What the Resurrection of Jesus Means to You: Paying the Price We Can’t Pay

You are listening to a new beginning with Greg Laurie, a podcast made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God. Visit our website and learn more about harvest partners@harvest.org draw David Jesus is a you you live your life so he can treat you as if you… Jesus took our soon to Rogers Pastor Greg Maurice's Jesus rose again for our justification. The resurrection of Jesus pleasures.

We live except his you're accepted by God's love by God, wasn't God's not mad at you.

God is not about you like to drink something that was something of greater value well on the spiritual level. Jesus offers us an arrangement to review, we noted that we could Jesus stepped in and hated that he didn't go to the beginning. Pastor Greg Laurie Calvary died for our sins. Everybody wanted to grab your Bible inserted two passages of Scripture Mark 16 and John chapter 20 the title of my message is what the resurrection of Jesus means to you. If you've ever lost a loved one. Unexpectedly, you know how it feels shot. There's disbelief, sometimes followed with denial, even anger, a deep sadness that said said, you realize that the person that was so much a part of your life is no longer there. You can have a conversation with them.

You can hear from them again your world as you know it suddenly changes overnight. I bring that up because that's exactly how the disciples felt 2000 years ago when Jesus Christ, their Savior, their Lord, their master was murdered in cold blood before their very eyes. They watched it happen and they watched the Roman soldier take his spear and thrust it in the Jesus and out came blood and water, indicating a complete heart failure. Clearly he was gone and they never got to say goodbye. He was taken from them. So in their minds the dream was over and also in their minds.

I might add, it appeared that Jesus had failed in this mission of this is indicated in a conversation he had after his resurrection with two disciples on the road to Emmaus, as recorded in Luke's gospel. They did not realize there were talking with the risen Lord, and he also would've been happening lately and they said why would you heard about Jesus and all the things that he did and then I think it's kind of funny really. Jesus said no. Tell me what things in there telling Jesus about Jesus and here's what they said we were hoping he would have been the one to deliver Israel but it's been three days since he was crucified hoping notice past tense.

Their hope was gone. The dream was gone and everything seemed to be going perfectly up to that moment when Jesus thought of that donkey and wrote in Jerusalem and the people leave the palm branches double form cried out. Hosanna, the disciples like finally, everyone knows we've known that this is the Messiah and then suddenly he's not himself or so would seem in the upper room and he's talking about but frail and then one of their own.

Turns out to be the betrayer Judas Iscariot and then Simon Peter, of course, denies him and they see him unraveling as it would seem in the garden of Gethsemane, as he is crying out to the father and literally sweating blood.

All of this was happening, but here's the problem. The writers of the Gospels had never read the Gospels you see that they were experiencing this in real time. They didn't know how the story actually ended. They didn't understand that the incarnation was for the death of Jesus, the incarnation was for the purpose of the atonement, the birth of Jesus was so that would be the death of Jesus. It was all part of God's master plan later Simon Peter preaching to the very men who crucified Jesus said in acts chapter 2 this Jesus following the deliberate and well thought out plan of God was betrayed by men who took the law of their own hands educates that it was a deliberate well thought out plan of God. The crucifixion, the resurrection, the deliberate, well thought out plan of God.

By the way God has a deliberate, well thought out plan for you as well because I know there are things that happen in your life and make no sense when you lose a loved one, or when you get bad news from a doctor or one some tragedy, but falls you, you think where is God in all this God is right there and he has a plan and he is a purpose maybe with the passing of time, you'll understand that plan a purpose, and maybe you won't fully understand it to you get to the other side and you realize in heaven why God allow that to happen, but just be assured of this one thing God has a deliberate, well thought out plan for you and ultimately the plan for you is good because God can take your ending and turn it into a new beginning and that's what happens with these disciples in our last message we talked about what the death of Jesus means for you. Now let's talk about what the resurrection of Jesus Christ means to you. Mark chapter 16 and reading verses one to eight Saturday evening when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus body very early on Sunday morning just at sunrise. They went to the tomb and on the way they were asking each other. Who's gonna roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb, but as they arrived they looked up and saw the stone which was very large had already been rolled aside when they entered the tomb, they saw a young man told the white robe sitting on the right side and they were shocked and then the angel said don't be afraid you're looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He isn't here he is risen from the dead, look, this is for the latest body.

