Trivial Pursuits?

We're in the book of First John here at Cross-Connection in the series that we're calling "Fullness of Joy" because John wrote this little letter so that our joy would be full, and that's only found in Jesus. Open with us to the book of First John as we discover that together. Amen.

While you're standing, don't sit down. Would you take out your Bibles? If you don't have a Bible, one of our ushers will bring you one if you'll raise your hand. We are in the New Testament book of First John, which means it's right near the end of your Bible. So, open to the very last book, the book of Revelation. You only have to turn a few pages to the left, and you'll find First John, chapter 1.

As I mentioned during the announcements, we had a group of people gathered here yesterday morning for Saturate San Diego, and we went out and distributed about 5,000 of the Saturate packets. Thank you to those who came and helped us. We are going to continue doing this going forward, so we're going to need your help. Probably in a couple of weeks, the Saturday following Easter, we'll be gathering. We'll tell you more about that next week to send out some more.

First John, chapter 1, verse 1: John writes, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled concerning the word of life. The life was manifested, and we have seen it and bear witness and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father was manifested to us. That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full."

Father, I don't think there's anyone standing here this morning who doesn't desire fullness of joy at some level. Each of us may have different ways that we would define what that actually means—fullness of joy—but we're all looking for that. John says here that the message he has brings fullness of joy. I pray, God, that we would begin to comprehend what that message is.

What the meaning of that message is that we would each together discover what it means to rejoice in this fullness of joy—the very thing that you desired and even spoke of: that your joy would be in us and our joy would be full. God, make that a reality. Would you open our eyes, our ears, and our hearts to learn from your Word today? By your Holy Spirit, help us to understand these things and make application to our lives, we pray. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those that agreed said, "Amen." You may be seated.

We have begun a new series here at Cross-Connection Church. We started last week in this New Testament book of First John, which means we were introduced last week for the first time to the author of this letter. The word "epistle" at the top of the page probably says "The First Epistle of John." That word means "letter," so it is the first letter of John.

We are introduced to John and start to get to know who this guy was. He was a follower of Jesus, one of the first followers of Jesus. Not only was he a disciple, but Jesus eventually sent John and a group of other disciples out with His message. He gave them a message and sent them out. One who is sent with a message is called an apostolic in Greek, which means "apostle," or one sent with a message.

John was one of the first followers of Jesus. He was a Jewish man from the Sea of Galilee, in the northern part of Israel, both then and now. As I shared last week, if you were here, John was probably about 15 years old when he first began to walk with Jesus. He was the son of a man named Zebedee and the younger brother of a man named James. Both Zebedee and James, along with John, were fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. John was a partner with another fisherman by the name of Simon, who, if you've read through the Gospels, you know as Peter.

We see these three guys—Peter, James, and John—often. They were friends before they met Jesus and remained close after they met Him. At a certain point in their careers, early on, they met Jesus. One day, Jesus meets up with them at the Sea of Galilee, where a multitude of people was with Him. At a certain point, Jesus says, "Hey guys, cast out into the deep."

For a catch of fish, that day James, John, and their partner Simon got probably the biggest catch of fish they ever had. It was so much that it freaked them out. How did this happen? Their nets were breaking, their boats were sinking, and they were seeing this massive catch. In the midst of this, Jesus said to them, "I want you to follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. From now on, you will catch men, not fish. Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."

So, Simon, James, and John, as it says in Luke's Gospel, chapter 5, first took all and followed Jesus. They left everything: their family, their homes, and the family business to follow Him.

When we come to the first letter of John, this is now about 60 years later. John, who was 15 years old when he met Jesus, is now in his 70s. He is probably one of the only first followers of Jesus still alive at this point. His brother James had died long ago, and his friend Simon Peter was gone; he was crucified in the city of Rome around the year 65 AD. With all of his close friends gone, John writes this letter for a purpose.

One of the things I like about John is that in several of the writings in the New Testament, he tells us explicitly what his purpose is. If you've ever read through the Gospel of John, which was written by this same author, you will find at the end of the Gospel he states, "I have written these things that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you would have life in His name." That is his purpose. He wants you to believe that Jesus is not just a man, not just a prophet, not just a healer, and not just a good guy. He is the Christ, an old word we don't use much anymore, meaning the Anointed One. He is the Son of God, possessing the very nature of God, which makes Him divine. If you trust in Him, you will have life in His name.

