If you get it you get it, if you don t, you don t. Like literally, that s how it ended. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

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Crystal Little
5 years ago
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1 1 Easter 2018 I don t like Easter much. I know you do. I get it. Its the bunnies and chocolate and hiding and cute gifts and new dresses and seeing family. Alright, I like all that stuff too. But man, the few weeks before Easter are so hard for preachers. Especially preachers who have already preached 11 Easter sermons to the same group of people. There is so much pressure to top last year. Somehow, I have to make this powerful and persuasive. I need to paint a picture of something that is so incredible that you cant resist it. I need to add just the right amount of flourish and rhetorical brilliance and newness that it will pique your interest. For many of you this is my only chance. You wont be back till Christmas. I mean after all, the story of a man who went through life helping people, was accused, sentenced, tortured on a roman cross, who died the most gruesome death available at the time and then in the midst of an earthquake walked out of the tomb and who guarantees us that a new kind of life has emerged and he will one day bring permanent justice to the world, absolutely needs me to make it sound good <insert rolling eyes > So, I only have this one chance to grab you. Then I think about that. What did Jesus do when he saw crowds? The first time Jesus appeared before a huge crowd was pretty telling. Thousands of people came from all over because they heard about his miracles. Now they are all flooding to the spot. Luke 8 says he came to the crowd and told them about a story There was this farmer and he sowed some seed. Some of it fell on hard ground and nothing happened Some of it fell on okay ground but it wasn t deep enough and while it came up, the sun burned it because its roots were shallow. Some of it fell on thorny ground and while something came up, it got choked out Some of it fell on good ground, and it had much fruit. If you get it you get it, if you don t, you don t. Like literally, that s how it ended. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. The disciples ask about it and he says, to you its been given to know the secrets of the kingdom, for others I speak in parables so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not hear. In other words, I spoke in parables so they wouldn t understand.

2 2 My point is, Jesus didn t try to make his message awesome. It was awesome. He didn t need to make it cool. This would be like me being the farmer. Open pack of sunflower seeds and start throwing them Some people aren t ready to hear. The seeds are laying there, but their ground is hard. I just came because my wife said I wouldn t have to go to her mothers house if I came here Some people are listening and what I say might take root. You will stand up at the end and be all in. And tomorrow, things will get hard. Roots will come. Friends will look at you strange. The call will be too much. And it is. It s a lot. Jesus doesn t say its going to be easy. If anyone tells you otherwise please ignore them. I know there are pastors out there saying you will get rich if you follow Jesus. Maybe. But this much I know, he says there will be pain in this life, but he will overcome the world and give you new life Some of you will grab that seed, but you wont be ready for it yet. You will shove it in your pocket. There are things you want to do first I want to have this relationship I want to get over this relationship I want to finish this big project You have people to connect to. You are in, but you are just busy. You will be texting someone as you walk out of here. Some of you are doing it right now, you big losers. Some of you really want this. You are hungry You know this seed is life to you Either God has been working on you or he hasn t. I don t know Maybe you don t even know. But this I do know, its not going to be about the way I present it, or whether I am wearing the right clothes that you approve of. Some of you will hear it and some of you wont. Just depends on whether God has gotten the ground ready. Because if he hasn t gotten it ready, its not ready Listen to this statement:

3 3 Then Jesus said, this is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless the Father has granted it to him. Whoa. That means that while all of you are going to hear the same message, some of you have been being softened over the last week or year and you are ready to hear it. And I refuse to make it easy. Because Jesus didn t make it easy I mean listen to this: Unless you give up all, you cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:32) All Jesus? All? That seems a bit extreme Let the dead bury the dead (Matt 8:22). This is crazy talk. Someone wanted to follow Jesus but they had other things to deal with first. Like, he had to bury his father. Jesus said let the dead bury the dead. In other words, the urgency of the kingdom work is more important than family loyalty. It becomes even more clear in this one: If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters yes, even their own life such a person cannot be my disciple. Again with the extreme rhetoric. Hate his father and mother and wife and family? Well, maybe not hate, but in comparison to how they love Jesus, it would look like hate. Wow You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. (Luke 18:22). Maybe this was for this one guy he was talking to but I think Jesus is uttering a challenge of allegiances which we need to hear today too. Living for Jesus requires extravagant giving. Some people when they heard these things turned away. In fact, when Jesus said that people can t come to him unless the father grants it, it specifically says. From that time on many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. The people that were following changed their mind. Too hard. Not something I want to do. They heard the news, the seeds went out, but they didn t take root Because the ground wasn t ready. So, here I am, thinking I have to make this story a good one. I need grab hold of your imagination in a new way, make it memorable, make it powerful but it doesn t really matter. My words won t do anything if the ground isn t ready. And if the ground is ready, then I can say something like

