Old Testament Reading Isaiah 6:1–8

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

Epistle Acts 2:14a, 22–36

Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, . . .

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God,

you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. For David says concerning him,

“‘I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
my flesh also will dwell in hope.
For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
or let your Holy One see corruption.
You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

“Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.’

Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Holy Gospel John 3:1–17

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

May the grace of a Holy Triune God surround you all the days of your life. Amen.

A few weeks ago we confirmed four young adults in our congregation. They had to stand up front here and answer some questions. Today I thought I’d ask all of you some questions. …but don’t fret, your membership in the Church is not dependent upon your answers.

True of False:

1. 1. T he original color of Cola-Cola was clear.

   2. The state with the highest percentage of people who walk to work is Alaska.

   3. The first novel written on a typewriter was Tom Sawyer.

   4. Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4^th.

   5. Hershey’s Kisses are called that because the machine which makes them looks like it’s kissing the conveyor belt.

   6. There are more collect calls made on Father’s Day than any other day of the year.

   7. Raw honey is a food which doesn’t mold.

   8. In general men can read smaller print than women, but women hear better than men.

So how’d ya’ do? Oh, the answers. I suppose you’d like them? Well to save time the answer is ’true.’ Now I’ll be honest I didn’t actually look up all of these facts myself. I took somebody else’s word for them. In fact it was a web sites, which most of you probably know is not the best place to get trustworthy facts, but that’s where I went for those questions, and I trusted they knew.

I suppose two of the greatest questions in life are, “Who do you believe?” and “Who do you trust?” These days if you turn on the television in the middle of the day you will find courtroom TV everywhere. There’s Judge Hatchett; Judge Joe Brown; Judge Judy; Judge Mathes; The People’s Court, Texas Justice, and so many others.

There is a common theme to these shows. Two people come in stand before the judge and tell their stories. Theoretically those stories, covering the same set of facts, should match. They never do. They contradict each other from opening sentence to concluding summary. The judge seems to be able to figure things out right away but most of us might be left pretty much confused. We wonder, “Whom can I believe? Whom can I trust?” We make our judgments based on such irrational things like, “I don’t like the way she smiles,” or “He’s got two earrings in each ear so I think he’s lying.” Then we turn the channel, being grateful that we don’t have to decide whether one or both of the litigants are lying. We can turn the channel because we’re spectators in the whole thing. We’re not participants.

Who do you trust? Who do you believe? Think about it: Aren’t the things we say we know often really just things we believe? If we trust the person who stands behind the facts we will believe his facts. If we don’t trust that person we might reject everything he says. Who do you believe? Whom can you trust? The answers to these questions are important.

When we are participants and not spectators the answer to those questions becomes most important. That is especially true when the answer applies to eternity. Let me read to you a sentence that is over 20 centuries old. It was first spoken by one of Jesus’ disciples, a fellow named Peter. Peter said,

God has raised this Jesus to life
and we are all witnesses of the fact.¹

Jesus had been born in the town of Bethlehem, a small village in a remote province of the Roman empire. At the age of 30 Jesus began a ministry which was a most exceptional thing, a Godly thing. A “Godly thing” because Jesus is “the Son of God.” H is the divinely designated substitute who would save humanity from its sins. I say a “Godly thing” because during Jesus’ years of ministry He gave sight to the blind, healing to the paralyzed, new life to lepers. He fed thousands with a few loaves and fishes, and brought the dead back to life.

Yet this Jesus, to whom Peter is referring, did more than walk around healing people. Jesus told people to love one another. He instructed them to be generous, mind and caring, especially to those who didn’t deserve it. So powerful and beautiful were His words that even those who hated Him had to admit He spoke with authority.² So gentle and gracious were His teachings that even today skeptics concede that His words, if followed, would usher in a harmony and hope.

Jesus was someone special. He was unique in the annals of history. He did more than perform healings and speak new teachings. He was more than a physician or an instructor. Born true man, Jesus was also the very Son of God. Fulfilling every prophet’s predictions, Jesus spent His entire life living and sacrificing Himself for this fallen world.

Without the smallest stumble He resisted the temptations which have tripped up every one of us. He successfully said “No” to the devil when the rest of us have said “Yes.”³ He lived without an earthly home⁴ so that we could have an eternal home. He loved those who were unlovable. He reached out to those who slapped Him away. He carried the sins which have burdened and broken us.

You might think the world would have welcomed such an individual. You might think that, but you would be wrong. You might like to believe those who met Jesus would appreciate Him. You might like to think that, but you’d be wrong. You might guess the people who came into contact with Him would recognize His greatness, His goodness, His graciousness, His godliness. That guess would also be wrong.

For all that He did for humanity Jesus was betrayed by a friend, beaten and condemned by His church, deserted by His government, and crucified. On a hill outside the walls of Jerusalem Jesus died. There was no mistake about it, Jesus died. Having been whipped, His head crowned with thorns, His face bloodied and beaten, Jesus was nailed to a cross and He died. To make sure He was dead the soldiers who kept watch during His last hours put a spear through His heart.

That should have been the end of Jesus of Nazareth, but it wasn’t. Remember what Peter said, “God has raised this Jesus to life.” Such a simple sentence. Yet in that sentence is the plan of God, the power of God, the purpose of God which says there is hope for everyone. Every one of us who comes to Jesus with a repentant heart will be forgiven and saved.⁵ Jesus has taken our place under the Law and willingly received the punishment which we deserved.

