Hell’s Most Horrible Hypothesis

This is the manuscript of the sermon delivered at Christ Church on Easter Sunday April 4, 2021.

One of Paul’s greatest strategies was to anticipate the argument of his opponent and then answer it. A hypothesis is defined as a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation.

Here Paul presented the most horrible hypothesis that hell could ever manufacture in order to set the scene for an examination of the consequences.  Here’s the hypothesis from hell “Jesus did not rise from the grave, there was no resurrection”  

Scripture Reading:

1 Corinthians 15:10‭-‬20 NIV But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.  But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.  But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Text

I Corinthians 15:14 NKJV And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 

Introduction

One of Paul’s greatest strategies was to anticipate the argument of his opponent and then answer it. 

To the Romans he wrote, 

Romans 6:1‭-‬2 NIV What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? His answer, By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

To the Galatians he wrote, 

Galatians 3:21 NIV Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Here was his answer, Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law.

Writing to the Corinthians, Paul anticipated an argument that, had it been valid, would have destroyed the foundation of the Christian faith. 

1 Corinthians 15:12 NIV But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

Corinth was a very cosmopolitan and sophisticated city and some in that sophisticated city were saying there was no such thing as a resurrection from the dead. 

This was also one of the major differences between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Pharisees held tenaciously to the supernatural and believed and accepted the fact of a resurrection. The Sadducees, on the other hand, much like the Greeks, had “thrown in the towel” and given up any hope for a resurrection and a life to come.

You can really see that differences come into play when Paul was confronted and arrested on one of his trips back to Jerusalem.   He used that difference of opinions to his advantage with the Romans. 

The entire incident is in Acts chapters 21 through 23  but I want to read just a brief portion.

Acts 23:6‭-‬11 NIV Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.” When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things.)  There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. “We find nothing wrong with this man,” they said. “What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks.  The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”

With his keen logical mind, Paul saw that if there was no such thing as a resurrection of the dead, then the glorious news that Christ is alive must be labeled as false and untrustworthy. What would that do to the Christian faith? 

A hypothesis is defined as a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation.

Here Paul presented the most horrible hypothesis that hell could ever manufacture in order to set the scene for an examination of the consequences.  

Here’s the hypothesis from hell “Jesus did not rise from the grave, there was no resurrection”  

I. Now, if that hypothesis is true, that  Christ is not risen, then our personal faith and witnessing is meaningless.

Think for a moment of the great preachers who have lived through the centuries. If Christ had not risen then these great men and women were fools, duped by their own egos, wasting their lives. Billy Graham’s crusades were not only a waste of time and money, but a spreading of false doctrine. These terrible things are true unless the historical fact of the resurrection is true.

Every effort that we have made to win the lost to Christ has been only foolishness and vanity unless Christ arose from the dead. If Christ did not rise from the grave we have received no true forgiveness because the price for our redemption has not been paid, because the resurrection of Christ was the one event by which God placed his approval on the sacrifice for atonement. Our loved ones who have gone on before are not with the Lord but have gone out into some dark and empty nothingness, if  Christ is not risen as it says in

1 Corinthians 15:19 NIV If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

II. But wait a moment, thank God He did rise from the dead. 

Christ is risen! The grave could not contain him. The enemies of Christ could not prevent God’s acting in power. What is very interesting is that some who crucified him seem to have had more faith in his resurrection than some of his followers. 

Matthew 27:62‭-‬64 NIV The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”

Very interesting that they would say this right? Why did they say it? Perhaps not so much that they feared the disciples, but they were afraid Jesus was actually telling the truth and had power to perform his words!

John 2:18‭-‬21 NIV The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”  Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”  They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body.

Matthew 12:39‭-‬40 NIV He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Yes He did arise! 

Two scholars who were devout skeptics were determined to destroy Christianity by research. One chose the conversion of Paul and the other the resurrection of Jesus. After months of honest study and investigation, each one of them confessed he had become a Christian. The one who investigated the resurrection of Jesus said, “All the evidence vindicates the claim. No doubt about it, Jesus arose.”

