Don't Miss Moments - Week 7 - The CORE - Pastor Mike Novotny
Don't Miss Moments
Week 7 - The CORE
Pastor Mike Novotny
Well, good morning. Everyone. Happy Easter to you.
Let's do Pastor Michael, saying one more time. Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. I'm super excited to be with you today. My name is Mike. I'm one of the two campus pastors here. If you're a first-time guest, if you're watching at home online, so great to have you here. If you are a longtime member of our church. This is a sport coat. I did leave the tags on and it will be returned at noon. So yeah, it’s great to have you here for the last week of our series called, “Don't Miss Moments. So, I was thinking the other day and I decided I kind of feel bad for Easter.
They say that Christmas and Easter are the two, don't miss moments of the Christian faith. Like, Jesus was born for us. Then after dying Jesus rose from the grave for us, But I was thinking, if you compare the kind of hype and the kind of attention and the kind of focus that we put on Christmas and then on Easter.
Don't you feel kind of bad for Easter?
I mean, I don't know anyone who's surprised when Christmas Day arrives. They've seen it coming. We've been playing the music, kids have their paper chains, their little list, the songs on the radio like you you literally cannot miss Christmas, but in our culture, It's always possible to miss Easter, isn't it? When's the last time at your job? You had like a blowout. “We're stopping work at noon to have a huge Easter party” ever happen. Any of you ever buy, an ugly Easter sweater to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, never happened. You ever get in a fight with one of your closest friends about whether or not you can play Easter music before or after St. Patrick's Day.
Right now, that’s what happens with Christmas and you know, not everyone worships Jesus on Christmas with everyone knows that Christmas is coming but Easter. I mean you're here so you can totally miss it. But I wonder if like many people Easter snuck up on you. Sure, I think the other day. What why is it that so many people Miss Easter? We don't have gift list and they're not counting down paper chains. Like why is it that in our culture? Whether you're a follower of Jesus are not that Easter can be so missable.
A lot of answers to that question, but I can't put two if you're taking notes in your program. Here's the first one. I think that some of us maybe some of you here today miss Easter because No offense, but Easter seems crazy.
I'm trying to diss the Bible or the traditions of the church, or my personal beliefs, but when you actually stop, like imagine, if you had never heard this before and you came in today, and I said, hey, there's this guy named Jesus, who lived about 2,000 years ago, and he died.
And then he stopped being dead.
And some of you would say, question, you're saying like his memory like rose and it lives in your hearts. Nope, not saying that. You're saying his teachings live on forever, because he was so powerful and what he taught. No, not saying that I'm saying my Jesus had no brain waves, no heart beats and no pulse for 36 hours. And then he did.
And somebody would say, Oh, that we don't say that out loud in church, but I wonder if you're one of our guests here today, you know, your girlfriend might have zero doubts about that and your parents are super in the church. But if you're a person who's really into like, rational reasons, good logic, solid evidence, I would not blame you for saying, you know, that there's a lot of religions. There's a lot of beliefs in the world. There's a lot of claims of miracles like out.
Until there's some good reason for this not to seem kind of out there and crazy. I'm know if I can like submit and surrender my entire self to it. It's not that you missed the date on the calendar. It's just hard to kind of believe the message. It makes me think of that classic film Nacho Libre. Have you seen him? I love that movie so much. So Nacho, is this really devout Christian who wants to be a Mexican wrestler and his really skinny wrestling partner, Esqueleto, I think his name is, he's not into religion at all and not, she was very concerned for Esqueleto those salvation and in one classic scene. He says to him, I've been practicing this, “Why have you not been baptized, Esqueleto? Says, you know, I believe in science. Sorry was funny romantic. It's like yeah, why are you not in to baptism? Are you not in to Jesus? Why don't you believe in the Savior that I believe in and his answer is funny, but it's kind of honest.
I just don't believe things blindly. I believe in logic, I believe in reason I believe in science and I wonder if that some of you here today, your coworker invited you. And so you came, your parents wanted you to be here. So to make them happy, you came, but until there's are really good like evidential reason to believe this. You're not going to believe it. What do miss Easter because it seems kind of crazy. Or Reason number two because not you figure like me. You don't think it's crazy. You are Christian. You do believe that Jesus died and Rose that he is the one and only son of God, but sometimes, Easter can sneak up on us. And here's I think the reason why because life is busy.
