1 00:00:00,880 --> 00:00:05,840 And we are in Luke chapter 24 and Luke's accounts of the 2 00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:13,800 resurrection of Jesus. And as those sheets just get 3 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:17,520 handed out, I want us to see this morning, I think Luke 4 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:20,640 wanted to see this morning, that the message of the first Easter 5 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:24,920 is a message of peace and a message of hope. 6 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:28,960 It's a message of peace because at the resurrection, Jesus has 7 00:00:28,960 --> 00:00:34,000 one peace with God for everyone who puts their faith in him. 8 00:00:34,160 --> 00:00:37,680 And it's a message of hope because the resurrection proves 9 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:42,440 to us that for everyone who puts their faith in Jesus, death and 10 00:00:42,440 --> 00:00:47,880 sorrow and sadness will not have the last word in our lives. 11 00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:54,840 The last word belongs to the crucified and risen Jesus, and 12 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:59,160 people often refer to Easter as a real time of hope in people's 13 00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:00,640 lives. But it's it's it's helpful to 14 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:04,280 get a definition of hope because hope really matters. 15 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:07,160 We thought about this bit on Good Friday actually, that it's 16 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:11,480 hope that keeps us going. Hope can get us out of bed in 17 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:14,200 the morning. Hope is what makes life worth 18 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:16,720 living. If we don't have any hope, we 19 00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:21,160 struggle so much in our lives. But hope is often pretty vague 20 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:23,880 in our worlds. We say that like, I hope it 21 00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:26,280 doesn't rain today, but we kind of know it might. 22 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:28,560 Or. Or you going to come? 23 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:31,120 Yeah, I hope I can come. Which kind of easy code going. 24 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:33,760 I'm not really planning to, but I might. 25 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:36,320 Or I hope things work out for you. 26 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:40,280 But in a sense, we just have no guarantee that they will. 27 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:44,240 But we need to see this morning when when Christians talk about 28 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:49,360 hope rooted in the Bible, God's word, hope is something solid 29 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:52,200 that we can build our lives upon. 30 00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:54,720 It's kind of a definition of hope. 31 00:01:55,560 --> 00:02:00,080 Things may be difficult now, but we know the future is going to 32 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:03,520 be so much better. The future waiting for us makes 33 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:09,160 the hard things now worthwhile as a massive statement to say. 34 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:12,560 We know the future is going to be so much better. 35 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:16,880 But the reasons Christians kind of confidence in that is because 36 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:21,320 our hope rests on something solid, on someone solid. 37 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:27,280 Our hope rests on the crucified and risen Jesus. 38 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:31,240 So a few days ago, if you were at Knighton for the joint 39 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:34,840 service, we looked at Luke's account of the death of Jesus. 40 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:38,760 And for any other person, that should have been the end of the 41 00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:40,600 story. We last saw Jesus kneel to a 42 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:44,320 cross, forgiving his enemies, forgiving and welcoming a 43 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:48,000 criminal into his Kingdom, and then breathing his last. 44 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:51,520 His dead body was taken down from the cross and buried in a 45 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:55,880 tomb, a gift from a wealthy man called Joseph of Arimathea. 46 00:02:56,040 --> 00:03:00,240 And that should have been it. That should have been the end of 47 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:02,960 Jesus story. Of course, the good news of 48 00:03:02,960 --> 00:03:06,240 Easter is that isn't the end of Jesus story. 49 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:11,160 Jesus didn't stay dead. Three days after he died, he 50 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:14,000 rose again from the dead. And as a result, Christians 51 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:16,840 don't just follow the teachings of a great man in history. 