Sermon Cloud

(with special thanks to Bill Hybels)

Happy Easter. For Christians, this is the ultimate holiday--bigger than Christmas, hotter than the Fourth of July, stirring more gratitude than Thanksgiving. This morning we're celebrating Jesus' resurrection--the demonstration of God's sovereign power over Satan, over death, and over every other challenge to his loving purpose to keep his promises and to reconcile all of creation to himself. I hope that you're heart is full of hope this morning, because Jesus is alive. And, if you're feeling like your hope is being depleted in this season of your life, please come back next Sunday as we begin a new teaching series we're calling "Hope Lives Here."

This morning I'd like to talk with you about the doors our Creative Team has placed up on the stage. Let's start here (bank vault door). This is a door built with purpose--a door on a mission. Bank vault doors are manufactured to keep people out or to keep something secure within. Very secure. A bank vault door is the most solid, sturdy, secure door you'll ever find.

The NT tells us that as Jesus was being publicly crucified, one of his followers--a man with money--offered to let the family place Jesus' body in his own tomb. After Jesus died and his body was prepared for burial and placed in the tomb (a small cave carved into a rock wall), a large stone was rolled in front of the tomb. The Roman authorities were doing their best to bring the controversy surrounding Jesus to an end. So, after the stone was rolled into place to cover the door, the Romans put an official seal across the door, making it a federal offense to move the stone. And, they ordered marine-like guards to stand watch at the tomb 24/7.

They hoped that Jesus and his teaching and his works and his followers would go away--fade into history . . . the teachings that stirred up so much controversy, the dreams that were stirred up in so many people, the threats to the religious and political status quo, the rumors of miracles that were so far out. All of if was over . . . sealed behind a rock-solid, impenetrable door.

Christians are thinking people. Even we have doubts that we face honestly. Could it be possible that Jesus didn't really rise from the dead, that his followers made up the story, that ‘the church' covered up the truth, that Jesus was an interesting historical figure who is long dead and gone?

Let me ask you this? Is it possible that Abraham Lincoln was not actually shot in the head at the Ford Theater in Washington D.C. but that he slipped in the bathtub, hit his head on a hard corner of the tub, and went into a coma for two months before he quietly passed away? Is it possible that John F. Kennedy was actually killed by a bow and arrow in Flagstaff, Arizona, not by a bullet in Dallas, Texas? Is it possible that Martin Luther King Jr. was killed in a tragic amusement part accident in Sandusky, Ohio, not on a hotel balcony in Memphis, Tennessee?

Not likely, is it? Why not? There were eyewitnesses. Journalists checked the sources and wrote down what was seen and heard. Historians researched the evidence and came to conclusions that could be validated or proven false.

Jesus' life, death, and resurrection was subject to the same historical methods that have been applied to the lives and deaths of Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr. Jesus was a public person. He lived and taught and died in full public view of both Jewish and Roman authorities, in the country and in the city, before friends and before multitudes. All kinds of people were eyewitnesses. They wrote down what they saw and heard. Journalists passed on the reports and historians like Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John preserved the information for people like us.

I say all this because Easter celebrates an historical event. We trust historical process and proofs to provide us with the truth about everything else that happened in the past. We trust the historical process. The resurrection of Jesus Christ has been validated over and over again by the same historical processes and proofs that give us confidence when we talk about U.S. presidents and national leaders.

And, over 500 men and women were eyewitnesses to Jesus' resurrection! Many of us have heard about modern court cases that have turned on the testimony of just one eye witness. How solid would a case be if 500 men and women who were eye witnesses to an event lined up out the courtroom doors, down the hallways of the court building, and out onto the street outside the court building? Under oath, "This is what I saw . . . this is what I heard . . . this is what I observed".

There are some of us who know that this Easter story had it's beginning in history. But, history just doesn't blow your hair back. History doesn't stir your heart. Maybe Jesus rose from the dead; maybe he didn't. You're just not that interested. So what? So what if Confucius came back to life or even Mohammed? What difference would it make? Some of you are more interested in relevance than history. What difference does Jesus' resurrection make to my life, to real life?

There's a fascinating passage in Ephesians 1:19-20 that states that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is now available here and now to help real people with real-life challenges right now. The same resurrection power that brought Jesus back to life is available to transform the lives, overcome the challenges, and resurrect the dreams of men and women who decide to trust and follow Jesus in faith TODAY. Jesus is alive and it matters, because that same power is available to you. The power that opened that door can open other doors in your life now that are impossible to open by our own strength. For instance . . .

