1 What mystery, the Father, Son, and Spirit, In person three, in substance all are one. How glorious, this God our being enters To be our all, thru Spirit in the Son! The Triune God has now become our all! How wonderful! How glorious! This Gift divine we never can exhaust! How excellent! How marvelous! 2 How rich the source, the Father as the fountain, And all this wealth He wants man to enjoy! O blessed fact, this vast exhaustless portion Is now for us forever to employ! 3 How wonderful, the Son is God’s expression Come in the flesh to dwell with all mankind! Redemption’s work, how perfectly effective, That sinners we with God might oneness find. 4 The Spirit is the Son’s transfiguration Come into us as life the full supply. Amazing fact, our spirit with the Spirit Now mingles and in oneness joins thereby! 5 How real it is that God is now the Spirit For us to touch, experience day by day! Astounding fact, with God we are one spirit, And differ not in life in any way!
Copyright Living Stream Ministry. Used by permission.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO BEAR YOUR BURDENS ALONE Done well at hiding the pain in your life You've hidden the sorrow that calms you each night If there is something you need to share I want you to know someone cares
You don't have to bear your burdens alone You've got a friend you're not on your own So just take my hand we'll find help at the throne You don't have to bear your burdens alone
At times life seems unfair and so hard to stand You reach out for someone just to hold to your hand Remember the words of our Savior are true His promise, "I will never leave you"
You don't have to bear your burdens alone You've got a friend you're not on your own So just take my hand we'll find help at the throne You don't have to bear your burdens alone
You don't have to bear your burdens alone You've got a friend you're not on your own So just take my hand we'll find help at the throne You don't have to bear your burdens alone
No, You don't have to bear your burdens alone You don't have to bear your burdens alone
You don't have to bear your burdens alone No, You don't have to be alone You don't have to bear your burdens alone No, You don't have to be alone.
Soon and very soon, We are going to see the King, Soon and very soon, We are going to see the King. Soon and very soon, We are going to see the King, Hallelujah, hallelujah, We are going to see the King. Soon and very soon, We are going to see the King, Soon and very soon, We are going to see the King. Soon and very soon, We are going to see the King, Hallelujah, hallelujah, We are going to see the King. No more crying there, We are going to see the King, No more crying there, We are going to see the King. No more crying there, We are going to see the King, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, We are going to see the King. Hallelujah. Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ah. No more dying there, We are going to see the King, No more dying there, We are going to see the King. No more dying there, We are going to see the King, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, We are going to see the King. Hallelujah. Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ah. Should there be any rivers we must cross, Should there be any mountains we must climb, God will supply all the strength that we need, Give us grace 'til we reach the other side. We have come from every nation, God knows each of us by name. Jesus took His blood and He washed our sins, And He washed them all away. Yes, there are some of us, Who have laid down our lives, But we all shall live again, On the other side. Oh so soon and very soon, We are going to see the King, Soon and very soon, We are going to see the King. Soon and very soon, We are going to see the King, Hallelujah, hallelujah, We are going to see the King. Hallelujah. Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ah. Hallelujah. Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ah. Hallelujah. Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ah.
The Holy City Last night I lay a-sleeping There came a dream so fair I stood in Old Jerusalem Beside the temple there I heard the children singing And ever as they sang Me thought the voice of angels From heaven in answer rang Me thought the voice of angels From the heaven in answer rang
Jerusalem, Jerusale ]ft up your gates and sing "Hosanna in the highest Hosanna to your King!"
And then me thought my dream was changed The streets no longer rang Hushed were the glad Hosannas The little children sang The sun grew dark with mystery The morn was cold and chill As the shadow of a cross arose Upon a lonely hill As the shadow of a cross arose Upon a lonely hill
Jerusalem, Jerusalem Hark, how the angels sing "Hosanna in the highest Hosanna to your King!" ] And once again the scene was changed New earth there seemed to be I saw the Holy City Beside the tideless sea
The light of God was on its streets The gates were open wide And all who would might enter And no one was denied No need of moon or stars by night Or sun to shine by day It was the new Jerusalem That would not pass away It was the new Jerusalem That would not pass away
Jerusalem, Jerusalem Sing for the night is o'er! Hosanna in the highest Hosanna forevermore! Hosanna in the highest! Hosanna forevermore!
Bible verses to celebrate the resurrection The significance of Easter Sunday is that it represents the freedom we have to live a life of victory in God. Our sins are forgiven through the grace of God, and we can enjoy abundant joy from today onward.
How better to honor the occasion than by reviewing the popular Easter Bible verses?
John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
Acts 4:33 “With great power, the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all.”
1 Peter 1:3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy, He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
Luke 24:6-7 “He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you while He was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and, on the third day, be raised again.”
Mark 16:5-7 “As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed."Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He isn't here. See the place where they laid Him. But go tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There, you'll see Him, just as He told you.'”
Acts 3:15 “You killed the author of life, but God raised Him from the dead.”
Romans 8:34 “Who, then, is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus, who died — more than that, who was raised to life — is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” He is risen indeed, hallelujah
One of the most joyful sentences a Christian can say on Easter morning is “He is risen!”
For some Christians, the phrase is nothing more than a greeting. But for those that study God’s word, it’s a confirming statement of the resurrection of Christ, the Lord.
By saying those three words, we're reminded that our eternal life is certain.
It’s because God raised our savior Jesus Christ from the dead to wipe away our sins that we can declare, "He is risen." And that's certainly worth celebrating.
To commemorate the resurrection of Christ, we’ll explore the meaning of the phrase "He is risen" along with some celebratory Bible verses.
What does “He is risen” mean? The phrase "He is risen" is used by Christians during Easter to celebrate Christ's resurrection from the dead. The response to the phrase “He is risen” is, “He’s risen indeed.”
Early on, Eastern and Byzantine liturgies used the greeting more frequently than Western ones.
Tradition has it that Mary Magdalene popularized the phrase when she had a meeting with Emperor Tiberius in Rome, telling him that “Christ is risen” from the dead.
Christ's resurrection by God served as final proof of God's approval and vindication of everything Jesus stood for. Jesus identified with the poor and disenfranchised, but most of all, those who had committed a multitude of sins.
Christ also absorbed the hatred given to Him from religious and political powers without returning it. He was passionate about liberating the oppressed and teaching us true compassion.
Because of the compassionate life Jesus led, God saved us from our sins.
“He is risen” is an important doctrinal truth we share on Easter and at other times with one another about the power of Christ's resurrection. We proclaim His power over death in the present tense since it is a continuing fact. We have continued hope in Christ's resurrection even thousands of years later.
We can confidently proclaim that He is risen. He is risen, indeed, hallelujah!
The story of the resurrection The Old and New Testaments both speak of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Before His death on the cross, Jesus told His disciples of His resurrection, and His disciples saw the body of the risen Christ.
In the days before Jesus rose from the dead, He was tried by a court and convicted for a false claim to be a king.
