The Comeback Week 3: Why The Resurrection Matters

We are in the final week of a series we have called “The Comeback”.

We have been looking at comeback stories through-out the scriptures that give us all hope that a comeback is possible for all of our lives.

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We have all lived to see some crazy comebacks. I was thinking of some of the ones that I have witnessed:

Tiger Woods (early days, DUI, everyone said he was done, first time in 11 years, Show video half screen of him making put)

Woods turned professional in 1996

at the age of 20. By the end of April 1997, he had won three PGA Tour events in addition to his first major, the 1997 Masters, which he won by 12 strokes in a record-breaking performance. He reached number one in the world rankings for the first time in June 1997, less than a year after turning pro.

But as you know, Wood’s life would take a downward spiral, a divorce, dui, inury

Woods competed in only one tournament between August 2015 and January 2018, and he dropped off the list of the world's top 1,000 golfers.

11 YEARS after his previous masters win, he comes from behind and wins the 2019 Masters.

Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Cubs

The Bluegrass Miracle

Until the buzzard sounds and it’s in the record books…any deficit can be overcome…

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Your Loss is not in the record books yet

Maybe you have shown up to Easter service because it’s the one time a year you go to church or a friend invited you.

but if you are honest with yourself you feel defeated,

life has knocked you down, and you don’t know if there is a way back up.

I want to remind you today, your story is not over...you might be down, but you are not out.

You are positioned for a comeback, but its not possible because of you, its possible because of the comeback Jesus had 2000 years ago.

We have all gathered today to focus on a single event, the greatest comeback ever:

But today I don’t simply want to tell you what happened…I want to tell you why it matters.

Week 3 - The Resurrection Changes Everything

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The disciples thought they had taken an L

When Jesus went to that cross on Friday, there was no countdown clock started by his followers,

“hey guys, this is ok, We know he will be raised from the dead in a few days. Jokes on you guys, just wait until Sunday.”

No, Everyone one that was close to Jesus: his friends, his disciples, his family, even his mother, thought that it was all over. They thought that Jesus had died once and for all.

This resulted in people giving up hope,

their savior was dead

their cause was pointless.

You gotta remember, they gave up everything for the cause of following this teacher named Jesus,

it was not just their friend that was nailed to the cross,

their hopes and dreams, their future. It was a lost cause.

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Practical Application

Our world has left a lot of people feeling that way in our current condition.

The economy isn’t trustworthy

Relationships are at an all time high level of undependable.

The things we had put our hope in tend to let us down.

maybe it was a relationship,

a job,

a career,

a friend,

this results in us finding ourself in despair.

Despair- a total loss of hope.

I want to show you how this was the experience of the followers of Jesus the weekend he died.

They thought it was all over.

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An Empty Tomb wasn’t encouraging at first

We tend to think their discouragement subsided when they got to the tomb…

but this didn’t subside their hopelessness…this simply caused confusion

Sometimes when God enacts His purpose in the midst of our problem it seemingly complicates things.

The scriptures tell us:

Mark 16:1–4 NKJV

Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large.

This would have been a shock. The book of Luke he writes that they go into the tomb and its empty.

Not one of them thought, wow. The resurrection happened.

This is common info for us, 2000 years later but not for them, they thought the body was stolen.

The resurrection wasn’t the first go to in their thought process.

They ran back to the disciples and told them:

John 20:2 NKJV

Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”

It’s easier to believe in the corruption of man than it is the goodness of God.

They were quicker to believe someone stole Jesus body than that He had risen from the grave as He told them He would.

So they go tell the disciples that there has been a theft at the tomb.

And the disciples response to these women:

Luke 24:11 NKJV

And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.

Of course they didn’t believe them, it was unreal to them.

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I can’t believe it

You could share their doubt.

a person resurrecting from the dead, that seemes somewhat like nonsense.

most people, and even most historians and scientist can get to the fact that Jesus was a historical person.

That is pretty much viewed as a common fact today,

even that he was a great teacher,

But the fact that he could make a comeback and be raised from the dead?

This is where there are people who take exception

If you are one of those people…I have resources and we can have that discussion…

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Matrix Jesus

Later that night an event happened that would change everything, the disciples were locked in a room, in fear and discouragement and during that moment:

Luke 24:36–37 NKJV

Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit.

Now he better say peace be with you, because if a guy that I saw die a few days before comes back to life and just walks in my locked room, I'm gonna need a little peace at that moment.

Luke 24:38–39 NKJV

And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”

He was no longer dead.

A miracle had occurred,

A miracle that would change everything,

it would start a movement of followers that would literally lead us to gathering today.

Jesus went on to explain what happen:

Luke 24:46–48 (NKJV)

Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,

and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

And you are witnesses of these things.

These men and women, would go on to give their lives, be crucified themselves,

not because of their belief in the parables,

not because of their love of the scriptures,

but simply because they believed in the resurrection of Jesus. He was not dead. He was risen.

The resurrection is a historical fact...

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The resurrection Changes Everything

I believe most of us in here today believe in the resurrection of Christ even if we don’t let it’s reality effect our lives.

My goal is not to convince you of the resurrection but bring to your attention how it effects each of us.

The resurrection changes everything.

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Why does the resurrection matter? - Points Begin

Why does it matter that Jesus rose from the dead?

