Heartland Christian Church
Main - HCC Sunday Service - Jul 12,
  • Your Love Oh Lord
  • How Great Is Our God
  • Lamb of God
  • I Surrender All

  • INTRODUCTION

    There is one event
    that changed
    everything.
    Not just
    for the disciples.
    Not just
    for the Church.
    But for
    the whole creation.
    That event is
    The Resurrection
    of Jesus Christ.
    The Resurrection
    is not just
    the happy ending
    to the Gospel story.
    It's the beginning
    of God's
    New Creation.
    Everything
    that was broken
    by sin
    begins
    to be restored
    through the risen Christ.
    That's what
    today's readings
    show us.
    Luke shows us
    the risen Lord—
    alive,
    bodily,
    victorious
    over death.
    Matthew shows us
    what His victory
    over death
    accomplishes.
    The risen Christ
    forgives sins,
    heals humanity,
    & restores what sin
    has broken.
    Then Paul shows us
    what happens
    when ppl begin
    sharing in
    that resurrection life.
    A new people.
    A new community.
    A people whose lives
    are shaped by the life
    of the risen Christ.
    Three readings.
    One Lord.
    One Resurrection.
    One New Creation.
    PRAYER
    Let's pray.
    Almighty God,
    our heavenly Father,
    we give You thanks
    that on the third day
    You raised
    Your only-begotten Son,
    our Lord Jesus Christ,
    from the dead,
    trampling down death
    by His death,
    and opening to us
    the way
    of everlasting life.
    As we open
    Your holy Word,
    open our hearts
    & our minds.
    Grant us the illumination
    of Your Holy Spirit,
    that we may see
    the glory
    of the risen Christ,
    know Him more deeply,
    & be transformed
    into His likeness.
    Heal what is broken
    within us.
    Strengthen
    what is weak.
    Renew our hope,
    increase our faith,
    & give each of us
    a deeper love
    for You
    and for one another.
    In Jesus name.
    Amen.
    [Transition:
    The first truth we learn
    abt the Resurrection
    frm tonight’s readings is:

    1. The Resurrection Begins the New Creation.

    In our reading
    frm Luke 24,
    Luke tells us that
    the disciples
    are gathered together
    after Jesus was crucified
    & buried.
    They've heard reports
    of the resurrection.
    Mary Magdalene
    saw Him.
    Two men
    on the road to Emmaus
    recognized Jesus
    in the breaking
    of bread.
    And then —
    as Luke tells us
    in Luke 24:36
    Luke 24:36 NIV
    While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
    Jesus appears
    out of nowhere.
    The disciples
    are terrified.
    They think they're
    seeing
    a spirit.
    A ghost.
    So, to calm their fears
    Jesus says
    Luke 24:39–40 NIV
    “Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet.
    The same Jesus
    who had been crucified
    & buried
    had now appeared
    to the disciples.
    & He invited them
    to look at Him
    to touch Him
    & to see that scars
    in His hands and feet.
    & he even
    Eats broiled fish
    in front of them.
    Why?
    The Church has always
    been clear
    abt this.
    The resurrection
    of Jesus Christ
    is real…
    bodily…
    & physical.
