Do you wanna Make Jesus Sad?
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introduction
Good morning, everyone, and happy Easter. The thought and concept of Easter are critical to our faith as Christians but has anyone ever noticed that it has begun to become like another holiday like arbor day or Peanut butter celebration day ( It is actually Jan 24). We celebrate and wear our best clothes on Easter, not for the Easter bunny or our family. We do not come here out of obligation for some just because it is the right thing to do, but there is a reason.
What is the big deal? We know the premise, and we know that Jesus died on a Roman cross and rose from the dead, but that was 2000 years ago? In 2022 we focus on the present and what will happen in the next hour. The next video, TikTok or a political news event, will shape how we live our lives. We do not think that everything has a price or a consequence in our world. It is not a big deal if no one gets hurt if you run a red light. We know that it is illegal, but why is it not legal? Is it because the government wants to control us, or are we trying to get everyone safe that is driving on our roads? Yes, I know that annoying red light is annoying, but if everyone ran red lights, then a great deal more people would be hurt. Everything in our life requires payment or a consequence.
You stay up late Saturday night, then Sunday morning, you will be dragging and hit snooze a few hundred times. If you steal food from your grand kids or daughter and they get upset for you stealing their breakfast, and the father get a time out. Life has consequences and requires payment. This morning, I will be diving deep into the consequences and the payment of our transgressions to our Heavenly Father.
All wrongdoing requires payment no matter the severity of the type of sin or transgression that we have against our Heavenly Father. We live in a world where it is not a big deal if we tell a white lie to our spouse or look at a person of the opposite gender with lustful eyes. Do you want to make God Sad? This is what we tell our Children but are we living what we are teaching to the next generation? Are we showing them that this is correct, but are we living it? Clearly Speaking are we as Christians practicing what we are preaching to each other and the world or are we showing two different versions of ourselves.
One of the most vital pieces of information that any Christ-follower knows is that they are a sinner and sinning is terrible. However, we also know that all sin must be paid for either by us or by the death of Jesus on the Cross. However, where do we see this in Scripture? We cannot just say what we think God wants us to do unless we see it in his word.
God's word shows one continuous story, and we see this from the very 66 books of the Bible.
Let us start in the book of Hebrews 9:22 , where we are told that all sin and transgressions require payment.
Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
We see in Scripture in black and white or whatever color your device screen shows that under the law that God has set forth, Blood is what wipes the sins and transgressions away. Without the shedding of Blood, then there is no forgiveness of sins.
There was a system of sacrifices required for everyone's sins and to cover their transgressions for a certain period in the Old Testament. This system was not meant to be a get out of jail free card but a way for the sins of their day to be washed away. For example, everyone washes their car at least once every six months. Your car is dirty, and you want to make sure that it is clean and looking good—the same concept as to how your soul in the Old Testament required a washing or covering of Blood.
But do not take my word for it. Let us look at Leviticus 4:1-3 in the Old Testament.
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If anyone sins unintentionally in any of the Lord’s commandments about things not to be done, and does any one of them, if it is the anointed priest who sins, thus bringing guilt on the people, then he shall offer for the sin that he has committed a bull from the herd without blemish to the Lord for a sin offering.
God tells them that they have sinned and must cleanse themselves from the sin and filth in the world. Sin is not something new and has been around for thousands of years. It started in the beginning with A tempting serpent, eve, and having the commandment here challenged God and his commandment to not eat from the tree of knowledge of Good and evil.
Again, do not take my word for it. We at Friendship agree with challenging anyone that speaks at this pulpit. We challenge people and if they get it wrong, we let them know that Scripture does not tell them this. Sometimes it involves a stuffed tomato but at least it is soft.
Lets Jump to Genesis 2.1-7
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
After the fruit was eaten, their eyes were opened, and they knew that they had sinned and had been separated from the love of God. This all started with the serpent stating, "God says that you cannot eat from that tree."
