We're going to look at John 11:25. I want to preach to you this morning, the promise of resurrection. John 11:25 is probably the most familiar at this time of year. It's interesting because a lot of times we'll take this verse and we'll preach it at funerals. Aren't you glad we're not here today for the funeral of Jesus but to celebrate His life? John 11:25 says, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die he shall live".
Father, we thank you this morning for your word. Lord you gave us promises since the beginning of time that you would send Jesus. We thank you that He fulfilled the promise. Now Lord, we thank you that we get to live it out, the promise of that resurrected life. Lord, may we decrease this morning and may you increase and may your word have its absolute impact in us. In Jesus Name, Amen. If you would turn with me in your Bible to Matthew 28:1-9, I want you to read about the resurrection of Jesus. It's powerful what took place.
"Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb and behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from Heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning and His clothing as white as snow.
The guards shook for fear of Him and became like dead men but the angel answered as said to the woman, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here for He is risen as He said. Come and see the place where the Lord lay and go quickly and tell His disciples that he is risen from the dead and indeed he is going before you into Galilee. There you will see Him, behold, I have told you.
So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to bring His disciples word. As they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met
them, saying Rejoice. So they came and held Him by the feet and worshipped Him".
I love to read about the resurrection. It's interesting because we think that just about the time they came to the tomb that there was just an angel sitting on the stone. The Bible also says that there was another angel along with the first one and he was actually inside the tomb. It had to be exciting for those ladies when they saw that earthquake and they saw the stone roll away and saw that angel sitting there and when they went to see, there was another angel. "What are you looking for? He's not here, He's risen". How many of you know that the angels already knew the plan that was to come to pass? The truth is this, Jesus has had this plan from the very beginning, that we would celebrate the resurrection, that He would come and die in our place, ad then not only would He die but that he would live again.
I love that we gather on days like this to remember what the Lord has done. We serve a faithful living God. Because He lives, you and I can live. That promise that God gave, even before we read about it here in the Book of Matthew, had been a plan that He had in place for a long time. Jesus knew that He was going to rise again. He had a plan, that not only would He rise that day and live again but that we would be able to live in the new life He has for us. New life is what Easter is all about, the forgiveness of sins, the healing that He brings, the joy of living with a Savior that is not dead. You know, all over the world, there are people that worship other Gods, but they're all dead and they have no hope.
How many of you are glad today that we serve a risen Savior? That's what we celebrate, that's why today is a day of joy. All other people when they think of their God, they come and it's like having a funeral service. Today we're able to shout and rejoice and not just because Jesus lives. How many of you know what God has already done for you? The change that He's done, the things that He has set us free from. For many, today is just a religious celebration around the world and that's all they'll have. They believe in God and it becomes a solemn ceremony, even a tradition. But for us who have been changed, it's very personal and very powerful because our lives have been dynamically transformed by what Jesus did on Calvary.
All of us here this morning who have a personal relationship with the Lord, there is that sense of joy. I don't know about you but when I got up this morning I began to think again about what He did on that cross. As I got in the shower and prepared to come to church, it wasn't just to come and preach a sermon because I'm the preacher and I've got to say things and have got to tell you about it all over again. The Lord began to speak in my heart and just remind me, "I did it for you, not just the dying part but the rising part". Aren't you thankful that He's alive today and for what He did? Jesus died and rose again so we can live. We sang it, "Because he lives, I live. Because He lives there is not only hope of eternity but there is hope for today. You see, when we celebrate the resurrection, sometimes we just leave it at this, we tell people you can be forgiven of your sins. How many, after you look back on your life, you're so thankful that God has forgiven you for what you've done? This isn't a bragging place where we say, "Man, if you just saw what I did, if you just knew what I was like".
How many of you have done some pretty awful things? Some of you are just lying this morning, saying I don't want anyone to know. How many of you are going to be honest this morning, how many of you have a past? How many of you have a BC (before Christ)? Listen, before Christ came, all the things that I did, the things that I said, the way that I lived, it's a wonder that I'm alive today. Jesus didn't only save me from an eternity without Him, He just saved me so I can live some more now.
I'm so thankful that I am guaranteed, because He has forgiven me of my sins, that I have an eternity in Heaven but what I am also thankful for is that eternity started the day I gave my l life to Jesus. That impacts now, I can live today. You see, so many people around us, they're living a life and they feel like they're walking dead people. Listen, I died to myself because I've been forgiven of sin. I'm a walking dead man who lives in Jesus. So many people's dreams have died, they feel like they're not living in the joy and the fullness of all that God has.