52 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:21,720 No, Jesus is alive today. We believe the risen Jesus is 53 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:25,760 present with us right now by his Spirit, and he offers us new 54 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:30,640 life, peace with God, and a glorious hope as we put our 55 00:03:30,640 --> 00:03:34,880 faith in Him. One church historian once put it 56 00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:36,880 like this. Without the resurrection, we'd 57 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:40,720 never have heard of Jesus. It's funny you put it like that. 58 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:42,600 Without the resurrection, we'd never heard of Jesus. 59 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:45,600 The Romans crucified thousands of people. 60 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:48,760 Jesus would probably just have been another failed Messiah who 61 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:51,800 a few people remembered and then everyone forgot. 62 00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:54,760 But instead, because of the resurrection, we're still 63 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:58,720 talking about Jesus today. We're still worshipping Jesus 64 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:01,200 today. We sing songs about Jesus today. 65 00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:04,600 People put their faith in Jesus today. 66 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:08,440 So let's look at this account from Luke of the resurrection 67 00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:11,120 and see what the resurrection means for us. 68 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:13,840 Because here we have Luke recording the risen Jesus 69 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:18,360 appearing to his disciples. Here we see future hope breaking 70 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:22,960 into the world we all live in. And what does the risen Jesus 71 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:26,480 offer us? He offers us peace and he offers 72 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:29,080 us hope. More specifically, he offers us 73 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:34,880 peace with God now and a glorious future hope in the 74 00:04:34,880 --> 00:04:37,520 future. So let's think about those two 75 00:04:37,520 --> 00:04:40,960 things for the next few minutes. So the risen Jesus offers us 76 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:44,240 peace with God. Look at how Jesus greets his 77 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:46,800 disciples in verse 36. He says while they were still 78 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:50,520 talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and 79 00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:55,840 said to them, peace be with you. Peace be with you. 80 00:04:56,040 --> 00:05:00,360 That is the risen Jesus favorite way of greeting his friends 81 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:04,160 across all four gospels. Peace be with you. 82 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:08,160 And why does he say that? Because he knows he has won 83 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:12,480 peace with God for everyone who follows him. 84 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:15,880 See, before Jesus death on the cross followed by his 85 00:05:15,880 --> 00:05:19,800 resurrection, we were all naturally enemies of God. 86 00:05:20,640 --> 00:05:25,800 We have all rejected God or just simply ignored God in the world 87 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:28,240 he made. We've all refused to thank God 88 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:31,200 or worship God as he deserves. And the Bible says because of 89 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:33,480 that we're all naturally enemies of God. 90 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:35,640 We don't love God the way we should. 91 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:37,640 We don't love the people around us the way we should. 92 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:40,560 We don't love God's world the way we should. 93 00:05:40,680 --> 00:05:44,960 And as a result, it's like we're at war with God and we're all 94 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:48,280 destined to face his judgement for the things we have done. 95 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:52,840 We're naturally enemies of God, but along comes the risen Jesus 96 00:05:52,840 --> 00:05:57,400 and he says peace be with you because God has sent his son 97 00:05:57,480 --> 00:06:01,000 Jesus into the world. To be our mediator, to be the 98 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:05,800 peacemaker, we need Jesus. He's fully God. 99 00:06:05,800 --> 00:06:09,200 He's the eternal Son of God, and he's fully human, born of Mary, 100 00:06:09,200 --> 00:06:13,560 born of a woman. And Jesus came to make peace 101 00:06:13,840 --> 00:06:15,880 with God. How do you do that? 102 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:19,240 Because Jesus lived the life we should have lived, a life of 103 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:21,160 love for God and love for people. 