Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] O Father of glory, we gather today in wonder and worship of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[00:00:14] We are in wonder because of what he suffered on Good Friday.
[00:00:21] We are in worship because of what he did on Sunday morning when he rose from the dead.
[00:00:28] I pray this morning that as you raised Christ from the dead, you will raise up the life of Christ in each one of us. And we would be better followers of Jesus Christ in the coming year.
[00:00:42] In Christ's name, Amen.
[00:00:50] They sat in the upper room with the door locked.
[00:00:55] They were perplexed by shock.
[00:01:01] They couldn't really come to terms with what had happened.
[00:01:07] They were immobilized with disappointment.
[00:01:12] They had really believed that Jesus was the Christ.
[00:01:17] And they were confused with anxiety.
[00:01:22] If they could do that to Christ, what could they do to the rest of us?
[00:01:32] At least five times in the Gospels, Jesus had informed his disciples that he would be betrayed by a friend, that he would be rejected by the religious leaders, that he would be given over to the Romans who would mock him, flog him and crucify him.
[00:01:57] And at least five times he promised them that he would raise from the dead.
[00:02:06] But the trauma of Thursday night and Friday was so overwhelming that the disciples had forgotten it all.
[00:02:17] Their friend Judas, the man they trusted to carry their money, had actually betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
[00:02:33] The shouting mob filled the street and irrationally demanded violence. When they screamed at the top of their lungs, crucify him. Crucify him.
[00:02:49] The priests and Pharisees ignored the law and perverted justice.
[00:03:00] The Roman soldiers did what Roman soldiers did best.
[00:03:06] They brutally flogged Christ and heartlessly crucified him.
[00:03:15] Joseph and Nicodemus agreed to take Christ's body down from the cross.
[00:03:24] They wrapped him in linen and placed his lifeless body in a borrowed tomb.
[00:03:36] And Saturday seemed endless.
[00:03:41] The hours ticked by slowly.
[00:03:46] On Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene and several of her friends went to the garden tomb. They wanted to add more aromatics to the body of Christ.
[00:03:58] They had no expectation of that he would rise.
[00:04:03] Everyone believed it was all over.
[00:04:07] And even when they found the tomb empty, they didn't remember Christ's teachings. But they supposed that someone had stolen Christ's body and taken it somewhere else.
[00:04:25] John remembered that day. And when he wrote his gospel, this is what he said.
[00:04:32] Now, on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.
[00:04:45] So she ran to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, the one that Jesus loved, and said to them, they have taken the Lord, out of the tomb. And we do not know where they have laid him.
[00:05:01] So Peter and the other disciple, they were going toward the tomb.
[00:05:08] Both of them were running together.
[00:05:11] But the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
[00:05:16] And stooping, he looked in and saw the linen clothes lying.
[00:05:21] But he did not go in.
[00:05:24] Then Simon Peter, following him, went into the tomb and saw the linen clothes lying there. And the face cloth which had been on Jesus head was not lying with the linen clothes, but folded in a place by itself.
[00:05:43] Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first, also went in and he saw and believed, for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must be raised from the dead.
[00:06:01] Then the disciples went back to their homes.
[00:06:07] The first Easter morning was shocking.
[00:06:12] It was as confusing to the apostles as. As the crucifixion.
[00:06:18] But if you continue to read. Jesus spent 40 days with the disciples after the resurrection. He met them in the upper room and showed him his wounded hands and feet. He said to his friend Philip, if you can't believe, then thrust your hand in my side where the spear was.
[00:06:44] He met the 12.
[00:06:47] He met the 11 for breakfast beside the Sea of Galilee. And he asked Peter three times, do you love me?
[00:06:59] But this was temporary.
[00:07:01] Things had to change.
[00:07:04] And after those 40 days where Christ proved himself alive, he finally moved on to the next phase of his God given ministry.
[00:07:16] Luke tells us what happened.
[00:07:20] So when the disciples had come together, they asked him, lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom of Israel?
[00:07:29] He said to them, it is not for you to know the times or the seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.
[00:07:37] But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up and a cloud took him out of their sight.
[00:08:01] And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold two men stood beside them in white robes and said, men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing into heaven? This Jesus who was taken from you into heaven will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.
[00:08:26] So where did he go when his work on earth was done?
[00:08:32] Where did he go and what did he do?
[00:08:39] And what is Christ doing this Easter Sunday?
