North Main Street Church of God Sermons

The Great Day

(John 20:11-29)

Yearly Theme:  “Love Is…”

Series Title:  Truth and Justice

April 28th, 2019

Something to think about:

As we close out this series this morning we come to a story of mistaken identity; a story about blindness, so-to-speak.  As we celebrated last week, Jesus has risen from the grave!  Now, standing in front of the empty tomb, Mary Magdalene is broken.  Later that very day, the disciples are gathered together in a locked room in Jerusalem, and Thomas (one of the 12) is also completely broken in disbelief and sorrow. 

Let’s pick up their story today…

Turn in your Bible to:  John 20:11-29

What did it take for Mary and Thomas to believe?  It took their eyes to be opened to the truth.  And here’s the point this morning…

Key Point:  “Our eyes ultimately open to the truth when it calls us by name.”

Our own sorrow and discouragement can so blind us that the truth can stare us right in the face and we wouldn’t recognize it.  This is what Mary and Thomas experienced…

John 20:15-16 (NLT), 15  “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?” She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.” 16  “Mary!” Jesus said. She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”).

John 20:27-28 (NLT), 27  Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”  28  “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.

Something to take home:

Today’s message is entitled “The Great Day,” because it is the great day of recognition.  It’s the great day of revealing.  It’s the great day of truth winning out over evil.  It’s the answer to Pilates question, “What is truth?”[1] 

When Mary heard her name from the lips of Jesus, the scales fell from her eyes and she was able to see what she couldn’t before.  Streams of light broke through her tear-filled eyes, and the cloud of confusion lifted.  When Thomas saw with his own eyes the nail prints in Jesus’ hands and the scar in Jesus’ side, he was able to finally proclaim, “My Lord and my God!”

Do you struggle believing today?  Do you struggle to hear Jesus calling out your name?  Do you need to see the scars in the hands and side of Jesus in order to believe?

That voice that called out to Mary near the tomb is a voice that still calls out today.  And, today He’s calling your name?  Do you hear Him?  Today, those nail scarred hands continue to reach out in compassion and love, having conquered sin and death through the cross and the empty tomb.  Today, Jesus is alive, and His message of hope and love and forgiveness is just as relevant as it was to Mary and Thomas.  Do you believe?

Key Point:  “Our eyes ultimately open to the truth when it calls us by name.”

[1] John 18:38.

Three Days and a Large Stone

(John 20:1-10)

Yearly Theme:  “Love Is…”

Series Title:  Truth and Justice

April 21st, 2019

Something to think about:

It’s Sunday morning, just before sunrise.  The disciples of Jesus are hopelessly defeated.  Some are beginning the journey back to their homes in complete discouragement and sorrow[1], while others remain in Jerusalem contemplating what they’re going to do now.  Bewildered, confused, and in complete shock, the men and women who had followed Jesus are lost without Him by their side.  One minute the world was theirs, the next minute their world was falling apart.

This is the scene as Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Salome, and Joanna came to the tomb where Jesus’ body had been laid three days earlier.  They had come just before daybreak with spices and aromatic resins to embalm the body that had been hastily wrapped and placed in the tomb just before the Jewish Sabbath began at sundown on Friday evening.  But, when the women arrive at the tomb, something unexpected happened.  The women came expecting death, but all they found was an empty tomb.  Let’s take a look…

John 20:1-10 (NLT)

1  Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 2  She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

3  Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. 4  They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5  He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. 6  Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, 7  while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. 8  Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed— 9  for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. 10  Then they went home.

We’ve been talking about truth and justice over these past few weeks, and have concluded that Jesus is the complete definition of truth.[2]  But, what happens when the truth seems dead?  What happens when the situation seems completely lost?  Well, this is what we know about Jesus, and this is what we know about truth…

Key Point:  “Truth may seem dead for a time, but it will always rise in the end.”

There are three characters in this narrative that illustrate this point:

Though Mary and the disciples hung on every word that Jesus spoke, they didn’t always remember or understand what He meant.  No matter how forthright and how transparent he was about his impending death and resurrection, Mary somehow lost it all in the head of the moment.

Truth may seem dead for a time, but it will always rise in the end.

