Let Love Reign in You - Love Reigns, part 1
Happy Easter! Today we celebrate Jesus’ life and victory. But more personally, remember that the most powerful being in the universe loved you so much that He took on your debts as His own, freeing you to let love guide your heart as it guided His.
Easter is the day that Jesus was given all authority on heaven and on earth. And Jesus lives and dwells in those who trust Him. This means that no matter what you go through and no matter what you face, you are not alone.
When we submit to the love of Jesus in our lives, we are compelled to live like Him and to invite others to join us. That is what it means to let love reign in us. Let the love of God reign in your life. Today, join God in spreading this good news to the entire world.
Discover the ways that God’s amazing love wipes away our past, redefines our present, and gives us hope for the future. We have been given an opportunity to embrace life and a new way of living that changes everything.
Let the love of God reign in your life.
About this Series
In this series, we will be discovering all the ways that God’s amazing love wipes away our past, redefines our present, and gives us hope for the future. Jesus died because of love. He rose three days later and defeated death. Love has won. And today, He lives in you. We have been given an opportunity to embrace life and a new way of living that changes everything. When we put our faith, hope, and trust in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, we will be saved. This is why we celebrate Easter.
Love is a powerful, moving force
Let me begin this sermon series with the proclamation that He is Risen! Happy Easter everyone. Today we join with churches from all around the world, and throughout the centuries, in celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
As Jesus was being crucified, the soldiers mocked Him by placing a crown of thorns on His head and placing a sign over His head that read “King of the Jews.” They did not see Him as the true King who rules and reigns.
After Jesus’ resurrection, He revealed Himself to His disciples and, because of His victory over death, He claims authority over heaven and earth. It was Jesus’ love for us that held Him on the cross and His love reigns in our lives when we put our faith, hope, and trust in Him.
It was the love of God that caused Jesus to come to earth and offer Himself as a sacrifice on the cross to forgive the world of its sins. It is the love of God that continually offers us new life through Jesus, the risen Savior. So, today we celebrate and worship our risen Savior, Jesus!
Many people have underestimated the power of love. I would suggest, however, that love is the most powerful force on earth.
Many men are able to relate to the kind of things that love drove them to do in order to win the hearts of their girlfriends or wives. When I first saw Margaret, my wife of 42 years, I thought she was the most beautiful girl in the world. I believe she still is today. I remember when I first met my wife, I was unsure how to start a conversation with her. I was in the Navy stationed in Lemoore, CA and I traveled up to the Bay area to Hayward to see her at church. I am not sure what I said to her but, one time after church, we went out to have coffee. I still needed to drive back to the base but I wanted to spend as much time with her as I could. I would follow her home and make sure she was home safe and then start back to the base. I am not sure if she was all too impressed with me at first. I was worried when I learned that she went out with another guy from church. I am not sure what came over her, but we started dating and I believed I was the luckiest guy that she said yes to my question to marry me. But then, I needed to speak with her mom and dad and ask them if it was OK for us to marry. I think that conversation was the one that worried me the most. Love was the driving force for me to ask Margaret to marry me. Would she say yes?
Love is the driving force behind our sacrificial actions toward our family and friends. We will gladly pay any price, without a second thought, in order to demonstrate how much we care. Love is powerful, and it moves us to do amazing things.
Friends, before there was ever an Easter Sunday, there was Good Friday. And before there ever was a resurrection, there first had to be a death.
Are you expecting Jesus to prove Himself?
For 33 years, Jesus Christ walked the earth while serving the hungry, healing the broken, and delivering the physical, emotional and spiritually oppressed. He announced the coming Kingdom of God and the restoration of all things. Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, and many believed Him to be the true King of all things. Many were looking for a savior to deliver them from the oppression of the Romans. This type of thinking and teaching caused a lot of conflict in the area that Jesus served in.
You see, at that time, the ruler of the Ancient Near East was Rome. Rome had installed a vassal king named Herod the Great to keep things in Israel under control. Herod was a tyrant and was constantly afraid that His authority would be undermined. He feared that another potential king would be a threat to Roman rule and therefore, had to be eradicated. Both Herod and Jesus could not reign over Israel.
