922 Ministries - The CORE & St. Peter Lutheran

The first time that I ever got on an airplane was when I was 22 years old. Just been married two days after my wife and I made promises to love each other for the rest of the life. I got on an airplane with her to go on a honeymoon cruise and I was afraid.

1st 22 years of my life. My travel experience was basically interstates crisscrossing the midwest, Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan, where my grandparents lived. But we wanted to do something special. So I literally was willing to get myself inside of a metal tube.

Like there were some minor fears, like I just don't know what to expect in the airport, have all the things that I need to make sure I get on the airplane and can get on the boat. And then there were those other fears, like what's going to happen when we actually get up in the air. And my mind thought of the things that could happen once up in the air, like the things that could go wrong. And then it happened.

Turbulence. I had never done this before. I had never experienced this before. All of a sudden, this plane that's going along really well is bouncing up and down. And you know what started happening?

My heart started beating a whole lot faster. I think some sweat started coming down my eye from my head and my face turned white. I reached over and held my wife's hand and she's like, what is wrong with you? I'm like, nothing. Nothing.

Like being married two days and looking like a coward.

Like there's something about that being in that metal tube and it starts bouncing, that the first time you experience it, there's some fear. Like even though it's one of the safest forms of travel, we've heard stories of what can happen and people are afraid. Now, I've flown many times since then. This last year alone I took over twelve trips that required an airplane flight to go up and to down. Some had to have connections.

And I've gotten over most of that fear because what I realize up in the air, the wind still blows just like it does down here on earth. Like when you're driving your car sometimes on 41 and it blows your car around, like, duh, it happens up there too. It's just wind.

And so I'm not as free as afraid when I fly anymore. But sometimes the bumps are a little more and my heart starts to beat a little bit faster.

And perhaps in your life, flying is not a fear that you face, but there are others. Fear is a reality in our lives. It comes and goes in different seasons of our life. When we're younger we don't have the same fears as those who are older. And yet fear is a powerful force.

I just want you to think in your own life, what are some of the things that cause you to be afraid? For some people, it's there. Things like spiders and snakes. For others of you, it's driving on Highway 41 right now between Richmond and Ballard. And that intersection is never always that fun.

Like, you probably should be afraid.

For some of us, it's the world in which we live and the fear that we have of all the conflict and tensions that are worldwide. Could they ever come our way? For other people, it might be financial. Like, right now is a really tough time in our life. Like, fears come and go.

Fears are in different seasons of life, and they're real, and I don't want to minimize them. And yet I would also tell you, experts would tell you that when you have fears, when your heart starts to race and when your color starts to change, maybe when you sweat a little bit, there's something that your body is telling you is off. But dealing with it properly is vital and important, because, you know what happens if we don't deal with our fears? Like, fears can be paralyzing. Like, they can affect us spiritually, they can impact us emotionally, they can hit us physically.

And sometimes when there are fears that are real, we get frozen in the moment. Or sometimes they cause us to spiral out of control, and the behavior that follows is anything but good.

And God doesn't want that for you or me.

Instead, he wants us to be able to address our fears properly in times when we can't. That's really been the goal of this series, and I pray the final miracle of it helps you see that and addresses one fear in a major way. A fear that I would say is common to just about every person who. Who has walked on the face of planet Earth and rears its ugly head from time to time in our lives. In fact, if you consider all the fears that you have, they probably be categories into one of three areas.

Sometimes all three of them are a part of that very fear. The things that would cause us fear are from things that are unknown, right? If you don't know something, it causes you fear. If it's unknown to you. There's a reason why I got on that plane for the first time, and it's different than when I get on them now.

There's also times when we are afraid, not just because it's unknown, but because we have fear in moments when we are out of control, like those of you who are parents who send your kid off to college, send them away for the first time, like life is a little bit different because you're out of control and they're in control. And you remember that they're 18 years old. And 18 year olds like you back in the day did some foolish things. Kids don't remember that. Your parents will deny it.

Like, when you're not in control, your heart starts to race at times. Fear is caused by things that are unknown. Things are out of your control. And also you're afraid. When you've gone through a bad experience, when you've experienced something and it's gone bad, those same situations, those same scenarios will cause more fear.

And I would argue that the one that we're talking about today, the one that Easter addresses, the one that so many people look at, and when they face it, say, I can't, I don't know how. It's death. It's dying.

