Into your hands
The way of the cross • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 6 viewsNotes
Transcript
The way of the cross
The way of the cross
Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.”
For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!”
Title: The way of the cross pt6
Text: Luke 23:44-47; Matthew 28:1-7
D.T Give your lives to Christ today, so you may experience resurrection tomorrow.
Introduction: Where O death is thy victory? Where O death is thy sting? The empty tomb of Jesus proved these words to fruition; they proved them as truth. Right now there are thousands upon thousands of churches across the world celebrating the wonderful news of Christ’s resurrection. This celebration has been done for Easter Sunday for over 2000 years. Peasants, Presidents and everything in between have celebrated this joyous occasion. The driving force of this celebration is not only the resurrection of Christ; but the hope we can join him in his resurrection
If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
The key to joining Christ in his resurrection is found in the words of Christ himself. Words spoken from Christ upon the cross.
“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” It’s not just Jesus saying, “I’m ready to die now.” It’s Jesus encapsulating His entire life — as I have served you with purpose and focus and intention my whole life, I’m doing that again here at the very end.
If we want to join Christ in resurrection, and experience resurrection ourselves. It seems logical we also take Christ's words to heart. We too should commit our spirits to God with the same focus and intentionality.
One of the 7 habits of highly effective people is to live with the end in mind. This is to say we have an idea of how we desire to be shaped. This is what it means to commit our spirits into God's hands.
How do we commit our spirits into God’s hands? If we aren’t, we are simply wandering around, trying to just make it through today. What’s the solution to this apathy? Solomon says at the end of Ecclesiastes, the other thing that really has meaning is to “fear God and keep His commandments.”
In other words, make a commitment — commit your life to God’s hands.
Humanity has been searching for “signs of God” as to how we commit our spirits into God’s hands.
More often than not, people are searching for a burning bush moment, or something like Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus.
Most of us won’t get this type of experience. Instead we look to the written word, specifically those of Christ.
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
In light of Christ's words in John 14:6, we are left to conclude that in order to commit our spirits to God, we commit our lives to Christ.
Give your lives to Christ today, so you may experience resurrection tomorrow.
