WEEK ONE ALL THINGS NEW

Transcription

1 WEEK ONE ALL THINGS NEW And he who was seated on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. Revelation 21:5 4 Right panel of the Triptych of Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist, (oil on panel), Memling, Hans (c ) / Groeningemuseum, Bruges, Belgium / Lukas - Art in Flanders VZW / Bridgeman Images

2 6 ALL THINGS NEW 7 DAY 1 EASTER DAY MAKING ALL THINGS NEW READ REVELATION 21:1-7 Welcome to The Resurrected Life. Today we begin a journey that takes us right to the heart of what it means to be a resurrected child of God. You may have just completed The Crucified Life series. Living a Crucified Life is a vital part of living the Christian Life. But it s not the only part. Just as Jesus died on the cross and three days later rose from the dead, so we too must die to self (the Crucified Life) in order to live as a new person (the Resurrected Life.) A Crucified Life leads us to a Resurrected Life. In The Crucified Life series we looked at what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Jesus calls each of us to pick up our cross and follow Him. Picking up our cross involves dying daily to the flesh and to the old self. Yet, the death of our old self is not the final goal. It is the pathway to a new and abundant life in Christ. Death-ofself precedes Resurrection to a new, vibrant life in God! When I was a new believer in Jesus, I made weekly visits to a juvenile detention center to minister to teenagers being held for various crimes. One young man asked me many questions about the Bible, which he read for hours every day. One day he asked me a question that, as a new believer, I had never thought about: If the Bible says that the last day of the week is the Sabbath day, why do Christians worship on the first day of the week? Good question. At the time, I didn t have an answer for him. But since then, I ve studied the question, and the answer is simple: In the New Testament, the day of worship changes to the first day of the week, Sunday, because that s the day Jesus rose from the dead. In other words, every Sunday is a celebration of the Resurrection. That s why we call Sunday The Lord s Day. It is both the day of the Lord s Resurrection and the day we celebrate our new Resurrected Life in Him. In the very last chapter of the very last book of the Bible, Revelation, we read about God s vision for the future of His people and for the whole Creation, spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ: And he who was seated on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. Revelation 21:5 God s plan in Jesus is to make all things new. This is not just a vision of what will happen on the last day it is also a vision of what the Lord has already begun to do. Notice the present tense of Jesus words: I am making all things new. This making all things new began with the Resurrection of Jesus. On the day He rose from the grave and conquered death, a new creation broke forth. Just as we read in the first chapter of Genesis when God said, Let there be light, so on the Lord s Day, a new light burst forth from the tomb in Resurrection power and glory. Jesus Christ is alive! If I had the opportunity to go back and talk to that young man in the juvenile detention center, I would tell him what I discovered: Christians worship on the first day of the week because that s the day Jesus rose from the dead. And Jesus Resurrection reminds us that He not only defeated death for our future, but He wants to give us a new start and a new life right now! What better news to a person behind bars? What better assurance that no barrier can

3 8 ALL THINGS NEW 9 ever keep the power of God from rescuing us and giving us a new life today not a jail cell, not barbed wire, not the grave itself. Beloved of God, the same is true for you. God is giving you a new start and a new life in Jesus Christ. As we begin this journey into the Resurrected Life, take note that today is the first day of the week, Sunday, the celebration of Jesus Resurrection. What s more, it is Easter Sunday the one day a year we set aside as a Holy Feast day in honor of that amazing event that changed history. Today, Jesus is doing a new thing in your life. He is saying to you personally, Behold, I am making all things new for you. Are you ready for that new life? Let the adventure begin. REFLECT: Do you like new things? New adventures? Why or why not? What excites you the most about Jesus making all things new for you? What frightens you about it?

4 10 ALL THINGS NEW 11 DAY 2 EASTER MONDAY HE IS NOT HERE READ MATTHEW 28:1-10 If you ever have the opportunity to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, I encourage you to do it. One thing you will learn is that there are two possible locations where Jesus Resurrection could have taken place: the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Garden Tomb. Most historians believe that the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is constructed on the actual spot where Jesus Resurrection took place. However, the Garden Tomb is a wonderful place where a visitor to the Holy Land can experience what an outdoor rolling-stone tomb is like. When I visited the Garden Tomb, there were many groups from various churches gathered in clusters around the garden. Some were listening to devotional teaching, some were celebrating communion, and others were singing hymns and offering prayers to the Lord. There was a sense of God s Spirit in that place. After explaining the two possible sites of Jesus Resurrection, our tour guide invited us to come and enter what could very well be the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea where Jesus was laid after He was crucified. Who would like to come and see the place where Jesus body lay? the tour guide asked as he leaned against the open door. One couple raised their hands to be the first to venture inside the expansive tomb. As they stepped across the threshold, the tour guide jumped back from the wooden door, releasing the spring. The door slammed shut with a startling crash, closing the couple in the tomb! The guide s face broke into a grin like the Cheshire cat s. On the outside of the door was a sign that read, He is not here For He is risen. More than any other moment during my trip to the Holy Land, that one instant of the door slamming and the sign declaring, He is not here, ignited my heart. I had gone to the Garden Tomb seeking to encounter the presence of Jesus Christ. Only the tomb was empty. He was not there. He hadn t been there for over 2,000 years ever since an angel in white declared to the women who sought Him: He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Matthew 28:5-6 The fact of the empty tomb remains a mind-blowing, heart-stirring reality for those who truly comprehend the news. The gospel of Matthew describes the emotion of the women this way: So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples (Matthew 28:8). Fear and great joy! These two emotions do not seem to go together. Yet these are indeed the two feelings stirred by the announcement of Jesus Christ s Resurrection from the dead. Fear comes from encountering the unexpected. Whenever we face uncharted waters or new experiences, our hearts are filled with anxiety. But in this case, the women s fear was not one of dread concerning some danger or doom. It was the fear that comes with the realization that the course of reality has just changed. Everything is different! Life has taken a path that is beyond our control or comprehension.

5 12 ALL THINGS NEW 13 Great joy was the other emotion evoked by the angel s announcement. You can see something of the women s excitement in the fact that they took off running to tell the disciples that Jesus had risen. It was as if a spring-loaded door had slammed in front of them declaring, He is not here for He is risen. It not only shocked them, but also gave them a surge of joy to hope for the impossible, to believe in a new reality. It may be hard to believe that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ changes everything. But I ask you, how can it not change everything? Something as powerful as the end of death, the conquering of the grave, the bursting forth of new and unending life can such new realities not change everything as we know it, including our own lives? The very thought of Jesus power to change your life may evoke the same emotions experienced by the women at the tomb: fear and great joy. Fear because change often brings anxiety, but joy because the One who brings that change is He who loves you beyond measure. For now, you and I are left wondering how that change takes place. Resurrection Life sounds exciting, but how exactly does Jesus make all things new in our everyday, human lives? Let s continue on our journey... REFLECT: Imagine yourself as one of the first to arrive at the empty tomb, hearing the angel s announcement, He is not here, for He is risen. What feelings are stirring in your heart? What is the first thing you would do? What do you want Jesus to make new in your life today?