The purpose of my message today is not to prove the resurrection but to proclaim it. Others have already proved it Read their works, study the evidence, but then remember one thing: you cannot be saved by believing with just your head. You must accept the truth with your heart, which means full commitment to the resurrected Christ.

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.

III. Do you have that “burning heart” that believes?

Luke recorded the conversation between Jesus and two disciples on the Emmaus road. That entire encounter is recorded in Luke 24:13-32.   

At first they did not recognize Jesus, but later, after he had revealed himself to them and then disappeared here’s what they said;

Luke 24:32 NIV They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

When the resurrection is accepted by faith, a power comes into our lives that is possible no other way. It is this “burning heart” that sends evangelists into the streets, missionaries into very dangerous situations.  This burning heart is what compels people to risk their lives to worship Jesus in certain countries.  It’s this burning heart that inspires men and women  to “count all things but loss” for service in God’s kingdom. 

Here's what Paul said;

Philippians 3:7‭-‬9 NIV But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

Christianity is founded on the resurrection of Christ. Unless he arose, we have no motive in executing the Great Commission which he commanded His followers to do;

Matthew 28:18‭-‬20 NIV 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.”

Yes, Jesus did arise! The evidence is irrefutable. 

Conclusion

The hypothesis that Jesus did not arise is not true! The satanic forces have done their best to persuade the world, but the evidence is irrefutable. 

Earth’s blackest day, Calvary, and earth’s brightest day, the resurrection, were just three days apart. Jesus went for a short time into the realm of death that he might come back forever as Lord of life.

This was no accident! God acted in history! Death took hold of the manhood of Jesus and killed him. God took hold of death, and death died! 

Here's the message of Easter: Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead. And the resurrection of Jesus was the death of death. The resurrection of Jesus says that we can live beyond the grave.

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

And here’s what we know: our resurrection bodies that God will give to us will be similar to the resurrection body of Jesus.

When Christ rose, He still bore in his hands the marks of the crucifixion. He still ate food. He still was flesh and blood. At the same time, He did things He hadn’t done previously, like enter a room without using the door.

John 20:26‭-‬27 NIV A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”  Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

1 John 3:2 NIV Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

And this is the best news of all: If you have loved ones who died in faith, you will see them again. Your loved ones who have gone to Heaven are not just a part of your past; they’re also a part of your future.

Death died when Christ rose.

There’s a poem by M. Ethel Anderson that I want to read to you.

Seek ye the Lord?

Search not the cold and empty tomb;

He is not linked with night and gloom;

He is not bound by death and strife:

His name is Light and Love and Life!

He lives; Is risen; Go find ye then

The Living Lord—in the hearts of men!

Hell’s most horrible hypothesis fails the test of experience and validity. The resurrection is true! Jesus is alive! 

The fact is that the resurrection was, initially, as unbelievable for the first disciples as it is for many today. When some disciples were told of Jesus’ resurrection, they didn't believe it.

Luke 24:9‭-‬11 NIV 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.

Yet when they witnessed his resurrection, either at the tomb like Peter

Luke 24:12 NIV 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.

or in one of the resurrection appearances of Jesus 

Luke 24:36 NIV While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

In any event their lives were transformed. 

They moved from fear to faith, from alarm to action and from despair to hope.

As a result of the resurrection you can face the future with confidence:

Christ’s work didn’t end at the resurrection. Instead, he gave us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit continues to remind us how much he loves us, and the sacrifice he made for us. So this year, celebrate Resurrection Day a grateful heart, and remember the love Christ has for you.

Thank you, Lord, for the resurrection of Jesus. Thank you that I can face the future with hope and confidence because you are alive and with me.

Lord, thank you that through Jesus’ death and resurrection I can know that I am forgiven. Thank you that I live in the age of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for how the events of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit have transformed my life and transformed this world. May the eyes of the whole world be opened to see these remarkable events with awe and amazement.