104 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:24,920 Jesus died the death we deserve to die on that cross. 105 00:06:25,040 --> 00:06:29,280 And then Jesus rose again to win new life and share that new life 106 00:06:29,280 --> 00:06:33,400 with anyone and everyone who puts their faith in him. 107 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:38,120 Thanks to Jesus saving work, his life, death and resurrection, we 108 00:06:38,120 --> 00:06:42,400 now have peace with God. Jesus says peace be with you. 109 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:47,120 That is the risen Jesus words to each one of us if we will just 110 00:06:47,120 --> 00:06:51,120 receive it today. Instead of declaring war against 111 00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:57,200 his enemies, God declares peace towards us because of Jesus. 112 00:06:57,200 --> 00:07:00,360 Thanks to Jesus, we can be fully forgiven, fully accepted, not 113 00:07:00,360 --> 00:07:04,120 because of things we have done, because of what Jesus has done 114 00:07:04,400 --> 00:07:07,120 for us. And we need to see in the 115 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:10,640 account of the first Easter that the disciples, it takes them a 116 00:07:10,640 --> 00:07:14,360 while to get what's happening. The disciples were not gullible 117 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:15,960 people. That's really important to see. 118 00:07:15,960 --> 00:07:19,320 Look at verse 37. Luke tells us they were startled 119 00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:22,840 and frightened thinking they saw a ghost or, or verse 41, they 120 00:07:22,880 --> 00:07:26,240 still did not believe it because of joy and amazement. 121 00:07:26,240 --> 00:07:30,280 They needed convincing that this was the risen Jesus standing in 122 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:32,160 front of them. Again, the disciples weren't 123 00:07:32,160 --> 00:07:34,360 naive. They weren't simple people who 124 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:36,800 just believe anything. Some ways we can think that oh, 125 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:39,600 they lived 2000 years ago. Everyone believed crazy stuff 126 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:42,960 back then. But actually in the 1st century, 127 00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:47,360 people were a lot more familiar with death than we are today. 128 00:07:48,080 --> 00:07:51,360 Actually, in the 21st century, death can be hidden more in in 129 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:53,720 hospitals or mortuaries or crematoriums. 130 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:55,960 Back in the 1st century, you couldn't hide from death. 131 00:07:57,160 --> 00:07:59,320 People didn't live very long. People would die of diseases 132 00:07:59,320 --> 00:08:02,440 easily cured today. Everyone would have known 133 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:05,480 someone close to them who had died when he turned out. 134 00:08:05,480 --> 00:08:07,400 The disciples weren't gullible people. 135 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:10,400 They knew that if someone dies on a cross, they do not come 136 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:13,480 back three days later to say peace be with you. 137 00:08:13,960 --> 00:08:18,320 And yet here was Jesus standing in front of him. 138 00:08:19,880 --> 00:08:21,840 And how did Jesus prove he was really alive? 139 00:08:22,960 --> 00:08:26,640 Well, amazingly, he invited them to touch him as verse 38. 140 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:30,520 He said to them, why are you troubled and why do doubts rise 141 00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:33,240 in your mind? Look at my hands and my feet. 142 00:08:33,400 --> 00:08:36,000 It is I myself. Touch me and see. 143 00:08:36,159 --> 00:08:39,000 A ghost doesn't have flesh and bones as you see. 144 00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:42,720 I have, he says, disciples. I'm not a ghost. 145 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:43,880 You might think I am, but I'm not. 146 00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:46,160 Touch me. I have a physical body. 147 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:49,080 Look at the marks on my hands and my feet. 148 00:08:49,080 --> 00:08:51,520 And when they still struggle to believe it, will Jesus eat 149 00:08:51,520 --> 00:08:56,120 something to prove it again? If I had just triumphed over sin 150 00:08:56,120 --> 00:08:58,760 and death and the devil, I'd probably choose a really nice 151 00:08:58,760 --> 00:09:00,280 burger. Something like that. 152 00:09:00,560 --> 00:09:04,600 Jesus went for broiled fish, not boiled broiled. 153 00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:06,200 But it still doesn't sound that appealing. 154 00:09:06,360 --> 00:09:11,040 But he's proving to them he is physically risen. 155 00:09:11,440 --> 00:09:14,560 He has defeated death. The same Jesus who died in a 156 00:09:14,560 --> 00:09:19,480 cross three days earlier is now risen and standing in front of 157 00:09:19,480 --> 00:09:22,160 them. I love the detail. 158 00:09:22,160 --> 00:09:28,360 Look records for us. The risen Jesus still has scars. 159 00:09:29,800 --> 00:09:33,480 Look at my hands and my feet, he says to disciples. 160 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:35,320 The wounds from the cross are still there. 