It Seems Like Nonsense, But It’s Not

Today on Summit life with Jeannie Greer is the next phase in eternal judgment.

When Jesus died, took this theme of death into himself so that when you and I go into doubt. There is no more judgment no more thing left cross not believe in death the transition into a new life.

Life Bible teaching ministry of pastor, author, teacher, and theologian Jeannie here.

I'm your host Molly bit of edge we are nearing the end of our teaching series through the gospel of Luke. After all, we've just visited the cross and now we take one final journey today. Pastor Jenny walks us down the path to Jesus's tomb. Yet, we all walk that lonely path and one form or another. Over the past 23 months, wondering where life is headed and what the future holds all the good news of the story is that because of the resurrection.

The path to true life doesn't and the great actually begin there. So grab your Bible and let's join Pastor JD again in the book of 24 on the first week, very early morning bringing the spices they had paired the stone rolled away from the tomb but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus while they were perplexed about this, two men stood by them in dazzling close to the women were terrified.

The bow down to the ground. What are you looking for the living among the dead, asked the man is not here, but he is risen. Remember how he spoke to you when he was still in Galilee, say it is necessary that the Son of Man be betrayed into the hands of sinful men be crucified and then rise in the third day like oh yeah, yeah, he said that verse not returning from the tomb. They reported all these things to be 11 and all the rest, Mary Magdalene, Joanna Mary, the mother of James and the other women with them were all telling the apostles. These things these words seem like nonsense to them and they did not believe the women Peter however got up and ran to the tomb when he stood look again. He saw only the living clause so we went away amazed at what happened Summit church suggest Jesus is risen then then the heart of Christianity is not a new approach to morality part of Christianity is not new insights into spirituality or the nature of the universe. The heart of Christianity is a dead man who walked out of a grave and changed everything and I know I know some of you have a hard time believing that it seems to you maybe like it's wishful fairy tales that people have invented who cannot cope with the harsh realities of life. That's what today is all about know I can't help but notice as I read this passage is the sense of wonder that pervades it is you notice that it is kind of indications of wonder, and I believe open versus verse four. For example, says that they were perplexed about this, verse 11.

Their words seemed like nonsense to them and they just did not believe it was almost like it was too good to be true as him as an imagine. Imagine you were going through your grandfather's assets and you learn that that that he had bought a few hundred dollars worth of Apple stock in the early 1980s, but he forgot to mention it to anybody mount for like $500 million something like that. Are my oldest daughter just turned 18 on Wednesday, so she found out that Justin Bieber was going to MC her birthday party.

I am out a notice to be still cool for 18 years old April. I don't know but for so you found out that Nicholas Cage was going to MC your birthday party. That's transgenerational.

I think just too good to be true right that's that's how they felt just a million times more intense and so what they heard. Seemed like nonsense to them.

You know sometimes we read these ancient text, and we assume that people back there were a lot more gullible. They didn't have all the sophistication that we have known about medicine and no one about death and there's things and so they were probably more likely to believe in a resurrection because everybody knew somebody that in resurrecting the dead and all right but this is not true. They knew how death works. Most of them had seen more dead bodies up close by the age of 12. The most of us will see in a lifetime. And when somebody was dead. Dead like like I sold a man's heart punctured by a spear and blood gushed out of it like it came out of the fountain, did they knew that you didn't come back from that.