So, the Jewish religious leaders and the Roman centurions worked together to have Jesus arrested. Jesus was brought to trial for His claims to be God. He was convicted and beaten, nearly to death. He was then forced to carry a rugged, wooden cross all the way to the hill where He would be crucified and die between two thieves.
As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 36 And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
38 Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” (Matthew 27:32-43, NIV).
The crucifixion of Jesus was marked by ridicule and disbelief. The soldiers mocked Jesus by placing a sign over His head calling Him the King of the Jews, even though they did not believe it. Those who passed by mocked Jesus by telling Him to save Himself if He really was the Son of God. The priests and the teachers mocked Jesus, telling Him to get off the cross if He really was the King of Israel.
Not one of them understood that the true test of Jesus’ power and authority was not in His ability to save Himself from crucifixion, but in His ability to overcome death by crucifixion.
Sometimes we miss the proof of Jesus’ lordship because we are expecting Him to prove Himself in certain ways, and instead He does something different.
Many have decided in their hearts that they will never trust in Jesus unless He meets their expectations.
Many have decided that unless Jesus heals their relative, gives them a job, stops world hunger, or writes something in the sky, they will never trust Him and obey His authority in their lives.
They will never allow themselves to see Jesus as the Son of God, as Savior or King unless He does what they want Him to do.
This kind of mentality and spiritual blindness is the same thing that plagued those who were there at Jesus’ crucifixion and death. It is the same mentality that drove Herod to be a part of the death of God’s one and only son.
When we demand Jesus to prove Himself, according to our terms, we rob ourselves of seeing His work in our lives.
There can only be one king; one commander in charge.
Herod was not the only one to be threatened by the Kingship of Jesus. He was not the only one to struggle with the idea of Jesus being in charge. The truth is, many today still have a hard time with Jesus being in charge.
In our lives, there can only be one king. It’s said that on the throne of our hearts sits the one who reigns in our lives. We must choose who occupies that throne: Jesus or ourselves. When we are on the throne of our hearts, we make decisions based on how we want to live, which often come from selfish intentions. Or, we can allow Jesus to sit on the throne of our lives.
When Jesus is on the throne of our lives, love reigns.
We listen to His leading.
We put others first.
We live sacrificially.
When it comes to the way we speak, act, and live there can only be one king.
If a person believes Jesus is dead, then none of this matters, but if Jesus is risen from the dead, then that changes everything! He is King.
Thank the Lord, love overcame death when Jesus arose from the grave. Three days after Jesus was crucified and laid in the tomb, to everyone’s shock and amazement, He arose from the grave and appeared in bodily form to many of the disciples and others.
This had never happened before. They all witnessed His crucifixion and death. They knew He was dead and yet now He was eating with them, walking with them, and talking with them.
Jesus’ love for humanity kept Him on the cross, and by the power of God Jesus overcame death, hell and the grave. Defeating evil once and for all. Jesus’ resurrection is the proof that Jesus truly was the Son of God, and the true King over all.
The proof is in the doing:
The renowned artist Paul Gustave Dore (1821-1883) lost his passport while traveling in Europe. When he came to a border crossing, he explained his predicament to one of the guards. Giving his name to the official, Dore hoped he would be recognized and allowed to pass. The guard, however, said that many people attempted to cross the border by claiming to be persons they were not.
Dore insisted that he was the man he claimed to be. “All right,” said the official, “we’ll give you a test, and if you pass it we’ll allow you to go through.” Handing him a pencil and a sheet of paper, he told the artist to sketch several peasants standing nearby. Dore did it so quickly and skillfully that the guard was convinced he was indeed who he claimed to be. His work confirmed his word! (Our Daily Bread, January 6, 1993).
Jesus’ life, death and resurrection confirmed His word and the scriptures as well. Though many doubted and mocked Him, death did not have the last word or the final say.
The love of God has all authority
The Love of God has the final word in all things. The scripture tells us this is true in one of the most famous passages of all.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
God so loved the world that he sent Jesus to live and to die. When we put our faith, hope, and trust in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, we will be saved. This is why we celebrate Easter.
