One of the first things that people from outside notice about our media here in the USA is how un-newslike our news broadcasts are in comparison to their own countries. What do I mean? Last week, Brandon, Chris and I had on the television “news” before going to work. What were the lead stories?
*Is Tiger Woods still lying?
*Sandra Bullock Seeks Divorce
*Shocking Dismissal on Dancing with the Stars
“What kind of news is this?” we all thought. We went to three different stations and all the “news” broadcasts were exactly the same. There was nothing about how Greece’s financial condition was affecting the entire European Economic Community (EEC), nothing about Haiti or Chile or terrorism in Russia (all this had apparently become old news), nothing about the Muslim vs. Christian violence in Nigeria…
Easter as a News Report
And that brings me to Easter. Did you know that the Bible proclaims that the Easter message is news? 1 Corinthians 15 is a classic text on the resurrection of Jesus and, throughout this text, the Apostle Paul who wrote it describes himself as a news reporter and says that what he is reporting is good news. In 15:1, Paul says his report is good news that we can base our lives on. In 15:2, it is news that will rescue us from danger. Then, in 15:11-12, Paul describes himself as a town crier or King’s herald. Oh, I know that our versions translate the word as “preacher” but the word Paul uses is the word for a messenger from a king or general who rides through the town bringing important news.
The news reports in the Bible’s days were very different from ours. Journalism happened through people appointed by the generals or kings known as heralds. They would ride horses through the villages crying, “Hear ye! Hear Ye!! The enemy is just 15 miles away and headed your direction!” It could also be good news: “Extra, extra!! The king is coming into down bringing gifts.” In any case, news reporting related to something that should change your life.
If you understand news reporting now, you know that there is both “soft news” and “hard news.” Soft news is the entertainment report, the fashion report, heart-warming personal interest stories, and consumer tips. Soft news is something like, “Experts reveal new ice cream only diet!”
The hard news is the reporting of the significant things you have to know because it affects the whole community. “Fire on the hills!” “New taxes due!” Flood coming!” “Hard news” is the news you need to know to live. A herald didn’t ride into town screaming, “Now for the fashion update! What are they wearing in Jerusalem this year?”
So, in 1 Corinthians 15,Paul says that he is a new reporter and the news he is reporting relates to Jesus. He is declaring, “There is something about Jesus that you need to know! He has come to rescue you from danger. And he can do it. Jesus rose from the dead!”
You need to grasp this matter that Christianity says its message is hard news if you will understand the Christian faith at all. The Christian faith, different from other religions, is not simply saying, “We know a way that you can live better – to deal with your problems – to relate to the spiritual side of yourselves – to get into contact with the infinite…” Those things are true. But, the Bible insists that the Christian faith is founded on hard news. Something has happened in this world that we dare not ignore.”
What’s the News?
The hard news of the Bible is summarized in one word, “Gospel “ = good news. Let me try to summarize it into headlines.
Heavenly News Headlines: Easter 2010
#1: God Is! He’s powerful, good, just and loving. He made the world and us. He is involved in history and in the lives of people.
#2: God Declares, "Its About Relationship" God made us to know him and to live in right relationship to him, other people, and the created world. We were made in God’s image. We were made to know God and further his goodness by caring for the world he made. So, what’s gone wrong?
#3: Elusive Human Race Avoids contact with God: Uncertain Times Ahead. It started early – Genesis 3. People knew what God expected of them and disobeyed him anyway. And we still do the same thing – over and over. People walk away from God and every relationship in this world is affected. So, now, we sense that there must be a God but we don’t know him by nature any more. And our whole world is out of kilter.
#4: God Reveals His Restoration Plan. This is the message of so much of the Bible. God does not forget us. He still loves us and began a plan to make things right again. His plan included many prophetic words about a rescuer (Messiah) who would forgive, and heal, and make things news.
#5: God Pursues Costly Strategy to Restore Relationships. The shocking truth that we celebrate at Christmas is that God’s came to earth. This Jesus lived a life of love. He was the only one who has lived without sin – so he was not in the same mess we are in. Out of love for us, he died to pay for our sins – but death could not hold him. This Jesus died for our sins – but then defeated sin and death in his resurrection.
#6: Restoration Route Opened. God: “People Must Now Choose”
Everyone who believes in Jesus will have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him (John 3:15-17). We can continue to live for ourselves but God says the time has come to choose. Will we give our lives to him and live or not?
#7: Complete Reconstruction Promised. Anticipation Growing He’s not done with people or with the world. He will keep changing our lives – and, when he is done, we will experience a world with no tears, no war, no sorrow, no death. All will be made new.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death'] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Revelation 21:3-5
This is big news, isn’t it. If it is true – as the Bible says it is – then people need to hear it. The heart of this news, the Apostle Paul says, is in newsflash #5: God came to the world in Jesus, died for our sins and rose from the dead! Or: “God’s Son Rises from the Dead! Hundreds Report Seeing Him.” If that news piece isn’t true, Paul says that the rest of it is meaningless.
Remember: Paul had been a very conservative Jewish man, a Pharisee. He didn’t want to believe this news about Jesus. He had been persecuting Christians. What made Paul change his mind about this news? It was the resurrection. The evidence for it was undeniable to him. Paul would say, “I didn’t really want to change my life and follow Jesus – but I had to!”
So, what was the evidence that convinced him? Paul mentions three pieces of evidence.
