041614: Who Is It You Are Looking For?

Who Is It You Are Looking For?

I.                    Introduction

a.       Our goal this year is to see you get more rooted in Christ as we grow together

b.      One way we are doing this rooting is through sermons about questions found in the Bible.

c.       Last week we left Jesus in a tomb.  He had been sentenced, beaten, whipped, and crucified…for us, for our sins, so we could have forgiveness.  Then he was wrapped and put in a tomb, a stone rolled in front of, guards placed around it to make sure no one stole the body…but like we said last week, That was Friday…and Sunday was a comin’.

II.                 Body

a.       Read John 19:1-18 – “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.  So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”  So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb.  Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.  He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in.  Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb.  He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head.  The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen.  Finally the other disciple who had reached the tomb first, also went inside.  He saw and believed.  (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise form the dead.)  Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying.  As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.  They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”  “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”  At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.  “Woman,” he said, “why are you crying?  Who is it you are looking for?”  Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”  Jesus said to her, “Mary.”  She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).  Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father.  Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”  Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!”  And she told them that he had said these things to her.”

b.      Review

                                                             a.      Jesus lies in the sealed tomb Friday night, all day Saturday, and then something happens very early on the third day (Sunday).  The book of Matthew tells us that there was an earthquake caused by an angel who rolled back the stone, causing the guards to become like dead men.  Jesus comes back to life, takes the burial cloths off, folding it and placing it were he was placed. 

                                                            b.      This isn’t something that normally happens…yet it did.  Mary Magdelene (a follower of Jesus) goes to the tomb to finish the burial process but finds the stone rolled away and the body gone.  She reports it to the disciples, Peter and John, who run to see what has happened and see he is no longer there and come to believe the story that he has come back to life. 

                                                             c.      Mary is confused and waits there crying, still wondering where the body went, but then someone appears (she assumes it is the gardener/groundskeeper)…he asks her the question of the night.

c.       The question: Who is it that you are looking for?

                                                             a.      She was seeking the dead body of Jesus

                                                            b.      But WHAT SHE SOUGHT WASN’T AS IMPORTANT AS WHAT SHE GOT

                                                             c.      She may have been seeking a dead body but what she got was the risen Lord Jesus…something much more important and far superior to what she had been seeking.

                                                            d.      Others had been looking for Jesus to be a lot of things: A king to throw off the Roman empire, a physical healer, a provider of food, a good speaker, a miracle worker, and in this case a dead body…

                                                             e.      But WHAT THEY SOUGHT WASN’T AS IMPORTANT AS WHAT THEY GOT…a Savior

d.      The importance of the resurrection

                                                             a.      Showed his power over death…for him and for us

                                                            b.      Showed he was everything he claimed to be…God, Savior, Powerful, Able to Forgive Sins, etc…

                                                             c.      Showed we have hope, no matter how dark things may look

                                                            d.      Showed that even when it seems like nothing is happening, God is still at work

III.               Conclusion

a.       If someone were to ask you the question: Who or what is it that you are looking for?  We might find a lot of different answers, from the silly (a dollar, an easter egg, something to eat, etc…) to the series (love, forgiveness, hope, etc…).  

b.      But remember WHAT WE SEEK ISN’T AS IMPORTANT AS WHAT WE GET

c.       We might be seeking a lot of things, but we got a Savior who could bring us forgiveness and hope, a God who can do all things.  And he wants a relationship with you! 

d.      So stop running after a million things, stop running from relationship to relationship, stop seeking out high after high, stop turning to sports and popularity, stop seeking things to relieve your boredom, stop seeking, because Jesus is standing there ready to give you so much more than any of those things ever could.

Rescue #4 -- The Promise: 040313

Message: Rescue – The Promise

I.                    Introduction

a.       Act out Noah Story

II.                 Noah’s Story

a.       Read Genesis 9:8-17

b.      The rainbow was used as a sign of the promise.  It was a reminder of protection, so they would not fear.

c.       Can you imagine the fear the next time a big storm came up…Would it flood again?

d.      So even if it got dark and stormy, they would know that God would keep his promise and protect them.

III.               Jesus’ Story

a.       Read John 20:1-9

b.      The resurrection was a reminder of protection, so we don’t have to fear death, no matter how dark and stormy life gets. 

c.       Read 1^st Corinthians 15:17-20

d.      We know that God will keep his promise of heaven and forgiveness of our sins.

