Because He LIves, Easter 2015, 5 April 2015
Big Idea: The resurrection changes everything!
The Butterfly Effect
“In chaos theory, the butterfly effect is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions in which a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state.” So states Wikipedia.
Put into plain English, the Butterfly Effect, attributed to Edward Lorenz, is a belief that a butterfly’s wings flapping eventually create a typhoon that hits land on the other side of the world.
A snowflake by itself weighs nothing, but enough of them will collapse oak trees and roofs.
A woman named Rosa Parks simply sat on a bus and sparked the Civil Rights movement.
Ten years earlier, a man named Jackie Robinson was court-martialed (and acquitted) for not moving to the back of a bus.
You might call this butterfly effect a chain reaction. One event can change everything. No event changed human history like the resurrection.
Because He lives. One moment in history about two thousand years ago changed everything. You could argue there were two. The first was the death of Jesus.
There is unanimous agreement among scholars that Jesus died. He was given an honorable burial. That the tomb was discovered to be empty. That there were post-mortem appearances of Jesus by the disciples. With the exception of Muslims who believe Jesus never actually died on the cross, virtually every scholar will tell you a historical person named Jesus lived, taught, and died. The primary controversy surrounds our celebration today—His resurrection.
Church history is full of creeds, statements of faith. Perhaps the oldest creed of the Christian faith comes within three years of the death of Jesus (see James Dunn). It was recorded in Paul’s letter to the people in Corinth.
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
Much is made of the death of Christ, and rightfully so. We remember it each month as we engage in communion or the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist (call it what you like!). What Jesus accomplished on the cross was immensely important. But it was not enough.
The cross seems to get most of the attention. People have turned the horrific object of torture into a religious symbol, even a celebrated piece of jewelry. The real focus should be on the empty tomb, an image that is, admittedly, a bit more complex to depict! Still, perhaps we should wear empty tombs rather than crosses around our necks!
When I was in Jerusalem several years ago I was curious about the place where Jesus died. There are two common possibilities, one now inside The Church of the Holy Sepulcher and another outside the city, a hill that looks like a skull. Both are interesting sites, but I wanted to see the empty tomb!
He is risen!
Paul was a Jesus freak! He was a leading Jewish leader named Saul who persecuted Christians…until He encountered Jesus. His witness alone is tremendous evidence of the resurrection, for dead men are not known to speak, and only lunatics would be persecuted for a lie, a myth, or a mirage as he and so many others were, including countless martyrs…simply for the belief in the resurrection. Paul wrote
But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Corinthians 15:12-19)
There are many “ifs” in those verses! It’s hard for me to imagine life without the resurrection. Paul continues to state things in the positive.
But* Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:20-22)
* when you see a “but” in a sentence, usually the only thing that matters is what follows!
Our faith is based on not merely a life or a death but on the resurrection. The resurrection is not only the true center of the Christian faith, but it signals God's initiative in the renewing of creation. The resurrection both embodies and empowers the destiny of God’s people as divine image-bearers from now to forever.
So What?
The resurrection is everything!
I recently bought a book called Risen: 50 Reasons Why The Resurrection Changed Everything by Steven Mathewson.
19. To Guarantee Our Future Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20–23; 1 Thess. 4:14)
20. To Destroy All Other Powers through His Reign (1 Corinthians 15: 24–27)
21. To Destroy the Enemy of Death (1 Corinthians 15: 26, 54–57; Luke 20:36)
22. To Give Us a Reason to Endanger Our Lives (1 Corinthians 15: 30–31)
23. To Deliver Us from Self-Indulgence (1 Corinthians 15:32)
24. To Give Us Heavenly, Imperishable Bodies (1 Corinthians 15: 42–48)
25. To Clothe Us with His Image (1 Corinthians 15:49)
26. To Give Us Immortality (1 Corinthians 15:53)
27. To Overcome the Power of the Law (1 Corinthians 15: 56–57)
28. To Make Serving the Lord Worthwhile (1 Corinthians 15:58)
29. To Give Us Hope in Hard Times (2 Corinthians 1: 8–11)
30. To Give Us a Greater Purpose in Life (2 Corinthians 5:15)
31. To Let Us Experience God’s Mighty Power (Ephesians 1:18–20)
32. To Display God’s Amazing Grace (Ephesians 2:6–7)
33. To Bring Victory into Our Intimacy with Him (Philippians 3:10–11)
34. To Make Us Full in Him (Colossians 2:9–12)
35. To Reorient Our Desires (Colossians 3:1–2)
36. To Let Us Appear with Him in Glory (Colossians 3:4; Acts 1:11)
37. To Enable Us to Kill Our Old Way of Life (Colossians 3:5–10)
38. To Rescue Us from Coming Wrath (1 Thessalonians 1:10)
39. To Serve as Our Eternal Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20; Revelation 7:17)
40. To Give Us New Birth into a Living Hope (1 Peter 1:3; Acts 23:6; 1 Thess. 4:13–14)
41. To Glorify the Lamb of God (1 Peter 1:18–21; Acts 3:13–15)
42. To Show That Death Does Not Stop Us from Living (Matt. 22:30–32; Rom. 14:9)
43. To Confirm His Words about Being Raised to Life (Matthew 28:5–7)
44. To Continue the Mission of God (Matthew 28:18–20)
45. To Share His Presence with His Followers until His Return (Matthew 28:20)
46. To Teach More about the Kingdom of God (Acts 1:3)
47. To Prove God’s Commitment to Justice (Acts 17:31)
48. To Make Possible the Judgment of Wicked (Jn 5: 28-30; Acts 24:15; Rev. 20:11-15)
49. To Give Him Complete Supremacy (Colossians 1:18; Revelation 1:4–5)
50. To Provide Life in the Unfiltered Presence of God (Revelation 21:3–4, 22; 22:1)
• Because He lives…we are alive.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. (John 1:1-4)
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10)
Jesus said to her [Martha], “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. (John 11:25-26a)
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
• Because He lives…we have a future
Because He lives, resurrection is possible. All things are possible.
