Does It Really Make a Difference — John 20

0:05 Thank you. My daughter asked what I was speaking on tomorrow last night, and I said probably that little platform. Guess she made a liar out of me, didn't she? It's alright. We we can move it up there if you want us to.

0:26 It doesn't matter to me. I mean, I'm okay. I just have to explain to her. She's back there. She knows.

0:36 She's probably aware that I'm not on the platform. It's really not fair, is it? I mean, think about it. It's it's so unfair that we are having so much fun on this day, that we have a redeemer who's alive. The rest of the world's religions, unfortunately, don't make that claim.

1:16 They don't know that to be true. We do. And so there are... The joy that is ours, not only believing that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, but also knowing that we can be gathered to him as a living savior, as a soon coming king, as the head of the church, then our experience is so vastly different from all the other religions in the world. And that's why we enjoy it.

2:00 We don't sit here, I hope, Drudgingly. Yeah. Sorry that our Sunday morning was interrupted. I trust. I know that today is a fairly popular day in America.

2:23 Easter Sunday. I assume that you've never really entered into the quadrodecimate controversy of the first century or second century, early second century, where the Christians in Palestine and Israel were in disagreement with the Christians in Europe about their annual spring festival. They wanted to set a day, always a Sunday based on the first full moon after the spring equinox. And that's how we have the varying dates through our calendar of years to celebrate Easter. The Jews always wanted to celebrate at Passover.

3:13 Of course, last Saturday was Passover. If you happen to know. So, in the year that Christ was actually crucified, alright, was as you know from reading the gospel accounts. That in the night that the Passover had to be killed is when he went into the upper room and ate the last supper. Followed the next morning of course.

3:40 After he stayed up praying. But that's not a particular discussion we need to have. Other than there was a man who was one of the disciples of John, the apostle John, had a man, very famous man. You might have heard of him. His name was Polycarp.

4:03 He went up to dispute with the Roman Christians about the need to celebrate an annual remembrance day of the lord's resurrection. One of his main points was we were taught to celebrate his death every week. We don't need a day to celebrate his celebration. Of course, we celebrate his celebration because he meets with us. We honor his presence.

4:37 They agreed to disagree, as you probably know. And before they left and parted company, and Polycarp and his... Those who were... Had traveled with him up to Rome went back, they broke bread together and departed peacefully. A little detail in history that is probably quite insignificant to us all.

5:24 So be on your guard. Alright? Do you think Jesus Christ cares? Now, I'm not going tell you that he does or he doesn't. I'm just asking you think about it because here's one truth I trust we can agree on.

5:44 The last two verses of John's gospel chapter 20 says many other things did Jesus perform in front of his disciples, which are not written in this book, which are not written in this book. But these things are written that you might believe. And I trust that we can agree that that verse kind of sets out for us a simple priority list from the father. These are the things about my son I want you to know. He did a lot.

6:31 I didn't write them down for you. These specific things I wrote down for you and made sure you got a copy of them in your own language. Alright? You think Jesus cares? Jesus Christ himself said, heaven and earth will pass away before one point of punctuation passes from this book, from my word.

7:06 And I don't mean your copy of your translation. I don't mean that. You know that. I'm not talking about the authorized version. I call it authorized on purpose, just akin to keep people on guard.

7:19 Alright? I say that so you know that Jesus Christ put a lot of emphasis into his word and so that if there are details in his word that he wrote down for us about him, that is only to our benefit. To our benefit, these things are written for your benefit. They're not written for God's benefit. He doesn't feel like a good teacher if you passed a quiz, that you got it all memorized.

7:54 These truths that I've given you about my son, the record that I've given you about my son, are to your benefit for you to know. To make application to yourself. To find out why. Ask God hard questions. He loves them.

8:16 Why this detail about your son? You think he cares? See, the minute we start excusing what Jesus Christ cares about because we have our things that are more important to us than other things, and certainly there are. There's the weightier matters as Jesus himself said, there will always be the weightier matters. But don't convince me that Jesus Christ doesn't care about the day that he died.

8:59 I can't be convinced that he doesn't care. I can be convinced he doesn't care that in America nobody knows how to celebrate it right. And so, his grace, his tolerance, his love overlooking a multitude of our sins. And perhaps continuing to need to say to his father, most of the time, father, as he'd said on the cross, forgive them. They still don't know what they're doing.

9:30 They still don't know what they're doing. Nevertheless, we're here with the book. We'll do our best to get into it, figure out this Easter thing. Happy Easter. It's a joy to be here.