Plus, they knew that a Roman garrison had been established to guard the tomb so to the report that the body was missing. Seemed like nonsense to them. The point is, these women who came to the tomb that morning were not looking for a resurrection they were not starry eyed, gullible, miracle seeking groupies you showed up with lawn chairs appear familiar for Jesus to sign her pinkies to wipe on his body so that they can go do miracles by verse one tells you what they showed up with durable spices looks the spices by the way don't think garlic oregano Lowery seasoning salt, the greatest of all the spices that's not over talk about these were spices that were used to preserve dead bodies and there would've been a lot of them. By the way, and they would've been very heavy, not just some youth around your knapsack and carried around would've been there would've been dozens of pounds of spices again. The point is that income to the tomb that morning, expecting to meet a living breathing Jesus. They came expecting to find a cadaver they were looking for a miracle they're looking for closure. The story was over it was time to anoint the body and the MoveOn check out Peter's response in verse 12. In fact, that Luke says it went when Peter got to the tomb and he saw it was empty. He walked away days confused. Not really sure what it all me like I knew it I think it's like this will happen Tuesday maybe was confused in John's gospel John another one of the apostles tells us that he also ran with Peter. In fact we just read you what John says and John 20 verse for the two that is, Peter and John were running together, but the other disciple, that's John referring to himself outran Peter and got the tomb first. By the way, why did John point that out, but he out him, Peter. What relevance does it have a story, not just whenever you're a guy telling a story and it involves you best of another guy in a feat of strength you always include that detail gave it was good not germane to the lot at all, but young women verse five, stooping down, though John saw the linen clothes lying there, but he did not go in the coming to bring himself to where it was like even if you glimpse something too good to be true something so wonderful that it took his breath away. Something he could let his heart entertain for fear that his host will be crushed again.

So we stood outside the tomb and refuse to go in for fear for fear of being disappointed you see the theme here. Nobody is expecting a resurrection. Everybody doubts it, it seems like nonsense.

It's just too wonderful to be true. And by the way, I have to point out the irony of God choosing women to be the first one to testify to these things usually irony how well in the first century, the testimony of a woman was not considered valid evidence in court by Josephus and for example the Jewish historian Jewish historian for the first century tells us that the witness of multiple women, even multiple women would not be acceptable in court because of quote his words not mine because of their levity and hysteria churn out. By the way, Celsus was an early Roman critic of Christianity.

He mocked the gospel accounts of the resurrection because they depended so much on the testimony of women. He said he said these women were clearly again. His words not mine.

They were clearly hysterical females diluted by sorcery and so none of their testimony should be considered adequate. Now, obviously. Today we know that that's not at all fair assessment of women. It's quite misogynistic and bigoted. But here's the question in that day if Luke was making up stories to bolster a fairytale. Why would you choose women as your first witness as if you were making things up if you were trying to invent evidence.

You wouldn't show that you would choose those whose testimonies were considered to be the most unreliable at that time the gospel writers reported women as the first witnesses because that's what happened when it was God's way of embedding into the story a clue for you.

What I 2000 years later that these are not made up stories, but the main thing I'm trying to get you to see is that for everybody who heard these things, this is just not something they expected.

There were expecting are looking for a miracle and when they found evidence of it. It still seemed like nonsense to them.

It seemed too good to be true to the question is, what was it about the resurrection that made it too good to be true, but it seemed too good to be true before things I think are pretty straightforward. Number one, number one, if the resurrection is true, it means that Jesus has redeemed us from our sins. See apostle Paul explains in Romans four but Jesus's resurrection was the verification that God had accepted Jesus's sacrifice is the payment for our sins thing of it like a receipt when you are shopping at Walmart and you pay for your items they give you a little receipt and tell you to hold onto it to the wind, the kind elderly gentleman stopped through the door you can show him that receipt and say this is the proof that my items have been paid for the resurrection. Paul explains is the proof that the validation the receipt that God has accepted Jesus death is the payment for our sense, it means the redemption work that look down at verse 21 in chapter 24 to the disciples. Later that afternoon or walk along this dusty road to Emmaus when they are suddenly joined by a stranger who starts to walk with them. A stranger by the way, who turns out to be Jesus incognito, they don't know that yet and the stranger asked him why they're so depressed and so they explained to the stranger that they were just devastated by Jesus death. Here's what they say. You see, we were hoping we were hoping that Jesus was the one who was about to redeem Israel.

We hope you brought redemption to the Old Testament prophets promised that God would send a Redeemer I deliver and they had always assumed that that would be a political Redeemer, a warrior king who would end injustice and bring peace on earth and end world hunger and for a while it certainly looked like Jesus could do all of that right with the miracles and the feeding of the 5000 and the walking on water and whatnot. But then, but then when he died or they just naturally assume that he failed the Redeemer of the world wouldn't be killed by the evil world powers that the Redeemer of the world was supposed to overcome not succumb the resurrection, however, show them that Jesus was attempting a different kind of redemption and he was successful. You see, in addition, the prop assigned a warrior king would come. Who would bring peace on earth. The Old Testament prophets also taught that our sin had incurred a penalty goalie back to Genesis 3, the first in the Garden of Eden. God had said that the soul that sins will die. Every single one of us have repeated the pattern of the Senate. Genesis 3 now bears took the form of eating out forbidden fruit off of a forbidden tree and we haven't done that but every single one of us has repeated the same thought pattern that they went through, which is basically I am wiser than God I know better than him how I should leave my life.

