Three Days that Changed the World

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Psalm 118:1–2 NIV

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. 2 Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.”

Psalm 118:14–24 NIV

14 The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. 15 Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things! 16 The Lord’s right hand is lifted high; the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!” 17 I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done. 18 The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death. 19 Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord. 20 This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter. 21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. 22 The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 23 the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. 24 The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad.

Song and announcements

Isaiah 52:13–53:12 NIV

13 See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. 14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him— his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness— 15 so he will sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand. 1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. 4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. 11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

3 Songs

Luke 24:1–12 NIV

1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words. 9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

1 Song & Prayer

Three Days That Changed the World

10,000 Sermon Illustrations Funeral of Brezhnev

Funeral of Brezhnev

As Vice President, George Bush represented the U.S. at the funeral of former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. Bush was deeply moved by a silent protest carried out by Brezhnev’s widow. She stood motionless by the coffin until seconds before it was closed. Then, just as the soldiers touched the lid, Brezhnev’s wife performed an act of great courage and hope, a gesture that must surely rank as one of the most profound acts of civil disobedience ever committed: She reached down and made the sign of the cross on her husband’s chest. There in the citadel of secular, atheistic power, the wife of the man who had run it all hoped that her husband was wrong. She hoped that there was another life, and that that life was best represented by Jesus who died on the cross, and that the same Jesus might yet have mercy on her husband.

Gary Thomas, in Christianity Today, October 3, 1994, p. 26

Without Jesus Christ’s life, death and resurrection there is no hope for anyone. There have actually been many resurrections down through the ages.

10,000 Sermon Illustrations (Accounts of People Raised from the Dead)

Accounts of People Raised from the Dead

1. Elijah raised the son of the Zarephath widow from the dead (1 Kings 17:17–22).

2. Elisha raised the son of the Shunammite woman from the dead (2 Kings 4:32–35).

3. A man was raised from the dead when his body touched Elisha’s bones (2 Kings 13:20, 21).

4. Many saints rose from the dead at the resurrection of Jesus (Matt. 27:50–53).

5. Jesus raised the son of the widow of Nain from the dead (Luke 7:11–15).

6. Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead (Luke 8:41, 42, 49–55).

7. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1–44).

8. Peter raised Dorcas from the dead (Acts 9:36–41).

9. Eutychus was raised from the dead by Paul (Acts 20:9, 10).

J. L. Meredith, Meredith’s Big Book of Bible Lists, (Inspirational Press, NY; 1980), p. 115

Even today, if you go on YouTube, there are many people who share stories about dying and being resurrected. However, there is something that sets all these cases apart from Jesus’. Each of these have either died again or will face death again unless they still live when the rapture happens. Jesus on the other hand, was resurrected once for all time. And it is only Jesus’ resurrection that can provide for our eternal resurrection to true life (That is, the only life worth living).

Today, I plan to take us back to that moment in time and investigate exactly what Jesus did during those three days and how what He did benefits us.

Please stand, if you are able, for the reading of God’s Word this morning.

1 Corinthians 15:19–26 NIV

19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

The Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God!

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I. Three Days That Changed the World

Sermon:

Today we complete the narrative flow that began last Sunday, but we do not complete the story. We know that it continues throughout all eternity. Oh, our timeline here on earth will eventually end but only to begin a new and better one on the eternal plane.

Let us look at where we have come this past week. Last Sunday, we found a people worshiping and celebrating Jesus, however, they were celebrating for the wrong reason. They expected Him to replace Rome and insert the Jews into power under His leadership. What they didn’t understand was that Jesus had not come to rescue them from the Romans, but from sin and death.

The misunderstanding turned out to be lethal as they turned on Him and cried for His crucifixion when they realized He was not going to do as they had hoped. Of course, this was always understood by Jesus. So, Jesus was crucified and after He died, He was buried, which is where we left off on Friday night. For His followers, it felt like all light had gone out of the world and all that was left was darkness. However, they did not need to despair for long. Their Friday’s sorrow was quickly erased Sunday morning when they found the tomb empty and rumors began to soar that Jesus had been seen alive!

We all know the event well. I have heard it all my life. Others of you have heard it many times, if not your whole life as well. But today, I want us to look into that time between Jesus’ death and His resurrection. We do not often talk about that. Partly because it is not very clear. There is no diary from Jesus that says, I did this and then I did that. However, there are some scriptures that give us a little insight into that period of time. I should inform you that there are many interpretations of these scriptures. I plan to present you with the one I feel makes the most sense and fits my understanding of Jesus work in that period we term as His death.

