Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Special Services / Easter Season 2008
Easter Sunday 2008
Message: ‘What’s so great about Easter? Text: Acts 10:34-43
Introduction: There are many things we all have in common. One … is we like to hear good news.
· When you get your test results back from the doctor, you want to hear that everything is OK.
· When a student waits for their report card, they’re hoping that they got good grades.
· Who wouldn’t like to hear some good news on the 6 o’clock news?
· Who wouldn’t want to hear at the end of January that the Eagles have won the Super Bowl?
Deep down, everyone wants to hear good news. So this morning I’m going to talk about the most wonderful news that has ever been reported.
Background: This good news begins with Peter. He was a great Christian leader, one of the original 12, an Apostle of Jesus Christ…and he was prejudice.
You see the Gentile people (anyone who wasn’t a Jewish), were not accepted as part of God’s people. And they had no rights in God’s kingdom.
Peter, and the rest of the Jews believed that Gentiles were exempt from experiencing God’s grace. Well, not very good news, especially considering that perhaps all of us in this room are Gentiles.
Transition: What’s so great about Easter is that it brings Good News to everyone…Jew and Gentile alike. Open your Bibles to Acts 10:34 (pg. 840 in the Bibles under the chair in front of you) For it’s there we’ll discover what’s so great about Easter.
I. God’s Acceptance Acts 10:34-35
Read: Acts 10:34-35
Have you ever been hungry and when you got to the table you were disappointed with what was for dinner? Perhaps you were in the mood for rib steak…but you got tube steak and you cop an attitude or turn up your nose. We have been guilty of doing that with people who are different.
How do you respond to someone who’s different than you?
· Perhaps it’s a matter of race. If you’re white, how do you feel when you walk down a street at night and a few black kids are walking towards you?
· Perhaps it’s a matter of values. What do you think when you see people who curse or have tattoos and ride motorcycles or have children out of wedlock.
· Perhaps it’s a matter of social status. Like the ex-con on probation trying to make his life better, but when you find out he was in jail…Or the man who collects cans in his shopping cart or the woman who always smells like whiskey.
How do you respond? Honestly?
We teach our children the song ‘Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight. Jesus lives the little children of the world.’ But when these little children we sing about grow up, we teach our children
· racial,
· national,
· socio-economic,
· gender,
· and generational
favoritism by how they see us live and treat others who are different.
And sad to say the church is by far the most segregated organization in America. Think about it, there are :
· White churches.
· Black churches.
· Spanish, Philipino, Portugese, Chinese language churches.
· Contemporary, traditional, blended, hip hop, classical, country and Jazz worship services.
· Churches for the ‘post modern’ the ‘Gen-Ex’ers’, the ‘Boomers’ and the ‘Busters’.
· Churches for Baptist, Methodists, Episcopals, Pentecostals, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Catholic, Reformed, Orthodox, Congregational, Mennonite, AME Zion, Calvary Chapel and Vineyard just to name a very few.
Get the point?
We often have a problem with people who are different than us…and so did the Apostle Peter…
that is, until God touched his heart. This is where we enter the text.
God had given Peter a dream and as a result of this dream Peter tells the gentile Cornelius and his family and friends:
· that God does not show partiality or favoritism among people.
· that God desires to develop a personal, intimate and loving relationship with all who will come to Him.
What’s so great about Easter? Faith in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead changes people.
· Religious people, yes,
· but also those who aren’t religious,
· those who aren’t in the majority,
· yes, even those who are different!
There’s one phrase in verses 34-43 that stands out to me ‘God does not show favoritism’. Think about that for a moment… God does not favor one type of person over another. Aren’t you glad? I am, because I never was a ‘normal’ kind of guy…I’m still not, but God accepts me all the same.
What’s so great about Easter? It’s people from
· different backgrounds,
· different histories,
· different likes and dislikes,
· different personalities
all celebrating and worshiping God together as a family, a community. Just like we’re doing here this morning. That’s pretty great!
Transition: What’s so great about Easter? God’s acceptance and God’s peace. Let’s look.
II. God’s Peace Acts 10:36
Read: Acts 10:36
Before we placed our faith in Jesus and his death on the cross for our sins, the wrong things we’ve done, were considered by God as open rebellion and we were God’s enemies.
Read: Romans 5:10 ‘For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!’
