Special: The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the Foundation to Biblical ChristianityOnly one stands unrivaled.
If you’re in the resident congregation turn off your electronic devices and put them away. Let this be a place where you aren’t distracted by the world.
Welcome To BARAH MINISTRIES
Rory Clark Pastor-Teacher
Good Morning!
Welcome to Barah Ministries…an intimate, local Christian Church with a worldwide impact. My name is Pastor Rory Clark. Thanks for listening to this Bible lesson.
This is the Resurrection Day Celebration!
Why are we here? This song says it best. Here is Don Moen telling you we are here to CELEBRATE JESUS!
MUSIC OPENING SONG Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises
CELEBRATE JESUS Don Moen
OPENING PRAYER Let us pray...
We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…
Father, thank you for the many proofs you have given to show that Jesus Christ is Your Son…He is the One You sent…the One we can count on for our “so great” salvation…thank you for giving supernatural evidence to prove that He is the Christ…the Jewish Messiah…thanks for the things Your Son said about Himself which the “natural man” … the unbeliever … considers foolish…thank you for this day, set aside EVERY YEAR to honor the Lord Jesus Christ and to call the whole world’s attention to Him…and thank you for the enemy of Your Son who seeks to blind the minds of the unbelieving, yet finds it IMPOSSIBLE to discredit Him…
Father, let this be a day when You let us feel the full impact of Your Son inside of us in such a way that it completely overwhelms every one of our sensesso that we may know, without question, what everyone will know one day…that Your Son is the One to whom every knee will bow and every tongue will confess…of those in heaven…of those on the earth…and of those under the earth…that Jesus Christ is the Lord…He IS God…and that He is who He has told everyone He is…over and over again…the Son of God and the Son of Man…
…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the Foundation of Biblical Christianity
Welcome to this celebration of the most important Person in divine history…the One who is the still point in a turning world…the One who never changes…the One who is your Creator…the One you will meet one day in the future…the One who holds your eternal future in the palm of His righteous right hand…the Lord…Jesus…the Christ (the Jewish Messiah).
It’s a pleasure to celebrate Him EVERY DAY…and especially today…because today we examine the evidence that makes it clear beyond a reasonable doubt that Jesus is the Christ…God the Son in human form…and by believing in Him YOU can have the resurrection life…eternal life…in His name.
As hard as it may be to grasp…Jesus died on a Cross and shed His blood to saveyou! Will you take advantage of the gift?
Why would the Lord die for you? He loves you with an UNconditional love. John, Chapter 15, Verse 13 says…
JOHN 15:13 Greater love has no one than this…that one would lay down his life for his friends.
To Jesus, you are His hero! If you believe in Him, you are His friend. Why? Because you belong to Jesus. You are His possession. The Lord Jesus Christ is YOUR CREATOR…John, Chapter 1, Verse 3…
JOHN 1:3 All things came into being through the Lord (God the Son)…and apart fromHim, nothing came into being that has come into being.
That includes YOU! Without Him, you would have never come into being. It isn't your parents who brought you to this earth…although I don’t recommend that you tell them that…it was the Lord who decided a billion years ago in eternity past that you were important enough to bring here. He has allotted to you a number of days here on earth…and you will not be here one day less nor one day more than He has already decided.
Do you know Him? You need to! Why? Because you came to earth with a problem. First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 22 says…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:22a For all in union with Adam at physical birth (and that is every human being who comes to earth) are set to die the second death in the Lake of Fire…
You were born “in Adam.” Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verse 1 says…
EPHESIANS 2:1 And you (who were born “in Adam”) were bornspiritually dead in your trespasses and sins…
That’s everyone! All of us were born in an unrighteous and ungodly state. It’s hard to believe, isn’t it? No matter how ugly your children are…no matter how ugly you were when you were born…and some of you were born UGLY…the people around you didn’t think of you as ungodly…they thought you were precious and cute. Yet that was not your condition with God.
Adam's sin…which was credited to you from birth…and your personal sins which would come later…made it impossible for imperfect you to have a relationship with a perfect God. As a result of your sins, you are the target of the wrath of God the Father if you are still spiritually dead according to Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 18… ROMANS 1:18 For the wrath of God the Father is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and against allunrighteousness of unbelieverswho suppress the truth of the gospelwith their unrighteousness…
What is the wrath of God the Father? It calls for the spiritually dead to spend all eternity in the Lake of Fire. That’s not a place where anyone with a drop of common sense would ever want to spend a single moment, much less an eternity. Unfortunately, from birth, you were headed to the Lake of Fire and there is nothing you can do about it. It's not your fault, but it is your circumstance.
