Do you believe this?

Do you believe this?

Luke 24:1-12

It was early Sunday morning… The first day of the week,… it had been an awful, terrible “weekend” – In the past week so much had happened.

Wasn’t it just a week ago that Jesus came riding triumphantly into Jerusalem? The people were praising him so loud that the religious people were nervous… in the past week…

Monday, Jesus cursed the fig tree and cleansed the temple.

Tuesday, the fig tree is withered… Jesus answers every question with such wisdom that it leaves the Pharisees speechless.

Thursday – the celebration of the Passover feast, the washing of the feet and the institution of the Lord’s supper, Jesus prays…

Thursday was a long day… after all the great things…
Betrayal with a kiss.
Arrest
Desertion
Trial(s)
Peter denies him…
Judas kills himself
Dragged before Pilate
Sent to Herod
Back to Pilate
Mocked by soldiers
Beatings, whippings
Led to Golgotha
DEATH – darkness, earthquake, torn veil, dead people raised and walking all around the city.
Burial

Guards set

That brings us to today…. You wake up and it’s like the old song… 3 cups of coffee and I still can’t clear my head of what went down…
If you have ever lost a loved one, un-expectantly, you know how they might have felt –
Except that not only was this a loved one but all of their hopes, trust and faith had been placed on him.
He was supposed to be the Messiah and now He was dead?
Let your imagination take you into their shoes – disappointment, fear, shock, grief, anger…

All your hopes, dreams and expectations have been shattered!

The death of Jesus paid the price for all of our sins! All the sins of man-kind were placed upon Him as he hung on the Cross.

We must – die to ourselves, “take up our cross and follow Him.

Galatians 2:20 (NKJV) 20I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

We must identify with His death to receive eternal Life.
Romans 6:6-7
6We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. 7For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.

But-

We have resurrection power living within us! We cannot stop with the crucifixion of Christ –

We MUST live in the power of the Resurrection!

Romans 6:5 - 11 (NLT) 5Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. 6We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. 7For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. 8And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. 9We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. 10When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. 11So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.




Romans 8:11 (NLT) 11The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

1 Corinthians 6:14 (NKJV) 14And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.

Colossians 3:1 - 3 (NKJV) 1If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

John 11:25 - 26 (NKJV) 25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

When we apply the Death and resurrection of Christ to our lives, when we become “born again”, when we are converted, when we enter into a deep love relationship with Him…

Just believing in God does not do it.
Going to this Church or any other Church does not do it.
Being a good person does not do it.
Giving money does not do it.
Buddha, Mohammad or confusicous, new age stuff, wicca, and every other “religion” will get you the same thing – eternity in hell – separated from God. ACCORDING TO JESUS!
He is the one who said that No man comes to Father but by Him,

Peter said - Acts 4:12 (NLT) 12There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

I know that many of you have heard this time and time again. If you have and you already know Christ as your personal Lord and Savior – PRAY for those that may not yet know Him.

To wrap this up I have 2 questions – depending on where you are in Him.

1) If you know Him – are you living a resurrection life? Are you living in and by the power of the Holy Spirit, the same power that raise Christ Jesus from the dead? Do you understand that the Kingdom of God is within you, that wherever you are the Kingdom is?
2) If you don’t really know Him, if you know about Him, if you are not sure that if you died today you would be with Him in paradise, my question for you today is, Can I introduce you to My Savior, My Lord, My Best Friend, My Creator, My King? It is so simple, yet so profound. It’s not what you can do but what He has already done. He doesn’t care where you’ve been or what you’ve been doing. He changes you from the inside out. Let me ask you like Jesus asked Martha, Do you believe this?
She replied -

John 11:27 (NLT) 27“Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.”

What will you do with Jesus?

One of the 7 realities of “Experiencing God” is the crisis of belief which is always followed by major adjustments -