161 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:38,720 The marks from the nails are still there. 162 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:44,400 The wounds of love that Jesus bears are still there. 163 00:09:45,040 --> 00:09:47,320 He's reassuring his disciples. It's really me. 164 00:09:47,560 --> 00:09:49,480 I'm really alive. But also he's showing them. 165 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:55,600 He still carries the scars that he was willing to endure to 166 00:09:55,600 --> 00:10:00,480 rescue each and every one of us. The risen Jesus still has scars 167 00:10:00,880 --> 00:10:04,040 today. Why is that good news for us? 168 00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:06,600 Well, it's good news because it reminds us Jesus is the same 169 00:10:06,600 --> 00:10:10,800 today as he always has been. Jesus knows what it's like to 170 00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:12,360 suffer. It's not that Jesus was a human 171 00:10:12,360 --> 00:10:14,760 for a little while and then he went up to heaven and he doesn't 172 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:18,840 understand us anymore. Jesus still understands us and 173 00:10:18,840 --> 00:10:22,320 that's why he has compassion on us when we suffer. 174 00:10:22,400 --> 00:10:25,440 He's able to help us when we suffer. 175 00:10:26,560 --> 00:10:28,400 Christians don't worship a distant God. 176 00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:32,080 He doesn't understand things like struggle and pain and 177 00:10:32,080 --> 00:10:33,880 grief. We worship the God who draws 178 00:10:33,880 --> 00:10:38,160 near to us in Jesus, familiar with suffering, familiar with 179 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:43,480 grief and with rejection. The risen Jesus still has scars 180 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:47,880 today. He understands us, He knows us. 181 00:10:48,040 --> 00:10:52,320 He's gentle and kind with us when we suffer. 182 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:56,680 It's another reminder what a beautiful saviour we have in 183 00:10:56,760 --> 00:11:00,040 Jesus. So in these verses, Jesus, he's 184 00:11:00,040 --> 00:11:02,560 reassuring his disciples. He really is alive. 185 00:11:02,560 --> 00:11:06,080 He really has risen. And because Jesus has risen, the 186 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:10,400 risen Jesus offers us hope for the future, eternal life in a 187 00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:14,240 new creation with the God who loves us perfectly. 188 00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:18,360 And one of the great things about Easter is it just pictures 189 00:11:18,360 --> 00:11:21,240 for us what our future hope is as Christians. 190 00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:25,720 Because I wonder if you ever think about that word heaven, if 191 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:27,800 you ever think what would heaven be like? 192 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:29,000 That's meant to be a really good thing. 193 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:31,320 You meant to want to go there. But actually the conventional 194 00:11:31,320 --> 00:11:33,920 way our culture talks about heaven just doesn't make it 195 00:11:33,920 --> 00:11:36,000 sound very appealing. When I was a kid, I thought 196 00:11:36,200 --> 00:11:39,520 heaven would be totally boring. It was sitting on a cloud 197 00:11:39,680 --> 00:11:44,160 wearing white, playing a harp. There was possibly soft cheese 198 00:11:44,160 --> 00:11:48,840 involved from an advert I saw as a kid, but it was just boring. 199 00:11:48,840 --> 00:11:50,240 I thought, who wants to go to heaven? 200 00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:52,120 Just sit in white clouds all day. 201 00:11:53,240 --> 00:11:55,200 But actually, we need to see the good news of Easter. 202 00:11:55,200 --> 00:11:58,520 The resurrection of Jesus shows Christiano isn't ultimately just 203 00:11:58,520 --> 00:12:00,480 about the immortality of the soul. 204 00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:02,800 It's about the resurrection of the body. 205 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:06,840 Because Jesus rose from the dead physically on the first Easter, 206 00:12:07,240 --> 00:12:09,560 everyone who trusts in him will be raised from the dead 207 00:12:09,560 --> 00:12:14,400 physically at the end of time. And our home will not be a cloud 208 00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:16,640 in the sky. Our home will be the new 209 00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:20,160 creation, the new heavens and the new earth. 210 00:12:21,680 --> 00:12:23,440 Here's how another bit of the New Testament puts it. 211 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:27,360 In one Corinthians 15, verse 20, the apostle Paul says Christ has 212 00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:29,600 indeed been raised from the dead. 213 00:12:29,840 --> 00:12:35,040 The first fruits of those who have fallen asleep, those who 214 00:12:35,040 --> 00:12:36,880 have fallen asleep, that's a reference of those who have 215 00:12:36,880 --> 00:12:40,240 died. Jesus, we're told, is the first 216 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:43,040 fruits of the dead. What are first fruits? 217 00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:46,240 Well, they're the they're the first signs that the harvest is 218 00:12:46,240 --> 00:12:49,520 coming, like your first ripe tomato of the season. 