Victory Over Death (Easter Weekend) Sermon Audio, Video, & Questions

On Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024, at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on Luke 24:1-12.  This message concludes the “Victory Over Death” sermon series.  Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find audio and video of the message to listen to/watch, download or share.

Sermon Questions:

  1. Pray
  2. Read Luke 24:1-12
  3. Why do you think the resurrection is so important?  In what way does the resurrection give you hope?
  4. The story of Christianity is a “happily ever after” story for those who have placed their faith in Christ!  We talked about three specific ways this is true – regarding physical death, suffering, and sin.  How does the Easter account give us hope in each of these areas?  Which of these is particularly meaningful to you today?
  5. We talked of the Resurrection of Jesus.  And then saw the Resurrection (spiritually speaking) of Paul from 1 Corinthians 15:8-10.  Have YOU had a spiritual resurrection as well?  Share your story of how Jesus has changed your life?
  6. Have you trusted in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins?  Have you repented of your independence and sin and turned to follow Him in faithful obedience?  If so, how is that going in your life?  If not, what is keeping you from turning to Christ? 
  7. What is one particular application you took away from this passage/message?

To access these questions in pdf format click here.

 

To listen to message offline, click the link:

Victory Over Death #3 3.31.24

 

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Victory over Death (Easter Weekend) Preview

How important is the resurrection of Jesus Christ?

Well, it is so important that if you take that one historical event away … if it did not really happen … all of Christianity ceases to exist. And don’t take my word for it. Listen to the Holy Spirit directed words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:17, 19, “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins … If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.”

Or listen to the reflections of the great British theologian and Pastor John Stott, “Christianity is in its very essence a resurrection religion. The concept of resurrection lies at its heart. If you remove it, Christianity is destroyed.”

Without the resurrection of Jesus, Christianity is destroyed? Without the resurrection of Jesus our faith is futile and Christians are “most to be pitied”? Yup.

THE resurrection is THAT important.

At the front of many churches (including Wildwood), a cross hangs reminding us of the centrality of Jesus’ death for our sins. Rightly so! But the cross is a symbol (primarily) of death … and Christianity is WAY MORE than a message simply of death – even His death on our behalf. Christianity is the way of TRUE, ABUNDANT, and EVERLASTING life! On the other side of the cross & His death for us – is an empty tomb … and just because no one has ever figured out a cool way to hang THAT on the wall, may we not forget that we are a RESURRECTION PEOPLE! As Paul would say in Romans 6:4b, “just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, WE TOO MIGHT WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE.”

And if Christianity is a resurrection religion, then Christianity is a religion of LIFE … and HOPE … and NEW BEGINNINGS.

And here is what is awesome … this life and hope and new beginning is not just something Jesus lives, it is something that He gives to all who trust in Him. So, if you want life abundantly, hope after loss, light after darkness, a new start after an epic fail, life after death … it is available in Jesus Christ – the author and giver of the resurrection.

This weekend at Wildwood Community Church in Norman, we will gather to celebrate the central tenets of our faith:

Friday night, March 29, at 6:00 & 7:30pm we will remember the cross as we worship Jesus together on Good Friday, focusing on His death on the cross in our place.

Sunday morning, March 31, at 8:30, 9:45, & 11:00am, we will remember the empty tomb as we worship Jesus together on Easter Sunday, focusing on His resurrection and the new life it brings to all who believe in Him.

Hope you can join us this weekend! And bring friends!

Victory Over Death (part 2) Sermon Audio, Video, & Questions

On Sunday, March 24, 2024, at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on Luke 19:28-44.  This message was part 2 in the “Victory Over Death” sermon series.  Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find audio and video of the message to listen to/watch, download or share.

Sermon Questions:

  1. Pray
  2. Read Luke 19:28-44
  3. Do you have any memories of celebrating Palm Sunday growing up?  What memories do you have?  Before listening to the message today, what stood out to you most about the events of Palm Sunday?
  4. In contrast to the earlier days of Jesus’ public ministry, He allows quite a spectacle to be made as He entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.  Based on our study today, why do you think Jesus allowed this production to go forward?
  5. It is clear from these events that Jesus was not a victim at the cross, but One who was laying His life down as a sacrifice for our sins.  How does seeing this and remembering this encourage you concerning the work of Jesus on the cross?
  6. This morning, we looked at 3 groups of people on that first Palm Sunday:  the believing crowd, the curious crowd, and the rejecting Pharisees.  Which of these three people do you most identify with at this stage of your life? 
  7. While the crowd was celebrating, Jesus wept (Luke 19:41-44).  How does seeing this response of Jesus help shape your understanding of Jesus’ heart for the people of this world – even those who reject Him?
  8. What is one particular application you took away from this passage/message?

