Easter is an Attitude!!!
Part 2
Sermon Notes
April 11, 2010
Rev. Jim
O’Neal, Senior Pastor
(480) 895-8766
Luke 24:36-53 NRSV
36While they were talking
about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37They
were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. 38He said to them, “Why are you
frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39Look at my
hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have
flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40And when he had said this, he
showed them his hands and his feet. 41While
in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have
you anything here to eat?” 42They
gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43and he took it and ate in their
presence.
44Then he said to them, “These
are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you — that everything
written about me in the Law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be
fulfilled.” 45Then he opened
their minds to understand the scriptures, 46and he said to them, “Thus
it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the
third day, 47and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be
proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from
50Then
he led them out as far as
A. Introduction
1. Wrong Egg!
a.
A fellow named Durward was hard to
please. One morning he sat sullen and
silent at the breakfast table
His longer suffering wife Hortensia gently
asked, “How do you want your eggs cooked?”
Durward gruffly replied, “One fried and one
scrambled.” When Hortensia
placed the eggs before him he was furious.
She asked, “What’s wrong?” Durward snapped, “You fried the wrong egg!”
b.
On the other hand, maybe she just married the wrong guy. Like too many people in our world today Durward was negative and hard to please. He had a bad attitude.
2. Mommy, did you forget
to ask Jesus to help you be nice?
a.
Kathy Garner was in a bad mood one day. The chores of motherhood had worn her down in
the care of her children and home. Several
times she had verbally snapped at her pre-schooler
and even the baby. Then four year old
Andrew accidently spilled his juice and snacks on the carpet. Mother went into a screaming tirade. Her little boy looked up at her and made this
observation, “Mommy, you forgot to ask Jesus to help you be nice today, didn’t
you?”
b.
Kathy then in a calm voice told her little boy to pick up the
mess while she spent some time in prayer with Jesus. She remembers stammering words asking for
help when she was overcome by a gentle quieting peace. In those moments she was reminded of her
blessings and especially that of her children and husband. She was also keenly aware of how much God
loved her and that the spirit of Jesus was there to help her. In her mind she saw an image: “I saw the risen Christ radiant and bright walking
out of the tomb. He came right up to me,
took my hand, lifted me up, and said, ‘Kathy, my precious child, I have come to
walk with you this day!’” And in that
short time of prayer her attitude was completely changed!
c.
She had encountered the Living Lord Jesus and now had what I
called last week the Easter attitude! Easter
is the most positive, love filled attitude of all. Do you have the Easter attitude? Easter is an attitude …. toward
life, death, the future, and God! Last
week I talked about life and death.
Today the message will focus on the Easter attitude toward the future
and God.
B. Easter is an attitude toward the future!
1. Victor Frankl
a.
Victor Frankl wrote about his
experiences in a Nazi Concentration Camp during World War II. He tells how he, like others, would remember
how things were before imprisonment: “In
my mind I took bus rides, unlocked the front door of my apartment, answered the
telephone, switched on electric lights… Our thoughts
centered on such details and these memories could move one to tears.” Then one evening the prisoners went out to
the dirt yard and something moving happened.
Frankl would write these words: “Then one night a fellow prisoner passed the
word to the tired and hungry inmates of a spectacular sunset. Quickly everyone went outside and silently absorbed
the colors and shapes of the clouds.
Finally, a prisoner broke the silence, ‘How beautiful the world could
be!’”
b.
Easter is not only an attitude about life here and now. It is not only about Eternal Life for the
faithful. Easter is, also, about what
the world could be and will be someday.
Easter is a promise that, in Jesus Christ, God is transforming the whole
world. Someday the
2. Jesus Second Coming
a.
Jesus Christ promised that He would return and bring the
b.
We may not know what the future holds, but we know who holds the
future. Easter is an attitude that has
no doubt about the outcome of Creation.
God will win in the end. Evil
will be defeated. God is ultimately in
control and good will triumph!
C. Easter is an attitude toward God!
1. Mary Magdalene at the
Tomb
a.
John’s Gospel tells us that very early on Sunday morning while it
was still dark; Mary Magdalene went to the tomb. She had gone to pray. She, also, went hoping to find someone who
could roll away the stone so that she could properly anoint Jesus’ body for
burial. When Mary got there the stone
was already gone. She thought that
someone had taken away the body of Jesus.
She ran and told Peter and John.
b.
Then Mary went back to the tomb.