That is John's purpose for writing the Gospel of John. In this letter, which was written after the Gospel, he states that he is writing for a very clear purpose. In three verses, he outlines four reasons for sending this letter. The first one we just read at the end of verse four. Look back at your Bibles if you will. In 1 John, chapter 1, verse 4, he says, "And these things we write to you so that your joy may be full." Then, skipping down a few verses to the next chapter, he gives another purpose.

Chapter 2, verse 1: "My little children, these things I write to you so that you may not sin." Now, sin is a word that stumbles people in our culture today. If you have a conversation with someone who doesn't really read the Bible and doesn't really go to church, and you bring up sin, people get a little tense. If you make the point that you're a sinner, people react strongly, as if to say, "What are you saying about me?" It's important to clarify that I'm not saying anything just about you; I'm a sinner too.

This book will later define what sin is. John will explain that God has a perfect standard of rightness. He says, "This is right," which is in alignment with God's nature. Anything that doesn't measure up to that perfect standard is sin; it's missing the mark. So, John says, "I write these things to you so that your joy may be full."

Secondly, he writes these things so that you may not sin. The third reason is found at the end of the letter, in 1 John chapter 5. If you turn a couple of pages to the right, you'll find 1 John 5, verse 13: "These things I have written"—past tense, as he is at the end of the letter—"to you who believe in the name of the Son of God." Why? "So that you may know that you have eternal life," so that you can have hope and assurance, and so that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. This is about continuance and perseverance.

In three verses, John gives four reasons for why he writes this letter. His fourfold purpose is this: for our happiness, that your joy may be full; for our holiness, or another way to say it is for our wholeness. We are broken because of sin, and Jesus' message makes us whole and holy. So, for our happiness, for our holiness, that you may not sin; for our hope, our assurance, that you may know with absolute certainty that you have eternal life; and fourth, for our perseverance, our endurance, that you may continue to trust in the name of the Son of God.

Point number one on your outline: we need joy, holiness, and assured hope to endure the fallenness of life. We could even say not just the fallenness of life, but the brokenness of life. Every single one of us, every day of our lives, is confronted and impacted by this reality.

We are all impacted by the fallenness and brokenness of this world. A lot of times, this brokenness is at a distance; it doesn't always come and affect us personally. However, when you see bad news on the news—and pretty much all the news is bad news—it serves as a reminder that we live in a fallen and broken world. When you drive past an accident on the 15, it is another reminder of this reality. When someone steals from you, it highlights the brokenness of our world. Just last Sunday night at 3 in the morning, someone broke into the door and stole Anthony's guitar, a few microphones, and some other items. Such events remind us of the fallenness of this world.

Philosophers, both secular and Christian, struggle with the reality of the world's brokenness and the malevolence present in it. They grapple with how to walk through life with sustained joy while maintaining wholeness and hope amidst all this brokenness. We need joy, holiness, and a sure hope to endure the fallenness of this world.

John understood this. He wrote about it after six decades of commitment to the name and the kingdom of God. Why would he dedicate his entire life to this, especially during times of hostility and hardship? He did it because he found joy, holiness, and hope in this message.

I want to suggest that when John was 15 years old and first met Jesus, he had no idea what it all meant. Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and I will make you a fisher of men. From now on, you will catch men." At 15, John likely thought, "What on earth does that mean?" He was just a young man with his whole life ahead of him—career, marriage, and all sorts of plans. Yet, for some reason, he left his family, the family business, and everything he knew to follow this man, Jesus.

It was comfortable to come and follow Jesus. He forsook everything because, at some level, he was seeking wholeness, joy, and hope. Something about Jesus made him think that he would find this if he came and followed Him. So, he left everything to follow Him. However, I think his understanding of what that actually meant was maybe a little bit warped.

