WEBVTT 00:00:01.270 --> 00:00:03.950 Welcome to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton, 00:00:04.129 --> 00:00:07.269 the official podcast of Cross Christian Fellowship, 00:00:07.290 --> 00:00:10.769 Route 66, in the heart of Albuquerque, New Mexico, 00:00:10.990 --> 00:00:14.150 where Burton is the lead pastor. We're glad you're 00:00:14.150 --> 00:00:18.170 here. Father, we thank you for bringing us together. 00:00:18.609 --> 00:00:20.390 We thank you for this time of fellowship. We 00:00:20.390 --> 00:00:22.570 thank you for this time of worship. We ask that 00:00:22.570 --> 00:00:27.949 you open our hearts, open our minds, and help 00:00:27.949 --> 00:00:30.609 us to apply everything that we... We learn here 00:00:30.609 --> 00:00:32.109 today everything that you speak to us, to our 00:00:32.109 --> 00:00:35.869 lives, and help us to learn more about our past 00:00:35.869 --> 00:00:38.950 and the great sacrifices that you've done and 00:00:38.950 --> 00:00:42.570 made for us on our behalf. In Jesus' name, amen. 00:00:42.969 --> 00:00:44.670 Well, again, good morning, everybody. Welcome 00:00:44.670 --> 00:00:47.270 to Cross Christian Fellowship, Route 66. Happy 00:00:47.270 --> 00:00:52.530 Easter. This is a big day for Christianity. It 00:00:52.530 --> 00:00:55.210 really is. I've said it before. Everybody's like, 00:00:55.310 --> 00:00:57.390 ooh, Christmas, Christmas, Christmas. Christmas 00:00:57.390 --> 00:01:01.920 is great. But without Easter, none of it would 00:01:01.920 --> 00:01:05.959 matter. None of it. Easter, this is our big one. 00:01:06.159 --> 00:01:08.680 This is the big event. It really is. Because 00:01:08.680 --> 00:01:11.959 without the death and resurrection of Christ, 00:01:12.200 --> 00:01:15.379 none of the rest of it would have mattered. Jesus 00:01:15.379 --> 00:01:18.400 would have been lost to the history books like 00:01:18.400 --> 00:01:22.859 any other man. Right? That's just the way it 00:01:22.859 --> 00:01:25.900 is. Possibly even forgotten. Because there's 00:01:25.900 --> 00:01:27.079 a lot of people who have made their way into 00:01:27.079 --> 00:01:28.420 history books and they've been forgotten in time. 00:01:29.750 --> 00:01:35.349 especially from 2 ,000 years ago. So today, before 00:01:35.349 --> 00:01:38.189 we start jumping straight into the Bible, let's 00:01:38.189 --> 00:01:41.689 look at some facts. Facts that we know of, not 00:01:41.689 --> 00:01:45.329 only from the Bible, but from various history 00:01:45.329 --> 00:01:50.069 books. Not just from Christians, but also pagans 00:01:50.069 --> 00:01:53.469 as well. People come from other surrounding areas, 00:01:53.689 --> 00:01:56.430 which is why we're able to verify so much of 00:01:56.430 --> 00:02:00.359 what's in the Bible. Right? All these documents 00:02:00.359 --> 00:02:02.180 that they're able to pull up, these old scrolls 00:02:02.180 --> 00:02:05.939 and tablets. So first and foremost, Jesus was 00:02:05.939 --> 00:02:09.860 a real person. He was a real person. He lived, 00:02:10.020 --> 00:02:14.060 walked, breathed, ate just like you and I. He 00:02:14.060 --> 00:02:17.960 was born in the Middle East. That's where he 00:02:17.960 --> 00:02:21.699 spent his life. In fact, with the exception of 00:02:21.699 --> 00:02:25.439 just a few years in Egypt, he never traveled 00:02:25.439 --> 00:02:29.159 more than 90 miles away from home. To put that 00:02:29.159 --> 00:02:31.740 into perspective, that'd be like from us here 00:02:31.740 --> 00:02:34.800 in Albuquerque going north up to Española or 00:02:34.800 --> 00:02:39.599 south down to San Antonio, roughly, give or take 00:02:39.599 --> 00:02:44.319 a mile or two. That's it. That's the distance 00:02:44.319 --> 00:02:48.139 he covered in his life. Not a whole lot. It's 00:02:48.139 --> 00:02:51.840 still a profound impact, right? And when he was 00:02:51.840 --> 00:02:55.000 born, something else I'd like to call attention 00:02:55.000 --> 00:03:00.699 to. Both history books and the Bible. When he 00:03:00.699 --> 00:03:05.060 was born in the middle of the night, it was bright. 00:03:05.960 --> 00:03:12.300 It was bright. It was bright. Yeah. It was very 00:03:12.300 --> 00:03:15.460 bright. You could see. You could see everything 00:03:15.460 --> 00:03:21.500 around you. When he died, it was dark. We'll 00:03:21.500 --> 00:03:25.259 be looking at that here momentarily. Think of 00:03:25.259 --> 00:03:27.800 the correlation of that, though, because God 00:03:27.800 --> 00:03:32.479 is light. When Jesus was born, God was there. 00:03:32.639 --> 00:03:36.300 When God was on the cross for three hours, everything 00:03:36.300 --> 00:03:40.740 was dark from noon to three because he was separated 00:03:40.740 --> 00:03:44.240 from God. God was not there as he had to take 00:03:44.240 --> 00:03:46.680 on the sin of the world, and God could not be 00:03:46.680 --> 00:03:50.219 there for that. The middle of the day, and it 00:03:50.219 --> 00:03:58.490 was dark. So there's a lot there. You know, in 00:03:58.490 --> 00:04:02.169 his life, he said, Jesus, with the exception 00:04:02.169 --> 00:04:04.610 of when he traveled to Egypt, he stayed in the 00:04:04.610 --> 00:04:06.849 same area. He ministered there. He lived there. 00:04:08.110 --> 00:04:10.389 We can easily find stories of his preaching, 00:04:10.509 --> 00:04:15.009 healing people of sickness and handicaps of all 00:04:15.009 --> 00:04:19.389 sorts, right? Leprosy, blindness, just to name 00:04:19.389 --> 00:04:26.680 a couple, driving out demons, and teaching. Teaching. 00:04:26.680 --> 00:04:31.660 And not just teaching, but teaching absolute 00:04:31.660 --> 00:04:35.740 fundamental truths. Fundamental truths that are 00:04:35.740 --> 00:04:42.500 still taught to this day. Right and wrong. In 00:04:42.500 --> 00:04:46.019 and outside of the church. Granted, what we know 00:04:46.019 --> 00:04:48.220 is right versus what we know is wrong all comes 00:04:48.220 --> 00:04:52.120 down to God. And we can find it in the Bible. 