The Ultimate Game Changer
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Happy Resurrection Sunday!
Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen indeed!
Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen indeed!
Those are just three words Christ is risen seem to be a simple mantra to a believer, but those words are packed with a powerful truth that turned not only the world upside down but all of history.
Amid the global pandemic that we are in, in the race to find a solution? how many times have you heard the words “Game Changer”?
Game Changer
On January 25, China’s health minister had some very bad news Sunday about the Wuhan coronavirus: He said people can spread it before they have symptoms.“This is a game-changer,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a longtime adviser to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On March 28 - Abbott labs announced a major breakthrough in Coronavirus testing when they came up with a five-minute test and said: “This is a game changer.”
On March 23, TV host Dr. Mehmet Oz touted a "game-changer" drug combination as a potential "treatment" for the coronavirus on national TV, and less than an hour later on the program, the U.S. Surgeon General warned viewers against seeking these untested remedies.
Later we find that some of these so-called Game Changers fail to meet expectation. Some of them are false claims.
We cannot blame the world in trying to find something that will shift the current trajectory of pain and suffering, that they will hold on to any glimmer of hope that will end this crisis - a so-called Game changer.
There however, is a kind of hope that is not just a glimmer, but a bright and scintillating hope that remains forever - A Once and for all time Game Changer that occurred two thousand years ago.
I said last Sunday that Jesus is the cure for the greatest pandemic of sin. In His death, Jesus took upon Himself the final outcome of the sin of Adam, He identified with the rest of mankind. But in His resurrection, the virus of sin and its consequence of death is finally neutralized. And God almighty (the Supreme FDA) provided the final seal of approval to the cure to sin.
Brothers and sisters the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the ultimate Game Changer!
The Ultimate Game Changer!
1 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came 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 from the door, and sat on it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. 5 But the angel answered and 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 is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” 8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. 9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”
These are actually two separate occasions, the stone rolling and the guards running in fear in the middle of the night and Mary Magdalene and the other women came later very early on that first Easter Sunday to anoint the body of Jesus. So there is really no contradiction between the gospel according to Matthew and John. Matthew, like an independent reporter chose to put the two separate occasions in the same part of the text.
I would also recommend you study the account of the resurrection in John 20, there was a sweet moment of Mary having the encounter with the Risen Jesus. In Luke 24 and angel asked them “why do you seek the living among the dead? In Mark 16 An angel sitting by the tomb told them “He is not here, he is risen!” It is great to see a composite and overall picture of the resurrection story from different accounts. It is beautiful.
But today I want to focus on Matthew’s account of the resurrection because No statement in the great and beautiful narrative of the Resurrection so brings out the majesty and the completeness of Christ's victory over death
2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.
I like the way the powerful angel of God, after rolling back the heavy stone sat on it, as if to boastfully say: “You ain’t seen nothing yet! Just watch my Boss rise from the dead and conquer death once for all!”
We see the power of God in the earthquake, we see the power in the angel’s appearance like lightning and his rolling back the stone, but the greatest display of God’s power is in the resurrection itself.
It is the ultimate Game Changer.
In fact, the Resurrection is a foundational tenet of the Christian faith.
1. Christianity and the resurrection are inseparable.
An American Christian apologist and engineer Henry Morris said:
“The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the crowning proof of Christianity. If the resurrection did not take place, then Christianity is a false religion. If it did take place, then Christ is God and the Christian faith is absolute truth.”—Henry Morris
We cannot leave out the resurrection in the Gospel message. While the cross completed and perfected Christ’s work. His resurrection completed and perfected our salvation!
We have to preach the resurrection of Jesus.
There is a story in the Bible of Paul preaching to the philosophers of Athens. For some reason, instead of the usual gospel presentation, of talking about God’s love, sin, and Jesus’ atoning sacrifice he presented the gospel a different way. He tried to connect with them. He connected with them by quoting their own philosophers and poets. He talked about the unknown God by Whom we live and move and have our being, that they are all His children, he was making headway. Until He turned a corner and segued to repentance and judgement through the One man that God appointed and raised from the dead.
When his audience heard about the resurrection from the dead, they stopped him right there, “we’ll hear you another time, most of them mocked and left.”
We however need to preach the resurrection. It is the centerpiece of the gospel and yet a lot of gospel presentations end in the crucifixion of Jesus.
Story goes of a missionary in Turkey who wished to share of the resurrection of Christ with a group. He said: "I am traveling, and have reached a for on the road; I look for a guide, and find two men: one dead, and the other alive. Which of the two must I ask for direction, the dead or the living?" "Oh, the living," cried the people. "Then," said the missionary, "why send me to Mohammed, who is dead, instead of to Christ, who is alive!" Hallelujah!
I believe this is a powerful way to witness to countries we go to in the 1040 window nations.
Our preaching is meaningless without the resurrection. The fact that it occurred is the centerpiece of the Gospel.
Without the Resurrection, the gospel is meaningless. With it, the gospel is powerful.
Paul said in first Corinthians 15, if Christ has not been raised then our preaching is in vain. And worst He said, if Christ has not been raised you are still in your sins, and we who preach the gospel are the most sorry people on earth.
The Gospel and the Resurrection are inseparable. This is why many who do not believe in Christianity try to debunk it by disproving the resurrection. They are still looking for the body of Jesus, but praise be to God! They have not found the body.