219 00:12:49,880 --> 00:12:52,760 So the other fruits aren't ready for eating yet, but the first 220 00:12:52,760 --> 00:12:57,280 fruits are a tangible sign, a proof that the harvest is on its 221 00:12:57,280 --> 00:13:00,000 way. And in a similar way, Paul says 222 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:04,160 here, the resurrection of Jesus on that first Easter Sunday is a 223 00:13:04,160 --> 00:13:08,840 trailer for our future. If we trust in him. 224 00:13:10,200 --> 00:13:11,960 We look at the resurrection body of Jesus. 225 00:13:11,960 --> 00:13:14,320 That's a picture of the resurrection body each and every 226 00:13:14,320 --> 00:13:17,600 one of us will have if our faith is in Jesus. 227 00:13:17,760 --> 00:13:19,640 And you look at the Easter accounts and it's kind of 228 00:13:19,640 --> 00:13:21,840 interesting that the risen Jesus, the body of the risen 229 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:25,560 Jesus, it's the same as it was before death, but it's also 230 00:13:25,560 --> 00:13:27,720 different to the way it was before death. 231 00:13:28,320 --> 00:13:30,920 So Jesus body is the same. He's still physical, we saw 232 00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:32,680 that. He still eats food, He still 233 00:13:32,680 --> 00:13:34,280 bears the scars of the crucifixion. 234 00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:35,720 The disciples still recognise him. 235 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:38,480 But it's also different. There are times when the 236 00:13:38,480 --> 00:13:41,760 disciples don't recognize him straight away, like Mary at the 237 00:13:41,760 --> 00:13:43,880 tomb or the disciples on the road to Emmaus. 238 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:46,600 There's there's something different about Jesus. 239 00:13:46,760 --> 00:13:49,200 Jesus can walk through locked doors, we're told. 240 00:13:49,320 --> 00:13:52,080 He can appear and disappear with the disciples. 241 00:13:53,280 --> 00:13:57,000 He's just utterly full of life in a way that they've not seen 242 00:13:57,000 --> 00:14:00,200 before. And a similar way, our 243 00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:03,560 resurrected life in the new creation will be glorious. 244 00:14:04,280 --> 00:14:09,880 The Bible tells us a new creation will be physical. 245 00:14:10,960 --> 00:14:12,680 It's not just a spiritual existence. 246 00:14:12,680 --> 00:14:16,920 It's a new heaven and a new earth, a physical place free 247 00:14:16,920 --> 00:14:20,920 from sin and death and mourning and pain, filled with physical 248 00:14:20,920 --> 00:14:23,440 people, with resurrection bodies like Jesus. 249 00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:25,920 When you think about it, it's just breathtaking. 250 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:28,520 You think about the most beautiful places you've ever 251 00:14:28,520 --> 00:14:33,200 visited in the world. I once saw Mount Kilimanjaro in 252 00:14:33,200 --> 00:14:35,480 Tanzania. I'd love to see the Grand 253 00:14:35,480 --> 00:14:39,040 Canyon, think about the Pacific Ocean, think about Victoria Park 254 00:14:39,280 --> 00:14:43,400 on a sunny day. And now I imagine those places 255 00:14:43,400 --> 00:14:49,160 perfected by God in the new creation, free from decay and 256 00:14:49,160 --> 00:14:53,800 ugliness and litter and death. Free to be beautiful, perfect 257 00:14:53,800 --> 00:14:59,080 displays of God's glory, free to be enjoyed and explored by God's 258 00:14:59,080 --> 00:15:03,000 people in the new creation that is the future home that awaits 259 00:15:03,040 --> 00:15:04,920 everyone because of Jesus resurrection. 260 00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:10,200 The new Chris will be physical and we will be physical again. 261 00:15:10,280 --> 00:15:13,040 Jesus body, he can be touched. He can eat and enjoy food. 262 00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:16,480 He's present with his disciples. That's the picture we get in 263 00:15:16,480 --> 00:15:19,240 scripture. We'll be able to eat and drink 264 00:15:19,360 --> 00:15:22,880 with God and with each other. We'll be able to explore the new 265 00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:24,600 creation. We'll be able to worship God 266 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:27,600 together in community with one another. 267 00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:33,560 It will be astonishing, amazing. That is our future hope and we 268 00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:36,880 will be free from sin and from death. 269 00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:42,160 Just imagine it. Remember an older Christian once 270 00:15:42,160 --> 00:15:46,560 saying to me once, actually just remember one day you will be 271 00:15:46,560 --> 00:15:51,280 whole and you will be healthy and you will be satisfied 272 00:15:51,280 --> 00:15:57,880 forever because of Jesus. Your body will work perfectly. 273 00:15:58,520 --> 00:16:03,280 Your mind will think clearly. Your heart will be filled with 274 00:16:03,280 --> 00:16:06,400 love for God and love for other people. 275 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:11,000 That is the hope set before us, the hope won for us by Jesus at 276 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:15,120 the cross and the resurrection. And the the far, far best thing 277 00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:17,480 about it is that God will be there. 