EASTER SUNDAY 2014 SERMON
2014.04.20 HE AROSE and you can too!
William Akehurst HSWC
Call to worship:
Psalms 20:5-6
5 We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfil all thy petitions.
6 Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.
Psalms 18:46 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
Psalms 146:2 While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
Prayer: Pray Ephesians 1:16-20
16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
TEXT: HE IS RISEN
Matthew 28:1-8 1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: 4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. 5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
KEY VERSES: 6-7
6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. 8 And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.
MESSAGE: 1 Corinthians 15
IT HAPPENED JUST AS PROPHESIED IN SCRIPTURE. PROPHESY FULFILLED IN CHRIST.
1 Corinthians 15:1-26 1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
HE WAS SEEN AS RISEN.
5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
ARE WE SEEING A PATTERN HERE?
9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
11 Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.
HOW CAN SOME SAY THERE IS NO RESURRECTION? WE HAVE SEEN, WHAT WOULD BE THE POINT OF OUR TESTIMONY IF IT WERE NOT TRUE?
12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
VERSE 19 DEFINES the false hope of Muslim, Hindu, Buddhists. Their tombs are occupied and they are dead.
Not so for Christ Jesus, for HE is ALIVE!
Matthew 28:6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
HE IS RISEN AND ALIVE. THE TOMB IS EMPTY.
MADE ALIVE IN CHRIST. DEATH DESTROYED
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
ADAM=DEATH; CHRIST=LIFE
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
DEATH IS AN ENEMY OF GOD, AND IT IS DESTROYED. SORROW TURNED TO JOY (REVELATION)
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
1ST ADAM natural soul dead vs. LAST ADAM CHRIST spiritual eternal, image of heavenly
1 Corinthians 15:45-58
45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
1ST ADAM=MAN; LAST ADAM=CHRIST
46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
ADAM=DUST OF THE EARTH; CHRIST FROM HEAVEN
48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
BORN OF THE EARTH, THROUGH CHRIST WE ARE THE IMAGE OF HEAVEN
49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
VICTORY OVER DEATH THROUGH JESUS CHRIST
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
TRUMPET BLAST= SHOFAR SOUND
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
EVIL, FILTH, BAD TURNS GODLY, CLEAN, RIGHTEOUS. DEATH PUTS ON LIFE
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
SIN BEARS THE CONSEQUENCE OF DEATH. SIN IS MADE KNOW BY THE LAW.
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
VICTORY OVER SIN AND DEATH COMES ONLY THROUGH JESUS CHRIST.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
RESURRECTION SHOWS US A LIVING HOPE IN JESUS CHRIST - SALVATION
1 Peter 1:3-9
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
OUR ETERNAL INHERITANCE IS RIGHTEOUSNESS, SIN AND DEATH ARE GONE, FOR ANYONE WHO BELIEVES.
4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
WE TRAVEL THROUGH THIS LIFE AND HAVE A REASON TO REJOICE EVEN AMID SORROWS AND TRIBULATIONS.
REALIZE THAT DURING THESE TROUBLING TIMES, WE GROW DEEPER IN OUR FAITH, AS GOLD IS PURIFIED BY FIRE.
6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
REALIZING THAT WHEN WE BELIEVE AND LOVE THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, HE BARES THE BURDENS FOR US. KNOWING THAT HE CARRIES OUR BURDENS, WE CAN FIND JOY IN HIM.
8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
RECEIVING THE END OF YOUR FAITH, SALVATION UNTO ETERNAL LIFE - ONLY THROUGH CHRIST JESUS.
9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
HE SAVES THOSE WHO COME TO GOD BY HIM.
Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
QUESTION: Do you believe these things? Have you COME TO GOD THROUGH JESUS?
Have you received the gift of GOD who is JESUS CHRIST into your life? Will you do so now?
On this day we celebrate the RESURRECTION, I want to encourage you to ask JESUS to come into your life.
Let’s pray.
