Easter 2024
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Christ our Victor
Christ our Victor
Christ is Risen!
Good morning my friends.
What a joy it is to see your beautiful faces today
I hope you had a good week, enjoying each new day as a gift from God. I pray you and your family are well today.
Today my friends, I join you in rejoicing this morning!
We rejoice not in what we have done, but in what Jesus did for us, His death, burial and his resurrection.
This is why we celebrate, Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week, glorified, alive and well.
Those ladies who traveled to the place were Jesus was laid to finish preparing his body now the the passover had ended, they arrived and found the stone rolled away and He was not there… but within moments, they saw the angel of the Lord and his words were so comforting..
5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.
Friends, the tomb is still empty, it has been preserved through the ages, to remind all mankind that Jesus is the victor, and is alive forever
This morning I want to share this passage with you as we celebrate a risen Savior.
Turn with me to I Peter, chapter 1 and we will look at verse 3.
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,
So as we begin today, we are going to look at several Scriptures today. But as we walk through these verses today would you simply ask God, Father speak to me as we walk through these passages.... I want to know you more today.
So Lets start today with this thought....
1. His Mercy.....
When we think about the word “mercy,” it is a powerful word, it reveals to us what we do not deserve but what is still given to us, and it is given in love.
For humanity, every person comes into this world guilty. To be guilty means there is something wrong, a charge or crime committed that prevents us from being innocent, from being free from sin as we stand in front of a holy God.
This my friends was the fate of all mankind after sin entered the world through one man, Adam, we see this in Genesis chapter 3.
We are simply sinners… we’ve lied, we’ve thought the wrong thing, said or done the wrong thing.
But God’s mercy was already at work, God already knew he would have to provide help, a Savior who would bring Salvation into the world.
All through the Old Testament God foretold of a coming one who would turn the tables on the serpent, the Devil, who would break the strong hold of sin and would redeem humanity.
God sent His Son… at the right time, and in the right place. Gal 4:4
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,
The Father sent the Son, Jesus into the world. Last week I shared with you what the gospel of John says in verses 1:1 and verse 14 John 1:1
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Why would God send the Son into the world…Because the Father was merciful to us....
What is mercy then? If God acts in it, how can we describe it?
Mercy is the foundation for forgiveness, but uniquely is the compassion toward another, God is merciful and compassionate to us in that all who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, Mercy tells us that because of this love, we do not receive what we deserve.
What did mankind deserve? Death… our sin, our inability to live righteously in front of God meant we deserved the consequences of sin, which is death. The law stood as the mirror revealing our sin.
But out of God’s great love for us, because of His mercy, He sent Jesus into the world that the world might be redeemed through Him.
So Peter tells us here 1Peter 1:3
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,
Praise and adoration is given to our God and the Father of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who showed us great mercy...
Let me ask you this.... Do you know that God loves you, unconditionally? It is not based on what we could do or give to him. That love is based only in His nature and love for his children.
God loves you and has acted mercifully toward us...
He sent us a great gift, based in His love, based on His very nature.
But lets talk about what that love and mercy did for us...
2. His Work...
The mercy of God allows us to know and see all that the Father did for humanity...
As I have already said, God the Father allowed the Son, the second person of the Trinity to come into this world, born of a virgin, born under the law.
The law as I said was the standard which revealed our guilt.It proved God’s point that we are all guilty, sinful men and women, even at our best we are separated from God
So God sent his Son Jesus into the world
Jesus came, fully man and fully God yet did not know sin, he was free from sin. Remember he was tempted by the devil, Matthew chapter 4. But He did not sin… Hebrews chapter 4 verse 15 says
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Now I share that verse just to establish that Jesus is the sinless, perfect without spot or blemish Son of God. This is what qualifies him as a sacrifice for sin.
Why do I say that, a sacrifice for sin? Jesus is referred to the as the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. JOhn 1:29.
In the Old Testament, lambs and goats were used to satisfy the penalty of sin, these would be sacrificed their blood shed and placed upon the mercy seat that rested upon the Ark of the Covenant.
God would see the blood and declare Israel’s sin forgiven for a season.. But...
Jesus came as the lamb of God. to forever deal with sin.
Now lets go back to 1 Peter again… 1 Peter 1:3
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,
Peter says that according to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope..
What did God do? He sent Jesus into the world. This was the work of God. Jesus came into the world.
Jesus grew in the grace and knowledge of God, and at the right time began to reveal himself and what God was doing through him.
Jesus came to teach and preach, working many miracles as He taught the kingdom of God was near.. ultimately laying down His life..
Jesus we know on that faithful night Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, and Jesus was arrested. And convicted of crimes he did not conmit… Pilate sentencing him to be crucified...
The soldiers that night beat him, whipped him with the cat of 9 tails, they whip him almost to the point of death and they place a crown of thorns upon his head. Then they march him outside the city to the place known as Golgotha, the place of execution.
Luke tells us in Luke 23:33 that they crucified Jesus there
33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.
