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Just before Jesus died on the cross, he announced his victory.
He said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
The Greek word for “it is finished” is “tetelestai,” and it was used in three ways during Jesus’ time. First, it was a financial term to announce that a debt had been paid. Second, it was a judicial term to announce that a punishment had been completed or that a sentence had been served. Third, it was a military term to announce that a victory had been won. When Jesus died and resurrected, he paid the debt of sin you couldn’t pay, took the punishment your sin deserved, and won the victory over death that you couldn’t win.
As proof of Jesus’ victory over death, he didn’t stay dead. Instead, he did the impossible: he rose from the dead. When Jesus’ followers went to his tomb, they encountered an angel who declared Christ’s victory over death. The great news is that Jesus’ resurrection didn’t only give him life. It also gave us life.
He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying.
My oldest son sleepwalks. When you look at him, he looks awake. However, when you start talking to him, you realize…no one’s home. He is totally asleep. It is possible to look like you’re awake but actually be asleep.
For me, it’s after I faint. I am a fainter. When I get a shot, I faint. When I see my son after he gets his tonsils out, I faint. When I watch a violent movie, I faint. Lately, when I faint, it’s really hard for me to wake up. Actually, my body wakes up, but my mind won’t. I start to panic because I can’t put a thought together. I don’t know where I am or what’s happening. I don’t even know who I am. I’m awake, but I’m not awake. It is possible to look like you’re awake but actually be asleep.
As a pastor, I’ve been at the bedside of several people when they have died. I’ve noticed something strange that happens at the moment they pass away. It’s as if you can see their life leave them. You assume they’ll just stop breathing and moving, but it’s more than that. Their eyes might be open, but the life has left them.
So many of us spend our lives sleepwalking. We’re hypnotized. I hear people call it depression, but for most people, it’s just hopelessness. Depression is real for some, but a lot of people are just going through the motions. They’ve got video games, Netflix, shows, drugs, or activities, but there’s no real life there.
And it’s no surprise people are hopeless. The world desperately tries to convince you that life is hopeless. That’s the world’s agenda, but that’s not how they say it, is it? They say the Big Bang was a random chance event. What does that mean? That means you’re an accident, and you have no purpose.
You watch the news, and they spend almost twenty-four hours every day trying to convince you the world is worse off than it is. They focus on every little thing that is going wrong because if they can convince you the world is falling apart, their ratings increase.
They tell you to keep up with the Joneses, to look good and be successful. Then social media creates an impossible standard you could never possibly live up to. Everyone makes their lives look as perfect as possible, and we’re all left thinking our lives are terrible compared to theirs. That’s because we’re comparing the worst parts of our lives to the highlight reels of their lives. Look at Hollywood. There are so many perfectly airbrushed beautiful people there. You have no chance. If you compare yourself to that, of course, you’ll be depressed.
Rich, powerful people dominate our X feed. So we compare our lives to theirs, and we just feel hopeless. The crazy thing is, they likely feel more hopeless than we do. So, what do we do about it? Well, you know I wouldn’t be talking about it if God didn’t offer us a solution to the problem.
Our church recently did a survey of our town and learned that people in Gillette are six times less likely to regularly feel hopeless if they regularly go to church. If that hasn’t been your experience, it’s likely because you didn’t go deep enough or get connected to the church.
Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature, we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.
Before you were a Christian, you were dead. This is as close to a description of a zombie as you can get. Your body was walking around, but internally you were dead. You were lifeless. Not only did our human nature cause us to live a lifeless, hopeless life, but it also kept us out of Heaven. You were walking around dead in this life because you were destined for Hell.
One clue you’re sleepwalking is that you can sin without regretting it. If you can lie or lust without regretting it, you’re asleep. If you can steal or hurt someone without regret, something is wrong with you. Jesus died to rescue you from that zombie life, and only Jesus can give you life.
You were dead because of sin, but sinning less can’t bring you back to life. Sin caused death, but being good can’t cause life. If cancer kills you, chemo can’t bring you back to life. Only Jesus can give us life, and when he raises us to life, we leave the zombie life behind. Our life that was once filled with darkness is now filled with light, the light that’s been lighting up our world since Jesus rose from the dead.
The light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”
Where does our light come from? Christ gives it to us. His resurrection allows us to be resurrected. It gives us life. Zombies, wake up! To be alive, we need four basic elements: water, air, food, and light. And what is Jesus? He is the living water, the breath of life, the bread of life, and the light of the world. We can’t live without him. So what about you? Take an honest look at your life. Does your life come from Jesus?
The prodigal son decided to chase after all the things the world promised him would make him happy. He took half of his father’s wealth and spent it on prostitutes, entertainment, drugs, and anything else he wanted. Eventually, he realized none of that gave him life and ran home to the only person who loved him unconditionally and who could actually give him the life he needed.
Jesus’ resurrection proves that Heaven is not a disappointment for which we’ll have to settle. The resurrection means we can stop settling and start living. If you will run to Jesus, he will give you life.