We have been given an opportunity for eternal life. We know that because of Jesus, the worst thing that can happen to us on this earth will not be the last thing that happens to us because we will experience resurrection and new life.
After He was resurrected, Jesus’ final words to His followers reveal to us the truth behind the Easter story.
‘Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”’ (Matthew 28:18-20).
Easter is the day that Jesus was given all authority on heaven and on earth.
No matter how many doubt, He is the King of the Jews.
No matter how many mocked Him, He was able to rescue Himself, and the entire world as well.
No matter how many questioned His power, He did defeat the cross, once and for all.
The love of God was the authority, and is now reigning over the entire world and our lives as well.
Jesus’ final instruction for all His followers, was to go into the whole world and make disciples. He told them to spread the good news of His resurrection and love to all who would listen. Every believer is invited to share their testimony and teach the message of Jesus, because it changes lives and will change the world.
One thought: let love reign in you. Today, if you consider yourself a Christian, this instruction has been given to you as well. You are to be a part of making disciples.
The Greek word used in this passage for disciple is a form of the word which means learner or student. We are to allow ourselves to be students and learners of the way of Christ and to help others become learners and students as well.
To be a disciple is to be in a life-long process of becoming more and more like Jesus. Over time, we learn to live generous lives, we learn to forgive, we learn to serve others, we learn to practice self-control, and we learn to be people of peace.
When we submit to the love of Jesus in our lives, we are compelled to live life like Him and to invite others to join us. That is what it means to let love reign in us.
I became a believer when I was very young. I was not fully aware of the decision I had made, but I knew that Jesus loved me and had died and rose again for me. I wanted to give Him my life. Since the time that I prayed for Jesus to live in me, I have seen my life change in so many wonderful ways. I have spent 30 years of my life allowing God to have more and more of my life. I am a better husband, father, friend, and pastor because of the decision I made to be a disciple.
Remember, Jesus said that He is with us always and forever (Matthew 28:20), He will never leave us or forsake us.
Maybe today you feel like God has forgotten about you. Know that you are never alone. Jesus lives and dwells inside those who trust Him by the power of the Holy Spirit. This means that no matter what you go through and no matter what you face, you are not alone.
There are two types of people: those who have never submitted to Jesus, and those who used to be followers of Jesus but something has interfered with that relationship.
For those who have never called Jesus friend and savior: Some of you have never made the decision to let love of Christ to reign in their lives and to follow Jesus. Maybe you have been waiting for Jesus to prove Himself to you and it has not happened yet. Maybe you don’t want to give up control of your life and so you have never submitted to Jesus. Today, I invite you to give your life to Jesus. I want to invite you to offer Him your heart and to become a disciple and a student of Christ for the rest of your life.
For those who want to recommit to Jesus: there may be some here today who have trusted in Jesus before but have grown tired of obeying Him. Maybe you have strayed from Him and have lived for yourself. Easter reminds us that we can once again repent and obey. If this is you today, I want to remind you that Jesus promised never to leave us. He still loves you and is still with you.
Commit once again to live for Him.
Ask Jesus to come into your life and sit on the throne of your heart.
Confess your sins, tell Him you are sorry and ask Him to forgive you.
Ask the Holy Spirit to work in your life and seek the Lord with all your heart.
Take a daily walk with Jesus in prayer and reading the scriptures and allow the word of God to conform you into the person He has called you to be.
Share what Jesus means to you with others live as a child of the king and look for Jesus’ return and thank Him for promising to always be with you for the rest of your days.
Click here for more information and resources to follow Jesus.
This Easter, I pray you see the resurrection of Jesus Christ as the proof of His love, and let the love of God reign in your life. Today, join God in spreading this good news to the entire world. He is risen. Happy Easter!
Suggested Praise and Worship
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Matthew 13:44-46: What does your forever—your eternity—look like? As hard as it is to imagine, God has already promised us a priceless, personal treasure. All we have to do is say yes to Jesus and He will help us get there.