The Ultimate Vaccine | Mark Finley (SDA Sermon)

if you've been reading the news reports or watching the news media outlets you sense that America and the world is in the midst of a major crisis in the midst of a pandemic as we look around the world we see the devastating toll of this crisis schools are closed shopping centers are empty theaters go vacant people have been furloughed and they're unemployed you look around the world and every aspect of life has been seriously impacted the economy has been impacted devastated in many countries in the United States is facing some very serious economic issues but one of the things that has developed recently is the search for a vaccine could people be vaccinated so that they would not get kovat 90 could you give them a vaccination like a polio vaccination or a measles vaccination research laboratories university medical centers throughout the united states and the world are racing at break neck speed to discover this kovat 19 virus vaccination now these trial vaccinations are designed specifically to improve our immune systems to produce a greater production of antibodies so that we'd have a long lasting protection against these viral and bacterial infections one group of United States researchers is looking at a skin test where you can just prick the skin and tell if a person has already had the immunity and if they do not vaccinate them so they will not get this corona virus the University of Nebraska is part of global hunt for the much-needed protection against this virus that's played a havoc with our economy and forced people into self quarantine and isolation as countries have attempted to control the spread of this deadly tamadate pandemic the united states national institute of health as well is coordinating work in laboratories and universities and research institutes in it in a frantic attempt to discover this vaccine the University of Seattle or in Seattle Washington they have a cohort study right now that's quite fascinating that about two-thirds the study's participants have already gotten two doses of vaccine now don't get too excited about it because most of researchers indicate that this vaccine is about at least one year away maybe a year and a half away but just to give you a scope of these studies the University of Pennsylvania University in Kansas have already begun trials clinical trials are being done with chemical laboratories like in vo that's cooperating with the Chinese on a study dozens of potential vaccines are in these clinical trials now in fact dr. Anthony Fauci who is the National Institute of Health's infectious disease chief said in the Journal of American Medical Association he said people are just beating down the door to get into these trials because they want to figure out if we have another wave of kovat 19 will they be protected people are so afraid of this deadly rapidly moving virus that they're anxious to get the vaccine as soon as they can because the pandemic has caused tens of thousands of deaths around the world but there is a virus that's spreading much more rapidly than kovat 90 there is a fire that is much more deadly than kovat 19 you see kovat 19 may be able to destroy your body but it cannot destroy your eternal life Jesus talks about another deadly fatal disease Matthew the tenth chapter and the 28th verse Matthew chapter 10 you're looking there at verse 28 the ultimate vaccine for a disease that is deadly that is fatal notice Matthew chapter 10 we're looking there at verse 28 what does Jesus say he says do not fear those do not fear those who kill the body but who cannot kill the soul but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both the soul in the body in hell there is something more serious than kovat 19 it's the virus of sin that is spreading rapidly through the human race that destroys not only the physical body but destroys eternal life that is the most serious virus kovat 19 can destroy the body but can sink and destroy our body and soul let's discover another vaccine God created human beings perfect in the Garden of Eden there was no taint of sin there but when they listen to the voice of the evil one and yielded to the temptations of Lucifer the virus of sin infected their bodies and was passed on to their descendants the truth of the matter is that every single one of us have been infected the Bible says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God we've been infected with the virus of sin that sin is virus is deadly sins virus is fatal listen to the cry of the Bible Jeremiah 17 and verse 9 Jeremiah 17 verse 9 whether you real or not you have been infected with the virus of sin Jeremiah 17 verse 9 puts it this way the heart is deceitful above all things and what desperately wicked Isaiah the prophet adds in Isaiah 53 and verse 6 Isaiah 53 and verse 6 unless we understand the disease we will never desire the vaccine unless we understand that the disease is fatal we will never desire the solution if you are asymptomatic for COFA 19 and do not realize that you are even infected it's not likely you're gonna do anything so if you are asymptomatic and do not feel that you have the disease of sin why seek a vaccine why seek an antidote Isaiah chapter 53 looking there at verse 6 or we like sheep have gone what astray the sheep wandered from their Shepherd we have turned everyone not a few everyone to his own way so Jeremiah says the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked Isaiah says all we like sheep have gone astray and drifted everyone to his own way listen to the cry of the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 