You see, what lies on the other side is unknown when it comes to death from a human perspective. And in the same way, from a human perspective, it's not just unknown, it's out of your control. Like the time and the date are known to God, but they're not known to you as you sit here right now. Like, some of you might be closer to it than others, some of you might see it on the horizon because of the diagnosis you have. But for most of us, we don't, and it's out of our control.

And what also makes death such a thing that causes us great fear is many of us have experienced the pain that comes from it, the bad experience that it is. Perhaps you've lost a spouse tragically. Maybe some of you have lost a child. Others of you have lost a best friend. Like, you've journeyed through life with someone, and they are no longer here.

You've seen people go through the pains of disease and the grief that is real in the moment of that loss. It is a bad experience. It's not the way God designed it to be. It's unknown in our life, only to God, and it's out of our control. And so how does one face that?

How does one deal with that fear? Well, God has an answer, and it's found in Easter. And so I pray today that you are blessed in the next few minutes as we unpack our final miracle of Jesus. Ken, what took place and transpired that first Easter Sunday? Because sin is a powerful force.

Adam and Eve, when they sin, were afraid of God. What was next? Like the sting of death is sin, like death is real, because sin is real. And so we're afraid. If what's next is having to stand before God, how can I do that?

When I look at my life, I don't think I can. How do I make it through? How do I know what's next? Today, God wants you to have the answer. But in order to get the answers today, we have to go back to Friday and remember where we were.

Like, if you were here with us Friday at either one of our campuses, you know what transpired and happened. Jesus breathed his last. He committed his spirit to God, and he died. Matthew's gospel reminds us of the last and final moments after Jesus had died that he was buried. As evening approached, there came rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who had become a disciple of Jesus, going to Pilate.

He asked for Jesus body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb. Take a guard.

Pilate answered. He was talking to the jewish leaders. Go and make the tomb as secure as you know how. So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard, like, here is Easter. Truth number one that you need to add to the story, that you need to remember and connect to the story.

Jesus really died, truly died.

There is no doubt that he died like the spear that was jabbed into his sides by the soldiers and what they witnessed revealed he died. Joseph of Arimathea took his body off the cross, carried it to the tomb, and placed that lifeless body that was not breathing, that had no chest beating on the slab of stone, and covered it with a linen cloth.

And to leave no doubt, because the Jews and their leaders did not want someone to come and make up a story, Pilate sent a guard to not just sit outside of it, but to seal it so no one could enter it.

Like there was no doubt from those soldiers. They were witnesses, and they said it. The centurion who stuck the spear witnessed it, and Joseph held a lifeless body in his arms and place it in a tomb. Jesus really died.

And it's not just about the facts that he really died. It's about what it really did to them. For the disciples, it was fear. Like, by this time, they were locked behind closed doors because they were afraid that they might be next. There was despair on behalf of the women and his disciples.

All hope had been lost. Like you have to imagine that during his three years, they had wrestled with and thought at times that perhaps this could happen. Like they knew Jesus enemies. They knew the resources they had. They knew how ruthless they were.

They knew how much they despised him and hated him. They had seen people at one time want to stone him, like they probably at times thought it could happen. But then, because of all the other things he did, the ken moments of his life, the miracles that he did, they probably said, no, it won't. And in their hearts, they believed it couldn't because he was the promised one, the son of God, the savior. Like hopelessness and despair, all those things would have been real for those women and his disciples in those moments between Friday and Sunday.

And that's where the women were at when they went to the tomb. Like Matthew's gospel tells us, the reality of Jesus death led them to want to do one more final act of love for their friend, for the person they believed in. Joseph had done a rush job on Jesus burial. The other gospels tell us that they went home that night before the Passover, prepared spices, and they couldn't go on Saturday because it was a holy day, the Passover day, the day they were celebrating. And so they had to wait till Sunday after the Sabbath was over.

At dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb like they didn't just go to do one last act of love, to do right by the one that they knew and they had followed. They did what people do when a loved one dies.

Like, I haven't lost a parent. My wife has not either. But I've been at the graveside of my parents when their parents died.

Like, what do you do after a funeral? You go to the tomb one last time. You see them. What do you do in the days and weeks that follow when it's your spouse or a sibling or a parent or a child? Like, I see it all the time across the road.

People go and they stop and they stare. There's loss and there's pain.

And that's what these ladies were doing, grieving.

