Easter Sunday

Sunday March 27 Jesus is ……Alive! There are so many curious things that cannot be proven or have left us curious. Things like why did the chicken cross the road “Insert your cheesy answer here” Or did Adam and Eve have belly buttons? Mary's father has 4 children; three are named Nana, Nene, and Nini. So what is is the 4th child's name? Mary The tomb where Jesus was laid on “Good Friday” is now a completely different tomb … it requires a different type of watchman. It does not need a cemetery caretaker or a company of Roman soldiers assign to protect the dead but an angel from the realms of light and life. For Christ has risen indeed … Let us turn to Matthew 28 in God’s Word and find out why was the stone rolled away? Introduction: Do you think there was any significance to the fact that the stone enclosing the tomb of Jesus was rolled away? The stone didn’t need to be rolled away for Jesus to leave the tomb, and perhaps an empty tomb with the Roman seal still affixed to the closed stone would have been a more convincing proof of the resurrection vs. alternate theories. Was it to release Jesus? Well, of course not. Being God, Jesus could move freely from one place to another without being encumbered with worldly limitations. Let us assume the stone wasn’t rolled away, but Jesus began appearing to his disciples. Word would spread, and the Jewish leaders likely would have had the tomb inspected; if the stone was still closed and the seal still affixed, and they had the tomb opened and Jesus was not there, they would be hard pressed to claim the body was stolen, that he wasn’t really dead, etc. obviously God decided that the stone would be rolled away; I am just looking for any special significance to this. While the stone covering the entrance to the tomb was there for many reasons, we know its existence wasn’t to contain Christ. Why was the stone rolled away? 1. Witness the testimony of the power of Christ (vs. 2-4) Before we answer the question about the stone, let’s visit the importance of the guards on resurrection Sunday. They had been placed there as an integral part in God’s plan to communicate the resurrection. They were special soldiers, handpicked for being strong, skillful, alert and loyal to death. Their posting was made the day after Jesus’ burial as a last minute decision to ensure that these Jesus’ followers couldn’t steal the body. Both the authorities and Disciples had something to prove here. The Pharisees wanted Jesus to rot in that tomb as a public demonstration that their motives were correct. The Disciples, proof that Jesus was in fact the risen Messiah. As the guards awoke from their God induced slumber, they saw the empty tomb and the angel sent by God. Matthew 28: 4 records that they were ‘as dead men’ because they met a heavenly being. The impact was so significant an event that they froze. I’m sure these handpicked soldiers were in a situation that they had not encountered before. They certainly weren’t trained for it. So they quickly ran off to their commanders, and then to Pilate, to report on what had happened. I wouldn’t have wanted to be in their shoes. Their superiors would not have been happy, and although they would discipline them for failing in their duty, they couldn’t deny the truth of what had been relayed by these trained professionals. The authorities knew that they spoke the truth so they paid the guards for their silence, as we are told in Matthew 28. It was a brilliant, God inspired strategy to use professional, loyal soldiers to share the truth of the resurrection with those who denied Christ. Who better to challenge a skeptic than two of their own! What we need is the resurrection power manifested by the stone rolled away. You see, the stone was rolled away because Jesus could not be held by death. He said about Himself, in John 11: 25, "I am the resurrection and the life." In other words, resurrection power centers in Jesus. 2. Bear testimony to the resurrected Lord (vs. 5-6) Instead, the stone was rolled away so that we could look in. It was rolled away for our sakes, so that the empty tomb could be visible to all. The empty tomb is the greatest evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ in all of history. I believe it is indisputable evidence. Cynics and critics have tried to explain it away, and they have not been able to. The empty tomb still stands as evidence to all that Jesus is not dead, that the bonds of death could not hold Him. He is alive today. There is no other explanation. Some say it was the wrong tomb. But if it were the wrong tomb, the Pharisees and the Sadducees who put Jesus to death certainly would have found the right tomb, rolled the stone away, and produced the dead and decaying body of Jesus Christ. But they were unable to because it was the right tomb, and it was