Matt. 4:18-20, 11:28-30
Upside Down Entrance: Upside Down Messiah #2 Series
The first followers of Jesus didn't believe in the resurrection as an idea, but as an event they had witnessed. Jesus' resurrection was not only the fulfillment of His promise to rise from the dead, but God's promises about the Messiah who would come to rescue humanity from sin and death and for a life of holiness with Him. How do we respond appropriately to this event? Live out our faith by making every effort we can to walk in God's promises to us, cooperating with what God has already done in and for us.
Peter, Easter #4
Peter, despite his passion for the ministry and mission of Jesus, was actively resisting that very ministry and mission. The problem was Peter’s agenda for the Messiah and Jesus’ agenda were not the same. And when our agenda is different than God’s we face the decision of resisting God or submitting to Him.
Soldiers at the Cross, Easter #3
The soldiers who crucified Jesus were just doing their job. They had no idea that morning when they woke up they would be executing the Son of God. It was just another day, another execution to them. The events surrounding Jesus’ death caused them to change from mocking Jesus as the King of the Jews to hailing Him as the Son of God. How will we respond to the event of Jesus’ death for us?
Caiaphas, Easter #2
Caiaphas viewed Jesus as a threat because he was more concerned about his position, wealth, and authority than following what God was obviously doing and saying. Caiaphas knew that following God would cost him what he had, but was unwilling to surrender ‘his’ kingdom to God’s Kingdom. Like Caiaphas, Christians can resist the God they say they trust. And do what is wrong to try to hold onto something that we will eventually lose anyway.
Judas: So close, yet so far - Easter #1
As a disciple, Judas was close to Jesus. The pattern of behavior was a spiral downward. Judas could have resisted Satan’s temptation, but he didn’t. We have choices to make. We can resist the Devil and he will flee and we can draw near to God and He will draw near to us. Application: In what ways can (do) you show love for your enemies?
Good News is Meant to be Shared
One can reason we can trust the resurrection of Jesus happened is because “nobody expected no body.” The resurrection of Jesus is such good news, how can we believe it and not be willing to share it with others.