9:43 It's the best time of the year to be with other Christians when they sing with the power and the majesty and the might of the greatest truths as the brother said, the greatest truth. Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. I had a friend in Bible school who's a Norwegian brother is blind, legally blind, smuggled Bibles into Russia at the time 1975. He only knew one thing in Russia. He had one phrase in Russia he memorized.

10:11 He used it all the time at the border. Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. That's all he ever said. He only knew one thing. They didn't need to know anything else.

10:32 We thank you for your son. We're thankful that we can call him our savior and know that he not only died for our sins but he was raised from the dead and he walked out of a tomb or and he ever lives to make intercession and he's the one who lives and was dead and behold, he's alive forevermore. It's to him that we're gathered in copies of his word that we've come to hear by the power of your spirit, almighty god, you speak to us about the wonder of your son and trust that each of our hearts would palpitate with that wonder, with that amazement of what you, the almighty God, and you, with that blessed gospel, glorious God, have declared for us. We trust our time into your hands. In Christ's precious name, amen.

11:19 I have no idea where to begin. How do you begin on Easter Sunday? Where do you begin? Really? Where do you begin?

11:29 I'll try. I I already know I won't do a good job. Alright. I have two sets of notes. One's the intro, the other's the message.

11:40 I can't get to the intro to get to the message. Alright. Because these are the truths I think are important. I mean, you invite a foreign speaker, well not a foreigner, but somebody from outside your meeting to come and speak. You gotta trust that he's gonna share what is important to him that he trusts the spirit of God gave him to say.

12:00 So you're at the mercy of that process. Which I'm happy to be part of because I think it's very good. Alright? I think it's a good process. But ultimately, I want to ask you one question.

12:20 Are you on guard yet? I got your I got your attention? Okay. Does it really make a difference to you that Christ rose from the dead? Now, I know that probably 85, 90% of you could turn chapter and verses Tell me a theological reason.

12:40 Why it's critical that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Shouldn't be too hard for bible students. Does he really make a difference that he's alive is the question. May I have mentioned earlier that we've never seen him physically, none of us. So how much impact has the empty tomb had in your life?

13:13 Please, make sure you know the theological answer. Make sure you can turn up chapter and verse and say, as Paul said, if Christ isn't risen, you're still in your sins. Now, to some of you that don't mean very much because your sins are few. And I'm not questioning whether you're a sinner, but your sins really are few because your parents don't let you sin. Yeah.

13:51 They don't let you go out and do goofy stuff. That's alright. So, when I talk about still being in your sins, there's no sense of, wow, if I was still in my sins, my life would really be drastic. You don't have that sense because you don't know what it means to be in your sins. Some of you who do know, that has little impact on you because you've yet to give up your sins.

14:25 You're still living in them. Forgiven, sealed, sanctified, set apart. Every good word you can use in the New Testament to describe what God did when he transferred you from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his son in the light. Yeah, you could recite that. However, the road you walk on today is the same road.

15:09 It's more than theological. It's more than there's a right answer, and it's a long lengthy answer with probably a 100 verses or more to show you how critical it was that Jesus Christ walked out of that grave. Yeah. I would agree. It has to be understood and appreciated personally.

15:37 You can be convinced. I could teach. I could throw up the screen, show you the verses, another text, another text, another text. Yeah. And when you're done, I know all that.

15:46 But because it's not personal, there's no expression. There's no expression of the soul with regard to the fact that this is pretty important. To me. It's pretty important to me that Jesus Christ walked out of that grave. You know why?

16:04 Because I was in sinful condition when he saved me. I'm not saying you weren't. I'm not saying you weren't sinful when you were saved. But if you didn't have an awareness of how lost you were and how dead you were in God's eyes, then I question if you can appreciate it. I just don't...

16:37 I see some Christians who have no sense of that's what I was before, as Paul also said to the church at Corinth. The end of the sixth chapter. Such were some of you. Such were some of you, but you've been washed, you've been sanctified, you've been set aside. And who's he comparing it to?

16:57 Well, you know what Corinth was, what kind of city Corinth was. I don't need to come here and lecture you on a condition, the morality of Corinth. It's probably similar to that of Cleveland or Westlake. Probably the same type of morals. Whatever makes you happy.

17:18 Embrace it if it makes you happy. So when those people got saved, they were like that. But now Paul said, but now, you're different. Now you're different. And that transition is not well experienced by a lot of Christians.

17:37 It's just not anymore. It's not even expected. It's like it's, I don't know, it's foreign to him. That Jesus Christ... Let's turn over to first Corinthians 15.

