Blake Jennings Grace Bible Church Suthwd The Reasn fr Easter Galatians 4:4-7 The reasn fr Easter - the reasn Jesus died and rse frm the dead - is s that we culd belng t the family f Gd. He redeemed us frm sin, frm Satan, and frm the wrath f Gd s that we culd be adpted as Gd's sns and heirs. Because f Easter, we can cnfidently call ur Almighty Creatr, Dad! Turn t Galatians 4 Easter Sunday: the day we celebrate the death and resurrectin f Jesus Christ - a day that revlves arund a histrical event we believe really happened nt just a stry that we tell ur children - it s a histrical fact well supprted by the histrical evidence If yu d like t see that evidence: website resurces FAQ s Hw d we knw Jesus rse frm the dead will send ut n Facebk and Twitter als Nt ging t talk abut that evidence this mrning yu can check that ut n yur wn Ging t talk abut relevance why d events f Easter matter t yur life 2000 yrs later? - What s the pint f Easter t yu? What did it accmplish fr yu? Let me answer by asking yu a very different questin: Why was the Harry Ptter series s ppular? - 7 bks have sld ver 450 millin cpies mvies have made ~$8 billin - Prbably the mst ppular, mst widely tld stry in the last 100 years - Why is it s ppular? Lts f reasns It s gt magic and mst peple like that It s British which is always cl It s well written cmpared t mst yung adult fictin pick up Twilight; yu ll see - Greatest reasn: it tapped int a primal desire we all share the desire t belng Stry f an rphaned by rejected by his fster parents and marginalized N ne cared abut him didn t fit in n friends N ne remembered birthday lived under a staircase cmpletely alne But then a letter shwed up that changed everything all f a sudden he belnged! Invited t a place where he where he was special, valued a place where he fund a family that lved him and cared fr him - Rwling made billins because she tapped int a timeless stry we all lve the utcast wh finds a hme where he belngs. - That s what we all want Deep inside whether we realize it r nt we want t belng That s why we did all thse dumb things in Junir High we just wanted t belng! We all want t belng t a family where we are lved that s the reasn fr Easter! - the Sn f Gd died n the crss and rse frm the dead - s that we culd belng t the greatest family f all, the family f Gd
Let me prve that t yu read Gal 4:4-7 v5: befre we culd be adpted int Gd s family, first we had t be Redeemed by the Sn Redeem = t deliver frm a desperate situatin - Cmmn wrd in the Bible - Usually invlves the payment f a price t set smene free - Easy t illustrate: hw many f yu have ever gtten a pet frm the pund? Julie and I gt a cat frm the pund, Maggie, here s hw it wrks Yu g t the pund and see all these caged animals & feel srry fr them hpefully nice cages, clean but they re still in cages and if n ne rescues them, they ll be put dwn Lk at all these caged animals and ne f them stands ut t yu particular dg r cat that tugs n yur heart r kids heart S yu pay a price t the pund t set that animal free s it can cme hme - That s redemptin: a price paid t free smene frm a desperate situatin S what desperate situatin d we need t be redeemed frm? - v5: redeem thse wh were under the Law - The Law = Gd s revealed standard f right and wrng Defines gd and evil Prmises blessings t thse wh bey; punishment fr thse wh dn t - The prblem: we dn t bey Gd s Law We all d things that are wrng, things that deserve punishment frm Gd - Paul explains in Ephesians 2:1-3 And yu were dead in yur trespasses and sins, in which yu frmerly walked accrding t the curse f this wrld, accrding t the prince f the pwer f the air, f the spirit that is nw wrking in the sns f disbedience. Amng them we t all frmerly lived in the lusts f ur flesh, indulging the desires f the flesh and f the mind, and were by nature children f wrath, even as the rest. This is NOT gd news! Paul describes us in ur natural state Unless Gd redeems us, this is what s true f us 1. we are slaves f sin dead in sin = pwerless t resist sin When humans d bad things it shuldn t surprise us it s ur nature Why we dn t have t teach children hw t be selfish, unkind - hardwired We have t teach them the ppsite - hw t be selfless, kind Our hearts are sinful; we desire sinful things It s hard t say n t thse sinful desires Lust, pride, selfishness, envy hard t resist 2. we are servants f Satan Nt a pleasant r ppular truth t talk abut Satan = the spirit that is nw wrking in the sns f disbedience A demnic being wh really exists, whether we believe in him r nt Mst peple d nt assume he s just a metaphr fr evil But the Bible desn t affrd us that luxury He is real, pwerful, astrnmically intelligent, deceitful, insidius At wrk deceiving, hurting, leading peple t d hrrible things And there s nthing humanity can d t resist him demns are far mre pwerful than any f us unless Gd steps in we are helpless servants f Satan