Now go tell the disciples and Peter that Jesus is going ahead of you in the Galilee.

You'll see them there. Just as he told you before he died. The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered and said nothing to anyone because they were too frightened. So Jesus is made crucified an amazing series of events are happening in the aftermath of it. First of all, there was that global darkness that took place.

You remember from 12 in the afternoon to 3 o'clock. Then the veil in the temple was ripped from top to bottom in the tub or the Jews would go to worship God.

There was a veil which was really a very thick curtain, it would almost be like a wall material wall of sorts that separated the inner sanctum, the holy of holies with the ark of the covenant was No it's not in a warehouse somewhere if you watched Indiana Jones and the Raiders the lost Ark so there they had the ark of the covenant and that they'll symbolize that separation between God and man.

Now the veil is ripped up from bottom to top is a man is doing it.

It's ripped from top to bottom.

Because God is saying this veil is gone. You have access to me through my son, Jesus Christ, also were told that did people were resurrected and were walking around the streets of Jerusalem. This is one of the most interesting verses in the Bible to me. So you're walking in town and you go in this article Harry, then we just bury him a couple of days ago. It was sort of like a preview of things to come.

Did people were coming back to life.

I see dead people who are alive again. And so then there was a great earthquake that followed. So this is an amazing series of events and so these women that we just read about come to the two hopefully to anoint the body of Jesus, and they find the tomb empty and the angel tells them that Christ is risen. Matthew tells us of this event in Matthew 28 eight they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy.

Have you ever had fear and great joy at the same time. Maybe when you got a roller coaster. There is fear like I'm going to die. There's great joy, but so much fun version.

I've given up on roller coasters by the way, I I rode the many years and then one day I just realized I don't even like this and I don't know if I ever liked you known as you get older you don't want to take those kinds of risks anymore for me now taking a risk is ordering something different in the restaurant on the try that chef salad instead of the normal hamburger and fries I get every time. Listen, you know you're getting older when you go to the same table in the same restaurant at the same time in order this scene think there's a lot of signs of getting older on their you are getting older when you drop something when he been done to get it. You wonder if there's anything else you can do while you're down there know there's a lot of bands that were very popular in the late 60s and they had great hits that many of us still remember and it's funny a lot of young people are rediscovering these bands and you'll see kids walking around with T-shirts with Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix and and all these bands, a Rolling Stones, the Beatles, and so forth. But a lot of those bands have had to rework some of their tips.

They don't do them quite the way they used to. For I met Peter noon. By the way, not too long ago who was Herman of Herman's hermits and these are a wonderful guy had so many amazing stories, but well remember that song by Herman's hermits. Mrs. Brown you go to love the dough top member that one.

Now they've updated it to Mrs. Brown.

You've got a lovely walker. Brown is not older today about member dancing queen that's denture Queen now updated other people said the kids that Ringo would sing I get by with little help from my friends, is now been updated to I get by with little help from the parents of Crystal Gayle remember her son going to make my brown eyes blue. Now it don't make my brown hair, blue Eagles are no longer singing Arctic tonight they're singing heartburn tonight from eight Jerry Lee Lewis easel longer singing a whole lot of shaking going on now it's rather a whole Lotta Eakin going on a Leo Sayer uses and you make me feel like dancing. Now he sings you make me feel like napping Leonard Skinner no longer sing about sweet home Alabama. Now it's a rest home Alabama. Nancy Sinatra no longer sings these boots are made for walking now see things these boots are giving me arthritis so you think of all you had to update their songs to more these of the jokes people that who never talk about my generation.

