A Second Look
Pastor Jerry Gillis – May 27, 2016
SotheEasterstoryisalotofthings,alotofthingsthataredeepand
preciousandrich.Butoneofthethingsthatyoumisswhenitcomestothe
ideaoftheEasterstoryisthattheEasterstoryisalsoastoryabouttaking
secondlooks.I'llexplainthatinjustasecondwhenwegettothestorybut
youunderstandwhatI'mtalkingaboutwhenItalkabouttakingasecond
look.It'ssomethingthatiscommontothehumanexperience.Sometimesit
happenswhenweseesomethingthatseemslike,whatisthat?Right?It
almostseemslikethatnotwhatwethinkitis.Wecan'tbelieveoureyes
andsowehavetotakeasecondlook.
IthappenstomeallthetimewhenIrunintotheseridiculouslycrazy
picturessometimeswhenI'mdoingsomework-I'montheinternetfor
whateverreasonandIrunintoactualpicturesofhumanbeingsthatare
actuallytakenandI'mthinkingtomyselfwhatdidIjustsee.Letmegive
youanexample.Takealookatthispicture.Yeah.Sowhenyoulookatthat
picture,basicallyyou'rethinkingtoyourself,isthatablondheadedwoman
zebracentaurorsomething?Right?Butifyoutakeasecondlookyoucan
tellthatshe'sactuallyseatedonazebraasopposedtoactuallybeinga
zebra,right?Yeah.So,checkthisoneout.Yeah.Yeah.Soprettymuchyou
lookatthatpictureandyougo,wow,that'sababywithaman-headanda
man-face.It'sactuallynot.Ifyoutakeasecondlookyoucanseethat
actuallyit'sdad'soutlineofhisfaceontheothersidebecausehe'sholding
thechildandifyoulookrealhardyoucankindoftell.Someofyouare
goingno,no,that'sababywithaman-head.I'msureofit.Soyouhaveto
takeasecondlook.Letmegiveyouathirdoptionhere.Yeah.Ipromise
youwhenIsawthatIthoughttomyself,whereisthisdogcommutingto
workonthesubway?IsheanexecutiveatPurina?I'mtryingtofigureout
whatisthestorywiththisparticulardog.Ifyoutakeasecondlookyou
realizethattheownerofthedogissittinginthefirstseatandisleaning
overbehindthedogandsoyoucannowtellbecauseitstilldoeslooklikea
dogwitharmsandlegsthat'sridingasubway.
Sosometimeswetakeasecondlookbecauseoureyesdeceiveusandwe
can'tbelievewhatwesee.There'sothertimeswetakeasecondlookwhen
maybeit'ssomethingsentimentaloremotional.Forinstance,Iflyenough
towhereI'vebeenatsomanyairportswhenIhaveseengoodbyestoa
collegestudentthatwasbeingsentoffbytheparentstocollege
somewhereaway.Ormaybewithsomeonewho'sgoingoffandbeing
deployedintoserviceoverseasandyouseethemwhentheysaytheir
goodbyesandtheybegintoleaveandthensureenoughtheystopandthey
wanttotakeasecondlookbeforethey'regone,right?Soyoucankindof
seethatintermsofsecondlooks.
Ormaybeasecondlookcomesintoplaywhenyouhaveareallybad
situationandyou'rehopingagainsthopethatmaybethesituationisn'tas
badasyouthought,andsoyouwanttotakeasecondlookatwhatthedeal
is.Ormaybeyou'rehopingthatsomehowsomething'schangedandsoyou
takeasecondlooktoseeifithasorifithasn't.Really,theEasterstoryfits
intothatcategoryreallywell,eventhoughtheEasterstoryactually
encapsulatesallofthoseideasaboutsecondlooksthatwe'llseeinjusta
minute.
We'regoingtobe,injustasecond,inJohn'saccountoftheresurrection
storyinchaptertwentyandthisisthetimewhere-whenhebeginshis
storyhereitisafterthetimethatJesushasbeenscourgedandfloggedand
thencrucifiedandkilled.AndJesuswasthenburiedinatombthatwasn't
his.Itwasaborrowedtombfromafriendwhohadbecomeafollower
namedJoseph,andhewasfromatowncalledArimathea.Andheowneda
tombintownandsoitwasusedforJesus'burial,becausehedidn'thave
oneofhisownandhewouldonlyneedtoborrowitbecausehewasn't
goingtobethereforverylong.
Andso,JesuswasburiedandthenonSundayoneofhisfaithfulfollowers
whosenamewasMaryandshewasfromatowncalledMigdalorMagdala,
whichiswhysheiscalledMaryMagdalene.Andshewasmakingherway
tothetombbecauseshewasgoingtocome,maybehopingagainsthopeor
maybebecauseIdon'tknow,butshewasheadingtothetombthatday,
andthat'swhereJohn'sstoryisabouttopickup.YourememberthatMary
MagdalenewassomebodywhowasveryprecioustoJesus,andwasalso
someonethatshefeltlikeJesuswasextraordinarilyprecioustoher
becausetheScripturetellsusthatatonetimeshewasoppressedand
possessedbysevendemonsandthenuponmeetingJesushecastthose
demonsoutandbroughtherbacktowhereshewassupposedtobeand
shebegantofollowafterJesuswithallofherheart.AndsoI'msureseeing
himmurdered,seeinghimkilledwasabsolutelycrushingtoMarywhowas
fromMagdalaorMigdalorcalledMaryMagdalene.
