His Gardens

Opening

-What are some of your favorite things when it comes to Easter?

-tell story of picking daffodils as a child with my mother in her gardens…

Introduction

This Easter Weekend, not only are we celebrating what He did, but where it happened…when Jesus raised Himself from the dead, He was saying to us, “Remember Me in My gardens!”

Could I suggest to you this weekend that it is no coincidence that the tomb in which Jesus lay was in a garden…can I suggest to you this weekend that his first appearance after His resurrection was being mistaken as a gardener… “Remember Me in My gardens!”

As we find Jesus in His Gardens, we hear who He beckons us to be! (three gardens, three calls, three decisions)

Eden…be a creator

-John 1:1-3/Genesis 1:26 (Eden)

-Jesus the creator…“And God said…” (9 times – Genesis 1:3,6,9,11,14,20,24,26,29)…Jesus is saying to you, to me…what are you creating? When our story is written, what will be our “He/She said _________” legacy?

-the creative power of our words…a key part of “the image” of God in us!

• Proverbs 18:21a (life)

• Matthew 12:34-37 (account)

• Isaiah 50:4 (timely)

-What if we could replace every unkind word spoken in your life…how many times would your name come up in the lives of others doing this same exercise…let us spend some time with your spouse, your children, your neighbors, your classmates, your co-workers…what if we gathered all the counselors in this region and took their case load…replaced every destructive moment with a creative moment…they would all be working at Starbucks tomorrow!!!

-story of Doug Fasseel…be a creator!!

Gethsemane…have a cause

-John 18:1, Matthew 26:36-45 (Gethsemane)

-Jesus’ cause…John 3:16-17…Have you ever been in an argument and after felt distant…we’ve been in an argument with God since we were born…Jesus makes it possible for us to reconciled…living every day with a sense of knowing God as our best and closest friend…Jesus is saying to you/to me…what’s your cause?

-Transcendent, altruistic, selfless, others focused, eternally significant, displacing, seasonal (His last 3 years), burdensome (Jesus sweating blood), personal (disciples cldn’t relate)

Abortion, Social Justice, Human Trafficking, Public Service, Addiction, Orphans, Mentally Challenged, Physically Challenged, Local Church, Hunger, Poverty, Homelessness, Incarcerated, Abuse, World Missions, Illiteracy, Disease, Family Values, Politics, Sexual Confusion, Education, Environment…

-Heart for Orphans dvd (set up with email this week about human trafficking…)

Tomb…set a course

-John 19:38-42 (The Tomb)

-John 20:11-18…Jesus can’t wait to get to Heaven…John 14:1-3…John 17 Jesus prays for God to restore His former glory…Jesus is saying to you/to me…what’s your course? Imagine having the opportunity to talk with someone before you passed from this world to the next, after you had died…could you be so confident of where you were going?

-John 3:16…the full weight of your life…what will you do?

-(communion)

Close

-Revelation 22:1-2…I can’t go back to Eden…I can’t go back to Gethsemane…I can’t go back to the Tomb…but I can be with Him in the Garden of Eternity!