Date:    04/12/09

Text:    Mark 1:1; 16:1-8

Title:    The Resurrection People

Theme: Since Christ has risen from the dead, his followers are to live with a post-resurrection outlook.

Introduction:

  Its been said that we live between Good Friday and Easter. If Good Friday is here, then Easter is just around the corner. Good Friday stands for death, and Easter for Life. There is grief and suffering on Good Friday, but joy on Easter. There is despair and disappointment on Good Friday, but hope on Easter. There is fear and trembling on Good Friday, but courage on Easter. This is the reason that besides Christmas; Easter is welcomed by many. During the hard times in life, including the present recession, we have seen and heard enough doom and gloom, we want something more upbeat, we want to see the silver lining; we want to see and hear about hope. Any news item with the word hope can catch our attention. On this Easter Sunday, we want to take a look at how Jesus' resurrection impacted his followers in both the 1 st and 21 st centuries.

  The Gospel of Mark is the shortest of the 4 gospels. It begins with: 1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and concludes with the story of Jesus' resurrection: 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. Most biblical scholars agree that vs.9-20 were added on later. From Mark's perspective, what he wrote in this book was just the beginning of the gospel. Easter was not the end. Jesus' resurrection authenticates all that he had taught and promised while living among men. So, resurrection just ushers in another stage of the gospel. If Mark is the beginning of the gospel, then the book of revelation is the conclusion of the gospel on earth.

  If we follow this trend of thought, then we realize that we don't just live from Good Friday to Easter; but instead we live after Easter. We are a people of the post resurrection. So, what does it mean to live on this side of the resurrection? Let's look at different scripture passages to help us understand what life is and can be on this side of resurrection. What are some characteristics of the people of Resurrection?

I •  As post resurrection people we are characterized by Mission . Mark 16:6,7

On that first Easter morning, the two Mary's went to the tomb where Jesus was buried, with the intention to do a more detailed embalming of the body with spices. However, as they arrived, they saw the the stone in front of the tomb was removed. Instead of finding Jesus' body, they saw an Angel who said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee .” The Angel simply said that Jesus had risen from the dead. Now, go and tell his disciples and Peter….. So, they went and told the other disciples

On that day, Jesus met two other disciples. Afterwards they went back and told the rest of the disciples. 40 days after his resurrection, just prior to his ascension into heaven, Jesus told his disciples: Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel; go and tell. When Paul was on his way to Damascus to harass and arrest the Christians, Jesus appeared to him. Acts 26:16-17, “ 16 "But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you," 17 "delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you" Jesus was saying to Paul, I have appeared to you so that I will send you to the gentiles.

When Jesus was on earth, he cast out demons from an individual. This person wanted to follow Jesus, but was told, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you…..” Do we see the pattern here? Whenever there is an encounter with this Jesus, the risen Lord says, Go and tell. We just can't keep it to ourselves.

The early disciples did not sway from this instruction. They went and told others the gospel of Jesus Christ. Wherever they went they proclaimed that Jesus is Lord, is the son of God. He has risen from the dead. The followers of this risen Lord, the people of Resurrection is a people of Mission . To the first disciples, this mission took them to far away places and cost them their lives.

According to church legend, this sense of mission took Thomas, the doubting Thomas to northern India and established a church there. This sense of Mission , took Paul to bring the gospel message to Asia Minor and eventually to Rome . Later St. Patrick, brought the gospel message to Ireland . In modern church history, David Livingston went to Africa to tell of Christ love. William Carey went to India , Morrison and Hudson Taylor went to China . David Brainerd brought the gospel message to the American Indians in the northeast . This list can go on and on.

These are the more famous names. But you know what? It was hundreds upon hundreds, thousands upon thousands and millions upon millions of ordinary, nameless believers, like you and me, who brought the gospel message from one person to another, one family to another, one city to another and one country to another. Unless you have never met this resurrected Jesus, or else, once you have met him, you cannot keep him to yourself, you have to go and tell.

Over one month ago, a Korean pastor had a stop over in Houston for a few days. The host family took him to a popular Korean market. They wanted to show him what he could eat and buy there. After he arrived, he saw some tables with Korean customers eating. He went over and started to talk to them. You see, to him, eating and buying Korean food was not his priority. Instead, he wanted to find people that he could witness to. This was a man with a Mission .

We, too, are a people of the Resurrection. God has put many of us in different homes, schools and work places, so that we can tell others the good news of Jesus Christ. God has put us in this city so we can tell others that Jesus is the son of God, he is God; telling others the good news of how he came into the world to deliver us from God's wrath, so we can be at peace with God and with ourselves. There are times; God would bring some of us to different parts of the world to tell others about him. You see, telling others about Jesus, whether in Houston or in another country is a part of our lives. It is not something we do once a year, but an integral part of our lifestyle. To this and other churches, the question is never should we be involved in mission, local or global. Instead, the question should always be: where, when and how are we to tell others about Jesus in Houston and in other parts of the world. We start right where we are. If we don't tell others about Jesus here and now, it will make no sense for us to go elsewhere to tell others about Jesus. We are a people of Mission .

II •  As post resurrection people we are characterized by Love.

