Resurrection Celebration

Reading:

Hebrews 10:4-10 “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, He said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’ ” When He said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), then He added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

Introduction:

Today we gather for the celebration of Christ’s finalized work on earth.

He presented Himself as King to the world on Palm Sunday.

He made the deposit into the bank to cover the debt for all who believe; by His death.

Today He finalized His work with victory over death.

In this He reveals what would happen to all who believe in Him: they would live in forever with Him in heaven.

His work should cause us to ask a very important question:

?Why?

Why would God do all of this for those He created and rejected Him?

Love!

Transition:

Jesus’ sacrifice wasn’t an choice on a whim, it was a plan from the start.

He created us in His image; had a relationship with us through fellowship, and conversations.

To appreciate the sacrifice that He made we must understand His:

Motivation:

Ephesians 5:25 “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her,”

Transition:

In verse :25 there is a phrase that provides a:

Correlation

Ephesians 5:25 “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her,”

The key phrase for the correlation of Christ’s sacrifice is:

“Husbands, love your wives,”

Why is this phrase an point of discussion?

We have been told and taught that everyone learns a little different.

There are:

Visual

Diagrams, pictures, images are most useful.

Verbal

Words help understanding.

Auditory/Musical

Sounds and rhythms are most effective.

Physical/Kinaesthetic

This would be the tactile aspect: You have to touch it.

Solitary.

Working alone, and will use self-study to be most effective.

Social.

Group learning, and explaining it to others.

Logical/Mathematical.

Logic, and reasoning systems and sequences bring to light understanding.

All of these methods are how we as humans believe, learn and understand things.

God knows how we learn and one of the most widely spread things used by every person to help others is the tool of Illustrations.

When someone is public speaking typically they are instructed to use illustrations to relate a point to the crowd.

Illustrations often help connect our mind to understanding.

God was motivated to allow us in His presence because of Love.

- The best illustration for a loving relationship is the one between a husband and his wife.

Right from the start in their joining together love provides the opportunity for sacrifice.

Illustration:

Men: Did you dress the same after you were married then when you were single?

Women: How many things did you say that you would “never” do; but did after you were married?

Why did we make those sacrifices?

Love for the spouse.

Point:

The Correlation of Christ’s motivation is likened to the charge here in Ephesians: Love your wives...

The love that a Husband has for his wife is sacrificial, and the wife for her husband.

The preference given to the other in everything.

The exception being compromising the word or allowing the other to be an idol who is worshiped instead of God.

Transition:

We are provided a name for the one He loves and it gives a certain:

Reality

Ephesians 5:25 “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her,”

“Christ Loved the Church”

Christ’s spouse is portrayed here as the church!

This reveals the high value the Church body has.

Illustration:

If you were to ask people, that profess to know Jesus, and don’t attend a church regularly why?

What do you think they would say?

There are quite a few people that would tell you they have a relationship with Jesus and it doesn’t have to be with the church.

Or There are so many issues within a church that I can worship Jesus anywhere I am.

Translation: They express that the church body isn’t that important.

There is something they don’t understand.

The bible reveals just how important the church is to Jesus:

He gave His life for it!

It is His bride that He is preparing a place for and will come fetch her.

Point:

The reality is: The church is the bride of Christ and it was important enough to give His life to save.

What would change in our lives and in the communities we live in if we loved Jesus the way a bride loved her groom?

How about if we as humans loved what Christ does; the church?

We should love Him as our number 1 and know and live like the church is a very important part in our lives.

This is where we uphold the calling to love one another and help one another.

Transition:

When we love we sacrifice and if we love as He did there is an high:

Cost

Ephesians 5:25 “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her,”

“Gave Himself up for her”

We have an obvious point here:

Christ willingly died for the church.

Illustration:

As associate pastor I had the responsibility for planning the annual VBS.

There was months of planning involved, a few thousand dollars as a budget and decorations.

Year after year we had about a dozen adults and youth dedicated to a week of ministering to kids and their parents.

For a few hours a day a lot of kids were cared for, taught, fed, and played with.

It was quite a sacrifice of time, brain power, and effort hosting a VBS;

Many times after a long day, feeling exhausted and maybe defeated for whatever reasons, you hear how many kids were there: A little encouragement.

Then you have a day when one teacher or helper tells everyone about the little girl or boy who accepted Christ as their personal Savior...

All the effort and time and money - Completely worth it!

Point:

The price to be paid for our salvation was priceless; yet Christ gave the extremely high price.

He took the punishment on Himself.

What was the last sacrifice that we made for those we love?

Transition:

Only His blood is worthy for our:

Cleansing:

Ephesians 5:26 “that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,”

His sacrifice drastically impacted us.

When we accept the gift of grace extended through His death we agree to the purchasing of our souls.

Transition:

His ownership gives us a new position:

Set-Apart

Ephesians 5:26 “that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,”

The word Sanctify means:

Lexham Theological Wordbook (ἁγιάζω)

To consecrate, to make holy, sanctify, hallow, treat as holy. It Describes the divine act of setting aside as sacred.

Here is the church those who collectively believe in Jesus’ salvation and deity.

We all live among those who don’t believe in Jesus.

This is the point where people portray that we are lights living in the darkness.

The distinction is very obvious.

Illustration:

It is said that a human eye can see the light of a candle up to 1.6 miles away.

How is that possible?

It would be good to point out what light does in a dark area:

It dispels the darkness.

The darkness runs away from the light so in the presence of light darkness can’t be present.

Point:

At the moment we are saved Christ says that He sets us apart.

What is being portrayed is that He places the Light of the Holy Spirit inside us and darkness cannot be present.

