How the Resurrection Changes Us

On this Good Friday. It's good for us to stop and think. Why did Jesus endure the cross. What was his motivation.

John Piper says the Bible gives us the answer for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, nails through his hands and feet and the spear in his side all the while enabling at any moment you call upon his father to be rescued every moment choosing be there and stay there for the joy that was set what was the joy beyond the horrors of crucifixion that Tim on the cross. This is family life today. Our hosts are given and will some pain on someone family life today.com will cause today to think about that question. Why did Jesus die for us.

What was the joy that kept him on the cross.

Stay with us and welcome to family life today. Thanks for joining us. I am excited about will share with our listeners today and I'm excited because on this day on Good Friday. This is where our thoughts are to be to be on the cross and ought to be on what Jesus endured and then on the power of the resurrection.

Those to really go hand-in-hand, and it's not like we should segment our thinking about the cross and the resurrection till holy week in Good Friday and Easter Sunday, we ought to be meditating on the cross and the resurrection. Every day yeah but there's something about a holy day. You know where you set up hit the pause button say today is Good Friday and Amana take my thoughts and spend the day thinking about what this moment in history means not just for me but for the world. If this was the end of the story we want to be celebrating it but it would be so sad. But you know over here. You get the resurrection, but I bet still think it's very powerful and in our faith, the stop and say thank you. I was in the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville back in August at the Singh conference that is hosted by our friends Keith and Kristin get either got another sing conference coming to Nashville and in September this year, but this was a night where we were focused on the cross and they asked John Piper who was for years, pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis well-known author and speaker. They asked Dr. Piper to speak on the power of the resurrection, and I have to tell you it was a riveting moment you're in this big arena, but it was one of those you could hear the pin drop in the arena as he was talking about how our perspective on what Jesus accomplished on the cross and the power of the resurrection. How that changes how we live day to day and as I listened to the message. I thought we got to share this with our family life today listeners so that's already here today. This is John Piper talking about the power of the resurrection in our lives. If you had been there at the cross, you probably would have vomited or screamed, or pulled out your hair, or thrown yourself on the ground in pounded the dirt and sobbed yourself into exhaustion. To have nails or spikes driven through your arms and legs and then to have your whole body weight hanging there for hours and then have legs smashed or a sphere run through your side was almost unbearable to watch. I think it would've been for us in our modern sensibilities, and surely unbearable to endure. And Jesus volunteered for this he chose it. It wasn't forced on him by any man. You remember what he said nobody takes my life from me. I lay it down of my own accord.

And if I lay it down.

I can take it again. You think I can't call to my father and have 12,000 angels to rescue me at any moment we forced him to do this, Jesus what he chose to do. I'm not trapped. You think Herod or Pilate or the mobs in Jerusalem or the soldiers are in charge year not in charge. My father wrote this drama. My father and I agreed.

My role in the drama is to be crucified is what I do freely. I'm in charge, not Pilate, there's a name for this. It's called love is the way Paul put it in Romans five God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us with the name of volunteering for that kind of suffering for us. So the greatest suffering in the service of the greatest love for the least deserving. How do you do that, that's my question. How did he do it.

How do you do because you must do it. Here's the answer of Hebrews 12 for the joy that was set before him endured the cross. Hebrews 12 to for the joy that was set before him on Friday morning before him endured the cross, so the humiliation of being stripped the lacerations of the scourging nails through his hands and feet and the spear in his side all the while able add any moment to call upon his father to be rescued and refusing in every moment in pain as the lightning bolts shoot up from his ankles to his brain at every moment choosing to be there and stay there for the joy that was set before him.

What was that was the joy beyond the horrors of crucifixion that kept him on the cross was the joy beyond the greatest act of love that enabled the greatest act of love to happen. Here's his answer. This is the answer of Jesus. No one takes my life from me. I lay down my own accord.