I know what's good and what's not. I should play the role of God in my life, God, you shouldn't be in charge because I know better. What's best for me than you do, so I'm good to be in charge of my life. A lot of times we think of sin as these grossly immoral acts, and it certainly gets there but Sam at its core is simply rebellion.

Cosmic treason its mutiny and all of that brought a curse of death on every single one of us. The cross of Jesus was Jesus redeeming us from that curse by Isaiah the prophet had said Isaiah 53 that God would lay on Jesus, the Messiah, the iniquity of us all, and that the price for our peace with God was really placed on his head.

I used to explain it to my kids like this might say that this book where he represents your sin is what represents your sin in this is you miss your sin. This is God appear. It doesn't matter how much you tried to get close to God. How many times you pray often you go to church how much you give an offering. How many commitments you keep as a matter how close you try to get there that Sam is always an obstacle between you and God know some of you I will work for my kids but JD you know my sin right so now this is yours by Alyssa's supplement is book and imagine what's on the pages as of the story that relationship you wish you never got into mystery that series of mistakes here is not broken that that a broken promise not broken trust all the stuff between you and God. And you can try and try to get close to God. But the point is, no matter how close you get a hard you were, there's always as possible what Isaiah 53 is telling you is that God took our sin and our iniquity and related on Jesus right and when Jesus died, he put it away forever so that there's nothing that remains any longer between you and God. That's with the death of Christ was it was redemption was Christ taking the curse in our place so that the curse was gone – even late on Jesus. That's why the apostle Paul says in Corinthians that when Jesus died, he took the sting out of death. The sting of death is not the pain of death.

It's the curse in death.

Death is the next phase in eternal judgment. When Jesus died, he took the sting of death into himself so that when you and I go into death. There is no more judgment no more sting left for us not believe in death the transition into a new life general, by the way that a honeybee cannot sting you twice honeybee cannot sting you twice. That's because when a honeybee pushes it stinger out. It ruptures the bees digestive tract which leads to a quick and certain death. Death put it stinger into Jesus. And when it did the internal workings of death itself were disrupted and death itself died is at some point, a honeybee of death is going to come for each one of us but if Jesus is taken that stinger already been your death is not going to have any cursing that there's more sting. In fact, it's not really good, even to be a death at all.

If the transition to new life.

No guilt in life no fear in death. This is the power of Christ in me from life's first cry, the final breath Jesus commands my destiny of the resurrection is true.

Number two of the resurrection is true, it means that that that the power for new life is here to see our sin. Scripture tells us not only put a curse over us.

It released a curse into us. Death is not just something that you're going to encounter one day death is at work in you right now. Jesus said, and that shows up in the form of addictions, hate, and selfishness in our hearts, codependent relationships, dysfunctional relationships, anger and idolatry and ruin relationships. Many of you if you are honest you got a brokenness in you this morning when you tried to clean it up when you try to change you try to do better, but Iran is none of us really worked the saw darkness in you that you just cannot overcome Jesus's resurrection means that there is a power in the world that can overcome that in you is the power of resurrection from the grave where Paul says is like the second remains 517 if any man is in Christ is a new creation, not a reformed creation or a cleaned up creation, but a new creation. Old things are passed away behold all things become moot. By the way, that were beholding the Bible is always the indication that a miracle is about to happen universally behold like you to behold.

Look, I did the dishes, behold, means God is just doing something. So when Paul gets to the universities like hey old things are passed away behold all things are becoming new newness in your life is not you resolving any better you become a more religious, being a better person than this is the release of his resurrection power in you. That means this morning that Jesus is not only able to forgive every sin, because he died for all of them on the cross he can release you from the power of every sin, because he resurrected from the dead, and he can reverse and restore whatever sin has ruined to me to about one of the women that came to the tomb that morning. Her name was Mary Magdalene.

