Sunday Evening Worship Service
by Nathan Whitley
First Apostolic Church of Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: John 11:25-26, John 11:36, John 11:45, Acts 2:38

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/nathan-whitley--sunday-evening-worship-service-141
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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you can start making your way back to your seats as you're doing that greet somebody tonight shake their hand welcome them the First Apostolic Church we've had such a wonderful day today the Lord has just met with us on this beautiful beautiful Easter Sunday and what a word we heard from our pastor this morning why don't we give Pastor McCool a great hand we love and appreciate our pastor amen What a Wonderful Day celebrating the resurrection of Jesus and we'll just stay in that that vein tonight so get your Bibles and go with me to John chapter number 11. John chapter number 11 and as you're turning there give honor to our leadership our pastoral staff all of our all of our leaders all of our Ministries we honor you tonight thank you to all of our first impressions did our first impressions team do an awesome job today welcoming our guests thank you so much all of our Sunday school teachers Kids Quest they came home with all kinds of candy we sent them home with you and hopefully they took a nap after all that Sugar High and you got a nap as well we thank you for all those who served today all of our all of our teams who serve Faithfully today to help us provide a place of welcome here at First Apostolic Church on Easter Sunday John chapter number 11. if you'll help me I'll be I'll be brief tonight John chapter number 11 beginning at verse number 25. Jesus said unto her I am the resurrection and the life someone say Resurrection the resurrection and the life he that believeth in me though he were dead yet shall he live I'm going to read verse 26 and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die I want to preach to you tonight the title is not going to make sense until we get towards the end but I want to preach the cross and the Coliseum the cross and the Coliseum when we pray for a moment father we thank you for the great day to celebrate the resurrection we thank you Lord that we are here gathered in your name with your people and I pray O Lord that you would speak to us one more time encourage us refresh Us in Jesus name we pray and everyone said amen why don't you clap your hands one more time tonight I wonder if somebody can give our living savior a Living Praise right now can somebody offer him a Living Sacrifice which is our holy and acceptable the will of God that we offer him a reasonable living service unto him hallelujah hallelujah the cross and the Coliseum when we come to John chapter number 11 we are confronted with the death of a certain man now Jesus was a friend of Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus and Jesus had received word that Lazarus was sick and approaching death instead of immediately going to lazarus's bedside Jesus stayed two more days where John had been baptizing Jesus knew Lazarus would die but his death would not be in vain for it would only be temporary we should take note that Jesus loved Lazarus that's what it says in verse 36 that he loved him furthermore Jesus felt what it was like to lose someone in death it says that he wept you and I should find comfort that Jesus has experienced every emotion that we have he knows what it's like to love someone who is sick he knows what it's like to love someone who perishes all of us have felt that I'm sure at some time and if you haven't I'm sure you will but Jesus gives us comfort knowing that he loves someone who is sick and he can grieve when someone dies and once Jesus arrived at Bethany Lazarus had been dead and buried in a tomb for four days now Martha believed that Jesus could have prevented her brother's death and although she was right Jesus chose to delay his coming he said for their sake what does it sound like my sake at all it doesn't sound like my will or my good at all that he my brother would die what do you mean it's for my sake that you let him die but Jesus said he wanted to Showcase God's glory by resurrecting Lazarus from the dead you know there is purpose in God's plan when you don't understand God's plan right I said there is purpose in God's plan even though we might not understand God's plan that sometimes at God's glory hides in the middle of our pain God's glory hides in the in the mystery of what we're going through but he said my glory will be showcased in just a moment I want to tell you just wait I want to tell somebody it might look like death right now in your situation but just wait it might look like it's over it might look like the tomb is shut but I want to tell you just wait I want to tell you just wait until Jesus shows up he might your situation your circumstance might be dead for four days but I want you to know that Jesus is on the way someone say Amen now Martha understood that Lazarus could be resurrected on the last day which means that he could be raised from the dead again the afterlife and Jesus did not deny that Lazarus would rise in the Resurrection on the last day but he wanted to demonstrate that Resurrection Life was available today now there are some things we won't know until we get to Glory but there are some things that God will demonstrate today there