Resurrection Joy
Resurrection Sunday 4.1.2018 • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 10 viewsNotes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Introduction....
Introduction....
Welcome my friends, today is a special day.
It is Easter.....
And there is a lot to this day… We treat our children to eggs and candy, little presents to bless them with… and of course there is always the bunny. I am not sure how we got a bunny for Easter when you think about he has eggs.... Why not a chicken… it seems more appropriate to them in just a biological sense.... IDK
But that isn’t important… its fun, it is a blessing to our children.
But we understand that Easter is more than a rabbit, eggs and candy… little chicks and ducklings
The gift of Easter is more than anything offered in a basket, it is the free gift of God
Easter is a celebration of our Lord Jesus Christ, His death, burial and His resurrection.
And this morning I want us to focus on that truth. I want us to visit again the facts if you will we know that Jesus laid down his life for us… was buried and rose again on the third, that my friends is the gospel message...
Now there is a lot of information to consider, and I will try my best to share it with you.
So this morning I want us to visit three facts that will remind us our reason to shine, our reason to live the very best we can for our Lord.
The night of Jesus arrest begins in the Gospel of Matthew in Chapter 26, But I am not going to spend a great deal of time there, if you want to see where I am, you can find , verses 47-50 and then we will move onward...
Now while you are looking for this passage (Matthew 26), here is what I want you to consider...
1. Jesus Laid Down His Life
1. Jesus Laid Down His Life
The passage I directed you too () gives us the information of Jesus arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, the evening before His Crucifixion.
tells of of Jesus in the Upper room with His disciples, they are there and Jesus tells them many wonderful things, even speaking of his soon coming death. After sharing the Lord’s Supper, what we commonly see as the Last Supper paintings, they leave and make there way to the Garden of Gethsemane.
The Garden is outside the city, across the Kidron Valley… the garden’s is a little misleading it is not a garden in the sense we know it, it is a olive tree grove, with a olive press in the middle. It is a quite, private place at night and it is here that Jesus and 11 of the disciples meet to pray.
Jesus is there praying, his disciples, Peter, James and john are close by and the others a little farther from them, but still they are all in the garden, and the purpose is for them is to pray. A place where Jesus is praying, preparing for what He was about to face…
And suddenly, Judas arrives with some of the ruffians from the Chief Priest to arrest Jesus, and Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss.
They take hold of Jesus () and arrest him like a common criminal, a sinner and take him away.
Jesus is taken that evening to the home of the High Priest, He is is questioned and accused of being a blasphemer, an evil doer... Even though Jewish law prevented nighttime meetings and trials from taking place, they went ahead caring nothing for the law.
Since the Jews had not power to execute a person they send Jesus to Pilate, and it is here they bare false witness against Jesus in hopes of having Jesus put to death.
Pilate sees nothing in Jesus worthy of death, He sees no threat in this one the Jewish leaders have complained so overwhelming about ....
And I could tell you more here but sadly it will do no good.
Pilate finally gives into these peoples wishes… verse 22
22 Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!”
Pilate doesn’t understand, and declares that he is innocence in this matter,
24 So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” 25 And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”
Pilate commends Jesus to the guards that he be put to death by crucifixion....
They have mistreated the Savior, whipped him and beat him, they have placed a crown of thorns upon his head.... and there stood his bleeding, bloody body before Pilate as the sentence is handed down… Crucify HIM.
I am reminded that the book of Isaiah tells us
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
Man o’ man.....
Jesus is lead out of the city, across the valley to the place of the skull, Golgotha, the place of execution... and finally Jesus has his hands and feet nailed to the cross...
A thief on each side of him, they hug there that faithful day… in front of the city, but more importantly, Jesus hung there in front of His Father....
Jesus my friends is not forced to the cross, you do not force the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity to do anything, but he has willing laid down hi life, He allowed himself to be put to death...
Listen to Jesus in John 10:17-18
17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
Jesus laid down his life....
He volunteered to be our sacrifice.... He took our place.. He laid down His life...
He loves you… that is the first part of this truth, Jesus loves you, God loves you, and yes the Spirit loves you....
Think about a madman coming in and saying
Now let me move to our second thought today..
2. Jesus Was Buried
2. Jesus Was Buried
Jesus hung there on the cross my friends, it is agonizing… I cannot imagine the pain and the suffering Jesus has endured in the hours before the crucifixion and now while hanging there…
He bears our sin upon his own life....
Now you say what am I talking about...
Remember the Old Testament on the day of Atonement, two goats were brought to the high priest.
One would be presented to the Priest and the Priest would lay his hands on the head of the goat and they would confess their sins that day and would place those sins on the head of that goat.....
