The Resurrected Lamb-3 Big Words We can Claim Because of the Resurrection

Introduction:

We live in a time that people are desperately seeking any kind of hope they can find.

We live in a world that seems to be collapsing around us. Where people in authority are trying to convince society that what God says is right is wrong and what God says is wrong is right. I ,en h0w messed u; can we be?

Just look at the world around us today. Murder is at an all time high in our country,

School shootings are become a normal news report,

Marriages that last more than 10 years are now in the minority,

The amount of people seeking help with depression and pain are sky rocketing,.

it seems like so many people around us are just trying to find something that can bring them a sliver of joy into their lives.

If there was ever a time we desperately need to be reminded about the resurrection, it would be today – when life is truly hard and uncertain, when nothing seems to fix the brokenness around us when people are in so much pain and heartache, and death is all around us.

This morning I want us to be reminded of the reason we can rejoice as Christians even in the midst of all that is going wrong in this world.

Today we are celebrating the greatest event in human history- the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave.

As Christians, we need to not lose sight of what Christ’s death Burial and resurrection has given to us.

Too often I think we get distracted by this world and it’s promises of happiness and we lose sight of what the resurrection of Jesus has brought into our lives.

Christian’s I hope you realize that- Without the resurrection of Jesus we would have no hope in this world, We too would still be hopelessly lost in our Sins.

But because Jesus went to the cross as our innocent substitute and died the death that we deserved to die and rose victoriously from that Grave, We are no longer lost condemned to Die but now are free in Christ.

pause

This morning I want us to spend the next few minutes reflecting on three benefits that we can claim as our own ONLY because Jesus rose from the grave.

PRAY: Let’s open up our time together with a word of prayer,

Introduction:

When it comes to The resurrection of Jesus it is the cornerstone of our faith.

it is the catalyst that brings us from death to life.

In fact, Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 “if Christ has not been raised, then our faith is useless and we are still guilty of your sins. and we are to be pitied more than anyone in the world.

Today we are not here mourning the death of Jesus- We are not at a funeral service- We are Celebrating our Risen Savior!

theres a big difference from a dead Jesus to a resurrected Jesus.

In fact, Because of the resurrection there are some really big that now describe who we are in Christ... They are some really big words that have some really big meanings for our lives.

Illustration of Big Words:

I dont know about you but I have never liked having to learn big words. In fact I tend to get really nervous when I have to speak a new big word in front of people.

some of you might remember our class we had a class a couple of months back where we were studying biblical Marriages. and one of the words that kept coming up was a big word that I just could not say correctly as hard as I tried.

I could not get that word right and by the end of the lesson every time I said it everyone was laughing and mouthing it back to me hoping I could get it.

You all all want to now the word dont’t You? We talked about Biblcial masculinity and Biblical Femeninity,.

big words are hard sometimes- but the y are important for us to know.

Now Kids- Today, We have three really big Words that we are going to learn together in this sermon-and after its over if you can tell me those three words you can get a special easter egg out of my basket in the foyer. so make sure you pay attention-

and at the end we are going to recite the words and their meaning togethers.

And adults - sorry these special eggs are just for the kids😀

Let’s jump right into the first of our 3 big words - the first benefit we have been given because of the resurrection of Jesus.

In Romans 4:25 Paul is speaking to the church about Jesus and he says

Romans 4:25 (ESV)

25 Jesus was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

The first benefit Christ brings us through his resurrection is Justification-

Justification

KIDS- How many of you know what Justification means?

today we are going to learn simple definitions that we ca remember-

The simple definition of Justification is JUST AS IF I HAD NEVER SINNED,

practice- justification is what??? Good job

Do you understand the magnatude of what this means for you in your life? Do you understand what it means to stand before THE PERFECT GOD AS AN INNOCENT PERSON?

in order for us to understand what this means we need to remember who we really are as a person

Romans 3:23–24 (ESV)

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 But they are justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Paul knows that In order for us to truly grasp God’s gift of justification in our lives we must first come to the somber realty of how guilty we truly are because of our sins.

Do you understand what it means to fall short of the glory of God? It means you haven’t met Gods standard,

to fall short is an archery term that means to miss the mark-

think About it- what is your goal when you are shooting an arrow at target? to make the perfect shot and hit the bulls eye. To hit the mark-

basically what the Bible is telling us is that God demands a perfect shot only bullseyes every time is perfect any thing less has Fallen short.

so what do we get when we miss the mark? well Roman’s 6:23 says that every shot you miss carries with it the death penalty you are condemned to die eternally in the lake of fire.

think about it …every sin- big and small that you have ever committed- carries with it an eternal death penalty and the price for that sin must be paid in full.

