The Resurrection and Our Great Salvation

 

This is the manuscript of the twelfth and final sermon in the series "Responding to the Living Word".  

Hebrews 7:25 NIV Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Our great salvation is made possible and certain by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The single most crucial piece of the gospel is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Many people have performed good deeds, and many people have even died doing those deeds.

But Jesus Christ is the only one in history to live a perfect life and then brutally die for his undeserving enemies. After Jesus’ resurrection, he ascended back to Heaven (where he pre-existed for eternity past) so that he may forevermore offer a way of salvation for all people that believe in him.

Listen to an audio recording of the sermon by clicking on the YouTube link at the end of the manuscript.

You can watch a video recording of the entire service on the Christ Church YouTube Channel. https://youtu.be/srzn2DiBclE

Scripture Reading: 

Hebrews 7:23‭-‬28 NIV Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.

Text: 

Hebrews 7:25 NIV Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Introduction

Last week we celebrated Jesus' resurrection and the fact that He is alive.  The words of our text today declare again that Jesus Christ is alive.  The NLT paraphrases the content of this verse as 

Hebrews 7:25 NLT Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.

We meet today at Christ Church dedicated to worship because of our faith that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, conquering death, sin, and the grave. Christianity is the one faith that claims a living founder.  Not one who founded something and then died, like Mohammad, or Confucius. 

Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem and died on a cross outside the walls of Jerusalem. Jesus Christ conquered death and the grave and ascended back to the Father. 

By his Spirit he is present everywhere in the hearts of those who trust him and love him. Christianity is good news about the Son of God, who came, lived, died, and conquered death, and continues to live.

Revelation 1:17‭-‬18 NIV When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Our great salvation is made possible and certain by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The single most crucial piece of the gospel is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

Many people have performed good deeds, and many people have even died doing those deeds.  But Jesus Christ is the only one in history to live a perfect life and then brutally die for his undeserving enemies. 

The Apostle Paul explains in

Romans 5:7‭-‬8 NIV Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

But the gospel does not stop there. Jesus was then buried (temporarily) in what was supposed to be a permanent tomb, and then he powerfully defeated death, hell, and the grave and rose again.

After Jesus’ resurrection, he ascended back to the Father so that he may forever offer a way of salvation for all people that believe in him.

Look at our text again 

Hebrews 7:25 NIV Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Dr. Robert G. Lee (that's "G" not "E"), who I quoted before in a sermon I preached a couple of years ago,, said "if Christ is not raised, the church has no message for the world; the Christian has nothing to believe; Christian witnesses are telling falsehoods about God; our individual faith is an empty, lifeless shell; and tragedy of tragedies, we are still in our sins."

Paul declared that our salvation is based on our belief in the fact that Christ died for our sins, that he was buried, and that he was raised from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures.

1 Corinthians 15:3‭-‬8 NIV For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

The resurrection is a fact.  It’s not a myth, it's not conjecture, an opinion or conclusion formed on the basis of incomplete information.  It is a fact proven by eyewitnesses. 

Paul later wrote later in that same chapter;

1 Corinthians 15:20 NIV But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Christianity is based on the fact that, as I just read, Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead as the firstfruits from among the dead.

The concept of firstfruits comes from the Old Testament. At harvest times, Israel was instructed to offer the firstfruits of their crops to the Lord.  We have talked about this in our Bible study in the book of Leviticus. 

Leviticus 23:10‭ NIV “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. 

These firstfruits were simply the first portion of their much larger harvest. They would withhold that first portion and reserve it for God. The same is true with Jesus. He rose from the dead, but that resurrection was just the beginning. When He returns, all who “belong to him” will also be raised from the dead.

 

Let's go back to verse 20 but this time keep reading traverse 23

 

1 Corinthians 15:20‭-‬23 NIV But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.

Jesus' resurrection is not a myth, it is not fiction. He was seen by many people, giving indisputable proof of his living presence.

I.   The resurrection proved that Jesus of Nazareth was God’s Son.

During his life and ministry, Jesus revealed that He was a unique person, not only by the marvelous words that He spoke but also by the miraculous works that came from his hands. No one had ever talked about life and God Iike He did.  

His disciples came to believe that he was more than just a man and more than just a prophet. Peter spoke for them in his remarkable confession of faith in which he expressed his belief that Jesus was the Son of God.

Matthew 16:13‭-‬16 NIV When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

It was the resurrection of Jesus Christ that dramatically declared Jesus to be the unique Son of God.

II.    The resurrection of Christ declares the crucifixion to be a revelation of divine love for sinners rather than just a horrible execution.

