Participants:
Series Code: TWH
Program Code: TWH080331A
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00:32 This morning, as we open the Word of God together,
00:34 I'd like to invite you to turn in your Bibles 00:36 to the scripture reading for this morning 00:40 in Matthew 28:6. 00:43 Matthew 28:6. 00:51 The Word of the Lord reads as follows, 00:53 and if we can read this together, 00:54 I'd surely appreciate that. 00:58 Together, "He is not here 01:00 for He is risen, as He said, 01:04 'Come, see the place 01:07 where the Lord lay.'" 01:08 He is risen. 01:12 Loving Father in heaven, 01:13 we celebrate with deep anticipation 01:19 that our risen Lord 01:23 will soon and very soon become our returning Lord. 01:28 This morning, as the world pauses 01:31 to contemplate sometimes on a social and economic level 01:37 what this time of the year means, 01:39 we pray that the Easter bunnies 01:42 and the colored eggs and the baskets 01:45 and the Cadbury chocolates 01:47 will not replace the empty tomb. 01:51 This morning, guide our hearts and minds away 01:53 from the tradition to the scriptural reality 01:58 that Jesus is alive and well 02:00 and the signs all around us. 02:04 Peel back to remind us that He is coming again. 02:10 Now send Your Holy Spirit, Lord, to awaken our hearts 02:13 in the sense of not only gaining knowledge 02:16 but being filled with a dedication to serve You 02:19 as our soon-coming King. 02:22 In Your precious name I pray. 02:25 Amen. 02:28 Traditionally, 02:30 this week is designated as Holy Week. 02:34 And I emphasize the word traditionally 02:37 because the Bible does not speak of a Holy Week. 02:41 It speaks of a holy day. 02:44 Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 02:50 The Bible Sabbath is from sunset Friday 02:54 to sunset Saturday. 02:57 Ironically though, this is the only time of the year 03:01 where tradition gives the Sabbath its proper standing. 03:08 Think about it, 03:09 yesterday was traditionally Good Friday, 03:13 tomorrow traditionally is Easter Sunday. 03:16 We call it Resurrection Sunday 03:18 because the word Easter comes from that tradition of Ishtar, 03:22 that Phoenician God. 03:25 We believe in the newness of life, 03:27 but the newness of life comes in the recognition of the power 03:33 and the glory coming from Jesus and not from tradition. 03:39 And so the Bible collides with tradition all year long, 03:43 but to some degree, this week is the only week 03:48 where tradition has recognized 03:52 that today is the day 03:55 that Jesus blessed, today is the day 03:59 that Jesus blessed from creation, 04:02 today is the day that Jesus is anticipating 04:06 His resurrection on tomorrow. 04:08 Today is the holy Sabbath day. 04:12 But when you think that your week has been tough, 04:15 just remember the week that Jesus had, 04:19 the week that led Him to be wrongly accused 04:22 and then to be betrayed 04:25 and then to be taken to the courts of Pilate 04:28 before the Jewish Sanhedrin, the high priest, 04:32 to be interrogated, to be led, 04:35 to be scourged and whipped with a cat o' nine tail 04:38 where blood and His back being ripped from the severe torture 04:43 of the Roman guards 04:45 and eventually to be led to the cross 04:48 where He paid the price for our redemption. 04:51 Before I even begin the message, 04:53 I say this morning, 04:54 "Thank the Lord that He was willing 04:55 to pay the price for our redemption." 04:59 We could not even talk about Jesus today 05:02 had He not paid the price for our redemption. 05:05 But the next time you think that you had a tough week, 05:09 remember the week that Jesus had. 05:11 It was not a tough week, it was a criminal week, 05:15 not enforced on Him but because of love, 05:18 He chose to walk our road 05:21 that one day by faith we will walk His road. 05:26 He chose to wear our robe, 05:28 to wear our robe that one day 05:31 we might wear His robe. 05:34 He chose to have our thorns planted on His head 05:39 that one day we might have 05:41 the crown of glory planted on our head. 05:44 But this morning, 05:45 cometh me to the scene of a vicious crime, 05:48 stand with me at the intersection 05:50 of what was and what will be. 05:54 Pause for a moment and inhale the scene, 05:58 like blackened soot escaping the mouth of an angry furnace. 06:02 On that day of death, finality of death paints 06:06 the night air as Jesus is laid, as it seem to be, 06:11 in a tomb of great finality, the stone is put in place. 06:16 The Romans sealed the tomb. 06:18 Jesus appears to be at His end. 06:22 And then to decide, listen carefully, 06:24 and you'll hear the cacophony of demons rejoicing. 06:27 The restless clamor of satanic praise 06:30 collides with the discordant racket of hell-born dissidents. 06:34 Hell and its minions are now rejoicing 06:37 that it appears to them 06:39 that they have finally defeated Jesus. 06:42 Satan waited 4,000 years for that moment. 06:46 And it appears to the human eye 06:49 that he had been successful. 06:51 The orchestrator of this symphony of death stands erect 06:54 proudly leading his rebellious minions 06:57 in the chorus of temporary praise. 07:00 They are soon to be reminded of their feeble efforts 07:03 for it is true, 07:04 it is true that you cannot keep a good man down. 07:08 Amen? 07:10 You cannot keep a good man down. 07:12 When Jesus proclaimed it is finished, 07:16 Satan knew that what was finished 07:18 was not Jesus but the plan of salvation, 07:22 what was finished was not the reign of Jesus 07:25 but the price He paid to redeem everyone of us, 07:27 and that is why 07:29 they got together and coalesced in the scheme 07:31 to prevent Jesus from coming forth, 07:34 but I love the words that history paints for us, 07:37 "Christ did not yield His life up 07:40 until He had accomplished the work which He came to do." 07:44 And with the parting breath, He exclaimed, "It is finished." 07:47 The battle had been won. 07:48 His right and His holy arm had gotten Him the victory. 07:53 And as conqueror... 07:54 Listen carefully, as conqueror, 07:57 He planted His banner on the eternal heights. 