278 00:16:17,480 --> 00:16:20,200 We'll be with the God who loves us perfectly. 279 00:16:20,200 --> 00:16:22,320 We'll see him face to face. We'll eat with him. 280 00:16:22,480 --> 00:16:25,400 We'll talk with him. We'll finally discover just how 281 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:28,880 deeply he has loved us all the way through our lives. 282 00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:30,720 Those times when we thought we knew that. 283 00:16:30,840 --> 00:16:32,760 Those times when we didn't know it. 284 00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:37,400 That is our future hope. That is what we celebrate at 285 00:16:37,400 --> 00:16:40,640 Easter. That is what keeps us going in 286 00:16:40,960 --> 00:16:45,080 our lives. You don't need me to tell you 287 00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:48,840 this morning. Life can be hard here and now. 288 00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:52,320 If you hear last week we saw the words of the Apostle Paul. 289 00:16:52,320 --> 00:16:55,840 We must go through many hardships to enter the Kingdom 290 00:16:55,840 --> 00:16:58,920 of God. But that is why hope matters so 291 00:16:58,920 --> 00:17:01,800 much. As Christians, thanks to Jesus, 292 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:07,720 the future waiting for us makes the hard things now worthwhile. 293 00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:12,760 So how should we respond to the resurrection of Jesus today? 294 00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:16,359 If you're not a Christian here this morning, if you don't yet 295 00:17:16,359 --> 00:17:20,440 trust in Jesus, what difference does the resurrection of Jesus 296 00:17:20,440 --> 00:17:24,000 make to you? Well, a friend of mine used to 297 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:25,359 always put it like this. He said if you're not a 298 00:17:25,359 --> 00:17:29,160 Christian here today, then this life is as good as it gets. 299 00:17:30,160 --> 00:17:35,400 It's as good as it gets here. But if you are a Christian, this 300 00:17:35,400 --> 00:17:39,480 life is as bad as it gets. The future is glorious. 301 00:17:39,480 --> 00:17:42,760 Your future is secure. Your future will be with the God 302 00:17:42,760 --> 00:17:46,960 who loves you because he's made sure of that through sending 303 00:17:47,080 --> 00:17:50,280 Jesus to live and die and rise again. 304 00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:57,000 How will we respond to that? What has the risen Jesus offer 305 00:17:57,000 --> 00:18:00,320 us today? He offers us peace with God, and 306 00:18:00,320 --> 00:18:02,440 he offers us hope for the future. 307 00:18:03,200 --> 00:18:08,600 He offers us full forgiveness, complete acceptance with God, 308 00:18:08,880 --> 00:18:14,120 and he offers us a hope, a future that will transform our 309 00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:17,280 present. That's what the crucified and 310 00:18:17,280 --> 00:18:19,760 risen Jesus offers us this Easter. 311 00:18:21,160 --> 00:18:26,680 He only asks us to receive this gift by faith and ask for him. 312 00:18:27,880 --> 00:18:29,960 Let me pray for us. Let's let's pray. 313 00:18:36,360 --> 00:18:39,240 Father God, we want to thank you for the message of Easter. 314 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:44,280 Thank you that it is a message that can stand up to the 315 00:18:45,160 --> 00:18:49,280 brutality and the cruelty and the hardships of Good Friday. 316 00:18:50,560 --> 00:18:54,720 That Lord Jesus went to a cross before the resurrection. 317 00:18:56,400 --> 00:18:59,560 Some some ways we would love the whole of our lives just to be 1 318 00:18:59,560 --> 00:19:03,320 long resurrection. But Lord, we thank you that 319 00:19:03,320 --> 00:19:06,360 you're honest with us that there are hardships here, there are 320 00:19:06,760 --> 00:19:11,040 struggles, and Lord, we need you and your strength in the midst 321 00:19:11,040 --> 00:19:14,960 of those struggles. But Lord, we do ask that this 322 00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:17,920 Easter Sunday you would open our eyes to the future. 323 00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:22,720 Hope you have won for us. And not just to hold on to that 324 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:25,000 as if we're on our own until we get there, but to know that 325 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:29,000 you're with us here and now. That you, Lord Jesus, still bear 326 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:31,920 the scars of your suffering for us. 327 00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:35,520 You are with us. You are compassionate towards 328 00:19:35,520 --> 00:19:38,760 us. And Father, we ask that you 329 00:19:38,760 --> 00:19:42,960 would keep us until that day when we get to that new 330 00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:47,320 creation, when Jesus comes again and we get to celebrate your 331 00:19:47,320 --> 00:19:52,080 saving, lavish love of us in the community of your people from 332 00:19:52,080 --> 00:19:55,480 across every tribe, people, language, nation. 333 00:19:56,960 --> 00:20:00,800 Thank you for the hope we have. Thank you that it depends on 334 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:05,200 you, not on us. Keep us trusting in you until 335 00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:08,760 the day we see you face to face, for we ask it in Jesus name, 336 00:20:09,720 --> 00:20:10,160 Amen.