7 Romans chapter 7 we're looking here at verse 54 Romans chapter 7 and we're looking at verse 24 the Apostle Paul cries out in Romans 7 he says o wretched man that I am Who Shall deliver me from this body of death so put these three passages together Jeremiah says the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked Isaiah says all we like sheep going astray and turned everyone to his own way here Paul says o wretched man that I am Who Shall deliver me from this body of death now do you recall that in this kovat nineteen business that there are people who are asymptomatic they don't have a sore throat or a fever if they don't have a runny nose or a cough they appear normal but they are walking around affecting other people in fact the state of Michigan in Detroit particularly is a hot spot in this epidemic and in this hot spot just this last week the governor of Michigan Gretchen Whitmore has said you cannot even go out of your house to visit another residence that's prohibited why because one family two families three families went to visit others they were asymptomatic didn't even know that they had the virus passed it on to others those others got so sick they pass it on to others may I suggest to you there are scores of people walking around the virus is sin they oh they may be wonderful on the outside but there's a selfishness there's a greed there's a lust and they're passing that virus of sin on to others and they do not even recognize that they're infecting others you know if you're in a symptomatic with Kovan 19 it's very likely that soon your temperatures gonna rise soon the fevers gonna mount soon the breathing's gonna become labored soon the body's gonna become weak soon you'll be fighting for your life and the best efforts of the most outstanding medical personnel will be placed to save you but sometimes they are powerless wait a minute though is there a vaccine for the kovat 19 virus of sin where is the solution I thank God that Paul did not end with Romans 7 verse 24 when he cries out o wretched man that I am many raises the question who shall deliver us from this body of sin he does not leave that lingering question in our minds science may not yet have found the solution the vaccine to save us from kovat 19 but Jesus has a vaccine to save us from the virus of sin here Jesus says through the Apostle Paul Paul says who shall deliver us from this this I'm a wretched man who shall deliver us from this nature this in nature verse 25 do you see it there Romans 7 verse 25 Paul says I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord I thank God for Jesus Christ our Lord there is a physician who has the remedy for the virus of seein Jesus punched in to the cesspool of this world to meet the emergency the divine physician entered the arena of human affairs with the antibodies to deliver us from sins virus he came to the snake pit of this world with a solution to the poisonous venom he met the temptations our Satan head-on and was victorious he satisfied the demands of the law that we have broken the cross reveals to the entire universe the depths that Jesus would go to save us concerning this solution to the sin problem concerning this vaccine that Christ provides Peter says 1st Peter chapter 2 verse 24 don't miss this one you got it I hope you've got your Bible if you're watching I hope you're looking on your tablet your iPhone the scriptures to see the Word of God let God's Word speak to you about the solution about the antidote about the Vaught about the ultimate vaccine for this virus first Peter chapter 2 you're looking there at verse 24 and here the Apostle Paul says who himself notice who himself Jesus himself who himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree that we having died to sin might live for righteousness by whose stripes we are healed here he says who himself has for our sins there on Calvary's cross Jesus bore the guilt of sin Jesus bore the shame of sin Jesus bore the condemnation of sin Jesus for the penalty of sin and he offers to you and me forgiveness mercy and grace grace Christ grace is unmerited Christ grace is undeserved Christ grace is unearned Jesus died the agonizing painful death that lost sinners will die he experienced the full wrath of God upon seeing God's judgment against sin he was rejected so we can be accepted he died the death that was ours so we could live the life that was his he wore the crown of thorns so we could rare hallelujah the crown of glory he was nailed up right in torturous pain upon a cross so we could reign upon a throne with the redeemed of all ages wearing a crown of righteousness forever and ever marvel of all Marvel's wonder of all wonders in our shame and guilt Jesus did not reject us he is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world that takes away our guilt take so ere shape takes away our condemnation this is Jesus the dying lamb represents the battered bloody body of our Savior it speaks of an old rugged cross it speaks of nails it speaks of the crown of thorns it speaks of the forest of the trial it speaks of the agony of the tree it speaks of the ridicule of Roman soldiers the taunts of the crowd it speaks to the cost of seeing in the condemnation of the Lord and the marvel of grace the cross speaks of a love so marvellous so amazing so divine that he Jesus would rather take the condemnation the guilt the shame the penalty of seeing upon himself so that not one of his children be eternally lost in the book desire of Ages Ellen White makes this remarkable just this remarkable statement but I want you to see it here it's desire of Ages and you're going