John was willing to commit himself to this rabbi from a town near Galilee called Nazareth because he thought that, in doing so, he would get something in return. If he left everything to follow Jesus, then something good was going to happen. You don't take big, life-changing steps unless you think the outcome is ultimately going to be good. He took the biggest life-changing step that you can possibly take: to follow Jesus.

So, what was the agenda? What was the "why" for John that compelled him to do that? In asking that question, I also want to suggest that it was not necessarily for the purest of motives. I can prove that from the Scriptures, from the Gospels. John did not have the purest of motives when he started following Jesus. Neither did Simon, nor James, nor Judas, nor Bartholomew, nor Thomas, nor Levi. None of them did.

Now, you might have a very high view of the guys called the apostles, thinking of them as super-saints. Sometimes we start to forget that these guys were teenagers. How many teenagers have you met with real aspirational, righteous desires? Think back to when you were fifteen; maybe you don't want to, but I pretty much guarantee you did not have aspirational, righteous desires.

So, why did John and all these guys follow Jesus at that point? I suggest that they followed Jesus for pleasure. They were seeking happiness, for power—that's very clear from the Gospels—for prestige, greatness, and for possessions, riches, and wealth. That's initially why they followed Jesus.

Now, some of you might be thinking, "Really? They followed Jesus for prestige?" Yes! How can we prove that from the Scriptures? Well, the first scripture I'd point you to is Luke chapter 9, verse 46. You see, Jesus had this posse of disciples—teenagers and early 20-somethings—following Him, and the entire time they did...

For three and a half years, they constantly argued and disputed with each other about who would be the greatest. John, Peter, James, and Bartholomew were arguing with each other about this very thing. You can guarantee Peter was saying, "Well, I walked on water, buddy. You didn't do that." Remember that time I said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God"? He said, "You are Peter, and on this rock, I'll build my church." He didn't say, "You are John, and on this rock, I'll build my church." So, they argued about who would be the greatest.

This dispute is not just mentioned in Luke 9:46; it also appears in Luke 22:24. There was a dispute among the disciples as to which of them should be considered the greatest. They tried to hide this dispute from Jesus because they knew He probably wouldn't like that conversation. At one point in Mark's Gospel, it is recorded in Mark 9:33 that they came to the town of Capernaum, which was the hometown of James and John. When they entered the house—maybe it was James and John's parents' house—Jesus said to His disciples, "So, what were you guys arguing about out there on the road?" They replied, "Oh, nothing, nothing." Why? Because Mark 9:34 tells us they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves about who would be the greatest.

Why did they follow Jesus? They thought it would give them greatness and prestige. They also followed Jesus because they believed it might empower them and give them dominance. These fishermen from Galilee included one called Simon the Zealot, who was essentially a political terrorist. Why do you think he followed Jesus? He followed Jesus because he thought this would give him power.

James and John also sought power. How do we know this? They tell us in their own words, as recorded in Matthew's Gospel and Mark's Gospel. In Matthew 20 and Mark 10, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus one day in the presence of all the other disciples. The other ten were watching as James and John approached and knelt before Jesus. In Matthew 20, we learn that it wasn't just James and John; they got their mom involved. They brought their Jewish mother with them to ask Jesus a question.

Jesus, I have a request for you, she says to Jesus. They say to Jesus, "We desire that my two boys, James and John, would be able to sit one on the right and one on the left when you come into your kingdom." When you're enthroned, James and John want to be right there, on your right and on your left. They wanted power. They knew Jesus was the greatest, so in this whole argument about who is the greatest, we know Jesus is the greatest. But John wants to be like Prime Minister, and maybe James wants to be Prime Minister while John wants to be Defense Minister. They wanted power.

Why did they follow Jesus? They wanted greatness; they wanted dominance. We see it in the Scriptures so much so that Jesus had a nickname for James and John. It's told to us in Mark's Gospel, chapter 3, verse 17, when we are given the list of the guys: Simon, Judas, and James and John. He says, "James and John, whom Jesus nicknamed Boanerges." You may ask, "What is that?" It's an Aramaic word that means "sons of thunder." A Greek lexicon on this word states that it means "hot-tempered."