The other day is it just me? But springtime has just become this. Super, super, super busy season of my year doesn't happen you to like, maybe it's because we've been cooped up for like 4 months in Wisconsin or 6 months. I was thinking this morning if was this cold on Easter morning, Jesus would have stayed in the tomb for a couple of extra hours. Like when it finally gets warm. It's like business kicks in because what we got, we got spring cleaning. We gotta catch up on the delayed and postponed games of spring sports. You're getting the patio furniture. Oh, you're raking, the lawn like there's all this stuff to do and then and then met hits the sheer madness of May and there's confirmations and those graduations and there's always those kids who don't want to do their party on the weekend of the graduation, something got to travel down, in Milwaukee for that weekend to and then there's Mother's Day and if you miss Mother's Day. You're dead. All right. God will just open up the Earth. She literally, I'm actually speaking to a young man in church right now, like, didn’t she push you out of her body? It's like kid. Don't get her a coupon book like you did when you were seven, get your mother, an actual gift, right? So this holidays, graduations, confirmations Mother's Day, spring, cleaning spring sports. There's NBA playoffs. Here's the first pitch. There's March Madness, and it's like so busy that Easter weekend gets here. And you think, oh, wow, it's Easter.
And it's not that you don't believe it. It's not that you think it's crazy or that it's nonsense. It's just what you haven't prepared your heart for it. And no judgment here, but I wonder how many of you showed up for church today and like how much thoughts and preparation and study and meditation. Have you put into the bigness of this day? Or did it just like sneak up on you? So I'm not sure where you're at personally, if Easter seems crazy.
If life seems busy, but here's the big thing. I'm going to share in today's message. The Bible. Refuses to miss Easter.
If you open this book. The Bible. Will not let you miss this. Don't miss moment. And actually have the data to prove it, grab your pen. I copied and pasted the big chunks about the birth of Jesus in the Bible from the Gospel of Luke and the gospel of Matthew. And I found out that they total up to six hundred and thirty three words in case. You're curious.
But I did the same thing with Easter. Which is recorded in the Gospel of Luke and the gospel of Matthew and the gospel of Mark and the Gospel of John and then a huge chapter in 1st Corinthians 15, and I found out that in the Bible Easter is not 633 words, Easter totals up to 3575 words. Other words, the word of God is saying, oh, you think Christmas is a big deal. Let me tell you about Easter. You think there is good news in the manger in Bethlehem? Let me take you to an empty tomb in Jerusalem. You think that's a reason to write a song and to celebrate to turn on the radio and to sing for a whole month because of the birth of Christ. Let me give you five to six times as many words so you don't miss out on the momentous moment. That is Easter. So, last night, I had the privilege of reading all 3575 words about Easter and here's a super fascinating thing. Did you know that within those words?
God specifically speaks to those of you who kind of think this is crazy.
And it speaks to all the rest of us, have just gotten a bit too busy.
No matter where you're at. If you're not a follower of Jesus yet or you are in this day kind of snuck up on you. The Bible today is going to convince your heart. I'm convinced to that, but you should never again for the rest of your life. Amidst, the power, the Beauty, and the glory of Easter. I wish I had time if you don't have brunch plans to read all 3535 words. I don't. So I'm going to focus in on just 12 verses from the Gospel of Luke because within those twelve little verses in Luke chapter 24. God's going to say something to those of you who think this is crazy. And then God sent to speak to those of us who end up a bit too busy. So if you have a Bible with you, or just want to follow in the screen, I'm in Luke 24.
Let me read the whole chunk of scripture for you. It says this. “On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words.
When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.”
They did not believe the women because their words seemed to them like a nonsense.
Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb bending over. He saw the strips of linen Lying by themselves and he went away wondering to himself. What happened?
So let me start with those of you who aren't totally convinced of the Easter story. Did you notice in Luke's words? I find this personally fascinating that the very first believers.
Like the dudes we named churches after like st. Peter's st. Paul's in St. John's those guys. Thought it was crazy, too.
Remember verse 11 here, the women come excited, like it happens. Jesus alive. Just like he said, and Luke says, the apostles did not believe the women because their words seemed to them. Like nonsense. I'm learning Spanish. I was with my Spanish Bible last night. The word nonsense is don't area, which means something dumb.
He's alive, Mary Magdalene said, and Jesus her Peter. On the other hand said. Well, that's dumb. I can't picture him a man's splaining. Things to the ladies, you know, that phrase, when a man speaks condescendingly to a woman. I just picture Peter going. Like, whoa, whoa. Whoa, ladies, well, You're being a bit emotional. I get it. I miss him too. But let's just take a deep breath. Risen, really?
I don't love Peters dismissal of these women and the truth that they shared, but I actually kind of love that. This is in the Bible.
I mean, this wasn't like, oh, yes, of course, this was so shocking. It was so like not the these weren't people who saw a resurrection every single Sunday. So so supernatural and miraculously. They didn't believe it. They thought it was crazy. It took them for you, read the resurrection accounts and Jesus had to appear multiple times for them to actually believe this happened.
