LutheranLectionary.org

Series C – Easter Sunday – Sunday, March 27, 2016 | Pr. Chris Rosebrough

Welcome to the Teaching Ministry of Kongsvinger Lutheran Church. Kongsvinger is a beacon for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and is located on the plains of Northwestern Minnesota. We proclaim Christ and Him crucified for our sins and salvation by grace through faith alone, and now, here’s a message from Pastor Chris Rosebrough:

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:29	the holy Gospel According to Saint Luke
0:31	chapter 24 verses 1 through 12.
0:35	but on the first day of the week at
0:37	early Dawn they went to the tomb taking
0:40	the spices that they had prepared and
0:43	they found the stone rolled away from
0:45	the tomb but when they went and they did
0:47	not find the body of the Lord Jesus
0:49	while they were perplexed about this
0:51	behold two men stood by them in dazzling
0:54	apparel and as they were frightened and
0:56	bowed their faces to the ground the men
0:58	said to them
0:59	why do you seek the living among the
1:01	dead he is not here
1:03	but he has risen remember how he told
1:06	you while he was still in Galilee that
1:08	the son of man must be delivered into
1:10	the hands of sinful men and be crucified
1:12	and on the third day rise and they
1:15	remembered his words and returning from
1:17	the tomb they told all these things to
1:20	the eleven and to all the rest now it
1:23	was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and
1:25	married the mother of James and the
1:27	other women with them who told these
1:29	things to the apostles but these words
1:32	seem to them an idle tale and they did
1:34	not believe them but Peter Rose and ran
1:37	to the tomb stooping and looking in he
1:39	saw the linen quads by themselves and he
1:42	went home marveling at what had happened
1:46	he has risen
1:51	dear Saints
1:52	today is the day of days
1:55	now secretly I want to climb up on the
1:57	top of my roof take off my shirt and
1:59	wave it in the air wildly and let
2:01	everyone in town know what it is that is
2:04	bringing me such Joy
2:06	problem is if I did that they’d probably
2:08	call the police in a hook and ladder
2:10	truck to come and get me off my roof
2:12	which I think might be the only way I
2:14	might be able to get down from there so
2:16	I fear that my joy and exuberance
2:19	regarding today may go badly if I
2:22	execute this plan just saying but I want
2:26	you dear Saints to share the joy and the
2:28	hope that I have this Easter morning and
2:31	in order to do that we’re going to need
2:32	to step back for a minute we’re going to
2:34	have to evaluate what just happened in
2:37	light of where we are and where this is
2:39	all heading now if that sounds a little
2:41	bit cryptic and kind of vague I
2:43	understand that that’ll change shortly
2:45	and everything will come into Focus so
2:47	give me just a few minutes to develop
2:49	the thought here
2:50	so let me start by saying this we all
2:53	know that there’s something terribly
2:54	wrong with this world
2:55	and if you’re honest with yourself then
2:59	you are woefully aware that you yourself
3:02	me included that we’re all part of the
3:04	problem
3:05	we’re not part of the solution
3:08	now for years
3:09	politicians religious leaders poets
3:13	people who sing songs things like that
3:16	they have been they’ve been leading the
3:18	charge the call for us to change the
3:21	world I remember growing up as a kid
3:23	hearing that wonderful commercial I’d
3:25	Like to Teach the World to Sing in
3:28	Perfect Harmony
3:29	like to buy the World of Coke and keep
3:32	it company right
3:34	how weird we can change the world by
3:36	buying somebody a Coke
3:37	I didn’t know that was possible but see
3:39	that but there’s something that was
3:41	compelling about that schmalty hippie
3:44	commercial why because in that
3:48	commercial you caught a glimpse a
3:49	glimpse of something that each and every
3:51	one of us
3:52	Longs for and yearns for now this has
3:56	taken on many different forms in history
3:58	and if you think back to the 20th
4:01	century and the two big political
4:03	ideologies that wrecked Europe communism