But this verse that condemns mankind to hell in Romans 6 also proclaims the good news of Easter Sunday,- it doesn’t end with the wages of sin is death, the next word should matter a lot to us…..But - But God doesn’t leave us condemned to die- God because of his great love for us, has given us the gift of Justification Just as if I never missed a single shot!

it’s justification that provides a way for us to be declared righteous before Him,

not through our own works, not based on how we compare to others, but by belief through faith in his resurrected son, Christ Jesus.

Justification is a legal term that means to be declared righteous before the judge.

It’s the idea that you have been found innocent. Its not that the charges were just dropped from your case because they didn't have enough evidence of your crime, it’s a not that you got of on a technicality- or that God arrow up just a little bit so it touched the bulls eye.

Justification is idea that you are declared fully innocent with a clean and untainted record.

justification is the idea that Christ stood next to you in that archery range and shot bulls eye after bulls eye never missing even a single shot, and then he gave you his perfect target as your own and took your imperfect target - a target without a single arrow even coming close, and he paid the debt you owed because of everyone of those misses.

This free justification is a gift of God's grace. He didn’t have to take your place and give you his perfection but he did..

We don't deserve it, and we definitely didn’t earn it. It's freely given to us through faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus took our sins upon Himself and paid the penalty we deserved on the cross.

Thats Justification

And it is ours to claim only because Christ rose from the grave.

But understand that in order to experience the Justification That comes through the resurrection You must accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior- Admit that you’re a sinner in need of his grace, Admit that you didn’t even come close to hitting the mark, Admit that there is nothing you could ever do on your own to be good enough for God to accept as perfect , and you bust believe that Jesus willingly and lovingly gives you his justification in place of your sins.

REVIEW

Alright kids let’s review our first big word

What is it ? Justification

what does it mean? Just-as-if-I-never-sinned

our second big word for today is Sanctification?

the Power of the resurrection didn’t just declare us righteous before God, it didn't just pay for our sins. It is so much more.

The resurrection of Jesus is also what empowers us to live a NEW life IN Christ. It’s what gives us the ability to love others in this world , its what gives us the ability to please God with our lives.

SANCTIFICATION

KIDS- Does Any one know what Sanctification Means?

it means “Making me more Like Jesus”+

Kids say it with me” Sanctification means to making me more like Jesus~

look with me at Rom. 6:4

Romans 6:4 (ESV)

4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

it is only through the resurrection of Jesus that we have been given a new identity and a new purpose in Christ .

it is only Because of the Resurrection that We have been empowered to live a life of holiness and obedience to God.

Do you fully gasp what it means to be in total depravity without Christ? It means that without the resurrection Power of Christ working in us -it is impossible for us to ever do anything to please God.

This is why we need sanctification in our lives- we need God to do a work that we are incapable of doing on our own, and that supernatural work is to become Holy in our lives.

Just like Justification was a gift from God, Sanctification is also a gift from God given to us in Grace through the resurrected Christ.

God sanctifies us because We cannot become more holy on our own. it is God himself molding our hearts to look more like Jesus than like us.

Too many religions try to teach the idea that even after Salvation we still need to earn God’s favor in our lives,

Too many people fall to the lie that We still need to prove our love to God in order for him to bless us. Nothing could be further from the truth of scripture .

Our salvation was a gift from God a gift based on his love for us not our obedience to him, and the love that compelled him to save is the same love that keeps us as his children.

And its this love of God that is The only thing that has the power to change our sinfulness into Christ likeness.

Simply put- God gave us himself - In Romans 8 we see that when we accept Jesus as our Savior, the Holy Spirit, God Himself indwells our heart .

Why does he do this? So that He can change us and mold us to be more like Jesus every Day, So that He can Sanctifiy us.

The apostle Paul writes in

Romans 6:22, "But now that you have been set free from sin (Justified) and have become slaves of God,...the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life."

it is only Through our union with Christ, that we have been set free from the power of sin and death- we have been Justified.

We are no longer slaves to sin, living according to its destructive path, but We are now slaves of God, empowered by the Holy Spirit to live a life that is holy and pleasing to Him.

As we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us, we begin to bear fruit that leads to sanctification.

In Gal. 5:22-23 Paul tells us what the fruit of Sanctification looks like.... love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

These are not qualities that we can manufacture on our own, In fact they are in total contradiction to who we are on our own without Christ.