    The Christ
    who rose
    frm the dead
    is the same Christ
    who suffered
    & was buried.
    The wounds
    are still there.
    The body
    is real.
    But at the same time,
    Christ's body
    has undergone
    a tremendous transformation.
    The risen Christ
    appears
    thru locked doors.
    He vanishes
    frm their sight.
    At times
    He’s recognized
    immediately.
    At other times,
    He’s not.
    His body
    is now glorified—
    no longer subject
    to corruption
    or death.
    The humanity
    Christ assumed
    has passed
    thru death
    into glory.
    It shines
    with the divine life
    for which
    humanity
    was created.
    & in 1 Corinthians 15:42,
    Paul talks more
    abt the resurrected body.
    He writes:
    1 Corinthians 15:42–44
    1 Corinthians 15:42–44 NIV
    The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
    When we hear
    the word “spiritual”
    we tend to think
    of things
    that are invisible.
    But both Jesus
    & Paul teach us
    that the resurrection body
    is a real…
    visible body.
    It's called
    a spiritual body—
    not bcs
    it ceases
    to be physical,
    but bcs
    it’s transformed
    through union
    w/ the risen Christ,
    Filled w/
    the life of
    the Holy Spirit,
    & no longer subject
    to corruption
    or death.
    As Paul puts it in
    Philippians 3:20–21 NIV
    …the Lord Jesus Christ…will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
    Christ is
    the first fruits
    of the New Creation.
    He’s the first
    of the New Humanity.
    The beginning
    & the guarantee
    of our own resurrection.
    Heaven
    is not the end
    of the Christian story.
    Resurrection is.
    At the end
    of Luke's Gospel,
    the risen Christ
    leads His disciples
    out twd Bethany.
    He lifts up
    His hands.
    He blesses them.
    & while
    He’s blessing them,
    He’s taken up
    into heaven.
    This is
    the glorious mystery
    of the Ascension.
    Jesus did not leave
    His humanity
    behind.
    The very body
    born of the Virgin Mary...
    the body that hung
    on the Cross...
    the body that rose
    frm the tomb...
    now sits
    at the Father's
    right hand.
    & St. John Chrysostom
    shows us how huge
    this is for all of us,
    when he says
    "Today our nature, which was cast out of Paradise, has ascended above all the heavens; today it has reached the royal throne... Today our nature occupies the throne at the right hand of God."
    What Christ
    has done for us
    & the kind of life
    we can have in Him
    is so much more glorious
    than we’ve
    been taught.
    Christ did not merely
    return to heaven.
    He brought
    our humanity there
    w/ Him.
    This is what Paul means
    in Ephesians 1:3,
    when he says
    Ephesians 2:6 NIV
    And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus…
    & again in,
    Colossians 3:1–3 NIV
    Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
    Christ is seated in heaven
    Our humanity
    has been raised
    & is seated
    w/ Him.
    This is a living reality
    for all of
    who live in Christ.
    So we shld set our minds
    on things abv
    because that
    is where our life is.