00:04:52.620 --> 00:04:56.100 But even outside of that, Because of God's inherentness 00:04:56.100 --> 00:04:58.639 in our world, the Bible tells us there's enough 00:04:58.639 --> 00:05:01.100 of his inherent being in everything that nobody 00:05:01.100 --> 00:05:04.779 is without excuse. There's enough there for everybody 00:05:04.779 --> 00:05:12.699 to know God. And it's important to know all these 00:05:12.699 --> 00:05:14.759 things that he did throughout his life, all the 00:05:14.759 --> 00:05:17.639 stuff that he taught, the conversations he had. 00:05:17.939 --> 00:05:20.310 Because some of us... can't even have a civil 00:05:20.310 --> 00:05:22.709 conversation with somebody without turning it 00:05:22.709 --> 00:05:28.490 into a fight. Right? We can't take a moment to 00:05:28.490 --> 00:05:31.310 step back and evaluate, wait, what if I'm wrong? 00:05:32.110 --> 00:05:35.850 What if I'm not understanding this correctly? 00:05:37.050 --> 00:05:39.189 Maybe I was misinformed or taught incorrectly. 00:05:40.050 --> 00:05:42.629 But no, we hold on to it. Like, no, this is absolute 00:05:42.629 --> 00:05:49.470 truth. Politics is a big one. Absolute truth. 00:05:51.009 --> 00:05:52.850 But not everything that we hold on to is biblical, 00:05:53.009 --> 00:05:57.949 is it? If it's not biblical, we need to test 00:05:57.949 --> 00:06:00.850 it. Even when it comes to the Bible, we're told 00:06:00.850 --> 00:06:03.610 to test, right? Make sure it comes from the Spirit. 00:06:08.129 --> 00:06:10.470 Yet in the 30 years that Jesus spent on earth, 00:06:10.709 --> 00:06:16.730 he didn't commit a single sin. Not one. He healed 00:06:16.730 --> 00:06:19.290 people. He raised the dead, even doing it against 00:06:19.290 --> 00:06:21.750 the rules. A little bit of a rebel there, right? 00:06:21.870 --> 00:06:23.509 He went against the religious leaders of the 00:06:23.509 --> 00:06:28.790 day. He's like, what? Watch this. Healed. It's 00:06:28.790 --> 00:06:35.430 a Sunday. We need to eat. Eat up. Right? Did 00:06:35.430 --> 00:06:42.170 a lot of things. He was not one to buy into the 00:06:42.170 --> 00:06:47.490 legalism of the day. Just to satisfy a few people. 00:06:50.610 --> 00:06:54.569 Love comes first. And that's what he did. He 00:06:54.569 --> 00:07:01.370 loved. He showed it. There are even times when 00:07:01.370 --> 00:07:05.990 he proclaimed himself as the Messiah. Right? 00:07:06.430 --> 00:07:11.490 The Son of God. We can even find where he said 00:07:11.490 --> 00:07:16.279 he was God himself. Not a lot though, but he 00:07:16.279 --> 00:07:20.060 did it. Not something to be taken lightly either, 00:07:20.120 --> 00:07:25.560 especially in those days, right? People were 00:07:25.560 --> 00:07:29.259 killed for less, for claiming less. He upset 00:07:29.259 --> 00:07:34.399 people by doing this to the point that they downright 00:07:34.399 --> 00:07:37.579 hated him. They wanted him dead. They wanted 00:07:37.579 --> 00:07:40.139 him out of the equation, right? You look at the 00:07:40.139 --> 00:07:42.060 Pharisees and the Sadducees and all that and 00:07:42.060 --> 00:07:44.589 how they felt about Jesus. It kind of looks like 00:07:44.589 --> 00:07:48.829 the dawn in The Godfather, right? You know, or 00:07:48.829 --> 00:07:51.209 one of these other little mobster shows. I want 00:07:51.209 --> 00:07:53.050 him. I want his mother. I want his children. 00:07:53.149 --> 00:07:55.670 I want the dog. I want the chicken. I want them 00:07:55.670 --> 00:07:58.769 all dead, gone, out of the kitchen, right? That's 00:07:58.769 --> 00:08:01.149 how they felt. They had murder in their hearts. 00:08:02.850 --> 00:08:04.750 The religious leaders of the day, the ones who 00:08:04.750 --> 00:08:06.670 should have been the most holy and recognized 00:08:06.670 --> 00:08:12.040 who he was, had murder in their hearts. So much 00:08:12.040 --> 00:08:14.620 so that when they colluded together to finally 00:08:14.620 --> 00:08:18.860 have him taken out of the picture, even the authorities 00:08:18.860 --> 00:08:22.180 that were there, the Romans, right? Like, we 00:08:22.180 --> 00:08:26.259 looked at this. What happened? I can't find a 00:08:26.259 --> 00:08:30.120 reason to charge this man. What are you trying 00:08:30.120 --> 00:08:34.220 to say he's guilty of? He's not guilty. Went 00:08:34.220 --> 00:08:36.039 back a couple times, went round and round, right? 00:08:36.159 --> 00:08:39.279 Finally, I washed my hands. It's like, we'll 00:08:39.279 --> 00:08:42.159 be the smoking gun. We'll do what you ask, but 00:08:42.159 --> 00:08:48.840 his blood's on you, not us. Basically saying 00:08:48.840 --> 00:08:50.700 that they're not going to get away scot -free, 00:08:50.799 --> 00:08:58.580 right? They're not going to be unscathed. But 00:08:58.580 --> 00:09:02.159 when we think about it, these are all parts. 00:09:02.940 --> 00:09:06.629 These are all things. as to why Jesus came, why 00:09:06.629 --> 00:09:11.350 he lived the way he did, why he taught the way 00:09:11.350 --> 00:09:14.370 he did, the example that he set for each and 00:09:14.370 --> 00:09:18.649 every one of us, the way he died the way he did. 00:09:20.509 --> 00:09:25.710 Living his life is a perfect sacrifice for everyone. 00:09:27.970 --> 00:09:32.389 Right? For everyone. To have that hope, the fact 00:09:32.389 --> 00:09:35.240 that he'd done nothing wrong, And was sentenced 00:09:35.240 --> 00:09:37.100 to his punishment reserved for the worst of the 00:09:37.100 --> 00:09:43.019 worst. All this and knowing on his way to the 00:09:43.019 --> 00:09:48.320 cross what was going to happen there. He knew 00:09:48.320 --> 00:09:53.460 that this was his mission. We like to get caught 00:09:53.460 --> 00:09:55.220 up in a lot of the fun stuff on Easter, don't 00:09:55.220 --> 00:09:58.580 we? Oh, we got a jovial message and all this. 00:09:58.679 --> 00:10:00.940 No, let's look at all. Because we need to know 00:10:00.940 --> 00:10:04.100 it all. We need to hear it all. We need to internalize 00:10:04.100 --> 00:10:08.000 it all, not just the pieces. That's why we've 00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:09.379 had this series going the way it's been for the 00:10:09.379 --> 00:10:12.940 last few weeks. And with that said, let's get 00:10:12.940 --> 00:10:14.840 to our first piece of Scripture for the day. 00:10:15.480 --> 00:10:17.039 I think I bored you all enough. Let's get into 00:10:17.039 --> 00:10:19.759 the fun stuff, right? So we're going to start 00:10:19.759 --> 00:10:25.320 off in Philippians 2. So Philippians 2, verses 00:10:25.320 --> 00:10:33.000 6 through 8. All right, Philippians 2, 6 through 00:10:33.000 --> 00:10:42.480 8. All right, and the word says, Who, being in 00:10:42.480 --> 00:10:45.120 the form of God, did not consider robbery to 00:10:45.120 --> 00:10:48.399 be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, 00:10:48.799 --> 00:10:53.039 taking the form of a bondservant and coming in 00:10:53.039 --> 00:10:56.269 the likeness of men. and being found in appearance 00:10:56.269 --> 00:10:59.669 as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient 00:10:59.669 --> 00:11:05.710 to the point of death, even the death of the 00:11:05.710 --> 00:11:13.269 cross. Jesus came, and he knew why he came. He 00:11:13.269 --> 00:11:15.549 knew his purpose. Like I said, he knew his mission. 