God is Not Dead
“And the third day rose again..” (1Cor 15:3, 4)
Is God dead?
“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” (Psa 14:1)
The word “fool” is נָבָל (naw-bawl’), which means foolish, senseless.
The word “heart” is לֵב, which means inner man, mind, will, heart.
Introduction: Is your God dead? After Lazarus had died, Martha and Mary were heartbroken as well as disappointed. In their opinion, Jesus was too late. There was no hope. He had been dead 4 days!
“25Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” (John 11:25, 26)
1. Jesus was God in the flesh! (John 1:1-5, 14, 18)
“1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not….
3. He was the perfect sacrifice! (John 1:29)
“29The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
“1For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
4. Jesus came to die to pay the penalty for our sins! Only He could do that!
“There was none other good enough to pay the price of sin, only He could unlock the gates of heaven and let us enter in!”
“6For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” (Rom 5:6-10)
5. Not only did Jesus die as a substitute for our sins, but in the process He satisfied the righteous demands of God the Father (a high price)! (1John 2:2)
“And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
6. Praise the Lord, Jesus conquered death, hell, sin and the grave! (1Cor 15:55, 56, 57)
“55O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
“I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” (Rev 1:18)
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
7. This same Jesus who died for our sins and rose again like He said He would will come again in the clouds of heaven to take His children (bride) back home! (John 14:1-3)
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”