Easter Changed Everything
Christ Offers Relief On Nervousness & Anxiety • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 96 viewsNotes
Transcript
Handout
HOOK
HOOK
Last Palm Sunday God gave us His very assuring words that in this time of great uncertainty— He is our security
He lift up those who humble themselves and they are victorious with Him
If the story of the very first Palm Sunday was very important that it had to be recorded in all of the four synoptic gospels— the story of the very first easter is equally important— it was also recorded in all of the four synoptic gospels
Like the birth of Jesus and His arrival at Jerusalem as King— His resurrection was also prophesied— David wrote in Psalm 16
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, 10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
This was quoted by Peter during his first sermon where around three thousand were added to their number that day— and that was the beginning of the church— Acts 2:27-28
It is important to note that for an ancient Jewish exegete [like Peter] discerning such deeper meaning in the Scriptures was normal procedure [we do that even today]— giving a novel interpretation to familiar passages was seen as providing additional insight into Scripture.
Easter is when we commemorate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ— an event that He predicted a number of times during his walk here on earth— Mark wrote it this way..Mark 8:31-32
31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.
Luke said it this way.. Luke 9:22
22 And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
Matthew said it this way.. Matthew 16:21
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
And John wrote it like this… John 12:32-33
32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.
It was during this conversation when Jesus said— whoever wants to be his disciples must deny themselves, take up their cross and follow him— whoever wants to save their lives shall lose it
What good is it for someone to gain the whole world yet forfeit their soul— whoever is ashamed of him and his words— Jesus will be ashamed of them also
Resurrection is one of the cardinal doctrines of the gospel— it is super important that if it hadn’t taken place, Paul said his preaching is useless and our faith is in vain— 1 Corinthians 15:14
14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
So significant is this event that the whole of the Christian faith would fall if the resurrection of Jesus Christ were not true
Crucifixion could have been a sad and shameful end— but he was and will always be victorious along with those who believe!
Easter changed everything but crisis cannot change the cross— It proves who Jesus is— It offers forgiveness, salvation, hope, the ability to live free of guilt, it assures eternal life, and a great reminder of His return
It even changed the way how we put dates whenever we cut a check or write a letter— we put 2020 and the reckoning of that is the year when Jesus suffered, crucified, died and resurrected
Our circumstances are different but the message is still the same— The death and resurrection of Christ is the Father’s message of love, peace, grace and mercy— it is an open door waiting for us to get in to—
we are not the only ones who celebrated Easter behind closed [or even locked] doors—the disciples themselves was behind locked doors during the very first Easter!— in a moment when we get to the text you’ll see the narrative of their condition on that first day of the week when Jesus came back to life
At Jesus’ resurrection— he offered disciples PEACE— he gave them a PURPOSE— and fulfilled for them his PROMISES
In this time of great crisis, people are exactly looking for those three P’s— in the midst of this pandemic people pray for PEACE— people are asking for PURPOSE [why did this happened]— people are anxious about what they are PROMISED
Three P’s that only Jesus can give— the problem for many is that, they’re looking at the wrong place— just like Mary Magdalene accompanied by other ladies— when they went to anoint the body of Jesus— they were told that Jesus wasn’t there [at the tomb]— the tomb was empty— they were looking at the “wrong place”
That brothers and sisters is exactly the problem even to this moment as I speak— people are looking at the wrong place— people are looking for PEACE, PURPOSE and PROMISES in places that these cannot be found
They look for Peace from their cash— which we all know that we cannot find peace in prosperity [temporarily maybe]— prosperity is not equivalent to peace— if you want to qualify my statement, go ahead and ask the wealthy people if they truly had peace because of their prosperity— in fact a lot of millionaires today are so worried on what to do with their cash in this economy— and I noticed that ads of companies selling gold are intensified! Why?— because they think people will be more peaceful with gold than cash!
I am not even a fraction of what a wealthy person is considered to be— but I had a taste of wealth— and I’m telling you, prosperity is not equivalent to peace— some even said, the more prosperous you are, the more un-peaceful you become— I know that for a fact— I heard a lot of my businessman friends say— the bigger your business becomes— the bigger the headaches it brings
They look for Purpose from their career— which we all again know that career is temporary— I had many temporal careers before I finally discovered my eternal purpose [name some]— career doesn’t last! It could last for a lifetime?? But not forever— you cannot be so certain about your career— about 6 million Americans filed for unemployment and it is projected to hit 47 million because of this Covid-19! Are you one of those who lost their career due to this crisis?— look at the cross and not on the crisis!