08:01 You see the cross, the place of suffering, 08:05 the place of torment, the place of persecution 08:08 was in fact, to heaven, 08:10 a declaration of the victory of Jesus. 08:15 Somebody else ought to say amen. 08:17 The cross was a declaration of the victory of Jesus, 08:22 but among the angels, 08:23 was there no joy among the angels, 08:26 all heaven triumph at the Savior's victory. 08:30 Satan was defeated, 08:31 and he knew that his kingdom was lost. 08:35 The chief priests and Pharisees 08:37 accomplished their evil desires 08:40 and the desires of their heart. 08:42 But yet in the recesses of their minds, 08:44 hear me carefully, 08:46 there was something about the name Jesus 08:48 that kept their wicked hearts troubled. 08:50 There was something about the work 08:52 that they had seen in the life of Jesus 08:53 that kept their wicked hearts uneasy, 08:57 and they devised a plan. 08:58 Go to Matthew 27:62-64. 09:01 Unable to dismiss the possibility 09:03 of His divinity, 09:04 they devised a plan, 09:07 they remember the work that Jesus had done, 09:09 the dead He had raised, 09:11 the eyes He had opened, the cripple He made to walk, 09:14 the blind He made to see. 09:16 And they thought if He is possibly divine, 09:19 let us devise a plan. 09:21 The Bible says, "On the next day, 09:23 which followed the Day of Preparation, 09:25 the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together 09:28 to Pilate, saying, 'Sir, we remember, 09:32 while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, 09:36 'After three days I will rise.' 09:40 " They continued, "Therefore command 09:42 that the tomb be made secure until the third day 09:47 lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away 09:50 and say to the people, 09:52 'He has risen from the dead.' 09:54 So the last deception will be worse than the first." 09:58 Do you know, if Jesus wanted to, 10:00 He could have prevented Himself from going in the tomb anyway? 10:06 But He went into our tomb 10:08 to pay for our redemption. 10:11 And according to the plan of salvation, 10:14 the cadence of our redemption was set. 10:18 These feeble men thought they could keep Jesus 10:21 from coming forth from the tomb. 10:23 When they thought about His life, 10:25 the purity of His life led them to question 10:27 the permanence of His death. 10:28 Let me say that again, the purity of His life 10:31 led them to question the permanence of His death. 10:34 You can almost hear the Jewish contingency appealing 10:36 their case to Pilate, "In the event that He is the Christ, 10:41 we need to make sure that He does not come out." 10:45 Can I jump ahead of myself? 10:46 Thank the Lord He came out. 10:48 Amen. 10:49 Satan said, "Shut Him up." 10:51 What he did not know, in less than 72 hours, 10:55 heaven would say, "Get Him up." 10:58 There's a difference between shut him up and get him up. 11:02 But Pilate's hands were washed, 11:04 but his heart was troubled. 11:05 Look at Matthew 27:65-66, 11:08 he tried to recuse himself but he could not. 11:12 Then, "Pilate said to them, 'You have a guard, 11:15 go your way, 11:16 make it as secure as you know how.' 11:20 So they went and made the tomb secure, 11:23 sealing the stone and setting the guard." 11:27 The tomb was sealed 11:29 and the Roman guards manned their post, 11:32 deceived by the darkness 11:33 of their understanding, the betrayers of Christ 11:36 were willingly ignorant of the fact 11:39 that by the death of Jesus, 11:40 the plan of salvation would be accomplished. 11:42 Let me make that clear, you see, from antiquity, 11:46 from the day that sin entered the world, 11:50 from the day that Adam and Eve fell, 11:54 God assured mankind 11:57 that He would not abandon us 12:00 to the darkness of sin. 12:01 Amen? Amen. 12:03 He assured us that one day 12:06 He would come to conquer death 12:08 and once again open the gates 12:11 that we might have life 12:13 and have it not only abundantly 12:15 but have it eternally. 12:16 Look at the promise in Genesis 3:15, 12:19 4,000 years earlier, 12:21 outside of the gates of man's evictions, 12:24 Jesus declared these words, Genesis 3:15, 12:28 and the Bible said, 12:30 "And I will put enmity between you and the woman 12:33 and between your seed and her Seed. 12:36 He shall bruise your head, 12:39 and you shall bruise His heel." 12:42 Now what is enmity? 12:43 Enmity is that discomfort, 12:45 when the heart is being led into sin, 12:48 enmity is that discomfort 12:50 placed there by God to say, "This is wrong, don't do it. 12:54 This is the incorrect direction, don't go there." 12:57 Enmity is the discomfort between hell and heaven, 13:01 between darkness and light, between error and good. 13:06 It is there placed by God to keep us understanding 13:09 that there is a way that seems right 13:11 but then there is a way that is right. 13:15 John 10:18 makes it very clear that Jesus says, 13:19 "No one can take My life from Me." 13:21 He is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 13:24 You see, His death was not orchestrated by hell, 13:28 His death was ordained by heaven. 13:33 I remember the movie, I saw the Passion, 13:35 I saw that with about 4,000, 5,000 pastors 13:38 at NRB a number of years ago. 13:41 And they marveled at the brutality 13:43 of the whipping of Jesus as Mel Gibson, 13:45 the producer had portrayed. 13:47 They made it look as though 13:48 Jesus died from the whipping He took. 13:52 But He did not die from the abuse, 13:54 He died because of sin, 13:58 your sin and my sin. 14:00 He was wounded for our transgression. 14:03 He was bruised for our iniquity. 14:06 It is so easy to put it on the head of the Jews 14:08 and the Romans, but He died for me. 14:11 He died because of me. 14:12 He died because of my sin and your sin. 14:16 He was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 14:19 In John 10:18, Jesus says, "No one takes it from Me," 14:23 that is My life, 14:25 "but I lay it down of Myself. 14:26 I have power to lay it down, 14:29 and I have power to take it again. 14:32 This command I have received from My Father." 