The Power Of Easter, Part 2

Today on the Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ plurality. Every idea is the same every religion the same none of the matter. All everyone gets to go with his cement to be clear, I am the way, the truth and the life and no that offend, I'm sorry but it's supposed to see his words can be offensive. See, this is not some skinny emaciated guy just always loving and this is the son of God, joining up today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana going pastor go get her now is once again he shows us how God's word meets splitting a parable 20 says he said the one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man in the field is the world and he says and asked for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom, and the tears of the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age and the reapers are angels. So, just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age, the Son of Man will send forth his angels, they will gather out of his kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire, and in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous. He said will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father. He was ears to hear you listen to this song but hell just straight up. He said that's exactly what's going to happen send forth his angels will gather out of his kingdom all the stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness North Rome in the furnace of fire who can speak like you who talks this way, Jesus's words just constantly reveal his incredible power that he has chapter 14 verse 22.

Immediately, he made the disciples get into the boat, go ahead of him to the other side and he said the crowds away and I present the cards away, he went up to the mountain by himself to pray and what was evening.

He was there alone, but the boat was already a long distance from Lamb battered by waves for the wind was contrary again thereon a storm on the Sea of Galilee and in the fourth watch the middle the night he came to them walking on the sea when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified as it is a ghost and they cried out in fear and immediately spoke of his them take courage. I don't be afraid.

Now why did Jesus do this is showing off. Just want to show off how many people want water.

None of us know is not showing off trying to teach them and I something during a terrible storm and they're afraid to Jesus walked right on top of the storm on the water I noticed everyone recognize them because of their concern about the storm, you may be a ghost but notice what he said, take courage, it is I do not be afraid I can't tell you how many times in the Gospels, Jesus tells all of us, fear not to courage, fear not, take courage in your why because living on a cursed planet is sinful people we go through a lot of stuff and we see the circumstances when the circumstances are bad enough when the storm is difficult enough you when I have this tendency to put away our faith and we panic and were frayed and were anxious and Jesus is book I got teach you a lesson whenever the storm is raging about you.

Don't look at the storm look at me I'm standing right here on the water. You see, don't let the circumstances change your life is trying to teach a lesson when you relate to me in the right way. He's telling us there's no reason to fear anything you already told us. Don't fear those who could kill you. Fear me. She do not fear I've overcome everything. That's what keeps trying to tell us that lesson. Fear not, and you know how hard this is because of the news is bad.

Not somebody abandoned you and leave you alone either with kids or by yourself or the stock market fails, you lose your job or you get you get that stage for diagnosis. All you do is become preoccupied with whatever those circumstances are in Jesus's bill. Those look at me I've overcome this overcome all of this.

Chapter 15 verse 12 very insightful 12 1314 says this when the disciples came and said to him, do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard the statement Jesus said, every plant, which my heavenly father did not plan shall be operated. Let them alone the blind guides of the blind and the blind guides, a blind man both went up in the pit.

You are really caught my attention.

They were offended they were offended, the words of Jesus Christ are offensive there offensive there offensive.

The sinful man there offensive. The religious man there offensive.

They were offended and he said me Malone is the blind guide of the blind's words were intended to be offensive to sinful people. That's the point. You see, he says that unless you relate to him your lost and we say, not that I don't really think so. I think auto grade on the curve and as long as I'm better than I those people beside me lungs him above that line I think will be in won't learn our culture. How exclusive we live in a cultural plurality. Every idea is the same every religion the same none of the matter.

All everyone gets to go with her going use another don't. He said let me be clear, I am the way the truth and the life and no one goes to the father but through me if that offends you. I'm sorry but it's supposed to see his words can be offensive. See, this is not some skinny emaciated guy that just always loving and caring. This is the son of God. You see me speaks like the son of God doesn't offer you and I all the wiggle room that we would often want.

