WEBVTT 00:00:09.900 --> 00:00:12.699 Hey everyone, this is Josh from Encounter Church 00:00:12.699 --> 00:00:15.279 Henley and thanks so much for tuning into our 00:00:15.279 --> 00:00:19.000 podcast. Our prayer is that through this podcast, 00:00:19.019 --> 00:00:20.879 you can have an encounter with Jesus that'll 00:00:20.879 --> 00:00:24.359 change your life. And now get ready for an inspiring 00:00:24.359 --> 00:00:27.980 message from our preaching team. If you don't 00:00:27.980 --> 00:00:31.859 know me, my name is Angus or Goose. Yeah, I'm 00:00:31.859 --> 00:00:38.000 preaching today. So let's pray. God, thank you 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:39.719 for your spirit. Father, we thank you that your 00:00:39.719 --> 00:00:42.979 spirit is here. Father, we thank you that you 00:00:42.979 --> 00:00:46.240 want to do a work. You're a God that is with 00:00:46.240 --> 00:00:49.200 us and for us. You're not a God who is against 00:00:49.200 --> 00:00:51.479 us, but God, you are for us. And that is why 00:00:51.479 --> 00:00:56.259 you sent Jesus to show us that you are for us. 00:00:56.579 --> 00:00:59.740 And so, Father, I pray that as I speak this afternoon, 00:01:00.179 --> 00:01:02.820 God, that it would be your power, be your wisdom 00:01:02.820 --> 00:01:05.569 and your strength in your spirit. Father may 00:01:05.569 --> 00:01:08.569 it all be to your glory may it all be to who 00:01:08.569 --> 00:01:12.650 you are father. I lay myself down Just say God 00:01:12.650 --> 00:01:15.909 have your way Invade our hearts invade our minds 00:01:15.909 --> 00:01:20.790 God so that we can walk away richer in love for 00:01:20.790 --> 00:01:23.209 you and each other and Deeper in understanding 00:01:23.209 --> 00:01:30.769 for who you are in your name amen Amen Well one 00:01:30.769 --> 00:01:35.340 of my favorite film franchises of all time Lord 00:01:35.340 --> 00:01:40.219 of the Rings oh yeah hopefully you've all seen 00:01:40.219 --> 00:01:48.120 it Alex is shaking his head oh that's okay well 00:01:48.120 --> 00:01:51.219 worth a watch if you haven't they're long but 00:01:51.219 --> 00:01:55.219 definitely worthwhile if someone wants to host 00:01:55.219 --> 00:02:00.400 a watch party maybe if Deanna goes out for a 00:02:00.400 --> 00:02:04.019 day I can do it Apparently our TV is very big. 00:02:04.079 --> 00:02:09.099 So it is very big. Yeah But if you're unfamiliar 00:02:09.099 --> 00:02:12.180 with the story, it takes the classic trope of 00:02:12.180 --> 00:02:17.340 good versus evil and the Hobbit Frodo House and 00:02:17.340 --> 00:02:19.560 his mates Robert Frodo and his mates the Fellowship 00:02:19.560 --> 00:02:22.580 of the ring they take on the task of taking the 00:02:22.580 --> 00:02:26.060 ring of power to Mount Doom while fighting and 00:02:26.060 --> 00:02:30.219 evading the evil Sauron and his forces of orcs 00:02:30.219 --> 00:02:33.580 and along the way They meet this guy, Gandalf 00:02:33.580 --> 00:02:35.460 the Grey, and he's a good friend of the Hobbits. 00:02:35.900 --> 00:02:41.219 He's powerful, he's wise, and he sacrifices himself 00:02:41.219 --> 00:02:47.939 in a fight against the Balrog. Sorry. It's been 00:02:47.939 --> 00:02:54.180 out for 26 years. Like, Charlie wasn't even born 00:02:54.180 --> 00:03:02.990 yet. Spoilers. Gandalf dies, oh no, fighting 00:03:02.990 --> 00:03:07.990 the Balrog. And the Fellowship is distraught, 00:03:08.050 --> 00:03:11.210 as you'd imagine. The Hobbits in particular are 00:03:11.210 --> 00:03:14.430 quite shaken up by it. They grieve and they mourn 00:03:14.430 --> 00:03:17.210 their friend Gandalf and they feel his absence 00:03:17.210 --> 00:03:20.849 as they continue on their quest to destroy this 00:03:20.849 --> 00:03:23.830 ring of power. However, and more spoilers coming, 00:03:24.509 --> 00:03:27.710 in a dramatic twist later on in the story, Gandalf 00:03:27.710 --> 00:03:33.620 is resurrected. Not as... Not as Gandalf the 00:03:33.620 --> 00:03:37.340 Grey anymore, but now as Gandalf the White. And 00:03:37.340 --> 00:03:40.900 he rejoins the battle against Sauron. But the 00:03:40.900 --> 00:03:44.120 thing is, Gandalf the White, while it's the same 00:03:44.120 --> 00:03:48.020 character, kind of, he's quite different to Gandalf 00:03:48.020 --> 00:03:51.580 the Grey. He comes in and most obviously, visually, 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:56.879 his robes are white and his hair is white instead 00:03:56.879 --> 00:04:01.099 of grey and he's also much more powerful. However, 00:04:01.460 --> 00:04:03.639 something to note is that the movie depiction 00:04:03.639 --> 00:04:06.639 of Gandalf the White is quite different to how 00:04:06.639 --> 00:04:09.379 he's portrayed in the books and we get some glimpses 00:04:09.379 --> 00:04:13.539 of it in the movie and while he's still definitely 00:04:13.539 --> 00:04:17.860 wise and he's still powerful, he's also distant 00:04:17.860 --> 00:04:21.819 and he's a bit aloof and sometimes even cold 00:04:21.819 --> 00:04:26.079 to his friends. He's much more otherworldly. 