[00:08:44] Is it fair for people of faith? Is it fair for Christians to ask, while we gather together today in this house of worship, where is Christ and what is he doing?
[00:08:59] The Apostle Paul told us in Ephesians Chapter One.
[00:09:03] He said God raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come.
[00:09:23] And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
[00:09:37] When Christ rose up out of the sight of his apostles, he ascended into heaven and he sat down on a throne that the apostle John tells us looks like a great emerald throne. And he sat next to the majesty of God. And he sat there in glory, and he has ruled ever since.
[00:10:05] Christ sits today in majesty, in glory, in wonder.
[00:10:11] He is worshiped by my rads of angels, and he is honored by all the saints who have come before.
[00:10:20] But he's not idle.
[00:10:22] He's not lounging on the throne. He is sovereignly ruling from the throne.
[00:10:30] Today, Jesus Christ himself rules with sovereign authority. He is far above every other ruler, every other authority, every other power and every other dominion. His name is greater than any name that has ever been named in the past, now, and into the future.
[00:10:54] And because he is ruling sovereignly, he is bringing all things into submission to himself.
[00:11:04] Paul said that right now Christ is about the work of putting all things under his feet.
[00:11:13] That is an Oriental image of when a ruler conquered his enemy, he often made the enemy lie down before him, and he put his foot on the enemy's throat to show that the enemy was helpless against him.
[00:11:30] Our Lord Jesus Christ is about the work of submitting all things everywhere to himself.
[00:11:40] Yes, it is true that Judas betrayed Jesus Christ for 30 simple pieces of silver on that terrible Thursday night.
[00:11:53] But today, that very same Judas is in full submission to Jesus Christ.
[00:12:00] Yes, it is true that the Pharisees hated Christ and conspired to murder him.
[00:12:07] But today, those Pharisees are in full submission to Jesus Christ.
[00:12:14] Yes, the chief priests arrogantly mocked Christ and they incited the mob against him. But those very same chief priests are in full submission to Jesus Christ today.
[00:12:27] Those Roman soldiers who weaved a crown of thorns and jammed it on Christ's brow, those who mocked him and flogged him, today they are in full submission to Jesus Christ.
[00:12:43] Pilate, who said, I find no fault in him, but crucified him anyway.
[00:12:50] Pilate, who washed his hands and said, I am innocent of this man's blood.
[00:12:56] That very same Pilate is in full submission to Jesus Christ today.
[00:13:02] Those who stood around and mocked when Jesus Christ was crucified when the skies darkened and the earth quaked. And Christ cried out, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? They are all in full submission to Jesus Christ today.
[00:13:21] The chosen twelve who vacillated fled in panic and denied that they knew Christ.
[00:13:28] They are in full submission to Jesus Christ today.
[00:13:33] As these are all in full submission to Christ, so Christ is about the work of bringing everything from all times into submission to Himself. Today.
[00:13:46] I know you see a world around you, it seems chaotic.
[00:13:52] You see a world around you, it seems wicked and out of control.
[00:13:58] You see things happen and you ask yourself, why do things have to be like this?
[00:14:04] I'm telling you, the very same Christ who brought everything under submission to himself in the past will bring everything in this generation submission to Him. The Apostle Paul promised us that God has highly exalted Christ and bestowed on him a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
[00:14:41] What is Christ doing in our generation? He's doing what he has been doing for 2000 years. He's meeting humanity.
[00:14:52] He's meeting us where we are.
[00:14:55] He's finding us in our brokenness.
[00:14:59] He's whispering to our rebellious hearts.
[00:15:03] He's saying, because of what I did on Good Friday, I have a promise I can make to you.
[00:15:13] I have a hope that I can share with you. I. I have forgiveness of sins and perfection of soul that I'm willing to offer you.
[00:15:24] Christ's first plan in bringing us into submission is not to coerce us. Christ's first plan in bringing us to submission is to love us into trusting him with all our hearts.
[00:15:43] Christ's first plan for you is to bring you into the submission that only love can create.
[00:15:53] When we really love somebody, when they are very precious to us, it's easy for us to surrender ourselves to them.
[00:16:03] And Christ is at work today through His Holy Spirit, whispering to the human soul and saying, I have something so much better for you.
[00:16:14] My love is what your soul needs.
[00:16:18] My forgiveness is free.
[00:16:21] My kindness is available to you. My grace is sufficient.
