Overview

1. You are deeply loved by your heavenly Father
2. God’s original plan for man
3. God’s rescue plan and gift of grace
4. The divine exchange at the cross
5. Jesus’ resurrection is proof that you have been made righteous

You are deeply loved by your heavenly Father

In this Resurrection Sunday sermon, Pastor Prince sought once again to establish the congregation in the Father’s deep, unconditional love for His people and His gift of righteousness to us.

First up, Pastor Prince reminded the people that our heavenly Father cares about every detail of our lives. At times, we may wonder if He truly sees what we are going through or if the struggles we face really matter to Him. But the Bible shows us that our heavenly Father’s love for us is both personal and detailed.

In Matthew 6:26–30, we are told that our Father clothes the lilies of the field and feeds the birds of the air. In the natural, these lilies and birds are considered of little value, here today and gone tomorrow. Yet our Father cares for them. How much more will He care for you, His beloved child?

This same God who holds the universe in His hand is mindful of you. He even knows the number of hairs on your head (Matt. 10:30). And His heart toward you is one that gives, provides, and cares for you affectionately and watchfully (1 Pet. 5:7 AMP).

God’s original plan for man

Yet, when we look at the world around us, we can’t help but question: If God is so good, why is there so much brokenness? Why the wars, the suffering, and the pain we see today?

To understand the whys and wherefores, we must go back to the beginning.

When God created man, He never intended for man to fall sick, grow old, or die. Death was never part of His design. From the start, His heart was to provide man with everything he would ever need.

That’s why He created man last. By the time Adam was placed in the garden, everything had already been fully prepared. Every tree was pleasant to the sight and good for food (with the exception of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil), and Adam was told to freely enjoy them (Gen. 2:9, 16–17). He did not need to build, earn, or contribute to what God had already done. He stepped into a finished work and simply enjoyed it.

More than that, he was clothed in glory and lived in constant communion with God. There was no sickness, no fear, and no lack.

And in that place of abundance, God gave man something else: free will. You see, love has to be freely given. God did not want forced obedience. He desired a relationship where man would choose to walk with Him, trust Him, and respond to His love freely.

This is why there was that one tree in the garden that man could not eat from—the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Not because God wanted to limit man, but because He wanted man to have a real choice.

Now, this tree also represents something deeper. It is a picture of man choosing to live independent of God, relying on his own judgment, his own understanding, and even his own ability to determine what is good and evil.

And when man chose to eat from that tree, everything changed. Sin entered the world, and death followed, just as God had warned: “For in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Man first died spiritually, becoming separated from God, and eventually died physically. The glory that once clothed him was forfeited (Rom. 3:23).

From that point on, every form of brokenness followed. Scripture tells us that death came through sin (Rom. 5:12), and that the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). Sickness, fear, poverty, and every form of destruction are all expressions of the death that entered through sin. But again, this was never the Father’s heart for us.

God’s rescue plan and gift of grace

Because of sin, we were cut off from God. Romans 6:23 tells us,

Sin demands a payment, and because God is just, He cannot overlook sin. But man, being sinfully bankrupt, can never pay the price. Yet our Father’s heart was always to bring us near. So in response to humanity’s failure, He devised a beautiful rescue plan.

When Adam and Eve sinned, they tried to cover themselves with fig leaves. But their own efforts were in vain. So God Himself clothed them with coats of skin (Gen. 3:21). This was the first sacrifice recorded in the Bible, showing that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins (Heb. 9:22).

Now, this sacrifice was not just a covering for that moment. It was also a picture that pointed to our Lord Jesus Christ, the true Lamb of God, who would one day shed His blood to put away our sins completely (Heb. 10:14).

John 3:16 tells us,

That word “so” speaks of the depth and intensity of the Father’s love. Friend, He did not merely give something He could spare nor send an angel on our behalf. No, He gave us His only darling Son.

And through His Son, we now receive grace upon grace (John 1:16–17). What is grace? Grace is God’s unearned, undeserved favor. It flows not to those who qualify themselves, but to those who simply receive.

Though we have all sinned and fallen short, our very need qualifies us to receive His grace. And this grace found its fullest expression at the cross, where the Father’s love and justice met perfectly.

The divine exchange at the cross

In the Old Testament, when a person sinned, he was required to bring a lamb as an offering to the temple. The priest would examine the lamb to ensure that it was without blemish. Once that was confirmed, the sinner would lay his hands on the lamb’s head.

This was an act of identification. When the sinner laid his hands on the offering, his sins were transferred to the innocent lamb. The lamb then had to die, because it bore the man’s sins. And because it died in his place, the man could go free.

The sin offering is a picture of our Lord Jesus at the cross.

Our Lord Jesus knew no sin, did no sin, and in Him was no sin (2 Cor. 5:21, 1 Pet. 2:22, 1 John 3:5). Yet at the cross, He took our place as a sinner. He was forsaken so that we will never be forsaken. He was punished so that we might be justified. He was rejected so that we might be accepted before the Father.

This is the beautiful, divine exchange that happened at the cross.

And today, because of this exchange, you are righteous in Christ. Romans 5:19 says,

Friend, this is not something we could ever have earned through our own merit. Our righteousness is a gift, purchased by the precious blood of our Lord Jesus.

But that’s not all. The Bible tells us that you are now a joint heir with Christ (Rom. 8:17). This means that all that belongs to Jesus now belongs to you. At the cross, God placed everything that was in your account—your sin, guilt, and shame—onto Jesus. In return, He credited all that Jesus is to you.

This is why the blessings of the righteous belong to you (Prov. 10:6). What are some of these blessings? The Bible tells us that the righteous are surrounded by God’s favor as with a shield (Ps. 5:12), that the seed of the righteous will be delivered (Prov. 11:21), and that the prayers of the righteous avail much (James 5:16).

Perhaps some of us feel disqualified to receive these blessings. But remember, just as the priest did not examine the man but the lamb, when we come to our Father today, He does not examine us based on our performance. He looks at our Lord Jesus, the perfect, sinless, spotless Lamb, in whom you are fully accepted.

And our Lord’s sacrifice is eternal. It is a once-for-all, finished work that fully covers all who believe. This means that your sins have all been put away—past, present, and future.

Having said that, do not think that this is a license to sin or to live recklessly. Our sins have been dealt with not so that we can live carelessly but that we can live freely in the righteousness our Lord has purchased for us.

Jesus’ resurrection is proof that you have been made righteous

And this brings us to why the resurrection of our Lord Jesus is so important.

Friend, God does not declare you righteous simply because He is merciful. Yes, His mercy was evident in His sending of His Son. But today, you are righteous because the payment for your sins has been fully made. God is righteous in making you righteous.

Romans 4:25 LSB tells us that:

In other words, our Lord Jesus was raised because we have already been justified.

When Jesus died, He was carrying all our sins. When He was buried, all our sins were buried with Him. But when God raised Him, He was raised without sin. Why? Because our sins had been fully paid for. If even one sin had remained, our Lord would not have been raised. His resurrection proves that all your sins have been fully dealt with. It is the divine receipt of your righteousness.

Hence, the Bible says that if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins (1 Cor. 15:17).

Because of Jesus’ finished work, you have been made righteous, and now you have peace with God (Rom. 5:1). There is nothing standing between you and your heavenly Father. You are accepted and righteous in Christ.

As you become more and more conscious of this truth, you will find the boldness to come to your Father freely. And in that place, you will begin to receive all that our Lord Jesus has already purchased for you at the cross—peace in your heart and mind, His unmerited favor, and the abundant life!

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These sermon notes were taken by volunteers during the service. They are not a verbatim representation of the sermon.