Elevate - Is Jesus Obsolete - Easter Message

The pastor discusses the question of whether Jesus is obsolete in our rapidly changing culture. He emphasizes that while ideas and philosophies may evolve, Jesus remains the same yesterday, today, and forever. He shares three stories from the Bible to illustrate that Jesus still offers forgiveness, fills the thirsty, and raises the dead. He concludes that as long as we need forgiveness, Jesus is not obsolete. Welcome to the Elevate Radio Program. I'm John DiQuatro, Lead Pastor at Authentic Life Church in Mobile, Alabama. Thank you for tuning in each week to listen to our broadcast. I hope you're encouraged in your faith each week and are experiencing the life-giving power of the Word as you listen. You know, over the last several months, we've been in a series based on the Story Bible. This Bible records just the narrative of the Bible so that we can see the continuous story of God's redemption of mankind. And what a story it is. And ultimately, the Bible is the story of Jesus. It's been such a great series. I've enjoyed preaching these messages and our church has really enjoyed listening and reading the book along with me and with everyone else. But this week we took a detour as we gathered to celebrate Resurrection Sunday as a church family. This week we ask the question, is Jesus obsolete? In our culture, ideas and philosophies and morality are continually changing and evolving in all sorts of different ways. And it can be confusing at times as our culture, they want us to interpret the timeless Word of God through the lens of these current ideas and lifestyles. It's so easy for us to fall into the trap of thinking that the Word of God is not relevant for 2023. You know, Hebrews 13.8 tells us that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So while our culture is morphing and changing and evolving, Jesus is not. He's not evolving. He's not becoming. He is. And He always has been. He has not and will not ever change. So His Word means today what it meant thousands of years ago. So today we're asking that question, is Jesus obsolete? And we're going to answer that question by showing three stories in the Bible of what Jesus offers to those that would believe in Him. And how He is still offering those same things today, 2,000 years later. So allow your heart and your mind to be open to the Word as you listen to this year's Easter message. Is Jesus obsolete? He's still alive. And He's still doing the same things that He did 2,000 years ago when He walked this earth. He still forgives sins. He still fills the thirsty. He still fills those that are searching to fill the void. He still raises the dead. It still happens. Jesus has never changed. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Welcome to Elevate from Authentic Life Church in Mobile, Alabama with Pastor John DiQuatro. We hope it builds your faith and helps you to live a life of God that you've always wanted to live. We hope it inspires you to be a fully devoted, authentic follower of Jesus Christ. Enjoy the message and welcome to Elevate. Well, God is in this room. You sense the excitement of the resurrection, the celebration that's in the room, and God's presence is here. I don't know if you can feel that, but there's just something that rises up in me when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is what it all hangs on, right here. This is what it hangs on. If Jesus stayed in the grave, nothing He said would have been able to be believed. But because Jesus rose from the dead, because Jesus came out of that grave, because He is alive today and sitting at the right hand of the Father, we can be assured that everything that He said is true, that everything in His Word is true, and that we can spend eternal life with Him. Amen? Amen. Well, I want to ask the question today, on Easter, on Resurrection Day, in a culture that is changing, in a culture that is rapidly changing, the question is, is Jesus obsolete? You know, I bought this phone last year. This is an iPhone 14 Pro Max. And all my iPhone users said, Amen. It's the latest, the newest, the most high-tech Apple phone that is out there right now. But you know what? I am sure, I am certain that when September comes, there's going to be another phone. And I know that I am one software update away from this phone getting slow and unusable and annoying to the point that I'm going to want to throw it against the wall. This phone right here. They're going to start sending features to this phone that can't keep up with the new technology because of the new updates, and it's going to be annoying. And so, this phone, in short, is on the verge of becoming obsolete, and it's less than a year old. In fact, I have a drawer in my house filled with phones and laptops that used to be state-of-the-art at one point. Now they fit and they get scavenged for parts, for charging cables, for old files that I remembered that I have and I left. Which laptop did I leave that file on? That's all they're useful for now. They're obsolete. This is the world we live in. We accept things as they are until something better comes along. We live in an advancing world. There's no limit to the new things that we can learn and the technological advancements that will come along, rendering old things obsolete. But it's more than just technology. It's our culture today. Anything old, old ideas, old ways of life, old philosophies, truth is immediately irrelevant. It becomes outdated, and it would do better if it would just fade into the background and not interfere with the new that's on the scene right now. You know, today's music icons become tomorrow's Dancing with the Stars contestants. Today's fashions become tomorrow's retro look. And you know, we've all seen those fashions come back around over and over and over. I think for my wife, though, wide flare-leg pants never went out of style. She loved that. Today's popular music will