And if I lay down I will take it up again destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. Son of Man must suffer many things and be killed in three days he will rise from the dead. I will never die again. I will be an eternal high priest by the power of an indestructible life all authority in heaven and on earth will be mine. I will be the king over all kings Lord over all Lords, I will be alive forevermore in my hand will be the keys of death and Hades. I will sit with my father on his throne. I will have in my hand. I checked sign with my blood for the perfect completed the reversible purchase of my bride.

I will be surrounded by angels and saints cried with a loud voice, worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive blessing and honor and wisdom and power reaches and from my throne, I will build my church on earth. The gates of hell will not prevail against it when the time is full.

I will come in power and great glory. And I will fill the new heavens and the new earth with my glory and I will say to my bride into the joy of your master.

When Hebrews 12 to says, for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, that was the joy resurrection that future that hope that joy streaming from the future into the horrible president holding him on the cross. If you are here which he is what he would say to you is this, so I'll let him say it.

John 15 115 11 these things I have spoken to you the ones that I just spoke to you through John Piper's summary these things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you and your joy may be full so God intends for the joy that was set before Jesus that gave him the power to endure the greatest suffering in the service of the greatest love for the least deserving to be your joy.

For the same. That's what it means to be a Christian to embrace the whole Christ the suffering Christ, the risen Christ, the reigning Christ the coming Christ would every point says that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full. So the reason the resurrection has explosive power. Now is the same reason it did for him then, in his case, the hope of the resurrection had explosive power because of the joy that he saw holding him on the cross so will be with us for the joy that is set before us in the resurrection we will endure the cost of love, no matter how high for the least deserving that is Christianity. So let's take one crazy glorious example of somebody who lived this way and what it looks like accepter 16 the apostle Paul, as you know is preaching in Philippi and there's this demon possessed slave girl whose masters use her for fortune-telling and make a lot of money and she keeps crying out after Paul Wally's preaching very unknowingly. These are servants of the most high God in politics has just hadn't after numerous days, and he turns and he says I command you in the name of Jesus Christ come out of her, and in the demon comes out and these men lose their girl and their money so they really angry at Paul and they dragged him before the magistrates and they lie about them and they strip them of their clothing and beaten with rods throw them in prison without a trial.

Put them in the innermost prison put their feet in six here's a picture.

Paul and Silas shamed by being stripped, beaten with rods sitting in the in the deepest prison feeding stocks sleepless at midnight and you know what they're doing their singing. My wife and I read this and are we read the Bible together every night. We pray. I read the story and we looked at each other just said we don't do experiences most convicting stories in the Bible is devastating.

We grumble you grumble you grumble at the slightest thing that's not the power, the resurrection grumbling is not the power of the resurrection were just like everybody else. When we grumble something to myself the understanding it says they were singing hymns know there's a word for Psalms read in Ephesians Psalms Hammons spiritual song so we know what Psalms are there not singing songs and singing hymns. Somebody wrote them. Besides, David Furtado, I don't know Roman Paul probably wrote Silas was a musician, maybe. But here's the amazing thing they knew about our greatest man in the world are seeing men, I mean can you see them walking from city to city and are ready to go to jail singing all away. How else would they know it's amazing midnight sleepless beaten with rods being stalked dark in prison and their singing know how can you do what is this power that are so long for more. That's my question four times in the book of facts Paul puts in one sentence why he winds up on trial and imprisoned over and over and over and out Regency before the Jews in Jerusalem X 23. It is for the hope of the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before Felix in Caesarea.

It is with respect to the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you this day before King Agrippa. Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead before the Jews in Rome, at the very end of his life. It is because of the hope of Israel, that I am wearing this chain, the resurrection of Christ and the resurrection of all who are in Christ was the sustaining power of Paul's song in suffering in love for the jailer. I say love for the jailer widely cited human you know don't you that when they were singing at midnight there was an earthquake. You gotta be careful what might happen if you seeing with a friend at midnight in misery you afraid to go there. It's midnight he just called his desperate need. Let's go see when the earthquake happened all the doors were open all the stocks came off the jailer is about to kill himself, and they could've said, make my day watching kill himself and had for Thessalonica triumphant God released its that's not what they did the same. They saved his life. They saved you so and they welcome this. Perhaps most undeserving man in Philippi into their eternal family, say saving the jail love in the jailer is the power of the resurrection fruit that I will so how does that work what what is it looked like Paul, we want we want to saying that midnight after being beaten in jail with our feet in the stocks when we can't sleep.