The goat would be lead out of the city, the sins of the people would be carried away by the ‘scape goat....
The other would be slain, its blood caught and carried to the holy of holies to be a sacrifice for sin....
God would see the blood that is applied to the mercy seat that sat on the Ark of the Covenant, and would declare the sins of the people forgiven again for a year. That was the sacrificial system of the Old Testament.....
Now back to our scene today, Jesus has been crucified, He is hanging there upon the cross and in agony....
Now back to our scene today, Jesus has been crucified,
But something unusual happens… the Bible tells us that in the middle of the day darkness comes upon the land..
45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.
matthew 27:45-
Now consider this, Jesus is crucified about 6am in the morning..... and the Bible say here that about the 6th hour, the noon time hour (12), the world grows dark, as dark as night. And it stays this way until the 9th hour, 3pm.
Can you imagine this with me, just as the sins of the nation where placed upon the scape goat, here at this point, Jesus begins the action of baring the sins of the world upon himself and the darkness points to the fact that sin is death, sin is darkness, sin separates and it breaks ones fellowship with God.
Suddenly at the 9th hour, at 3pm, Jesus cries out…
46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Sin separates, sins hurts and brings death my friends and Jesus is baring our sin upon His own life and it separates him from the Father....
and when this is complete.... He gives up his spirit.... John tells us
30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Jesus has died for the sins of the world, it is finished, God as seen and knows the work the Son has done this day...
He has redeemed mankind from their sin...
Those are the greatest words man and angel has ever heard the Son of God speak, It Is Finished.....
Words alone cannot tell us adequately the work that God has done in the lives of men...
Now after his death, we know that while Jesus body was still hanging on the cross, a couple of secret disciples make their way to Pilate and ask permission to have the body of Jesus removed from the cross.
Now after his death, we know that while Jesus body was still hanging on the cross, a couple of secret disciples make their way to Pilate and ask permission to have the body of Jesus removed from the cross.
Joseph of Aramathea , and Nicodemus… and they take his body down and quickly prepare it before the Passover begins at 6pm that evening....
They take the body of Jesus and they lay him in a new tomb, one that belonged to Joseph, which no one had ever been lain...
57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away.
The tomb is sealed and they leave....
These disciples have faced the most difficult day of their life, they do not know or understand all that is happened… some they will understand. But for now, they return to the Upper room most likely.
I have said all of this to tell you, Jesus was buried. He was killed, his death took our place, we deserved death because of sin.. But he substituted himself in our place, He died and was buried...
Now things seem to go on as usual, the passover is celebrated by many and Pilate is happy people have settled down…
Now things seem to go on as usual d
But those disciples are to uncertain, wondering what it all means… Why did Jesus die?
And this brings me to my last thought today...
So looking at this passage… this gives us a good event time line to consider...
47 While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” 49 And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. 50 Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him.
J
Jesus Laid Down His Life
3.Jesus Rose from the Dead
3.Jesus Rose from the Dead
Jesus Rose from the Dead
Now don’t forget all that I have told you thus far, it is important… but here is the best news...
Psst.....He is Alive.....
Early on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to prepare the body of Jesus… The men had worked quickly before the Passover to get the body of Jesus ready, but the ladies in their love and devotion want to do more… they want to ensure all is done well.
But God has already been at work....
You see early they morning, even as guards stood watch over the tomb () we know that God shakes the earth that morning.... the stone is rolled away and an Angel of God is present as the greatest event the earth has witnessed since the creation of this world has taken place.... Jesus is alive....
Let me share this passage with you...
1 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.
All of this happened.... and Jesus has come out of the tomb.... Jesus has rose from the dead and He is Alive
Jesus has walked out of the tomb.... Jesus has rose from the dead and He is Alive
He is alive..
How do I know....?????
Well listen to the Angel of the Lord
5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.”
Those precious ladies are given the greatest news first, Jesus has risen from the dead..
Those precious ladies are given the greatest news first,
Now John and Peter run there to see after the ladies share this news with them.... they go and see for themselves that Jesus is not there…just as the ladies told them...
But they are puzzled, wondering and uncertain
Until that evening,
Let me share a passage with you from the Gospel of John....
19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
Can you imagine the scene...
He feared he was dead, the world thought He was gone, the religious leaders thought he was out of the way ....
But He Is Alive....
And this evening He has stood in their midst and said Peace be still...... He has given them proof, his hands and side...
He has given them proof, his hands and side...
_____________________
Now there is always Thomas who says I will not believe it unless I see it myself...
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!”
Our Lord is Alive, He is alive and all those who are in Christ as alive as well.
Death may visit but it has no sting....
And you are His…
And you are His…
Carry that message with power, Resurrection power to the world set before you.
He is Alive....