THE PROOF IS IN THE RISING (4 OF 5)
by Craig Smith
The Proof Is in the Rising (4 of 5)
Series: The Rising
Craig Smith
Luke 24
I. Introduction
Welcome to Mission Hills and to our Easter celebration.
Listen, I'm going to make an important assumption today. That assumption is that you know about the crucifixion. You know that Jesus was arrested. You know that he was given a mockery of a trial and even though the governing authorities declared him innocent, they caved to the pressure from the religious leaders of Jerusalem and approved his execution. You know he was beaten, nailed to a cross and died.
And of course, you also know that we wouldn't be here today if that had been the end of the story. If a good man had died needlessly, that's a tragedy. But we're not here because of a tragedy. We're here because of a triumph. That wasn't the end of the story. You know what happened next.
But do you know why? The why is way more important than the what. We're here today, two thousand years later, celebrating Easter...not just because of what happened, but because of why it happened.
You know it wasn't an accident, right? Then cross wasn't an unexpected development. The crucifixion was Jesus' plan from the very beginning. He told his disciples what was going to happen long before he got to Jerusalem:
22 And he said, ''The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.'' (Luke 9:22)
He wasn't surprised by what happened. He pursued it...because he knew why it was necessary.
And it's only when we understand why he went to the cross that we really understand the resurrection. Because why Jesus went to the cross was so unbelievable that nothing less than the Resurrection would be sufficient to prove that he had accomplished what he set out to do.
II. Main Body
A. The stain of sin
Christians are often accused of talking a lot about sin. And that's probably a fair ...
Series: The Rising
Craig Smith
Luke 24
I. Introduction
Welcome to Mission Hills and to our Easter celebration.
Listen, I'm going to make an important assumption today. That assumption is that you know about the crucifixion. You know that Jesus was arrested. You know that he was given a mockery of a trial and even though the governing authorities declared him innocent, they caved to the pressure from the religious leaders of Jerusalem and approved his execution. You know he was beaten, nailed to a cross and died.
And of course, you also know that we wouldn't be here today if that had been the end of the story. If a good man had died needlessly, that's a tragedy. But we're not here because of a tragedy. We're here because of a triumph. That wasn't the end of the story. You know what happened next.
But do you know why? The why is way more important than the what. We're here today, two thousand years later, celebrating Easter...not just because of what happened, but because of why it happened.
You know it wasn't an accident, right? Then cross wasn't an unexpected development. The crucifixion was Jesus' plan from the very beginning. He told his disciples what was going to happen long before he got to Jerusalem:
22 And he said, ''The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.'' (Luke 9:22)
He wasn't surprised by what happened. He pursued it...because he knew why it was necessary.
And it's only when we understand why he went to the cross that we really understand the resurrection. Because why Jesus went to the cross was so unbelievable that nothing less than the Resurrection would be sufficient to prove that he had accomplished what he set out to do.
II. Main Body
A. The stain of sin
Christians are often accused of talking a lot about sin. And that's probably a fair ...
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