ENCOUNTERS

• WELCOME- HAPPY EASTER- STARTED SERIES
• SPOTLIGHT ON ENCOUNTERS WITH JESUS
• STARTING WITH PALM SUNDAY-PASSION WEEK

LAST WEEK- JESUS ENTERS A PARADE

JESUS –LAST WEEK LAST MOMENTS LAST BREATH

   PHARISEES – ADDRESSES HYPOCRISY

THIS WEEK- SHINE SPOTLIGHT ON MARY MAGDALENE

   MARY MAGDALENE -BEEN WITH JESUS FOR A WHILE

   MARY MAGDALENE- HEALED OF 7 DEMONS

THERE WHEN JESUS WAS CRUCIFIED-SUPORTER OF JESUS                               

 PAINTING OF MARY MAGDALENE

       ARCHEOLOGIST DISCOVERED MANY REMNANTS

• CHURCH – DUC IN ALTUM (PUT OUT INTO DEEP)
• ATRIUM DEDICATED TO WOMEN
• BEAUTIFUL MOSAIC DEDICATED TO MARY MAGD

THIS IS THE CHOSENS INTERPRETATION

MARY MAGDALENE- MEETS JESUS                                

MARY                                                   

ENCOUNTERS- THE ENCOUNTERS JESUS HAD WITH PEOPLE STARTING WITH PALM SUNDAY THROUGH PASSION WEEK AND BEYOND

     WHERE DID WE END ON FRIDAY NIGHT

     MARY MAGDALENE AND MARY   SIT FACING A STONE

SCRIPTURE JOHN 20:1

1. “EARLY ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, WHILE IT WAS STILL DARK, MARY MAGDALENE WENT TO THE TOMB AND SAW THE STONE HAD BEEN REMOVED FROM THE ENTRANCE.
   
   

SCRIPTURE JOHN 20:2

• SO SHE CAME RUNNING TO SIMON PETER AND THE OTHER DISCIPLE, THE ONE JESUS LOVED, AND SAID, “THEY HAVE TAKEN THE LORD OUT OF THE TOMB, AND WE DON’T KNOW WHERE THEY HAVE PUT HIM!”

 SCRIPTURE JOHN 20:3-4

• SO PETER AND THE OTHER DISCIPLE STARTED FOR THE TOMB. BOTH WERE RUNNING, BUT THE OTHER DISCIPLE OUTRAN PETER AND REACHED THE TOMB FIRST.

SCRIPTURE JOHN 20:5-6

   5 HE BENT OVER AND LOOKED IN AT THE STRIPS OF LINEN LYING THERE BUT DID NOT GO IN. THEN SIMON PETER CAME ALONG BEHIND HIM AND WENT STRAIGHT INTO THE TOMB. HE SAW THE STRIPS AND LINEN LYING THERE,

    JOHN FASTER-    PETER LESS SCADER.     

 SCRIPTURE JOHN 20:7-8

   7. AS WELL AS THE CLOTH HAD BEEN WRAPPED AROUND JESUS’ HEAD. THE CLOTH WAS STILL LYING IN ITS PLACE, SEPARATE FROM THE LINEN. FINALLY THE OTHER DISCIPLE, WHO HAD REACHED THE TOMB FIRST, ALSO WENT INSIDE. HE SAW AND BELIEVED.

    BELIEVED WHAT? WHY?

WHAT DO YOU HAVE A HARD TIME BELIEVING IN?

ANNA BAGENHOLM

• SKIING ACCIDENT- TRAPPED ICE- PUPILS DIALATED
• She had no heart beat for 2 hours 35 minutes Bågenholm’s spent the following 35 days connected to a

JUSTIN SMITH

• attempted to walk home 2 MILES in Tresckow, PA, wearing hoodie and jeans.
• Temp-4 DEGREES- passed out snowdrift (12 hours)

 father, Don Smith, found him the next morning. Justin was rigid, his skin was purple, and he had no pulse or breathing.