Now, because He has risen from the dead, we have a new life and a changed eternity. Heaven replaces Hell. The companionship of Christ comes to those living in loneliness. The joy of Jesus comes to the sad and sorrowful. Sins are swept away and forgiveness is found in the Savior’s arms. God has raised Jesus to life.

Peter’s statement really is unbelievable. It goes against what we might call common sense. People don’t die for others, especially for those who hate them. People don’t rise from the dead. Once you’re dead, you’re dead. Right?

Peter says, “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of that fact.” Which takes me back to our original questions, “Who do you trust?” “Who do you believe?” These are not some insignificant, irrelevant and inconsequential questions. If Peter is right all who believe in Jesus as their Savior will be saved to eternal life. If Peter is wrong, he is a liar and those who believe what he says are misled.

Do you trust Peter? Do you believe what he is saying? With all the religions in the world, I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re skeptical. With the Christian religion claiming to be the only way to Heaven, I wouldn’t be surprised if you have doubts. It’s normal for you to ask, “How can I know? “How can I be sure?” With eternity hanging in the balance Peter’s words demand an investigation. So investigate. Check it out. Let’s look at the facts.

Peter says he and the others are witnesses. What did they witness? They and many others witnessed a living Lord Jesus after His death. To which you might reply, “I’ve heard of people who say they have gotten glimpses of Bigfoot, Sasquatch, the Loch Ness monster and aliens from outer space.” Well, Peter and the others got more than a glimpse of Jesus. They saw Him. For a length of time they saw Him. A number of times they saw Him. Still there’s more to this witness Peter talked about. Peter admits he and the others were, like you, skeptical. They didn’t believe it. Not at first. Maybe not even a second or third time. You and I both know that you can’t always trust your eyes. The disciples knew that too. That’s why, to answer their doubts, they ate meals with Jesus. Figments of imagination don’t eat physical food. That’s what our resurrected Jesus did. The doubting disciples felt Jesus’ breath and they touched Him. Let that sink in. They touched Him. That’s what Peter means when he says they were witnesses of a living Jesus.

That’s not all. Let me tell you something about the disciples. Up until the moment the Holy Spirit came to them these disciples didn’t get it. That’s not an insult to their memory, it’s just a fact. The disciples generally thought Jesus was going to build an earthly empire. The disciples generally thought Jesus had come to assist only the Jews. The disciples generally thought they were going to profit from their investment in following Jesus. They didn’t get it.

Jesus had told His disciples He would be crucified and on the third day He would rise. So were the disciples there to welcome their Savior to see Him walk out of the grave? They were not. When Jesus came out of His grave only His enemies were there. The disciples were, because of their fears, locked away behind closed doors.

T hen, on the day Peter spoke these words, the disciples finally got it. Jesus sent His Spirit on them and they were transformed. No longer did they hide in fear, they started to speak with courage. They told the world, just as I’m telling you right now, Jesus has risen from the dead. They told people: Since Jesus has risen from the dead, His sacrifice for you is complete. Since Jesus has risen from the dead, repentant hearts are forgiven. Since Jesus has risen from the dead, His promises can be trusted and everything He said about listening to our prayers, and being with us, and helping us through hardships can be trusted. If, that is, Jesus is risen from the dead.

That really is the key, isn’t it. That word “if.” If Jesus is risen from the dead. You might think to yourself, “maybe these disciples were playing a practical joke. People do play practical jokes. To that fair question Peter replies, “We are witnesses of the fact.” As you investigate let me tell you what that means. Peter was a witness and he stayed a witness. When they crucified Peter upside down he stayed a witness. Every one of the disciples stayed a witness.

According to ancient records: one was speared to death, another was crucified, one was beaten to death, one was skinned alive, another was sawn in half. They all stayed witnesses to what they had seen. Practical jokers don’t die that w ay. Jesus rose from the dead, and He promises to raise up all who believe in Him as Savior. Who will you trust? In whom will you believe? I pray you listen to these witnesses and you believe. I pray you can see, beyond all shadow of a doubt, Jesus is your Lord.

Many years ago a man in San Francisco was on trial for murder. Things didn’t look good which is why his lawyer got creative. In his final remarks the attorney said, “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, if you have the slightest doubt you must find my client not guilty of murder. Which is why I am bringing in my final witness. I have found the real murderer and he is sequestered outside the courtroom. I now ask the police to bring him in through the side door.”

Eyes swung towards the door. No one came in. After a reasonable period the lawyer concluded, “The fact that you looked at that door proves you have a doubt.” The jury considered the case and within the hour came back with a verdict: Guilty”

The judge passed sentence and the lawyer angrily turned to the jury. He challenged, “I proved beyond question you had a doubt.”

That’s when a member of the jury said, “Young man when most people looked towards that door I watched your client. He didn’t look towards that door, he knew no one was coming through.”

Today God’s Holy Spirit calls on you to trust Peter and the other witnesses. Believe in their witness, their testimony. Hear God’s Word. Let the Holy Spirit give you faith, forgiveness, hope and Heaven. Listen to the words of the witnesses. Look for yourself. Look inside Jesus’ tomb. There is no body there. Look and believe: Jesus has arisen. The disciples say so. His enemies have never been able to contradict it. See, beyond any shadow of a doubt, a living Lord walks out of the doorway of the tomb and gives eternal life to all who believe. Amen.

NOTES

1Acts 2:32