So what was Jesus's label on James and John, the two guys who said they wanted to be on His right and on His left? He called them "hot-tempered sons of thunder." That's a great name. The best example of the hot temper of James and John is found in Luke, chapter 9. You could turn there if you'd like. If you're in the Epistle of John, just turn to the left: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John—the big Gospels. Luke, chapter 9, or just note it in your notes. It starts in verse 51.

These guys came to follow Jesus because they wanted prestige; they wanted power. I suggest they also wanted pleasure. They wanted to be happy and joyful. When the desire for power and the desire for prestige meet, the pleasurable thrill of picking a fight comes along.

What year are you talking about? Luke, chapter 9. Let me read it to you. Verse 51: "Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Jesus to be received up," that is, to go to the cross and be crucified, "that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem." He sent messengers ahead of Him, and they went into the villages in front of Him, kind of His advance team. They went into one of the villages of the Samaritans to prepare for Jesus. He was just passing through, but the people of this village in Samaria...

They did not receive Him because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. This is the picture: Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem. He has a date that He has been looking forward to for a very long time—Good Friday. He does not have time to stop and stay in these places, so He is sending advance teams ahead. They are saying, "Hey, Jesus, come through," but He can't stay there; He is on His way to Jerusalem.

The people of this town in Samaria are like, "Well, if He’s not going to stay here, we don’t want Him to come. If He’s not going to stick around, forget it; we don’t want Him here."

In verse 54 of Luke chapter 9, when His disciples, James and John, saw this, the sons of thunder, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them like the prophet Elijah?" Jesus said no.

But James and John, the sons of thunder, what are they thinking? These guys don’t want to receive You, Lord. Do You want us to call fire down? They are hoping He will say yes.

Now, some of you might be wondering how this relates to their desire for pleasure. That doesn’t sound very pleasurable to me. Well, you’re not thinking like an eighteen-year-old. John was probably around eighteen at the time. Think like an eighteen-year-old guy: why do eighteen-year-old guys join the military? It’s not to make money. I suggest it’s not even really to fight for their country; it’s to call down fire from heaven. That’s what they want to do—to blow things up.

Right, Danny? That’s why you joined, yeah? You want to blow things up. Ed, where are you? I saw him earlier; he wanted to blow things up too. That’s why guys join the military—kaboom!

And John and James are like, "Hey, do You want us to call down fire from heaven?" They were seeking power, prestige, pleasure, possessions, and a reward. They came and followed Jesus seeking a reward. We know this from the Gospels because at a certain time, a rich young ruler came to Jesus and said, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"

Jesus spoke to him about the law, and he said, "I’ve done all that." So Jesus said to this rich young ruler, "Go, sell all your possessions, give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come follow Me."

The disciples started thinking, "Wait a minute, we gave up everything to follow Him." The Gospels record in Matthew chapter 19, verse 27, that Peter, who is kind of like the spokesman of the group, says to Jesus after the rich young ruler left, "See, Lord, we gave up everything to follow You. What shall we receive as a reward?" What did they want? Riches. They came to Jesus because they thought it would have a good return on investment. "We gave up everything, Jesus. We left our families, we left our business, we left everything to come follow You. What will we have in the end? Will we sit enthroned with You in Your kingdom? Will we have prestige? Will we be great?"

If you think that Jesus' first followers were some super-spiritual, holy group of saints, think again. They weren't. They came to Jesus with these kinds of desires.

Point number two on the outline: We think the pursuit of pleasure, power, prestige, and possessions will give us fullness of joy. We're no different than these guys were. This is what we think—that if we have happiness, the pursuit of happiness, pleasure, if we have power and dominance, if we are on the top, if we have prestige, greatness, fame, and if we have wealth and possessions, then we will be happy. Is that not human nature? Is that not what we see expressed in our culture around us? That's what we see, and we are no different than they were 2,000 years ago.

However, we can sometimes have this high and mighty, saintly view of guys like John the Apostle. He was a 15-year-old who came to Jesus because he wanted power, pleasure, possessions, and fame. He wanted prestige. He did want those things. Now, something changed. I want to suggest that there was a change that took place, but when he first started following, that's what he was seeking.

