God's Story: The Death and Resurrection of Christ

God’s Story: The Death and Resurrection of Christ

1: INTRODUCTION

2: God’s story began with Creation

3: Humans living in perfect relationship with God

4: Then sin entered into the world infecting everything

5: God established a people through Abraham

3: He rescued them from Egypt through Moses

1: He gave them his law and provided land for the people of Israel

4: But the issue of sin always had a way to turn people away from God until . . .

2: The Son of God was born in a manger

5: Jesus grew

1: He called out 12 disciples saying to them

3: FOLLOW ME

4: The final week of Jesus’ life begins

1: SCENE 1

2: Jesus warned his disciples many times

3: His mission on earth would not be what they expected!

5: The Son of Man must die.

4: Jesus, this is crazy talk. You need to stop this.

5: Peter, get thee behind me Satan!

1: SCENE 2

3: It is time to enter into Jerusalem. 

5: Look, Jesus comes riding on a donkey.

2: It is not quite the big giant entrance like a king or pharaoh

4: The poor, the children, throwing down palms on Jesus’ path

1: The religious leaders stand by indignant

2: Jesus surveys the crowd and begins to weep

3: People who are yelling

1-5: “Hosanna!”

3: will soon be used to scream out

1-5: “Crucify him!”

1: SCENE 3

2: Jesus meets with his disciples for what he knows is his final supper with them.

3: While they were eating, Jesus took bread,

4: and when he had given thanks,

1: he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying,

5:  “Take and eat; this is my body.”

2: Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, 

5: “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

PASTOR: Let’s pray (Communion)

3: After the supper Jesus announces that one of the disciples will betray him

2: They all look astounded and shocked

1: They were all quick to swear loyalty

4: Jesus looked at Judas and said

5: “What you are about to do, go and do it quickly”

1: At that moment Satan entered into Judas

2: 11 disciples reclining at a table eating food

3: Unaware that the very presence of God and Satan are physically in the room with them, Judas left to carry out his plans

1: SCENE 4

3: The Garden of Gethsemane

4: Jesus takes his disciples so that they can pray together

5: “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch            with me.”

2: Jesus prays with overwhelming stress and anxiety

1: He wrestles with his options

3: He finally prays

5: “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you           will.”

4: The betrayer comes with the mob

3: He greets Jesus with a kiss

2: The mob attacks

1: The disciples scatter

3: Jesus is taken to court

2: Accusations fly

5: Jesus remains silent

4: The judge feels pressure from the crowd

1: He caves to their demands

5: Jesus is flogged then lead away to be crucified

4: and the disciple who swore to stay with him denied he ever knew him

3: not once,

2: not twice,

1: but three times; just as Jesus said he would

1: SCENE 5

3: In his crucifixion there are two responses that resemble all of humanity

2: One who was on a cross beside Jesus, mocked him and made fun of him

4: The other recognized his sin and the scandal of being executed alongside Jesus

3: “We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong. Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 

4: Jesus answered him, 

5: “Today you will be with me in paradise.”

1: How do we see Jesus?

2: Do we look at Jesus’ powerlessness as an example of God’s impotence?

3: Or as proof of God’s love?

4: One sacrifice given up for all of our sins

5: While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us

1: Satan was defeated at the cross

3: A new era of God’s kingdom was about to begin!

5: Isaiah sums up all these events in a prophecy many years prior

2: He paints the picture of Christ’s suffering in stating that

4: Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering,

1: yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.

5: But he was pierced for our transgressions,

2: he was crushed for our iniquities;

4: the punishment that brought us peace was on him,

3: and by his wounds we are healed.

1: We all, like sheep, have gone astray,

2: each of us has turned to our own way;

3: and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

4: One sacrifice, once and for all. Taking upon himself

5: our sin

4: our shame

3: our punishment

2: our suffering

1: our pain.

1: SCENE 6

5: But the story does not end with the cross!

3: Three days later some of the women go down to the grave to care for the body

2: They were shocked to see an empty tomb

4: Even more shocking, an angel announcing to them that Jesus is not here. He has risen!

3: They went back to the room where the men were hiding

2: Jesus is gone!

1: All of a sudden Jesus appears among them!

5: Peace be with you!

3: After all the disciples have experienced in the past three day, peace was the last thing they were experiencing.

2: But Jesus stands before them . . . alive.

4: Death was not the final chapter.

1: In fact, he defeated death and now lives again.

2: Oh wait, didn’t Jesus try and tell us he would rise again on the third day?

1-5: Ohhhhhhhhhhh

3: But even then some of the disciples wrestled with their thoughts

4: Thomas heard about Jesus but had serious doubts

5: Jesus came directly to Thomas and showed him the evidence that he was definitely alive

1: Peter felt embarrassment and shame

5: He didn’t know what to think

2: He decided to go back to the old business of fishing for fish

4: On a boat he could just distance himself from the whole Jesus thing

3: But after a bad night of fishing someone on the shore encourages them to try one more time before they come in

5: All of a sudden the nets could barely hold the catch of fish

4: The boat almost started sinking due to the amount of fish

3: Peter figured it out

2: That is Jesus on the shore

1: Why did he bother to come and find me?

5: Jesus invited them to eat food that he prepared on the beach

3: When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Peter, 

5: “Do you love me more than these?”

4: “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

5: “Feed my lambs.”

2: Again Jesus said, 

5: “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

4: “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

5: “Then take care of my sheep.”

1: The third time Jesus said to him, 

5: “Peter, do you love me?”

3: Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, 

4: “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

2: Jesus said, 

5: “Feed my sheep.”

3: Three times Peter denied Jesus

1: Three times Jesus affirms Peter

2: Jesus did not disown Peter

4: He did not punish Peter

1: Instead Jesus pursued Peter when Peter was trying to avoid Jesus

3: Jesus affirmed Peter

5: Jesus gifted Peter

2: And Jesus helped to remind Peter of who God called him to be

4: Just like the disciples who had doubt, fear, insecurity and guilt

1: Jesus pursued them,

2: loved them

3: affirmed them

4: and launched them out into ministry

5: Just as he does with each and every one of us.