What difference does it make? Sermon Review

What difference does it make? Isn't that a now famous quote from Hillary Clinton concerning the Bengahzi scandal? Well for some reason our Pastor used that as his topic line in his sermon yesterday, he did not mention Hillary though so I have no idea if he is even aware of it. Anyway I took sermon notes and I would like to share them with you here. It was a study in the book of Acts.

Here are the notes I took in church:
Easter is the foundation of our faith.
God pours out His grace on our lives, we are unworthy.

What Now?
What difference does Jesus make in our lives? 
Jesus life, death and resurrection - what difference does it make in our lives?

Ascension of Jesus
Luke 24:51 -  And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.
The Ascension of Jesus is a picture of Jesus taking His place of authority and power on the throne.
Ephesians 1:20-21  Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come

Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth.
Matthew 28:18 -  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth

So what difference does it make?

The Holy Spirit is mentioned a lot in the book of Acts. Believers were filled and guided by the Holy Spirit.
Acts 1:4-5 

 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.

For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

Now that God has given the Holy Spirit - what difference does this make? What does it look like to live in the Spirit?

How do we receive the Holy Spirit?
If you are a follower of Jesus, you have the Holy Spirit indwelling you. 
We can not earn the Holy Spirit -  it is a gift from our Heavenly Father.
Acts 2:38-39 

 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

You will receive - this is a promise of God - God is always faithful to His promises.
Then why do we not experience it that much?
- we misunderstand the Holy Spirit's role in our lives.
- the Holy Spirit comforts us and makes us aware of God's presence but there is more.
-we receive the Holy Spirit for the purpose to make us like Jesus. We have been created in the image of God, we are to represent God in this world.
We do not experience more of the Holy Spirit's power in our lives because we resist the Holy Spirit and we are not living for Jesus but we are living for ourselves!
What does the Holy Spirit want to do in our lives?
We have a mission to accomplish. There is a reason why we are here. We exist to reach the world!
Matthew 28:18-20

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Mark 16:15
 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Jesus sends us out - we are to witness for Him!
Every gospel ends with Jesus sending us out!
Image bearers reflect God's image to the world!

Acts 1:8
 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

How do we do this?
Show love and compassion.
How we live is our greatest testimony  but we must witness in word as well,
help others,
show grace,
pray for people,

This isn't easy, we must not look for approval from other people, we are called to lay down our lives for others!

PRAY
- we cannot save anyone, God saves through Jesus Christ
- we are tools that God uses,
- pray for people who don't know Jesus,
-keep praying,
- pray for opportunities to share your faith,
- pray for boldness to witness

The Resurrection of Christ - Matthew Series

Our church has been studying the book of Matthew and now we come to Matthew 28:1-15. I will post the text verses followed by the notes I took during the church service. Pastor Ben was our speaker.

Matthew 28:1-15 ( from biblegateway.com )

 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. 9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”11 Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. 12 When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

Now to the notes I took:

The Resurrection of Jesus - What does this mean for us today? What relevance does it have for our lives?

If there was no resurrection, the message of the cross would be meaningless. We would still be stuck in our sins.

BUT Jesus is alive, He has been raised from the dead.

We can experience His presence in our lives today!

Jesus says that He is with us always to the end of the age.

 Matthew 28:20  and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

The Christian life being in relationship with Jesus - inviting Jesus to be present in our lives, we experience Him, He loves us and we love Him.

He is always there for me.

Who in our Bible passage got to experience this relationship with Jesus?

Mary and the other Mary did.

The guards do not - they saw the empty tomb but they did not experience the presence of Jesus. The guards are not open to see what God is doing.

It is by the grace of God that we can experience this with Jesus - 

Ephesians 2:8-9  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,  not of works, lest anyone should boast.

The Lord Jesus is alive. He is present with us!

He is our LORD - we honor Him when we use the title - LORD Jesus.

Revelation 19:16  - And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:

KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS.

The resurrection confirms this - there is no other Saviour or Lord, our LORD Jesus is the only One.

Romans 10:9 -  that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Surrender to the LORD Jesus.

Jesus is LORD, there is no other!

Easter Sunday - Sunday Sermon Review

Easter Sunday Service - Sunday Sermon Review ( from my home church I attend regularly )

Matthew 28: 1-6  says In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

Our speaker today was our youth Pastor - Pastor Kellin

Here is some of what Pastor Kellin said:

We have been mourning as Jesus was crucified and buried. Our Good Friday Service ended with the words " Jesus died ".
But today we celebrate! Jesus did not stay dead ( just as He predicted ).