00:04:26.379 --> 00:04:29.899 After this resurrection and it's probably you 00:04:29.899 --> 00:04:32.660 can argue more of a spiritual resurrection as 00:04:32.660 --> 00:04:36.259 opposed to a physical one And it's easy for us 00:04:36.259 --> 00:04:38.800 to imagine that this is kind of what resurrection 00:04:38.800 --> 00:04:42.680 is like It's it's easy for us to recognize the 00:04:42.680 --> 00:04:45.779 spiritual ramifications of a resurrection, especially 00:04:45.779 --> 00:04:48.939 when it comes to Jesus You know, it's a glorious 00:04:48.939 --> 00:04:53.240 and it's an amazing fantastic thing But it can 00:04:53.240 --> 00:04:56.620 also be difficult to make grounded especially 00:04:56.620 --> 00:04:58.759 because it's not something we see in our day 00:04:58.759 --> 00:05:01.680 -to -day lives. But the thing is, when we take 00:05:01.680 --> 00:05:04.579 this portrayal of resurrection like Gandalf, 00:05:05.480 --> 00:05:08.779 it's starkly different to the resurrection of 00:05:08.779 --> 00:05:11.480 Jesus. Because after Jesus' resurrection, he 00:05:11.480 --> 00:05:16.620 remains grounded. It is a spiritual resurrection, 00:05:16.660 --> 00:05:19.160 but it isn't just a spiritual resurrection. It's 00:05:19.160 --> 00:05:21.959 a physical one. as well and when we consider 00:05:21.959 --> 00:05:24.860 this is not just a nice story from the book of 00:05:24.860 --> 00:05:29.600 Luke as Carly read but as a true grounded historical 00:05:29.600 --> 00:05:32.360 event which is important for us as Christians 00:05:32.360 --> 00:05:33.839 if you call yourself a Christian in the room 00:05:33.839 --> 00:05:38.620 this is important for us and it has crucial importance 00:05:38.620 --> 00:05:42.839 it's detrimental to our faith and our lives it's 00:05:42.839 --> 00:05:46.040 central to who we are and what we believe if 00:05:46.040 --> 00:05:48.589 you've been around church for a while You know, 00:05:48.589 --> 00:05:50.110 you would have heard a lot about the resurrection 00:05:50.110 --> 00:05:54.089 of Jesus, you know. Every Sunday, it's probably 00:05:54.089 --> 00:05:57.790 tied in in some way, shape or form. It's almost 00:05:57.790 --> 00:06:00.410 like we can be a bit desensitized to it in a 00:06:00.410 --> 00:06:03.769 way. We can get a bit numb to its significance, 00:06:04.470 --> 00:06:06.529 because it's like the saying goes, familiarity 00:06:06.529 --> 00:06:12.370 breeds content. And it's kind of like, you know, 00:06:12.370 --> 00:06:15.050 when I was in Italy, and maybe I'll shut up about 00:06:15.050 --> 00:06:19.670 going to Italy one day. But when we were there, 00:06:19.829 --> 00:06:22.889 we caught a train up to Switzerland. And we drove, 00:06:23.370 --> 00:06:25.449 not drove, we caught this train through the Alps. 00:06:26.089 --> 00:06:29.209 And the sights that we saw were just like absolutely 00:06:29.209 --> 00:06:31.610 stunning. And you know, there's people on this 00:06:31.610 --> 00:06:33.110 train that, you know, have clearly done this 00:06:33.110 --> 00:06:35.430 trip many times. And they're just like on their 00:06:35.430 --> 00:06:37.470 phones, whatever. And it's kind of like, oh, 00:06:37.509 --> 00:06:40.610 yeah, you know, it's old news. I've done this 00:06:40.610 --> 00:06:42.850 before. It's whatever. Meanwhile, Deanna and 00:06:42.850 --> 00:06:45.110 I, they're like, oh my gosh, this is like one 00:06:45.110 --> 00:06:46.430 of the most beautiful things we've ever seen. 00:06:46.810 --> 00:06:49.129 It's amazing. It's the same kind of thing, you 00:06:49.129 --> 00:06:51.410 know, it becomes the norm. And so for us as Christians, 00:06:51.470 --> 00:06:53.350 hearing about the resurrection all the time, 00:06:53.670 --> 00:06:57.269 it can almost become like the norm. And it doesn't 00:06:57.269 --> 00:07:02.069 necessarily lose its significance, but the weight 00:07:02.069 --> 00:07:04.709 that it carries doesn't necessarily feel as heavy. 00:07:05.129 --> 00:07:08.550 Does that kind of make sense? Am I gibberish? 00:07:09.250 --> 00:07:11.790 Speaking gibberish? I don't know. Maybe I'm yapping. 00:07:12.189 --> 00:07:15.370 We got 20 more minutes of this. So strap in. 00:07:17.300 --> 00:07:20.180 So we're fresh out of Easter and we're making 00:07:20.180 --> 00:07:22.199 our way through a series called The Resurrection 00:07:22.199 --> 00:07:24.839 Files. You know the best part about Easter is 00:07:24.839 --> 00:07:26.980 not that Jesus died for our sins, although that 00:07:26.980 --> 00:07:30.300 was amazing, but it's that he was resurrected 00:07:30.300 --> 00:07:32.819 and he defeated the power of death and he gave 00:07:32.819 --> 00:07:36.379 us new hope and a new life. The resurrection 00:07:36.379 --> 00:07:39.199 of Jesus is the cornerstone of our faith and 00:07:39.199 --> 00:07:42.800 it's not just important but is vital for us to 00:07:42.800 --> 00:07:45.420 understand. You know you can feel distant, It 00:07:45.420 --> 00:07:47.639 can feel foreign because it happened so long 00:07:47.639 --> 00:07:52.139 ago, but this does not diminish its significance. 00:07:52.579 --> 00:07:55.360 And so this series is focused on unpacking the 00:07:55.360 --> 00:07:58.720 resurrection of Jesus and what it means for us 00:07:58.720 --> 00:08:01.899 2 ,000 years after the fact. So we'll be sitting 00:08:01.899 --> 00:08:05.800 in Luke 24 today. If you have your Bibles, you're 00:08:05.800 --> 00:08:07.879 welcome to open them up or get your phones up, 00:08:07.920 --> 00:08:12.319 just don't text your friend. So what this passage 00:08:12.319 --> 00:08:16.220 does for us... is that it grounds Jesus' resurrection 00:08:16.220 --> 00:08:20.360 in reality. It shows us that this wasn't just 00:08:20.360 --> 00:08:23.079 a spiritual resurrection, but it was holy, and 00:08:23.079 --> 00:08:27.319 it was completely physical as well. It's easy 00:08:27.319 --> 00:08:29.060 for us to think of resurrection as something 00:08:29.060 --> 00:08:32.080 like what happened to Gandalf. Jesus was risen, 00:08:32.559 --> 00:08:34.840 and we can get it in our head that he's white, 00:08:34.940 --> 00:08:39.279 and he's pure, and he's otherworldly. We see 00:08:39.279 --> 00:08:41.500 the disciples' reaction to him, and it says they 00:08:41.500 --> 00:08:44.330 thought he was a ghost. They can't believe it. 00:08:44.330 --> 00:08:47.049 They think it's something unreal. They think 00:08:47.049 --> 00:08:50.090 it's something disembodied. It's something foreign. 