But thankfully, that wasn't how the story ended. It wasn't just a visit to give a final farewell and appropriate burial and shed a tear and go back home brokenhearted. Take a look at what happens next. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and going to the tomb, rolled back the stone, and he sat on it. His appearance was like lightning and his clothes were as white as snow.

The guards were so afraid that they shook and became like dead men. Like as you listen to those words, the women who came to look at the tomb, in that moment, the ground beneath them shook. An angel came down from heaven. The brightness was like lightning flashing before their eyes. The guards who were there were paralyzed in fear.

But instead of fleeing, it was such a great event. It was something that caused them such great fear that they didn't run and they didn't fight. They just dropped to the ground. Like fear is a powerful force. Now, in that moment, if you were the women, what would you do?

Like, I don't know about you and I've never experienced it, but if the earth beneath me starts shaking, I'm starting to run.

I don't know if that would do any good, but I think I would do something other than just stay put. I'd find a safe place. I'd do what would need to be do to protect myself. And what about if an angel from heaven came down and you saw the brightness and the light flash before your eyes? Would you stick around and say, hey, this seems like an interesting event.

Let's go have a conversation? I might drop.

But in that moment, after having seen all that they had over the course of the last three days, I can't fathom why they didn't run, why they didn't flee, which fear oftentimes causes us to do.

No, in that moment, they did not. And thanks be to God that they didn't, because what they heard next changed the game when it came to fear and dealing with a death that they had experienced of the one that they loved. The angel said to the women, do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here. He has risen, just as he said.

Come and see the place where he lay. Look for yourself. See the facts. Then in response to this, go quickly and tell his disciples he has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you. Don't be paralyzed by what you see.

Don't just sit here and stare. No. Go and tell his disciples that he's risen from the dead, that there they will see him in Galilee. Now, I have told you the angel was God's messenger to deliver the first Easter sermon. And you know what words he led with?

Not when I was 22 years old. I got into an airplane for the first time. No, he led with this. Do not be afraid. If you put that in Bible Gateway search engine, it'll pop up 81 times.

The very same phrase is found across the pages of scripture. The addressing of fear is found hundreds of more times, but 81 times. God literally speaks to people in different moments, in different circumstances, who are facing uncertainty, who are facing things that are out of their control, who are facing things that they've maybe gone through before that were bad experiences. And you know what he says? Do not be afraid.

He said it to Moses and the Israelites when behind them were chariots and in front of them was the immovable object of the Red Sea. Do not be afraid. I'll fight for you. He said it to Abraham when he said, go to a nation you do not know. I will provide for you a child, a son, a descendant.

Do not be afraid.

Said it to Joshua as he was about to lead God's people across the Jordan in order to go into the land that they were going to have to conquer, where there were high walls and giants. Do not be afraid. An angel delivered the same message at the beginning of Jesus life. When he went to Joseph, who was his earthly father, when the impossible was happening, he said, do not be afraid.

And then Jesus, the one the angel was talking about, said the night before he died in the upper room to the disciples whom he loved, who are right now cowering in fear in a room. He said to them, do not be afraid in this world where you will have trouble. Like Jesus understood the human dilemma. Jesus experienced how human beings wrestle with circumstances and troubles, and the angel wanted those women to know there was nothing to fear. Death had been defeated.

Jesus was not there. The mangled body that was unrecognizable, according to the Old Testament, prophecies would not be found inside that stone cave. He has risen.

Really? The angel said, really? Jesus really rose. Paul's words to the Corinthians were to record for them time after time. For 40 days, he appeared to people, some who didn't even believe in him.

His half brother James was not a believer in him. During his earthly ministry, he appeared to Peter, the one who had denied him. He appeared to 500 at one time. He appeared to Paul later, the one abnormally born, the unbeliever, converted on the road to Damascus. Jesus really rose.

Those soldiers would tell the story of what they saw. It was true in those days. Jesus really rose. The Bible says, the witnesses said, and so when we celebrate Easter, I need you to understand this and apply this.

Like, I don't know what plans you have later today. I'm not going to tell you you should cancel your brunch plans because they're not important compared to that first Easter, the meal that you're going to enjoy, maybe the food that you had already today and all the fixings is a great thing. Parents buy your kids the peeps, all the peeps they want. That means there's more peanut butter eggs for me.

