April 12, 2020 Resurrection Sunday "Alive Forevermore", Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley

0:01 Good morning again. I want to greet all of you with the joy of the resurrection of Jesus Christ as we celebrate and proclaim that we serve a risen Savior. Would you bow with me wherever you may be right now and let us open our hearts and minds through prayer that God might speak through God's word. Bow with me if you will. Lord we thank you for the gift of this Easter Sunday and even in the midst of pandemic and virus we recognize that you are Christ and that you reign forever we thank you oh God for your presence in our lives and the power and the hope that it brings and my prayer today oh God is that the message your word will search out hearts and minds that are anxious and worried and concerned and give us the foundation of faith upon which we stand. God bless the reading, the proclamation, the living and the fruit of your word.

0:56 In Jesus' name we do pray, amen. This morning on this Easter Sunday, I want you to hear the reading of the word of God from the book of Revelation. If you've got your Bible in your hand or device near you, if you join in with me in Revelation chapter one, verse 17 and 18, And it is my sincere prayer that you don't have any difficulty finding the book of Revelation.

1:24 In Revelation chapter 1, reading out of the New International Version of God's Word, the Apostle John says, When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said, Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last. I am the living one. I was dead and now look, I am alive forever and ever. And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Do not fear. I am the first and the last. I am the living one. I was dead and now I am alive forever and evermore. and I have the keys of death and Hades in my hand. On this Easter Sunday morning, I want to encourage you that Christ is alive forevermore.

2:27 Alive forevermore. most theologians and biblical scholars would suggest to you that this book of Revelation, written by the Apostle John while he was outcast on the island of Patmos and sent to Christians at the end of the first century, theologians and scholars would suggest to you that the book of Revelation is hands down one of the most popular and arguably the most problematic book in all the Bible. Revelation is popular, but it is also problematic. It is filled with metaphor and imagery, filled with apocalyptic language, filled with allegory and prophetic descriptions of things to come.

3:25 And within every generation of Christians, there have been those who have run to the book of Revelation and tried to correlate the imagery and the language that's within Revelation with events that are happening in the world to try to predict when the end of the world shall come and when Christ shall return. If you look at the Bible as a whole, you will find that creation is dealt with in the book of Genesis. God's covenant with God's people. That's Exodus through Malachi. Christ is dealt with in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The church is addressed in Acts through Jude. And then Revelation deals with the consummation of time. Those who read the book of Revelation and structured the Bible placed Revelation as the last book because they believed that Revelation gave some hint, some clue, if you will, as to when the world would come to an end.

4:36 And as a result, Revelation always rises in popularity whenever events happen that lead people to think that the world is coming to an end. In times of global crisis and epidemic, in times of world war, in times of viral outbreak, in times of ecological tragedy, in times of the election of despotic leaders. People run to Revelation and they begin to decode the metaphors and the imagery of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Who is the Antichrist? What is the sign of the beast? And many scholars will suggest to you that in times of crisis, The book of Revelation is prone to misinterpretation. As a matter of fact, Eugene Boring, a scholar of the book of Revelation, says that Revelation has been foolishly interpreted and has provided happy hunting ground for bizarre and dangerous interpretation.

5:48 The book of Revelation is fertile soil for misinterpretation that is both deadly and destructive. For those who remember the name Jim Jones in Jonestown in Guyana, where in 1978, 918 people committed mass suicide. suicide. When Jonestown was uncovered and reporters and historians went in, it was discovered that the majority of Jim Jones' sermon that led 918 people to commit suicide, most of his sermons were from the book of Revelation. That he had used this book to convince people that the end of the world had come and they committed suicide on the preaching of the book of Revelation. Revelation can be dangerous. And part of the reason the book of Revelation is dangerous is because many who go to the book of Revelation, even with a sincere spirit, they forget that the book of Revelation is a letter written by John between 90 and 96 AD to a specific group of Christians living in a specific context, dealing with a specific situation.