The tomb is still empty. Jesus’ tomb is the only one that has the epitaph “He is not here, He is risen!”
Secondly,
2. The resurrection of Jesus is the basis of joyful hope.
9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”
Jesus said Rejoice! He said this because of the fact that - we have all the reason to rejoice.
There are texts of scripture, Philippians 4 - rejoice in the Lord always! 1 Thessalonians 5 - Rejoice always!
Jesus also said: “Do not be afraid”
Would you not agree with me that the greatest reason to ‘not be afraid’ and to ‘rejoice’ even and I must say especially in these times that we live in is the resurrection of Jesus! Hallelujah! This just fires me up. No one is here.. losing the audience..
The Resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate Game Changer!!!
Because of it we can tell those looking into the casket of their loved ones that this is not the end of the story.
Because of the resurrection we can call those who died people who had just fallen asleep. They are just sleeping.
I remember Mama Maryann. Pastor Bob, I know you are watching, we love and miss Mama Maryann, we continue to honor her memory. But we have that joyful hope that we will have a grand reunion in our resurrected bodies someday.
I said resurrected Bodies, so that is because we all die. What if, Jesus returns before we die? No problem… we will be transformed.
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
So the resurrection gives us hope for these broken bodies. Are you tired of all the physical limitations and infirmities?
Philippians 3 says: Jesus will transform our lowly bodies to conform to His own glorious body!
Jesus is the first fruit of the resurrection an someday there will be a great harvest of the fruits of the resurrection when we will transformed to our glorious body and united with the Lord Jesus Christ forever!
The resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate Game Changer!
Now, we see that the resurrection is inseparable from Christianity, it gives us a joyful hope, now it also gives us the power to live our lives!
3. The Resurrection Gives us Power to Live Our Lives.
In the last part of our text
10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”
They will see me. I believe the 12 disciples, the women, the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15 that he appeared to more than 500 brothers (not counting the women and the children) at one time, everyone who saw Jesus was dramatically changed and emboldened.
And we likewise have seen Jesus, by His Ascension to the Father, He had sent us the Holy Spirit Who gives us the power to live our lives.
When I say power it is not only through the spiritual gifting of healing and deliverance, yes the power of the resurrection is there. Not only in the proclamation of the gospel and yes there is resurrection power there. But also in the power to live a sanctified life in Christ.
It is through the resurrection that we overcome the power of sin in our lives.
Paul said in Philippians 3
10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
In the words of the Apostle, to experience this resurrection power, We have to follow In the pattern of our Lord, we cannot taste the power of the Resurrection without first going the way of the cross.
We have to go to our own death, a dying to ourselves before we experience resurrection power.
Jesus said in John 12, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
We see that in the death and resurrection of Jesus. He became the firstfruit of many. But there is a personal dying to ourselves, before we begin to see a multiplied life. That is power.
Sometimes it takes our most cherished dreams and ambitions. I had a long, stable and lucrative career, but it was in competition with my identity in Christ. And I gave it up, by God’s grace I have resolved to never look back.
I am not suggesting that you give up your career, your job. It is a personal attitude. submit it to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, follow the way of the resurrected Christ and You will experience the power of the resurrected life.
It’s time for you to have your own personal Game Changer.
Renowned preacher John McArthur said:
The Resurrection is the ground of our assurance, it is the basis for all our future hopes, and it is the source of power in our daily lives here and now. It gives us courage in the midst of persecution, comfort in the midst of trials, and hope in the midst of this world’s darkness. - John MacArthur
Maybe some of you listening are uncertain, not only of your immediate future with this coronavirus crisis, but also your eternal destiny and you cannot even relate to my second point of the blessed future hope of being resurrected in a glorified body.
It is time to die to your sins. Repent of all your sins, Jesus and his followers said - for the Kingdom of God is near! Repent! That means turn away from all your sins.
How do you do that? You do that by accepting that Jesus is the Only way to be saved. Accepting His gift of your salvation which He purchased by His death and resurrection. And receiving Him into Your life as Your Lord and Savior.
All you have to do is say this prayer after me from your heart. If you feel that prompting to do so, please don’t resist it. Repeat these words after me this is also for those who want to recommit their lives and make Jesus the Lord of everything in their lives.
Dear Jesus, thank You that You came to the world, You died on that Friday and You rose from the dead on the following Sunday.
All because I need to be saved.
Forgive me of all my sins. I repent!
I receive Your salvation.
I give my life to You.
Change me. And conform me to Your image.
Come into my life right now, and be My Lord and Savior.. fill me with Your Holy Spirit.
In Your Name I pray. Amen!
Lord I pray for those who prayed the prayer, either as an act of repentance or recommitment.
I pray Your grace upon them. And resurrection power that will sustain them. Protect them from the evil one. In Your Name I pray.
If you prayed that prayer, congratulations welcome to the family of God. Drop a note on the comment section below the video or message us on our Facebook page and will connect with you regarding your new life with Christ.
Thank you all for joining today! Remember the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the ultimate game changer. Let Him be the game changer of your life today.
Let us receive the blessing.
The grace of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ.
The Endless love of God.
And the Power, fellowship and guidance of the Holy Spirit be with us all until we meet again online or in person, the Lord knows! In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit - AMEN!
Jesus loves you and so do we. Have a blessed week.