• Paramedics assumed DEAD, sheet placed over him- 1

SCRIPTURE JOHN 20:9-10                               

   9. (THEY STILL DID NOT UNDERSTAND FROM SCRIPTURE THAT JESUS HAD TO RISE FROM THE DEAD) THEN THE DISCIPLES WENT BACK TO WHERE THEY WERE STAYING

SCRIPTURE JOHN 20:11-12

  11. NOW MARY STOOD OUTSIDE THE TOMB CRYING. AS SHE WEPT, SHE BENT OVER TO LOOK INTO THE TOMB AND SAW TWO ANGELS IN WHITE, SEATED WHERE JESUS’ BODY HAD BEEN, ONE AT THE HEAD AND THE OTHER AT THE FOOT.

• WHAT IS THE SIGNIFIGANCE OF THIS?
• ON TOP- 2 ANGELS- ONE ON EACH END

THE ARK OF THE COVENANT

   OLD TESTAMENT- THE PRESENCE OF GOD LIVED HERE

• ARK TRAVELED AT ONE POINT
• ARK THEN ENDS UP IN THE TEMPLE
• ONCE A YEAR- THE HIGH PRIEST HOLY OF HOLIES

VODDIE BAUCHAUM                        

   WHAT WAS HE SAYING?

1. ADMIT YOUR’E A SINNER- IN NEED OF A SAVIOR
2. BELIEVE ON AND IN THE LORD JESUS
3. CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH

SCRIPTURE JOHN 20:13

  13. THEY ASKED HER, “WOMAN, WHY ARE YOU CRYING?’ “THEY HAVE TAKEN MY LORD AWAY,” SHE SAID, “AND I DON’T KNOW WHERE THEY HAVE PUT HIM.”

• VERSE 2 SHE SAID THE LORD-    ITS PERSONAL

SCRIPTURE JOHN 20:14

  14. AT THIS, SHE TURNED AROUND AND SAW JESUS STANDING THERE, BUT SHE DID NOT REALIZE THAT IT WAS JESUS.

SCRIPITURE JOHN 20:15

  15. HE ASKED HER, “WOMAN, WHY ARE YOU CRYING? WHO IS IT THAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR?” THINKING HE WAS THE GARDNER, SHE SAID, “SIR, IF YOU HAVE CARRIED HIM AWAY, TELL ME WHERE YOU HAVE PUT HIM, AND I WILL GET HIM.”

   HOW DOES SHE NOT KNOW WHO HE IS ?

• DARK- SHES CRYING
• SHE HAS ZERO EXPECTATION HE IS ALIVE

REMBRANDT PAINTING JESUS GARDNER     

•  Christ not just Redeemer but also the cultivator of souls.
• Like a gardener tending to his garden, he nurtures each soul, guiding us toward spiritual growth and renewal.
• In the garden, a place of life, growth and resurrection, Christ’s presence illuminates the darkest corners and brings new life from the ashes of desolation.

 SCRIPTURE JOHN 20:16

  16. JESUS SAID TO HER, “MARY.” SHE TUNRED TOWARD HIM AND CRIED OUT IN ARAMAIC, “RABBONI!”

(WHICH MEANS “TEACHER”)

• SERIES IS ENCOUNTERS
• ENCOUNTERS VARY FOR PEOPLE
• ENCOUNTER HIM IN PAIN-IN JOY-CREATION
• IN OTHER PEOPLE

FUNERAL HOME ENCOUNTER                   

• FIRST YEAR AS A PASTOR (3 LADIES UNDER 50)
• NICKY BROWN- 46 BRUTAL BATTLE CANCER
• STANDING LOOKING AT HER BEATEN UP BODY
• I NEED YOU TO EMBRACE THIS
• DON’T NEED WORK FOR CHURCH TO ENCOUNTER

STATEMENT                                                     

  MARY MAGDALENE CAN BE SEEN AS THE OPPOSITE OF THE PHARISEES, SHE IS KEENLY AWARE OF HER NEED FOR JESUS AND HER DEPENDANCE ON HIM.

