Ward's Words | BY WARD PIMLEY

Sharing the Lord's Message of Grace

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Tag: Resurrection

  • EASTER: LIFE IN JESUS’ NAME

    A Christian Message

    By WARD PIMLEY

    Pastor, Journalist, Author

    HAPPY EASTER! 

    OUR SAVIOR IS RISEN! The Lord Is Risen, Indeed!

    EASTER: The Heart of the Christian Faith

    • Easter is not a one-day event. It is the foundation or cornerstone of Christianity.
    • Along with Pentecost, Easter explains why and how Christianity exists.
    • Easter defines us.
    • Without Easter:
      • No Christianity – Jesus would just be a teacher
      • No forgiveness of sin
      • No eternal life
      • No lasting joy
      • We would die in our sins – our faith would be useless.

    KEY POINT: Easter is more than just a date. It forms our identity in Christ. As such, Easter should be celebrated every day.

    CALL TO WORSHIP | PRAYER

    ON THE FIRST DAY of the week, very early in the morning, the women came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were puzzling over this, suddenly two men in radiant apparel stood beside them.

    As the women bowed their faces to the ground in terror, the two men asked them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you while He was still in Galilee: The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’”

    Then they remembered His words.  [Luke 24:1-8 BSB]

    ABBA FATHER,

    our Lord and Savior and Creator of the Universe and of all living things, thank You for the gift of Jesus Christ.

    Thank You for sending Your Son to live a perfect life as a man, a human being, so He could be the perfect sacrifice for our sins.

    • Thank You for His willingness to die on the Cross for us, to bear the punishment we deserve.
    • Thank You for raising Him from the dead that He would be the first fruits of our own resurrection from the dead.
    • Thank You that His rising from the dead defeats both sin and death forever.

    As You foretold in the Garden of Eden, Satan would bruise the Messiah’s heel (that would be His crucifixion), but the Messiah would bruise Satan’s head (He would rise victorious).

    Lord, let Easter fill our hearts with joy yet again this morning as His closest followers celebrated His return to life 2,000 years ago.

    Give us, O Lord, ears to hear and hearts to believe the wonderful message of salvation, the message of forgiveness, and the message of reconciliation that His life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension back to Heaven provide for us.

    Lord, be praised, be magnified, be worshipped.

    In the Messiah’s Name,

    AMEN

    MESSAGE

    I. EASTER – “A Year-Long Celebration”

     “The LORD shall reign forever and ever.” Exodus 15:18 NASB20

    • Jesus’ resurrection is not just a story—it is the offer of real, eternal life.
    • Salvation (life) is God’s gift of grace. We have the free will to accept it or reject it.
    • Belief in Christ brings transformation in our lives, making Easter much more than just an annual event.
    • It is — and should be — a way of life.

    BIG QUESTION: Is Easter a way of life for you?

    • Easter means life to the Christian.
    • To non-believers, it is nothing more than an occasion to dress up, go to church to fulfill an obligation rather than worship, head out to a big beautiful brunch, and watch the children scour the house to find colored hard-boiled eggs and chocolate bunnies.
    • For Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed.  1 Corinthians 5:7b CSB
    • By His power God raised the Lord from the dead, and He will raise us also.  1 Corinthians 6:14 BSB
    • For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18 ESV

    CHALLENGE: Are we living with Easter in our hearts, or is Easter just an introduction to Spring?

    II. EASTER – “The First Easter Morning”

     “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!” Luke 24:5-6a NIV

    • Women came to anoint Jesus, expecting a body, not a miracle.
    • The women trusted they would have access to His body, even though they faced an imposing obstacle. In Mark 16:3, they asked among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone for us?”
    • They saw the angels, shining brightly, and were afraid, but the angels told them not to be afraid.
    • Then the angels declared: He is risen! The Lord is risen! Jesus has defeated death! His early followers could not comprehend this fully because the moment was too big!
    • Who could imagine Jesus, their teacher, rising from the grave, rising from death, even though He told them multiple times He would do so and showed them over a three-year period that He could heal the blind, the deaf, the lame, the demon-possessed; that He could walk on water, still the storm, multiply the fish and loaves and do it a second time, that He had the power on earth to forgive sins and to declare that He was the Lord of the Sabbath. He repeatedly said that those who have ears should hear what He was saying and those who had eyes should observe what He was doing. 
    • Our Lord did everything but smack His followers over the head with a two-by-four, and still they were slow to believe.
    • That moment of joy and discovery should still be ours today.
    • Can you feel the excitement of knowing that Jesus lives!

