Coming Back to Life: Easter Sunday
Coming Back To Life Sermon Transcript Coming Back to Life South Run Baptist Church | Springfield, VA Pastor Eric Gilchrest 2 Corinthians 5:17–20 Easter Sunday This is a full sermon transcript from South Run Baptist Church in Springfield, Virginia. In this message, Pastor Eric Gilchrest preaches on new creation and the ministry of reconciliation from 2 Corinthians 5:17–20. This sermon was delivered on Easter Sunday and addresses what it truly means to be a new creation in Christ, the two mental models of transformation — instantaneous and lifelong — and the mission God gives every believer to be an ambassador of reconciliation in the world. Opening: G.K. Chesterton, the Poet-Priest, and the Reminder That You Are Not Dead Yet What a morning. Can I get an amen? Amen. Ah. There's a writer from the early 1900s that I quite like, and I quote from time to time. And there's a book he wrote called Man Alive. It's one of his lesser-known works. The guy is G.K. Chesterton, and in it he says this: "I don't deny that there should be priests or pastors to remind men that they will one day die. I only say that in certain strange epics — or maybe certain strange days — it is necessary to have another kind of priest, a poet, actually remind us that they are not dead yet." I come to you this morning not as a pastor, but as a poet, reminding you that you are not dead yet, and that you too can come back to life. Let's begin with prayer. Heavenly Father, I come, we come into this sanctuary, and we want your presence. We feel your presence. We want your spirit. We want the spirit of life that hovered over the waters in the ancient deeps at the creation of this world when all things had not yet been made but were made through you, the giver of all life. Lord, that spirit is the one we are seeking right now. It is the spirit that rose Jesus from the dead, and it is the one that has been promised to us to dwell in our hearts and to bring us back to life as well. God, give us your spirit. In Christ's name we pray, amen. The Two Roads: The Narrow Path to Life and the Broad Road to Death The scriptures talk about two roads with great frequency — a road that leads to death and one that leads to life. Jesus talks about it as the broad road and the narrow road, and he reminds us that many go on the broad road and quite a few, for some reason, choose the narrow road. I take these two roads to be much more important than they are often made of, because I think if we can grasp these two roads and that they are on offer before us at every single moment, we actually can grasp quite a lot about some of life's biggest questions. Life's questions like: Who is God? Who am I? And perhaps most importantly today, how do I live a good life? Who is God? Well, he's the author of all living things. The one who creates the world, all that is alive, and he says all is good. And so where you have experienced life and goodness in this world, in this life, you have experienced God. And who am I? Well, you are a child of God. You are created in God's image to bear his image, the image of the life-giving one. And well then, what do we do? And how do I live the good life? Well, by choosing the path that leads to life, by choosing the Jesus way. The question still remains a conundrum. Why would so many choose the narrow path — the one that leads toward death? Why not choose life? And I don't believe it's because they love evil, though some do, but it's because the broad road is the easy road. It is the frictionless path. It is the path of least resistance. It requires nothing of you but to simply coast. The narrow road, well, it requires discipline and adeptness. It looks more treacherous than the broad road does. The narrow road has fewer people on it, naturally, and so it causes you to wonder, is this actually the way at all? Why do I feel so alone out here? The broad road has company, and there are many joining with you. It feels safe. There's safety in numbers, after all, right