We sent ourselves on this leapfrog trip to show that the concept of falling away and doing our own thing away from God is sprinkled all over the pages of Scripture. We thought that we were God and that we did not need him. We see it in the beginning with a bit of doubt from Satan. We decide that we do not have to trust our Creator and sustainer of the Earth. So, Eve eats from the tree and gives it to Adam.
Now do not be too hard on Adam and eve because we do this daily when we do what we want instead of what God has commanded us to do. We go off on a coworker; we hold anger, look at someone of the opposite gender with lustful thoughts, and become jealous of someone else house or new boom box. The commandments that God gave us from Moses were not meant to be restrictive but to provide us a way for all of us to live together, love each other, and, most importantly, love our Heavenly Father.
There are many false Gods, but he is the greatest God and the most loving because he could have easily said after the Noah flood that these people are crazy, and I should say end game. He could have easily turned off the gaming system of the world because we decided to do what we wanted instead of what was right and what was just.
We have two options to pay for our transgressions towards our Heavenly Father. We know that all sin requires payment, but we do not just go down to the local farmer and start sacrificing the life or the Blood to God. We go two places. We deny the love and the gift of Salvation from our Heavenly Father by sending his Son Jesus to die on a Roman cross where he was beaten to a pulp, humiliated, and his relationship with his father was fractured, or we go to Hell. Jesus endured a physical and spiritual torment of pain and agony that we cannot comprehend or understand on so many levels.
Of course, anyone with theology training knows this is very generalized, but this is as simple as we need to know about it. Either we go with God, or we go to Hell? Do you want to party in Heaven with Jesus beyond the time constraints that we as humans place on things, or do you want to continue to do your own thing on Earth? The Ten Commandments are not meant to be restrictive but to make you a better person and build your Creator's relationship with you.
Buckle up we are headed to 1st Corinthians 6:19-20
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
I have talked a great deal about payment for sins, but how does Jesus come into this account, and what is the big deal of Easter. Why do we continue studying and going over these details until some of us know the story down to a T?
God sent his Son to die on a cross with giant stake pounded into his hands, then he was hung on Roman Cross with the effect on his body that he was struggling with every breath to fill his lungs. Imagine how you feel when you are sick, and breathing is like working a 12-hour day. Jesus endured this and even more. The Romans were experts in torture, and even before the first stake was placed into his wrists, he was humiliated through the streets of Jerusalem. The very streets that this happened at the end of the week Jesus was praised and had palm branches thrown on the ground with the crowd shouting hosanna in the Beginning of the week.
We have mental punishment, physical punishment, and emotional punishment. I know you wonder why he was emotional, but he knew what would happen before it happened. He knew that he had to endure all of this to save us from ourselves and our sins.
Lets see what Luke says in 22:39-44
And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
Not my will but yours.
He was sweating Blood from the sheer amount of agony that he would face by being fractured from his father.
We think that the bond and relationship between Mother and child is vital. Jesus is God. He was being sent to die and be separated from his father in a way that no one can grasp so that we did not have to endure the eternal punishment in Hell.
God did not have to send His Son to Earth, and more importantly, Jesus did not have to take our place to shed his Blood and die on a Roman cross for us. He did not have to die for Brian or anyone in the corner of this world. We are nothing special and do not deserve his treatment. We are filthy, nasty sinners, but we were given a Get out Hell card by our Creator and Sustainer on Earth.
Will we take it?
However, there is one final part of the story of Jesus that we forgot about. What about the tomb? Does Jesus spend time together in Israel's version of a graveyard?
We head to mark 16.6
And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.
Jesus' Mother and some other ladies go to the tomb to prepare his body, and he is not there. Had he risen from the dead? On the third days, he rose from the dead and conquered death just like a game of tik-tack toe. This was nothing for him, and more importantly, it was not a big deal for God to do.
If God can ensure that Jesus conquered death, why do we think that God cannot take care of his children? He has done the most critical thing in history. He paid for all our past, present, and future sins that we have done.
