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Easter Sermon 2005 "The Miracles of Easter"
by Clancy Nixon
Church of the Holy Spirit
Ashburn, Virginia
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Alleluia! Christ is risen! [hand to ear] The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Happy Easter! Welcome, happy morning. This is the day, this is the season that we tell
the world the greatest news of all: Christ is alive! Like the two Marys sprinting from the
empty tomb and the fearsome angel, find your friends and tell them that Christ is risen.
Do it today. You can even let that be your greeting all day today. You can do it! I'll
show you how easy it is. Turn to somebody, and tell them this: Alleluia! Christ is risen!
and wait for the response. Go ahead and do that.
If you said that and believe it, then you believe in miracles. The resurrection of
Jesus is a miracle of God. What is a miracle? C.S. Lewis says a miracle is an interference
with Nature by a supernatural power. It is something that only God can do. Since God
created both the Universe and the laws that govern it; and since God is sovereign over
Nature; then God can set aside the normal working of nature when it pleases Him. The
Christian faith is impossible, even unthinkable, without miracles. Saint Paul said that our
faith is useless if Christ is not raised from the dead. The two greatest miracles of our
faith occur at the beginning and end of Jesus' earthly life: the incarnation, and the
resurrection. The Bible says that the uncreated, eternal God, beyond space and time,
descended into human nature, and rose again, bringing nature up with him. God dived
down into the bottom of creation, and came up to heaven, bringing us on his shoulder.
The two Marys in our gospel story, eyewitnesses of Jesus life, believed the
miracles of the incarnation and resurrection, and worshiped him as Lord. If you'd like to
follow along, open your Bibles to Matthew chapter 28, verse 9. That is found on page
989 of your blue pew Bibles. Matthew 28:9. When Jesus met the women both called
Mary on the way, it says, "they clasped his feet and worshiped him." Here is another
example of Jesus receiving worship from his followers. No other religious leader would
do that. They are prostrate on their bellies in front of him. They are also fearful, I guess,
since in verse 10, Jesus tells them not to be afraid. We see Jesus as having solid feet here.
This was no ghost, no disembodied spirit. Elsewhere, Jesus is at pains to show us that his
body is solid, and so he eats a lunch of roasted fish with them. The Jews of the day
believed in ghost-survival, the immortality of the soul in Sheol or Hades. King Saul had
the witch of Endor conjure up the ghost of Samuel, who spoke to him. The resurrection of
Jesus isn't just a story of the immortality of the soul. It's about the resurrection of the
body, reunited with the soul. The writers of the New Testament saw this as something
perfectly new in the history of the universe.
Remember Lazarus? Jesus brought him back to life 4 days after he was dead, but
Lazarus grew old, and died again. Lazarus was resuscitated once, and died. But Jesus
was resurrected. He died, and defeated death. Jesus did not die again Jesus is alive.
His new resurrected body was recognizably his: he could eat and drink, talk and walk.
But he did look different. He could walk through walls, move instantly from one place to
another, and even ascend to Heaven in that new body. The Bible promises us the same
kind of body at the end of time, so we can live forever with him in Heaven. The Bible
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says, "It will take only a second--as quickly as an eye blinks--when the last trumpet
sounds. The trumpet will sound, and those who have died will be raised to live forever."
1 Cor.15:52 I don't know about you, but I am looking forward to my new perfect
resurrection body! No more flu bugs; no more sin, or sorrow; no more chronic pain; no
more nearsightedness. I don't know if Michael Jordan will be there, but if he is, I want to
play basketball with him! I look forward to teleporting better than Captain Kirk; being
reunited with loved ones and meeting Jesus face to face. Heaven is in my heart.
Look at some other miracles in this story. Matthew 28, verse 1. After the Sabbath,
on the first day of the week, the women went to the tomb. Remember that the Old
Testament counted a part of one day as a whole day. Jesus was dead in the tomb for a part
of three days. He died on a Friday at about 3:00 in the afternoon. He was raised on
Sunday morning. Not only was his rising form the dead miraculous in itself, but the
timing of his rising is a prophetic miracle. Matthew 12:40 tells us that Jesus had told his
disciples ahead of time that he would rise from the dead on the third day. The angel in
Matthew 28 verse 6 reminds us that his rising on the third day was just as he said. Back
in verse 2, an earthquake announces the appearance of the angel. This is the second
earthquake in 3 days remember the earthquake on Good Friday at the death of Jesus,
when the veil in the Temple was rent in two? Yet another demonstration that God is the
Lord over Nature, Lord over earthquakes, Lord over tsunamis, Lord over all. The
miracles in this story are only the first fruits of the greater number of miracles that Jesus
said he would do through the church. Because Jesus is raised, so shall we be raised.
Friends, nothing is too difficult for God! Jesus makes the blind see, the deaf hear,
and the lame leap for joy. Those afflicted with cancer, or dementia, he can heal. Praise
God, you and I are seeing miracles and healings in our community! Susan from Truro
was going blind in one eye, and she received perfect sight instantly. Another woman
received inner healing prayer, was released from bondage caused by the lies her parents
told her, and finds that her marriage is also healed. When people turn to Christ as Lord,
that's a miracle, too. Remember a miracle is an interference with nature by a supernatural
power! Our human nature, our sin nature, the unregenerate mind wants to live for
ourselves. The Bible says that it is only by the Holy Spirit, by divine intervention, that
anyone can say, Jesus is Lord. Every person who submits to Jesus as Lord has received
the miracle of God's election. So many here in this room have come to Christ through
the Alpha Course and small groupsKatie and John and David and Tammy and Glenn
and Scott and Tanya and so many more - trophies of God's saving grace. I believe in
miracles; I've seen too many of them in my own life! I've been healed of 17 years of
chronic foot pain and I've been delivered from a horde of demonic bondages. The Holy
Spirit hit me upside the head, and turned me 180 degrees from living my life for my
pleasure and my bank account, to living my life on a mission of love for God. God's love
changed me.
