Apr 12, 2020
The Easter Effect, Pt. 3
The Resurrection Effect
By Louie Marsh, 4-12-2020
1) DEATH really is an irremediable problem.
5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Ecclesiastes 9:5 (ESV)
2) The road to faith in the Resurrection is different for EVERYONE.
12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened. Luke 24:12 (NIV)
8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; John 20:8 (ESV)
25 …” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” 26 Eight days later…Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said…to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” John 20:25-27 (ESV)
3) But they were all changed by the RESURRECTION EFFECT.
11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” 13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:11-13 (ESV)
18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:18-20 (ESV)
20 And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” 21 And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” 22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. Acts 9:20-22 (ESV)
When Love Came To Town-Bono, B.B. King
I was there when they crucified my Lord
I held the scabbard when the soldier drew his sword
I threw the dice when they pierced his side
But I've seen love conquer the great divide
When love comes to town I'm gonna catch that train
When love comes to town I'm gonna catch that flame
Maybe I was wrong to ever let you down
But I did what I did before love came to town
4) I must let the Resurrection Effect IMPACT my life as well.
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39 (ESV)
I am giving this testimony because I am totally astounded at what God has done in my life! I was so fed up with life, but it just didn't occur to me that God could be real - or if he was, why he would want anything to do with someone like me.
About this time last year, I was stuck on a seemingly endless treadmill of working, getting stoned, and sleeping. This had been going on for years. I was aware that drugs had taken over my life. I had grown dissatisfied. I no longer enjoyed life as I once had. The crunch came when I lost yet another job because of my skunk-induced laziness. This time I was really angry at myself! I couldn't understand why my life was like this and other people's lives were not.
In a rare moment of self-admitted weakness, I broke, and asked God, "Oh, show me if you're real!" Unbelievably, I found an Alpha course leaflet posted through the letterbox by a complete stranger. I phoned the number and haven't looked back since. Through the Alpha course, I found out that God really is real, Jesus really is real, and the Holy Spirit is alive and well and living everywhere! Oh, and did I mention that prayer actually works, if done properly!
Cordie's Testimony –
When I was a member of the James Island Fire Department, we were called out to a house fire. After we arrived it was noted that the fire was located in the den and consumed most of the entire den before we could get it extinguished.
After putting the fire out we performed a clean up of all burned materials. This is known in fireman's lingo as salvage or overhaul. As I looked around the room, I noticed that the den had a player piano. It had gotten so intensely hot in the den that the keys on the piano were melted into one big lump. Some fires reach a thousand degrees or more.
As I was cleaning up the room I noticed a large book. I picked it up and discovered it was a family Bible. As I dusted it off it appeared to be in good shape. I took the Bible out to the lady of the house and gave her my regrets. This was the only thing to survive. As we looked at the book we noticed that the pages were not even tarnished. The Word of God had gone through the heat undamaged. This experience is one I will never forget.
Discussion Questions:
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