are my now listen I want to I don't want to help you just a little bit that sometimes God heals and sometimes he doesn't but just because he doesn't does not mean he doesn't have the ability to heal and if I pray for somebody and they die it doesn't mean that he's not going to heal the next person you what you got to do is believe that he can still do what he says he can do and by his stripes there is healing he is still the great physician he's still I wish somebody was helping me tonight come on he's still a miracle worker just because he doesn't heal one doesn't mean he's not going to heal the other we keep praying we keep believing he's still able [Applause] someone say Amen Jesus made a bold statement he said I am the resurrection and the life whoever would believeth in me though he were dead yet shall he live he said Do you believe this do you believe this in verse 26 do you believe believeth thou this Jesus stated that he's the resurrection number one the word Resurrection in the Greek means to rise up or to stand up now I want you to let's think with me with this real deep okay the dead do not have the ability to rise up on their own if you if that ever happened I'm going to be like Scooby-Doo you're just going to see the dust behind me we're having a homegoing service and somebody just stands up I'm going to be out of here I'll praise God from a distance but the dead can't get up on their own but here Jesus is stating that he is the very Resurrection he didn't say I can resurrect he said I am the resurrection because he is giving those who are dead the capability to rise up again I want to tell somebody if you're down you're going to believe that he can get you up I want you to know it might look like it's dead but he can resurrect not just because he has resurrection power he is the resurrection [Applause] all he's got to do is speak the word next he said he is the life he's the resurrection and the life the dead not only need to be raised they need life restored unto them throughout his gospel John does not hesitate to attribute to Jesus the ability to give life and such a claim would be Blasphemous concerning considering that only Jehovah could be attributed with creating life Old Testament and even New Testament Hebrews understood that only God could give life and Jesus is claiming that he's the resurrection he can raise them up but that he can give them life again Jesus said whoever believes in me though he died he shall live now John uses this word believe over 90 times in his gospel 90 times that is the theme of The Gospel of John he wrote these things so that you would believe essentially what he is trying to say that those who believe will live again come on let's not Overlook the great fact the great doctrine that we shall live again that if your born once that's fine but you've got to be born again of the water and of the spirit that means in order for you to live again you've got to die you've got to die out to sin you've got to die out to the old life and that way that you can be raised and live again that's the resurrection oh he said open up tomb open up that tomb there and someone said he stinks he stinks by now he said that's fine open it up I want you to know that I can deal with the stink of life I want you to know that I can deal with the mess of life I want you to know that I'm not turned off by death and stink and mess and problems just open up that tomb oh they moved the tomb they moved over that that stone and I'm sure there are more than just lazarus's body in there and he said Lazarus and the right one got up all the other bones and all the other decomposing bodies stayed where they were where they were and yet Lazarus who had been dead for four days began to move up out of that tomb and make his way to the entrance can you imagine seeing the faces of those who were there just a moment ago crying and weeping and all of a sudden one who was dead began to walk out of the Tomb I don't think for a moment that they stood there like this I think first of all they're probably like me and some ran away creeped out scared out of their mind but I believe there was Mary and there was Martha who had seen their seen their brother who had been sick and who had been dead come out of that tomb and they weren't sitting there like uh just so you know just like a bump on a log but I believe they begin to Rejoice I beg I just believe they begin to clap their hands I believe that they begin to Give Him worship why because he that was dead oh come on somebody one of these days we need to Welcome Home the prodigals that seem dead in their sin I just want somebody to recognize that there's going to be some sons and some daughters who walk through these doors and you're not going to sit there but you're going to see them walk through the tomb of death into life It's Not Over somebody say Amen he was proving that death has to be subservient to him death has to listen to his word John chapter number 11 continues after he raises Lazarus from the dead and you would think there would be great rejoice but there wasn't Mary and Martha rejoiced I bet Lazarus Rejoice a little bit but you know who got upset religious Folk verse 45 introduces us again to the Pharisees and Sadducees and after they have seen Jesus raise the dead they want to kill Jesus and not only that they want to kill Lazarus again I mean could you imagine if you're Lazarus how could you be afraid of death you've already