14:35 So when Jesus 14:36 decided to enter the way of suffering... 14:40 My wife and I, not too long ago, 14:41 walked the Via Dolorosa, 14:43 there in the courts of the walls of Jerusalem, 14:46 we walked the Via Dolorosa, 14:48 and we saw as it were people carrying crosses, 14:50 but I thought to myself, 14:52 "They're carrying a wooden cross 14:55 but Jesus carried the cross of the world on His shoulder." 15:00 The cross of every suffering human being. 15:04 Wherever sin had abounded, 15:06 His grace much more abounded. 15:08 Jesus carried my sin and your sin. 15:11 He carried sin that was yet to be perpetrated, 15:15 and He carried sin that was thousands of years old. 15:18 And He took it to the cross. 15:19 "I have power to lay it down, 15:22 and I have power to take it again." 15:25 But the question I ask is 15:27 how can you take life from one who is life? 15:31 We are told again in John 1:4, "In Him was life, 15:34 and the life was the light of men." 15:36 In Christ is life, 15:39 original, un-borrowed, and un-derived. 15:45 Let me make it clear 15:47 for those of you that are holding 15:48 your amens to the end. 15:50 Let me make it clear, nobody created Jesus, 15:53 He is the Creator. Come on, say amen. 15:55 Nobody decided to give Him life, He is life. 15:59 So when this superhuman came to the earth, 16:03 when this atomic beginning of all existence decided 16:09 to tune His power down to come down here. 16:13 Can you imagine plugging a shaver 16:16 into an atomic power plant? 16:20 It'll fry not only the shaver but you too. 16:24 All the power harbored in Jesus could annihilate 16:28 the world had He not tuned it down 16:30 when He touched this planet. 16:32 He came through the delivery system 16:34 of a humble girl. 16:36 He tuned it way down so that her flesh would not be 16:39 consumed by His divinity. 16:41 What a gift? Amen. 16:43 And even though He looked to be a helpless babe, 16:45 He had the secret service of the angels of heaven. 16:49 Somebody said they didn't see how He came, 16:51 he came through the backdoor of Jerusalem, 16:53 but He came so that one day we could go through 16:55 the front door of the New Jerusalem. 16:57 Amen. 16:59 This baby did not have His beginning in Bethlehem, 17:03 He is from everlasting to everlasting. 17:06 He was before the earth was. 17:08 He later on would say, 17:10 "Father, glorify Me with the glory 17:11 that we had before the world was." 17:14 And how I wish today, in more churches and more pulpits, 17:17 the gospel of the resurrected Lord 17:20 would be preached and not tradition. 17:22 I believe that when the power of Christ is proclaimed, 17:25 when the veracity of the price He paid for our redemption 17:29 is accounted, we will understand 17:31 that everybody alive 17:35 has the freedom to partake of eternal life 17:38 if they would simply come to Jesus. 17:40 Amen. 17:41 It doesn't make sense. 17:43 In Christ was life un-borrowed, 17:47 original, and un-derived. 17:48 Didn't get it from anybody else, 17:51 He got it from Himself. 17:53 Jesus became what we was not. 17:55 Jesus became what He was not 17:58 so that one day we could become what we are not. 18:01 The Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:21, 18:04 "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us 18:07 that we might become 18:08 the righteousness of God in Him." 18:10 Do you know... 18:12 Do you know that there is no righteousness in us? 18:17 Yes. 18:18 Every good deed portrayed in our lives 18:21 comes from the presence of Christ 18:23 working through a vessel of flesh. 18:25 There is no good in us. 18:28 The unfortunate thing about this world is they say, 18:30 "Oh, you have a good heart." 18:32 There is no good heart. 18:34 As Jesus said to the rich young ruler, 18:36 "There is none good but one." 18:39 There's no good in any of us. 18:41 My hope today lies in the righteous character 18:44 of the risen Lord, 18:46 not in my ability to follow a set of rules. 18:49 Even the rules would lead me to a place of abandon, 18:54 frustration, without the power of Christ 18:57 reigning in our lives and in our hearts. 19:01 "He made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us 19:04 that we might become 19:06 the righteousness of God in Him." 19:11 Amen. 19:12 You got to understand what that means. 19:14 That means you cannot walk through the gates 19:17 of the New Jerusalem saying, "I'll overcome one day." 19:21 We got to overcome down here. 19:23 We could overcome by the blood of the Lamb, 19:25 by the word of our testimony, but we overcome down here 19:29 before we get up there. 19:32 So this thing called religion is not sufficient, 19:34 it's the Christianity of Christ, 19:36 it's the power resident in Him 19:39 that causes fallen humanity 19:42 to get up in the morning and say, 19:43 "I am a son of God. 19:45 I am a child of the King." 19:47 Amen, somebody? Amen. 19:49 We've got hope 19:51 because He went into the tomb and He came out. 19:54 You see, Satan planned to bring Jesus down, 19:57 but heaven planned to lift Him up. 19:59 And why? 20:01 John 12:32, notice what the Bible says, 20:04 "And if I be lifted up from the earth, 20:07 will draw all men unto Me." 20:11 By the way, do you know that 20:12 that's a fail-proof evangelistic method? 20:14 If we would simply lift up Jesus, let me say that again, 20:18 if we would simply lift up Jesus, 20:20 more people will see Him rather than us 20:25 if we would simply lift Him up. 20:27 In this fallen world, people need to hear about hope, 20:31 people need to know that there is hope 20:33 beyond the failures of their lives. 20:35 People need to know that there is hope 20:37 beyond the destitution of their homes. 20:39 People need to know that 20:41 our failures are not our permanent identity. 20:44 Come on, say amen. Amen. 20:46 We need to know 20:47 that, in Christ, our past can be wiped away, 20:50 our present can be redeemed, 20:52 and our future can make sense. 20:55 We need to know 20:57 that when death says, "This is your final breath." 