EASTER SUNDAY
MY REDEEMER LIVES
DR. JIM DIXON
APRIL 24, 2011
JOHN 20:19-31
We want to thank Nicole. That was absolutely wonderful! I heard where, this morning in another part of Colorado, a pastor is going to jump out of a plane and parachute down upon his congregation. I guess that’s a little bit of Easter ham there. I got an email just yesterday from one of you saying you had to choose between Nicole C. Mullen and a flying pastor and you said you were coming here. You made the right choice. We do say “Happy Easter” to you and with our simulcast back to the church we also say happy Easter to the 5,000 wonderful wusses back at the church as well. Our scripture this Easter morning is from the Gospel of John. This is our 22nd year here, as Gene said earlier, and we have used 14 different Easter passages. Today we are looking at the passage from John 20:19.
On the evening of the first day of that week, the doors being shut where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them, saying, “Peace be with you.” He showed them His hands and His sides, and the disciples rejoiced to see that it was the Lord. Again He said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, even so I send you.” He breathed on them, saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, the twin, was not with them when Jesus came and the disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” Thomas said, “Unless I see in His hands the prints of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in His side, I will not believe.” Eight days later, the disciples were again in the room and Thomas was with them.
The doors were closed but Jesus came and stood amongst them. He said, “Peace be with you.” He turned to Thomas and said, “Put your finger here. See My hand; stretch forth your hand and touch My side. Do not be faithless, but believing.” Thomas said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “You believe because you have seen. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” Many other signs did Jesus in the presence of His disciples which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
This ends the reading from God’s Holy Word. Let’s pray together before we have our message this Easter Morning. Father, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen.
Robert King Merton was a sociologist at Columbia University. He died in the year 2003. Perhaps you have never heard of him, but you have heard of some of the words and phrases that he coined or popularized. So, expressions like unintended consequences, self-fulfilling prophecy, these were coined by Robert King Merton. Focus groups. Everybody has heard of focus groups, and that expression comes from Robert King Merton. Serendipity. He popularized the expression “serendipity.” It was coined in 1754 by Horace Walpole after reading the Three Princes of Serendip, which refers to Sri Lanka, but it was popularized by Robert King Merton. Role model. Everybody has heard of a role model. That expression was created by Robert King Merton. In the Bible, in the fifth chapter in the Book of James, we are told that in terms of patience our role model should be Job. The funny thing is Job, in some ways, was a lot like Robert King Merton. A lot of people have never read the book of Job, but they know words and phrases and expressions that come from the book of Job. Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return, comes from the book of Job. The Lord gives, the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord. Those words, quoted by Rose Kennedy in the aftermath of her son’s death, come from the book of Job. Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him, comes from the book of Job. As Nicole said earlier, I know that my redeemer lives, comes from the book of Job. Those words, I know that my redeemer lives, are ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He is our redeemer and He lives.
This Easter morning, I wanted to take a few minutes to look at what it means to say that Jesus Christ is our redeemer. The word redeemer has two meanings in the Bible and we will look at them both briefly. First of all it means to rescue. To be a redeemer means to rescue. You look at the Hebrew words for redeemer, the word gaal, the word padah, and the word kappar, and these Hebrew words all mean “to rescue.” They are rendered “redeem,” but they mean “to rescue everyone.” You look at the New Testament at the Greek and you look at the words in the Greek that are translated “redemption,” words like lutroo or lutron, and agorazo or exagorazo. These words all mean “to rescue.” So Jesus offers to rescue us. Easter and Passion Week took place during the time of the Jewish Passover. I think most of you know that. The Passover was all about redemption and Easter is all about redemption. If you look at the Haggadah, if you look at the script of the Passover from the Kadesh to the Hillel, it all has to do with redemption. The Hebrew words for rescue are found all through it. The Passover celebrates the rescue from Egypt. The Jews were rescued from Egypt. They were rescued from the Pharaoh, they were rescued from the land of Goshen, they were rescued through the Red Sea, and they were rescued from the angel of death: rescue, rescue, rescue. In the Passover, they took four cups of wine and the third cup was called the Cup of Redemption, the Cup of Rescue. Almost all scholars believe that this was the cup that Jesus took when he instituted the Lord’s Supper because he is our redeemer and he rescues us.
What does He rescue us from? What does Jesus offer to rescue you from? Many answers have been given. First of all, He rescues us from the Devil and from demonic powers. He rescues us from the powers of evil, the powers of darkness. In the Bible, Jesus calls the Devil the archon. This is a Greek word that means “the prince.” Jesus said the Devil was the prince of this world. Perhaps at the dawn of time, before the Devil’s fall, he was given authority over this planet. We do not know. We do know that his mind and his thought have infiltrated the cultures of this planet. In some sense, he has this planet in his grip. Jesus offers to redeem us; He offers to rescue us.
