4. Here Comes The Son | Clint Perring | SS

Clint Perring verwelkom en bid op Paassondag Good morning, everyone. If we haven't met, my name is Clint and it is wonderful to be here with you this morning on this special Easter Sunday, Resurrection Sunday. And before I get going, can we, can we just pray together? Lord, what a day. Lord, everything that you have done relies, depends on, is hinged on this day, you rising from the dead and bringing life to us. Lord, we are so grateful, Lord, for for the cross, Lord for you going to the cross, dying and paying for us since. But we are, Lord, we are even more grateful, even more joyous, Lord, that you rose from the dead and that death no longer has a hold on us. Holy Spirit, I asked this morning that you would, that you would speak individually to every single one of us. We invite you, Lord, We know that you are personal, we know that you are intimate with every child of yours, and we pray that you would come and whisper our names, that you would, that we would hear you, that we would open up our hearts to receive from You this morning. We pray for your anointing on your word, Lord, may it be fresh and new to us this morning. We pray this in your precious name, Lord Jesus, Amen. Ondersoek die onmiskenbare bewyse van Jesus se opstanding Amen. So as Grant mentioned everywhere around the world this morning, it's a wonderful celebration. Churches hopefully are full and there's joy in there, obviously, and rightly so. I mean, apart from the fact that there's, I see a whole lot of Easter eggs on that table, but the first Sunday didn't feel like this. It didn't begin with the celebration. It, it began with sadness and confusion and darkness. And I'd like to try and get us to imagine ourselves there on that first morning and, and what we, how we, how are we going to do it? It's the last Sunday in our series, The Crowd and the Cross, and we are going to be focusing on Mary Magdalene and I'd like us to see what is going on on that Sunday morning through her eyes. But before I do that, I would like to just touch on a few things about the resurrection that I think are critical. You see, Christianity doesn't believe us or doesn't invite us to believe in a myth or a wonderful story. And it it invites us to examine probably one of the most documented, widely documented events in recorded history. And I'm just going to touch on a few undeniable things. There's there's many, but without framing the the resurrection in its true light, you know it, it can come across as something that happened back then. So a few things just to kind of wet your appetite. The empty tomb with with no competing explanation, by the way. So the empty tune is one of them. The all four gospels tell us that the tomb was empty, okay, and that and that the body was gone. Okay, even the enemies of Jesus couldn't produce a body, just so that it's clear, okay? And, and the earliest explanation was that the disciples had stolen the body, right? We read that. We read that in one of the accounts. But there's a couple of problems there. The Roman gods were trained killers #1 #2 their heads were on the chopping block if they didn't protect the body. That stone was massive, not immovable, but it wouldn't have just rolled away without causing a scene. Just so that it's clear, OK. And the third thing with regards to the disciple stealing the body is that they were terrified and scattered and not all of them were even there. And to put off a house like this would have taken some big stones, and I'm not sure that they were in the right frame of mind to move the stone. But the truth of the matter is this. If the body was somewhere to be found, Christianity would have died within the first week. Just know this. OK, back in the day, yeah, we are thousands of years later. But if it was anywhere to be found, Christianity would have been dead. Okay, But they couldn't produce a corpse because there wasn't one. So that's that's one of the things then eyewitness testimony and and for us modern listeners so far removed from that event. This is a this is important 20 or 25 years more or less after the resurrection. Paul Paul writes to the Corinthians and he says this he appeared to Jesus. He appeared to see first, then the 12 after that he appeared to more than 500 of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living. That's in one Corinthians 15. You'll find that. What is Paul saying? Go and ask them is what he's saying. He's writing it in the time and he's saying go and ask them. He appeared alive, okay? Hundreds of people saw that he was alive in different places, different times. Hundreds of people saw that Jesus was alive. And then maybe the biggest one for me is the transformation of the disciples. I mentioned that they were hiding, scattered, frayed. Peter even denied knowing Jesus. We know the story, but after the resurrection, a huge transformation is happening, has happened. They they're preaching, they are publicly confronting the authorities, they all willing to die. Now, if we look at history, we realise that people are willing to die for something that they believe is true, right? We've seen it. People are willing to die for something that we see in wars, although all over the place all the time, but not for something that they know is a lie. Do you see? They would have if they had hidden the body, if they had been part of this heist, they would