For the apostles the death of Jesus was a personal catastrophe, a public disgrace, and a political disappointment. For God the Father it  was the revealing of his love and his redeeming power to save sinners from the consequences of their sins. 

Romans 5:6‭-‬8 NIV You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Had there been no resurrection, the death of Jesus Christ would never have been understood as a revelation of the great love of God for sinners.

The death of Jesus Christ for sin was a once-for-all substitutionary sacrifice that covers our sin debts.

1 Peter 3:18 NIV For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.

III.     The resurrection gives us an intercessor in the presence of God.

An intercessor is someone who intervenes on behalf of someone else.  

Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, has entered into the Most Holy Place with his own sacrificial death as an atonement for our sins.  

Hebrews 10:8‭-‬10 NIV First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

John, in his first epistle, wrote to encourage believers not to live a life of sin. 

1 John 2:1‭-‬2 NIV My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

All of us need the ministry of this divine Advocate.  Jesus is in heaven intervening for us.   

IV.    The resurrection gave to us the believers not just a living Lord the resurrection also gave us a companion.

A.    Jesus began his ministry by saying, “Follow me.” 

Matthew 4:18‭-‬20 NIV As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.

He continues to extend that invitation to follow Him.

John 12:23‭-‬26 NIV Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

B.    This living Lord walked and talked with his disciples. Jesus instructed his disciples that they were to teach new disciples to obey his commandments and to follow his example. Jesus Christ, the living Lord, continues this same ministry and enables us as we seek to help others.

He taught His disciples and showed them how they could become makers of new disciples. He continues to lead us in helping others to become disciples.

Matthew 28:16‭-‬20 NIV Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Conclusion

Yes, Jesus Christ is alive.  Jesus himself described the effect of his own resurrection in 

John 14:19 NIV Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.

Like the words from the song  "Because He Lives" say:

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow Because He lives, all fear is gone" Because I know He holds the future And life is worth the living just because He lives.

Let's pray 

Lord, how can we ever thank You enough? You endured more pain, more shame, more sorrow, more grief than we can possibly fathom. Help us remember why You gave Your life. Because of love. Because of mercy. Because we desperately need them both.

Almighty Lord, thank you for the empty tomb and Jesus' victory over the grave.  Just as Jesus' death pardoned my sin, his resurrection assures my future. Thank you for your grace and glory. Thank you for your constant intercession. May my life today be lived by the power of resurrection.  

In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Sermon Audio

The Darkness Gave Way

 

This is the manuscript of the eleventh sermon in the series "Responding to the Living Word".  

John 20:1 NIV 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.

Easter is the only holiday we celebrate at the break of dawn. Why do we do this? Because it was at the break of dawn, on a brand-new day, when his followers heard the news that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead—and it changed everything.

Why is Easter so important? Because it proved that Jesus Christ was telling the truth. Jesus made some outrageous claims. He claimed to be the Son of God and the only way to heaven.

John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (NIV).

Listen to an audio recording of the sermon by clicking on the YouTube link at the end of the manuscript.

You can watch a video recording of the entire service on the Christ Church YouTube Channel. https://youtu.be/64xTQ-hlwR0

Scripture Reading:

John 20:1‭-‬18 NIV 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 came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, 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 from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying. Now 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. He asked her, “Woman, 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 ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending 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.

Text: 

John 20:1 NIV 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.

Introduction

 Easter is a holiday we celebrate at the break of dawn. 

Why do we do this?

Because it was at the break of dawn, on a brand-new day, when his followers heard the news that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead—and it changed everything.

Why is Easter so important? 

Because it proved that Jesus Christ was telling the truth. Jesus made some outrageous claims. He claimed to be the Son of God and the only way to heaven. 

In  John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (NIV).

Many people throughout history have claimed to be God. But the difference with Jesus is that he was the only one who proved to be God. 

Jesus said, “I’m going to prove it. ” I’m going to die for the sins of the world, and three days later I’m going to raise myself back to life.” And that’s exactly what he did.

The resurrection of Jesus is the most important event of all time. It split history into A.D. and B.C. Now every time you write a date, you are using Jesus Christ as the reference point. Even your own birthday—the day, the month, and the year—is dated from the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

And it all happened on the dawn of a new day. Luke 1:78 from the God's Word paraphrase says, “A new day will dawn on us from above because our God is loving and merciful” (GW).