We are a people of Mission . There is more to this. We are also a people of Love. The good news of our lord Jesus Christ includes loving one another. This is how Jesus looked at his mission on earth, Luke 4:18,19,“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind,""to set at liberty those who are oppressed," 19 "to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” His mission was to set people free from the bondage of sin. Wherever he went, he healed the sick, cast out the demons, bringing freedom and joy to the oppressed and sad. When he saw the people, his heart was greatly stirred, because he saw them as sheep without a shepherd, being harassed and carried heavy burdens. He wanted his followers to feed the hungry, clothe the poor and visit the sick and the forgotten ones, such as the prisoners. He wanted his followers to be a people with love and compassion.

Later, his disciples followed Jesus' example to care for the poor and the widows among them. From there onwards, wherever his gospel message went, resulted in various works of mercy. Hospitals, schools and orphanages have been built along with churches. We are familiar with Mother Teresa's work among the poorest in India . Many of the major hospitals in this and other countries, including China are founded by Christians. In recent years, we see churches joining hands, pooling resources to fight Aids and Poverty in Africa and other parts of the world. Again, it is not a matter of should we or should we not do it, whether or not we have the money. But rather, where and how to show love and mercy to those God has brought to our attention.

As people living on this side of the resurrection, we are to see beyond ourselves and to discover the so much bigger world around us. We are to align our hearts with our Lord's heart, to see what he sees and feel the pain that he feels.

III •  As post resurrection people we are characterized by Hope.

As a people of post-resurrection, we know that all Jesus' promises will come true. His foremost promise is that He'll return to this world at the end of human history. Mark 13:26-27, “ 26 "And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory." 27 "And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.” With his coming, our body will be completely transformed into his likeness. This is the final glory. We are created to reflect God's glory, but because of sins, it has become ruined glory. Since we have come to know Christ, he has begun to work in our lives to restore this glory. On that final day, there is the complete and restored glory. We live in the present with an eye fixed on the future; on His second coming. This is our hope.

The dictionary defines hope as ‘the feeling that…events will turn out for the best.” But the biblical understanding of hope is different, not about feeling, or hoping that things will turn out good. Instead, hope is built upon the certainty of God's promise. What does it mean to us living in the 21 st century? I'd like to call our attention to two fruits of Hope.

First, the certainly of hope in Jesus' second coming tells us that we live in a moral universe. We know with Jesus second coming, that there will also be a final judgment. Evil and evil doers will receive the punishment due them. The righteous will be rewarded accordingly. When we are being mistreated, we have the assurance that our God will vindicate us. Sometimes this may occur while we are still alive, or it may occur on that final judgment day. So when we are wronged, we don't have to take things into our hands and revenge. God will vindicate us. This truth will help us endure the unfair and wrong treatments of present life.

The second fruit of hope is joy. Our hope is built on the promise that Jesus will return. But he has also given us many other promises. These promises form the basis of joy in life. When we find ourselves in these economic hard times, or with uncertain health conditions, or in those dark moments in life, he has promised that he will be with us. He has promised that he would never abandon us, he will walk with us through those dark valleys. There are many times when he will walk with us through our problems into health and light. There are also times when he will walk with us right into His presence in heaven. Because of this, there is no need for us fear death and suffering. Knowing his presence with us, can give us joy. You see, happiness is dependent upon circumstances. When we have plenty, health and security, we feel happy. But sickness, hardships suddenly can rob our joy away. We may not be happy during those difficult times, but we can always be joyful because our lord is with us. This joy helps us to endure our difficult moments. In the well known words of Habakkuk 3:17-19a, “ 17 Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. 19 God, the Lord, is my strength;…” What sustained the prophet in those hard times? Not wishy washy feeling that things will turn out ok or better, but in the faithfulness of his God.

Take a look at Jesus. Before his arrest, he had those agonizing moments in the Garden of Gethsemane. He pled with his father to take the cup away from him, if it was possible, but there was no other way. He continued on even in those moments. Why? The writer of Hebrews tells us the reason, “For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, despising its shame.”

Conclusion:

  We are definitely living between Good Friday and Easter. Yes, there will always be hard times in life. There will be grief, sorrow, disappointment and depressive moments in life. Then, Easter is always just around the corner. If we are honest to ourselves, living like this can be rather self centered. It is always my problems, my difficulties and my despair. Then my problems and despair are removed by the risen Lord.

  However, there is more to life than just living between Good Friday and Easter. We're to move beyond Easter, for we are a people of the Post Resurrection. As a people of post resurrection we look at life beyond ourselves. We have a worldview that includes all of God's creation. We reach out to those who have not heard of the gospel message, those who are sick, poor, lonely and helpless.

  Nien Cheng was arrested by the Red Guards in 1966 because of the false accusation that she was a spy for the imperialists. Despite the tortures, she would not admit to something that was not true. She was a Christian and during those days of imprisonment, she secretly turned to God and found comfort for her grief and hope to face each day. She was later released. It was her hope in God that enabled her to endure those brutal treatments.

There is Joni Erickson Tada in this country. Many of us know that due to a swimming accident, she was paralyzed from the neck down. Yet in her own words, she looks forward to the day when she will dance in the presence of God. It is this hope that enables her to overcome her hardships and brings comfort and encouragement to other physically challenged people.

  Joining Nien Cheng, Joni Erickson and many other believers, we, the people of Resurrection are people with Mission, Love and Hope.