Jesus is the Reviver

We are continuing on with our sermon series called “Jesus is…”. In case you have not been with us throughout the series we have been focusing on ways Jesus is defined in some of the New Testament letters. It has allowed us to discover some of the various ways that Jesus loves us and also how he has taught us how to live. Jesus is always at work in our lives.

Easter is the culmination of all that we have done. It is because of Easter that we are able to believe in all that Jesus has done for us. This is because it is through Jesus raising from the dead that the disciples were able to believe that Jesus was the one that the Jewish people had been waiting for to save them. This week we are looking at how “Jesus is the Reviver” Our scripture comes from Romans 6:3-11.

“Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

Please pray with me…

CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation is now considered a part of our everyday life. It is a life- saving technique that many people have been taught and is now required for many professions. I bring this up because it was Jesus that offered us CPR when he died on the cross.

It was not until the event that we celebrate today, his resurrection, until humanity began to believe that Christ’s Power Revives. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior we are able to be brought back to life. We are no longer dying due to sin because we have received eternal life.

Humanity had been seeking God’s saving grace for many years. When we look back at the Old Testament, we can find many scriptures asking for God to intervene in order to save them from the dire straits that they were in.

When we examine our first scripture reading for today and we can receive a sense on what they were feeling. When we focus on Psalm 80:14-19 we can hear them crying out.

“14 Return to us, God Almighty! Look down from heaven and see! Watch over this vine, 15the root your right hand has planted, the son you have raised up for yourself. Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire; at your rebuke your people perish. 17 Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand, the son of man you have raised up for yourself. 18 Then we will not turn away from you; revive us, and we will call on your name. 19 Restore us, Lord God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.”

They are looking for someone to save them. They recognized that things were bad. They were feeling hopeless. They had no hope because they were in a hopeless situation. They could not be revived because they needed someone to remove sin. They needed someone to be their representative. They didn’t know it yet, but they needed Jesus.

They were looking for a Savior. They knew of God’s promise. But they were unable to completely understand why this person was needed because they still did not understand the type of Savior that Jesus would be.

They were expecting a conquering Messiah who would come and defeat those that were against them. Instead, they received a shepherd Messiah who would rally everyone together and, in the end, die on a cross to allow all of humanity to be saved.

They didn’t understand that the Messiah was not just coming for God’s original chosen people. God had chosen all people to become his chosen people. Jesus pointed out to those that were willing to follow him what they and us really need saved from.

It is not a human foe that we face, it is an evil foe. When Jesus died on the cross, he allowed for us to be able to overcome evil. He allowed us to overcome our sin and be able to live in a relationship with our God. Jesus died so that we could be revived. He saved us from sin and death.

It all goes back to the cross. A man dying in an inhumane way so that we could be able to return into a right relationship with God. To do that we had to have a perfect human die. We had to have someone that was holier than all the rest of us.

We had to have the son of God. The one and only person who could come down in human form and change the relationship that we were able to have with his father. The power of sin died with Jesus for those that were willing to believe in Jesus.

It is not that we no longer sin but the power that sin had over us is now able to be taken away. We are now able to communicate with God and request that our sins be forgiven. We are now if we are willing to have a relationship with God and believe that his son is our Lord and Savior. The power of sin no longer has control over us.

God has given this possibility to everyone. It is not just available to those who have already given their life to him. If you are watching through our Kirkersville Online Experience or here in the sanctuary. Jesus died for you.

He is now trying to help you believe. He is attempting to lead you into the understanding that you need him and that he has earned your love and acceptance. You get to decide what kind of relationship you have with God. He wants to revive you. He wants you to choose life.

Many people in the world today are struggling with hopelessness and loneliness. We wonder where we have gone wrong. Doubts arise on how you can change from someone going through the motions into someone living a life with purpose.

Hopelessness can die through being willing to follow Jesus. Why did the disciples respond as they did after Jesus arose from the dead? They had found hope. They no longer felt like they were living their lives for no reason.

They believed that the one that they had been waiting for had arrived and was going to allow for them to reside with God. They were able to believe that Jesus really had ended the division between humanity and heaven. They could be saved from sin and death.

This did not mean that they were not concerned when Jesus went up to heaven and left them on earth without their constant source of knowledge. They began to doubt if they were going to be able to follow through with what God had called them to do just before he left.

His last words to them were for them to be “witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” This of course was no small task. How would they be able to accomplish such a lofty calling as to be a witness to the Messiah to the ends of the earth?

We are called to do the same. We are asked by God to spread his message. We are to go out into our communities and let those around us know about the one who saved us and who also desires to revive them.

We do this through both words and actions. We focus on the needs of those around us instead of choosing to focus on ourselves. When we become followers of Jesus our life should revolve around pleasing God and serving those around us.

Our loneliness died with Jesus. The disciples were promised that a gift would be coming from God. That gift was the Holy Spirit. It was when they received the Holy Spirit that they were able to see what the future could hold. The Holy Spirit ended their loneliness because the Holy Spirit was God residing in them. God would be with them always.

The Holy Spirit is able to offer us insights into God. It is through the Holy Spirit that we are able to discover what God wants. It is through the Holy Spirit that we discover that what we think is for the best might actually be worse than what God has planned for us.

That is why the Holy Spirit also offers us guidance. The Spirit does not only tell us what we are to do, it lets us know the best way to do it. It makes sure that we take the right path in order to be prepared for what God has planned for us. Did you notice that I did not say the easy path, I said the right path.

Some maysay that God will make your path straight and easy. Sometimes it takes struggles and difficulties to best prepare us for our future endeavors. (My childhood story)

We have God with us always. When we are willing to let go and let God be in control of our life, he will never leave us or forget about us. He desires to be in a relationship with each one of us. He does this with no expectations of what we will do for him.

He only desires that for our benefit we will allow him to lead us, because he knows what is best for us. He knows the best path for us to take. But we need to be willing to spread the word of God to those that we have been called to reach.

God has revived each one that have confessed our belief in him not only in order for us to be alive again in Christ. He also hopes that we will be willing to let others know what he has done for us.

One way that we can do that is through letting others know our Jesus story. It is to let others know how God has touched us and changed our life forever. It will often be your stories that will allow those around us to decide they want to begin a relationship with Jesus.

Christ’s Power Revives. No matter what circumstances we are in we can use the reviving power of the cross. God’s grace is always at work within our lives. It is the gift that keeps on giving. We receive it and then we get to decide if we are going to use it.

Are you using the power offered by God in order to become more alive every day? Are you attempting to become closer to God each and every day? We do this through spending time with God in scripture, prayer, and listening.

It is through these means that we are able to be in close contact with God and through which we can discover how to become closer to him. It does not matter where you are on your journey with Jesus. You can use the power given to us through the cross to become closer to him.

If you have not yet decided to have Jesus become your Lord and Savior, it is not too late. God is always trying to have you begin a relationship with him. He is constantly trying to lead you to the understanding that he offers you the best way to live.

He wants to give you the truths that will allow you to live a more fulfilling life. It is only through a relationship with Jesus that you can truly live. I will end us in prayer and at the end of that prayer if you would like to begin a relationship with him today say the words after me.

Please pray with me…