LookwhereitpicksupinJohnchaptertwentyverseone.Itsaysearlyon
thefirstdayoftheweek,whileitwasstilldark,MaryMadalenewenttothe
tombandsawthatthestonehadbeenremovedfromtheentrance.Soshe
camerunningtoSimonPeterandtheotherdisciple,theonewhoJesus
loved(that'sreferringtoJohn)andsaidtheyhavetakentheLordoutofthe
tombandwedon'tknowwheretheyhaveputhim!SoPeterandtheother
disciplestartedforthetomb.Bothwererunning,buttheotherdisciple
outranPeterandreachedthetombfirst.Hebentoverandlookedinatthe
stripsoflinenlyingtherebutdidnotgoin.ThenSimonPetercamealong
behindhimandwentstraightintothetomb.Hesawthestripsoflinen
lyingthere,aswellasthecloththathadbeenwrappedaroundJesus'head.
Theclothwasstilllyinginitsplace,separatefromthelinen.Finallythe
otherdisciplewhohadreachedthetombfirst,alsowentinside.Hesaw
andbelieved.(TheystilldidnotunderstandfromScripturethatJesushad
torisefromthedead.)Thenthediscipleswentbacktowheretheywere
staying.NowMarystoodoutsidethetombcrying.Asshewept,shebent
overtolookintothetomb.
So,youhavethestoryofMarycomingtothetombbutseeingthatit'sopen
andthatit'semptyandimmediatelyshedoesn'tknowexactlywhattodo,
souponseeingitsherunsback.Idon'tknowhowfarandhowfaraway
PeterandJohnandtheotherswerebutsheranallthewaybacktothemto
tellthemthatthestonewasrolledawayandthatJesuswasn'tthereand
she'sprobablybesideherselfwhenshetellsthem.SoPeterandJohnjump
upandtheytakeoffrunningandtheyrunallthewaytothetomb.Now
John'swritingthisaccountsohe'ssuretotellallofusdudesthathebeat
Petertothetomb.Butherunsallthewayback,rightandbothofthemrun
allthewaybackandtheyseethatstilltheclothsarelyinginthetombbut
theyknowthatJesusisn'tthere,butthenwhattheydoistheyleaveand
theygobacktowhereveritwasthattheywerestaying.
ButherewefindMary.SoMaryobviouslylookedinthetombthefirsttime,
didn'tseeanything.Sherunsandtellsthem.Theycomerunningbackbut
apparentlyshealsocamerunningbackaswellbecausewhentheyleftshe
wasstillstandingoutsideofthetombandshewastherecryingtoherself.
Shewashardlybelievinghereyes.Shewasprobablyfilledwithallkindsof
emotionandsentimentalityandshewashopingagainsthopethatthis
wasn'tasbadasitseemed.Andsowhatdidshedo?Shetookasecondlook
andthatsecondlookchangedeverything.
ListentowhattheScripturegoesontosay.Marystoodoutsidethetomb
crying.Asshewept,shebentovertolookintothetomb(forthesecond
time)andshesawtwoangelsinwhite,seatedwhereJesus'bodyhadbeen,
oneattheheadandtheotheratthefoot.Theyaskedher,"Woman,why
areyoucrying?""TheyhavetakenmyLordaway,"shesaid,"andIdon't
knowwheretheyhaveputhim."Atthis,sheturnedaroundandsawJesus
standingthere,butshedidnotrealizethatitwasJesus.Heaskedher,
"Woman,whyareyoucrying?Whoisityouarelookingfor?"Thinkinghe
wasthegardener,shesaid,"Sir,ifyouhavecarriedhimaway,tellme
whereyouhaveputhim,andIwillgethim."Jesussaidtoher,"Mary."She
turnedtowardhimandcriedoutinAramaic,'Rabboni!'(whichmeans
"Teacher").Jesussaid,"Donotholdontome,forIhavenotyetascendedto
theFather.Goinsteadtomybrothersandtellthem,'Iamascendingtomy
FatherandyourFather,tomyGodandyourGod.'"MaryMagdalenewent
tothediscipleswiththenews:"IhaveseentheLord!"Andshetoldthem
thathehadsaidthesethingstoher.
SoMarycomesbacktothetombandshetakesasecondlookatthetomb
anditchangeseverythingbecauseinthatsecondlookshenowishavinga
conversationwithangels.Andthoseangelsaresayingtoher"whyareyou
crying?"Andshesays,"Becausethey'vetakenmyLordaway".Andthen
sheturnsrightoutofthetomb,andshe'sfacetofacewithJesusbutshe
doesn'tknowthatit'shim.Andshethinksit'sthegardenerandhesays,
whyareyoucrying?Whoareyoulookingfor?Andshesaid,well,they've
takenmyLordawayandifyouknowwherethey'vetakenhim,wouldyou
pleasetellmeandthensheapparentlyturnsaround.That'swhenJesus
justcallsherbynameandthenshe-theScripturesays-sheturnedback
towardhimasecondtimeandtookasecondlook.AndtheresheseesJesus
forwhoheis.Anditchangesthegameforher.Andshetakesoffrunning
andshebringsthemessagetothedisciplesthatshehasseentheLordand
theLordhasspokentoher.