SCRIPTURE 1 CORINTHIANS 15:3

• FOR WHAT I RECEIVED I PASSED ON TO YOU AS FIRST IMPORTANCE; THAT CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES, THAT HE WAS BURIED, THAT HE WAS RAISED ON THE THIRD DAY ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES.

 SCRIPTURE 1 CORINTHIANS 15:4-5

   4 THAT HE WAS BURIED, THAT HE WAS RAISED ON THE THIRD DAY ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES, AND THAT HE APPEARED TO CEPHAS, AND THEN TO THE TWELVE.

SCRIPTURE 1 CORINTHIANS 15:6

   6 AFTER THAT HE APPEARED TO MORE THAN FIVE HUNDRED, OF THE BROTHERS AND SISTERS AT THE SAME TIME, MOST OF WHOM ARE STILL LIVING, THOUGH SOME HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP.

SCRIPTURE I CORINTHIANS 15:7-8

   7. THEN HE APPEARED TO JAMES, THEN TO ALL THE APOSTLES, AND LAST OF ALL HE APPEARED TO ME ALSO

PAUL THE TERRORIST– IS TESTIFYING THAT HE HAD AN ENOUNTER WITH JESUS.

• MARY MAGDALENE HAD ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS
• THE CHOSEN TAKES LIBERTY HERE-
• THE MESSAGE OF WHAT SHE SAYS DOESN’T
• THIS IS A REAL PERSON- REAL PROBLEMS

EXPLAINS TO NICODEMUS- A PHARISEE WHAT HAPPENED

• WOULD YOU KNOW HIM IF YOU SAW HIM
• I WAS ONE WAY- AND NOW I AM COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
• AND THE THING THAT HAPPENED IN BETWEEN-  WAS HIM–   YES I WILL KNOW HIM

SCRIPTURE JOHN 20:17

   17. JESUS SAID “DO NOT HOLD ON TO ME, FOR I HAVE NOT YET ASCENDED TO THE FATHER. GO INSTEAD TO MY BROTHERS AND TELL THEM, “I AM ASCENDING TO MY FATHER  AND YOUR FATHER, TO MY GOD AND YOUR GOD. “

SCRIPTURE JOHN 20:18

  18. MARY MAGDALENE WENT TO THE DISCIPLES WITH THE NEWS: “I HAVE SEEN THE LORD!” AND SHE TOLD THEM THAT HE HAD SAID THESE THINGS TO HER.”

HAVE YOU SEEN THE LORD-

• HAVE YOU HAD AN ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS?

TODAY WE END WITH WHERE WE ENDED FRIDAY NIGHT

   2 WOMEN- SIT, STARING AT A STONE

MARY MAGDALENE AND MARY THE MOTHER OF JOSEPH AND SALOME- SAT STARING AT THE TOMB WHERE HE WAS LAID”.    ALL HOPE HAS BEEN LOST

STONES IN SCRIPTURE REPRESENT MANY THINGS.

STONES WERE MARKERS, STONES WERE ALTARS, STONES WERE REMINDERS, AND STONES- THIS STONE WAS A BARRIER.

  TODAY WE INVITE YOU TO TAKE A STONE- WRITE A WORD OR EVEN A SYMBOL ON IT AND TAKE IT WITH YOU.

• ALSO INVITED TO PLACE IT- FOOT OF THE CROSS
• REMINDER-MARKER-MEMORIAL REPRESENTS
• MY STONE SAYS FREE

THE STONE WAS A BARRIER- NOT TO HIM GETTING OUT

BUT TO US GETTING IN

PRAYER-

1. ADMIT YOU ARE A SINNER (ALL HAVE SINNED)
2. BELIEVE ON AND IN JESUS
3. CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH- YOU WILL BE SAVED

LORD TODAY- I ADMIT IM A SINNER IN NEED OF YOU-

FORGIVE MY SINS JESUS- COME INTO MY HEART TODAY.

