Nine Firsts

April 08, 2012

(Easter Sunday) by John Partridge Scripture: John 20:1-18 Pastor: He is Risen! People: He is Risen Indeed! It has finally arrived! Easter Sunday. After observing forty days of reflection and meditation during the season of Lent (you did that didnt you?), we arrive at Easter, the celebration of Jesus resurrection and the gateway to springtime and new life. As winters go, this wasnt really a bad winter, but even so as we make our way to work and to other activities we cant help but notice that the hillsides that have been depressing shades of brown and grey all winter are now bursting forth into beautiful shades of red and yellow and green and as these colors explode around us our mood and our outlook seem to automatically improve. We cant help but feel a weight ease from our shoulders and a new lightness enter our hearts. That is only a hint of the power that resurrection and renewal have on the human heart. Today we rejoice together because we know that there is more joy in the springtime when we understand the real meaning of the Easter story. For those of us who have been a part of the church for a long time know the story. Perhaps we know it too well. Our challenge is to find a fresh way to see this amazing story so that it remains as new and wonderful as it always has and so that our joy will be obvious to everyone around us. This morning we will read the story together and then look to the words of Paul to see what he found to be important in the message of Easter. We being in John 20:1-18,
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1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we dont know where they have put him! So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to their homes, 11 but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
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They asked her, Woman, why are you crying?

They have taken my Lord away, she said, and I dont know where they have put him. 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
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Woman, he said, why are you crying? Who is it 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 get him. 1

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Jesus said to her, Mary.

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, Rabboni! (which means Teacher). Jesus said, Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: I have seen the Lord! And she told them that he had said these things to her. This is an amazing story. For me there is no danger of this getting old or routine. It is the greatest story ever told. But what is it that we should take home with us today? What are the key points that we should remember? In the eight years that I have preached the Easter message (and I am admittedly just a beginner compared to many pastors) I have found many things to speak about and there are many parts of the story that still stir my imagination but today let us look to the apostle Paul and see what it is that he found to be important. In 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Paul spells out nine things that he finds to be worth remembering from the Easter story
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Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of themyet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed. Paul writes to the church to remind them of the importance of the gospel. He says that it was by this gospel you are saved, and the thing that strikes me about his message is that, as important as it is, there is no mention of Christmas. For Paul, the gospel message is all about Easter. Paul says that these things are of first importance, and he lists what I count to be nine things. What are the nine things that we should take away from todays Easter message? 1) Christ died for our sins If we remember nothing else we should remember that Jesus was the ultimate innocent man. He committed no crime against men and he committed no sin against God or men. Jesus died not for the punishment of what he did wrong but for the punishment of what we have done wrong. 2) He was buried I believe this is important to Paul in order to emphasize that Jesus was really and truly dead. You dont bury living people. The Romans were efficient killers and they knew dead. They shoved a spear through Jesus ribcage and into his heart to make certain that he was really and truly dead. If there was possibly any further doubt, after the cross and after the spear, then he lay in a tomb for three days and only then did Jesus return to life. 3) Jesus was raised to life on the third day After three days in the tomb, Jesus did return to life. This is pivotal to our story. If Jesus had not returned to life, his ministry and his death would have no more impact on us than any other great teacher or philosopher. It is the resurrection of Jesus that separates him from Buddha, Confucius, 2
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Mohammed, Lao-Tzu, Socrates, Plato and a host of other moral teachers. Without the resurrection Christianity has nothing to offer but a few suggestions on how to be good people, but if Jesus was really raised to life on the third day, then everything changes. Because Jesus was raised from the dead, because Jesus lives, our faith has the authority to change lives. 4) Jesus appeared to Peter I am not certain why Paul lists this as fundamentally important but I have a few good ideas. First, Paul and Peter did not always see eye to eye and their ministries went in very different directions but even so, Paul recognizes the authority of Peter and the preference that Jesus had for him. Second, Peter was the guy who denied Jesus three times and Peter was the guy who was so brokenhearted that he initially refuses to meet with the disciples after the death of Jesus. In Mark 16:6, Jesus specifically sent the women at the tomb to tell Peter that he had risen from the grave and would meet them in Galilee. When we remember Peter, we remember that no matter how badly we mess up, Jesus still stands ready to forgive. Paul knew that any story of the resurrection needed to remember the importance of Peter. 5) Jesus appeared the twelve As important as Peter is to the story, Peter wasnt the only one. Jesus appeared to all of his disciples. 6) Jesus appeared to more than five hundred other people Jesus appeared not just to Peter and not just to the twelve, but to more than five hundred other people, many of who were still living when Paul wrote his letter. Paul is saying that, as amazing as this story seems to be, it cannot be faked. One person, Peter, or twelve people, the disciples, did not make this up. Jesus appeared to so many people that there was no way they could all keep up a lie. Paul effectively challenges anyone who disbelieves, to go and talk to a witness who saw Jesus alive and well long after his death on the cross. 7) Jesus appeared to James Again, Im not sure why Paul felt the need to spell this out, but perhaps since James was Jesus brother, he is deserving of a special mention. 8) Jesus appeared to all the apostles This is not a repeat of Jesus appearing to the twelve. When Paul says that Jesus appeared to all the apostles, I believe that he means all of the followers of Jesus. When Jesus sent his followers out to preach he sent seventy men out to preach and when the followers of Christ were praying at Pentecost, there were also a great many, there were both men and women, some say as many as 120 and others say perhaps 300 but either way, it was a much larger group than just the twelve. 9) Last of all he appeared to me Paul remembers that Jesus also appeared to him because it was the appearance of Jesus that brought Paul to serve Jesus and to stop persecuting the followers of Jesus. It was because of Jesus appearance that Paul had the authority to call himself an apostle and to have the ministry that he had to the Gentiles. Those are the nine things that Paul considers to be of first importance, the things that we should remember when we remember the Easter story but whether we like it or not, we are a sound bite culture and nine is probably too many for most of us to remember, so what should we take away from Pauls words? For Paul it isnt about Christmas. As important as Christmas is, the gospel message is all about Easter. Jesus died as punishment for what we did wrong. The story of Easter really happened. Jesus really died, honest and truly dead and buried, and in three days he still rose to life again and so many people saw him alive that it was impossible to say that the disciples or anybody else made it up. 3

Jesus forgave Peter. Peter swore that he didnt know Jesus, his teacher and one of his very best friends, he swore he had never met him, not once but three times. Jesus forgave him. Paul tried to torture and kill everyone that had anything to do with Jesus. He was wrong. Jesus forgave him too. But thats still five things, so lets try to simplify it one more time. The story of Easter is really, genuinely, undeniably, eyewitness true. You and I, and everyone else, have made mistakes that demand Gods punishment but Jesus loved us so much that he was willing to die so that we could be forgiven. Paul says, By this gospel you are saved, and that is worth celebrating. Pastor: He is risen! People: He is Risen Indeed!

You have been reading a message presented at Barnesville First United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page. Rev. John Partridge is the pastor of Barnesville First. Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you. Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Barnesville First UMC at 123 W. Church St., Barnesville, OH 43713. These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership. You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at subscribe@barnesvillefirst.com. If you have questions, you can ask them in our discussion forum on Facebook (search for Pastor John Online). These messages can also be found online at http://www.scribd.com/Pastor John Partridge. All Scripture references are from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.