Resurrection Sunday
Upside Down (Easter), 31 March 2024
03 04 24 Filed in: Sermons
Upside Down (Easter)
John 19:30
Big Idea: Because of the resurrection, our world and future are radically transformed.
I love roller coasters. As a young boy, they terrified me, but a $20 bribe from my grandpa got me convinced to ride one a few years later and I was hooked (on roller coasters, not the $20!!!). Despite my early love for roller coasters, there was one thing I wouldn’t ride…a coaster that goes upside down. I don’t know if I thought I would fall out or just thought it would be a weird sensation but I refused to do a loop for several years…until my grandpa bribed—no, he wasn’t involved this time, but when I was at King’s Island, I faced my fear and went upside down for the first time on a roller coaster, and while I didn’t want to stay upside down, I loved it!
We’re not here to talk about roller coasters (though I can’t wait to ride Top Thrill 2!), but the subject of Easter—of Resurrection Sunday—is filled with surprises, with irony, with upside down reality. It’s really a picture of life in the Kingdom of God, the life of a follower of Jesus. He is risen!
The resurrection of Jesus has been celebrated since…well, since it occurred in the first century. I wish we had time today to unpack all of the reasons why I believe in the resurrection. I do realize dead people do not usually come back to life…especially when they are exposed to the horror of crucifixion. Nobody’s been able to locate the place where Jesus’ body was placed or buried, so whether you believe Jesus rose from the dead or not, just imagine for a moment that he did. What if it’s true?
The subject of Resurrection Sunday is filled with surprises, with irony, with upside down reality. Our scripture reading text is filled with such moments!
Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. (Matthew 28:1, NLT)
Nothing special here.
Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. 3 His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. 4 The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint. (Matthew 28:2-4, NLT)
Earthquake. Angel. Shining face and white clothing. Of course, the guards were afraid and fainted. Have you ever seen an angel? It seems like they always say the same thing…
Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. 7 And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.” (Matthew 28:5-7, NLT)
The crucified don’t rise from the dead! That’s as upside down as it gets!
The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. (Matthew 28:8, NLT)
Frightened and joyful. That’s upside down!
The Kingdom of God is upside down from the kingdoms of this world.
But let’s back up. How did we get to this scene? Many of you know the story of Good Friday which we remembered two days ago. One of Jesus’ three best friends, John, wrote regarding Jesus on the cross…
When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:30, NIV)
I’m grateful to pastor Erwin McManus for introducing me to the true meaning of this simple verse and its relevance to Easter. Jesus did three things.
First, he said, “It is finished.” This was moments before he died, making this declaration look like one of defeat. It appears his life is finished. His friends certainly saw it that way. Usually when people die, it’s a tragedy. The Hebrew word for death does not mean the absence of life, but rather the separation of two things that never meant to be separated. Death feels wrong because it is. My father-in-law died on Monday and we’ve been surrounded by preparations for next Sunday’s funeral. But when Jesus said, “It is finished,” he wasn’t talking about the end of his life. He was referencing his completed mission to seek and save the lost. What appeared to be a failure was upside down. Jesus fulfilled the scriptures written centuries earlier. The cross was viewed as a symbol of powerlessness, but on the cross Jesus had total confidence in his power to accomplish the mission. At the cross, defeat is victory.
Then he bowed his head. This is the same language found when he said,
Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20, NIV)
Jesus had no place to rest his head, but he did on the cross. There is rest at the cross. He takes an act of violence and turns things upside down, making it a place of peace.
When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:30, NIV)
Thirdly, the text says Jesus “gave up his spirit.” This doesn’t mean he lost it, but rather he gave it up, he made a choice—a decision—with his last act. Nobody took Jesus’ life, it was a gift, an act of grace, unmerited favor.
Do you see how upside down the story of Jesus is? In this one verse, we see defeat is victory, violence is peace, failure is conquest. It’s not the death of Jesus that makes Good Friday good. Yes, he died to offer forgiveness to every man, woman, and child that responds to his simple invitation, “Follow me.” But if there was no resurrection, we wouldn’t be celebrating today.