7:15 When you read the book of Revelation, you are reading a letter that really wasn't written for you and wasn't written to you. You know what reading Revelation is like? Revelation is like getting someone else's mail, getting their gas bill, opening it up, reading it, and thinking that's what you ought to pay, not realizing you're reading someone else's mail. And therefore, the key to unlocking Revelation is to understand the context into which it is written, to understand the people John writes to. to understand their circumstances and their situations before you try to interpret what John is saying. So allow me, if you will, to teach a little biblical background to give you some context so you don't miss the content. Catch the background before we get into the breakdown.

8:13 The book of Revelation is addressed to churches in Asia. But when you think Asia, don't think the Orient as of today. Asia in those days was a reference to Western Turkey. And in Western Turkey, you will find a collection of churches that were established somewhere around 50 AD by Paul and his companions. And those Christians faced some circumstances not too dissimilar to the ones we face today. In 60 AD, that entire region had been shattered by earthquakes. Earthquakes that destroyed people's homes. Earthquakes that made resources scarce. Earthquakes that initiated famine around the land.

9:09 These Christians who had suffered earthquakes also suffered under the leadership of an emperor named Nero. If you remember fifth grade social studies, Nero was one of the worst emperors of Rome. Rome burns down in 64 AD under his leadership and Nero blames the Christians. And as a result of blaming the Christians, Nero initiates a season of persecution where Christians are openly arrested and harassed. And it was Nero who started the practice of bringing Christians into the various coliseums to provide entertainment as they were eaten by lions. These Christians who had suffered earthquakes, these Christians who suffered under Nero, they also witnessed a war in Jerusalem. between 66 and 70 AD, the Jews in Jerusalem revolted against Roman oppression.

10:13 And the end result was that Jerusalem was destroyed. The temple was burned down. As a matter of fact, when we went to the Holy Land, many of us who were there, we saw ruins even in 2018 and 19 that came from 70 AD. the city was destroyed and Jews had to scatter out of Jerusalem and begin mixing with Christians in all of these cities. And after that war, after Nero's death, the world goes through political upheaval as the Roman Empire, watch this, goes through three emperors in two years. in the middle of that unrest 79 AD Vesuvius erupts Pompeii is destroyed leaving a literal darkness over all the land and then as if things couldn't get any worse in 81 AD teach Pastor Wesley in 81 Domitian comes to reign and Domitian is arguably the worst emperor Christians have ever seen.

11:24 He makes a due season for Christian persecution. Christians are arrested. They are killed. They are harassed. Their property is plundered. These Christians have seen the world go from bad to worse. And beloved, I've come by to tell you that if you were born before 1980, that you probably know what it's like to see the world go from bad to worse. We've lived through 9-11. We've dealt with two recessions. We've seen the world deal with H1N1, swine flu. We've been subject to wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Korea. We've dealt with Katrina. We've had to deal with the election of an incompetent president. And now we face the global pandemic of COVID-19.

12:25 These Christians that John writes to, they're not too different from the Christians we are today. They are living under a dark cloud. They're facing political confusion. Resources are scarce. Toilet paper can't be found. No Clorox anywhere. No vaccine. A president who lies daily. Sickness is everywhere. No one knows how long this is going to last. No one knows when the end will come. Nobody knows if it's going to get better. It looks like it goes from better to worse, to worse, to worse. And this is the crowd that John writes to. Revelation, my brother and my sister is not a book simply to predict the end of the earth but it's a letter written to the people of God who don't know when things are going to get better it's written to the people of God who are walking in confusion and uncertainty it's written to the people of God who are wondering when is the Lord going to bring an end to all of this and notice how the book of Revelation is structured that in the very beginning, the very beginning of the book of Revelation, chapter one, all of chapter two, all of chapter three, and some of chapter four are written in red.

13:57 If you got a good Bible, most of chapter one, all of chapter two, all of chapter three, and some of chapter four is written in red. Now, in case you failed first grade Sunday school, anytime you got a good Bible and you find something written in red, that's Jesus talking. This is important because the last time we've seen Jesus speak is all the way back in Acts chapter one on the day of ascension, 40 days after Easter, 10 days before Pentecost. That's the last time Jesus showed up. That's the last time Jesus spoke. And there were many Christians in the world at that time who believe that Jesus is never coming back or he won't be back to the end. And now here are some Christians in a global pandemic only to find out that the Lord shows up and the Lord's got something to say.

