“Why do you look for the living among the dead?”
He is not here; He has risen!” (Luke 24:5.)
IT’S RESURRECTION SUNDAY!
HAPPY EASTER
Welcome to our fourth Covid-19 DBC Service, from a distance.
Although you will have received this email ahead of our regular Sunday time of worship, our hope is that, although we cannot be together physically, we can plan to be together in spirit on Sunday mornings at or around 11am.
We can still worship, praise and give thanks to the Lord while at home. We can still pray and sing to Him, and lift our world, and one another up to God in prayer.
Below you will find some pointers for worship and a brief Bible centred message from me to (hopefully) encourage you in the faith. So here we go…
Welcome! Thank you for joining with us in spirit. May you know God’s blessing, as together we turn our hearts towards Him in worship.
Please read John 20:1-18
Resurrection Hymn: See what a morning… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LgE_E7yaz4
Offer your own prayer of praise and thanksgiving to God.
Hymn: The power of the cross https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubGCISQQ7Zo
Song: In Christ alone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLy8ksqGf9w
A prayer of intercession for others. Please see Jill’s email.
The funeral for David Clark is on Thursday 16th April, please remember the family.
Hymn: Before the throne of God above https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MUNywhsZPU
Please read and reflect upon John 20:19-31
Message Title: BELIEVE
JESUS IS ALIVE!
Amazing. Think about what that means for you, for your future. Because Jesus died and rose again – Death has been conquered. The power of sin and death, the grave, and the devil have all been broken – vanquished. Once and for all. I have to quote from Hebrews chapter 2 here, verses 14-15: ‘Since the children (that’s you and me) have flesh and blood, He too (that’s Jesus) shared in their (our) humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.’
An Old Testament picture of the devil (Satan) is Goliath (1 Samuel 17). Do you remember that Philistine giant of a man? Death, just like Goliath, thinks it has a lot to boast about; it is after all the last enemy. In the morning and last thing at night, just like Goliath did, death screams its threats and boasts and causes those who only have hope and faith in themselves to tremble. And so they should. Yet, because of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, all who have faith in what He has accomplished for them at Easter need not fear death; why? Because death, like the giant Goliath, is well and truly defeated. Death is DEAD. Praise God!
Jesus made some pretty audacious claims. To be some of the things He claimed to be, was on occasion, you might think, pretty risky. Unless of course He was telling the truth. On one such occasion, to a grieving relative, Jesus claimed, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” He went on to say, “Do you believe this?” With the reality of that first Easter Sunday morning, as Jesus takes His first steps out of the now empty tomb, His claim, to be the resurrection and the life, is literally and bodily fulfilled. His claims are vindicated. He claimed on another occasion to be the Truth (see John 14:6); with His resurrection from the dead, Jesus proves Himself dependable. Jesus is the truth. No lie.
The fact that Jesus is alive; and death is dead; is the silent boast of the empty tomb. This is the meaning of Easter. This is the believer’s boast. This is the Good News, the Gospel. The Apostle Paul writes to the Church at Corinth these words, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: 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… (1 Corinthians 15:3-5).”
FROM FEAR TO PEACE
The last time those who loved Jesus saw Him, He was pinned to the cruel cross. That was Good Friday. Three days later, Jesus is risen! And He has made Himself known; first to Mary (vs.10-17). It’s now evening. The disciples are together behind locked doors, for fear of the Jews. Jesus was crucified at their hands; what might the Jewish authorities have done with them!? They have so many questions. So many fears, and doubts. There was so much that Jesus had said to them that they didn’t understand. Surely they didn’t expect things to pan out the way they had done. Bewildered and confused, fearful of what was yet still to be. The doors are locked – shut. And we read that Jesus simply stands among them (vs. 19). Christ, in His resurrection body, doesn’t need doors anymore! His first words to His own are words of comfort. He says, “Peace be with you!” Their behaviour in these past days had been far from exemplary. And yet Jesus has no critique in exchange for their poor human performance, just kindness. Just grace – undeserved love and favour, in return for – nothing. That’s what makes grace, grace. It’s a gift. Grace is unmerited and undeserved. Grace cannot be earned. Grace ain’t wages! Jesus – The Prince of Peace – turns their fear, and ours, to peace, which is always the result of God’s grace. Please, don’t miss the joy in these verses (vs.20, in case you missed it:-).
NEW BIRTH
The very first Easter Gift is given by Jesus to those who loved Him and longed for His appearing. Again Jesus Said, “Peace be with you!” Commissioning them, He sent them out, even as the Father had sent Him. And He breathed The Holy Spirit upon them, empowering and equipping them for the ministry that lay before them (vs.21-22). With Jesus there is always power for service in His Name and for His glory.
FOR THE BENEFIT OF ONE
Where’s Thomas!? Absent. He missed out on seeing the Lord that first evening. But his friends keenly and joyfully told the one who doubted all about Jesus and what he had missed. If seeing is believing, Thomas remained in the shadows of unbelief (vs.25). A week passes. And for the benefit of one, Jesus turns up once more. How gracious of the Lord to personally encounter Thomas. My Lord and my God! was his cry in believing (vs.28). Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
These words are written for you – for the benefit of one: you. Jesus is interested in you. This Easter Sunday morning, as you encounter Jesus in these words, He wants you to know that He died for you. Because He loves you. He took upon Himself the just punishment for your sin; and in doing so He fully satisfied the righteous and just wrath of God. Wrath that we could never bear, He bore it. Fear need not hold sway over you any more. Because Jesus is alive – you too, in believing, can live, forever. These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name (vs.31).
If you want to be blessed of God (vs.29), turn away from your sin (2 Peter 3:9), stop doubting, and – Believe!
To God be all the glory!
“Why do you look for the living among the dead?”
He is not here; He has risen!” (Luke 24:5.)
In Him,
Jeremy
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