Series: Change the World with Jesus
·
Main Idea: I
was crucified, buried and raised with Jesus Christ—making it possible for me to
have brand new life in Him
·
Main Dilemma:
Many think being a Christian is believing in Jesus’ work on Cross and
then trying hard to live differently
·
Main Action: Believe
and receive this new life in Christ
·
Main Texts:
John 3:1-17; Galatians 2:20;
Adam’s sermon
Introduction (you may be seated)
This song is asking a very important, but somewhat strange
question:
·
Were you there—when they crucified
Jesus Christ?
·
Were you there when they laid him in
the tomb and when he rose up from the dead?
Many do believe these were historically true events and many
have been taught if I believe that Jesus died and rose again, I will avoid hell
and go to heaven someday.
But…Were you there?
I think most of us would legitimately answer--No. We
were not there.
·
That was over 2,000 years ago! – Virtual Reality Goggles
·
So unless you have mastered time
travel, you, like me, were not there on that hill called Golgotha outside the
city walls of Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified nor were we at the Garden
Tomb where he was laid only to gloriously rise again 3 days later.
· Raffle for a car? Hillsboro STORY – we had to be there to win the car.
· Did we have to be at the Cross to win our
crown?
· Were weren’t there right!
Or…were we?
·
Yes, one of the most life changing
truths that many do not know is that –Yes, we were there. We were there
when Jesus was crucified, buried and raised from the dead.
·
We were crucified with Christ.
Buried with Him. And, raised up to live a new life.
·
This truth can change your life now
and forever.
·
We were there and we participated in
The
Great Exchange.
· Jesus didn’t just die FOR US but AS US!
· 2 Corinthians 5:14-15
· 14 Either
way, Christ’s love controls us.[c] Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe
that we have all died to our old life.[d] 15 He died
for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for
themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for
them.
It was there on that Cross that Jesus took all our sadness,
sickness, sin, stupidity, sorrow, shame, lack, and gave us His joy, healing,
wisdom, delight, forgiveness, acceptance
·
Our struggle with depression
exchanged for Jesus’ light and joy
·
Our broken bodies & sicknesses
exchanged for Jesus’ healing
·
Our anger and frustrations exchanged
for Jesus’ forgiveness and love for enemies
·
Our heart break over crushed dreams
for Jesus’ much better dreams
·
Our failures exchanged for Jesus’
wisdom and strength
This was the Great
Exchange.Do we always understand this? Does it make sense
without God’s wisdom?
·
Not entirely!
·
It is quite supernatural and
miraculous –or as your kids might say à Jesus has magic!
·
And so life-changing when we believe
and receive it.
It is quite mysterious!! But it changes everything.
Becoming a Christian means I actually get a brand new
life—not a makeover or a renovation (HGTV style) – no this means it’s got
the new car smell – the new carpet feel – no dings in the pain – no rust in the
floorboards.
·
Not one where I have to try hard
everyday to imitate Jesus and try to be like Him.
·
Not one where I daily bear my own
cross—
·
No my OLD SELF, the old Adam died, was buried and rose again a
brand new person in Jesus!
What did Jesus take for you
and as you? What does Jesus offer you in exchange?
· Have you suffered painful loss?
· Jesus took that on the Cross and offers you
His comfort in exchange
· Do you struggle with anger, bitterness or
jealously?
· Jesus took that on the Cross and offers you
His freedom and contentment
· Is your body wracked with sickness, disease?
· Jesus took that on the Cross and offers you
his healing and wholeness
· Are you haunted by rejection, guilt and condemnation?
· Jesus took that on the Cross and offers you
acceptance, forgiveness and blamelessness as the Father’s son or daughter
Jesus did not just die FOR us, He died AS us
Story of Nicodemus—Add background & Set stage
There was a very brilliant, prominent scholar (ISU professor)
in Jesus day who was very intrigued by this Jesus—heard him speak
radical things and saw some pretty amazing things he did—turned water into
wine, opened blind eyes.
·
Very chancy for him to talk with
Jesus.
·
Dangerous--- so came at night to
talk with him.
· Side Note: Jesus wants to have these conversations.
John 3:1 There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a
Pharisee.2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with
Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your
miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”
Jesus responds unexpectedly!