[00:16:27] I wonder, have you ever really submitted yourself to Jesus Christ?
[00:16:38] I'm not, not saying. Have you lived a religious life?
[00:16:43] I'm not saying you try to be the best person you can. I'm saying in your inner person, in the inner self that is really you, the psyche that makes you you in that inner place. Has there ever been a Moment in your life where you said to Jesus Christ, I submit myself to you.
[00:17:09] Have you ever whispered to him, I surrender.
[00:17:15] I surrender all, all to you, my precious Savior. I surrender all.
[00:17:25] See, Easter is when Christ began His work, the work of the Resurrected Lord to bring us to a place where it would be easy for us to trust him and simply submit ourselves to him and accept him as our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
[00:17:47] But for those who will not submit, for those who insist on denying him his right to be Lord of all, for those who made up their own mind that they can do just fine without Christ, there is another submission.
[00:18:10] It is the submission that Christ will call from every soul on that great day.
[00:18:19] Whether you resist or not, your knee will bow and your tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. The glory of God demands it.
[00:18:32] Resisting is a self deception.
[00:18:36] Resisting is a foolish act. Submitting to the Resurrected Christ is the wisest thing that you will ever do. Yielding yourself to Christ without reservation, opening your soul to him and receiving the grace that only he can give.
[00:18:57] He's doing another thing.
[00:19:00] He's serving as the head of the church.
[00:19:03] What is Christ doing today?
[00:19:06] He is the head of every church, everywhere in the world.
[00:19:12] Today, where churches gather all around the earth, we acknowledge one head, we acknowledge one Lord, and He is the Lord Jesus Christ.
[00:19:24] This Easter, Christ leads His church.
[00:19:29] When you love Christ, you have to love his church. Because Paul said Christ sees the church as his body.
[00:19:40] How foolish it would be to. For me to say to my wife, I love your head, but your body I'm really not comfortable with.
[00:19:51] Where would that get me?
[00:19:55] But church? I hear it all the time.
[00:19:59] I hear people say, I love Christ, but I can't stand the church that's saying, I love your head, but I can't stand your body.
[00:20:10] I hear people say kind things about Christ and vicious and ugly things about the church.
[00:20:19] When you love Christ, you must love the church because Christ Himself loved the church and gave Himself for it.
[00:20:30] Christ is not the head of some things in some churches. He is the head of all things in all churches.
[00:20:40] So you might say to me, doc, I used to go to church, but these people did some ugly things and. And I just quit going church.
[00:20:52] I want to tell you that if you were disappointed at church, how much more do you think our Lord and Savior has been disappointed at church?
[00:21:03] You think you've been heard at church. You haven't been hurt a fraction of how Christ has been heard at church.
[00:21:10] You haven't heard a fraction of what he's heard. You haven't felt a fraction of what he has felt. And Christ said, in spite of the church not getting it right, it's still my church and I'm still at work in it. And I still love it. And I'm still give it my very best Church.
[00:21:32] He's not the head of some churches.
[00:21:36] We have messed up Christianity and we've broken ourselves into this group. And that group we call ourselves by a multitude of names. And we begin to act like if the name on your church is different than the name on my church, then somehow or another you don't really belong to God. Because everybody who really belongs to God only has the name on their church. That I have the name on my church, it's foolishness. Church. He is not the God of some churches, the ones that have the right names on them. He's not the head of some churches, the ones that have the tradition I like the best.
[00:22:22] He is the head of all churches.
[00:22:27] Every church that names the name of Jesus Christ is a church that is under the leadership and the. And. And the headship of Jesus Christ.
[00:22:39] Are some churches getting it better than others? Yes. But that's not a grounds for criticism. That's a grounds for pride, prayer and encouragement.
[00:22:57] Perhaps this Easter would be a good time for you to change your mind about the church.
[00:23:09] We normally don't have this many people at church on Sunday.
[00:23:14] Easter is a beautiful day to come to church.
[00:23:17] But maybe this Easter you could reconsider what it means to be in submission to Christ.
[00:23:27] And this Easter you could make a commitment to become a serving member of the church instead of a critic.
[00:23:36] You know what I find my the better people serve the church, the less they criticize.
[00:23:42] You know what else I find? The less people serve the church, the more they criticize.
[00:23:50] It's easy to criticize when you're not doing anything. It's harder to criticize when you're giving Christ your very best.
