G. K. Chesterton, a great Christian thinker and writer of the past generation, was standing on a London street corner when a reporter came up to him. The reporter asked, “Sir, I understand that you recently became a Christian. May I ask you one question?”

“Certainly,” replied Chesterton.

“If the risen Christ suddenly appeared at this very moment and stood behind you, what would you do?”

Chesterton looked the reporter in the eye and replied, “He is.”

JESUS IS ALIVE — AND HE’S HERE!
The amazing message of Easter is that Jesus is alive! After what must have been a horrific Friday, watching Jesus be crucified, die, and be buried, and after what had to be the gloomiest Saturday ever, some women who were followers of Jesus came to the tomb early Sunday morning. What they found would forever change their lives and the lives of countless millions of people for years to come.

They were met by an angel; he was sitting on the stone that he had rolled back, exposing an empty tomb. The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’” (Matthew 28:5-7)

Jesus is alive! He isn’t just a historical figure; He’s our contemporary!

I selected the entire last chapter of the gospel of Matthew as our Easter text because I wanted to include the very last words of that gospel, which ends with these amazing words of Jesus: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) Jesus’ resurrection wasn’t just an event that happened one morning 2,000 years ago. It’s an ongoing event! He was risen that morning, and we can continue to enjoy His being risen today and every day!

Other great people of the past are dead and gone: Plato, Abraham Lincoln, and General McArthur. Founders of other great religions are dead and gone: Confucius, Mohammed, and Buddha. Jesus’ tomb was empty, and hundreds of people saw Him alive before He ascended to heaven. Jesus lives! He promises us “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” The word “surely” can be translated as “see” or “truly” or “make no mistake about it.” Jesus was emphatic; His promise is sure and certain. He will be with us until our life on earth is over!

Didn’t Jesus ascend to heaven, we might ask? Yes, He did. However, He made it clear that His real presence would be with us through the Holy Spirit of God. In fact, He told His followers, “But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” (John 16:7)

Before His death Jesus declared, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.” (John 14:18-19) He’s alive — and He’s with us!

WHAT A DIFFERENCE HIS PRESENCE MAKES!
Paul wrote something to the Christians at Philippi that I want to make my own statement (and I hope that you do, too): “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection . . .” (Philippians 3:10) Wouldn’t it be great to leave this service today with the confidence that we’re getting to know Christ better and experiencing more of the power of His resurrection? We can do that! What are the differences that His personal presence can make in our lives today?

Because Jesus is alive, we aren’t left on our own to try to be followers of a dead leader. We don’t have to adhere to a set of rules or perform a set of rituals; we can have a relationship with the living Christ!

Life can be burdensome. In fact, seeking to be a follower of Jesus can add its own unique burden of being different from the world and trying to live contrary to many of our own inner feelings and drives. Life is rarely easy. (We’re going to explore that reality in detail starting next Sunday when we begin a new six-part message series titled “It’s a War Zone Out There — and in Me, Too!”) We have dreary, discouraging, difficult, doubt-filled days — but Jesus can be with us through them all if we’re willing to live as if He’s really alive and with us!

Before His death Jesus gave an example to His disciples that’s just as valid for us, His followers today after His resurrection. He used the image of a yoke. A yoke is usually a wooden form that fits over the shoulders of two oxen and is attached to a wagon or tool that tills the earth. (We have an antique yoke hanging in the entryway of the church.) Picture two oxen pulling a load together: they’re a team. This is the image that Jesus wants us remember when we think about a relationship with Him. He says to us, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew.11:29) When we accept His invitation to be with Him we don’t carry the load of life alone!

Another image that comes to mind is a contemporary one: a scene from one of the Superman films. In the scene a passenger jet is in trouble: one of the engines failed. Superman flies up to the crippled plane that’s sure to crash. He goes under the wing where the engine blew off and applies the power that the missing engine should have supplied. The plane makes a safe landing with Superman holding it. The pilot kept flying the plane, because he couldn’t just give up, but it was Superman who held the plane up and saved the day. When we have Christ in our lives we still have to do our part — we have to take proper responsibility for our actions — but He’s the One who holds us up and saves the day.

We have Christ’s constant help to be who He wants us to be and to do what He wants us to do. We aren’t left to our own resources; we have Him.

LOOK THIS WEEK FOR RESURRECTION CLUES
If Jesus is alive and with us today, we should be able to see Him acting in our lives. Why not try an experiment this week? Look for Christ’s working in your life.

