Live Abundantly

Key Quote: The resurrection is God’s dramatic way of saying to us: ‘This is what I’m like. This is what I’ve done. And this is what I’m going to do.’ —N.T. Wright

Prayer: “Lord thank you for Easter Sunday. Thank you for giving your Son so that we may have eternal life and salvation. Revive us O Lord, encourage us and move us with the power of this reality in our lives.”

He is risen! Good morning, church, and happy Easter.

Today we celebrate the risen Christ and the implications that Easter morning has on our lives as we follow Jesus. And today of all days, we rejoice that Jesus Christ was not only crucified for our sins but resurrected from the dead as well!

But did you know that we are conquerors? Why? Because Jesus conquered death and sin. We can overcome because He has already overcome.

So whatever you came in here with today - whether it be hope, joy, grief, suffering, or anything else… Today is a day of resurrection power in our lives.

Romans 8:37 ESV

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Do you believe that today? Do you believe you have victory in Jesus Christ, because of Jesus Christ? This can be the truth for you today if it isn’t already.

share a story about winning something growing up. Maybe this is a sports team you were on when you won the championship. Maybe it was a science fair or some other contest.

Now, maybe you can relate to the feeling of winning at something! There is something special about that feeling, as it makes us feel a great level of joy.

But this concept of winning and victory is not just one that relates to sports or a game of some kind. Instead, it is magnified in its fullest sense in Christ’s defeat over death, hell, and the grave.

This is the victory that you and I are coming together to celebrate on Easter and every other Sunday. This victory is meant to inspire us in our day-to-day life.

I want to share three incredible truths today. I want you to consider each of these as you celebrate the resurrection today. This Easter, I want you to know deep in your bones that you too can live abundantly in Jesus.

There is a Better Way

Does your family believe in certain superstitions? For instance, maybe you have heard the phrase “knock on wood”. Normally, after this phrase, someone will literally find a piece of wood to knock on. The reason? Superstition. We fall into believing from time to time that if we don’t do something as simple as knocking on wood, we will experience some sort of negative outcome or curse.

In a similar way, the Bible says that there was a curse on all of humanity. It began in Genesis 3.

Genesis 3:20–24 ESV

The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

This was the punishment for the sin that had been committed by Adam & Eve in the garden. They were banished from intimacy with God in this way. As Scripture goes on, writers like Paul tell us about the curse present for all humanity, that we are in essence born into sin, cut off from God. This is the whole reason we needed rescue, sent in the form of Jesus Christ!

There’s a really powerful picture of the curse being broken in the Gospel of Matthew. As the writer is telling his account of Jesus’ crucifixion, look at what he says when Jesus breathed His last breath…

Matthew 27:50–51 ESV

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.

Did you catch that? The veil on the Temple is torn in two from top to bottom. This may not seem like much when first reading it. But let me give you some context.

The veil on the Temple separated people from the Holy of Holies. This was where many believed God’s presence dwelt. So, only certain people could go back there occasionally.

There was great mystery around what God’s presence was like. That is until Jesus breathed His very last breath. And the veil was torn, declaring to all of those watching… “Even though you were separated from me because of your sin, I have made a way for all to enter in!”

Today, the curse of sin has been broken. Does this mean that we will just never sin again? No, no. It means that now, there is a better way, an opportunity for us to choose something else.

This is the truth we live into today as God’s people. The resurrection means that just as Jesus has conquered the grave & sin’s power, we can too! We can live abundantly in Jesus’ victory. Because now, we have a Savior willing to help us in this fight and a Spirit within us willing to lead us. But that’s not all…

Jesus Wins in the End

Can we just sit in that statement for a moment? Some of us need to meditate on that truth for a while. Maybe that is your takeaway from today or this entire series. Maybe this is the truth you needed to be reminded of on Easter morning.

PERSONAL STORY: Pastor, share about a time when you were a kid and wanted to know the ending of a book you were reading or a movie you watched with your parents.