[00:23:58] Could this be. Could this Easter be a moment where you say, I'm changing my opinion about church. I'm bringing my opinion about church into line with Christ's opinion about church.
[00:24:13] I'm submitting my opinion to Christ's opinion. And if Christ loved the church with all its flaws, I'm going to love the church also.
[00:24:25] Perhaps this Sunday something in your heart would say, I'm going to join Christ in his cause. I'm going to stop being a bystander.
[00:24:38] There are a lot of good Christians who love Christ and don't criticize the church, but they're bystanders.
[00:24:47] They go and watch the game played, but they never suit up and take the field themselves.
[00:24:56] Might this be a good Sunday for you to rethink and say, instead of standing by and watching, I'm joining Christ's team and this year I'm going to participate with him in making a real difference in the world.
[00:25:18] Christ is doing a third thing, and this one is the most interesting.
[00:25:24] Paul said he's about the business of filling the all in all.
[00:25:34] He is the fullness who fills all in all.
[00:25:41] It's an unusual phrase and we need to think about it. Why would Paul say that Christ is about the work of. Of filling the all in all?
[00:25:54] Do you remember Palm Sunday?
[00:25:59] Jesus borrowed a donkey and they put a blanket on it and they spread palm branches and cloaks and Jesus rode through the streets of Jerusalem.
[00:26:13] He limited himself that day.
[00:26:16] That day his majesty, his glory and his wonder was not seen.
[00:26:23] People saw a man from Galilee that there were a lot of stories about riding a donkey.
[00:26:35] He limited himself.
[00:26:38] I want you to know the Christ who rode that donkey that day and. And limited himself today. He fills the all in all.
[00:26:47] When Christ stood before the high priest and the chief priest commanded Christ to be struck in the face by a soldier, he limited himself that day.
[00:27:01] He did not have to take that blow. He didn't have to take that insult. He did not have to suffer that indignity. But he limited himself.
[00:27:11] The Christ who limited himself and took the strike to the face is the very same Christ who today is filling the all in all.
[00:27:22] The Christ who stood before the crowd when they chose Barabbas, a murderer and a terrorist, and cried for Christ to be crucified.
[00:27:34] He limited himself. He accepted it. He didn't say one angry word.
[00:27:42] He didn't say to anyone, you're going to regret this. He limited himself. He accepted the ugliness. But that very same Christ who limited himself that day is unlimited today. And he fills the all in all.
[00:27:59] The Christ who hung on the cross and felt the helplessness of not being able to care for his own mother.
[00:28:08] And so he said to his friend John, take care of Mary, my mother. He limited himself.
[00:28:17] He limited himself.
[00:28:19] He endured the cross despising the shame he suffered, the indignity of watching his mother weeping streams and streams of tears.
[00:28:31] But that very same Christ who limited himself that day, he is unlimited today. And he fills the all in all.
[00:28:41] When Christ's crucified body lay in a coal stone tomb awaiting the resurrection day, he limited himself.
[00:28:50] But today he fills the all in all.
[00:28:55] When Christ Rose from the dead that first Easter morning. The limitations were all off since that day. He fills the all in all. What does this mean in heaven?
[00:29:10] Right today, in heaven where many of my friends who have attended this church for years are worshiping in the presence of God. The presence of Christ fills the all in all of heaven.
[00:29:26] If you are in heaven, you are overwhelmed by the presence, the sense, the majesty and the beauty of Jesus Christ. The wonder of Jesus Christ fills heaven in a way that everything else seems insignificant.
[00:29:44] But it isn't just heaven that he fills the all in all. The psalmist tells us that the whole earth is full of his glory if you have a soul that is receptive to the Holy Spirit, if you have an inner self that has an awareness of God. Anywhere you go in the world, you can sense the presence of our resurrected Lord. He fills the all in all.
[00:30:15] Travel to the Far east and see the wonders of Egypt.
[00:30:20] He fills the all in all.
[00:30:24] Go south and wander on the ice sheets of the Antarctic. He fills the all in all.
[00:30:32] Walk the sunny beaches of Hawaii. He fills the all in all.
[00:30:38] Climb the steepest mountains of the Himalayas. He fills the all in all. Plunge the deepest ocean depths and see what no man has seen before and he fills the all in all. There is nowhere on earth you can go and not experience the presence of the living Christ because He fills the all in all.
[00:31:06] St. Augustine said, he is the truth presiding over all things.