have known it was a lie. They wouldn't have been prepared to die. They were all beaten. They were putting in prison. They were ultimately executed. In fact, I mean, even Peter, they put Peter in a pot of burning oil. They couldn't kill him, so they put him on the Isle of Patmos. Thank you, Lord. Cause that's where we get revelation. I mean, John. Sorry, John. John. John. Yes, John. I'm glad you're awake. Nice, yes? Not one of them repented. Not one of the disciples recanted. Why? Because the original message wasn't. Let's follow the Jesus teachings more closely. It was He is alive. That was what the early church was born off and stood on. Amen. Maria Magdalena se verlossing en die duisternis sonder opstanding Okay, so let's get back to my three points because that could easily end up in a sermon. My first point is this. Without the resurrection, we, you and I remain in darkness. He Mary of Magdalene was first introduced to us not because of what she did, but because of what she was delivered from Luke 8 was 2 says that this was a woman from whom 7 demons had come out and and it seems like we can quickly read it over. But seven demons coming out of a woman. It's it's a bit of a life sentence. It's a it's a story just reads quickly as a sentence in the Bible. But she was someone that knew about darkness. She knew about deliverance and when she when she had met Jesus previously, she, she was everything had changed for her. Jesus had had redeemed her Jesus. It wasn't a gradual change. It was an instant and dramatic transformation. We, we see, and so again, like Fast forward to the cross, you know, we're not just seeing a follower of Jesus. We're seeing someone who remembers what it was like to be rescued from this darkness. We, we know that she knew this and, and, and we also know that people who have been set free deeply don't love casually. And Mary, Mary Magdalene was one of those people. Luke 23 says this, the woman who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes, but they rested on the Sabbath in obedience with the commandment. The point that I'm making is Mary stayed close through all the happenings. She saw the cross, she saw the body, she followed them to the tomb. She saw how they laid him down. She saw them roll the stone into place. And and then Jesus dies and everything that she had hoped he could do and would do must have absolutely collapsed in that moment. It must have been shattering for hers, especially given her love for him. But she stays close to him, not because she expects the resurrection. None of them did. To be fair, they all missed it. But she stays there because she refused to leave him, the one that had saved her. There was this love in her heart that she just would not leave him. Then John 20 says this about her. Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the Son had been removed from the entrance. This detail about it being dark is not just the time of the day, it's the condition of her world. You see, without the resurrection, it is still dark. It was still dark for her and it is still dark for us. You see, without the resurrection, Friday is just a tragic moment where a good man was put to death. We are still in our sin without the resurrection. But the darkness didn't begin at the tomb. So this is not a new darkness. The darkness began in a garden long, long ago when Adam first sent. And that darkness caused the shadow on all humanity. And standing at that cross and standing at that tomb, she was just in the shadow of death that had been prevalent from that first garden to this one. Speserye, vrugtelose geloof en verdriet wat Maria by die graf verblind My second point is that without the resurrection, the smell of death still lingers. Mary, as I said, didn't come to the tomb expecting a miracle. I don't believe that for a second. She came carrying spices, The Bible tells us. And in those days, in the 1st century, what you did was by to honour the dead. You brought a whole lot of spices and perfumes. You anointed the body, you covered the smell and and and you dealt with the death that was left behind in the best way possible. That was how you honoured the dead in those times. But the problem with the spice is that they didn't defeat the death, they just managed it. They, they, they delayed it a bit, maybe the embalming, they may be masked, the smell of the death, but they didn't reverse it and they couldn't reverse it. So Mary came to the tomb to honour Jesus, to maybe master death, to cover it over, but she couldn't reverse what had taken place. And, and forgive me, but is that a real picture of us today? We bring our effort, our morality, our religion, our attempt to smell or look better. We hoping that somehow that will be enough, right? But none of it actually deals with the real problem. None of that. Even what she brought to the tomb didn't deal with the real problem. You see, at best it's still just putting perfume on that which is still dead right. Scripture also doesn't soften this reality. In One Corinthians 15 we read this is Paul speaking. That's Corinthians, by the way. It looked like Paul is desperately trying to hammer into the fact that to them that Jesus is alive because there's a lot about the resurrection in Corinthians. But he says to them this. But if he preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised in your faith is futile and you are still dead in your