OUR RISEN SAVIOR: He Did It!

Peter and John: He Did It!

INTRO Ever had a light bulb moment? Think about that time. What had been confusing suddenly became clear—you could finally understand what was going on.

VIDEO ROLL IN “Peter and John”

Peter had a light-bulb moment on that first Easter Sunday. He had been in the dark about everything that had happened to Jesus over the weekend. What was once dark and confusing suddenly became light and clear.

He did it! He did it! He rose from the dead!

The immensity of this moment cannot be overstated. The implications of this event cannot be overemphasized.

1.    Jesus conquered death!

Romans 6:9 (NKJV) knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.

1 Corinthians 15:25–27a (NKJV) For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. ²⁶The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. ²⁷For “He has put all things under His feet.”

Because the ultimate enemy is destroyed, everything else is under His feet. There may be some things dying in your life. Dying things stink! What is stinking in your life? Jesus came to defeat whatever is stinking in your life.

2.    Jesus conquered hell!

When Jesus was in the grave, the Bible teaches that He didn't sleep. He descended into hell itself, crushed the devil’s head, took the keys of death and hell, and led all the OT believers to heaven!

Revelation 1:18 (NKJV) I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

What did Jesus do with the keys? He gave them to us!

Matthew 16:19 (NKJV) And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Because Jesus is risen we have power in prayer. This promise is to all.

Isaiah 22:22 (NKJV) The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; So he shall open, and no one shall shut; and he shall shut, and no one shall open.

What do we have the key to? The Kingdom of God! We have the power to pray in the Kingdom of God. We do it here every Sunday at the end of our service:

Matthew 6:10 (NKJV) Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.

3.    Jesus conquered the grave!

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 (NLT) But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.

54-55 Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O grave, where is your sting?”

57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ!

The grave is not the end! There is an eternity waiting for us in heaven. We do not have to fear the grave!

Luke 23:43 (NKJV) And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

II Corinthians 5:8 (NKJV) We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

Jesus spoke of all these promises in his conversation with Nicodemus.

John 3:16 (NKJV) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

He said on another occasion:

John 5:24-25 (NKJV) Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.

Perhaps when it comes to God, Jesus, or the Bible, there have been moments when you could see clearly and everything made sense—and maybe there have been other times that left you wondering, “God, what in the world is going on? God, what are you doing? God, why is this happening? God, what does this mean for my life? God, are you even real? God, do you even care? If you’re my Father in heaven, how could you let this happen? God, how could you let me get in this place? God, I feel as if I’m in the dark, and I don’t understand, and I can’t see things clearly today. God, my life feels chaotic and unclear. God, would you shed some light on my life, please?”

May this Easter be the beginning of the light bulb coming on in your life. Jesus defeated sin, death, Satan, and hell! When He rose from the grave, it demonstrated His power, His authority, and the promise of salvation and empowerment by the Holy Spirit all the days of our lives—a promise that can be received by anyone who would believe in his name. Jesus said:

John 14:19b (NKJV) Because I live, you will live also.

That’s a light-bulb moment! He is risen. He is risen, indeed!

INVITATION