NJ - The story of love this Easter 2024

Message Title: The story of love this Easter.

INTRODUCTION:

Welcome it is great to have you joining us today @ Oasis. We pray that you have had a week filled with God’s blessing. We hope that you have a great Easter and sense Gods love in your life.

No greater news has ever been shared than the message of Jesus’ resurrection. It’s the glue that holds our faith together.

The story of Easter is about a loving God who gave His son for our salvation/redemption.

It is about Gods son, who was obedient even unto death. (For the joy set before Him He endured the cross)

We are the recipients of the everlasting love of the Father even though we were and are sinners.

In this, we are reconciled to God through Jesus Christ and He has given us the ministry of reconciliation.

LETS PRAY:

Father I pray that as we study Your word today, You will speak to us as we open our hearts to receive revelation from Your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Key Scripture

Ephesians 2:4–5 NKJV

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

1. The love of the Father, empowers us to be confident of who we are in him - THROUGH THE CROSS

Ephesians 2:10 NKJV

10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

We are God’s workmanship created in him for good works (to minister reconciliation).

The cross reconciles us with God and helps us to reconcile with others

We therefore develop a culture of being available to help others.

As we have been praying for and are praying for opportunities to share: GOD’S LOVE, GOODNESS and for opportunities to help others.

What are our opportunities and are we looking for them.

We must understand that he loves us and our strength is in Him.

As we delight ourselves in Him his joy is our strength.

Nehemiah 8:10 NKJV

10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

2. His love gives us freedom - THROUGH THE CROSS

John 8:36 NKJV

36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

Because Jesus has set us free. We are free indeed.

When we are free, we are able to be IN THE PLACE where God desires us to be. The sin that entangles chokes and slows us down has been dealt with through the cross.

Accepting Christ as your Lord and Saviour

Luke 4:18–19 NKJV

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

THIS IS FOR US ALL, WE HAVE ALL BEEN ANOINTED

There is no more condemnation to us in Christ Jesus.

We are free to live for him and bear fruit unto holiness.

Romans 6:22–23 MSG

22 But now that you’ve found you don’t have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way! 23 Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God’s gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master.

3. His love seeks to release the best in us - THROUGH THE CROSS

John 1:12 NKJV

12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:

In his love we are empowered to be the children of God.

We are empowered to be the carriers of his anointing.

We have Holy Spirit and are led by Holy Spirit through life and its trials and temptations.

Luke 4:1 NKJV

1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

Luke 4:14 NKJV

14 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.

CONCLUSION

He is worthy, He is God the creator, He has loved us from the beginning.

He has given us His Son even when we were still sinners.

We have Holy Spirit in our lives, He is our helper.

We must love extravagantly all of the time in season and out of season.

Christ Was Forsaken That We Might Never be Forsaken

Christ Suffered Alone That We Might Never be Alone

Christ Suffered Reproach That We Might be Redeemed

Numbers 6:24–26 NKJV

24 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; 26 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’

LET PRAYER

AMEN

The Forsaken One

Psalm 22:1–8 NKJV

1 My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning? 2 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent. 3 But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel. 4 Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them. 5 They cried to You, and were delivered; They trusted in You, and were not ashamed. 6 But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. 7 All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8 “He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”

Christ Was Forsaken That We Might Never be Forsaken

Hebrews 13:5 NKJV

5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Christ Suffered Alone That We Might Never be Alone

Matthew 27:45 NKJV

45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land.

John 14:18 NKJV

18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

Matthew 28:20 NKJV

20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Christ Suffered Reproach That We Might be Redeemed

Psalm 22:6 NKJV

6 But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people.

Psalm 22:7 NKJV

7 All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

Philippians 2:5–8 NKJV

5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.