Knowing you couldn’t do anything about your situation, all three members of the Triune Godhead decided to provide you with a way out of the predicament. What was God the Father’s role? Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 8 says…
ROMANS 5:8 God the Father demonstrates His own unconditional love toward youin that while you were a sinner (as an unrighteous, ungodly, unbeliever)…God the Father sent Jesus…the Christ(the Jewish Messiah) to die a sacrificial deathfor you.
It was Jesus’ pleasure to die to create the possibility for you to be saved! Hebrews, Chapter 12, Verse 2…
HEBREWS 12:2 Jesus…who for the joy set before Him endured the Cross…despising its shame…
Jesus considered it joyfulto endure the most horrific death in the history of mankind so you could become spiritually alive…for you to move from being a sinner…which is an unbeliever…to being a saint…a believer in Christ.
Do you know how magnificent this is? No person you have ever met would do this for you. Philippians, Chapter 2, Verses 6 to 8…
PHILIPPIANS 2:6 …although Jesus is exactly the same in essence as God the Father (He is fully God)…He did not regard His equality with God the Father as a thing to be seized and held onto…
PHILIPPIANS 2:7 …instead, He emptied Himself (depriving Himself of the rightful functions of His Deity)…taking on the form of a bond-servant…and being made in the likeness of men.
PHILIPPIANS 2:8 Being found in appearance as a man…He humiliated Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death…even death on a Cross.
When you invest your faith in the Lord Jesus…the Christ…the Jewish Messiah…a faith that is a gift from God…when you ask Jesus to save you, believing that He can save you…you instantly have the resurrection life…eternal life…in His name. This guarantees that when you close your eyes in this life, you will spend all eternity face-to-face with Him in heaven. Do you want that?
Faith is a funny thing. It’s a gift from God to you. When we get on an airplane, we invest our faith in a pilot we don't know and have never met. We have faith he has been trained…we have faith he is not drunk…we have faith he knows where he is going…we have faith he will get us to our destination safely…we have faith that if anything goes wrong he can get us out of it. Again…this is a person we don't know and have never met.
People invest faith every day…yet many find it hard to invest their faith in God. Many put faith in people over God!
Like a drowning man, all people in the human race need to be saved. What qualifies Jesus Christ to save you? First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verses 3 and 4…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:3 For I (the apostle Paul) delivered to you as of primary importance the gospel message I also received from God…that it was Jesus Christ who died for our sins according to the Old Testament Scriptures…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:4 …and that He was buried…and that He was raised from the dead (in resurrection) on the third day…according to the Old Testament Scriptures…
Resurrection qualifies Jesus to save you!
What separates Jesus Christ from all the pretenders who offer you a counterfeit salvation? Resurrection! Jesus Christ is God…He came to earth in human form…He lived a sinless life so He would be qualified to save you. He died for you on a Cross…he shed His blood to pay for your sins, thus reconciling you to a relationship with God…He was buried…He laid in the grave for three days…and then He was resurrected from the dead by God the Holy Spirit. Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 11…
ROMANS 8:11 But if God the Holy Spirit…who raised Jesus from the dead indwells you believers in Christ…and He does…God the Holy Spirit who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give the resurrection life to your mortal bodies through God the Holy Spirit who indwells you.
God the Holy Spirit…who is a Person…is involved in your salvation.
Do you think Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is true? You should! None of your friends who have died have ever been resurrected from the dead. But why should you believe Jesus was resurrected from the dead? After all…if you can see it, smell it, hear it, touch it, or taste it…it doesn’t exist, right? The Bible paints a different picture. Let’s take you on a tour of what the Bible has to say about the resurrection of Jesus Christ so you can ponder the evidence.
SONG INTRODUCTION
Before we take the Biblical tour, let’s hear some music! June Murphy sings about the two days a year when your attention turns to the Lord in her song FROM CHRISTMAS TO THE CROSS.
MUSIC OPENING SONG Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises
FROM CHRISTMAS TO THE CROSS June Murphy
You know what we long for as human beings? TRUTH. We are sick of being lied to. Everywhere we look in this world we are being lied to. Our government lies to us. Our friends lie to us. Those who are selling lie to us. The tough thing is we believe the lies much more readily than we believe the truth. Lies are easier to believe.