FINAL MESSAGE OF EASTER- MARY THOUGHT THEY LOST

JESUS WON

https://www.bible.com/events/49589832

Church of the Nazarene – East Rockingham Campus 

Encounters Part 2- Easter Sunday 

Mary Magdalene 

Today we continue in our Easter teaching series called Encounters. 

We are looking at different stories in the bible where people personally encounter Jesus. Today we are looking at Jesus’ encounter with Mary Magdalene on resurrection Sunday morning. 

What did this encounter mean for Mary? What can we learn from it today? 

‭‭Luke‬ ‭8‬:‭1‬-‭3‬‬ 

After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means. 

We learn that Jesus had healed Mary from evil spirits and infirmities- It tells us specifically that 7 demons were cast out of her life. And that’s all we really know about her background 

She was once in darkness, living with demonic presence in her life. But an encounter with Jesus was all it took. And her life was changed forever. 

What about you? 

‭‭John‬ ‭20‬:‭1‬‬ 

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 

The last time Mary saw Jesus. He was dead. 

It was on the evening of Good Friday after she witnessed Jesus lifeless body being placed in the tomb, with a large stone rolled in front of the entrance. 

That stone on Friday evening had to feel like the end of her world. Hopeless and heavy. And she carried that same feeling with her on Sunday morning. 

‭‭John‬ ‭20‬:‭2‬-‭7‬‬ 

So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 

Mary’s only conclusion at the sight of the stone being rolled away is that someone has taken the body of Jesus out of the tomb. She runs to tell the other disciples. 

The other disciple who is not named here, is believed to be John, the one writing this gospel. 

Peter arrives and goes right on in to see for himself. He is taking it all in, trying to process the evidence that’s right in front of him. 

‭‭John‬ ‭20‬:‭8‬-‭13‬‬ 

Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying. Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 

Mary is still so upset, that she is seemingly unphased by the sight of two angels as she looks in the tomb. As the angels ask about her condition, she can only reply that someone has taken away Jesus. 

And now comes Mary’s encounter – the one that would change her forever…the one that would change the world – change you. If you let it. 

‭‭John‬ ‭20‬:‭14‬-‭16‬‬ 

At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). 

This is the encounter. This is the moment that changes everything for Mary. 

Jesus first shows up in a graveyard to encounter his friend Mary who is confused, broken, and hopeless. That’s the God we serve. 

At the sound of Jesus calling her name, Mary recognizes that it is Jesus. Her heart leaps for joy as she grabs ahold of him. 

‭‭John‬ ‭20‬:‭17‬-‭18‬‬ 

Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her. 

This encounter with Jesus changed her life. Jesus was alive, validating everything he ever said. 

Jesus is alive, there is hope, there is the forgiveness of sin and the hope of ternal life. And he’s still encountering us today. 

Do you believe that? Do you really believe that it can be true for you? 

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭7‬-‭8‬‬ 

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15‬:‭13‬-‭17‬‬ 

If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 

The question of the resurrection is really the central claim of Christianity. 

The good news or the gospel of Jesus Christ is that through is life, death and resurrection, we can not only encounter him, but we can find new life in him. 

Jesus, through his sufferings, and his death on the cross, made the full payment for all sin. 

The bible tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Jesus came to deal with the penalty and the power of sin in our lives. And in his resurrection, he validated his teaching, and the victory over sin death and hell. And those who place their faith in him, will one day share in a resurrection like his. And until then, we get to experience his life within us. 

That’s what’s at stake today as we consider the stone rolled away this Easter Morning. 

WELCOME- START OF PASSION WEEK

• BEGIN NEW SERIES ENCOUNTERS
• ENCOUNTERS JESUS HAD THIS SEASON

SET THE SCENE- MATTHEW 21 ( ALL 4 WRITERS SAY)

21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.

10 day of Nisan

    This was the day they selected the lamb to be sacrificed on the 14^th day- the day when Jesus this lamb would ride.

