Weekend Sermon -- Easter

     Christ is risen! Happy Easter to everyone. Thank you for taking the time to read the blog this weekend. I hope that you are all having a great week.
    This week was a good week for me. As you know, I have been looking for a better job. On Tuesday, I was offered and accepted a good job. I will start in two weeks. Thank you for all of your prayers in this matter. Thanks be to God.
     In prayer this week, please remember to keep praying for those in Mozambique who are having such a terrible time because of the storm that hit that country. Pray that the needs of the people will be met.
     Please continue to pray for those in the United States who have experienced the terrible flooding. This is just to the north of where I live, and I know that many are having a very hard time.
     Continue to pray that the Ebola epidemic in Congo will end. Pray for those who are working diligently to help the Ebola victims in Congo.
     Remember to pray for peace in the troubled areas of this world. Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen and Libya need our prayers.
     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those who live in the nations of Mongolia and Liberia. Pray that many will hear about the love of Jesus.
     Today we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. What a glorious day. All four of the Gospels give us an account of the events concerning the resurrection of Jesus. I want us to focus our attention on the resurrection account from the Gospel of Matthew.
     In Matthew's Gospel, we see that Mary Magdalene and another woman named Mary went to the tomb of Jesus. When they arrived at the tomb, they found an angel sitting on the stone that had been rolled away from in front of the tomb of Jesus. The angel instructed the women not to be afraid. He told them that Jesus had risen just as He said that He would. The angel told the women to go and tell Jesus' disciples what had occurred.
     The women ran to tell the disciples. On the way, Jesus appeared to the women. The women fell at Jesus' feet and worshiped Him. He told the women not to be afraid. He too instructed the women to go and tell the disciples that He had risen from the dead.
     In this account, we see that both the angel at the tomb and the risen Lord told the women not to be afraid. What I would like to focus on today is how the resurrection of Jesus frees us from fear.
     First of all, the resurrection of Jesus frees us from the fear of death. Because the human race fell into sin, death passed upon all because all have sinned. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death.
     Most people that I have known have a fear of death in some manner. This can run the gamut from terror to uneasiness. The idea of non-existence is hard for people to come to terms with.
     I've met Christians who are afraid to die. This is something that I find hard to understand. Jesus' resurrection frees us from the fear of death. Because Jesus conquered death through His resurrection, death has no power over those who are in Christ.
     Hebrews 2:14-15 expresses very well what Jesus has accomplished for us. These verses state, "Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death."
     Since Jesus has risen from the dead, we do not have to fear death if we are in Christ. Jesus will take all those who are in Him to be with Him in the place that He has prepared. Those who are in Christ Jesus will spend eternity with Him.
     Jesus expressed so well in the Gospel of John the power of His resurrection. John 11:25-26 records Jesus saying, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though he die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die." These are magnificent and glorious words.
     Another verse that clearly shows us that we as Christians need not fear death is found in II Corinthians 5:8. In this verse, Paul states that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
     Because of the glorious resurrection of Jesus from the dead, we don't have to worry about what happens to us when we die. Jesus will raise us up and take us to be with Him forever if we have trusted in Him as Savior and Lord.
      The resurrection of Jesus not only frees us from the fear of death for ourselves. Jesus' resurrection frees us from the fear that we will not see our loved ones again after they have passed away.
      Almost everyone in my family has passed away. My Mom and Dad are both dead as are my grandparents. I lost two of my uncles and one of my aunts this year. Several of my friends have passed away. This is hard. However, all of these people trusted in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. I know that because Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life, I will see my family and friends again in the presence of my Lord Jesus. I don't have to fear and grieve that they are gone from me forever. They aren't.
     Finally, the resurrection of Jesus frees us from the fear of living in this world. It does not matter what should come against us. Ultimately, no matter what happens to us in this life, we have a home with Jesus forever. We can take comfort in the fact that we will rise to be with the Lord.
     There may be someone reading this sermon who has never placed his or her trust in the Lord Jesus. Jesus died on the cross to take away our sins. He rose again to defeat death and hell. Jesus invites whosoever will to come to Him. He invites you to repent of your sin and ask for His forgiveness. He invites you to accept Him as the Lord of your life. I hope that you will chose Jesus today.
     Next week, we will be back to our regular schedule on the blog. On Monday, I will post the verses for the week. On Wednesday, I will post a review. The Weekend Sermon will be posted on Friday. May God bless you all. Christ is Risen. Alleluia.