I want to tell you this morning that part of that resurrection power means that not only do we have a hope and a future in eternity in Heaven but that we have a hope today, that we can live in that resurrection glory today and we can walk in it each day of our life. Now that doesn't mean that each day you're going to we walking on cloud nine. Aren't you thankful that you live here on earth? I want to tell you something, when we get to Heaven we're not going to be floating around with a harp praising God and just thinking all is peachy.
Listen, we're going to be in His presence, we're going to be walking and living with the risen Savior and that same thing is here today. Sometimes, as Christians we think that because we live the resurrected life, we're going to always walk on cloud nine. How many of you know God will keep you grounded? God will keep you grounded, but because He lives we can live. Because He lives we don't have to fear anything that the enemy would throw.
Listen, Jesus already did the most scary thing that ever took place and the most impossible thing that there ever was to do. He went to that cross and endured the pain and the shame and after he passed, Jesus walked into Hell during that three days before He rose and walked up to the devil and let him know that He meant business. He said, you know what, for all that time you've been having your way with people, I just want to let you know, here I am on your turf and I'm taking back the keys of death and hell, and I'm taking the keys so that you don't have that authority anymore.
Listen, how many of you know that because Jesus lives and He has authority, the Bible also says all authority that I have, I haven given to you. Because he lives, we don't have to fear the enemy anymore. Because He lives we don't have to walk in financial difficulty anymore. No matter what the bank book says, Jesus will always provide. Why? Because He already made the provision before us. Because He lives, I don't have to fear sickness. Because He lives I don't even have to face death. Because He lives, I can live without having to endure all these things. No longer do I have to be lonely because the Savior that died for me promised that He would never leave me or forsake me. Aren't you glad he was able to keep that promise?
For a lot of people, they thought when He died on the cross, He was done, He was gone. But I want to tell you there's a reason those disciples were excited when they saw Him alive again. You see when Jesus left, they were crushed, they felt alone, they thought that the only thing they could have ever have given their life for was gone. When they saw Him keep His promise, all of that disappeared. I want to tell you this morning that none of us lives alone anymore because He is the risen Savior who has promised to always be with us.
Listen, He went and did that once and He's never going away again.
Jesus is our promise that God gave. Jesus is the fulfillment of all that God said He would do. He is the proof and the guarantee that God's Word is true and that we can receive all the promises of this word. You see, long before Jesus came, there were prophecies that were given that there would be a Savior, that there would be a Messiah, and I want to tell you that all those things that were said about Jesus were fulfilled. They happened, they took place. That means that He did that so we would understand that after He fulfilled all those things, that the rest of what this Word has for us today will come to pass. They are a promise and we can live them and receive them and we can have them.
Hebrews 9:15 says, "And for this reason, He is the mediator of the covenant by means of death for the redemption of the transgression under the first covenant that those who were called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance". What does that mean? Again, it's so simple. The first covenant man messed up. Adam had the perfect relationship and he blew it. I wonder again if there's anyone in this room who's ever blown it? How many of you know that you can come back? That covenant was given so that those who have received Christ can be saved. All of us that are called are called to received the promises of His inheritance. You are called out of sin, you and I are called out of a life that was not pleasing to God and because we receive that promise we then have everything that comes with it.
Throughout history, again God gave those prophecies to make sure that we would recognize what Jesus would look like, not physically. I've said this before, the truth is that one day when we get to see Jesus face to face, He's going to look a whole lot different than the paintings and the pictures that we have in our mind. As a matter of fact, maybe he's even clean shaven in Heaven and doesn't wear the beard anymore, I don't know.
Without the crucifixion the resurrection would be meaningless. You see, other people had been risen up. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. There was a little boy that had died and Jesus rose him from the dead. Remember with Elishah, they took a man that had died and when they threw him on Elishah's bones, that man came back to life. Other people had been resurrected but no one had ever resurrected himself. They had always been resurrected by the man of God or by Jesus himself. Without the resurrection, the crucifixion would be meaningless.
Hebrews 9:22 says, "Without the shedding of blood there is no remission or forgiveness of sins". Jesus is the only one who did both. He died and rose. So we must never forget that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. All the blessings of the resurrection are ours. All the promises of this Word of God are for us but may we never ever forget that our freedom and the fulfillment of this promise came at great personal cost to Jesus.
