This Easter message was preached by Augustine K at Word of Grace Church on April 21st, 2019. To listen/download the audio please click here. To listen to the Sunday's worship and prophetic contributions please click here
Today is an important day because it is a
reminder for us Christians that 2019 years ago our Saviour, Lord Jesus Christ
rose up from the grave. It is also a reminder for us to tell others who don’t
know Jesus that our God is not dead but a living God who forgives and saves. He
is risen! HALLELUJAH!
My three points for today’s message is:
1) Revelation
2) Resurrection
3) Recommitment
We will look at the power of the
resurrection thought the lens of Peter. Peter was an ordinary fisherman man –
an uneducated man. He encountered Jesus in an amazing way. He saw an amazing
catch of fish and Jesus said follow me. Peter left his business aside and
followed Jesus, traveled with him and ate with him. Jesus gave authority to all
disciples to heal the sick and cast out demons. Peter healed the sick and saw
Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead.
John 11:25
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the
resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even
though they die; 26 and whoever lives
by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Among all the disciples, Peter was the one
who God this amazing revelation from
the Father. When Jesus asked “Who do you say I am?”
Matthew 16: 13-18
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea
Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah;
and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the
living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of
Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in
heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter,[b] and on this
rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[c] will not overcome it.
Peter who Jesus was: the Resurrection and
the Life, the Messiah, and the Son of the Living God. A time came where
everyone were plotting to kill Jesus, his own disciple betrayed him and all the
disciples scattered, but Peter followed Jesus. How did he follow?
Mark 14:54
54 Peter followed him at a distance, right into the
courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed
himself at the fire.
Notice the word at a distance. Peter
followed Jesus at a distance and at that time of testing, Peter followed Jesus
saying “I don’t know who he is, I don’t know this man, I swear, seriously I
swear I don’t know who he is.” Like this he denied Jesus 3 times. Even though
Peter had this amazing revelation, saw signs and wonders and miracles he was
afraid. He walked at a distance and denied Jesus.
Now this brings us to the Resurrection.
Jesus was flogged, he was whipped, a crown
of thorns was placed on his head and they nailed him to the cross where he bled
and he died and they placed his dead body in the tomb
“There in the ground
His body lay
Light of the world by
darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave he rose
again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ”
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ”
Jesus is alive, he is living and
breathing. He appeared to his disciples and gave them a job to do: to go and
proclaim the gospel to the ends of the Earth to every nation, every tribe and
tongue.
This brings us to recommitment.
We see how Peter, filled with the Holy
Spirit allowed the resurrection power to work in his life. He proclaimed the
gospel with signs and with wonders and many gave their life to Jesus. Fearful
Peter became fearless Peter. Hopeless Peter became hopeful Peter. How do we
know that?
1 Peter 1:3-7
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can
never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who
through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that
is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice,
though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of
trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of
greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result
in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
Peter lived with conviction that
suffering on Earth is worth nothing compared to the glory and the inheritance
that will be revealed when Christ returns. This caused him to proclaim the
gospel with hope and fearlessness.
Peter is a representative of us in many
ways. In many ways we are like him. We know who Jesus is, we have seen the
miracles, signs and wonders, yet sometimes we are afraid and we walk at a
distance and lack intimacy with Jesus. Sometimes we don’t tell our friends, we
keep quiet but the resurrection power transformed Peter and it can you and me,
it can transform this nation, it can transform every person.
Are we living in fear or
are we living a hopeful and fearless life?
The verse says: “Perfect love casts out
all fear.”
Let the love of Jesus cast out every
fear from your life. Jesus loves us so much. Imagine for the first time when
you fall in love with your respective wife. You go full out – you express your
emotions, you give your time for your loved one. You will prioritize your time
for the loved one. You will cook, bake, and things that you didn’t do you would
now do. Sometimes you may stay up whole night talking to your loved one. You
will keep checking on the person. In times of difficulty you will stand with
that person – in sickness, in trials and in every circumstance you will not
leave that person. Even if the whole world is against your loved one you will
stand with that person protecting and defending. Jesus did the same for us. As
you spend time with Jesus let his love cast out every fear in your life. Let us
also love one another like Christ loved us. If there is any resentment or
unforgiveness, let love cast it all out.
Are we allowing the gospel
to transform our life or do we need to come to a place of recommitment?