Jesus' body was hung on a cross between two thieves, and His body was laid in a tomb after His death, wrapped in linen cloth and covered with a large stone.
silhouette of cross on a roof at night
Mary Magdalene and another Mary traveled to the empty tomb early on a Sunday morning. An angel of the Lord sat on the rolled-away stone and told them not to be afraid, for Jesus had risen.
“But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus, who was crucified. He isn't here, for he has risen, as he said. Come see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you'll see him. See, I have told you’” (Matthew 28:5-7).
While the women were leaving to tell the disciples, Jesus Christ met them and showed them the nail-piercings in His hands.
Later, Peter’s message to the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem was that God “raised up” this Jesus “whom you crucified” and “has made Him both Lord and Messiah” (Acts 2:32-36).
According to Acts, the Bible verses were historically reflective of early Christian thought, which held that God approved of Jesus' resurrection, and He will always be a constant presence in the lives of His followers.
The belief in God's saving grace and mercy, through Jesus our savior, is meaningless without the resurrection. He proved His divinity as the son of God, as well as His redeeming and saving work through rising from the dead.
Most of us know what we should or not should do, hplady I know some of those churches. Please follow us on "Gospel City Church" best go back several pages. Great teachers for sure....................
They were like, we know what actually happened, but tell the people a different story. Instead, tell the people his body was stolen. Tell him a different story. Tell them whatever you want. Just don't let people believe that he rose from the dead, make up anything. People do the same thing today, tell people he wasn't a real person, tell people he wasn't God, tell people he didn't actually die, tell people he didn't actually rise.
Every false religion in the world today tries to tries to alter the gospel by changing parts of it or all of it.
That's been a tactic of people who oppose Jesus for the past two thousand years.
But do any of those tactics ever work? Can you say wet paper towel, resist resistance? Throughout history, the harder the world tries to stop the resurrection of power, resurrection, power of Jesus from spreading, the more of that power is put on full display by God.
Examples in places like China and Iran, laws exist to limit or stop the belief in the resurrection of Christ and to stop the spreading of the message in those countries today.
How do you think that's working out? The church is spreading like wildfire in those countries.
People are believing and getting saved left, right and center. The resurrection is an unstoppable force. It couldn't be stopped when Jesus walked out of his tomb alive.
It won't be stopped as long as his church takes the message of the resurrection across the whole world.
It won't be stopped when he comes back to rapture his church. Final question for you in this message. Are you on the resurrection train if you answer yes to that question? Praise God you're on it. If you if you are, you are on it by faith, by believing on the resurrection of Jesus. Now invite people to get on the train with you by telling them the gospel. Tell them there's room for them where you're going. But you might say, no, I'm not on the train yet, then I will say to you, what are you waiting for?
Jesus said that whoever is not for him is against him. You are either on the resurrection train or you're not. You either have resurrection power in your life or your life. Is the wet paper towel trying to resist God? Stop resisting him. Confess your sins, turn from them and give your life to follow the one who loved you so much, she came to die on the cross for your sins and then rose from the dead so that you can rise one day to believe in Jesus today and become a Christian.
Get on the train. That is the unstoppable force of the resurrection.
Let's pray. Father, we worship you as we do every week, but we worship you today, this day on Easter Sunday for a very specific reason. You rose, Jesus, you rose, and there was nothing in all of the universe seen or unseen that could have applied pressure to you to keep that from happening.
You are the victorious one. You are the sovereign one. You are the champion of life. You are the source and the sustainer of life. You are the resurrection. You conquer death. You put it to shame. You triumphed over it and you sent your disciples across the world telling everyone the message that they have access to God now simply by believing in the life, death and resurrection of the son.
You tell people or don't clean your life up first. Don't be righteous first. Don't get your act together first. Just confess your sins and come to me and I will take care of everything. Praise you, God, you're such a good God. You're so merciful. You're so full of love and grace and truth and comfort and power.
We praise you. We praise you. Today on Easter Sunday. We praise you every day, every day until you come back to get us. Lord, thank you. Thank you. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
The same resurrection power that rose Christ from the dead was now living personally inside his people, empowering them to live for him. Before Jesus went back to heaven after his resurrection, he also gave his disciples the charge to tell everyone the gospel. The gospel is the message of the life, death and the resurrection of Jesus. And this message is not your everyday kind of message. This message is the power of salvation to everyone who believes everyone who believes the gospel will be saved from their sins be given eternal life, and they, too, will receive the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit, who comes to live inside of them.
And we look forward to our own resurrection, the day is coming and is soon here when Jesus is going to call his church home to be with him forever in that day, those who are alive will be caught up in the air to meet the Lord, together with those who have trusted in Christ and have died. They will be resurrected to new life and receive the same kind of body that Jesus received when he rose from the dead.
Listen to what the apostle Paul says concerning the resurrection in First Corinthians 15. Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we should all be changed.
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable and we shall all be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this moral body must put on immortality.
Paul goes on in First Thessalonians, Chapter four. But we do not want you to be uninformed brothers about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do, who have no hope for, since we believe that Jesus died and rose again. Even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this, we declare to you by a word from the Lord that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord will not proceed.
Those who have fallen asleep, for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an angel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord, therefore encourage one another with these words. And ever since the resurrection happened, the message of the resurrection has been carried around the world by those filled with resurrection power and people have been believing in the resurrection for the past two thousand years.
God and pump the brakes on the resurrection train after Jesus rose from the dead, the resurrection train only picked up steam after heroes and resurrection power has been experienced by people all over the world ever since. Can anyone, anything stop the unstoppable force that is the resurrection? No, it goes on and on and on and on. But that doesn't mean that people don't try and stop it. Back to Matthew after Jesus left the tomb alive. Listen to this.
While they were going behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place, and when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, tell people his disciples came by night and stole them away while we were asleep. And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble. So they took the money and did as they were directed.
And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day. They couldn't keep him in the tomb, and so they switched up their tactics to try to stop the resurrection from spreading. They tried to change the narrative of the story to keep people from believing the real story.
They still tried to keep his body in the tomb anyway.
So they roll the stone in front of the tomb and they put up a guard of soldiers in front of the tomb to keep his body in it. Yeah, that was going to work. Can anyone say wet paper towel? He rose anyway, of course. And he walked out of that tomb even before the stone was rolled away. Let's keep reading in. Matthew. Chapt 28 Verse one to ten. Now, after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, which was Sunday, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went 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 and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him, the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the woman, Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen as he said.
Come see the place where he lay, then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead.
And behold he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him. See, I've told you so. They departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said greetings. And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee. And there they will see me.
Jesus was already gone by the time the angel came to remove the stone from in front of the tomb in the darkness of the tomb, Jesus overcame death. He conquered it. Death would not and could not keep the light of the world under the cloak of darkness. He rose. And we were talking about this kind of resurrection power.
We need to understand that Jesus didn't need to be let out of the tomb after he rose.
He didn't need to wait for an angel to come rule the stone away so that he could get out.
He wasn't trapped in there. He just left.