Whatastory,right?Imeanit'sanincrediblestoryofMarywhotakesa
secondlookinthetombandgetsaconversationwithangels.Andthenshe
seesJesus,andshedoesn'tknowit'shimandsheturnsawayandshetakes
asecondlookatJesus,andeverythingchangesforherandnowshe's
runningwiththemessagethatshehasseenJesus.It'salmostasifMaryin
thosemomentsreallyfinallycametolifeaftershe'dseentheKing.Why?
Becauseshedecidedtotakeasecondlook.
It'sagreatstoryandonethatI'mhopingwe'llbeabletocapitalizeonin
justamoment.Butforthoseofusthatarehere,maybewe'veheardthat
storybefore.Maybewe'vereadthestoryandwethink,youknowwhat?
I'veheardthisstorybefore.I'veheardthestoryoftheresurrectionbefore.
Maybeyouhave,butmaybeyouneedtotakeasecondlookatthisone.You
see,theguywho'swritingthis-John-there'salwaysmoregoingonthan
meetstheeyewhenhewrites,becauseJohnisnotjustacopyistora
historian.Johnisalsoanartistandatheologian.AndsowhenJohnisdoing
whatJohn'sdoing,weneedtopayreallycarefulattentionbecausehegets
ourattention.
Infact,lookatJohnchaptertwentywhereweare,andlookinverseeleven
andtwelveagainandyoucanseeit.Itsays:NowMarystoodoutsidethe
tombcrying.Asshewept,shebentovertolookintothetombandsawtwo
angelsinwhite,seatedwhereJesus'bodyhadbeen,oneattheheadand
theotheratthefoot.
Nowsomeofyouarethinking,okay,cool.ThisisjustJohnreportingtous
whathappened.There'snoquestionJohnisreportingtousexactlywhat
didhappen,butit'sbiggerthanthatbecauseeveryJewishpersonofwhich
Johnwas,thatwasreadingthiswouldhaveunderstoodthepicturethat
waspaintedhereinwhatrealityhadhappened.
Yousee,thepeopleofIsraelhadalongtermrelationshipwithGodthat
datedbackforever,right?AndGod,whenheformedthispeoplecalled
Israel,hebroughtthemoutofEgyptianslaveryandbroughtthemintoa
landofpromiseledbyMosesthroughtheRedSeathatseemedlikea
symbolofdeath,butheledthemthroughthesedeathdefyingwatersand
tookthemintotheLandofPromiseandthenGodgavethemsome
instructionsandheretheywere.HesaidIwantyoutobuildformea
TabernacleandI'mgoingtotellyouexactlyhowtobuilditandwhenI
haveyoubuildthisTabernacle,aplacewhereI'mgoingtodwellandmeet
withmypeopleIsrael,there'sgoingtobeaveryspecialplaceinsideofthis
TabernaclecalledtheMostHolyPlaceortheHolyofHolies.Andinsideof
thisholyplaceisgoingtobeanArkoftheCovenantandthisArkofthe
CovenantisgoingtohaveaseatonitcalledtheMercySeatwherebloodis
goingtobesprinkledonthisparticularseatandwheretheHighPriestwill
sprinklethisbloodistheplacewhereIwillmeetwithmypeople.
Now,yousayokay,Jerry,cool.Whatdoesthathavetodowithwhatwe
justsaw.Well,lookatwhatExoduschaptertwenty-fivesaysaboutthe
constructionoftheArk.Itsays:Makeanatonementcoverofpuregold--
twoandahalfcubitslongandacubitandahalfwide.Andmaketwo
cherubimoutofhammeredgoldattheendsofthecover.Makeonecherub
ononeendandthesecondcherubontheother;makethecherubim(orthe
angels)ofonepiecewiththecover,atthetwoends.There,abovethecover
betweenthetwocherubimthatareoverthearkofthecovenantlaw,Iwill
meetwithyouandgiveyouallmycommandsfortheIsraelites.
Didtheyoucatchit?Yousee,actuallywhathappened-whenyouwalkinto
thetombandyouseewhat'sgoingontherewhatyouseeisyouseethe
placewhereJesus'bodywasbutisnomore,andyouseeoneangelonone
sideandanotherangelontheotherside.Oneattheheadandoneatthe
feet.JustlikethedescriptionoftheArkoftheCovenantthattherewould
betwocherubimoneithersideoftheArkoftheCovenant,whereonthe
MercySeatinthemiddleiswherethebloodwouldbeshedsothatwe
couldmeetwithGod.Thisisexactlywhatyouseeinthispicture.That
Jesus'bodyandHisbrokenbodyandHisbloodthatwasshedwasright
herebetweenthetwoangelsbecausethis,ladiesandgentlemen,became
theMercySeatwhereGodsaidifyouwilltrustinwhatJesushasdoneon
thecrossandthroughhisresurrectionfromthedeadthisisnowtheplace
thatIwillmeetwithyoubecauseyoucanbereconciledtoGodthrough
whatJesusChristhasdone.ThisistheMercySeatforus.