15:01 Beloved, I don't want you to miss the easiest point of this message. And the message of Easter is simply this, that God is always there with us. That God is there when we need God. That God shows up when all hell is breaking loose. God is there when the bottom of life drops out. God is there when you're about to lose your mind. God is there when you don't know if tomorrow will be any better than yesterday. The Lord shows up. I can't even tell you God doesn't wait until you pray to show up. God doesn't wait until you join church to show up. God doesn't wait until you get your act together to show up. There's somebody watching right now who can give an amen because you know you can look back at some of your days when you weren't thinking about God, you weren't talking to God, you weren't praying, you weren't in nobody's church, and yet the hand of God was still on your life because God is always there when we need God most.

16:04 And I came by to declare on this Easter Sunday morning that we are not in this thing alone, but God is with us. One of the most constant and consistent promises in the Bible is that God will be there more than it'll work out for your good, more than he'll deal with your enemies, more than you'll be healed of your sickness. The most consistent promise of God in the Bible is that I will never leave you nor forsake you. That's what the psalmist David understood when he wrote those words, yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Why? Because God is with me. The psalmist asked it again in Psalm 139, Where can I go from the presence of God?

16:58 If I wake up in hell, God is with me. And I want you to know no matter what you wake up to, no matter how much more the virus has spread, no matter how much more it looks like it will not come to an end, I want you to know that God is there. And there's something about knowing God is there that brings comfort to us. You all know I love going to the movies. Being shut down from being able to go to the movies is one of the depressing elements of this virus. And I remember the very first time that I took Cooper to the movies. You know, you can't take them till they're about five or six because they don't know how to sit still. We were in a movie theater. We were watching the previews. And all of a sudden something happened. I don't know if it's a power outage or somebody hit the wrong switch. But the trailers stopped, the previews ended, the lights went out.

17:55 It was pitch black in the theater. And all of a sudden, I felt Cooper get out of his seat. And he began looking for me, and he came, and he sat down in my lap. And he turned around, and this is what he said to me. Dad, I just need to know you're still here. And beloved, that's my prayer to the Lord. Every morning I wake up in the middle of this virus. Lord, I just need to know you're still there. It doesn't look good on CNN. MSNBC has gotten bad. I refuse to watch Fox, but God, I need to know that you're still right there. And the message of Easter is that our God is still with us. Well, watch what Jesus says. I love it because it's not only a message of God's presence. It's a message of God's faithfulness. Watch what Jesus says.

18:54 Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last. I am the living one. I was dead, but I'm alive forevermore. Watch what Jesus says. I want you to know something. In the midst of all your uncertainty, in the midst of dealing with a leader who's getting on your last good nerve, in the midst of not knowing when this thing is going to come to an end. Here's what I want you to know. I want you to know that I'm alive. That there's something about the declaration of the resurrection that believers at a time like that need to know. So watch how the declaration goes. Watch how Jesus says I'm alive. This is what he says. He says, I am the first and the last. I am the living one. I am the one who was dead. Three times, Jesus repeats the phrase, I am.

19:52 I am. I am. Now, that repetition is meant to remind you of something. That phrase, I am, that's not the first time you've seen it in the Bible. No, if you read the Bible, you remember that I am is how God identifies God's self in Exodus chapter three. When the children of Israel are wondering who's going to lead them through the wilderness, who's going to bring them out of slavery, who's going to make a way out of no way. God shows up and God says, I am. And so when Jesus reiterates this phrase, I am, he's reminding those Christians as we are reminded today that I am the same God who you met back in Exodus. The God who opened up the Red Sea, that's me. The God who heard Hezekiah's prayer and added 15 years to his life, that's me.

20:52 The God that shielded the three Hebrew boys in the midst of a fire, that's me. The God who made lions go on a fast when Daniel was in their den, that's me. The God who told Nebuchadnezzar, your turn is up. The God who told Pharaoh, don't mess with me. I'm on the side of my people. Jesus declares, I'm that same faithful God. And I'm so glad on this Easter Sunday that I can declare to you that God is the same yesterday. God is the same today and God will be the same tomorrow. The same God that walked you through the fire. The same God that held you when you were losing your mind. The same God that answered your prayer when someone was at death's door. The same God who made a way out of no way. That is our risen Savior. He says, I am. Now watch this. It's about to get so much gooder because not only is this a message about the faithfulness of God. It is a message about the authority of God.