    CHALLENGE: Are we living as if Jesus is still in the tomb—or do we celebrate that He is risen and that He has defeated death?

    III. EASTER – “The Modern Disconnect”

    “Now the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons. … For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.” 1 Timothy 4:1,4 CSB

    “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.” 2 Timothy 4:3 ESV

    • Many today do not truly know Jesus—some only know of Him. They give no thought to Him, either to accept or to reject, as though He does not exist.
    • Some have turned away from church due to hurt or perceived hypocrisy.
    • Cultural distractions have replaced spiritual devotion.

    Examples of Cultural Easter:

    • Colored eggs, chocolate bunnies, sleeping in, playing golf, family gatherings, big meals, fancy clothes, and celebrating spring’s arrival.
    • All these can be fun, and there is nothing wrong with any one of them—except *maybe* sleeping in or playing golf—but they miss the point of Easter.
    • Some traipse off to church to please Grandma. You can tell it in their eyes. They are spiritually dead.

    CHALLENGE: Do our lives reflect a belief in the risen Lord, or do we reflect the lifeless lives of those living without the risen Lord? Are our eyes alive or are they dead? Do we reflect misery or do we reflect joy? God’s grace is sufficient for the day.

    IV. EASTER – “Cultural Christianity vs. True Faith”

    “Now if Christ is being preached as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is futile and your faith is empty. Also, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified against God that he raised Christ from the dead, when, in reality, he did not raise him, if indeed the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is useless; you are still in your sins. Furthermore, those who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished. For if only in this life we have hope in Christ, we should be pitied more than anyone.” 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 NET

    • Many *attend* church only on Christmas and Easter. They do not worship; they attend. They are the CEO Christians.
    • Church becomes a seasonal habit—not a lifelong relationship. Often, these people take comfort in religious ritual, not an authentic personal relationship with the Risen Lord. Ritual ≠ Relationship. When someone “does” church for you, you are not worshipping the risen Lord; you are just watching a show.
    • This “cultural Christianity” is not the real gospel but a religion without resurrection. A set of moral imperatives. We all know we should not kill anyone. All “religions” teach that, just as do secular policies.
    • Many religions – not all – teach similar moral verities; let us remember that God created us in His image, breathed life into us, and gave us a yearning for the eternal. We have a conscience because God breathed it into us. We know right from wrong, even when we do wrong.

    CHALLENGE: Do we reduce Easter to an annual ritual—or do we respond to it as a compelling reality.

    V. EASTER – “For Believers: Our Defining Truth”

    • Christmas celebrates Jesus’ birth—but Easter gives His birth its meaning. 
    • Jesus came to take away the penalties of sin and death, but He could not do that as a Babe in the manger. To do that, He had to live a perfect life, then allow Himself to be sacrificed on the cross, and then be raised from the death. That’s where Easter comes in.
    • Without the resurrection, the manger has no power, the cross has no power, and the tomb has no power. The resurrection is what gives Christ the victory. 
    • Easter gives Christmas its power and glory. Pentecost, which comes next, is God’s gift of the Holy Spirit. Easter and Pentecost are the crux of the Christian faith. Latin for “cross.” Transfer into English: the noun entered English from Latin via learned use (scholarly, theological, legal texts) in the 17th century, carrying both literal (“cross”) and figurative senses. The figurative sense produced derivatives and idioms: crux of the matter (central difficulty), crux (pivotal point).
    • The gift of the Holy Spirit — who guides us, teaches us, convicts us, blesses us — is given to us as a down payment on eternal life.
    • Pentecost points us to Easter. Easter gives Christmas its power.