00:08:50.730 --> 00:08:53.590 And we can do this too. Even in our own lives 00:08:53.590 --> 00:08:56.149 we say things like, Jesus lives in our hearts. 00:08:56.909 --> 00:09:00.830 His spirit is here. This is helpful language 00:09:00.830 --> 00:09:04.309 and it's not bad and it's not wrong. But it can 00:09:04.309 --> 00:09:07.570 quietly shrink what actually happened. It takes 00:09:07.570 --> 00:09:11.309 away from the physical embodied resurrection 00:09:11.309 --> 00:09:15.399 of Jesus Christ. The resurrection becomes private, 00:09:16.080 --> 00:09:19.759 individual and internal, which isn't all that 00:09:19.759 --> 00:09:21.559 different from the disciples. You know, they 00:09:21.559 --> 00:09:24.639 respond with fear. They assume it's something 00:09:24.639 --> 00:09:26.700 less than physical. It's something that's not 00:09:26.700 --> 00:09:29.879 quite real. And so Jesus responds to them in 00:09:29.879 --> 00:09:33.580 a very clear and a very direct way. He doesn't 00:09:33.580 --> 00:09:35.779 leave any room for questions, any room for doubt. 00:09:36.059 --> 00:09:40.200 He says, look at my hands, look at my feet, touch 00:09:40.200 --> 00:09:42.769 me and see. Give me something to eat. I want 00:09:42.769 --> 00:09:45.590 to eat some fish. And he's saying, you know, 00:09:45.649 --> 00:09:47.649 when he says this, he's saying, I'm not a ghost. 00:09:48.450 --> 00:09:50.970 I'm not something otherworldly, but this is real. 00:09:51.210 --> 00:09:56.289 I'm here. This isn't an idea. Jesus is physically, 00:09:56.649 --> 00:10:01.590 bodily, alive. What this did for the disciples 00:10:01.590 --> 00:10:04.190 and what it does for us today is that it moves 00:10:04.190 --> 00:10:07.090 our faith from something abstract and foreign 00:10:07.090 --> 00:10:11.789 to something real. And this is important because 00:10:11.789 --> 00:10:14.490 if our faith isn't real, then what's the point? 00:10:17.830 --> 00:10:20.409 Without the physical resurrection, our faith 00:10:20.409 --> 00:10:23.330 is empty at worst and a wholesome feel -good 00:10:23.330 --> 00:10:28.190 mindset at best. Paul writes in a letter to the 00:10:28.190 --> 00:10:31.509 church in Corinth, 1 Corinthians, it says, if 00:10:31.509 --> 00:10:34.110 Christ has not been raised, our preaching is 00:10:34.110 --> 00:10:39.149 useless, and so is your faith. If Christ has 00:10:39.149 --> 00:10:42.330 not been raised, Our preaching is useless and 00:10:42.330 --> 00:10:46.470 so is your faith. The physical bodily resurrection 00:10:46.470 --> 00:10:49.570 of Jesus is the cornerstone of the Christian 00:10:49.570 --> 00:10:53.769 faith. And without it, as Paul says, it's useless. 00:10:54.309 --> 00:10:58.090 It's empty. It's hollow. It has no meaning. And 00:10:58.090 --> 00:10:59.950 so what Jesus is trying to show his disciples 00:10:59.950 --> 00:11:04.269 and us, oh sorry, this was a question. What is 00:11:04.269 --> 00:11:07.809 Jesus trying to show his disciples and us in 00:11:07.809 --> 00:11:11.149 this moment in the passage? There's a few key 00:11:11.149 --> 00:11:13.509 movements throughout the passage and you know 00:11:13.509 --> 00:11:17.690 moments and phrases that Jesus chooses very deliberately 00:11:17.690 --> 00:11:21.970 First as we've read he completely debunks the 00:11:21.970 --> 00:11:24.710 thought that he's just a ghost He invites the 00:11:24.710 --> 00:11:28.870 disciples to look touch Feel me the first century 00:11:28.870 --> 00:11:31.289 Jews were very superstitious. They're quite a 00:11:31.289 --> 00:11:33.269 spiritual people and they definitely believe 00:11:33.269 --> 00:11:37.750 in ghosts and I mean You know if I if someone 00:11:37.750 --> 00:11:41.450 I I knew was dead had you know saw die myself 00:11:41.450 --> 00:11:44.669 was like appeared in front of me i'd be i'd be 00:11:44.669 --> 00:11:47.629 pretty shaken up i'd maybe i'd believe in ghosts 00:11:47.629 --> 00:11:50.210 i'm not sure but you know we'd all have some 00:11:50.210 --> 00:11:54.129 doubts if that happened to us right so jesus 00:11:54.129 --> 00:11:57.269 breaks down the barriers he challenged them on 00:11:57.269 --> 00:11:59.610 what they think they're seeing and he says a 00:11:59.610 --> 00:12:02.149 ghost does not have flesh and bones like i have 00:12:02.149 --> 00:12:05.350 i have flesh and bones and he finishes off by 00:12:05.350 --> 00:12:07.590 eating some fish and this isn't because he's 00:12:07.590 --> 00:12:10.960 hungry But he's proving to his disciples beyond 00:12:10.960 --> 00:12:17.779 any doubt that he is risen physically He is alive. 