The Resurrection brings joy and hope | 2021 – Year of the Lord’s Favour | Sunday April 11, 2021

Today we will study on thw topic “Do not let your heart trouble, Christ is risen!” For this, let us begin with a beautiful verse…

When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

Illustration: Gilbert West and Lord Lyttleton were two cynical young students who lived in the eighteenth century. They set out to disprove Christianity. They agreed that the two strongest evidences for Christianity were the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the conversion of Saint Paul. So Lyttleton offered to disprove the conversion of Paul to Christianity, and West offered to disprove the resurrection. When they met again sometime after they had begun their two projects, both were shamefaced. West said, “As I have investigated the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus, I have come to believe that there is something to it, and I am going to write my book from that perspective.”

Lyttleton said, “The same thing has happened to me. I have come to see that there was something to the conversion of Saint Paul, and I am going to write my book from that perspective.” So they did. Lyttleton’s book was entitled Observations on the Conversion and Apostleship of Saint Paul, and it concluded that Saul of Tarsus was converted by a genuine appearance of the resurrected Christ, because there are no circumstances or motives that could have led him to make that profession otherwise. West’s book was called Observations on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was published in 1747 and bore on its flyleaf the admonition: “Blame not before thou hast examined the truth.”1

What is striking about these books is that they both deal with Christ’s resurrection. For this was no less important in the conversion of Paul than it was in the conversions of the other early disciples. In fact, it is even more significant in Paul’s case, for he by the nature of the circumstances was least inclined to believe in this miracle.

Unlike the other early adherents to Christianity, Paul was an enemy of Christ and his religion. Moreover, he was an intelligent and highly educated enemy. By his own testimony Paul was a pure-blooded Hebrew, having been born of two Jewish parents (Phil. 3:5), and to that had been added a careful and zealous Jewish upbringing. Paul went to Jerusalem to study under Gamaliel, the best known scholar of his day (Acts 22:3), and he had then become a member of the sect of the Pharisees, who were known for their strict adherence to the law. Paul was acquainted with the thought of the wider Graeco-Roman world in which he grew up. He had been raised in Tarsus, a city in what we today call Turkey. He knew the literature of that world, for his writings show at least some acquaintance with Aratus, Epimenides, and Menander. His letters reveal a mind that is precise, logical, tough, and persistent.

What must a man of this upbringing have thought of Christianity? He would have thought that it was wrong, of course—damnably wrong. It would have seemed to him to be opposed to Jewish monotheism. But there would have been more to his opposition than this. He would have thought Christianity deceitful as well as wrong, malicious and not merely mistaken.

The reason for this is that when Paul came to Jerusalem about A.D. 34, the controversy that had surrounded the birth and early preaching of Christianity had been going on for some time. The apostles had been preaching the gospel that Paul later confessed and defended in his own writings, namely, “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time” (1 Cor. 15:3-6). When he came to Jerusalem Paul would not have believed this, of course, but he could not have failed to know of it, particularly since he later developed a fixed determination to stamp this false religion out.

The death on cross is mentioned over 150 times in the Bible. The Epistles speaks of the resurrection of Christ.

Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

The resurrection that took place 2000 years back wasn’t a delusion to the disciples. Jesus Christ, for over 40 days kept on appearing at multiple places in front of people who eventually became evidences.

Today we will focus on Jesus’ first appearance and we will try to understand about what happened to Mary when she met Jesus:

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”

Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”

Now see, Jesus is standing in front of Mary and assuming this was a gardener. If Christ gave his life a ransom, and had not taken it again, it would not have appeared that his giving it was accepted as satisfaction. It was a great trial to Mary, that the body was gone. Weak believers often make that the matter of complaint, which is really just ground of hope, and matter of joy. It is well when those more honoured than others with the privileges of disciples, are more active than others in the duty of disciples; more willing to take pains, and run hazards, in a good work. We must do our best, and neither envy those who can do better, nor despise those who do as well as they can, though they come behind.

Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John

When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?”

And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'”  Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

Christ’s way of making himself known to his people is by his word; his word applied to their souls, speaking to them in particular. It might be read, Is it my Master? See with what pleasure those who love Jesus speak of his authority over them. He forbids her to expect that his bodily presence look further, than the present state of things. Observe the relation to God, from union with Christ. We, partaking of a Divine nature, Christ’s Father is our Father; and he, partaking of the human nature, our God is his God. Christ’s ascension into heaven, there to plead for us, is likewise an unspeakable comfort. Let them not think this earth is to be their home and rest; their eye and aim, and earnest desires, must be upon another world, and this ever upon their hearts, I ascend, therefore I must seek the things which are above. And let those who know the word of Christ, endeavour that others should get good from their knowledge.

You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me.

… for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

Hebrews 13:5‭b-‬6

Few more references if your heart is troubled:

There is no better way to sum this all up other than the following lyrics from the song by Robin Mark…

How great are You Lord

How great is Your mercy

How great are the things

That You have done for me

How great are You Lord

Your loving kindness

Is filling my heart as I sing

How great are You Lord

How great is Your love

It reaches to the heavens

How great is the heart

That sought and rescued me

Is your heart troubled? Is your heart doubtful about certain things? Well, then be assured that great is our God. Allow Him to work in your life and all your doubts will be cleared. He will make you victorious from being doubtful.

We hope you are encouraged with today’s sermon. We look forward to see and your loved ones next Sunday. God bless!