Resurrection Sunday
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Reading [Luke 24:1-12]
Reading [Luke 24:1-12]
Introduction:
Introduction:
If you are anything like me you probably enjoy a good story. Whether it’s a TV drama, a blockbuster hit, or a book on the New York’s best sellers list. We all enjoy stories. We sit around the camp fire telling them, or while we are out at lunch. We even try to rack our brains to try and see if we might have a story that can “outstory” the rest. Or how about that friend you haven’t seen in years and you reminisce all the funny or highlights of your relationship. As human beings we find stories to be very important to us.
What makes a story truly great? The myriad or characters? Their relationships? Situations? or what about the location of the story? In my opinion the ending is what truly makes a story great. Marching to an epic conclusion. Where you will either tell your friends or family , “You’ll never believe the ending...” I must encourage you don’t be that person that spoils the ending, like I will today.
But the best story ever conceived, written, and acted out in real life is the best story precisely because it has no ending…
This is the one story you need to know about, you need to understand, and give your heart to it. It is a story full of hope, encouragement, and it’s life changing because it offers you two wonderful truths that no other story can offer you.
It offers you a place in the story. A part that only you can play and it was created for you before the foundation of the world.
The second truth that it offers you is something that is hard for our brains to grasp, and that is that this story offers eternal life… That’s right it offers us life that never, ever ends.
Context:
Context:
For many TV dramas that air an episode every week there is a short little recap of what happened in the previous episodes or even previous seasons. For us to fully unpack our passage this morning we must do a short recap. We will be hitting this recap from 30,000 feet hitting the main points as we go.
Genesis 1 teaches us that there is a God who created all things. This God is wonderful, holy, blameless and above reproach. He has no flaws and cannot sin, quite literally perfect in every way. God decided to create, not out of a need too, because need is a creature word. But because he saw fit. All that we see and things we cannot see are all created by Him and for Him.
This makes us accountable to God because He is the creator and we the creation.
It only took 3 chapters before mankind would mess up. Genesis 3 reveals why our world is messed up. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see that the world is messed up and not as it should be. This is because of Adam’s and Eve’s sin, their rebellion against God. Sin literally means missing the mark, and it is sin that separates humanity from God. The relationship is broken… Remember God is holy and just and will not tolerate sin.
None of this surprised God, He knew exactly what was going to happen when He created mankind and it would be His plan from the beginning to save His creation from their sin. It would be prophesied in Genesis that through the women one would be born to crush the deceivers head while getting His heel bruised.
As the years would pass, God would chose a man and His family to be the head of His nation. Abraham offspring would end up being the Children of Israel. Where the Messiah/Christ/Chosen One was promised to come through. Many more prophecies would be proclaimed concerning the Messiah.
It would be many years after that the Messiah would be born of a virgin, this is important because through the seed of the man comes the sin nature. You can blame your husbands for having terrible children. The child born to Mary and Joseph was called Jesus. And all the promises of God are going to be fulfilled in Him.
Jesus would live a perfect life free from sin, being tempted in every way but never giving in to the temptation. Jesus was fully God and fully Man. Through the miracles that He preformed it was hard to deny that Jesus was the Messiah the one prophesied about.
The Jews had a misunderstand of what the Messiah’s mission would be. They thought that He would come and conquer their oppressors the Romans. And establish Israel as the rulers of the world.
But Jesus didn’t come to establish the kingdom in that manner. You see the kingdom that He was bringing was an upside-down kingdom. To be the greatest in the world today you need power, prestige, influence, and followers. Yet, in God’s new kingdom that Jesus was establishing to be the greatest you have to be a servant.
Luke’s Gospel shows one of the times Jesus revealed His true prepose for coming: Luke 9:18-22
18 Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19 And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” 20 Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”
21 And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, 22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
Family you see this is what is truly unique about our faith. While there are many different religious throughout the world. This is the only one where God came down to save mankind. Jesus didn’t come to rule and to be served but to serve.
He would be arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane and being betrayed by Judas one of His disciples, this all taking place shortly after celebrating Passover with his disciples.
He would be sent to Annas the godfather of the high priest, then to his son-in-law Caiaphas the true high priest. Both of preliminary trials were religious trials where they found Jesus guilty of blasphemy. The people most qualified to see that He was truly the Messiah and they rejected Him.
Jesus would then be sent to Pilate for the legal trial, then Jesus would be sent to Herod, then back to Pilate before being crucified between two thieves.
We cover all of these because it is crucial that we understand what Jesus did for us. He came to this world to die for the sin that separates us from Him. Not to establish an earthly kingdom like his disciples and others thought the Messiah would do but Jesus’ desired an upside-down kingdom where peoples sins could be forgiven and the relationship between God and man would be restored.
