The Daily Messages of
Holy Week:
On Sunday, Jesus Rose From The Grave!
Easter!
Sermon Notes
April 8, 2007
Rev. Jim O’Neal, Senior Pastor
(480) 895-8766
Matthew 28:1-10 NRSV
1After the Sabbath, as the
first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to
see the tomb. 2And suddenly
there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven,
came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4For fear of him the guards shook
and became like dead men. 5But
the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for
Jesus who was crucified. 6He
is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place
where he lay. 7Then go
quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed
he is going ahead of you to
A. Introduction
1. Betty Hutton
a. In
1980 actress Betty Hutton joined the cast of the Broadway production of the
musical ANNIE in
b. Under
Betty Hutton’s picture there appeared only five words, which she had
written. And when Betty finally appeared
on stage as Miss Hannigan, the theater burst into
joyful applause. No one minded that the
play was held up for several minutes as she stood in the spotlight, eyes
glistening with tears. What were the
five words Betty Hutton had written?
These: “I’m back. THANKS
TO GOD!”
2. Bible witness
a.
On Friday Jesus was crucified, dead, and buried. But the third day came, the stone was rolled
away from the tomb by an angel, the risen Lord walked out, and Jesus Christ
announced to the world, “I’m back,
THANKS TO GOD!”
b. Jesus
had come back to life! He suddenly
appeared, stood before the disciples, and said, “Peace be
with you.” The disciples were afraid, so Jesus
spoke again, “Why are you troubled? Why do you doubt what you see? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me.
You can see that I have a living body; a ghost does not have a body like
this.” (See: Luke 24:36-39 ICB) Jesus was truly alive! This is the glorious message of Easter! And the Resurrection of Jesus tells us three
wonderful things: There is life after
death! There is life here and now! It is through Jesus that we find life!
B. There is life after death!
1. Guru
a. A
college professor took a leave of absence.
His wife had died and he was searching for the truth. In
b. For centuries people wondered if there
was life beyond this life. Wise
religious leaders had been speculating and writing about this for a long
time. However, no one really knew till
Jesus was raised from the dead.
2. Bible witness
a.
That is the Bible witness.
The women who went to the tomb encountered the Risen and Glorified Jesus
Christ! That is what they testified to
Matthew.
b. Many
others would make the same statement.
Paul would write: “He was raised from the dead on the third day, as the
Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter
and then by the twelve apostles. After
that, he was seen by more than five hundred of his followers at one time, most
of whom are still alive, though some have died by now. Then he was seen by James and later by all
the apostles. Last of all, I saw him,
too!” (I Corinthians 15:4-8 NLT)
C. There is life here and now!
1. Main Entrance Here!
a. A
man owned a small grocery and variety store on the outskirts of a town. For quite awhile it was the only place to
shop and he did quite well. Then some
new homes were built and this was good at first. However, shortly thereafter the land on
either side of him was sold. Soon after
this up went two huge stores. A large supermarket
was built up against his store on one side and a big discount store on the
other. The small store was hardly
visible because it was stuck between these two giants. Business went way down and people thought he
would give up and quit. Instead he went
out and purchased a huge sign and had it placed right over the top of his
store. It read: “Main Entrance Here!” And he did just fine!
b.
That’s the Easter attitude toward life. With the Risen Jesus all things are
possible. We can live with confidence in
the here and now!
2. Bible witness
a.
That is what Jesus and the words of the Bible promise: Jesus said, “I came
that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10 RSV)
God is good and the Father in Heaven will bless us in this earthly life.
b. Because
of the Resurrection we trust Paul’s words:
“I can do all things through Him who
strengthens me.” (Philippians
4:13 NRSV) In the here and now, through
Jesus we can live joyful, effective and victorious lives!
D. It is through Jesus that we find life!
1. Self-Centered to Christ-Centered Businessman
a. Today
if you met Bill Cook, you’d find him a successful Christian businessman. You’d, also, and more importantly find him to
be a devoted husband and father. He is a
man who is a real blessing to his family.
However, it was not always so.
Ten years ago, Bill was a promising young executive. But power and money became his gods. He would do anything to close a deal, and
promote himself in the company. In his
quest for power he used people, cheated clients, neglected his children and
wife, even cheated once on his wife, and took uppers to keep going strong. One day his “house of cards” came crashing
in. His wife and children left him. As they journeyed to get away, they were in a
bad automobile accident. His family was
shaken up, bruised, and had some minor cuts, but miraculously they were not
seriously hurt.
b. That’s
when it all came crashing in on Bill.
They were leaving him, but in that car accident he could have easily
lost them then and there. And because they
still might leave him, he could truly still lose them. He cried out, “Oh, what have I done with my
life?” For the first time Bill saw his
life and himself for what he had become.
He was filled with a sense of guilt and felt just awful. He pondered, “Where can I find relief? Where can I find forgiveness for my
sins? How can I ever be at peace with
myself?” Bill tried his therapist,
meditation books, and even a new age priest.
They all failed to help him.
c. Then
Bill went to a Church one evening. For
some reason he felt a compulsion to sit in a Church Sanctuary. The only person Bill found there was the
janitor, who was cleaning the Fellowship Hall.
The kindly custodian let Bill into the sanctuary. Bill kneeled at the altar and picked up a
Bible. He flipped it open and read: “The blood of Jesus
his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (I John 1:7 RSV) Then Bill understood: Only Jesus could meet his needs. Only Jesus could remove the burden of his
guilt. Only Jesus could make him whole. Only Jesus can give meaning to life. He IS the answer.
d. Bill
began to live by the principles of Jesus.
He apologized to those he had hurt and did his best to make amends. He began to spend quality time with his
family. He became reconciled with his
wife and today they are even more in love than ever. And he has a great relationship with his
children. He, also, got involved in
Church and a community charity. And he even
discovered that he could do quite well as an honest Christian businessman. In following Jesus Bill Cook found the
meaningful, joy filled, abundant life.
In Jesus, Bill truly found life, and so can you!
2. Bible witness
a.
That is what Jesus and the words of the Bible tell us: John states:
“Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and
that by believing in him you will have life.” (John 20:31 NLT) John knew that it was in and through Jesus
that we find life.
b.
Jesus Himself tells us: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life!” (John
14:6 RSV) It is through Jesus that we
humans find meaning and purpose. It is
through Jesus that we receive the gift of eternal life in Heaven and abundant
life on earth! Truly, the gifts that
matter come to us through Jesus, God’s Son.
E. Conclusion: Recap
1. There is life after death!
2. There is life here and now!
3. It is through Jesus that we find life!
Matthew 28:1-10 NRSV
1After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was
dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2And suddenly there was a great
earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled
back the stone and sat on it. 3His
appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white
as snow. 4For fear of him the
guards shook and became like dead men. 5But
the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for
Jesus who was crucified. 6He
is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place
where he lay. 7Then go
quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed
he is going ahead of you to
The Daily Messages of
Holy Week
On Sunday,
Jesus
Rose From
The Grave!
1. There is
life after death!
2. There is
life here and now!
3. It is through
Jesus that we find life!