He is Risen - He is Risen Indeed!!

The Power of the Resurrections brings hope in our present circumstance and hope for the future!

We celebrate with family gatherings, spending time with family and with food in fellowship.

The story of Easter is familiar - it seems to become ordinary when in fact there was nothing ordinary about it at all! It was horrific!
We now have victory and freedom.

How do we bring about healing to those around us who are suffering? There is hope because Christ rose from the dead in glorious victory!

What satan intended for evil - God is using for good!
In the midst of brokenness and pain, we have hope. We serve an awesome God!

Genesis 50:20  But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

God is working through tough situations. The cross was horrific. Nothing pleasant, nice or tidy about it. It was the greatest evil - God was hung on a tree to die but God brought redemption to us through it all.

Mary goes intending to put spices on the body of Jesus and to mourn. She is grieving the loss of her dear Savior.
 It is a fearful experience for her.
The stone has been rolled away, an angel is sitting there.

Hope is not lost - the Son of God has been raised from the dead!
It is an anticipation of things to come.
Hope has returned!

Do not be afraid. Jesus says - Do not be afraid.
Mary's sorrow now turns to excitement - she becomes giddy with excitement!

Jesus is alive just as He predicted!

What is our hope?
Jesus came in human flesh. He knew what is was like to be us. He knows what it is to hurt. He walks with us.
John 10:10 says The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Satan does not come to bring happiness... Satan comes to bring pain and brokenness.

Jesus gives life to the full! We know He walks with us.
John 16:33 says These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Life will not always be as we want it to be or as it should be but Jesus went to the grave. He rose and conquered sin and death.

Pain leaves a scar. A scar reminds you of the hurt and the suffering you have endured. Scars act as reminders and now the pain and suffering we endured helps us to stand stronger.

Take heart - Jesus has overcome the world.
He is inviting us to partner with Him to bring good into the world.

Bring good into this world!

Christ is alive in us. He is with us. God is walking with us!

Jesus resurrection changed everything.
We can live with Him in paradise.
The battle is won!!

Christ is Risen!! Resurrection Day! - Easter Week in Pictures ( Series )

Sunday - Christ Arose!!!

Christ Arose!!
( picture from 3d-pictures.feedio.net )

Christ Arose - The tomb is empty!
( picture from holytrinity.blogspot.com )

And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.
 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.
But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.
And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.
 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.
And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept.
 And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.
After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country.
 And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.
 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.
 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

They Rested on the Sabbath - Easter Week in Pictures ( Series )

And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.

Saturday

They rested on the Sabbath Day.
( picture from truthpresure.com )

And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment

Jesus is Placed in the Tomb - Easter Week in Pictures ( Series )

Jesus body is placed in the tomb.
( picture from 123rf.com )

And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.
There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;
(Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem.
And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,
Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.
 And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead.
 And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.
 And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.
And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid.

The Hope of Resurrection!

As Christians, we believe in the resurrection. We believe that Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and rose on the third day. The Bible teaches that we also will be resurrected - all people who have died or will yet die will be resurrected. Acts 24: 15 talks about this resurrection: ¹⁵ And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.
So having this hope in us that we will surely be resurrected, what difference does it make in us today as to how we live our lives from day to day? To know that this life is not all there is, but that there surely is a life hereafter, creates a desire and determination within us to do what pleases God and to be found acceptable to Him. Verse 16 of Acts chapter 24 says : ¹⁶ And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void to offence toward God, and toward men.
So we Paul says here that he makes sure (and so should we) that he lives in such a way as to have a conscience void of offence toward God and men. This would indicate that we keep short accounts with God and the people around us. This of course means repenting before God of our wrong doings, receiving forgiveness through the blood of Jesus. It is also doing right to the people around us, living by the golden rule which is found in Matthew 7:12 - ¹² Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
We are also instructed to live in peace in Romans 12:18 - ¹⁸ If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
Living in a right relationship with God and with the Lord Jesus, and working at living in right relationship with the people around us helps us to be prepared and ready to meet God whenever our appointed time comes.


An  interesting to note to add would be that both of these passages include the importance of the Law and the Prophets.
¹⁴ But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:   and in Matthew 7:12  Jesus uses that very phrase.
¹² Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.