Idol of Identity
Easter Series: Who Do You Say that I AM?
Title: Jesus is the Risen King
Main Verse: Luke 24:1-12, 1 Peter 1:3-8
Key Thought: Today, around 2 billion people will gather to recognize in some special way the person of Jesus. No one in human history has even come close to this level of impact. Interestingly, what is remembered on this day by a large portion of the human population is not Jesus’ teachings or his compassion for others or his wise sayings. What is mainly remembered today is Jesus return from the dead. But what are we to make of this claim? Do we have sufficient reason to trust the early accounts of this unbelievable event? And, perhaps more importantly, what difference does this make today?
On this Easter day we will examine these types of questions. Here is what we will discover together. If you are wondering about the event of Jesus’ resurrection, you are not alone. For Jesus’ closest friends shared the same questions. Along the way, they encountered a profound hope that would carry them through life’s biggest challenges. This same hope is available to you.
Christianity by Continent
- Africa: More than 600 million
- Asia: Nearly 400 million Christian
- Europe/Russia: About 550 million
- Latin America: About 600 million
- North America: Around 230 million
- Oceania: Approximately 25 million
My Goal
- Encouragement for the committed
- Consideration for the skeptic
Consider:
What you say about Jesus says a lot about you.
Considering Jesus’ huge impact on this planet should lead an open-minded people to consider Jesus’ place in their own lives.
Key Quote:
“This Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander, Caesar, Mohammed, and Napoleon; without science … he shed more light on things human and divine than all philosophers and scholars combined; without the eloquence of schools, he spoke such words of life as were never spoken before or since, and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet; without writing a single line, he set more pens in motion, and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art, and songs of praise than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times.” (Historian, Theologian Philip Schaff)
Supporting Points:
1. Luke records the skepticism of Jesus’ closest friends concerning the resurrection (Luke 24:1-12).
- The women were carrying spices because they expected to find a corpse (24:1)
- The women were wondering, along with Peter (24:4, 12)
- The disciples, who were in hiding, did not believe this report (24:10-11)
- What Luke records is not superstition, but skepticism.
If you have skepticism about the resurrection, you are in good company. So did Peter. And 35 years later he wrote about the reason for his hope.
2. Peter, writes about the significance of the resurrection (1 Peter 1:3-8)
“The central issue in 1 Peter is probably the problem of suffering, with which all Christians must of necessity deal” (Peter Davids, NICNT)
- The resurrection brings us a new life of hope (v. 3)
- We are born into a new family
- As a family, we can tackle tough issues together
- The resurrection offers us an inheritance in heaven (v. 4)
- We are guaranteed an inheritance
- The resurrection gives us purpose in trial
- We are offered a hope-filled outlook amid pain (v. 6-8)
This Easter
- Recommit to Jesus
- Reconsider Jesus