4:07	and fascism I want you to think for a
4:09	second about really what these movements
4:11	were about they were nothing less than
4:14	Grand Visions cast to the masses by
4:17	quite forceful and charismatic leaders
4:19	that promised to once and for all solve
4:24	the problems of our world
4:27	but like the Tower of Babel these
4:29	projects were catastrophic failures not
4:33	only did their dreamed for utopian
4:35	societies never emerged the countries
4:38	that adopted these ideologies were
4:40	thrown into poverty and ruined and
4:42	countless Millions
4:44	tens of millions hundreds of millions
4:47	lost their lives in these Grand
4:50	Visionary social and political
4:52	experiments
4:54	think about it what were they promising
4:56	once and for all we’re going to
4:58	eliminate poverty once and for all we’re
5:01	all going to be equal there will not be
5:03	the Haves and the have-nots we will all
5:05	pool our resources together we will
5:07	become one big utopian Brotherhood
5:11	and how’d that all work out
5:13	it didn’t
5:15	now you can catch glimpses of this
5:17	utopian Vision in the late John Lennon’s
5:20	haunting song Imagine now lucky for you
5:25	I will not sing this for you because
5:27	it’s Easter and I want you to be blessed
5:32	but let me read the lyrics
5:34	John Lennon
5:36	he wrote imagine there’s no heaven
5:39	it’s easy if you try no hell below us
5:42	above us only Sky imagine all the people
5:45	living for today
5:47	imagine there’s no countries it isn’t
5:50	hard to do nothing to kill or to die for
5:53	oh and no religion too imagine all the
5:56	people living life in peace now you may
6:00	say I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only
6:02	one and I hope that someday you’ll join
6:05	us and the world will be as one oh
6:08	[Music]
6:10	imagine no possessions I wonder if you
6:12	can no need for greed or hunger a
6:15	Brotherhood of Man imagine all the
6:17	people sharing all the world
6:20	now you may say I’m a dreamer but I’m
6:23	not the only one and I hope that someday
6:25	you’ll join us
6:26	and the world will live as one
6:31	boy that song Taps into something
6:33	doesn’t it
6:36	think about
6:39	the societies we live in
6:42	think about our plight as human beings
6:44	and I’m not talking about them
6:48	I’m talking about us
6:50	we are quite a wretched bunch
6:54	the other day I was on the iTunes app
6:57	store for my iPad looking for an app
7:01	and I thought well I’ll look at the that
7:03	said top apps top games
7:05	I looked at the top games
7:09	and I was struck by a fact
7:12	that we have turned War
7:14	and killing
7:16	into games
7:20	what kind of species are we
7:22	who does that
7:26	I can get a top score in the global
7:28	leaderboard if I can rack up a huge body
7:32	count
7:34	that’s a game
7:38	hmm
7:40	something is terribly wrong
7:43	these ideologies
7:45	that I mentioned communism and fascism
7:48	they were doomed to failure
7:50	and there’s a real simple reason why
7:52	that’s the case
7:54	now some people may say well at least
7:56	they tried to make the world a better
7:58	place
8:00	at least they tried
8:02	ask the tens of millions of people who
8:06	are not in Graves
8:08	but whose bodies were stacked like cords
8:11	of wood and thrown into pits
8:13	by these ideologies whether or not they
8:16	were just trying to make the world a
8:18	better place
8:20	right
8:21	the reason why these ideologies failed
8:23	is because God did not Institute
8:25	governments for the purpose of bringing
8:27	the Garden of Eden back to this cursed
8:30	planet
8:31	that’s not why government exists
8:33	read the book of Romans
8:35	Romans makes it clear God instituted
8:37	government for one purpose
8:40	and that purpose is to punish evildoers
8:45	to keep us in check
8:47	because we are a wicked lot
8:54	in other words there will be no movement
8:57	no matter how Grand
8:59	no matter how many poets
9:02	and authors and politicians and
9:04	religious leaders
9:06	popular singers get behind the movement
9:08	there will be no movement that will ever
9:10	bring the Garden of Eden back here
9:13	not one
9:17	so what is Our Hope
9:19	well we heard it in our texts this