At this point, there may be some here who are objecting, thinking, "I mean, I think you got John all wrong, and we're not really like that." But we act out what we believe. If you were just dropped here from another planet and you landed in Southern California in 2019, and you were here as a good anthropologist, you would see these same patterns.

Just watching people, you observe like a good anthropologist. What would you conclude? You would conclude that the ruling philosophy of America, particularly Californians in 2019, is that the chief purpose and end of man is the pursuit of pleasure, dominance, fame, and wealth. Look around, and we see it in our own hearts. This seems to be the compelling driving force of people. The chief end of man is the pursuit of pleasure, dominance, fame, and wealth.

It's what the Greeks, 2,500 years ago, referred to as hedone. Hedone is where we get the English word hedonism. They had a word for it; they were no different 2,500 years ago. The pursuit of pleasure, the pursuit of all these things in America in 2019, is given wholesale to hedonism. It's just a part of the human condition. Our human nature, broken and fallen as it is, desires these things. There is a thought within us, the same thought that was in John: if we had these things, we would be happy, we would be whole. If I just had more money, I would have wholeness. If I was just happy, I would have wholeness. We would be hopeful.

But these things don't bring that. If you ask anyone who has pursued these things and found them, read the book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament. What does it show us? It shows us that vanity, vanity, all is vanity. I pursued these things; I pursued power, possessions, and pleasure. I tried it all. The book of Ecclesiastes is a research project on hedonism. People have been studying this for 3,000 years, and we still have the empirical data.

I think that guy Solomon, 3,000 years ago, was wrong. He thought he could figure it out, that he could solve this algorithm. What we need is enduring joy, a true wholeness. These broken lives need a true wholeness, which only comes by holiness. We need an enduring hope so that we can face the harsh realities of the brokenness of this world.

Now, think about Peter as the seeming culmination of this pursuit.

James, John, Bartholomew, and Thomas were all part of Jesus's inner circle, the Apostles. The seeming culmination of this pursuit happened 2,000 years ago on a Sunday that we call Palm Sunday. This day is a remembrance of the Sunday before Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday.

On the morning of Palm Sunday, Jesus came to two of His disciples. It is possible that one of them was John, as Jesus often sent pairs of disciples to do tasks. Peter and John, the oldest and youngest disciples, were frequently chosen. Jesus instructed them to go into a nearby village where they would find a donkey tied up, along with its colt. He told them to bring the animals to Him, and if anyone asked what they were doing, they were to say, "The Master has need of them."

So, they went and took the two animals for Jesus. As they approached, Jesus rode on the donkey down the Mount of Olives, which is located just east of the city of Jerusalem, near the Temple Mount. When you see those great pictures of Jerusalem with the Dome of the Rock, they are often taken from the Mount of Olives.

As they descended, a massive multitude of people was coming to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover. Jesus rode on the donkey while the people sang a song from the Psalms, specifically Psalm 118, which says, "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." They were singing this and laying palm branches on the ground for the donkey to walk on, proclaiming Jesus as King.

When they sang "Hosanna," they were expressing a desire for salvation. The Jewish belief at that time was that a Messiah, an anointed one, would come—a politically powerful leader who would destroy Rome and restore Israel as the nation above all kingdoms. They believed this Messiah would rescue them, hence their cries of "Hosanna!" as Jesus came down the hill. They were declaring that He was the one who would save them. And standing right there by that donkey was John.

Peter, James, and the other disciples were thinking this was it. They anticipated greatness, power, and wealth, believing they would be with Him in His kingdom by the end of the week. However, that week did not go the way they thought it would. It went according to God's plan, but not according to their expectations.

The disciples shared the same anticipation as virtually every other Jewish person in Israel in the first century. They were looking forward to the coming of an anointed one who would destroy the Romans and restore Israel, establishing a kingdom above all kingdoms for eternity. The disciples had that hope too, which is why they argued about who would be the greatest. James and John even asked Jesus if they could sit at His right hand and on His left when He came into His kingdom. They thought Jesus would be fine with them calling down fires of judgment upon His enemies, as that is what a military leader would do.