you've already experienced it once why should I be afraid of death again can I tell you that's how we should be because once we have experienced the death of sin we know that I don't fear death of this body because I believe the word of God is going to Quicken me one of these days he's going to call me out of this world one of these days he's going to buy with somebody was hearing me I don't have anything to fear I don't fear death you know why because I know that he's the resurrection and the life and to be present with the law yes to be present with the Lord oh they're gonna kill him they plan to kill Jesus and even the high priest prophesied that Jesus would die for the people of Israel and gather into one the children of God and this prophecy would prove to be true because Christ came to save Sinners and he was going to accomplish that by giving his life Jesus was going to die for the ungodly they that were dead in their sins and the only way to stop the reign of death was through the death of Jesus Christ not only died but he was resurrected from the dead can I tell you we have celebrated the last seven days or so his life and his death and his burial but let us not forget tomorrow morning that he's still alive we shouldn't just celebrate the Incarnation at Christmas time we should celebrate it every day that he came to Earth and robe himself in flesh but we should also celebrate every day besides Easter that He Is Alive forevermore that he's the resurrection and the life Glory come on that's the hope that we have that's the hope that we have [Applause] death does not have dominion over Christ death was arrested and defeated through his resurrection his resurrection Paul would say in second Timothy signified the abolishment of death through death and I'm not talking about physical death I'm talking about spiritual death that he is providing spiritual life unto us that we were dead in our trespasses that sin has brought death and sin is in every one of us you might say it's not me I don't have sin John would say if any man say he has not sinned he is a liar there's your first sin I don't have sin oh yes we all have sin in us and sin in US brings death Paul wrote In First Corinthians chapter 15 if you can put that on the screen here begin reading at verse number 12. he said now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead house says some among you that there is no resurrection of the Dead but if there be no resurrection of the dead then is Christ not risen look at this and if Christ is not risen then is our preaching vein and your faith is also vain what he's saying is this if he didn't rise from the dead we have no hope we're Liars we're false Witnesses there's no we are giving you a false hope if he is not resurrected from the dead can I tell you this and I know this is going to make some people just a little bit uncomfortable but I'm pretty good at that is that the apostles didn't preach Acts 2 38 everywhere that they went they preached Jesus Christ his life his death his burial and his resurrection they didn't get upset about Acts 2 38 they got upset that he was raised from the dead and when they preached that they were pricked in their heart then they told them what to do can I just tell you this Acts 2 38 is the application of the Gospel the good news is that Jesus Christ took our place and he was raised from the dead and if he's raised from the dead we have hope that's the gospel it challenged them to think that one could be raised from the dead in verse 16 it says for if the dead rise not then is not Christ raised and if Christ be not raised your faith is in vain ye are yet in your sins let that just marinate if he's not Resurrected we are left in our sin but if in this life verse 19 we only have hope in Christ we are of all men most miserable but now Christ is risen from the dead can I tell you we have hope that we can have our sins washed away because not just because he died but because he raised himself from the dead that's what we're here celebrating on Easter is that he's resurrected and if he's resurrected we can be free from our sins let us not forget the Simplicity of the Gospel that Christ came and gave himself for us he took our place but not only that he was buried in a grave for three days and was resurrected going back to our Story of Lazarus I want you to think about this again dead men can't hear dead men can't hear dead men can't respond but but when Jesus said his name when he spoke his name and said come forth a dead man heard how can they believe unless someone is sent how can they perceive him unless the word is preached can I tell you we were dead in our sins but the word of God when it was preached unto you something happened inside of your dead man and all of a sudden like Lazarus God began to move in your heart and in your spirit and draw you unto him that's why we need preaching that's why we need the the word of God preached unto us because the word of God brings us life it is the word of God that can reach the the dead ears of a dead man and bring him life Faith the word of God produces faith but it also produces obedience could you imagine Lazarus in that grave hearing that Lazarus come forth nah I'd rather stay in here when this in the stink Lazarus come forth I kind of like it in here haven't had any phone calls work I haven't had to go to work you know I just saw I'll just stay in here no he got up and came forth because when the word of God