The most holy day in the Jewish world is Yom Kippur, which means the Day of Atonement. On that day alone, the high priest would go into the Holy of Holies of the Temple or Tabernacle and would sprinkle the blood of animals upon the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. He would seek to atone for the sins of the people: the Day of Atonement. On that day, the high priest would take two goats, one goat for Yahweh and one goat for Azazel—one goat for Yahweh Elohim, the Lord God Almighty, and one goat for Azazel. Who was Azazel? He was only mentioned in Leviticus chapter sixteen; he is mentioned three times in that one chapter. Who is he? Some say Azazel was the goat itself, the scapegoat. That doesn’t seem likely because if you read Leviticus chapter sixteen it was the goat that was offered to Azazel and for Azazel. The goat itself was not Azazel. Others have said, “Well maybe Azazel is the barren wilderness that the goat was sent to.” This is possible, but every scholar knows that Azazel is an ancient name for the demonic realm. In the intertestamental literature, such as the book of Enoch, Azazel was the fallen angel who corrupted mankind. There is some sense in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, that we think of rescue from Satan.
This goat that was offered to Azazel was never sacrificed. There is, in the Bible, no sacrifice to the Devil. The goat that was sent to Azazel was vested with the sin of the people. The sin of the people was vested on that goat and that goat was sent to Azazel where sin belongs. There was this recognition for this need of people to be rescued from the Devil and from the powers of darkness. Ultimately, the Day of Atonement is fulfilled in Christ. It is Jesus Christ who offers to rescue us from the powers of the Devil. Why do we have racism in this world? Why is there racism? Why is there, in this world, oppression? Why are there violent crimes? Drug cartels? Why do drug lords live in palatial estates? Why are there tragic addictions? Why do we have pollution of land, sea, and sky? Why are the souls of mankind corrupted? In Faustian legends the people offered their souls to the Devil, but the Devil has a little touch on every soul. It is Jesus Christ who offers to rescue us from the powers of darkness.
Another idea is that He rescues us from sin itself. It’s not just the Devil, but He rescues us from sin. He offers to rescue you from sin, every sin you have ever committed. You can travel today down to Brazil. You can go to Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city in Brazil but one of the largest cities in the world. Thirteen and a half million people are in Rio de Janeiro. It is a city that is known for its night life, known for its parties. It is a city that is known for prostitution and promiscuity. It is known for alcohol and drug abuse. It is known for violent crimes. It is a city that, nominally, is Catholic, although, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, most of the Catholics there also practice Macumba, which worships and prays to many gods and goddesses.
High on the hill of Corcovado, the hill above Rio de Janeiro, there is a statue. It has been called one of the seven wonders of the modern world. It rises 135 feet from its base and it is a statue of Jesus Christ. His arms outstretched from finger to finger are 90 feet wide. Standing over the city of Rio de Janeiro, it is called Cristo Redentor. In Portuguese that means “Christ the Redeemer,” the Rescuer. Over the city of Rio de Janeiro, he is offering, with arms outstretched, to rescue them from their sin. He stands over every city in the world, figuratively speaking; He stands over this amphitheater today offering to rescue us from our sin. He does this by the cross as He died for the sin of the world. He died in our place.
Most of you have heard of J.R.R. Tolkien. J.R.R. Tolkien was a professor of literature at Oxford University and the author of The Lord of the Rings, the author of the Hobbit, the Silmarilllion, Unfinished Tales, and many books. J.R.R. Tolkien was a devout Christian. He was a member of a Christian literary group called the Inklings. C.S. Lewis was also a member of that group and Tolkien’s best friend. Upon the death of Charles Williams, who was another member of the Inklings, J.R.R. Tolkien wrote an essay called Eucatastrophos,which is a word he made up. He coined it in the Greek and it means “good catastrophe.” It is kind of an oxymoron. Of course, we are here at Comfort Dental, so we have embraced oxymorons, right? A good catastrophe. That is what the cross is; the cross is a good catastrophe. The Son of God dies, but by His death, He rescues us from sin. He is our redeemer and He rescues us from the powers of darkness and He rescues us from sin.
Then finally He rescues us from death itself. At our church, at Cherry Hills Community Church, we are planning a memorial garden. This memorial garden will be between The Chapel and the Atrium. It will be a columbarium, and it will have niches for the remains of our loved ones. It will have over 5,000 niches. This is not unusual for a church to do. Historically, churches often had cemeteries and burial sites for those who die in Christ. Some people ask, “Does it matter whether you are buried or whether you are cremated?” The answer, biblically, is no because over time it all turns out the same. Dust to dust, ashes to ashes. We leave the body behind and our soul goes to be with Christ. The word for “death” in the Bible is Thanatos. It refers to spiritual death as well as physical death. Spiritual death is the separation of your soul from God. Hell is eternal separation of the soul from God. That is spiritual death. Physical death is the separation of the soul from the body. Jesus offers to rescue us from both. He offers to rescue us from spiritual death, promising to unite our soul with God forever, and He promises to rescue us from physical death as He offers you resurrection and a new body that will forever be joined to your soul. He is the redeemer. He is the one who rescues. He is offering that rescue this morning.