empty. All of the great religious leaders of history have lived and died, and their bodies are buried today. Only Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Only Jesus Christ broke the bonds of death and hell and came forth as victor. The significance of the stone rolled away is found in the words of the angel, "He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. The tomb was opened to show that something tangible, something real, had happened. Who’d have believed the resurrection if the stone was in place and the seal unbroken? It was an open, public statement of the divine. The stone had been rolled away, the guards had seen the Angel of the Lord and the tomb was empty. Each of these incidents confirms what had become public knowledge about Christ’s prophesy of His own resurrection. The rolling away of the stone became a symbol to all that Christ was the real Messiah. 3. Proclaim the testimony of the risen Jesus (vs. 7-8) You have to wonder what the disciples would have done if the stone hadn’t been rolled away. Would they have locked themselves away, frightened that what they believed was false? I’m sure those 35 or so hours after Jesus’ death on the cross would have been filled with nervous anticipation, waiting and not knowing what to expect. “(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)” John 20: 9 (NIV). But on seeing the empty tomb, the scene that Sunday morning was one of action. There was disbelief, fear of Jesus’ being taken by the authorities, then heavenly beings speaking to the women and then Peter. People were running to tell others as the Angels gave instructions to GO TELL. (a) A Command to Depart - The angelic message is an imperative message. It calls for action, for engagement on our part. The angel says to the ladies...... “Go!” Are we living as though our Lord is risen and living within our hearts? Are we sharing the message that “He lives” with others? We are not to linger near the tomb, but we are to take the good news that it is empty and that Jesus lives into the entire world. The message of the resurrectioncalls us to action! (b) A Command to Deliver - “go quickly, and tell …” The word “quickly” means “without delay”! These women were commanded to go with a sense of urgency spreading the good news that Jesus Christ was risen from the dead! Why so? Because everyday people are dying, people are being deceived and being despondent. The message of the tomb is still the message for this hour, “Come, see … go quickly and tell.” 4. So that we could see his things: I shared a few years ago that in Biblical times if a master was eating and excused himself from the table the servants would be confused as to whether he was done. If they folded their napkin and placed it on the table they were coming back, if they just threw it down unfolded they were finished. Jesus very signifigantly left his things folded as a sign that He wasn’t just gone, he was coming back for us. The empty tomb was the time of first belief. It is from here that the news spread that the prophecy of the resurrection had indeed occurred. This was a real event, that all that was foretold was being fulfilled. The news could not be contained. 5. To also remind us that Man didn't put Jesus there. Jesus went to the cross by His own decision, and the government out its stamp on the bolder and God had to remind us that His power is far superior to man's power. I think we need that reminder today because there is something keeping each of us back, and we need to remember that God is bigger than whatever it is.I watch Social media and I see the fear that so many are expressing over our country and where it is at. I see people getting more and more political, we are not Americans anymore we are left wing or right wing, we are liberals or conservatives. We are afraid of this candidate or that. Listen to me closely, God is in control. That stone was rolled away to remind us of that and it may be more relevant to us today as Americans than it has ever been. That bolder took 5 guys and a machine to move, an Angel of the Lord moved it all alone. That bolder had the stamp of the government on there as if to say, we the Roman Empire have the final say and the ultimate power. God moved that bolder to remind us HE IS IN CONTROL! Have you experienced the good news from that empty tomb 2,000 years ago? Is Jesus your Savior today? Are you ready to meet him? Does the risen Lord live in your heart? You can be saved today! If He is calling you to come to Him, you need to come to Him today. I shared with you last Christmas that YOU are the reason for the season, Jesus was God’s plan for you, not for himself. Well, today I am telling you that you are the reason the stone was rolled away. It was about you and your faith. The rolling away of the stone is the beginning of our faith.