Jesus gave His all so that we could have all that He has for us and all that He asks in exchange is our life. That's not too great of a thing to ask because Jesus gave His everything. Many times we think that just because Jesus was God made flesh that He didn't have the emotions involved with the physical pain or the spiritual pain that He suffered. What we need to remember is that Jesus had all the time between Adam and His 33 years of life on earth to think about what he was going to do on the cross.
Some of us get a little worked up when we think about the hour before we're going to a doctor's appt and we know we're going to get a shot to draw blood. How many of you when you're on the way to the doctor think about calling and canceling the appt? I know there are times when I don't feel like it and I don't want to go to get stuck and prodded. But listen, the moment that Adam sinned in the garden, the moment that Adam and Eve broke the commandments that God had, God put into work a plan so that you and I could be restored to relationship. We think Jesus just had those 33 years to think about it, He had centuries to think about what He was going to do. He knew there was a time and at any moment Jesus could have looked at the Father and said, "God, I don't want to go through with it". All the more that means that the cost the Jesus paid for your sin and mine, He knew what it would entail to go to the cross. He knew the pain and the shame. Jesus knew that he would become a curse.
Listen to me, the Son of God, the creator of the world, in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God. Jesus was there when he spoke creation into existence, the one that would bring all the blessings that we would enjoy, knew that he would become a curse for us. Listen, it would be one thing if all He did was just take the nails, it would be one thing if he just took the lashes, but Jesus knew that he would become a curse. How many of you have ever felt the pain of rejection before? How many of you have ever done something and knew you deserved the rejection that you got? It never felt good. But Jesus knew that He was going to take the blame for things that he never did and then people would reject Him for it.
How many of you have ever been blamed for something you didn't do and you got punished? I remember one day I came home and my brother did something and I got blamed for it and Momma brought out the paddle. How many of you have ever been spanked for something you didn't do before? How many of you were the ones that blamed the other person and you just sat back and enjoyed it while they got beat for it?
So here's Jesus, the spotless Son of God. In Galations 3:13,14 it says, "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us, for it is written, cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the gentiles in Christ Jesus that we might receive the promise of the spirit through faith." Now watch this, "that the blessing of Abraham might come upon us". Jesus was cursed so that we could be blessed. It was because this Jesus was the Son of God, all the more that He felt what took place on the cross. It was because he was spotless, it was because he was pure, it was because He was God made flesh that what He did on Calvary meant all the more to Him.
I want to tell you and you've heard it again, that it was not the nails that held Jesus to that cross. You know, we look at what took place as the sky turned black, as graves were opened, as there was a great earthquake when Jesus died. All of that would have been really unspectacular if Jesus had just decided when he was on the cross to say, God, you know what, it hurts too bad, this is enough. Then he could have called 10,000 angels to come out of Heaven.
Listen, you thought the earthquake was spectacular, you thought the graves of dead people being opened and then walking again after he was risen was great. Jesus could have called all of Heaven and without a shadow of a doubt, all the world could have known that He was God with absolute absence of pride. Just because of who He was, He could of said, "I'm done with this, just show the people that I am the Son of God." It would have been amazing but then the price would have never been paid.
Very humbly, because of His love for us, the Bible says, "No greater love does a man have than he who lays his life down for his friends". When I realize all that He did, it touches my heart. There are times when we live this life that we'll
say, "I am so thankful that because of what Jesus did on Calvary, there are many days I can walk through this life without the guilt and shame of even thinking about what He did on Calvary. Some of the most precious moments that we have are when we're going through things and God begins to simplify life once again. How many of you have ever just wondered if God cares or if He's forgotten you? You go through those struggles in life and it's those times that He brings us back to something very elementary.
Remember that one saying that says, "Everything I learned, I learned in elementary school, everything I ever needed to know". Sometimes we just need to come back. Jesus says if you ever doubt that I love you, if you ever doubt that I care for you, just remember what I did on the cross. Some of the most precious times I've ever had with the Lord, is when He just comes and begins to clear out all the fray of life. When it gets so difficult, He just says, "Let Me simplify it for you, the reason I came is because I love you, and you were in sin".