The reality is, we already know how this story ends. We have the chance, through the book of Revelation, to read the back of the book! Here’s a verse I need to let you know…

Revelation 20:10 ESV

and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

This verse is about the devil, the one who the Bible says exists to steal, kill and destroy the people of God. And maybe today, he’s the one that has your full attention. You find that you’ve been giving in to sinful desires and falling deeper and deeper into sin. You don’t know where to turn today and you have tried just about everything. You need help.

It is time to surrender completely to Christ, as we know how the story ends. When Jesus died and the veil was torn, God made a way for people to have a personal relationship with Him. But this means that the devil’s tactic of getting people to sin against God had been defeated, in the sense that now, God’s people could gain intimacy with Him once again! However, there is action on our end required.

All throughout the Bible, God wants people to hear His voice and obey, not one without the other. While it is impossible to obey without first hearing, it is very possible for us to hear without obeying. A great example of how God works in this area is found in Genesis as well, but a few chapters after 3.

Genesis 12:1–3 ESV

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Now, I hope you see just how many times God says to Abraham both “you” and “I”. God is the one doing, we are the ones going! He first says to Abraham, “Go”. This is a call and invitation that must first be accepted. And maybe it is the very thing God is speaking to you today. In light of how the devil has been messing with you lately, God wants to get your attention once again and lead you back to Him.

But for you, it will require one foot in front of another, potentially giving things up along the way. It is that sacrifice concept we discussed last week. If we really believe Jesus has been triumphant over the devil, he should no longer get to call the shots in our lives. That is God’s role.

One final thing I’d love to share with you today.

Don’t Focus on the Battles

From a 30,000-foot view this morning, I want to let you know that the war is over. This may be a difficult concept to wrap our heads around, so let me explain.

PERSONAL STORY: Pastor, take a few minutes to share some of your feelings when you first started learning about wars in school or from your parents.

Do you remember learning about some of these? Maybe even watching some movies about them in class? Well, the one thing I know about wars is that it isn’t just a day-long process. Wars often span over the course of years and decades. But within each war, there are different, smaller battles going on. And if we expect to find victory in Christ, we have to be aware of the battles in light of the entire war.

Chances are, you know a thing or two about the story of David and Goliath. I want to present it to you and point out something maybe you haven’t really thought about before. David, a young man anointed to be the next King of Israel, was intrigued by Goliath, and sought to defeat him in battle. And just before David indeed defeats Goliath, here’s what David says…

1 Samuel 17:34–37 ESV

But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”

This may be some strong imagery put forth by David, but did you see what he said at the end of that statement? David wasn’t focused on the battle between him and Goliath. David was focused more on the battle between Goliath and his God. He knew that the victory soon to be found would not come from the strength and strategy of David or the Israelites. Instead, it had come from God! David understood that his faith in God to bring victory would be the thing that led him to victory. And I wonder if this is the very principle we must realize today.

The war against sin and death is already won doesn’t mean that we won’t experience individual battles each day where we feel tempted to go back. Go back to the sins we used to struggle with. Go back to the previous seasons of our life when the devil had control. Our victory in Christ means that through His power and strength alone, we can live victoriously even when sins and shame come knocking!

If you were looking for good news today, don’t look any further than the message of the Gospel! You can live abundantly because Jesus has already overcome. You are a conqueror because Jesus has already conquered sin and death.

You can live abundantly because He is alive.

Conclusion

Easter Sunday is a big deal. The apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 15 about the power and implications of the resurrection for those who believe. Here’s what he says;

1 Corinthians 15:14–17 ESV

And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

If the resurrection of Christ didn’t happen, then none of what we’re doing today matters. If Easter Sunday never happened, then we should all pack it up and move on.

However on the flip side, if it is all true, and if Jesus is alive, as we assert and believe, then we must take time to consider what implications this truth will have on our lives.

As we enter into a time of prayer and worship today I want to encourage you to consider the truth of Easter Sunday. Consider the reality of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. In Him there is hope, there is salvation, and there is victory.

Let’s pray together.