• He then says to them and us- I will take on the entire sin nature of these dirty people

• The mud was cleaner than the souls of the people

LIMO VEHICLE

• VLADIMIR PUTIN CAR

 HELICOPTER

• FORMER BRITTISH PRIME MINISTER
• RISHI SUNAK

TRAIN

• ARORMORED- FOOD SECURE- POWERED
• KIM JONG UN

 DONKEY

• LAST YEAR PASTOR STEPHEN WILLIS
• DONKEY- THIS CROSS DESGN ON ITS BACK

HORSE- A WAR HORSE                                

• RODE DONKEY MEANS YOU “COME” IN PEACE
• WAR HORSE MEANS YOU COME TO …
• SIZE DIFFERNCES ARE BIG
  
  

SCRIPTURE ZECHARIAH 9:9

  9. “REJOICE, O PEOPLE OF ZION! SHOUT IN TRIUMPH, O PEOPLE OF JERUSALEM!

SCRIPTURE ZECHARIAH 9:9

  9. LOOK YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU. HE IS RIGHTEOUS AND VICTORIOUS, YET HE IS HUMBLE, RIDING ON A DONKEY- RIDING ON A DONKEY’S FOAL.

SCRIPTURE ZECHARIAH 9:10

  10. I WILL REMOVE THE BATTLE CHARIOTS FROM ISRAEL AND THE WARHORSES FROM JERUSALEM.

 SCRIPTURE ZECHARIAH 9:10

  10. I WILL DESTROY ALL THE WEAPONS USED IN BATTLE, AND YOUR KING WILL BRING PEACE TO THE NATIONS.

• HOSANA-(SAVE NOW) PALM BRANCHES

SCRIPTURE 9:10                                           

  10. HIS REALM WILL STRETCH FROM SEA TO SEA AND FROM THE EUPHRATES RIVER TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH.”

     THE VISUAL PICTURE DIFFERENCE

      JESUS ARRIVES ON A COLT- PEACE-HUMILITY

WASN’T THE FIRST KING TO ARRIVE DONKEY-

• SOLOMON RODE IN TO JERUSALEM

SCRIPTURE LUKE 19:41

  41. “AS HE APPROACHED JERUSALEM AND SAW THE CITY HE WEPT OVER IT.”

• WHY- WHY IS HE WEEPING?
• BECAUSE OF THE PAIN WILL SUFFER?

 PASSION WEEK FOCUS

    MATTHEW – 40 %- LAST WEEK OF JESUS LIFE

    MARK- 60 %

    LUKE 33 %

    JOHN- ALMOST 50 %

HOW MUCH TIME THIS WEEK IN REFLECTION?

• BE INTENTIONAL IN REPENTANCE- IN PRAISE

SCRIPTURE MATTHEW 23:13                   

  13. “WOE TO YOU, TEACHERS OF THE LAW AND PHARISEES, YOU HYPOCRITES! (1)YOU SHUT THE DOOR OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IN PEOPLES FACES.

HYPOCRITE DEFINED

   A PERSON WHO PRETENDS TO HAVE MORAL STANDARDS OR OPINIONS THAT THEY DO NOT ACTUALLY HAVE.

    ACTOR

• Ain’t going to church- church is full of hypocrites-
  TRUE ON SOME LEVEL
• I also had some relatives and friends who loved Jesus and they were NOT hypocrites– do you know some real very real

THE HYPOCRISY STARTED 6 DAYS BEFORE THIS

JUDAS AND JESUS BEING ANOINTED- WOW

WHAT A JOKE THIS WAS – JUDAS

   WHEN YOU HEAR HYPCOCRITE- YOU THINK OF WHAT IT IS OR DO YOU PICTURE A FACE?

LANCE ARMSTRONG/HOLLYWOOD

• NOT PICKING ON LANCE- BUT HE TALKED
• HOLLYWOOD- EVERYONE GETS UPSET THEM

 SCRIPTURE MATTHEW 23:13

  13. YOU YOURSELVES DO NOT ENTER, NOR WILL YOU LET THOSE WHO ARE TRYING TO.
    

 SCRIPTURE MATTHEW 23:23

  23. “WOE TO YOU, TEACHERS OF THE LAW AND PHARISEES, YOU HYPOCRITES! (2) YOU GIVE A TENTH OF YOUR SPICES-MINT, DILL, CUMIN.