In the 3 verses prior to verse 22-23 Paul tells us what our nature lives produce-

Galatians 5:19–21 (ESV)

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

The Bible is very clear -”there is no one who is good not even one”

The point is this.. without the resurrection of Jesus Christ it would be impossible for anyone of us to ever please God..

But Because of the Resurrection we are now the recipients of Gods Sanctification in our lives.

Lets review

The Resurrection is what Brought us Justification with God. Making us right with God

And it is the resurrection that brings us the Power of the Holy Spirit into our lives and gives us Sanctification- making us more Like Jesus.

Kids Lets Review our Big words

1st Word - Justification - Just as if I had Never Sinned

2nd Word- Sanctification- Making me More like Jesus

Finally Not only did God save us, Not only is God making us more like Jesus, but because of the Resurrection our eternal destiny is secured in Jesus.

Our 3rd Big word that we can claim because of the resurrection is...

GLORIFICATION

Kids- do you know what Glorification Means?

Heres’ our simple definition “Finally Perfect with Jesus”

Say it with me ----- Glorification is “Finally perfect with Jesus”

It is only Through the resurrection of Jesus, that we have been given a living hope

Because The Power of God Raised jesus From the Grace we now have the assurance that God will raise us eternally too.

Glorification is the final stage of our salvation.

It is the moment when we will be made perfect and complete in Christ.

It is the moment when we will be glorified and transformed fully into the likeness of Christ.

This is what we have to look forward too.

This broken world is not our final destiny - it gets better! it doesn’t just get better - it gets perfect!!!!

We will be Glorified one day -we will be made perfect- we will live with Jesus forever in His Kingdom which He is building for us.

I love what Peter says about our future glorification in 1 Peter 1:3

1 Peter 1:3 (ESV)

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

It is Through the resurrection of Jesus, that we have been given a living hope .

That is big news!!!

We have the assurance of eternal life and the promise of a future with God.

As followers of Jesus, we can look forward to the day when we will be raised from the dead and given new, glorified bodies.

We can look forward to the day when sin and death will be no more,

We can look forward to the day, we will live with God forever in perfect peace and joy.

This is the hope that we have in Christ, and it is a hope that can sustain us through any trial or hardship we may have in this world.

No matter what We may face God has given us a living Hope- He has promised us that just like Jesus Rose from the dead We who are in Christ will also rise from the grave and into an eternal home with God.

Our Glorification is a moment of great joy and celebration, as we are welcomed into the presence of God.

Illustration: I dont know about you but I cant wait to get to heaven and receive my perfect glorified body, and I cant wait to meet the many saints that have gone there before me - I have so many questions I want to ask them!

I want to ask David How he killed a lion with his bare hands,

I want to ask Moses if he could see any fish in the columns of water as he walked through the red sea,

I want to ask Peter what is was like to walk across the sea of Galilee in that storm with Jesus.

But I can tell you - Before I speak with any of these heroes of the faith I want to run to Jesus and wrap my arms around and thank him for saving me when I did not deserve.

I want to say thank you to God the Father- for loving me enough to justify me when I didn’t deserve, For not leaving me alone in this world, and for the hope of my eternal security that you gave me in my life. Without it this world would have been unbearable!

The resurrection matters because without it, we could not be glorified- we would stuck in our sinful state apart from God

BRING IT HOME

Kids Lets review to make sure you know all three of our really big words from today so after church you can get a special easter egg when we are done.

Justification- just as if I never sinned

Sanctification- makes me more like Jesus

Glorification- Finally be perfect with jesus

The Resurrection of Jesus is not just another exciting story in the Bible- It is THE story of the Bible-

It is the story of how a perfect God- Loved his own creation so much that give himself up as their substitute Sacrifice - to pay their debt of sin in full-so that He could give them the free gift of Justification, Sanctification and Glorification.

Let us live with confidence and joy, knowing that it is only through Christ's resurrection, that we have been Saved, changed and secured for all eternity.

I want to wrap up this morning with the words of Paul that he wrote to the Corinthians as He proclaimed to them all that the resurrection does for us in our lives.

Listen to His words

1 Corinthians 15:57–58 (ESV)

57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

(if TIME) Say Something Here about the verse

If you are in Christ Be encouraged because you have been Justified, Christ paid your debt based on his perfections and not your imperfections

If you are in Christ Rejoice- Because you are being Sanctified- God is the one changing you with the power of his perfections and not your imperfections.

& If you are in Christ remember your living Hope - that you will be Glorified- Not held on your imperfection but secured by his perfection.

THREE Big words that are now ours to claim Only Because

Jesus Rose from the Grave!

HE IS RISEN!!! point to the crowd- He is risen in Deed

Pray-