21:00 God says, "No, 21:01 I will bring you forth perfect from your dusty bed." 21:06 There's a day when everybody who lived and died in Christ 21:09 will come forth in the first resurrection. 21:12 Satan cannot prevent the saints of God 21:15 from coming forth perfected. 21:19 That's what Jesus did for me. 21:20 That's what Jesus did for us. 21:22 That's what Jesus did for my mother 21:23 and for my stepmother 21:25 and for my friends that are dying in Christ. 21:28 Every one of us has a hope 21:29 beyond the dusty beds of the grave. 21:32 So when you say goodbye to me, please don't say, so long 21:35 'cause give me time, I'll be out. 21:37 Amen somebody? 21:39 Amen. 21:41 "If I be lifted up from the earth, 21:44 I will draw all men unto Myself." 21:47 That's why today, 21:48 I remember the words of Isaiah the Prophet, 21:50 Isaiah 53:5, who did He die for? 21:54 "But He was wounded for our transgressions. 21:57 He was bruised for our iniquities." 22:00 So when you get beside yourself 22:01 and start pointing out other people's sin, 22:03 find yourself a mirror and point out your own. 22:05 Amen. 22:07 "The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, 22:09 and by His stripes we are healed." 22:13 Amen. 22:14 You know what the word healed means? 22:16 It doesn't just mean the wound is closed. 22:20 It means there is no wound that we can experience 22:24 that is permanent as eternity. 22:27 You see, in eternity, the only one 22:29 that's going to bear wound is Christ, not us. 22:32 There will be no signs of death. 22:36 There will be no residual of the heartaches 22:40 that we bore in this life. 22:43 There will be no memory 22:45 of the disappointment we face. 22:51 I know you're stunned. 22:53 Silence is not a bad thing if you're stunned. 22:56 There will be no more records of murder, and crime, 23:00 and violence in the New Jerusalem. 23:04 Healed permanently, no reversal of sin, 23:08 it will not rise up a second time. 23:16 "The chastisement of our peace is upon Him, 23:19 and by His stripes..." 23:21 together, "we are healed." 23:26 Nobody could expunge my record like Jesus. 23:29 Nobody could hit the delete button like Jesus. 23:33 Nobody could say, "John, from the time you were born 23:36 until this moment, it's all forgotten. 23:38 It's all thrown away. 23:40 I've put it in the vault of forgetfulness, 23:42 and I'm not even going to open it. 23:43 I've lost the number." 23:47 How much He loves us? 23:51 But I must say, 23:53 His betrayers would have been better 23:54 not to have been born. 23:57 Mark 14:21, the Bible says, 23:58 "Woe to the man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!" 24:02 You see, one of my aims, I read this text, 24:04 and I know it refers to Judas, 24:06 but I've determined in my life 24:09 that I don't want to live a life 24:11 to betray the name of Jesus. 24:14 This betrayal is far greater than just what Judas did. 24:17 "It would have been good for that man 24:18 if he had never been born." 24:22 The newness of the death of Jesus 24:24 was echoed and reechoed 24:26 through the limitless regions of unfallen worlds. 24:29 The message the Passover Lamb was slain, 24:32 the bread of life was broken, 24:34 the blood of the covenant was poured out. 24:38 And at last... 24:39 at last, Jesus is at rest, 24:43 the long day of shame and torture has ended. 24:47 Finally, Jesus is freed from the persecuting hands 24:51 of the Roman government 24:53 and from the recalcitrant rejection 24:56 of the pharisaical Jews, scribes, and Pharisees, 25:00 finally, the long day of shame and torture has ended. 25:03 The trailing rays of the setting sun 25:05 bow their head on the horizon as Jesus is shut up 25:09 in Joseph's tomb where never a man laid before. 25:14 Finally, the crowd has dispersed. 25:16 The Son of God 25:17 lays in the tranquility of a perfect setting. 25:20 His work completed, His hands folded in peace. 25:25 And Jesus, also even in the hours of His death, 25:28 rested through the sacred hours of the Sabbath. 25:32 Come on, say amen. Amen. 25:34 Because He told a woman, concerning the woman 25:36 that followed Jesus, the Bible says in Luke 23:56, 25:41 "Then they returned 25:42 and prepared spices and fragrant oils. 25:44 And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment." 25:49 Why did they do that? 25:51 Because Jesus did it. Why did Jesus do it? 25:54 Because He commanded for them to do it. 25:55 You see, it's so good to know 25:57 that when you live the Christian life, 25:58 you live a life in harmony with what Jesus did. 26:01 If you have any question about anything you do, 26:04 you'll never be lost if you do what Jesus did. 26:09 Do it because He did it. 26:12 Jesus did what He asked His followers to do. 26:16 "If you love me," come on," keep My commandments. 26:21 And My commandments are not burdensome, 26:22 the Sabbath is not just for the Jews." 26:24 It was not nailed to the cross. 26:25 It's not a long forgotten thing of the past, 26:28 but it is the cadence of the perfection 26:30 of the government of God, a reminder that we can pause 26:33 from our labors and rest in the secure reflection 26:37 of what it means to spend time with our God, 26:40 not a minute, not an hour, but an entire day. 26:44 How much does our world need rest? 26:45 Come on. 26:47 How much does this fast-paced society, 26:50 even in the context 26:52 of the Greenfields of Southern Illinois 26:54 and the mellowing hills of Thompsonville? 26:58 If you could call them that. 27:01 Every one of us needs rest. 27:03 And the Lord knew that, so He gave us the Sabbath. 27:07 "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." 27:09 Mark 2:27 and 28, 27:11 "Therefore the Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath." 27:15 Gave them a gift, whenever the Sabbath comes around, 27:18 my body says, "John, even you could rest." 27:20 Amen, pastor? 27:22 Even pastors could rest. 27:25 I heard a pastor one day say... 27:26 I forgot the television program, 27:28 I don't want to label anything insignificantly, 27:30 could have been ignorance, but somebody once said, 27:32 I heard a pastor say, "Well, the Sabbath really can't be 27:35 a day of rest because we work so hard. 27:37 God doesn't want us to keep the Sabbath 27:38 because the Sabbath is the day that I work the hardest." 