SCRIPTURE MATTHEW 23:23

  23. BUT YOU HAVE NEGLECTED THE MORE IMPORTANT MATTER OF THE LAW-JUSTICE, MERCY, AND FAITHFULNESS.

SCRIPTURE MATTHEW 23:23

  23. YOU SHOULD HAVE PRACTICED THE LATTER, WITHOUT NEGELCTING THE FORMER.

SCRIPTURE MATTHEW 23:24

  24. YOU BLIND GUIDES! YOU STRAIN OUT A GNAT BUT SWALLOW A CAMEL.”

 SCRIPTURE MATTHEW 23:25

  25. “WOE TO YOU, TEACHERS OF THE LAW AND PHARISEES, YOU HYPOCRITES! (3) CLEAN THE OUTSIDE OF THE CUP AND DISH, BUT INSIDE THEY ARE FULL OF GREED AND SELF-INDULGENCE.

SCRIPTURE MATTHEW 23:26

  26. BLIND PHARISEE! FIRST CLEAN THE INSIDE OF THE CUP AND DISH, AND THEN THE OUTSIDE ALSO WILL BE CLEAN.

SCRIPTURE MATTHEW 23:27

  27. “WOE TO YOU, TEACHERS OF THE LAW AND PHARISEES, YOU HYPOCRITES! (4) YOU ARE LIKE WHITE WASHED TOMBS,

 SCRIPTURE MATTHEW 23:27

  27. WHICH LOOK BEAUTIFUL ON THE OUTSIDE BUT ON THE INSIDE ARE FULL OF BONES OF THE DEAD AND EVERYTHING UNCLEAN.

SCRIPTURE MATTHEW 23:28

  28. IN THE SAME WAY, ON THE OUTSIDE YOU APPEAR TO PEOPLE AS RIGHTEOUS BUT ON THE INSIDE YOU ARE FULL OF HYPOCRISY AND WICKEDNESS.

QUOTE FRANCIS CHAN                             

   “IF GOD CARED ONLY ABOUT RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES, THEN THE PHARISEES WOULD HAVE BEEN HEROES OF THE FAITH.”

 QUOTE A.W. TOZER

   “A PHARISEE IS HARD ON OTHERS AND EASY ON HIMSELF, BUT A SPIRITUAL MAN IS EASY ON OTHERS AND HARD ON HIMSELF.”

RECORD PLAYER

• WHATS THE OPPOSITE OF HYPOCRISY?
• FIDELITY HIGH- FI ( HIGH FIDELITY)
• THIS RECORD SOUNDS EXACTY LIKE STUDIO

THE CHOSEN                                   

• RIGHTEOUS ANGER
• RELIGIOUS MEN WHO KNEW BETTER

WHO WAS JESUS REALLY TALKING TO HERE?

IN A SENSE HE WAS DONE TALKING TO PHARISEES

• HE’S INVITING THEM TO KILL HIM

QUOTE BRENNAN MANNING                

  “THE GREATEST SINGLE CAUSE OF ATHEISM IN THE WORLD TODAY IS CHRISTIANS WHO ACKNOWLEDGE JESUS WITH THEIR LIPS AND WALK OUT THE DOOR AND DENY HIM WITH THE LIFESTYLE. THAT IS WHAT AN UNBELIEVING WORLD SIMPLY FINDS UNBELIEVABLE

• OUR PUBLIC LIVES MUST BE AN EXTENSION OF THE WORK HE HAS DONE INWARDLY IN OUR PRIVATE LIVES

LENT IS THE PERFECT TIME TO REFLECT

TO EXAMINE OURSELVES

MIRROR TALK                                                              

• PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THE MIRROR
• NOT ABOUT LOOKING AT WHO ELSE I SEE
• SEARCH ME OH GOD AND KNOW MY HEART,

SEE IF THERE IS ANY OFFENSIVE WAY IN ME.

