Easter Sunday 2024

Jim Clements · Tidal Church Moncton · March 31, 2024 · Easter series

Jim Clements walks through Jesus' power over storms, sickness, sin and death in Mark and John, then calls listeners to know Him personally, surrender every part of life, and return to Him if they have drifted.

More from Jim Clements · The Easter series

Topics: Faith, Discipleship, Easter

Transcript

[0:17] Honey, was that the alarm? I hit snooze. Was that the first time it went off? Oh no. How many times did you hit that thing? I dreamt I hit it like nine times. That wasn't a dream. We're going to be late for Easter service. Wake up, wake up. Wake up. Come on, wake up. It's Easter. We're late. Wake up. Wake up. Ow. Ow. Wake up. This is not a drill. Do we do drills? You better hurry. We get breakfast pees. You guys help each other. You the surprise? I was a surprise. No, you, my name's Molly. Well, let's get moving. Come on. Closer on the dress. What's a surprise? Did you tell Molly she was a surprise?

[1:05] I'm so tired that she's lucky. That's all I said. Honey, which tie? Not that one. How do you know which? Her first choice is always bad. It's funny. Did the dog eat? Yep. You can finish in the car. Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go. Is everybody in here? No. Hi, Molly. We're good. Grandpa's not coming. Grandpa. It's a great day for golf here at Augusta. National Masters round was really wide open. Come on. Such a what? You can dress in the car. He cannot dress in the car. My children are in there.

[1:50] Can't you just let an old man rest in peace? Does everybody have shoes? It's too late for that. Now don't tell me if you don't. My socks don't match. My shirt has a stain. I only have flip-flops. Just turn around. We look like a circus.

[2:39] I'm listening to you all chuckle and I feel like you either experienced it this morning or some Easter or somebody close to you has gone through this. I know for us, when our kids were little, there was a few Easter Sundays that were like that, that were just crazy trying to get out the door. I'd love to tell you that's why we made it at 11 o'clock today. So that, like, you think it was 10:30 and you get here on time, right? So I get at the door. Oh no, dogs were harmed in the making of that video or anything like that, just so you know. But, well, what a great weekend we've had already in the place that God has blessed us with so much, and I can't help but think back to Friday and as we kind of reflected on all that God had planned, that even though we planned, He had much more planned.

[3:32] And we rejoice in that. And, but as we reflect on Good Friday and think about people that were part of the time leading up to Jesus's crucifixion, and we think about Pontius Pilate, who I refer to as the Purger. He was the one who was purging Jesus from existence by just saying like, I wash my hands of this and you do what you want to do. And then we have the prophet Judas who decided to betray Jesus for silver. And you think about how close they were. Could they not see Him? Could He not sense all that was about to happen?

[4:17] And then you think about the first thief in proximity to Jesus on the cross and hearing and seeing all that's happening. And he makes fun and casts wrong sayings at Him, just rebukes Him. But then there's the second thief on the cross who understands what's happening and it becomes very personal in that moment. And he says to Jesus, "Will You remember me?" And Jesus acknowledges his faith and says, "Yes, I'll remember you." Can you see Him? Can you sense Him today? Do you feel closeness to Him?

[5:05] Our world is on fire whether we want to admit it or not. It's on fire with hate. It's on fire with confusion. It's on fire with war, it's on fire with hurt, it's on fire with loneliness, it's on fire with division. That's what's happening in our world today. And the further and further we move away from where Jesus wants us to be, it's gonna continue to be on fire. And people today are at the end of the rope, as the saying goes. And a lot of people have tied a knot at the end. They're just holding on. They're just holding on. There's no hope that they can sense, and people are even trying to hide, trying to hide, and we're trying to hide sometimes in the midst of things that look similar to us, like this picture maybe.

[6:01] Maybe you're trying to hide where you kind of don't really see me in there, but I'm in there. Or maybe you're just trying to fade into the background so only you can keep your head just peeked up so you can see what's happening. Or maybe you're, like, in this picture, you're staying at home and you're just trying to hide from the world and all that's happening. That's our world today. That's what's burning. That's what's happening. But you don't need to hide. You don't need to hide because of Jesus. Jesus is the answer for all the situations that we have.

