The Living Hope Through the Resurrection
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
Today we gather to celebrate the second most important event in all of human history.
The first being - the birth of Jesus Christ of the virgin Mary. God became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ.
The second being - the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a historical event.
Earlier in this service we heard the report of his resurrection according to Luke, the physician.
It is not a legend, it was not a spiritual resurrection/a metaphor/or a dream - Jesus Christ’s corpse lay in the tomb.
…without life
…without a beating heart
…without breathe
…and suddenly by the power of God’s Holy Spirit, Jesus is raised from the tomb, the stone is rolled away, and he steps out of the tomb having conquered death!
Hallelujah, Christ the Lord is risen!
Why make such a fuss about the resurrection?
Why make such a fuss about the resurrection?
We turn our eyes to the apostle Peter, one of Jesus’ closes disciples, who gives us the reason why we should make such a great fuss about the resurrection, why the resurrection is such a big deal, why the resurrection is absolutely necessary to the Christian Faith.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
¡Alabado sea Dios, Padre de nuestro Señor Jesucristo! Por su gran misericordia, nos ha hecho nacer de nuevo mediante la resurrección de Jesucristo, para que tengamos una esperanza viva
Peter goes straight to the beat, he does not beat around the bush.
Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ we have received:
A new birth, a new start, a new beginning!
Why is this so important?
We can only understand the need for a new birth/a new start/a new beginning if we understand the bad news and the good news regarding God’s story.
The bad news: All of humanity has sinned against God. We are all sons and daughters of Adam and Eve who through their sin brought a curse upon all their descendants.
All of their descendants experience a pull towards sin (breaking of God’s law).
The bad news is that God, who is holy, will punish sin for all eternity.
The good news: God sent his only son to be born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life. He told his followers that he would die on the cross and take upon himself our sin and receive God’s punishment that we deserved.
But, God raised him from the dead on the third day; to demonstrate that he was pleased with his sacrifice. Therefore, God will grant forgiveness of sins, freedom from guilt, and the promise of eternal life to all who confess their sins and trust in Jesus Christ.
This is why we need a new beginning!
Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ means your sins past, present, and future are forgiven through what Jesus experienced on the Cross.
Also, notice the second reason why the resurrection is such a big deal:
We have received a new birth “into a living hope”.
Through Jesus resurrection we experience hope for this life and the next.
Through Jesus Christ we have a hope that God is with us to the end of the age and beyond.
Through Jesus Christ we have hope in the midst of suffering, in the midst of sickness, in the midst of despair.
Through Jesus Christ we have hope though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death…and you can be confident that day will come.
…wouldn’t you want to have hope at the moment of your death?
Conclusion #1: There is no hope without the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
If Jesus has not been raised from the dead…then there is now hope for us.
If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then we christian people are believing in a lie.
…but he has been raised! …and we do have hope
Conclusion #2: There is no hope for those who do not believe in Jesus Christ.
There is no hope for those who do not trust in Jesus.
There is now hope for those who do not worship him as Lord and Savior.
There is no hope for those who do not bow their knee to the King of Creation.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Therefore, since Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead, and if you will trust in God and confess your sins before him - you have been born again/you’ve received a new start - and you have a living hope!
This leads us to the reason why we are here!
The reason why we gather on Easter Sunday, and every Sunday of the year…is to do exactly what Peter tells his readers:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
¡Alabado sea Dios, Padre de nuestro Señor Jesucristo! Por su gran misericordia, nos ha hecho nacer de nuevo mediante la resurrección de Jesucristo, para que tengamos una esperanza viva
We gather to Praise God the Father for demonstrating his mercy in the sending of his son.
We gather to sing to hymn, to pray to hymn, to worship him, for his mercy and grace!
…and we cannot stay quiet, nor can we tone it down - after all, we have a living hope! What can be better than that?
