SERMON: SUNDAY LIVING.
CONTEXT: Luke 24:36-49. INTODUCTION: Refreshing and continuing from Good Friday service... Part 1...The angels in heaven looked on in stunned disbelief. Here was the Creator; the Lion of Judah; the Son of the Living God being crucified at the hands of His creation! Earth convulsed, Hell rejoiced; and Heaven stood amazed. God the Father looked down from His throne and with a glint in His eye said: "It’s all right -- Satan HAS NOT won. It’s Friday-But Sunday’s coming!" This is where we left off ...Now Part 2...Thank-God,IT’S SUNDAY!! All of the power of heaven and earth God had invested in Him. He’s to die on the cross, descend into hell, Meet the devil, take the keys from Him. He yielded Himself to the death on the cross, Cried it’s finished and slumped to die In the regions of hell the devils celebrated, We’ve destroyed the king they cried! In the midst of the celebration footsteps were heard Walking through the corridors of hell Then the shouting stopped as a voice rang out A voice rang out, a voice that rang like a bell and Satan then trembled as he recognized Him Who had come to deliver His own. "Shut and lock the gates", he cried "Don’t let Him ascend to His throne!" So the gates swung shut in the face of the King To prove God’s salvation untrue. But He shook Hell’s gates and cried "lift up your head The King is coming through"! And out of the devil’s prison house came A procession led by the King Shouting "Now o, grave where is thy victory And death where is thy sting!" Thank God, it’s Sunday!! He was once humiliated in the midst of 2 thieves crucified. Now He is walking in majesty in the midst of the churches. His head was once crowned with thorns. Now His head is crowned with glory! His feet were once nailed to the cross. Now His feet are as burning and polished brass. His voice was once hushed in death. Now His voice is as the sound of many water. His hands were once nailed to the tree. Now His hand is mighty to help us. His face was once marred. Now His face is as the sun shining in its strength. Thank God it’s Sunday! Got a chance to watch “Jesus” and “Jesus Christ Superstar”...Superstar ended with the crucifiction, as did Thomas Jefferson’s special Bible! There hope ends in death!! But as I watched these shows depicting His suffering, I looked forward to the Lamb becoming The Lion agin!! Court guard you will never again slap His face! Pontius Pilate you will never again sit in His judgment! Roman Scourger you will never again plow His back! Roman Soldier you will never again impel His flesh! Jewish skeptic you will never again malign His character! Roman Caesar you will never again seal His grave! Thank God it’s Sunday! TRANSITIONAL-STATEMENT: The Cross is only the beginning of the Easter Story. Look to our text again... Thank God, It’s Sunday! We’re to live in life, not looking “among the dead” for any other options to find answers, hope, joy, purpose or peace... But often we do. He Is Risen - Remember? 1.CONTEXT. Women, sad from the death of their leader and friend, approached his tomb in grief. Suddenly, an angel appeared and said Jesus had arisen victorious over the roaring lion and his ally, death. Now, let’s look at "the rest of the story" in the CONTEXT: Luke 24:36-49. Lu 24:36 ¶ And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. 38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. 40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? 42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. 43 And he took it, and did eat before them. 44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. 45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, 46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: 47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And ye are witnesses of these things. 49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. I want us to get a practical application of Easter. The best place to look is at the first application after Easter was over. You recall that our Christian calendar is off about 4 years. So, Jesus was probably born in 4 B.C. That makes the date of his crucifixion and resurrection around 29 A.D. If you look at Luke 24:33 you’ll see, after Jesus appeared to the 2 on the Emmaus Road, he went to eat the evening meal with them. The Jewish evening meal was traditionally at sundown or about 6 PM. At sundown the day ended and a new day began. Immediately after they recognized Jesus, he disappeared; and we’re told they left that same hour to go to Jerusalem. The upper room where the disciples were gathered was about 7 miles away. This would put it about 7 PM when Jesus appeared to the believers there. They were behind closed doors for fear of the Jews when their Easter miracle happened. So, at about 7 PM, Easter, 29 A.D. we have the first application after Easter. From that event, we can see that Easter brings 4 qualities to make a difference in our lives tomorrow: 2.PEACE -LUKE 24:36 And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. Jesus knew they were confused and frightened. He always understands our feelings,so he said in verse 36, "Peace be unto you." This is the first and immediate application of Easter: Peace. Everyone wants peace of mind. A lack of peace can drive people to commit terrible deeds, drive them to alcohol or drugs, or even to insanity. Tradition tells us the fate of Governor Pilate who could have released Jesus but washed his hands of the matter. Supposedly, he died in an insane asylum trying to wash invisible blood off his hands! But, at peace with themselves, people can stand alone against great odds. Think of perfect peace. If you know Easter is true, you make your peace with Jesus, because as surely as he arose, he’s coming again for you. When you receive his gospel you have good news: You don’t have to fear death; you’ve already passed your judgement test with God. Do you have that peace? If you apply Easter’s peace today, tomorrow you can face your work or your plans with calmness, serenity, assurance, and confidence. You will know that whatever you and God undertake will ultimately