A church for the whole family! 1 Garnett Road East Maitland. Services 9:30 every Sunday.

At Easter we see clearly that Jesus has come so that we can have new life. He came, taught, healed, ministered, died, and rose again so we can all have new life in Him. At Easter we can clearly see that Jesus has come so that we can have new life so my encouragement for all of us is: Do something new for God. God has made you new through Jesus, so do something new for Him.

 

Matthew 28:1-10

Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb.

² Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. ³ His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. ⁴ The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint.

⁵ Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. ⁷ And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.”

⁸ The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. ⁹ And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.”

Romans 8:11

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

1. What needs to end so something new can begin?

Is there something holding you back? Some sin, some idea, some issue of the past? Is there something you need to bury with Jesus so you can live a resurrected life? Take it to the cross. On the cross Jesus said “it is finished” and he meant it. We can take our struggles to the cross and let him deal with it.

2. Do something new for God

Romans 8:11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. [Right now!] And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

Jesus makes this one thing abundantly clear at Easter, He has come so that we might have new life. He lived, ministered, healed, loved, taught, died then three days later he is raised to life and offers new life to everyone. He died in our place, so we can be forgiven and made new in God’s eyes.

God has done something to make every single day new. So Do something new for God. Give up that thing holding you back. Speak to someone about your faith. Do something new for God. Confront your demons. Admit you were wrong. Do something new for God. Show God’s love in your actions. Give a homeless person money and make eye contact with them. Do something new for God. Listen to the person that is hurting. Say sorry to someone. Thank God each day for his forgiveness.

Do something new for God

Get involved in the life of the church. There are plenty of places to volunteer and use your gifts. Do something that amplifies your faith. Read your bible, get involved in a life group, commit to prayerful living.

3. Share it with someone

Who do you need to share this Good News with?

God is calling us out to live the adventures of faith, to explore and bring good news to everyone we meet. In the very last verse of Matt 28 Jesus says this:

19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, [BE ADVENTUROUS, SEEK THE NEW] baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

You are called to something new this Easter. Into a new deeper relationship with God. Into a new relationship with Jesus. Into new relationships with others. Allow his love to overflow from your life into the lives of others.