3 Jesus
replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again,[a] you cannot see the
Kingdom of God.”
4 “What do
you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s
womb and be born again?”
***I’m sure Corrie doesn’t want any of my five children to
go back in and start over!
5 Jesus replied, “I assure
you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the
Spirit.[b] 6 Humans
can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual
life.[c] 7 So don’t
be surprised when I say, ‘You[d] must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the
wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t
explain how people are born of the Spirit.”
Nic would have understood the symbolism
·
As an OT scholar, he new that all
atonement must be purified with fire (Spirit) and with water. All men must be
born of God’s purification not their own.
·
We cannot enter the womb… We must
enter the tomb!
·
We die in Christ… We are buried… we rise
again—A new person—Born again
·
We were there at the first Easter!
This sounds really weird right?!? Its absolutely strange,
mysterious!
·
Yes, like the Spirit—who blows where
He wants and we cannot control or understand
·
So much more than just receiving a
ticket to Heaven
9 “How are these things possible?”
Nicodemus asked.
Jesus goes to Nic’s history
and knowledge of the OT (numbers 21)
14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake
on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him
will have eternal life.
·
In the Numbers 21 story, all the
people had to do was LOOK upon the serpent and they were completely made WHOLE.
·
The snake represented a The Curse…
the Cure came only through belief.
·
The Serpent—Us, our sin, our
sickness, our pain, our sorrow…
·
Exchanged for Jesus’ righteousness,
healing, joy, peace—eternal life now!
·
Jesus Himself coming to live in us
·
Water Baptism shows this beautiful
picture -People who have died, been
buried and raised up to new life in Jesus
o SHARED PART
of my history/testimony here
Response
·
Believe—See yourself upon the tree
·
You may not understand everything at
first… that’s totally ok!
·
It is true whether you believe or
not.
·
Begin to see yourself Alive in Jesus
– that Jesus took your death and gave you HIS LIFE forever… starting NOW
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave[g] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him
will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but
to save the world through him.
Changed people can Change the World --with Jesus--Who
lives in us
Example
One of the first century’s most brilliant and powerful men—a
former merciless terrorist whose life was radically changed by this risen from
the dead Jesus—a man known the world over as
The apostle Paul wrote this:
Galatians 2: 20 My old self has been
crucified with Christ.[a] It is no
longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by
trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
The truth of all of it is this: Jesus did not die FOR US… He died AS US.
Let that sink in…. that is the great exchange…
·
It’s not just a substitution
·
It’s not just that my penalty is
paid
·
It’s not just that we will get new
life “someday” in the future
No… Jesus died our death – and we now live His life – we are now BORN into a new
life not just with Him but as Him because His Spirit lives within us… our old
sinful self was Crucified.
·
That means all of our sin (past,
present, future) has been dealt with.
·
That means that the only thing
standing in our way is our own thought process.
·
That means that we have power to
live so much freer and differently than we do right now…
·
We have access to the Father
unparalleled as His kids
·
We have a share in the family
business
·
When we live what we believe (Junk
food Example), we can actually fulfill Jesus’ promise in John 14:12 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works
I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.”
We are now going to pray together as a group.
For those of us who are believers, we are
affirming the truth that is already taken root in our lives…
For those new to the church… or perhaps new
to the idea of re-birth in Jesus… JOIN WITH US and say “YES” to a loving God
who has over and over already said “Yes” to you.
Let’s
pray together…
We believe in one God, the Father… maker of all things in heaven and on
earth.
We believe in Jesus… the only Son of God… light of the world… perfect
picture of our loving Father… creator and sustainer of all things.
We believe through Him is our salvation… born of man and born of God…
tortured and crucified and buried as He took on our sin on the cross.
We believe Jesus rose 3 days later… conquering sin, death, pain and
hopelessness… and through that resurrection giving us life abundantly!
We believe He is now in heaven… ruling in glory.
We believe He will one day come again and His kingdom will never end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit… giver of life… presence of our mighty god…
empowerer of all good gifts… bearer of all good fruits.
We believe…
and because we believe we are free to be sons and daughters of this
amazing Father…
brothers and sisters of this amazing Savior Jesus…
and fit vessels for this amazing Holy Spirit that lives in us and through
us.
Amen!
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