We are no longer of the darkness we are of the light and there is no confusion of our spiritual position.

It is a high calling: because we must represent that light everywhere and through each storm we are in.

Transition:

Being separated from darkness is a change in us:

That change requires Him to take something dirty and:

Make it Clean

Ephesians 5:26 “that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,”

There are many instances we could find in God’s word for cleansing.

The best example is when the priests would wash every part of themselves in the laver before they could enter the holy of holies.

During the sacrificial rituals.

If there was any part not cleansed or made clean: they die.

Why?

They were unworthy to be in the presence of Holiness.

They were dirty and impure!

Illustration:

We have a great example for this type of expectation in our world today:

Does the name Joseph Lister bring anything to mind?

He established the founding principles of aseptic technique.

During a time when surgeons did not wash their hands before operating or disinfecting their surgical instruments.

The aseptic technique is when you create or maintain an germ free space.

Here are some of the principals:

- The sterile field is the designated area which is "free of bugs that can infect people"

- The sterile field can include surfaces, instruments, even people. Once a surgeon, tech or nurse is “scrubbed in” (hands washed, adorned in sterile garb), then he or she is part of the sterile field. This means if you touch them, you compromise sterility.

- The sterile field has a vertical dimension that is important to be aware of. This means the “air space” above the sterile areas should not be violated.

How many people throughout history didn’t have to die if people followed God’s teachings for how to be clean?

Point:

How can one cleans their spirit?

They can’t; yet there are many who try really hard.

There is nothing we can do that would make us clean.

Christ’s blood can cleanse our impurities and make us clean before the lord.

Often times we use the illustration of a white garment that has just one spot on it.

That spot cannot be removed or washed clean; but through Christ’s death He provides a new garment that is perfect!

Transition:

We know of this cleansing by the word:

Through Truth

Ephesians 5:26 “that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,”

We only have information and examples of who the Lord is because of His recorded word.

Without it we wouldn’t know the gospel message.

That is the point: The truth shall set you free!

Knowing the truth doesn’t change you.

How many times do we know what we are supposed to do and aren’t supposed to do; yet we don’t obey it.

The truth of the gospel is that we obey the word because it is God’s commands to us.

When we know what we are supposed to do and do it because we believe what the words are saying:

The washing of the word is that Christ’s teachings and proclamations are what we trust and believe; so we obey because of faith.

The public ordinance of our faith is that we get dunked under the water:

Because it is publicly making a proclamation:

Our old stained self is dead and I am raised up out of the water cleansed from sin and will live accordingly.

Transition:

The truth of God’s word cleanses us from sin.

Without the word I wouldn’t have the promise of 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

not sure about you; but that is an important one, glad He recorded it for me.

Point:

God’s word is perfect and can be trusted, so obey it because you believe it!

Transition:

Jesus death, burial, and resurrection is called His work because it was with:

Purpose:

Ephesians 5:27 “so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.”

? To what degree does a bride go in preparing herself for the wedding day?

How much money do they spend?

How much time to they spend getting ready the day of?

Why are they doing all that work?

Transition:

They are fashioning themselves as:

The Trophy

Ephesians 5:27 “so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.”

The bride is already set-apart from all other females because of the cleansing.

What more could be done?

The “more” is found in the word: Splendor.

Splendor here is the word: ἔνδοξος (endoxos) which means Splendid, Wonderful, Radiant; Expensive. (Strongs)

The trophy is to be all these words that describe.

Illustration:

All growing up I played a lot of organized sports.

among those sports were tournaments.

If you won the tournament your team and individuals recieved a trophy.

There were trophies for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.

The size and ornateness of each trophy was synonomous with the place it represented.

1st place was huge, shiny, and amazing.

1st looser was less, and 2nd looser was much less.

The trophies were placed on a table throughout the whole tournament and it really helped each little kid keep their eye on the prize.

no one was trying their hardest to get the 3rd place trophy, it was all for the big kahuna.

Point:

Christ fashioned His most prized trophy: The church.

The Lord’s trophy is unlike any other trophy that could be made, it is one of a kind.

Perfect, splendid, wonderful, radiant and expensive.

That is who you are to Christ!

Transition:

You were imperfect but are being fashioned to be:

Perfect

Ephesians 5:27 “so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.”

The terms here are interesting to use when describing His trophy.

What can we use to describe this:

Illustration:

“Rose colored glasses”

That syndrome people get when they are first in love and see none of the flaws just perfection!

That is how the Lord sees us when He covers our sin!

Just the good things, because He chooses to ignore the bad; since it was forgiven by the payment.

Transition:

Jesus gave all for us to be made:

“Holy”

Ephesians 5:27 “so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.”

This is really circling us back around to the beginning:

There can be nothing that is imperfect in His presence.

Right now the church is here on Earth.

She is the light in the darkness

She is the trophy for all to view

She is being prepared while waiting for her groom to come for the marriage ceremony and celebration.

When Christ comes for His bride, she will be prepared, ready, and anticipating the long awaited marriage.

Conclusion:

1. Christ’s motivation for sacrificing Himself was exactly what a husband would do for His wife.

2. Christ’s death and victory over sin and the grave made all who believe in Jesus clean from sin.

3. Christ had to die so we could be acceptable before the judge since we were unworthy on our own.

Today is “resurrection” Sunday.

This is when Christ finalized His work on earth for us!

- He left to go and prepare a place for His bride.

Are you worshiping the one who gave all for you?

Do you hope, as a bride waiting for her wedding day, for His return?

His resurrection finalized our victory!

Pray.