Resurrection Sunday 2024
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
Good morning and thank you for joining us. This morning is going to be a slightly different service then what you might expect to hear on a Resurrection Sunday. Today is a day of great celebration for the Christian, because today is the day, that we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead globally.
For the Christian, Jesus Christ is the most important Person. For the true Christian we believe that without Jesus there is no salvation, without salvation there is no forgiveness of sins, without forgiveness all that awaits a person is eternal judgement. The Bible explains though:
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: 9 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, 10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. 11 This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ 12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
This is truly a wonderful and glorious morning, and I do not know where you stand when it comes to Jesus Christ.
There are far too many Christians and non-Christians nowadays that believe that Jesus was simply a great moral teacher. Because He taught the poor, rich, outcast, sinners, and the religious; how to follow God, how to love others, and also the “the Golden Rule:”
12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Our message this morning and what we stand for as a Church, is that Jesus truly is so much greater than some spiritual guru. That He is God Almighty
I think one of th
My favorite philosophers, C.S. Lewis, said it best:
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronising nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to…Now it seems to me obvious that He was neither a lunatic nor a fiend: and consequently, however strange or terrifying or unlikely it may seem, I have to accept the view that He was and is God.”– C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity
Another lie that is believed and you will hear brought up every now and then, is that Jesus never claims to be God. Well that isn’t true. He does. And our last point of todays service I hope will make that evident.
But this morning don’t take mine or Lewis’ word for it. Let us examine some of Jesus’ most radical statements together.
If you have your Bible this morning please turn to John 6. If you need a Bible or if you do not own a Bible raise your hand and one of our ushers would love to get one to you. If you don’t have a Bible please keep it.
[Pray]
The Seven “I Am” Statements of Jesus:
The Seven “I Am” Statements of Jesus:
The Gospel of John is rather a profound Gospel. Where Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s gospel are conveying the life and ministry Jesus; John’s Gospel takes a slightly different perspective.
30 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
This Gospel’s goal is to have you see the work and ministry of Jesus Christ and come to the saving knowledge of Him. Believing that He died on the cross for your sins, and didn’t stay dead, but resurrected three days later.
My goal this morning is to show you Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. That He is truly the solution to your problems, that He is the answer to your aliments, and the only One that can satiate your souls. Let’s begin with the first statement I Am statement of Jesus.
The Bread of Life:
The Bread of Life:
35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
Probably for many of us this is a rather bizarre statement. One I’m sure the people of Jesus’ time did not clearly grasp.
We do though, need to understand that bread was a necessary part for sustaining life during this period of time.
At the beginning of this chapter Jesus had miraculously feeds 5,000 people; because of this the people want to forcibly make Him their king. Jesus departing from them, sends his disciples to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.
The following day the crowds that experienced the miracle were looking for Jesus and they found Him on the other side of the sea of Galilee with His disciples. Something we should note is that Jesus doesn’t give typical answers to the questions posed to Him, but gets to the real issues of issues afflicting people. Once finding Jesus they asked Him, “how did He get there?”
26 Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”
2 important points Jesus makes through this statement in verse 33 are:
Bread gives life by:
nourishing and sustaining
satisfying
energizing
creating the desire and need for more
being partaken on a regular basis
Jesus reveals through this statement is that He gives life to those who come to Him and believe, providing the same five life giving traits:
4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
The Bread of God came from heaven to give life to the whole world. The crowds thought of only their nation only of themselves. But Jesus came to give life to the whole world.
1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
Jesus came to sacrifice Himself, to feed and save a starved world.
4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,
The Light of the world:
The Light of the world:
12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
Jesus claiming the Light of the World comes right before He heals a man that was born blind. Jesus not only says He is the light; He proves it. Jesus’ words and actions here echo Genesis 1:3
3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
In the Gospel of John “light” is used 21 times in reference to Jesus Christ. What is meant by calling Jesus the Light?
5 reasons:
Jesus, the Light, is light by nature. Light is what He is within Himself, within His being, His nature, His essence, His character:
That God is Light: 1 John 1:5.
That Jesus is the image of the invisible God: Col 1:15.
Therefore, Jesus is Light. He is the Light of the world.
Jesus, the Light, tells us that He is holy, righteous, and pure. The shining example of purity and holiness. Light is the absence of darkness and blindness; it has no place for darkness or sin and shame.
Jesus, the Light, reveals. His light shows clearly the meaning and destiny of all things. His light shines in, spots, identifies, illuminates, and shows thins as they really are. Meaning Jesus shows the truth about the world and man and God.