    Application

    Now,
    at the end
    of Luke’s gospel,
    He tells us
    after Christ’s Ascension
    the disciples
    returned to Jerusalem
    with great joy.
    Think about that.
    Just a few weeks earlier,
    they were hiding
    behind locked doors.
    Afraid.
    Confused.
    Certain
    that everything
    had been lost.
    Now,
    they worship
    the risen Christ.
    They rejoice.
    & they praise God
    continually
    in the Temple.
    Why?
    Because they know
    that death
    has been defeated.
    They know the Lord
    has not simply returned
    to life.
    He has begun
    the New Creation.
    Humanity has entered
    the presence of God
    in Him.
    The future
    they longed for
    has already begun.
    And frm this point on,
    everything is different.
    The forgiveness
    of sins...
    the healing
    of humanity...
    the gift
    of the Holy Spirit...
    the birth
    of the Church...
    all flow
    from the Resurrection
    of Jesus Christ.
    This is why
    the Resurrection
    stands at the center
    of everything we believe.
    The Risen Christ
    has conquered
    sin & death,
    & has begun
    a New Creation.
    [Transition:
    & that brings us
    to the 2nd truth we learn
    frm tonight’s readings.

    2. The Risen Christ Restores Humanity.

    The Resurrection
    is not only something
    Christ experienced.
    It’s the restoration
    He now shares
    with His people.
    The One
    who conquered death
    is the same One
    who forgives sins,
    heals humanity,
    & restores what sin
    has broken.
    In Matthew 9,
    a man is carried
    to Jesus.
    He cannot walk.
    He cannot come
    to Christ
    on his own.
    He has to be carried
    by others.
    & when Jesus
    looks at him,
    the first words
    He speaks
    are not,
    "Get up and walk."
    Instead,
    He says…
    Matthew 9:2 (NIV)
    Matthew 9:2 NIV
    “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”
    Why does Jesus start here?
    Because Jesus
    always begins
    w/ the bigger need.
    The paralysis
    everyone cld see
    was real.
    But there was
    a deeper sickness
    that no one
    cld see.
    The sickness
    of sin.
    The Scriptures
    do not teach
    that every sickness
    is the result
    of some particular sin.
    Jesus Himself
    makes that clear
    in John 9:2,
    when His disciples
    asked a question abt
    a man who
    was born blind.
    John says:
    John 9:2–3 NIV
    His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.
    So the Scriptures
    do not teach
    that every
    bodily affliction
    or ailment
    is a result
    of a particular sin.
    But the Scriptures
    also teach
    that the whole creation
    has been subjected
    to corruption
    bcs of sin.
    Sickness.
    Decay.
    Death.
    None of these
    were part of
    God's original creation.
    They are signs
    that the world
    needs healing.
    & the paralyzed man
    who lays bfr Jesus
    in Matthew’s gospel
    is an image
    of all humanity.
    Unable
    to heal itself.
    Unable
    to restore itself.
    Unable
    to overcome
    the power
    of sin
    & death.
    & what Christ does
    for this man
    points forward
    to what Christ
    did through His
    death & Resurrection.
    He rose
    to begin
    the restoration
    of creation.
    The healing
    of this man
    is a sign
    of that restoration.
    His body
    is raised up.
    His sins
    are forgiven.
    His whole life
    is made new.
    This miracle
    is a glimpse
    of what Christ
    came to do
    for all creation.
    But there's
    another reason
    Jesus begins
    by forgiving the paralyzed man
    bfr healing his body.
    Only God
    can forgive sins.
    The scribes
    or the teachers of the Law
    understood that.
    & in Mark 2:7,
    They accuse Jesus
    of speaking blasphemy
    in claiming this man’s sins
    are forgiven.
    In Mark 2:7,
    We hear why
    they accused Jesus
    of blasphemy.
    They ask:
    Mark 2:7 NIV
    “Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
    This is
    the right question.
    But the mistake
    they made
    was failing
    to recognize
    who was standing
    bfr them.
    Jesus
    does not deny
    their conclusion.
    He confirms it!
    How?
    He heals
    the man's body
    to reveal the authority
    He already possesses
    to heal
    the man’s soul.
    The visible miracle
    reveals the
    invisible one.
    Listen to
    what Saint Cyril of Alexandria,
    says when commenting
    on this passage.
    He says:
    "He forgives sins as God; He heals the body as one who has taken flesh. For He is both God and man. And He shows by the healing of the body that He has the power also to heal the soul. For if He can do the lesser — raise up a body from paralysis — how much more can He do the greater, which is to loose the bonds of sin? He is the Physician of souls and bodies, and He heals both, because He is Lord of both." — St. Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on Luke, Homily 12
    The healing of the paralytic
    is not just
    a miracle of compassion —
    it's a revelation
    of Christ’s identity.
    It’s a revelation
    of Christ’s Kingdom.
    The Creator
    has entered
    His creation
    to restore
    His creation.

    Application

    So this miracle
    is not only
    abt one man.
    It's about
    all of us.
    Every one of us
    has been wounded
    by sin.
    Every one of us
    needs healing.
    Every one of us
    needs forgiveness.
    & the risen Christ
    still comes
    to His ppl
    as the Great Physician.
    He still forgives.
    He still heals.
    He still restores.
    Not all at once.
    & not always
    in the ways
    we expect.
    But over time
    thru participation
    in Christ’s life
    in the Church
    we’re being conformed
    into the image
    of Christ.
    This is why
    the holy sacraments
    are not merely
    symbols.
    They are the means
    by which
    the risen Christ
    continues His work
    among us.
    Every confession.
    Every prayer
    of repentance.
    Every act
    of obedience.
    Christ
    is restoring
    His image
    within us.
    Until the day
    when the work
    He has begun
    is completed
    in the resurrection
    of the body.
    [Transition:
    & that brings us to
    the 3rd and final truth
    we learn abt the resurrection
    frm tonight’s readings…]