27:41 If you call preaching work, 27:44 then you don't know what work is. 27:46 It's a joy to preach the message about Jesus. 27:50 This ain't work. 27:52 To get paid for this is a privilege. 27:55 This ain't work, this is a joy. 27:59 The only thing I want to get paid for... 28:03 Well, I can't even ask for pay for that 28:05 'cause I can't even buy that. 28:09 Everything that I receive from the Lord is a gift 28:14 of His almighty grace. 28:17 So when I walk through 28:18 the gates into the New Jerusalem, 28:20 I'm not going to ask, "How much this costs?" 28:23 because the lamb will be standing before us to remind us 28:27 through the ceaseless ages of eternity 28:31 the price of our redemption. 28:34 But I got to change the scene, 28:36 what a difference a day makes, 24 little hours, 28:39 I got to borrow the phrase from that old song 28:41 "What a Difference a Day Makes", 24 little hours. 28:45 You see, it's amazing 28:47 how the rising sun chases away darkness. 28:49 All of a sudden, 28:51 the Jewish leaders remember the declaration of divinity. 28:54 What did Jesus say in John 2:18 and 19? 28:58 When the Jews asked Jesus, "What sign do You show us 29:01 since You do these things?" 29:02 And Jesus answered and said to them, 29:05 "Destroy this temple, 29:06 and in three days, I will raise it up." 29:10 Well, let me make the point, 29:11 the day to raise it up finally arrived. 29:14 The day to raise up that holy, 29:17 perfect temple finally arrives. 29:21 And they could not comprehend it. 29:24 They were interrogating the Life Giver, 29:27 and they could not comprehend that the very one that came 29:31 to save them was the very one that they had rejected. 29:35 Well, I love these words, "The night of the first day 29:37 of the week had worn slowly away. 29:39 The darkest hour, just before daybreak, had come. 29:42 Christ, still a prisoner in His narrow tomb. 29:47 The great stone was in its place." 29:49 I'm reading from the book Desire of Ages, 29:51 where the Library of Congress, hear me carefully, 29:54 the Library of Congress has categorized this book 29:59 as the best book ever written about the life of Christ. 30:04 You didn't just say amen, did you? 30:06 Amen. Amen. 30:08 If the Library of Congress, a secular institution, 30:11 can recognize the veracity and the beauty 30:15 of the inspiration, why should we not? 30:17 Amen. 30:18 I echo the words again, 30:20 the great stone was in its place. 30:22 The Roman seal was unbroken. 30:23 The Roman guards were keeping their watch. 30:28 But they were unseen watchers. 30:31 Hosts of evil angels were gathered about the place. 30:34 Had it been possible, the prince of darkness 30:38 with his apostate army would have kept forever sealed 30:43 the tomb that held the Son of God. 30:47 But I want to say this, even in death, 30:50 Jesus had secret service protection. 30:55 Continuing in that very famous book, 30:57 "A heavenly host surrounded the sepulcher." 31:00 Evil angels on one side, holy angels on the other, 31:04 waiting for the moment 31:06 to call the Prince of Life back to life. 31:12 "A heavenly host surrounded the sepulcher. 31:14 Angels that excel in strength were guarding the tomb 31:18 and waiting to welcome the Prince of Life." 31:22 Can you see it? 31:24 If the eyes can be peeled back to see what happens 31:27 in the spiritual realm, you can see angels even now 31:32 in this room keeping watch over the people of God, 31:34 for the Word of God says, "The angel of the Lord 31:38 encampeth around about those 31:39 that fear Him and deliver them." 31:41 I believe that. 31:43 I've been in situations where there's no explanation 31:45 why I'm still alive. 31:47 I've been on planes, Shelley, I've been on planes, 31:50 Pastor CA, where I know that had it not been 31:53 for the protecting hand of God, 31:54 it wasn't the skill of the pilot 31:56 but the grace of God. 31:59 I've been in cars, in places, 32:01 my life should have been snatched away, 32:03 the streets of New York, 32:04 and I know that it was not my skillful choice 32:06 of the street I went down, 32:08 but it was the protecting hand of the holy angels. 32:11 I perpetrated sin in my life that I know nobody could have 32:15 delivered me from but the holy angels of God. 32:20 So this morning, I speak not of what may be speculated, 32:25 but I speak of my own experience. 32:27 That's why the Bible says they overcame 32:29 by the word of their testimony. 32:31 Can I testify today? 32:34 I serve a God who knows how to deliver, 32:36 but the God who knows how to deliver 32:39 was about to be delivered Himself. 32:41 The angels of God were waiting to give the declaring call, 32:47 "Son of Man, come forth," 32:48 but then all of a sudden, in the kingdom of heaven, 32:51 operation countdown is initiated, 32:54 like an enthusiastic football announcer, 32:57 heaven sounds the two-minute warning, stick with me, 33:01 in just two more minutes, 33:02 the King of glory will be declared victorious. 33:04 Stay with me, in just two more minutes, 33:07 the chains of death will be forever broken, 33:09 in just two more minutes, 33:11 the risen Savior will sing again. 33:13 And what do you say? Amen. 33:15 Heaven was in cadence with the plan of salvation. 33:21 In just two more minutes, the hour of darkness 33:23 will be replaced with the hour of light, 33:25 bowed heads will be forever raised, 33:27 sadness will give way to exultation 33:30 and dormant graves will be ripped open 33:33 never to be inhabited again. 33:37 But I continue in my favorite book 33:39 outside of the Bible. 33:41 Clothed with the splendor of God, 33:44 this angel left the heavenly courts. 33:47 The bright beams of God's glory went before Him 33:49 and illuminated His pathway. 33:52 Let me tell you the way that God showed it to me, 33:55 like a Polish stealth bomber, 33:57 Gabriel positions his majestic frame 34:00 on the launching pad of the holy city. 34:03 He then leans forward 34:05 and catapults himself into heaven's rescue mission. 