Easter Sunday Message – “Rest” Part 4

Introduction

Easter: A Brief Historical Background

The term “pagan” “is ‘derived from the Late Latin paganus, which was used at the end of the Roman Empire to name those who practiced a religion other than Christianity, Judaism, or Islam.’ A polytheistic nature-base belief system, Pagan Federation International contends that ‘paganism is the ancestral religion of the whole of humanity [which] remains active throughout much of the world today.’”(“Beyond the Easter Bunny: The True Origins and History of Easter”https://www.gaia.com/article/beyond-the-easter-bunny-the-true-origins-and-history-of-easter?utm_source=Google+Search+Paid&utm_medium=TROAS&utm_campaign=1-9-dynamic-general-english-NA&utm_term=not-applicable&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADxuDlieYspphVuBAgHnJnPZvgY48&gclid=Cj0KCQjw8J6wBhDXARIsAPo7QA-EtWIl8ltaekZgvMNvoM3LzmxzqpeoC0YHLaHbLKxdSYcpAFVRBAsaAr2kEALw_wcB)

Living as a Christian in a Pagan World

Jesus Helps Us Set Our Priorities

• Matthew 6:31–33 (ESV): ³¹ Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
  • Matthew 6:31 (ESV): ³¹ Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’

  • Matthew 6:32 (ESV): ³² For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

  • Matthew 6:33 (ESV): ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Jesus Promises Us Rest from the Toil

• Romans 5:1–5 (ESV): ¹Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. ² Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵ and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

The Promises of the Holy Spirit

• John 14:16 (ESV): ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,

• John 14:17 (ESV): ¹⁷ even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

• John 14:26 (ESV): ²⁶ But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
  • he will teach you all things
  • and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
• John 14:27 (ESV): ²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

1 Corinthians 2:12 (ESV): ¹² Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.

1 Corinthians 2:14 (ESV): ¹⁴ The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

1 Corinthians 2:16 (ESV): ¹⁶ “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

The Power of Speaking in Tongues

• 1 Corinthians 14:1 (ESV): ¹Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.

• 1 Corinthians 14:2 (ESV): ² For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit.

• 1 Corinthians 14:3-4 (ESV): ³ On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. ⁴ The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.

• 1 Corinthians 14:6 (ESV): ⁶ Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?

1 Corinthians 14:13–15 (ESV): ¹³ Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret.

1 Corinthians 14:14 (ESV): ¹⁴ For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful.

1 Corinthians 14:15 (ESV):^{1 5} What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.

Romans 8:11 (ESV): ¹¹ If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

© Joshua D. Smith, Ph.D., 2024