Now it's talking about my medication.

And finally, the frogs had a big kid wild thing. Now they've named it bold thing.

I think some other way, but so there are things that we don't like to do as we get older we don't like to take risks necessarily your great glory will have the second half of this message in just a moment I want you to know tonight. One thing John loves you and a new pastor Greg Laurie brings us a deeper appreciation for the man and his message. No matter how you live, is there no matter what model one languages God loves you a new beginning.

Anyhow, we shared the gospel and he always emulated Christ. Anything we can learn from his example.

So I write about that a lot more this new book I've written called Billy Graham the man I knew it's an evangelist in the life of history's greatest advantage. Get your copy of the new biography Billy Graham, the man I knew to harvest on or today pastor Greg is helping his peers through the lens of Scripture to the first century when the disciples are filled with mixed emotions.

Having learned that Jesus is no longer dead alive.

Let's continue today's message there experiencing this joy and excitement in their trying to figure it out. They don't understand what is actually happening to them and then they see the risen Lord.

We have to pull from different gospels to get the whole story. Matthew 28 we read, they went to tell his disciples and behold, Jesus met them saying, rejoice, so they came and held him by the feet and worshiped them. That's an interesting phrase there when it says Jesus met them. It speaks of the common greeting that one would receive in the marketplace just if you saw some and said hello, walking see some o'clock walk, but the how are you have a nice day just common greeting that is the phrase that is used or when it says Jesus met them.

I find that fascinating because it's so low-key and so casual, you know, in different parts of the country. We greet each other in different ways. If you're in the South. You'll see some along the lines of hay hay how y'all doing how all y'all do it right in Hawaii.

It will be a Loja or house that brought in Australia, although for good. I in New York City. They ignore you, and then they'll say something like, what are you looking to make and followed up I will forget about it.

That's one word by the way is yours the risen Lord who greets his disciples a so casually since I go hey guys how's it going a Loja. How are you really relaxed about bolding indicate they can't believe their eyes. They are looking at Jesus and so they grabbed him by the feet and they worshiped him, and that's because they recognize he was God in all on number of years ago I was driving with two of my grandkids in the car.

Allie and Christopher at that particular time, Allie was age 5 and Christopher was age 3 and they're having this conversation and Ali turns to Christopher and says Christopher Jesus is God and God is Jesus and I'm thinking that's very good. You know, for a five-year-old to understand that and and I was very impressed by that and then she said he lives in our heart and some date to live in our stomach to talk a little for that. With that all means, but Jesus was God and he was worshiped by his disciples coming back to our story, we see Mary Magdalene is mentioned in verse one. What unique lady. She is Mary mag billing first to the two so she sees that the stone is been rolled away and immediately tells Peter and John that we go over to John's gospel will see that they then began to run to the tomb, so she says Jesus is risen and they run to the tomb. I love that your boys will be boys right and became an actual race because John mentions he beat Peter in the race. He says the disciple whom Jesus loved, out ran the other one so you can that's maybe one of the perks of writing the gospel you get to remind people about who actually one of the race so they see the empty tomb and they come back. John believes he looks and there he realizes what is happening those prices alive.

The Bible says Peter walked away perplexed and that brings us to our next text John chapter 20. Let's see what else happened to Mary mag billing John chapter 20 verse 11. But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping and I see Webb, she stooped down and looked into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting one of the had the other at the feet were the body of Jesus had lain and they said to her, woman, why are you weeping, she said to them because they've taken away my Lord and I don't know where they laid him know when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, woman, why are you weeping whom are you seeking to thinking he was the gardener said syrup you've carried them away, tell me where you've laid him and I'll take him away and Jesus then said Mary. Mary responded by saying the bone.