[6:48] Jesus is the answer no matter what our day looks like. Jesus is the core and the answer for all things. Let me tell you about my Jesus. He is gentle, but yet He is strong. He is grace-filled, but yet He is the truth. He is my friend, but He is also my defender. He is powerful over all things. Let me tell you about my Jesus. Mark 4, a furious squall came over. The waves broke over the boat so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern sleeping on cushions. The disciples woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, don't You care if we drown?"

[7:36] He got up, rebuked the wind and the waves and said, "Be quiet, be still." Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to His disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this that even the wind and the waves obey Him?" Let me tell you about my Jesus. There is no need to fear when you have Jesus. Mark 2 tells us soon the house where He was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room even outside the door. There was no room while He was preaching God's word to them, four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat.

[8:27] They couldn't bring him to Jesus because of the crowd. So they climbed up on the roof. They dug a hole through the roof above His head and they lowered the man on his mat right down in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to a paralyzed man, "My child, your sins are forgiven." But some of the teachers of the religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves, "What is He saying? This is blasphemy. Only God can forgive sins." Jesus knew immediately what they were talking about. So He asked them, "Why do you question this in your hearts? Is it easier to say to a paralyzed man, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or 'Stand up, pick up your mat and walk'?

[9:17] So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins." Then Jesus turned to a paralyzed man and said, "Stand up. Pick up your mat and go home." And the man jumped up, grabbed the mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. He was amazed and they were amazed and praised God. Let me tell you about my Jesus. He forgives all people and He can heal. Let me tell you about my Jesus. In Mark 5, a woman in the crowd had suffered for 12 years with constant bleeding. She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them. But she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse.

[10:03] She had heard about Jesus. So she came behind Him through the crowd and touched His robe, for she thought to herself, "If I could only just touch His robe, I will be healed." Immediately the bleeding stopped and she could feel it in her body, and she had been healed of her terrible condition. Jesus realized at once, that the healing power had gone out of Him. So He turned to the crowd and asked, "Who touched my robe?" His disciples said to Him, "Look at the crowd pressing in around You. How can You ask who touched me?" But He kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to His knee, fell to her knees in front of Him and told Him she had done it.

[10:52] And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over." Let me tell you about my Jesus, that He heals. Let me tell you about my Jesus when it comes to death. In Mark 5, Jesus saw much commotion and weeping and wailing. He went inside and asked, "Why all the commotion and the weeping? The child isn't dead, she's only asleep." He said. The crowd laughed at Him, but He made them all leave. And He took the girl's father and mother and the three disciples into the room where the girl was lying, holding her hand. He said, "Talitha koum," which means "Little girl, get up." And the girl, who was 12 years old, immediately stood up and walked out. Let me tell you about my Jesus who can resurrect people. In John 11, Jesus was still angry as He arrived at the tomb, a cave with the stone rolled across its entrance, rolled the stone aside.

[11:44] Jesus told them. But Martha said, Martha, the dead man's sister, protested to the Lord. "He has been in there for four days. The smell will be terrible." Jesus responded, "Didn't I tell you I would see God's glory if you believe?" So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, "Father, thank You for hearing Me. You always hear Me. And I said it out loud for the sake of all people standing here, that they will believe You sent Me." And then He shouted out, "Lazarus, come forth!" And a dead man came out with his hands and feet bound in grave clothes, his face wrapped in head cloth. Jesus told them, "Unwrap him and let him free." Let me tell you about my Jesus who resurrects people from the dead. Jesus defeated death on Friday.

[12:30] They nailed Him on a cross and celebrating, and all hell celebrated because they thought they won. But let me tell you about my Jesus, 'cause He said, "Not today, Satan. Not today. For Sunday is coming, and I will rise. I will defeat death." Let me tell you about the Jesus that we serve. You don't have to be chained to the wreckage that this world is bringing and giving to you. It is offering scrambling, chasing. It is showing hatred. It is pinning people against each other. That is not what Jesus is about. That is what lost people who are not following Jesus are about. Let me tell you about my Jesus who saves, who resurrects, who sets people free, who forgives you of sin so that you can live the fullness that Jesus has planned for you every day.