Some of you today are exploring what it means to follow Jesus. Welcome! We welcome people of all faiths, backgrounds, ethnicities, …all humans are welcome here! We’re not about becoming a big church or famous, but we are about helping people discover Jesus and what you might call the upside-down Kingdom of God. Our faith is not built on philosophy or someone’s dream or a dead person’s wisdom. It’s on the living person of Jesus, a real human who changed the world, who showed us what it means to be human.
In many ways, following Jesus is the opposite of following the world—both the religious world and the culture. Religious people have always tried to be good enough for a perfect God, but it doesn’t work. It’s always tempting to keep up with the Joneses, to pursue the American Dream, to just do it, to have it your way, to do you and be true to yourself (what slogans am I missing?!), but how’s that working for you? It’s no secret that we live in a cancel culture that then struggles with loneliness (I wonder why?!). Money, sex, and power are like a mirage in the desert, an illusion of satisfaction which quickly fades away. I like these words from the late J. Oswald Sanders:
“Because we children of Adam want to become great, He became small. Because we will not stoop, He humbled Himself. Because we want to rule, He came to serve.”
Jesus died for you and for me. His blood poured out of his beaten body, his head covered in a crown of thorns, nails in his wrists and feet, eventually a spear in his side. He took our punishment. That’s upside down!
Jesus left heaven to come to earth. That’s upside down!
His blood washes us white as snow. That’s upside down!
He brings us from darkness into light. That’s upside down!
And it wasn’t because we’re good people.
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8, NIV)
That’s really upside down! That’s the message of the gospel, the good news. Jesus died for us…not only to experience forgiveness and grace, but also a relationship with God.
Jesus turned everything upside-down. Consider a few of his choice statements:
Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. (Matt. 10:39, NIV)
Six chapters later, he says it again.
For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. (Matt. 16:25, NIV)
Perhaps you’ve heard this one:
But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. Matt. 19:30
Perhaps the most radical of commands is found in chapter five of the same book.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, Matt. 5:43-44
Love your enemies? That’s so upside-down. It sounds ridiculous to our culture. Cancel your enemies. Harm your enemies. Treat them the way they treat you. At the very best ignore your enemies. But love them?
One of the things I love about Jesus is he gets us. Perhaps you’ve seen the tv commercials! But he really gets us. He spent 33 years on our planet, getting sick, cold, tempted, and enduring the most horrific pain imaginable on the cross.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. (Hebrews 4:15)
I love that so much! When he says things like “love your enemies,” he walks the talk.
When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. (Luke 23:33-34)
Paul, who had a life-transforming encounter with the risen Jesus, notes:
I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. 5 He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. 6 After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. (1 Corinthians 15:3-6, NLT)
It's not like one or two people had a hallucination or something!
The resurrection is everything to the follower of Jesus. Paul, who met Jesus, wrote,
And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. 16 And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. (1 Corinthians 15:15-17, NLT)
Without the resurrection, our faith is useless.
Without the resurrection, we are guilty of our sins.
Without the resurrection, we have no hope.
Without the resurrection, we have no peace.
Without the resurrection, Christianity is just one of many religions trying to get to God.
Without the resurrection, we’re wasting our time praying to a dead God.
Without the resurrection, we have future of death.
Without the resurrection, this is as good as it gets (and that’s tragic!)
Without the resurrection, we have no purpose (he who dies with the most toys wins)
But because he lives, I’m alive!
Because he lives, I can face tomorrow
Because he lives, every fear is gone
So What?
In a moment we’re going to hear stories of people who have said, “Jesus, I give you my life.” If you’ve done that, let this be a moment to remember your surrender and recommit to follow Jesus and his upside-down, radical, alternative way of life.
If you’ve never said, “Jesus, I give you my life,” I urge you to do so today. It’s the most amazing experience to surrender, die to your own selfish ways, and be resurrected in Christ. When you do so, Christ lives in you! When you die, you can really live. That’s upside down…and it’s amazing!