Now,thatwasn'tadon'tclap,thatwasjusta,I'mgoing,alright?Here'sthe
thing.Youhavetotakeasecondlooktobeabletoseethis.Maybewe
shouldtakeasecondlookatthewholebookofJohn,becausethewhole
bookitselfisactuallyabookofsigns.WhenyoustartreadingwhatJohn
doesinthewholegospelitself,it'sabookofsignsandhetellsusthat
there'ssigns.Infact,therearesevenoftheminthebookofJohnthatwe
starttosee.Youmayhaveheardofsomeofthem.Jesuschangesthewater
intowineearlyoninJohnchaptertwo,right?Thenhehealsaboyofa
royalofficial,andthenhebringsaparalytictowherehecanstartwalking
again.Andthenhefeedsthe5,000andthenhewalksonwaterandthenhe
healsamanbornblindandthenhebringsLazarusbackfromthegrave.
Sevensignsthataregiventous.Whyisthatsoimportant?Becauseto
Jewishpeople,ladiesandgentlemen,sevenisasignificantnumber.Itisthe
numberofcompletion.ItisthenumberoffulfillmentandJohnispainting
forussevensignsthatJesushimselfisactuallywhohesaidhewas,the
MessiahofGod,theSonofGod,theonewhowasgoingtorescueus.
You'vegotsevensignsuntilyougettochaptertwentyandyougetan
eighth.Theresurrection.Whyisthatsoimportanttous?Here'swhy.
BecausethenumbereightfortheJewishpeoplemeanteverythingstarts
overagain.It'sanewbeginning.It'snewcreation.Youseethatshouldn't
shockus,bytheway,becausewhenJohnstartedhisgospel,theveryfirst
threewordsoutofhismouthinJohnchapterone,verseone,werethese
words:Inthebeginning.Yousee,Johnwasplantingaseedinourminds
whenhestartedhisgospelbysayinginthebeginning.Whatdoesthat
makeyouthinkof?Itmakesyouthinkallthewaybacktothebookof
Genesis,right?ThewholeBiblestartsoutwiththosethreewords.Inthe
beginning.WhenweseeGodcreatingeverythingandcreatingAdamand
Evewhowerelivinginagardenparadiseandweseetheirfallfromgrace.
Inthebeginning.
Whyisthissignificanttous?Becausehereweareintheresurrectionina
eighthmiracleoreighthsignthatgivesusapictureofnewcreationornew
beginningsandwheredoyouthinktheyfindthemselvesinthisstory?Ina
garden.Anddoyouknowwhat'shappeninginthegarden?Mary
Magdalene,justlikeherancientancestorEveiscryinginthegardenover
paradiselost.SheiswonderingwhereherLordisjustlikeEvedid.Andshe
turnsandshebeginstalkingtoJesus.Notrealizingthatit'sJesus,she
thinksisagardener.Butdoyouknowwhat?She'snotfaroff.Because
JesusisthesecondAdam.Thesecondonetocome.Heisinfactthe
caretakerofeverythingontheearth.
Yousee,whenwestarttolookintothisstory,werealizethereismorehere
thanactuallymeetstheeye.Maybeweshouldtakeasecondlookatwhat
JesussaidtoMary.BecausewhenJesussaid,whyareyoucrying?Whoare
youlookingfor?Andshesaid,they'vetakenmyLordaway.Andthenshe
turnsaway.AndwhatdoesJesussay?Hername!Youseeineveryother
placewhereMary'snameismentionedinthegospels,it'stranslatedjust
likeyouhaveitinyourBible-Mary.ButheretheEnglishtranslation
doesn'tdoitjustice,becausehereJesusdidn'tjustcallherMary.Jesus
calledherbyheroriginalHebrewnameofwhichMaryistheshortform.
HecalledherMiriam.Yousee,Miriamwasheroriginalnameandthatwas
bornfromanameandhernamesakewasMoses'sisterbackintheday,
whowasMiriam.NowifyourememberMiriam,whenMosesledthe
peopleofIsraeloutofEgyptandledthemthroughtheRedSea,Miriam-
aftertheycamethroughandweremakingtheirwaytowardthePromised
Land(inExoduschapterfourteenandfifteen),Miriamburstsoutintosong,
singingaboutthewonderfulworksthatGodhasdone.Sheistestifyingto
thewonderfulworksthatGodhasdone.Andnowhere,inthegardenof
newcreationwhereeverythingisbeginningagain,thereisanewdeliverer,
abetterandnewMosesinJesuswhoisgoingtoleadhispeopleout
throughthewatersofdeathintothelandofpromise.AndMary,whois
Miriam,isthefirstonetosingthesongaboutwhathe'sdonewhenshe
runstothedisciplesandsaid,IhaveseentheLord.Thisisabsolutely
incredibleifwe'rewillingtotakeasecondlookatthestory.
So,there'ssomuchhereifwetakeasecondlook.Infact,Marydid.She
tookasecondlook,andeverythingchangedforher.Andthat'swhat
happenswhenwetakesecondlooks.Everythingchangesforher.Yousee
theresurrectedKingwasresurrectingher.Hewasbringingherbackto
life.Spirituallyhewasmakingwhatwasdeadcomebacktolifeandthisis
exactlywhattheKingdoesinourlives.ThatjustlikewithMaryifwewill
sometimesjusttakeasecondlooktheresurrectedKingwillresurrectus.