to look here at desire of Ages page 753 desire of Ages 753 listen to the magnitude of this it's difficult at times I think impossible for human beings to grasp the bigness the greatness of the cross in fact we are told that the subject of Calvary will be a subject that we study and never fully grasp even in the ceaseless ages of eternity how Jesus could hang on that cross not simply in physical torture but how the one who existed with his father from the ceaseless ages of eternity how this eternal Christ that had never had a beginning and never had an ending how he could bear the sin and guilt of humanity then be willing to go into the grave and never come out be willing to be lost forever because of the condemnation of sin to save you and me there's nothing like it in any literature of the world and the book desire of Ages I read Satan page 753 with his fierce temptations wrung the Heart of Jesus the Savior could not see through the portals of the tomb hope did not present to him is coming forth from the grave a conqueror or tell him of the father's acceptance of the sacrifice he that is Jesus feared that sin was so offensive to God that their separation was to be eternal Christ felt the anguish the sinner will feel when mercy shall no longer plead for their guilty race it was the sense of sin bringing the father's wrath upon him as the sinners substitute that made the cup he drank so bitter and broke the heart of the Son of God so when Jesus hung on Calvary on that Good Friday it was not good for him but it's good for you and good for me it was painful torture and as he hung in the cross he had no concept at that moment that he had be resurrected but she said wait a minute didn't he say if you destroy this body three days and nights I'll be resurrected from the dead he said that before he went to the cross but on the cross the guilt of sin the shame of sin was so great the darkness engulfed him and he could not see beyond that to what is Hell hell is the agonizing torment and certainly there's a physical pain to it but it's the agonizing torment of knowing that you're separated from God forever and banished through all eternity that's the agony of Hell and that takes place not after you die but during the conscious moments before death and so in his conscious moments before Jesus bowed his head to die he experienced the agony of Hell for sinners and as the result of that never saw himself coming out of the tomb this is the story of grace this is the story of a saviors love beyond measure this is the story of Jesus who loves us so much that he would rather experience Hell himself than have one of us loss this is the story of boundless unfathomable in incomprehensible on on ending infinite love that longs for us to be with him through all eternity he was willing to assume the guilt the condemnation and the consequences of our sin if need be separated from his father forever that if that's what it took to save us Christ's death on the cross delivers us from sins sins condemnation sins guilt sins power and sins eternal panic penalty but that is not the end of the story if the cross was the end of the story then Jesus is simply a good martyr dying for good cause if the cross is the end of the story if Jesus is still in the grave like linen are about to swoon or some other great political or religious leader if Jesus is still fair if Jesus died and never rose again then our hope of eternal life is shattered if he never conquered the tomb what hope would we have of eternal life it takes both the dying Christ and the living Christ to redeem us the resurrected Christ delivers us from sins grip the resurrected Christ gives us the assurance that the graves hold on us has been broken since Dominion in our life is broken it no longer holds us in its clutches there is a power stronger than the power of heredity stronger than the powerful environment stronger than all our past failures this is the power of the Living Christ the resurrected Christ but is the power of the Living Jesus resurrected from the dead changing our lives if Christ tomb was not empty our lives could not be full if his body was still in the tomb there would be no assurance that our bodies would never leave the tube if he was not resurrected we would little hope of Resurrection but here is the incredible good news the evidence for Christ's resurrection is in disputable in fact that's what Paul says in 1st Corinthians 15 he says that Jesus was resurrected and he said there are many infallible proofs now I share with you some of those infallible proofs of the resurrection of Christ I want you to take your Bible and turn to Matthew chapter 27 Matthew chapter 27 and in this passage we see the lengths that the Jewish authorities went in the Roman authorities went to see that Christ would stay in the - Matthew chapter 27 and we're reading there from verse 62 onward we'll look there at verse in the scripture says this the chief priests and Pharisees the next day the one after the preparation day the chief priests and Pharisees went to Pilate verse 63 sir they said we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said after three days I will rise again so give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day otherwise his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he's been raised from the dead this last deception will be worse than the first take a guard and Pilate answered go make the tomb as secure as you know how so they went and they made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone in posting the guard now remember Matthew is a tax collector so he he's used to detail and did you