They look for Promises from their certificates— certificates of ownerships! Certificate of bonds— Certificate of term deposits— Titles for their homes, for their cars, for their vacation houses— even relying on their certificates of marriages which in this country— or maybe I could say globally— about 50% ending up with divorce!— tell me about it!
We can hardly trust on those certificates anymore! They are just pieces of papers! Come on! Be real! — The problem with many many of us, we are looking at the wrong places!
Share a golf game story with Kuya Norm, Pete and Ramon— my favorite four-some!
I drove my ball from the tee! away it goes! But the sun’s glare blinded my sight [because it was the time when it’s brightness is at its peak]— So, I had no idea where my ball went— I just felt that it ended up in the rough so I went there looking!
Until I heard someone— I think it was Kuya Norm who yelled saying— Pastor! your ball is right here! — So, I was looking at the wrong place after all!
Mary Magdalene [but the way, if you think she was a prostitute— the Bible said nothing specific about that! How come many Christians had this characterization of Mary Magdalene as a “prostitute”?— it was because a catholic pope back in the 6th century said that the sinful woman mentioned in Luke was the same person as Mary Magdalene]
Magdalene could be the place where Mary came from— a place called “Magdala” [recent Bible translations used “Magadan”]— located close to the city of Tiberias on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.
Mary Magdalene is one of the loyal followers of Jesus— a very significant character in the Bible— significant that she was, for the Lord chose to reveal his resurrected self to her first— there’s a lot of intriguing conversations that Jesus had with Mary Magdalene and I’d like to invite you to join me every weekday— 6:00-6:15AM for a 15-Minute Bible Study on Facebook and YouTube Live!
I am currently doing a verse by verse study of the Gospel of John where accounts about Mary Magdalene is on it—
Anyway, so Mary Magdalene along with other lady followers of Jesus went to the tomb with good intentions— to anoint the Lord’s body!— But they were looking at the wrong place!— Jesus was no longer at the tomb!
Where are you looking for your Peace?
Where are you looking for Purpose in your life?
What promises are you looking for to be fulfilled?
Let me take you to the story of the very first Easter— but before that I’d for us to take a moment and pray— we pray not to change the mind of God towards us— but we pray to change our mind towards Him!— No one can change the mind of God— but God can change the mind of everyone! — remember! It is not what you feel, but it is what God is trying to fulfill!
Open your Bible to John 20— I want to cover the entire chapter this morning, but I’ll just give you the summary of the resurrection story, so we could focus our time on what Jesus brought to His disciples upon his resurrection— again for the verse by verse study of the gospel of John— Join me! live on facebook, YouTube, or even at our church website— every weekday— starting tomorrow it will be 6:00-6:15am instead of our original time slot of 8-815am
BOOK
BOOK
Early on the fist day of the week [which is Sunday]— Mary Magdalene went to the tomb where our Lord Jesus was laid— when she saw the stoned covering was laid open— she rushed back to Peter who was with another disciple at that time— She told Peter about what she saw
Peter and the other disciple went running to tomb— when they finally got there— they say what they were told— the tomb is empty! — we must rejoice guys! Say the tomb is empty! — archeologist today— even with their modern equipment and technology are frustrated with all their attempts trying to find the Lord’s body! — they too are looking at the wrong place— Jesus is no longer in his tomb!— He is in our hearts!
Peter saw the strips of linen lying there as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus— and when they saw what they were told— they believed
Now, while all these had taken place, Mary was standing outside the tomb crying— when she bent over to look into the tomb, she saw two angels in white seated where Jesus’ body had been—they asked her, why are you crying? — “They have taken my Lord away!” she replied!— at this she turned around and saw Jesus standing there— though she did not realize that it was Jesus
Jesus asked her, “woman, why are you crying? who is it you’re looking for?— Mary thought he was the gardener she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him”— Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” [which means teacher]— Jesus said, “Don’t hold on to me [don’t touch me], for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”— this a very intriguing discourse of the Lord Jesus— do not touch me? why? I have not ascended to the Father?… hmmmm… — Join me! every weekday— 6:00-6:15AM— verse by verse [in depth] study of the Gospel of John!
