Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Today is the most important day in all of history—the anniversary of the day Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

Of all of the celebrations that mark holidays on the Christian calendar, Easter Sunday—Resurrection Sunday—is the fountainhead from which all of those other days get their significance.

For instance—the only reason that Christmas Day is worth celebrating is because of Resurrection Sunday.

Think about it—what would be the point of celebrating the birth of a baby who would grow up and die like everybody else? Anyone can claim that they are the eternal God come in human flesh—but the reason we celebrate Jesus’ birth as a baby is because He is the One who was proven to be God incarnate in human flesh because He rose from the dead!

He was

Romans 1:4 (ESV)

4 ...declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

In fact, I want to argue this morning that it is not just Christmas Day that is treasured because of Jesus’ resurrection—in fact, everything worthwhile in the Christian’s life flows from the fact that that tomb is empty!

I want you to see today that

All the Christian’s treasure FLOWS from the fact that Jesus ROSE

We are finishing up John’s first epistle this morning, and I think it is entirely fitting that we conclude this amazing letter by doing what John himself loved to do through all of his writings: Point back again and again to the supremacy of Jesus Christ in all things, and hold up His person and work as the supremely satisfying treasure of all existence.

And if you are here celebrating Resurrection Day with us and you have never come to Jesus in repentance for your sins to embrace Him as your Savior, I pray that the Word of God that we are about to listen to will be used by God’s Spirit to draw you to make Jesus Christ your supremely satisfying treasure for the sake of your eternal soul.

Christian, your treasure flows from the fact that Jesus rose.

John names the first treasure right here in our first verse.

Because Jesus rose from the dead,

I.

You have ETERNAL LIFE (1 John 5:13)

Verse 13:

1 John 5:13 (ESV)

13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

And of course this is the Christian’s greatest and most enduring treasure—death can never hold you, that your sins have been forgiven and you will live forever with Christ!

Because Jesus died and rose, you will rise with Him—He has been declared with power to be the Son of God, and He is the one who has the power and authority to give you eternal life:

John 10:28–29 (ESV)

28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

Believing in the Name of Jesus Christ, the risen Son of God, means that you believe that

There is no other NAME but JESUS (Acts 4:12)

that will save you!

We read in the book of Acts,

Acts 4:12 (ESV)

12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Jesus is the only one who has risen from the dead; He is the only one who has made the way out of the grave—and that means that He is the only one who can grant you eternal life!

There is no other Name but Jesus that will grant you eternal life, and

There is no other WORK but BELIEVING (John 6:29; Romans 10:9; 1 Cor.

15:3-4)

that will secure that eternal life.

John says that you receive eternal life when you believe in the Name of the Son of God.

Jesus Himself says the same thing—when the crowds asked Him in John’s Gospel, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”

He answered

John 6:29 (ESV)

29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

In order to believe in Jesus Christ for your salvation, you first need to confess that you need saving, don’t you?

Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.

If you have ever used God’s Name as a swear word, the Bible calls that blasphemy—and Leviticus 24:16 says “Whoever blasphemes the Name of the LORD shall surely be put to death”.

Have you ever taken something that wasn’t yours?

Then the Bible says you are a thief.

Have you ever looked at someone you are not married to and imagined what it would be like to sleep with them?

Then Jesus says you are an adulterer.

Have you ever gotten drunk and lost control of your words and actions?

The Bible says you are a drunkard.

And 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says

1 Corinthians 6:9–10 (ESV)

9 ...Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

The Scriptures say clearly that because of your sin you deserve death at the hand of God: Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Here is the Good News of the Gospel: Even though you deserve death, Jesus Christ died in your place: Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

And the way that you receive that forgiveness, the way that you escape the death sentence your sin has placed you under, is by believing in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ as your only hope for salvation

Romans 10:9 (ESV)

9 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.

The treasure of eternal life flows from the fact that Jesus rose!

You have eternal life, and

II.

You have ANSWERED PRAYER (1 John 5:14-16)

Jesus’ death on the Cross purchased the treasure you have of a God who always hears your prayers!

1 John 5:14 (ESV)

14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

Consider for a moment the suffering Jesus endured as He went to that Cross—in the Garden of Gethsemane, He cried out for His Father to be spared the horrific torture and death that awaited Him:

Matthew 26:39 (ESV)

39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

And His Father said “no”.

Hours later, in the midst of being tortured to death, Jesus cried out again:

Mark 15:34 (ESV)

34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?”

which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

And His Father ignored Him, and left Him to suffer and die.

And because God the Father said “no” to His Son’s cries for deliverance, He will always say YES to yours!

2 Corinthians 1:20 (ESV)

20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him.

That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.

Because Jesus went unheard on the Cross, you will never go unheard!

Because of Jesus death for you, God

Hears your PETITIONS (vv.

14-15)

1 John 5:14–15 (ESV)

14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

You will never go unheard by your Heavenly Father!

Because you belong to Jesus Christ by your repentance and faith, God will always hear you when you pray!

And even when He answers your prayer differently than you wanted, you can be sure that He is doing so because what He wants for you is always better than what you want for yourself!

Every “no” from God is a “no—I have a better plan!”

The death, burial and resurrection of Christ means that He will always hear you when you cry out to Him!

In verse 16, John moves on from the promise that God will always hear your petitions—your prayers to Him to help you—and says that, in the same way God

Answers your INTERCESSIONS (v.

16

on behalf of others.

Look at verse 16:

1 John 5:16 (ESV)

16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death.

There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that.

To petition God is to ask for His help in some way.

An intercession is a specific kind of petition—intercessory prayer is prayer on behalf of others.

In this passage John is writing about praying for a fellow believer (“a brother”) who is caught up in sin.

John says that when you see another Christian falling into a pattern of rebellion against God, turning away from Him for the sake of their own passions and desires—you have been given a ministry by God to pray for them on their behalf!