Jesus, the Light, guides. His light allows a man or woman to walk out of darkness. No longer grasping, struggling, or stumbling about in the darkness of life. The path of life can be clearly seen through Jesus.
Jesus, the Light, destroys darkness and chaos. His light routs, wipes out, strips away, and destroys darkness.
The Door:
The Door:
The next two statements Jesus gives, comes one right after the other. The first one is:
9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
This statement stresses that no one can enter the kingdom of heaven by any other means than Jesus. There is no amount of self, that will ever get you to heaven, Jesus’ word in this passage are couched in the imagery of a sheepfold. He is the one and only way to enter the fold.
1 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
You might be tempted to say, “But that isn’t fair?” And you would be absolutely right! With Jesus is never less than fair, but more often it is more.
Please understand Jesus is the way:
into God’s presence
into God’s acceptance
into salvation
into the true church
into heaven
into the Kingdom of God
If you wish to enter where God is, you must enter through the Door of Christ.
18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
The Good Shepherd… Who Gives His life for the Sheep:
The Good Shepherd… Who Gives His life for the Sheep:
Jesus continues with:
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
God foretold that He would send a Shepherd to save and to take care of His people:
10 Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand,
And His arm shall rule for Him;
Behold, His reward is with Him,
And His work before Him.
11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom,
And gently lead those who are with young.
22 therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. 23 I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd.
There are two reasons why Jesus is called the Good Shepherd:
He is called Good because He gave and sacrificed His life for the sheep. This portrays Jesus’ great love and care. He is the One who willingly protects His flock even to the point of death. It is a complete lie to think that everyone is apart of the flock of God, or God’s children, you must be born again to be apart of the family of God.
He is the Good Shepherd because He is not a hired or employed shepherd. He was born to be the Shepherd with all the Shepherd’s rights. The sheep are His and He is the sheep’s.
The Resurrection and the Life:
The Resurrection and the Life:
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
Jesus makes this statement immediately before raising Lazarus, a near and dear friend, from the dead. Again, we see that Jesus’ teaching was not just empty talk; when He made a claim, He substantiated it with action!
Revelation 1:18 states:
18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.
And in raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus showed how He can fulfill God’s promise to ancient Israel: Apart from Jesus, there is neither resurrection nor life.
19 Your dead shall live;
Together with my dead body they shall arise.
Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust;
For your dew is like the dew of herbs,
And the earth shall cast out the dead.
This is truly a phenomenal claim. It means that man—in fact all of life—exists only by the will and power of Jesus. Jesus is claiming to be the Source of all life. The believer is fully alive after death, living in heaven. Hallelujah! is the only word that can express the hope and joy that fills the soul of the true believer!
10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
The Way, the Truth, and the Life:
The Way, the Truth, and the Life:
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
This one is packed full of meaning. Jesus is not merely one way among many ways to God; He is the only way. Scripture said that:
160 The entirety of Your word is truth,
And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.
And here is Jesus proclaiming that He is the truth—confirming His identity as the Word of God:
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 beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
And Jesus alone is the source of life. He is the Creator and Sustainer of all life and the Giver of eternal life.
The True Vine:
The True Vine:
1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
The final “I Am” statement emphasizes the sustaining power of Christ. We are the branches, and He is the vine. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit unless it is joined in vital union with the vine, only those who are joined to Christ and receive their power from Him produce fruit in the Christian life.
4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
Gives our lives to Christ and abiding in the Vine, gives our lives true meaning!
Abiding in the vine gives us the capability to overcome sin.
Jesus is the great “I AM”
Jesus is the great “I AM”
I want to look at one more “I Am” statement:
In the OT, God revealed His name to Moses:
14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
This statement in Judaism is unquestionably understood as a name for God. So look at this with me:
58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
Jesus right here is claiming to be God!
Now we come full circle this morning: Who is this Jesus to you?
Liar?
Lunatic?
Lord?
The Gospel:
The Gospel:
Accountable to God:
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
You know full well that all of this, this world, all the people who had ever lived, your soul… is not an accident. But you were created by a glorious, beautiful, wonderful Creator.
Sinned against God:
It is a no brainer that we have sinned against this holy and righteous God!
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Jesus Christ died:
The way of escape is through Jesus as we have just seen!
6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
You cannot comprehend the love that God has for you!
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
How will you respond to Him and His message:
Will quite literally mean everything for you!
I pray that I conveyed that
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
[Altar Call]
Benediction:
Benediction:
33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has become His counselor?”
35 “Or who has first given to Him
And it shall be repaid to him?”
36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.