00:11:15.590 --> 00:11:18.009 He knew what needed to be done beyond the shadow 00:11:18.009 --> 00:11:21.450 of a doubt. Now, we can't say he looked forward 00:11:21.450 --> 00:11:28.059 to it, right? That actual moment? Maybe what 00:11:28.059 --> 00:11:30.179 would come afterwards, but not that actual moment. 00:11:30.659 --> 00:11:32.759 Who in here looks forward to being beaten? Anybody? 00:11:34.840 --> 00:11:37.039 Who in here would enjoy being beaten like that? 00:11:40.759 --> 00:11:43.960 Let alone being hung on a cross, right? Nobody. 00:11:45.139 --> 00:11:49.679 Nobody wants that for themselves. Even if we 00:11:49.679 --> 00:11:53.029 know we deserve it, we don't want it. Matter 00:11:53.029 --> 00:11:57.929 of fact, if we go to Matthew 26, verse 39, Jesus 00:11:57.929 --> 00:12:03.509 said, He went a little farther and fell on his 00:12:03.509 --> 00:12:06.789 face and prayed, saying, Oh, my Father, if it 00:12:06.789 --> 00:12:10.750 is possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, 00:12:11.169 --> 00:12:16.250 not as I will, but as you will. So he's making 00:12:16.250 --> 00:12:20.659 it clear. He's not looking forward to this. He's 00:12:20.659 --> 00:12:23.120 really like, if there's another way we can do 00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:25.759 this, can we do that instead? Because this is 00:12:25.759 --> 00:12:29.200 going to suck, man. This is going to hurt. I'm 00:12:29.200 --> 00:12:32.179 not looking forward to this. I'm expressing what 00:12:32.179 --> 00:12:34.159 I want, but ultimately it's your will be done. 00:12:34.240 --> 00:12:35.440 If there's another way we can do this, though, 00:12:35.440 --> 00:12:37.320 I'd really prefer that. Can we do that, Dad? 00:12:39.740 --> 00:12:43.460 That's what he's saying. Yet we know what happened. 00:12:44.360 --> 00:12:48.850 He felt every strike of that whip. He felt those 00:12:48.850 --> 00:12:50.850 thorns as they were being pierced into the flesh 00:12:50.850 --> 00:12:55.669 of a skull. Every word and hateful thing that 00:12:55.669 --> 00:13:00.250 was flung at him from that point all the way 00:13:00.250 --> 00:13:04.529 up to the place where he was crucified. Every 00:13:04.529 --> 00:13:10.789 step along the way. Every hit as those nails 00:13:10.789 --> 00:13:15.110 were pounded into him and his flesh resisting. 00:13:17.490 --> 00:13:20.570 The shift of the weight as that cross was brought 00:13:20.570 --> 00:13:28.509 upright and he is left there to hang. The blood 00:13:28.509 --> 00:13:33.169 and the sweat pouring from his body. Every breath 00:13:33.169 --> 00:13:37.850 that he had to endure. Every time he had to shift 00:13:37.850 --> 00:13:39.610 a muscle just so he could try to breathe as his 00:13:39.610 --> 00:13:42.110 lungs and the sacrum of his heart filled with 00:13:42.110 --> 00:13:48.870 fluid. He felt it all. And in darkness upon the 00:13:48.870 --> 00:13:51.870 land, the separation from the Father, who he'd 00:13:51.870 --> 00:13:53.789 always been connected to from the very beginning. 00:13:54.490 --> 00:14:01.070 The very beginning. Heartbreaking separation. 00:14:05.230 --> 00:14:08.110 All this stuff squeezing in on him, harder and 00:14:08.110 --> 00:14:14.690 harder, more and more. And I said it was dark. 00:14:16.050 --> 00:14:20.090 Matthew 27, verses 45 and 46. Just turn back 00:14:20.090 --> 00:14:24.950 a couple chapters there. Matthew 27, verses 45 00:14:24.950 --> 00:14:34.090 and 46. The word says, Now, from the sixth hour 00:14:34.090 --> 00:14:38.350 until the ninth hour, there was darkness all 00:14:38.350 --> 00:14:42.169 over the land. And about the ninth hour, Jesus 00:14:42.169 --> 00:14:46.500 cried out with a loud voice saying, So I can't 00:14:46.500 --> 00:14:47.919 even pronounce this. I'm going to do my best, 00:14:47.960 --> 00:14:54.460 guys. So like I said, I struggle with some of 00:14:54.460 --> 00:14:58.460 these words. It's not my language. That is what 00:14:58.460 --> 00:15:01.200 it translates right here. My God, my God, why 00:15:01.200 --> 00:15:05.899 have you forsaken me? The separation, right? 00:15:06.360 --> 00:15:08.639 Because God cannot be in the same place of sin. 00:15:08.740 --> 00:15:10.360 And at this point, Jesus had taken on all the 00:15:10.360 --> 00:15:12.620 sin, like I mentioned earlier, all the sin upon 00:15:12.620 --> 00:15:14.899 himself. And from, it says, the sixth hour until, 00:15:15.240 --> 00:15:17.940 the ninth hour. Basically, that's from noon until 00:15:17.940 --> 00:15:22.340 3 p .m. Noon until 3 p .m. Three hours, the middle 00:15:22.340 --> 00:15:23.980 of the day, the brightest hours of the day, and 00:15:23.980 --> 00:15:27.500 it was dark. And this can be confirmed, not just 00:15:27.500 --> 00:15:30.379 from the Bible, but history books. Well, not 00:15:30.379 --> 00:15:31.899 even some history books, but the scrolls from 00:15:31.899 --> 00:15:36.440 the time, from around the region. Pagan tribes. 00:15:37.879 --> 00:15:39.360 And it's fun because you look it up, they're 00:15:39.360 --> 00:15:42.529 like, yeah, this Jesus that they martyred. It's 00:15:42.529 --> 00:15:45.750 funny because you can even find the writing, 00:15:45.830 --> 00:15:47.370 well, they found the writings, I should say, 00:15:47.470 --> 00:15:49.830 that you can refer to when you do the research 00:15:49.830 --> 00:15:54.809 that even confirm his resurrection. It's pretty 00:15:54.809 --> 00:16:00.470 cool. But he had taken it all. He took on all 00:16:00.470 --> 00:16:03.309 this pain, all this suffering, and all this sin, 00:16:03.450 --> 00:16:10.330 all the punishment that we deserve, and he held 00:16:10.330 --> 00:16:12.429 on to it all the way up. to the last second when 00:16:12.429 --> 00:16:14.789 he finally cried, gave up his spirit, his breathing 00:16:14.789 --> 00:16:18.590 stopped. His heart stopped. His brain stopped. 