34:08 He tucks his wings close to his perfect frame 34:11 to minimize the turbulence, and all of a sudden, 34:13 the planets move out of the way for God is sending 34:17 the Angel Gabriel to remove the stone 34:20 that our risen Savior may come forth. 34:22 Amen. 34:25 The Bible says in Matthew 28, look with it, 34:27 look there with me, Matthew 28:2-4. 34:30 You guys are team for me. 34:34 Look at Matthew 28:2-4, look at this, 34:36 how the Bible describes 34:38 the beauty of this resurrection. 34:40 The Bible says, "And behold, there was a..." 34:43 What? "Great earthquake." 34:46 I believe that was the turbulence 34:49 of the angel of God breaking the sound barrier. 34:55 I've heard fighter jets pass over the airport in St. Louis, 34:59 and you see them, then you hear them. 35:01 I believe that was the angel leaving in his wake, 35:04 a signature that "I'm on my way." 35:06 And I could imagine in the tomb, the Lord said, 35:09 "I hear him coming." 35:13 I apologize for my imagination, 35:16 but I believe that even in His death, He was dead, 35:22 He died in humanity, but you can't kill divinity. 35:29 "There was a great earthquake for an angel of Lord 35:31 descended from heaven and came 35:33 and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it." 35:39 I don't know how you could miss that? 35:43 How you could get so comfortable to fall asleep 35:45 on the angel sat on it. 35:49 The angel sat on it. 35:53 The Angel Gabriel rolled away the stone as it was a pebble, 35:58 and he sat on it. 36:01 He said, "I need a place to sit. 36:04 Let me just sit on the stone 36:07 that held my Lord on the inside." 36:09 He sat on it. 36:10 That's a whole sermon right there, he sat on it. 36:14 Amen? 36:15 You see, it took all the Roman guards 36:17 with all the grub they had for the morning 36:19 to put that in place, and Gabriel said, 36:22 "Excuse me," and he sat on it. 36:28 The Bible describes, 36:29 "His countenance was like lightning 36:31 and his clothing as white as snow. 36:33 And the guards shook for fear of him 36:36 and became like dead men." 36:42 And I go back to my favorite book, 36:46 "As He comes forth in majestic glory, 36:50 the angels bow low in adoration before the Redeemer 36:54 and welcome Him with songs of praise." 36:56 But what about the Roman soldiers? 36:57 "Brave soldiers that never had been afraid 37:00 of human power are now as captives 37:02 taken without sword or spear. 37:05 The face they look upon 37:06 is not the face of a mortal warrior. 37:08 It is the face of the mightiest of the Lord's hosts. 37:13 This messenger is he who fills the position 37:16 from which Satan fell." 37:18 And I give the name, Gabriel. 37:20 "It is he who on the hills of Bethlehem 37:23 proclaimed Christ's birth to the lowly shepherds." 37:26 It is he who showed up at Mary's apartment and said... 37:32 "Blessed. 37:34 Hail, you're about to have a baby." 37:37 The earth trembles at his approach, 37:40 the hosts of darkness flee, and as he rolls away the stone, 37:44 heaven seems to come down to the earth. 37:47 The soldiers see him removing the stone as he would a pebble 37:54 and hears him say, "Son of God, come forth, 37:58 Thy Father called Thee." 38:01 And Jesus comes forward with the words, 38:04 "I am the resurrection and the life." 38:07 Amen. 38:09 "And I can proclaim it today, 38:12 I am the resurrection and the life." 38:16 And Desire of Ages said, "At the death of Jesus, 38:18 the soldiers had beheld the earth wrapped in darkness 38:21 at midday, but at the resurrection, 38:24 they saw the brightness 38:25 of the angel illuminating the night 38:28 and heard the inhabitants of heaven 38:29 singing with joy and triumph." 38:33 What did Jesus say? 38:35 "I am He who lives and was dead and behold, 38:37 I am alive forevermore." 38:39 And they heard a jingling when Jesus came out, 38:42 and then He said, 38:43 "I've got the keys of hell and the grave." 38:47 And they said, "He went in there empty handed. 38:49 What is that is in His hand?" 38:51 He's got the key that everyone 38:52 who is laying in the graves in Jesus will come out one day, 38:56 the keys of death and the grave. 39:00 To God be the glory. 39:04 Suddenly, the scene changes, 39:07 the Roman guards don't remember Jesus, 39:10 they now behold when Jesus showed up, 39:12 circumstances suddenly changed. 39:15 At the resurrection of Jesus, everything changes. 39:18 You see, the child you've been agonizing over 39:21 suddenly accepts Jesus, 39:23 the message you've been studying suddenly makes sense, 39:26 the truth that you questioned suddenly becomes clear, 39:29 the prayer that you've been praying suddenly gets answered. 39:32 When Jesus shows up, things change suddenly. 39:35 Can I get an amen? 39:37 The freedom you've been searching for 39:38 suddenly comes your way, 39:40 the fear that shackled you suddenly leaves your mind, 39:43 the burden that you've been carrying 39:45 suddenly is lifted from you, 39:47 the storms that have been battering you 39:49 suddenly pass over, 39:51 and the Jesus that you thought you knew 39:54 suddenly becomes real. 39:56 That's what happened when Jesus shows up. 39:58 And the reason for this sudden change is this, 40:01 Jesus is not the I was, He is the great I AM. 40:04 Amen. 40:06 "I am the alpha and the omega, 40:09 the beginning and the end, the first and the last, 40:13 who is and who was and who is to come, 40:17 the Almighty." 40:18 Amen. 40:20 We proclaim this message 40:22 not with timidity but with assurance, 40:25 with blessed assurance. 40:27 And I pray this morning that the death of Jesus Christ, 40:30 the knowledge of His resurrection 40:31 does not become a ho-hum, 40:34 "let me yawn my way through it" message, 40:36 but a "Thank You, Jesus that even though the present 40:41 seems to be a moment of delay, the promises of God are sure, 40:46 as sure as the tomb is empty, Jesus is coming again." 40:51 Amen. 40:52 We were in Jerusalem there, 40:53 and we went to one of the garden tombs. 