17:55 If there's ever a creed, like you call it a creed. I don't like to call it a creed because it gets confused with the apostles creed. Now, this is certainly not the apostles creed. You'll recognize this as not the apostles creed but I'm saying to you, if there ever was a creed, that Christians should know by heart, it would be these verses. Starting at verse three, first Corinthians chapter 15.

18:28 What I received, I pass on to you. The first importance, the first importance Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. Christ died for our sins. Verse four. That he was buried, comma, that he was raised on the third day, comma, that he appeared to Cephas, comma, that he appeared to the 12, comma, after that, he appeared to more than 500, all at the same time, comma, then James, comma, last of all, he appeared to me.

19:16 He appeared to me. Now, you want to discuss whether Paul at his conversion in Acts nine was a physical appearance with Christ? According to him, he appeared to me. Same as the rest. And I'm not saying that because your personal experience should be that.

19:38 I'm saying that perhaps you can find yourself somewhere where you're gonna put yourself in this. Then he appeared to me. Then he got my attention. Then he saved me. Not physically, we know not physically, beloved, but just take that in.

19:53 Drink that in for a second. You don't want to have a physical experience with a physical Christ, but you're going to eventually. Do you know why? Because he physically rose from the dead, didn't he? Now, Nick, when you walk out of this building, I want you to look up there and tell me where he's at.

20:14 Because he is. He's up there physically. When he left in the book of Acts, he didn't suddenly then mystify, this isn't Star Wars, beam me up dad. He physically rose and went and ascended physically. And he's physically coming back.

20:40 But when we say now that you should be able to testify that he did also make himself known to me personally. Maybe not as drastic as Paul where he stood in front of you as you were going out to destroy other Christians or to make your mark in the Christian world by exposing them all. I don't know. But can you say it? Can you say that Christ made himself known to me?

21:10 Or is your expression simply, my father taught me about Jesus Christ. My Sunday school taught me about his death. My church celebrates Easter, and therefore I know about the empty tomb. No, beloved, never will do. That should never satisfy you.

21:31 Jesus Christ himself made himself known to you. That's the only answer that'll do here. That's the only experience that brings you to being his child. We call that being born again. We call God making his face to shine through Jesus Christ.

21:58 The devil is trying to blind the eyes of all who believe not, but God has... Who commanded light to shine out of darkness has shown in your heart to give you the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. I know because these verses become like mystical because we understand them in a spiritual context because it's not physical. I know, I get that. Now that's the wonder of the Lord's Supper, isn't it?

22:58 Do this to remember me. Well, we find a way to remember a lot of things at the Lord's Supper, don't we? Mostly it's our failures. Why? Because we're duped into believing that unless we gear and clean ourselves up a little bit before we eat the magic bread and drink the holy cup, then we're not going to be, yeah, it's judgment.

23:18 No, we got it all backwards at that, woah, woah, That's down the road, there's a church down there who believes that. That's not what Jesus Christ did. Not what he taught. I'm sorry. I know it's popular.

23:35 And I know you have the right to sit at the Lord's Supper and review your week. I know that. And to do a mental soul searching quick check, let's just take my spiritual pulse and see I'm really out with the Lord because when that emblem gets to me, wanna be honoring to the Lord and I want him to know that I'm really genuine with him. Really? You think he's that daft?

23:57 You think he doesn't know a condition of your heart, every second of your heart is beating? Don't forget your heart beats at his pleasure. Your heart beats at the pleasure of the king. He knows every thought and intention of your heart. Brother Andy brought out well that the lord's supper that Christ left up a room.

24:23 They sang a hymn. You know what hymn? Well, if he was in that generation of Jews practicing what the Jews practice, he was singing the great Halel which is the short form of hallelujah which consisted of Psalm 113 through 118. And after each of the cups portion was sang, and after the cup and they were leaving, he would have sang the 100 Psalms starting at what verse? The stone which the builders have rejected.

24:59 This has become the head of the the corner. This is the lord's doing. It's marvelous in his eye... In our eyes. This is the day the lord has made.

25:09 Let us rejoice in gladness. I... Can you imagine Jesus Christ leading that song, walking to Gethsemane? Let's go. While we're singing, the stone is gonna be rejected.

25:20 Of course, he left the room, didn't he? He started his ministry. Luke four tells us very plain. He took the scroll of Isaiah, stood up, and read from where it was assigned to read that day. The lord has sent me.

25:32 He sat down and said, today, today, today, today, the greatest message ever preached today, today. It's always today. It's never tomorrow, not tonight, not yesterday. Today, if you hear his voice. Today, if you hear his voice.