00:16:21.789 --> 00:16:25.669 Physically, for all intents and purposes, he 00:16:25.669 --> 00:16:31.509 was dead. He was dead. It was over. As far as 00:16:31.509 --> 00:16:34.710 anybody there was concerned, it was over. It 00:16:34.710 --> 00:16:36.789 was a shocker, too. This is not what they expected 00:16:36.789 --> 00:16:38.529 to happen, especially when he entered the city, 00:16:38.590 --> 00:16:43.820 right? This isn't what anybody expected. Certainly 00:16:43.820 --> 00:16:46.899 not his friends. Certainly not his family. The 00:16:46.899 --> 00:16:49.620 people who knew him best. Those who had come 00:16:49.620 --> 00:16:52.039 to know him and followed him. We think of just 00:16:52.039 --> 00:16:55.440 the disciples here. He had much more than that. 00:16:55.559 --> 00:16:58.299 He had many more that he had trained up. Other 00:16:58.299 --> 00:16:59.820 followers that would come to him for different 00:16:59.820 --> 00:17:01.120 things. I mean, you look at it. You look at the 00:17:01.120 --> 00:17:04.859 stories. Places were filled, just flooded with 00:17:04.859 --> 00:17:09.009 people. When the woman reached out and touched 00:17:09.009 --> 00:17:12.509 his garments, he's surrounded by people. And 00:17:12.509 --> 00:17:14.009 even he had to take a second step, like, hey, 00:17:14.029 --> 00:17:17.950 who is that? Right? He's a God. He knew. But 00:17:17.950 --> 00:17:19.450 still, he had to call it out for everybody else. 00:17:20.289 --> 00:17:23.250 He's calling an audible, right? Hundreds of people. 00:17:24.869 --> 00:17:28.109 You know, a building so packed with people, jam 00:17:28.109 --> 00:17:32.769 -packed. Guys had to take their friend on a bed 00:17:32.769 --> 00:17:37.210 and lower him in from the roof. He had followers. 00:17:38.609 --> 00:17:44.809 He had disciples. So to say that they were shocked 00:17:44.809 --> 00:17:48.029 would be putting it mildly. Even though Jesus 00:17:48.029 --> 00:17:50.009 himself predicted what was going to happen, said 00:17:50.009 --> 00:17:53.150 what was going to happen, it's coming, it's here, 00:17:53.289 --> 00:17:58.529 it's upon us, right? And they took him off the 00:17:58.529 --> 00:18:05.269 cross. They put him into a tomb. That was made 00:18:05.269 --> 00:18:07.349 for someone else. Essentially borrowed a tomb. 00:18:09.369 --> 00:18:11.369 Who does that, by the way? Who borrows a grave? 00:18:12.990 --> 00:18:16.170 Anybody ever thought of that? That's how special 00:18:16.170 --> 00:18:18.910 he was. It's like, you know what? I bought this 00:18:18.910 --> 00:18:21.710 plot. It's for me. But you know what? No. That's 00:18:21.710 --> 00:18:27.029 Jesus. Put him in there instead. Because nobody 00:18:27.029 --> 00:18:30.690 does that. They're not cheap. They weren't cheap 00:18:30.690 --> 00:18:38.519 back then either. Right? On that note, let's 00:18:38.519 --> 00:18:43.440 turn to John chapter 20. It's going to start 00:18:43.440 --> 00:18:49.000 picking up here, guys, I promise. So John chapter 00:18:49.000 --> 00:18:55.460 20. I appreciate the votes of confidence out 00:18:55.460 --> 00:19:00.079 there. So John chapter 20, right there at the 00:19:00.079 --> 00:19:01.240 very beginning. We're actually going to start 00:19:01.240 --> 00:19:11.359 with the first two verses. All right. Oh, looks 00:19:11.359 --> 00:19:13.019 like what I copied and put into my notes is different 00:19:13.019 --> 00:19:15.039 from up here, but that's okay. It's still going 00:19:15.039 --> 00:19:20.660 into the same stuff. So I probably copied from 00:19:20.660 --> 00:19:22.799 a different translation in my notes, but that's 00:19:22.799 --> 00:19:24.859 all right. Now for the first day of the week, 00:19:24.920 --> 00:19:27.240 Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early while it 00:19:27.240 --> 00:19:29.480 was still dark and saw that the stone had been 00:19:29.480 --> 00:19:32.720 taken away from the tomb. Then she ran and came 00:19:32.720 --> 00:19:35.440 to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom 00:19:35.440 --> 00:19:39.240 Jesus loved and said to them, they have taken 00:19:39.240 --> 00:19:43.680 away. the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not 00:19:43.680 --> 00:19:49.839 know where they have laid him. Mary. This is 00:19:49.839 --> 00:19:54.960 the same Mary who washed the feet of Jesus with 00:19:54.960 --> 00:19:59.180 expensive perfume from her box of alabaster and 00:19:59.180 --> 00:20:02.640 dried his feet with her hair. With her hair. 00:20:04.960 --> 00:20:07.720 The same Mary who everyone looked down upon for 00:20:07.720 --> 00:20:09.859 this. They said, wow, that's such a waste. Why 00:20:09.859 --> 00:20:12.859 would you do that? They looked down on her for 00:20:12.859 --> 00:20:19.099 it, right? So she's wasting money. This is the 00:20:19.099 --> 00:20:23.279 same Mary who Simon the Pharisee said was unfit 00:20:23.279 --> 00:20:28.640 to even do such a thing. Like, who are you to 00:20:28.640 --> 00:20:34.240 wash the feet of Christ, right? Same person. 00:20:37.549 --> 00:20:42.130 A nobody was how she was treated for the most 00:20:42.130 --> 00:20:46.369 part. She was unfit, right, to even do such a 00:20:46.369 --> 00:20:48.609 thing and then waste money on top of it. She 00:20:48.609 --> 00:20:53.130 was a nobody. Yet this nobody was the first person 00:20:53.130 --> 00:20:57.769 out of all of Jesus' followers to actually discover 00:20:57.769 --> 00:21:01.470 the miracle that had just happened. She hadn't 00:21:01.470 --> 00:21:03.490 quite realized it yet, but she was the first. 