Today is the greatest day on the calendar! It’s bigger and better than Christmas, your birthday, the Super Bowl, and Groundhog Day combined!
Everything changed on Resurrection Sunday and because He lives, there is hope for all of us.
• Because He lives…we have hope.
To Show His Power over Death (Acts 2: 24; Romans 6: 9)
As a pastor on Easter I’m supposed to tell you because Jesus rose from the dead,
Because He Lives (Amen)
You can listen to this message and others at the Scio podcast here. You can also subscribe to our podcast here.
The Butterfly Effect
“In chaos theory, the butterfly effect is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions in which a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state.” So states Wikipedia.
Put into plain English, the Butterfly Effect, attributed to Edward Lorenz, is a belief that a butterfly’s wings flapping eventually create a typhoon that hits land on the other side of the world.
A snowflake by itself weighs nothing, but enough of them will collapse oak trees and roofs.
A woman named Rosa Parks simply sat on a bus and sparked the Civil Rights movement.
Ten years earlier, a man named Jackie Robinson was court-martialed (and acquitted) for not moving to the back of a bus.
You might call this butterfly effect a chain reaction. One event can change everything. No event changed human history like the resurrection.
Because He lives. One moment in history about two thousand years ago changed everything. You could argue there were two. The first was the death of Jesus.
There is unanimous agreement among scholars that Jesus died. He was given an honorable burial. That the tomb was discovered to be empty. That there were post-mortem appearances of Jesus by the disciples. With the exception of Muslims who believe Jesus never actually died on the cross, virtually every scholar will tell you a historical person named Jesus lived, taught, and died. The primary controversy surrounds our celebration today—His resurrection.
Church history is full of creeds, statements of faith. Perhaps the oldest creed of the Christian faith comes within three years of the death of Jesus (see James Dunn). It was recorded in Paul’s letter to the people in Corinth.
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
- Christ died for us
- Christ was buried
- Christ was raised again
Much is made of the death of Christ, and rightfully so. We remember it each month as we engage in communion or the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist (call it what you like!). What Jesus accomplished on the cross was immensely important. But it was not enough.
The cross seems to get most of the attention. People have turned the horrific object of torture into a religious symbol, even a celebrated piece of jewelry. The real focus should be on the empty tomb, an image that is, admittedly, a bit more complex to depict! Still, perhaps we should wear empty tombs rather than crosses around our necks!
When I was in Jerusalem several years ago I was curious about the place where Jesus died. There are two common possibilities, one now inside The Church of the Holy Sepulcher and another outside the city, a hill that looks like a skull. Both are interesting sites, but I wanted to see the empty tomb!
He is risen!
Paul was a Jesus freak! He was a leading Jewish leader named Saul who persecuted Christians…until He encountered Jesus. His witness alone is tremendous evidence of the resurrection, for dead men are not known to speak, and only lunatics would be persecuted for a lie, a myth, or a mirage as he and so many others were, including countless martyrs…simply for the belief in the resurrection. Paul wrote
But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Corinthians 15:12-19)
There are many “ifs” in those verses! It’s hard for me to imagine life without the resurrection. Paul continues to state things in the positive.
But* Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:20-22)
* when you see a “but” in a sentence, usually the only thing that matters is what follows!
Our faith is based on not merely a life or a death but on the resurrection. The resurrection is not only the true center of the Christian faith, but it signals God's initiative in the renewing of creation. The resurrection both embodies and empowers the destiny of God’s people as divine image-bearers from now to forever.
So What?
The resurrection is everything!
I recently bought a book called Risen: 50 Reasons Why The Resurrection Changed Everything by Steven Mathewson.
