Dave spoke this morning from Luke 24:1-11, one of the New Testament accounts of the resurrection of Jesus.

The disciples were devastated by the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, but His resurrection changed them irrevocably, showing them that death was no longer a barrier between mankind and God and that physical death is not so final that it could not be overcome. Nonetheless, we see that each of the disciples had to take hold of the truth of the resurrection personally and that this depended in many respects on their previous relationship with Jesus.

The disciples’ faith was rooted in their relationship with Jesus. Resurrection brought new revelation to this relationship, but it was the memory of the connection between the human Jesus and the risen Lord which convinced many. The disciples on the road to Emmaus believed when they recognised Jesus from the breaking of bread (Luke 24:30-31); others recognised Jesus as they shared a meal of cooked fish on the shore (John 21:1-14). We need to know Jesus and build on this relationship.

The disciples came to faith at different times and in different ways. Each of the resurrection accounts focuses on a different sense: some recognising Jesus through taste as they shared meals with Him; some being encouraged to touch Him (see John 20:24-29); others hearing the words of Jesus or seeing Him in the garden (John 20:11-18). Maybe it was the smell of the fish cooking which reminded them of their Lord and helped them to realise that the resurrection was real. Jesus provided what was needed for each person to meet with Him personally.

The resurrection appearances of Jesus to His disciples are as notable for His disappearances as for His appearances. This reminds us that God is not a ‘hover parent’, always hovering over us. There are times when we do not feel His presence, when He allows us to work through situations without, perhaps, the reassurance of HIs felt presence. This does not mean He is absent (He has promised never to leave us or forsake us, as Heb 13:5 reminds us), but is the way He, in His wisdom, chooses to bring growth and dependence which is by faith and not by sight. (2 Cor 5;7)

Christ comes to us all in different ways: sometimes with a roar, sometimes with a whisper. When we know who He is, we will know that He is with us and that His resurrection makes all the difference to our everyday lives.

Good Friday reminds us of the price that had to be paid for our sins. We see a suffering Saviour, one who apparently failed in His mission. I imagine the disciples watching the crucifixion were devastated, bewildered and heartbroken as they realised there would be no miraculous rescue. Jesus had to die, and death is painful for the onlookers as well as for the one actually dying.

C.S. Lewis captures this sorrow in his book ‘The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe’, when the great lion, Aslan, is tied to the stone and killed. I can remember reading this story to my son when he was younger and his sobs as he realised that Aslan would actually die. His heart-rending cry of ‘No!‘ still echoes in my ears; it’s still our response as we realise what the sinless Son of God endured to bring us back to God.

But that is not the end of the story. Death does not have the final word. Susan and Lucy were both terrified and overjoyed to see Aslan return to life and today, Easter Sunday, we too celebrate that we have a risen Saviour who has defeated death and sin and whose love and power mean that we no longer have to face separation from God again.

The disciples didn’t quite understand it all at once. They were baffled, confused, sometimes still doubting… but ultimately the empty tomb and the appearances of Jesus to them convinced them of this new, mind-boggling truth. Jesus is alive forevermore!

From despair to hope, from misery to joy, from death to life… as someone has once said, ‘a lot can happen in three days!‘ But wherever we are in the Easter story, we can look ahead to this glorious resurrection and know that death does not have the last word.

At our Good Friday service we spent some time meditating on the last words of Jesus on the cross. These words touch on important themes which we need to consider in our own prayer life,.

1. Father, forgive them (Luke 23:34)

Jesus prayed for those who crucified him, reflecting a life of forgiveness. It can be very difficult to forgive those who wound and hurt us, but forgiveness is a key element of the gospel (Matt 18:21-35, Matt 6:12-15). We used pebbles to represent the hurt we feel, releasing this to Jesus by dropping the pebbles into a bucket of water as we actively chose to forgive those who have wounded us. Forgiveness is a choice of the will, not a feeling, and often involves a commitment to let go of the grievance instead of holding on to it.

2. Today you will be with me in Paradise (Luke 23:43)

Jesus offered hope to a dying man! No matter what situation we find ourselves in, there is hope in God. We were encouraged to bring our hopes and dreams to God, writing them on post-it notes and fixing them to a picture of a kite flying high into the sky. WIth God, nothing is impossible; nothing is too hard for Him! (Jer 32:7)

3. Woman, here is your son. (John 19:28)

Jesus cared about his mother, even as he was dying, making provisions for John to look after her. We took the opportunity to pray for our families, writing names on handprints and pinning them to a tree.

4. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? (Matt 27:46)

We meditated on the humanity of Jesus, which means He is able to empathise with our weaknesses and understand all our complex human emotions. (Heb 2:14-15, Heb 4:15). Using emoticons and scrabble tiles, we tried to identify the emotions and feelings we have and give them to God, asking Him to help us work through the feelings of loneliness, confusion and bewilderment we often experience.

5. I thirst (John 19:28)

Jesus experienced thirst on the cross. We too need to recognise the spiritual thirst which only He can satisfy (see John 7: 37-38). The Psalmist spoke of longing for God as a deer pants for the water. (Ps 42:1) We drank water to represent the fact that only Jesus can quench our spiritual thirst; only He can satisfy us. His living water is available for us all, but we must drink in order to experience it!