become tomorrow's oldies. You know you're old when the music of your youth is now on one of those classic mix stations. But it's our culture. So what about Jesus? What about Christianity? What about the Word of God? Listen to these statistics. In 1950, 66% of Americans identified as Protestant Christian. By 1990, which was 40 years later, that number was at 56%. In 2010, only 20 years later, the number was at 45%. And in 2016, only six years later, that number was a mere 37% of Americans identified as Protestant Christianity. And that number is even smaller today, seven years later. These are folks that consider themselves Christians, not necessarily practicing or living it, but they identify Protestant Christianity as the religious group that they belong to. So what that says is at one time, 1950, 66%, right? At one time, the idea of following Christ was a majority opinion. It was the truth of the day. But as time has gone on, new ideas have replaced Christian ideas. So the question has to be asked, is Jesus obsolete? Have we become so enlightened, so advanced in our thinking, that the simple message of the Gospel has become irrelevant? Does it still work for today? I want to turn to you a Scripture that may be the single most powerful Scripture that's in the Bible. Hebrews 13 chapter 8 says this, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Jesus is not like us. Jesus is not evolving. Jesus is not changing. Jesus is not in the process of becoming. He always was. He always will be. And He will never change throughout history, throughout eternity. And so I want to show you today three stories from the Bible that I believe illustrate the heart of Jesus and why He is still relevant for us today in 2023. Our first story illustrates this truth, that Jesus still forgives the guilty. John 8 records the story of a woman who was caught in the act of adultery. In their culture, this was a crime that was punishable by death. Not only was this woman shamed by being drug out into a public place, but she was facing death because of what she had done, the act of committing adultery. This amazing story illustrates the immense compassion of Jesus. Was this woman wrong in what she did? Yeah. Did she break the laws of the land? Yeah. Did Jesus care that she was wrong? Of course He did. But He knew something. He knew that the power of forgiveness was greater than the power of judgment. That the power of love is greater than the power of condemnation. You know, we're all guilty of something. I've got some things in my past that I'm not proud of. I've got some things in my present that I'm not proud of. Many of you today have things in your past. Some of us have some deep, shameful things that we feel God could never forgive. But the good news is this, that Jesus is and has always been willing to forgive anyone who would believe in Him. He still offers forgiveness, not judgment. He still offers love and not condemnation. You know, in 33 A.D., people messed up and needed forgiveness. And today, people mess up and need forgiveness. Today, the same Jesus that forgave that woman is alive and well. He is in this room. He is calling us to a deeper relationship with Him. And He wants you to know today that the same love and compassion that He had then, He has now, and you can be forgiven if you place your faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. And as long as we still need forgiveness, Jesus is not obsolete. He still forgives. The second story I want to illustrate today shows us that Jesus still fills the thirsty. I'm going to read out of John 4, beginning in verse 3. It says this, So He, Jesus, left Judea and returned to Galilee. He had to go through Samaria on the way. Eventually, He came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, Please give me a drink. He was alone at the time, because His disciples had gone into the village to buy some food. The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. And she said to Jesus, You are a Jew, and I'm a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink? Jesus replied, If you only knew the gift God has for you, and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water. But sir, you don't have a rope or a bucket, she said, and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? And besides, do you think you're greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed? Jesus replied, Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again, but those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life. Please sir, the woman said, Give me this water, and I'll never be thirsty again, and I won't have to come here to get water. Go and get your husband, Jesus told her. I don't have a husband, the woman replied. Jesus said, You're right, you don't have a husband, for you have had five husbands, and you aren't even married to the man you're living with now. You certainly spoke the truth. Skipping down to verse 25, the woman said, I know the Messiah is coming, the One who is called Christ. When He comes, He will explain everything to us. Then Jesus told her, I am the Messiah. Just then His disciples came back. They were shocked to find Him talking to a woman, but none of them had the nerve to ask, What do you want with her? Or why are you talking with her? The woman left her water jar beside the well, and ran back to the village telling everyone, Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could he possibly be the Messiah? So the people came streaming from the village to see Him. In this incredible story, Jesus comes to this well, and He asks this Samaritan woman, this outcast woman, Jews and Samaritans did not get along, but He asks her for a drink. But Jesus knew that when He asked her for a drink, that actually she was the thirsty one. She had five husbands, the Bible tells us. She was looking for fulfillment, trying to find her identity in a man. And when one didn't work out, she went to the next one. Today