The Beautiful Exchange - Easter
Life is about Change
We are always in a place where we are changing things…
Jobs
Cars
Homes
Family Dynamics
Underwear (At least I hope so)
It’s a constant rotation of change….births of a newborn…..deaths of someone in our life….ALL ABOUT CHANGE
Life seems to be about a constant influx of change. Part of this change are the things that we Exchange….
We exchange bad food at a restaurant for some better food
We exchange clothes when they don’t fit right
Some days we might even feel like exchanging our kids…..Depends what day it is…
However this season, this day is about A Beautiful Exchange that sometimes goes by and we miss the beauty of it.
Mark 14 begins the process of talking about EXCHANGES:
Mark 14:1-10 Talks of a women exchanging her old heart for new one through the act of anointing Jesus to shower him with LOVE
MARK 14:3-9
3 Jesus was at Bethany visiting the house of Simon, who had a skin disease. During dinner, a woman came in with a vase made of alabaster and containing very expensive perfume of pure nard. She broke open the vase and poured the perfume on his head. 4 Some grew angry. They said to each other, “Why waste the perfume? 5 This perfume could have been sold for almost a year’s pay[a] and the money given to the poor.” And they scolded her.
6 Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you make trouble for her? She has done a good thing for me. 7 You always have the poor with you; and whenever you want, you can do something good for them. But you won’t always have me. 8 She has done what she could. She has anointed my body ahead of time for burial. 9 I tell you the truth that, wherever in the whole world the good news is announced, what she’s done will also be told in memory of her.”
Mark 14:12-26 Talks of the exchange of Jesus for Silver…(or the comforts of life)
Mark 14:17-19 17 That evening, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. 18 During the meal, Jesus said, “I assure you that one of you will betray me—someone eating with me.” Deeply saddened, they asked him, one by one, “It’s not me, is it?”
Mark 14: 27-31 we hear of the exchange that will happen when Peter exchanges his amazing relationship with JESUS for his own personal protection.
Mark 14: 30-31 Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.” But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same.
Do we exchange our witness in this world so that we “Fit In” with the rest of the world? Or do we stand in contrast to the world so that people may know WHO JESUS IS?
Then we see the Exchange of HEART for the LOVE of God for a HEART that loves our own interests. (JUDAS)
Mark 14:44-46 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. The men seized Jesus and arrested him.
So the questions becomes:
Who do we exchange JESUS for?
Our own personal interests
Our own agendas
Our own personal pleasures
Our own Pride
Whatever it is this GREAT EXCHANGE that this season holds is An exchange of PURE LOVE….for YOU AND ME…
***You see the women who anointed Jesus at the beginning of Mark 14..SHE UNDERSTOOD this Beautiful Exchange and she was willing to LAY DOWN her Life for Love because SHE KNEW JESUS was LAYING down HIS life as an EXCHANGE for HERS….
But Easter….Resurrection Sunday….Shares of one more exchange.
MARK 15:37-39
37 But Jesus let out a loud cry and died. The curtain of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 When the centurion, who stood facing Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “This man was certainly God’s Son.”
There it is! The BEAUTIFUL EXCHANGE…..CHRIST EXCHANGING HIS LIFE FOR OURS…..
Because the beauty of it all is the LIFE that comes after.
Mark 16:2-17
2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they came to the tomb. 3 They were saying to each other, “Who’s going to roll the stone away from the entrance for us?” 4 When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away. (And it was a very large stone!) 5 Going into the tomb, they saw a young man in a white robe seated on the right side; and they were startled. 6 But he said to them, “Don’t be alarmed! You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.[a] He has been raised. He isn’t here. Look, here’s the place where they laid him. 7 Go, tell his disciples, especially Peter, that he is going ahead of you into Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you.”
Here is the BEAUTIFUL EXCHANGE
LIFE instead of DEATH
LIGHT instead of DARKNESS
JOY instead of SADNESS
GRACE instead of SHAME
VICTORY instead of DEFEAT
Can I tell you……nothing and I mean nothing in this life or this world is more wonderful than to offer our lives and our testimony for the one who offered HIS life for US.
Colossians 2:12-15
12 You were buried with him through baptism and raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 When you were dead because of the things you had done wrong and because your body wasn’t circumcised, God made you alive with Christ and forgave all the things you had done wrong. 14 He destroyed the record of the debt we owed, with its requirements that worked against us. He canceled it by nailing it to the cross. 15 When he disarmed the rulers and authorities, he exposed them to public disgrace by leading them in a triumphal parade.
Invitation
I want to encourage you. Maybe you have been exchanging things in your life for things that just don’t matter.
Maybe the darkness seems to just get darker instead of light.
Maybe instead of hope you feel more hopeless.
I want to give you the opportunity to know that you have a way out.
Christ died and rose…exchanged his life for yours… yes yours so that you could have HOPE.
It truly is a beautiful thing. We would love to connect with you and if you need someone to pray with you please reach out to one of us or one of our branch managers.
Can I pray with you?
Pray
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