Sermon Tone Analysis

I know this may seem an odd scripture text for Easter but give me an opportunity and I will walk you through to an understanding of Easter like you never experienced before.

Let’s do that be going all the way back to the beginning of the human experience.

Genisis 1:1 tells us that in the beginning, God created the Heavens and the earth...

Six specific times the Spirit of God moved on the earth in that first week of creation

Creating specific, things.

Day One: Divided light and dark

Day Two: Divided waters

Day Three: Dry land and plants

Day Four: Sun, moon and stars

Day Five: Fish and Birds

Day Six: Animals and man

Day Seven: God rested

When you look at all God’s creation, he would speak - light… it would appear (vs 3 vs 14 - day 4)

Speak dry land and plants and they would appear.

Speak sun, moon and stars and they would appear.

Speak fish, birds and animals into being and they would appear.

But when it came to man, he formed him and made him to look like Him!

He then would create a garden, name it Eden and place Adam there.

He would give him special authority to be over all God’s creation…

All creation new that there was something special about Man!

God would make him a wife and he would love them so much that he would walk with them every day!

No creation including the angels had this type of relationship with God!

But then something happened that changed everything!

A serpent enters the picture…

Tricks Eve and because of Adams love for Eve he would eat of the forbidden fruit as well...

The Bible says their eyes were opened and they realized they were naked and they tried to fix themselves...

First they would try to cover their nakedness...

When that was not enough they would hide themselves from God…

At this moment was the moment that everything changed.

Until this moment the most powerful thing in man’s world was God...

But sin comes in and changes EVERYTHING!

Sin has been a harsh master for mankind from that day until this…

We fight with addictions, lust, greed, jealousy, anger, pride, racism, apathy, hate… and the list goes on and on and on!

Watch what Paul had to say about this…

Sin and the serpent (Satan) has been a strong man holding mankind hostage from then until now.

I have often been asked...

If there is a God, why is there so much pain?

War? Sickness?

Death?

That has nothing to do with God!

There was none of that until sin entered into the picture!

Looked at that phrase “strong man” and while it has several meanings, one of the ideas around the phrase is one who calls himself so.

One who calls himself strong.

When you study this I see nothing more then a school yard bully intimidating all the other kids!

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT A BULLY?

All it takes is one person to stand up to the bully and his kingdom comes tumbling down!

I wonder if there is anyone here that is tired of struggling with doing right?

Nicotine

Drugs

Lust

Anger

Rom 5:17

17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.

19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Simply: One man brought sin into the world - Another took it away!

For all of the OT, sin controlled everyone who ever lived!

But Jesus walked onto the playground of life and looked at the bully and said; enough is enough!

Like any other bully, made a fool of himself!

Why?

Into this sinful world was born the Lamb of God...

Who lived his whole life and NEVER sinned!

At the end of his ministry

Having witnessed the miracles he did

The put him on trial, beat him, made him carry his cross up the Galgothas hill, nailed him to the cross and killed him.

They would burry him in a borrowed tomb...

Put a guard on the tomb

And on Easter morning, something began to happen.

Earth shaking, stone rolled away and Jesus arose triumphant over death, hell and the grave!

He went into hell and took the keys from Satan!

You took these from me in the garden of Eden...

But they are mine!

A stronger then he as arrived!

When Jesus came out of that grave, everything that sin has ever taken from mankind was with him!

Conclusion: All over the world today christians are celebrating Easter with bunnies, colored eggs, Easter egg hunts, chocolate, ham dinners (I’ve always been curious at how we come to celebrate a Hebrew rising from the grave with a ham dinner), family and friends...

Nothing wrong with any of that stuff.

Easter is about when the strongest man of all came onto the scene and took your sins away!

Greatest Easter scripture in all the Word of God...