notice the words there in verse 65 here is Pilate a Roman leader a Roman pre who says go and make the tomb as secure as you can now there are four things in this text that we want to notice clearly first thing we want to notice is this the scribes and Pharisees were concerned that Jesus would rise from the dead and so they go to Pilate that's point one they wanted to make that tomb secure point to Pilate orders a Roman guard to guard the two a Roman guard we're going to come back to that point three a large stone is placed over that 28.4 a Roman seal is placed on the tomb now let's let's look at those things very very carefully who was that Roman guard that would guard the tomb what do we know about that Roman guard that would guard the tune they were battle-tested soldiers this contingent of Roman soldiers had fought many a battle before they had quelled rebellions in Jerusalem they had traveled for the Emperor to varying countries they had battled in hand-to-hand combat these were no sentimental honor this was no sentimental honor guard these were muscular strong blood thirsty soldiers that were given a job now if you go back and look at the historical description of the Roman guard and I took a look at it this week for a Roman god for a Roman soldier to desert his post of duty or fail in the task that was given to him meant death so the first thing you're going to notice is one the Jewish prelate say we've got to seal that to two pilot sins his Roman guard there and they are not going to leave their post of duty at the point of death thirdly there's a Roman seal what do we know about Roman seals what do they represent a Roman seal represents the authority of RO it resents the power of Rome why was a Roman seal placed on the - in those years there were grave robbers there was a there were traditions in various religious backgrounds that sometimes treasures were bit were buried with the person buried so grave robbers would come and they would try to get into that grave to rob the grave so the seal Roman seal was put there why what was its purpose to warn every anybody this tomb is sealed by a Roman seal that is affixed to it and the authority of Rome is here and you move this stone you get into this grave and all of the power of Rome are gonna come upon you and you're gonna die so that so you have Roman soldiers there you have the seal there now you also have the stone there now it's very interesting take your Bible turn to John 20 and verse 1 John 20 and verse 1 so Mary comes to the tomb John 20 verse 1 on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb while it was still dark and she saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb now I used to think you know the more you study the more you learn sometimes you find something you used to think and what you used to think wasn't what you currently think I used to think that the stone weighed about four to five hundred pounds until two things happen to me one not long ago we went to Jerusalem and the archaeologists in recent years on covered a first-century - that dates back to the time of Christ certainly not Christ tomb it was probably the tomb of one of the more aristocratic families in fact it was that lived in Jerusalem and that tune now you can go out and actually see it it sits in a garden not far from one of the major hotels in Jerusalem I've been there a number of times now taking groups there the entrance to those tombs who is about four and a half feet many times they were family tombs where more than one person would be buried there about four and a half feet and you can see in this particular - in the archaeology is only half uncovered it but a large rolling stone this is what the archaeologists have discovered now these stones weighed about two tons two tons they were placed in a groove and a lever held them while the tomb was empty and typically the grooves had just a little slight incline very slight so you'd push the stone down the slight incline to seal the tomb the Romans seal was then affixed to it what does that mean it means that to get into Jesus tomb you would have had to move a stone that was almost two tons up a very slight incline so here you remember what Pilate said to the soldiers make the tomb as secure as you can on Friday the stone was placed across that was secure at Friday this guard stood there that was secure on Friday that seal was placed upon that so when you look at that whole panorama now somebody asked well did the Roman soldiers put this stone there did the Jews with the stone there whoever put the stone there the stone is sick the tomb is secure now let me ask you this question where were the disciples on Friday night all day Sabbath at early Sunday morning where were they they're in the upper room right why were they there why were they hiding out what did those disciples do when Christ was crucified they forsook him and fled isn't it absolutely illogical to think that these disciples who forsook him and fled are going to come in some way attack those Roman soldiers try to get that stone moved they're fearful they're hiding it's totally illogical to think that they are going to come to move that stood but what happens Mary comes to that - and what does she say John 20 verse 1 what does she see on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb what was dark and saw that the stone had been taken away now dr. Paul Meyer brilliant scholar says this if all the evidence is weighed carefully and thoroughly it is indeed justifiable according to the canons of historical research to conclude that the Sepulcher of Joseph of Arimathea in which Jesus was buried was