00:12:17.779 --> 00:12:20.440 It's not just a spiritual thing. It's he's not 00:12:20.440 --> 00:12:24.500 some ethereal Otherworldly being but he is truly 00:12:24.500 --> 00:12:30.539 physically alive Because if Jesus did only rise 00:12:30.539 --> 00:12:33.360 spiritually and it wasn't a physical resurrection 00:12:33.360 --> 00:12:39.360 Death isn't really defeated Because he rose bodily, 00:12:40.039 --> 00:12:44.960 something fundamental changes. Death has been 00:12:44.960 --> 00:12:48.279 overcome. And this matters because it means that 00:12:48.279 --> 00:12:51.039 our faith isn't just in something spiritual or 00:12:51.039 --> 00:12:53.620 distant, it's not just an idea, it's not something 00:12:53.620 --> 00:12:57.700 that's hollow, but it is grounded in a historical 00:12:57.700 --> 00:13:02.639 event, a risen Jesus who was touched, seen, and 00:13:02.639 --> 00:13:05.600 known. Now I don't have time to unpack the evidence 00:13:05.600 --> 00:13:09.320 for the resurrection. But you can spend some 00:13:09.320 --> 00:13:12.820 time looking at that in your own time. But it's 00:13:12.820 --> 00:13:17.080 a historical event grounded in reality. And so 00:13:17.080 --> 00:13:19.240 once Jesus has done this, once he's proven to 00:13:19.240 --> 00:13:22.679 them like, yep, this is real. I'm here. He points 00:13:22.679 --> 00:13:25.779 them towards the scriptures. He opens their mind 00:13:25.779 --> 00:13:29.399 to how all of scripture, the law, the prophets, 00:13:29.919 --> 00:13:33.600 the Psalms, they all pointed to this moment. 00:13:34.659 --> 00:13:36.879 And this is where the weight of the resurrection 00:13:36.879 --> 00:13:39.460 really starts to set in for the disciples because 00:13:39.460 --> 00:13:43.299 they knew the scriptures. These were Jewish men 00:13:43.299 --> 00:13:45.639 who would have grown up becoming familiar with 00:13:45.639 --> 00:13:48.240 the Old Testament, the prophets and the Psalms. 00:13:48.279 --> 00:13:51.080 They would have known the scriptures. They would 00:13:51.080 --> 00:13:53.679 have been very familiar with them. But knowing 00:13:53.679 --> 00:13:56.740 isn't necessarily understanding, right? You know, 00:13:56.740 --> 00:13:59.779 it's like I can put my keys into the car and 00:13:59.779 --> 00:14:02.659 I can twist the key and my engine goes vroom 00:14:02.659 --> 00:14:07.159 and I can drive. I don't know how it works. I 00:14:07.159 --> 00:14:10.480 don't understand it. I just know that I put my 00:14:10.480 --> 00:14:15.779 key in and twist. I can drive. You know, maybe 00:14:15.779 --> 00:14:19.159 other people like that. But we all have things 00:14:19.159 --> 00:14:21.120 that we know but don't necessarily understand. 00:14:21.200 --> 00:14:23.259 Maybe for you it's cars. Maybe it's something 00:14:23.259 --> 00:14:26.139 completely different. But for these first century 00:14:26.139 --> 00:14:29.279 Jewish men, they knew the scriptures. They knew 00:14:29.279 --> 00:14:31.700 what was written, but they couldn't understand 00:14:31.700 --> 00:14:35.860 them. And so Jesus... refrains all of it for 00:14:35.860 --> 00:14:39.399 them. He tells them, the Messiah will suffer 00:14:39.399 --> 00:14:43.200 and rise from the dead on the third day. And 00:14:43.200 --> 00:14:45.039 this is bringing in a couple of different scriptures 00:14:45.039 --> 00:14:49.100 from the Old Testament. Isaiah 53 says that he 00:14:49.100 --> 00:14:52.299 was despised and rejected by mankind. He was 00:14:52.299 --> 00:14:55.940 a man of suffering. He took up our pain and he 00:14:55.940 --> 00:14:59.019 bore our suffering. And then in the book of Hosea, 00:14:59.059 --> 00:15:01.200 in chapter six, verse two, it says, on the third 00:15:01.200 --> 00:15:04.679 day, He that's God will raise us up so that we 00:15:04.679 --> 00:15:09.820 may live in His presence. We will be raised up 00:15:09.820 --> 00:15:12.919 and we will be restored to God. Now this is a 00:15:12.919 --> 00:15:15.820 pattern. This is a pattern we see all throughout 00:15:15.820 --> 00:15:19.879 scripture. Suffering followed by restoration. 00:15:20.820 --> 00:15:26.740 Death followed by life. Jesus opens their minds 00:15:26.740 --> 00:15:29.299 to the scriptures and reveals to disciples that 00:15:29.299 --> 00:15:32.889 this was always the plan. This was always going 00:15:32.889 --> 00:15:35.549 to be the way that unfolds. This was always the 00:15:35.549 --> 00:15:38.909 way. This was how God always intended to restore 00:15:38.909 --> 00:15:43.250 His people to Himself. This was the pattern. 00:15:44.789 --> 00:15:47.990 Jesus' physical resurrected body is the proof 00:15:47.990 --> 00:15:51.269 and the evidence of the Scriptures being fulfilled. 00:15:52.190 --> 00:15:55.470 It's not just that Jesus lives, but Jesus has 00:15:55.470 --> 00:15:58.230 passed through death and come out the other side. 00:15:58.570 --> 00:16:01.830 It's a testament to God's faithfulness. It demonstrates 00:16:01.830 --> 00:16:04.230 to us that God isn't just concerned with the 00:16:04.230 --> 00:16:07.830 spiritual, but he restores the physical as well. 00:16:08.830 --> 00:16:10.429 He's not just concerned with the spiritual, but 00:16:10.429 --> 00:16:14.509 he restores the physical. Just as Jesus was restored 00:16:14.509 --> 00:16:17.690 physically and bodily, it's God's promise to 00:16:17.690 --> 00:16:19.809 us that he won't just redeem us spiritually, 00:16:20.269 --> 00:16:23.610 but our physical lives today, they have importance. 