“We are Remade!”
Pastor Jerry Ingalls
April 24, 2011 ~ Happy Easter!
Show Matthew 28:1-10 (NIV) on DVD: 1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” 8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
Jesus Christ is Risen! We are here today to celebrate and commemorate the greatest event in all of history—the resurrection of the living God. We gather to remember that our entire faith is held together by this one reality, that we do not worship and serve an impersonal, distant, or dead god. Jesus lives! [Prayer]
Christianity is not a religion; it’s a relationship! Religion is man’s initiative to know God whereas Christianity is God’s initiative to have a relationship with His beloved and chosen creation—you and me! Easter is about the power manifested to make this relationship possible so let’s not minimize it or attempt to control it by seeing it as a once a year religious observance. Today, we are celebrating the greatest event in human history that makes a relationship with God possible everyday!
I just have one teaching point, but I broke it up into two parts. First, WHEN WE EMBRACE THE POWER OF JESUS' RESURRECTION...
The Gospel of Luke 23:39-43 tells this story, “One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: ‘Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’ But the other criminal rebuked him. ‘Don’t you fear God,’ he said, ‘since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.’”
[move toward crosses on stage] One thief was unwilling to embrace the death penalty rightly due to him. He mocked Jesus Christ and called out to him to rescue him from his cross. His concern was only for this life, but Jesus came not to rescue us from our life circumstances, but to remove the sin that separates us for eternity. [His cross lies on the ground flat and away from the Cross of Jesus Christ because of his rejection.]
Whereas the other thief willingly accepted that he deserved the death penalty as the wages of his sin and instead confessed faith in Jesus Christ and asked Him to have mercy on him a sinner. [His cross is kneeling to the Cross of Jesus Christ as He worships the Messiah in paradise for eternity.]
To this very day, each thief’s choice has very real consequences! You either embrace that you are a sinner in need of salvation through the gift of God or you reject it. A right relationship with God begins with the conviction of sin for which we justly deserve the death penalty. As long as you think you are without sin, the Bible says you are a liar and far from God. Are you willing to embrace death with Jesus Christ?
But that is only the beginning because the Good News of God begins with death, but it ends with life. We do not worship a dead prophet, nor an impersonal god invented by human minds or created by human hands. The Bible teaches in Romans 6:8-11, “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Jesus Christ (who was sinless) died to take the penalty (the full wrath of God; all the curses of the ancient covenant between God and humanity) on Himself so that we (who are sinners) would not have to pay the penalty for sin (death) ourselves.
If Jesus was not raised from the dead three days later, then our faith today would be futile; we would be fools worshipping a dead man whose promise of new life was not fulfilled. On Easter, we gather to proclaim the new life free from the bondage of sin that Jesus Christ gives us through the power of His resurrection. Christianity is the free gift of relationship with the One who is Life. Are you willing to embrace new life in Jesus Christ?
Easter is a celebration of the God who gave everything so that we can gain everything! Is this the desire of your heart: to embrace the God who gave you new life in Jesus and to embrace the power of Jesus’ resurrection in your life today? The Apostle Paul stated in Philippians 3:10-11 of the life purpose he embraced, “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”
It is the heart of God for us to experience the abundant life with Him, but so often we do not identify ourselves as children of God (royalty) who have the power of Jesus’ resurrection living in us. Do you want to embrace your new identity as a child of God? You are more than you can ever dare to imagine when you embrace the power of Jesus’ resurrection! When you embrace the power that washes away all sins! Have you embraced the power of Jesus' resurrection in your life? [**Show Youtube music video: Tenth Avenue North’s “You are More”]
How do you see yourself? In whose power do you live your life?
Let’s complete the sentence in our sermon notes and learn the deep truth that God has for us when we embrace the power of Jesus’ resurrection: WHEN WE EMBRACE THE POWER OF JESUS' RESURRECTION WE ARE REMADE!
When we embrace the gift of Easter in our own lives and identify with the death of Jesus Christ as our death to sin and then identify with the new life of the resurrection as our new life to God, then in that moment of faith decision, we are remade—made new! In fact, Jesus teaches us that we are born again. Listen to Jesus’ words in the Gospel of John 3:5-8, “Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.’”
Jesus is teaching us of the resurrection power of God! The same exact Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead, comes to live in your heart when you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior! The Holy Spirit, the third person of the triune God, lives in you, seals you for the day of salvation, and you are no longer what you once were; you are completely and totally remade—you go from death in your sin to life in Christ!
The Apostle Paul declares in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
You have been remade! Do you see yourself as new? What or who is your identity found in?
Any foundation, any core center of identity, other than the resurrection power of Jesus Christ will lead you astray in this life. With a new identity, comes a new way of thinking and living! I have to let go of the old way of identifying myself with the world, my accomplishments or failures, my human relationships or roles. I no longer identify myself with my sins and addictions, but by the ongoing process of the Holy Spirit in me to renew and change me. Our lives’ are a life-long journey of being remade in the new ways; this is the life of discipleship we live together as a church. The Apostle Paul continues to teach us of being remade in Ephesians 4:22-24, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
You have been remade! Do you think and live in new ways? We are the church and we are to be a safe people learning how to live a remade life together through the Holy Spirit in us! But unfortunately, so often we fail as the church to act remade because we are all in process together. Let me tell you a funny story to illustrate [it is not a true story in terms of specific names and places, but it is more true than it should be…]
Mildred, the church gossip, and self-appointed morality monitor of the church (oblivious to her own sin of gossip and slander which are paramount to murder!), kept sticking her nose into other people's business.
Several members did not approve of her extra-curricular activities, but they feared her wrath enough to maintain their silence. But one week she made a mistake that would change her ways. She accused Frank, a new member, of being an alcoholic after she saw his old pickup truck parked in front of the town's only bar one afternoon. [show picture]
She emphatically told Frank (and several others) that everyone seeing it there would know what he was doing!
Frank, a man of few words, stared at her for a moment and just turned and walked away. He didn't explain, defend, or deny. He said nothing! Which to Mildred proved her case even more and she yapped all the more.
But later that evening as the dinner hour passed, Frank quietly parked his pickup in front of Mildred's house. He walked home and left it there all night. [show picture]
Friends, we have been remade to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ!. So many people need to experience the love of Jesus Christ and the power of His resurrection and it is my (our) prayer that we will be a safe community to experience His love, grace, and redemption. Have you embraced the power of Jesus’ resurrection? Show it by the way you live, the way you talk, the way you love, the way you forgive. Be the body of Christ!
The Bible proclaims in Ephesians 2:4-6, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.”
Gifts are only good when they are opened. They may look wonderful all wrapped up, but they are only effective when accepted from the gift-giver, unwrapped, and used in everyday life. Will you accept the gift of God’s love?
Accept or Reject; it’s your choice! Please know that your decision does not change the reality that God is loving and just. To reject this gift is to reject His open and most inclusive invitation to be with Him in heaven for eternity which is today being personally extended to you through His Holy Spirit. To reject is the only unforgiveable sin and the consequences are real!
Because of His love and justice, God will honor your choice and you will either be raised up with Jesus Christ in Heaven where you will enjoy the paradise of God’s constant presence or you will be sent away from His presence for all eternity in Hell where you will suffer the barren wasteland of eternal separation.
It's your choice...the consequences are real!
Drama with Crosses
Response Prayer
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