40:55 They say that there are five in the Middle East. 40:58 They say that there are five, Matthew, five. 41:01 And the guy that was giving us the tour, he said, 41:03 "Now there are five places that have been presently designated 41:07 as the place where Jesus rose from." 41:09 He said, "But I think the truth about this 41:11 is He's risen from the sixth place." 41:14 'Cause we really don't know where He rose from. 41:17 He says, "So here's the point, 41:18 we're not concerned about where He rose from, 41:20 we're glad that He rose." 41:22 Amen. 41:25 And we went in the tomb, and they said, 41:26 "That's where his body was laid." 41:27 But then again, about a mile and half away, 41:30 somebody said the same thing there, 41:31 and about two miles away, they said the something there. 41:33 The fact of the matter is they couldn't find 41:35 any one of these tombs with the body of Jesus in it. 41:40 And here we are today in 2018 AD, Anno Domini, 41:43 in the year of our Lord, which means atheist, 41:45 agnostic, believer or non-believer 41:48 must operate under the auspices that we live in the reality 41:53 that the entire world is labeled 41:56 in the year of our Lord. 42:01 Not a dead Lord, not a Lord that is hewn out of stone or 42:05 molded out of melted gold and silver 42:08 but a Lord that liveth and reigneth and behold 42:10 He's alive forevermore. 42:15 "Christ came forth from the tomb glorified. 42:18 And the Roman guards beheld Him. 42:20 Their eyes were riveted upon His face, 42:22 whom they had so recently mocked and derided. 42:25 Can you imagine how they felt? 42:29 In this glorified being, they beheld 42:31 the prisoner whom they had seen in the judgment hall, 42:34 the one for whom they had plaited a crown of thorns. 42:37 This was the One who had stood 42:40 unresisting before Pilate and Herod, 42:43 His form lacerated by the cruel scourge. 42:46 This was He who had been nailed to the cross, 42:49 at whom the priests and rulers, 42:51 full of self-satisfaction, had wagged their heads, saying, 42:55 'He saved others, Himself, He cannot save.' 42:58 This was He who had been laid in Joseph's new tomb. 43:02 The decree of heaven had loosed the captive.' 43:05 And I love this, 43:06 'Mountains piled upon mountains over the sepulcher 43:10 could not have prevented Him from coming forth.' 43:15 " Get another mountain, that's not big enough. 43:17 Get Mount Vesuvius, that ain't going to work, 43:19 get Mount Everest, that ain't going to work, 43:21 get Mount Kilimanjaro, 43:22 even the Mariana's Trench turned upside down, 43:26 put on the tomb of Jesus, could not keep Him in. 43:29 Amen. 43:31 Excuse me if I'm a little enthusiastic today. 43:36 The angel's message revives the hope 43:39 in the followers of Jesus, 43:40 Matthew 28:5 and 6, 43:43 "The angel answered and said to the women," 43:45 the faithful woman who in His hour of greatest trial 43:50 didn't run like the men did. 43:52 Amen, ladies? 43:55 These women were not hiding for fear of their lives. 43:58 The women were hanging around, they stayed in the garden tomb. 44:02 They sat there in patient expectation 44:05 that the promise He made was sure, 44:07 and I could imagine if they had an iWatch or an Android watch, 44:10 they might have said, 44:11 "The world's got 15 more seconds. 44:16 He's coming out." 44:17 He didn't come out after 72 hours, 44:20 He didn't come out the fourth day, 44:22 He come out within the third day. 44:25 There's some people that argue over, "Was it 72 days? 44:28 Was it Wednesday? Was it Thursday? 44:30 Did He go in on Friday and come out Saturday? 44:32 How is it possible to have 44:34 72 hours from Friday to Sunday?" 44:37 You could argue with the chronology, 44:38 I'm glad of the Christology. 44:41 He's not there. 44:43 You want to figure out when He came out, 44:45 one disciple said, "While it was yet dark." 44:47 The other one said, "At the breaking of the day." 44:49 But all of them said, "He ain't there." 44:52 Amen. Amen. 44:55 And the Christian church today says to the world, 44:58 "He ain't there." 45:00 "Where is your Lord?" 45:02 "He ain't there." 45:03 There ain't no place on earth that you can point to the tomb, 45:06 you can find Muhammad's tomb, 45:08 you can find Buddha's tomb, 45:09 you can find the great tombs of all the leaders of the past, 45:12 but there's no tomb with the name Jesus on it. 45:17 You know why? 45:20 The angel said to the woman, 45:21 "Do not be afraid, for I know who you seek, 45:24 Jesus whom was crucified. 45:25 He is not here, 45:27 for He is risen," as He said. 45:29 "Come, see the place where the Lord laid.' 45:32 " You see He's not there, why? 45:34 Because the rose of Sharon would bloom again, 45:36 the bright and morning star would rise again, 45:39 the light of the world would shine again, 45:41 the oil of gladness would flow again, 45:44 the lion of the tribe of Judah will roar again. 45:49 The author of salvation would 45:51 become the finisher of our faith, 45:53 the Mighty God would become the everlasting Father, 45:56 and the alpha would become the omega. 45:59 The Apostle Paul left us 46:01 this record of the evidence of His divinity, 46:04 Lamb of God would become the eternal high priest. 46:07 And today, you may ask the question, 46:09 "Then where is He?" 46:11 Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul 46:13 in Hebrews 7:25, 46:16 "When your day is going dark and your hope is growing dim, 46:19 remember these words, 46:21 therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost." 46:24 To the what church? 46:26 To the uttermost. 46:27 We used to say in New York, Pastor CA, 46:29 from the gutter-most to the uttermost. 46:31 "He is able to save to the uttermost 46:33 those who come to God through Him 46:37 seeing that He always lives," 46:41 hallelujah, 46:43 "to make intercession for them." 46:45 Jesus was arrested so that we could be set free. 46:49 On that note alone, you ought to say hallelujah. 46:51 He was arrested that we could be set free. 46:53 He was declared guilty so that we could be declared innocent. 46:55 He was condemned so that we could be pardoned. 