Easter Morning

John 20: 10 – 18 (NIV): Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" "They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. "Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him." Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' " Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her.

The most wonderful moment in history had just occurred, but Mary Magdalene just couldn't get her mind around it. She didn't understand that Jesus had just conquered death. In her wildest dreams she never imagined Jesus would come back from the dead. She had seen how brutally he was beaten. She had seen how much blood he lost. She had witnessed him die in agony on the cross. She had seen him wrapped in a cloth and sealed in a tomb. She was merely trying to pay her respects to a dead man and couldn't fathom that he had come back to life.
That's why when she saw Jesus, she thought he must have been the gardener. She thought perhaps he had moved Jesus' body and she simply wanted to know where. She was not expecting something so incredible, so unbelievable, so wonderful. But what God has in store for us is beyond our wildest dreams. We cannot fathom his glory or the wonder of heaven. It is going to surprise us no matter how much we think about it.
It's just too far-fetched to believe a man actually came back from the dead. But then something happened. He called her by name. Then she knew. Then all doubt, all fear went away. I could never believe Jesus really rose again except for one thing: he called me by name. I've never gotten over that. I've never been the same. That was 43 years ago, but I'm not even close to over it. When we encounter the risen Christ, it changes everything. Call me a fool for believing if you wish, but I know what happened. I know I met the Christ and he changed me forever. When Jesus calls your name, say yes and experience a power, a peace, and a hope that is beyond your imagination.

Jesus: The Humble Victor

Matthew 21: 1 – 10 (NIV): As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away." This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: "Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.' " The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!" When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?"

Jesus rode into town gently, on a donkey with her colt by her side. He arrived into Jerusalem, not to conquer the city or defeat the Romans, but to conquer the enemy of mankind and bring peace with God. He came into Jerusalem this way to fulfill the prophecy Matthew quotes in this passage. It is from Zechariah 9:9.
By fulfilling this prophecy, Jesus showed that he was the Messiah. The Messiah must be a king and he must be God himself. Jesus rode into town, not as a victorious king returning from battle, but as a humble king bringing peace. Later in the week, he would provide that peace by his own death. On the night Jesus was born, the angel said he would bring peace to earth; the next Friday, he would do so. The veil in the temple tore from top to bottom while Jesus was on the cross to show that Jesus was opening the way for all men to have fellowship with God.
On the cross, Jesus satisfied God's wrath toward sinful man. He paid in full our debt to God for our sins. Therefore, he brought peace with God. But he wasn't finished. Then he conquered death when he rose again and proved that there is life after death for all who believe.
This is the humble, gentle Jesus we think of, coming into town to sacrifice himself for us. A man who loved everyone and taught us how to truly live. But the Bible doesn't end here. Revelation 19: 11 - 16 says Jesus is going to ride into town again. He is going to return. When he does, he will not arrive gently, on a donkey. He will come on a white horse as a conquering king. He will slay the enemies of God. He will bring God's wrath against those who reject him. And he will rule the universe as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Secrets of the Abundant Life – Self-Control

Hebrews 12: 7 – 11 (NIV): Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Every good parent disciplines his children, but the goal is for the child to learn self-discipline. It does no good if the child has no self-control when he leaves his parents' presence. You and I know that a person with no restraint is heading for disaster. If we are going to live the abundant life, we are going to have self-control.
A good definition of self-discipline is the ability to delay gratification. That is counter to our culture which says “I want it and I want it now,” but it is key to living the abundant life. If we cannot say no to temptations that harm us, we will not be able to enjoy the life that God wants us to live. This may seem backward, but perhaps that's why it is a secret that few discover.
Notice in our scripture today the writer says that discipline produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Righteousness and peace is the goal. That is living the abundant life. But he is so right when he says we must be trained by discipline. Training involves hard work. It is a daily commitment. It is a reward for those who seek it and do not give up when it gets tough or inconvenient or becomes a sacrifice.
If we are going to live the abundant life, we will live by the Fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5: 22 – 23, and it is self-control that binds all of them together and gives us the power to live them. We need God's help to have these traits and we need his power to live them, but he offers that power freely to anyone who asks for it. God wants you to walk with him. He wants you to understand who you are. He wants you to treat others as you would be treated. He wants you to live in righteousness, peace and holiness. He wants you to live an abundant life for all eternity. He will give you the power for this, but you must want it. You must ask. Now you know the secret.

Secrets of the Abundant Life - Gentleness

Galatians 5: 19 – 25 (NIV): The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

You have noticed by now that I'm following the Fruit of the Spirit, found in this passage, as my outline for living the abundant life. If we live in step with the Spirit of God, we will live the abundant life. If not, we simply will not.
Today we are going to discuss gentleness. Paul's word for gentleness in this passage has three meanings in the New Testament. The first was used by Jesus in Matthew 5:5 when he said the meek will inherit the earth. Meek is an equestrian term, meaning, “having been brought under control.” A meek horse has all of its power, beauty, personality and strength, but it is able to be controlled by its master. A gentle person is a meek person, submissive to the will of God.The second meaning of the word is humble – the idea being teachable and not too proud to learn. We know that pride is a vice that keeps us from having a relationship with God. 1 Peter 5:5 says God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. If we are going to live the abundant life and have fellowship with God, we must be teachable. We must be gentle.
The third meaning for the word gentle is “being considerate to others”, as in 1 Corinthians 4:21. This is what we think of when we call a man a gentleman. He knows the balance between anger and passiveness. He treats others as he would want to be treated and is able to put their needs above his own.
If there is a short-cut to living the abundant life, we have discovered it in today's scripture: We walk in step with the Spirit. That means we do what he wants and not what we want. In other words, there really isn't a shortcut. It's going to take effort and good decision-making each and every day or our lives. And we're going to need next week's secret to do it.

Secrets of the Abundant Life – Faithfulness

Philippians 3: 10 – 14 (NIV): I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Many Christians start out strong in their faith, but many don't stick with. The Christian walk is not a sprint, but a marathon. Paul says he was straining forward, pressing on to the goal of perfection. He knew he would never become perfect in this life, but his goal was to keep trying, to keep reaching for it. He was determined to be faithful to God no matter how difficult it became.
If you are faithful, you are a person of integrity. The word integrity has the root of our mathematical term integer – which is a whole number. If you have integrity, you are wholly devoted. You stick to your vows; you stick to your word. You realize that your feelings will waver from time to time, but your devotion is rock solid. You gave your life to God and promised to give him first place in your life the rest of your life. That's faithfulness.
But faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit for a reason. It is not a common virtue. Without God's help, almost a hundred percent of us would not have it. People struggle to remain faithful to their vows. But without it, we are preventing ourselves from living the abundant life.
I think Americans, living in the land of opportunity, should be the most faithful Christians in the world, but the truth is, we're soft. We abandon our faith when things don't go like we thought they should. We lose interest in our faith when it becomes inconvenient or a sacrifice. But if we are going to live the abundant life, we are going to have to be faithful to our faith and to our God. Stick to it, run the race, and keep an eye on the prize that awaits you. Then you will begin to live the life God has promised.