[13:21] Let me tell you about my Jesus. When most people ask the question to you, who? What do you, what? Tell me about yourself. Do you know what most people say? They tell people what the job is they do when someone comes up and they go, "So, tell me about yourself." A lot of times before, I used to avoid telling 'em I was a pastor because it was like the kiss of death and no one wanted to talk to you afterwards. So, but now I go, "I'm a pastor," but a lot of people go, "I'm an engineer, I'm a nurse, I'm a doctor." We spent a lot of years working. We spent a lot of years at jobs, we spent a lot of years in school.

[14:10] We even got preschool, we got pre-K, then we got kindergarten, then we got through, all the way through 12th grade. And then some of us go to college or trade school. We spend a lot of time in school. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying school's bad, like when I'm sick and I gotta go to the doctor, like I'm glad he's gone to school or she's gone to school, right? So I'm not saying it's bad, but everything in our life and the reason we exist is not about what you know and it's not about what you do. There's no amount of knowledge that you can gather that will make you more precious to God than you already are.

[14:57] There's nothing more that you can do for job or task or whatever the do part is that will make God love you more. 'Cause He already loves you that way. You want to know how much He loves and values you. John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." What is it all about? It's about who you know and who knows you. And that's Jesus. For when we celebrate today, we'll get together with friends and family and we'll eat way more food than we should.

[15:51] But it's about Jesus. Our world is burning. It's on fire and it needs Jesus. Let me tell you about our Jesus. Jesus offers hope. Jesus offers strength. Jesus offers forgiveness. Jesus offers peace. Jesus offers healing and Jesus offers love for everyone. Some of us think that if we live a good life and keep our virtues, good virtues, in check, that's all we need to do. But there's more to that than just good virtues and living a good life.

[16:38] There's Jesus. All that other stuff is not gonna matter. It's not gonna matter. Philippians 3, "I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin, a real Hebrew if there ever was one. I was a member of the Pharisees who demanded the strictest obedience to Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church." And as for righteousness, I lived the law without fault. I once thought all these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared to the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord.

[17:27] For His sake, I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage so I could gain Christ and become one with Him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law. Rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ, for God's way of making us right with Himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead. I want to suffer with Him, sharing in His death, so that one day, one way or another, I will experience the resurrection from death. People will often say, and I've heard it for many, many years, I want to be like Jesus.

[18:18] You can't be like Jesus until you know Jesus and He knows you. Matthew 7, it says this, Not everyone who calls out to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven. Only those who actually do the will of My Father in heaven will enter on judgment day. Many will say to Me, Lord, Lord, we've prophesied in Your name. We cast out demons in Your name and we perform many, many miracles in Your name. But I will reply, I never knew you. Get away from Me. You who break God's laws. We have to know Jesus, and we have to allow Jesus to take over all the aspects in our life and surrender them to Him.

[19:11] We think of an architect who designs a building to be built. That architect sits and does measurements and drawings and blueprints and everything comes out. But that architect does not know that building. That architect has no idea of that building until the day he or she walks inside of that building and uses the building and sees how it operates and works and functions. And it's no different with our lives. Our lives have been architected by God. And until we allow Jesus to come into our lives, we will never know the fullness, and until we enter in with Him to the fullness that He's called us to be for the purposes of His kingdom and surrender it all, we will never know what that is.

[20:03] Being a follower of Jesus, it's not enough just to show up and you can't mail it in. It's not enough to say the right phrases and terminologies. It's not enough to go to events or help in events. It's not even enough just to live a good life. Most of you know that my favorite sport, I love, is hockey. I have two hockey pucks just to keep both hands occupied and I won't throw 'em to anybody. When hockey initially started way back in the day, there was a time when they actually, the hockey puck was made outta two pieces and they welded two pieces together, somehow manufacturing to make a hockey puck and has gone through many different iterations of how it's made.