25:44 Today, know that Jesus Christ himself, you're and my risen savior, king of kings, is trying to say something to you today. But when he left the upper room, After he had told Peter, you're gonna deny me three times. He said, I have to go do what was written of me and where did he go to? As our brother Don read to us, fifty third Psalm. This scripture has to be fulfilled about me, Jesus said in that upper room.

26:15 I will be numbered with the transgressors. Luke's gospel chapter 22. That's the wonder of Jesus Christ. Does his resurrection really mean that much to you? Alright.

27:02 Alright? You know where Athens is. Right? Okay. He's there and he's up on a mountain called the Europagus.

27:11 It's the same mountain that Socrates was tried on. Because back in Socrates' day, it's where they held all political, legal, and religious discussion. And Socrates was accused of introducing a false religion. And he was tried on Hieropagus. Now Paul's on Aeropagus and he's making mention of all the Greek scholars and all the Greek poets and all this.

27:42 Perhaps Socrates, but probably not. Probably Epimenides. But nevertheless, he eventually says to him, listen, all this, all this, all this that your whole city's full of, all this confusion, all these false gods, you have all these gods, you have a god that is god, and the Romans took their gods and named them after your gods, changed the name and all this, he says. God's overlooked. God is overlooked.

28:10 But now, he commands all men everywhere to repent. Turn around. You're going in the wrong direction. Turn around. And then he takes the time to tell us why.

28:25 Verse 31, Acts 17, because he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man that he has appointed, and he has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead. Woah. Christ walked out of the tomb, guaranteed you will give an account for not repenting if you haven't. God will hold you accountable, guaranteed by Jesus Christ walking out of the tomb. Trust me.

29:09 He will remind you if you continue to refuse him of today's conversation. God will have the ability to say, no, hold it, hold it. I had a crazy guy from Erie come and tell you this back on April 4. In the year of our lord 2021. And you still refuse to repent.

29:34 God commands every person everywhere to repent because he's appointed a day when he's gonna use that man that he rose from the dead to judge and the proof is that man walked out of the grave. That man walked out of the grave. Now let me ask you how personal you think that meant to the father. How personal was he? The empty tomb to the father.

30:16 He took it personal. He had to. His son asked, why have you forsaken me? He took it personal. And I don't think there's an answer given in scripture, but you should know the answer.

30:33 Please know the answer to that question, God asking God a question. You have great questions that God asks man in the scriptures. At Calvary, God in the flesh asked God the father a question. My God, why hast thou forsaken me? You should know the answer.

31:00 For Doug's sake, that's the answer. You know the story of the parable of the prodigal son. What was the father doing while his son was away? Was he not waiting for him to come back, watching from a distance? As Luke tells us in the fifteenth chapter, and seeing him from a distance, his father ran to him.

31:58 Did you run here this morning? Did you come in a hurry? Jesus drew near those two disciples who were leaving the city in Luke, you know, 24. I don't need to tell you where. And he drew near to him, and what did he ask him?

32:23 What manner of conversation is it that you're having with yourselves on the way and has caused you to be so sad? What'd you talk about on the way here today? Can you remember what you talked about? You rode in a car with somebody while you were coming here. What'd you talk about?

32:53 The wonder of being with Christ risen from the dead? Should have been. Can't wait to get there. Hurry up. Should have been.

33:30 Starting at verse 19 of John's gospel chapter 14. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. I love that verse. The world's not gonna see me, Doug, but you're going to see me. Because I live, you'll live also.

33:48 Wow, what a promise. And if you're not alive, I guess I don't want to be alive. Really. But because you live, I'll live too? Let me roll the stone away.

34:03 Oh, you didn't need it. You just walk out. Low and a great way, Jesus, my savior. On that day, verse 20 says, you will realize that I'm in my father and my father, and you are in me and I'm in you. And whoever has my command and keeps him, this is the one who loves me.

34:22 The one who loves me will be loved by my father and I too will love him and I will show myself to them. Well, so suddenly there's a condition. The conditional issues always irksome to me because if I fail to meet the qualification. The one who loves me will be loved of my father. I too will love them and will show myself to them.

34:48 Now you make my love towards you to be a prerequisite. Seems that way. And you're wonder why so many Christians complain that their relationship with the Lord is so bad. Start with this verse. Start here and work your way up till you sort it out.

35:03 But don't ask the Sunday school teacher. Don't ask somebody to give you verses on eternal security. Start here. Judas, but not Iscariot, said, Lord, how do you intend to show yourselves to us and not the world? How do you do that?