Messinger referred to their net story.

Mary when she first meets Jesus the Gospel of Mark tells us she had seven demons. Not one, not 27 demons. That is Mark's way of saying that she is hopelessly consumed by the demonic think for a moment about a life with seven demons would've been a disaster. She would've should've looked like she was mentally ill. Scripture says she been a prostitute she had destroyed every relationship in her life.

Her parents didn't even want to talk to her or about her. Everybody thought of hers beyond redemption.

She'd run every relationship and alienated everybody she never been close to Mr. imagine her life before Jesus hopeless, destitute's who hire somebody with seven demons she's outcast.

She's forgotten she's given up on but in Luke eight she falls in Jesus's feet and she finds healing. She's the first one to go back to the tomb alone and evidently there was a small garden area near the two men she was in it.

Weeping was there that Jesus appeared to her. The first person he appeared to directly after the resurrection.

Mary through her tears, and in-home rage, she didn't recognize him again. She's not really expecting a miracle. There were tears in a rage.

She thinks he's the gardener.

So she starts yelling at a pay what you think is by tell me where he took his body. John says he speaks her name called her name.

Mary and immediately she recognizes him. What an incredible moment. The first person that Jesus appears to after being resurrected as a former prostitute was seven demons and he calls her by name and point at all because he's doing a song the same thing with some of you this morning though Mrs. significance. By the way where they are either right where are they. She came to a grave looking for a dead man instead living man found her in a garden that graved the garden is a metaphor for her life. She had been a grave seven demons and now she's in a garden of new life in Christ and that's the first person, Jesus appears to and it's because it's teaching something to you and to me. I don't care what's going on in your life.

I don't care what kind of sin. What kind of demonic activity even if that's what it is I'm telling you that there is more forgiveness in him than there is sin in you. There is more healing in him. Then there is sickness and you write if you listen right now he's calling your name is not to be audible to me and I can hear voices or anything like that. It's this sweet drawl in your heart just beckoning you to comp right now was a maybe like Mary, you are literally struggling against spiritual forces. Maybe it's against addictions are simple habits you can't break relationships that you ruin. Mary says to you this morning. I know I was there I seven demons and me.

But the gospel truth is that there is more grace in him more power in him than there is death in you.

There is no struggle, there is no addiction, no brokenness that his power cannot heal, you can turn your grace in the gardens powers available to you today if you will receive a number three, number three, the resurrection means that if it's true. One day, one day every sad thing in our lives is going to come on true. The apostle Paul calls Jesus's resurrection. The firstfruits of the new creation, a taste of what is to come back in Thursday's farmers were always sure how crop is going to turn out like all the tools that we have a couldn't see look at it under a microscope and see if it was good seed made it know all the things about crop rotation and soils we can analyze a slow metabolic almanacs and all the weather predicting patterns and so they just weren't sure. So there's very firstfruits appeared they gave an indication of what the rest of the crop is gonna be like right now in it's the prettiest time in North Carolina for those you that are are new to our state, it's because there's first flowers on the dogwood tree earlier right now. By the way, it's bad news only last for a few days because there is a sea of yellow that is coming, that is to cover everything and it's awful both for about three or four days maybe a week. It's just like heaven on earth. Temperature and beauty and all that stuff that was dogwood flowers show you that a sea of green.

The new creation of spring is on its way. The resurrection is the dogwood flower of the new creation is an indication of what is to come missing all there's nothing more terrifying than it feels more final to us than death. Right.

None of the some of you have dealt with death. This year you're sitting here broken with sadness over somebody that she lost this year maybe was expected. It was a mom or dad or a grandparent or maybe it wasn't expected. Maybe it was sudden and tragic death of a spouse or a brother or sister or even a child. Many are afraid of your own death because, by the way, apart from Christ, you really should be. It's not a question of emphasis when it's just a matter of time may not be Easter quite that Jesus is reason went Mary Magdalene and the other women discovered seem too good to be true, why if you missed any of today's message on Senate life with pastor JD Greer.

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