Jesus

Jesus, the Hope of the Nations...!

1 Corinthians 15:1 - 4 (Easter Sermons 2022)

Part 1: “The Comfort of the Cross of Christ!” &

Part 2: “Rejoicing in the Resurrection of the Redeemer!”

The Comfort of the Cross of Christ (Part 1).

“Finding hope in the achievements of Christ on the Cross...”

Introductory Thoughts:

·         What a great joy and privilege to be together this morning because of one Man and what He has done for sinners like us...!

·         Easter is about remembering and celebrating and rejoicing in the Gospel, the good news of God’s great rescue mission to save sinners like us...!

·         This Gospel, this good news, is all about the life, death and resurrection of... Jesus Christ...! Jesus is the Gospel...!

·         Listen to 1 Cor 15:1-4...

·         In a day and age where there are so many distractions, challenges, conspiracies, corruption, wars, and whatever else, we must not forget what is of first importance...!

·         We need to have the mindset of the apostle Paul as he declared earlier in 1 Cor 2:2...

·         The Gospel is still the power of God for salvation and Jesus is still the Hope, the only Hope of the nations...!

·         Many people are living without hope these days... they are just existing and trying to survive another day, week, month and year, but not really knowing why...

·         But we have hope... we have the Hope... Jesus is the Hope and He is the Hope of the nations...!

·         He is the one who came to bring hope to all peoples... all nations...!

·         In Isa 49:6 we read this prophecy concerning the Servant of God, the Messiah, Jesus...

·         In Joh 12:20-21 we find that there were some Greeks who came to the disciples with this request: "We wish to see Jesus..." after which Jesus then later declares in Joh 12:32...

·         For when Jesus came to die on the cross, He didn’t just come to die for the Jews or the Nigerians or the Afrikaners or the Englishmen or the Americans...

·         In the words of 1 Joh 2:2...

·         That is why Paul then states in Rom 10:12-13 that...

·         Jesus is the One who can and will save people from all nations because of His death and His resurrection...!

·         And so, as we celebrate Good Friday today, I want to point us to The Comfort of the Cross of Christ namely "Finding hope in the achievements of Christ on the Cross..."

·         When I speak about hope in this context, I am not talking about some "wishful thinking" or even a "positive feeling" of some sorts, but I am rather speaking about having Biblical hope namely hope that is steadfast and sure and which is an anchor for our souls, no matter what storms, challenges, trials or tribulations we may experience in this life...!

·         This kind of hope is what brings comfort to our souls and it is the cross of Christ and what He achieved on the cross that then brings about this comfort and hope.

Teaching Points:

·         And so I want to highlight three achievements of the cross of Christ...

·         To do this we will not look at one particular passage today but have three key texts or main passages and some supporting passages along with them.

·         And so here is the first achievement...

·         Through the Cross of Christ, we have the hope that:

1. Condemnation is Exacted! (Joh 19:28-30)

·         When Jesus said, "It is finished", He proclaimed that He completed and fulfilled all the work the Father sent Him to accomplish and achieve, particularly His work of bearing the penalty for the sins of His people, for those who would believe in Him...

·         Jesus came and in dying on the cross, He paid in full the debt that we owed God because of our sin against God... Jesus fully and completely absorbed the wrath of God, namely God’s holy and righteous anger, over the sins of those who would believe in Him, whom the Father has given Him...!

·         Because here is the reality of what we deserve... here is the reality of our position outside of Christ... Rom 5:12; Gal 3:10

·         We are sinners who sin namely who disobey the law of God and therefore we are under the curse of God – His wrath..!

·         Because we sinned against a holy and righteous and good God, we deserve to be punished by Him for all eternity where we are removed from the goodness of God and abandoned to be all alone in our pain and agony and torment... for all eternity...!

·         You may ask and think: Well how many sins or what kind of sin must someone do to deserve that kind of curse and punishment and wrath...?

·         Well dear friend, just one... just one sin is enough to make you deserve this eternal curse... this wrath... this condemnation... Jam 2:10

·         As a matter of fact, every one of your uncountable sins deserve an eternal punishment...!

·         The mere reality that the wicked are still breathing right now is the evidence of how good and merciful, gracious and patient God is...!

·         And so here is why the cross of Christ is such a great comfort for a believer in Christ, for listen to Gal 3:13...

·         Dear believer in Christ, dear sinner who needs His mercy and grace – look to the cross and see Jesus enduring and absorbing the curse, the wrath, the condemnation that every one of your sins deserve...! What you deserve...!

·         Christ "redeemed" us from the curse – He came to pay the penalty that we deserved...!

·         And it is in this penalty that he paid we find the true agony of Jesus on the cross...

·         For listen to Mark 15:33-34...