00:16:24.570 --> 00:16:27.909 They have value. There's a meaning and a purpose 00:16:27.909 --> 00:16:31.909 behind our lives today Because our resurrected 00:16:31.909 --> 00:16:36.169 lives aren't just spiritual It can be easy for 00:16:36.169 --> 00:16:38.049 us to dismiss and just kind of think, you know, 00:16:38.190 --> 00:16:41.850 it doesn't matter until after I'm dead But it's 00:16:41.850 --> 00:16:45.490 it's just not true church our lives today matter, 00:16:45.490 --> 00:16:49.289 you know that restoration Doesn't begin after 00:16:49.289 --> 00:16:54.360 we die it begins now Not in its fullness But 00:16:54.360 --> 00:16:57.000 it certainly happens in real and meaningful ways. 00:16:57.539 --> 00:17:01.059 Because Jesus was raised, it points to the reality 00:17:01.059 --> 00:17:04.380 that God's redemption includes our whole entire 00:17:04.380 --> 00:17:07.619 lives. Not just our souls, not just our spirits, 00:17:08.480 --> 00:17:11.539 but our embodied physical existence as well. 00:17:12.039 --> 00:17:17.940 Are you with me? I'm saying physical a lot. You 00:17:17.940 --> 00:17:19.279 know when you say word a lot and it just kind 00:17:19.279 --> 00:17:22.279 of loses meaning? Like chair, chair, chair, chair, 00:17:22.279 --> 00:17:33.619 chair. It's school holidays. Jesus has shown 00:17:33.619 --> 00:17:37.019 them that He's not a ghost. And He's shown them 00:17:37.019 --> 00:17:40.240 that this was always God's plan. But the most 00:17:40.240 --> 00:17:42.559 important part of all of this, and this is the 00:17:42.559 --> 00:17:45.799 most personal part for us as well, death is not 00:17:45.799 --> 00:17:50.039 the end. Because Jesus doesn't appear to them 00:17:50.039 --> 00:17:53.640 as a memory. He doesn't appear to them as a vague 00:17:53.640 --> 00:17:57.079 spiritual kind of wispy presence. He doesn't 00:17:57.079 --> 00:17:59.960 come back as anything less than he was before. 00:18:00.980 --> 00:18:03.680 He stands in front of them in a real, physical, 00:18:04.019 --> 00:18:07.099 tangible body. A body they can touch, they can 00:18:07.099 --> 00:18:11.400 see. A body that still carries the scars of his 00:18:11.400 --> 00:18:16.160 crucifixion. Jesus has gone through death and 00:18:16.160 --> 00:18:19.400 he's come out the other side. His scars, where 00:18:19.400 --> 00:18:23.509 the nails were hammered into him. His scars, 00:18:23.650 --> 00:18:26.869 symbolic of death, are now symbolic of victory 00:18:26.869 --> 00:18:30.009 instead. This interaction with his disciples 00:18:30.009 --> 00:18:33.829 at its core displays a truth to us about resurrection, 00:18:34.190 --> 00:18:38.009 is that life does not stop at death. Death is 00:18:38.009 --> 00:18:42.049 not the end. And not in some vague spiritual 00:18:42.049 --> 00:18:44.769 disconnected way, but life after death is real. 00:18:45.589 --> 00:18:49.769 It's embodied. You know, by eating with the disciples, 00:18:49.809 --> 00:18:52.730 Jesus shows them that it's still him. He's the 00:18:52.730 --> 00:18:55.549 same Jesus that they walked with, the same Jesus 00:18:55.549 --> 00:19:00.029 they learned from, laughed with. It's the same 00:19:00.029 --> 00:19:03.390 guy, but he's changed because he's passed through 00:19:03.390 --> 00:19:07.809 death and he's no longer bound by it. Because 00:19:07.809 --> 00:19:09.970 resurrection isn't just about life being breathed 00:19:09.970 --> 00:19:12.910 back into someone. It's not just life returning 00:19:12.910 --> 00:19:15.970 the same as it was before, but a resurrected 00:19:15.970 --> 00:19:19.740 life is a transformed life. Church. A resurrected 00:19:19.740 --> 00:19:22.799 life is a transformed life and through Jesus 00:19:22.799 --> 00:19:26.759 we see what that really means. Sometimes we can 00:19:26.759 --> 00:19:29.440 think about life after death and we can imagine 00:19:29.440 --> 00:19:33.400 something less than what it was before. I don't 00:19:33.400 --> 00:19:35.759 know about you guys but it's hard for me to kind 00:19:35.759 --> 00:19:40.240 of imagine life in heaven. I'm not really sure 00:19:40.240 --> 00:19:43.059 what I picture but it's hard for me to kind of 00:19:43.059 --> 00:19:47.779 imagine like we are today. physical people, bodies 00:19:47.779 --> 00:19:54.680 around, talking, having coffee. I'll be honest, 00:19:54.720 --> 00:19:56.839 I don't get it. I don't understand it. I'm preaching 00:19:56.839 --> 00:20:03.140 on it. I don't get it. I'm just feeling like 00:20:03.140 --> 00:20:10.460 I'm exposing myself. But, you know, Jesus shows 00:20:10.460 --> 00:20:13.099 us that life after death is not less physical. 00:20:13.470 --> 00:20:16.069 It's not less real and it's not less grounded, 00:20:16.150 --> 00:20:19.970 but actually it's the opposite. We see more life. 00:20:20.069 --> 00:20:23.890 We see more fullness. We see more reality. It's 00:20:23.890 --> 00:20:26.309 not a return to how it was before, but it's a 00:20:26.309 --> 00:20:29.109 transformation, like a caterpillar turning into 00:20:29.109 --> 00:20:31.910 a butterfly. When a caterpillar comes out of 00:20:31.910 --> 00:20:35.410 its cocoon, it's the same creature. It doesn't 00:20:35.410 --> 00:20:37.809 stop existing and it's not replaced by something 00:20:37.809 --> 00:20:42.039 else, but it undergoes a transformation. And 00:20:42.039 --> 00:20:44.079 it turns into something more complete, something 00:20:44.079 --> 00:20:47.559 more alive. It transforms into what it was always 00:20:47.559 --> 00:20:51.859 supposed to be. Not any less real, but something 00:20:51.859 --> 00:20:55.640 greater and something more. And Jesus shows his 00:20:55.640 --> 00:20:58.559 disciples and us that he's the same person, but 00:20:58.559 --> 00:21:00.960 he's just transformed and he's now fully alive 00:21:00.960 --> 00:21:03.619 in a way that death has no claim over anymore. 