him and
cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”).
Mary got to her very lowest point
and she found Jesus there. She encountered him.
I have watched that over and over
again. People who get to their lowest point, find Jesus there.
Rift
on
Grief
Addiction
Hurt
If that is where you are today, I
would invite you to look for Jesus. He is there. It may take you a while to
recognize him but he is there.
So we
have John – who sees the evidence
Peter-
Who his awkwardness and guilt
Mary
– Low Point
John
20:18 (NLT)
18 Mary Magdalene found the
disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message.
So
now we go to the disciples. I wonder what they are thinking.
John 20:19 (NLT)
19 That Sunday evening* the disciples were meeting behind locked doors
because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders.
There
Lord had risen from the dead – and they were just overjoyed – not. They have
heard the evidence, they have heard the testimony of others encounter Jesus.
And they are cowering in fear. That is not faith.
Sometimes
you can be around people of faith, but their faith is not your faith.
Rift
on how belief overcomes fear.
But
they didn’t believe
Rift
on how they have told about Jesus – but they still didn’t believe = apply
John 20:19–22 (NIV)
Jesus
Appears to His Disciples
19 On
the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together,
with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood
among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said
this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they
saw the Lord.
21 Again
Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And
with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
Sometimes it takes an encounter with the Lord himself = apply
John 20:24–29 (NIV)
Jesus
Appears to Thomas
24 Now
Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples
when Jesus came. 25 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.”
26 A
week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them.
Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace
be with you!” 27 Then 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.”
28 Thomas
said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Then
Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those
who have not seen and yet have believed.”
There
are some of you who are like Thomas and you doubt.
Apply
John
20:30–31 (NIV)
The
Purpose of John’s Gospel
30 Jesus performed many
other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this
book. 31 But these are
written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of
God, and that by believing you may have life
in his name.
Most important thing – rift on life:
John – Evidence
Peter - Awkward
Mary – Trauma
Disciples - Afraid
Thomas - Doubting
Lead in Sinners Prayer.
Let me pray,
Lord
Jesus, I ask that wherever people are that they would put their trust in you.
I
ask, Lord, that you would help them to know you.
Lord,
reveal yourself to them in Jesus’ name. AMEN.
And thank you for listening to Good News in the Morning.
This program is on the air by the grace of God and
donations of many faithful people.
My name is Brent Russett, and it has been a privilege
to bring you Good News in the morning.
By Rev. Brent Russett
Pastor of Sunnyside Wesleyan Church in Ottawa:
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PODCAST
LINK to the CFRA broadcast:
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