·         For three hours Jesus drank the cup of the wrath of God until the cup was empty and there was no more wrath left for those who would believe in Him and at the end of this, he cried out a cry that no believer would ever have to cry namely – "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me...?"

·         Jesus was abandoned on the cross by the Father for He bore our sin and the curse that we deserved – eternal punishment and abandonment and now every believer in Christ will never have to bear that...!

·         For this is what Jesus himself proclaimed in Joh 3:16-18...

·         And this is the wonderful assurance and hope that Paul gives us in Rom 8:1...

·         Jesus exacted the condemnation that we deserved on the cross so that we will never have to experience it for even one moment in time...!

·         What a comfort...!

·         Secondly, through the Cross of Christ, we have the hope that:

2. Reconciliation is Effected! (Mark 15:38)

·         Listen again to Mark 15:33-38 with the focus on verse 38...

·         When Jesus died, the curtain that separated God from His people was torn in two...

·         It is as if God himself took it and torn it from top to bottom to open up the way to Him...! The way to fellowship with Him...! The way to intimacy with Him...!

·         Because previously, in our sinful state and because of our sin, we were separated from God...!

·         Isa 59:1-2 makes it very clear...

·         This is so because God is holy and He cannot dwell with sin or have no fellowship with sin... and we are sinners by nature...! (cf. 1 Joh 1:5)

·         And so we were separated from God being sinners, ungodly, wicked, yes, even His enemies... and therefore we had no access to God... no right to come before Him... no freedom to call upon His Name...

·         But Jesus came and He came, not just to make it possible, but even more so, to effectively achieve our reconciliation with God so that we can now, in Christ, come to the Father...!

·         Listen to how Peter says it in 1 Pet 3:18...

·         This is the ultimate gift of the cross namely that we can come to God so as to know Him and have fellowship with Him and have an intimate relationship with Him...!

·         Paul states it like this in Col 1:21-23... verse 22 = NB!

·         Jesus has effected our complete reconciliation to the Father so that we, in Christ, now have the invitation and confidence to draw near to the very presence of God...!

·         In Heb 10:19-22 we hear the invitation to followship and intimacy with God that comes as a result of the cross of Christ...

·         Earlier the Hebrews writer also instructed us in Heb 4:16 about this great confidence we now have in Christ...

·         This is the comfort of the Cross of Christ that we, who were once enemies of God, have now been made friends of God through Jesus and that we have access to God...

·         In the words of Rom 5:1-2...

·         And then thirdly, through the Cross of Christ, we have the hope that:

3. Oppression is Ended! (Heb 2:14-15)

·         One of the greatest fears of mankind is the fear of death...!

·         Because of our sinfulness, that is something that the wicked should fear for Heb 9:27 states...

·         As I read on one plumbing truck once: "If you don’t know Jesus, don’t die...!"

·         But Jesus came, and He became a man just like us – He "shared" and "partook" in becoming "flesh and blood" so that He can destroy the fear of death for all those who are in Him...!

·         Dear believer in Christ, Jesus exacted our condemnation and He effected our reconciliation so that death is not a threat or a punishment anymore...!

·         Death cannot separate you from Him anymore – Rom 14:7-8...

·         He has bought us with a very costly price so that death has no more power or dominion over us...

·         When Jesus died, the power of death ended... when Jesus died, death died...!

·         The curse was reversed through the cross of Christ...!

·         In Gen 3:17 God warned Adam concerning sinning against Him...

·         Adam ate and man died...!

·         But then in Joh 11:25-26 we hear the claim of Jesus when He says to Martha...

·         In Jesus the oppression of death is ended...!

·         Death has now become the possession and the servant of the believer – 1 Cor 3:21-23

·         Death is now gain... Phil 1:21

·         Death is now but a mere doorway from this life to the next... it is but falling asleep in this life to awake in the presence of Christ in eternity...!

·         This all because of the cross of Christ.

·         What a comfort to know that death has is now our servant and gain...!

Concluding Thoughts:

·         I close with two points of application:

1) Live in the comfort of the cross of Christ...!

·         Jesus achieved these three things and much, much more so that we should live in them...!

·         And we live in them by heeding the claim of the Cross...

·         To have these comforts you must first heed the claim... and what does the Cross of Christ claim from you...?

·         In the words of the first song that we sang today: "Love so amazing so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all."

·         In the words of Paul in Rom 12:1...

·         The Cross of Christ claims our total trust in Christ alone to save us... it claims our complete and unconditional surrender... it claims everything that we are and have so that we should echo what Paul says in Gal 2:20...!

·         Q: Are you living in the comfort of the cross of Christ...? Have you heeded the claims of the cross of Christ...?

2) Proclaim the comfort of the cross of Christ...!

·         This is the hope of the nations – the cross of Christ...!

·         Unless people hear about this hope, about the cross of Christ, they cannot and will not be saved...! (cf. Rom 10:14, 17)

·         We should declare with Paul therefore in Rom 1:16 that...

