Summary: He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Our call to praise was jubilant this Easter! Pastor Chris helped us all remember that the true meaning of Easter is Hope! As the fourth message in the series “Cross Words” he focused on Jesus’ final words, “It is finished.”John 19:28 (NLT) – “Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said….it is finished!”
Sermon Points: Jesus’ death and resurrection provided: 1. Full satisfaction for sin 2. Fatal blow to Satan 3. Fountain of Grace opened and flows forever 4. Foundation of peace was laid that lasts forever
Sermon Processing Questions:
1. It is significant that Jesus declared, “It is finished” at the moment of his death. He is the only person to walk the earth who fully finished all he set out to accomplish. He went even further at his resurrection when he left his folded facial burial cloth for the disciples to find.
When have you left something unfinished in your life? Was it something mundane, like reading to the end of a book? Was it more significant like restoring a relationship? How does Jesus’ example of finishing what He started bolster your resolve to finish what you’ve set out to do?
2. Every individual who has, and will, ever live asks three existential questions at some point in their life: 1. Where did I come from? 2. Why am I here? 3. Where am I going? Explore your answers to these questions; how would you share them with someone seeking God?
3. In 1 John 1:8 the unvarnished truth is revealed, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.” Pastor Chris asked, “How often do we give ourselves the benefit of the doubt when answering for our mistakes? We so often deceive ourselves.”
How might someone deceive themselves into thinking they are a Christian, truly surrendered to, and saved by, Jesus?
Like the tightrope daredevil, Blondin asked the crowd, “Who will trust me to take you across the Niagara Falls in a wheelbarrow?” Jesus asks us to trust Him with our entire life. How have you helped others deal with the fact that everyone must accept or reject His gift of salvation?