St. Paul said, "I want to experience the power of Jesus' resurrection."
Resurrection power is the power to cancel your mistakes. Ever wished you could start
over? With your marriage, your parenting, your career, your life? I've heard people say,
"I wish I could just start over. I've made so many mistakes." We don't measure up to
our own standards, much less God's. Some people can't seem to let go of their past, so
they let their past control their present. They live in regret.
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That's unnecessary. God says it's unnecessary to drag a load of guilt, old hurts,
memories of mistakes. Colossians 2:14 says this about believers: "He has forgiven all
our sins and canceled every record of the debt we had to pay." Then Paul says Christ
nailed our sins to the cross. Eighty of us did that ourselves two days ago on Good Friday,
nailing our sins to the cross, as a symbol of Christ doing that for us. What does it mean,
that Christ nailed our sins to the Cross? It means that Christ does away with all the
records of your past sins the moment you believe in his resurrection power. Acts 10:43
says, "...everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
What is sin? It's an archery term. When a person would shoot an arrow at a
bulls-eye and miss the target it was called a sin -- it missed the mark. That's why the
Bible says, "All have sinned and have fallen short." We fall short. We don't live up to
our own goals for ourselves, much less God's goals for us. The good news is that God
offers complete forgiveness.
Christ knows the things you've done wrong. He didn't come to rub it in. He
came to rub it out! He did not come to condemn you. He came to make you fit for
heaven. Jesus said, at John 3:17: "I didn't come to condemn the world. . . I came to save
it." On the cross, he canceled our past mistakes. The cross is like the Undo button on
your computer, or like an etch-a-sketch. You make a mess, you click on undo, and the
mistake is gone forever! Not just the last mistake, but all the mistakes you've made. On
the computer, the undo button only goes so far back, and then you are stuck with it.
Glenn, I've been meaning to talk to you about that! By contrast, the cross covers all
those past mistakes. Like when you flip over an etch-a-sketch, shake it, and you start
over with a clean slate. I love those things. The Bible says that's what God does to all
the mistakes you've made in your life when you come to Him.
Don't wait for an angel to appear personally to you before you fall on your face
and worship Christ. If you want power to live a new life, you can have it today. If you
need forgiveness of your sins, it's yours today. That miracle is always available. If you
need a miracle of healing today in your life, if you need a mountain moved, I can't
promise you that, but we will pray for you. I do know this: God is able to deliver it.
With faith all things are possible.
Now I want to give you an opportunity to pray to live this life of miraculous
expectation. If you're ready to do that, you can pray this prayer on the screen with me.
Take a moment to listen to the prayer as I read it aloud. I want you to know what I'm
asking you to pray before I ask you to actually pray it yourself, because this prayer is so
important. Here it is: If you're not ready to pray this, no sweat, just hang in there while
others pray it. If you have already prayed a prayer like this before, please be praying for
those who have not yet done so. If God moves you to pray this, you don't have to pray it
aloud, you can pray it silently. God knows your heart. Please pray without bowing your
head, with your eyes open.
Just pray something like this: "God, I want to start living a life of miraculous
expectation. I need your power to live the life you want me to live. I've missed the mark
many times, Lord; please forgive me my sins. You raised your Son Jesus to eternal life,
and I want to live forever, too. I open up my life to You, Jesus. I want to experience the
power of your resurrection. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and with power for living.
Show me your way and guide me. I invite you to be the Lord of my life. You call the
shots from this day forward. Thank You, Lord. Amen."
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If you just prayed that prayer for the first time, today is the first day of eternal life
for you. Welcome to the family! Tell somebody about your decision today.
As we close, I'd like to ask everyone to participate in our annual Spiritual Survey.
Please pick up your service leaflet and tear off the Response Card flap. We will all fill
this card out during the next few minutes. If you need a pen, please raise your hand, keep
it raised, and an usher will get one to you. Please answer all the questions on it,
especially the one I'm going to ask you now. Look at the bottom, where it says A, B, C,
D, E I'll explain these, and then I'd like you to circle one of these letters.
If you'd say, "Clancy, I'm already living a life of miraculous expectation. That
prayer you prayed I prayed a long time ago, before I came to Church of the Holy Spirit."
You circle A You've been living with Christ for a while.
If you'd say, "I'm living a life of miraculous expectation, but I didn't live that life
until I came here to Church of the Holy Spirit." You circle B you began new life with
Christ as your Lord since you came to Holy Spirit sometime in the last three years.
If you'd say, "Just now when you prayed that prayer, I prayed it too, for the first
time." Alleluia. You circle C I'm believing today.
If you'd say, "It sounds good but I need to take more time to thank about it. I'd like
to check it out." I'd appreciate you circling D if you'd like more time to consider God
before committing your life to Him.
If you'd say, "At this point, I don't intend to give my life to God. Those miracles
you talk about seem to fantastic for me to believe." If that's you, I'd ask you to be honest
and circle E.
If you would like someone to pray personally with you for any reason, there are
prayer ministers standing at the back of the auditorium who would be glad to pray with
you now, whether for healing, for a miracle, or to commit your life to Christ, or for any
other need.
Now I'd like to have the Band play soft instrumental music for two minutes before
we sing. When you are done filling out your card, please stand to sing.
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