So,todayisastoryaboutsecondchances.It'saboutaresurrectedKing
whocanresurrectus.Andmaybeyou'reheretodayandyouneedtotakea
secondlook.Thisiswhattoday'saboutinpart.Maybeyouneedtotakea
secondlookatwhatyouunderstandthegospeltobe.Youseeforsomeof
usmaybewehaveanideathatthegospelisjustsomereadingsthatwedo
onoccasionfromparticularbookslikeMatthew,Mark,LukeandJohn
whichbythewayarecertainlygospels-they'reaccounts,noquestion.But
it'smuchricheranddeeperandbiggerthanthatbecausetheycontain
withinthemthestoryofJesus.Yousee,forsomeofus,wehaven't
recognizedthatourideaofwhatwethinktheframeworkofourlifeis-
we'vemaybeascribedthewordgospeltoitbutwe'vemissedit.
Forinstance,therearesomeofusthatthinkthatreallylifeisjustabouta
certainnumberofrulesthatweneedtoendeavortotryandliveupto,and
ifwedothatsomehowwetieGod'shandsbehindhisbackandwehaveto
begreetedintohiskingdombecausewe'veliveduptoacoupleofdifferent
rules.Or,maybeyouthinkit'sthis:youthink,well,youknow,everybody
doessomestufffromtimetotime.Nobody'sperfectandyou'rerightabout
that.Andso,wheneveryoudosomethingsthatarebadorstupidor
horribleyou'vegottobalancethatbydoingacoupleofgoodthings,right?
Well,yeah,IyelledatthisladysoIwalkedthisolderladyacrossthestreet.
Youbalancethescales.Andsotheideaisthatmaybeattheendof
everything,whatyou'rehopingismaybeyourgoodoutweighsyourbad
justalittlebit,thatforeverybadthingthatyou'vedone,you'vetriedto
counteritwithagoodthingandsomehow,ifthat'sthecase,thatGodwon't
haveanychoicebecauseyou'vesomehowtippedthescaleinyourfavora
littlebit.
Buthere'stheproblemwiththeideathatyouhave.Theideathatyouhave
runscountertotheideaofgrace.Itmakesabsolutelynosensewhenit
comestotheideaofgrace.Andhere'swhy:youdon'tneedJesus.Youdon't
needhimforanything.Ifsomehowyou'vejustgottolivethroughacouple
ofdifferentsetsofrules,okay,great.Youlivethroughacoupleofdifferent
setsofrules,andyoucanmoveonwithyourlife.Ormaybeifyoucando
enoughgoodtooutweighyourbad,okay,great!Youcandothat.Andyou
don'tneedJesusforanyofit.Myquestioniswhataboutthecross?What
abouttheresurrection?
Yousee,someofushavecometoplacesinourmindswherewe'drather
playonourphonesorwe'dratherdistractedbyeverythingelseinthe
wholeworldthantothinkabouttheideaofwhatJesushasactuallydone.
That'swhythegospelisactuallyreally,reallygoodnewsbecausethere's
really,reallybadnews.Yousee,thereasonit'sgoodnewsisbecause
there'sbadnews.Iftherewasn'tbadnewsitwouldjustbenews.Butit's
goodnewsbecausethereisbadnewsandhere'sthebadnews:youcan't
saveyourself.Here'sthebadnews:you'vesinnedandcomeshortofthe
gloryofGod.Here'sthebadnews:peoplearenotinherentlygood.That's
thebadnews.Weallhaveabenttowardssin.Weallhaveabenttoward
brokennessandwecan'thealorsaveourselves.That'sthebadnews.Ina
millionlifetimesyoucouldneverdoenoughgoodthingsinyourownmind
tobeabletomeritthefavorofaholyGod.That'sthebadnews.
ThegoodnewsisGodknewourpredicament.Godlovesus.Godcares
aboutus.Godwantstore-makeus,andsohesenthisSon,whocame
willinglytoliveamongus-bornofavirgin,livedsinlesslyandperfectlyin
whathethoughtandwhathedidandwhathesaidandhewenttoacross,
ladiesandgentlemen,tobearuponhissinlessselfoursins.Becausethe
justiceofaholyGodhastobesatisfied.Hedoesn'tjustwinkatsin.He
doesn'tjustkickitunderthetable.Heactuallydealswithsin.Andhere's
howhedealtwithus:insteadofushavingtostandintheplaceof
judgment,Jesustheperfectsinlessonestoodinourplaceonacrosstaking
uponhimthejudgmentofGodforyoursinandmysin-notforhisownsin.
Heneversinned!YouandIaretheoneswhomesseditup.YouandIare
theoneswhohaveblownit.YouandIaretheoneswheretheBiblesays
thatallhavesinnedandfallenshortofthegloryofGod.That'sus,andput
meatthefrontofthelinewhichmeansIdesperatelyneedasavior.Ineed
someonewhostoodinmyplaceandhewassinless.Hebecamesinwho
knewnosinsothatinhimwecouldbecometherighteousnessofGod.
Whatasaviorwhodiedforus,whotookuponhimselfthepenaltyofour
sinbutwhodidnotstaydeadbecauseGodraisedhimfromthedead
becauseheconqueredsinandhellandthegraveonourbehalfsothat
whenweputourfaithandtrustinhimwecanbereconciledtoGod
transformedinthislifeandtransformedforthelifetocome.Thisisthe
gospelofJesusandthisiswhatweneedtocomefacetofacewith.Maybe
weneedtotakeasecondlookatit.