we seek fulfillment in all sorts of things. Friends and girlfriends and success and career and wealth and entertainment and binge watching Netflix and shopping. We look for fulfillment in all these places. We go from thing to thing. We're looking for significance. We're trying to find acceptance. We're trying to find value. We're looking for something to dull the pain of this life or to fill the emptiness that's in our hearts. And all these things do that for just a little while, but they don't last. You'll be thirsty again. You'll be looking again. Money runs out. Relationships become difficult. New things become old. But Jesus offered the woman at the well the one thing that would last and would never run out. Himself. That was all that she needed. That water that Jesus gives. That water that fills you and keeps filling you and never runs out. It bubbles up over and over and over and you'll never need to find fulfillment in this life because you have found it in the person of Jesus Christ. Listen, in 33 A.D., people were searching for answers. They were searching to fill the void, to fill the emptiness, and to dull the pain of life. Today, we're still looking for the same thing. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So as long as people are needing to be filled, as long as people are looking for answers, as long as people are looking to fill the void and dull the pain, then Jesus is not obsolete. The third story I want to show you today will illustrate this truth that Jesus still raises the dead. In John 10, there's a story of a friend of Jesus who died. He was sick. And so his family called for Jesus to come and to heal him. But Jesus got there too late. And he died while Jesus was on the way. The man's name was Lazarus. A dead man. Dead for four days. Four days is a lot of time. But Jesus comes in and raises him to life. This right here, that miracle, that's the hallmark of Christianity, that the dead can be raised. That's it. For all other religions, their leaders are dead. Long dead. Buried in the ground. And adherents to those religions are promised things in the next life if they do certain things in this life. But for us, Jesus, the Son of God while on earth, raised the dead. Physically raised the dead. And then when He was crucified, when He was murdered, He was resurrected. And He is alive today. And now He offers that same resurrection to us. He says that same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead, when we put our faith in Him, that Spirit dwells in us. And let me tell you, physical resurrection, does that still happen today? Yes it does. Google it. You'll see stories of people that were dead and have been raised to life by the power of Jesus Christ. But what He also offers us is spiritual resurrection. Look what Ephesians 2.4-5 says. It says, But God, so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. It is only by God's grace that you have been saved. Listen, the Scriptures are so clear that without the forgiveness that comes through faith in Jesus, we are all dead in our sins. Spiritually dead in our sins and bound for an eternity without God. But through Christ's death on the cross, through His resurrection, through His victory over sin and over death, we can be raised to new life in Him. New life in Him. I don't know about you, but before I came to Jesus, it's going on 26 years now. I was dead. I was going the wrong way. I was lost. I was searching. I was frustrated. I was confused. I didn't even know what I was looking for, but I was empty. But I've been raised up. I'm awake. I have purpose. And I have truth in my life. If that's you today, somebody give God a shout of praise. Once you were dead, and now you're alive in Him. You might be sitting here today just fed up with life, filled with regret because of the mistakes that you've made and the bad things that you've done. Today, you might be spiritually dead, but Jesus offers you new life today. New life in Him. So today we've asked the question, is Jesus obsolete? Is placing faith in Jesus Christ just as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago? In 2023, do we still need Christianity? Do we still need the Bible? Do we still need Jesus? And here's my answer. He's still alive. And He's still doing the same things that He did 2,000 years ago when He walked this earth. He still forgives sins. He still fills the thirsty. He still fills those that are searching to fill the void. He still raises the dead. It still happens. Jesus has never changed. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And while this culture is trying to tell you that it thinks better, and that it has better philosophies, and better ideas than the Bible, I'm here to tell you that Jesus Christ doesn't change. When the Bible was written, when Jesus walked the earth, when He raised from the dead, He saw these years. He saw this day. He knew and He knew that we'll need Him more than ever right now. This culture, this world, this society needs Jesus more than ever. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He will never become obsolete because He never changes. He's still the same as He was then. He's the same now and He'll be the same forever. And the life that He offers to each one of us through His Son Jesus Christ, we will always need it. We will always need it. He will never be obsolete. Thank you for listening to Elevate. We hope this message encouraged, inspired, and challenged you. Authentic Life Church is located at 3750 Michael Boulevard in Mobile, Alabama. Visit our website authenticlife.tv for more information about Authentic Life Church. To find out what we have going on or to make a donation. You can also find us on Facebook. We'd love for you to join us on Sundays at 10 a.m. for our weekend service. We have excellent children's, nursery, and youth programs so bring the family. For Pastor John DeQuatro, I'm Scott Chestnut. Thanks again for listening and God bless you.