But I love Peter does. Verse 12. Like, Peter doesn't believe it but there's something. There's something about it. That just isn't fitting in his logical brain. And so Luke records. Peter. However, got up and he ran to the tomb. It was nonsense. It just seems stupid and crazy to him. But there was this little Pebble in his sandal. This little bit of logic. I didn't quite fit in his head. Alright, if this was just Mary Magdalene just, you know, one hysterical woman who maybe was dreaming imagining hallucinating about things. That's one thing.
But did you notice all the witnesses that Luke named is Mary and Johanna and the other Mary, and the other women plural, or with him, can five separate people all like hallucinate the same thing at the same time.
And these are the exact same women if you read the Bible who are at the tomb where Jesus was buried, so it wasn't like they got the address wrong and just found some random empty tomb. You know, they're all these things about the story that just didn't fit. So even though Peter didn't entirely believe it just yet. He had enough. Humility. And enough curiosity that he did this. He got up and he personally ran to the tomb.
You're not a follower of Jesus. I'm hoping and praying that you pull a Peter.
That maybe seems unscientific. Maybe it seems a logical. Maybe it feels to you like this. Just some story that people make up is a lot of religions. A lot of beliefs, a lot of Miracles and holy books, but there's something about this. But if you look at it closely, it doesn't quite fit the narrative. There's many people who aren't Christians who think, well, the Bible, you know, there was this guy named Jesus and he said, a bunch of stuff, but then the years went by and like the story got bigger until he became the Son of God and they added all these Miracles and they wrote the stories and they get rich and popular and famous. That's what people think.
But that doesn't quite fit, this does it? I mean, Luke wrote these accounts in the very century when it happened. We're talking maybe 30 years after the death, and resurrection of Jesus. There were eyewitnesses still living. So, how do you, how do you explain that?
I was writing all this kind of, you know, collaborating with Peter and James and John just so they could get rich and famous that, the question is. Why do they look so dumb all the time? If I'm writing a book to get you to follow me? Am I going to put it like my biggest flaws? Where I'm totally clueless and don't get it. Like if this was a man-made sorry, why is it in there? And how about this did, you know, in the first century? Jewish men were so sexist that they didn't think a woman was qualified to testify in a court of law that they dismiss. The evidence is nonsense.
So in that culture, if Luke is making up the story, why in the world, would he make the prime Witnesses of the most important day of the story? Women.
Not a smart move for a doctor. And if you don't have logical answers to those questions, can I just encourage you when you have enough curiosity and enough humility? To pull up heater and check it out for yourself. Never research these reasons why thinking educated intellectual people who get the arguments are still convinced that this actually happened. What it wasn't normal Supernatural. It was a miracle, but it actually historically in history happened. Would you be willing to investigate?
If so, I'll help you grab one of these on the way out. Pastor Michael mention, this little book, which is going to give you the basics on why we have faith in Jesus, who connects us to God. But inside, I put together this little sheet and essentially what it is, or what I think are the top eight logical reasonable reasons to believe that Easter happened.
Like the Old Testament predicted it, the non Jewish culture scorned. It. The Jewish culture was surprised by the apostles relied on at the earliest Christians confess that the women Witnesses witnessed it, the witnesses died for the enemies were converted by its in just one sheet of paper. I want to convince you. This is worth exploring for yourself. Take notes. I put it this way. It looks account. He's telling us this. Don't miss Easters. Evidence.
You are no fool. If you follow Jesus. You have to choose between a scientific thinking mind and total faith. That Jesus left the tomb empty. You want to choose. Don't miss the evidence of Easter.
But what about the rest of you that maybe there's a couple dozen of you here today who don't believe in Jesus, but I have a hunch that many of you maybe most of you do. So if you like me, what, what is Luke saying to us? We're gonna be a pain right away because I think this is his point to us today. He's saying not just don't miss Easter's evidence. He's also saying this, don't miss Easter's life.
Maybe you should write that with a capital l life. When I say capital L life, I'm talking about THE life. The Good Life. That's what Jesus called in John 10 and Abundant Life. It's for the early Christians labeled quote, the life that is truly life is what that life. Looks like. When you wake up in the morning. And when you stop and think, you instantly have joy.
That's life. When you get to the end of the day, and with all the ups and downs, the things you're proud of the things, you wish you could redo, like, you're not tossing and turning and worrying about tomorrow or living with regrets and guilt and shame from the past day, when you can actually have peace and fall asleep with a clean conscience.