00:21:05.160 --> 00:21:08.559 And this is what God promises for us. Because 00:21:08.559 --> 00:21:11.309 after all, it's what we were made for. Right 00:21:11.309 --> 00:21:17.950 now, we're caterpillars. Quote that. The book 00:21:17.950 --> 00:21:20.309 of Genesis tells us that we were created in God's 00:21:20.309 --> 00:21:22.809 image. We were made for and we were designed 00:21:22.809 --> 00:21:27.170 for a life beyond what we have here now. In Philippians, 00:21:27.329 --> 00:21:31.650 Paul writes, our citizenship is in heaven and 00:21:31.650 --> 00:21:34.619 we eagerly await a savior from there. The Lord 00:21:34.619 --> 00:21:37.400 Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables him 00:21:37.400 --> 00:21:41.240 to bring everything under his control, will transform 00:21:41.240 --> 00:21:44.500 our lowly bodies so that they will be like his 00:21:44.500 --> 00:21:48.859 glorious body. We're promised to be resurrected 00:21:48.859 --> 00:21:51.900 into something greater, just like Jesus was. 00:21:52.839 --> 00:21:56.059 Again, Paul in 1 Corinthians, he says, the body 00:21:56.059 --> 00:21:59.259 that is sown is perishable. The bodies we have 00:21:59.259 --> 00:22:03.920 are perishable. but it is raised imperishable. 00:22:05.380 --> 00:22:08.940 It is sown in dishonor, but it is raised in glory. 00:22:09.259 --> 00:22:12.440 It is sown in weakness, but it is raised in power. 00:22:13.859 --> 00:22:15.779 Death is not the end of our stories, church. 00:22:17.720 --> 00:22:20.380 It's not a feel -good comfort, it's not just 00:22:20.380 --> 00:22:23.980 a nice sentiment, but it's a promised truth to 00:22:23.980 --> 00:22:28.460 us from God that death is not the end. And this 00:22:28.460 --> 00:22:31.079 changes everything for us. It changes how we 00:22:31.079 --> 00:22:34.299 see loss, how we see grief when we're faced with 00:22:34.299 --> 00:22:37.599 our own mortality. Because although these things 00:22:37.599 --> 00:22:41.460 are hard, and they're real, and they can be extremely 00:22:41.460 --> 00:22:47.440 painful, they don't have the final word. It doesn't 00:22:47.440 --> 00:22:49.779 mean that the impact it has on us is any less 00:22:49.779 --> 00:22:54.200 real. I've lost people that I love and that I 00:22:54.200 --> 00:22:59.319 care about. It doesn't mean that things are necessarily 00:22:59.710 --> 00:23:04.289 feeling okay. And you know we can share sentiments 00:23:04.289 --> 00:23:07.529 like, it's for the best, they're somewhere better 00:23:07.529 --> 00:23:10.750 now, they're not suffering anymore, they've passed 00:23:10.750 --> 00:23:13.869 on, they've gone somewhere better. And these 00:23:13.869 --> 00:23:16.009 are nice and they can be comforting at times, 00:23:16.329 --> 00:23:20.109 but they don't fully capture the scope of what's 00:23:20.109 --> 00:23:22.809 actually happening. You know, a resurrected life 00:23:22.809 --> 00:23:25.829 doesn't erase the pain, it doesn't change what's 00:23:25.829 --> 00:23:28.170 happened. You know, Jesus still had his scars. 00:23:29.289 --> 00:23:33.829 but it transforms what it means for us. Because 00:23:33.829 --> 00:23:37.589 it's not just a blind optimism. As Christians, 00:23:37.589 --> 00:23:40.410 we don't just have a blind optimism. It's not 00:23:40.410 --> 00:23:45.970 just a hope in empty promises. It's the guarantee, 00:23:46.430 --> 00:23:49.970 the promise from God that death is defeated. 00:23:51.210 --> 00:23:54.410 It's not a setback. It hasn't just been avoided. 00:23:56.170 --> 00:24:00.039 It's defeated. It's a hope for something greater 00:24:00.039 --> 00:24:03.079 that goes beyond just a warm sentiment or an 00:24:03.079 --> 00:24:07.619 optimistic mindset. It's a hope that our future 00:24:07.619 --> 00:24:10.319 matters. Our present is not meaningless, but 00:24:10.319 --> 00:24:14.160 it's actually full of purpose. What we do matters, 00:24:14.460 --> 00:24:17.299 because the reality is if God is going to raise 00:24:17.299 --> 00:24:20.799 and restore our bodies, then what we do today, 00:24:20.859 --> 00:24:24.960 here and now, matters. We have meaning. We have 00:24:24.960 --> 00:24:27.779 purpose for our lives. We're not just waiting 00:24:27.779 --> 00:24:29.960 for death to happen to start our resurrected 00:24:29.960 --> 00:24:34.279 lives. God doesn't throw His creation away, He 00:24:34.279 --> 00:24:38.980 restores it. Jesus with His disciples in this 00:24:38.980 --> 00:24:41.640 passage in Luke, it's a glimpse of the future 00:24:41.640 --> 00:24:45.819 for us where death is not the end. It's a glimpse 00:24:45.819 --> 00:24:49.359 of our future life that is transformed and restored. 00:24:52.359 --> 00:24:57.619 So to close. finish up. The resurrection being 00:24:57.619 --> 00:25:03.700 real, truly, physically real, means that it can't 00:25:03.700 --> 00:25:06.299 just sit in the past as something amazing that's 00:25:06.299 --> 00:25:11.579 happened before. But it impacts our lives today. 00:25:14.299 --> 00:25:19.680 It demands a response from us. Because Jesus 00:25:19.680 --> 00:25:23.549 has defeated death, the things that are so Often 00:25:23.549 --> 00:25:26.130 ultimate for us and other things that just seem 00:25:26.130 --> 00:25:29.650 so ultimate and final, you know things like death 00:25:29.650 --> 00:25:36.230 fear failure suffering They're not the end of 00:25:36.230 --> 00:25:39.869 the story anymore Now for the disciples in the 00:25:39.869 --> 00:25:42.750 passage this moment it's a turning point for 00:25:42.750 --> 00:25:47.670 them Everything changed for them because Jesus 00:25:47.670 --> 00:25:51.910 has shown them that death isn't the end the fear 00:25:51.910 --> 00:25:55.000 that gripped them is turned into boldness and 00:25:55.000 --> 00:25:57.779 they're sent into the world. In a few weeks we're 00:25:57.779 --> 00:26:01.220 going to hear about the Great Commission. Their 00:26:01.220 --> 00:26:05.059 confusion was replaced with clarity and purpose. 