is preached and it finds life in your heart it's going to produce obedience in you so therefore just because you hear the word of God does not mean that you are already saved you have to respond to the word of God and obey the word of God so it can be applied to your oh I wish somebody was hearing me he initiates it but you have to respond to it Paul gives us this gospel throughout his letters we see it throughout Acts but he wanted he wanted his readers and his followers to understand that Faith leads to repentance which signifies our death with Christ but not only that is that when we are drawn to Faith and repentance in his death at Calvary we will be buried with the one who died for us they did not sprinkle Lazarus they buried him they did not sprinkle Jesus with dirt they buried him and so if we have died with him in our repentance we will be buried with him in baptism and when we are buried with him the one who died for us that's why we are baptized in the name of Jesus and that's why we don't sprinkle we put you down into a watery grave because we're buried with him by baptism [Applause] [Music] so we are immersed with his burial because we've already died with him but that's not all because Paul would say if any man would not have the spirit of Christ he is none of his but if you do have his Spirit you are raised in New Life therefore you must have the Holy Ghost in your life because when you have the Holy Ghost it's the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead that's why when Peter would preach repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost he was saying you are dying with him at Calvary in Repentance you're being buried with him in baptism and in the Holy Spirit you are raised into New Life that is the application of the Resurrection to stop at any of these points leaves you short of identifying yourself with the one who can save you if you only die out at repentance you're a dead man but if you're only buried with him in baptism you're just covered up you're buried but when you have the Holy Spirit reside he said he will Quicken your mortal bodies I'm telling you the Holy Ghost is the is the is the initial it's the first fruit of his Spirit meaning that one of these days he is going to call us out he's going to snatch us out when he comes back he is going to bring us out into new life not a physical life but a new life in within him and with him for eternity can you now see why this was so controversial in the first century Church I don't think they'd be responding like you're responding right now they'd be upset they didn't like to hear that they didn't want to hear any of that the Jews wanted to look for a king that they would overthrow Rome but he didn't do that he overthrew death the Gentiles didn't like that because they thought their lord was Caesar and they thought their Hope was in this world but Jesus did not come to establish a kingdom on this Earth he came to establish an eternal Kingdom so this was an this was an absolute uproar of ideologies that this Gospel of Jesus Christ would be propagated and preached that's why the Jews didn't want them to preach anymore in this name he was stirring people up it was stirring things up causing them to perhaps lose their position in the Roman world I was with Bishop Raymond Woodward a few weeks ago we're recording some Bible lessons on the book of Romans and off off the Record off from us recording he told a story that I want to share with you and I text and make sure it was cool that I shared it with you because it blew me away because Bishop Woodward had went to Rome a few years ago and he seen something he shared what he's seen with us that were there I want to share it with you can you put those pictures up brother Derek the Coliseum is probably the most famous landmark in all of Rome built in the first century this great Arena could seat nearly 50 000 spectators and was the largest Roman Amphitheater in the world the amphitheater was used for Gladiator battles Moxie battles spectacles with wild beasts public executions reenactments of famous battles dramas based on classic mythology and unfortunately the execution of the early Christians construction on the Coliseum began under emperor vespation in 1872 and was completed under his son Titus in 80 80. much of the funding for the arena came from the treasures that had been looted from the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 80 70. when Titus served his father as the Roman general and led Rome's armies against Jerusalem this building was literally a slap in the face of God's people and it served as a gruesome Arena of death for nearly 400 years the exterior of the Roman Coliseum stretches 1730 feet around and 140 feet tall the arches of the second and third stories were originally filled with statues there are 80 entrances with the most imposing one reserved for the emperor and his Entourage directly across from the Royal box was the entrance of the Gladiators the central Arena was covered with a wooden floor and canvas to make it waterproof over this was a layer of sand to absorb the blood in fact the word Arena derives from the Latin word for sand the floor is now exposed down to its underground passages where beasts and Gladiators awaited their fate the arena was surrounded by a 15-foot high wall to protect Spectators from attacks of the wild beasts and the top of the wall was the podium on which the Imperial party and other VIPs had