    Personal Testimony Idea

    • “Without Jesus, life is meaningless.” That is a true statement for believing Christians. Is it a true statement for you?
    • Easter says there is so much more to life! Easter changes the equation. Easter gives us the promise of life!
    • If you are discouraged, then reflect on what Easter means for your soul. For your future. For your eternity!

    EASTER. IS. LIFE!

    VI. EASTER – A Call 

    • Without Easter, life is random, purposeless, and hollow.
    • With Easter, life has design, hope, direction, and destiny.
    • Those are not just pastor words during church service; those are life-defining words that should shape our existence, our lives.
    • If there is a Creator behind all this, don’t we owe it to ourselves to know Him? To know who He is and what He wants for our lives?
    • Isn’t life more than random sequence of accidental occurrences? 
    • Is it not obvious to each of us that life is the creation of a Super Intelligent Designer? Numerous scientists studying the world around us — both the vast universe and the invisible nano-sphere — recognize Intelligent Design. The non-believers among them might not believe the Intelligent Designer is a personal God who cares about His creation because that entails a moral dimension and a claim on their lives.
    • Fortunately for all of us, that Super Intelligent Designer is not an evil genius, and we are His toys. No, He is a loving and grace-filled God who meant our lives to be more than a flame of light, quickly snuffed out and cast aside.
    • There is purpose to our lives. Easter points us to that purpose = to glorify God.

    BIG QUESTION: Is Easter just another holiday, or just another Sunday—for you — or is it (as it should be) the defining moment of your life?

    HYMNS OF PRAISE & THANKSGIVING

    • CHRIST, OUR LORD, IS RISEN TODAY
    • GOD OF GRACE, GOD OF GLORY

    VII. FINAL WORDS: “Let Easter Linger”

    SUMMARY STATEMENTS

    • Do not pack away Easter with the decorations.
    • Let Easter shape how you live, love, hope, and worship.
    • Jesus’ resurrection is not just an event in the past—it is for you and in you today, if you will let that Spirt in. 
    • That decision is yours. God has given you the choice. Your eternal destiny — with or without God — rests on your answer.

    If you have any doubt that you are Heaven-bound, that the Lord has your name written in His Book of Life, then we can change that right now. We should not leave this room, or finish reading this message, without 100 percent certainty that the Lord has claimed us as His own. 

    While the Bible says God loves everyone, the Bible also says only those who have repented of their sin and believe on His name will be called His children; only they will enter God’s glory. God wants everyone of us to be where He is, but only those who are reborn will see the Kingdom of Heaven.

    PRAYER BENEDICTION

    Just repeat these words to yourself, or use your own words, and pray to the Lord with your heart:

    LORD, I admit I am a sinner and need Your grace. I believe Jesus is Your Son, and that He died on the cross for my sins. I turn from those sins, Lord, and turn from my worldly ways. I ask You, Lord, to forgive me as I call on Your name. Come into my heart, Lord, and be my Savior, and from this moment on, be my Lord. Thank You, Lord Jesus. Amen.

    There are three things we just prayed for and should pray for every day:

    1. Admit we are sinners
    2. Admit our need for a savior
    3. Submit our lives to God.

    FINAL CHALLENGE

    1. Live every day in the power of the empty tomb. Do not leave Jesus in the manger (Christmas) or on the cross (Good Friday) or in the tomb (Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath). 
    2. Instead, live every day as Easter Sunday, believing in your hearts and proclaiming with your tongues that Christ Is Risen and sits with the Father in Glory. 

    OUR MISSION

    • When God raised His Son from the dead, He showed the world what Easter means to Him. 
    • When we enter our mission field, let us show the world what Easter means to us.

    THE LORD bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.

    Both now and forever more. AMEN

    Go in peace, Church. God bless you.