9:21	morning
9:22	and because Jesus has risen from the
9:24	grave bodily and oh yes he did
9:28	we are sure that what these promises are
9:30	will take place
9:32	we read the opening verses from First
9:35	Corinthians 15 19 and 20. if in Christ
9:38	we have hope in this life only we are of
9:41	all people to be most pitied look at
9:44	that
9:45	our as Christians our hope is not in
9:47	this life
9:49	if it were we’re to be pitied
9:52	why because how many years have you got
9:54	left
9:56	I have well one last year than I had a
9:59	year ago
10:00	five less than I had five years ago and
10:03	I don’t know where the finish line is do
10:05	you all know where your finish line is I
10:07	don’t know where mine is
10:09	if in Christ we have hope in this life
10:11	only when we of all people are to be
10:13	most pitied
10:14	verse 20 but in fact Christ has been
10:17	raised from the dead and yes he has and
10:19	listen to what it says about Jesus he’s
10:21	the first fruits of those who have
10:23	fallen asleep
10:26	Colossians chapter one puts it this way
10:28	starting at verse 15. Jesus is the image
10:30	of the invisible God the firstborn of
10:33	all creation for by Jesus all things
10:35	were created in heaven on Earth visible
10:38	and invisible whether Thrones or
10:40	dominions or rulers or authorities all
10:42	things were created through him and for
10:44	him
10:45	he is before all things in him all
10:48	things hold together he is the head of
10:50	the body the church he is the beginning
10:52	he’s the arcade that beginning is kind
10:55	of a weird word here you can almost say
10:56	he’s the Pioneer the Trailblazer and
10:59	he’s the firstborn from the dead
11:03	so that in everything he might be
11:05	preeminent
11:07	for in him all the fullness of God was
11:09	pleased to dwell and through him to
11:11	reconcile to himself all things whether
11:13	on Earth or in heaven Making Peace by
11:16	the blood of his cross
11:18	there’s many different ways that you can
11:20	preach about Jesus’s resurrection one of
11:22	the ways that you can preach about
11:23	Jesus’s resurrection as you can say by
11:25	the fact that he rose bodily from the
11:27	grave it shows definitively that his
11:30	sacrifice his shed blood for us on the
11:33	cross was accepted by the father as the
11:36	sacrifice that redeems us and by which
11:38	our sins are forgiven this is absolutely
11:40	true this is a good way to preach
11:42	Jesus’s resurrection another way you can
11:44	preach the resurrection is you can say
11:46	by the fact that Jesus rose bodily from
11:48	the grave it proved that he is who he
11:50	claimed to be none other than God in
11:52	human flesh and this is most certainly
11:54	true also
11:55	but our epistle text and our Old
11:57	Testament texts
11:59	show us the eschatological hope that we
12:02	have as Christians because Jesus rose
12:05	bodily from the grave
12:07	he is the firstborn of the new creation
12:11	the new creation has already begun
12:16	I want you to think of it this way this
12:18	current heavens and earth that we live
12:20	in it begins in the Book of Genesis When
12:22	God says let there be light and there
12:24	was light and then God formed the Earth
12:26	the Stars the Sun the moon the
12:29	vegetation the CR the plants they’re big
12:32	animals and the creepy crawly little
12:34	things the Hebrew there is actually kind
12:36	of fun it talks about the creepers right
12:38	all you women love the creepers right
12:42	but the new creation doesn’t begin with
12:45	the creation of the Earth
12:47	a new Sun a new moon new stars the new
12:50	creation already has begun with Jesus
12:53	Christ’s Resurrection from the grave and
12:56	those of you who are Christians who have
12:58	been baptized
13:00	you have been buried with Christ in his
13:03	death and you have been raised with him
13:04	in his resurrection
13:06	you are already dead and you are already
13:09	alive you’ve already got one foot in the
13:12	new creation and you still have another
13:14	foot in the old
13:16	we kind of live in the Paradox Between
13:18	Two Worlds if you would in the now and
13:20	the not yet
13:22	and this is not symbolic this is real
