Resurrection Sunday 2024 I want to begin this morning with my main proposition, and this is not my normal opening to a normal sermon, I realize But on this, of all days that we honor and celebrate as Christians, I want to dive right in to the main premise of my sermon, which is this: Because Death is defeated, we are Set Right and Sent Out There are about a dozen specific stories of the Risen Christ in the New Testament - thirteen when you include Acts 1 And in every single one of these accounts, the effect is the same Every person who encountered the risen Christ was ‘set right and sent out’ Perhaps that phrase is new to you, or it sounds a little odd It would be more familiar to our English-speaking ancestors a couple of hundred years ago than it is to our modern American ears Those who believed on Jesus were inevitably set right in their faith, their doubts, worries, and their fears…and they were sent out to live that faith and proclaim the Gospel of the Risen Christ So the phrase - “Set to Rights” means “To place in its proper condition or order; to put (something) back into the normal or proper condition; to stop someone believing something that is not true, or to correct someone by telling them the truth” We’ve morphed it slightly, and we say things like, “I’m going to make it right.” So we have the explanation of the first half our title The other half of our title is more familiar to our way of speaking In fact, you hear a snippet of it every week when I end the sermon and release you back into the world by saying, “Emmaus Road Church, you are sent!” (please don’t leave, I’ve only just begun!) So these 2 phrases come together to describe a course of action: To put a thing in its proper condition or order and then to send it or release it back into the world to do what it is supposed to do And not just sent to be nice, or courteous to people, or obedient to your parents or chatty to your neighbors (though all those things are good and honor the Lord) But SET RIGHT AND SENT OUT with the Gospel message so that others may hear and believe, and as a result they would be SET RIGHT AND SENT OUT as well And to that end, I want to take this opportunity on Resurrection Sunday to remind you that Jesus sent many out into the world after His death and resurrection, but not all of them went jovially or with excitement at first So if you’re struggling with being a disciple of Jesus, and struggling with the idea of sharing your faith with others, I want you to know on this Resurrection Day morning, you’re in good company Let’s see how Jesus’ own disciples faired when it came to being SET RIGHT AND SENT OUT Matthew 28:1-20 [1] Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. [2] And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. [3] His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. [4] And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. [5] But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. [6] He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. [7] Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” [8] So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. [9] And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. [10] Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” [11] While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. [12] And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers [13] and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ [14] And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” [15] So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day. [16] Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. [17] And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. [18] And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” So the women who followed Jesus were there at the tomb very early in the morning, and they experienced an earthquake there And an angel had come and rolled away the stone in front of the tomb - have you ever thought about that? The women came with no plan, not having consulted with each other as to how they were going to quietly jackhammer the stone out of the way so that they could get to Jesus’ body without alarming the Roman guards But the Father had them covered, and sent an angel to roll away that stone And the text tells us that the angel was radiant and shone like lightning And in that moment, the angel proclaimed, “He is not here! HE IS RISEN!!” “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. [6] He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. God makes sure that the women know that they need not fear, and the only reason why that makes any sense in the world is because Jesus was no longer dead, but was resurrected So the women are told to go and tell the disciples, and while they’re still on their way, they run into none other than Jesus Himself! And in that moment of revelation, there is nothing that the women can do but to fall on their faces and worship Him, the Creator of all things! Jesus assuages their fears and doubts and reiterates the mission to the ladies standing by - GO TELL THE OTHERS This wasn’t just for the men! It was a charge for everyone who had, and now has put their faith in Christ When we read verses 11-15,we recognize that this reality has been a major stumbling block for the Jews ever since that morning [11]...some of the guards went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place…and they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers In other words, the religious leaders paid off the guards to perpetuate a lie They were afraid Those men perpetuated a lie that that continues to be a stumbling block for many Jews even now But bribery greases the wheels and falsehood, and misinformation spreads like wildfire Centuries have passed, and still the Jewish nation largely does not recognize their risen Messiah But men and women, hear me - they will!! God’s ways and His timing are perfect And as we come to the end of this passage, despite the lies, we are told that the disciples worshiped Him there, but even in that context, some doubted And instead of coddling them in that moment, He gives them their marching orders [18]Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Those 11 disciples who were listening to Jesus were Set Right and Sent Out! Mark 16 [1] When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. [2] And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. [3] And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” [4] And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. [5] And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. [6] And he 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. There you will see him, just as he told you.” [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. [9] [[Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. [10] She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. [11] But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. [12] After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. [13] And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. [14] Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. [15] And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. [16] Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. [17] And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; [18] they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” [19] So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. [20] And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.]] So