00:26:06.680 --> 00:26:10.039 And there's an invitation from Jesus for us today 00:26:10.039 --> 00:26:14.740 to join in on that. Because Jesus doesn't just 00:26:14.740 --> 00:26:17.759 appear to them for, you know, a final meal or 00:26:17.759 --> 00:26:22.880 a final farewell. He gives them a mission. He 00:26:22.880 --> 00:26:24.779 tells them that repentance for the forgiveness 00:26:24.779 --> 00:26:27.420 of sins will be preached in his name to all the 00:26:27.420 --> 00:26:30.619 nations And he says you are witnesses to these 00:26:30.619 --> 00:26:35.299 things He says disciples you are witnesses of 00:26:35.299 --> 00:26:37.759 these things. It's not and this isn't a statement 00:26:37.759 --> 00:26:43.480 But this is a call to action It's a call to action 00:26:43.480 --> 00:26:46.779 for his disciples and it's a call to action for 00:26:46.779 --> 00:26:49.259 us because if we believe that this is true Then 00:26:49.259 --> 00:26:52.759 we are also witnesses If we believe in the physical 00:26:52.759 --> 00:26:56.740 resurrection of Jesus, we are called to be witnesses. 00:26:58.099 --> 00:27:00.940 Not just to an idea or a nice philosophy, but 00:27:00.940 --> 00:27:04.519 to a living, resurrected Jesus who changes everything, 00:27:04.579 --> 00:27:08.559 Church. And this can be difficult to kind of 00:27:08.559 --> 00:27:12.180 take on because when we get a job, we have to 00:27:12.180 --> 00:27:14.940 prove we have the skills. Now you're sitting 00:27:14.940 --> 00:27:16.859 in an interview and someone asks you questions 00:27:16.859 --> 00:27:19.519 about what can you do? What can you bring to 00:27:19.519 --> 00:27:22.000 the table? But God doesn't work like that. God 00:27:22.000 --> 00:27:24.500 just says, you believe? Great, let's get to work. 00:27:25.259 --> 00:27:30.460 Let's do it. We don't need the answers. We don't 00:27:30.460 --> 00:27:32.740 need perfect theology. We don't need to live 00:27:32.740 --> 00:27:36.319 a perfect life. Because if they were the criteria, 00:27:36.519 --> 00:27:41.119 then it all would have stopped with Jesus. But 00:27:41.119 --> 00:27:43.640 what it means is that we live in the light of 00:27:43.640 --> 00:27:45.880 what we've seen and what we know to be true. 00:27:46.740 --> 00:27:51.859 That Jesus is alive. It means that we don't just 00:27:51.859 --> 00:27:56.599 talk about it, but we embody our faith. It means 00:27:56.599 --> 00:27:59.319 that when we face suffering, when we face hardship, 00:27:59.400 --> 00:28:02.220 when we face trials, we don't ignore it, we don't 00:28:02.220 --> 00:28:05.140 pretend it's not there, but we face it with Jesus 00:28:05.140 --> 00:28:08.740 at our side, knowing that it is not the end of 00:28:08.740 --> 00:28:12.920 the story. It means when we experience brokenness 00:28:12.920 --> 00:28:18.660 in ourselves, in others, in the world, we don't 00:28:18.660 --> 00:28:21.680 give up. We don't fall into despair, but we turn 00:28:21.680 --> 00:28:25.180 to hope because we know that restoration is at 00:28:25.180 --> 00:28:31.539 the heart of what God is doing. My mum died when 00:28:31.539 --> 00:28:36.259 I was 13. She was a Christian. She had a faith. 00:28:37.259 --> 00:28:40.460 And in her final years of life, she was sold 00:28:40.460 --> 00:28:44.960 out for Jesus. And when she died, I really wrestled 00:28:44.960 --> 00:28:48.539 with this. You know, I couldn't hear her laughing 00:28:48.539 --> 00:28:53.200 anymore. I couldn't see her anymore. And it all 00:28:53.200 --> 00:29:00.000 felt so final. And I wasn't really sure where 00:29:00.000 --> 00:29:03.859 I was at with faith at the time. You know, the 00:29:03.859 --> 00:29:07.609 whole concept of heaven and life. after death 00:29:07.609 --> 00:29:10.490 i knew what the bible said but it never really 00:29:10.490 --> 00:29:16.430 felt real to me you know i couldn't imagine a 00:29:16.430 --> 00:29:21.829 life for my mom after she died but now i know 00:29:21.829 --> 00:29:24.849 through the promises of god that it's not just 00:29:24.849 --> 00:29:29.210 that she's not suffering anymore it's not just 00:29:29.210 --> 00:29:32.430 that she's in a better place now now these things 00:29:32.430 --> 00:29:35.869 are true but it's also so much more than that 00:29:37.519 --> 00:29:40.240 She now gets to experience the resurrected life 00:29:40.240 --> 00:29:47.039 that Jesus has demonstrated for us. And we will 00:29:47.039 --> 00:29:53.160 too. It means that our lives today matter deeply. 