actually empty on the morning of that first Easter and no shred of evidence has yet been discovered listen in literary sources epigraphy that's writing or archeology that would disprove this statement so even historians recognize that something miraculous happened that Easter morning God sent an angel from heaven and that angel came down and if the angel said son thy father calls you come forth the stone was rolled away Christ was resurrected from the dead and because he was you and I can live eternally there is a vaccine for the virus of seeing it is the death of Christ the resurrection of Christ now there were multiple witnesses in the New Testament of that resurrection multiple witnesses of the resurrection what are those multiple witnesses seven different multiple witnesses of the Resurrection you know the Bible says in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established there are multiple witnesses first Jesus appears to Mary at the tomb witness number one secondly Jesus appears to Peter in John witness number two thirdly Jesus appeals to two two appears to two disciples on the Emmaus Road witness number three four Jesus comes that night to the upper room where the eleven disciples are assembled witness number four Thomas is not there Jesus returns later to those disciples Thomas is there witness number five witness number six Jesus appearance to five hundred on the hillsides of Galilee witness number six during the seven during the forty days that Jesus is on earth he appears to people you have seven different appearances now you say well these were Christ's followers let me ask you this question there's there's some theory that actually doesn't hold intellectual credence at all that Jesus disciples stole his body away we already said that how can you say that when they're so fearful and you got the Roman guards there you got the stone there you got the room and seal there but look think about how the disciples died every one of them died a martyr's death except John Peters crucified upside down James has beheaded are you gonna die for a lie that you made up yourself are you gonna die for a lie you made up yourself do you know the greatest way to disprove the resurrection of Christ is very simple all you need to do is find a body all you need to do is find a body wouldn't you think that if Christ did not resurrect from the dead that the Jews would have found that wanted to find a body that the Roman soldiers wanted to disprove the resurrection they would have tried to find the body but the tomb of Christ is empty what difference does that make in the 21st century in your life in mind it is one thing to believe it but it's another thing to grasp the reality of it in your life the Bible very often hides eternal truths in very very simple language but let's look at why the resurrection makes such a difference a life-changing difference for you and for me we're turning to Matthew 28 verse 1 Matthew chapter 28 verse 1 why does the resurrection make such a difference Mary comes to the tomb Matthew 28 verse 1 says now after the sabbath as the first day of the week began to dawn Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb I'm interested in this expression as the first day of the week began to dawn John chapter 20 verse 1 writes it very similarly but adds a little different nuance on it and you want to look at that as well John 20 and verse 1 it says on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came too early while it was still dark and she saw the stone had been rolled away now we pause for a moment to reflect on the significance of these passages while it was still dark it was dark that Friday it was a dark dark Friday they drove nails through his hands it was a dark dark Friday they put a spear wound in his side it was a dark dark Friday the rain poured down it was a dark dark Friday the Sun didn't shine the birds didn't sing Judas betrayed him Peter denied him the Jews turned their backs on him generally on that cross that day the Romans crucified him his disciples forsook him Jesus bowed his head and died it was a dark dark dark Friday but hallelujah Sunday was coming the disciples that Friday were disappointed they were discouraged they were downhearted their hopes danced away like a shadow like a bottle thrown against the wall and broken in a thousand pieces I mean after all Peter had left his fishermen's boats what was he to do now go back to fishing Matthew had left his tax collectors booth what was he to do now go back to being a tax collector every found Jesus and you just think of Mary this woman from Magdala she was a woman of ill repute she found forgiveness Grace and mercy in Christ unselfish love he cast the demons out of her life that tormented her for so long what was she to do because in Christ she had a new purpose in him she had a future forever with all this an elusive dream was all this make-believe for these disciples had they followed cunningly devised fables but after the darkness the Sun rises again that Friday they said he's dead the last time they saw his body it was broken bruised and bloody the last time Mary saw him she turned away in anguish in deep sorrow at the crucifixion she could not bear the thought of the thick red blood spurting from his hands or his blood tinged face she could not bear looking at the sorrow in his eyes and his pain racked body she could not bear the horror of it all the last few days had been days of deep sorrow with her hopes dashed but consider Mary now as she approaches the - she sees the stone rolled away she sees the tomb is empty she's confused she's perplexed she's stunned