Emptiness of Easter

The Emptiness of Easter
John 20:1-31

I. The expectation of emptiness - John 19:31-36; Mark 16:1
Emptiness in their hearts (He was going to redeem Israel)
The two Mary’s came to anoint Jesus’ body for burial
Emptiness of hopelessness and despair
(Lord, empty ME of hopelessness and despair!)

II. The encounter with emptiness - John 20:1-10
A. The place where the stone had been was empty - John 20:1;
Matthew 27:59-60; Mark 16:3
B. The place where the soldiers had been was empty
Matthew 27:62-66; 28:4
C. The place where Jesus had been was empty - Matthew 28:5-6;
Mark 16:6; Luke 24:3, 6; John 20:2
“He is not here, He is risen”
The tomb was empty
City of Jerusalem, where Christianity started
D. The grave clothes in which Jesus had been wrapped were empty
John 20:3-8
John - the other disciple; the disciple that Jesus loved
Evidence in the tomb was so convincing, it caused the apostle John to believe
The stone was rolled away so that people could see that Jesus was no longer in the tomb

III. The experience of emptiness - John 20: 11-15
Mary Magdalene, weeping
Supposed Him to be the gardener
Crushed her hope,
HE had changed her life. Freeing her from torment
Worth, dignity compassion, love, HOPE
Jesus had given her love
Her love brought her to the tomb and to the cross
She didn’t understand the resurrection was part of the story
Just when she thinks her life couldn’t get worse……..
Empty Hands, empty tomb, empty life

He created us with a God-shaped space in our lives, to be filled with the Presence of Christ in our lives
Power, money, alcohol, drugs. Things we try to stuff in that empty hole.
HE fills it full of meaning and joy
Mary, the epitome of emptiness

*****IV. The end of emptiness - *John 20:16
Rabboni -Master, teacher,
Jesus saying her name (how would I feel if I heard Jesus say MY name? How would I respond?)
A. Because he is risen my failures are not fatal - Romans 4:25;
1 Corinthians 15:14, 17-18, 20
HE took with Him the sin (failures, mistakes) of the whole world
Death was the payment, His resurrection was the receipt
B. Because he is risen my life is not futile - Ephesians 1:18-20
C. Because he is risen my death is not final - John 11:25-26

Bringing it Home
1. Dr. Jeremiah said, “Hope for a better tomorrow is what sees us through a thousand ‘every days.’” When have you used hope (for a better tomorrow) to get you through the challenges of the current day? How does hope keep us going in the face of frustration, challenge and despair?

2. Connecting (or reconnecting) with the hope we have in Christ’s resurrection, allows us to hope in ways we never have before. Where do you need hope in your life right now? In what ways do you feel empty? How can you let Christ fill your emptiness with hope?

Experiencing Gods Best ~ Part 2

IN QUIET TIME

3. The author of Hebrews is writing about God’s blessing when he refers to
“entering His rest.” What do you think it means to rest everything in God? Do
you think you’ve ever done that? What makes it hard to rest in God’s blessing
these days?

Submit everything to God in prayer, Continuously. Even when it seems tough
I feel I could always do better. Outside distractions (health, finances, emotions, circumstances) make it hard to ‘rest’ in God period.

5. Look at some of the Bible verses below and talk about how we sometimes
substitute God’s best for “wilderness experiences.”
Jeremiah 2:13 ~ not relying on the ‘spring of living water’ but on our own limited resources

Jeremiah 10:1-7 ~ No one is like You O Lord, you are great, and Your Name is mighty in power
(Again, we tend to run to the quickest fix, were not patient enough for Gods best)

, 10-13 ~ He is the living God, true God

Matthew 6:19-24 ~ For where your treasure is, there your heart is also. No one can serve both God and money
What will bring us true, lasting happiness? Is it really earthly pleasures?

2 Timothy 3:1-4 ~ But realize this, that ain the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

6. Pastor Jeremiah said that, “… the answer to fear and failure is faith.” Read the
following verses and talk about how faith can be the best life choice.