To access these questions in pdf format click here.

 

To listen to message offline, click the link:

Victory Over Death #2 3.24.24

 

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Victory Over Death (part 2) Preview

It is a scene that American sports fans are oh so familiar with.  A scene that indicates the game is nearly over and one team has prevailed.  When the players on the field assume this posture, the deal is done, victory for one side is assured, and the other side is left only with frustration and defeat.  What am I talking about?

The victory formation.

It looks different in different sports, but the message it communicates is the same.  In football, it is achieved when the team in the lead has the ball and can run out the clock without doing anything more than handing the ball to the quarterback and taking a knee.  In basketball, it is a team dribbling out the clock near half court, while the opposing team can do nothing to change the outcome.  In hockey … well, who am I kidding … I have no idea what this looks like in hockey!  I grew up in Oklahoma after all!

You get the idea.

In Luke 19:28-44, we have what appears to be Jesus in the “victory formation.”  He is entering Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday, riding a king’s animal, surrounding by celebrating festival goers, who were honoring Him as their king, and singing songs of glory.  This looks like the first century Messianic version of the “victory formation.”

But was it?

After all, five days following this moment of victory, it appeared that the “other side” had won.  Like a quarterback fumbling the snap with 30 seconds still on the clock, are we to interpret this turn of events as Satan snatching victory from the jaws of defeat?  Or … was this moment truly a triumph for our Sovereign God?

This Palm Sunday morning, join us at Wildwood Community Church at 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 as we look at Luke 19 together to find our answers … and see what this means for us today.  Hope to see you then!  And bring friends!

Victory Over Death (part 1) Sermon Audio, Video, & Questions

On Sunday, March 17, 2024, at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on Romans 5:12-21.  This message was part 1 in the “Victory Over Death” sermon series.  Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find audio and video of the message to listen to/watch, download or share.

Sermon Questions:

  1. Pray
  2. Read Romans 5:12-21
  3. What are some of the ways death has impacted your life?
  4. In Romans 5:12-14, the Apostle Paul demonstrates how all humanity was impacted by Adam’s fall in the Garden. In your own words, how would you describe the impact of the fall?
  5. Because of Adam’s sin, physical, spiritual, and eternal death are now a part of the human experience.  What are some of the ways our world tries to find hope, purpose and meaning in the face of death?
  6. Jesus Christ provides our hope for life!  Jesus provides the solution to physical, spiritual, and eternal death!  How has Jesus addressed each of these “deaths” and “reversed the curse”?
  7. Whose team are you on?  Team Adam, or Team Jesus?  You are born onto Team Adam, but must be born again to join Team Jesus!  Have you trusted in Christ for your hope and life?
  8. Who has God laid on your heart to reach out to this Easter season with the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
  9. What is one particular application you took away from this passage/message?

To access these questions in pdf format click here.

 

To listen to message offline, click the link:

Victory Over Death #1 3.17.24

 

To listen online, use media player below:

 

To watch online use YouTube:

 

 

Victory over Death (part 1) Preview

I once had a history teacher in high school (Mr. Love) who was famous for assigning a weekly report that his students turned in on notecards. In fact, he was so famous for this assignment that by the time I took his class in the fall of 1990, he began day #1 of his class saying strongly, “Students, there are three things that you will find as constants in life: Death, Taxes, and Mr. Love’s notecards!” Many, many years later, and I can still hear him saying that.

Mr. Love’s comment generated nervous laughter in the classroom that day (“what did we get ourselves into?!?”), but over the next 9 months we found the third axiom he asserted to be spot on. 36 weeks in our school year … 36 sets of notecards turned in. As high school students, though, most of us could not fully relate to his first two constants. As 17 year olds living in an American small town in the 80’s, most of us had seen little death. And taxes? Well, we were beginning to understand why a $1 purchase cost $1.08, but income tax would have to wait.

As time has gone on, however, Mr. Love’s full statement has been confirmed: we are one month away from April 15 … and I have both attended and officiated many memorial services. In fact, while someone MAY get away with not paying their taxes, none of us will escape death – scientists confirm that one out of one people die … and it is no laughing matter.

But where does death come from? What is the cause of it? How might we describe the birth of death?

This Sunday at Wildwood Community Church in our 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00 worship services, we will begin a four part series leading up to Easter entitled, “Victory over Death.” This week, we will begin by considering the “Birth of Death” from Genesis 1-3 and Romans 5:12-21. In these verses, we will not only see where death came from, but also what can conquer death! Hope to see you Sunday, March 17 … and bring friends!