There is one more meaning for redeemer. It not only means to rescue, it also means “payment.” If Jesus is our redeemer, He rescues us and He pays for us because that is the meaning of the word. If you look at gaal, the Hebrew word for redeem, it means not only “to rescue,” but “to pay; to rescue by payment; to rescue with a price.” This is true of padah, this it true of kappar, all of the Hebrew words. And it is true of lutron and the Greek words. They mean to rescue for a price. There was a cost.
This past week, our dog became sick. She is a little Yorkie Terrier. We call her Puddin. She began to throw up and she wouldn’t eat and she became weak. Then for a couple of days she just laid there and we honestly thought she might not make it. Barb said, “Let’s take her to the vet.” So we did that. We took her to the vet and they took some x-rays and some blood tests. That cost five hundred dollars. We can rescue her, but for a price. There was a follow-up meeting, which was another hundred dollars. It cost six hundred dollars, but she is not throwing up anymore. She is doing fine. We rescued her for a price.
Just a week ago, I was backing out of the garage in my car. There is nothing wrong with that except I didn’t raise the garage door. I mean, I did push the button and the door started to rise. I just got in my car assuming it would go all the way to the top and it stopped about half way up and I proceeded to put my car into reverse and back right into it. I can rescue the door, but for a price. I can rescue the door and the minor damage to my car, but for a price. There is a cost.
That is how it is with us. Christ rescues us—He offers to rescue us—but there is a cost. The cost is the cross, a price that only He could pay. He is the Lamb of God. He is the only Holy One, the only one without sin. He alone could represent the sin of the world and die for us. He went to that cross willingly. He went to that cross by the will of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He went lovingly. He went for love’s sake. He went for you. He went for me. He died for us. He died in substitutionary atonement. He died in my place, and he died in your place. He took all of your sin that you will ever commit upon Himself when he died for you that day. That was the price, that He might rescue you and that He might rescue me.
I know you have heard of a Pyrrhic victory. King Pyrrhus was the cousin of Alexander the Great and he had two victories over the Romans and they both came at a horrible cost. He won those battles in the third century BC over the Romans because of the brilliant use of elephants in battle. But between those two battles he lost 90 percent of his army. When he was congratulated he said, “One more such victory and I will be completely undone.” So today, we use the expression Pyrrhic victory to refer to a victory that comes at too great of a price, too high of a cost. That’s a Pyrrhic victory. I tell you, Good Friday would be a Pyrrhic victory if not for Easter Sunday. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross for the sin of the world would be too great of a cost if He did not rise from the dead. If not for Easter Sunday He would still be in the earth, He would still be in the tomb. The disciples would have scattered, the church would never have been born, and the gospel never would have gone forth. It would have been a Pyrrhic victory. He did rise. He is Lord of Lords, He is King of Kings, and He commanded us to take the gospel to the nations of the world. This we do, we take His gospel. But His gospel demands a response. This Sunday morning, this Easter morning, we offer the gospel. We offer Jesus, we offer a redeemer, we offer rescue at a price, but there must be a response. That is the chance we are giving you this morning as we close in prayer: that you might respond to Jesus Christ. Let’s look to the Lord with a word of prayer.
Lord Jesus, You are risen from the dead and we praise You. You are risen from the dead and we stand in awe. You are risen from the dead and we worship You. You are Son of God and Son of Man. You are Holy. You alone are righteous. You are the perfect Lamb of God and You died for the sin of the world. There may be some here this morning on this Easter that have never responded to Your gospel. There may be some here this morning on this Easter Sunday that have never accepted You, Lord Jesus, never received You as Lord and Savior. I pray, Lord Jesus, that they would do so this morning and that they would say this prayer with me—in the quietness of this moment, in the stillness of their heart, that they would say this prayer with me: “Come into my heart Lord Jesus. Come in today. Come in this Easter Sunday and be my redeemer. Rescue me. Rescue me from sin. Rescue me from the powers of darkness. Rescue me from death. Come, Lord Jesus, and be my savior. Thank you for dying on the cross for me. I accept You as my Savior today. Come, Lord Jesus, and sit on the throne of my life. You are risen and You are Lord. From this day forth I will seek to follow You. From this Easter Sunday onward, I know I won’t be perfect because I am a sinner, but from this day forth I will seek to live for You. Be my Savior and be my Lord. Bring me into Your family. Rescue me and give me eternal life.” Thank you, Lord Jesus. Thank You for loving us. Thank You for saving us. We pray these things in Your great and matchless name. Amen.