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
You can watch this video and others at the First Alliance Church Video Library here.
John 19:30
Big Idea: Because of the resurrection, our world and future are radically transformed.
I love roller coasters. As a young boy, they terrified me, but a $20 bribe from my grandpa got me convinced to ride one a few years later and I was hooked (on roller coasters, not the $20!!!). Despite my early love for roller coasters, there was one thing I wouldn’t ride…a coaster that goes upside down. I don’t know if I thought I would fall out or just thought it would be a weird sensation but I refused to do a loop for several years…until my grandpa bribed—no, he wasn’t involved this time, but when I was at King’s Island, I faced my fear and went upside down for the first time on a roller coaster, and while I didn’t want to stay upside down, I loved it!
We’re not here to talk about roller coasters (though I can’t wait to ride Top Thrill 2!), but the subject of Easter—of Resurrection Sunday—is filled with surprises, with irony, with upside down reality. It’s really a picture of life in the Kingdom of God, the life of a follower of Jesus. He is risen!
The resurrection of Jesus has been celebrated since…well, since it occurred in the first century. I wish we had time today to unpack all of the reasons why I believe in the resurrection. I do realize dead people do not usually come back to life…especially when they are exposed to the horror of crucifixion. Nobody’s been able to locate the place where Jesus’ body was placed or buried, so whether you believe Jesus rose from the dead or not, just imagine for a moment that he did. What if it’s true?
The subject of Resurrection Sunday is filled with surprises, with irony, with upside down reality. Our scripture reading text is filled with such moments!
Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. (Matthew 28:1, NLT)
Nothing special here.
Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. 3 His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. 4 The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint. (Matthew 28:2-4, NLT)
Earthquake. Angel. Shining face and white clothing. Of course, the guards were afraid and fainted. Have you ever seen an angel? It seems like they always say the same thing…
Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. 7 And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.” (Matthew 28:5-7, NLT)
The crucified don’t rise from the dead! That’s as upside down as it gets!
The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. (Matthew 28:8, NLT)
Frightened and joyful. That’s upside down!
The Kingdom of God is upside down from the kingdoms of this world.
But let’s back up. How did we get to this scene? Many of you know the story of Good Friday which we remembered two days ago. One of Jesus’ three best friends, John, wrote regarding Jesus on the cross…
When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:30, NIV)
I’m grateful to pastor Erwin McManus for introducing me to the true meaning of this simple verse and its relevance to Easter. Jesus did three things.
First, he said, “It is finished.” This was moments before he died, making this declaration look like one of defeat. It appears his life is finished. His friends certainly saw it that way. Usually when people die, it’s a tragedy. The Hebrew word for death does not mean the absence of life, but rather the separation of two things that never meant to be separated. Death feels wrong because it is. My father-in-law died on Monday and we’ve been surrounded by preparations for next Sunday’s funeral. But when Jesus said, “It is finished,” he wasn’t talking about the end of his life. He was referencing his completed mission to seek and save the lost. What appeared to be a failure was upside down. Jesus fulfilled the scriptures written centuries earlier. The cross was viewed as a symbol of powerlessness, but on the cross Jesus had total confidence in his power to accomplish the mission. At the cross, defeat is victory.
Then he bowed his head. This is the same language found when he said,
Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20, NIV)
Jesus had no place to rest his head, but he did on the cross. There is rest at the cross. He takes an act of violence and turns things upside down, making it a place of peace.
When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:30, NIV)
Thirdly, the text says Jesus “gave up his spirit.” This doesn’t mean he lost it, but rather he gave it up, he made a choice—a decision—with his last act. Nobody took Jesus’ life, it was a gift, an act of grace, unmerited favor.
Do you see how upside down the story of Jesus is? In this one verse, we see defeat is victory, violence is peace, failure is conquest. It’s not the death of Jesus that makes Good Friday good. Yes, he died to offer forgiveness to every man, woman, and child that responds to his simple invitation, “Follow me.” But if there was no resurrection, we wouldn’t be celebrating today.