That time that you swore at a person on Colonial Blvd. for cutting you off - God Covered it.
That time you lied to your boss or spouse - God Covered it.
Now I am not saying that Jesus Dying on the Cross is Hell insurance, or you can do whatever you want and still go to party in Heaven with Jesus. What I am saying is that he loved us enough to do this. Once you are saved you are always saved because God chose us from the very foundations of the earth.
IF you genuinely love Jesus and want a relationship, why would you treat it like a Get out of Hell Card? Why would you spill the Blood of Jesus on the ground and waste it when he did this to ensure that our spiritual health was alive and not dead or stale like a loaf of bread.
Refrigerator list
So, we know the bad, the ugly, and the unpleasant, so what do we do?
If you are not a Believer, when we are praying, I want you to raise your hand, and we can pray to save you from your sins. It is a simple prayer but will save you and all of us who have done it before from the wrath and punishment of our filthiness and sins.
We have to remind ourselves that prayer does not save us but is how we communicate with our Heavenly Father. God is the supreme being that saves us.
However, if you are saved, then what is the big deal? You know the story, the outcome, you know everything but still came out of obligation to family, church, or yourself.
How is your relationship with your Heavenly Father?
Take a spiritual inventory and meditate on it.
Are you treating the gift that God gave us as Fire insurance, or do you have a relationship with your Heavenly Father?
Do you read your Bible and spend time with God daily? Do you enjoy everything that he created and provides for us?
My brilliant and beautiful bride has ramped up her gardening game on our patio. She has this plant watering system where it takes care of itself. Earlier this week, I sat out and listened to the water with my thoughts and talked to God. It was a real sense of calm to understand that God created that water, those plants, created me, and everything we see.
Are you in the world or of the world? Are you flexing your God muscles with Scripture and coming to church to learn more about him? There is so much more that God wants us to know than about Jesus dying on the Cross. Of course, this is a critical part but so much more that we need and can learn about him through the sixty-six books of the Bible.
Refrigerator list
So, what are the critical points that we can place on our Refrigerator or the filing cabinet at work?
1.Sin is not Free -
All sin and transgressions that we complete in this world, no matter how small or minor, require death payment. When we sin against our Heavenly Father, we have fractured our relationship with him.
To put it, you make God and Jesus sad.
Nothing on this Earth is guaranteed.
We all in this room have survived the pandemic with Covid. We have been through wars, political fighting, and food and supply shortages that were bad last year. We learned through those events that no one is safe from the events and the consequences of a simple action that happens in this world.
However, there is one thing that is truer today than ever. God loves us and that he paid for our sins through the shedding of the blood of his Son Jesus. WE do not have to do anything. We do not have to worry about anything. We do not have to send money online or place it on the offering plate to receive it. There is not a single thing that you can do to pay for the ultimate gift and sacrifice that God did for us.
2.Without God - we are spiritually dead
Pretty blunt, right? However, it is perfectly accurate that we will physically and spiritually die without God and his love and spend our eternity in Hell. We will be there beyond any frame or measurement of time burning and paying for our sins.
3.What Relationship?
You must work on your relationship with your spouse, family, and friends. Are you putting the effort and the time into it?
Are you reading your Bible every day? Yes, I know it seems like a daunting task since we are in April. But guess what, it does not matter if you start now. God does not care and would be over glad that you are taking time to spend with him. I admit that i struggle with this sometimes but it is critical and vital that you spend time with him in his word every day.
Do I need to come to church? In an age where you can download a podcast or hang out listening to God's word on the couch, why is it essential that I go to a building with other believers?
I am not saying these things are bad, but we go to church for others and connect. We are a family, and we help each other. We allow each other to support each other. We pray with you, provide material relief if needed, and sometimes we are a person to whom you can vent. The church is for others and not you. It is not a gas station where you fill up yourself, but you fill up others.
Do you want to fill up your fellow Christ Follower with regular or premium gasoline?
the choice up to you?
Let us Pray!