God's Sermon [Resurrection Sunday]

LISTEN TO THE AUDIO HERE

 

READINGS FROM HOLY SCRIPTURE:

• Job 19:23-27

• 1 Corinthians 5:6-8

• St. Mark 16:1-8

Grace, mercy, and peace [are yours] from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. (1 Tim 1)
 
Who speaks to you today, from His entire book of Holy Scripture about the suffering and death of the God-man, Jesus Christ. God preaches to you from His very Word:
And without controversy, great is the Mystery of Godliness: God was manifested in the Flesh, justified by the Spirit, seen of Angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the World, received up in Glory”, says 1 Timothy 3:16, and Colossians 2:3, “In whom are hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge.”
 
    But it is of His suffering and death that the Word Made Flesh brought to us. This is why His prophesies double as Incarnation/Christmass prophesies and Holy Week prophesies. For of Holy Week, as we watch our God of Life battle sin and death, we hear from Isaiah 40:
1. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
2. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned. . . .
3. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 .Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill made low, the crooked straight, and the rough places plain.
5. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. (v. 1-5)
 
    Of His Incarnation and His crucifixion, Jesus says in Haggai 2:6,7, “Thus saith the Lord of Hosts; Yet once, a little while and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; 7. And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come” and Malachi 3:1, “The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: Behold, He shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts.”
 
    As He hangs on the cross, Malachi 3:2 says, “But who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a refiner's fire” and by His sacrifice “He shall purify the sons of Levi. . . that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness” (v.3)
 
    Such is the force of the scene at the cross. That we see the Son the Virgin Mary conceived and call Him Emmanuel (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23). That through the crucifixion of Jesus, Isaiah can say, 
“O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain; O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, and be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!” (40:9).
 
    At the crucifixion, darkness covered the earth and gross darkness the people, says Isaiah 60:2. But the Lord did arise and was lifted up, showing us His glory and to the brightness of that Light, the Gentiles come to Jesus: through His Passion (Isa 60:3).
 
    In our sin we walked in darkness. In Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection, He is the Light that shines. The only light (Isaiah 9:2, Matthew 3:16). For He is the only Son. the Child that is born to us.
Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”
 
    This should take us back to Advent and Christmass. There we heard the Lord Jesus announced in such great ways:
Luke 2:8,9
8. There were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night.
9. And lo! the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
Luke 2:10,11
10. And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:13
13. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Luke 2:14
14. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Zechariah 9:9,10, Matthew 21:5
9. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee. He is the righteous Savior. .
10. . . And he shall speak peace unto the heathen.
  

It is not until Easter that we understand, when we remember His Word. At Easter, “the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 6. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing” (Isaiah 35:5,6)
Isaiah 40:11
11. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; and he shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
Matthew 11:28, 29
Come unto [Him], all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and [He shall]give you rest. 29. Take [his] yoke upon you, and learn of [Him]; for [he is] meek and lowly of heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Matthew 11:30
30. [His] yoke is easy, and [his]burden is light.

 John 1:29
Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world. Who “was despised and rejected of men: a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. . .” (Isaiah 53:3)
Isaiah 50:6
[He]gave [His] back to the smiters, and [His] cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: [He] hid not [His] face from shame and spitting.
Isaiah 53:4,5
4. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. . . .
5. . . He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him,
Isaiah 53:5b
5. and with His stripes we are healed
 
    He was numbered with the transgressors. He was numbered with us.
Isaiah 53:6
6. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; 
and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Psalm 22:7
7. All they that see [him]laugh [him] to scorn: they shoot out their lips, they shake their heads, saying:
Psalm 22:8, Matthew 27:43
8. He trusted [in God] that he would deliver him:  let him deliver him, if he delight in him.
 
    And the Father did deliver Him. through suffering and death, God delivered the Lord Jesus Christ.
Psalm 69:20
20. [Thy] rebuke hath broken [his] heart; [He is] full of heaviness. [He]looked for some to have pity [on Him], but there was none; neither found [He] any to comfort [Him].
Lamentations 1:12
12. Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto [his] sorrow. . .
Isaiah 53:8b
8. he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of [Thy] people was He stricken.
Psalm 16:10, Acts 2:27
10. [But] thou [didst] not leave [his] soul in hell; neither [didst]thou suffer Thy Holy One to see corruption.
 
    Of His crucifixion, the psalms say,
Psalm 24:7-10
7. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in. 8. Who is the King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. 9. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in. 10. Who is the King of Glory? The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of Glory.
Hebrews 1:5, Psalm 2:7
5. For unto which of the angels said He at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee?
Hebrews 1:6b
6. "Let all the angels of God worship Him."
 
    His crucifixion raised Jesus up on high, but death is beneath God. He did not create it. He has no part in it. His resurrection takes Him even higher, where death cannot touch Him ever again, and anyone He chooses to take with Him/
Psalm 68:18, Ephesians 4:8
18. Thou art gone up on high, Thou hast led captivity captive, and received gifts for men; yea, even for Thine enemies, that the Lord God might dwell among them.
 
    So we find ourselves, this Easter day, keeping the command by keeping the Sabbath holy, for we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.
Psalm 68:11
11. The Lord gave the word: great was the company of [the preachers].
Romans 10:15, Isaiah 52:7
15. How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
Romans 10:18, Psalm 19:4
18. their sound is gone out into all lands, and their words unto the ends of the world.
 
    The Word, the Gospel of Peace is that Christ suffered and died. To deny Christ and His Gospel is to court sin and death.
Psalm 2:1,2, Acts 4:25-26
1. Why do the heathen rage, and why do the people imagine a vain thing?
2. The kings of the earth rise up, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His Anointed,
Psalm 2:3
3. Let us break their bonds asunder, and cast away their yokes from us.
 
    But the Lord has the last laugh, not in evil revenge, but in justice. 
Psalm 2:4
4. He that dwelleth in the heavens shall laugh them to scorn; the Lord shall have them in derision.
Psalm 2:9
9. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
 
    And the justice that breaks Jesus’s enemies is that the innocent Lamb of God is punished and the guilty sinner goes free. Jesus is crucified and Barabbas is acquitted. Christ dies for sinners, seeking and saving the lost from the nets and snares of sin, death, and the power of the devil as the King Who Lives! Because His crucifixion brought His Resurrection for Him and for all baptized into His Name.
Revelation 19:6
6. Hallelujah! for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
Revelation 11:15
15. . . the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ: and He shall reign for ever and ever.

Job 19:25, 26
I know that my redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand on the latter day upon the earth:
26. And though worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.
1Corinthians 15:20
20. [For] now is Christ risen from the dead. . . the firstfruits of them that [sleep].
I Corinthians 15:21,22
“Since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1 Corinthians 15:51,52
51. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep; but we shall all be changed, 52. In a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet;
1Corinthians 15:52b-53
52. the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1 Corinthians 15:54b, Isaiah 25:8
54. then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, 'Death is swallowed up in victory.
1 Corinthians 15:55-56, Hosea 13:14
55. O death, where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory? 56. The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
1 Corinthians 15:57 
57. But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thus, finally, in Romans 8:31, 33, 34
31. If God be for us, who can be against us? 33. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. 34. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is at the right hand of God, who makes intercession for us.
Revelation 5:12, 13
12. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
13. …Blessing, and honour, glory and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. Amen.
Revelation 19:16
16. . . . KING OF KINGS, [and] LORD OF LORDS.
 
Alleluia!  Christ is Risen!