00:21:08.030 --> 00:21:09.829 Stay there in John. I'm just going to read this 00:21:09.829 --> 00:21:12.529 scripture to you, though. Jeremiah 29 .13, because 00:21:12.529 --> 00:21:15.890 it pertains to this. And you will seek me and 00:21:15.890 --> 00:21:17.970 find me when you search for me with all your 00:21:17.970 --> 00:21:20.869 heart. Because God rewards those who search for 00:21:20.869 --> 00:21:24.569 him. And she was searching for him. She was searching 00:21:24.569 --> 00:21:27.410 for him. Like she came to the grave. She was 00:21:27.410 --> 00:21:30.769 in mourning. Where is he? What did you do with 00:21:30.769 --> 00:21:36.269 him? Where did he go? And she's... I need help. 00:21:36.349 --> 00:21:39.269 They took Jesus. I don't know where. I need your 00:21:39.269 --> 00:21:40.730 help. We've got to find him. She's searching 00:21:40.730 --> 00:21:47.049 high and low, right? She told everybody, you 00:21:47.049 --> 00:21:50.750 know, out of everybody else that there was, excuse 00:21:50.750 --> 00:21:53.750 me, out of everybody who was there at the tomb 00:21:53.750 --> 00:22:00.789 at that time, right, it was a shock. And it's 00:22:00.789 --> 00:22:04.509 a shock that still rocks the world today. And 00:22:04.509 --> 00:22:08.769 you look at what it says in John 20, when you 00:22:08.769 --> 00:22:11.849 read through verses 3 through 10, what happened 00:22:11.849 --> 00:22:14.930 with the disciples? They bolted. They were out 00:22:14.930 --> 00:22:16.349 of there. They ran back to where they were staying, 00:22:16.509 --> 00:22:20.109 right? Like, oh, Jesus isn't there. We're out 00:22:20.109 --> 00:22:23.130 of here. Something's not right. We don't know 00:22:23.130 --> 00:22:25.210 where he went, but it's not safe. We're gone. 00:22:25.390 --> 00:22:34.359 Bye. They ran for the hills. They didn't understand. 00:22:34.579 --> 00:22:38.119 They still didn't understand what Jesus had prophesied, 00:22:38.140 --> 00:22:41.079 what the word, the scripture itself had prophesied 00:22:41.079 --> 00:22:45.019 hundreds of years prior, that Jesus needed to 00:22:45.019 --> 00:22:50.720 die and rise from the dead. And that was the 00:22:50.720 --> 00:22:54.980 miracle that was happening. So we're going to 00:22:54.980 --> 00:22:56.619 skip over that part a little bit. Like I said, 00:22:56.660 --> 00:22:59.519 that's verses 3 through 10. So let's go to verses 00:22:59.519 --> 00:23:04.720 11 through 18. This one's a little bit of a read. 00:23:06.460 --> 00:23:09.940 But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping, and 00:23:09.940 --> 00:23:13.099 as she wept, she stooped down and looked into 00:23:13.099 --> 00:23:18.160 the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, 00:23:18.319 --> 00:23:21.740 one at the head and the other at the feet, where 00:23:21.740 --> 00:23:25.599 the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to 00:23:25.599 --> 00:23:29.039 her, Woman, why are you weeping? She said to 00:23:29.039 --> 00:23:31.000 them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and 00:23:31.000 --> 00:23:34.970 I don't know where they have laid him. Now, when 00:23:34.970 --> 00:23:38.970 she had said this, she turned around and saw 00:23:38.970 --> 00:23:42.029 Jesus standing there and did not know it was 00:23:42.029 --> 00:23:46.130 Jesus. Jesus said to her, Woman, why are you 00:23:46.130 --> 00:23:50.470 weeping? Whom are you seeking? She, supposing 00:23:50.470 --> 00:23:52.869 him to be the gardener, said to him, Sir, if 00:23:52.869 --> 00:23:55.410 you've carried him away, tell me where you have 00:23:55.410 --> 00:23:59.269 laid him, and I will take him away. And Jesus 00:23:59.269 --> 00:24:03.630 said to her, Mary. And she turned and said to 00:24:03.630 --> 00:24:07.779 him, Rabboni, which is to say teacher, Jesus 00:24:07.779 --> 00:24:11.660 said to her, do not cling to me for I have not 00:24:11.660 --> 00:24:16.319 yet ascended to my father. But go to my brethren 00:24:16.319 --> 00:24:21.000 and say to them, I am ascending to my father 00:24:21.000 --> 00:24:26.799 and your father and to my God and your God. Mary 00:24:26.799 --> 00:24:29.519 Magdalene came and told the disciples that she 00:24:29.519 --> 00:24:33.839 had seen the Lord and that he. have spoken these 00:24:33.839 --> 00:24:38.259 things to her. Now, we already know there are 00:24:38.259 --> 00:24:40.259 already two other disciples that had been there, 00:24:40.319 --> 00:24:44.619 right? And they were perfectly capable of going 00:24:44.619 --> 00:24:46.880 back and reporting, you know, hey, yeah, Jesus 00:24:46.880 --> 00:24:52.940 is alive. He's here. He's come back, right? Perfectly, 00:24:52.940 --> 00:24:55.680 they could have. And especially at that time, 00:24:56.019 --> 00:24:59.440 in this region, the word of a man would have 00:24:59.440 --> 00:25:01.279 carried a whole lot more weight than a woman. 00:25:03.529 --> 00:25:07.670 A whole lot more. Right? These are men respected 00:25:07.670 --> 00:25:10.869 in places of authority as followers of Jesus. 00:25:13.450 --> 00:25:15.430 One would think, hey, who better to go back and 00:25:15.430 --> 00:25:18.750 report back, right? Mary was also a follower, 00:25:18.809 --> 00:25:22.750 though. I said she was looked on. And it was 00:25:22.750 --> 00:25:26.029 her who was chosen. She's not the one who ran. 00:25:26.190 --> 00:25:32.380 She stayed, looking for an answer. Crying, probably 00:25:32.380 --> 00:25:34.119 having a hard time focusing. It took her a minute 00:25:34.119 --> 00:25:36.640 to even recognize the voice of Jesus, right? 00:25:38.000 --> 00:25:43.079 Weeping, probably a better word for it. Mary, 00:25:43.140 --> 00:25:45.000 who stayed, still searching, trying to figure 00:25:45.000 --> 00:25:46.940 out where Jesus had been taken, begging people, 00:25:47.059 --> 00:25:49.119 where is he? Did you take him? Just tell me where 00:25:49.119 --> 00:25:50.339 and I'll go get him. I'll get him out of your 00:25:50.339 --> 00:25:54.299 way, right? We'll find another place for him. 00:25:54.299 --> 00:25:55.839 It's okay. One way or another, we'll take care 00:25:55.839 --> 00:25:59.759 of it. Even when others had left, there she was. 00:26:01.089 --> 00:26:03.670 still searching, still weeping, still trying 00:26:03.670 --> 00:26:06.250 to figure things out and put the pieces together. 00:26:08.049 --> 00:26:10.049 And it goes to show it doesn't matter who you 00:26:10.049 --> 00:26:13.009 are or what you've done, what your past is, because 00:26:13.009 --> 00:26:17.450 we've all done things. We all have a past, and 00:26:17.450 --> 00:26:21.269 it can all be forgiven, and God can use you. 00:26:22.529 --> 00:26:24.710 It doesn't matter who you are. It doesn't matter 00:26:24.710 --> 00:26:27.869 what you've done. Only that you trust in God. 00:26:28.150 --> 00:26:29.829 That's what faith is. Remember, I said this a 00:26:29.829 --> 00:26:32.710 couple weeks ago. Faith translates to trust. 00:26:34.210 --> 00:26:38.650 And if you trust in him, you will be rewarded. 