I which means teacher and she grabs hold of Christ and he said don't cling to me Fred not yet ascended to my father into your father and I'm going to us in to my father and your father and the my God and your God while persistence of Mary paid off didn't. Everyone else was gone, but she stayed and she meets the risen Lord, what is he say don't cling to me she's holding on to know you wonder what's going on here because it's not that you could not touch the risen Lord, because in fact he appears in the upper room to the disciples and Thomas, who recalled doubting Thomas was there and Jesus said, go ahead and put your hand in my side and touch the wounds in my hand so he could be taught.

Maybe it was the way she was holding on to him. She was grabbing so tightly and he says Mary don't cling to me, I think, in effect piecing Mary everything is changed now. Effectively, it's a whole new ballgame.

If I could be the way it was before in the past I was there. We could reach out and touch me physically but is going to be different Mary and it's going to be better because I'm going to come in living your heart and I'll always be there and will never be separated again. What is true of Mary is true for all of us.

By the way, it was a revolutionary thought to say to a first century Jew that God was their father.

They would not refer to God in such a way but Jesus is saying he's our father. Now to how did he teach us to pray in what we call the Lord's prayer. He said after this manner therefore pray our father who art in heaven how would be your name, and by the way, Jesus made many post-resurrection appearances.

Acts chapter 1 verse three says he presented himself alive after his suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them for 40 days and that phrase seen by them to be translated to be eyeballed by him so another words that there'd not believing the riser looking at Jesus and he's appearing again and again and again. He appears to Peter and we don't know what happened there.

We just know he appeared to him and then he appeared him again in John chapter 20 and recommissioned him. Then he appeared to Thomas that I mentioned on another occasion he appeared to 500 at one time he appeared to the two disciples walking on the Emmaus Road. But remember the title of this message is what does the resurrection of Jesus mean to you.

The resurrection of Jesus assures me I am accepted by God, let me say that again, the resurrection of Jesus assures me that I am accepted by God.

Romans 425 says he was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification somewhere. I don't know how this happens but people even Christians sometimes think that you must earn the favor of God. You must do certain things and then God will love you. The opposite is the case, there's nothing you can do to earn the favor of God, and effective.

God loves you no matter what you do and I am the resurrection of Christ proves as we read again there in Romans 425 he was raised to life for our justification. What is that mean that means when you put your faith in Christ. You are justified to be justified means number one you're forgiven of all of your sin.

So if you put your faith in Christ, your sins are forgiven by God and their forgotten by God and he is put the righteousness of Christ into your moral bank account if you will, on the cross. God treated Jesus as if she had lived your life so he could treat you as if you had lived his life that's unoriginal to me, but it's a perfect description of justification limit repeated on the cross. God treated Jesus as if he had lived your life so we could treat you as if you had lived his life. So again, the resurrection of Jesus assures me I am accepted by God is and that brings no your accepted by God and your loved by God. Listen, God is not mad at you.

God is not about our standing before God from Pastor Greg Laurie's message today on a new beginning what the resurrection of Jesus means to you. Hopefully you heard every word, but if you didn't, you can catch what you missed by going to our website harvest.org just look for the title what the resurrection of Jesus means to you.

What were talking about the 10 things that might surprise you about Billy Graham. These 10 observations come from Pastor Greg's new book, Billy Graham, the man I knew we learned that Billy originally wanted to grow up and be a major-league baseball player. We learned that young Billy was a bit of hyperactive mischievous young man but he matured and ended up becoming a door-to-door salesman with the Fuller brush company so passionate what's number four on the list to number four, but I need my echo chamber to announcer properly. Are you ready I'm ready.

Billy Graham 10 things I will surprise you about the world-famous evangelist. There's number four his time on the golf course made a significant impact on his ministry. Okay, so Billy was attending the Florida Bible Institute in the Tampa Bay community of Temple Terrace, and he held a lot of odd jobs. He did housekeeping duties dishwashing lawnmowing, but then he became a caddie on the school's golf course and they gave him access to some very important Christian scholars and administrators and preachers and evangelist me later became a golfer himself in and golfed with many US presidents including Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan. He once said to me privately. Greg you and learn on a golf because I'm gonna know a lot of people on the golf course, who later went on to other positions like senators and congressmen similar later became president Billy one set of golf. Quote the only time my prayers are not answered, are on the golf course" is pretty funny. So Billy loved to golf. You know in it was a way to relieve stress and it was a way to meet people and that he had some amazing adventures out there on the golf course I talk about that a little bit of my book.