[20:53] And when they play, these are actually frozen. So a hockey puck when it's on the ice being played is frozen and it's solid vulcanized rubber. But there's a unique thing about the sport of hockey. And some other sports have it similar with their whatever their equivalent the puck would be is that in order to accomplish the goal of the team, which is to put this puck in the net to count as a goal, the entire puck has to cross the goal line. If any bit of this puck is touching or on the goal line, it doesn't count. So back in the day when they made it in two pieces, there was a time, first time that someone shot the puck and it broke in half and half went in the net and half didn't go in the net.

[21:45] And when they referred to the book that tells 'em what is a goal, it says the entire puck must cross the goal line in order to be a goal. Therefore, the referees ruled it was no goal. If we're to be followers of Christ, it's our entire life that needs to be surrendered to Him. Not part of it. It's the entire, bits and pieces that we think we've given that we haven't given that need to go to Him. We can't pick and choose like a buffet of what fits or what's convenient for us or what's easier and avoid the hard stuff.

[22:32] It's all gotta be given. Do you know Jesus personally? Does He know you personally into the depths of your existence? Let me tell you about my Jesus. He gave His life for each one of us, a broken, bloodied, battered body that was nailed to a cross to take everything that we could ever think was a burden. And He took it for us so that we can be free. But on the third day, He defeated death and He rose for us, for us.

[23:26] And He wants all of us. Jesus created us and He loves us and He wants you and me to love Him back completely, fully. He gave His life to make it possible. When I think ahead, when the day comes that I'll no longer be on this earth, I want to experience a resurrection power that Jesus paid the price for so that I can have eternal life and live in heaven. And at my funeral, I don't want them to say how hard I worked as a pastor. I don't want them to say all the things that I did as a pastor.

[24:15] I want them to say that he loved Jesus so much that I could feel it and sense it when I spoke to him or when Pastor Jim prayed for me. I could feel the power of Jesus flowing through him as he sought Jesus every day of his life. When they talk about me at my funeral, I want 'em to talk about how much they miss me because how I represented Jesus so much in every relationship and every conversation I ever had with anyone. See, the great commandment says this, and starting in Matthew 22, Teacher, which is the most important commandment of the law of Moses?

[25:02] Jesus replied, You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second equally important is, love your neighbor as yourself. We can't do it without Jesus. Jesus, before He ascended, said this, the comfort of disciples, from John 14, Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God and trust also in Me. There is more than enough room in My Father's house. If this were not so, would I have told you that I'm going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you so that you will always be with Me where I am.

[25:51] And you know the way to where I'm going. No, we don't know, Your Lord, Thomas said, we have no idea where You're going. So how can we know the way? Jesus told them, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me. If you had really known Me, you would know who My Father is from now on. You do know Him and have seen Him. Jesus is the way. Jesus is the only way. Jesus has been the only way. Jesus will continue to be the only way. That is the only way healing, forgiveness can be overcome.

[26:40] And all with our world that's burning in the hatred that exists in it is for people to find the love of Jesus Christ in all that they do. Can you see Him? Can you feel Him? Can you sense the Spirit talking to you now? Can you feel just the tug maybe of Him around you? Many years ago, I was sitting in service over there before I was ever in ministry, working a corporate job, sitting on the right hand side, there was pews. And I always like to sit on the end, even though I tell you not to sit on the end. But I like to sit on the end too. And there was a prayer time going on during the service.

[27:25] And as I stood there with my eyes closed and my head bowed, I turned to see what the usher wanted standing next to me. And when I opened my eyes and I turned, there was nobody there. And I thought that was a pretty quick usher. And I went back to prayer, closed my eyes, put my hands down, and I felt my arm move again. And I looked and there was nobody there. This went on through the whole prayer to the point that I'm holding the back rail of the pew in front of me, holding on tight because I knew that what was happening was I was experiencing Jesus through the Holy Spirit calling me, tugging on me, saying, "I need you and I need you."

