Jesus is Alive Today
Copyright: South Bay Community Church
Listen up: Just to Know Him;
Listen up: Just to Know Him;
Sermon Preamble
Jesus is alive, as many saw on the first Resurrection Sunday! The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus have been called the greatest love story ever told. We are invited to be a part of that story. The point of Jesus’ death and resurrection is to know Jesus and to know God. As the Son of God, Jesus took on flesh to become one of us. Though Jesus was innocent, He took on the sin of humanity. He paid the debt and took on the penalty that should have been ours. If we are honest, we are guilty of sins against God. Jesus carried all of our sins on our behalf. Jesus then proved His divinity when He rose again and conquered death with the debt of humanity paid once and for all. Jesus made a path for us to receive forgiveness of sins (past, present, and future), and to experience a relationship with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are invited to know God, with no separation or barriers, or sin obstacles. We cannot earn God’s favor, no matter how hard we try. We cannot earn what is a free gift. Jesus paid it all, so we wouldn’t have to. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus made it possible for us to be reunited with God. The love story is still unfolding. Jesus is very much alive today, and Jesus invites us to know Him. Through the presence and power of His Spirit, there is always more of Jesus to get to know. Wherever you may be on your spiritual journey, what difference does Jesus’ resurrection make for you today?
To get to know Jesus, we must look for Him
Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary, the mother of James got up early in the morning and went to the tomb where they expected to see Jesus’ body. “The women, who had come with Him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid” (Luke 23: 55). “On the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb taking the spices they had prepared” (Luke 24:1).
When they got there, the stone was moved. They found Jesus was not there. “And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but then they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus” (Luke 24:2-3).
They were met by two angels. “While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the man said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen’” (Luke 24:4-5). In other words, they were looking in the wrong place. They were looking based on understanding, assumptions, and narratives they thought were true. However, Jesus was not where they thought He would be.
In looking for Jesus, we may have to first shed false expectations, narratives, and misunderstandings
Many of God’s people of Israel expected the Messiah to be a warrior king who would overthrow the oppression of the Romans. In looking for Jesus, they, like us today, should remember the words of Jesus. If we want to truly know Jesus, we need to be open to see that there may be more to Jesus than we have assumed, or expected, or even been erroneously taught.
To know Jesus means we need to look for Jesus for ourselves. Jesus desires a personal relationship with each and every person. We cannot rely on another’s relationship with Jesus, not even our parents’, our best friends’, or our spouse’s.
To find Jesus, we must meet Him in His story, with open hearts and minds while reading the Bible
We cannot get to know Jesus apart from reading the Bible, to learn about what Jesus did and what Jesus said. The entire Bible is about Jesus in one way or another. The basic story is really simple. The New Testament is about the earthly life, death, burial, resurrection, and coming again of Jesus. The Old Testament looks forward to the earthly incarnation of Jesus. We can get lost in various interpretations, worry about inaccuracies and possible mistakes. When we look for Jesus with an open heart and mind, God invites us to enter Jesus’ story. Then we hear and see Jesus through the pages of God’s Word.
When the women learned Jesus was not in the tomb, the angel reminded them of Jesus’ words. “Remember how he told you, while He was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered in the hands of sinful men, and be crucified and on the third day rise” (Luke 24:7). They did not yet know where Jesus was, but they knew that He was not in the tomb. This truth was confirmed to them because of Jesus’ own words that the women remembered.
Luke presented the same truth in his account of followers of Jesus on the road to Emmaus. The followers of Jesus at first did not recognize Jesus. “That very day, two of them were going to Emmaus…and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him” (Luke 24:13-16).
Followers of Jesus recognized Him after Jesus interpreted scripture and broke bread at their supper
Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, which for us would be the Old Testament books. Jesus explained from all the Scriptures the things concerning Him. “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:17). “When Jesus was at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him” (Luke 24:30-31).
These followers of Jesus on the Emmaus Road had only the Old Testament writings. Today we have the entire biblical account of Jesus’ life and teachings in the gospels and the rest of the New Testament.
To know Jesus, we must go to the source where we can meet Jesus: the Bible
We should read the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, over and over to gain new insights. Let’s read the Bible with fresh eyes and ask questions to know Jesus better.
The gospel of John is a great place to start. It captures how God so loved the world that God gave His only Son to die. It captures the divinity and humanity of Jesus. It captures how Jesus invites everyday folk, like you into His story.
After the book of John, go on to other books. Learn about tools to help you understand what you are reading and what it all means as you get to know Jesus. Such tools are available on the South Bay Community Church website, www.sobcc.org.
There is always more to know when it comes to Jesus. Like any good relationship, it just continues to get better with time.