The glorified risen Christ is not bound by anything, not bound by time. Space matter, nothing. The stone wasn't rolled away, for Jesus sake. It was rolled the way for for the sake of those who were there that day. The angel said to the women who are there, come see where he was.
He's not here anymore. He's risen. And then the angel also said to them, don't be afraid. I think it's funny that the angel didn't tell everyone there that day not to be afraid, he didn't tell the soldiers to not be afraid.
He only told the women who were there to not be afraid soldiers. You should be afraid. You oppose the king of heaven.
And now the king is not dead anymore. Then the woman left to tell the disciples that Jesus was alive and on their way, they met the risen one and they worshiped him and it was awesome. A question. Now, was that the end of the resurrection story, was it all over after Jesus rose from the dead? Did God apply the brakes to the resurrection train and bring it gently to a full stop and into the station?
Hardly. If anything, the resurrection train only began to pick up steam after Jesus rose from the dead.
Here are just a few quick hitting points to consider in terms of how resurrection power took off after Jesus rose from the dead. A lot of people personally saw Jesus for themselves after he resurrected, he saw himself alive to people over a period of 40 days before he ascended back to heaven.
At one point, there were five hundred people who saw him. At the same time, they got to witness resurrection power for themselves after Jesus rose.
And then after Jesus ascended to heaven, his disciples waited in Jerusalem for the promise, he told them about 10 days after Jesus went back to heaven, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the church.
Anything that would have tried to keep him dead and in the grave would have had as much success as a wet paper towel would in stopping a train barreling down the tracks at full speed.
But do you want to know something funny? There were people who tried to stop Jesus from leaving the tomb.
Listen to what Matthew describes happening on the day after the death of Jesus in Matthew. Chapter 27, Verse is, 62 to 66. We read this. The next day, that is after the day of preparation, which was the Saturday following Good Friday, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before pilot and said, Sir, we remember how that impostor said while he was still alive, after three days, I will rise.
Therefore, order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people he has risen from the dead and the last fraud will be worse than the first pilot said to them. You have a guard of soldiers go make it as secure as you can. So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard. This was so stupid on two counts. Count number one, the religious leaders didn't believe in Jesus.
They didn't believe his words. It says to In verses 63, they said, Sir, we remember how that impostor said while he was still alive, after three days, I will rise. They knew he said he would rise, but they didn't believe him. They didn't believe his words.
And they also didn't believe the evidence that he gave them after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, you would think that the religious leaders would finally, finally believe that there was something to the claims of who Jesus was.
But instead of believing the evidence of a raised man come back to life, John tells us that they plan to kill Lazarus because so many people were believing in Jesus because Lazarus was alive.
The religious leaders didn't believe Jesus and that was stupid. Count number two of their stupidity. The religious leaders also tried to keep him in the tomb, even though they didn't believe who he was and they didn't believe he would rise from the dead.
Jesus said to her that I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God.
So they took away the stone, and Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me. But I said this on account of the people standing around that they may believe that you sent me. When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice.
Lazarus, come out. The man who had died came out his hands and feet bound with linen strips and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them and bind him and let him go. It's one thing to plan the resurrection, it's one thing to promise the resurrection, is another thing altogether to prove that you have the power to do the resurrection.
That's what Jesus did when he performed these resurrection miracles. Which brings us to number four, God personified the resurrection. There's this exchange that took place between Jesus and Martha, who was Lazarus's brother before Jesus Rose Lazarus from the dead.
I want you to listen to this exchange found for us in John Chapter 11 and listen closely for what Jesus says about himself in it.
John, Chapter 11, Verse is 17 to twenty seven. And when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for days, Bethany was near Jerusalem about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him. But Mary remains seated in the house. Mary Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
But even now, I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you. Jesus said to her, your brother will rise again. Martha said to him, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection.
On the last day Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he died, yet shall he live? And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? She said to him. Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God who is coming into the world. To hear what Jesus said about himself in verse 25, he said, I am the resurrection.
He didn't say I have the power to raise people, which he did have. No, it's more than that. He is the resurrection. Jesus is the resurrection personified. You know, the game, rock, paper, scissors, rock, always beats scissors every time without fail, there's a real life version of that game is called Death Resurrection.
When someone puts out death and someone else puts out resurrection, resurrection always beats death every time without fail. And Jesus is the resurrection personified. So what do you think would happen if the one who is the resurrection died? Do you think the resurrection would stay dead? Do you think he could stay dead? It was impossible for him to stay dead and to put these four powerful truths together. God plan the resurrection. God promised the resurrection. God proved that the resurrection, God is the resurrection personified.
And here's the point. With all those things in mind, Good Friday happened. Jesus was betrayed, arrested, falsely accused and falsely tried and sentenced to death.
He was handed over to the Romans who mocked him, tortured him and crucified him. Jesus died on a cross. His body was placed in a tomb. All of that happened on Good Friday. But then on the third day, Easter Sunday happened and nothing could stop Jesus from rising.
On Easter Sunday, the resurrection of Jesus was an unstoppable force, building up steam.
To this point in history, all four of these truths converged at the point in history where Jesus Christ lay dead in the tomb. And then. He wasn't there anymore, he rose because death couldn't hold them. It wasn't strong enough, nothing could keep the resurrection dead.
He said he would rise from the dead in Matthew Chapter six. Twenty one. It says, From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed. And on the third day be raised in Matthew Chapter 17, In verses 22 to 23. It says, as they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, The son of man is about to be delivered into the hands of men and they will kill him and he will be raised on the third day and they were greatly distressed.
And then in Matthew, Chapter 20, verses 17 to 19, it says, and as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the 12 disciples aside. And on the way he said to them, See, we're going up to Jerusalem. And the son of man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. And he will be raised on the third day.
Do you see it? God spoke plainly through his prophets that there would be a resurrection from the dead by saying there would be one. He promised there would be one. And if God promised the resurrection, who or what could ever keep him from fulfilling that promise? Number three, God proved the resurrection. Now, plans and promises are just talk until proof is provided that shows those plans and promises can actually be accomplished is a good thing that Jesus didn't just talk about the resurrection.
He demonstrated he had the power to do it. Jesus performed countless miracles throughout his three year public ministry. Before his death, he opened blind eyes. He loosened tongues that couldn't speak. He unstopped deaf ears. He enabled paralyzed people to walk. He cast out leprosy with a touch.
He cast out demons with a word. He did so many miracles that John said these words at the end of his gospel in John. Twenty one, twenty five, he says. Now, there are also many other things that Jesus did where every one of them to be written. I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.
Jesus performed countless miracles during his earthly ministry. Out of all the documented miracles that Jesus did, three of them were of the resurrection variety.
Listen to these accounts. The first one is found in Luke's Gospel Luke, Chapter seven verses 11 to 17. Soon afterward, he went to a town called Name and his Disciples and a great crowd went with them as he drew near to the gate of the town. Behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother. And she was a widow. And a considerable crowd from the town was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, Do not weep.
Then he came and touched the beer and the bearers stood still and he said, Young man, I say to you, arise. And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.