[28:11] Now, that was my experience. That's not everyone's experience like that. But I know enough and I've talked to enough people that you can sense within the being of how God has created you. When the tug comes of the Holy Spirit to say you need Jesus or you need to return to Jesus, that is a response that you need to take fully to heart and to react on it. Because what happens is we start our life out and we're in a certain spot and we think things are good, and then all of a sudden we think about, well, you know what, I'm kind of busy this Sunday. I don't think I'm gonna, I don't think I'm gonna go to church this Sunday. So we pick the line up out of the sand and we take a step this way and we draw a new line.

[28:59] I mean, that's okay. Like, I'm still good. Like, I go three times or I go twice or whatever. And then we go, well, you know what, I really like staying up late and watching the West Coast hockey games and they're not over till like one, two in the morning. And I'm like, too tired. And then they get up to read my Bible in the morning and then pray. And so I'll figure it out somewhere else in my day or my week somewhere. And so we pick the line up and we take another step this way, further away from where we were with Christ, we draw a new line and we get used to that line being where that line is. And then all of a sudden we go, you know what? Well, that movie's really entertaining and I kind of looks funny. And I know when I looked it up on Common Sense or Parent Guide, it said, there's some inappropriate things in there I probably shouldn't see as a believer in Christ, but you know what? I'm sitting in my house and who's gonna know? And so we pick the line up and we take another step this way and we draw another line and we keep doing that in life.

[29:48] We keep picking up the line and taking a step and moving here and getting used to living where we're living and we're getting further and further away from the purpose and calling that Jesus has had on our lives. And we find ourselves drifted. Nobody gets here intentionally. Nobody gets over here and then all of a sudden goes, "I'm just gonna go all the way over to this side and live over here." Nobody does that. We slowly drift and the world gets in our minds through the things that they've created and given us. And I'm not saying everything's bad, but I'm just saying you've gotta have Jesus in your life that keeps you centered where He is for the purpose and fulfillment of your life. So you don't drift. They call it driftwood for a reason. 'Cause if it had a purpose, it wouldn't be sitting on the beach just wearing and wearing and wearing with no purpose.

[30:35] Jesus has a purpose for your life. What will you decide today? Will you decide like Pilate? Will you decide like Judas? Will you decide like the first thief, or will you be like the second thief on the cross and go, "Remember me. I see You, Jesus, and I know the price You paid and I know the gift that You've given me and I know the freedom that I can have from the chaos of this world. And I want that." Let's pray together. Maybe as your head's bowed and your eyes are closed and you've heard, maybe you sense, you've heard, sense, feel the tug in your way, in your own way.

[31:34] Maybe it's the first time you felt it, you don't understand it, or maybe you've been a long time away and Jesus is just saying, "Come home. Just come home. Let Me love you and let's fulfill the purpose of your life for the greater good of the kingdom." If you're in any one of those two situations, as we pray, just pray this with me. Father, I'm sorry, I'm sorry that I allowed myself to drift. I'm sorry that I made one decision after another. I'm sorry I let the domino effect drop in and take over.

[32:23] But today I humbly ask for Your forgiveness and I ask that You guide me back to where I need to be to get my life to the spot that Jesus paid the price for, so that not only can I live my life fulfilled, but everyone I come in contact with would want to know who Jesus is. Father, in a world of chaos and burning and fire and everything just seems crazy, You've not changed. You've been the same.

[33:09] So forgive me and help me to be stronger. For those of you that have followed and been strong followers of Jesus, that have said, "I'm a follower of Jesus and His teachings," just say thank You. Thank You for the gift. Thank You for the sacrifice. Thank You for every mark that was on Your body, for Your pierced side, for every drop of blood that was shed. Thank You. Thank You for allowing me to find the freedom that comes from the sacrifice of Jesus. May we all grow stronger, Father, in Your life, the life that You have for us.

[33:54] May the drift stop. May we not find ourselves alone and may we find ourselves back on solid ground because Jesus is the way, the one and only way to the truth and the fullness of life. And everybody said, "Amen."