Happy Ressurection Day
Easter 2021 • Sermon • Submitted
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It’s almost like God made spring to remind us of new life. Buds on trees, the blooming of Spring flowers. Nature beings to give life to new young. Just Yesterday I was driving into church and a few feet from the house a Deer was, I’m assuming, giving birth. I didn’t stick around and watch it long because I didn’t want to spook it, but it was a beautiful reminder of why we celebrate Easter.
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,
and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
Christ also states that he comes to give life and life more abundantly. Today is a celebration of life. Good Friday we mourned the death of Jesus, but today we celebrate that he has come back.
If you look into the bible enough, God left hints all throughout history, that he was coming to die and to raise again. And not unlike hiding easter eggs which bring candy and joy, these hints lead to life a new birth.
As Mary and Martha were coming to do their duties that women did during the burial process they came to realize that Jesus was not longer in the tomb and that the stone was rolled away. They ran and gathered some of the disciples and when they entered the tomb the burial clothes were tossed to the side. Except for the face cloth.
and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself.
In Europe everyone follows the queens lead even during dining. When the queen puts her purse on the table it signifies to her guest that they must finish easting as she is leaving the table soon. Once the queen is done eating everyone is done eating.
Like wise in ancient times those who were dinning would either throw their napkin on the dinning plate, signifying to the help that they were done, Or If they neatly folded the cloth and laid it beside the plate they signified that they were coming back to the table to finish their meal.
Jesus, knowing this custom of his time, left a symbol to his believers that he was coming back. By folding and separating the face cloth He left this hidden message. Now we know and are celebrating his coming back, his resurrection, every year on Easter Sunday.
Secondly it signifies his return for the second coming prophesied about in the book of revelation. So what does Easter mean to us?
Jesus gives us the choice: Live as we desire today or die to self and live for eternity. Jesus, through is death and resurrection gave us the ability to reside in His kingdom for all eternity.
What does it mean to die while living our present life?
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
You live a Christian life long enough you get used to certain lingo or word uses. But what does it mean to live according to the flesh-
Paul tells us this:
To be driven by passions and desires
If you get used to Paul’s writings you will notice that Paul hyper focuses on Sexual passions. It was ramped during his time on Earth just as it is today. Child trafficking isn’t new, although desperately needs to stop. Prostitution isn’t new. Pornography, although not in video form or picture form, wasn’t new.
but if you live in humanity long enough People are usually driven by one of three three or all three. Money, power, and sex.
That’s where the term desires comes in-Desires is often linked to Idolatry or Idol worship. An Idol is anything that is put before your relationship with God and can come in any form-all of which are unhealthy and typically linked to Money, power, and sex- None of which are inheriantly evil, but rather to add to the word desire we can go back to the Greek term which actually translates as Excessive desire-Or an overdriving passion for.
A loss of control
Jesus died and resurrected from the cross so that the things in this life don’t control or drive our intentions.
A believer should be driven to act as Jesus did for the very simple reason of our love for Jesus.
One action two very different reasons and outcomes.
If I clean the toilet because I want sex it’s a selfish desire.
If I clean the toilet because my wife is stressed and I know a dirty toilet increases her stress then I begin to have the mind of Christ.
A flesh centered mind- is self driven
A Christ centered mind is others driven
Because it will help you- not because it does something for me.
Which bring us to the cross. Jesus in all reality didn’t gain much for dying on the cross. He died on the cross because we had much to gain.
his selfless desire was to help us to become selfless as well. One thing I noticed: Every other religion is about gianing some sort of power and control. however, Christianity is about giving away power and control so that others may be free.
The Christian life, the live Christ died so that we could have boils down to this:
Immediate VS delayed Gratification.
To fullfil our desire now going contrast to Gods’ word or to adhere to God’s word for the eventual abundant life.
Everyone will live in peace and prosperity, enjoying their own grapevines and fig trees, for there will be nothing to fear. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has made this promise!
Christ came so we could have the eternity Micah dreamed of. But we must be willing to lay down that which brings immediate pleasure for that which brings eternal blessing.≥√
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