Sermon Audio

Jesus Did It For You - Good Friday Meditation

Isaiah 53:5 (ESV) ⁵  But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

The term Black Friday originated in the financial markets of the United States when two speculators were trying to manipulate the market for their own benefit. It worked. They were artificially inflating the price of a respected commodity until the government came in and stabilized the situation.

That started a tumble that took no prisoners, and people lost millions of dollars. The date was September 24, 1869, and the commodity was gold. History remembers that day of infamy as Black Friday.

But the blackest Friday wasn’t September 24, 1869. The blackest, darkest Friday of all took place in the first century. It was the day that Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of all humanity.

We call this day Good Friday, and it is good because of the potential changes that can come as a result of it—if we put our faith in the One who died there for us.

The Bible tells us, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5 NKJV).

All of our sins were transferred to Jesus, so we wouldn’t have to bear them. And why did He do that? Because He loves us.

Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV)¹  Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,²  looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (emphasis mine)

What was the joy awaiting him?

You were that joy.!

I was that joy!

We were the reason that He went to the cross of Calvary. Jesus paid a debt He did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay.

When Death Brings Life

This is the manuscript of the sermon delivered at Christ Church on Palm Sunday March 28, 2021.

If I am lifted up above the earth, I will make everyone want to come to me.” Jesus was talking about the way he would be put to death. (John 12:32‭-‬33 CEV)

A kernel of wheat is a small husk covering a small piece of grain. A scientist could tell you everything that is inside that tiny kernel of wheat. But when you and I look at the grain, you cannot see what's inside!

What do we do with a grain of wheat, or any seed? We put it in the ground, and it dies, it disintegrates. But that is not the end of it! Something else happens. We wait and a tiny blade appears, then the stalk, the head, and finally the full head of grain.

There was there was no saving power in Jesus' earthly ministry until He died.

To hear an audio recording of the sermon click the YouTube link at the end of the manuscript.

To see a video of the entire service click this link https://youtu.be/LPeRYa9Khl8

Sermon Scripture

John 12:20‭-‬36 CEV Some Greeks had gone to Jerusalem to worship during Passover. Philip from Bethsaida in Galilee was there too. So they went to him and said, “Sir, we would like to meet Jesus.” Philip told Andrew. Then the two of them went to Jesus and told him.  Jesus said: The time has come for the Son of Man to be given his glory.  I tell you for certain that a grain of wheat that falls on the ground will never be more than one grain unless it dies. But if it dies, it will produce lots of wheat. If you love your life, you will lose it. If you give it up in this world, you will be given eternal life. If you serve me, you must go with me. My servants will be with me wherever I am. If you serve me, my Father will honor you.  Now I am deeply troubled, and I don't know what to say. But I must not ask my Father to keep me from this time of suffering. In fact, I came into the world to suffer. So Father, bring glory to yourself. A voice from heaven then said, “I have already brought glory to myself, and I will do it again!” When the crowd heard the voice, some of them thought it was thunder. Others thought an angel had spoken to Jesus.  Then Jesus told the crowd, “That voice spoke to help you, not me. This world's people are now being judged, and the ruler of this world is already being thrown out! If I am lifted up above the earth, I will make everyone want to come to me.” Jesus was talking about the way he would be put to death.   The crowd said to Jesus, “The Scriptures teach that the Messiah will live forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”  Jesus answered, “The light will be with you for only a little longer. Walk in the light while you can. Then you won't be caught walking blindly in the dark. Have faith in the light while it is with you, and you will be children of the light.” After Jesus had said these things, he left and went into hiding.

Text:

John 12:32‭-‬33 CEV If I am lifted up above the earth, I will make everyone want to come to me.” Jesus was talking about the way he would be put to death.

Introduction

 

We come today to the last week of Jesus’ earthly life.  Yes he did rise from the grave and walked the earth as a man but His body after His Resurrection was a glorified body.

