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· 1 viewOn Easter, we learn about what the resurrection actually means.
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Trees
Trees
How many of you noticed the trees budding and growing?
At Christmastime, we had barren, dead trees
At Christmas, we reflect on Christ, the light of the world
He came to a world that was dark and dead
But as He walked here, things began to change
The sick were healed
The outcasts were recognized
The losers were encouraged
The world got to see God, and things started to change
It made sense to me then, that our trees would also slowly come to life
My mom headed up a team
It included my dad
Rick & Diana Kolowski
Tasha and Judi
Deb Ruder
and Lisa Friebohle
We also had some help from Paul Cone and Gracie
My dog Betty also came in to help...
I’m very grateful because that’s a lot of leaves!
Today, the trees are full and vibrant
A lot of life in them, just like today
Resurrection Sunday!
The day when new life is made most clear to the world...
Introduction
Introduction
Let me take into the world of my weird mind
Sometimes I like to pretend I’m a time traveller
What would I say, if I got to meet King Richard?
Or Davey Crocket? Or Martin Luther?
Would I tell Capt. Smith of Titanic to watch for that iceberg?
Would I tell JFK to duck?
Would I tell the TSA to to pay closer attention on 9/11?
That’s an interesting conundrum
What is more interesting, is would I show technology?
Could I show American revolutionaries how to build an automatic rifle?
Could I teach people during the Black Plague about infectious disease and good hygiene?
Could I teach medieval knights how to build a hot air ballon to drop bombs on the enemy?
This weekend I met my old pastor Glenn
He drove from California to Branson in 4 days
When Lewis and Clark came back to St. Louis, it took them 5 months!
Which is better than the 18 months it took to get there!
The reason why, is we have a better way to do it
Driving a car on asphalt at 70mph in AC...
Is way better than walking through forests and climbing over mountains in the snow
Technology changes everything!
But it’s not just technology that changes everything
Today we celebrate Easter
The day when something happened that really changed everything...
YouVersion: Brand New
Looking in a few different places
Up until about 33 A.D., the world had a significant problem
There was a whole lot of sin, and nothing to do about it
Oh, there was a sacrificial system, and it was important
But it was missing something...
Hebrews 10:1–4 (ESV)
1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
You might say the old technology wasn’t good enough
The OT sacrificial system was putting pressure on a major wound
It had temporary benefits, but we needed a better solution
The OT taught us that shedding blood could help us access God
That’s the only reason God could dwell in the Temple
But it didn’t fix the big problem - our sin
That’s why God said this:
Jeremiah 31:31, 33 (ESV)
31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah… 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
God promised something completely new, something better
But it wasn’t what anyone expected
Everyone thought Jesus was coming to restore Israel to what is was
No one realized that God would redefine Israel
No one realized that God’s new plan was for everyone
That’s why all of this was sudden
Imagine you’ve been following Jesus everyday for three years
You’ve heard some incredible promises
You’ve seen some amazing miracles
You know He’s the Messiah
You’re always looking for that explosive moment
The moment he blows the doors off the Temple
An army of angels shows up
Destroys Rome, and establishes Jesus on the throne
His permanent kingdom is set up incredibly
And one night, you’re woken when you should be praying
And the guy, the king, the mighty warrior Jesus is dragged off
For 30 pieces of silver - a couple hundred bucks today
And he is stripped naked, beaten, whipped, and killed
All while being mocked and scorned
And that’s it. The end.
How could you be so stupid to follow that?
Three years wasted...
But then, He walks out of the grave!
What?! No?! That’s not possible!
I saw You die!
It’s been three days!
You. Are. Dead.
Doubting Thomas gets a bad rap, but can you blame him?
John 20:24–29 (ESV)
24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
What an incredible moment...
To see a dead man rise again
Let me ask you this:
Church, if that is possible...
What could ever be impossible?
Today we’re going to look at 4 things the resurrection tells us
Resurrection means:
Resurrection means:
1. Jesus’ death was SUFFICIENT
1. Jesus’ death was SUFFICIENT
What is Jesus wasn’t resurrected?
Look at what Paul says:
1 Corinthians 15:3–4 (ESV)
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
Then he goes on in v.17
1 Corinthians 15:17 (ESV)
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
If Christ wasn’t resurrected, you’re still in trouble!
Jesus’ death is just another sinful murder in history
Jesus was just another guy that let us down
But if He was resurrected… what does that mean?
It can only mean everything God promised was true
That Jesus’ death was enough to cover our sin
When Jesus walked out of that tomb, it was a public announcement!
God was saying, “Yes! That did it!”
Problem solved, Jesus’ death was enough
But enough for what?
We know our sin is a problem
What does Scripture tell us?
