John 4:19-26 – Because He Lives – Bible study

John 4:19-26 Because He Lives I have no doubt that I have used tonights title before or that I will likely use it again. However, tonight it is not just the title of the message, it is the beginning statement to each point in my outline. I am not sure we have understood or even can understand the importance of the resurrection, but lets take a few moments to at least try. I. Identity Confirmed A. In John 4, Jesus and His disciples were traveling from Judaea to Galilee, following what would have been for the Jews, a unique road. John 4:4 And he (Jesus) must needs go through Samaria. B. The Jews did not normally go through Samaria because the Samaritans were a mixed race people that the Jews despised. 1. By the way, if you wonder what God thinks of mixed races, this passage should shed some light on it. 2. He loves them and wants them to go to heaven just like everyone else. C. By the well of Sychar, Jesus met a woman who wanted to talk politics and religion. 1. Jesus would have none of that. 2. He wanted to talk about sin and salvation. 3. By verse 25, the woman has joined Jesus conversation, acknowledging that she knew the Bible well enough to know that one day God would send the Messiah into the world. John 4:25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. 4. Listen to Jesus answer: John 4:26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. a. Jesus, who are You saying You are? b. Who were they talking about in \#25\? The Messiah, the Christ, the One who would tell all things. c. Who did Jesus say He is? Jesus said, "The One talking with you is the One you are talking about!" d. Jesus just acknowledged that He was the Messiah, the Christ, the One who would tell them all things. D. Some say that Jesus never said He was God? That Jesus never claimed to be divine? Read your Bible instead of your commentaries and quarterlies. He just did. E. Well, that is a pretty big claim to make. Was Jesus just boasting? What did He do to prove it? 1. The proof was the resurrection. 2. Jesus raised Himself from the dead! 3. Friend, no one has ever done that before. 4. In fact, no one but God has ever resurrected anyone from the dead. a. We dont even say we do. b. We say that a person has been resuscitated not resurrected. c. To resuscitate means to bring back from an apparent death. d. That can only be done under certain circumstances. (1) The person has not been without oxygen for too long. (2) What put him in that condition was not too severe. e. No body can raise someone from the dead who has been dead 3 days and with Jesus injuries. f. However, Jesus did not HAVE someone raise Him from the dead. He is God. He raised Himself from the dead. 5. Only God can raise Himself from the dead. F. IDENTITY CONFIRMED! II. Payment Acknowledged 1Peter 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: A. In these verses, Peter began by telling us what did not save us. 1. \#18\ We were not saved by corruptible things. 2. \#18\ We were not saved by silver. 3. \#18\ We were not saved by gold. B. Then Peter tells us what did save us: 1. \#18\ First, notice the word Peter used instead of the word "saved." a. The word Peter used is "redeemed." b. The word means to ransom that which was taken or to purchase again that which was lost. c. Every human being ever born was originally Gods by virtue of the fact He created the human race. (1) The Bible does not speak of our salvation as God purchasing the lost soul. (2) The Bible speaks of God RE-purchasing the lost soul. (3) He is buying back that which has been lost. d. Sadly, God did not do the losing. (1) We are more like the foolish, stubborn, and somewhat stupid dog that ran away. (2) God gave us a choice and some freedom and we used them to get ourselves lost. (3) Our new master, the devil, is cruel and tortures us so, to rescue us, God is willing to pay a very exorbitant and unreasonable price to purchase us back, that is, to redeem us. 2. \#19\ What was the price God paid? It was 1Peter 1:19 the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: a. Well, that is pretty big talk. (1) God, You paid Your blood??? (2) How do we know that?? (3) We saw you die, but we did not see you make any payment; and how are we to know that the price was acceptable? (4) You say the blood was precious and worth the souls of all mankind, but how do we know? b. The proof is the resurrection! (1) Payment confirmed! (2) The dead do not just rise from the grave. (3) The resurrection proves that Jesus blood was the payment for all the souls of mankind, and it proves that the payment was accepted. (4) In fact, there was so much power left in the blood payment for sin that God gave Jesus back His own life! (5) Jesus not only paid for our sins, but with the change left over from sins payment, Jesus purchased life for every man, woman, boy and girl who would ever be conceived. c. Lets make sure we point out that the payment is not automatic. (1) When it comes to salvation, Jesus payment is not set up on an automatic withdrawal