 

The event we just read about in John 12:20-36. occurred the day after He rode triumphantly into Jerusalem on the borrowed donkey so the excitement about Jesus’ presence in Jerusalem was still running high.  In the scripture that Jean read is the description of that triumphant entry which we remember on Palm Sunday. 

 

The day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem was the first day of the 

Passover celebration which was the feast celebrating the release of the Hebrews from Egypt when the death angel killed the first born of the Egyptians and passed over the homes of the Hebrews that had put the blood of a lamb around their doors.    

The Sadducees had a tradition in which they believed the Messiah would show up four days before Passover. They kept the gates of the Temple open so that He could walk right into His rightful place. Because of this belief and tradition, nationalistic intensity was at its peak on this particular Sunday. The Romans would have all troops activated and on alert for this day. They feared the Jews would try another revolt under some religiously crazed radical as had happened in the past. Tensions were very high on that day.

That is the very day Jesus chose to enter Jerusalem on a donkey fulfilling the prophecy of 

Zechariah 9:9 CEV Everyone in Jerusalem, celebrate and shout! Your king has won a victory, and he is coming to you. He is humble and rides on a donkey; he comes on the colt of a donkey.

They crowds had greeted him on Sunday with palm branches, a practice that had first been used when the Jews celebrated the deliverance of the temple and the city of Jerusalem from the Syrians. This was before the Romans conquered Israel and much of the known world.  Through the years the palm branch had come to be used on coins and in the temple feasts as a reminder of that great victory. So when they waved the palm branches before Jesus, it was a symbolic way of encouraging Him to conquer the Romans. They wanted Him to be a military savior. They cried, “Hosanna!” which meant “Save us now!”or “Deliver us now!” 

 

But Jesus came riding not on a warrior’s stallion, but on a donkey, to symbolize his mission as a man of peace.

 

A strange request.

 

The next day there is a strange request coming not from Jesus’ own people, the Jews, but  from a group of Greeks.  

 

John 12:20‭-‬21 CEV Some Greeks had gone to Jerusalem to worship during Passover. Philip from Bethsaida in Galilee was there too. So they went to him and said, “Sir, we would like to meet Jesus.”

 

Now these were most likely Gentile proselytes, people who were not born Jews but who had converted to Judaism and who worshiped Jehovah.  They would have come as pilgrims to worship at the temple during the Passover. 

 

We are not certain what prompted the Greeks to seek out Jesus, but it is entirely possible that they had been there when Jesus cleared the temple the day before.

 

Matthew 21:10‭-‬13 CEV When Jesus came to Jerusalem, everyone in the city was excited and asked, “Who can this be?”  The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”  Jesus went into the temple and chased out everyone who was selling or buying. He turned over the tables of the moneychangers and the benches of the ones who were selling doves. He told them, “The Scriptures say, ‘My house should be called a place of worship.’ But you have turned it into a place where robbers hide.”

 

These Greek men may have been standing in the court of the Gentiles,  the day before when, with fiery indignation, Jesus had cleared the court of money changers. Even though these Greeks were proselytes and had embraced the Jewish faith, they could not worship with the Jews.  So it is possible that they were amused, and amazed, at what Jesus did and they wanted to talk to Him and find out more about this man. 

 

​2.  Whatever the Greek's reason for seeking out Jesus, something about him drove them to find him and talk with him. 

​

So they approached one of His disciples. They sought out Philip.  Apparently Philip didn’t know how to respond, for some reason, so he went to Andrew and they both went to Jesus.

 

John 12:21‭-‬22 CEV Philip from Bethsaida in Galilee was there too. So they went to him and said, “Sir, we would like to meet Jesus.” Philip told Andrew. Then the two of them went to Jesus and told him.

 

 

3.   Jesus gives a strange response to their request to see him.

 

John 12:23 CEV Jesus said: The time has come for the Son of Man to be given his glory.