JESUS HUMILITY WAS ON FULL DISPLAY

HE WASN’T THE ONLY LEADER WHO EVER ROAD A DONKEY

BUT MANY SCHOLARS BELIEVE IT WAS 2 ANIMALS

DONKEY AND THEN A FOAL- EVEN SMALLER

https://www.bible.com/events/49585583

Church of the Nazarene – East Rockingham Campus 

Encounters Part 1 

The Pharisee’s 

Today we begin our Easter teaching series called Encounters. Throughout this series we will be looking at encounters that Jesus had with people to see how it changed their lives and what we can learn for our lives today. 

Our series begins today with Jesus encountering the Pharisee’s in Matthew 23. This particular encounter we are looking at today, happens on Tuesday of passion week. 

Throughout the gospel accounts you will read of different encounters with the Pharisee’s and legal experts. 

The Pharisee’s were a group of Jewish religious folks who had completely separated their lives from normal activity to dedicate themselves to the strict observing of the law of Moses. They were the best of the best as far as being religious goes. 

The Legal experts or scribes (depending on your translation) that are also mentioned here in the text- They were professional religious intellectuals. They were highly trained in the law of Moses, they were often asked to teach and give rulings when there was a dispute. 

After multiple failed attempts to trap Jesus in his words, Jesus turns his attention to the crowds of people in the temple and addresses them. That’s where we pick up in Matthew 23 

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭23‬:‭1‬-‭7‬‬ 

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others. 

Jesus reveals that most of what these Pharisee’s were doing, was for show, was to impress other people- Jesus says “don’t do that” 

After speaking to the crowds, he then turns his attention directly to the Pharisee’s and legal experts and begins to reveal what’s really behind all of their religious practices. 

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭23‬:‭13‬-‭14‬‬ 

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. 

The word hypocrite here means to be a play actor, a pretender. A person who does right things for the wrong reasons. A person who says one thing and does another. 

Jesus calls the Pharisee’s and legal experts hypocrites because all of their religious rules and activities actually prevent people from finding God- and they themselves don’t even have a relationship with him. They are pretending. 

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭23‬:‭15‬-‭22‬‬ 

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are. “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it. 

Here Jesus seems to be calling out a convoluted system of swearing oaths- by the temple, by things inside of it- they had a whole system established for how serious something needed to be sworn in. 

For Jesus, he says let your yes be yes and your no be no. 

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭23‬:‭23‬-‭24‬‬ 

“You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but on the meat of God’s Law, things like fairness and compassion and commitment—the absolute basics!—you carelessly take it or leave it. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required. Do you have any idea how silly you look, writing a life story that’s wrong from start to finish, nitpicking over commas and semicolons? 

The Pharisee’s were so attune to religious details, they would tithe on their spices and seasonings. That itself wasn’t the problem. 

They were hypocrites because they took tithing to that level of detail, but they failed to look after the major things like justice, peace, and faith. 

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭23‬:‭25‬-‭28‬‬ 

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. 

The Pharisee’s and scribes had a beautiful exterior of religious ceremony and piety- but inside it was gross, full of violence and pleasure seeking. 

What was on the outside, did not match the inside, and that’s a brig problem for Jesus. 

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭23‬:‭29‬-‭32‬‬ 

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started! 

Today as we read about the encounter with Jesus and Pharisee’s we should be careful not to miss the real encounter that matters the most for us today. And that’s Jesus encounter with hypocrisy. 

The real enemy of this passage is not the pharisee’s or the legal experts. It’s not the Law or the Jewish people. It’s the hypocrisy of people claiming the name of God and not living his life. 

And friends that is an enemy that crosses generations, cultures, and all sorts of experience. Right into my life and yours. 

This is not about being mad at the Pharisee’s, or hypocrites in our world today- it’s about taking an honest look in the mirror and asking: Lord, is there hypocrisy in me? 

The danger of hypocrisy is that it can cause us not to enter the kingdom of heaven.Both to miss the fullness of Christ now, and after we die, that we might miss eternity in heaven. 