6. It is finished (John 19:30)

One of the amazing things about Easter is the realisation that God has done everything possible to make a relationship with Him possible. The work of salvation was completed as Jesus offered that once-for-all sacrifice for sin. This amazing truth gives us much to be thankful for in all circumstances, and we looked at writing our thanks on flower petals as we made a ‘gratitude flower.’

7. Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit. (Luke 23:46)

Jesus showed us how to die well, with courage and trust in God. Often, we fear death and dying; we find the loss of bereavement hard to bear. Sometimes the loss of hope or the death of a dream is just as painful to us. We meditated on John 12:24, how the kernel of wheat must be planted in the ground and ‘die’ before it can produce seed and how we need to learn to die daily to self.

The response of those listening to Peter’s explanation of what had happened on the Day of Pentecost was remarkable. We are told, ‘they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”’ (Acts 2:37) Peter’s response was clear: ‘Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’ (Acts 2:38) The first step in our response to God’s word always has to start with repentance.

Repentance means a complete turnaround, a volte-face, turning to go in completely the opposite direction to before. None of us finds this easy, for we are so used to going our own way (Is 53:6). I see this daily in my little granddaughter, who at two years old could be named Little Miss Independent! She hates having to hold my hand on walks outdoors, even if there is lots of traffic around; she hates being dressed by other people, even though her attempts to dress herself frequently result in clothes put on inside out and shoes on the wrong feet! But our independence has led us away from God, and God always calls us back. (Luke 3:3, Matt 4:17, Mark 6:12, Acts 3:19, Acts 17:30, Rev 2:5) This is most vividly enacted in the Parable of the Lost Son, when the younger son finally comes to his senses and returns to his father (Luke 15:17-21), only to find his father running to embrace him and welcome him home.

Repentance is not something which occurs only once in our lives. Every time we wander away from God, lured by the enemy’s lies, we have to turn around to return. The benefits of repentance are outlined by Peter here, though: the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). David spoke of the restoration of joy (Ps 51:11-12) which repentance brings. None of us likes admitting we are wrong, but it’s foolish to continue down a path which only leads to destruction. The people’s response led to massive change and spiritual renewal. If we want to be refreshed and renewed spiritually, we too need to repent.

Peter’s sermon outline (for Luke makes it clear he said many other things to the crowds) in Acts 2:14-41 reveal to us an emphasis on Jesus in his preaching which we would do well to emulate. He gives the crowd information about each of the following:

• The life of Jesus (‘Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. Acts 2:22)
• The death of Jesus (the full significance of which is not expounded here, but which is developed in later sermons and in the rest of the New Testament)
• The resurrection of Jesus (Acts 2:24, 32), to which all the disciples can attest
• His exaltation (Acts 2:33-36)
• His salvation (Acts 2:37-39)

We need to focus on these key events in the life and ministry of Jesus in our preaching, but must also be aware, as John Stott wrote in his commentary on Acts, ‘it is not enough to “proclaim Jesus”, for there are many different Jesuses being presented today.’ What we need to do is preach on the following areas:

• the historical (Jesus really lived, died, rose and ascended in the arena of history; he is not a mythical character)
• the theological (his life, death, resurrection and ascension all have saving significance which matter to us)
• the contemporary (he lives and reigns to bestow salvation on those who respond to him.)

Thus, the apostles told the same story of Jesus at three levels –

1. as historical event (witnessed by their own eyes)
2. as having theological significance (interpreted by the Scriptures)
3. as contemporary message (confronting men and women with the necessity of decision).

“We have the same responsibility today to tell the story of Jesus as fact, doctrine and gospel.”[1]

[1] John Stott, ‘Acts: Seeing the Spirit At Work’, P 19

In Acts 2:14-41 we see once again how Peter describes the death of Jesus in human terms (‘you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross’ Acts 2:23), but also firmly believes in God’s sovereign foreknowledge (‘this man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge’ Acts 2:23).The death of Jesus is therefore attributed simultaneously both to the purpose of God and to the wickedness of men. Through the death of Jesus God’s saving purpose was being worked out. All throughout Scripture, God’s foreknowledge and man’s free will are held in tension. In these verses ‘we have the paradox of divine predestination and human freewill in its strongest form.’ ‘Even in putting Jesus to death, the Jews were simply fulfilling what God had determined must take place and indeed had foretold in the prophetic writings.’ (Howard Marshall, P 75)

It is not easy for us to reconcile these two things and usually we fall into one of two traps, emphasising man’s free will to the extent that God seems irrelevant or extolling God’s foreknowledge and will as being so absolute we are mere robots. The truth has to lie in the middle… where there are still plenty of questions and known unknowns!

In church history and theology, the two extremes are known as Arminianism and Calvinism (named after their chief proponents, Arminius (1560-1609) and Calvin (1509-1564)). These systems of theology attempt to explain the relationship between God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility in the matter of salvation. In my view, the truth lies in the middle, as Peter implies. God is absolutely sovereign and knows all. Human beings are called to make a genuine decision to place faith in Christ unto salvation. These two facts seem contradictory to us, but in the mind of God they make perfect sense. Thus we can be sure that Jesus’ death – so crucial to our salvation – was both planned by God and executed by people. God was not taken by surprise by the events of Easter. Nor can we dismiss people’s responsibility in His death as being because they were mere ‘pawns’ in God’s plan. The mystery of God will never be fully explained or understood, but we can embrace God’s plan as the crowd did, resulting in believers swelling from 120 to over three thousand after Peter’s sermon.