Fear seized them all and they glorified God, saying a great prophet has arisen among us and God has visited his people.
And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country. Here's another one also found in Luke's gospel when Jesus raised Jairus daughter, Luke, eight, Verse is 52 to fifty five. And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping. And they laughed at him knowing that she was dead, but taken her by the hand. He called saying child arise and her spirit returned.
And she got up at once and he directed that something should be given her to eat. And one more time in the Gospel of John, Jesus raised his friend Lazarus from the dead John Chapter 11 Verse is 38/44 Then Jesus deeply moved again, came to the tomb, it was a cave and a stone lay against it, Jesus said, take away the stone. Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, Lord, by this time there will be an order, for he has been dead for days.
That sermon can be found in the Book of Acts in Chapter two. And here's an excerpt from that sermon. Men of Israel hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst.
As you yourselves know, this Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan and for knowledge of God, crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised them up, losing the pangs of death because it was not possible for him to be held by it. Did you hear that Jesus was delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, the whole thing was rigged.
God planned the death and the resurrection of the son. People didn't do what they did to Jesus against God's will. It was God's will, he planned it and orchestrated the whole thing.
If you study this idea in the Bible further, you will come to realize that God planned the resurrection of Jesus before he laid the foundation of the world.
If the resurrection was a locomotive, the resurrection left the stage, left the station, and eternity past, God planned this whole thing out a very long time before it happened.
So if God planned to raise Jesus from the dead, who would be able to stop his plan? Number two, God promised the resurrection, God didn't plan the resurrection and then decided to keep it a secret, he made his plans about the resurrection known through his prophets that he sent into the world. God promised the resurrection when he talked about the resurrection before the resurrection ever happened. Jobs says this about the resurrection in Job Chapter 19, for I know that my redeemer lives.
And at the last he will stand upon the earth and after my skin has been thus destroyed.
Yet in my flesh, I shall see God whom I shall see for myself in my eyes shall behold and not another.
My heart faints within me. Jobs spoke about a future resurrection, saying that even though his skin or his body would be destroyed, yet in his flesh or in his body, he will see God. Jobs said that even though he would die, there would be a time when he would be alive again to see God, that's resurrection talk.
Listen also to what the prophet Isaiah says in Isaiah, chapter 26, verse 19. But your dad will live, their bodies will rise. Those who live in the dust will wake up and shout for joy. For you to do is like the dew of dawn and the earth will give birth to the dead.
This is plane resurrection talk, God is giving us hints in the Old Testament that there would be a resurrection of some sort, but then he gets a little more specific when we hear what David writes in Psalm 16, in verse 10.
He says, for you will not abandon my soul to Sheol or let your holy one see corruption, the term, your holy one is a reference to the Messiah, the savior that would come into the world. David says that God wouldn't let his holy one see corruption. This is a reference to the savior dying.
But the savior won't be dead long enough for his body to go through the natural decaying process. His body wouldn't see corruption. This is because the Messiah would resurrect from the dead before that could happen.
Job, Isaiah and David all spoke in the Old Testament period about the resurrection. And then God's final prophet came on the scene, the son of God himself, Jesus Christ and Jesus also promised the resurrection, but he specifically promised his very own resurrection, not just once, but three times.
The Resurrection is an Unstoppable Force.......Date:4/4/21
Series: Matthew
Passage: Matthew 27:62-28:15..........Speaker: BJ Chursinoff
Easter Sunday is also known as "Resurrection Sunday" because on the third day after His crucifixion, Jesus Christ rose from the dead. In this message we will learn why the resurrection of Jesus was unstoppable, and we will also see how the ripple effects of His resurrection are still being felt in our world today - 2,000 years after He walked out of the tomb
A train pulls away from the station. Think in your mind, old school locomotive at the train after the train picks up, steam is hurtling down the tracks and there is nothing that would dare to get in its way.
But a few miles down the tracks in the woods, a couple of guys from the wrong side of the tracks, they see the smoke from the train in the distance and they come up with a genius idea.
They want to try and stop the train because they can see the smoke. They can tell that the train will be arriving where they are very soon. And so they devised a plan. They run on quickly and get a couple of items.
One of these items is a roll of paper towel and the other is a spray bottle with water in it. They come back to the train tracks and find two trees, one on either side of the track, and they attach one end of the roll of paper towel to one tree. Then they stretch out the roll across the track and attach the other end of the roll to the other tree.
This makes a barrier that they're going to use to stop the train when it comes and just to make sure their plan will work real good. They take the spray bottle and lightly spray the paper towel to make extra sure that the train won't be able to break through it.
So what's going to happen when the train finally arrives and makes contact with the wet paper towel resistance that's been set up?
Nothing, absolutely nothing.
Nothing will happen except that the ridiculous resistance that was set up will be passed through as if it weren't even there.
This is a picture of what happened on Easter Sunday when Jesus was killed and then placed in the tomb on Good Friday. There was absolutely no resistance that could have been applied to him that would have kept him from rising from the dead on the third day after his death.
Anything that tried to keep Jesus resurrection at bay would be like two guys trying to use a damp paper towel to stop a locomotive moving at full speed.
There would be zero resistance. It would be completely futile. This is because the resurrection is an unstoppable force.
What was it that made it so unstoppable? Well, there are at least four things I want you to consider.
There are four powerful truths pertaining to the resurrection that made the resurrection of Jesus an unstoppable force, one God plan, the resurrection to God promised the resurrection. Three, God proved the resurrection and for God personified the resurrection. Let's look at these one at a time. Number one, God planned the resurrection. After Jesus rose from the dead, the apostle Peter stood in front of a large crowd that had gathered in Jerusalem for the Jewish celebration of Pentecost, and he preached the very first sermon of the church.
Thank you so much Celtic for the prayer and the beautiful Hallelujah song. We welcome you into the family of God!.... You have now many brothers and sisters who love you.
The best way to move on from past failures is to let them serve as reminders of God's grace, kindness and forgiveness. We're going to have a time of worship in just a moment, and I'm going to ask that you would use that time. To thank Jesus just for loving you. For suffering and dying for you while you were still as enemy, you were still as enemy. And perhaps for some of us, we need to be reminded that if Jesus loved us while we were still his enemies.
Then he loves us now. Even when we fail to be a very good friend to him right now, because his love for us does not depend on us, it's never depended on us. It depends on him. We know that because he loved us while we were still his enemies were covered by his blood. We're covered by his righteousness and his love never fails because that's who he is. That's who he is. And if you've never given your life over to Jesus, if you've never accepted his invitation of forgiveness and healing, if you've never asked him to be your savior and your God.
Then this is your moment to ask him. Just ask him, say, come into my life, be my God, I give my life over to you, do that as we worship in this coming time.
And I'm going to pray for us in just a second.
But if you've never given your life to Jesus, I do want to ask you that as soon as we finish the service, you go to my new hope.
That's the gospel and watch a video there that will tell you more about what Jesus has done for you. Don't let this moment pass you by. Make sure you go there and do that when the service is done. And so with that, would you bow your head pray with me? Jesus, thank you so much that you loved us while we were still your enemies.
