VISITATION #15 – JESUS IS THE VICTORIOUS, RESURRECTED LORD
(April 2011 –Beausejour Church – Pastor Chris Jordan)
INTRO TO TOPIC: How important is the resurrection of Jesus Christ?
• “And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.” (1 Cor. 15:14).
• There have been many books written that document evidences for the resurrection:
o Suggested reading: “Evidence that Demands a Verdict” by Josh McDowell
o & “The Case for Christ” by Lee Strobel & “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis.
• Jesus had appeared to over 500 people over 40 days after His resurrection.
THE BIG IDEA: Because Jesus is the victorious, resurrected Lord, we can experience hope, joy and peace in our lives today!
KEY TEXT:
“Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.' ” (Luke 24:1-7).
• Was the empty tomb enough to radically transform these disciples lives?
“And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.” (v.11).
1. DISCIPLES WITH SICK HEARTS – HOPELESS, CONFUSED AND DISILLUSIONED:
“13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him. 17 And He said to them, "What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?" 18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, "Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?" 19 And He said to them, "What things?" So they said to Him, "The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. 21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.” (Luke 24:13-21).
• See all the sad “D” words: depressed, disappointed, doubting, defeated, and despairing
• The empty tomb did nothing to change them. They lost their hope in Jesus as Messiah.
• They talked about Jesus in the past tense: “He was a prophet” and “We were hoping.”
• Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.”
• How many of you here today can identify with them? Have you lost your faith or hope?
• It was Sunday morning, the tomb was empty, but they were still hopeless and miserable.
“22 Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. 23 When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. 24 And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.” (Luke 24:22-24).
• Not only were they sad and hopeless, they were confused: Luke 24:22 in the Message Bible reads: “But now some of our women have completely confused us.”
• They were also disillusioned: “they didn’t see Jesus”
• Even though the tomb was empty, they were hopeless, confused, and disillusioned.
2. DISCIPLES WITH FOOLISH AND SLOW HEARTS:
“25 Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. 28 Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. 29 But they constrained Him, saying, "Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent." And He went in to stay with them.” (Luke 24:25-29).
• Jesus said they were foolish and slow of heart because they didn’t believe the Bible.
• Jesus then gave them one of the greatest Bible studies of all time – “expounding to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”
o In Genesis, Jesus is the Seed of the Woman who would crush Satan’s head.
o In Exodus, He is the Passover Lamb, sacrificed for our sins.
o In Leviticus, He is our High Priest.
o In Numbers He is the Pillar of Cloud by day, and the Pillar of Fire by night.
o In Deuteronomy, He is the Prophet like unto Moses.
• Obviously they were so impacted by this Bible study, they said, “Stay with us!”
• If you seek God with all of your heart, you will find Him.
• “Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding… She is more precious than rubies, And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.” (Proverbs 3:13,15). ~ Next month, we are going to study the Book of Proverbs…
• If you want an encounter with the Victorious, Resurrected Jesus, start with the Word!
3. DISCIPLES WITH BURNING HEARTS:
“Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. 32 And they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?" 33 So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, "The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" 35 And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread.” (Luke 24:30-35).
• Has your heart been set on fire by an encounter with the Victorious, Resurrected Christ?
What does it mean to be a disciple with a burning heart?
When we encounter the resurrected Jesus:
1. You SEE HIM:
Your eyes are opened, giving you hope, joy and peace!
Penny: Sometimes we so focus on our problems we can’t see God or anything else.
2. You KNOW HIM:
“That I may know Him, in the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.” (Phil. 3:10).
3. You GO FOR HIM:
They rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem – that’s a seven mile journey!
If you’ve experienced the resurrected Jesus, tell someone your story!
Is your heart burning with a passion to live for Him?
LYRICS:
He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me, Along life's narrow way.
He lives, He lives, Salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.
CLOSING TEXT:
“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26).
• Do you believe this? Do you know Jesus in the power of His resurrection?
• The resurrection reminds us that no matter how dark the night, dawn always comes!
• It reminds us that no matter how cold or long the winter, spring always comes!
• It is the promise of new life, the hope of life everlasting!
• It’s a day to celebrate – though sorrow may last for the night, joy comes in the morning!
ALTAR CALL:
For salvation, healing and deliverance – to encounter the resurrected Christ.
Beausejour Community Church Website: www.beausejourchurch.ca
Pastor Chris Jordan’s Blog: http://thelandofpromise.blogspot.com/