Their concerns also extended to their rewards. They wondered what they would receive for giving everything up. They believed the kingdom was about to launch, and they wanted to know what their return on this investment would be. After all, they had been with Jesus for three and a half years; they were like employee number two and employee number three. They thought, "Come on, Jesus, do you realize what we have sacrificed?"

Some people, knowing the story of Judas, the one who betrayed Jesus, speculate that Judas may have betrayed Him to force His hand, thinking that if the Romans came in, Jesus would take them out. They suggest he thought he was helping. However, we should not for a second think that these disciples were a majestic group of holy super saints. They were not.

If we are honest, many of us, including myself, must admit that we come to Jesus for the wrong reasons. I want to suggest that Peter, James, John, Bartholomew, and Thomas initially came to Jesus for the wrong reasons. But something changed. What changed? We will see as we go through this journey, and we will celebrate it next week.

Something changed. When they first came to Jesus, they came for the wrong reasons. My mom just happened to bring this to me this morning because it's been at her house, and I've been meaning to pick it up. My brother-in-law received this in the mail from some crazy ministry. They sent a prayer cloth—an anointed prayer cloth. It's an eight-and-a-half by eleven piece of paper with some crazy print, claiming that this prayer cloth will bring you health, wealth, and prosperity. They say, "Send us money, and this will bring you an Escalade." There's a picture of an Escalade on there along with wads of cash.

Finally, I just have to send it in, pick out a self-addressed stamped envelope in here, and I can send it back. Yay! Thanks for that sermon illustration; it came just this morning. So many people come to Jesus for the wrong reasons. There are some preachers in our nation with big TV followings, and that's what they're selling: joy, health, prosperity. They say, "Just come to Jesus and give us money."

On that Palm Sunday road, the disciples had a vision of what was about to come, but it did not happen the way they thought it would. That week didn't end the way it started. Later in that week, Jesus would gather those disciples in an upper room in Jerusalem, and they would partake of a Passover meal together. At a certain point during that meal, He took bread, broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, "Take, eat; this is my body, which is broken for you." We are going to do this in just a few minutes.

Then He took a cup of wine, gave it to them, and said, "Drink this, all of you; this is the blood of the New Covenant, my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me." They were perplexed by this. The Bible tells us that they didn't understand what was going on because He was very solemn and somber as He spoke with them about this. He told them, "All of you will flee from me tonight. One of you is going to betray me." They were confused, thinking, "This is not how we thought things were going to go." Just a few days before, people were saying, "Save now! Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."

Now, Jesus was saying, "You will all be offended tonight. You're going to deny me." They insisted, "No, we would die with you!" But He replied, "No, you're going to deny me." Then came Good Friday. I wonder what went through the mind of John, the guy who wrote this letter.

Through 18-year-old John's mind, as he stood there on what's called Calvary and watched Jesus be crucified, he forsook everything to follow Him. He thought, "If I follow Him, this is what's going to happen." Not this. Not this. Now all his hopes are nailed to a Roman cross. You don't think he was having a little moment of crisis, like, "Wait a minute, this is not how this is supposed to be going down"?

Now, some of you at this point are wondering if I think I'm painting John in the wrong light. I want to prove to you from the Scriptures that I'm not. Jesus is crucified on Good Friday and laid in the tomb. All His disciples are pretty much dejected at that point. Two of His disciples, we are told in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 24, decide a few days later to leave Jerusalem, presumably going home. They leave Jerusalem and head to the next town over, Emmaus.

As they are going, the story is told that Jesus appears to them on the road to Emmaus. These two followers of Jesus do not recognize Him. As He appears to them, He looks at them, and they are just totally depressed. He says, "Hey, why are you guys walking? You look so dejected." They respond, "Well, because of the things that have happened concerning Jesus of Nazareth. These horrible things that happened here."

He asks, "What exactly happened?" In Luke chapter 24, verse 19, they recount the things that happened to Jesus of Nazareth. They say to the risen Jesus, whom they do not recognize, "He was a prophet. He did powerful miracles." This is past tense. "He was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people."

But in verse 20, they continue, "Our leading priests and religious leaders crucified Him." This is the amazing part. In verse 21, they say, "We had hoped that He was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel." They even shouted "Hosanna" one week ago. Seven days ago, they had hoped He was the Messiah, but this all happened three days ago. "I guess our hope is gone. He's dead."

