Jesus: He's coming back!

-Jesus is coming back! Acts 1:9-11; Jn 14:1-3; 1Thess 4:13-17; Rev 19:11-16; Phil 2:9-11; Rev 21
-There will be two judgements.
  1.The great white throne judgement. (Bad) Rev 20:11-15; Mt 7:13-14
  2. The Bema seat judgement. (Good) Lk 14:13-14; 2Cor 5:10; there will be rewards, crowns; 2Tim 4:6-8
-Be ready. Mt 24:36-44
-Stand firm. 1Cor 15:55-58
-Have hope. Tit 2:11-14

Jesus: He is alive

Jesus rose from the dead! Wahoo!
Isa 53:5-6, 9-11;
Jesus predicts his death and resurrection Mk 8:31-32, 9:31-32, 10:32-34
Friday: ALL of our sins were placed upon Jesus.
Sunday: we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Mt 28:1-9 Our reaction: We should fall on our faces and worship him with everything we are and have.
Jesus was truly dead.
Mt 28:11-15 the story that Jesus' body was stolen was made up as a cover story. Jesus' disciples would not have been willing to die horrific deaths if they had stolen the body.
Peter was a bumbling guy before Jesus' death, and afterward was one of the most eloquent leaders of the church. James, Jesus' brother, thought Jesus was crazy before he died, and was one of the leaders of the church after the resurrection. Paul was one of the top Pharisees until he had an experience with the resurrected Jesus, then became one of the most outspoken leaders of the church.
The resurrected Jesus will absolutely change us.
I can trust Jesus with my past, present, and future. 1Cor 15:12-20; Ro 8:1-4, 31-35; Eph 2:1-7

Jesus: He came to save - Rick Tucker

Ex 40:34-38, Heb 9:7, Lev 16:1-30 took what was most important to the people as a sacrifice
The sins of all of the people were placed on the scapegoat, and it was released into the wilderness. Jesus is our scapegoat.
-Jesus is our high priest. Heb 7:23-28, 8:1-6 He is the ultimate high priest, innocent, sinless, living forever. Heb 8:10-13
-Jesus is the ultimate perfect sacrifice. Heb 10:1-10
-Jesus is our scapegoat. His sacrifice was complete.

Jesus: He came to serve

The person I think the most about in this world is myself. Jesus thought most about others and their needs.
Mk 10:35-45 James and John ask Jesus to be in positions of importance. This comes right after Jesus talks about his coming death. Jesus didn't chastise them for their request, but redirected them to the truth of sacrifice, suffering, and death.
-Jesus (God) came to serve. WOW! Mk 10:45 He gave his life as a ransom for many.  Phil 2:5-8
-We cannot serve others until we let Jesus serve us. Apart from Jesus, we would have no desire or ability to serve. Jesus fills us and we overflow onto others. If I only think about myself and serve myself, I will be miserable.
-Jesus' thoughts and practice concerning service are radical! Lk 22:24-30
-When we serve him, we are the beneficiaries, not the benefactors. Acts 17:24-28 We benefit by serving Jesus.
-There is a huge difference between hearing and doing. Jn 13:14-17 Jesus washes the disciples feet in order to serve them and set them an example of serving others.

Jesus: He gives us rest

We need to get past performance based Christianity and the guilt that comes with it. Instead, we need to rest in Jesus and trust in the sacrifice he made for us.
Mt 11:28-30 Come to me all who are weary and I will give you rest.
He's speaking to all of those who are feeling weighed down by rules and life.
-Come to me! It's an incredible invitation from Jesus to come to him. Start there.  This verse requires a response from us.
-Reject works-based salvation and righteousness. We can't follow all of the rules perfectly -Jesus has done all of that for us. 2 Cor 5:21, Rom 3:20, Mt 23:4, 1Jn 5:3, Acts 15:10, Gal 5:1 Jesus freed us so that we can be free!
-Rest in Jesus! He is gentle and here to give us rest, not to condemn us. Lk 10:38-42, Is 40:31, Eph 3:16-21

Jesus: Friend of sinners

Lk 19:1-10 Jesus and Zacchaeus
Zacchaeus may have been short, but he was a despised rich man. He was probably very proud that Jesus picked him out from the whole crowd.
This story comes after the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Lk 18:9-14.
All of the people wondered why Jesus would want to hang out with Zacchaeus, a sinner.
Something supernatural changed in Zacchaeus between verse 6 and verse 8. He calls Jesus "Lord" and his attitude is different. Zacchaeus was radically changed and saved that day because he came face to face with Jesus.
We all are sinners in need of Jesus. As a church, we need to be about helping sinners find Jesus and salvation.
While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Rom 5:8

Jesus: Who is Jesus?

Jesus WAS and IS God. There's no neutral ground.
What did Jesus say about himself?
-He came down from heaven. Jn 6:38, 41-42, 60, 66
-He was more than just a good man. Mk 10:17-18, don't call me good unless you are also calling me God.
-He was the son of man. Dan 7:13-14
-He performed miracles. Jn 10:36-39
-He said he was God. Mk 14:61-64
-He confirmed to others that he was God.  Mt
-He was sinless. Jn 8:46
-He forgave sin.  Mk 2:5
-He taught people to pay to him as God. In 14:13-14
-He claimed all authority.  Mt 28:18-20
-He is the only way to heaven. Jn 14:6
THAT is the Jesus who came and died for me.