Resurrection power can transform the way you see yourself (turn to the door covered in mirrors). What I'm looking at is a reflection of my external identity. When I say the word ‘identity' what comes to your mind? "Theft", right? Identity theft . . . the theft of a person's social security number or credit card number or bank account number that results in the loss of money and the destruction of a hard-earned credit rating. My wife is concerned about identity theft; she bought a shredder for our home office. A whole industry has emerged to help us avoid financial identity theft . . . as if the loss of our money is the greatest threat to our identity!

I don't believe that. I think there are far greater threats to your identity . . . like experiences and words and abuses and betrayals and losses that lead normal, very smart, good looking, hard working men and women to live with a confused, distorted, or damaged sense of identity. That's far worse than being ripped off financially.

Some of you grew up in homes in which a parent or an older sibling consistently told you that you were different--maybe ugly, perhaps stupid, or lazy or worthless. You weren't man enough or attractive enough or worth enough to be loved and celebrated and helped and nurtured like others. Maybe, after years and years, you decided that you didn't deserve to be respected or loved or protected. You weren't worth a mother's attention or a father's time. They didn't even know you--the real you. For some of you it was worse than that; you were abandoned or even abused.
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Maybe it wasn't your childhood. Maybe it is a physical disability. Or perhaps it was having a lover walk out on you . . . or failing an exam . . . or the betrayal of divorce . . . or being passed over for promotions or mocked by people at work. Maybe it was just living in the world of magazines and television where no one is over weight and everyone has smooth skin and drives a new car to a nice house in the suburbs where they share drinks with cool, happy friends.

Now you see yourself as you believe they saw you: ugly, stupid, weak, slow, uninteresting, unwanted, dirty, hopeless, worthless, unlovable. And no one seems to be able to tell you anything different.

One of the most valuable gifts anyone could give you would be a true image of yourself. That's what' behind this door! Jesus offers you the gift of becoming a new person with a new identity. Fresh, clean, beautiful, forgiven, accepted, loved, respected, and celebrated as a woman, a man created in God's image and loved by God--so deeply loved and respected that he sent his one and only Son into the world to die for you in order that you could become a new, capable man, a new intelligent women--a new creation.

What if you could walk right up to the front this morning and receive resurrection power to become a new person--to feel forgiven, accepted, loved and valued, and held close by a loving father. A cynic might say, "You can go forward and someone might pray for you, but nothing will happen". I'm here to say that bigger things than that have happened on this day! There is resurrection power in the room this morning. And you can walk out of here a different person.

Let's look at another door--a school house door with some bullet holes. Maybe you remember the sad story that came out of Lancaster County Pennsylvania two and a half years ago. The tragic news filled papers, magazines, and television for months. A gunman stormed into a one-room Amish school house and threatened a huddle of little girls that terrible things were going to happen to them . . . and terrible things did happen to them. It was a horrific crime. Five of them died behind a door like this, before the gunman killed himself.

There have been lots of similar tragedies--from Columbine High School in Colorado to Binghamton, NY, just a week ago, where 14 immigrants were massacred. What set this tragedy among the Pennsylvania Amish apart was the fact that before the sun set on that fateful day, the parents and relatives of the murdered girls hitched up horses and buggies to go to the home of the murderer to tell his anguished wife that they forgave her husband. And that's not all. The families of the murdered girls set up a relief fund for the murderer's wife and children. And when the murderer's widow and children stood at graveside for the murderer's funeral, the Amish came en mass to stand at their side in forgiveness, and peace, and love. And reporters and journalists around the world wrote and said, this kind of response to hurt and pain is "beyond human comprehension." Those Amish families said that they were trusting and following Jesus, who taught his followers to love their enemies, to bless those who hurt them, and to forgive 70x7. Beyond human comprehension.

Some of you are tied to the past . . . locked in disappointments and resentments that began when you were ignored or hurt by people who should have protected you and forgiven you and stood with you. But you were blamed, belittled, betrayed, and abandoned. They said terrible things about you. And now you think about it . . . a lot. They still don't even get it. You day-dream about telling them the truth about your pain, right to their face, in public. And, when you're honest, you can see that you yourself are becoming more negative and critical and isolated as you get older. People screwed you over at a time when you were vulnerable and, now you're passing on the favor to those who are weaker than you.

What if you could walk through a door like this, believing that resurrection power could set you free from the past, enable you to forgive your enemies and enlarge your heart to love and trust other people with real freedom and sincerity? Wouldn't it be amazing if you could leave behind your resentment and dark moods, your negativity and judgmental attitudes, and become a positive, loving, happy person? Cynics will say, "You'll never change. That's just the way you are. This is just the way you'll always be. You're damaged goods. Friends, I'm telling you that bigger things have happened on this day. Jesus is alive and there is resurrection power in the room this morning. How many marriages, conflicts with your kids, jobs, friends, and churches do you have to stain with your jaded attitudes before you walk through a door like this and come out the other side with Jesus?

