FAITH FINDS ITS FULLNESS
IN CHRIST’S EASTER VICTORY!
Rev. Bernt P. Tweit
Epistle Lesson; 1
John 5:1-6
Gospel Lesson; John 20:19-31
Sermon Text; Acts 3:13-15, 17-26
The message of Easter never gets old, even in the country of Ukraine. I have used this story before, but it is so fitting in these days after Easter.
Missionary Roger Kovaciny was stopped by a traffic cop in Ukraine, a number of years ago, in the days after Easter. But instead of hearing the words, "Why were you going so fast?" or "Where’s the fire?" he heard, "Christ is arisen!"
Missionary Roger Kovaciny had the privilege of responding, "He has arisen, indeed! Hallelujah!"
Later that same night, he went to a restaurant. He handed his coat to the gentleman behind the coat check, and said, "Good evening."
The man at the coat check said, "What do you mean, ‘Good evening?’ Christ is arisen!"
Missionary Kovaciny responded again, "He is arisen, indeed! Hallelujah!"
That phrase, which is an ancient Easter greeting, couldn’t be stopped, even after years of communism. Today, in these days after Easter, we too can say, "Christ is arisen! He has arisen indeed! Hallelujah!"
As you think back to your Easter, how many of you had a traditional Easter meal at your house of ham and all the fixings? It was delicious, wasn’t it? Now how many of you who had the traditional Easter meal, are still eating leftovers from it? Does it taste the same? Probably not.
In my children’s message this morning we looked at two flowers: one watered and cared for, the other neglected of water. This morning I also asked you about your delicious Easter meal and the leftovers from it, that don’t taste quite the same warmed over, once or twice. In the days after Easter, the plants may not seem as beautiful, the food may not taste as good, and the pews here at church may not be as crowded as they were on Easter Sunday. Like those things, do we sometimes grow tired and weary of that wonderful message of Easter? And today, we may be tempted to say the banquet that Easter presented, is just like leftovers this week?
But the message doesn’t need to be any less compelling. It wasn’t for the apostle Peter, who speaks in our text for today. It shouldn’t be for us, either. The message of sin and grace is never dull.
The delicious, Easter banquet message
continues to be fresh,
not leftovers!
The message of Easter and Christ’s resurrection should compel us to reach out all the more fervently with the gospel. God wants people everywhere to receive the blessing of Christ’s victory over sin, death and hell – not once a year according to the church calendar, but constantly, in every place and at every opportunity. Peter’s excellent sermon in our text provides all the material we need to get that message across.
Before we get into Peter’s message in our text this morning, I would like to set the stage and explain what is happening. Peter and John were going to the temple in Jerusalem to pray. A man, who had been crippled from birth, was sitting at one of the temple gates, begging for money.
Peter looked at the man and said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk."
The man’s feet and ankles were strong, and he stood up! He went into the temple courts with Peter and John, walking, jumping and praising God! The people in the temple that day looked at that man. All the people recognized him as the same man who used to sit, begging at the temple gate. They were filled with awe at what had happened to him.
The people were running to them to see what had happened to the crippled man. This led right into a perfect opportunity for Peter to present Christ, risen from the dead.
Let us look at the first lesson that will serve as our text for this morning. See the wonderful message, the words that Peter used through the Holy Spirit, for the people of his day and also for us, recorded in Acts, chapter 3:13.
"The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this…
"Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you – even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.’"
These are you words, Heavenly Father. Lead us in the way of truth. Your Word is truth.
Amen.
I want to repeat the theme that I chose for our text today.
"Faith
Finds Its Fullness
in Christ’s Easter Victory."
That was the wonderful message that Peter had for the people of his day and also for our day. Peter follows a very logical progression in his presentation of Jesus. The message for today is going to be a message on sin and grace. It is a message on Law and Gospel. It’s not Easter leftovers, but a continual Easter banquet.
In high school I had problems with Geometry. It was difficult for me to understand the thought process, until someone explained it to me and walked me through the steps. Once explained, the theorems made sense. The steps logically flowed to solve the problem.
When Peter addresses us in our text for today, he also follows a logical pattern. He shows how faith finds its fullness in Christ’s Easter victory.
Jesus, who suffered, died and rose again is
true God.
