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Institutional First Baptist Church Weekly Sermon Delivered By
Dr. E. G. Sherman, Jr
Dr. E. G. Sherman, Jr
Delivered On
April 5, 2015 at 10:45 AM
April 5, 2015 at 10:45 AM
Subject
Where is Jesus?
Where is Jesus?
Description
| Dr. E. G. Sherman, Jr. | Sunday April 5, 2015 |
| Where is Jesus ? | |
| “And the angel...said...He is not here for he is risen...” (Matt. 28:5-6 ) “this same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven...” ( Acts 1:11 ) | |
| The general experiences in living, a times, cause one a ponder as to the location of a person who is not in place or an object that is out of its usual place. Both of these experiences cause quandary, frustration, anxiety, and even sleep disturbance. Historically, the most important religious question occurred at a tomb of Jesus and on a day that has become known as Easter Sunday. According to the Bible, an angel - already knowing the women’s question regarding the location of Jesus’ body - told them “He is not here for he is risen”. That glorious fact will anchor our 2015 Easter Sermon entitled - Where is Jesus? It will encompass the following three dimensions, namely: Jesus was aware of impending crucifixion and resurrection, human attempts to prevent actions signifying the resurrection and ascension, and what document can we reliably accept to answer our question - where is Jesus? life. The question - where is Jesus - has been a recurring one throughout his life and even after his resurrection. According to Matthew’s account of the nativity, “...there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem. Saying, Where is he that is born king of the Jews...?”. Twelve years later, Joseph and Mary pondered the question of where is Jesus when they discovered that he had tarried behind them in Jerusalem. The question continued to arise during the three and one half years of Jesus’ earthly ministry. The disciples, while in a ship being tossed by unruly waves, must have thought - where is Jesus because Jesus went to them walking on the water. ( Mt. 14:26 ). As Lazarus’s life was ebbing way, it is highly probable that his sisters wondered where is Jesus?( Jo. 11:3 ). The Roman soldiers used Judas to answer their inquiry - where is Jesus? ( Mt. 26:47-49 ). This is by no means an exhaustive list of the persons who wondered where is Jesus. But in this sermon is the account of a woman who was not seeking the physical Jesus for she knew he had been crucified. Instead, her question where is Jesus focused on the dead body of Jesus. She inquired of an angel whom she thought to be a gardener - where is Jesus? Much to her surprise, Mary was told “Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him” ( Mk. 19:6 ). That glorious fact that Jesus is risen leads to the second point of the sermon which is attempts to negate, or deny, the reality of our Savior’s resurrection. Only three will be herein presented. It is that of attempted bribery of the Roman soldiers to confess that they were asleep and the disciples came and removed the body. There was a major flaw in that scheme which was the burial garment of Jesus yet lay in the tomb. Moving from just that one attempt to deny the resurrection of Jesus, the emphasis will be shift to biblical documented facts that coincide with the reality of the resurrection. In the interest of time, just two will be cited. First, there is the theologically sound argument of St. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians. He told them of the Gospel by which he received certification of the birth, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and posed the question, if Christ be not risen from the death, then there is no resurrection thereby leave hope, faith, and preaching in vain thereby causing humankind to be miserable creatures. Although the soundness of Paul’s assertion is plausible, the question may yet be posed - where is Jesus? Oh, my beloved! the Bible contains the answer; it is found in Acts Chapter 1 where it is recorded that after forty days as the risen Savior, Jesus gave the promise of the Holy Ghost coming up them and afterward he was taken up and later two men in white apparel said unto them “...Jesus which is taken up into heaven, shall so come in like manner...”( 1: 9-11 ). While this Scripture answers the question - where is Jesus, it is appropriate to close this second phase of the sermon with a statement that Jesus made concerning his resurrection as recorded in Rev. 1:18. “I am he that liveth, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forever more. Amen....” This divine fact leads to the closing concern of this sermon. The somber questions is where do you stand on the question - where is Jesus?. In pondering this question, you will find that renown world historians included a second on Hebrew history in which they recorded that a person was born and named Jesus. They recount some of his actions, they tell of the varied opinions of him, they note that he was viewed as an adversary to Judaism, they document that he was crucified and they end with leaving him in the tomb. But thanks be to God, the story of Jesus does not stop with human history; it where history books end, there is the every present Holy Bible that literally says, take, read, and believe in me and you will know that He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today! Happy Easter 2015. |
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