04-11-20 Kevin Goins - Defeating the Status Quo, Part 3

“Defeating the Status Quo” (Part 3)

In the first century “life as usual” for the people of Israel included poverty, illiteracy, hunger, sickness, and being under the thumb of the Roman empire. “Life as usual” is what we mean by the status quo, and for Israel the status quo was depressing, to say the least. But then Jesus came, and through his teaching and healing and feeding the hungry he overcame many of the most negative elements of the status quo. Then he was put to death on the cross, but what followed his violent and humiliating death brought about the greatest reversal of the status quo the world has ever seen. In what ways did the resurrection of Jesus defeat the status quo?

I When we look at the Passion Story, we see, first, that Jesus said No to the status quo of lying to protect oneself.
II When we look at the Passion Story, we see, second, that Jesus said No to the status quo of hating those who hate us.
III When we look at the Passion Story, we see, third, that Jesus said No to the status quo of s___________________.
A. The separation that troubles the human race today began with r______________ against God and the decision to d______________ his Word.
1. As a result of their disobedience, Adam and Eve were separated from e_________ o___________.
2. But what caused their separation from each other was the fact that they had first separated themselves from __________.
3. God is holy and will not t____________ the sin of rebellion.
B. Since it was the sin of disobedience which caused our separation from God and from each other, Jesus had to find a way to r____________ our sin.
1. Matthew and Mark tell us that when Jesus breathed his last, “the curtain of the temple was torn in two from ________ to ___________.”
2. This curtain hung in the temple for one reason: to separate sinful human beings from the p____________ of God.
3. When Jesus died, he offered to God a p___________ sacrifice, the sacrifice of his perfect and s_______________ life.
4. The curtain was v______________ ripped in two – it was s____________ to show that nothing can now close off our a___________ to God.
C. That is why we can now overcome the separation that exists between us and the ___________ around us, because Jesus ended the separation between us and ____________.