On the evening of November 9, 1965, fifteen minutes and eleven seconds past 5:00pm, the lights went out all over the northeastern United States. There was a power failure in the electric lines north of Niagara Falls. The break-down occurred when the megawatts exceeded the 375 allowable megawatts in that power grid. A small metal cup inside a black rectangular box began to revolve until it switched off the line and threw the current onto the four auxiliary lines. The switches in those lines tripped out under the unexpected load of the extra electric current. In just 2.7 seconds all the electricity surging toward Toronto, Canada, and the far Northeast had been routed back across Niagara Falls south and east to New York City.

 

Thirty million people were affected that night, some for as few as three minutes, many for as long as thirteen hours. Eight hundred thousand people were trapped in the subways of New York, reporting later that they were in a darkness so deep they thought they were buried. Two hundred and fifty flights had to be diverted from John F. Kennedy Airport to other landing places. The street traffic jammed up because the traffic lights didn’t work.  In a moment the streetlights all flickered out and it looked like darkness covered the face of the earth!

On the first Easter morning, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb while it was still dark. Just two days before, the earth had quaked and trembled. Fissures had opened in the ground. The skies had turned dark, and at midday there was no light—only darkness.

Matthew 27:45‭-‬53 NIV From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

I.   All you have to do for darkness to come is remove the light.

Mary Magdalene knew about darkness. She had been there with her Lord through Friday’s darkness. Patiently, agonizingly, she had stood with the other women and his mother at the cross watching him die.

Matthew 27:55‭-‬56 NIV Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

As he died, they felt, as well as saw, the darkness descends around them. 

Now, two days later, sometime between 3:00 and 6:00 in the morning, she made her way to the tomb in the garden. No one was out at that hour. 

Mary had known other darkness in her life. She came from the small town of Magdala, a town known for its licentiousness and wickedness, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. 

In Luke 8 the gospel writer recalls how Jesus hs cast seven demons out of Mary. 

Luke 8:1‭-‬3 NIV After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

Jesus had cast out the demons and brought light to Mary’s darkness. From the darkness of demonic possession Jesus had reached out to bring Mary back to the center of life, back to the light, and now she had come to share for a while the darkness of his burial place. But when she got to the tomb, the stone was moved. She looked into the gloomy darkness and slowly realized that Jesus was not there.

II.    The light removed the darkness in Mary.

Mary didn’t know what had happened. She didn’t expect a resurrection; she just knew that Jesus’ body was not there. The most logical explanation, for her, was that someone had stolen his body, to do who knows what.  So Mary ran and told Peter that someone had taken away her Lord.

John 20:2‭ NIV 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!” 

Peter came toward the tomb, walking first; then with increasing excitement he began to run. His friend John ran with him. John got there first, only to stop outside. Peter, as was his nature, knew no such discretion or timidity and immediately rushed into the darkness of the tomb. 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 from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

John 20:3‭-‬10 NIV 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 came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, 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 from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

They saw He wasn’t there but it’s obvious that still they had no thought of the resurrection because they went home.  

Peter and John left but not Mary. Mary would not leave. She stayed behind, weeping.

John 20:11‭-‬15 NIV Now 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. He asked her, “Woman, 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.”

It may surprise you that Mary mistook Jesus for a gardener. There are two reasons, perhaps. The Scriptures say the angels were there when she came back to the tomb and looked in. 

Now the angels were clothed in white. The Greek word means white, not like a linen cloth, but glistening, shining, and dazzling. In addition to the radiance of the light, Mary was in tears. Dazzled by the light, along with the tears, she saw Jesus but thought He was the gardener.

Love and sadness, generosity and courage were all covered in that statement, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

Some had been afraid to stand with Jesus as he died, but not Mary.

Do you know how Mary realized who Jesus was? Not by sight, or by the sound of his voice. It was when He said her name “Mary,”. Then she knew who he was. 

John 20:16 NIV Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

Mary had seen Him die.  She had seen Him placed in the tomb.

Matthew 27:57‭-‬61 NIV As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

Now Jesus was alive, out of those clothes that had wrapped our Him came the resurrected Christ, the Son of the living God, the Savior of the world, the Light for our darkness, Jesus the Savior. 

All he had to do was call her name, and she knew he was Jesus. The darkness left her spirit in the presence of Jesus just as darkness leaves the earth when the sun rises. 

John uses the theme of light and darkness all the way through his gospel. 

John 1:5‭, NIV The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 

‬9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

It was dark when Mary approached the tomb, but the darkness did not have the last word that day. 

Jesus had warned about darkness earlier in his ministry, 

John 12:35 NIV Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going.

We talked about that last week.  