13:24	and it is true
13:27	and so now I would like to re-read the
13:31	Old Testament text and keep in mind John
13:34	Lennon has nothing on this text because
13:37	all he can do was imagine
13:40	but the prophet Isaiah inspired by the
13:43	Holy Spirit isn’t imagining he’s
13:45	revealing what is coming and it’s true
13:48	because of Christ Isaiah writes
13:51	for behold
13:53	God speaking I create new heavens and a
13:57	new Earth
13:59	and we sit there and say oh please come
14:02	quickly whatever this is
14:04	the former things shall not be
14:06	remembered or come to mind now some of
14:08	you hear this passage and you become
14:09	anxious and here’s why you become
14:11	anxious well well it says that the
14:13	former things will not come to mind will
14:14	I forget my loved ones will I not
14:16	remember my children no that’s not what
14:19	this is saying
14:21	what it’s talking about is the curse the
14:24	pain the suffering the death
14:28	the loss of family members the loss of
14:32	your own life the loss of your health
14:33	the wages of your sin unfortunately the
14:37	wages of sin is death but we seem to be
14:39	on installment plans you know we’re
14:41	making payments every week every year
14:44	it’s like every time I go to the mirror
14:46	it’s like I’ve been paying a little bit
14:48	more to death
14:51	can’t wait for the balloon payment at
14:53	the end right
14:55	the former things shall not be
14:57	remembered they will not come to mind
14:58	but be glad and rejoice forever
15:01	in which I create for behold I create
15:04	Jerusalem to be a joy and are people to
15:06	be a gladness I will rejoice in
15:08	Jerusalem and be glad in my people no
15:10	more shall be heard in it the sound of
15:14	weeping and the Cry of distress well
15:18	this isn’t describing today’s Jerusalem
15:21	today is Jerusalem the peace is enforced
15:23	at gunpoint
15:25	and even then it’s very tenuous and
15:28	there’s a lot of distress you think of
15:30	the suicide bombers and the tensions
15:32	between the Muslims and the Jews and
15:34	even the Christians have contributed to
15:35	this tension Jerusalem today is nothing
15:37	like what this is describing
15:39	but no more shall there be in Jerusalem
15:42	an infant who lives but a few days or an
15:45	old man who does not fill out his days
15:47	for the young man shall die a hundred
15:49	years old The Sinner a hundred years old
15:51	shall be accursed they shall build
15:52	houses and inhabit them they shall plant
15:55	Vineyards and eat their fruit
15:58	I’m glad about that part right there
16:01	I don’t know if you’ve figured this out
16:02	yet
16:03	but when the new heavens and new earth
16:05	arrived I’m out of a job
16:08	I’m out of a job
16:11	says here they will plant Vineyards any
16:14	of you Farmers here want to help me to
16:16	learn how to take care of plants and to
16:18	farm
16:20	it might take me about a thousand years
16:22	to get the hang of it
16:24	be patient with me
16:26	right
16:28	they shall plant Vineyards
16:33	they will eat their fruit they shall not
16:35	build in another inhabit they shall not
16:38	plant in another eat
16:40	boy you think about this we recently
16:42	purchased a home we recently purchased a
16:45	home
16:46	and it’s so funny the previous owner was
16:49	there for so long
16:51	he lived there from the time of the end
16:53	of World War II until very recently and
16:57	everybody still calls that home by his
16:59	last name oh you live in such and such
17:02	this house
17:03	[Music]
17:05	yeah I do
17:07	sad though isn’t it
17:09	but in the new Earth
17:11	everybody will refer to your home as
17:13	your home not that other person’s home
17:16	because you will build it and it will
17:18	never be inhabited by somebody else
17:20	actually Christ is the one who builds it
17:23	but that’s another text right to build
17:25	houses in habit them they shall plant
17:27	Vineyards and eat their fruit they shall
17:29	not build another habit they shall not
17:31	plant in another eat for like the days
17:33	of a tree shall the days of my people be
17:39	got some really old trees in my yard
17:43	My Chosen shall long enjoy the work of
17:46	their hands