their seats all around this was the seating area divided into three tiers the lowest for nights the middle for wealthy citizens and the top for the general population it served as this Arena of death for 400 years the name Coliseum was not used until the 7th century and derives from the Colossal statue of Nero that once stood there Nero did not live to see the Roman Coliseum but he was really the originator of much of this form of brutal entertainment during his time of rule he had hundreds of Christians put to death in other Armenian Arenas throughout the empire Travelers of the 18th and 19th centuries were smitten with the great ruin of the Coliseum Charles Dickens wrote this in 1846 it is the most impressive the most stately the most solemn Grand Majestic mournful sight conceivable never in its bloodiest Prime can the sight of the gigantic Coliseum full and running over with the lustiest life have moved one heart as it must move all who look upon it now a ruin God be thanked o ruined I want to show that next picture brother Derek the most astounding thing at the heart of every Christian who walks into this Arena and this is what brother Woodward shared with shared with me is standing inside there there is a cross right there as you see standing on the spot where the emperor sat to watch the games in the Roman Coliseum Pope Benedict XIV placed this cross in memory of the Christian Martyrs who shed their blood here and it was truly a remarkable and emotional experience to see that according to brother Woodward he said he took hundreds of photos from every angle to see this here because he could not believe his eyes that here some 2000 years ago to walk into here and to see and to know what took place here the brutal deaths of Christians and to walk in and to see a cross the place where the Caesars and the Emperors would watch Christians give their life here at the Coliseum stands across could you imagine if you are a first century Christian and you went up to them as you walked by the Coliseum and you would say this someday a cross will stand right where the emperor sat in this Coliseum it won't represent the thousands of crucifixions carried out by Rome it won't represent the mangled bodies and torture demise of thousands of Christians and it won't represent the preferred method of execution for the Emperors to the empires to come no there will be a cross that will represent Jesus Christ and how he gave his life for everyone I'm telling you about the cross and the Coliseum stand with me someday there will be a cross where they once murdered and executed Christians they gave their life for what we are believing in and hearing about tonight someday I know Pastor Anthony went to Rome a few years ago we don't go to Rome to see about emperors we want to go and see where Paul was in prison we don't go to Rome and to go see the homes of the emperors we want to go see Saint Peter's Basilica that Peter that Paul that preached that Christ that's what we will go and see why because the cross is the greatest sign of victory for Christians today it is still Calvary that should bring us joy it's still Calvary that should bring us Victory it's still Calvary it's still the cross it's still the resurrection Hallelujah someone say Amen musicians if you'll come someday countless thousands and thousands maybe millions of people will walk these streets in Rome and not come and look for emperors but they'll see a cross what seemed so counter-cultural what seems so brutal and otherworldly his crucifixion his death is going to be recognized as the greatest moment in history Nero Titus all of those are but a footnote in history and yet Christ still Reigns today can I tell you something this evening because I'm closing and our musicians are coming this is becoming more and more counter-cultural you can talk about anything in this world but that cross you can you can you can mention any name but the name of Jesus it's counter-cultural but it is still Calvary it is still the resurrection this brothers and sisters is the greatest event because we know what it does for us that we who were dead in our sins have been made alive through Jesus Christ who is the resurrection and the life I wonder if somebody would lift up their hands this evening and I know that we've had a great day a long day today and we've had time with family and time our fellowshipping we've had wonderful time of celebration today but I wonder if somebody could celebrate Jesus just for a moment I wonder if somebody could lift up your voice and say Lord thank you for the cross come on somebody lift up your voice just for a second I I know we got done this a little bit early but I wonder if somebody could lift up your voice right now and say Lord I need the cross still Lord I still need God I still need the resurrection it's still important to me Lord it's still the most important thing in my life is the Gospel of Jesus Christ I wonder if there's somebody in this Auditorium tonight maybe you need to repent of your sins maybe you need to be baptized we already have one to be baptized tonight in Jesus name we've got one being buried with Christ and baptism maybe there's somebody who needs the Holy Ghost you can come forward right now or perhaps you just want to come and worship him for a few moments and thank him for the cross thank him for the Resurrection on this day would you lift up your voice would you lift up your heart and give Jesus praise right now