00:29:54.960 --> 00:29:57.220 The way we love people, the way we forgive, the 00:29:57.220 --> 00:29:59.880 way we pursue justice, the way we care for the 00:29:59.880 --> 00:30:04.299 world and the people in it. They're not just 00:30:04.299 --> 00:30:07.849 small, intangible, temporary things. but they're 00:30:07.849 --> 00:30:10.970 glimpses of a resurrected life breaking into 00:30:10.970 --> 00:30:13.349 the world around us. The kingdom of heaven, the 00:30:13.349 --> 00:30:16.289 kingdom of God breaking into the world around 00:30:16.289 --> 00:30:19.690 us. Because Jesus is alive and God is at work. 00:30:20.809 --> 00:30:23.970 We can look around and we can see it. We see 00:30:23.970 --> 00:30:27.130 it in changed hearts. We see it in transformed 00:30:27.130 --> 00:30:30.029 lives. We see it in restored relationships. We 00:30:30.029 --> 00:30:32.250 see it in acts of grace that aren't earned, that 00:30:32.250 --> 00:30:36.960 aren't deserved. And so tonight, my hope and 00:30:36.960 --> 00:30:40.019 my prayer for you guys is not that we just simply 00:30:40.019 --> 00:30:43.759 understand the resurrection better. If you do, 00:30:43.839 --> 00:30:48.380 fantastic. But my hope is that you take this 00:30:48.380 --> 00:30:52.299 message as an invitation. Not just to understand 00:30:52.299 --> 00:30:55.819 the resurrection, but to live in it. To live 00:30:55.819 --> 00:30:58.019 in this resurrected life that Jesus has shown 00:30:58.019 --> 00:31:01.200 us. To allow the resurrection life we can step 00:31:01.200 --> 00:31:05.559 into to reshape how we see our lives. our future, 00:31:06.099 --> 00:31:08.279 our meaning and our purpose as Christians and 00:31:08.279 --> 00:31:15.619 as people. To make our faith feel real and grounded. 00:31:17.740 --> 00:31:20.160 And maybe for some this just starts by simply 00:31:20.160 --> 00:31:25.099 recognizing that it's not just a story. Jesus 00:31:25.099 --> 00:31:28.720 dying and being resurrected, it's not just a 00:31:28.720 --> 00:31:33.099 story, it's truth. And it demands a response, 00:31:33.160 --> 00:31:36.279 because if Jesus is alive, then He isn't just 00:31:36.279 --> 00:31:39.200 someone to look up to. He's not just someone 00:31:39.200 --> 00:31:41.480 to admire and think, oh yeah, He said some pretty 00:31:41.480 --> 00:31:45.859 cool things. The fact that Jesus died and was 00:31:45.859 --> 00:31:51.599 resurrected completely, physically, He's someone 00:31:51.599 --> 00:31:57.140 to be followed. And if death is not the end, 00:31:58.380 --> 00:32:02.480 then we get to live life differently. not held 00:32:02.480 --> 00:32:06.240 back by fear and not defined by our past, not 00:32:06.240 --> 00:32:10.240 defined by our shortcomings, not defined by our 00:32:10.240 --> 00:32:12.279 suffering or the things that we've done wrong, 00:32:13.259 --> 00:32:16.079 but stepping forward into a life that is promised 00:32:16.079 --> 00:32:23.720 and a future that is secure. Death has been defeated, 00:32:24.079 --> 00:32:28.000 church. And that means that death is not the 00:32:28.000 --> 00:32:34.390 end. The resurrection isn't even the end. The 00:32:34.390 --> 00:32:37.390 resurrection is the beginning of something new. 00:32:38.910 --> 00:32:45.109 And we are invited to step into it. Let's pray. 00:32:53.009 --> 00:32:55.509 God, we thank you for the love that you show 00:32:55.509 --> 00:33:01.420 us. The act of sending Jesus to die for us on 00:33:01.420 --> 00:33:11.200 the cross. What a miraculous act of love. My 00:33:11.200 --> 00:33:13.339 father didn't stop there. Death was not the end 00:33:13.339 --> 00:33:20.420 of the story. Jesus rose again. He showed us 00:33:20.420 --> 00:33:23.200 the resurrected life that we are all invited 00:33:23.200 --> 00:33:28.250 to be a part of. And so God, I pray that for 00:33:28.250 --> 00:33:34.609 all of us here, God, could you give us the courage 00:33:34.609 --> 00:33:39.769 and you give us the faith to step into that life, 00:33:40.269 --> 00:33:44.650 even though it might be uncomfortable, it might 00:33:44.650 --> 00:33:48.569 be hard, it doesn't take away from the suffering, 00:33:48.690 --> 00:33:50.710 doesn't take away from the bad, but Father, it 00:33:50.710 --> 00:33:55.069 gives us a hope of something new. Father, it 00:33:55.069 --> 00:33:58.869 gives us a hope of life after death. Death is 00:33:58.869 --> 00:34:02.049 not the end of our stories. And so Father, give 00:34:02.049 --> 00:34:04.910 us the courage, give us the spirit of courage, 00:34:05.269 --> 00:34:10.250 the spirit of boldness and bravery to not just 00:34:10.250 --> 00:34:13.969 talk about our faith, but to live it out. Father, 00:34:14.210 --> 00:34:17.010 for our Sundays to invade our Mondays, we are 00:34:17.010 --> 00:34:23.820 Monday invaders. God, I pray that for all of 00:34:23.820 --> 00:34:26.820 us. This doesn't just fall to the side, that 00:34:26.820 --> 00:34:30.380 this isn't just, you know, a nice wholesome Sunday 00:34:30.380 --> 00:34:33.199 message, but this is an invitation and a challenge 00:34:33.199 --> 00:34:35.900 for us all to step into something more and something 00:34:35.900 --> 00:34:42.380 greater. A life with you, a resurrected life 00:34:42.380 --> 00:34:47.139 with you, not held back by fear, not held back 00:34:47.139 --> 00:34:53.039 by anything else. but Father, a life stepping 00:34:53.039 --> 00:34:58.679 forward with you. So Father, we thank you. We 00:34:58.679 --> 00:35:00.480 give you the honor. We give you all the glory 00:35:00.480 --> 00:35:07.219 in your name. Amen. Thanks so much for tuning 00:35:07.219 --> 00:35:10.219 into this week's message. If you felt challenged 00:35:10.219 --> 00:35:12.900 or need prayer, we'd love to hear from you on 00:35:12.900 --> 00:35:16.340 Instagram at encounterhenley. Or if you're interested 00:35:16.340 --> 00:35:18.940 in how you can support this ministry, please 00:35:18.940 --> 00:35:23.019 go to our website encounteradelaide .com .au. 00:35:23.780 --> 00:35:25.960 Thanks again for listening. God bless you.