 

Philip and Andrew came to Jesus telling Him there are some Greek guys that want to talk to you and His response was “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory.”   That’s a pretty strange response.

 

Let's think about that. Jesus must have been deeply moved by this request from the Greeks. He must have seen in their coming the beginning of an innumerable number of Gentiles who would believe in him. But, before they could believe in Jesus with a true understanding of His ministry, the crucifixion and resurrection had to take place. 

 

So Jesus didn’t agree to meet with them.  Because at this time he was still Christ, The Anointed One, “in the flesh” who had come first to his own people as King of the Jews. In this role, he was not fully ready to be received by the Gentiles. 

 

Of course there had been certain Gentiles, like the Syro-Phoenician woman and the Roman centurion and others, who had believed in  Him. 

 

Mark 7:25‭-‬29 CEV A woman whose daughter had an evil spirit in her heard where Jesus was. And at once she came and knelt down at his feet. The woman was Greek and had been born in the part of Syria known as Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to force the demon out of her daughter. But Jesus said, “The children must first be fed! It isn't right to take away their food and feed it to dogs.”  The woman replied, “Lord, even puppies eat the crumbs that children drop from the table.”  Jesus answered, “That's true! You may go now. The demon has left your daughter.”

 

Matthew 8:5‭-‬10 CEV  When Jesus was going into the town of Capernaum, an army officer came up to him and said, “Lord, my servant is at home in such terrible pain that he can't even move.”  “I will go and heal him,” Jesus replied.  But the officer said, “Lord, I'm not good enough for you to come into my house. Just give the order, and my servant will get well. I have officers who give orders to me, and I have soldiers who take orders from me. I can say to one of them, ‘Go!’ and he goes. I can say to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes. I can say to my servant, ‘Do this!’ and he will do it.”  When Jesus heard this, he was so surprised that he turned and said to the crowd following him, “I tell you in all of Israel I've never found anyone with this much faith!

 

These were just two Gentiles that we know of that believed in Jesus and I’m sure that there were many more but before he turned to the Gentiles as a people, the loneliness and rejection of his own people had to happen. 

 

John 1:11 says He came into his own world, but his own nation did not welcome him.

 

He had to be first lifted up on the cross and accepted as a sacrifice for sin for all mankind and not just as “a son of David and for the Jews only.

 

​B.  With that in mind here’s what He told Andrew and Philip

 

John 12:23 CEV ... The time has come for the Son of Man to be given his glory.

 

By this He meant the time was at hand when his mission would be expanded beyond the Jews.

 

In just a few days he would die on a cross and be resurrected on the third day, providing once and for all redemption from sin for anyone who believes in Him, Jew and Gentile. 

 

Galatians 3:28‭-‬29 CEV Faith in Christ Jesus is what makes each of you equal with each other, whether you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a man or a woman. So if you belong to Christ, you are now part of Abraham's family, and you will be given what God has promised.

 

The Greeks wanted to “see” Jesus. They wanted to be introduced to Him, to understand Him, to discover his mission. But Jesus implied that they could not really “see” Him or understand his mission yet! 

 

Why was that? 

 

Jesus knew that at this point these Greeks would see him only as a miracle worker, an appealing teacher, and a potential military leader. They were unable to see him in his role as Savior of the world.

 

Jesus continued by illustrating what he meant by his statement “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” 

 

 

4. Here's the illustration: 

 

John 12:24 CEV I tell you for certain that a grain of wheat that falls on the ground will never be more than one grain unless it dies. But if it dies, it will produce lots of wheat.

 

A kernel of wheat is a small husk covering a small piece of grain. A scientist could tell you everything that is inside that tiny kernel of wheat. But when you and I look at the grain, you cannot see what's inside! 

 

What do we do with a grain of wheat, or any seed? We put it in the ground, and it dies, it disintegrates. But that is not the end of it! Something else happens. We wait and a tiny blade appears, then the stalk, the head, and finally the full head of grain.

 

​A.  Jesus’ message was that no one could truly see him until he died. 