work out for your good. LUKE 24:5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto . . . “ Are you there? Wanna Be? The Prince of Peace simply has to say it! 3. JOY -LUKE 24:41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered... You see an unusual statement: "While they yet disbelieved for joy...". The preceding verses tell us the disciples were confused and thought they were seeing a ghost. They wanted to believe their joy; but their weak faith said, "This can’t be happening!" Jesus let them feel him to see that he was flesh and bones, and he ate in their presence. When Jesus settles our frustrations, peace brings it’s companion, joy. Joy is a natural byproduct of peace when we understand the reason for our peace. And, joy is always better than happiness. Happiness disappears when we’re sad, but we can have inner joy even in heartbreak. Jesus went through death and showed us there’s a light at the end of the valley! He beckons us to follow confidently. TURN Rev 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. Jesus holds the keys of death and hell; he’s unlocked death but he’s locked up hell for us. Death is our ultimate fear; but, if it didn’t hurt Jesus, it won’t hurt us when we follow Jesus. If we can face death unafraid, we can face Anything else. You can smile at your boss or laugh at your hardest opposition tomorrow, when you’ve applied Easter’s joy today. LUKE 24:5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto... “ Is your Joy unshakeable? Or is it confused with happiness? Easter brings Joy! 4.HOPE -LUKE 24:44 44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. A third quality Easter brings is hope. If Jesus fulfilled all prophecies concerning His first coming, he’ll surely fulfill the promise of verse 49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high That promise is the Holy Spirit. Sure enough, Jesus has returned in Spirit now. When Jesus was here in person he was limited by his physical body to once place at a time. Now he can be with all his children all the time! That gives us hope. That also means All that Jesus promised will come true. He’s promised to be with us and never leave us, to bless us, to comfort and guide us, to work all things out for our good, to protect us from evil, to answer our prayers, to come for us and take us home to live with him forever. Hope assures us we’re going to reign over all things along with Jesus! Hope should make us not ashamed and give us boldness. You’ll have Boldness to speak your mind and courage to make the right choices tomorrow if you’ve applied Easter’s hope today.LUKE 24:5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto... “ Is hope proving itself in boldness? Are you assured of Easter power for you? 5. MISSION -LUKE 24:47-48 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. Yes, Easter brings peace, joy, and hope. And, you can see that Easter also brings mission. Our mission is to preach repentance and remission of sins to all nations beginning in OUR Jerusalem. We begin by telling everyone around us the good news of Easter. But, we don’t stop there; the ripples continue around the world through our going, praying, and giving. Notice the order: We preach repentance before we preach remission of sins. Only the truly repentant will be forgiven. You have to be sorry for your sins and be willing to stop those thoughts and actions that God opposes. Then, he’ll give you the strength to change your life and he’ll remove those sins when you place them on Jesus’ cross. And, of course, verse 48 says we demonstrate his forgiveness by the changed lives we live before others. Will you accept the mission of Easter? If so, in your schedule tomorrow, your primary goals will be changed. You’ll be looking for ways to share the love of Jesus if you’ve applied the mission of Easter today.LUKE 24:5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you... “ Is that mission burning in you? Are you a living witness? 6.SUNDAY-LIVING! Christian friend, I wanted to tell you this morning that the suffering and anguish Jesus Christ experienced was on Friday-- we live on the Sunday-side of the cross! He is no longer that poor, rejected, despised Jewish carpenter. Oh no, that was all finished on Friday. The first time He came as Lamb to redeem. The next time He is coming as Lion to reign. The first time He came to die. The next time He will come to raise the dead! The first time He came in meekness. The next time He is coming in MAJESTY. If you’re searching for Jesus, this morning, don’t look at the cross -- He is no longer there. If you seek this Lord this morning, don’t stoop to peer into the tomb -- for it stands forever vacant -- a memorial to the Conquering Christ! If you’re searching for Jesus this morning, turn your gaze heavenward! I challenge you to stop where you are at 7 PM and think about that first application of Easter at 7 PM, 29 A.D. What difference is it to you? When you go to work or back to school, you should be different if Easter has happened to you. With peace, you will have confidence and assurance. With joy, you will rejoice in whatever happens. With hope, you can claim the Spirit’s guidance and power. And, with mission, you will have a reason for being where you are. You’ll be purpose-driven to win your world for Jesus. Your whole image - the way you talk and walk; your attitude and outlook; your reaction to people and things - everything about you will be different. When people ask you, "What happened to you?" You can answer, "Easter happened, that’s what!" Can you say that? Can people see it? It should be more and more impossible to hide! Let Easter mean Good Friday, but live in Sunday! LUKE 24:5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto...“We’re to live in life, not looking among the dead for any other options to find answers, hope, joy, purpose or peace.But often we do. He Is Risen-remember? Live like you remember! At 7pm remember at noon remember, at midnight remember, Always remember He is risen! Thats Sunday Living!! Happy Easter!
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