Let me share one such incident that happened this week. It was Monday, my Sabbath day from ministry, and the weather was beautiful. Diann and I were driving along a major road in Toledo, going by a park, when I saw some sycamore trees in the park that were very white against the bright blue sky. I had my camera with me, so I quickly switched from the left lane to the right lane and pulled into the park. We got out and started walking along the trail to the trees. Walking toward us was someone from our church. She was out for a walk, to pray. She’s going through a very, very difficult time in her life right now. The three of us sat down for a few minutes at a picnic table, and Diann and I prayed for her. The chances of our meeting were incredibly small, and it was obvious to the three of us that the Lord had directed us to the park at that very moment.

I’m enough of a skeptic at heart to wonder, “Maybe it was just coincidence.” I like what the late archbishop William Temple said: “When I pray, coincidences happen and when I don’t, they don’t.”

Jesus allows all of us the freedom to build our lives around Him or not, to believe that He’s alive and active in our lives or not. Remember, Jesus didn’t appear in His resurrected body to people who didn’t want to believe in Him — only to those who wanted to believe in Him. He never forced His resurrection on anyone, and He never will.

Last Saturday night we were having supper with our son and daughter-in-law. Dan and I had attended the Men’s Fellowship meeting that morning, and the speaker told us men that we should think about trying to pray out loud more, especially with our wives. Dan said that’s something that has always been hard for him to do.

That night I woke at 1 a.m. with a horrendous pain in my right side below my rib cage. I was beside myself with pain. Diann prayed for me, but I felt no relief. Dan and Teri got up and researched gall bladder attack symptoms on the internet; then they sat up with us, watching me writhe in pain. At one point I tried to lie down on the couch, writhing all the while. Finally — I think partly out of fear and partly out of desperation — Dan got down onto his knees beside me, and I heard him whispering a prayer. Suddenly, as if a switch had been flipped, the incredibly sharp pain subsided to a dull, manageable ache! Was it coincidence? We can explain it that way if we want to — or we can believe that the Lord really does work in our lives!

How about it? Why not try the experiment this week? Look for clues to Christ’s being alive and well in your life!

MOVING FROM BELIEF TO ACTION
Jesus is alive, but we must remember that He isn’t interested in following us around. He’s King of kings and Lord of lords! He doesn’t ask to follow us around; He asks that we follow Him.

Best-selling author and pastor Rick Warren recently debated atheist Sam Harris. There’s a lot of talk today about spirituality, even among people who don’t claim to be religious. Warren asked Harris, “Can you have spirituality without a spirit?”

Harris replied, “You can feel yourself to be one with the universe.”

Warren responded, “OK; then why can’t you just take the next step? Because right now you’re talking in extremely non-rational terms. . . . You just don’t want a boss. . . . You don’t want a God who tells you what to do.”

Warren hit upon the truth. Applying it to the Easter message, it can mean that people don’t always want to deal with the ramifications of Jesus’ resurrection.

Last month a poll was conducted which revealed that 75% of the people who don’t consider themselves evangelical Christians believe in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. It’s mystifying that someone can have no trouble believing in Jesus’ being raised from the dead but can fail to logically carry it through with what should be the ramifications of that event. If He’s raised from the dead, shouldn’t that make all the difference in the world to us?

Many people who are listening to this message are like me: you’re already followers of Jesus Christ. You’ve accepted Him as the One who came to die on the cross for your sins and who wants to be Lord of your life. However, are we really living each day — every hour and moment of each day — as if He were right behind us?

A favorite old painting that I remember seeing as a kid in Sunday school shows the captain of a ship at the wheel of the vessel, trying to navigate through a storm. Jesus stands behind him. What are you facing? Are you facing it as if Jesus were right there with you? He is!

If you can accept the fact that Jesus rose from the dead but have never really accepted Him as your own personal Savior and Lord, why not do that? It’s the only logical response. Turn to Him today — right now! You might pray a simple prayer like this:

“Lord Jesus, I believe that you rose from the dead. You are who You said you were: God with us, the Son of God. You proved it by rising from the dead.

“I thank you for going to the cross; You did that for me. You died for me, for my sins. I ask you to forgive my sins, and I accept you as my savior.

“I turn my life over to you, Lord Jesus. I accept you as the master of my life. I want to organize my life around you. I accept you as my Lord, and I give myself to you. Help me to live for you. I want to be with you and be yours now and forever. Amen.”

He is risen! Let’s live as if Jesus were alive and with us, because He is!