There IS absolute truth…and something that is absolute truth NEVER changes. The Bible is absolute truth according to Second Peter, Chapter 1, Verses 20 and 21…
SECOND PETER 1:20 But know this first of all…that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of a human being’s own private interpretation…
SECOND PETER 1:21 …for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will…but men directed by God the Holy Spirit spoke from the exact thinking of THE God…the Lord Jesus Christ.
What is resurrection?
RESURRECTION Living again in a body after our current body has died…coming back from the dead in a real, transformed body…bodily existence after physical death.
What does the Bible have to say about resurrection? First, let's examine the events of what is commonly referred to in the world as Holy Week…
JESUS WAS BETRAYED by Judas Iscariot…John, Chapter 13, Verses 21 to 27…
JOHN 13:21 Jesus became troubled in spirit, and He testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you that one of you will betray Me.”
JOHN 13:22 The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know whom Jesus was talking about.
JOHN 13:23 There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples…(John, son of Zebedee) …the One whom Jesus loved.
JOHN 13:24 So Simon Peter gestured to Johnand said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom Jesus is speaking.”
JOHN 13:25 John…said to Him, “Lord, who is it?”
JOHN 13:26 Jesus answered, “It is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.” So when Jesus had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.
JOHN 13:27 After Jesus gave Judas the morsel, Satan (the enemy of God) then entered into Judas. Therefore Jesus said to Satan indwelling Judas, “What you do…do quickly.”
JESUS WAS NOT GUILTY of any crime according to Luke, Chapter 23, Verse 4…
LUKE 23:4 Then Pontius Pilate said to the chief priests and to the crowds (who wanted Jesus crucified), “I find no guilt in this man.”
So why was Jesus crucified when a death like this was reserved for the worst, most hardened criminals? Jesus' people, the Jews, wanted Him to be crucified. Even though He had done nothing wrong, to pay the price due to God the Father for our sins…to reconcile us to God the Father creating the possibility of a relationship between imperfect us and perfect God…to provide the opportunity for all creatures to be saved…to save us from being the target of God the Father's wrath…JESUS DIED ON A CROSS…Luke, Chapter 23, Verse 46…
LUKE 23:46 And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice (from the Cross) said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last.
Jesus voluntarily died the most horrid death imaginable for YOU! If He had stopped here, Jesus would be just another martyr like many martyrs we are familiar with…John the Baptist…Stephen…James the Son of Zebedee…and many more who gave their lives for testifying that Jesus is the Christ…the Jewish Messiah…the Son of God in human form. But with Jesus, there is more.
After His death on a Cross, JESUS WAS BURIED. Matthew, Chapter 27, Verses 57 to 60…
MATTHEW 27:57 When it was evening, there came a rich Jewish man from Arimathea (a member of the council of the Sanhedrin)…a man named Joseph…who had become a disciple of Jesus.
MATTHEW 27:58 Joseph went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate ordered the body to be given to Joseph.
MATTHEW 27:59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth…
MATTHEW 27:60 ….and Joseph laid the body of Jesus in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock…and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away.
And there Jesus lay for three full days…Matthew, Chapter 12, Verse 40…
MATTHEW 12:40 …for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster…so will the Son of Man (Jesus) be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
After three days, what happened? John, Chapter 20, Verses 11 to 18…
JOHN 20:11 Mary of Magdala(known as Mary Magdalene) was standing outside the tomb weeping…and as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb…
JOHN 20:12 …and she saw two angels in white sitting there…one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had been lying. JOHN 20:13 And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”
JOHN 20:14 When she said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus.
JOHN 20:15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Jesus away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”
JOHN 20:16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means Master and Teacher).
Can you feel that? Then she gave Him a big hug.
JOHN 20:17 Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me (she was hugging His feet)…for I have not yet ascended to God the Father (I’m going to be here for a while)…but go to My brethren (the apostles and the other disciples) and say to them, ‘I will ascend to My Father and to your Father…to My God and to your God.’”
JOHN 20:18 Mary of Magdala came running, announcing to the disciples, “I HAVE SEEN THE LORD,” and she told them the things He had said to her.
Yes…HE IS RISEN!
Here is Luke’s account of the resurrection of Jesus Christ…Luke, Chapter 24, Verses 1 to 9…
LUKE 24:1 But on the first day of the week (a Sunday…the day after the Jewish Sabbath)…at early dawn…the women who had come with Joseph of Arimathea out of Galilee came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared (for a smelly corpse). LUKE 24:2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb…
WOMEN DISCOVER SLIDE
LUKE 24:3 …but when they entered the tomb, the women did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
EMPTY GRAVE SLIDE
LUKE 24:4 While they kept on being perplexed about this, behold, two angelic beingssuddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing (that gleamed like lightning) …
LUKE 24:5 …and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead?