Some of you today are exploring what it means to follow Jesus. Welcome! We welcome people of all faiths, backgrounds, ethnicities, …all humans are welcome here! We’re not about becoming a big church or famous, but we are about helping people discover Jesus and what you might call the upside-down Kingdom of God. Our faith is not built on philosophy or someone’s dream or a dead person’s wisdom. It’s on the living person of Jesus, a real human who changed the world, who showed us what it means to be human.
In many ways, following Jesus is the opposite of following the world—both the religious world and the culture. Religious people have always tried to be good enough for a perfect God, but it doesn’t work. It’s always tempting to keep up with the Joneses, to pursue the American Dream, to just do it, to have it your way, to do you and be true to yourself (what slogans am I missing?!), but how’s that working for you? It’s no secret that we live in a cancel culture that then struggles with loneliness (I wonder why?!). Money, sex, and power are like a mirage in the desert, an illusion of satisfaction which quickly fades away. I like these words from the late J. Oswald Sanders:
“Because we children of Adam want to become great, He became small. Because we will not stoop, He humbled Himself. Because we want to rule, He came to serve.”
Jesus died for you and for me. His blood poured out of his beaten body, his head covered in a crown of thorns, nails in his wrists and feet, eventually a spear in his side. He took our punishment. That’s upside down!
Jesus left heaven to come to earth. That’s upside down!
His blood washes us white as snow. That’s upside down!
He brings us from darkness into light. That’s upside down!
And it wasn’t because we’re good people.
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8, NIV)
That’s really upside down! That’s the message of the gospel, the good news. Jesus died for us…not only to experience forgiveness and grace, but also a relationship with God.
Jesus turned everything upside-down. Consider a few of his choice statements:
Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. (Matt. 10:39, NIV)
Six chapters later, he says it again.
For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. (Matt. 16:25, NIV)
Perhaps you’ve heard this one:
But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. Matt. 19:30
Perhaps the most radical of commands is found in chapter five of the same book.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, Matt. 5:43-44
Love your enemies? That’s so upside-down. It sounds ridiculous to our culture. Cancel your enemies. Harm your enemies. Treat them the way they treat you. At the very best ignore your enemies. But love them?
One of the things I love about Jesus is he gets us. Perhaps you’ve seen the tv commercials! But he really gets us. He spent 33 years on our planet, getting sick, cold, tempted, and enduring the most horrific pain imaginable on the cross.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. (Hebrews 4:15)
I love that so much! When he says things like “love your enemies,” he walks the talk.
When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. (Luke 23:33-34)
Paul, who had a life-transforming encounter with the risen Jesus, notes:
I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. 5 He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. 6 After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. (1 Corinthians 15:3-6, NLT)
It's not like one or two people had a hallucination or something!
The resurrection is everything to the follower of Jesus. Paul, who met Jesus, wrote,
And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. 16 And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. (1 Corinthians 15:15-17, NLT)
Without the resurrection, our faith is useless.
Without the resurrection, we are guilty of our sins.
Without the resurrection, we have no hope.
Without the resurrection, we have no peace.
Without the resurrection, Christianity is just one of many religions trying to get to God.
Without the resurrection, we’re wasting our time praying to a dead God.
Without the resurrection, we have future of death.
Without the resurrection, this is as good as it gets (and that’s tragic!)
Without the resurrection, we have no purpose (he who dies with the most toys wins)
But because he lives, I’m alive!
Because he lives, I can face tomorrow
Because he lives, every fear is gone
So What?
In a moment we’re going to hear stories of people who have said, “Jesus, I give you my life.” If you’ve done that, let this be a moment to remember your surrender and recommit to follow Jesus and his upside-down, radical, alternative way of life.
If you’ve never said, “Jesus, I give you my life,” I urge you to do so today. It’s the most amazing experience to surrender, die to your own selfish ways, and be resurrected in Christ. When you do so, Christ lives in you! When you die, you can really live. That’s upside down…and it’s amazing!
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
You can watch this video and others at the First Alliance Church Video Library here.