IV.              Death

a.       How many of you fear death?  Why?

b.      When you have Jesus as your Savior there is no reason to fear death because we know what is on the other side…heaven.  And we know that we are secure because Jesus rose from the dead, defeating sin and death.  So that empty grave, much as the rainbow did for Noah, is a reminder of a promise that Jesus’ death was enough to redeem us from sin and death and give us heaven instead of hell.

c.       Rev. 21 tells us a little bit of what that heaven will be like.  Read Revelation 21:3-4

V.                 Conclusion

a.       Because Jesus rose again we have hope, but only if we put our trust in the promise he has made.

b.      Are there any of you tonight that want to make your eternity secure by putting your faith in Jesus, allowing him to forgive your sins, and making him your God?

The Greatest Sci-Fi Novel #5: Resolution -- 032812

Tonight we continued our study of the Bible by looking at the resolution.  The resolution, also known as the Denouement is the point in which the conflict is revealed to be resolved and there is an unravelling of the knots of the plot.  In fact denouement is the combonation of two words which mean to untie a knot. 

In the beginning we had a conflict arise between God and humans, so they couldn't have a close relationship anymore, sin had tied us up with knots so that we couldn't escape, because of this we are destined to die and go to hell.  But God had a plan to untie those knots of sin, and it involved Him coming to earth and dying for us, talking our sin upon Himself, this was the climax of the book we talked about last week.  Then Jesus was buried, everyone on earth, and even Satan, thought the plan had failed, but God's plan had actually worked.  Early on that following Sunday morning Jesus rose from the grave, alive!  The resurrection of Jesu was the resolution to the conflict.  It proved that Jesus had defeated sin and death, he had untied the knot of sin that was keeping God and humanity apart.  We could have a close relationship with him again, and we oculd go to eternity with him instead of hell when we die.  Denouement means untying a knot.  Your life is in a knot if you haven't made Jesus your God.  You are tied up in your sins and have no way to escape.  But Jesus' death and resurrection has provided a way to have those sins untied and give us freedom, allw e have to do is repent and make him our God.  Are you ready for him to untie your knots?  Just ask.

I give tonight: A++
Favorite moment: Pastor Alex being all tied up during the service

He's Back!!!

Today we finished off our study of the book of Mark. We read from Mark 16:1-20. In it we find out what happend to Jesus after he died on Friday. The frist eight verses tell us the story of what Mary, Mary, and Salome find early on Sunday morning. When they approach the tomb, wondernig how they were going to get in with the stone being in front of it. But then they would it that it had already been rolled away and that there was someone inside. The man in white told them that Jesus had risen from the dead and to go and tell the disciples. Verse 8 tells u that they left trembling, bewildered, and afraid.

The next 12 verses give us a quick overview of Jesus appearing to his followers. At first the disciples wouldn't believe that he was alive.

But after seeing him they started to actaully believe he was back. Becasue of their belief they started to go and preach this good news, accompanied by signs, wherever they went.

Our application for the day was about how we should respond if we truly believe their is a resurrection. Are we really acting like one who believes that Jesus rose from the dead? If we truly believe what should our actions be like?

I give this morning: A
Favorite moment: JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD!!!

C.S.I. Jerusalem -- The Resurrection -- Luke 24:1-12 -- April 15th

Tonight we completed our C.S.I. series with the outcome of Jesus' death...Jesus' resurrection. What was the resurrection? It was when Jesus came back to life. He died on 3pm on Friday and was back alive on Sunday morning, very early. Luke 24:1-12 says:

"On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the
spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled
away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the
Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in
clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the
women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why
do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!
Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son
of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the
third day be raised again.' " Then they remembered his
words.
When they came back from the tomb, they told all these
things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna,
Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the
apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed
to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending
over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away,
wondering to himself what had happened." (NIV)

How do we know the resurrection actually happened? First of all it was predicted early on in scripture. The Bible was inspired by God, who does not lie or make mistakes. Second of all the empty tomb was witnessed by his followers. Thirdly, his disciples and others actually encountered the resurrected Jesus. And finally, the followers being willing to die for this, instead of rejecting it in order to save their lives is proof that the resurrection really did happen.

What does it matter for us? 1st Corinthians 15:4 tells us that it is so important that the rest of our faith hinges on this one issue. It proves that Jesus is God, that Jesus has power over death, that salvation from sins comes through Jesus alone, that we will be resurrected too, and that Jesus will one day return. It is a pretty big deal!

I give tonight: B+
Favorite moment of the night: Chimpanzee Riding on a Segway