35:23 How do you show yourself to some people and not others? That seems exclusive. Yeah. I told you at the beginning, it's not fair, is it? It's really not fair.

35:34 Jesus responds, anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My father will love them. We will come to them and make our home with them. That's the precious promises of Jesus Christ. But go quickly to the sixteenth chapter.

35:53 We'll start again at verse 19, John's gospel chapter 16. Jesus saw that they want to ask him about this. So he said to him, are you asking one another what I meant when I said in a little while, you'll see me no more, and then after a little while, you will see me? Is that what you're talking about? And don't you love how Jesus could just enter into your thought processes?

36:15 Here they are trying to have a little conversation by themselves and suddenly hears Jesus saying, what are you talking about? What are you talking about? Is that the problem? You know you sit here right now with any question about anything I have said thus far, and any scriptures that we've gone over or considered, guess what? Jesus Christ wants to talk to you about it.

36:37 Wants to talk to you about your issues with what's being said. Have the discussion with him. Verse 20, Jesus responds, verily, truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. Talk about grieving.

36:57 How about this pandemic? Not... Nothing but grief, isn't it? Isn't it? This pandemic nonsense?

37:03 A woman, verse 21, giving birth to a child has pain because their time has come, but when her baby is born, she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you. Now is your time of grace. Now listen to the change here. I will see you again.

37:24 I will see you again. And you will rejoice. And nobody will take that joy from you. And I suggest you, brothers and sisters, that me seeing Christ and being aware based on my obedience and his manifestation to me is a genuine experience. I love it.

37:49 I'm out fishing on my own at a distance like the ones in John 21. I get that. All kinds of reasons why suddenly I'm not close to the Lord. I can hear his voice, I just don't figure out who he is. I get that.

38:00 That happens. Mary weeping at the tomb, supposing he was a gardener. Supposing he was a gardener? Yeah. Because her eyes are full of tears and she's occupied on what she's doing.

38:13 I get that. But when Jesus Christ says, I will see you again. Hallelujah, Lord. Doesn't depend on my eyes, does it? Not about my vision, not about my hearing, not about a hearing aid, not about my glasses.

38:28 You will see me, and that's what counts to me. You see me, Lord Jesus. That's your promise. And then I will have joy when you see me. Not joy because I see you.

38:41 I get the song. Open my eyes, Lord, I wanna see you. I get that. I'm telling you, brothers and sisters, this truth is bigger than that. The great thing about the personal resurrection is Jesus Christ's personal promise to me, this only person, I will see you again, and you're gonna be joyful, and you're not gonna lose that joy.

39:02 And why is that so critical? Well, you know Hebrews four. You know Hebrews four twelve? Christians use it all the time as they draw swords to enter discussions with other people, how they're gonna use the sharpness of the word of God to make this point, and that point, and this point, and that point. Total misuse of the verse.

39:19 Not Ephesians six, the sword of the spirit. This is the word of God. This is the word that became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory. The glory as of the only begotten of the father, full of grace and truth. Does that sound like he's holding a sharp two edged sword?

39:34 Absolutely. On me, individually. Why? Hebrews four twelve, the word of God is alive. Yeah.

39:44 He walked out. Sharp. Yeah. Penetrating. Yeah.

39:50 Judges my thoughts. Yeah. And my attitude. Yeah. And nothing is hidden in all creation from God's sight.

40:02 Everything is open and laid bare before the pages of the book? No. You got to catch a transition from you thinking he's talking about a book to talking about his son. Nothing is laid... Is uncovered and everything is laid bare unto the eyes of him with whom we have this account.

40:26 The account. Your account with Jesus Christ. You're a follower. You're a disciple. You have an ongoing conversation with a living son of God who's the great shepherd who wants to lead you.

40:39 You have an account with him. I will see you again, Doug, and we will have this account started and then we will keep it going until we're face to face. Brothers and sisters, if the sweetest thing that you're gonna taste today is a bunch of Cadbury chocolate, feel sorry for you. I don't know what you're having for lunch. Don't care.

41:19 The bread of life, Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. We serve our risen savior. We follow on the life of Jesus Christ. Our conversation is with him, one who's not only spoke things, but says things.

41:52 Father, thank you for your goodness to us. Such patience, Lord, that you have with us despite our failings, our misgivings, our hypocrisy, Lord. We're thankful for the wonder of your son. Brought into fellowship with him by your own design, a work that you alone have done in saving us. We love you, Lord Jesus, because you first loved us.

42:19 Dismiss us now by the power of your spirit, we pray. Work on each of us as individuals as you know best. We ask in your precious name. Amen.