So, Mary Magdalene went to tell everything to the disciples— let’s see what happened next— Let’s pick it up from verse 19
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
LOOK
LOOK
THE DISCIPLES WERE TOGETHER WITH THE DOORS LOCKED
They are hunkered down in a home for fear of the Jewish leaders— with this Covid-19, we are also hunkered down our homes but not because we fear but because we care! — so we are not the only ones celebrating Easter behind locked doors!
JESUS CAME AND STOOD AMONG THEM AND SAID, “PEACE BE WITH YOU”
The very first thing that the Lord offered them was Peace!— He know that their hearts are troubled!
He showed them his hands and that brought them great joy! Jesus will show his hands to you and you will also have a great joy!
He repeated saying— peace be with! Peace must be so important that Jesus has to say it twice!— many times over when Jesus said things twice— better pay extra attention because he really meant importance to what he said!
AS THE FATHER HAS SENT ME, I AM SENDING YOU
That right there brother and sisters is the Purpose— Jesus, after offering them Peace, gave them a Purpose!— We’ve been talking about Purpose all of January and February— Here we can hear Jesus telling us about one of our five unchanging biblical purposes— which is Evangelism— He said, “I’m sending you!”— that’s Evangelism! Sharing your faith— witnessing for Jesus!
In other parts of what Jesus said particularly in the Great Commission and the Great Commandment— He made our purposes clear!— not just Evangelism, but also Worship, Fellowship, Discipleship and Ministry— we talked about these exhaustively!
HE BREATHED ON THEM AND SAID, RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT
That is a promise fulfilled— let me take you to when Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to his disciples
After his death was predicted— the disciples were comforted— Jesus promised not to leave them as orphans— he said the world will not see him anymore, but they will— and it will only be after the fulfillment of these promises that the disciples will realized everything that Jesus told them— here are the promises fulfilled at his resurrection:
Jesus promised the Holy Spirit— the Advocate— the Paraclete [several terms used to refer to the Holy Spirit] John 14:15
15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—
Another promised fulfilled which we talked about earlier was his resurrection on the third day
Jesus fulfills His promises!— again!
Where are you looking for Peace?
Where are you looking for Purpose in life?
What promises are you looking for to be fulfilled?
The right place to look for answers to these questions is the very first Easter Sunday!
TOOK
TOOK
I SHALL ACCEPT THE PEACE OFFERED BY JESUS
Peace is one of the nine fruit of the Holy Spirit
Make every effort to live in peace with everyone! let me say that again, with everyone!— because peacemakers reaps a harvest of righteousness— the Lord blesses peaceful people—he gives strength to them—
The Bible also said— turn from evil and do good— seek peace and pursue it! — Paul said to the early Christians in Colossae— Colossians 3:15
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
I MUST LIVE OUT THE PURPOSES THAT JESUS GAVE ME
It is only God who knows the plans for our lives— His plan is not to hurt us— not to oppress us— but to give us hope and a future
His purposes for our lives are great and his deeds are mighty!
WE always make our own plans— but it is the purpose of God for us that will prevail! [stop wrestling with God]
And we know that in all things that God does in our lives [yes even this pandemic], are all for the good of those who love him who have been called according to his purpose
The great king David— Father [ancestor] of Jesus, served his purpose very well before he died— and it was written in Acts 13:36
36 “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed.
I WILL RELY ON HIS PROMISES FOR HE IS WORTHY
After numerous battles won— the Lord gave his people rest on every side— not one of their enemies withstood them— the Lord gave all their enemies into their hands
Paul said— No matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ— and so through Him we say “Amen”— God had the power to do what he had promised
James said— blessed are those who persevere for them the promises will be fulfilled
And when Joshua was dividing the promised land among the twelve tribes, he said this in Joshua 21:45
45 Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.
ALTAR CALL— PRAYER
ALTAR CALL— PRAYER
Invite people to accept Jesus— Romans Road [3:23, 6:23, 5:6, 10:13, 10:9-10]— ABC of Salvation!
Stay away from the virus, while staying close with Jesus!