The most miserable of deaths, there our Savior hung between two thieves.. it is about 6 in the morning..
Now the Scriptures tell us that from the 6th hour (noon) until the 9th the world drew dark as Jesus hung on the cross.
And at the ninth hour (3pm) Jesus cries out My God, My God why have you forsaken me… My friends this is a picture of what sin does,
As Jesus hands there on the cross, he is giving up His life for us, the is bearing our punishment upon His body, and that sin, the sin a person holds in their heart separates us from God. That moment, the sin of the world had placed a wall of division, it separated the Savior from the Father. It seemed as if he was alone, but sin separated him from the Father.
And finally, Jesus breathed his last breath, and yielded up His Spirit… And gave His life as a sacrifice for sin.
It is here that the world shook, the veil back in the temple of the city was torn in too, and the Roman centurion called out, Truly this was the Son of God; Matthew 27:54....
One last thing to tell you at this point, is after Jesus death, two followers, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus from John 3, came and toke down the body of Jesus and quickly prepare his mortal body for burial before the passover starts.. that is day 1.
Now there is one last point I want to share with you..
3. His Hope.....
At 6pm a new day starts as the passover begins. Remember Jewish days from from 6 pm in the evening until 5:59 pm the news day.
So the passover begins ( it is what we would know as Saturday, the Sabbath day… it is day 2 now.
The disciples are together, in the upper room, praying, scared, uncertain about what the next day holds.. They feel defeated, broken and lost...
Their world has been turned upside down…but there is hope Listen again..
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,
Jesus was about to reveal His living hope to them, to allow them to understand all that he has taught
The Scriptures tell us on the first day of the week, which is day 3 since Jesus died and was buried… Matthew 28 verse 1 tells us
1 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.
These ladies go to the tomb in hopes of preparing his body more now that the passover has ended.. They love Jesus and they want to serve him one last time... but arriving there the guards are gone, and the stone has been rolled away, and they find an angel’s greeting and instruction..
2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.
5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
What a morning, what a blessing!
The angels give them the greatest news ever delivered to mankind.. He is not here, He has risen! Just as he told them he would...
Do you remember the religious leaders asked Jesus for a sign and he told them none would be given except for the sign of Jonah.. Let me share this passage with you..
Matthew 12:39-42
39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
Jesus died, was buried and on the third day he arose, just as He has foretold...
And as the ladies are on their way to the the others, the disciples.. they see him… They see Jesus!
8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
That day my friends changed everything, no longer were the citizens of this world help captive, no longer was there no escape from the penalty of sin.
Jesus took our punishment, he bore our pain upon His own body. He died in our place and was buried..
But death could not keep Him. The devil and the forces of evil thought they had won, but they had not..
Jesus was raised from the dead, glorified and alive.. and because He lives we can live as well.
That is the hope of the resurrection, because he lives we will live.
This is what Peter tells us I Peter 1:3
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,
He has caused us to be born again. He has given us the opportunity to be saved, to put death and hell away from us permanently.
Remember we are all sinners, Rom 3:23
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
But Jesus came and gave his life so that we could have life. John 1:12
12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
And Romans 10, verse 11
11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
You see if you believe, you will be saved and today if you are here and you have not asked Jesus to forgive you for your sins, to give you eternal life..Today you can..d Paul tells us in Rom 10 verse 9
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
This my friends is the living hope. Once we come to Jesus by faith, we are given life and life eternal.
Death no longer has any power over us, hell no longer has a place for us. Because in Christ we are saved and enjoy resurrection power.
My hope is placed in Jesus, he has everything I need. 40 years ago I asked him to take me, forgive me of my sin and save me, and he did just that..
Death, hell and the grave has no power over me because Jesus died and rose again that I might have life and life eternal.
Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior today?
I thank God that He has shown us mercy and hope for a new day. Today ...Do you know Jesus is your savior.
By this I mean have you asked him to forgive you of all your sins, asking Him to be Lord of your life and then you started following him?
Today, If God has touched your heart, you sense His presence, you know in your heart something has to change.
I want you to know He will forgive you and give you a new life..
So if you have not asked Jesus into your heart, if you ask him sincerely, you can be saved today.
All you have to do is just bow your head and pray,
Lord I know I am a sinner and I need you, Forgive me of all my sin. Write my name in the Lamb’s book of life.. And today,be Lord of my life, I lay my life down for you to take it, and save me. Thank you for the gift of eternal life.
Today if you prayed that and meant it… He has promised, all who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
And today, perhaps you are here and you would say Pastor, I am saved, but I have not lived my life as I should…I have sin in my heart, i feel away from separated from God.
Today the Scriptures declare that “if we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin 1 John 1:9 ..
Today you can pray,
Lord I am sorry, I have allowed sin and this world to take control of my heart. forgive me of my sin and cleanse me. Be lord of my life and help me to live for you and with you each day. Thank you Father in Jesus name.
Today, if you felt the Holy Spirit speak to your heart, you feel like today, I need to get things right with God...
Do not waste another day… Tomorrow might be our last