    3. The Resurrection Creates a Resurrection People.

    In today’s reading
    frm Romans 12,
    Paul shows us
    what happens
    when the life
    of the risen Christ
    takes root
    in His people.
    The Resurrection
    did not simply
    change the future.
    It changes
    the present.
    & the Resurrected Life
    is now being lived
    in Christ’s body
    which is His Church.
    & in Romans 12:9-14,
    Paul shows us
    what this life
    looks like.
    He says:
    Romans 12:9–14 NIV
    Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
    Paul’s commands here
    are not a checklist.
    They're a portrait.
    A portrait
    of the Lord
    Jesus Christ.
    This is His life
    being formed
    w/in His ppl.
    The more we’re united
    to Christ,
    the more His love
    becomes our love.
    His mercy
    becomes our mercy.
    His patience
    becomes our patience.
    His generosity
    becomes our generosity.
    This is why
    the Church Fathers
    so often speak of salvation
    as transformation.
    Not simply being declared
    something new,
    but becoming,
    by grace,
    what Christ created us
    to be.

    Application

    The life-transforming
    pwr of Christ’s resurrection
    can be seen at work
    in the ppl who
    live like Christ.
    Every time
    we forgive someone
    who has hurt us...
    the Resurrection
    is at work.
    Every time
    we serve
    w/o seeking recognition...
    the Resurrection
    is at work.
    Every time we pray
    for those who oppose us...
    the Resurrection
    is at work.
    Every time
    we turn frm sin
    the Resurrection
    is at work.
    Every time
    we give generously
    the Resurrection
    is at work.
    The world
    shld be able
    to look at the Church
    and catch a glimpse
    of the age
    to come.
    Not bcs
    the ppl are perfect.
    But bcs
    the risen Christ
    is present
    among His ppl.
    Continuing
    His work
    of healing,
    forgiving,
    transforming,
    and making
    all things new.
    CONCLUSION
    As we close
    let’s bring all of
    tonight’s readings together.
    Luke shows us
    that Christ
    is risen.
    Not as
    a spirit.
    But in
    a glorified body.
    The firstfruits
    of the New Creation.
    The beginning
    of God's renewal
    of humanity.
    Matthew
    shows us
    what that means.
    The risen Christ
    has authority
    to forgive sins,
    to heal
    what has been broken,
    & to restore those
    who cannot
    restore themselves.
    He’s the Great Physician,
    still at work
    among His ppl,
    making all things new.
    Then Paul shows us
    what happens
    when people share
    in that
    resurrection life.
    The Church becomes
    A people
    whose lives
    bear witness
    to the age
    that has already begun.
    A people
    who love
    because Christ
    first loved us.
    Who forgive
    because they
    have been forgiven.
    Who serve
    because they share
    the life
    of the Servant King.
    Who bless their enemies
    bcs they want them
    to share in the same life
    they have in Christ.
    This is why
    the Resurrection
    changes everything.
    It changes
    our future.
    Death
    is no longer
    the end.
    It changes
    our present.
    Christ
    is restoring us
    even now.
    And it changes
    our purpose.
    We’re called
    to become
    a living witness
    to His Kingdom
    until He comes again.
    One day,
    the work Christ began
    on Easter morning
    will be complete.
    The dead
    will be raised.
    Creation
    will be set free
    from corruption.
    Every tear
    will be wiped away.
    Death will be
    no more.
    That future
    is certain
    bcs Christ is risen.
    That's why Luke tells us
    the disciples returned
    to Jerusalem
    w/ great joy.
    they knew that everything
    had changed.
    Christ had conquered
    death.
    Humanity
    had entered the presence
    of God.
    The Holy Spirit
    would soon
    be poured out.
    The Kingdom
    had begun.
    Brothers & sisters,
    that same risen Lord
    is present among us
    today.
    He still
    forgives.
    He still
    heals.
    He still
    restores.
    He still calls
    men & women
    to share
    in His life.
    The Resurrection changes everything.

      • Luke 24:36NKJV

      • Luke 24:39–40NKJV

      • 1 Corinthians 15:42–44NKJV

      • Philippians 3:20–21NKJV

      • Ephesians 2:6NKJV

      • Colossians 3:1–3NKJV

      • Matthew 9:2NKJV

      • John 9:2–3NKJV

      • Mark 2:7NKJV

      • Romans 12:9–14NKJV

Heartland Christian Church
heartlandchristianchurch@gmail.com
513-722-2629
https://hcc-2n.faithlifesites.com
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