Here's another door--a prison door. Michigan is one only four states that spends more on prisons than it does on colleges and universities. There are over 50,000 men and women who live behind doors like this one in Michigan prisons. We send out a men's team and women's team to host services in the Kent County jail every couple months. I'm hoping that you'll join me in the upcoming training to become a mentor to ex-cons. But, the problem is huge; the pain is unending.

We want to believe that we're not like them. We're free--free to decide for ourselves . . . to shop, drive, eat, play whenever, wherever. But, let's admit that there are all kinds of bondage, aren't there? The truth is that some of us are living in a private prison right now. Living like slaves. Enslaved to a career that will forget you as soon as you clean out your desk. Enslaved to educational ladder climbing, with no end in sight. Enslaved to a relationship that smart people are telling you to cut off, but you can't. Enslaved to secret adventures on the internet, or serial relationships with different lovers. Enslaved to a beverage or a drug the promises happiness but never delivers. Enslaved to anger like it was a drug. Enslaved to credit card spending and skyrocketing debt. There are all kinds of top secret prisons in our world.

Some people give up the dream . . . of being free. What about you? Maybe you don't think you have what it takes to stop, to walk away, to start over, to really change. You might be right. You don't have what it takes. But what if there is a power behind a door like this that could truly set you free. Not necessarily in an instant, but really . . . permanently . . . through a life-changing process. Ask any 12 Stepper. You need to step into the light and connect with a higher power.

I'm here to say that if you're willing to humble yourself and trust God and ask him for resurrection power that will free you from this slavery, there is real freedom behind this door. You could leave this slavery in the past. I'm not saying it will be immediate or painless, but I'm saying you can really be set free. Bigger things than that have happened on this day!

This last door represents life after death--life with God forever. This week I went to the doctor for a physical exam. I'd been putting it off. The night before I felt anxious. I tossed around with bad dreams. I wasn't conscious of any fear of going to the doctor; I like my doctor. I didn't expect him to give me any bad news. He didn't. But, men and women my age and older often live with something like a chronic, low-grade fever . . . an abiding fear of growing old, losing our health, not having enough money to retire well, being humiliated by the loss of mobility or simple human dignity. Gripped by real fear, people my age insist jogging ‘til they damage their knees and invest in plastic surgery that doesn't fool anybody. Men and women older than me even feel the loneliness that comes from seeing friends and family members pass away, leaving them behind--without anyone to talk to who was there, who had the same experiences.

The Apostle Paul was reflecting on Jesus' resurrection and God's promise to resurrect all who have trusted and followed Jesus in this life, when he said, "Where O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting". It's almost like Paul was trash-talking death. Death and the fear of dying doesn't have to limit how you live and dream and love right now. Those who decide to trust and follow the resurrected Jesus in this life will pass from this life into the next in resurrection bodies--no more sorrow, painful joints, dimmed vision, or struggling to breathe.

Shocking, but true: the death rate in North America continues to hover around 100%. You're going to die. WIll you be terrified? Or will you be at peace, ready, even trash-talking death? There is real peace of mind and heart behind this door. It's not too late for you. You don't have to pretend and put on a game face. The truth is you are old; ancient! But you can live your last years with hope and dignity and peace and vision. You just have to humble yourself and admit to Jesus, "I don't have the power to do this on my own". There is resurrection power in the room this morning.

I want to close with something that Jesus himself said. No Catholic pope or Protestant minister said this. Jesus said it himself: "i am the door" (John 10:7). The church isn't the door. The Apostle's Creed isn't the door. Following the Golden Rule isn't the door. Jesus is the door! This isn't what you'd call politically correct. People want to believe that there are all kinds of doors and, it doesn't matter which door you choose. All doors are equally valid. As if all airplanes are flying to San Francisco so it really doesn't matter which plane you get on. Pick any plane; it doesn't matter. Just be sincere when you buy your ticket. But that's not true. Some planes are flying to Baltimore, Orlando, and Houston. Sincerity isn't enough. Your choice matters.

There are other doors, to be sure. But, Jesus is the door to changing your identity and becoming a new person . . . to forgiving and loving in ways that are beyond human comprehension . . . to walking out of prison and into real freedom . . . to living to the last without the fear of death and dying. Jesus is the door to the promise of new life, and the good news of Easter is that the door is open to you. You can come with your struggles and your failures and your secrets and your regrets. You can come with your fears and your shame. Come with the things you said and did last weekend. Just be humble and come. All you have to do is decide to trust and follow Jesus . . . and come.

You're going to be tempted to leave like this was just another church service. I'm hoping you'll exercise the courage to come to the front, to join me here, and tell one of our hosts that you've come to begin trusting and following Jesus.