Resurrection Sunday - "He is Risen"
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 7 viewsNotes
Transcript
Today is Resurrection Sunday!
Today is Resurrection Sunday!
The longer I am a follower of Jesus the more that I fall in love with the word of God. This season…from early March up to now has been a difficult time for our community, our state and our nation. It has lead to the exact thing that this extrovert hates… being alone, limited interactions, few social gatherings.
There is also a “look” that you get if you are at Safeway or Walmart and you cough or sneeze. I want a T-Shirt that says… I HAVE ALLERGIES!
There are some areas where I have grown during this time, I hope that maybe you have too. One of those is PRAYER.
You are being prayed for on a daily basis. Not just if you come to mind, but prayed for each day. For your health, for safety in these unknown times. I am also comforted by this verse
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.
30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
We are NOT made in the spirit of fear because, if you are here and are a Follower of Jesus, we have victory over fear by the blood of Jesus Christ.
If you are not a follower of Jesus… and you are fearful, or uneasy I would ask that you consider Jesus!
Another of growth for me has been the time that I have been spending time in scripture.
Reading, re-reading, considering, pondering. I hope that I can look back on this season and see God working us to be more of prayer warrior and to read and digest more of His Word for our souls.
Jesus birth, life, death and resurrection where a part of God’s plan for mankind from Genesis 3 and fall of man. Here is what God said
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
God has been pursing mankind ever since.. seeking us out, providing a path to redemption that has ultimately pointed to Jesus Christ, His death on the Cross and ultimately to His resurrection.
There are God’s fingerprints written all over scripture in relation to Jesus and His work on the cross. There are well over 100. I’m just going to pick out a few of the more significant ones.
Bible Prophecy: Isaiah 53:3 says, "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not."
Fulfillment: John 1:10-11 says, "He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him."
Bible Prophecy: Psalm 41:9 says, "Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me."
Fulfillment: Mark 14:10 says, "Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them."
Bible Prophecy: Isaiah 53:7 says, "He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth."
Fulfillment: Mark 15:5 says, "But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed."
Bible Prophecy: Psalm 22:7-8 says, "All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads: 'He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.'"
Fulfillment: Matthew 27:41-44 says, "In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 'He saved others,' they said, 'but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, I am the Son of God.' In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him."
Bible Prophecy: Psalm 22:15 says, "My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death."Fulfillment: Matthew 27:48 says, "Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink."
Bible Prophecy: Psalm 22:17-18 says, "I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing."
Fulfillment: John 19:23 says, "When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom."
Bible Prophecy: Psalm 22:1-2 says, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent."
Fulfillment: Matthew 27:46 says, "About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?' - which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'"
Why would God write such a story. Why would he sentence His only begotten Son to a death such as this? Why would a father, our Heavenly Father be so cruel to His son?
He did it for our benefit. He did it because He loved us. He loved us so much that he sent His Only Begotten Son, which literally means “ His one and only son just like me” to die. He sent a part of himself to die on the cross!!!
9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
You see God desires to have a relationship with every person he ever created. He knew He needed to send one just us that we could identify with. Our God did not come in the form of a piece of stone or a piece gold molded into a figure. God sent His son… As a man. A perfect man, one without sin.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
This being “brought near by the blood of Christ,” is a simple definition of the “atonement” of Christ. The blood shed by Christ on the Cross is the shedding of His blood and paying the ultimate sacrifice for our sin, so we would never have to!
How can I get this… How can this payment to applied to my account? What do I have to do?
Every sin that you commit is held in reserve waiting for a penalty to be paid for it. A penalty that has be paid to a Righteous Father.
But this Righteous Father made a way, that is available to EVERYONE who calls on the name of the Lord. He made that this penalty could be paid.
But Jeff, God and Jesus and the Bible happened long before I was born, how can it apply to me?
15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
As the scripture says… “He died for all” but He did that so that we would no longer live for ourselves but for Christ who died and rose again.
Resurrection
Resurrection
So I know that Christ died because he had to. He had to pay the penalty for the sin of the world. He had to die on a tree, He did this for ALL MANKIND. He did it so that if you are a believer you would NEVER have to suffer the eternal consequences for our sin.
Faith in Christ = Eternal Life [Period]
After Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem, He quickly discovered that the very people that laid down their coats and cut palm branches for him had turned against him.