She wept bitterly. Then two
angels appeared and still she did not understand. “’They have taken my Lord away’ she said, ‘and
I do not know where they have put him.’” (John 20:13 NIV) Then Jesus appears to her, but for some reason
she does not recognize Him. Perhaps she
cannot recognize Jesus because of the early hour or perhaps the radiance of Lord
and the angels. Jesus then asks her, “Who
is it you are looking for?” (John 20:15 NIV)
Mary thinks that this must be the gardener or caretaker of the cemetery
and she begs him to tell her where the body has been taken. Then the Lord speaks her name. “Mary!” (John 20:16 all trans.)
He says. And she knows who it is! It is Jesus and she realizes that He has been
there all along!
c.
The Lord will never abandon us.
Indeed He said at His ascension, “Lo, I am with you always!” (Matthew
28:20 RSV) The Spirit of God is always
there for us.
2. Man and his “Jesus
Chair”
a.
Pastor Alan was new to the Church and one of his first calls was
to Don a saintly older Christian. Don
was bedridden and very ill. Don’s
daughter escorted the pastor to the bedroom.
As they set talking the pastor noticed another chair set up beside the
bed. The pastor said, “I see you have
had several visitors today.” Don looked
puzzled and then looked over at the other chair. “Let me tell you about that chair,” said
Don. “It’s my Jesus Chair. Some years back I had great difficulty
concentrating and staying awake when I prayed.
Often I would be so weary that I would fall asleep on my knees leaning
against the bed. And if I did stay awake
I frequently found it hard to keep my mind from wandering. I spoke to the minister, that was Rev. Jones
back then, and he advised me not to worry about kneeling down. ‘Just sit down,’ he suggested, ‘and put a
chair opposite you, and imagine that Jesus is in it, and talk to Him as you
would a friend.’ That’s why I always
have two chairs in my room.” The man had
followed this practice for many years.
b.
A few days later Pastor Alan received word that Don had
died. Visiting in the home, Don’s
daughter described his passing to the minister:
“I just left the room for a few minutes.
When I returned, he was gone. He
was lying there on his bed looking very peaceful. Just like I had left him. Just one thing changed… His right hand was
outstretched and resting on the empty chair.”
The Lord had taken Don’s hand and led him to Eternity. The Lord had always been with him. Jesus was with Don in life and death and life
beyond death! Easter is an attitude
toward God. An attitude that understands
that the Spirit of God is ever present and with us! We are not alone!
D. Conclusion
1. New Attitude!
a.
A lot of people have bad attitudes. General Lew Wallace who I talked about last
week did. He was negative, cynical and
filled with doubt. Sometimes even good
Christians like Kathy Garner have bad attitudes.
b. Both, however,
encountered the Living Savior; one through reading the Bible and one through
prayer, and both found a new attitude.
An attitude of faith, compassion, peace, strength, confidence and
power! You can find that same confident
attitude! It is as close as faith in the
Risen Christ! Receive Him into your
heart today, and have the Easter attitude!
2. Recap
a.
Easter is an attitude toward life! We can live with confidence in the here and
now.
b. Easter is an attitude toward death! Jesus has prepared a place for us with God
forever.
c.
Easter is an attitude toward future! We know who holds the future. God is ultimately in control and good will
triumph!
d.
Easter is an attitude toward God!
We are not alone. God is with us!
Easter is an Attitude!!!
1. Easter is an attitude toward life!
2. Easter is an attitude toward death!
3. Easter is an attitude toward future!
4. Easter is an attitude toward God!
Matthew
28:1-10 NRSV
1After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was
dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2And suddenly there was a great
earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled
back the stone and sat on it. 3His
appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white
as snow. 4For fear of him the
guards shook and became like dead men. 5But
the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for
Jesus who was crucified. 6He
is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place
where he lay. 7Then go
quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed
he is going ahead of you to
Luke
24:36-53 NRSV
36While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood
among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37They were startled and terrified,
and thought that they were seeing a ghost.
38He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts
arise in your hearts? 39Look
at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have
flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40And when he had said this, he
showed them his hands and his feet. 41While
in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have
you anything here to eat?” 42They
gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43and he took it and ate in their
presence.
44Then he said to them, “These are my words that I
spoke to you while I was still with you — that everything written about me in
the Law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” 45Then he opened their minds to
understand the scriptures, 46and he said to them, “Thus it is
written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third
day, 47and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be
proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from
50Then he led them out as far as