·         Take great encouragement in 1 Cor 1:18 & 21...

·         Through the Cross of Christ, Condemnation has been Exacted; Reconciliation has been Effected, and Oppression has been Ended. May we live in the Comfort of the Cross of Christ and proclaim it...!

Rejoicing in the Resurrection of the Redeemer! (Part 2)

“Finding hope in the assurance that the Resurrection brings...”

Introductory Thoughts:

·         Turn with me to Luke 24:1-7 and hear Luke’s account of the great news that Jesus has risen from the dead...!

·         All four Gospels gives witness to the reality and truth that Jesus, after He was crucified to bring about that our condemnation is exacted, our reconciliation effected and our oppression ended, was raised from the dead...!

·         Here is a crucial truth we must understand namely that: The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the pivotal point of Christianity...!

·         If Jesus didn't rise from the dead, we have no hope...!

·         We would have no assurance that our condemnation was indeed exacted namely that God the father was appeased by the death of Jesus in our place...!

·         We would have no assurance that our reconciliation was effected and that we indeed do have access to come to the Father...!

·         We would have no assurance that the oppression of death was truly ended and that death had no more hold on us...!

·         That is why Paul, along with Jesus being crucified, calls this of first importance in 1 Cor 15:1-4...

·         And then he goes on in 1 Cor 15:5-8 to recount some of the witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection.

·         As a matter of fact, we must realize that the resurrection of Jesus is so important that Paul devotes a whole chapter to it in his letter to the Corinthian church, 1 Cor 15, to teach the reality of it, the importance of it, and the implications of it.

·         Listen to what Paul teaches about the importance of Jesus’ resurrection in 1 Cor 15:12-20...

·         He is basically saying that if Jesus wasn't raised, our faith is futile or worthless... we are still in our sin... we have no hope... and we are to be pitied that we would put our trust in and surrender our lives to a dead"Saviour" ...

·         But Paul affirms in verse 20...

·         And this is the testimony of all the apostles... in fact, in order for someone to be one of the apostles, they had to be a witness to the resurrection of Jesus...

·         In Acts 1:21-22 we read were the apostles appointed another apostle in the place of Judas, according to this given criteria...

·         You see, being an apostle of Jesus meant that you were a sent one of Jesus... a messenger that was sent out by Jesus... for what purpose...? To testify and be a witness to people of this truth and reality: That Jesus died and was raised from the dead...!

·         This is then what the apostles did...!

·         Note these verses from the book of Acts: Acts 2:32; 4:33; 5:30-32; 10:39-41; 13:29-31; 17:30-31

·         The resurrection of Jesus is crucial and fundamental to Christianity... and Jesus did rise from the dead and so this morning we will have this as our theme: Rejoicing in the Resurrection of the Redeemer namely "Finding hope in the assurance that the Resurrection brings..."

Teaching Points:

·         And so in our time that we have this morning, we will focus on three assurances that the resurrection brings.

·         We will do so by looking at various scriptures that gives us these assurances.

·         And here is the first assurance...

·         Because of the Resurrection of Jesus, we have the assurance that:

1. Jesus is our living Saviour!

·         The emphasis here is on both the facts that He is living, He is alive, and that He is our Saviour... our present and personal Saviour...!

·         Jesus is alive right now and He is the one who achieved our salvation, in the past, through His life, death and resurrection so that now, in the present He is the One who assures that those for whom He achieved this salvation, will come to salvation and that they will be fully and finally saved, in the future...!

·         Listen to what Paul writes in Rom 5:6-10... verse 10 = NB!

·         Jesus was able to save us through His death, how much more now that He is alive is He able through His living power to keep us and save us...!

·         He is our living Saviour and being our living Saviour, here is what He is busy doing for us: He is the One who is interceding for us...!

·         Rom 8:31-34 is some of the most assuring verses in the Bible when it comes to our salvation...! And it focuses on the death and resurrection of Jesus in line with the Father’s design and decree...! Hear what it says...

·         Jesus is the One who is interceding for His people – those for whom He died and who believes in Him... He is the One who is pleading their case before the Father, who is their advocate and who is constantly holding up His life and death in their place as the reason for their having a right standing with the Father so that they will never be condemned...!

·         He can do this only because He is our living Saviour...! Our living High Priest...!

·         In Heb 7:23-25 we are assured that He lives forever to make intercession for us... for here we read...

·         Jesus is able to save to the uttermost all those for whom he died and was raised, because He lives and is interceding for them...!

·         Jesus is our living Saviour and He will not lose one of those that the Father gave Him... (cf. Joh 6:37-40...)

·         What great assurance in this that Jesus is our living Saviour...!

