The church of Christ on McDermott Road

Finally, we will conclude this series with the truth of what Jesus will do, he will come again. When he does, the fulfillment of all of God’s promises will be complete. All of the hidden truths that Christians believe now will become manifest to everyone. The whole world will finally bow their knees to him and confess that he is Lord. All of God’s enemies will be defeated, sin and death will be no more. We must live in the present in light of this future reality. (Scripture: 1 Corinthings 15:20-28)

(Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10) Sermon by Zach Roddenberry, High School Minister

In many ways, this sixth truth is the one around which all the other truths revolve, Jesus is Lord. You could also say he is the Christ, Messiah, or God’s anointed King. In other words, Jesus is the fully divine and fully human, who is worthy to rule and reign over God’s creation. A person cannot be a disciple of Jesus without believing and confessing the Lordship of Jesus. (Scripture: Hebrews 1:1-4)

On Easter Sunday, we will explore the fifth truth that Jesus did not remain dead. He did not remain in the grave. Our faithful God raised Jesus from the dead. Which was not only a victory for him, but for all of his people. The resurrection of Jesus is a foretaste of what God will do for all of his sons and  daughters, and even for the whole creation. The bodily resurrection of Jesus, and the future resurrection of all of God’s people, is an essential doctrine to believe. (Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:1-8)

This fourth truth may seem incidental, but it is quite significant. For three days, the son of God was dead and buried. He not only became human, not only became a servant, not only died a horrific death, but was buried in a grave like every one else. He lowered himself, humbled himself, to the lowest possible human position. He waited in the grave for three days for his Father to keep his promise. (Scripture: Colossians 1:15-20)

The third truth is not just about who Jesus is, but about what he did. Jesus suffered and died as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. His sacrificial death was the once-for-all sacrifice that was able to free all humanity from Satan’s hold on them. By offering himself on our behalf, he redeems, adopts, justifies, and sanctifies us. In order to be a Christian, you must believe that Jesus died for our sins in accordance with the Scripture. (Scripture: 1 Peter 2:21-25)

The second truth of the series is the truth of the incarnation, Jesus came in the flesh. He became fully human. He is not God, pretending to be human. He was not wearing a human costume. He became fully human. It is also important to understand that Jesus didn’t abandon his humanity when he ascended to the heavenly throne. He is able to serve as our mediator because he IS human. (Scripture: Philippians 2:5-11)

This first truth is expressed in several different ways, Jesus is the word, which is God, he is sent from the Father, he shared the Father’s glory from the beginning, he possesses equality with God, all the fullness of God dwells in him bodily. In other words, Jesus is God. Sadly, a recent survey revealed that 43% of American Evangelicals believe that Jesus was a great teacher, but not God. In order to be a Christian a person MUST believe in the deity of Jesus. (Scripture: John 1:1-5)

If the kingdom—God’s uncontested rule and reign—can be received now, who can receive it and how is it received? How do we enter into God’s rule and reign? Once again, the answers Jesus gives are surprising. Jesus said we must receive the kingdom of God like a child. What does this comparison teach about the character of kingdom citizens? How can we become like little children? (Scripture: Luke 18:15-17)

At different times, both the Pharisees and the disciples of Jesus asked him about the timing of God’s kingdom. When will God rule and reign over the earth without rival or rebel? After all, Jesus taught his disciples to pray, “Your kingdom come, you will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” So, people wanted to know, when will it come? The answer Jesus gave to this question was not the answer people were expecting. He said, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed.” He went on to say, “the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” What does it mean that the kingdom is in our midst? Is it  coming or is it here? The answer might still surprise us. (Scripture: Luke 17:20-21)