Jesus is the Answer

You all look pretty amazing this morning!  How many of you took a picture of your family or your kids before you left the house for church this morning?  When I was a kid, there was always a picture before church because we looked good, and mom wanted a record of that moment. She spent a lot of time preparing for Easter Sunday morning and wanted to remember that moment when we came into the house, smelly and dirty.  I think she wanted to be reminded that there was hope for us kids.

But can I be honest with you for a moment before we get started? If I could somehow know what every person in this room was actually carrying this morning—underneath the Easter clothes and the family photos and the pleasantries in the lobby—I think the range of what you are carrying would be staggering.

Some of you came in this morning full of genuine joy and expectation. Easter is your favorite Sunday of the year, and you have been looking forward to this.

But some of you came in carrying something heavy. A diagnosis. A marriage that is fracturing. A grief that hasn’t lifted. A decision you made that you can’t take back. A secret that nobody in your life knows. A question you’ve been asking for years that nobody has been able to answer.

And some of you—maybe more than would care to admit—came in this morning not entirely sure what you believe. You came because it’s Easter, because it’s tradition, because someone invited you, because some part of you is still quietly hoping that any of this is real.

Regardless of where you land, this morning is for you. We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus today, but we also recognize that the resurrection is more than just an event to celebrate.  Because of the resurrection, Jesus meets the deepest needs, answers the darkest questions, and carries the heaviest burdens.  Not partially. Not temporarily. Completely and permanently.

We’ve spent five weeks asking Who is Jesus? This morning, we arrive at the answer. It is the answer that the empty tomb makes possible.

Jesus is the Answer. Your answer. Let me show you what I mean.

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God put on flesh and came to earth to answer our deepest needs.  But instead of simply addressing the symptoms of our hurt and our needs, Jesus came to deal with the root cause.  He came to provide a once-and-for-all answer.

Imagine going to the doctor with a raging 104-degree fever. A doctor who only treats symptoms gives you something to bring the fever down and sends you home. You feel better for a day or two, then you’re back because the infection that caused the fever was never addressed. The fever was not the problem. The fever was the symptom of a deeper issue.

Most of what the world offers us as answers to our deepest needs works exactly like Tylenol. It brings temporary relief. It makes us feel better for a season. But doesn’t address the root cause 

Jesus doesn’t show up with a fever reducer. He goes after the infection itself. That’s what Isaiah 53 is describing. 

Isa 53:5-6 (NLT)—But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all. 

He wasn’t just making us feel better. He was dealing with what was actually killing us. He did this by willingly going to the cross for you and for me.

• Our sin was placed on Him. 
• Our guilt was carried by Him. 
• Our debt was paid by Him.

The Apostle Paul puts it this way:

Col 2:13-14 (NLT)—You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.

Imagine receiving a letter saying someone has anonymously paid off every debt you have. Your mortgage—gone. Your car payment—gone. Your credit card balance—gone. Your student loans—gone. Every financial obligation you have, completely and permanently paid by someone else, out of their own pocket, at their own cost, asking nothing in return.

How would you respond? Most of us would spend a lot of time trying to figure out who did it and why. We would probably feel an overwhelming mixture of relief, gratitude, and disbelief. We would probably tell everyone we know.

This is what Paul is saying here. The debt we owe is not financial.  The debt every single one of us owes exists because of our sin. But the idea is the same. You could not pay it. You did not earn the cancellation… Someone else absorbed the full cost for you. 

What will you do with what Jesus has done for you? How will you respond?

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Not only do we see what others said about the death of Jesus being the answer to our deepest needs, but God proved Jesus was the answer for you by raising Him from the dead three days later!

After Jesus’ death on the cross, He was put in a borrowed tomb.  Look at what happens next:

Lk 24:1-6 (NLT)—But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.  They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead!

The resurrection is God’s declaration that Jesus is the answer for your life.

All of us get junk mail regularly with some sort of form letter. The letter usually begins with “Dear Valued Customer” and was obviously generated by a computer and sent to 10,000 people at the same time. No one looks forward to getting that kind of mail. It says nothing personal because it was written to no one in particular.

The resurrection is the opposite of a form letter. In his letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul wrote that Jesus “loved me and gave himself for me” — not “loved us” but me, personally, specifically. 

The resurrection is a demonstration of God’s love on a personal level. Jesus didn’t die for humanity as a concept. He died for the specific person sitting in your seat this morning—with your specific history, your specific shame, your specific fear, and your specific need. 

The empty tomb is not a mass mailing. It is a personal letter, hand-delivered, addressed to you by name. The resurrection happened for you!

The resurrection shows us that Jesus is:

• Not just a good moral teacher
• Not just a tragic figure in history
• Not just someone claiming to be Lord
• Not just a promised King of the Jews

Jesus is the risen Savior and the Answer for your life.

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He doesn’t just answer our deepest questions—He answers our deepest needs. Because He is risen, He is not a historical answer to ancient problems. He is a living answer to the needs you walked in with this morning.

He is the answer for our sin.  There is no answer we can generate on our own to deal with the problem of our sin.  Jesus is the only answer.

He is the answer for our shame.  We all carry guilt and shame because of things we’ve done.  We are frequently reminded of our shame at 3 am, when the house is quiet and the day’s distractions aren’t there.  Jesus is the only answer to our shame because He has removed it. Romans 8:1 (NLT)—So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.  Whatever you are replaying at 3 am — He has already dealt with it. There is no condemnation. None.

He is the answer to death. Because He overcame death, we don’t have to fear death. Whatever you are afraid of losing or whoever you are afraid of losing, we no longer have to fear. Instead, the fear of death is replaced with hope for what He has for us when our mortal life ends.

He is the answer to the meaning of our life.  Jesus said he came to bring us abundant life.  His presence gives our lives meaning, direction, and purpose.

He is the answer to our relationship with God.  Jesus said He is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him.

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He is the answer because He lives!  After the resurrection, when Jesus appeared to the disciples and others, this is what happened:

Matt 28:17 (NLT)—When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!

There were two responses: Some worshiped, but some doubted. It is no different today.  

What will you do with Jesus?

You can:

• Celebrate Easter as a tradition
• Consider Jesus a good idea and a positive influence on your life
• Or you can surrender to Him and allow Him to be the answer to your deepest needs.

I know that for some of you, surrender feels like a lot to ask this morning. You came in carrying something heavy, and you’re not sure Jesus is the answer for what you’re actually dealing with. I want to tell you — He is. Not because I’m an optimist. But because the same tomb that was empty two thousand years ago is still empty today. And the Person who walked out of it is the same Person I’m inviting you to trust this morning.

Do you believe Jesus died for you?

Do you believe He rose again?

Will you trust Him to be the answer for your life?

What will you do with Jesus?

This morning, I want to invite you not to try harder or to clean yourself up first.

But simply to believe. To trust that Jesus did this for you. To turn from your sin by placing your faith in Him.

Have you ever made that decision?

I’m not asking if you know about Jesus… but do you know Him, and have you trusted Him?

If you’re ready to do that today, I want to lead you in a really simple prayer.  It is not the prayer that saves you, but the attitude of your heart, and you can express that to God in this simple prayer right where you are, in your chair.

Pray this with me:

Jesus, I believe You died for me. I believe You rose again. Forgive my sin. Lead my life.

I’m trusting You today.

The Bible says anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.  Because if the tomb is empty, then Jesus isn’t just part of the story. He is the answer.