That's life. And in between that joyful moment when you wake up and that peaceful moment when you fall asleep, when everything in between is filled with purpose. Like doesn't matter where you work, doesn't matter how much you make. Doesn't matter. How many Tick-Tock followers you have? How many for what you see? When you look in the mirror? Like you matter what you do matters. I'm talking purpose. I'm talking peace. I'm talking Joy. That's life, and Luke doesn't want you to miss it. Because I think he knows the lobster is do.
If you'd asked me, what is one of the most tragic things about the human story? My answer would be this. That most of us get tricked. Into looking for life. In places that don't last long.
It's not that we're all out robbing banks at gunpoint and sending left and right. Sometimes we just get so distracted. So busy thinking this thing is going to give me life. That we miss out on the actual place to find life that truly last.
And I say that from experience.
Every day on my computer, I stumbled across this.
It was a document on my computer called life's goals by Mike. Navami written May 6th 2008. 14 years ago, I sat down and in seven separate categories, apparently came up with 71 things that I wanted to do before I died. And it's my bucket list. I thought, if I can do this, it will be a great life. This included things like write a book.
Check. Learn how to moonwalk. Check. How about this doozy? Beat rock band on expert drums. Almost dunk a basketball with two hands. Does a tennis ball count with one hand count? How about this one. See Billy Joel in concert. Did I even like Billy Joel? I don't remember that stage in my life. I'll wrote 71 different things and I'm reading this list and its cracking me up. And then I was thinking about it. It's not just a bag that some of the goals were kind of odd 14 years ago. What really struck me is, I started checking off all the things that I've done on this list.
I ask myself did any of those things. Give me joy. And peace. And purpose today.
It’s pretty cool going on the trips writing books having experiences. But you think like when I wake up in the morning, do you think that I think back and I knew that stuff and say yes, what a life? What I'm struggling trying to raise two teenage daughters. Or when I say something that I really regret. I'm thinking about it in my bed, at the end of the day. Do you think I just pause and say, but Mike don't be afraid.
You know, how to moonwalk. Right now I'm trying to say like somebody else when we sit down and think like what's gonna give me a good life. We choose these things. These experiences these goals that they're not bad and it wrong. It's not that we can't do them. It's just that sometimes we get so busy with that.
The place to really find life.
That the Bible would say, we go searching for this water that can't satisfy our soul. We turn to bread that can't satisfy the human heart. We have this hunger within us for God, but sometimes we miss him because we're so busy with this stuff.
What happened to any of you this Easter? Parents, if you spent more time. On an Easter basket.
Then telling your kids about the Easter gospel.
You missed it.
If any of you can quote lines from Nacho Libre or the office, or your favorite suit, if you've seen every minute of every episode of every season of Yellowstone or the crown, but you haven't read.
Words about the resurrection of Jesus.
Which would take you 12 minutes, by the way?
You missed it.
If this spring, You buy the clock, spent more time. Preparing your yard for guess, then preparing your heart for Easter.
You missed it.
If on the one week of the year that we literally set apart special services and extra time to remember the things that will matter forever the death and resurrection of Jesus. If during that time we did more planning and preparing and cooking instead of fasting and praying and worshipping. We missed it.
And I have a hunch based on the decibels in this room. That happened to you, too.
It's not that we say Jesus matters, so little to us. It's just that we get so distracted by all these things on our list that we think will give us life that we sometimes miss the best place where life is found.
And that's why I want you to listen. Once again, to the words that the angel spoke. Remember verses five and six, the angel said to the women. Why do you look for the living among the Dead? Looking for life. Why are you here in this empty? Tomb? Jesus is not here. Jesus. Is risen.
I want to tell you today, the things of this world, they feel good for a moment. So they're satisfying for a season, but there is only one thing that can fill you up in here and his name is Jesus. If you are looking for life, it is not in an empty tomb and it is not in the temporary empty, things of this world. It can only be found in Jesus, who said that he is the way the truth and you know, the verse the life.
In Jesus is where we find life. How do we wake up in the morning and feel excited about the day because Jesus is Alive. Because we have a God loves us so much. He said, I will be your Good Shepherd and wherever you want her today. However, I'm high the hill. However, dark the valley. I'm gonna be there with you through it. My goodness and mercy will pursue you. Every how can you not feel good with the fact that God is going to guide you through the day. Jesus. And you get to the end of the day and you mess up, and you wish you could take back those words. And why did you say that? Why did you do that? Why did you go there? But if you have a Jesus with you who died on the cross for every one of your sins and then you Rose from the grave miraculously to prove that it's true. How do you have a clean conscience when you're a very flawed human being Jesus?