Yousee,maybeyouneedtotakeasecondlooknotonlyatthegospel,but
maybeyouneedtotakeasecondlookatyourself.Becausesomeofyouin
yourownheartandinyourownmindhavemaybenevercometoaplace
whereyou'verecognizedyourgreatneed.You'veboughtintothefactthat
youhavemaybeanideaofreligionoranideaoffaithbutthatfaiththat
youhavehasnoteventransformedyouinthislifeyetyou'resomehow
leaningonitforthelifetocome?Ithinkit'sabadbetonyourpart.Ifthe
truthofJesusandthegospelofChristcan'ttransformyouintherightnow,
you'regoingtobankonthatforyourwholeeternity?Ithinkyou'vebought
abadbillofgoodsbecausemaybeifyouaskyourselfandlookinsideof
yourselfandaskyourselfwhatdoIreallybelieve?BecausebasicallywhatI
dogivesevidenceofwhatIbelieve.WhatIdogivesevidenceofwhatI
believe.NotjustwhatIsay-whatIdo.Right?Therestisjustkindofhot
air.
Andsee,ifyourlifeisnotsocenteredinJesusandhisdeath,hisburial,and
hisresurrectionandthatthattruthhasnottransformedyouandhisSpirit
hasnotcometoliveinsideofyouandreallychangedyoufromtheinside
out,youmayneedtoaskyourselfwhatyoureallyfundamentallyactually
believe.Wholeadsyourlife?Maybeyou'velistenedwaymoretothe
promisesoftheworld,right?Andtheyhaven'tsatisfiedyou.Youseethe
worldjustgivesyouemptypromises.Godgivesyouanemptytombwhere
Jesushasrisenfromthedeadtotransformyouandtomakeeverything
newwhereit'slikestartingallover.Sincanbeforgivenandwashedaway
andwecanbemadenewandtransformedinthislifeandwecertainly
haveahopeforthelifetocome.
MaybeyouneedtojusttakeasecondlookatJesusbecausesir,ma'am,
youngman,younglady-maybeyouhavefeltlikenobody'severgivenyou
asecondlook.Maybeyou'vefeltoverlooked-forgotten,abandoned.
RememberMary.Maryturnsaroundfromatombandshethinksthatshe's
talkingtoagardener.She'slookingatJesus.Butthensheturnsawaytogo
aboutherbusinessuntilJesuscallshername.Andwhenshehearsher
name,sheturnsandshelooksasecondtimetorealizethatJesuswas
alwayslookingather.Evenwhensheturnedfromhim.
Yousee,I'mheretotellyouthattheGodoftheuniversewhocameinthe
personofJesuslovesyou.He'sneverforgottenyou.He'salwaysbeen
lookingatyou.Evenwhenyouturnedaway.That'swhytheBibleteaches
usthatwhilewewerestillsinners,Christstilldiedforus.Whenwepaid
himnoattention,hepaidattentiontous.That'sthekindoflovethat's
offeredtoyouonthisEaster,thisResurrectionDay.It'sthekindoflove
thatMaryfound.It'sthekindoflovethatcountlessmillionshavefound
throughtheages.It'sthekindoflovethatIfoundwhenIwasnineteen
yearsold.
Andyouknow,I'vetalkedtoyoungandoldalikewho'vesaid,Jerry,I've
gotmyideasandmyphilosophyaboutlifeandGodandwhoexistsand
whodoesn'tandallthatkindofstuff.Cool.Here'sthething.Amanwithan
experienceisneveratthemercyofthemanwithjustanargument.Iknow
thathe'schangedme.Iknowthathe'stransformedme.Thathepickedme
upoutofthemudandthemireandhesetmyfeetuponarockandhegave
meanewsongthatheputinmymouthandeverythingchanged.Imoved
fromthekingdomofdarknessandselfintothekingdomofLightand
others.ThisiswhatJesushasdone.Thisisnotbecauseofme.Thisiswhat
Jesushasdone.HediditforMary.He'sdoneitforme.He'sdoneitfor
countlessthousandsmoreandI'mtellingyou,ifyou'lltakeasecondlook
he'llchangeeverythingforyoutoday.Everything.
Wouldyoubowyourheadswithme?Ifyoudon'thavetomoveI'daskyou
notto.Outofthekindnessandrespectofpeoplearoundyou.Butasour
headsarebowedhereforamomentsomeofyouinthismomentare
realizingthatyouneedtoreceiveJesus.Youneedtoturnfromyoursinand
putyourfaithandtrustinJesus.Someofyourealizethathe'scallingyour
name-yourtruename.Whathereallywantsyoutobe.Hewantsto
remakeyou.Andyouneedtounderstandthattoday,ifbyfaithyouwantto
turnfromsinandselfandallofthatstuffandputyourfaithandtrustin
Jesusyoucanhaveyoursinsforgiven.Youcanbemadeclean.youcanbe
washedwhite.Youcanbetransformedinthismoment,onthisday,inthis
place.
Somaybeyou'resittingtheresaying,howdoIdothat?Imeanjustask.
Believe.Hehearsyou.He'shere.He'samongus.I'llevenhelpyouwith
somewordsbutmywordsaren'tthatimportant.It'sthepostureofyour
ownheart.ButifyouwanttoreceiveChristinthesemoments,maybepray
somethinglikethisinyourheart,ifyoumeanit.Pray:LordJesus,Irealize
thatI'vesinnedandI'vecomeshortofyourglory.AndIrealizethatJesus
cametodieformysinandbecauseofmysin.ButIbelievethatJesusrose
fromthedeadandIbelieve,Jesus,youcanmakeallthingsnewincluding
me.AndsoIconfessmyneedforyouasmySavior.I'maskingyoutocome
andliveinsideofme.Tochangeme.Tosaveme.Tomakemylifenew.To
forgiveme.Ibelieveinyou.