17:47	they shall not labor in vain or bear
17:49	children for calamity
17:51	they shall be The Offspring of the
17:53	Blessed of the Lord and their
17:54	descendants with them before they call I
17:57	will answer while they are yet speaking
17:59	I will hear even the animal kingdom is
18:02	going to be different listen to this the
18:05	wolf and the lamb shall graze together
18:08	now wolves currently don’t mind grazing
18:11	with Lambs
18:13	Lambs get a little skittish about this
18:14	Arrangement because generally the wolves
18:17	like to graze on the Lambs right
18:20	but things are going to change
18:22	and then we learn this
18:24	all right the wolf and the lamb shall
18:27	graze together the lion shall eat straw
18:29	like the ox and the dust shall be the
18:31	Serpent’s food I hear about
18:34	vegetarian plant-eating herbivore lions
18:37	and I worry about my oldest daughter
18:40	because I fear that she’s going to have
18:42	five or six of these for pets
18:48	you see this is not an imagination song
18:51	this is a promise
18:54	this is a promise
18:57	they shall not hurt or destroy in all of
18:59	my holy mountains says the Lord Christ
19:01	himself says it this way in Revelation
19:03	21. I saw a new Heaven in the new Earth
19:06	the first Heaven and the first Earth had
19:08	passed away
19:10	the sea was no more
19:11	I saw the holy city the New Jerusalem
19:14	coming down out of Heaven from God
19:16	prepared as a bride adorned for her
19:18	husband I heard a loud voice from the
19:20	throne saying Behold The Dwelling Place
19:22	of God is with man
19:25	I know I can’t wait till that day
19:28	no more atheists and they’re silly games
19:32	because they all know that God exists
19:34	they just suppress the truth and
19:35	unrighteousness but the day is coming
19:37	when we will no longer walk by faith but
19:40	we will walk by sight we will see our
19:43	crucified and Risen Savior face to face
19:45	we will become very familiar with the
19:49	scars in his hands and his feet
19:51	will know exactly what color his eyes
19:53	are or how he keeps his hair
19:56	and because he is our King there will
19:58	never be a time when we have to languish
20:00	through an awful election season
20:04	never again will we have to read in our
20:06	newspapers reports about what lousy
20:08	persons our politicians are and what a
20:11	complete letdown they’ve been never
20:13	again
20:14	never again
20:16	he will dwell with them they will be his
20:19	people God himself will be them with
20:21	them as their God he will wipe away
20:24	every tear from their eyes and here’s
20:27	the best part death will be a no more
20:28	neither shall there be mourning nor
20:30	crying nor pain anymore for the former
20:33	things they have passed away they have
20:35	died and God has raised the new heavens
20:38	and new earth like he’s raised our
20:40	bodies from the grave and Jesus himself
20:43	says this the one who was Seated on the
20:44	throne said behold I am making all
20:48	things new and we know this is true
20:50	because the grave is empty death could
20:53	not hold him
20:57	death could not hold him and he
20:59	conquered death and because you have
21:01	been baptized into his death and his
21:02	resurrection you too are victorious
21:05	because you are in Christ
21:09	now I’m not much of a songwriter
21:12	but think of it this way
21:15	imagine a world where there is no death
21:18	where there is no mourning or crying
21:21	it’s easy if you think about it
21:24	no pain in the former things have passed
21:27	away
21:28	we’re in the New Jerusalem even the
21:30	animal kingdom is different
21:32	now some may say I’m a dreamer
21:35	but I’m not the only one
21:38	because Christ has promised
21:40	a new world is coming and he’s the only
21:43	one who can bring it
21:45	and he’s promised to
21:48	Christ is risen he’s risen indeed
21:51	Alleluia and it changes everything the
21:55	new worlds come and count on it God
21:57	never makes a promise and doesn’t follow
21:59	through
22:00	and you who are in him
22:02	you will rejoice and see him face to
22:05	face
22:06	in the name of Jesus Amen
22:09	[Music]

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