Firstfruits: The Resurrection as the New Creation Lens
New Creation: Learning to See Everything Through a New Lens • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 6 views(Main point: The resurrection of Jesus is the beginning of new creation.) The overall story of Scripture is that a new heavens and new earth is coming. God will raise the dead and bring about the renewal of all things. Many of the first-century Jews believed this promise and were waiting for this day. However, what they didn’t seem to expect is for the new creation to break out right in the middle of the present creation. That’s what happened on the Sunday morning when Jesus rose, the new creation began. Now that the new creation has arrived, it changes everything for those who believe it
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
Do you remember a few weeks ago, maybe the middle of January???
- the grass was dry and brown
- no leaves are on the trees
- no flowers
- it was cold and uncomfortable
Imagine taking a walk back in January
- Suddenly you see a tree that is taller than all the others
- It is FULL of life
- Colorful and beautiful
- Beautiful green leaves
- Blossoms
- Ripe fruit, ready to eat
You check around you, wondering if you were just transported somewhere else
- NO, all around you, it is still winter
- Trees / Grass / Shrubs / Flowers - Still dead
- It is just this one tree
That is what the resurrection of Jesus is like and what I want us to explore this morning…
How is the resurrection like the spring of New Creation breaking into the dead of winter, and what difference does that make in our lives?
How is the resurrection like the spring of New Creation breaking into the dead of winter, and what difference does that make in our lives?
We’re all in the middle of winter right now
struggling in your marriage
you’re not married and you want to be
you’re scared
you’re anxious
you (or someone you love) is dealing with health issues that are FRUSTRATING or FATAL
you’re grieving
So we need to understand how the RESURRECTION of Jesus changes everything
This is what we will be talking about this morning and for the next two weeks
Biblical Text:
Biblical Text:
The first thing you need to understand is that…
The prophets of Israel did not promise, Someday you’ll go to heaven…
The prophets of Israel did not promise, Someday you’ll go to heaven…
That’s not what the Bible says
That’s not a biblical promise
However, they did promise…
…they promised, the Day is coming when God will destroy death and make the world new again.
…they promised, the Day is coming when God will destroy death and make the world new again.
They were very clear IT IS STILL WINTER!!!
More death and destruction were coming
They were going to suffer
However, Spring is coming…
The texts in Isaiah that deal with the coming Messiah, say things like…
6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
That would be a new creation, wouldn’t it?
A new world / An unrecognizable world
A world in which everything is in harmony
Like the Garden of Eden
Like it was in the beginning
8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. 9 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
No hurting, no destroying
The world will be FULL of the knowledge of YHWH
Chapter 25
6 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. 7 And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. 8 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
Swallow up death forever
Wipe away tears from all faces
Take away reproach
Chapter 61
1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;
The LORD has ANOINTED me
The Hebrew word is where we get MESSSIAH
Good News
Year of the Lord’s favor - A perfect Jubilee
Bind up the brokenhearted
Proclaim liberty to the captives
Opening of the prison
Day of vengeance - when God punishes those who’ve perpetrated injustice
Comfort all who mourn
3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
Oaks of righteousness
God’s people will be like a Garden
4 They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. 5 Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks; foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers; 6 but you shall be called the priests of the Lord; they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God; you shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory you shall boast.
7 Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy.
This wasn’t fulfilled when Israel came back from Babylon
It wasn’t fulfilled when Israel drove out the Greeks
Jesus says this is HIS work
8 For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. 9 Their offspring shall be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are an offspring the Lord has blessed.
This is God speaking
God loves justice
he hates robbery
he hates wrongdoing
he will set everything right
Back to the words of the anointed one, who is proclaiming Good News to the poor
10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Listen to this last verse of the chapter in a different translation…
11 The Sovereign Lord will show his justice to the nations of the world. Everyone will praise him! His righteousness will be like a garden in early spring, with plants springing up everywhere.
God’s righteousness will be like a garden in early spring
Plants springing up everywhere
What is Isaiah’s promise about the future?
Isaiah is clear, God’s Anointed One (Messiah) will bring this spring of new creation.
Isaiah is clear, God’s Anointed One (Messiah) will bring this spring of new creation.
But HOW would the Messiah bring new creation?
Through his own suffering and death…
Here is what Jesus said…
23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
In order for the new creation to spring forth
the Messiah has to become like a seed
he has to die and be planted in the ground
Do you know what the fruit is?
YOU
You are the fruit
And Paul said…
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
The word, “firstfruits” means the first of the harvest
The resurrection of Jesus is the first of MANY to come
Those who “belong to Christ” will be made alive just as he was made alive
Our tombs will be empty just as he is
We will be raised to never die again
We will be raised to inherit a whole world of springtime and life
24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
These might be some of my favorite words in the New Testament
The last enemy to be destroyed is death
The death of death is coming
God will swallow up death forever
Winter still exists
death still exists
you don’t need someone to tell you that
you know it, you’ve experienced it
But Jesus is going to destroy death
How do you know
Because he has already begun
Application:
Application:
How does this change our lives?
Is it just about making us feel better about life after death
No, it is sooo much more than that!
Romans 6 - Those who’ve been baptized have been planted/buried with Jesus and have already started to live new creation lives.
It’s still winter in the world, but those who’ve been buried with Jesus in baptism have stepped into the spring of New Creation.
It’s still winter in the world, but those who’ve been buried with Jesus in baptism have stepped into the spring of New Creation.
This is what we’re going to spend the next couple of weeks talking about
And I hope you will join us
Because this needs to be the lens through which we see EVERYTHING
But until then…
Many of you are struggling because it is still winter in the world
You’re tired, you’re hurting, you’re anxious, you’re afraid
And that’s the pain of living in the world as it is
I could tell you Spring is coming
And that’s true
It’s full of hope
But what good is it RIGHT NOW?
In Jesus, the Spring is already here
Invitation:
Invitation:
Maybe someone needs to step into the new creation by being buried with Jesus in baptism this morning
Maybe some of us have been buried with Jesus, but have forgotten that
we are new creation
we are the fruit of his burial and resurrection
the Spring is already blooming inside of us through the work of the Holy Spirit
Maybe we just need some prayers and encouragement this morning
