DREAM ON.
(Easter Sunday)
(Band set up the sermon by playing Aerosmith’s Dream On)
HE IS RISEN! (HE IS RISEN INDEED!)
Matthew 28:1-8
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
Today’s message.
NO MATTER WHAT LOOKS DEAD IN YOUR LIFE – REMEMBER THIS…
1. IT AIN’T OVER ‘TIL GOD SAYS SO!
Don’t toss in the towel just yet…it ain’t over.
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said”. Matthew 28:5,6 (NIV)
Hey…lemme tell you something…It LOOKED like Jesus was dead. It LOOKED like this whole Jesus/Christian thing was a done deal…dead in the water.
I can only imagine that every person that watched Jesus be beaten, whipped, mocked and crucified to a cross…every person that saw that the blood…heard the screams…and felt the mourning and the fear from others watching…I would imagine everyone of them thought it was over. Jesus was killed. The supposed Son of God is dead. Can you imagine what Satan and all of hell must have been thinking? We did it. We got him. He’s dead. That’s a wrap. There will be no progessing of Christianity. We stopped it in its tracks! Hell is taking over earth and heaven. We are victorious. Hope is buried away and locked in a tomb. There was a party going on in hell.
But it was a party that was premature. Because it wasn’t over. What looked to be over…was just the beginning. The Dream looked dead. But it was still very much alive.
Lemme tell you something…The tomb of Christ is famous because of what it does NOT contain. There is no resurrection without the cross.
Can you imagine life today without the resurrection?
I don’t what dream it is in your life that might look like it’s dying or might look like its dead…but you gotta dream on. Maybe it’s your marriage or relationship…it was once the dream marriage and relationship and it’s now nightmare. Maybe it’s your finances, your job or ministry, or your health… or maybe it’s that addiction that’s been kickin’ killin’ you!…I don’t know what dream in your life has either died or turned into a nightmare…but you gotta keep dreamin…dream on.
The Bible says:
“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26 (NIV)
NO MATTER WHAT LOOKS DEAD IN YOUR LIFE – REMEMBER THIS…
2.YOUR SITUATION DIDN’T TAKE GOD BY SURPRISE.
This ALWAYS brings me piece of mind! God knows everything about everything! He’s all knowing and He loves you and cares for you. Your jacked up situation didn’t catch God off-guard. Your situation didn’t shock God or take him by surprise.
It’s not like God’s sitting up in heaven playing Xbox 360 on a 4000 foot flat screen tv with his disciples…or surfing the web or watching the Oprah Network…and then one day say’s, “Oh crud! Wait…what just happened??? So and so is going through a divorce? Or someone went broke? No man, God knows what’s gonna happen before it even happens. He’s got eternal vision. He can see down the road…he’s got perfect perspective.
“LORD, you have examined me and know all about me. You know when I sit down and when I get up. You know my thoughts before I think them. You know where I go and where I lie down. You know everything I do. LORD, even before I say a word, you already know it. You are all around me—in front and in back..Your knowledge is amazing to me; it is more than I can understand. Where can I go to get away from your Spirit? Where can I run from you? If I go up to the heavens, you are there. If I lie down in the grave, you are there.” Psalm 139:1-8 (NCV)
3. YOUR MIRACLE IS ALREADY SET IN MOTION!
Think about that thought for just a moment. Even before your battle began…God set your miracle in motion. God’s not caught off-guard…and God knew you were gonna need a miracle before you even knew you even had a problem. This SHOULD bring you some sort of peace of mind.
Even the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus was not a surprise to Jesus.
Look what Jesus said:
“From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” Matthew 16:21 (NIV)
Remember in Genesis 22 when God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac? Abraham was on his way up the mountain, taking his son…he had no idea that God was going to provide a different sacrifice…a miracle was already in the making. God was sending a ram up the backside of that mountain…
4. GOD KNOWS WHY. GOD KNOWS HOW. GOD KNOWS WHEN.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9 (NIV)
5. KEEP FOCUSED. KEEP DREAMIN’. KEEP PRAYIN’. KEEP HOPIN’. KEEP BELIEVIN’. KEEP PRESSIN.
“…But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:3:13,14 (NIV)
“Forget the former things;do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!” Isaiah 43:18,19 (NIV)
KEEP FOCUSED. KEEP DREAMIN’. KEEP PRAYIN’. KEEP HOPIN’. KEEP BELIEVIN’. KEEP PRESSIN.
GOD’S GOT YOU. IT AIN’T OVER. My life verse:
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;” Proverbs 3:5
God is so good! Not only is He good; He’s faithful. He’s merciful. He’s just. He is a loving God. He’s kind. He’s a provider. He’s a way-maker. He’s a deliverer. He’s a healer
God has a plan for you.
Don’t toss in the towel. Don’t give up!
I’m speaking to those who are in a hopeless situation at the moment. Hope-less situation, because of what your doctor said or because of what your circumstances is saying. A Hope-less situation does not mean that God has left you. Just because things don’t work out exactly how we planned them does not mean that God is not at work in your life. No matter what your situation is saying, I can tell you that God is at work in your life at the moment.
Ezekiel 37:1-14 says, The hand of the LORD was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign LORD, you alone know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’” 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” 10So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army. 11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.’”
Ezekiel 37 symbolizes people whose hope has died…whose dream has died, and has been dead for a long time. This is a situation where there is no future, just bones , no body, just bones, no signs of life. The Lord asked him a question that God is asking you today about your situation – CAN THIS DRY BONE LIVE?
Ezekiel looks at the bones and sees no possibility of resuscitation. Ezekiel said, “Lord only you know”. In other words he is saying, I don’t think so, but God, with you, all things are possible and only you know.
Ezekial knows this situation is beyond human comprehension, beyond human solution and ability.
God tells Ezekiel to prophecy (tell the truth…speak life)…to speak… to the dry bones. Ezekiel had to go down to the valley of the shadow of death and tell death that LIFE IS ABOUT TO ENTER THEM. Listen, the transformation and restoration all started by hearing.
The living Word is the beginning of the process that brings hope to the hopeless…that breathes life into death.
Maybe this is you…your dream looks dead and you feel like giving up. Well, it doesn’t matter what it may look like, the final outcome will come when God says it’s over. Man may count you out, the enemy may tell you you’ve lost, the chance for victory may look impossible, but it’s not over until the Lord says it’s over. Your turnaround comes when you begin to hear from God. Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. (Romans 10:17)
Who is talking to you, which report do you believe? You have to hear from God, if you are going to be fruitful. Words have power. Speak the word! Prophesy the word! Declare the Word! “Death and life are in the power of the tongue”, (Proverbs 18:21)
Everyone thought it was over for Daniel when he was thrown into the lion’s den, but God didn’t say so. Nebuchadnezzar thought it would be over for Shedrach, Meshach and Abednego, but God said it wasn’t over. Job’s wife thought it was over and encouraged her husband to curse God and die, but the Lord didn’t say it was over. It Ain’t Over Until God Says It’s Over!
Keep fighting. Keep praying. Keep fasting. Keep progressing. Keep moving. Keep reading…interceding. Keep believing. Keep trusting. Keep trying. Keep travailing. Keep living. Keep giving. Keep fighting cuz it ain’t over!