LUKE 24:6 “Jesus is not here, but He has risen from the dead (in resurrection). Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee…”
LUKE 24:7 “…saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men (unbelievers)…and be crucified…and on the third day rise againfrom the dead?”
HE IS RISEN!
The angels reminded the women of the Word of our God.
LUKE 24:8 And the women remembered the Lord’s words…
LUKE 24:9 …and the women returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven apostles (minus Judas Iscariot…the betrayer) and to all the rest of the Lord’s disciples.
How exciting! Even in the Old Testament, the Lord’s believers knew the truth…Job, Chapter 19, Verses 25 to 27…
JOB 19:25 “As for me, I (Job) know that my Redeemer lives…and at the secondcoming of the Christ, Jesus will take His stand on the earth.”
JOB 19:26 “Even after my skin is destroyed…yet from my flesh I shall see God…
JOB 19:27 Whom I myself shall behold…and whom my eyes will see and not another. My heart faints within me!
As a believer in Christ, you will see Him as well…and you’ll be glad!When we return from the break we’ll take the offering and then we’ll see the evidence Jesus offered to prove He is resurrected from the dead.
FIVE-MINUTE BREAK HALLELUJAH Lucy Thomas
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the Foundation of Biblical Christianity
OFFERING INTRODUCTION
King David asks an interesting question in Psalm 116, Verse 12…
PSALM 116:12 What shall I give to the Lord in repayment for all His goodness toward me?
Great question! What can we…mere humans…give to the Almighty, All-Powerful, All-Sufficient God? The Lord wants us to give the things He gifts to us…our time…our talent…and our treasure…for the benefit of others.
The offering is the treasure part. It’s your chance to redirect the funds God has given you to help others. Give with an abundance mentality! Whatever you give the Lord will multiply to others AND back to you.
Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with one of his always inspiring offering messages.
THE OFFERING Deacon Denny Goodall
OFFERING VERSES
JOHN 3:16a “For God the Father loved the world unconditionally…and He loved the world so much that He gave His uniquely born Son (the God-man…the Lord…Jesus…the Christ…100% God and 100% man in one Person…to be crucified on a Cross)…
OFFERING VERSES
JOHN 3:16b …so that WHOSOEVER believes in Him shall not perish…instead, he shall have the resurrection life (eternal life).”
OFFERING VERSES
SECOND TIMOTHY 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed (into humans by God)…and is profitable for teaching…for reproof…for correction…and for training in righteousness…
OFFERING SONG LION AND THE LAMB Crystal Lewis
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the Foundation of Biblical Christianity
Was Jesus Christ resurrected from the dead? The Bible…which is the absolute truth…says YES! Acts, Chapter 1, Verse 3 says…
ACTS 1:3 To the first-century disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, He also presented Himself alive after His suffering on the Cross…BY MANY CONVINCING PROOFS…appearing to the disciples over forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.
The Lord did not expect blind faith. He showed Himself in resurrection. In Acts, Chapter 2, Verses 22 to 24, the apostle Peter proclaimed…
ACTS 2:22 “Men of Israel…listen to these words! Jesus…the Nazarene…a man attested to you by God the Father with miracles and wonders and signs which God the Father performed through Jesus in your midst…just as you yourselves know—”
ACTS 2:23 “…this Man was delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God the Father…and He was nailed to a Cross at the hands of godless men (unbelievers) and put to death.”
ACTS 2:24 “But God the Father raised Him up again (resurrecting Jesus from the dead)… putting an end to the agony of death…since it was impossible for Jesus to be held in death’s power.”
No one killed Jesus. He laid down His life voluntarily. Then He came back to show Himself among His disicples…John, Chapter 20, Verses 19 and 20…
JOHN 20:19 So when it was evening on that day…the first day of the week…and when the doors were shut where the disciples werefor fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
JOHN 20:20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
IN FAIRNESS TO GOD’S ENEMY, have any of these people been raised from the dead?
ROMAN CATHOLICS Has any Pope been raised from the dead?
LUTHERANS Has Martin Luther been raised from the dead?
JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES Has Charles Taze Russell been raised from the dead?
MORMONS (LATTER DAY SAINTS) Has Joseph Smith been raised from the dead?
MUSLIMS Has Muhammad been raised from the dead?
BUDDHISTS Has Siddhartha Gautama been raised from the dead?