And the other danger of hypocrisy in our life, is that it might cause OTHERS to miss the kingdom of God. 

Author Brennen Manning says: “The single greatest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” 

That’s the twin danger of hypocrisy. 

Today we seek the Lord in dealing with hypocrisy in our life. We ask him to search our hearts, to reveal to us the places of our own hypocrisy, and to lead us to repentance. 

How can we live “strong in grace.”? 

The answer is quite plain and simple:  

We grow strong in grace when we understand God’s unconditional forgiveness of us, then learn to unconditionally forgive others. 

God calls us to grow strong in giving grace to others — growing in Christlikeness 

Giving grace to another person is simply to forgive them, unconditionally, just as God forgave us through Christ 

SO, WHAT IS FORGIVENESS? 

Forgiveness = Deliberate release of anger, resentment, and other negative feelings toward someone who has wronged you 

GRUDGE (Merriam-Webster) 

• A persistent, long-lasting feeling of deep-seated resentment, bitterness, or ill will toward someone, often stemming from a past insult, injury, or perceived wrongdoing. It involves holding onto anger rather than letting it go, sometimes leading to a desire for retaliation or a continued refusal to forgive.  

• Not all negative emotions are the same.  

• Healthy anger motivates action, sets boundaries, and seeks solutions.  

• Grudges, however, act as long-lasting emotional weights with negative outcomes. 

It  negatively impacts your relationship with God. 

It negatively impacts your other relationships. 

It affects your health. — mentally and physically 

It affects your soul 

Hebrews 12:14-15 (tells us what happens when we fall short of grace): 

• Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. 

Ephesians 4:30-32 

• 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. 

DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN? 

Oswald Chambers. 

We trample the blood of the Son of God if we think we are forgiven because we are sorry for our sins. The only explanation for the forgiveness of God and for the unfathomable depth of His forgetting is the death of Jesus Christ. Our repentance is merely the outcome of our personal realization of the atonement which He has worked out for us. It does not matter who or what we are; there is absolute reinstatement into God by the death of Jesus Christ and by no other way, not because Jesus Christ pleads, but because He died. It is not earned, but accepted. All the pleading which deliberately refuses to recognize the Cross is of no avail; it is battering at a door other than the one that Jesus has opened. Our Lord does not pretend we are all right when we are all wrong. The atonement is a propitiation whereby God, through the death of Jesus, makes an unholy man holy. 

“The purpose of the cross,” someone observed, “is to repair the irreparable.” 

• “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother who he has seen, how can he love God who he has not seen?” (1 John 4:20-21 NKJV). 

• If our relationship with God is so intricately connected with how we relate to others, it won’t be surprising then for us to read what Jesus said 

• Matthew 6:14-15 (directly after teaching them how to pray ‘Lord’s Prayer’) 

• 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.  

• Matthew 6:12 

•  And forgive us our debts, 
      as we also have forgiven our debtors. 

• Imagine that, before we get this warning from Jesus (14-15), Jesus told us to ask God for grace (forgiveness) but only at the same level and frequency as the forgiveness we extend to others.  

• Whether we admit it or not, we often think we have the right to “punish” others because they have hurt us or offended us. We believe we are justified in withholding forgiveness from them. 

Unforgiveness is inherently contradictory to godliness 

“Often it is the case that we judge others by their worst actions, and we judge ourselves by our best intentions.” 

Just as we don’t deserve God’s forgiveness, someone you know may not deserve yours.  

• It doesn’t matter 

• We are still commanded to forgive them because we have been forgiven so much first. 

“The devil doesn’t care if you go to church or read your Bible as long as you don’t apply it to your life.” 

THE LITMUS TEST FOR GRACE  

Have you extended the grace of God, the grace of forgiveness, towards the person(s) who has hurt you the most and least deserves it? 

Forgiveness is an action you must choose, rather than a feeling you must create 

THE CHOICE IS CLEAR AND IT’S YOURS TODAY 

Repent of unforgiveness & Release it so you no longer carry that anger/resentment/grudge no matter how justified you feel in doing so.