Peter starts out by talking about Jesus. He starts with God. The first step that Peter makes is that Jesus, who suffered died and rose again, is true God. That is the foundation that Peter starts with. It is a simple Law and Gospel presentation. Jesus, who suffered, died and rose again, is true God. The foundation was formed. Our God is the same God as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This same God has glorified the man Jesus.
Jesus was handed over, to be killed. Jesus was disowned before Pilate. Barabas was released, instead of Jesus. Jesus was killed. It was the actions of the people that Peter was speaking to, which led to Jesus’ death. We, (you and I) also are the cause of Jesus’ death, because of our sin. It was then fulfilled that the Christ would suffer. And God then raised Jesus from the dead.
Jesus is a personal name, like mine, Bernt. Christ is a title. It is the New Testament equivalent of the Old Testament word Messiah. Both mean Anointed One. Jesus, the Christ and Messiah suffered. Jesus, the Christ and Messiah died. Jesus, the Christ and Messiah rose again.
The man Jesus, is God. The Bible says,
"In Christ
all the fullness of the Deity
lives in bodily form."
Colossians 2:9
The Bible says,
"There is one God
and one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus,
who gave himself as a ransom for all men."
I Timothy 2:5-6
Jesus, who suffered, died and rose again, is true God. That is step one.
Through faith in Jesus,
we have the forgiveness of sins.
Step two in sharing the Law and the Gospel is this: Through faith in Jesus, who is true God, we have the forgiveness of sins. That message has touched many people throughout history. Just think about King David for a moment. After he had committed adultery and then after he killed somebody, his guilt overwhelmed him. After David sinned against God, he said, "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions." Psalm 51:1. During his Pentecost sermon, Peter said, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins." Acts 2:38.
Repent, so that your sins may be wiped out.
Luke 2:11 says, "Unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."
Jesus, who suffered, died and rose again, is true God. That is step one. Through faith in Jesus, we have the forgiveness of sins. That is step two.
When we have forgiveness,
we also have life and salvation.
Step Three is this: When we have forgiveness, we also have life and salvation.
Let us look at the last two sentences from our text for our day. Peter was quoting Moses from the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy, when he said,
"Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people."
Martin Luther had this to say about the verse Peter quotes from Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15, 18, 19: "This is the noblest passage, in fact, it is the very essence of all that Moses wrote, a passage of which also the apostles made much and which they used very often in order to confirm the Gospel and abolish the Law. The prophets, also, drew very heavily on this passage. For since God here promises another Moses, whom they shall hear, it necessarily follows that He would teach something different from what Moses taught and that Moses would surrender his power to Him and yield to Him so that people might hear Him. Hence this Prophet cannot teach Law; for Moses has done this in a manner supreme, and there would be no need to raise up another prophet for the sake of the Law. That is why this passage certainly speaks of the teaching of grace and of Christ."
This section of scripture talks about God’s grace. Think about the word grace as an acronym.
G od’s
R iches
A t
C hrist’s
E xpense.
We receive from God the riches of eternal life in heaven, because of the expense that Christ paid for us with His suffering and with His death on the cross. That is the continual message of Easter. That is the continual feast that Easter presents for us!
Faith finds its fullness in Christ’s Easter Victory!
How are you doing, these post-Easter days? Was your Easter plant beautiful, but now it doesn’t have the same luster? Was your Easter dinner delicious, but now you feel like you are choking down that last slice of ham?
Easter is different. The message of Easter continues to be fresh, not leftovers. Every Sunday should feel like a little Easter. Every week should feel like the week leading up to Easter. Why? Because faith finds its fullness in Christ’s Easter Victory. Jesus suffered, died and rose again, and confirms Himself to be true God. Through faith in Jesus, we have the forgiveness of sins. And when we have forgiveness, we also have life and salvation. That’s fullness. A sinner like me, a sinner like you, forgiven of our sin, and given eternal life in Heaven! That’s fullness!
That is a precious gift that should compel us to tell other people. And, not just one day a year, as the calendar tells us it is Easter, but every day of our life! Since the message of Easter in Christ’s resurrection has touched us so much, may it compel us to touch other people as well. Let us say that each of us ask just one person to join us for a service here at church. And, let us say that not everyone took us up on that offer but half or even a fourth of the people did. Then that message of Christ’s Easter victory would not only be strengthening us in our faith, but would be compelling us to touch other people’s lives for their forgiveness and their salvation as well!
Our faith
does
find its fullness in
Christ’s Easter Victory!
Amen.
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