Events of Super Significance

On September 11, 2001, a group of Islamic men funded by an organization called Al Qaeda hijacked and used commercial airliners as guided missiles to attack and destroy New York’s iconic Twin Towers. If you were alive at that time and were old enough to remember events as they were happening, you recall where you were, what you were doing, who you were with, because events like this are so shocking and attention-grabbing as to burn within your memory forever those things that happened.

It was an event of super significance. And maybe you remember things, if you’re around my age, such as the space shuttle Challenger exploding after it took off, or if you’re older than I am, maybe you remember the assassination of John F. Kennedy in the early 1960s.

All of these events, when they happen, have one thing in common. They’re so shocking, so unexpected, so captivating that we remember them forever. Well, this morning I would like for us to think about some events of super-significance. The Apostle Peter and the rest of the apostles experienced such events within their lives, and like us, they had burned on their memories things that would last a lifetime.

Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1, verse 16, For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. And Peter is recalling when he wrote these words, the transfiguration of Jesus Christ, when He appeared with Moses and Elijah.

And they saw that. They heard the conversation. And it was, for them, an event of super-significance. Such events don’t have to be events necessarily that everyone knows about or everyone sees, but just an event that is so significant enough for us to remember and to understand that this is something special that is happening.

When we think about events of super-significance within the Bible, there are so many that we could discuss, but we want to focus upon the life of Jesus this morning, and thinking about those events that the Apostles never forgot, the miracles of Jesus, the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus, the ascension of Jesus.

These were those same kinds of events, events of super-significance, just like 9-11, the space shuttle Challenger, and the assassination of JFK. Let’s discuss these events this morning. First of all, the miracles of Jesus were events of super-significance. John records that Jesus, he records seven miracles of such significance in the life of Jesus that he considers them to be utterly convincing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

In fact, he says as much in John chapter 20 and verses 30 and 31, And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples which are not written in this book. But these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. What are those seven miracles that He records? The changing of water to wine. The healing of the nobleman’s son from a distance. The healing of the man at the pool of Bethesda. The feeding of the 5,000. Walking on water.

The healing of the man born blind. And the raising of Lazarus. All of these miracles that Jesus did had witnesses. And each one of those witnesses remembered clearly, accurately, where they were, what they were doing, who they were with. And it never left their mind.

When we think of these miracles, we understand them then to be things that are convincing, things that were not fables, but were true events that happened in the world. We looked at Peter earlier, but let’s look at the statement a little further in 2 Peter 1, verses 16 and 17.

For we did not follow cunningly devised fables, when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory, when such a voice came to Him from the excellent glory.

This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. Peter, James, and John were there and they recognized and heard God’s voice and it was for them such a mind-blowing event that they never forgot that scene.

And so Peter says, these are not fables, no, no, but rather events of super-significance. The miracles of Jesus were such events. The death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus was an event of super-significance. It all occurred within a three-day period, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all record the events surrounding Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.

Two, maybe three of them were eyewitnesses. Matthew and John, most definitely, maybe Mark. Luke was not an eyewitness, but he was a historian who interviewed and recorded the events that happened. In fact, so widely known were these events in this day and time that the Apostle Paul said to King Agrippa, the king knows of these things before whom I also freely speak, for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him, for this thing was not done in a It was widely known that Jesus had died and was buried and was raised from the dead. Those who saw it understood the significance of it. They marveled at it. It was something that was burned in their memory forever because it was an event of super significance.

The Apostle Paul also writes in 1 Corinthians 15, verses 3-8, For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the Twelve. After that, He was seen by over 500 brethren at once, Of whom the greater part remained to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that, He was seen by James, then by all the apostles, then, last of all, He was seen by me also, as one born out of due time.

The resurrected Jesus was available for many, many people to see and to witness an event of super significance. It was so significant to John, who wrote 90, maybe 60 years after those events, that he wrote these words right in the middle of the story of the crucifixion of Jesus, and he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth so that you may believe, John 19, 35.

Luke, who was not an eyewitness but was a careful historian of the events, said this in Luke 1, verses 1-4, “…And as much as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, To write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.

Luke says, even though I was not an eyewitness, I interviewed the eyewitnesses and when I interviewed them, I found certainty. Why? Because they were events of super significance. The ascension of Jesus was an event of super significance. Jesus was on the earth for 40 days after His resurrection.

Luke writes about this in Acts chapter 1 and verses 1 through 3 when he says, “…the former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He, through the Holy Spirit, had given commandment to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many infallible proofs, being seen of them during forty days.”

And speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Luke then goes on to record the ascension of Jesus in Acts chapter 1. He continued during this time to see people and visit with people. Again, Paul mentioned that he was viewed by above 500 people all at one time, 1 Corinthians 15, 3-8.

And in Acts chapter 1, verses 9-11, Luke records these words, Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? The same Jesus who was taken up for you into heaven will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.

Can you imagine standing there speaking with Jesus who had been resurrected from the dead and then all of a sudden He begins to rise up? That would have been an amazing, awesome, mind-blowing event of super-significance. You will not forget where you were, what you were doing, who you were with, just like those events we discussed earlier. The second coming of Christ will be an event of super significance.

The angels in Acts chapter 1 announced that Jesus would return one day. And just as sure as we are of the events that occurred within our lives, those events of super-significance, because we saw them, heard them, experienced them, so can we be sure that these events of super-significance that the apostles and the rest of our brothers, What the brothers and sisters in Christ experienced during the first century happened, and that the second coming of Christ will occur.

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15, 20-23, But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. John wrote, “…Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all the tribes of the earth were mourned because of Him, even so.” Amen.

There is yet another event of super-significance on the horizon, the return of Jesus Christ. Paul said in Acts chapter 17 and verses 30 through 31 that now is the time to prepare for that event. He said, “…truly these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom He has ordained.

He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead. And we read in 2 Peter 3, verses 10-13, that the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. Both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?

Nevertheless, we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Events of super-significance, things that happen, that when we see them, so impress us, so as to never forget. The miracles of Jesus were events of super-significance. The death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus was an event of super-significance.

The ascension of Jesus was an event of super-significance, and one day, Jesus will return, and that will be an event of super-significance. I would like for you this morning to contemplate these events and to take action based upon them. What are we doing? We know what happened after JFK was assassinated. We know what happened after the Space Shuttle Challenger was destroyed. We know what happened after those buildings came down on 9-11.

People were moved to action, and we should be moved to action today regarding the events of super-significance that happened in the Bible. Will we take this gospel message to others to let them know that Jesus is returning one day and they need to be prepared?

Will we be prepared? Maybe there’s someone here this morning who needs to get ready for His coming. You can do that by hearing His Word and believing it, repenting of your sins, confessing Jesus as Lord and being baptized for the forgiveness of sins in likeness of His death, burial, and resurrection, that event of super-significance because your baptism will be for you an event of super-significance being added to the Lord’s body.

Being forgiven of sin. Becoming a participant within God’s purposes. Events of super significance. What will we do with them today? While together we stand and sing.

End of transcript. Thank you for reading along!