God is ....... what it's all about (Sunday March 13 notes for those who couldn't hear me lol)

I hear people say it all the time. When I share how I started taking off Fridays to be off with Brae during the day they say man, that’s what it’s all about. When we took a victory photo last week with the whole family there they say man, that’s what it’s all about. I hired a new softball coach, she is awesome, she actually played softball all of her life until in college she found out she had an enlarged heart. She shared with our team about how she realized how valuable softball had become to her, and how she missed it and would give anything to play again. The girls were speechless and then she said while I would give anything to play again, I am here to coach because I love the game. My assistant coach said, man that’s what it’s all about. Peyton Manning retired this past week and shared an 11 minute speech. You knew it would be well prepared because he was the king of football preparation. He shared how he realized later in his career what it is all about. I can go on for hours with moments where I have heard people say that little sentence. But today I want to tell you my God is statement is God is what it is all about. A couple decades ago, Pastor Rick Warren wrote The Purpose Driven Life, which went viral and global. I read it and taught a study on it to a small group many years ago.And this best-selling book starts with a single line that polarizes and leaves no room for negotiation on a single point… It’s not about you. I’ve grown the deepest in seasons when God uses circumstances to remind me of this simple fact. Life isn’t about my happiness, health, or wealth. It’s about God’s good pleasure and glory. Romans 11:33 Oh the depth of the riches of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out. In other words: Everything comes from him; Everything happens through him; Everything ends up in him. You can believe this or not. You’re free to disagree. But this much is true: Life doesn’t make sense until you realize it’s all for God. God, in his goodness, is good to us. Why? Because it brings him both pleasure and glory. And when we, as feeble creatures, feast our hearts upon his goodness and grace, he is glorified and exalted in the earth. Life is not about being happy, but when we relate rightly to our Creator, happiness often results. And when I find my joy in my relationship with Him, everything else starts to make sense. Everything comes from Him- I think we sometimes struggle with this one more than we should. Hey I won, or I did really good at something. Think about all of what comes from God and how much credit we take for it. Oh you are naturally good at it? That makes it really easy to give God the credit. But wait, you aren’t naturally good at it, you aren’t all that gifted but you are still good at it because of your work ethic? Where do you think the work ethic came from? God put you in the family you are in, in the circumstances you are in, to be who you are. Paul even makes fun of this in Philippians when he talks about how they are bragging about where they are from and what their blood line is, and so on. He reminds them that they had absolutely nothing to do with that at all. Everything happens through Him- So many times I have prepared myself, I have seen myself as perfectly ready for whatever may come my way and then boom! Some kind of surprise some sort of eye opening experience that I never prepared for. How about Philippians 3:1-6 Paul is making fun of people who brag about their lineage, their heritage or their family line. He makes fun of them because they are bragging as if they are better in reality they are giving God all of the credit. We have absolutely no say in where we are born, who we are born to, God controls all of that. Everything ends up in Him- So here is how it works, we can give all of the credit to Him to begin with, we can make it all about Him, or we can make it about us and then in the end realize we missed out on so much of life because we made it about us when we could have been glorifying Him. All the glory goes to Him- If it were about me, I’d expect God to fix all of my circumstances. But it’s about him, and he’s more interested in growing my character. If it were about me, it would be unfair to have to wait for gratification. But it’s about him, so his timing is what matters, and he is set on developing patience in me. If it were about me, I would need to worry about making sure everyone around me likes me. But it’s about him, so his approval is all that matters. If it were about me, I’d go nuts trying to do all the things I think are important. But it’s about him, so his simple agenda – his perfect will, is all I’m responsible for. At the end of the day, the most important thing you can realize about life is that it isn’t about you. It’s about the One who made you to love you, to make you his, and to make you holy. Why is this so important for us to grasp? Because of Psalm 78:1-8 Every one of us on this earth today, every person here today in worship. Until we not only fully accept that it is about God, but also exemplify it to the next generation there will be no changes in this world. We tell people to come to church, we tell people to turn their faith and their trust to God, we tell people to accept the free gift of salvation. But we continue to talk about sports and hobbies and finances, those aren’t all bad but our kids figure out what is important by our actions. The next generation will see what we make life all about and they will look at one another and say, that is what it’s all about and I pray and hope they say that God is what it is all about. Alexa and PJ often talk me into going on long bike rides at the beach. It mostly goes something like this, we unload the bikes and head closer to the water, PJ tears out wide open and Alexa takes off not far behind. They both keep a pace that would make Lance Armstrong jealous, and their dad well I seem to keep up just enough speed to be able to see them what seems like miles ahead down the beach. One day we were riding and I was way behind and struggling, it was really windy and ofcourse we were riding against the wind. PJ and Alexa struggled less because they don't stop the wind as well as their father does. Well, several miles into the ride I see PJ turn around and then Alexa and start heading back towards me and back to the truck. Well, as PJ passes she says "Hey it's a good thing the wind shifted so that you can keep up better fat boy." Well, she was young and her statement was partially correct. It was a VERY good thing that we were going with the wind now and I would be able to keep up a little better. The wind did not shift, we changed our direction. Basically, in life we have two major options. Acknowledge that life is about our creator or find out later after we pedaled against the wind all of our lives that it wasn't about us. I don't know about you but I despise not having the opportunity to thank people when needed. I want to thank GOd each day and give him the glory now so that I don't wake up years from now and realize I missed the opportunity by making things about me.