Romans 3:23 (ESV)
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Oh, so every single person is guilty of something
It doesn’t say, “But some do more good than bad.”
Or, “All people are good enough.”
All fall short of the glory of God
For those of us who do projects...
What happens when you make a small mistake?
For example, you’re painting and cleaning up...
And someone says, “You missed a spot!”
You’re going to stare and that spot everyday and it’ll drive you nuts!
But it’s only one spot!
99.9% of the wall is covered! Why worry about that one spot?
That’s what sin is like to God.
It’s one ink spot on the Mona Lisa
It’s one small insect in your water bottle
It’s one short second with your hand on the stove
It doesn’t matter that 99% of what you do is good
That 1% is too much for a perfect God
And if we’re honest, most of us aren’t 99% to 1%
Even the good things we do are for our own sake...
Each of us has sin in our lives, and so that makes us sinners...
If we’re can admit we’re sinners, Scripture tells us what’s in store:
Romans 6:23a (ESV)
23 For the wages of sin is death...
So if sin earns death, and we’re all sinners...
What does that mean for all of us?
We are all getting death
Not just one death at the end of this life
But eternal death - separation from God forever!
But how does that last verse end?
Romans 6:23 (ESV)
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Jesus came to die our death, so we don’t have to!
What does that mean?
2. Death was DEFEATED
2. Death was DEFEATED
Death claimed it’s victory over us, but God sent in a substitute
It’s like those movies when some kid starts bullying a little kid
Then some bigger kid comes and kicks the snot out of the bully?
Death was a bully, but Jesus kicked the snot out of it!
Acts 2:24 (ESV)
24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
Essentially, death is more powerful than all of us!
But it’s not match for Jesus...
Jesus came and took death from us, and He handled it because death couldn’t beat Jesus
C.S. Lewis: “He has met, fought, and beaten the King of Death. Everything is different because He has done so. This is the beginning of the New Creation: a new chapter in cosmic history has been opened.”
Let me ask you this:
How do we know Jesus is stronger than death?
Because He died, and then walked out of the stinking graveyard alive
Jesus defeated death, and now we have a chance to accept His help
Let me make this clear, this is not imagination, allegory, or limited to the Spiritual realm
Jesus’ physical body came back to earth
John 20:27 (ESV)
27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”
Thomas touched His hands and feet, felt the wounds
John 21:12 (ESV)
12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.
Jesus literally came back hungry and ate some fish
They all knew it was Him, no question
Acts 1:3 (ESV)
3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
Jesus did all sorts of things to show that this was Him, He was alive, and He was in the flesh
Know what that tells me?
3. This LIFE matters
3. This LIFE matters
Jesus wasn’t in some hurry to just get back to the Spiritual
He left His throne, came to the earth, walked with us, died for us, came back to us, and still lives in the flesh
And that power that was used to resurrect Jesus...
Is working in His church right now, today, in this life!
Ephesians 1:19–20 (ESV)
19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
We’re not about just waiting to get to heaven
We’re about serving, loving and growing in Christ now!
Because this life is the chance we have to accept that victory we’ve been talking about
Yes, we’re looking towards eternity
But eternity begins now
It becomes possible by the works of the Holy Spirit now
So what am I saying
Really church, everything we’ve talked about points to our last point:
4. We have reason to HOPE
4. We have reason to HOPE
If Jesus died 2,000 years ago and we’ve been lying to ourselves ever since...
We have hope for nothing
We can’t know God
We can’t have the Holy Spirit working in us
We can’t be saved
But if Jesus was resurrected, even us sinners have reason to hope!
1 Corinthians 15:20–24 (ESV)
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.
Jesus was resurrected, but He was just the first one!
He wasn’t the only one or the last one… He’s just the first!
Adam brought sin and then death...
But Jesus brought resurrection and then life once again
And when He comes again, we shall all be restored!
If that’s not something to hope in, I don’t know what could be!
Conclusion
Conclusion
Church, this is what it all comes down to
The resurrection is the single most important event that ever happened
The fate of the entire world rests here
Your eternity really only depends on your answer to one question:
Was Jesus resurrected, or was He not?
Without the resurrection, there is no Christianity
Without resurrection, there is no salvation
That means, for sinners like you and me, without resurrection, there is no hope
Your best shot is to place your bet that there is no God
There is no right or wrong
And that when you die, you’re nothing
But with resurrection, everything changes
Jesus’ sacrifice was enough!
Death and sin was defeated!
What we do here and now matters!
And we have hope that we can spend eternity with God...
So what do you believe?
Am I going to see you in heaven, standing in the presence of God for eternity? Worshipping in complete joy the God who loves us deeper than we can imagine?
I believe it’s possible for you, that’s where I’m going!
Prayer Time
Prayer Time