Asourheadsarebowedandeyesareclosedinthisplaceifyouwouldsay,
hey,Jerry,IjustprayedthatwithyouandImeantitwithallofmyheart.I
don'twantyoutobeashamedofthat.Iwantyoutodrawalineinthesand
spirituallyspeakingandsay,no,no,Ididthattoday.AndImeantitwithall
ofmyheart.Whetheryou'reinthisroomorintheEastWorshipCenter-
maybeanotherplaceonourcampus-ifyouprayedthatwithmejustnowI
wantyoutojustputyourhandupintheairashighasyoucan.Iwantto
lookaroundtheroom.Justputituphigh.Ijustprayedthatwithyou.I'm
receivingJesusthisday.Putituphigh.Don'tbeembarrassedorashamed.
Justputituphigh.Thankyou.Thanks.I'mstilllookingaroundtheroom.
It'sabigroom.Iseeyouwayintheback.EventhoughI'vegotglasses,I'm
stilllooking.Thanks.Itellyouwhat.Ifyoujustraisedyourhand,would
youdomeafavor?Putyourhanddownbutliftyourheadupandlookat
me.Everybodyelseintheroom,ifyouwouldjustbesokindastoprayfor
thepeoplearoundyou,justquietlylistenwithyourheaddown.Forthose
ofyouwhojustprayedtoreceiveChrist,wouldyoujustlookatme.I'm
thrilledwithwhatyou'vedonebutyouneedtounderstandthatthisisa
decisionthat'snotjustlikeaonetimereligiousritual.Thisisabout
surrenderingyourlifetoJesus.It'saboutgivinghimeverything,right?This
isaboutallofhimforallofyou.BecausehesaidIamtheway,thetruth,
andthelifeandnoonecomestotheFatherexceptthroughme.
Andifyouareseriousaboutthatandthisisajourneythatyou'rereadyto
takeandyouwanttowalkwithhimandyouwanttolearnofhimandyou
wanttofollowafterhimwithallofyourheart.It'snotjustaboutshowing
uponceortwicetoaworshipgatheringonholidaysandthenkindof
forgettingabout.No,thisisaboutcenteringyourlifearoundwhoheisand
beginningtolearnhiswaysandhowyoucanhelptochangetheworld
becauseofhislifeinyou.Butifyouprayedthat,I'mgoingtoaskyoutodo
somethinginjustaminutebecausewewanttohelpyou.Wewanttobea
blessingtoyou.Wewanttobeanassettoyou.Becausewewanttohelp
youinthisnewjourneyoffaith.
AndsoinamomentI'mgoingtoaskyoutodosomethingthatmaytakea
littlebitofcourage.AndIdon'tapologizeforthat.I'mactuallygladabout
it.Becausetobehonestwithyouitdoesn'ttakethatmuchcourage,
becausethesepeopleinthisroom-they'reforyou.Theyareonyourteam,
allright?So,here'swhatI'mgoingtoaskyoutodoinjustasecond.Here's
whatI'mgoingtoaskyoutodoinjustasecond.We'vegotapastorinthis
room,PastorWes,who'sgoingtobestandingrightinthemiddleofthe
aisleinthisroomandintheEastWorshipCenterwe'vegotapastorthere
who'sshowinghimselfinthefrontofthatroom.Ifyou'reinsomeofour
otherlocationsaswell,therewillbeoneofourteammembersthatwillbe
theretowavetheirhandandshowyouthatit'sthem.ButinamomentI'm
goingtoaskyoutostandupinyourseatandI'mgoingtoaskyoutocome
toPastorWesrighthereinthemiddleaisleorintheEastWorshipCenter,
cometothatpastorthereorwhereverelse.Andplainandsimple,here's
whatwe'regoingtodo.We'renotgoingtotakeyouintosomescary
dungeonwhereit'sdarkandfrightening.We'regoingtotakeyououtofthe
roomforamomentandwe'regoingtogiveyousomething.We'regoingto
havesomebodypraywithyouandwe'regoingtogiveyousomething
that'sgoingtohelpyouinyournewjourneyoffaith.It'sthatsimple.Okay?
That'swhatwewanttodo.Soyouknowinadvance.
Here'sthething.Idon'tapologizeforaskingyoutodothisbecauseJesus
wenttoacrossonyourbehalfverypublicly.Hediedverypubliclyforyou
becauseofhisloveforyou.Ifyoucan'tgetupfromaseatinaroomfullof
peoplewhoareonyourteam,whoarecheeringforyou,onEasterSunday
ofalldays,right?Thenit'sgoingtoberealdifficulttoliveforJesusoutina
worldthatdoesn'tcare.Okay?So,wewanttohelpyou.Letusdothat.And
havethecouragetofollowafterJesusinthisplaceasafiststepofyour
newfoundrelationshipwithhim.So,I'mgoingtoaskanyofyouwhojust
prayedtoreceiveJesusandyouwereseriousaboutthatdecision,Iwantto
askyourightnowtoleaveyourseat,comeandstandwithPastorWesin
thisroomrighthereinthecenteroroverintheEastWorshipCenteryou'll
seeapastordownfront.Thankyou.We'vegotsomebodywho's
courageousenoughtostandup.Thanks,ma'am.Appreciatethat.Right
here.Righthere,we'llwaitonyouforasecond.That'sawesome.Wow.
