Easter 2022 Message 1

Easter 2022

Message 1

Me:

October 6 1962

a. It was a Saturday

i. I was born one thousand nine hundred and sixty-two after the birth of Jesus

ii. So what?

iii. No other person has had such a great impact on the world as Jesus has.

iv. It really is incredible

Anno Domini

It’s Latin for “in the year of our Lord”

ii. We use the abbreviation A.D.

iii. B.C.

We:

Jesus was crucified in 33 A.D.

a. 12 followers

i. 4 of those where poor uneducated fishermen

ii. Jesus himself grew up as carpenter son

iii. For the 3 years of his ministry he and his disciples lived of the kindness of others

iv. They essentially were beggars

2.3 billion

i. 2000 thousand years later

ii. That’s how many claim to be Christian

iii. The church is bigger than Europe and China together

c. How did that happen

i. From 12 to 2.3 billion

ii. One word

Resurrection

The resurrection changed everything

ii. Here’s what the resurrection did.

iii. It turned these first followers of Christ from being depressed, disillusioned, in despair and defeated

iv. They were hiding in an upper room

v. The resurrection turned them into courageous and contagious people filled with hope.

We still have that hope today

i. We have more hope than anyone else

ii. It’s no contest

iii. Let me show you

There are two ways to look at salvation.

God:

Legalism or Grace?

a. Human effort does it or God does it.

i. All the world religions can be placed in one of two camps.

ii. Salvation is something earned based on deeds done.

1. That could be what you are doing

iii. Salvation as a gift based on Christ’s death and resurrection.

What does the bible say?

Colossians 2:13–14 (NCV)

God made you alive with Christ, and he forgave all our sins.

He canceled the debt, which listed all the rules we failed to follow. He took away that record with its rules and nailed it to the cross.

ii. This is the cake

c. Here’s the icing

1 Peter 1:3 CEB

May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be blessed! On account of his vast mercy, he has given us new birth. You have been born anew into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

ii. Our sins are nailed to the cross

iii. But without the resurrection there would be no hope

When Jesus rose from the grave and showed himself to the disciples Everything Changed

iv. Depressed and disillusioned 12 disciple - To 2.3 billion in the world

v. Sometimes we become like the 12 let me explain

You:

Disillusion and hopelessness

a. The curse of legalism (I’ve been here)

i. A legalist believes the supreme force behind salvation is you.

ii. If you look right, speak right, and belong to the right segment of the right group, you will be saved.

iii. The burden of responsibility doesn’t lie within God; it lies within you.

b. The result?

i. The outside sparkles.

ii. The talk is good and the step is true.

c. But look closely.

i. Something is missing.

ii. What is it?

JOY and it’s companion HOPE

iii. What is there?

iv. Fear! (That you won’t do enough.)

v. Arrogance. (That you have done enough.)

vi. Failure. (That you have made a mistake.)

vii. What does that produce – Disillusion and hopelessness

We:

This changes everything

a. Jesus is alive!

i. Life has purpose

ii. It’s worth the struggle - Isn’t life hard?

iii. We have forgiveness of sinn (I can’t earn God’s favor)

We have a living hope

v. We have joy

vi. There is a bounce in our step

vii. The life I now live I live by trusting in a resurrected Jesus Gal 2:20

viii. I serve a risen Savor he’s in the world today