[00:31:13] In all reality there is a profound truth. And in all of that reality, Christ is present.
[00:31:23] He fills the all in all of reality.
[00:31:29] So perhaps if you think about this Christ in this way, you'll permit me to ask you, who is Christ to you today, to you personally, who is Christ?
[00:31:49] How much of your life does he have access to?
[00:31:54] Could you say that Christ fills my life?
[00:32:01] Could you say that tomorrow when you engage in your busy schedule, that there'll be something of the reality of Christ that goes with you in everything you do, that influences you in every decision you make, that guide you to be better than you would have been without Him. Does Christ fill your all in all?
[00:32:30] Or would you have to admit that you've cluttered your life?
[00:32:35] You've cluttered your soul?
[00:32:38] You've left very little space for this awesome Christ who loved us and gave Himself for us, ascended into heaven and rules over all things.
[00:32:52] But in our hearts we've made narrow space for this Almighty One.
[00:33:00] Perhaps you ought to open your heart to Christ in a new way today.
[00:33:06] Perhaps you ought to whisper a prayer to him and say, O Lord, Jesus Christ, help me to make more room for you in my heart, in my thoughts and in my life.
[00:33:22] Would you ask yourself, does Christ mean more to me than all that I am and all that I have?
[00:33:33] Does Christ mean more to you than you mean to yourself?
[00:33:39] Self love is an ugly thing.
[00:33:42] I don't care how many self help books you've read, self love is an ugly thing. Self affirmation is a good thing. But to love yourself more than you love anything else, it's an ugly, ugly state for the soul. The soul was never created to satisfy itself by loving itself. The soul was created to be satisfied by loving others and being loved by others.
[00:34:13] Does Christ, does the love of Christ mean more to you than your love of self?
[00:34:20] When you look around at the things that you have accumulated, when you look around at the house you live in, the furniture you set on, the utilities, the appliances, the things that fill your home, brother, when you look in your garage and you see your toys, ah.
[00:34:41] Does Christ mean more to you than all that stuff?
[00:34:47] Or does that stuff, little by little, push the place of Christ out of your heart?
[00:34:57] Jesus warned us, where a person's treasures are, there will their heart be also.
[00:35:04] If we love and treasure Christ, we make room for him in our heart.
[00:35:13] On this Easter morning, will you stop limiting Christ and acknowledge him as your all in all?
[00:35:22] Will you stop saying to Christ, you can have this much of my life here, Christ, I'll come to church every Christmas and Easter. You can have that much of my life.
[00:35:35] Well, how about expanding that a little bit?
[00:35:38] How about saying to Christ, I believe you're worthy of more and I'm going to stop limiting you in my life and I'm going to seek you more often, I'm going to turn to you more often, I'm going to rely on you more often, I'm going to serve you more often.
[00:36:00] How are you limiting Christ?
[00:36:03] Is it possible that you limit him in your prayer life?
[00:36:08] How often do you quiet your soul and speak to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory?
[00:36:18] Or have you restricted and limited your conversation? You pray mostly when you're in trouble and when you're in need. And the rest of the time you kind of take care of it yourself?
[00:36:29] I wonder if you'll stop limiting Christ and expand your prayer life.
[00:36:35] How often do you turn off the TV and the radio? How often do you take that beautiful book that Jesus Christ left us, the Gospels, and open it up and say, I would like to learn something new and fresh about Jesus Christ today and read the Gospels and meditate on who Christ is and stop limiting him in your thinking.
[00:37:04] He is the One who fills all in all and he will fill your all in all. But you have to have a new openness to Him.
[00:37:14] Christ rose from the dead not to stop working. He rose from the dead so that he could work in every single one of us every single day of our lives. As the Head of the Church and the One who fills the all in all, our dear Heavenly Father, I do call upon your name.
[00:37:37] I do give thanks to you for Jesus Christ, who He is and what he's done.
[00:37:43] I thank you that he didn't quit working when he rose from the dead and ascended to heaven.
[00:37:49] I thank you that he ever lives to be at work in us, preparing us to abide with him forever. I pray for myself and everyone who is here and all who are watching online.
[00:38:04] I pray that your spirit would call us in a compelling way.
[00:38:10] I pray that we would make more room for you in our lives.
[00:38:14] And I pray that the very same life that was raised up in Jesus Christ would be raised up in us and we would live as the people of God. Amen.
