Easter Sunday Morning Sermon: 'giving Up On Death'

SERMON OUTLINE:

God is not partial (vs 34-35)

Jesus is unique (vs 36-41)

Good news to share (vs 39-43)

SERMON BODY

Ill:

• Mel Blanc is a voice you will all know,

• But a name you will probably not.

• He has been called, “The man of 1,000 voices”

• Some of them you will instantly recognise;

• ‘Woody Woodpecker, Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, Sylvester & Tweety Pie’

• On the Warner Brothers cartoons, it is Mel Blanc who does the voice for;

• “That’s all folks!”

• On his grave stone, just under the Star of David (he was Jewish),

• Is the inscription, “That’s all folks!”

• TRANSITION: Many people view life that way,

• When you are dead, you are dead - “That’s all folks!”

• Easter is a reminder that ‘death is not the end”

• There is more to follow!

Ill:

• I think the best Easter posters you will see,

• Was on the notice board of a Church in Halesowen, Birmingham. UK.

• It was a simple picture of a cross and above the cross was written two words,

• They simply said, “He won!”

Ill:

• My favourite Easter story;

• Is a about the vicar who preached a Good Friday sermon on the cross.

• He was spot on in both his content and also the way he delivered the sermon.

• At the end of the service he did what many preachers do,

• He stood at the door to greet people before they went home.

• As the people were leaving, they shook his hand,

• And they all said very complimentary things about the sermon.

• All that is, except for one boy,

• Who looked at the vicar and said, “Not bad, just one mistake!”

• Well, the vicar was shocked;

• “One mistake! Whatever do you mean?” he said to the boy.

• The boy looked him in the eye and said; “You left him on the cross”

• Then the boy walked out!

• Then the vicar realised that he explained all about the cross,

• But had not mentioned the resurrection at all!

• TRANSITION: The resurrection is the proof;

• That something mysterious, something supernatural took place on the cross!

• It is God’s receipt to the world!

• No resurrection, no atonement, no payment for sins, no hope!

• We might as well all pack up our things and go home!

• But because of the resurrection, we have hope,

• We have atonement for sins, we have a debt that has been paid once and for all!

• We have a new and living way into the presence of the Living God!

(1). God is not partial (vs 34-35).

“Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realise how true it is that God does not show favouritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.”

Ill:

• We all have our favourites.

• Favourite foods.

• Favourite beverages.

• Favourite songs/hymns.

• Favourite Bible translations and favourite stories or passages.

• Favourite seats in Church!

• Favourite clothes.

• Favourite TV programmes.

• Favourite Music or singers.

• Favourite…endless list and you can fill in the blanks!

• These things I have mentioned are really our personal likes or preferences.

• They are neither right nor wrong. They are simply our preferences.

• In the little things of life these personal likes and dislikes are perfectly fine.

• They help define who we are.

• And without these different preferences in life, then life would be pretty-boring.

• e.g. Can you imagine life without those preferences mentioned,

• If we all liked exactly the same!

• Variety is the spice of life!

• These preferences enrich our lives and our situations.

Now there is a danger with preferences, they can morph into favouritism!

• Let me say that when preferences become extreme, they become dangerous.

• e.g. A teacher likes certain people in the classroom more than others and shows it.

• e.g. A sports coach shows favouritism to one person over other members of the team.

• e.g. A boss at work shows favouritism towards a person you work with.

• e.g. A boss shows favouritism because a person is a man or a woman;

• e.g. A boss shows favouritism because of a person’s race or religion.

• TRANSITION: Favouritism is the dark side of personal likes or dislikes.

• On the surface it can lead to hurt feelings,

• Deeper it can lead to feelings of inadequacy by those who are wronged.

• And as it goes deeper it can lead to complete exclusion,

• To sexism, racism, injury and even death.

• Favouritism at its worst van become pretty-nasty!