God is FOR US (Sunday march 6 2016)

Get a marker board and write down things that are negatives that can happen. Things that can be viewed as negatives. Doing this series on God is, I asked a series of questions and placed them on the back table. Here is some of my research findings: Who is God? Maker Heavenly Father Our God Creator Our Father Father of all Jesus Creator of life I am Creator of the universe Creator of all things Someone who cares for you King of Kings The Supreme Being Outside of Church: Creator of everything The founder of religion Supreme being* Maker of the universe A myth A farce created by man for them to find hope in life. Where is God(IN church) Everywhere In our hearts With all of us Anywhere you are willing to see Him In my heart In heaven Everywhere forever Large enough to be everywhere, small enough to be in our hearts Where is God(outside of church)\ IN heaven IN the air we breathe Everywhere all at once In your imagination, anything is possible with a great imagination What does God think of us?(In church) He loves us unconditionally We are a work in progress He loves us We are his children We are sinners He loves us no matter what He loves us and wants to have relationship with us He thinks we are worthless, we make Him angry We are His blessings We are sinners in need of second chances He thinks we are perfect in our own way His brothers and sisters That we can do better, but his love never falters Outside of church: He thinks we should do better He thinks we are sinners He has probably given up on us by now He deserves better He thinks we are idiots for believing this stuff Romans 8:28 says all things work together for the good so you know what, he doesn’t have a big huge board like this one where he rights out good and bad in two separate categories, therefore it all goes into one category. Good but only for them who love the Lord. Sometimes God’s truth leaves us almost speechless. Romans 8:28-30 left Paul almost speechless. All things work for your good – God sees to it, This leaves Paul almost speechless. Almost. He says, "What then shall we say to these things?" I hear two things in those words for Paul and for us. I hear, "It is hard to find words for these great things." And I hear, "We must find words for these great things." I think when Paul says, "What then shall we say to these things?" his answer is: We must say it again another way. We must find different words and say it again. That’s what he does with the words, "If God is for us, who is against us?" That’s what he has been saying all along. But he must say it another way and so must we. If you have shared the gospel with a child or a parent or a friend many times, you must say it again, say it another way. We must write another email, send another message, text another text, make another phone call, teach another lesson, put up another plaque, write another poem, sing another song, speak another bedside sentence about the glory of God and His Son Jesus. "What then shall we say to these things?" We will say them another way, over and over again till we die, and then to all eternity. They will never cease to be worthy of another way of speaking the glory. God Is For Us O how precious are those two words, "for us." There are no more fearful words in the universe than the words, "God is against us. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). God is entirely for us, and never against us. None of our sicknesses is a judgment from a condemning judge. None of our broken cars or failed appliances is a punishment from God. None of our marital strife is a sign of his wrath. None of our lost jobs is a penalty for sin. None of our wayward children is a crack of the whip of God’s retribution. If we are in Christ. No. God is for us, not against, in and through all things – all ease and all pain. Who Is Against Us? Which means, to say it still another way, "Who is against us?" We are still in verse 31: "If God is for us, who is against us?" The answer Paul expects when he asks that question is, "No one can be against us." To which we are prone to say, "Really?" What does that mean? Verse 35 says that there will be tribulation and distress and persecution and sword. Verse 36 says that Christians are being killed all day long, they are counted like sheep to be slaughtered. Paul said that. So what does he mean, "Who can be against us?" I think he means no one can be successfully against us. The devil and sinful men can make you sick, can steal your car, can sow seeds of strife in your marriage, can take away your job, and rob you of all of your money. But verse 28 says, God works all those things together for your good if you love him. And if they finally work for your good, the designs of the adversary are thwarted and his aim to be against you is turned into a Christ-exalting, soul-sanctifying, faith-deepening benefit. If God is for you, he does not spare you these things. But he designs good where the adversary designs evil (Genesis 50:20; 45:7). The things that are against you he designs to be for you. No one can be successfully against you. I have played sports and coaches sports and I can tell you there is one thing you never, ever, ever do. That is guarantee victory. You can’t do it I’ts never a good idea. Yet Paul tells us in these verses, nothing can work against you because all things work together for the good of those of us who love the Lord.