Father, thank you for sending your son while we were still your enemies.
Thank you that your love for us has never depended on anything that we do. While we were enemies or even now that we've been bought, brought into the family of God. Were kept in your family because of what Jesus has done and we are so thankful for that, Father.
I pray right now for any who are wrestling with condemnation and guilt and shame that's being brought up by the enemy. If there needs to be repentance. Lord, let us repent. That we might be brought into the light and experience the peace and the joy of being forgiven by you. Father, I pray for all who have repented but are just being reminded of their past sins. Lord led it instead be a reminder to thank you that we are forgiving to thank you that the cross has taken care of our sin.
We love you so much because you loved us. First Lord, we bless you for who you are, your good and your kind and your gracious in a way that we cannot adequately describe. And we're so thankful that you have brought us from the side of being your enemies to being your friends, brothers and sisters of Jesus, sons and daughters of the father. Thank you for loving us, Lord, in your precious name we pray. Amen.
And when Jesus looked at Peter, I don't think it was the look of disappointment, I think it was a look of compassion because that's the way Jesus looks. You and I, when we mess up, he's never angry with us. He's never surprised by our behavior. I think he's heartbroken for us. The same way that any loving parent hates to see their child go through pain, the Lord hates to see us go through pain. And so we bring unnecessary pain into our life when we embrace sin, we welcome destruction into our life, then it's going to bring pain and God knows that.
And so Jesus looks at Peter with compassion. And we all know it's true that compassion breaks a man far more quickly than condemnation. Historians tell us that four years after this event when Peter would preach outside the church gathering in public. Sometimes someone in the crowd would start calling out c*ck a doodle doo. c*ck a doodle doo. Can you imagine? Can you imagine how he felt every time he heard a rooster crow in the morning for the rest of his life?
I can tell you exactly how he felt. He felt thankful. He felt grateful. As he woke up a forgiving man. A saved man. A disciple of Jesus, an adopted son of God. As he woke up, he felt grateful because he would have recalled the words of the prophet Jeremiah, who said through the Lord's Mercies, we are not consumed because his compassions failed not they are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. You see, that's how you move on.
After a catastrophic failure in your walk with Jesus, that's how you move on when you've really blown it. Satan will do everything he can to remind you of your failures, because Satan wants to get you bound up in shame and guilt and condemnation, because if Satan can do that, you'll shrink back into the shadows of isolation and secrecy, where Satan is most powerful and where he can just get to work tearing you apart.
Or. Or. You can be honest. You can confess your sin. And you can experience the forgiveness and grace of Jesus, and then every time Satan brings it up, tries to rope you in with shame and condemnation, you can use that sin that Satan's bringing up as a reminder to thank the Lord that you've been forgiven.
To thank Jesus that he's already purchased and paid for your sin, and then when that sin and failure is brought up to your memory, that disastrous let down, it will only cause you to love Jesus more and to become more grateful to him for your salvation, because you let it remind you of how great the forgiveness of God is in your life. And that's what Peter chose to do. How do I know that? Because after the resurrection, Peter didn't shrink back.
The man who was too afraid to admit to even knowing Jesus to a servant girl. Stood up. The Book of Acts after he received the Holy Spirit in Acts Chapter two, and he preached to thousands in the city that had murdered Jesus just weeks earlier. And he preached the gospel and called them to repentance for rejecting Jesus. And they turn to the Lord by the thousands. Peter would go on to be one of the leaders of the Jerusalem church and would go down in history as one of the most effective ministers of the faith of all time.
Your sins and failures will be brought up by Satan. You can count on that. And when those sins and those failures are brought up. You will either run to the darkness in guilt and shame or you will run toward Jesus with fresh gratitude and thankfulness over your forgiveness. When your past is brought up by anyone. Be honest about it. But also be honest about the grace and forgiveness of Jesus that has set you free from. Make a note of this.
The best way to move on from past failures is to let them serve as reminders of God's grace, forgiveness and kindness.
And that is why the love of Jesus toward me, towards you. Is so amazing in Romans five, the apostle Paul writes this. For scarcely for a righteous man, will one die yet, perhaps for a good man, someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more than having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him, for if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his son, much more having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life while we were still sinners.
While we still had his blood on our hands. While the split was still on the side of our mouths. While we were still mocking and cursing him, Jesus loved us and died for us. While we were still the enemies of God. Jesus brought us back in the relationship with him. What can you say about the Lord? That's why we love him so much. He's just good, he's just kind in a way that's indescribable. Let's switch our focus for a few minutes to Peter.
He was the most outspoken, the most confident and the oldest of Jesus's disciples, when earlier Jesus had told his disciples that all of them would stumble that night because of him.
Peter was the one who had responded by saying, even if all are made to stumble because of you. I will never be made to stumble. Jesus replied, Assuredly, I say to you that this night before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times, Peter said to him, Even if I have to die with you.
I will not deny. And we read in verse 69 now, Peter sat outside in the courtyard. He's been following from a safe distance. And a servant girl came to him saying. You also were with Jesus of Galilee, but he denied it before the mall, saying, I don't know what you're saying. That's denial number one. And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, this fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.
But again, he denied with an oath. I do not know the man. It's denial number two. And a little later, those who stood by came up and said to Peter, surely you also are one of them for your speech betrays you. Peter's Galilean accent was giving him away. For 74, then he began to curse and swear to make oaths, saying, I do not know the man.
What's the difference between cursing and swearing while one is cussing, but the other is making oaths? So what Peter is actually saying when it says he's cursing and swearing, he's saying things along the lines of May my soul be damned if I'm lying. That's what he's saying. Denial number three. And now comes some of the most gut wrenching verses in the Bible. Immediately. A rooster crowed. And Luke's gospel tells us that at this moment, the Lord turned and looked at Peter.
And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him before, the rooster crows, You will deny me three times. So he went out and he wept bitterly. When Jesus turned and looked at Peter. Right in the eyes. Peter was just. Overwhelmed with shame, overwhelmed with shame. And he ran out the courtyard weeping. Earlier that evening, Luke's gospel tells us that Jesus had told Peter, Satan has asked for you, that he may lift you as wheat.
In other words, Peter Satan's ask for permission to put you to the test and turn up the heat. And permission has been granted. The good news was that Jesus also told Peter, but I've prayed for you, that your faith should not fail. Peter's reaction upon hearing the rooster crowing, his immediate weeping, tells us it was not his faith that had failed. It was his courage that had failed. He hadn't lost faith in Jesus. But he hadn't yet found the courage and the strength to stand for Jesus.
God in the flesh. He claimed to be Messiah. God in the flesh. Caiaphas continues and says to the court, what further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you've heard is blasphemy. However, the Mishna says the judges shall weigh the matter in the sincerity of their conscience. Does it sound like Caiaphas is trying to make sure that the Sanhedrin weighs this matter?
Well, not at all. And in the law of God, in Leviticus 21 10, we read he who is the high priest among his brethren on whose head the anointing oil was poured and who was consecrated to wear the garments, shall not uncover his head nor tear his clothes.