3. we are children f wrath Even less pleasant t talk abut! Gd is just & He s created a righteus universe where evil must be punished And that s a gd thing!! Yu dn't want t live in a wrld where there is n justice where evil ges unpunished; where murder, theft, rape ignred wuld be a nightmare! Nne f us want that We want evil t be punished The prblem is we are evil! We d bad things maybe nt as bad as sme ther peple But it s a difference f degree, nt an abslute difference I ve never murdered anyne Great! Until I read Jesus wrds in Matt 5:21 Yu have heard that the ancients were tld, Yu shall nt cmmit murder and Whever cmmits murder shall be liable t the curt. But I say t yu that everyne wh is angry with his brther shall be guilty befre the curt; and whever says t his brther, Yu gd-frnthing, shall be guilty befre the supreme curt; and whever says, Yu fl, shall be guilty enugh t g int the fiery hell. I have said mean things abut peple guess yu have, t Accrding t Jesus that makes us just as guilty as a murderer I ve never had an affair Great! Until I read Jesus wrds in Matt 5:27-28 Yu have heard that it was said, Yu shall nt cmmit adultery ; but I say t yu that everyne wh lks at a wman with lust fr her has already cmmitted adultery with her in his heart. Every man in this rm just gt called ut fr adultery! Gd desn t just care abut actins; cares abut thughts and attitudes Study Gd s Law and yu realize: nt a single ne f us wh s inncent We have all dne said thught evil things And that evil must be punished That righteus punishment = the wrath f Gd = Gd punishing evil Because we are evil we all deserve wrath that s what Paul means by children f wrath As human beings we find urselves in an abslutely desperate situatin - we are brn slaves f sin, servants f Satan, children f wrath And there s nthing we can d t fix that - nt strng enugh r gd enugh t vercme even ne f thse And s what we culdn t d Gd did by sending His Sn - t die n the crss & rise frm the dead s we culd be redeemed - Eph 1:7-8 In Him we have redemptin thrugh His bld, the frgiveness f ur trespasses, accrding t the riches f His grace which He lavished n us - redeemed equated with frgiveness = free smene frm guilt r punishment Jesus freed us frm sin, Satan, and the wrath f Gd - the price He paid = His wn bld His death paid ur debt f sin 1 Peter 1:18 19 yu were nt redeemed with perishable things like silver r gld frm yur futile way f life inherited frm yur frefathers, but with precius bld, as f a lamb unblemished and sptless, the bld f Christ. Jesus willingly tk the punishment we deserved s that we culd be set free - And what mtivated Him t give His life in exchange fr urs GRACE We did nt deserve His sacrifice didn t earn it will never pay it back It s grace = a free gift yu dn t deserve
- What distinguishes Christianity frm Islam? 1 st and fremst Trinity ur Gd is Trinity, Allah is nt yu want a Gd wh is Trinity! 2 nd thing grace In Islam yu wrk fr frgiveness by perfrming the 5 pillars: cnfess Mhammed, pray, give alms, fast, pilgrimage t Mecca must d all 5 t find frgiveness But in Christianity frgiveness fund by grace and grace alne Nthing yu must d t earn it n steps t fllw, bxes t check It s a gift Jesus earned fr yu! Islam says DO ; Christianity says DONE Christ did all the wrk & paid the full price s we culd be redeemed - Makes me think f: THE SOUND OF MUSIC Wh has seen that mvie? Mst f us multiple times Great mvie full f catchy sngs sme better than thers Lw n my list sng Maria and captain sing after cnfessing their lve Nthing cmes frm nthing, Nthing ever culd. S smewhere in my yuth r childhd, I must have dne smething gd N, Maria! Yu re a Christian that s nt the Gd yu wrship! He desn t require us t d smething gd s we can get smething gd Our Gd is gracius redemptin is a gift we dn t deserve, never repay - And all yu must d is accept that gift Gd wn t frce His grace n yu Yu must say Yes, Gd, I want t be redeemed frm my sins I believe yur Sn died in my place and rse frm the dead s I culd be frgiven The mment yu believe, yu are set free frever - If there s smething hlding yu back If it just seems t gd t be true cme talk t me If it s just t hard t believe that Jesus died and rse cme talk t me The Sn f Gd redeemed us by dying n the crss and rising frm the dead But redemptin was nt the end gal yu were redeemed fr a greater purpse - redemptin is nt enugh fr Gd He wants smething mre, smething greater Redemptin is hw Jesus made it pssible fr us t be Adpted by the Father - read again Galatians 4:5 Adpted as sns Rman adptin: child became permanent part f new family with all the rights and privileges f a natural brn child. Ladies why as sns and nt as sns and daughters chauvinist? Exactly the ppsite! Back then t be a sn was awesme; t be a daughter wasn t A wman was always under a man s authrity father, then husband He marriage was arranged withut her input She was transferred like prperty frm ne huse t the ther She had n prperty f her wn ther than her clths