First, let us look at His...

A. Descent into Death

John 1:14NIV

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus was human, just as any of us our human. He had flesh and this flesh was as vulnerable for him as it would be for any of us. We know this for a fact. He was cut and he bled. Now, here is where Satan made his greatest miscalculation. You see, Satan has always coveted God’s position. Satan seems to believe that he can replace God. He set out to dethrone God which means he must have believed he had enough power to do so. But he was wrong then too. He was not able to dethrone God and he in turn was cast down from heaven along with the angels he had persuaded to rebel with him.

God could have destroyed Satan then and there, but God had a purpose for Satan. God was going to show Satan and any other usurper, that He was un-de-thronable. Not only that, but Satan thought he had won the round with humankind when he persuaded them to disobey. Now God was going to use another man to defeat Satan at his own game. Jesus, the seed of the woman prophesied in Genesis 3:15, would take back what was lost once and for all eternity and God would have the family He had always planned on having.

Now, here is where Satan’s second and final miscalculation came in. Satan thought he could turn Jesus like he did Adam. We see him trying when Jesus went into the desert at the beginning of his ministry. He gave it a valiant effort, but where Adam failed, Jesus succeeded. Satan had previously tried to kill Jesus. He had tried when Jesus was a baby, but the infant had slipped through his hands. You see, Satan is not all knowing or all seeing. He can only be in one place at one time. He cannot read minds and he had no way of knowing that God was one step ahead of him. This time, Satan was determined not to fail. Here is where Satan’s miscalculation comes in. Jesus was not only man, but Jesus was God. You cannot kill God. God is immortal and death cannot overcome Him because He literally is life itself. But for some reason, Satan still seemed unable to understand this. He felt for sure, he would win when Jesus died on that cross. In death, Satan believed Jesus would belong to him. But it did not work that way.

Satan is not alone in this. There are many men and women who deny the truth of God. They are full of their own knowledge and their own desires and believe they can win the war against God. These people all have far less power than even Satan. Satan sold them a piece of property saying they would have full claim to it. That property was themselves. However, this property was not Satan’s to sell and even worse, the freedom he promises is a lie because they just trade their service from God to Satan. God gives life and wonderful gifts to His people, but Satan only comes to bring death and destruction to the lives he controls.

So, let us now go to that moment when Jesus gives up His life. We find it in John 19:30.

John 19:30NIV

30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

So, what exactly happened in that moment? Well, the first thing we see is that there must have been a point when Jesus had accomplished what was needed. We know this because he declared, “it is finished” indicating that whatever needed to be accomplished was now done. Then we see that even in death, Jesus had authority because death did not overcome Him, He literally surrendered to it of His own volition. This is evident when it says, “he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

But what happened in that moment? I believe the same thing that happened to all of God’s people prior to this time happened also to Jesus. His spirit traveled to Hades.

Ephesians 4:9NIV

9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions?

Some believe this descent is just talking about His incarnation (His birth), and it well may be, but we also know that upon His death He did descend into Satan’s realm and I will demonstrate this momentarily. But for now, we acknowledge Jesus...

B. Descent Into Hades

So, where and what exactly is Hades? Here again, there are differences of opinion. Some say Hades is Hell. Others say Hades was a holding place of all the dead, both the righteous and unrighteous. They were in the same place, but not quite the same. To demonstrate this, we need to look at another event that Jesus shared. It is found in Luke 16:19-31. So, let us look at that story for moment.

Luke 16:19–31NIV

19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ 25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ 27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 30“ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”

Here we see that Abraham and the poor man are within eyesight of Lazarus, however, Abraham and the poor man are in comfort while Lazarus is in agony. You see, until Jesus came, Satan had some claim on God’s people due to their own sins. God cannot tolerate sin and yet, they had sin that had not been covered. As we have said before, our good deeds are not enough to cover our sin. Only Jesus was able to pay that debt. Until Jesus paid that debt, they were in a separate holding place awaiting the time of His death and resurrection. Evidently, it had been revealed to them that this day would come because Jesus told the Jews...

John 8:56NIV

56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”

Even Job understood that there would be a day of redemption. Job 19:25

Job 19:25NIV

25 I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth.

Now, let us return to Jesus’ death. I believe that in that moment of death, Jesus descended to this holding place. I also believe that Satan was waiting with glee, but he was in for a rude awakening. You see, sin pinned the others down in death. Satan held papers on them. These papers were certificates of death that listed every sin they ever committed, and they had no means to pay their debt. But Jesus had no sin of his own. There was nothing to hold Him there, in fact, His perfect life and unjust death, allowed Him to cover the debt of all others who had waited in faith. Satan was completely oblivious of this fact.

