The Brightest Light
Notes
Transcript
Brightest flashlight - illumination
READ Matthew 17: 1-9, the brightness of Jesus’s glory, the Light of the cloud of Yahweh, foretelling the resurrection
Light and Yahweh
Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
God’s glory - light for the universe
God Himself is Light, Yahweh is Light, Jesus is Light
And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
God’s glory - light for eternity
God Himself is Light, Yahweh is Light, Jesus is Light
Light and the Resurrection
READ Resurrection Account - Matt 28:1-6 passage
We left Good Friday, with sin defeated. Today, we celebrate the defeat of death!
1) The Power of Light
1) The Power of Light
Light -
A literal source of energy
Light has the power to give life, to save life
Perhaps the most impactful physical influence in daily life
The sun - created by Yahweh on day 4, to light our world
For our benefit - for the benefit of physical life
The power of light - eliminates darkness - they cannot coexist
Spiritually speaking - Messiah was prophesied to be the LIGHT
The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them.
Simeon repeated this when He saw Jesus in Mary’s arms
Spiritually speaking - the Light that is Yahweh, Jesus, has the power to eliminate darkness, spiritual darkness
Thus, the purpose of Light
2) The Purpose of Light
2) The Purpose of Light
Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
Light’s purpose
Provide visibility - to be able to SEE
Try having someone move your furniture, then making it pitch black, and you run through the house…
Light is also necessary for life, to literally help people grow, thrive
(One plague of Egypt was darkness…)
Cognitive and health issues in areas with little light
Light in the workplace is important (fatigue, headaches, cognitive function)
SPIRITUALLY
Jesus - the Light
Jesus told us that evil hates the Light, because Light exposes the evil
The lost love the darkness, evil loves the darkness
The darkest place on earth perhaps, combining physical and spiritual darkness:
THE CROSS
Darkness from noon till 3:00
The cross - the epitome of evil, suffering, death
For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Evil, the world, believes it foolish for us to cherish this cross
True, the message of the cross is useless to those who ignore and reject it
Death loves the cross, it’s where Yahweh’s plan came to an end, or so the Satan thought
The Light coming from the tomb - BRILLIANCE!
This light showed the tomb empty!
This light, shining on the cross, the EMPTY cross, actually used by the Satan to his own demise!
Sin? - Defeated
Death? - CRUSHED!
The cross - empty, having served its purpose
The tomb - empty, having served its purpose
THE CROSS - The Wonderful Cross
Despised by the world then - a picture of shame
Despised by the world now - b/c the world knows that the cross did NOT defeat Jesus
Believers - despised by the world now - because the world hates Jesus, can’t defeat Jesus, and cannot defeat YOU!
(LAST POINT ON THE PURPOSE)
IF…you are in Christ, if you SAY you are in Christ…
Look at the cross, illumined by the brilliance of the empty tomb - sin was defeated there
Look at the cross, illumined by the brilliance of the empty tomb - death was defeated there (spiritual, eternal death - defeated)
And…IF…you are NOT in Christ - to this point rejecting Jesus’ offer of forgiveness
Sin is your downfall
Eternal death is your future
AND…There is hope
In the cross
There is power - In the resurrection
3) The Plan of Forgiveness
3) The Plan of Forgiveness
The RESURRECTION - This is what Scripture builds to
The central theme of the Christian faith
There is no resurrection without the cross
There is no cross without sin
Sin necessitated the cross
Sin is only alleviated by forgiveness
If there is no resurrection, there is no defeat of sin
If there is no resurrection, there is no forgiveness
BUT GOD
But…There IS the resurrection
There IS forgiveness
You can be forgiven
By trusting in the name of Jesus for your forgiveness - accepting His payment
There is no other way - no other name
“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
The cross and the resurrection, the only way to satisfy the penalty of sin
“I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”
There is no forgiveness without the cross
When you trust Jesus as your Savior - you are forgiven
And if you are forgiven, then you are forgiving!
If you trust in Jesus, and the cross, and the empty tomb, and you do not “feel” forgiven…
You misunderstand - IT IS FINISHED
Forgiveness is not a feeling, it is an action!
So be forgiven, and be forgiving
To refuse to forgive is to not understand the cross, to not understand forgiveness
It is finished!
4) Jesus WON! PERIOD!
4) Jesus WON! PERIOD!
And because of that, believers share in that victory
Because with Jesus’ Resurrection - there is the resurrection of the believer - 1 Thess 4
The central theme of the Christian faith is the Resurrection
CLOSE:
Inviting you today, to not just “believe” in Jesus - but to ask Him for forgiveness, then live forgiven
The Cross and Forgiveness
The Gospel continues beyond the cross
The Gospel continues beyond the empty tomb
The Gospel continues in you
As Jesus is Light
So, too, are we to be the reflection of that Light
When people experience the Light of Jesus in us, they will bow, to Him
The Gospel continues beyond you - eternally
And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
(READ through verse 27 in Rev. 21)
“Lift up your eyes to the sky, Then look to the earth beneath; For the sky will vanish like smoke, And the earth will wear out like a garment And its inhabitants will die in like manner; But My salvation will be forever, And My righteousness will not wane.
Because Jesus is risen, is alive, because He lives - so can you, live with Him, forever.
Inviting you today, to not just “believe” in Jesus - but to ask Him for forgiveness, then live forgiven
That choice, is yours.