It is not enough to just consider the cross, not enough to just meditate on the cross, not enough to just believe in the historical reality of the death of Christ. Jesus calls you to another response and that is to walk in HIs light.

The darkness is pervasive just as evil is pervasive. Darkness will swallow us up if the light does not shine.

John 3:19 NIV This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

Jesus told the people that he was “the light of the world; 

John 8:12 NIV When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

He also said that if you believed in Him you would not stay in darkness.

John 12:44‭-‬46 NIV Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

Mary sure knew about believing. Jesus had given her another chance at life. She believed, and the darkness of demonic possession had to flee from her.

 

III.     There's a question we need to ask ourselves today..  Where is the darkness in your life?

Has the darkness started to creep into your life?  Have you stubbornly resisted the grace of God, seeking peace at your own pace and joy at your own price, have you come to the place where you are afraid the darkness is finally going to conquer you?

Think of it this way. Suppose that one day the earth was suddenly to break out of its orbit, no longer to revolve around the sun, but were to fly farther and farther away into the cold mist of space like spaceship Earth run amok. Men and women would wait for the coming of spring, but it would never come. We would wait for the birds’ return and the buds to come to the trees, but spring never comes, only deeper and deeper into winter.   Meanwhile we would be saying to one another, “Surely spring is coming.” But still nothing happened as we travelled faster and faster into the darkness of space. No spring, no summer, only the deathly coldness as the earth spins farther and farther away, until at last we acknowledge that we were doomed. 

Many people feel darkness like that. For some it is a loss of hope that life can ever be any different from what it is now. They say “Tell me how my life can change. I’ve tried everything, but nothing works!” 

For others it is the sense of darkness as they look at the nation. The faces change, but the broken promises continue. The moral courage required to stand against evil is sadly lacking. 

Others suffer from loneliness in the midst of a busy world. 

But the most serious of all is the darkness suffered by those who leave God out of their lives. Jesus is the true Light; all other light is temporary and reflected light. There is no substitute for the light of Jesus, the Light of the World! 

John 8:12 NIV When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

To ignore God and his Son Jesus Christ is to run to darkness.

 

Conclusion

God calls us to light. 

John 8:12 NIV When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

Invite the light of God in Jesus Christ to eliminate your darkness, because in him there is no darkness at all. In him the darkness gives way because He is risen! He is risen! Hallelujah!

Now I want to talk to those of you that continue to walk in darkness, trying to find the solution to your darkness, trying to find any kind of light.  I have been trying to tell you that Jesus already told you that He is the light. That light you have been trying to find and turn on through your own efforts.   

John 8:12 NIV When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

1 John 4:15 NIV says If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.

Notice that that scripture says "anyone" which means anyone and everyone who acknowledges Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior has access to God the Father. 

The Gospel is simple: Adam sinned. Mankind was born into sin. Jesus Christ, God in the Flesh, lived a sinless life and died for the sins of the world. Mankind was reconciled back to God through the shed Blood of Jesus Christ.

When Jesus Christ died on the cross, He died for the “anyone”. He died for anyone who believes in Him — He died for the sins of the whole world. Christ died for you. 

When Jesus Christ was crucified, His flesh was ripped and torn just for you. He was the atonement for our sin. He was the full, satisfactory payment for the sins of the world. His Blood completely paid for our sin. 

Nothing else could serve as a substitute. No one else, except Jesus Christ, could serve as a satisfactory payment for sin. No other god, no other idol, no other lamb, no other bull, no other ram, no other goat, no other sacrifice would satisfy the payment for sin. 

Jesus Christ reconciled man back to God through His shed Blood. The payment was paid in full. The Blood of Jesus Christ completely covers and washes away our sin, guilt and shame. 

Simply confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior with your mouth.

Romans 10:9‭-‬10 NIV If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

Let His Blood cover you. Let His Blood wash you. Turn to Him. Simply surrender your heart to Him.

If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior simply pray this prayer: 

Father God, in the Name of Jesus, I thank You for Your Son Jesus Christ. I thank You that Jesus Christ died for my sin. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Father, I repent of my sin and accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Lord, I surrender to You. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Closing Prayer 

Dear Lord Jesus Christ, by Your radiant and magnificent resurrection, You broke the bonds of death and rose from the grave as a conqueror. You reconciled Heaven and earth. Our life had no hope of eternal happiness before You redeemed us. Your resurrection has washed away our sins, restored our innocence, and brought us joy. How great is the tenderness of Your love!

 “The Lord  bless you and keep you; The Lord  make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’

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