00:26:39.509 --> 00:26:41.789 And that's what she had. She had trust in God. 00:26:41.869 --> 00:26:43.990 She had trust. Things were going to find a way 00:26:43.990 --> 00:26:45.589 to work themselves out. She didn't necessarily 00:26:45.589 --> 00:26:47.670 realize that, hey, Jesus is coming back to life, 00:26:47.890 --> 00:26:50.630 but she trusted that God was in control and was 00:26:50.630 --> 00:26:52.950 going to deal with things a certain way. Right? 00:26:53.670 --> 00:26:57.630 So she stayed the course. Where's my Lord? And 00:26:57.630 --> 00:27:00.289 because she had that faith and because she kept 00:27:00.289 --> 00:27:04.210 searching, she pushed everything to the side 00:27:04.210 --> 00:27:05.650 and was searching. That's how important Jesus 00:27:05.650 --> 00:27:07.049 was to her. That's how important he should be 00:27:07.049 --> 00:27:10.109 to all of us. And she was rewarded. She looked 00:27:10.109 --> 00:27:14.470 for Christ and she found him. Each and every 00:27:14.470 --> 00:27:18.650 one of us can do that. It doesn't matter what 00:27:18.650 --> 00:27:21.589 you've done wrong. And I said, we've all done 00:27:21.589 --> 00:27:25.519 wrong. Some of us more so than others. Yet Jesus 00:27:25.519 --> 00:27:32.099 offers us hope in his love, in his mercy, in 00:27:32.099 --> 00:27:36.180 his grace. And all he asks in return is that 00:27:36.180 --> 00:27:43.019 we trust in him as our Lord and Savior. That 00:27:43.019 --> 00:27:44.680 we have faith in him as our Lord and Savior. 00:27:46.200 --> 00:27:50.200 He's already paid the price for our misdeeds. 00:27:51.640 --> 00:28:00.069 He's paid it in blood. With interest. And now 00:28:00.069 --> 00:28:02.490 he's asking us to trust him and to stand with 00:28:02.490 --> 00:28:08.549 him as free men and women. To join the family 00:28:08.549 --> 00:28:11.869 of God and have a place at the table in his kingdom. 00:28:14.869 --> 00:28:17.609 And the word goes on to tell us how after appearing 00:28:17.609 --> 00:28:20.009 to Mary, he went on to appear to the other disciples. 00:28:21.349 --> 00:28:24.289 In fact, if we go to 1 Corinthians 15, verse 00:28:24.289 --> 00:28:29.279 6. So 1 Corinthians 15, verse 6. It's a pretty 00:28:29.279 --> 00:28:35.839 quick one. I think you'll like this. 1 Corinthians 00:28:35.839 --> 00:28:41.299 15, verse 6. The word tells us, After that, he 00:28:41.299 --> 00:28:46.839 was seen by over 500 brethren, of whom the greater 00:28:46.839 --> 00:28:49.019 part remained to the present, but some had fallen 00:28:49.019 --> 00:28:55.019 asleep. 500 people. I take it back. It says over. 00:28:55.400 --> 00:29:00.019 500 people. All at once, he went out and showed 00:29:00.019 --> 00:29:02.220 himself. Hey, I'm alive and well. Check it out. 00:29:03.140 --> 00:29:06.299 Check out my new scars. Pretty styling, right? 00:29:07.680 --> 00:29:17.640 I'm back, baby. Right? He's there. Why? It couldn't 00:29:17.640 --> 00:29:19.500 be a rumor. People had to know. People had to 00:29:19.500 --> 00:29:22.519 see for themselves. Just like Thomas. Thomas 00:29:22.519 --> 00:29:28.599 had to see for himself. Right? We hear a lot 00:29:28.599 --> 00:29:32.460 of things, so we have a lot of doubt. He was 00:29:32.460 --> 00:29:40.319 erasing all that doubt. Irrefutable proof. Undeniable 00:29:40.319 --> 00:29:46.500 proof. You can't deny the man exists when he's 00:29:46.500 --> 00:29:49.220 standing in front of you offering his hand. Hi, 00:29:49.380 --> 00:29:54.059 how you doing? Right? I'm Jesus. Good to meet 00:29:54.059 --> 00:29:59.180 you. Right? Especially in those days. They didn't 00:29:59.180 --> 00:30:01.400 have the technology that we have now. They didn't 00:30:01.400 --> 00:30:06.279 have newspapers. Most people couldn't even afford 00:30:06.279 --> 00:30:09.980 scrolls to write on, let alone how many actually 00:30:09.980 --> 00:30:14.579 knew how to read or write. Scribes still very 00:30:14.579 --> 00:30:18.279 much had a place in society back then. But irrefutable 00:30:18.279 --> 00:30:20.799 proof. And not just in the Bible. We can find 00:30:20.799 --> 00:30:23.329 this outside of the Bible. Again, everything 00:30:23.329 --> 00:30:25.269 that I'm going through here today can be found 00:30:25.269 --> 00:30:27.869 in historical scrolls that have been found from 00:30:27.869 --> 00:30:31.970 other places. People who have been traveling 00:30:31.970 --> 00:30:35.309 through the area, bearing witness to all the 00:30:35.309 --> 00:30:43.230 stuff that was going on at the time. Now, I want 00:30:43.230 --> 00:30:45.990 you to look at this scripture here as well. Another 00:30:45.990 --> 00:30:50.089 word that says, over 500 brethren at once. Brethren, 00:30:50.230 --> 00:30:55.170 right? Brothers, family. In other words, over 00:30:55.170 --> 00:31:00.890 500 followers. I said it wasn't just, you know, 00:31:00.930 --> 00:31:05.069 we look at these disciples, right? Judas hung 00:31:05.069 --> 00:31:08.230 himself, was replaced with another one. Those 00:31:08.230 --> 00:31:10.829 were not the only disciples. Those were just 00:31:10.829 --> 00:31:18.730 the ones closest to him. Those were his top guys, 00:31:18.950 --> 00:31:24.059 right? He was the president. These were all the 00:31:24.059 --> 00:31:27.720 vice presidents. In other words, right? They 00:31:27.720 --> 00:31:31.220 were second only to Jesus in the hierarchy. That's 00:31:31.220 --> 00:31:33.559 how a lot of people want to put it. Not exactly 00:31:33.559 --> 00:31:36.599 correct because we're all equals in the family. 00:31:39.079 --> 00:31:44.940 Right? We're not there. Just because I'm up here 00:31:44.940 --> 00:31:47.200 does not make me higher or better than anybody 00:31:47.200 --> 00:31:50.740 else in here. Matter of fact, I would confidently 00:31:50.740 --> 00:31:54.440 say, that everybody in here knows certain parts 00:31:54.440 --> 00:32:00.240 of Scripture better than I do. I'm not perfect. 00:32:00.319 --> 00:32:02.619 I don't know it all, and I will not claim to. 00:32:03.500 --> 00:32:06.700 And anyone who does, that's a big red flag. Run. 00:32:10.559 --> 00:32:12.839 So at this moment, there's somebody out there 00:32:12.839 --> 00:32:16.019 asking, whether it's out there online or somebody 00:32:16.019 --> 00:32:19.680 in here, what does this mean today? How does 00:32:19.680 --> 00:32:23.420 this apply to me? And I'm going to summarize 00:32:23.420 --> 00:32:26.700 it very quickly. And I will tell you, I'm not 00:32:26.700 --> 00:32:28.140 the only person who's ever summarized things 00:32:28.140 --> 00:32:31.000 like this. Those of you who have spent much time 00:32:31.000 --> 00:32:33.420 in a church, I guarantee you've heard your fair 00:32:33.420 --> 00:32:37.200 share of pastors and ministers say these same 00:32:37.200 --> 00:32:39.180 things. So I'm going to tell you what it means. 