My Life is the Lord's

Leviticus 1:14-17 (NKJV)

14 ‘And if the burnt sacrifice of his offering to the Lord is of birds, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves or young pigeons. 15 The priest shall bring it to the altar, wring off its head, and burn it on the altar; its blood shall be drained out at the side of the altar. 16 And he shall remove its crop with its feathers and cast it beside the altar on the east side, into the place for ashes. 17 Then he shall split it at its wings, but shall not divide it completely; and the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord.

SERMON NOTES:

The first 5 Chapters of Leviticus reveal the 5 different kind of sacrifice the people of Israel were expected to give. In Christ, all of them have found their fulfillment. However, they have applications to believers's lives today. Although, we are not commanded to offer animal as sacrifices anymore, we are encouraged to present our bodies as living, holy, acceptable sacrifices to the Lord. The birds in this passage represent each of us, who we are and what we have, which we wholeheartedly offer to the Lord.

1. The Head - speaks of our _________________________.
2. The Crop - represents our _________________________.
3. The Feathers - symbolize our _________________________.
4. The Wings - stand for our _________________________.
5. The Blood - denotes our _________________________.

Easter Sunday - Jesus the Resurrection and the Life

Matthew 28:1-10 (NKJV)

1 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.
5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”
8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.
9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”

SERMON NOTES:

It is interesting to note that the first Easter message was given by an angel as was the first Christmas message. The first congregation though was women. And like the shepherds who received the Christmas message, the women responded accordingly. There are 3 truths in the Easter message: 

1. The ________________ of the Message: _____________ and __________(vs.6)
2. The ________________ of the Message: _____________ and __________(vs.7)
3. The ________________ of the Message: _____________ and __________(vs.9)

Three Crosses on a Hill

Luke 23:32-43 (NKJV) 

32 There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. 33 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. 34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
And they divided His garments and cast lots. 35 And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.”
36 The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, 37 and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.”
38 And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:
THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
39 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”
40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”
43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

SERMON NOTES:

There are folks who teach that the death of Christ on the cross did not take place. If ever, it was a hoax, a myth, a legend to these people. However, the Bible is replete with facts that prove the crucifixion's reality. One of these is that Jesus was crucified between 2 thieves; a fact that fulfilled prophecy. The 3 crosses represent 3 important distinctions:

1. The Cross of _______________ (vs.39)
2. The Cross of _______________ (vs. 40-42)
3. The Cross of _______________ (vs. 34,43,)

The Transfigured Christ - Who is he?

Mark 9:1-8 (NKJV)

1So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city. 2Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”
3And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!”
4But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? 6But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 7And he arose and departed to his house.
8Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.

SERMON NOTES:

A week after Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, our Lord confirmed that confession by His transfiguration. This was also the fulfillment of His promise that some of them will not die until they would "see the kingdom of God present with power". What did the transfiguration declare about the Lord Jesus Christ? He is:

1. The __________________ who is glorious (vs.1-3)
2. The __________________ who will have to die (vs.4-6; Luke 9:31)
3. The __________________ who is beloved by the Father (vs. 7,8)