22:01 Listen to the authority with Jesus speaks. He says to these Christians who are persecuted, these Christians in uncertainty, these Christians dealing with the scarcity of resource. He says to them, as he says to us, I have the keys of death and hell. Beloved, that is a statement of divine authority. And when Jesus speaks this, those who heard it in their original context would have understood it was coded language because they lived in a time where the emperor thought he decided who lived and died. Only for them to have a resurrected Jesus show up and declare that I am the one who holds life and death in my hand. Don't get it twisted. Domitian is not omnipotent. Domitian is not God. It is a reminder to us that the one who occupies the office doesn't sit on the throne. The one who bears the title does not yield the power.

23:01 That there is but one God over all the earth who reigns. And he is our Lord and Savior, our resurrected King, Jesus our Christ. This is a message to remind us that the mission is not God. He may think he's God, but he's not God. He may act like he's God, but he's not God. His followers may want him to be God, but he is not God. There is but one God who we serve, who reigns over our lives. I would argue with you that the one thing this pandemic has revealed to us is the undeniable denial of human authority. Let me say that again. The one thing this pandemic has made clear to us is the undeniable denial of human authority. It has reminded us that human hands cannot protect us.

24:05 They said it was contained. They said it was only the flu. They said it could not spread. They said it wouldn't happen to Americans. Listen at the arrogance of American ideology that because we are the red, white, and blue, it could not happen to us. And now we know beyond a shadow of a doubt, human hands can't save us. Flags don't protect us. Presidential lies don't shield us. We are not protected by human hands. So watch what happens when John is confronted with this resurrected Jesus. The Bible says he bows in his presence. to remind us that the only one we bow to is our sovereign king. I posted something on Instagram the other day that still disturbs me.

25:02 That one of these followers had the nerve to have a sign in their yard that said, God bows down to Trump. I need you to come to church and let me declare to you that God bows to no human authority, but all human bow down to divine authority. The apostle Paul declared that at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that he is God to the glory of God the Father. There is but one who wields authority.

25:34 So resurrected Jesus is a message of God's presence, God's faithfulness, God's authority, but also a message of human hope. I'm going to drop this on you. It's so simple that somebody sitting in your living room is not going to catch it, so I'm going to have to say it a few times. But let me give you the shout of the Easter message. Jesus rises and says, I am he who was dead. I knew you were going to miss it. I am he who was dead. Okay, they say third time's charm. I am he who was dead. in case you missed your amen in your kitchen, the shout is over the word was. That Jesus declares some things was and ain't no more. And I don't know who I came to preach to on Easter Sunday, but there's somebody today you know, you've got some was on your resume.

26:33 I was fill in the blank. I was sick. I was at the end of my rope. I was about to lose my mind. I was heartbroken. I was laid off. But by the grace of God and the mercy of God, what was ain't no more. God has put some was on your resume. God has put some was in your testimony. God has taken some things that used to be and put them behind you. Terry, I know this ain't grammatically correct, but it's theologically accurate. Here is the message of Easter that makes me shout. every now and then what is becomes what was. That what is ain't no more and what used to be ain't gonna be. That the resurrected Jesus declares that every now and then God takes what is and makes it was.

27:30 This ain't gonna last forever. Trouble doesn't last always. Sorrow is not forever. You've never seen it rain forever. You've never seen a storm last forever. You've never experienced a moment where no sun began to shine because God knows how to insert some was into our testimony. He says, I was dead and I am alive forevermore. Y'all, I come by and tell you something. I need you to read your Bible. You'll be a better Christian. I was paused when I read this because I realized that from all of my theological life, I have misquoted this verse. I have always said that Jesus resurrected. And this was his declaration. I am he who was dead, but I'm alive forevermore.

28:28 It's not what it says. It says, I am he that was dead and I am alive forevermore. The word in Greek that is translated here is this conjunction called Kai, K-A-I, conjunction. And you know what a conjunction is. You remember Schoolhouse Rock? Conjunction, junction, what's your function? I'm hooking up things. Conjunctions hook up statements. And the conjunction Kai can be translated as but, and it can be translated as and, Which means that Jesus could have said, I am he that was alive, dead, but I'm alive. Or I am he that was dead and I'm alive. Now I want you to understand there's a difference between but and and. Let me go on and teach some third grade grammar. But is a conjunction of contradiction.

