JESUS ROSE

JESUS ROSE

Against All Odds, Sermon 6

Isaiah 53:10-11; Luke 24:3-5; John 20:19-21

Isaiah 53: 10-11 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul and, shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 

Luke 24:3 - 5 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: 5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? 6a. He is not here, but is risen:

John 20:19 - 21 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. 21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 

HAPPY RESSURECTION SUNDAY!

REVIEW

For the past 5 sermons we’ve been in a series called Against All Odds. The series is based on a monumental chapter in the Old Testament: Isaiah chapter 53. Isaiah is an incredible book, and chapter 53 is an incredible chapter.

The Prophet Isaiah recorded His predictions 700 years before Jesus was born. Isaiah 53 describes several actions that the Messiah would experience that were all fulfilled in Jesus during Holy Week.

He predicted that…The Messiah would be despised, betrayed and rejected. That He would be silent when facing His accusers. That He would bear our sorrows and sins. And by bearing our sins, He would heal our sickness.

And pay the price for our wrongdoings. Isaiah predicted that He would be successful (which really is an understatement, because with billions of followers today, Jesus Christ is by far the most successful person ever to live.) And that He would rise from the dead. JESUS ROSE

Today being RESSURECTION SUNDAY, we’re going to talk about the great prophecy: Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead. What are the odds that a dead person could come back from the grave? Well, it’s been done a few times. Most of them involve an Emergency Room, or an Operating Table, or being trapped under icy water and revived afterwards. It’s happened, but not often. But even those that have been revived, have died or will die again.

Jesus wasn’t revived, He was resurrected. What are the odds that someone who had been crucified and pronounced dead by a professional Roman executioner, who had thrust a spear through His side,

watched blood and water gush through the open wound, His body pried from the nails that held it to the cross, wrapped in cloth and spices, including His face, nose and mouth, laid behind a heavy stone, could revive Himself, move the stone, walk 14 miles that afternoon, and convince His friends that He was completely restored to health? Zero. Zero.

Jesus’ resurrection was a miracle, against all odds.

We make a big deal out of RESSURECTION SUNDAY, because RESSURECTION SUNDSY is a big deal!

Jesus came back to life, proving God is powerful. Demonstrating that Jesus was and is who He said He was.

And that there really is life after death. Isaiah 53:10, from the Living Bible, reads…

But it was the Lord’s good plan to bruise him and fill him with grief. (That’s Good Friday.)

However, when his soul has been made an offering for sin, (That happened at the crucifixion.) 

then he shall have a multitude of children, many heirs. (That’s us!)

He shall live again, (that’s the Resurrection!)

and God’s program shall prosper in his hands.

(God’s program is the church. With branches in every nation of the world today)

Verse 11 reads…11 And when he sees all that is accomplished by the anguish of his soul, he shall be satisfied; and because of what he has experienced, my righteous Servant shall make many to be counted righteous before God, for he shall bear all their sins. Isaiah 53:10-11 (TLB)

FORECAST/NEED

Let me preach to you about Resurrection Sunday. All four gospel writers record it. Let me read you Luke’s account: 1 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. 2  And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.  As Believers we gather for worship on Sunday because Sunday is the day Jesus rose! And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. 

Luke 24:4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: 5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? 

Luke 24:6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, 

Allow me now to share 7 things that the Word of God has told us.

Luke and Mark tell us that it was just before dawn, three women went to the tomb to finish dressing Jesus’ body. (John mentions 2 Mary's and a Joanna. Mark mentions the 2 Mary's and a daughter of one of the Mary’s, whose name was Salome. So, at lease 3 women witnessed the resurrection. – Which is just the opposite of what you would expect if you were fabricating an account. Because having women witnesses would do you no good in a court of law, since females in that culture couldn’t testify in a court of law.)

The second thing we know is that according to Matthew chapter 28, While on the way, there was an earthquake. There was a whole lotta shaking going on. Earthquakes aren’t common in Jerusalem.

Third thing is that Angels announced that Jesus was risen. (These angels appeared in the form of men. Matthew tells us that one of the angels appeared like lightning, and his clothes were as white as snow.)

Fourth, Lk. 24:9-10The women reported the news to the Disciples.

Fifth, Mt. 28:9-10 On the way to report, they encountered Jesus in the flesh.

Sixth, Lk. 24:11 The Disciples didn’t believe their report.

The disciples just saw Jesus die a horrible death. They watched the Roman soldier thrust a spear into his side.

And seventh, Lk. 24:12; Jn. 20:3-10 Peter and John investigated the tomb for themselves. Peter and John were intrigued enough by the women’s report that they ran to the tomb to investigate for themselves.

SUMMARY

That’s what happened Resurrection Sunday morning. They were wondering if it was really true and wondering how they could find out if it was true. That Jesus is alive and well!!! Imagine trying to process this information? But wait, there’s more! Luke also tells us about Resurrection Sunday afternoon.

Two of Jesus’ followers were walking to Emmaus from Jerusalem. They were talking… about the things that had happened, that is, the report that Jesus had been resurrected. When Jesus joined them, they did not recognize Him. When Jesus asked them to tell Him what they were discussing, the men related the view about Jesus that most of the nation believed at that time. The men, one of whom was Cleopas, said they were talking about Jesus of Nazareth. Cleopas commented that their fellow companion must be the only one living in all of Jerusalem who did not know what had happened. By this question Luke got across the point that Jesus’ ministry and death were known to everyone in the city and in most of the nation. The entire nation was responsible to accept the Messiah. The two men added that the chief priests and our rulers handed Him over to… death. Along with many others these two men thought that Jesus was the One who was going to redeem Israel, that is, be the Messiah and bring in the kingdom. They even related that they had heard a report of the Resurrection directly from some… women. But despite all this, their faces were downcast.

Jesus scolded them for not understanding and believing. He explained from Moses and all the Prophets what had been said about Him. He implied that these disciples should have understood from the Old Testament what had happened. It was not until after Jesus had broken bread with them that their eyes were opened and they recognized Him. Their experience with Jesus caused them to hurry back to Jerusalem (seven miles) and affirm the Resurrection to the Eleven and others who were meeting together.

Resurrection Sunday, Lk. 24:30 Jesus revealed Himself to two disciples on the road to Emmaus.

Jesus came to the Disciples in the evening. Jn. 20:19 Jesus walked through the wall to get to them.

Lk. 24:40; Jn. 20:20 Jesus showed them His wounds. So that they would believe. Notice that Jesus’ wounds are still with Him, even after the resurrection. While He had their full attention, Lk. 24:45-46 Jesus explained the Scriptures to them. From first to last.

CONCLUSION

Resurrection Sunday is a victorious day!!!

Jesus rose from the dead, met with and proved Himself to no less than a dozen people, including at lease 3 women, 10 Apostles (Judas had deserted, and Thomas wasn’t there on that first Sunday), plus the 2 other disciples on the road to Emmaus.

He walked through a wall – demonstrating just one of the upgraded features of what our resurrected bodies will be like.

- And He ate some fish, demonstrating that He really was flesh and blood, not a ghost or apparition,

The Resurrection changed everything. It means that there really is life after death, and God has made a way for us to get there. It means that we are not evolutionary accidents, but intentionally created sons and daughters, made in God’s image, with all of God’s love and hopes and dreams for us and with us. It means that life has meaning and purpose, and something far better to look forward to in our futures.

Happy RESURRECTION SUNDAY!!! JESUS is RISEN!!! (3X)