And all those things can be good. The celebration that you will have, the gathering with family. I need you to hear this. The truth about Easter, that Jesus died and rose, are far more important than the 80 Easters that you will get if you get the law of averages for the lifespan of an american citizen. Because Easter is about more than one day.

It changes everything. It gives us a next. Like when the devil works on your heart to get you to doubt that you could be loved, that you could be forgiven. Easter, good Friday at all of it says he can, because he did.

And that's why I love how the next three verses show Jesus heart, the one that could and did rise. The women hurried away from the tomb, afraid, yet filled with joy. And they ran to tell his disciples there still was fear. Like the emotional response of fear can be both bad and good. And right in the middle of it, I want you to see what it is that trumps fear.

How do you face fears when it comes to the fear of death? For these women, in that moment, all they were still afraid. Questions are swirling around in their head. They're maybe sweating not just from what they had experienced, but from the sprint that they were doing to the disciples. Their heart was racing like they're still so probably confused by all that they saw.

But they were filled with joy. You know what trumps fear? Those women had it. Joy is a fruit of faith. Faith trumps fear like it did for those women.

They believed in him. That's why they were hopeless when they got there. But what they saw, it went from fear and hopelessness to faith and joy.

And as great as that was, you can see their faith trumping fear. Jesus left no doubt for those women. Jesus suddenly met them like the soldiers when the angel came down. They stopped and they dropped. They were paralyzed in fear.

But when those ladies met Jesus and he said greetings to them, they came to him. They clasped him and worshiped him, like they dropped, too, but not out of fear, but in joy. What we just heard, the faith that they had that caused them and compelled them to sprint to the disciples. They got stopped in their tracks, and they got to see him face to face. And Jesus said to them, what were his first words delivered on Easter Sunday to those women who had gone to the tomb?

Do not be afraid.

The fear that death holds the unknown, that it is the spiritual ramifications, the concerns about what next. Jesus left no doubt. He spoke to them in words of comfort. Do not be afraid. And then he repeated what the angel had told them.

Go and tell my disciples to go to Galilee. They will see me there. They will see me there.

Like Easter is so vital and important. But Easter was not just for those women. Easter was not just about Jesus and his resurrection. He really died and he really rose. But I need you to see something else.

Because those things are true. It's not just about them. It's not just about 2000 years ago. It's about you who are here today. It's about every person who has followed.

The apostle Paul knew that was true. He really knew that was true. And so that's why he wrote and was inspired by God to share the words that were of first importance to the Corinthians. If the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile.

Like without Jesus resurrection, without his death and resurrection, the monumental moment of your life, the defining moment of your life would have been your birth. Your birth, which you were born and conceived dead in your sins, if Jesus had not been raised. That's why your faith is futile, because there was no payment for it, there was no conquering of it. And it would have been the most monumental moment, because it would have defined you eternally. If there was no Jesus and no resurrection, you are still in your sins.

Those who've fallen asleep are lost. Your loved ones who've passed before you, they're lost. If only for this life, we have hope in Christ. We're to be pitied more than all people. But Christ has been raised from the dead, the first truth of those who've fallen asleep.

For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam, all die, so in Christ, all will be made alive. The sting of death is sin. The power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, he gives us the victory through our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Jesus really died. Jesus really rose. Do not be afraid. Faith trumps fear. And here's what God wants you to hold onto in faith.

When you face death, when you have struggles in life, when the circumstances are hard, when you wonder, how can I? I can't remember what Jesus did, who he is, all the promises that he makes. And remember this about Easter. It's not just that he died and rose, but his resurrection is really, truly, definitely for you.

You, like Jesus, conquered the grave. Jesus came back to life. He won the victory over sin, death and the devil. He conquered. But the apostle Paul says, thanks be to God, you are the one who gets the victory, you are the one who gets the benefits.

You are the one who has conquered death, you are the one who has been forgiven, you are the one who has new life. You. Really? Yes, really. It's really for you.

Jesus resurrection is for you. And it really has redeemed you from sin, death and the power of the devil. But it's not just that Jesus death has redeemed you from something. It has redeemed you for something new. Life, abundant life, a next life with God, that abundant life that he wants for you now and that next life that he wants for you now, he wants you to hold on to when there are fears.

And I know some of you right now have fears. Like for some of you, the fear is in regards to your health. Like maybe it's the aging parents that you have, or you're getting up there in years, or it's the diagnosis that you've received. Jesus wants you to hear, do not be afraid, I'm with you.