METHODISTS Has John Wesley been raised from the dead?
SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST Has Ellen White, Joseph Bates, James White, or John Andrews been raised from the dead?
UNITARIANS Has Theophilus Lindsey been raised from the dead?
CALVINISM Has John Calvin been raised from the dead?
NO…of course not! You won’t find any of these religion founders in the Bible. You won’t find any of them resurrected for the dead. They’re gone, and they’ve done NOTHING for you.
What is the payoff for you that Jesus the Christ has been resurrected from the dead? In First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verses 12 to 20, the apostle Paul makes a simple but powerful case…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:12 Now if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, and it is, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:13 But if…for the sake of argument…it is true that there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised from the dead…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:14 …and if Christ has not been raised from the dead…then our preaching is vain… and your faith in Christalso is vain.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:15 Moreover, we are even found to be false witnesses of God…because we testified concerning God the Father that He raised Christ from the dead…and if God the Father did not raise Christ from the dead, in fact none of the dead are raised.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:16 For if, for the sake of argument, the dead are not raised from the dead…not even Christ has been raised…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:17 …and if, for the sake of argument, Christ has not been raised from the dead, your faith in Christ is worthless…and you are still in your sins (you are an unbeliever…a sinner…doomed to the Lake of Fire).
Being a sinner makes you a target of the wrath of God the Father when you close your eyes in this life. And the wrath of God the Father is the Lake of Fire for all eternity to those who reject a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verses 18 and 19…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:18 (If Christ has not been raised from the dead)…then those also who have fallen asleep (by means of physical death)…yes even those in union with Christ have perished.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied (if Christ is not resurrected from the dead).
But good news for you! First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 20…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:20 But now know this…Christ HAS BEEN RAISED FROM THE DEAD…He is the first fruits of those who are asleep.
This is the payoff passage of today’s lesson! Let’s review it.
1 If Christ is not resurrected from the dead…my preaching is in vain.
2 If Christ is not resurrected from the dead, your faith in Christ is in vain.
3 If Christ is not resurrected from the dead, I am a false teacher misrepresenting the truth about God.
4 If Christ is not resurrected from the dead, you are still spiritually dead in your trespasses and sins…and you are still the target of God the Father’s wrath. In addition, Jesus was sent to the Cross for nothing.
5 If Christ is not resurrected from the dead, those who are physically dead in union with Christ have really died forever.
6 If Christ is not raised from the dead, then living for Him, doing what He says, and following His will is a great delusion. We should be pitied like insane people who live by hallucinations. We are to be pitied for believing the Christ mythology.
Let’s face it…all of us want a life of significance, and none of us WANT to die. We can rest easy because CHRIST IS RISEN from the dead…and everything done in His name—everything done by His strength and for His glory—IS NOT in vain. It is enviable…significant…valuable…and eternal.John, Chapter 20, Verses 24 and 25…
JOHN 20:24 But Thomas…one of the twelve, called Didymus (also known as the doubting one)…was not with the other disciples when Jesus came to the Upper Room. JOHN 20:25 So the other disciples were saying to Thomas, “We have seen the Lord!” But Thomas said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails…and put my finger into the place of the nails…and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
John, Chapter 20, Verses 26 to 29…
JOHN 20:26 After eight days Jesus’ disciples were again inside the Upper Room, and Thomas was with them.Jesus came in…even though the doors were shut and locked…and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
JOHN 20:27 Then Jesus said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands…and reach here with your hand and put it into My side…and do not be unbelieving…but keep on believing.”
JOHN 20:28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
JOHN 20:29 Jesus said to Thomas, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”
The Lord kept on proving His resurrection…First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verses 5 to 8…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:5 …and the Lord appeared to Cephas (Simon Peter)…then to the twelve.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred believers in Christ at one time, most of whom remain alive until now…but some have fallen asleep (they are physically dead)…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:7 …then He appeared to His half-brother James…then to all the apostles…
James…the Lord’s half-brother…who grew up in the same household as the Lord didn’t believe in Him until this appearance.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:8 …and last of all…as if to one untimely born…He appeared to me (the apostle Paul) also.
The Truth?
1 All of our sins…past, present, and future are forgiven
2 Our faith in Christ is solid
3 The apostles, the disciples, and diligent Pastors are telling the truth about Christ
4 Believers in Christ are to be envied, not pitied…we have a relationship with the Living God
5 The dead who are in union with Christ are very much alive
Because Christ was raised from the dead…and because we place our faith in Him to be saved…we are accepted by God as righteous. We are no longer UNDER SIN. The weight of sin is off our shoulders. We are no longer targets of God the Father’s wrath.