29:23 Whenever you see a but, it is conjuncting and holding two things together, but erasing what was on the front end. Let me give you an example. So if I owed you money and I came to you and said, I want to pay you, but. Well, the minute I say, but, you don't got to worry about me paying you because you know it ain't going to happen. But erases whatever came before it. And is different. And doesn't erase. And simply adds to it. But can erase what came and simply adds to it. Beloved, I came by telling you that every now and then, God transforms our was with a but. There's nothing more powerful in the Bible than the phrase, but God. I was sick, but God healed me. I was about to lose my mind, but God helped me together.

30:18 I was about to give in, but God gave me strength. Whenever you hear, but God, you know that God has somehow dealt with and removed and erased what came on the front end. And is different. Every now and then we go through experiences that can't be erased. We go through things that won't be taken off our resume. We have experiences that have hurt us in ways that we will never forget. And in that moment, I'm so glad that we can say, and God. That God doesn't have to erase it. God doesn't have to bring it to an end. God doesn't have to change it. God can simply add to it. We suffered with COVID and God brought us through. I lost a loved one and God walked me through it. I was about to lose my mind and God gave me joy.

31:16 The doctor told me it was cancer and God gave me strength. I'm so glad that even in the midst of a pandemic that doesn't seem like it's going anywhere, we can shout and God, and God, and God. Listen, I gotta leave you. The message of the resurrection is about God's promise. It's about God's faithfulness. It's about God's authority. It's about our hope. And finally, it's about God's reign. I want you to hear what Jesus says. He said, listen, I am alive. I was dead, but check this. I am alive forever and ever. In the original Greek, which is why you want your pastor to go to school and study. In the original Greek, the term eon and eon are placed right next to each other. That's the term ever and ever.

32:12 There's no conjunction. It just reads eis, eon, eon, eon, eon, forever, forever, forever, forever. And whenever in Greek you see two words right next to each other repeatedly, that is the author trying to situate you in the middle to let you know you cannot escape either word. You can't escape forever on either side because God reigns forever and your life is stuck in the middle of God's reign. Okay, okay, okay. I know, I know, I know it's a little difficult. Let me see if I can help you. I finally figured out how to help you understand two Greek words right next to each other and you being stuck in the middle. I want you to understand what it's like to live stuck in the middle of God's reign. Here it is. I want you, after you finish shouting over this sermon, I want you to go get a handheld mirror.

33:07 I want you to go to your bathroom and I want you to take that mirror and make it face the mirror in your bathroom. And then I want you to look in the middle and you will see that the reflections keep going back and forth, that one mirror reflects another and that mirror reflects the first and that mirror reflects another. And as you're looking, you're going back and forth between the mirrors because you are stuck in forever. That's what it means to declare that he reigns forever. that no matter where I go, no matter what I go through, no matter what my circumstance, no matter what my situation, no matter what my pain, I am stuck in the middle of God's reign.

33:53 The COVID doesn't reign over my life. This administration doesn't reign over my life. Sickness doesn't reign over my life, but my God does. I am he who was dead and I am alive forevermore. I am with you. I am faithful. I have authority. You should have some hope and know that I reign. That is the message of Easter to those who live in crisis. Let us pray.

34:34 God, we thank you that you reign forever. And in the midst of all that we sense and see and hear, remind us, O God, daily that our Christ was dead and is alive forevermore. And because of that, we know that you are with us. We know, O God, that you are faithful. We know that you have authority that human hands cannot hold. we know that we have hope that one day what is shall be what was and we know oh god that you can reign forever and change what we're going through in jesus name we do pray amen beloved that message of easter that he reigns forever is what jesus wanted his disciples to remember before he departed them. That's why he brought them to the table. That's why we come to this table today to break bread and share in cup. I'm going to invite you to gather your family around. I'm going to invite you to grab your elements and let's bow in a word of prayer as we engage in that which connects us even electronically across the world wide web, reminding ourselves that no matter what variety or denomination of Christian we are, What we hold in common is the belief that our Christ was dead and he's alive forevermore.