we see that Mary Magdalene’s eyewitness testimony was not initially believed by the by the disciples Then we read that Jesus appeared to 2 other disciples, but they didn’t believe it And then He appeared to the 11 as they were reclining at table and He rebuked them for their unbelief and hardheartedness But as He spoke with them just prior to His Ascension later, something changed in them, and I’d give anything to know what was said And one day soon, I’ll have the opportunity to ask Jesus face to face! But the result of this encounter with the living Christ was signs that accompanied the disciples (later Apostles - one’s sent with a message) and their preaching and their teaching And after Jesus’ Ascension, they went out everywhere and changed the known world Look at v20 again: [20] And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs. The disciples and those who had been with Jesus were now Set Right and Sent Out to tell the world about The Messiah who had brought salvation to Mankind John 21:1–24 [1] After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. [2] Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. [3] Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. [4] Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. [5] Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” [6] He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. [7] That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. [8] The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off. [9] When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. [10] Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” [11] So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. [12] Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. [13] Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. [14] This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. [15] When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” [16] He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” [17] He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. [18] Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” [19] (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.” [20] Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” [21] When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” [22] Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” [23] So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?” [24] This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael, and the James and John, the sons of Zebedee didn’t know what to do now that Jesus was dead, even with the accounts of Him being resurrected and alive already circulating They were unsure of that reality even though Jesus had told them in advance Mark 9:30–32 and also Matthew 17:22–23 have the following: He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise." But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it. Despondent and disheartened - they didn’t know what to do now, so they went back to what they did before They went fishing Their fishing expedition was completely unsuccessful even though they stayed up all night fishing But Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias This was now the third time that Jesus had revealed Himself to them after the Resurrection And this worth hearing again, as we have ALL have gone astray at times: When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” [16] He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” [17] He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Jesus is asking, “...but do you? Do you really love me? Do you really love me more than all these? More than mother and father, brother or sister?” When Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?” Jesus used the Greek word AGAPE, which refers to unconditional love Peter had responded with “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you,” using the Greek word PHILEO, which refers more to a brotherly type of love Jesus is trying to get Peter to understand that he must love Jesus unconditionally in order to be the leader God is calling him to be The third time Jesus asks, “Do you love me?” and He uses the word PHILEO again, and Peter seems frustrated with Him “Lord, you know everything; you know that I PHILEO you, I love you like a close brother!” Jesus was stretching Peter to move him from brotherly affection to agape love, but Peter was struggling even with PHILEO brotherly love at this point Jesus was impressing on Peter how important his new role of tending the flock of Christ’s followers was going to be He wasn’t going to be able to lead anyone without a heart of AGAPE The text continues: Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. [18] Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” [19] (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.” This was Peter’s “Come to Jesus” moment, literally The Bible doesn’t tell us how the Apostle Peter died, but the most commonly accepted tradition is that Peter was crucified upside-down in Rome Tradition has it that when Peter was put to death, he requested to be crucified upside down, and the reason was that he had denied his Lord, and did not consider himself worthy to die as Jesus had But from that moment on the beach with Jesus, after the rebuke and correction, after Peter’s pride and pouting were over, Jesus restored him And after all that, Jesus told Peter, “Follow me!” and he did Peter was Set Right and Sent Out Acts 9:1–22 [1] But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest [2] and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. [3] Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. [4] And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” [5] And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. [6] But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” [7] The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. [8] Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. [9] And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. [10] Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” [11] And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, [12] and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” [13] But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. [14] And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” [15] But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. [16] For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” [17] So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” [18] And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; [19] and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. [20] And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” [21] And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” [22] But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. Saul wasn’t even on Team Jesus, but was persecuting followers of “The Way” which we now call Christianity (I actually like THE WAY better, to be honest) He was literally looking for anyone who was worshiping Jesus to put them into prison, just like so many of our brothers and sisters all around the world at this moment How interesting that there is only ONE universally hated faith/religion! Everyone else will gladly “TOLERATE” Islam, Confucism, B’hai, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and all the other “isms” The world will join hands and burst into song when all the religions