Here's another one. Number five, Billy Graham's wife was vital to the success of his career in witness of that so true Ruth Bill Graham Billy's wife of 64 years was an amazing woman.

I would say she was in every way is equal. Billy said of Ruth, she's the theologian of the family.

He wasn't kidding. If you walk by Ruth's office. All these books were opened up on her desk all the Bibles and when you talk with her. She just" effort, quote, and so much wisdom as well. And really, really listen to what she had to say. She really was the love of his life. Some years ago. Billy wrote an op-ed for ladies home Journal on the women's liberation movement happening in the early 70s so weak he writes the article he submits it to Ruth and he recalled and I quote from Billy. She handed it back to me. All blue penciled in said I don't agree with most of this. So I rewrote it only Ruth could do that but I remember one moment with Billy and Ruth.

Ruth was very sick at this point she wasn't long for this life on earth. Billy was sitting whether they were holding hands with was in a wheelchair and my friend Dennis Agee, Jeannie, and was playing the hallelujah chorus on his acoustic guitar. It sounded something like this memo. Dennis was playing the song.

I looked over at Billy and Ruth in the eyes and there was a smile on their faces. I could tell they were sharing something of a special moment, but I wasn't really sure what it was all about. When the song was done, Billy turned to Ruth and said that's a song they played on our first date.

So as it turns out when Billy Graham invited Ruth Bell was her name, then out for a date, he took her to a concert where they performed Handel's Messiah, so I never really forget that I love spending time in their home and Nancy write a lot about Ruth in this book, Billy Graham, the man I knew because we would go and speak at a conference center that was really Ruth's vision is called the Billy Graham training center at the Cove.

She would attend and then afterward should see want to come over to our house for lunch mom like fish with yes and so we would have sometimes food from downtown. There was take-out Chinese food and some great ribs another things sometimes Ruth might even make something for us and we would sit around would tell stories with a laugh. Listen to Ruth's great wisdom and she was always such a delight to be around. And so I wanted to tell her story as well as Billy Graham story because honestly I don't think there would be a Billy Graham as we knew him. If there had not been also a Ruth Bell Graham so this is all of my book, Billy Graham, the men I knew and will send you a copy of this book for your gift of any size whatever you can send will take those resources and use it to continue this ministry and inspired really by the example of Billy Graham. We will continue to call people to Christ you know Dave effectively. Everything I learned about evangelism I learned from Billy Graham.

II learned it by listening to him by watching him by asking them questions about how we did it, why he did it and so I took those same principles and I apply them whenever I invite people to Christ were called to do that here in a new beginning. Yes, we are here to teach in the Bible yes were here to encourage you in your faith.

But yes we are here to call people to Christ, and we have many, many people come to Christ every year through a radio broadcast alone.

So if you believe in reaching people that don't know Jesus. Order your copy of Billy Graham, the man I knew that's right, and will send it your way to thank you for your investment in this important work of reaching people with the gospel. It's a unique look at the life of one of our generation's true heroes of the face. The book is brand-new and will send you a copy to say thank you for your investment in these daily studies we can only bring them your way is listeners invest to help us continue to reach out as we do so thanks for your partnership. It couldn't come at a more strategic time again is called Billy Graham the man I knew right us today at a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300. We can take your call anytime 24 seven again at 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.Hor festering pointed out that the resurrection assures us that we are accepted by God.

But that's just one of six ways the resurrection impacts our lives. Pastor Greg has more force. Next time dad and everybody thinks or listening to this podcast to learn more about harvest ministries follow the show and consider supporting it. Just go to harvest.org and find out how to know God personally go to harvest.org and click on know God