Listen, if all Jesus ever did for me ever again was just die on the cross, how many of you know that would be enough. If He never answered another prayer, if He never healed another sickness, if He never opened another blind eye, if He never did another thing, He already did the greatest thing that was possible. But the truth is this, because He did what He did on the cross, all the blessings that come with what He did are for us today, every bit of it.
Jesus endured the betrayal of friends, of whipping and mocking and beating, of people spitting on him, of His beard being plucked, of being stripped absolutely naked and carrying the cross, of putting a crown of thorns on His head, of being beat with a stick that they had said was a sceptor. There was such passion that Jesus had for us and when I realize that passion that my Savior had for me, at once I want to return that same love to Him. Are you thankful this morning for what Jesus did?
It was prophesied in Isaiah 53:3-5, "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and we hid as it were our faces from Him. He was despised so we did not esteem Him, surely He has born our griefs and carried our sorrows yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him and by His stripes we are healed". On the cross Jesus took my sin, He took your sin, and when He died in my place, my prayer when we come to days like this is that we will never ever forget the cost of what Jesus paid.
So many of us have children and I don't want to be "cliche" in this but listen, if someone said, "Marvin, you've got to give your son and you've got to watch him go through that and other people could be saved". How many know that the thing I'd do is run to my children and say, "Not a chance". He set me free. There's something powerful when we recognize what we deserve and that Jesus was so gracious and merciful that we didn't have to get what we deserve. You see, part of the great commission, part of the wonderful gospel that we get to know is not only that Jesus died to set us free, but as we were studying the other Wednesday night, we forget sometimes that before Jesus got to the nails, He was whipped and those Roman soldiers were trained powerfully with this tool they were using, it wasn't just a bunch of guys going out and beating people because they thought it was good.
If you were going to be punished by the Roman soldiers, you were going to receive it very skillfully (39 lashes). The reason you couldn't get 40 lashes was because that whipping was so strategic and they practiced it so well that the last 40th lash never came down on the back lengthwise, it came across sideways because that last lash meant certain death, it literally split your back open and your insides spilled out. People say, "Don't you get so gross with me now", listen, we need to remember what Jesus did.
That cross looks very pretty but that cross is neat and tidy in this sanctuary.
2007 years ago were logs, not milled and looking nice, splinters everywhere that came across the back of Jesus. I want you to remember that the blessing of that cross is for everyone of us. Part of what we need to realize is "by His stripes we are healed". How many of you know there is spiritual healing? Spiritual healing means that you have been forgiven of your sins and you now have right relationship with God. That's spiritual healing, we were dead in trespasses and sins. Listen, if you die without Jesus, hear me this morning, if you die without receiving what Christ did on the cross, you are passing up the greatest gift that was ever given to you ever in the history of the world.
The God of all creation died for you and died for me. Before those nails were even pierced, He took those things. You know, part of the great commission means that we are to lay hands on the sick and let people know that they are well, to see the miracles. There are 39 categories that all disease and sickness fall into in this world and Jesus took 39 stripes on His back. How many of you know there are other kinds of healing, not just physical and spiritual, there's also emotional healing, mental healing.
Some of you in this room need to understand that part of the blessing of the crucifixion is that not only can we be healed spiritually but healed completely. Jesus came so that we could be made whole. I want to tell you there is mental illness, there is sickness, and Jesus can set you free from that. There are emotional things, some of you in this room have been through some incredible stuff in your life. Jesus had to set you free from your sin but your sin was in response to a life that was handed you, a lot of hard things and you're still trying to recover. Abuse, divorce, fear, listen I want you to know today that Jesus didn't take those things in vain. He took them so that we could receive the fulfillment of them.
In Psalms 22:1-18, another prophecy of what would take place. Here are the words of the New Testament that Jesus uttered when He was on the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me and from the words of my groanings. Oh my God, I cry in the daytime, but you do not hear and in the night season and am not silent, but you are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. Our father's trusted in you, they trusted and you delivered them, they cried to you and were delivered, they trusted in you and were not ashamed but I am a worm and not a man, a reproach of man and despised by the people.
All those who see me, ridicule me, they shoot out the lip and shake the head, saying, "He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue him, let Him deliver him, since he delights in Him. But you are He who took me out of the womb, you made me trust while on my mother's breasts, I was cast upon you from birth from my mother's womb. You have been my God, be not far from me, for trouble is near and there is none to help. Many bulls have surrounded me, strong bulls have encircled me (that's the Roman soldiers). They gape at me with their mouths like a raging and roaring lion. I am poured out like water and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, it is melted within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd and my tongue clings to my jaws. You have brought me to the dust of death for dogs have surrounded me, the congregation of the wicked has enclosed me, they pierce my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones. They look and stare at me and they divide my garments among them and for my clothing they cast lots".