Caiaphas is tearing his robe and in so doing, violating the law, and he's saying things to stir up a mob mentality in the Sanhedrin so that law will be disregarded and Jesus will be illegally convicted and sentenced to death as soon as possible. Then Caiaphas asks the Sanhedrin, what do you think? They answered and said he's deserving of death.
That means they were convicting Jesus of the capital offense of blasphemy, a charge and conviction that could only be laid if Jesus was making the claim that he was God.
When you get into the trial of Jesus, the trials of Jesus, it destroys the claim of those who will say, well, Jesus never claimed to be God.
Yes, he did read the Gospels. It was the entire basis of his arrest. It was his own testimony during his illegal trial, and it was the charge that was used to convict him. The reason Jesus was crucified was because he made the claim that he was God. Despite a total lack of evidence, despite knowing that every witness that had been brought forward had been bribed by the court, despite knowing that none of their testimonies agreed, meeting the requirement of the law, despite knowing that every aspect of this trial was illegal and violated the law in the scriptures we read, they answered and said he is deserving of death.
Then they spat in his face and beat him and others struck him with the palms of their hands, saying prophesy to us, Christ, who's the one who struck you?
They spit on Jesus, the greatest insult a Jew could direct toward another person, and then they blindfold him and as he's blindfolded, unable to see each punch coming, they hit him in the face over and over again and mockingly tell him to use his powers to tell them which of them had struck him. That last scene is so dark and it's so disturbing, and if you love Jesus, you can't help but be grieved as you read it. And then perhaps, like me, the thought crosses your mind, man, I would not want to be of one of those.
Who spat in the face of Jesus, punched the face of Jesus. And have to stand before Jesus one day in eternity. But when I have that thought, it's quickly followed by another thought. The truth that before Jesus save me, I was one of those men and worse. Before Jesus save me. I was lined up on the side of the enemies of God. I was holding up two middle fingers toward the heavens, I was spitting in the face of my creator, I was mocking the God of the universe.
Because there are only ever two sides in play, the children of God and the enemies of God. And if you're not a child of God, then you are on the side, you are lined up with the enemies of God. There is no neutral ground. There is no spiritual Switzerland. Being undecided doesn't put you in the middle. It's the thinnest, finest of lines that places you either on one side or the other. You are a child of God right now.
Or you are an enemy of God. Before Jesus save me. I was one of those men spitting on him and striking him in the face, and I was also one of those who drove the nails into his hands and feet. I was one of those gambling for his garments as he hung on the cross. And I was the soldier who pierced his side with a spear to ensure that the life had left. I was all of that and more because I was once an enemy of God.
And the high priest answered and said to him, I put you under oath by the living God. Tell us, if you are the Christ, the son of God, you'll notice that Caiaphas. This question has nothing to do with the charge that Jesus is supposedly being indicted on. Right. He's supposedly being indicted on a charge of terrorism, essentially threatening to destroy the temple. But now Caiaphas is asking him a completely unrelated question, he's asking him, are you the Messiah, the son of God?
And this is important because it's going to show this is the real issue they have with Jesus that he claims to be God. Verse 8/ 64. Now the Holy Spirit tells Jesus, you need to answer this one. Verse 64. Jesus said to him, It is as you said. What Jesus actually says here is I am. He says, I am answering the question in the affirmative and also the answering the question by using the name of God, I am Aigo.
In the original Greek text, Jesus declares himself to be God and in many ways throughout the Gospels. But in case that's not obvious, Jesus clears things up right here. Are you the Messiah? The Son of God? I am. No confusion, and then Jesus goes on to say, nevertheless, I say to you here, after you will see the son of man sitting at the right hand of the power and coming on the clouds of heaven. So not only am I the Messiah, the son of God, but the day is coming when all of you will see me in my glory, sitting at the right hand of my father and returning to the earth in my full power.
Jesus here is also specifically referring to two verses that are found in Daniel Chapter seven, verses 13 and 14. And Jesus is making the radical claim here by saying this, that those verses in Daniel seven are talking about him.
Here's what Daniel wrote in those verses. He says, I was watching in the night vision. So Daniel says, I had this dream, but it was a dream given to me by God. It was a prophetic dream. And behold, one like the son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He came to the ancient of days. So Daniel sees the sun coming before the father, and they brought him near before him, then to him, to Jesus, to Messiah was given dominion and glory and the kingdom that all peoples, nations and languages should serve him.
His dominion is in everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and his kingdom, the one which shall not be destroyed. The Jews understood that that passage was speaking of and prophesying about the coming messiah.
And it's a big deal when Jesus tells Caiaphas, Daniel, speaking of me, because I am Messiah, I am the son of God. And they also all of these religious scholars would have immediately thought of the rest of that section of Daniel. And so they would have known that Jesus is also claiming I'm the one who's going to be given a kingdom and dominion that will never, ever fade away. I am going to be the king of everything. They would have understood that.
Which is why we see this In verses 65, then the high priest tore his clothes saying he's committing blasphemy. In Jewish culture at this time, tearing your clothes was an outward expression of inner dismay, angst or grief, and Caiaphas tears his clothes to show how dismayed he is by Jesus's claim to be messiah. They don't believe Jesus is the messiah. They don't believe he's God. So they therefore believe that Jesus is committing blasphemy, that he's falsely claiming to be God.
When you look at the question that Jesus was asked, when you look at his answer, when you look at his clarification and when you look at the response we see from the religious leaders, you cannot read these verse is with any degree of reason and not conclude that Jesus explicitly claimed to be God in the flesh. You cannot come to any other conclusion. So write this down because this is a big thing. During Jesus trials, his own words and the response of his accusers will make it clear that he claimed to be Messiah.
They're not supposed to try and find people to bring the court to bring a blasphemy charge. And then it says, even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none.
So they failed in their attempts to recruit false witnesses. And when they finally found some, they didn't do a very good job because their their accounts couldn't be corroborated. They didn't match up, which was a requirement for witnesses under Jewish law. There had to be at least two witnesses whose testimonies agreed.
Now, in the defense of these Jewish religious leaders, it's very, very tough to bring criminal charges against a man who's never sinned.
You have to do things illegally. That's the only way you can convict a man who's done nothing wrong.
But at last, two false witnesses came forward and said, well, this fellow said, I am able to destroy the Temple of God and build it in three days.
So finally, the religious leaders are able to get two false witnesses to at least make the same accusation. And the accusation they bring is that they heard Jesus say he would destroy the temple and then rebuild it, which, unsurprisingly, was a lie.
Jesus did not say I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands, according to John 219, Jesus actually said destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. And in that same chapter, John clarifies that he was speaking of the temple of his body when the crowd demanded to know what sign Jesus would give to prove that he was messiah. Jesus had replied, If you destroy this temple, I will raise it up in three days.
