Easter Sunday, From John 20, Morning Praise (2)

In one paragraph

Easter Sunday this year fell on the fifth Sunday of the month, which at First Baptist Jackson means an all-worship service. Pastor Steve leaned into that, letting the songs carry the celebration and then preaching one focused message from John 20: the tomb is empty, and that fact changes everything about who we are and what we are sent to do. Pastor Steve opened with the Paschal controversies, the...

Read together

1. Matthew 28:5-7 angel at the tomb telling the women Jesus is risen, read before opening worship
2. Acts 2:24 it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Jesus
3. John 3:16-17 God so loved the world, read during worship
4. Philippians 2 God exalted Jesus to the highest place, name above every name, every knee shall bow
5. 1 Corinthians 15 if there is no resurrection we are to be pitied
6. John 20 the full chapter read as the sermon text: empty tomb, appearances to Mary and disciples, Thomas
7. John 20:30-31 the stated purpose of the book, that you may believe Jesus is the Christ and have life in his name

Talk about it

1. Pastor Steve brought up the Paschal controversies, where Christians fought repeatedly over when to celebrate Easter rather than focusing on the resurrection itself. What are some ways we do something similar today, getting divided over things that sit alongside the gospel rather than the gospel itself?
2. Pastor Steve described a 'hermeneutic of goodwill,' reading scripture with a strong belief that God loves us and wants good for us. How does the lens you bring to scripture shape what you find there, and what has shaped your own lens?
3. The sermon traced how the evidence of the empty tomb had a different effect on each person who encountered it: Mary assumed the body had been moved, Peter was uncertain, John saw and believed, and Thomas needed to touch the wounds before he confessed 'my Lord and my God.' Why do you think the same evidence landed so differently for each of them, and where do you see yourself in that group?
4. Pastor Steve said that Mary the mourner became a missionary, penitent Peter became a preacher, and doubting Thomas became what he called the greatest confessor, eventually carrying the gospel to India. How have you seen God use a person's particular struggles or failures to shape the way they later serve Him?
5. Pastor Steve said that as Christians we are God's plan A for getting His message of love and forgiveness to the rest of the world, and there is no plan B. What does it look like practically, in your own life and relationships, to take that seriously?