Good? How in the middle of that? Peace and that Joy? Do you live with purpose? It's because you've been listening to Jesus. And Jesus didn't say. Blessed are the rich? Blessed are the beautiful and blessed. Are the famous. No, he said if you if you give a cup of water to a little kid because you love me, Angels see that. You will not lose your reward in heaven. Have to clap, your school, doesn't have to be impressed. If there's anything that you do, if, if you obey your parents the first time, they say something to you. If you let a little dig in marriage passed by with forgiveness, anything you do has immense purpose because Jesus is Alive enough to see it. How do you and I get lice piece in the morning and at night, Joy from beginning to end and purpose, that doesn't fade. My one word answer is Jesus because Jesus is not a bunch of bones in a Jewish tomb.
Jesus is not some old teachings, in an old book, no, Jesus is a living savior. He can offer you something that your favorite movie and the latest season of whatever show cannot offer. You can offer you something your favorite team winning the championship. Or your favorite meme? Cracking you up. Cannot offer. Jesus can offer you life that never ends. For God. So loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him, shall not perish. But have
Eternal. Life.
So my friends, if you want life. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Wake up in the morning and think about who Jesus is and where Jesus is not in the Tomb. But right in the room with everyone who believes in him.
That's why I hope you Christians can grab this book too. We got a copy for all of you. You can skim the other parts if you want, but if you've been missing this kind of life, I just want you to read this first part about God, he's bigger and better and more life-giving than you might think.
But it all sounds crazy, whether you've been kind of busy. Don't miss Easter.
A woman who is sitting right there? Didn't.
Seven months ago here at our church. We had a funeral for a dear brother in Christ named, Dave. Dave’s widow said I could share this story with you. He had found his life in Jesus had conquered death because of Jesus. We gather to think I have a picture Pastor Michael preaching, at the service. We gathered his children, his grandchildren, his family, our church family, all here, as for Michael preach, with amazing passion, as you can look at his passion right there. Thank you, Pastor Michael. And he's a good, he's a good pastor, because he talked a little bit about Dave and his life, and he talked a lot, a lot, a lot about Jesus and eternal life.
But honestly, what I remember is not every point of the sermon. I remember Dave's daughter. during the funeral service. We were singing some of Dave's favorite Christian songs, and one of them was a song that some of you know, called “In Christ Alone”. And we're singing we're praising remembering Dave, remembering Jesus, we got to the third verse the one about Easter. About how Jesus body was laid in the Tomb and then he burst forth in glorious life, and there's no fear and no guilt and Dave's daughter. Spontaneously stood up.
By herself, there's so much life in those lyrics that she stood to her feet and started to worship. God and people looked so a lot of spontaneous acts of emotion here at church. So whether she got up, there's someone in the back stood up. And when the guy in the back, stood up a couple over here, stood up, and when that couple stood up, I was in the back and then I stood up and poop. People started standing up and worshipping God because we realized in those words was the truth of who Jesus was. That in Jesus, there is life. What would we be afraid of death? We have life.
But when we go through these shark days of ours with guilt and regret in our hearts, we have life. She reminded me in that beautiful moment. Don't miss Jesus. Because if you get Jesus, you could Easter, and if you get Easter, you get life, that's right.
We pray…..
Oh God. Thank you so much for your promises. Thank you so much for grace that whoever believes in this simple message.
No matter who we are, what we used to think, what we've done, what we're doing right now. We can come to you and repent and in the name of Jesus be saved. Eternal life, heavenly father isn't just for a select few, you offer it to the whole world. But whoever would trust in Jesus, today would be saved. Thank you, Heavenly Father for this no-strings-attached grace. It's just not how our life works. To make the team. We gotta work harder. To get the promotion. We have to be better. To get the attention of the approval of a significant other. We just can't rest. So your grace is so different. You just give it and it's why we love it. So, we thank you so much for this Easter season. And I Pray by the power of your holy spirit, that we would not forget it. What do we read the basics? As soon as church is done, or we open our Bibles to Matthew 28 or Mark 16 or Luke 24:4 John 20:21 or 1st Corinthians. 15. God, help us to absorb every single word. So we don't miss the glory, and the power, and the grace that you have put inside that empty tomb.
I mean, father, I pray, especially for the joy of the people here today. Our lives are complicated. There's sometimes good, sometimes messy. They never go according to plan. But if Jesus is Alive, not dead and buried, but alive in our hearts and in the room, then we don't have to be afraid and we can rejoice in the state of you have made because you didn't just make it you're right in the middle of it. Thank you, God, for the Easter gospel, the Provost with joyful hearts because we pray today in Jesus name.
And all God's people said, amen.