In the midst of all that he could see, it still didn’t make sense.  Until this point, Peter hadn’t even understood the predictions given in the Old Testament about Jesus’ resurrection.[4]

Truth may seem dead for a time, but it will always rise in the end.

Up to this point, John had fallen victim to the same hopelessness the rest of the disciples had fallen victim to.  Until he peered into the empty tomb, and saw the empty grave clothes lying on the slab, he was taken over by grief.  However, John’s mind reignited with hope as it was flooded with belief.  Jesus had risen!  Just like He said He would!

Truth may seem dead for a time, but it will always rise in the end.

Something to take home:

We are apt to forget truth if we don’t live it out on a daily basis.  The truth of the resurrection of Christ is just that:  Truth!  But, truth is no good if it’s not believed.  The disciples realized that.  Those first to the tomb came to a stark realization…  “The stone had been rolled away, not by grave robbers, and not so that Jesus could get out, but so they, and others, could get in and see that Jesus was gone.”[5]

No matter how tough it gets; no matter how difficult life may seem.  When hope is lost, and when discouragement sets in, there is truth!  and the truth is:  Jesus rose from the grave! 

Key Point:  “Truth may seem dead for a time, but it will always rise in the end.”

[1] Luke 24:14-34.

[2] John 14:6.

[3] Luke 8:1-3.

[4] Psalm 16:8-11.

[5] Life Application Bible Commentary – John.

The Trial

(John 18:19-24, 28-40)

Yearly Theme:  “Love Is…”

Series Title:  Truth and Justice

April 14th, 2019

Something to think about:

A person can either love the truth, or their version of the truth; and unless their version of the truth aligns with the actual truth, both cannot coexist. 

We come upon the scene today, after Jesus’ betrayal and arrest, that points to this relativistic idea of truth.  Jesus, having been brought to stand trial before Annas (the father-in-law of Caiaphas), and Caiaphas the High Priest of the Jewish people, is questioned relentlessly only to be unjustly brutalized and humiliated.  After the charade in a mock trial before the Sanhedrin (the Jewish supreme court/council), Jesus is then sent to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, to be tried by the in a Roman court of law because only the Romans could execute a criminal under Roman law.

Let’s take a look…

John 18:19-24, 28-40 (NLT)

19  Inside, the high priest began asking Jesus about his followers and what he had been teaching them. 20  Jesus replied, “Everyone knows what I teach. I have preached regularly in the synagogues and the Temple, where the people gather. I have not spoken in secret. 21  Why are you asking me this question? Ask those who heard me. They know what I said.”

22  Then one of the Temple guards standing nearby slapped Jesus across the face. “Is that the way to answer the high priest?” he demanded.

23  Jesus replied, “If I said anything wrong, you must prove it. But if I’m speaking the truth, why are you beating me?”

24  Then Annas bound Jesus and sent him to Caiaphas, the high priest…

18:28  Jesus’ trial before Caiaphas ended in the early hours of the morning. Then he was taken to the headquarters of the Roman governor. His accusers didn’t go inside because it would defile them, and they wouldn’t be allowed to celebrate the Passover. 29  So Pilate, the governor, went out to them and asked, “What is your charge against this man?”

30  “We wouldn’t have handed him over to you if he weren’t a criminal!” they retorted.

31  “Then take him away and judge him by your own law,” Pilate told them.

“Only the Romans are permitted to execute someone,” the Jewish leaders replied. 32  (This fulfilled Jesus’ prediction about the way he would die.)

33  Then Pilate went back into his headquarters and called for Jesus to be brought to him. “Are you the king of the Jews?” he asked him.

34  Jesus replied, “Is this your own question, or did others tell you about me?”

35  “Am I a Jew?” Pilate retorted. “Your own people and their leading priests brought you to me for trial. Why? What have you done?”

36  Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.”

37  Pilate said, “So you are a king?”

Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.”

38  “What is truth?” Pilate asked. Then he went out again to the people and told them, “He is not guilty of any crime. 39  But you have a custom of asking me to release one prisoner each year at Passover. Would you like me to release this ‘King of the Jews’?”