come together (as they are even right now, in our day) But forbid it be that some Christian stand up for the Gospel of Jesus! That’s offensive and intolerant! See, folks, there’s nothing new under the sun But Jesus had plans for Saul (whose name He changed to Paul) Saul means “Prayed for” but Jesus changed it to “Small” or “Humble” Saul had been on his “high horse” but Jesus literally knocked him off and blinded him, and it’s worth mentioning that even though Jesus restored Paul’s sight to him, by the end of his life, Paul was blind, and the most reasonable inference as to why is having seen the Risen Christ in all of His radiance on the road to Damascus Paul spent the rest of his life serving Christ and writing letters to churches and individuals all over the Roman Empire, giving us much of the New Testament What a transformation!! The Apostle Paul was Set Right and Sent Out Now, consider that if Jesus cared enough to set these men apart, to use them for His Kingdom purposes, that this necessarily means that He can and will use you And you don’t get to tell Jesus what the mission is And you don’t get to decide when or where the Gospel is presented You have a boss and He’s the one who decides those things And if we’re going to walk in faithfulness to the One who has saved us, then you had better be Set Right and Sent Out Folks, this is DISCIPLE BUILDING 101 Your first thought must now be, “What does my Lord require of me today?” What does Jesus require of me regarding my family TODAY? What does Jesus require of me related to my extended family and friends TODAY? What does Jesus require of me regarding my neighbors and co-workers TODAY? And what about the people I see most consistently during my week, Lord?? (my doctor, my barista, etc) How do YOU want me to minister to them, Lord? Do you want to know? Do you want to discover what Jesus requires and desires for you and from you? To talk about your faith with others To talk about Jesus with your neighbors To talk about salvation with the lost Use Gospel tracts, and I’d be so delighted to recommend some very good ones if you would like God’s Word tells us in the first chapter, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” (Genesis 1:1-3) God is a Sender But in the beginning, there was just God There were no heavens neither an earth No people No ‘once upon a time’ The only thing that existed was the Triune God having existed from eternity past—which honestly makes my brain hurt The Father, Son, and Spirit expressed glory and love in perfect union It was an exchange that came straight from the heart of who He is And this is essential to understanding God, not as One who needed to create something because of loneliness, but as One who was 3 in 1 and desired to share all that is good with His Creation He sends his Spirit to hover over the waters, ready for a word to bring it all to life through the Son The Trinity was ready to set the world in motion and to use people made in God’s Image to cultivate and keep that which God had made So let me just remind you that if you’re a born again Christian, regenerated by Jesus, you don’t have the option to bury your head in the sand and pretend like everything is good without you and your effort In each of these scenes this morning, Jesus CHOOSES to use imperfect people like you and me to accomplish His will, especially concerning the mission to seek and save the lost And He’s heard all the excuses, folks! Here’s the short list compiled just from the texts we’ve looked at this morning Fear - being a woman - feeling unqualified - lies - disinformation - Government interference - Doubts that have been sown and spread to others - refusal to behave - laziness - falling back into old habits and ways of life - impetuousness - impulsiveness - arrogance - persecution But listen to me - there are no exceptions if you are a born again Christian I’m sorry to have to tell you that there is no avoiding this reality God wants us Set Right and Sent Out in every circumstance There is NO excuse When Christ lives in us, we are the salt of the earth When His Spirit dwells in us, we are the light of the world We MUST BE set right and sent out And now, God Sends Us Not simply creating a man and woman, God commissions, or sends, Adam and Eve into the Garden of Eden to “fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over [it]” (Genesis 1:28). And this is not just God’s idea Even after sin corrupts the world he continues to send his Spirit, word, angels, law, messengers, judges, priests, kings, and prophets—not to mention his own Son! Paul writes, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:5) So it should be no surprise when the Son looks to his own and says, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21) The Sender sends the Sent One who sends the Spirit (Acts 13:4) who sends the apostles who start a chain reaction of sent-ones YOU are a SENT ONE!! You have been SENT! The sending only returns to its original form when you track to the end of the story, where you will find not a garden of two people, but a city of God filled with countless saints and angels There the eternal glory and love of the Triune God will no longer be extended outside himself because the people of God will be hidden in Christ as “his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:23) The mission will be complete All this has to do with God’s salvation reaching to the ends of the earth The Father sent the Son to rescue a desperately needy world that is in rebellion against him, and justly stands under his righteous judgment and indignation Clearly the notion of ‘sending’ is central to any mission Our God is a missionary God who reaches out to the lost, and sends his servants, and particularly his beloved Son, to achieve his gracious purposes of salvation How dare we sit on the sidelines like it’s somebody else’s responsibility?? God, out of the overflow of his character, is a Sender We then, by nature of being in Christ, are sent The Imago Dei (Image of God) makes it pulse in our veins The MISSIO DEI (mission of God) moves us to get on our feet and go So that’s why we go, but many of us are not going Some of us still need to be Set Right and Sent Out When I step back and look at Emmaus Road Church, sometimes I feel like we’re never going to grow and there’s just a whole list of things that follows that, and I can get frustrated and down I am just as susceptible to discouragement and fear and frustration as any of the disciples But then I remember that Jesus isn’t in the grave, nor is He sleeping He is alive and seated on His Father’s Throne, and one day soon, the Father will turn and say, “Son, go get your Bride and bring her into our eternal home!” and I CAN’T WAIT! But until that happens, you and I are on mission to seek and save the lost Do not lag Do not delay Do not give way to fear Be filled with the Holy Spirit Make Jesus known to the nations and your neighbors! // PRAY // SING // GO Folks, this is DISCIPLE BUILDING 101 Your first thought must now be, “What does my Lord require of me today?” What does Jesus require of me regarding my family TODAY? What does Jesus require of me related to my extended family and friends TODAY? Do you want to discover the answer? To talk about your faith with others To talk about Jesus with your neighbors To talk about salvation with the lost To seek and save the lost Go now in obedience and faith! Emmaus Road Church, YOU HAVE BEEN SET RIGHT AND SENT OUT!!