Easter 2017

Think of a time when you witnessed something happening.

Think of a time when you witnessed something happening.

Do you remember something traumatic happening to you or in front of you?

Do you remember the details of this?

What was it?

I remember 9/11 vividly.

Some of you were not born yet, right?

The news hit my HS in 9th grade as I was walking to physical science class. I remember seeing students running to classes on a breeze way

Came into class; tv on; teacher told us to quiet and listen

Legit things that you witness you do not often forget

as time goes on the details might be fuzzy

and you will find out if you spend time there, talking about it with others who have seen it

Your memory is sharpened and you remember things vividly that you saw and that fuzz becomes clear

Faith in Christ Jesus, Lord and Savior is based on the testimony of eye witnesses

We do not have a autobiogragphy or a video on youtube or a facebook feed or instagram pictures to learn about Jesus

We have the eye witness accounts of several fellas

Mostly what the Gospels and NT are is accounts of eye witnesses

As we look forward to this weekend and the Easter Sunday Celebration

we can see this as a special religeous day or like just another Easter Sunday that will come same time next year

The biggness of this day can be lost on us if we do not see and understand what happened

Resurrection Day is a monumentous day for us as Christians

It is a Sunday like the rest but what we celebrate specially for this day is like no other!

This is the day we remember what Jesus did. One Day. At One Time

Hebrews 10:14

Hebrews 10:14 ESV

For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

He is done! What He accomplished on the Cross is suffiecient 2000 years later!

Let’s see two things tonight about Easter Sunday from

The lives of eye-witnesses are foundational to our faith in Jesus

The NT is a collection of what some men saw and witnessed in their lives

These eye-witness accounts are foundational to us

Notice Paul’s words in

1 Corinthians 15:1–9 ESV

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

Paul is reminding the Corinthians that the gospel came to them through their preaching of what they had seen and known

He then talks about details of what they had seen

Christ died for sins

Buried

raised to life

Appeared to Peter, 12 disciples, then 500 (skeptics of the resurrection try to say these folks just hollucinated this)

Jesus appeared to how many people? 500

500 people do not hollucinate the same thing, impossible! Science

Then Paul says Jesus appeared to James and then to himself

The gospel we read of and believe is built upon what these guys saw with their own eyes

Just like 9/11 I will not forget it and these guys were touched by Jesus so that their lives were forever changed

Do you believe what we have recorded for us here?

Almost all of these guys went to their death proclaiming Jesus!

Not only death but terrible suffering before death

dieing for something is just too far out of our understandings to identify with

But pain is not hard for us… how many do not like needles? Ya need it but why want to not do it?

Would you suffer and hurt for something you do not believe in?

Something that you believe is not true why do it? Nope

Cancer treatment; anyone know what its like? Terrible stuff

But the people who have seen and witnessed testify

We can see and it works so we hope for the best

Do you hope in what these men staked their lives on?

Do you believe Jesus is alive and Lord of all? That He has perfected those being sanctified once for all?

Is He changing you? Are you being conformed

Push in to His presence; repent of sin and look to Him NOW

The Resurrection is Essential to our Faith In Jesus

If there was no resurrection then there is no hope for us!

The resurrection is the proof that Jesus is Lord over sin and death

It also proves that His sacrifice was accepted by God on our behalf

Think about it… if Jesus did not come back to life but just disappeared

One that would have broken the promise of Scripture

Two that would leave people no assurance over death

Three that would leave a question of God’s power/authority over our sin

The resurrection is essential to our salvation in Jesus. see

1 Corinthians 15:42–44 ESV

So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

There is a death appointed for all to die

We all will die…none of us are invincible and we will not be taken up like Enoch

We will all die!

If in Christ death is not the end for us

Instead the earth body will die and the body that is bought by the Spirit will be raised to live eternally

let’s continue and see what else Paul has to say

1 Corinthians 15:

1 Corinthians 15:50-57

1 Corinthians 15:50–57 ESV

I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 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.

He is victorious!!!!

He Is LORD over sin and death

And He shares that victory with those saved by His grace!

So that when He returns He will bring life to those who are asleep and those who remain in their flesh

a few things to pick up here

V50 our flesh will not inheret the things of the Lord

Only if we have been saved and brought to life in the HS

If we are dead in our spirit then we will not be resurrected

Are you in the Spirit?

V52 in the twinkling of an eye the dead in Christ will be changed

The change is to imperishableness

My finger… it hurts

Now you feel invincible but your body will become your enemy

Maybe you have a chronic illness

What awaits is a body that will never fail but is full of God!

One day those in Him will be like Him!!!!

What a promise

Lastly, He has victory over sin and shares that will His children

Are you bound by sin or free?

If you are in Christ you are free by His blood

So don’t believe the lie that you are helpless

He is all in all; be full of Him

Preach to yourself

Are you captive by your sin… He can free you just as He was brought back to life unbound by sin and death!!!

His blood has done it! Take a look at Hebrews...

Hebrews 9:11-12

Hebrews 9:11–12 ESV

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

Christ appeared to secure redemption

He came and gave Himself on the Cross to pay for sins

Hebrews 9:11

He did not present another sacrifice like those given previously

He brought His own blood and laid it down for sinful people

Not so that they would be covered this much (motion with my hands)

But that those who would entrust themselves to Jesus would be saved for eternity

Hebrews 9:26-28

Hebrews 9:26–28 ESV

for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Christ was resurrected and HIs promises the same for those in Him

Hebrews 9:

When He returns He will not bring judgement for His people

But He will return to save “those who are eagerly waiting for him.”

Does your life of faith look like that?

Does God see your faith in Him as eagerly waiting on Him?

Or are you eagerly waiting on summer?

Are you eagerly waiting on a girlfriend/boyfriend?

Are you eagerly waiting on something other than Jesus?

If so this is not faith in Jesus…Repent and seek Him

Resurrection

This is the reality of Already, not yet

Strive forward in His grace!!!!