4 4 Give everything up and follow Hate your father and mother Take up your cross And it will floor you. And when you hear that story of what Jesus did for you, and how he rose again and how he is coming back, it will devastate you and thrill you and compel you. You know there is a story at the end of Acts about this guy named Paul. This is a guy who believed in God and did his best to follow everything God said. Probably like some of you. And one day, he found out that this God he worshipped was quite a lot different than he expected. This story is near the end of his life. He is in prison, accused of everything under the sun and being forced to defend himself so he isn t put to death for lies. He finds himself standing before the Governor of Judea but to no avail. Years go by as he rots in prison. Finally a new governor comes along and wants to hear from him. Paul stands in the hall and gives his speech and Festus (the governor) cant for the life of him figure out what people are accusing Paul of. Paul insists to have his case heard by Caesar himself but Festus isn t even sure what to tell Caesar. He has to have a legitimate charge against him. So the King of the Galilee area comes and Festus talks with him. The story is recorded in Acts 25:18ff. Festus is complaining: 18 When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. 19 Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive. 20 I was at a loss how to investigate such matters; Festus didn t know what to do. It was a dispute about some religious thing and this dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive. How do you investigate that? What am I supposed to do Agrippa? So, Agrippa agrees to hear him. After all Agrippa knows a lot more about this. He rules in that area and is intimately acquainted with the Jewish beliefs. So, Paul stands before him and begins his defense. The defense is simple 1. I was a good Pharisee and it is my hope in God that has me standing before you today. 2. I opposed this Christian cult too followers of Jesus. Shaking my head

5 5 3. One day I was blinded by a light from heaven and the voice said it was Jesus and he wanted me to serve him. So, you better believe I did. And in verse 22 he says this, I stand here today and to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen-- 23 that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles." Now I need you to hear this. This isn t some kind of easy believism stuff. Yeah, sure, anyone can be a Christian. You can just be good most of the time and everything will be great. Your life can pretty much look the same as before. Any body want to be baptized come on up. No, Paul is speaking crazy. The Messiah, the King, had to suffer? The King, had to rise from the dead His message is to Israel and everyone else? This is not okay. This seems to break free from everything in Judaism. And King Agrippa is nothing if not a good protector of the Jews. Pharisees don t talk this way. Paul is insane. 24 At this point Festus interrupted Paul's defense. "You are out of your mind, Paul!" he shouted. "Your great learning is driving you insane." Right? Paul is insane. But Paul denies it 25 "I am not insane, most excellent Festus," Paul replied. "What I am saying is true and reasonable. 26 The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do." True and reasonable I don t know about you but nothing about this story seems true or reasonable. But Agrippa knows the prophecies. And what Paul is talking about shouldn t be new to him. It happened in history. It happened right in front of him. It wasn t hiding. Jesus got up from the dead. Paul has been in prison for years. He won t let go of this. Jesus rose. And if he rose it compels Agrippa and us to action. We can t believe he rose and not do something with that fact.

6 6 But we won t do something with it unless God has prepared the ground 28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?" 29 Paul replied, "Short time or long--i pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains." (Act 26:22-29 NIV) It s been 20 minutes. Any chance of me persuading you to become a Christian? Seems doubtful. At least it wont be because of my words. I mean, let s be honest, the story is awesome. He goes to the cross for crimes he didn t do. He suffers the most horrible of deaths and cries out from the cross that God forgive the people who are killing him. Darkness covers the earth. Three days later, the stone is gone, an earthquake, guards paralyzed, and Jesus himself is seen walking around. That story is either insane or absolutely compelling. And the decision you make about it will determine not only the afterlife, but your life here. Because if you are convinced that these stories are more than mythological. If you are convinced that 500 people saw him face to face. If you are convinced that Paul stands there in chains holding fast to this declaration. If you are convinced that nearly all the apostles were killed because they couldn t shake this truth about Jesus well, then you are compelled to action. You should be willing to do anything to join that gang. But it depends on the soil. Are you good soil? And if you are sitting here thinking that all this sounds reasonable but not sure if you are the good soil,... Well it seems to me that God is working on you. God isn t begging you. He is asking you if you believe what Jesus did on the cross for you? I am not interested in people coming forward today. I don t need numbers. That doesn t last. I want people who get it. Who hear the calls of come to the cross, give everything up.

7 7 Some of you have tripped over the treasure in the field today and recognize how much its worth. If you recognize that, that s God. And now you realize that in order to own that treasure you have to sell everything you have and buy this field, because it is worth a million times more than everything you have. You have to have that field. That s good soil. It doesn t mean you are better than anyone else It means, God is doing something in you today You are recognizing how much God loves you. That the king of creation, the one who makes the sun shine and cells replicate wants to come and dwell with you. Some of you will get this The easter story clicks. I told you I am not interested in numbers today. But I am interested in followers. Followers of Jesus. People who hear the good news and respond. So I am going to give you a chance to respond Now I am going to give you another chance to respond. Because Jesus says that if you are unwilling to confess Jesus to others, than he will be unwilling to confess you to the father. A word about grace. Maybe this isn t the time. Maybe you got embarrassed and couldn t overcome it. This doesn t mean that God is done working on you. And if he is working on you, then it wont stop because of nervousness on Sunday morning. Lets talk. Lets plan. Lets follow. Lets grow and produce fruit.

Your story is a powerful tool of proclamation.

WHY ARE WE HERE? Your story is a powerful tool of proclamation. Narrative is our culture s currency; he who tells the best story wins. Bobette Buster (Pixar) PLOTLINE OF A STORY EXPOSITION CRISIS / RESOLUTION