00:32:39.259 --> 00:32:41.380 And in doing so, I want you to think back over 00:32:41.380 --> 00:32:43.599 the last few weeks to where we started in this 00:32:43.599 --> 00:32:45.420 series as we walked along that Easter trail. 00:32:47.500 --> 00:32:50.019 Because all of this, everything that Jesus lived 00:32:50.019 --> 00:32:53.759 for, died for, came back for, Everything that 00:32:53.759 --> 00:32:56.480 history has shown us, all these scrolls from 00:32:56.480 --> 00:33:00.799 all these different communities, it shows that 00:33:00.799 --> 00:33:04.440 Jesus is still alive and well today, that he's 00:33:04.440 --> 00:33:09.140 deeply concerned for us now and for our future, 00:33:09.220 --> 00:33:16.539 that his death on the cross wasn't wasted. Quite 00:33:16.539 --> 00:33:20.339 the opposite, in fact, because it was used to 00:33:20.339 --> 00:33:23.619 redeem. each and every single one of us, to pay 00:33:23.619 --> 00:33:30.380 the price for us. The fact that he came back, 00:33:30.380 --> 00:33:34.559 the resurrection was real. And because of that, 00:33:34.579 --> 00:33:39.400 and as believers, we all get to know the one, 00:33:39.539 --> 00:33:44.440 the only one, who died and came back to life. 00:33:45.859 --> 00:33:49.000 The only one. Nobody else has done that. Oh, 00:33:49.039 --> 00:33:52.019 I was dead for five minutes. Were you buried 00:33:52.019 --> 00:33:58.259 in a tomb? God wasn't done with you yet. You 00:33:58.259 --> 00:34:00.940 weren't dead. You were on standby. You were taking 00:34:00.940 --> 00:34:04.259 a slight pause. I have a whole lot of things 00:34:04.259 --> 00:34:11.260 for those arguments. Nobody has ever died like 00:34:11.260 --> 00:34:13.980 Jesus, and there is no doubt that he was dead, 00:34:14.099 --> 00:34:19.739 buried in a tomb for three days, right? And all 00:34:19.739 --> 00:34:23.670 this is to say, We can trust Jesus. We can absolutely 00:34:23.670 --> 00:34:25.550 trust everything that he said, everything he 00:34:25.550 --> 00:34:27.909 did, and that also means that we can trust everything 00:34:27.909 --> 00:34:34.190 he said he's going to do for us. The fact that 00:34:34.190 --> 00:34:36.250 he promised he's going to come back, that he's 00:34:36.250 --> 00:34:40.210 making a place for us in the kingdom, that he's 00:34:40.210 --> 00:34:42.630 restoring us so that we can sit with the Father. 00:34:45.710 --> 00:34:49.309 It means that all of our sins, no matter what 00:34:49.309 --> 00:34:55.079 they are, are forgiven and paid for in his blood 00:34:55.079 --> 00:34:59.639 for our atonement. That even though we fall short, 00:34:59.739 --> 00:35:04.239 that we mess up regularly, and sometimes, let's 00:35:04.239 --> 00:35:06.840 just say it, we can screw things up royally. 00:35:06.860 --> 00:35:11.679 I know I've messed up my fair share, right? But 00:35:11.679 --> 00:35:16.679 we still belong to God. No matter how much we 00:35:16.679 --> 00:35:20.239 mess up, We still have that hope. We still belong 00:35:20.239 --> 00:35:23.360 to him. He still loves us. He still cares for 00:35:23.360 --> 00:35:26.699 us. Even when we get to that point where we don't 00:35:26.699 --> 00:35:30.079 feel like we can love ourselves, when we're at 00:35:30.079 --> 00:35:33.179 that lowest point where we don't feel that we 00:35:33.179 --> 00:35:37.059 can be forgiven. And sometimes we just don't 00:35:37.059 --> 00:35:38.780 want to be forgiven because we know our sin is 00:35:38.780 --> 00:35:42.599 so bad. But you know what? It's already been 00:35:42.599 --> 00:35:46.139 done. It's already been done. That price has 00:35:46.139 --> 00:35:50.699 already been paid for us on that cross. He loves 00:35:50.699 --> 00:35:54.500 us. And it means that we'll get to live with 00:35:54.500 --> 00:35:59.900 him forever in his kingdom as believers and that 00:35:59.900 --> 00:36:02.320 we still wake up every day having an opportunity 00:36:02.320 --> 00:36:07.800 to serve him, to serve the Lord of Lords and 00:36:07.800 --> 00:36:13.420 the King of Kings. Nobody else has that high 00:36:13.420 --> 00:36:19.159 of a calling. The non -believers out there, they 00:36:19.159 --> 00:36:22.460 haven't been pulled in yet. Jesus is still there 00:36:22.460 --> 00:36:23.960 knocking at the door and they haven't answered. 00:36:25.500 --> 00:36:27.179 But everyone has that choice. And once you come 00:36:27.179 --> 00:36:28.579 to know him and you trust him and you believe 00:36:28.579 --> 00:36:31.139 in him, guess what? You now have the highest 00:36:31.139 --> 00:36:33.780 calling of them all. Each and every one of us 00:36:33.780 --> 00:36:35.820 to go out and share the gospel with the world, 00:36:35.940 --> 00:36:39.019 which beckons the question, do you know Jesus? 00:36:40.159 --> 00:36:43.969 Because he knows you. He knows you by name. He's 00:36:43.969 --> 00:36:45.630 been chasing after you since before you were 00:36:45.630 --> 00:36:49.710 even born. He's knocking at the door to your 00:36:49.710 --> 00:36:51.690 heart. And all you have to do is answer that 00:36:51.690 --> 00:36:56.030 knock and let him in. Let him in before it's 00:36:56.030 --> 00:36:59.170 too late. Because he's here. He's here for you. 00:37:02.550 --> 00:37:04.650 Because you matter to him. You're priceless to 00:37:04.650 --> 00:37:09.250 him. So you need to let him in. You need to talk 00:37:09.250 --> 00:37:11.289 to him. The good, the bad, the ugly. Pour it 00:37:11.289 --> 00:37:13.360 all out. If you feel it on your heart like, hey, 00:37:13.380 --> 00:37:16.960 I need to yell, yell. You need to cry, cry. Let 00:37:16.960 --> 00:37:20.320 it all out because he wants to hear it all. He's 00:37:20.320 --> 00:37:22.599 God. He already knows it all, but that's who 00:37:22.599 --> 00:37:24.840 he is. He wants a relationship. He wants a relationship. 00:37:25.000 --> 00:37:27.719 You need to talk. You don't just toss it to the 00:37:27.719 --> 00:37:29.320 side. You don't throw it out the back window. 