eventually the gardener she thinks it's the gardener she's crying she's weeping and she she's looking they're weeping she sees this one who she thinks is the gardener and she says have you taken my lord where have you taken him she wonders has some grave robber and come what has happened she's so confused and he looks at her and he says Mary nobody can say Mary like that and she says Jesus after sorrow comes joy after death comes life after disappointment comes hope and New Hope's brings up in her heart there's an in joy in her face and he smiled I say to you today have you been going through difficulties in your life have you been going through sorrow in your life are you filled with fear worry and anxiety because of Ko vat19 after sorrow there will become joy after disappointment they'll become hope because the problem of sin in sickness and suffering disease ultimately be over when Jesus Christ the resurrected Lord returns Jesus wiped Larry's tears away now look why did not Christ reveal himself first to Peter why didn't he reveal himself first to James first to John Peter preached into 3,000 were baptized in their Pentecost James was the leader of the Christian Church John was the one that Jesus the Bible says the disciple that Jesus loved they wrote the book of Revelation why not to them why to Mary because Mary needed him most Mary needed him most her heart was broken that day she had been forgiven much and she loved much when you need him most he's there when your son is racked with fever kovat 19 and you don't know what to do Jesus is there when you're unemployed out of work don't know how you're gonna pay the bills the rent the mortgage Jesus is there when problems in life mount Jesus is there he was there by Mary side that day the first great lesson of the resurrection is this he will turn your sorrow into joy he will turn your sadness into gladness he will take away the despair and turn that into hope but there is another eternal truth not only after darkness does the Sun always rise not only does light break through the darkness not only in our hour of deepest darkness would Jesus who rise in our life here's the second eternal truth as you believe what Christ has done for you will flood into your life believe that he cares for you believe that he loves you believe that he has the best in mind for you notice what I did not understand did not say you don't have to understand it don't worry about understanding everything goes on in life don't worry about trying to figure it out cognitively in your head why was this person sick and this person wasn't don't try to figure all this out if God who loves me why am I facing such economic problems don't worry about figuring it out believe by faith believe he cares by faith believe he loves you by faith believes he has the best in mind for you by faith believe that the light of the resurrected Christ will shine upon you again believe when things don't go well and you wonder where Jesus is like Mary cry out Lord I know you've hair like Mary fall at his feet like Thomas who once doubted saying this is my Lord and my god I love those promises of Scripture Hebrews 13 verse 5 they are there for us today Hebrews 13:5 in the midst of the kovat nineteen crisis the promises of God are still true because a pandemic does not erase the promises of God Hebrews 13 verse 5 last part for he himself has said last part I will never leave you nor forsake you so we may boldly say verse 6 the Lord is my helper I will not fear look at Isaiah 41 verse 10 the promises of God give us hope they give us encouragement Jesus Christ is alive he is resurrected from the dead he is there to give you strength he's there to give you courage he's there to give you a hope he's there to give you new life notice Isaiah chapter 41 verse 10 fear thou not he says to you I am with you why can he make that statement because he is not the Christ who died and stayed in the tool beyond the cross there is the resurrection beyond the cross there is the empty tomb beyond the cross there is the resurrected Christ fear not he says verse 10 I am with you be not dismayed for I am your God I will strengthen you what are you going through today the resurrected Christ says to you I will strengthen you yea I will help you the risen Christ says I will help you the risen Christ says I will oppose you with my righteous right hand by faith believe do not worry if you don't understand by faith believe grasp his promises let them feel your life transform your life there is one last lesson and it is this every time Jesus confronted death he won Jesus never lost a battle with sickness suffering disease Jesus faced death head-on at the home of gyrus and there Jesus raised Jairus daughter from death Jesus faced death head-on with Lazarus and Jesus as a token of his power over death raised Lazarus take your Bible please and turn to John 11 John chapter 11 what the resurrection of Christ tells us is that death is a defeated foe what the resurrection of Christ tells us is that Jesus has conquered the grave what the resurrection tells us is that the darkness of the tomb becomes a tunnel with a light at the other end because of Jesus now look John chapter 11 and we're looking there at the resurrection of Lazarus and you're looking at John 11 and Jesus comes to Lazarus to Lazarus has been dead for days and I want you to look at verse 39 - Jesus says take away the stone Saint Jesus the Christ who at resurrection would have the stone rolled away rose away the stone analysers to Martha the sister said he's already been dead for days his fight he's gonna stink jesus said did I not say to you