·         Secondly, because of the Resurrection of Jesus, we have the assurance that:

2. Jesus is our living Lord!

·         In Phil 2:5-11 we read about the humiliation of Christ as well as the exaltation of Christ...

·         Hear these very important verses...

·         Jesus is Lord... He is the sovereign ruler to whom belongs sovereign authority... Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords and He is the living Lord... He is the One who is reigning over us and all of creation...!

·         This is the position that was given Him by the Father after His resurrection and ascension.

·         In Eph 1:20-23 Paul makes it very clear just how exalted and sovereign Jesus, our living Lord, really is...

·         Jesus is "far above all rule and authority" and "all things" have been put under His feet and he has been given as "Head over all things to the Church".

·         This speaks of complete and sovereign authority and rule over all things that can never be challenged or overthrown... Jesus is King...! He is Lord and everything that happens in this creation is under His control...!

·         And that is true at this very moment because Jesus is alive – He is the living Lord who is actively ruling and reigning over all things.

·         I cannot help but think of Psalm 2... just listen to this very assuring Psalm...

·         Jesus has this position of being the living Lord over all, because He is God...!

·         This is how the Hebrews writer starts his letter in Heb 1:1-4... verse 3 = NB!

·         Here the writer clearly states that Jesus is God... that He is the One who is upholding the universe... for He is the One who after He died, rose, ascended and is now, at this very moment, the One sitting at the right hand of the Father...

·         Dear brother and sister in Christ, be assured of this that because of the Resurrection of Jesus He is right now the living Lord...! He is on the throne and He rules...!

·         And then thirdly, because of the Resurrection of Jesus, we have the assurance that:

3. Jesus is our living Hope!

·         1 Pet 1:3-6a are verses that bring so much encouragement and joy and peace and comfort and assurance to my soul and heart as Peter talks about the greatness of our salvation... Just listen to these breath-taking truths...

·         Through the resurrection of Jesus it is now possible that we can be born again to a living hope... what is this hope that we have...?

·         That we have an inheritance waiting for us... and eternal inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading...! This is kept for us in heaven... it is not to be realized fully here on earth... but it is kept for us by God’s power in heaven and He is keeping us and guarding us by the faith He has given us so that this salvation that is ready to be revealed, will be ours for all eternity...!

·         This is the hope that we have, the living hope that we have and it is in this that we rejoice...!

·         What these verses are teaching us and impressing upon us is that in Christ we have the hope that the best is yet to come...!

·         Whatever we may experience in this life will come to an end... this too shall pass...!

·         We have the assurance of an eternity with Jesus because He rose from the dead and because of what Jesus said in Joh 14:1-3...

·         Jesus has just told His disciples that one of them will betray Him, that one of them will deny Him and that He will leave them... but then He focuses their attention on Him and that fact the He is faithful and trustworthy... he assures them that he will go to prepare a place for them – implying that He will rise from the dead and ascend into heaven... and then He gives them this great assurance... this living hope in verse 3...

·         Jesus is our living Hope and here is what we can be assured of: He is One who is coming to fetch us to be with Him forever...!

·         Knowing this is what should keep us going... it is what should keep our hope alive in the midst of whatever we are experiencing right now, for Jesus is alive and He is coming for us...!

·         We should be hoping and waiting for this with longing, groaning and patience, for this is what Paul writes in Rom 8:18-25...

·         Dear brother and sister in Christ, be assured of this, namely that Jesus is our living hope, that He is coming for us and that the best is yet to come... for the believer, the best is always yet to come...!

Concluding Thoughts:

·         For as a start to close, hear again 1 Cor 15:19...

·         We should be rejoicing in the resurrection of our Redeemer because in that we have the assurance that He is our living Saviour, our living Lord and our living hope so that we can know and have the assurance in Christ of heaven and an eternity with God...!

·         And so in closing I want to give you three exhortations:

1) Hold fast...!

Do not let go of Jesus but keep on trusting in Him and keep on hoping in Him...! In the words of Heb 3:12-14...

2) Have joy...!

Keep your eyes on Jesus and that He is your living Saviour, Lord and hope and that He will give you the outcome of your faith, namely the eternal salvation of your soul...! In the words of 1 Pet 1:8-9...

3) Head home...!

Namely do not seek to settle down in this world, to make this world your home, your paradise or your kingdom... remember that we are but pilgrims travelling through this world to our true and eternal home and dwelling with Christ when He comes to take us home...! Hear Paul’s words about the coming of Jesus to the believers in Thessalonica in 1 Thess 4:13-18...

·         May we rejoice in the Resurrection of our Redeemer as we find our hope in the assurance that we have that because of the resurrection, Jesus is our living Saviour and that he is interceding for us... He is our living Lord and He is reigning over us... and He is our living hope and He is coming for us...!

·         Let us hold fast to Him...! Have joy in Him...! And head home to be with Him...!