As we look for Jesus, we will recognize Jesus’ presence through the Holy Spirit
Like the followers on the road to Emmaus, our eyes will be opened and we will recognize Jesus. Before Jesus returned to heaven 40 days after His resurrection, Jesus said to his followers, “I am with you always, even until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
Jesus is so much closer than we think. Sometimes, we just don’t recognize Jesus. Sometimes, we are not open to see Jesus as He really is. However, that does not mean that Jesus is not near.
Jesus gets our attention; we invite Jesus in; Jesus connects with us in order to know Him
“So they (Jesus and His followers) drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if He were going further, but they urged Him strongly, saying, ‘stay with us for it is toward evening, and the day is now far spent.’ So He went in to stay with them. When He was at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him” (Luke 24:28-31). Did you notice what had to happen before they recognized Jesus? First, they had to invite Jesus in.
Jesus then joined their walk home. Just like Jesus does with us, Jesus is always trying to connect with us. Jesus is trying to get our attention. We need to be open to look and learn about Jesus. Their eyes were opened when Jesus did something that was very like Jesus. Jesus broke bread and gave it to them. This is the same loving gesture Jesus made the night He was betrayed. This act represented Jesus giving His body for us as we celebrate in the practice of communion.
When we know Jesus, we are blessed both in our mind and in our heart
When we open ourselves to get to know Jesus, something stirs and bubbles within us. The followers on the Emmaus Road received that combined head and heart blessing. “They said to each other, ‘Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?’” (Luke 24:32). That exact experience can differ from person to person, but there is something that we feel.
We don’t always trust our feelings. We may be tempted to ignore them, or explain them away as merely “getting caught up in the moment.” Even these followers of Jesus didn’t recognize why their hearts were burning until after Jesus broke bread with them and vanished from their sight.
As we get to know Jesus, due to the power of His resurrection, the Holy Spirit touches our minds, bodies, and souls. Jesus is alive, so we begin to recognize the presence of Jesus. When everything indicates that we should be stressed, depressed, or distressed, we learn to recognize the peace of Jesus’ presence. When Jesus provides just what we need in the nick of time, we learn to recognize that every good gift comes from the Lord. We learn to recognize Jesus’ gentle guidance, Jesus’ reminders of God’s promises, and the joy of Jesus’ presence through others.
Because Jesus is alive, we can look for Jesus, learn about Jesus, and recognize how very near Jesus is. We are invited to get to know Jesus more and more in this life and the next.
Living, Jesus loved us. Dying, Jesus saved us. Buried, Jesus carried our sins far away. Rising, Jesus justified us freely forever. One day, Jesus is coming again, and we will see Jesus face to face. We are today celebrating all of that on Resurrection Sunday.
Our Resurrection Sunday celebration doesn’t even compare to the glory of that future day when Jesus will come again.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS INCLUDING FOR USE IN FAMILY GROUP
Sermon Preamble
-Since Jesus is resurrected and alive today, in what ways can you get to know Jesus in your life journey of a relationship with Jesus? Why is your participation in relationship with Jesus the greatest love story?
To get to know Jesus, we must look for Him
-At first the women were perplexed by the empty tomb, based their own expectations, not the words of God. In what circumstances have you looked for Jesus based on your own thoughts, not the Word of God?
In looking for Jesus, we may have to first shed false expectations, narratives, and misunderstandings
-In looking to know and see Jesus, what false expectations, false narratives, false teaching, false preaching, or other misunderstandings have you had to shed in order to truly know and see Jesus?
To find Jesus, we must meet Him in His story, with open hearts and minds while reading the Bible
-To meet Jesus in the Biblical story, in what ways can you enter the story by exploring the knowledge, heart, feelings, times, and actions of the participants? What aids may be available to you to help you enter the story?
Followers of Jesus recognized Him after Jesus interpreted scripture and broke bread at their supper
-An Old Testament prophesy, Isaiah 53, speaks of the coming life and mission of the Messiah, Jesus. In what ways might this prophecy go against what the people in Biblical times wanted from their Messiah?
To know Jesus, we must go to the source where we can meet Jesus: the Bible
-What practices help you read the Bible with fresh eyes and questions to know Jesus better?
As we look for Jesus, we will recognize Jesus’ presence through the Holy Spirit
-In what circumstances have you felt that Jesus is not present with you? What helps you recognize that Jesus is always present will you?
Jesus gets our attention; we invite Jesus in; Jesus connects with us in order to know Him
-How does the breaking of bread in communion remind you of the life and mission of Jesus?
When we know Jesus, we are blessed both in our mind and in our heart
-As you get to know Jesus better, in what ways are you blessed with more than knowledge of Jesus? In what ways are your heart and soul blessed in feelings and emotions?