Do you want to be saved? Do you want salvation? Do you want absolute confidence about where you will be when close your eyes in this life? Luke, Chapter 23, Verses 39 to 43 shows you how…
LUKE 23:39 One of the criminals (the insulting one) who was being hanged there with Jesus was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ (the Jewish Messiah)? Save Yourself and us!”
LUKE 23:40 But the other criminal (the repentant thief) answered, and rebuking (the insulting thief) said, “Do you not even fear God…since you are under the same sentence of condemnation (crucifixion)?”
LUKE 23:41 “And we indeed are suffering justly…for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds…but this man has done nothing wrong.”
LUKE 23:42 And the repentant thief was saying, “Jesus…remember me when You come in Your kingdom!”
Nine simple words requesting salvation…
LUKE 23:43 And Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
Salvation granted!
Even though we were guilty of Adam’s sin and our own personal sinning, through the Lord’s work at the Cross on our behalf, we are acquitted. What does it mean to be acquitted?
ACQUITTED To relieve someone of a charge of fault or of a crime…to be pronounced not guilty.
What is JESUS’ PURPOSE? Romans, Chapter 4, Verse 25…
ROMANS 4:25 ...the Lord Jesus Christwas delivered over because of our transgressions…and He was raised from the dead in resurrection because of our need for justification.
Take comfort in this…Acts, Chapter 4, Verse 12…
ACTS 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else…for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved (except the name of JESUS CHRIST).”
Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 21 says…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:21 God the Father made Jesus who knew no sin to BE sin on our behalf…so that we might become the righteousness of God in union with Him.
When you believe in Christ, He gives you His own righteousness as your admission ticket to heaven.
Do you want to be saved? Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31 says…
ACTS 16:31 “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved by God…you and everyone in your household who also believes.”
You can’t save yourself. Jesus saves. John, Chapter 14, Verse 6…
JOHN 14:6 Jesus said to the doubting apostleThomas, “I am the way (to salvation) … and I am the truth (through the gospel message in the Word of God) … and I am the resurrection life (eternal life) …and no one comes to God the Father in heaven but through believing in Me.”
John, Chapter 3, Verse 36…
JOHN 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has the resurrection life right at that moment…but he who does not obey the command to believe in the Son will not see the resurrection life (eternal life)…instead the wrath of God (the Lake of Fire) abides on him.”
Acts, Chapter 1, Verses 9 to 11…
ACTS 1:9 And after Jesus said these things, He was lifted up while the disciples were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
ACTS 1:10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing (angels) stood beside them.
ACTS 1:11 They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come back in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
If you believe in Jesus Christ, He’ll be coming back for you!
CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION
Let’s close with music! Here’s Don Francisco to remind us about Jesus…HE’S ALIVE.
MUSIC CLOSING SONG Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises
HE’S ALIVE Don Francisco
DOXOLOGY
PROVERBS 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.In all your ways acknowledge Jesus, and He will make your paths straight.
DEUTERONOMY 31:8 “For the Lord is the one who goes ahead of you…He will be with you…He will not fail you or forsake you…so do not fear or be dismayed.”
ISAIAH 30:18 The Lord longs to be gracious to you…He waits on high to have compassion on you…for the Lord is a God of justice…blessed are those who wait for Him.
FIRST PETER 5:6-7 Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may promote you at the proper time……slamming all your cares on His back, because He cares for you.
God considers your problems to be His responsibility.
CLOSING PRAYER Let us pray...
Almighty God and Father…
…thank you for comforting us with experiences of You…thank you for answering our prayers so that we can see You at work in our lives…thank you for the enabling power of God the Holy Spirit who makes clear in our souls the things we can't see that You would have us know as truth…thank you for forgiving us in ways that we don't forgive others…thank you for sending Your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to take on your wrath toward sin on our behalf…thanks for raising Him from the dead to assure us that He can accomplish all that He promises…
…as we go back into the world for another week, protect us from our enemies… remind us to pray for them…let Your light shine in us for all to see so they will wonder about the hope in us…help us to share Your good news with everyone we meet one person at a time…
…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
THE ANNOUNCEMENTS
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DISCUSSING THE LESSON AND PRAYER CIRCLE
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KEEP ON STUDYING THE WORD OF GOD DAILY!
Thanks for coming! Thanks for watching! Thanks for listening!
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