sins. Hectic. So so it's like this is just a social club. If we don't believe that Christ has been raised from the dead, then we're still in our sins. And this is just a cool hang out place. That's what Paul sang to the Corinthians. And I mean, I would hang out with you. You're lovely, but that's not what the truth is. That's not what's going on. You see, Mary arrives at the tomb and something is wrong. The stone has been rolled away, that which she expected to see. The body is gone, and instead of hope she she still feels confusion, panic and grief. Grief, the the word tells us, he says. Mary stood outside the tomb crying. She was devastated. As she wept she bent over, looked into the tomb, saw 2 Angels Park that thought in white. She did where Jesus body had been one of the hidden one at the foot. They asked her Angel speaking to Mary. People, women, why are you crying? We just read over these things. We don't realise that this is what an account of what happened. Women, why are you crying? They have taken my Lord away, she responds to the angels. And I don't know where they're putting. After this, she turned and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realise that it was him. He asked the woman, Why are you crying? What is it that you are looking for? Thinking he was the gardener, she said, Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him and I will go and get him. She sees angels but doesn't register what's going on. She sees Jesus but doesn't recognise him. How is this even possible? How is this even possible? That in itself would is a transformational miracle because grief and disappointment have a way of blinding us to what God is doing right in front of us. Let us be aware of that. Be careful of that as believers, as people, as children. Do not let the grief of what is happening around us blind us from what Jesus is doing. Jesus roep Maria se naam en verander duisternis in dagbreek But the resurrection turns darkness into dawn, and then everything changes in an instant. What was it? It wasn't the miracle. It wasn't the spectacle. The spectacle had already come and gone, but with one word, John 20 says Jesus says to her, Mary. And in that moment, everything breaks wide open, you see? She didn't recognise his face, but she heard his voice. The voice that called you out of darkness once was now calling her into life. And suddenly the darkness gives way to life and and life and death gives way to life and hope. He's transformed from the grief that she felt outside the tomb. You see, resurrection only becomes real when it becomes personal. John, Jesus says in John 10, My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me. This is exactly what he does on Resurrection Sunday. He speaks her name and she hears his voice and it's interesting. Isn't it interesting? You know, the world paints a picture of Jesus and they they they there's all sorts of misconceptions about who he is and what he is and what he has done and what he hasn't done. But his first words in resurrected life are words of compassion and love and care, and they personal. They would spoken to a woman who had a was nothing special, by the way, in the garden where no one would ever have heard. It's astonishing that he chose Mary. Why? Because he didn't appear to a king or a priest or a scholar, or even to the 12. He chose Mary of Magdalene. In those days, a woman's testimony wasn't even considered real. So, you know, if this was going to be some kind of fight, if the Gospels were going to be fake, they would have made a much better plan at presenting it. They wouldn't never have said that Jesus would first have appeared to a woman and told the woman to go and tell them what she had seen. Why did she appear? Why did he appear to Mary? Well, I don't know exactly, but I have a hunch that He appeared to the One who loved most. And He appears to us when we love him most. We hear him. We're listening to his voice because he's called us into love. Resurrection Sunday. Maria se opdrag: Die evangelie van lewe en hoop This life is about us loving Him. So that must have been quite a scene. And I'll tell you why I say that. John 20 says this. Do not hold on to me. There's other versions of the word that says there's other accounts. I do not cling to me. She must have think about Mary, what she must have done. I'm sure she was hanging on. He's saying to it, don't hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to my father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them I'm ascending to my father and your father, to my God and to your God. Mary Magdalene went to disciples with the news. I have seen the Lord, and she told them that which she had seen and heard. You see, this is the gospel. Grace turns. It hasn't just come. He hasn't just come to rescue us. He's come to reposition us. He's come to transform us. She came carrying spices, trying to manage the reality of death, and she left with a message of life and hope after encountering life himself. That's what the gospel has come to do. Somewhere along the way, interestingly, the spices are forgotten about. We don't hear about the spices again. They they've gone amazing. Yeah, why? Because when resurrection comes, we stopped carrying around those things that we thought we needed. We just dropped them. Because everything else is full. Full. Maybe. Maybe we can stand. Maybe we can stand as the band comes up.