Jesus is alive, as many saw on the first Resurrection Sunday! The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus have been called the greatest love story ever told. We are invited to be a part of that story. The point of Jesus’ death and resurrection is to know Jesus and to know God. As the Son of God, Jesus took on flesh to become one of us. Though Jesus was innocent, He took on the sin of humanity. He paid the debt and took on the penalty that should have been ours. If we are honest, we are guilty of sins against God. Jesus carried all of our sins on our behalf. Jesus then proved His divinity when He rose again and conquered death with the debt of humanity paid once and for all. Jesus made a path for us to receive forgiveness of sins (past, present, and future), and to experience a relationship with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are invited to know God, with no separation or barriers, or sin obstacles. We cannot earn God’s favor, no matter how hard we try. We cannot earn what is a free gift. Jesus paid it all, so we wouldn’t have to. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus made it possible for us to be reunited with God. The love story is still unfolding. Jesus is very much alive today, and Jesus invites us to know Him. Through the presence and power of His Spirit, there is always more of Jesus to get to know. Wherever you may be on your spiritual journey, what difference does Jesus’ resurrection make for you today?
To get to know Jesus, we must look for Him
Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary, the mother of James got up early in the morning and went to the tomb where they expected to see Jesus’ body. “The women, who had come with Him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid” (Luke 23: 55). “On the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb taking the spices they had prepared” (Luke 24:1).
When they got there, the stone was moved. They found Jesus was not there. “And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but then they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus” (Luke 24:2-3).
They were met by two angels. “While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the man said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen’” (Luke 24:4-5). In other words, they were looking in the wrong place. They were looking based on understanding, assumptions, and narratives they thought were true. However, Jesus was not where they thought He would be.
In looking for Jesus, we may have to first shed false expectations, narratives, and misunderstandings
Many of God’s people of Israel expected the Messiah to be a warrior king who would overthrow the oppression of the Romans. In looking for Jesus, they, like us today, should remember the words of Jesus. If we want to truly know Jesus, we need to be open to see that there may be more to Jesus than we have assumed, or expected, or even been erroneously taught.
To know Jesus means we need to look for Jesus for ourselves. Jesus desires a personal relationship with each and every person. We cannot rely on another’s relationship with Jesus, not even our parents’, our best friends’, or our spouse’s.
To find Jesus, we must meet Him in His story, with open hearts and minds while reading the Bible
We cannot get to know Jesus apart from reading the Bible, to learn about what Jesus did and what Jesus said. The entire Bible is about Jesus in one way or another. The basic story is really simple. The New Testament is about the earthly life, death, burial, resurrection, and coming again of Jesus. The Old Testament looks forward to the earthly incarnation of Jesus. We can get lost in various interpretations, worry about inaccuracies and possible mistakes. When we look for Jesus with an open heart and mind, God invites us to enter Jesus’ story. Then we hear and see Jesus through the pages of God’s Word.
When the women learned Jesus was not in the tomb, the angel reminded them of Jesus’ words. “Remember how he told you, while He was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered in the hands of sinful men, and be crucified and on the third day rise” (Luke 24:7). They did not yet know where Jesus was, but they knew that He was not in the tomb. This truth was confirmed to them because of Jesus’ own words that the women remembered.
Luke presented the same truth in his account of followers of Jesus on the road to Emmaus. The followers of Jesus at first did not recognize Jesus. “That very day, two of them were going to Emmaus…and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him” (Luke 24:13-16).
Followers of Jesus recognized Him after Jesus interpreted scripture and broke bread at their supper
Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, which for us would be the Old Testament books. Jesus explained from all the Scriptures the things concerning Him. “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:17). “When Jesus was at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him” (Luke 24:30-31).
These followers of Jesus on the Emmaus Road had only the Old Testament writings. Today we have the entire biblical account of Jesus’ life and teachings in the gospels and the rest of the New Testament.
To know Jesus, we must go to the source where we can meet Jesus: the Bible
We should read the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, over and over to gain new insights. Let’s read the Bible with fresh eyes and ask questions to know Jesus better.
The gospel of John is a great place to start. It captures how God so loved the world that God gave His only Son to die. It captures the divinity and humanity of Jesus. It captures how Jesus invites everyday folk, like you into His story.
After the book of John, go on to other books. Learn about tools to help you understand what you are reading and what it all means as you get to know Jesus. Such tools are available on the South Bay Community Church website, www.sobcc.org.
There is always more to know when it comes to Jesus. Like any good relationship, it just continues to get better with time.