 

The power and intended result of his life would not be released until he experienced death. Jesus’ life was perfect and sinless, but no one is saved by Jesus’ life. He performed many miracles in his earthly ministry.  He even performed miracles on the day of his triumphant entry into Jerusalem;

 

Matthew 21:14‭-‬16 CEV Blind and lame people came to Jesus in the temple, and he healed them. But the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses were angry when they saw his miracles and heard the children shouting praises to the Son of David.  The men said to Jesus, “Don't you hear what those children are saying?” “Yes, I do!” Jesus answered. “Don't you know that the Scriptures say, ‘Children and infants will sing praises’?”

 

But there was no saving power in his earthly ministry until He died.  

 

John 12:24 CEV I tell you for certain that a grain of wheat that falls on the ground will never be more than one grain unless it dies. But if it dies, it will produce lots of wheat.

 

It’s not the life of Jesus that saves you. You’re saved through his death and Resurrection. 

 

The miracles that He performed were simply a demonstration and proof of his deity. It was his death that provided salvation.  No these Greeks could not see Jesus yet, but if they waited awhile, they could see him in a way that they could never have seen him before!

 

 

B.  Jesus was saying that you can't find eternal life until first there is a death - His death on the cross. 

 

 

The grain of wheat, Jesus, would fall into the ground and die. And through that death, life would spring forth and a harvest would result.

 

​5.  So what was Jesus saying to us today? 

 

First, he was telling us that true life is released only after a death takes place. While the grain of wheat was preserved in safety and security, it was unfruitful. Jesus is saying that only by giving our lives away do we receive life.

 

Commitment to Christ means taking up your cross daily, giving up your hopes, dreams, possessions, even your very life if need be for the cause of Christ. Only if you willingly take up your cross may you be called His disciple or follower.  Jesus is telling us that greatness comes only by service and the reward is worth the price. 

 

Let's go to:

 

Luke 9:46‭-‬48 CEV Jesus' disciples were arguing about which one of them was the greatest. Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he had a child stand there beside him. Then he said to his disciples, “When you welcome even a child because of me, you welcome me. And when you welcome me, you welcome the one who sent me. Whichever one of you is the most humble is the greatest.”

 

The reward of humility and service is well worth the price you pay.

 

Conclusion

 

So this Palm Sunday remember that true life is not realized until you identify with God through Jesus Christ. Then you learn that life is found in giving yourself away so that Christ may be top priority. Hear him say to you, “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.”

 

 

Invitation

 

Jesus’ life gives you a good example to follow. And his teachings offer guidance and wisdom. But you need more than that. You need a Savior.

 

Why? The Bible says you’ve blown it. You’ve made mistakes. You’re not perfect. You don’t measure up to your own standards, much less God’s. You—just like every other human who’s ever lived—have sinned.  

 

The Bible also says justice demands punishment. If you do the crime, you do the time. If you break God’s laws, you pay God’s penalty. According to the Bible, “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23 NLT).

 

In other words, somebody has to pay for all the things you’ve done wrong in life. And this is where God said, “I’ll do it!” He stepped up to the plate. Jesus Christ—God in human form came to the earth and said, in effect, “I will pay for your sins.” 

 

His death and Resurrection opened the door for your salvation. When Jesus died on the cross, everything you’ve ever done wrong—and everything wrong you will ever do—was paid for. “Through the blood of his Son, we are set free from our sins. God forgives our failures because of his overflowing kindness” (Ephesians 1:7 GW).

 

When Jesus stretched his arms out as wide as the cross, it as like saying, “I love you this much! I love you so much it hurts. I love you so much I’ll die for you so that I won’t have to live without you.”  

 

Ephesians 3 says God’s love is so wide, long, high, and deep that humans can’t fully understand it. You needed a Savior, and Jesus loved you enough to be that for you. If you haven’t accepted his salvation yet, now is the time.

 

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing! …To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!

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.” ’

Sermon Audio