What’s so great about Easter? Faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection changes our position before God. We are no longer enemies and at war with Him…we are reconciled to God and at peace with Him
Peace with God…means having a clear conscious, the ability to put your head on the pillow at night and know for certain that if you were to die in your sleep…you would spend all eternity with him in heaven…Isn’t that great?
But let’s not miss something. Peter is not just talking about peace with God. He’s talking about peace with each other…especially with those who are different. How do I know this? Let’s read the verse again.
Read: Acts 10:36 ‘You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.’
I want you to answer this for me. What, in this verse, tells us Peter is talking about experiencing peace with people who are different than us?...Yes! this peace is ‘through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.’ Lord of all
· Peace with the obnoxious co-worker
· peace with the in-law who never really liked you
· peace with the person who rubs you the wrong way
Peace can happen when faith is placed in Jesus and Easter is celebrated as the day Jesus rose from the dead and not the day the Easter Bunny comes hopping down the bunny trail.
Transition: Easter bring’s the recognition of God’s acceptance and God’s peace. But that’s still not all.
III. God’s Power Acts 10:37-38
Read: Acts 10:37-38
Time and time again in God’s Word the Bible we see examples of people who were delivered from various kinds of bondage and torment by the power of God. Just one example:
Read: Mark 1:21-27
You see, when Jesus speaks, things happens. Demon possession isn’t as commonplace as it was in Jesus’ day…but we are often possessed by other things like;
· bitterness,
· greed,
· anger,
· distrust,
· and fear.
But because of Easter, the same power Jesus had to deliver people from demon possession, we can have today. That power is called the Holy Spirit and He can bring deliverance from whatever is possessing you and draining the life out of you.
Jesus said in John 10:10 ‘I have come that they may have life…and have it to the fullest.’
Power…God’s power to live life to the fullest. No matter what the problem, God has the power to help you overcome it. Pretty Great!
Transition: God’s acceptance, peace and power…What’s so great about Easter? God’s victory!
IV. God’s Victory Acts 10:39-43
Read: Acts 10:39-43
What’s so great about Easter? Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Know anyone else who did that?
Easter, contrary to modern society and advertising is not about the Easter bunny, chocolate and candy in baskets…although they’re sweet. No, Easter is about Almighty God raising His Son, Jesus Christ from the dead…from the dead.
· Proving that both God and Jesus are exactly who they said they were
· and can do exactly what they said they can do.
Like grant forgiveness.
What’s so great about Easter? Our victory over sin and death by the forgiveness Jesus offers. Let’s step back for a moment.
Remember the gentile Cornelius? God spoke to him because
· he was a good man
· he did good things
· and he prayed.
Cornelius was a good man, but he wasn’t good enough to earn his way into heaven. So God told him to send for Peter. What did Peter say that made a difference for all eternity in Cornelius’ life?
· All are accepted by God who shows no favoritism.
· All can have peace with God.
· All can know the power of God in their lives.
And how is this possible? It’s only possible by believing God raised Jesus from the dead AND that forgiveness of sin is only found in Jesus.
Read: Acts 10:42-43
While we might like to skip over that part we need to acknowledge it. We sin and we need forgiveness. Doing good things and praying is not enough to get us into heaven. Our sins need to be forgiven and only faith in Jesus, who rose from the dead, can grant that.
Read: Romans 6:23 ‘For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.’
Read: 1 Corinthians 15:56-57 ‘The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’
What’s so great about Easter? Victory! Victory over sin and death by forgiveness of sin and eternal life in heaven. How great is that?
Conclusion
For many people Easter is just another holiday, a three or four day weekend of fun and no work.
If that is all it is though, it really isn’t that great. There are other holidays and days off.
But this day is different and it’s difference is what makes it great!
Easter is great because
· Of God’s acceptance
· Of God’s peace
· Of God’s power
· And because of God’s victory.
This truly is a great day! On this very day, Jesus stands before you and with arms out stretched, he bids you to come.
Read: Isaiah 55:1ff ‘Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you…’
The candy will soon be gone, but Almighty God offers an everlasting covenant, a promise.
· Place your trust, your faith in Jesus
· Admit you are a sinner
· Ask for his forgiveness
And the One, True and Ever-living God promises you
· His acceptance
· His peace
· His power
· And His victory.
How great is that?