Now, a few of the ladies who were a part of our group said they went to the tomb...

The tomb today was empty, but those seem like tales. I love how Jesus responded in Luke 24:25. He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things to enter into His glory?" Beginning with Moses and through the prophets, He shares with these men that this is not the end of the story. Good Friday wasn't a screw-up; it was God's plan from the beginning. This is all part of the plan.

Like Jesus's earliest disciples on the road to Emmaus, I think we need to be reminded of point number four: Jesus died for our eternal joy, holiness, and hope. He did not die for your earthly prestige, power, or money, as some guys on TV proclaim in their snazzy sneakers. He died for our eternal joy, holiness, and hope. This is the message that we call the gospel, the good news. It is the gospel that leads to sustained joy, persistent holiness, and permanent hope. That's what the gospel brings.

See, Jesus died, and He makes us holy. What we try to do for ourselves but can't, He brings total holiness and wholeness. When He brings that into our lives, that's how we can have persistent joy and permanent hope. If your joy is dependent upon you making yourself right, you're in trouble. If your hope of being with God is dependent upon your good works, you're toast.

This is why, when I have conversations with people, I ask, "If you died tonight, do you think you'd go to heaven?" They often respond, "Well, I hope so," but their hope is kind of like hoping the Padres will have a great season—wishful thinking. I'm sorry; I have one of those hats too. But it's that wishful thinking hope. Jesus wants us to have a permanent, absolute, certain hope. If your joy, wholeness, and hope are based on anything other than Him, you're missing the point.

Hope and dependence on health, wealth, prosperity, and riches can set one up for a major collapse. So, here’s the question: How is it that after John saw Jesus on a Roman cross and laid in an empty tomb, he is writing to people 60 years later, saying, "I’m writing that your joy may be full, that you may have holiness, that you may not sin, that you may have a certain hope of eternal life, and that you may continue to trust in Jesus"?

Why didn’t the events of Good Friday totally obliterate his hope in Jesus? John was not only the one who saw Jesus on a cross and placed in an empty tomb; he also witnessed that the tomb was empty again three days later. Something changed. It was no longer about power, greatness, wealth, or pleasure because his hope was built on something else.

The road of Palm Sunday, the bread and the cup of the Last Supper, and the cross of Good Friday are reminders that Jesus died for something far greater than our earthly wealth, pleasure, fame, or power. The empty tomb of Easter proves the reality of who Jesus is.

Point number five: Jesus rose to secure our trust in His name. The fact that John, 60 years after he watched Jesus be crucified, is still trusting in Jesus and hopeful for eternal life is proof that he saw the risen Lord Jesus. Everything changed; his entire motivation for following Jesus transformed with the empty tomb.

He could say these things: "I have written to you who believe, trust in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may continue to trust, believe in the name of the Son of God." Jesus is divine; He died on a cross.

Buried in the tomb, three days later, He rose from the dead. As we trust in Him, we have eternal joy. We are made holy—that is, righteous—because of His finished work. That's why He said on the cross, "It is finished." We have hope that endures.

The cup and the bread of communion, which we are going to partake in together, are reminders of these things. This is why Jesus would say, "Do this in remembrance of Me." His body was broken for us, and His blood was shed for us so that we could have eternal life, be completely righteous, and have the hope of eternity.

So, Anthony and the team are going to come up and lead us in a song. The ushers will distribute the bread and the cup. Please hold on to them until the song is done, and we will partake together to remember these things.

Father, every one of us, when we first begin to follow You, is challenged by the reality that we might come to You with the wrong motivations. But hopefully, when we meet You, the risen Lord Jesus, everything changes. Jesus, You came to make us righteous. As we trust in You, You deal with our sin. Not only do You make us holy and righteous, but You also make us whole. We were broken, but we have been made right by You. Because of that, we can have fullness of joy and a certain hope.

Help us learn to persevere in our trust in You, even though we can be so impacted and affected by the brokenness of this world. Remind us, Lord, that following You is not a trivial pursuit.