system. (2) No. You must come to the Father and make application for the Payment. (a) You must come to the Father and acknowledge the value of the Sons payment. i. Acknowledge that Jesus is Gods Son. ii. Acknowledge thatunlike ourselves Jesus lived a sinless life. iii. Acknowledge that we understand and do know that Jesus death is the one and only payment. (b) Then you must show proof of surrender to Him. i. That is repentance. ii. Repentance is not a life of surrender. iii. It is the first step in a life of surrender. iv. It is a sorrow that indicates a brokenness over a sinful past. (c) These two things, done together and from the heart, produce the miraculous new birth. C. PAYMENT ACKNOWLEDGED! III. Power Unleashed Phi 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; A. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the proof of Jesus power. B. Every promise God ever made, and every hope He ever gave is backed up in the resurrection. C. For example: 1. Jesus promised healing: Has there ever been a body sicker than the One they laid in Jesus grave? It is hard to get any sicker than dead, but Jesus body was more than just sick. It had been brutally mutilated. He was not only dead, but as God had promised Adam, He was "surely dead" \#Ge 2:17\. In the Hebrew, the word dead is used twice meaning, "You will die dead." In Alabama, we would say Jesus was "good-n-dead." If God has power to heal and raise such a body, He has power to heal us. 2. Jesus promised hope: Has there ever been a group whose hope was lifted so high only to be shattered so hard? Peter said, "we have left all and have followed thee" \#Mark 10:28\. All of their eggs were in one basket, Jesus. Then, with Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem, it looked like their eggs were about to hatch. But just four days later, He was dead, "good-n-dead." Their hope was shattered, scattered, and splattered. But then came the resurrection! If God has the power to revival their shattered hope, He has the power to fulfill every promise made to us. 3. Jesus promised victory: Had an enemy ever danced on a gave more boldly than the devil danced on Jesus? Not only had the devil gotten Jesus killed, but he got Jesus killed by His own nation, tempted one of Jesus closest disciples into betraying Him, another into denying Him, and the rest into abandoning Him. If the devil can do Irish Stepdance, Im sure he was stepping high on Saturday night, but then came Sunday morning and the old devil got "churched." If God has the power to defeat the devil, He has the power to defeat every foe we will ever have. D. All of the power of the resurrection has been unleashed and made available to the sons and daughters of God. 1. Paul, the apostle who caused blindness to settle on a servant of the devil, shook of the poisonous viper who bite him, cast out the demons which possessed lost souls, and raised from the dead the boy who fell from the 3rd floor loft, said he wanted to know the POWER of the resurrection. 2. How much more power is there? More than carnal hearts can comprehend. 3. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is power unleashed to Gods people. E. POWER UNLEASHED! IV. Others – Time fails for me to elaborate but the resurrection of Jesus Christ was also: A. Heaven Opened Ephesians 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 1. Paul stated that when Jesus ascended, He did two things: 2. Jesus took with Him the captives – When Jesus spoke of the beggar named Lazarus \#Luke 16:19-31\, He said the saved Lazarus died and went to Abrahams Bosom, a place described as being beside hell. As hard as it is for us to comprehend, it appears that no Old Testament saint entered heaven until after Jesus paid the price of salvation on the cross, then when Jesus ascended to the Father, He first descended into the heart of the earth and took those held in Abrahams Bosom with Him to heaven. Today when a Christian dies, he goes immediately into the presence of God. Why? Because the resurrection of Jesus Christ opened heaven for all. 3. HEAVEN OPENED! B. Gifts Given 1. And at the same time, Jesus, the Lord of the Church, gave giftssome of which are identified in \#Eph 4;11\, including the gifts of pastors and evangelists. 2. When did Jesus give those gifts? After the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 3. GIFTS GIVEN! C. Body Glorified 1. And what body are raised with? Philippians 3:21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body. 2. One like unto His glorious, resurrected body. 3. BODY GLORIFIED! Romans 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. D. Choice Granted John 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. 1. There was always going to be a resurrection of the dead, but now there will be two. a. There has always been a resurrection of damnation. b. But now, there is also a resurrection of life. 2. Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, you get to decide the resurrection to which you will be raised. 3. Because your choice will be granted.