We want this. This is Christianity. This is not weird weird to murmur your Christian is why Paul put it twice.

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed.

Romans 818 or second Corinthians 417 for this slight momentary affliction.

Like momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. Jesus, the cysto behind Paul to Jesus for one woman to Jesus made the connection between the resurrection hope and singing and suffering in the resurrection hope and loving the undeserving made those two connections. Paul learned them from Jesus and he read them to you. This is Matthew 511 Jesus letting them say this to you. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you say all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account strip you of your close beat you with rods put you in stocks rejoice in that day that midnight moment.

Rejoice in that day for great is your reward in us resurrection hope streaming into the moment of your suffering and saying, rejoice. If we don't do that something is deeply wrong in our grasp of the sovereign goodness. God is the other place where he made the connection between hope and loving the undeserving. When you give a feast. Invite the poor. This is Luke 1414 when you give a feast. Invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind jailers the slave girl and you will be blessed because they cannot repay you.

Next sentence you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just. That is what it means to say for the joy set before you, you invite people to your house can't pay back now.

I assume that I'm surrounded by people who love to sing me to love this thing sitting doing anyway I love to sing. So how will we sing when our suffering comes what will it be that enables us to sing when our suffering comes and love the jailer and the answer is for the joy that is set before us that the explosive power of the resurrection. Now singing to the Lord and suffering, and loving least deserving. That's not a personality trait well again we been listening to Dr. John Piper talk about the power of the resurrection in our lives, singing and suffering and loving the jailer.

I mean, I remember when he shared that back in August when I first heard it and I called Marianne I said this is a message we need to listen to together and and it may be that your listing alone. You may want to call your spouse and say we need to listen to this a timeline of family life today.com listen to it together because most of us, this is not how were naturally bent to sing and suffering and then to love our persecutors right now. I mean, just like John said, I know I'm bent to complain and grumble and you just forget there's a resurrection in our story. I know it's Good Friday and so were not there yet.

You know it's right.

It's two days away, but it's true.

And it should change every minute of every day and we forget the power of the Holy Spirit living within us that can give us new thoughts can give us new perspective that we can rejoice and have joy in minutes of pain and sorrow well and a lot of us are experiencing an unexpected level of suffering and pain and sorrow that we didn't anticipate a few months ago and I should mention here of the of the folks at desiring God the ministry, the John Piper pounded John is written a brand-new book about our current moment.

It's a book called coronavirus and Christ and they are making available for family life today listeners. Your choice of the audiobook or the e-book it's available for free. You can go to family life today.com to download either the audiobook or the e-book coronavirus and Christ, written by John Piper. It's a free download from our website.

John looks at the sovereignty of God over the current pandemic and he looks at the purposes of God how God works through events like this in our lives, and by the way, we are hoping. I think this is good work out. John, I think is good be able to join us next week on family life today so be listening for a conversation with John Piper about the subject.

Next week, but the but the book the audiobook of the e-book is available for free online@familylifetoday.com if you want a hard copy of the book there's a link so that you can order that as well go online and family life today.com you can also download the message you heard today.

We played just a portion of John's message today. The entire message is available for download to family life today.com to download it and this may be something you want. Listen to with your family over the Easter weekend and we hope you have a great Easter weekend. Hope you are able to worship together as a family and join with other Christians in your community. Whether it's online or in some way to be safely connected with one another as we celebrate the resurrection of Christ this weekend. I want to thank our engineer today. Keith Lynch along with our entire broadcast production team working really hard here. Thanks to them on behalf of our hosts Dave and Andy Wilson on Bob pain. Have a wonderful Easter weekend will see you back Monday for another edition of family life, family life today is a production of family life of Little Rock, Arkansas. Accrue ministry help for today hope for tomorrow