Preparing Your Easter Sermons

INTRODUCTION

We preach about the passion of Christ year after year. And we read the same passages year after year. Each year is expected to be unique and different. Yes, and the emphasis is usually different when a lot of time is spend in the presence of the Lord, to seek His guidance and strength in the preparation and delivery of our sermons. Paul said “when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power (1 Corinthians 2:1, 4). The outcome of this type of preaching that depends on the Lord is in verse 5. Our aim in all our preaching should be to bring people closer to God through Jesus Christ.

In preparing your Easter sermons this time round, you may want to pay attention to a few critical things. Not all people in church clearly understand why they are there. Some do not know what following Christ is all about, and others are not aware of the key doctrines about who Jesus is. When our view about who Jesus is, is wrong, our entire live and expression becomes misplaced. These factors need to characterize our preaching and we need to be intentional about it. Easter is a time to clarify and reinforce the knowledge of Christ in the minds of the people, bringing them to a point of clear decision in following Him. Some people need to relinquish other belief systems they had held on to for years, due to a poor understanding of the One who came to represent God for us on earth.

TALK ABOUT FALSE TEACHINGS ABOUT WHO JESUS IS

Second John 7-11 is revealing and relevant to the Easter story. If Jesus did not come in the flesh, how could He have died for our sins? He came and identified with our nature, and defeated sin in the flesh. He lived as a man and yet without sin, so He might be an example for us. “For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist” – 2 John 7. Any true believer must believe that Jesus came in the flesh. He experienced many limitations of the flesh, and was tempted in every possible way, yet He remained sinless. Yes, He was tempted in all points, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Indeed, “He condemned sin in the flesh” – Romans 8:3. His sinless life is what qualified Him to be the right payment for the sin of all mankind. We need to emphasize this fact in our Easter sermons.

This is the doctrine of the humanity of Christ, and needs to be part of what we teach at Easter. The church member today is not like that of many years ago. Today, they explore spiritual food from many different places. This we cannot control. What we must do is to let them be grounded in the right doctrines. So grounded to the point where they can notice, recognize what is false and run from it.

CAREFULLY EXPLAIN THE DEITY OF JESUS CHRIST

While there are people who do not believe that Jesus came in the flesh, others do not believe that He is God. Jesus Christ is the embodiment of the Trinity. “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” – Colossians 2:9. He testified about Himself that “I and My Father are one” – John 10:30. As we are all familiar with John 1:1 that the Word was God (written with capital letter). If He was not God, He could not have walked on the sea, healed the sick, raised the dead, stilled the storm, and many other things that declared His divinity.

REVEAL WHO CHRIST IS TO THEM

Without a clear understanding of the doctrine of Incarnation, there will be a poor understanding of the cross and the power of His blood. It was not an ordinary blood. That blood was potent because He was fully God and fully Man. The blood that can atone for our sins must be the blood of a sinless Lamb. John saw Him and said “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” – John 1:29. One of the elders said to John as he saw that no one was worthy to take the scroll or even look at it saying “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals” – Revelation 5:5. He is the “Lamb as though it had been slain” – Revelation 5:6. Peter said “you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold … but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” – 1 Peter 1:18-19. The wages of sin is death. But none of us will qualify even if we were to die for our sin, because the payment for sin has to be with a lamb without blemish. Oh, what a wonderful Saviour we have found in Jesus!