Hebrews 11:6~ without faith it is impossible to please God, so that anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists, and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him

1 Thessalonians 2:13-14 ~ And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe. For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own people the same things those churches suffered from the Jews


Philippians 3:7-11
But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in[a] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Experiencing Gods Best for Our Lives

Experiencing Gods Best For Our Lives
April 3, 2011
Dr. David Jeremiah
Hebrews 4:1 – 13

Blood on the Lintel and doorposts (picture of the cross)
Application of ch. 4 ~ Those who found Christ (followers) and are now leaving Egypt and onto Gods best for them. From Egypt to that place is through the wilderness
This world is not our home; we are pilgrims and strangers in this land.
God wants us to experience His best today and when we get to Heaven
Enter into His blessing

I. The experiences on the road to the Promised Land - Hebrews 4:1-3

A. The experience of fear - Hebrews 4:1; II Timothy 1:7; Romans 8:15;
Psalm 111:10; Deuteronomy 12:9*
365 Fear Not’s in the Bible
We are told to fear – Godly fear required of Gods people,
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (awe) Psalm 111:10
Believe, and experience Gods best for our lives
(I want to experience Gods best for my life)
Am I missing something? Am I missing Gods best for my life?
God wants us to discover His plan for our lives

REST
Gods Rest is Gods BEST for you and for me (Gods plan for our lives)
God wants us to discover His plan for our lives
In sync with Him
Stress, anxiety, human fear gone
Ch 4 - Enter ~ mentioned five times
(God, what are you up to?)
Call to action
Enter into Gods best for our lives
Failure to enter into all God has for them is regrettable, but not serious (some believe)
But not trusting God is something to fear
Losing heart in our Christian Experience
Going on toward God with His plan in our lives
Don’t be satisfied that you’re just a Christian
Quest for Gods best

B. The experience of failure - Hebrews 4:2; Numbers 14:7-8
Gospel – Good News
(normally death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ)
two witnesses went into Canaan to spy it out for Gods people, so they could enter into Gods best for them
Gospel mixed with FAITH, its not enough just to read it
Enter into the blessings God has for us His children
Faith – Trust without reservation, not belief without proof

C. The experience of faith(trust) - Hebrews 4:3
Believe God, trust Him, and accept He has a plan for your life
Some of us do a lot better with eternity than we do tomorrow
If God is worthy of your trust for eternity, He is worthy of your trust for tomorrow
Ask Him to help you get to His best for your life

II. The examples of the “rest” of the Promised Land - Hebrews 4:4-11

A. The example of creation rest - Hebrews 4:4-5
Seventh day -Sabbath (5pm Saturday)
Jewish people turned it into a burden
God wanted US to have a rest
The blessing of rest (His rest, His best)
Instructions for entering into rest

B. The example of Canaan rest - Hebrews 4:6-7
God wanted his people to have when they went to the edge of the Promised Land
Why should they have believed that
God promised it to them!
Tjeyy walked to the edge, and stopped believing the promises
Belief / Obedience

C. The example of Calvary rest - Hebrews 4:8-13; John 19:30;
Matthew 11:28-30
God wanted Israel to enjoy His very best He had set up for them. They missed it because they didn’t believe
Caleb took his mountain for God
David
Solomon
The rest still remains for us
Don’t be satisfied with just getting out of Egypt
III. The examination of the residents of the Promised Land - Hebrews 4:12-13
How do I know if I am going in the right direction, genuinely, with right motives?

A. Examined by the Word of God - Hebrews 4:12
Vs. 12
Read the Bible
Discern,
the word of God will be a critic of your life
GPS system for my life, the Word of God

B. Examined by the God of the Word - Hebrews 4:13

God sees our lives
Vs. 13 We have the God of the Word to help us to understand where we are
You can’t fool God
Nothing is hidden from Him
Journey from salvation to Gods best for my life
I have to enter into Gods best for my life
Saved in order that we might serve
Eph. 2:10
We are saved FOR good works
(Lord, what are the good works you have for me to do)
Find out how I can get to Gods best for my life

Reflect on what God has saved me from

So thankful to be alive, show me how I can help (serve You)

Discover what God wants

Fearfully enter into Gods plan for my life

His rest is His best
“Lord, whatever you want, whatever you have for me”

Hebrews ~ Going on with God
God has so much more for us than we could ever dream
(I have had feelings of “this is it, there’s nothing more”)

( In Prayer: He has so much more for us to know than we take time to learn)