"If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. 20. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept."
"But now is Christ risen from the dead.." has great meaning for us and for the world. As we celebrate the resurrection during this season, let's meditate on what the resurrection means to Christ and to us. I. It means that Christ was/is all that He claimed to be. A. He is the Son of God. Although Jesus more often than now referred to HImself as "son of man," He never refuted that He was the Son of God. B. He is the Messiah (Christ). John the Baptist referred to Him in Messianic terms. Jesus announced His Messiahship to the "woman at the well" in John 4, which was unusual. But He and is the Messiah. C. He is the Savior. In Matthew 1:21, the angel told Joseph, "Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins. When He arose from the grave, this claim was vindicated. II. It means that Christ is still alive today. A. Jesus is alive in heaven, "at the right hand of the throne of God....." Where "He ever liveth to make intercession for us...." (Hebrews 7:25) B. Jesus is alive in us through the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised His disciples that He would send the "Comforter," God the Holy Spirit, who would be in them (and us), who would teach them (and us), who would empower them (and us). C. Jesus is alive in our service and witness. In all four gospels he told them and us to go into all the world. III. It means that there is hope for the world. A. There is hope of salvation. When Jesus defeated death, He proved to be the living Savior to all who would put their faith in Him. B. There is hope of abundant life. In John 10:10, Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly. C. There is the hope for heaven. In John 14, Jesus promised to prepare a place for those who believe in Him. The resurrection of Jesus means more than we can relate in one sermon. The important question is what does the resurrection mean to you? Hopefully, it means that you are saved, and that you are serving and living for Jesus.
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The whole gospel is good news, but the resurrection is particularly good news, because it validated the whole ministry of Jesus, and kept what He started alive.
Here is the good news: I. Vs, 5 - "Fear Not" A. Do not be afraid of the angel. B. But the resurrection did more than that, for in reality it brings an end to fear for those who believe. 1. We do not have to be afraid of life. We have abundant life. 2. We do not have to be afraid of death. 3. We do not have to be afraid of people. C. Christ has risen, do not be afraid. II. Vs. 6 - "He is not here" A. "He has risen." 1. He has defeated death. 2. He has defeated Satan and hell. 3. He has defeated sin. 4. He has defeated the world. John 16:33 B. "Come see for yourself." 1. His resurrection is real. 2. People need to come and see the salvation of Jesus for themselves. 3. When we see for ourselves, He will live within us. "How do I know He lives? He lives within my heart." C. He was not there in the grave, and that means that He is alive and with us today as he promised. III. Vs. 7 - "Go quickly and tell" A. Don't tarry take the good news to His disciples. Vs. 8 B. This is a good reminder for us. We are the people who have the good news of the Living Christ. We need to share it. C. Will you "go quickly and tell?" We are here today in a special celebration of the resurrection of Christ. Let's celebrate by praising Him and going out and telling others. In verse 58 Paul suggests two things that should result from the resurrection. I call this Resurrection Life, because they result from the resurrection.
I. The resurrection life means to be "stedfast and unmoveable." A. Be stedfast in your faith. 1. Do what the Lord leads you to do - regardless. Exercise your faith. 2. Don't let Satan and the world fill you with doubt and fear. A good example is Peter's denials. B. Be stedfast in the word. 1. Spend time in it. 2. Know it. 3. Live it and share it. Don't keep it to yourself. 4. Don't let Satan and the world keep you out of your Bible. C. Be stedfast in church fellowship. 1. Fellowship (koinonia in Greek) means partnership. We are to work together in carrying out the work of Christ. Isn't that the job of the church? 2. We should be united in our fellowship. 3. Don't let Satan and the world keep you away from Church fellowship. D. Be stedfast in love. Matthew 22:37-40 1. Love God first and foremost. 2. Love people. 3. Don't let Satan and the world make you resent and hate. E. Be stedfast in Prayer. Don't let Satan and the world keep you away from your prayer closet. F. Be stedfast in worship. 1. Daily, personal worship is important. 2. Corporate worship with your church is important. 3. Don't let Satan and the world keep you away from worship. (This might be a little too much for one sermon, but I got started and couldn't stop.) II . "The resurrection life "Always abounds in the work of the Lord." A. To abound in the work of the Lord is to do it fully. Dedicate yourself to it. B. The work of the Lord is basically witness and ministry. 1. Witnessing is telling people about Jesus. 2. Ministry is caring for people in as many ways as they need our care. C. The work of the Lord is never in vain. 1. We might think that we have failed in His work, but we need to understand that when we have done His work, we have done what we could. 2. The results of our work for the Lord are in His big hands. Be faithful in His work and leave the results to Him. Isaiah 55:11 During this resurrection season let the message of the resurrection make a difference in your life. Be stedfast and unmoveable and abound in His work. Jesus is the ulitimate giver. He always gives us what we need for the Christian life. In His resurrection He gave his disciples, and us, gifts that we need to live for Him.
I. Verse 19 - He gave us peace for our hearts. (See also John 14:27) A. It is peace from turmoil and fear. B. It is peace from the tyranny of doubt. C. It is peace from the terror of loneliness. II. Verse 20 - He gave us proof for our minds. A. They, as we, needed reassurance, so He showed them His hands and His side. B. They were glad! C. Let Him make your heart glad today. III. Verses 21 & 23 - He gave us purpose for our lives. A. Vs. 21 - They shared His purpose. B. Vs. 23 - The ministered His grace. C. His purpose has not changed. IV. Verse 22 - He gave us power for service. A. This power is more than the power of great intellect, determination, dedication, wealth or arms. B. We are given the power of the Holy Spirit. C. We need to claim this power, for it has been given. Acts 1:8 If He has not already, let Jesus bring all of these gifts into your life. (I will not be able to preach this sermon on the resurrection, but I want to share it with you in hopes that you can find some preaching in here somewhere. Bro. Joe)
"He is not here..." We don't need to look for Jesus in a cemetery among the dead, for He is risen and given victory in the process. In His resurrection: I. Jesus has defeated death. Clearly stated in 1 Corinthians 15:53-57. II. Jesus has defeated the devil. Illustrated in Hebrews 2:14-15. III. Jesus has fulfilled His destiny. Luke 24:7 and 25-27 explains what is meant here. He finished what He came to do. IV. Jesus brought new hope to His disciples. Luke 24:31-32 - What a relief for them. Furthermore, it is a hope that has never died and will never die. It is still our hope today. This day reminds us of this hope. Let us rejoice in it. V. Jesus will never die. This is what today is all about. He is alive forevermore!!! Hebrews 7:23-28 We celebrate this great victory today. It is all still true and we can live with the same assurance that his early followers had when they saw Him alive. He is alive! |
All of these materials are free of charge. There is no copyright on them and you are free to use them as you see fit. I am happy to be of assitance to you in your preaching/teaching minstry.
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