Acts 2:24NIV

24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

Acts 2:30–32 (NIV) 30 But he [David] was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.

Not only could Satan not hold Jesus, but he no longer had a claim on any of the others who had been faithful to God and were patiently waiting for His coming.

1 Peter 3:18–19NIV

18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 19 After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits…

Jesus declared Himself to the unrepentant as well as the ones God had already promised redemption to.

Ephesians 4:8NIV

8 This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.”

I believe the captives he took with him are those he rescued who were waiting in the realm of death. Now they were free to join Jesus in heaven which is also why the thief on the cross was free to be in heaven on that day also. The work of Jesus Christ was completed. There is no more need of the placed referred to as Abraham’s bosom where the saints had waited for Jesus coming.

Satan thought he knew it all. He believed himself equal enough to God to be god. But Satan was wrong. In that moment, Satan lost all hope and now is like a wounded animal trying to exact as much damage as he can before he goes down forever. Unfortunately, when that time comes, there will be many that go down with him.

Once Jesus defeated Satan, claimed His people, he then...

C. Ascended to the Father

Why ascend to the Father before returning to earth? To bow at the Father’s throne and declare, “It is done!” Like any dutiful son, He would be ready to be reunited with His Father and share the good news. Not that God didn’t already know. But still, it is not the same as being reunited face-to-face and seeing the pride in a father’s face. Can you just imagine the delight as Father and Son were reunited after this important task was completed?

1 Peter 3:21–22 (NIV) 21 ...It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

Ephesians 1:18–23 NIV

18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Once that was done, Jesus returned long enough to provide the truth of His resurrection and to give final instructions before His final departure.

Scriptures are not the only source describing Jesus journey of descent and ascent. We also find it in the Apostle’s Creed.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

The Apostle’s Creed was a means of succinctly stating doctrinal truths to be maintained through time. We as Christian hold to this creed as it comes from the teachings of Christ and His Apostles. So, what does all this mean for you and me?

Conclusion

Just this; What Jesus did for the saints of the Old Testament, and for the thief on the cross, He will do for you and me.

1 Corinthians 15:54–58 NIV

54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

You and I all will have certificates of death also. On it will be a list of our sins. However, if you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ. If you have acknowledged that He is the Son of God and have chosen to follow Him, turning your back on the sin of your past, when Satan pulls up that certificate of death, He will find them marked “paid in full.” He will have no right to hold you. Unlike the Old Testament saints, the work is completed so you will be free to go home with no detours.

If you are here today, and you never understood this. If you desire to thank Jesus for what He has done and accept His payment on your behalf, all you need to do is tell Him so. Tell Him you are sorry for what He suffered on your behalf. Thank Him for being willing to do so and receive His salvation just as you would receive any gift. Then start reading your Bible and find a church family where you can learn and grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ. He makes it easy because when you receive the gift of salvation, what you are receiving is His Spirit taking up residence with your spirit so you can get to know each other. If you grew up in church, you may understand this, but if you did not, you may wish to come and talk to me or a friend who is a Christian to get to understand this better. It is not meant to be a secret. God wants you to know. He wants you to understand and find peace and joy as those are just a couple of the many blessings His Spirit will provide you with.

Now before I close, if you are wondering about Lazarus and others like him in that realm of death, well I believe they are still there. I also believe anyone unwilling to put their faith in Christ will also go there until judgement day. After their judgment, they will be relocated to hell. Hell is as real as Heaven. It is not something we like to contemplate but that does not change the reality of it.

However, today, we are celebrating Christ’s work, so we have an alternative to hell. No one must go to hell except by their own choice. They make that choice when they refuse to accept Jesus Christ and the gift He freely offers.

Look with me at one last scripture that declares this truth.

Colossians 2:13–14 ESV

13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Today, we celebrate our freedom from the debt of sin. We rejoice that Jesus is not dead but that He is alive! He was victorious over death and provides us the means to be victorious also. No matter what is happening in our world, nothing can steal our joy because the worst they can do to us is kill us. But there is nothing in death to concern us because it just means we get to go home. This time to a home that no one can take away from us! And all God’s people said, AMEN!

Great Things (Phil Wickham)

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