46:58 He walked our road so that one day we can walk His road. 47:01 He wore our thorns so that 47:02 one day we could wear His crown. 47:04 He suffered the shame of death 47:05 that one day we could share the glory of life. 47:08 Jesus rose to take His rightful place 47:11 as a high priest in the kingdom 47:13 so that one day we will be able to sit with Him 47:18 in a place that we have no right to. 47:21 Amen. 47:24 I don't have any right to sit with Jesus, 47:27 but because of His blood and His salvation, 47:29 because of His forgiveness... 47:31 Somebody was asked the question, 47:32 "What are the steps of salvation?" 47:34 If you confess your sins, 47:35 He's faithful and just to forgive you of your sins 47:38 and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. 47:41 What are the steps of salvation? 47:42 Repent and be baptized that your sins may be blotted out. 47:46 What are the steps of salvation? 47:48 Repent and be converted. 47:50 Amen. 47:53 And when you walk with the Lord in the light of His Word, 47:57 what a glory He sheds on His way, what He says, 48:01 we will do, where He sends, we will go, never fear, 48:06 only trust and obey. 48:10 And I close with the words of Dr. Luke. 48:13 Xenia, come. 48:14 I close with the words of Dr. Luke, 48:18 "For the rightful place that Jesus has now taken, 48:22 " in Luke 1:32-33, 48:25 "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest, 48:31 and the Lord God will give Him 48:34 the throne of His father David." 48:37 Stop for a moment, his father David? 48:41 This sinful man, this recalcitrant adulterer, 48:46 this man who turned his back on the obedience of God, 48:49 the love of God, the love of Christ, 48:52 the love for the sinner, 48:53 He expunges the past 48:56 and sets us up as His lineage. 49:01 By grace, we can walk through the door, 49:03 and He can call us His children, 49:06 and we can call Him our Father. 49:10 The throne of His father David, 49:13 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, 49:16 and of His kingdom, there will be no end. 49:22 Amen. 49:25 Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. 49:31 Because He lives, 49:33 all fear is gone. 49:38 Because He holds my future, 49:41 life is worth living because He lives. 49:45 Because He lives, 49:48 my mother is waiting for the day 49:50 when she hears the voice, "Come forth from your grave." 49:55 Because He lives, 49:58 you can fall to your knees and ask for forgiveness, 50:00 and He'll hear from His kingdom, 50:02 He'll lean His ear to your voice 50:03 and extend to you the pardoning grace 50:06 that will immediately bring you into the adoption 50:09 of a son or daughter of the Most High God. 50:12 Because He lives, there is no darkness 50:15 that he cannot remove from your life. 50:19 Because He lives, 50:22 He will come again to take us to our home 50:28 that is being prepared even as we sit. 50:34 Why do you seek the living among the dead? 50:38 He's not here for He is risen. 50:41 I want to invite you to stand with me to sing this song 50:43 Because He Lives. 50:45 He is not here, but He is risen. 50:49 He's not here, but He is risen. 50:52 We serve a risen Savior. 50:55 And because He lives, because He lives, 50:59 we can face tomorrow. 51:07 God sent His Son 51:13 They called Him Jesus 51:18 He came to love 51:23 Heal and forgive 51:29 He lived and died 51:34 To buy my pardon 51:40 An empty grave is there to prove 51:46 My Savior lives Together. 51:52 Because He lives, 51:57 I can face tomorrow 52:01 Because He lives... 52:03 Because He lives 52:08 all fear is gone 52:13 Because I know 52:19 He holds the future 52:24 And life is worth the living 52:29 Just because He lives 52:36 How sweet to hold 52:41 A newborn baby 52:47 And feel the pride 52:53 And joy He gives 52:58 But greater still 53:04 The calm assurance 53:09 This child can face uncertain days 53:16 Because He lives 53:19 Raise that chorus. 53:21 Because He lives 53:26 I can face tomorrow 53:32 Because He lives 53:37 All fear is gone 53:42 Because I know 53:48 He holds the future 53:54 And life is worth the living just 54:00 Because He lives 54:06 Our Father in heaven... 54:10 Our Father in heaven... 54:13 Lord, this old, old story... 54:19 continues to be the hope 54:23 of the new day that is coming, 54:27 often repeated, the death, the trial, the scourging, 54:34 the accusations, the betrayal of Jesus, 54:39 this often repeated story sometimes brings to our mind... 54:46 I've heard that story before, 54:50 but I just say, Lord Jesus, 54:52 I pray that the story of our redemption 54:53 will never be an old story, 54:57 will never be a byproduct of religious jargon, 55:01 will never be a story that collects dust 55:05 but will forever remain new in our souls, in our hearts, 55:09 in our minds, in our spirit, will forever be the place 55:14 where we clutch onto the anchor of our salvation. 55:18 His name is Jesus. 55:21 We thank You, Lord, that there is no place 55:26 where Your DNA can be found, 55:27 there is not place where empty clothes 55:30 still mark the spot that you once laid. 55:34 So we glory not in the cross, 55:37 we glory in the empty tomb, 55:40 we glory in the promise 55:42 that You have said You will come again 55:45 to receive us unto Yourself. 55:48 And so, Lord Jesus, we pray that, today, 55:51 the hope has been revived in our hearts, 55:53 renewed in our spirit, 55:57 that we have once reclaimed again 56:00 the very anchor of our name, Adventists, 56:04 looking forward to the Second Coming of Jesus. 56:08 So when we leave this place, 56:10 Father, may we proclaim it by the life we live, 56:12 by the words we convey, 56:14 by the embrace we communicate, 56:17 may we live this story 56:20 over and over until 56:24 our faith is made sight. 56:28 And so, Lord Jesus, we hold on to that promise You've made. 56:31 And one day, we believe 56:34 that the heavens will depart as a scroll 56:36 and the voice of the Life Giver will call us 56:40 to our eternal home. 56:42 We thank You, 56:43 we praise You, and we give You glory 56:47 in Your holy and precious name. 56:51 And all of God's people said... 56:53 Amen. |
Revised 2018-07-06