00:37:29.639 --> 00:37:37.579 You talk. I feel offended. I feel hurt. I feel 00:37:37.579 --> 00:37:40.400 blessed. I feel loved. The good, the bad, the 00:37:40.400 --> 00:37:43.260 ugly, let it all flow because he wants to hear 00:37:43.260 --> 00:37:45.480 it. He's sitting there patiently waiting for 00:37:45.480 --> 00:37:53.519 you to speak. He wants a relationship. He wants 00:37:53.519 --> 00:37:57.099 you to share what you need to share. That way 00:37:57.099 --> 00:38:02.159 you get to also live a life of hope, a life with 00:38:02.159 --> 00:38:06.820 love. You get to join the family at the Father's 00:38:06.820 --> 00:38:13.239 table. If you haven't done it, I urge you, answer 00:38:13.239 --> 00:38:17.940 that door. Answer that call. Talk to Jesus and 00:38:17.940 --> 00:38:21.400 put it in his hands. Give it all over to him. 00:38:24.519 --> 00:38:26.659 Confess your sins. Confess your hurts. Confess 00:38:26.659 --> 00:38:30.480 your loves. Confess it all to him. The pains, 00:38:30.599 --> 00:38:35.019 leave it all at his feet. And when I say leave 00:38:35.019 --> 00:38:38.000 it at his feet, you don't just go, hey, boom, 00:38:38.119 --> 00:38:43.059 here it is, plop. and just kind of drag it back 00:38:43.059 --> 00:38:44.579 out the door with you so you come back again 00:38:44.579 --> 00:38:48.619 later and rehash the same garbage because you 00:38:48.619 --> 00:38:50.139 didn't leave it at his feet. You drug it back 00:38:50.139 --> 00:38:52.300 out the door with him. You didn't trust him with 00:38:52.300 --> 00:38:54.820 it. There's people out there like, oh, Jesus 00:38:54.820 --> 00:38:57.159 didn't work for me. Why not? Because you didn't 00:38:57.159 --> 00:39:00.579 actually leave your trash at his feet. You didn't 00:39:00.579 --> 00:39:02.619 leave your problems at his feet so he could deal 00:39:02.619 --> 00:39:05.679 with it. You drug it right back out the door 00:39:05.679 --> 00:39:11.780 with him. Treated it like a yo -yo. Right? You 00:39:11.780 --> 00:39:16.239 don't do that. Just like you can't say you forgive 00:39:16.239 --> 00:39:19.179 somebody and then come back at them with the 00:39:19.179 --> 00:39:27.579 same garbage. Right? Saturday, December 6, 1986, 00:39:27.760 --> 00:39:31.820 at 103 and 5 seconds p .m., you said blah, blah, 00:39:31.820 --> 00:39:33.840 blah, blah, blah, and you gave me a look and 00:39:33.840 --> 00:39:38.800 stuck out your tongue and farted. Some people 00:39:38.800 --> 00:39:42.150 are real good about that. Don't do that. Don't 00:39:42.150 --> 00:39:45.110 do that. You have to let it go. Unburden yourself. 00:39:46.349 --> 00:39:50.269 Give it to Jesus. Let it go. It now belongs to 00:39:50.269 --> 00:39:56.909 him. It's not yours to carry any longer. Give 00:39:56.909 --> 00:39:59.690 it to him. That's where you start your relationship. 00:40:01.610 --> 00:40:03.610 Because until you're willing to let it go and 00:40:03.610 --> 00:40:06.250 let go of the world, you will never truly be 00:40:06.250 --> 00:40:08.750 able to have a full relationship with Christ. 00:40:13.929 --> 00:40:15.869 Confess it all to him, leave it at him, and then 00:40:15.869 --> 00:40:21.130 praise him for the blessings in your life. Share 00:40:21.130 --> 00:40:23.530 it all with your life. Share all of your life 00:40:23.530 --> 00:40:24.949 with him, I should say, going forward from there, 00:40:25.010 --> 00:40:27.550 the good, the bad, the ugly. And you'll find 00:40:27.550 --> 00:40:32.789 peace in his light. You will find comfort in 00:40:32.789 --> 00:40:37.590 his embrace. And you will find love in him, even 00:40:37.590 --> 00:40:43.050 when you find it nowhere else. That's why Easter 00:40:43.050 --> 00:40:45.550 is so important. And that's why we need to know 00:40:45.550 --> 00:40:47.889 all of it and not just the happy pieces of it. 00:40:48.769 --> 00:40:50.750 Because all the little ugly pieces that are there 00:40:50.750 --> 00:40:55.309 all lead up to the good. And we can't take them 00:40:55.309 --> 00:41:00.769 for granted. On that note, let us pray. Lord, 00:41:00.809 --> 00:41:03.250 we come before you in awe of all that you've 00:41:03.250 --> 00:41:05.769 done and all that you've sacrificed for each 00:41:05.769 --> 00:41:07.469 and every one of us, and we thank you for it. 00:41:08.509 --> 00:41:10.909 We hear you knocking and we invite you into each 00:41:10.909 --> 00:41:13.510 and every one of our lives to be the Lord of 00:41:13.510 --> 00:41:16.170 each and every one of us, to guide us and mold 00:41:16.170 --> 00:41:20.210 us as only you can. We thank you for being with 00:41:20.210 --> 00:41:22.909 us and not letting us to forget all that you've 00:41:22.909 --> 00:41:25.750 taught us, all the things that we've learned, 00:41:25.889 --> 00:41:30.250 the reminders that our hardships are not for 00:41:30.250 --> 00:41:33.130 nothing, that they all matter, and that we all 00:41:33.130 --> 00:41:39.349 matter to you. That each and every one of us 00:41:39.349 --> 00:41:43.829 has been given the same opportunity to answer 00:41:43.829 --> 00:41:47.769 that door as you knock and let you into our lives. 00:41:49.670 --> 00:41:52.269 We thank you for everything that you've given 00:41:52.269 --> 00:41:56.510 us. The tools and the fact that you walk along 00:41:56.510 --> 00:41:58.130 us and you point us in the direction of those 00:41:58.130 --> 00:42:00.230 who are still in the darkness and that you use 00:42:00.230 --> 00:42:03.769 us to reach those that have not come to know 00:42:03.769 --> 00:42:05.349 you yet so that we can bring them to you and 00:42:05.349 --> 00:42:08.239 introduce you. so that they too can know your 00:42:08.239 --> 00:42:10.960 love, your mercy, your light, and your grace. 00:42:12.000 --> 00:42:15.260 And all of his people said, amen and amen. Remember, 00:42:15.420 --> 00:42:17.519 when you leave here today, you are loved and 00:42:17.519 --> 00:42:22.510 you are blessed, so go and be the church. Thank 00:42:22.510 --> 00:42:25.289 you for joining us at Healing Scars with Pastor 00:42:25.289 --> 00:42:28.429 Burton. If this message spoke to you or if you 00:42:28.429 --> 00:42:30.889 would like to help us reach more people, please 00:42:30.889 --> 00:42:34.710 like, review and share our podcast. You can learn 00:42:34.710 --> 00:42:37.449 more about our ministry or how you can support 00:42:37.449 --> 00:42:44.590 us at www .thecross66 .org. Until next time, 00:42:44.590 --> 00:42:46.530 take care and God bless.