40  But they shouted back, “No! Not this man. We want Barabbas!” (Barabbas was a revolutionary.)

Truth is not relative as many have come to believe; truth is foundational to the core fabric of the universe.  It is truly what holds everything together.  Without truth, everything unravels and falls apart completely!

Key Point:  “All who love the truth recognize it when they see and hear it.”

To know the truth is to live in it.  And in order to know the truth one must remember what Jesus said about it:

John 14:6-7 (NLT), 6  Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 7  If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”

There are two distinct contrasts to the truth in this passage:

John 18:23 (NLT), Jesus replied, “If I said anything wrong, you must prove it. But if I’m speaking the truth, why are you beating me?”

John 18:37b (NLT), Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.”

Something to take home:

Dave Weinbaum writes, “Being truthful when you know it will cost you, is the true test of honesty.”

So, what is truth?

Well, Jesus is Truth.

How can we know the truth?

We have to know Jesus.

How can we truly know Jesus?

We must each surrender our lives fully and completely to Him believing that He is Lord and Savior and the Son of God.  We must believe that He died and rose from the grave and sits at the right hand of the Father advocating for us.  We must continue to seek Him and follow Him and deny ourselves daily.  We must allow Him to transform us by renewing our minds and changing the way we think by allowing His Word and His Truth to penetrate every part of our hearts, minds, and lives.  But, truth always costs something, and it’s worth every bit of sacrifice to have it!

Key Point:  “All who love the truth recognize it when they see and hear it.”

Betrayed and Arrested

(John 18:1-14)

Yearly Theme:  “Love Is…”

Series Title:  Truth and Justice

April 7th, 2019

Something to think about:

As we come into a new Easter season, we will be taking a close look at an aspect of Jesus betrayal, arrest, crucifixion, and resurrection.  The aspect that we will be focusing on is an aspect of “Love.”  It’s the aspect of love that Paul defines as, “doesn’t rejoice about injustice, but rejoices when the truth wins out.”

As we focus on love from a truth and justice angle for the next few weeks, we will see how truth always wins out over injustice.  We will see how love ultimately conquers evil, and how hope breaks through even the darkest, toughest times of life.

We begin today by looking at the story of Jesus’ betrayal and arrest.

John 18:1-14 (NLT)

1  After saying these things, Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley with his disciples and entered a grove of olive trees. 2  Judas, the betrayer, knew this place, because Jesus had often gone there with his disciples. 3  The leading priests and Pharisees had given Judas a contingent of Roman soldiers and Temple guards to accompany him. Now with blazing torches, lanterns, and weapons, they arrived at the olive grove.

4  Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to him, so he stepped forward to meet them. “Who are you looking for?” he asked.

5  “Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied.

“I AM he,” Jesus said. (Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.) 6  As Jesus said “I AM he,” they all drew back and fell to the ground! 7  Once more he asked them, “Who are you looking for?”

And again they replied, “Jesus the Nazarene.”

8  “I told you that I AM he,” Jesus said. “And since I am the one you want, let these others go.” 9  He did this to fulfill his own statement: “I did not lose a single one of those you have given me.”

10  Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest’s slave. 11  But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?”

12  So the soldiers, their commanding officer, and the Temple guards arrested Jesus and tied him up. 13  First they took him to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest at that time. 14  Caiaphas was the one who had told the other Jewish leaders, “It’s better that one man should die for the people.”

Here’s the key point this morning…

Key Point:  “Sometimes the truth is hard to believe, even when it’s staring you right in the face.”

There are a couple takeaways from this passage that are important to highlight:

Some people can’t believe the truth even when it’s staring them in the face.  But truth is true even if we believe it or not.  And if Jesus is the Truth as He proclaimed He was then the very presence of Jesus can knock a person off their feet. 

Something to take home:

Winston Churchill once said, “Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened.” 

Have you stumbled over the truth and allowed it to change your life, or have you picked yourself up and hurried off as if nothing ever happened?  What are you basing your life on?  Are you living your life based on opinionated guesses, personal desires, or do you believe in the ultimate truth of Jesus Christ? 

Once you’ve been presented with the truth there is a decision to make:   Either you can accept it and let it change your life, or you can reject it and never know true freedom.

Key Point:  “Sometimes the truth is hard to believe, even when it’s staring you right in the face.”