If you kill me, I will rise again in three days. That is how you will know that I am Messiah. Jesus didn't threaten to destroy the temple. He claimed that he was the true temple and that he would rise again in three days if they destroyed him. Secondly, Jewish law required two witnesses to establish any testimony is being truthful, as we mentioned, with the caveat that these two testimonies agreed with each other. So in Deuteronomy 1915, God's law says one witness shall not rise against another man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits by the mouth of two or three witnesses.
That matter shall be established. Mark's gospel tells us that even when these two witnesses were produced, who made the same accusation, Mark says not even then did their testimony agree. They were false witnesses who were lying about Jesus and their testimonies didn't even agree they shouldn't have counted in the court case, even though they were making the same accusation, the details of what they were saying didn't line up. They should have been thrown out of court.
Verse 8, 62, and the high priest arose and said to him, that's Jesus, do you answer nothing? What is it? These men testify against you, but Jesus kept silent. You see, Jesus wasn't obligated to answer because the accusations were based on witness testimony that did not meet the requirements of the law. Their testimonies did not agree. Therefore, no legal charges could be brought against Jesus and he wasn't required to answer.
This moment was also prophesied by the Prophet Isaiah in his incredible fifty third chapter of the Old Testament book that bears his name.
Isaiah prophesied this about Messiah. He was oppressed and he was afflicted. Yet he opened his mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before its shearers is silent. So he opened not his mouth. Jesus will not protest his unjust treatment. He will simply testify to the truth when his heavenly father tells them to. And at this moment, his father, the Holy Spirit, told Jesus, don't say anything, don't respond.
Like I'm a violent man. Like this is how many people you need to arrest me. I've taught openly. I've taught in the temple every day. You could have taken me then. No, but you're here with a small army at night because you know what you're doing is wrong. And then Verse 8, 56, ends with these sobering words.
Then all the disciples forsook him and fled. All the disciples forsook him and fled. Nobody has ever experienced loneliness to the degree that Jesus experienced it from the time of his arrest through the time of his death. Nobody. Jesus suffered in a way that nobody has ever suffered, and he went through it completely alone. Jesus knows what it is to be lonely. And so he's able to comfort us in our loneliness. Jesus doesn't have to empathize with our loneliness.
He can sympathize with our loneliness because he's been there and so he's able to be a friend who sticks closer than a brother to you and I in our times of loneliness. John, 18, tells us that after Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemani, he was first taken to the home of A..
Now, A. was the first high priest that had been appointed by the Romans.
And by this point in history, A. had retired or been retired, but still had enough sway because he was kind of the godfather of Jerusalem.
He had enough sway to choose his successor.
And being a corrupt man, he kept it in the family and appointed his own son in law, Caiaphas, to be the next high priest.
All you need to know is that A. was a corrupt man.
He was like the head of the Jewish mafia in Israel at that time. He's a wicked and corrupt man and so was his son in law, Caiaphas. They were all in on the racket that was going on in the temple with sacrifices, all of those things that cause Jesus to go in and clear the temple twice. All of that corruption at the head of that was Caiaphas and A..
It was a priestly mafia. And so when Jesus is brought to the home Jesus is asked a question, then he strikes Jesus or has Jesus hit for responding truthfully?
And then a. basically says, you know, Jesus is not my problem. I'm retired. Take him to the home of Caiaphas. And this is all still happening on the night of the Last Supper under the cover of darkness, when Jesus is taken to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, he finds they're waiting for him.
All of the other priests and scribes and elders, the Sanhedrin, their ruling Religious Council of Israel has been gathered at the home of Caiaphas for an illegal night time trial for you see, under the Talmud, the Jewish laws that were created by men like those who were gathered at kyphosis home.
According to the Talmud, trials were not allowed to take place in the hours between the evening and morning sacrifices.
Additionally, the Mishna, the first part of the Talmud states, quote, Let a capital offense be tried during the day, but suspend at night, end quote.
The reason was that if a death penalty was on the table, those judging needed to be in a state of utmost mental clarity, which would not be the case at night. The fact is, write this down that Jesus's arrest, trial and conviction were all carried out illegally, Jesus's arrest, trial and conviction were all carried out illegally.
We'll pick it up in Verse 8 57 and those who had laid hold of Jesus led him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. But Peter followed him at a distance to the high priest's courtyard, and he went in and sat with the servants to see the end. So Peter watches from a distance and then sneaks into the courtyard so that he can see from a distance what's going on. Now, the chief priests, the elders and all the council sort false testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but found none.
This, too, is illegal. The judges of the court system in Israel were not supposed to go out and look for charges against someone.
It's the reason that some denominations have split off from others because there are some groups and denominations that adhere to a doctrine of Christian pacifism solely because of this verse 8 because of this verse, they believe that Jesus is saying it's never right to pick up the sword.
It's never right to use a weapon. It's never right to engage in violence for any reason, as is the case with all issues.
When we're trying to understand what the Bible teaches, we have to look at what the whole Bible says about the issue. So you don't find one verse and then build a whole doctrine on one verse. You have to look at everything the whole Bible says about that issue.
And it's interesting when we do that with this verse, because earlier this very same evening, the same day, Jesus had told his disciples this in Luke twenty to thirty six. But now he who has a moneybag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack, and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one and buy one.
And so whatever your position is on the use of force, it has to harmonize with both of these statements from Jesus and everything else that the Bible says about the issues of force and violence.
And it's for that reason that my personal opinion is that Jesus is teaching that Christianity is not to be spread through the use of military force or violence.
In other words, Jesus is the head of the church, he is the one who will preserve and protect the church.
We don't have to take up swords and use violence to protect the church or spread the gospel and build the church.
But I also believe personally that Christians are to defend themselves when they and their families are attacked. If Paul was out spreading the gospel and got attacked by bandits, he wouldn't be in the wrong if he tried to fight back and defend himself. Neither would you be in the wrong if you tried to defend your family, if someone broke in and tried to do them harm. And I understand that not all believers hold that view, but that's my personal view.
And as always, we encourage you to do your own investigation. Study both of those verses is I mentioned, study everything else the Bible says about this topic and come to your own conclusions.
Jesus continues speaking and he says in verse 53. Or do you think that I cannot now pray to my father and he will provide me with more than 12 legions of angels? That would be seventy two thousand angels. If you're interested in the math and keep in mind that according to Second Kings 19/35, a single angel can kill more than one hundred and eighty five thousand men in one night. So think what seventy two thousand angels could do. And this is what Jesus said to Peter.
He says to you, Do you think I need you to defend me? Do you think I need you to pick up the sword to defend the faith? I'm God. I can snap my fingers and my father will send me 72000 angels.
Right now, this isn't happening because I need defending. That's what Jesus is saying. This is why he says, no one takes my life from me. I lay it down willingly. How then could the scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen, these things have to happen. The scripture has to be fulfilled. And that can't happen if you try and work against scripture.
In that hour, Jesus said to the multitudes, have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple and you did not see me. But all this was done that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. So Jesus is saying, why are you here with hundreds of armed men as though I'm a great threat to overthrow your Roman government right now? Why are you here?