I want to give you 4 reasons, because this comeback story is the most important event that has happened, but it is also the most important event that can impact your life.

1. The resurrection of Jesus verified the life and teachings of Jesus.

Jesus wasn’t the first rabbi, teacher, who went around telling people he was the messiah.

You can still find people who think they are the messiah.

You read roman history, every few years there was another guy or girl who would claim to be god in the flesh, the messiah to save the Jewish people.

Jesus wasn’t the only person to teach some great teachings.

There have been great teachers and thinkers for thousands of years.

Ghandi had some great teachings

Mr Rogers

While his teachings were revolutionary, they would have died with him if he would have stayed dead.

Everything got verified when he was raised from the dead,

___________ Jesus called His shot

Jesus himself said:

Mark 8:31 NKJV

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

People ask me how do I believe some of the stories in the bible,

How can I believe the teachings of Jesus?

I believe them because Jesus believed them.

And if you can predict your own death and resurrection, im going to go along with what you say.

How did Jesus do this? Because he wasn’t just a good teacher, he was God in the flesh. Nothing took him by surprise.

This is good news for us. That means since nothing in his life took him by surprise, nothing in your life takes him by surprise.

He knows the end from the beginning.

He isnt just a god that resurrected,

as the scriptures say it”

John 11:25 NKJV

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

Our hope is in the fact that Jesus is who he said he is.

That is why I believe with all my heart:

Jesus is not a dead teacher to be admired. He is a risen savior to be followed.

And he is worth giving your whole life to.

2nd reason the resurrection changes everything:

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2. The resurrection of Jesus started and now sustains the church.

Now this is important, because I’m a firm believer that if the resurrection didn’t happen, this whole church thing is totally pointless,

but if it did happen, it is the most important thing we do.

1 Corinthians 15:14 NKJV

And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.

When you look at the founders of the church,

they were all eye witnesses to the fact that Jesus rose from the dead.

The church didn’t create the resurrection, the resurrection created the church.

Just take one of the guys for instance. The Apostle James. Who was a major church leader. He was actually Jesus’ brother.

James, the brother of Jesus, writes a letter to the churches and look how he describes himself:

James 1:1 NKJV

James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings.

You can fool a bunch of people,

but its going to take a lot for you to fool your own brother.

The church started because of the resurrection, And the church is sustained by the resurrection.

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Too persistent to be false

We know this when you look at church history,

through every war,

plague,

dictator,

The church has not only survived but grown and expanded...

the church has grown. And at Awaken we know this looking back at our short 2 year history.

We started in an elementary school Caffetorium

murals of wizards on the wall

keys stopped working

air conditioner wouldn’t keep up

We have gotten knocked down, but we have kept going. Why?

Because this isnt a social club to just make friends, we are a group that has rallied around a single event that is bigger than any obstacle that we have faced.

Because the event that started us is bigger than any event that is against us.

The foundation of our faith is not a teaching or a book. It’s the event of the resurrection.

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The Resurrection is the primary element of unity

We are compelled by the fact our God died and rose from the dead, and is now victorious. We gather because we believe this ONE thing. We can be divided over a lot,

Dogs Vs Cats

Dunkin Vs Starbucks

Chick Fil A Vs Popeyes

But we can rally around the fact that Jesus rose from the dead,

Transition to point three

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3. The resurrection of Jesus gives us hope that things can change.

For some of us, this is the comeback we need.

Because we have tried, and the change we wanted to see, didn’t happen.

We wanted to lose the 19 pounds and you gained and now, at the end of March, you are only 25 pounds away from that goal.

You thought the marriage would get better, but as the years go on, it has only gotten worse.

You were sure you would have beaten that addiction, but you cant seem to get breakthrough.

One step forward, two steps back.

This is the disappointment that the friends of Jesus were experiencing on the days following his death.

They finally thought that they were winning.

They had followed this man they believed was the messiah and finally things were different.

Until it went back to the same old way.

Their messiah was dead, and they had been duped. Or atleast they thought that.

But here is the good news about the resurrection.

the resurrection shows us that things can change.

What was impossible to change with man, God made possible.

We cant do it on our own, but we realize that what jesus did was show us that things can actually change. That is why we believe:

Easter isn’t simply about celebrating a resurrection. It’s about experiencing the resurrection in your life.

(Band is on stage)

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The resurrection makes change possible for you. The God who overcame the impossible can do the same in your life.

Lastly. The resurrection changes everything because:

4. The resurrection of Jesus reminds us death is not the end.

Jesus would spend the next 10 days with his disciples before he ascended up into heaven. Scriptures tell us that over 500 witnesses experienced Jesus after his death on a cross.

One of those witnesses was a guy named Peter:

1 Peter 1:3 NKJV

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

The resurrection reminds us that death is not the end. After 10 days Jesus ascended up into heaven and awaits for us, prays for us,

And let me remind you: One day, we will all stand before God. And we will have an inheritance because of how we lived for Jesus, or we will be turned away, because of how we rejected Jesus.

Our earthly decision ultimately determines our eternal destiny.

Heaven and Hell are realities, but the good news is that we can have new life, not just here, but for eternity.

We have this SHORT amount of time, to make a decision for this LONG time called eternity.