Chapter 16 verse 13 now when Jesus came to the district of Caesarea Philippi, he was asking his disciples. He said who do people say that I Son of Man is and they said was something or John the Baptist. Others, Elijah others, Jeremiah 1 of the prophets and he said to them, but who do you say that I am Simon Peter answered and said you are the Christ, the Messiah, you are the son of the living God and Jesus said to him, Blessed are you, Simon bar Jonah because flesh and blood did not reveal it to you, but my father is in heaven. And then he says this he says I also say that you are pet Ross you are Petross masculine noun. That's his name he gave me to chip off the old block and a sense Petross and he says, and upon this notice, this is neuter, not masculine, it can't be describing Peter impossible is describing the statement that Peter made the description is upon this I am the Messiah. I am the son of God upon that I'm going to build my church.

He said upon this rock Petra, which means bedrock is, and upon that I will build my church how you know you can be able build it because of who use you and I are sitting here today and are believers all over the world sitting here today.

You know why because Jesus said, will build my church, gates of Hades will not prevail against this power. That's the power of Jesus Christ that he has chapter 17 verse 22 the first time Jesus says this but everything in his ministry pointed to this verse 22 and while they were gathering together in Galilee. Jesus said to them, the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men and they will kill him and he will be raised on the third day notice they were deeply grieved, they were deeply grieved. Why, because dead people stay dead.

If you've ever lost anybody you wish it were true, but once they're dead they're dead. Jesus, as they will kill me but I will rise who speaks like that. Who can say that he can because of who he is.

He says that's not a problem at all because if you look at what he says here about himself. Go to web chapter 20 with me for a moment. Verse 18 similar. I account. Chapter 20 verse 17 is is is Jesus is about to go to Jerusalem, he took the trouble beside aside and he said to them, behold, were going up to Jerusalem, the Son of Man will be delivered in the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and will hand them over to the Gentiles the mocking scourge and crucified him on the third day to be raised up now.

He tells them everything. I'm going to go there him to be arrested that the standard for the scribe that leaders of visual autonomy over the Romans and the Romans will crucified uses that word, they will crucify me and oh by the way, I will raise on the third.

No one says no one can say that while an amazing thing. Look at verse 28. The reason for it all. He says, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. That's why I'm here. That's why I'm here. You see I'm not here so the lame walk, the blind will see, I'm not here to walk on water free 5000.

That's all based upon the sum I'm here I'm here to save me.

That's why I'm here. You see in that little manger in Bethlehem. Mary had a Little Lamb.

That's why was born John the Baptist Psalm is a behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

That's why came he said this is why am here.

This is the fruition of it all, in a way I know that it's going to work is because I will be raised. I will raise wow one last verse in Revelation chapter 1 Revelation chapter 1 starting in verse 12, by the way John sees the glorified resurrected ascended Christ. He sees him for who he really is and he has no words to describe the city so overwhelmed know. Remember John was the one who said he called himself the one disciple Jesus loved, he was always close to Jesus. But now he sees them ascended notice the imagery he says in verse 12 he said.

I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me and having he said turned I saw seven golden lampstands in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like the Son of Man, but is clothed in a robe reaching to his feet and girded across his chest with a golden sash. His head and his hair were white like white wool, he said, like snow in his eyes were like a flame of fire, and his feet were like burnished.

He says bonds when it has been made to glow from the furnace in his voice was like the sound of the waterfalls were many waters.

In his right hand held the several stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword in his face was like the sun while I know how to describe this is what he did when I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. I was so overwhelmed when I saw him for four years was like I don't know how to respond. Be very careful with that idea by the way your people all the time.

You know when I get to heaven about the pictures and say hey I have a couple questions for you know you want that is not the way it's going to work at all, is now years. Notice that when Jesus says he put his right hand on me to call me and he said do not be afraid. Same thing. Don't fear John. I'm the first and the last, and the living one and I was dead, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and Hades statement I was dead, but I'm alive and I'm alive forevermore, and I have the keys. Hades it's all me the wonders that I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the father but through me. That's my Jesus.

That's why put my faith. That's why follow, not some emaciated character. He doesn't need marshmallow peeps or chocolate bunny to make me worship him is the Son of Man, the son of God is God incarnate his Jesus Christ my Lord, that's who. Years you don't even have to believe that. I wish you would if you don't believe it. I beg you investigated on your own.

I'm not talking about all the things he said and taught metal that just investigate the bedrock of our faith, the resurrection of Jesus Christ putting the work to the time great Roman historian, said this I been used for many years to study the histories of other times and to examine and weigh the evidence of those who I've written about and I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is pruned better or for evidence of every sort to the understanding of a fair and quire than the great sign which God has given us that Jesus Christ died and rose again the dead professor of ancient history Paul Mayor. He says this.

