April 27th, 2025 Sermon

Title: The People (Becoming a Resurrection Community) -- Series: The Path of Redemption

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Title: The People (Becoming a Resurrection Community)

Series: The Path of Redemption

Introduction:

The doors were locked. The air in the room was thick with fear. The disciples had gathered in hiding, terrified that the authorities who had crucified Jesus would come for them next. Their dreams lay shattered. Their leader was dead.

And then, something extraordinary happened.

[1]On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." (John 20:19-22)

In an instant, everything changed. The fearful became courageous. The scattered became united. The defeated became empowered.

Over the past three weeks, we've journeyed through "The Path of Redemption"—exploring God's promises throughout history, witnessing the passion of Christ's sacrificial death, and celebrating the power of His resurrection. Today, we turn to the final chapter of our series: "The People"—how resurrection creates a new kind of community.

Christianity is not merely a set of beliefs to be embraced individually. It is a new community to be experienced collectively. The resurrection of Jesus doesn't just transform individuals; it forms a people—a community that embodies resurrection life in the world.

This morning, we'll explore how the resurrection transforms the community of faith through four key elements: a transformed vision, a discovered vocation, established values, and becoming vessels of Christ's presence.

1. VISION TRANSFORMED

No disciple better exemplifies transformed vision than Thomas:

Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"

But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:24-28)

Thomas's journey from doubt to devotion represents the transformed vision that resurrection creates. Before encountering the risen Jesus, Thomas could only see through the lens of natural possibility. After encountering the risen Jesus, his vision was transformed. He saw not just a resurrected teacher but "My Lord and my God!"

Resurrection transforms how we see everything: It transforms how we see Jesus. Like Thomas, we recognize Him as Lord and God—the One who conquered death.

It transforms how we see ourselves. No longer defined by our failures or limitations, we see ourselves as new creations, forgiven and empowered.

It transforms how we see others. Every person becomes someone for whom Christ died and rose again—someone with eternal value.

It transforms how we see the world. What appears to be the dominance of evil and death is now seen as temporary. Resurrection has the final word.

This transformed vision is the foundation of Christian community. We can only become the people God intends if we first see as God sees.

2. VOCATION DISCOVERED

The resurrection community doesn't just see differently; it lives differently because it discovers a new vocation—a divine calling.

After showing His wounds to the disciples, Jesus immediately gives them a mission:

Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." (John 20:21-22)

Jesus doesn't appear to the disciples simply to prove He's alive. He appears to commission them—to send them into the world just as the Father sent Him.

This commission becomes even clearer in Jesus' final words before His ascension:

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

The resurrection community discovers its vocation as witnesses to the risen Christ. The Greek word for "witnesses" is martyres, from which we get our word "martyr." A witness is someone who testifies to what they have seen and experienced, even at great personal cost.

This witnessing takes many forms:

We witness through our words—proclaiming the good news of Christ's resurrection.

We witness through our actions—demonstrating resurrection power through lives of integrity and compassion.

We witness through our community—showing the world what reconciled relationships look like.

The early church understood this vocational identity deeply:

With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all. (Acts 4:33)

Their primary vocation was to be witnesses to the resurrection—to embody and proclaim the reality that Christ has conquered death and offers new life to all.

3. VALUES ESTABLISHED

The resurrection community establishes distinct values that shape its common life:

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts. (Acts 2:42-47)

These weren't random activities; they were intentional values reflecting their identity as a resurrection community:

First, they valued truth. "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching." The resurrection community is committed to the truth revealed in Scripture. In a world of competing narratives, the church stands for the reality of Christ's resurrection.

Second, they valued community. "They devoted themselves to... fellowship" and "All the believers were together." The individualism of modern society is foreign to the resurrection community. The new life Christ offers is meant to be lived in relationship with others.

Third, they valued worship. "They devoted themselves to... the breaking of bread and to prayer" and they were "praising God." Resurrection creates worshippers who recognize God's worth.

Fourth, they valued generosity. "They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need." The resurrection community is marked by radical generosity. Having experienced God's ultimate gift in Christ, they became givers themselves.

These values weren't arbitrary rules; they were organic expressions of resurrection life. When people truly believe that Jesus has risen, they naturally value truth, community, worship, and generosity.

The resurrection community establishes counter-cultural values in every age. In our individualistic society, we value community. In our materialistic culture, we value generosity. These values don't just distinguish us; they witness to resurrection reality.

4. VESSEL OF PRESENCE

Finally, the resurrection community becomes a vessel of Christ's presence in the world:

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. (1 Corinthians 12:27)

The church isn't just a group of people who believe similar things. It is the actual body of Christ on earth—the physical presence of the risen Lord in the world.

Through the Holy Spirit, Christ lives in and through His people. We become His hands, His feet, His voice, His heart to a world that needs Him. Through us, the risen Christ continues His ministry of healing, reconciliation, and love.

This understanding transforms how we view the church:

The church is not a building but a living organism—Christ's body animated by His Spirit.

The church is not an organization but an incarnation—the continued embodiment of Christ's presence.

The church is not a social club but a sent community—extending Christ's ministry to the world.

Since we are all parts of the same body, we need each other. We belong to each other. The divisions that plague our society have no place in the body of Christ:

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)

The resurrection community transcends the world's categories and divisions. It demonstrates a unity that can only be explained by the presence of the risen Christ.

Conclusion:

We began our series with "The Promise"—God's covenant faithfulness throughout history. We continued with "The Passion"—the cost of our redemption in Christ's sacrificial death. Last week, we celebrated "The Power"—the transforming reality of Christ's resurrection. Today, we've explored "The People"—how resurrection creates a new community in the world.

This resurrection community has a transformed vision, seeing everything through the lens of Christ's victory. It discovers its vocation as witnesses to the risen Lord. It establishes counter-cultural values that reflect resurrection reality. And it becomes a vessel of Christ's ongoing presence in the world.

This is who we are called to be—not just individual believers but a community shaped by resurrection. The church at its best is not just a gathering of religious people but the continuation of Christ's incarnate presence, the embodiment of His ongoing ministry.

Remember the disciples at the beginning—locked away in fear until the risen Jesus appeared among them? That transformation from fearful isolation to courageous community continues today whenever believers truly embrace their identity as the people of the resurrection.

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[1] All Scripture is from the NIV (New International Version)