Righthere.Keepcoming.WeprobablyneededtwoPastorWes,right?
Yeah.Keepcoming.Justfileonin.Comeonin.Thatisawesome.Sowhat
I'mgoingtoaskyoutodoinasecond-bytheway,mygoalisn'tto
emotionallymanipulateanybody.Wejustwanttogiveyouanopportunity
tomeetJesus,toknowhimandwewanttohelpyouinthat,okay?
So,ifyouneedtoslideoutwhenthey'rewalkingoutandyouwanttojoin
thembecauseyou'vejustweretotallyfreakedoutaboutgettingup,justa
secondago-Idon'tcare.Justgetupandjointhem,allright?Justwhatever
ittakestogettoJesus.Ifyouhavetoslinkin,that'sfine.We'refinewith
that.Allright?WhateveryougottodotogettoJesus,man.Andifyou'rein
anyotherpartofourbuilding,you'regoingtojoinusinthesameplace.
We'regoingtotakeyourightacrosstheAtriumintotheFiresideRoom.
Again,there'lightson,there'snoscarypeople.Allright?Soeverything's
cool.Andifyou'reoneofourprayerpartners,we'vegotawholelotof
people.We'dloveforyoutohelpusoutifyou'reaprayerpartnertocome
andbewiththesefolks.Whydon'tweletthem,astheymaketheirway
out,let'sletthemknowhowgratefulweareforwhatGod'sgoneintheir
heart.That'sawesome.Wow,man.
What'sencouragingisthat-Imean,atseveno'clockthismorningten
peopleatleastgavetheirlivestoJesusatseveno'clockthismorning.You
knowit'stheSpiritofGodwhenpeoplearegivingtheirlivestoChristas
seveno'clockinthemorning,right?Itwasincredibleandthenlastworship
gatheringanumberofpeoplecametofaithinChristandthenjusttosee
whatGod'sdoneinthelivesofthesepeople-that'sastoundingandfor
thoseofyouthatbroughtsomeofthesefriends,thankyou.Thanksfor
exposingthemtothegospel,forshowingthemhowmuchyoulovethem
bybringingthemtoJesus.Whatanincrediblething.That'sawesome.Alot
ofthesepeopledidn'tjustcomeontheirown.Theycamebecauseyou
invitedthemtocome.Here'swhatwe'regoingtodo.We'regoingtodoa
coupleofmorethingsbeforewedismiss-asthey'rebeingtalkedtoand
we'regoingtotakeanopportunitytoworshipthroughourgivingandlet
meexplaintoyouwhatwe'regoingtodo.Ifyou'reaguestofoursthough,
youdon'thavetofeelanyobligationtoanything.Ifyouareapartofthe
Chapel,youbetterfeelanobligation.I'mkidding.It'sajoke.Notreally.
Here'swhy,here'swhy.Ifyou'reaguest,justtakethatconnectioncard
thatyouhadandyoucanjustputthatintheofferingplateandthatwould
beyourgifttous.We'dappreciatethat.
Butifyou'rehereasaregularattenderdowhatmyfamilyandIaredoing.
We'regivingourregulargivingbutwe'realsoputtingsomething
additionalintoanEasterenvelopeandwhatevergoesinthatEaster
envelopewe'regivingaway.Letmetellyouwhereit'sgoing.Youcanseeit
onthescreens.JerichoRoadCommunityHealthCenterishereinourlocal
regionandtheyhaveVIVEwhichtheyhaverecentlystarted/acquiredand
theyarehelpingrefugeesinsignificantwaysandwewanttopartnerwith
themandhelptheminthatprocess.Secondly,RenaissanceChurchisa
churchthatwe'repartneringwithinHarlemthatisachurchplantandit's
verychallengingtoplantchurchesinNewYorkCitysometimes.Andwe
wanttohelpthem.Itisamulti-culturalchurch.PastorJordanwho'sthere
doingaphenomenaljobandwewanttohelppartnerwiththemsothat
theycancontinuetomoveforwardintheirchurchplantinHarlem.And
thenthirdlywe'regoingtopartnerwithMissionofHopeHaiti,oneofour
globalpartnersbecausetheyaredevelopingachilddevelopmentcenter
thereandeverythingtheydoisgospelcenteredinwhattheydoso
anythingthatyouputinthoseEasterofferingenvelopeswe'regivingaway
andthat'swhereit'sgoing.Okay?Soyouguyscanknowthat.Wehavea
tendencytodothatsometimesontheseholidayseasons.Fortherestofus,
wecanjustcontinueourregulargiving,butanythinginthoseEaster
envelopes-that'swhereit'sheaded.
SoFather,Ipraythatevenaswegiverightnowwewoulddosoaspeople
ofgreatgenerositybecauseweknowthatJesusistheindescribablegift
andthatyoumakeus,youre-makeusintopeopleofgenerosity.Usewhat
wegiveforyourgloryandtohelppeople.WeprayinJesus'name,amen.
Astheofferingplatesarecomingthrough,you'llnotwanttomisshearing
whatyou'reabouttohear.