The Evidence Supporting the News
A Rabbi friend once told me that the hardest part for him to understand about the early church’s growth was that Jewish scholars and rabbis like Paul came to believe that Jesus was God raised from the dead. He told me that the least likely people in the world to believe this were first century Jews. They didn’t think a man could also be God – they were strict monotheists. They thought that their Messiah would be a political or military leader – not a crucified man. Yet, these are the very people who were the first believers. What changed their minds? Paul tells us.
- Witnesses saw Jesus die. It had been a public execution. Everyone knew it had happened. Paul says, “The news that has been passed on is that Jesus died for our sins… and was buried (15:3-4).”
- Witnesses visited an empty grave on the Sunday morning following the execution. The witnesses were clear and unanimous about that. “He was raised on the third day (15:4).” People had gone to a tomb where a physically dead Jesus was laid and had found only grave clothes there.
- Hundreds of witnesses report meeting a resurrected Jesus.
Jesus appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also... (15:5-8).
If the evidence had only been an empty tomb, then people might say Jesus’ body was stolen. But, it was both an empty tomb and then hundreds of eyewitnesses who saw Jesus afterwards. 1 Corinthians was written probably 15-18 years after the resurrection. When Paul wrote this, he was saying, “I’m not the only one who saw this. Hundreds of people saw him too. If you don’t believe me, go ask them!”
- People’s lives were changed.
Paul had left his rather comfortable place as a leader among his people – and one of the best educated men of his time – to go out and tell this news about Jesus. Why? Because this had happened in history. God had come and shown he was greater than death itself. Person after person heard this news, believed in this Jesus, followed him and had their lives change. Why? Because Jesus had lived, died, risen again – and promised to change the lives of all who would follow him.
A letter from a Roman emperor to a military general has been passed down throughout the centuries. The emperor was complaining about the church growing in spite of persecution. His general was asking, “Why can we not eliminate these people. The emperor complained:
“Their success lies in their enduring marriages and their charity to strangers. These godless Galileans (by which he meant Christians) support both their own poor and ours as well!”
Roman Emperor Julian, Fourth Century, (Ep. Sozum. 5:16)
All four of these points are of crucial importance: People had witnessed the gruesome death of Jesus and his burial. Witnesses had visited the empty tomb. Hundreds of witnesses had talked with the risen Jesus. And, just as God had promised, people’s lives had been changed because of their faith in the resurrection Lord.
Now, I know this is not how people in Southern California like to think about religion. We would rather think that they are all alike. We like spirituality in which we can be religious if it fulfills us. But, Paul is saying, “I didn’t believe on Jesus because it fulfilled me though it might not fulfill you.” He said, “I didn’t even want to believe this. But, I had to come to grips with this news.”
So, here we are this Easter 2010 and I say to us the very same thing Paul said 2000 years ago: I’m a reporter saying, “God has come to rescue you through Jesus. Jesus died for you and rose again from the dead. He can forgive your sins. He has power even over death. Believe and follow Jesus.”
What Difference Does the God’s News Make?
I have said that “hard news” is news that changes things. News that the enemy is 10 miles away will change our lives. News that a tsunami is coming will change our lives. And news that Jesus died in history and rose again from the dead should change our lives.
Paul takes that up in 1 Corinthians 15:12-22 and says, “If this did not happen – if Jesus did not rise bodily from the death – then:
*V. 14 -- Our news report is vain – Without the resurrection, we have no news that can offer hope to a crazy world that always ends in death.
*V. 14, 17 – The Christian faith in vain… futile” – There are so many things in this world that make no sense. But God has said, “Goodness will prevail. Trust me. Wait for me.” But, if there is no resurrection, faith in God has no power to change anything.
*V. 17 People are still in sins with no basis for their forgiveness. Apart from the resurrection, Jesus was defeated by the evil in this world as much as anyone else is. I’m sure there were people in the church Paul was writing to who wondered if they would ever find forgiveness of their pasts and a new beginning. Without the resurrection, death and sin have defeated Jesus – and we are still in our sins.
*V. 18 There is no hope for those who have died – This life is all there is. The existentialists are right – We just live in an unjust world and die in an unjust world. This world is absurd!
But, v. 22, Paul declares, “Christ has indeed been raised from the dead!” Easter happened!! And that changes everything.
*Because Christ is risen, our news is not in vain . No, we have news to bring the world that will change the world. We now know that God is greater than the greatest enemy in the world – death itself. We have hope to offer the world because… Jesus is risen!
*Because Christ is risen, our faith is not futile. We can experience joy and shalom even when life is tough because we know that our God is greater than any difficulty in this world. We are confident that God will bring about goodness and justice and impossible times can be overcome because God turned a crucifixion into a resurrection. Beauty can rise out of ashes because Jesus is risen!
*Because Christ is risen, we do not have to stay in our sins. We do not have to experience guilt and shame. Jesus bore the punishment for our sins when he died. God himself will declare us forgiven when our lives have been entrusted to Christ. Tomorrow can be different from yesterday because Jesus is risen.
*And because Jesus is risen, we do not even have to fear death. Death is not the end of things. There is life beyond this life. All in Christ will be made alive. Death’s sting is gone because Jesus is risen.
So I declare “the news” to you on this Easter Sunday 2010. It’s the same news being proclaimed today all over the world among followers of Jesus from virtually every nation, people group and language. It’s the same news Paul proclaimed centuries ago but it is as true today as it ever has been. What’s the news? Hear ye! Hear ye!!
Jesus Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
Jesus Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
Jesus Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
To His Glory,
Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor