Crew Easter Message 2019

Lead In

Intro (2 min)

Welcome again to Crew this morning. Today is so special because we celebrate the most significant, the most important event related to the christian faith. To be honest, when I was growing up in church and we went to an easter service. I found it a little boring because it seemed like we talked about the same thing and. to me, it was just another holiday. For far too long I thought of Easter or, the story of Jesus rising from the grave, as just a happy ending to the story of Jesus’ life. This mornign we are goign to see how that is not what easter is at all. In fact, what Jesus did on that first Easter morning tied in God’s plan for the entire world since before he created it!

Well, as we celebrate together this morning we are going to begin where Jesus’ ministry began.

Creation and Purpose (2 min.)

God has had a plan for His people ever since the very beginning. In Genesis we can read that in the beginning there was absolutely nothing but God showing us that He was before all things and He does not need any help from anything. He is all mighty all by himself. He is so powerful that He spoke in the midst of an empty universe saying “let there be light” and out of nothing there was light. Then God went on to speak everything else into creation just by the power of His voice.

After He created all the birds and fish and plants and all the amazing things that fill the Earth, He made His most precious creations. US! He made us with a very special purpose. TO have a relationship with Him. He created us to have a relationship with Him.

Sin/ Good Deeds (3 min)

Even tho our amazing God created us with such an incredible purpose as having a relationship with Him, people chose their own path. they tried to make their own way and make up their own plan. To put it simply, they started living their lives outside of a relationship with God. That is called sin. Sin is a terrible thing because it separated us from God.

Jesus’ Birth, Ministry (3min)

Jesus is the almighty creator God who entered the world with the purpose of Restoration. We emphasize every year around Christmas time how big of a deal it was that almighty God entered into human history as a baby boy. He grew up and lived a life very similar to ours.

He had friends

He had family

He was picked on sometimes

He had to obey His Earthly parents

He was a teenager at one point in His life

He was tempted

He lived in a sinful world

He had a life very similar to ours in many many different ways, but there were some major differences. HE WAS GOD IN THE FORM OF A HUMAN SO HE WAS ALL POWERFUL

AND HE NEVER SINNED ONCE! He never sinned. That means that He spent every moment of His time here on Earth doing what His father had planned for Him. He spent His whole life explaining the great love of God to people.

His ministry- Jesus ministry was amazing! He shared love by explaining How much God loves people. He shared love by teaching the scriptures to people. He shared love by doing miracles to prove that He was not Just a good teacher, but He was the son of God, sent from God TO REPAIR THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PEOPLE AND GOD.

As Jesus’ ministry went on, word spread about His life and ministry for miles and miles around. With all the people that heard about Jesus, there were only 2 different ways to describe all the people who heard about Him.

Paying the Price For Sin, Jesus Died and rose again (5 min)

1) Those who believed- There were people who heard the word of Jesus. They heard that He was the perfect son of God who came from heaven to Earth to make it possible again for people to be right with God. They realized the thing that messed up their relationship with God was their sin and there was nothing they could do to save themselves form the punishment they deserve for their sin which is eternal death called Hell. The problem was that they lived their lives before by doing what they wanted instead of what God created them for. So they confessed that they were sinners, they admitted that they were wrong and that they needed God to change their hearts and use their lives for whatever He had planned.

2) Those who did not believe- There were people who heard the word of Jesus. They heard that He was the perfect son of God who came from heaven to Earth to make it possible again for people to be right with God. They heard the thing that messed up their relationship with God was their sin and there was nothing they could do to save themselves from form the punishment they deserve for their sin which is eternal death called Hell. This 2nd group of people responded very differently then the first group we talked about. some of them did not believe that Jesus was the son of God. Some thought they could do good things to save themselves. they thought if they were pretty nice people, then they did not need Jesus at all.

Paying the Price For Sin, Jesus Died and rose again (5 min)

Here is what is so amazing. Jesus came to Earth For every different type of person. He knew that there was NOBODY who could know God apart from Him. Jesus was the only way to God and Heaven so He came to make a way so that all people would not just know about God or hear stories about Him, but that they may hear the word of God, realize our sin and turn away from it, and actually have a relationship with God.

But here is the thing. There was only one way. There was only one way for us to be able to Know God. Since every person in the world has sinned. Every person has messed up, everyone has been disobedient. We have all sinned. that means we deserve death.

But Jesus took our place. Jesus was special because He is perfect. He never sinned. He never massed up. So when He was put on that Cross. When they drove those large nails through His hands and His feet. He did not deserve that. We did. For our sin, we deserve to be punished and separated from God FOREVER. But Jesus stepped up to say “give me their punishment, give me their pain, give me their death!” THAT IS WHAT HE DID AS HE HUNG THERE ON THE CROSS.

So as He

But all of that is NOT WHAT EASTER IS ALL ABOUT. Let it sink in for all of us that Jesus really died there on that day. Jesus was wrapped up and places into a tomb. He was dead and laid there for 3 days in that tomb. During this time, people were confused and scared and even the disciples of Jesus were hiding. I cant imagine how they would have felt after following Jesus and listenning to His teaching and believing that He was the son of God and then they saw Him killed.

Lets turn out attention to Matthew 28 to see what happens next here.

English Standard Version Chapter 28

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. 2 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. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 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.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

The New International Version Chapter 24

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.

9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

We could spend the whole rest of the morning talking about amazing things about what Jesus did here when he rose from the grave, but we are going to focus on one part. The question here is: “what makes Jesus rising from the grave important? how is this any different form any of Jesus other miracles?

The reason this is such a big deal is that Jesus did not only die for our sin, Jesus did not only take on our punishment and death, BUT JESUS OVERCAME THAT SIN AND DEATH. The cross was the battle and the resurrection from the grave is Jesus’ victory in that battle. Not only did Jesus take on our sin and punishment, but He defeated it!

Life With Jesus starts now and last forever!(3 min.)

Jesus

The New International Version Chapter 14

5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Response

The New International Version Chapter 14

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Just like the people around Jesus during His ministry here on Earth we get distracted sometimes. Sometimes we begin to try and take control of our one lives and we forget that Jesus is the one who is suppose to be in control of our lives. Sometimes we forget that we were created for a purpose and we try to make our own. Sometimes we think our purpose is just being the best student, or athlete or whatever. Sometimes we think that we can be nice enough or good enough or whatever, but Jesus says that none of that is true.

When Jesus had risen from the grave and was getting ready to go into heaven to be with His father and prepare a place for us, the disciples were worried and asked how can we follow you?

Jesus responded in to clear that up for us.

The New International Version Chapter 14

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Jesus is explaining how to receive this incredible gift He has for us. He wants all of us to know Him personally and to live with Him in heaven forever! The thing is that Jesus has already paved the way for you. Jesus has already died for your sins as a gift. Now, all that is left is for us to accept that gift. and we want to set aside some time right now for you to do exactly that.

If you know Jesus

I know that there are some of you in here that know Jesus and want to follow Him, but you felt like God was laying something on your heart in the last few minutes during the message. When we read that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, you believe it, but you have allowed some things to distract you from His plans. You can think of things or people or bad habits that are coming between you and your relationship with Jesus. There are some things that are in your life right now and and, if your being honest, you know God doesn't want you to be a part of that. but your just not quite sure what to do with it.

Grab one of these cards and write that habit, or that person, or that sin down. Pray and say Jesus, I dont know what to do with this, but you do. I want this out of my life because I want you to rule in my life.

If you dont know Jesus

If you dont know Jesus

Then this just may be the best day of your life.

As we have talked about that plan that God has, that plan is not just for the people in here that already knwo God. He has a plan for everyne of you. Even those who dont know Him. He wants to take your sin and separate it from you forever. You jsut need to make Him the Lord of your life and give your life to HIm.