As we look for Jesus, we will recognize Jesus’ presence through the Holy Spirit
Like the followers on the road to Emmaus, our eyes will be opened and we will recognize Jesus. Before Jesus returned to heaven 40 days after His resurrection, Jesus said to his followers, “I am with you always, even until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
Jesus is so much closer than we think. Sometimes, we just don’t recognize Jesus. Sometimes, we are not open to see Jesus as He really is. However, that does not mean that Jesus is not near.
Jesus gets our attention; we invite Jesus in; Jesus connects with us in order to know Him
“So they (Jesus and His followers) drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if He were going further, but they urged Him strongly, saying, ‘stay with us for it is toward evening, and the day is now far spent.’ So He went in to stay with them. When He was at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him” (Luke 24:28-31). Did you notice what had to happen before they recognized Jesus? First, they had to invite Jesus in.
Jesus then joined their walk home. Just like Jesus does with us, Jesus is always trying to connect with us. Jesus is trying to get our attention. We need to be open to look and learn about Jesus. Their eyes were opened when Jesus did something that was very like Jesus. Jesus broke bread and gave it to them. This is the same loving gesture Jesus made the night He was betrayed. This act represented Jesus giving His body for us as we celebrate in the practice of communion.
When we know Jesus, we are blessed both in our mind and in our heart
When we open ourselves to get to know Jesus, something stirs and bubbles within us. The followers on the Emmaus Road received that combined head and heart blessing. “They said to each other, ‘Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?’” (Luke 24:32). That exact experience can differ from person to person, but there is something that we feel.
We don’t always trust our feelings. We may be tempted to ignore them, or explain them away as merely “getting caught up in the moment.” Even these followers of Jesus didn’t recognize why their hearts were burning until after Jesus broke bread with them and vanished from their sight.
As we get to know Jesus, due to the power of His resurrection, the Holy Spirit touches our minds, bodies, and souls. Jesus is alive, so we begin to recognize the presence of Jesus. When everything indicates that we should be stressed, depressed, or distressed, we learn to recognize the peace of Jesus’ presence. When Jesus provides just what we need in the nick of time, we learn to recognize that every good gift comes from the Lord. We learn to recognize Jesus’ gentle guidance, Jesus’ reminders of God’s promises, and the joy of Jesus’ presence through others.
Because Jesus is alive, we can look for Jesus, learn about Jesus, and recognize how very near Jesus is. We are invited to get to know Jesus more and more in this life and the next.
Living, Jesus loved us. Dying, Jesus saved us. Buried, Jesus carried our sins far away. Rising, Jesus justified us freely forever. One day, Jesus is coming again, and we will see Jesus face to face. We are today celebrating all of that on Resurrection Sunday.
Our Resurrection Sunday celebration doesn’t even compare to the glory of that future day when Jesus will come again.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS INCLUDING FOR USE IN FAMILY GROUP
Sermon Preamble
-Since Jesus is resurrected and alive today, in what ways can you get to know Jesus in your life journey of a relationship with Jesus? Why is your participation in relationship with Jesus the greatest love story?
To get to know Jesus, we must look for Him
-At first the women were perplexed by the empty tomb, based their own expectations, not the words of God. In what circumstances have you looked for Jesus based on your own thoughts, not the Word of God?
In looking for Jesus, we may have to first shed false expectations, narratives, and misunderstandings
-In looking to know and see Jesus, what false expectations, false narratives, false teaching, false preaching, or other misunderstandings have you had to shed in order to truly know and see Jesus?
To find Jesus, we must meet Him in His story, with open hearts and minds while reading the Bible
-To meet Jesus in the Biblical story, in what ways can you enter the story by exploring the knowledge, heart, feelings, times, and actions of the participants? What aids may be available to you to help you enter the story?
Followers of Jesus recognized Him after Jesus interpreted scripture and broke bread at their supper
-An Old Testament prophesy, Isaiah 53, speaks of the coming life and mission of the Messiah, Jesus. In what ways might this prophecy go against what the people in Biblical times wanted from their Messiah?
To know Jesus, we must go to the source where we can meet Jesus: the Bible
-What practices help you read the Bible with fresh eyes and questions to know Jesus better?
As we look for Jesus, we will recognize Jesus’ presence through the Holy Spirit
-In what circumstances have you felt that Jesus is not present with you? What helps you recognize that Jesus is always present will you?
Jesus gets our attention; we invite Jesus in; Jesus connects with us in order to know Him
-How does the breaking of bread in communion remind you of the life and mission of Jesus?
When we know Jesus, we are blessed both in our mind and in our heart
-As you get to know Jesus better, in what ways are you blessed with more than knowledge of Jesus? In what ways are your heart and soul blessed in feelings and emotions?
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