If all the evidence is weighed carefully and fairly. It is indeed justifiable.

According to the canons of historical research to conclude that the tomb in which Jesus was buried was actually empty on the morning of the first Easter and no sweat of evidence is ever been discovered by any literary sources or archaeology to disprove that statement, the great lawyer Simon Greenleaf. He was one of the two most basic men who founded the law school at Harvard University.

He actually wrote a book called the treatise of lawn evidence. It's a three volume work is still a standard law. Simon Greenleaf is the one who gets all the credit they say for making Harvard what it had become. He examined the value of historical evidence in the resurrection of Jesus Christ ascertain its truth. He applied the principles contained in this three volume work and his findings are recorded in his book, an examination of the testimony therefore evangelist by the rules of evidence administered by the court of justice. Greenleaf came to the conclusion that, according to the laws of legal evidence used in courts and law. There is more evidence for the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ in almost any single event in history and Englishman John Singleton Coakley, better known as Lord Lyndhurst recognized one of the great minds in British history. He concluded in his personal papers. He said I know pretty well what evidence is and I tell you such evidence as that for the resurrection has never broken down yet.

Lord Chief Justice of England. Lord Darling said this, no intelligent jury in the world could fail to bring in a verdict that the resurrection story is true in the last one irrational lawyer Frank Morrison.

He decided I'll write a book on the discovering it and I'll write a book about the myth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ to disprove Christianity. I like that book, and so upon studying the facts.

He came to a different conclusion. The sheer weight of evidence compelled him to conclude that Jesus actually did rise from the dead. Morrison wrote a book but not the one he planned his book entitled who moved the stone very famous book's first chapter the book is the book refused to be written always been investigated. I invite you to do the same thing if you say you don't believe it investigated. See for yourself all the unimaginable power. Jesus Christ pointed to one thing is resurrection.

That's why it's happy Easter. That's why it's happy resurrection day, everything about he said and everything he did was culminated with his resurrection. The dead. The apostle Paul said to was the basis of our faith is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

He said of Christ hasn't been raising the dead.

You and I should be the most pity people on the planet. There is no Christianity, no matter what any religious or moral person will tell you apart from the resurrection of Jesus Christ and he said destroy this temple. I will raise three days. How could you say such a thing unless you are who you claim you are.

That's the power of Jesus Christ.

Christianity is based on historical fact, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is long as nothing more than the vision and teachings of Mohammed. That's all. Buddha is Buddhism is just that the teachings of Buddha, Confucius, as it was the teachings of Confucius, Marxism is his own theory of how mansion relate Darwinism is a theory of these men and what all these men have in common. They're all dead. Every one of them is dead.

But not Jesus Christ is alive seek our faith. Our faith is based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ and his power really don't need any help to celebrate that it was so neat when you become a Christian. The apostle Paul said to the Ephesians. When God put his Holy Spirit in you, he gave you and me. Resurrection power to be able to cope with life. How powerful was that we've just seen how powerful he was Into that you have a piece beyond all understanding. That's why Jesus said my peace I give to you. You can have joy in the middle of terrible circumstances, you can have hope, no matter what's going on out there, you would have hope because you muster up because Jesus Christ told you you could have it and he has the power to bring about this closing prayer father were here to celebrate Easter, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Everything about our faith is based on his resurrection from the dead. We are grateful and thankful for that. But it is just one of the ways that he continued to demonstrate his power not just in his miracles and his acts but his words he spoke words like no other man. Many were offended, but Jesus Christ still spoke the truth of them. I pray this morning, father. No one has come someone in this room is not come to a conclusion. I'll be filled by Jesus Christ. They investigate the resurrection they look at his words.

And I invite them to put their faith or trust in him and his finished work on the cross, the promise of Scripture is that your sins are forgiven and again into the family of God that would make a truly happy father. We celebrate on this for your glory and our good Jesus bathroom. If you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you just like to listen to the message one more time. Remember the good a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online at that website you will find on today's broadcast but also many of her previous audio program at Fellowship in the Word.

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