36:07 God, we thank you for our table. And I thank you, oh God, that I can be a priest of my own home. I don't need an ordination certificate. I don't need a collar. I don't need a robe. But I can be the priest that administers the elements of communion to my family in the security of my home. Lord bless these elements that we receive our bread our cup may they remind us that our Savior was dead and is alive forevermore in Jesus name we pray amen the Bible teaches us beloved that he first gathered his followers at a table and is there that he took bread and he took bread and blessed it and he broke it and he gave it to his disciples and he said take and eat for this is my body which is broken for you likewise will you now take your bread will you break it will you share it and we take of broken blessed bread and we eat together declaring that this is the body of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ which was dead but is alive forevermore And after the bread, Jesus took a cup.

37:47 He blessed it and gave thanks and said, Now take and drink, for this is my blood which is shed for you. The drinking of this cup reminds us that it is only through the shed blood of Jesus Christ Christ that we are redeemed for our sins, that we are forgiven of our failures, and that God lives and reigns within us. Won't you take your cup that is now blessed, share it, and together we prepare to drink as one body in Christ. This cup represents the blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let us drink together. the Bible teaches us that as often as we drink this bread, drink this cup and eat of this bread, we do it in remembrance of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ until the day he shall come.

38:47 It's a reminder to us that Christ is coming again. We thank the Lord for this table. We thank the Lord for our worship. It's my prayer that you would have a blessed Easter, that you celebrate the joy of the resurrected Christ, sane, sheltered, and in your homes. And I look forward to being back with you next week in worship as we begin our new series, Wandering in the Wilderness, where I'm going to share with you how it is God guides God's people in moments when they don't know where they're going and when it's going to end. This is Pastor Wesley. I love you with the love of Jesus. We'll see you next weekend. It's my prayer that the worship we experience together and the word you just received has once again encouraged and created a faith in you that is greater than any fear. As a matter of fact, if you're watching this broadcast and you are moved to walk in faith and surrender your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ for the very first time or maybe reconnect yourself in your walk with the Lord, do me a favor. Send us an email to deacons at Alfredstreet.org and one of our deacons and one of our ministers will reach back out to you and joyfully share with you God's perfect plan of salvation for your life. If you're moved to be part of something bigger than yourself during this time of isolation, I pray that you realize how important community is. And if you desire to be part of the Alfred Street Baptist Church community, on our website, you'll find the registration and the information you need to contact us and for us to contact you and to build relationship that we may count you as one of our own. If you are a member of Alfred Street and you are in need of anything at all, especially resources or prayer, once again, reach out to your deacon. During this time of isolation, we want every member to know that we are deeply, intimately, and prayerfully concerned about you and your family. Reach out to us that we might continue to reach out to you. As you get ready to say goodbye

40:54 today, I'm going to ask you to do me a favor. If you are blessed by the word of God, do me a favor. Sign on and subscribe to our YouTube channel that you may keep informed of all our worship, all our announcements, all our activities. If you've been blessed, remember that we are still seeking to be a blessing. We are still ministering to our community. We are still caring for our youth and our seniors. And I'm asking you to be faithful in the gifts of God. At Alfred Street, we don't believe in begging for anything. We believe that if you would pray and ask God what you should do financially, if you obey what God places on your heart, the church can't help but be blessed. Hey, it's Pastor Wesley. Looking forward to being in worship with you again on next weekend. Log in anytime you can. Saturday, 6 p.m. Sunday, 8 a.m., Sunday 10 a.m., that together we might continue our worship of a God who is worthy. And now unto the Almighty, the all-wise, the sovereign, the omnipotent God, who alone is creator of heaven and earth, to the God who has made himself perfectly known to us, and Jesus who alone is our Christ, our loving Lord, our sacrificial Savior, our resurrected, risen, reigning, returning Redeemer, to the God who chooses to dwell in these earthen vessels of clay through the sustaining power, promise, presence, purpose, and person of the Holy Spirit.

42:17 To that all-wise God be glory and majesty, dominion and power from now until eternity. And all those who love the Lord and awaited his return said amen.