Resurrection Sunday (Easter) morning pierces the darkness with the supernatural love of God, who has made a way for each one of us to live forever with Him!
1 Corinthians 15:1-9 (NLT)
1 Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. 2 It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place. 3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. 5 He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. 6 After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him. 9 For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.
Easter Sunday is about the Good News!
1. Paul says it’s the
The Good News is … Jesus!
Scripture speaks and sings of refreshing and fulfilling life …
Acts 3:19 (NLT)
“Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. 20 Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord.”
Unfortunately, the enemy wants to keep you distracted, so you never discover a REAL relationship with God!
John 10:10 (NLT)
“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”
The resurrection of Jesus says to us all: “Death couldn’t hold Him; the devil couldn’t defeat Him, and the mighty power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ can deliver all from death, hell and the grave, if we but believe unto Jesus!” ~ Dr. Steven Lennertz
Easter Sunday is about the Good News!
2. The Bible defines the
The Bible is God’s book!
It’s essential to realize and embrace the importance of the Bible.
It’s accurate.
It’s reliable.
It’s without error.
2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV)
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Psalm 119:105 (NLT)
“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”
Hebrews 4:12 (NLT)
“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”
James 1:22 (NLT)
“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”
Romans 10:17 (ESV)
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”
Point … The resurrection is the reason the Church does what it does! Without the Resurrection, there would be no church!!!
John 11:25 (NLT)
Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.
Point … The church’s mission is the same as Jesus’s, which is to tell people about salvation through Him.
We make a KINGDOM INVESTMENT every time someone comes to faith in Christ due to our influence!
Ephesians 1:7 (NKJV)
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.
Easter Sunday is about the Good News!
3. Countless people have perished because of their belief in the
Countless people in history gave their hearts to Christ, lived for Him, and even died for Him.
The Disciples and Apostles of Jesus in the first century put their faith in Christ at the risk of their lives.
• Matthew was killed in Ethiopia.
• Mark was dragged through the streets until he was dead.
• Peter, Simeon, Andrew, and Philip were crucified.
• James was beheaded.
• Bartholomew was flayed alive.
• Thomas was pierced with lances.
• James, the less, was thrown from the temple and stoned to death.
• Jude was shot to death with arrows.
• Paul was beheaded.
Acts 4:12 (CEV)
“Only Jesus has the power to save! His name is the only one in all the world that can save anyone.
Romans 10:17 ESV
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”
4. Here is how to start living in the
The good news of Resurrection Sunday is that “Jesus has made forgiveness of sins available!”
Romans 10:9-10 (NLT)
“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.”
1 John 1:9 (NKJV)
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”