if you would believe if you would what believe you want to see the glory of God in your life you want to see the resurrected power of God in your life believe that jesus is alive believe he can forgive your sins believe he died for you believe that the power the Living Christ can deliver you from whatever is binding you from whoever is holding you back notice he says believe and you're gonna see the glory of God verse 41 then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying and Jesus lifted up his eyes and said father I thank you that you have heard me and I know that you always hear me but because of the people who are standing by this I said that they may believe you sent me Jesus and I'm gonna work a miracle so others can believe now look now when he had said these things he cried with a loud voice Lazarus come forth when Jesus cries come forth in the last day the dead will come out of their graves resurrection of Lazarus is proof positive that Jesus Christ is resurrected has power over the grave the resurrection of Jesus is a demonstration that the grave could not hold our Savior Jesus is the vaccine Jesus is the antidote for the ultimate sin problem one day the earth will quake one day lightning will flash one day Thunder will Rumble down through the sky and one day Jesus Christ will come one day the Dead will be resurrected one day the graves will be open one day the resurrected Christ will bring forth to life your son your daughter your husband your wife that died believing in him the incredible good news is that there is a vaccine for sin there is an antidote for sin and that antidote is Jesus Christ now notice verse 44 and he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes and his face was wrapped in a cloth and Jesus said to them loose him and let him go Lazarus was alive but he was bound up with all these grave clothes Jesus had loosed him and let him go many Christians have experienced new life but they're bound up with worry bound up with fear bound up with anxiety bound up and Jesus has loosed them and let him go Jesus wants you to be loosed and freed so that you can enjoy his life the abundant life Jesus and I've come today my life and more abundantly Jesus do not fear the resurrection morning was a resurrection of rejoicing it was a resurrection morning of glory the New Testament writers placed such repeated emphasis on the resurrection they mention it three hundred times on that resurrection morning two thousand years ago Christ triumphed over Satan life triumphed over death feared faith triumphed over fear Hope triumphed over despair joy triumphed over sorrow this very morning rejoice let the resurrected Christ fill your heart would you like to say this morning Jesus Jesus I'm coming to you maybe you've never made a full commitment to Christ before this is your time to do that don't let him take your guilt shame maybe you're struggling with some sin in your life this is the time to let the resurrected Christ fill your life and give you the joy give you new strength maybe you're bound up like Lazarus was there there's some life spiritually stirring in your soul but you're bound like Lazarus and Jesus says loosen loosen loose him and let him go lose her and let her go Jesus wants you to be loosed from fear loose from worry loose from anxiety loose him and let him go maybe the Spirit of God has touched you in this message and you want to say Jesus I'm yours you can just raise your hand right now wherever you are Jesus I'm yours maybe you were baptized once through the Adventist family but you drifted away and you want to come back I want you to drop me a note it hope lives 365 say Pastor Mark I'm coming back maybe you want to be rebaptised we can help to arrange that for you maybe there's somebody you know every week and hopefully it's 365 I get notes from people that say Pastor Mark I want to be baptized Pastor Mark I want to follow Jesus the resurrection indicates a Christ who went into the tomb and came out and he can give you new life baptism is a symbol of death burial and resurrection and if you have never followed Christ in Bible baptism before or you've sensed in watching hope lives 365 that you want to be baptized I want you to to write me at hope lives 365 one of my colleagues this last weekend down in Brazil spoke like this over the Internet a million people watched and 2000 made a decision to be baptized this is Easter weekend what better place to make that decision to follow Christ to go into the water by immersion right now as we pray together let the Spirit of God touch your heart let the spirit of God touch your life wherever you are whatever decision you are at whatever place you're at in the Christian life let Jesus touch you right now as we pray father in heaven we've heard your word we're overwhelmed with your grace we are overwhelmed with the power of the cross to break our hearts grace unmerited grace undeserved grace that is boundless infinite we open our hearts to receive that grace deliver us from condemnation and guilt the power of sin and as we think of the resurrected Christ who chases away our sorrow it gives us new hope who liberates and frees us the resurrected Christ is coming again for us the tomb that is empty we thank you for that father we pray today they will touch our lives and transform them in Christ's name you

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Keywords: sermon, mark finley, Seventh day Adventist, SDA, Adventist, HopeLives365, bible, jesus, covid-19, eternal life, salvation

Id: yw_SdgmfZ3s

Length: 55min 35sec (3335 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 22 2020