There was nothing pretty about the cross. There was nothing pretty when you looked at it that day like a nice religious symbol you would want to place inside of a church or in anyone's home. Listen, when Jesus came to the cross he meant business. It's interesting when you look in Matthew and it says, "and they crucified Him". Crucifixion was also very strategic. The Bible says, "The wages of sin is death". On the cross He felt the nails. What I think is so wonderful is when Jesus appeared after the crucifixion, the holes were still there. Thomas, you don't believe, put your hands where the nail prints are. Thomas, feel my side where they stuck the spear.
You see, Christian, the truth is this, there is joy. We get to living in this thing and we live in the joy and the excitement and what's wonderful is that the Lord does do all that but may we never, ever, ever forget. My prayer is that I'll never get tempted again to go back into those things. How many of you know you don't want to wind up crucifying Jesus, you can't, you did it once. Jesus also promises just as He rose from the dead, even now, He'll resurrect your life.
The one promise we need to remember is that when we go through the hard things, that as believers we are promised to live in the resurrection power of God today. Some of you have been going through some stuff, you've been saved, you've been bought with the blood of Jesus Christ, your life has been changed but you're going through stuff. Listen, just because you're a Christian does not mean you're not going to go through the stuff. The world throws lots of stuff. The devil was defeated and he'll do anything he can to get you to turn away from it. But Jesus says, "I am the resurrection and the life. Though he dies (there are some days I feel like I'm dying all over again) and how many of you know that when you go to Jesus, He raises you up.
With every head bowed and every eye closed, just before we come to communion time, what I want to make sure is that you're ready to come and you're able to do it. This gospel really isn't new probably to most people in America but it's important that we remember. I wonder if you're here this morning and you've never given your life to Jesus. Today is the day. You say, Pastor, I know I'm not living the way I should be. I know that Jesus gave His life for me and today I need to make sure that he's the Lord of my life, I need to make sure I'm guaranteed not only an eternity in heaven but that eternal life is available to me today and I've never done it. If that's you, please lift you hand.
Secondly, I'd like to ask this, maybe this morning you would say, you know I'm a Christian but I'm not where I should be, I'm not, and I know that my life needs to be right with Him. I've been away from the Lord and I'm so thankful for what He did, I know I've been involved in some stuff and I'm ready to come back. Today is that day. If that's you, would you just lift your hand. So many, so many.
Church, would you just stand with me, please, because we're having communion I'm not going to call for a forward altar call but I'm going to ask us to pray together. With every head bowed, and we know the sinners prayer, but really those of you who lifted your hand, you made a decision just then. So we're going to give you this prayer as a touch point, we're going to pray it together with you. Could you repeat this please, "Dear Lord, I believe you died for me and I believe that you rose again. Today I give you my life, I repent of all my sins. I thank you that the blessings of the cross and the blessings of the resurrection are mine today. Today I choose to live for you, never looking back but only obeying you. In Jesus name, Amen.
The best decision you'll ever make is to live your life for Him. Today is the first day of the rest of your life walking with the Lord and I want to tell you it's a sweet thing. The truth is all the provision that you have, before you may not have had that provision because you weren't right with God but today that provision is yours. He loves you and I pray you can sense that you can know it. Just be encouraged, spend time in prayer with the Lord each day. Also, if you don't have a Bible, we'll make sure you get one. Get it in your hands, start in the Book of John, it's easy to understand from there. God will begin to show you other things. Third, get into a good Bible believing church. We love you here, we're glad you're a part.
How many of you know church is to help you grow? It's here to teach and encourage and bless.
Ushers, if you'd come, we're going to take communion together. I think this is one of the most important times of the year when we take communion. To remember the body and blood, it becomes so much more real. You say, who can take communion? All those who know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, even If you prayed that prayer for the first time today. You know the Bible says that a man ought to examine himself to make sure he's in the faith. Listen, how many of you know that when we come to this time of year, when we look at what Jesus did, it will make you examine your heart. How many of you know you want to be pure and holy before the Lord because you appreciate all the more what Jesus did. It's a powerful thing.
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