- To Give Us Eternal Life (John 11:25–27)
- To Show His Power over Death (Acts 2:24; Romans 6:9)
- To Heal Us (Acts 4:10)
- To Receive the Blessings Promised to David (Acts 13:34)
- To Forgive Our Sins (Acts 13:37–38; 1 Corinthians 15:17)
- To Elevate His Power and Authority (Romans 1:4)
- To Justify Sinners (Romans 4:23–25; Acts 13:39)
- To Give Us a New Way to Live (Romans 6:4, 8–11)
- To Unite Us with Him in His Resurrection (Romans 6:5–8)
- To Make Us Fruitful (Romans 7:4)
- To Give Life to Our Mortal Bodies (Romans 8:11)
- To End Our Obligation to the Flesh (Romans 8:12–13)
- To Provide Us with Future Glory (Romans 8:18)
- To Set Creation Free from Its Bondage (Romans 8:21–22)
- To Adopt Us into God’s Family (Romans 8:23)
- To Intercede for Us at God’s Right Hand (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:23–25)
- To Fulfill the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:4; Luke 24:44–47)
19. To Guarantee Our Future Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20–23; 1 Thess. 4:14)
20. To Destroy All Other Powers through His Reign (1 Corinthians 15: 24–27)
21. To Destroy the Enemy of Death (1 Corinthians 15: 26, 54–57; Luke 20:36)
22. To Give Us a Reason to Endanger Our Lives (1 Corinthians 15: 30–31)
23. To Deliver Us from Self-Indulgence (1 Corinthians 15:32)
24. To Give Us Heavenly, Imperishable Bodies (1 Corinthians 15: 42–48)
25. To Clothe Us with His Image (1 Corinthians 15:49)
26. To Give Us Immortality (1 Corinthians 15:53)
27. To Overcome the Power of the Law (1 Corinthians 15: 56–57)
28. To Make Serving the Lord Worthwhile (1 Corinthians 15:58)
29. To Give Us Hope in Hard Times (2 Corinthians 1: 8–11)
30. To Give Us a Greater Purpose in Life (2 Corinthians 5:15)
31. To Let Us Experience God’s Mighty Power (Ephesians 1:18–20)
32. To Display God’s Amazing Grace (Ephesians 2:6–7)
33. To Bring Victory into Our Intimacy with Him (Philippians 3:10–11)
34. To Make Us Full in Him (Colossians 2:9–12)
35. To Reorient Our Desires (Colossians 3:1–2)
36. To Let Us Appear with Him in Glory (Colossians 3:4; Acts 1:11)
37. To Enable Us to Kill Our Old Way of Life (Colossians 3:5–10)
38. To Rescue Us from Coming Wrath (1 Thessalonians 1:10)
39. To Serve as Our Eternal Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20; Revelation 7:17)
40. To Give Us New Birth into a Living Hope (1 Peter 1:3; Acts 23:6; 1 Thess. 4:13–14)
41. To Glorify the Lamb of God (1 Peter 1:18–21; Acts 3:13–15)
42. To Show That Death Does Not Stop Us from Living (Matt. 22:30–32; Rom. 14:9)
43. To Confirm His Words about Being Raised to Life (Matthew 28:5–7)
44. To Continue the Mission of God (Matthew 28:18–20)
45. To Share His Presence with His Followers until His Return (Matthew 28:20)
46. To Teach More about the Kingdom of God (Acts 1:3)
47. To Prove God’s Commitment to Justice (Acts 17:31)
48. To Make Possible the Judgment of Wicked (Jn 5: 28-30; Acts 24:15; Rev. 20:11-15)
49. To Give Him Complete Supremacy (Colossians 1:18; Revelation 1:4–5)
50. To Provide Life in the Unfiltered Presence of God (Revelation 21:3–4, 22; 22:1)
• Because He lives…we are alive.
- literally true via creation (John 1:1-4)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. (John 1:1-4)
- figuratively true in that we have abundant life (John 10:10)
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10)
- eschatologically true (John 11:25-26; John 3:16)
Jesus said to her [Martha], “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. (John 11:25-26a)
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
• Because He lives…we have a future
- a future with Him, forever
Because He lives, resurrection is possible. All things are possible.
Today is the greatest day on the calendar! It’s bigger and better than Christmas, your birthday, the Super Bowl, and Groundhog Day combined!
Everything changed on Resurrection Sunday and because He lives, there is hope for all of us.
• Because He lives…we have hope.
To Show His Power over Death (Acts 2: 24; Romans 6: 9)
- nothing is impossible for God
- sin and death have been conquered
- what should we fear?
- bad news is temporary
- the best is yet to come
- God is working NOW (Jesus is alive!)
As a pastor on Easter I’m supposed to tell you because Jesus rose from the dead,
- there’s hope for you dead marriage
- there’s hope for your dead financial situation
- there’s hope for your dead relationships
- there’s hope for your dead-end job
- there’s hope for your dying body
- there’s hope for your dead emotions
Because He Lives (Amen)
You can listen to this message and others at the Scio podcast here. You can also subscribe to our podcast here.