There was a “trial” of sorts… We would call it a Kangaroo court. These charges were brought against him, he was quickly found guilty of BEING THE SON OF GOD.
Pilate gave the people and change to free Him, in response the people’s near riot Pilate asked in Mark 15.12
12 “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.
13 “Crucify him!” they shouted.
14 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
After Jesus was crucified, suffered and died he was laid in borrowed tomb. He was laid in Tomb that was not even His.
We are on the timeline up to Friday, just two days ago. Jesus was burried in a tomb. He was dead.
1. Jesus was actually dead before he was taken down from the cross, which the thrust of the spear into his side amply proved.
2. He was placed in the tomb soon after his death, and remained there till the third day.
Jesus was placed in the tomb after being wrapped in burial cloth and covered in Myrrh.
Myrrh was one of items that the pagan wise men delivered to the Baby Jesus in Bethlehem near the time of his birth. It was a strange gift for a baby. But knowing that Jesus would HAVE to die 33 years later in all makes sence now.
3. The tomb was closed by a heavy stone.
4. It was sealed so that no one could enter the tomb without breaking the seal.
5. The tomb was guarded by Roman soldiers, so that no one could approach it to steal the body, as was surmised by the Jews.
6.
1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
Notice a couple of things here… It was Mary and the “other Mary” who went to the tomb. Why those two. Where were Matthew, Mark, John, Peter and the rest of disciples… They were in hiding, fearing for their very lives. In Peter’s case he despondent beyond all measure. He had did EXACTLY as he had PROMISED Jesus he would never do… He denied Him. Not once, not twice, but three separate times. So the women went to the tomb.
2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.
3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.
4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
HE IS NOT HERE… HE IS RISEN… HE IS RISEN… HE IS RISEN.
The disciples… ALL OF THEM, they missed it, they missed the Resurrection because of their fear.
There are many of us here, online that have heard this story at least a hundred times before.
What difference does it make this time?
I’m asking what difference does it make this time?
Am I just standing here in an empty sancturay, preaching to an iPhone and a computer screen? The difference that it can make comes from you.
It can be just another Easter Sunday, one this year we don’t even have to get out of our jammies for.
It can be one that I think about all these events and then just put them away until next year.
Dear God I pray that the events we are dealing with in our world today will not let us treat this Easter just any other Easter.
God is calling ALL people...
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
those He made… He called!
He is calling us through these terrible circumstances, through this unprecedented disaster, through the pain, death and the total disruption of our lives, He is calling us back to Him who created us!
14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
God you created us, you have been calling us since the beginning of time, if we would just put our ego’s aside, if we would just put our “feelings” aside, if we would just put our hurts and disappointments aside, if we would just plain and simply turn from our wicked ways. You will forgive our wicked ways, forgive our sin and heal our land.
I’m sure this passage is in some way being used 10,000 times today across the world on this Easter Sunday.
I recently looked at my prayer journal I and many other have been praying for revival in our land for at least 78 weeks.
Is God pointing us to revival during one of the toughest times in our world history?
Is God pointing to YOU to revive your heart in the toughest times in our world?
And especially to you who have not recognized Jesus as Lord and Savior, Is God demonstrating His power so that you would recognize that this world is full of unknowns, But God is knowable by His Son Jesus!
My answer to those questions is YES, YES and YES!
Do not let another day go by without a heart change… without a commitment or a re-commitment to God and His Son Jesus.
After believing in God and in his Son Jesus and accepting the Lordship of Christ into your life.
You should be baptized! You should be baptized!
And begin this process that is life long… becoming more and more like Jesus everyday.
Amen!!
[I can almost hear you across the Lower Valley - Amen!]
-----------------------------
Hopefully we will be back together in early May, I am planning a baptism service that day. We will baptize, we sing, we will greet and be happy and I hope that we are NEVER the same again because of what we went through.
If you would like to follow Jesus lead in Baptism for the first time, If you would like to re-commit your life to Christ in Baptism please reach out to me and we will make that happen.
It has been a difficult time but we are all in this together. Call each other, help each other, help those in our community who need the most help, the least of these.
#BeWell #BeSafe and Know He is God!
-------------------------------
Please remember in these times the basic necessary expenses of the church continue even though we are meeting remotely. You can give on online at our website www.fbcsunnyside.org/give, by sending a check to the church or by just dropping in our mailbox and I’ll retrieve it.
Let’s Pray