There's a next for you. It might be financially. Remember Jesus, who can, who provided both spiritually but also physically for those 5000 with the loaves of bread we talked about in this series. He can.

When you feel like you're all alone, you don't know how to move. Maybe you're paralyzed in the moment of what's going on with you. Jesus says, I'm present. I'm with you always. He can.

Like, that's the truth of Easter. The one who rose is the one who made all those promises. Easter is really for you now and for eternity.

Which means there's something more. There's something better. There's one more thing. One more Easter truth. The apostle Paul said this, brothers and sisters, we don't want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death.

Those who die like death is unknown. Death is out of our control. Death is something bad that we face this side of heaven. The apostle Paul, one of those who are going through death to remember, to not grieve like the rest of mankind, who has no hope. You can grieve and you should grieve.

It is painful and it is hard, but don't grieve without hope. Faith trumps fear. You have hope. Hope in the one who came. Hope is only as strong as its object.

And Jesus is that object, the one who could and did. We believe that Jesus died and rose again. And because of that, we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. That's the victory that is yours. That is mine.

If you have a loved one who has died as hard as it is, maybe it's still painful right now. Every time you visit that graveside, that person who believes in Jesus, remember where they are, the hope that they had. And according to the Lord's word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are here until the coming of the Lord, we won't precede those who've fallen asleep, for the Lord himself will come down from heaven when God returns with a loud command, the voice of the archangel and the trumpet call of God and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we are still alive and are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air force forever. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

Therefore, encourage one another with these words. Encourage one another with these words, because Jesus really died and Jesus really rose, and Jesus resurrection is really for you, and you too will really rise. God promises it. Job believed it 2000 years before Jesus was even born. Jesus can and he did, and so you can, and you will.

Jesus resurrection that is for you means that truth is also true for you. That one day you will be reunited with all those who believe in Jesus in heaven. Really? That one day you will see Jesus with your own eyes. Really?

That one day. One day. What happened on Easter Sunday, what Jesus did on that Sunday will really happen to you. You will rise from the dead. Wow, really?

Really.

A few weeks ago, Holly and I were coming home from our vacation. We had a layover in Chicago. Our flight was leaving about 08:00 so it was nighttime, it was, couldn't see outside because it was dark. We had about 2 hours. I was watching the weather.

It was during that crazy time when here in Wisconsin, we had like 75 degree temperature and thunderstorms were blowing through and we were all like saying, really? So I was watching the weather thinking, we are going to get stuck in Chicago, we are going to get delayed. There's going to be no more flights tomorrow. Tomorrow's are going to be booked. This is not good.

We're not going to get home. But thankfully they didn't delay the flight, they didn't cancel the flight. We got on the plane, I'm like, oh, we're really going to get home. Until we pulled back from the gate and the pilot gets on and he goes, hey, I'm just going to tell you in advance, it's going to be a little bumpy on the ride home. I'm like, oh, really?

In fact, I'm actually going to tell the stewardess to not even get out of her seat to stay buckled up. I'm like, oh, boy. One of those flights. And it was pretty bumpy going up. Not gonna lie.

I think I was getting white. I think I was sweating, my heart was racing. My wife was like, yeah, you looked a little more concerned on that one. I'm like, yeah, I was really. But I've experienced bumps before.

I wasn't too worried until we looked out the window and we saw lightning. Like a lot of lightning at 20,000ft, lightning is not good, my friends, when you're in a metal tube.

I was afraid. And you know what we did in the moment we discussed our kids will be okay financially if something was to happen to us.

Like fear drill. About a few seconds later, the pilot gets on the intercom. He says, I know maybe some of you have seen the lightning out the window. I'm like, really? It's really not that far away, he said, or it's really further away than it appears.

I'm like, really?

Okay. I'll believe it when we get down to the ground. And we did.

Really. We got home safe and sound.

Like in life, there are things that we are afraid of and the final one is death. But God wants to take away all the fear because faith trumps fear. Jesus really died. Jesus really rose. Jesus, resurrection is really for you, and one day you will rise.

Really? Job says, really? I know that my redeemer lives and in the end he will stand on the earth. I will see him with my own eyes. I and not another.

How my heart yearns within me. Let your heart yearn within you for that, because God says it will really happen.

Really.