Wmen were 2 nd class citizens in the ancient wrld Yu see that in the prayers f Jewish men frm lng ag Blessed be Gd that He did nt make me a Gentile; blessed be Gd that He did nt make me a [slave]; blessed be Gd that He did nt make me a wman. Men had all the privileges and rights; wmen did nt S if Paul wuld have said sns and daughters wmen wuld have wndered Am I 2 nd class in Gd s family like I am in my earthly family? Paul leaves n rm fr dubt: all are sns f Gd with all rights & privileges Wmen, yu are nt a marginalized part f Gd s family! We are all adpted sns f Gd thrugh faith in Jesus That wuld be mre than enugh if that s all we gt frm Gd We dn t deserve t be adpted by Him incredible gift! But Gd has mre in stre fr us because we are adpted as sns we are als Adpted as heirs - read Gal 4:7 - Heir = persn wh has the legal right t inherit smething frm smene else - in human families: yu receive inheritance when yur parents die - In Gd s family: ppsite yu receive inheritance frm Gd when yu die When this life cmes t an end yu will receive yur inheritance frm Gd - What is this inheritance that awaits us? It s quite a few things, actually! Lts f things included in it Here are the tp 4-1) Eternal life Gd will give yu the gift f never-ending life Death will nly be temprary n need t fear it wn t last We ll inherit unending life frm the Creatr f life - 2) Resurrectin Next life NOT flating n cluds in disembdied spirits with angel wings Gd will give yu a new and perfected bdy with which yu ll eat, run, explre, laugh, and enjy 3 rd part f inheritance - 3) New Heaven and New Earth This universe has an expiratin date n it will nt last frever Gd will bring this brken wrld full f pain t an end Then He will create a new ne a better earth jined t heaven n evil, pain, suffering n disaster, fear, war cmpared t that, this beautiful planet is but a dim shadw That new perfect wrld will be yur hme where yu will live with Gd Where yu will receive the 4 th part f yur inheritance - 4) Dminin Yu were created t rule ver the rest f creatin Genesis 1 Let us make man in ur image and let them rule ver all the earth. We have int sin and lst ur ability t rule the earth in a way that s gd But Gd s nt dne with us will perfect us and create a new hme fr us and then give us authrity t rule ver creatin n His behalf Benevlent kings and queens ruling ver Gd s wrld fr Gd s glry We are s blessed! We ve been redeemed by Gd the Sn s that we culd be adpted by Gd the Father as his children and heirs
The ultimate result f being adpted is fund in v6 we can call Gd Abba, Father - Abba = Aramaic wrd fr Dad infrmal term f endearment - expresses intimacy - Because f that intimacy the Jews wuld never call Gd Abba He is Gd, we are nt felt sacrilegius t call the Creatr, Abba - But they were wrng Gd is ur Creatr and King but He s als ur dad - Gd wants us t think f Him like that Nt cwer befre Him in fear but cme near Him in childlike cnfidence - Makes me think abut hw Luke and Gracie apprach me Run int the rm, jump in my lap, and say hi dad Smetimes I wish they d be a little gentler I m getting ld! But I want them t cme t me like that I dn't want them t bw t the grund prstrate themselves crss themselves cwer befre me in fear and keep silent - I want them t cme right up t me and say Dad - That s hw Gd wants us t treat Him I knw that s crazy. He s Gd, we are nt. He s hly, we are sinners. He s infinite, we are tiny and weak. He deserves ur reverence. He deserves ur fear. And yet He wants us t call Him Abba Father, wh lves me and cares fr me, wh desn t make me earn His affectin but ffers it freely as a gift, a father wh shares all gd things with me richly. Dad. Nt Master. Nt King. But Dad. - Is that hw yu see Gd? When yu think abut Gd, what d yu see? An uncaring dictatr high n His thrne t busy running the wrld t have any time fr yu r maybe a hckey referee just watching, just waiting fr yu t make a mistake s he can blw his whistle and thrw yu in the penalty bx. r maybe a disappinted parent He s given yu s many chances and yu ve failed s many times and he d rather just nt even lk at yu anymre. If that s hw yu see Gd, I m here t tell yu: yu re wrng That s nt the Gd f the Bible Yu are seeing a Gd f yur wn imaginatin. - The Gd f the Bible is yur lving Father, yur dad wh created yu s He culd lve yu wh redeemed yu s He adpt yu int His family as His sn and His heir He accepts yu. He values yu s much that the Sn f Gd gave His life fr yu! He died s yu culd belng t the greatest family f all. That s what Easter s abut