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
This is how much God loved you! The cross was what God sent His Son to suffer... horribly brutal. All of that for you and me.
The Assyrians are credited with the first forms of crucifixion, impaling their victims on poles. While the Romans would perfected it. You see you didn’t die from blood loss but asphyxiation. You would left out in the elements to push up on nail driven hands and feet to take your next breath until you couldn’t any longer.
Our story doesn’t stop their though. While Jesus’ enemies celebrated in their short lived victory. Christ would remain dead for three days. But unlike others that died on the cross. He would be resurrected.
I think that to often Christians only look to the cross without see the resurrection. Both are desperately needed. The cross is where our sin was dealt with. While the resurrection is what gives God’s promises to us their power!
The hope of the resurrection:
The hope of the resurrection:
Peter on of Jesus’ disciples, that denied that he was a follower of Jesus three times before Jesus’ crucifixion, and would be restored by Jesus Christ Himself. Would later write a letter to those under persecution from the government and the Jews. It our passage this morning we are going to see three promises given to us through the resurrection of Jesus Christ!
Look at this passage of Scripture with me: 1 Peter 1:3-9
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Hope!
Hope!
[3] Let’s ask ourselves a question. What does hope mean?
Hope (worldly): a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.
As sinners, we had no hope beyond the grave. There was nothing ahead for us but the certainty of judgement and fiery indignation. As members of the rebellion we were under the sentence of death.
BUT! in the redemptive work of Christ, God found a righteous basis upon which HE can save ungodly sinners and still be just! Christ paid the penalty of our sins. Fully satisfying the righteous demands of God towards sin. Now that justice as been met, mercy can flow out to those who believe and obey the gospel.
This living hope is not one filled with uncertainty but very much alive and active and will come to fruition. It is a hope that produces confidence and an assurance of the other promises that God has made. Listen you will not be the first person in human history to prove God a liar.
Inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.
Inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.
[4] Building upon the living hope that we receive from the resurrected Jesus we have also been given an inheritance. That will never corrode, crack, or decay. Essentially being death-proof. It cannot be tarnished or stained meaning it retains it’s purity. Meaning it is sin proof. This inheritance is also unfading… it can never suffer variations in value, glory, or beauty. It is time proof.
Earthly inheritances are uncertain at best. This divine inheritance is not subject to any of the changes of time, and there are no loopholes either, so that it might be stolen from you. It is kept in the safety-vault of heaven for the child of God.
Salvation
Salvation
Our third promise here is salvation and it is the most important aspect of all of this. Without the resurrection there can be no good news.
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
But here’s the thing:
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
And with the resurrection comes true lasting salvation for those who believe and confess Jesus to be Lord of their lives.
[[A chance to receive Christ]]
[[A chance to receive Christ]]
The Bible tells us that to day is the day of salvation why wait a second longer. Allow the God of the universe to satisfy your soul in the only way it could be satisfied. A hope and trust in Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us:
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
I want to lead you in a prayer, the prayer isn’t what saves but a confessing and believing that is what truly saves a person.
“Jesus, I surrender my life to you today. Forgive me of my sins, wash me with your blood. I believe that you died for me, and on the third day you rose again that I may be justified. Right now, I believe that my sins are forgiven and that I’m born-again. Thank you Jesus for receiving me; that you for restoring me; thank you for saving me.”
If you confessed that for the first time this morning the Bible is very clear that you are now a child of God. That you are free from the bondage of sin and death, and are now apart of the family of God.
If you did confess that would you please testify this morning of our commitment by standing.
[[The challenge for believers]]
[[The challenge for believers]]
As Peter was challenged by Jesus in John 21. I want to challenge you this morning to listen to the voice of God and follow Him. As 1 Peter shows us that we are to be holy and set apart for the work that the Lord has for us. That we would live in obedience to the Word of God.
Have those who want to receive stand. There is something powerful about making a public declaration of your commitment to rededicate your life.
Those standing need our love and support, as well as encouragement. We all have the tendency to get off track. We need each other.
If you know that you are not where you should be a desire to get back to your first love repeat this prayer after me. Again I have to note, that the prayer isn’t what transforms a person it is trust and obedience of God’s Word.
“Father, I return to You and to Your Word. I confess my sins, and I thank you for your forgiveness and cleansing. I desire a closer walk with you. I rededicate my spirit, my mind, my soul, and body back to you. I ask for a fresh anointing upon my life.”
In closing
In closing
Praise God for all that He has done for us. What are the next steps? We are to share the hope that we have with those in our lives. Doesn’t matter if they are believers or unbelievers all need to hear the gospel.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED!
1 Corinthians 15:57–58 (ESV)
57 Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved family, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.