Jesus is betrayed by Judas, and arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. He is then taken to the house of Annas, who sends Him on to the house of Caiaphas (the acting high priest), who has summoned the Jewish religious leaders for illegal night trial of Jesus...
As we pick up our study in the Gospel of Matthew.
It is the night before Jesus will be crucified, the last supper has been shared between Jesus and his disciples, Jesus's time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemani has finished and Judas has just arrived to complete his betrayal.
Let's read together in Matthew 26 will pick it up in verse 47. And while he that's Jesus was still speaking behold Judas, one of the 12 with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people. So these were heavily armed representatives of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling political body accompanied by a cohort of Roman soldiers. Now a cohort could contain anywhere between 200 to a thousand fully armed soldiers, but on average it was around six hundred soldiers.
This is a big, big group of armed people coming to arrest Jesus Verse 8, 48, now his betrayer, that's Judas, had given them all of the soldiers, all of the armed people, a sign saying, whomever I kiss he is the one sees him immediately. He went up to Jesus and said, Greetings, Rabbi, and kissed him, kissed him on the cheek. But Jesus said to him, Friend. Why have you come?
It's staggering that Jesus, even at this moment, still addresses Judas as a friend, even as Judas is betraying Jesus, Jesus is still calling him friend, still extending the opportunity to repent and be brought back into a relationship.
Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took him. And suddenly one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. Now we know from John's Gospel that the one with the sword cutting off the ear was Peter. And the name of the servant whose ear was cut off was Milkis.
Peter, who fears nothing and nobody draws his sword and courageously goes after one of the few unarmed people in the hostile party, completely missing his head and managing to chop off Malcolm's ear. Luke's gospel tells us at this moment that Jesus touched his ear and healed him. Now, had Jesus not healed, the servant, Milkis, Peter might very well have been arrested and been crucified next to Jesus, but Jesus healed off the lopped off ear. And in so doing, he arrested every trace of evidence of Peter's crime, just as he would soon remove every trace of evidence against us and our sin on the cross.
Now, it's interesting to me that the last miracle Jesus did before he went to the cross was to heal someone who had been attacked with the sword by the alleged pope. That's interesting, but I won't get into that right now. Verse 8 52, it says. But Jesus said to him, to Peter, put your sword in its place for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Now, this might seem like a nice little just saying, bye, Jesus, a little comet, but it's actually a massive, massive verse 8 because it's been the basis of some huge debate in the Christian world.
Good Friday 2024: Know The Significance And Why Christians Observe It
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NewsOffbeatGood Friday 2024: Know The Significance And Why Christians Observe It Good Friday 2024: Know The Significance And Why Christians Observe It Good Friday 2024: According to the New Testament, Good Friday is the day when Jesus was crucified by the Romans. Good Friday 2024: Know The Significance And Why Christians Observe It Good Friday 2024: Traditions on Good Friday, include prayers, fasting and almsgiving or charity.
Good Friday marks an important day for Christians across the world. Good Friday, followed by Easter Sunday, is observed to remember Jesus Christ's crucifixion and resurrection. Good Friday is a way to show reverence for Jesus Christ's suffering for humanity. This year, the day will be observed on March 29, before Easter Sunday which is on March 31. Good Friday is preceded by Maundy Thursday and followed by Holy Saturday. This Christian holiday is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, and Black Friday.
History Of Good Friday According to the New Testament, Good Friday is the day when Jesus was crucified by the Romans. The Jewish religious leaders had condemned Jesus of blasphemy for claiming to be the Son of God. They were so agitated by Jesus' acts that they brought him to the Romans. Pontius Pilate, a Roman leader, sentenced Jesus to crucifixion--the highest form of criminal punishment at the time.
Jesus was then beaten publicly, and forced to carry a heavy wooden cross through the streets amid a jeering crowd. Finally, he was nailed to the cross by his wrists and feet, where he was left hanging on the cross until he died.
Significance Of Good Friday For Christians, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ represents the ultimate sacrifice made for the forgiveness of the sins of humanity. This day is, therefore, observed to ask for forgiveness for one's sins. From the early days of Christianity, Good Friday was observed as a day of sorrow, penance, and fasting.
People pray that they may be liberated from pain, suffering and agony in their lives. According to Christian beliefs, Jesus' death also signifies the end of all sins. It shows that after all the sins are eliminated, there's a possibility of a new beginning, which is signified by Jesus Christ's resurrection on Easter Sunday.
Traditions on Good Friday, include prayers, fasting and almsgiving or charity. Many people fast and attend religious services on Good Friday. Churches hold special rituals to commemorate Jesus Christ's suffering and muffle their bells as a sign of mourning.
Remembering how much you love us, but let your people or be built up in their most holy faith with this gospel, with Good Friday emblazoned on our hearts and our minds, so that we were prepared and equipped to go into a lost, dark, sinful and broken world and tell everyone this news that God loves them so much that he died for them. Mobilize Your Church. To that end, we pray God because of Good Friday.
And Lord, right now, as the church, we pray if we have any friends among us right now watching this message, hearing this message of the goodness of Good Friday, and they still haven't received forgiveness of sins they haven't trusted in a they haven't believed in you. There may be hearing this for the first time. They may be hearing this for the 10000 time. If it's the first or the millionth time.
Father, we pray right now as the church that you would save sinners right now, Lord, that you would let their sin crush them under the weight of them, that they realize how hopeless they are to save themselves, that they would see what they deserve.
But Lord, open the eyes of their heart, that they can see you and see what you did on the cross and see you beckoning them to come and lay down their sinful life and take up your life instead. Lead them, Lord, to to reject their life and trust you for forgiveness of sins and everlasting life. Let them simply come to you and ask you, Lord, for forgiveness, and you will grant them forgiveness and everlasting life saved sinners.
Right now we pray, Lord, do that this Good Friday. We we pray. And if anyone says yes to that invitation, Lord, your word tells us that the angels in heaven are rejoicing when one sinner turns in repentance. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. We pray all these things. Jesus, Lord Jesus in your sweet and Your powerful. In your most amazing name. Amen. Amen. Amen.
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What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............
1
What mystery, the Father, Son, and Spirit,
In person three, in substance all are one.
How glorious, this God our being enters
To be our all, thru Spirit in the Son!
The Triune God has now become our all!
How wonderful! How glorious!
This Gift divine we never can exhaust!
How excellent! How marvelous!
2
How rich the source, the Father as the fountain,
And all this wealth He wants man to enjoy!
O blessed fact, this vast exhaustless portion
Is now for us forever to employ!
3
How wonderful, the Son is God’s expression
Come in the flesh to dwell with all mankind!
Redemption’s work, how perfectly effective,
That sinners we with God might oneness find.
4
The Spirit is the Son’s transfiguration
Come into us as life the full supply.
Amazing fact, our spirit with the Spirit
Now mingles and in oneness joins thereby!
5
How real it is that God is now the Spirit
For us to touch, experience day by day!
Astounding fact, with God we are one spirit,
And differ not in life in any way!
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