is your gift. You say, what do you mean, your gift? That's right, this gift is going to be given to each and every one of you, coming up on Christmas Eve. You see, the Christmas Eve theme this year on Christmas Eve are four different services that we're going to be having all day long. The theme is unrapping joy, and we're going to be unrapping this Christmas present that belongs to you. Can anybody guess what's inside? Oh, you want to guess?
Do you say a TV? Who said a TV? Is that joy to you? I'm shocked. Normally that comes from the mill demographic, but I'm okay. Who am I to judge? Anybody else want to guess what's inside? Anybody else want to guess? Yeah, in the back, what do you think?
1000 Golden Night Seasons tickets. That's right, that's correct. Our church has bought all of you 1000 Golden Night Season tickets. And also, we went out of business, so that'll be great. Come on Christmas Eve to find out what's inside of this box.
Very exciting. The anticipation is killing me. Speak of anticipation. Today's sermon series begins a four week study of Luke chapter number 24. And if you're new here, you may not know this, but we go verse by verse chapter by chapter through the Bible.
And we've been studying the book of Luke since this time last year. Excuse me, this time two years ago. It's taken us two years to make our way through the book of Luke, and today we're in the final chapter, Luke chapter number 24, and over the next four weeks, we'll be talking about anticipation.
And the anticipation that the resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us specifically. In fact, today's sermon is entitled The Resurrection, and I state to you today this main thought that there is nothing like anticipation.
Knowing that something good is coming. Knowing that something good is right around the corner. I'm not talking about just optimism. I'm not talking about having a positive outlook on life. I'm talking about knowing for certain that good is going to happen and waiting for that good to take place.
How many of you have already decorated for Christmas? If you have, raise your hand. How many of you have already? Already you've wrapped at least one Christmas present. Anybody done this? Are you serious?
Kayla, you've already wrapped Christmas presents. Wow. Ladies and gentlemen, she already wins the year. Give her a round of applause. She's the head of the game.
And who is the Christmas present for? Somebody else. And have you wrapped my gift yet? No, okay, I'm just kidding.
So for your in-laws, and have you placed them under the tree? Okay. And it's really exciting, right? Whenever you see a Christmas present already wrapped underneath the tree, and then you see it's your name on it, and the excitement of what it might be like, what is inside?
Even more so as you grow older. It's not Christmas about getting, it's about giving, and the anticipation of getting the perfect gift for somebody, and then wrapping it, putting it on the tree, and then waiting for the individual to open it up on Christmas morning.
There's nothing like knowing that something good is about to happen, and then waiting for that good to finally arrive. That's anticipation. It's the hope of joy. It's the promise of joy.
It's like knowing that somebody you know is engaged, or about to be engaged, I should say. Have you ever had a friend who bought the ring, and she doesn't know yet?
How many of you have known about an engagement before the engagement has actually taken place? Anybody known ahead of time? Oh, there's nothing like that feeling. Let me be very clear, by the way.
If you are ever about to get engaged, the worst person you could ever tell that secret to is standing in front of you.
I always tell people, like, if you're pregnant and you don't want anybody to know, do not tell me, because I promise you everybody will know very soon.
Because to know something good and to hold it back is not easy. How many of you are like that when it comes to the movies, right?
How many of you have somebody in your home that can figure out where the movie is going before you get there?
And because this person is smarter than everybody else in the room, they feel they must say something before the story resolves itself.
How many of you have somebody in the home like that? Raise your hand. How many of you are that person? Raise your hand. You ruin everything.
My wife does this. She's always wanting everybody to know where this is. Why is this?
It's because you can hardly keep it inside the anticipation. It's killing you.
It's the knowledge of knowing something joyful is about to take place.
And that's the way I feel every time I read Luke chapter number 23.
During the brutal crucifixion of Jesus Christ, during the incredible torture that He goes through,
all of the followers of Jesus Christ are thinking to themselves, what's going to happen next?
And we know the end of the story. We know Jesus is going to rise from the grave.
And so by the time you arrive in Luke chapter 24 and you see the actual resurrection of Jesus Christ, you know what they do not know.
Look at verse 1. Now, it was the first day of the week. What is the first day of the week?
Church, say it out loud. What's the first day of the week? Sunday, very early in the morning, they and certain other women with them
came to the tomb bringing spices which they had prepared. We begin the story right where we left off last week.
The women of Jesus' following had prepared spices and ointments and oils to go anoint the body of Jesus Christ.
They were trying to do it on Friday evening before the sun went down and Sabbath began.
And they were rushing about trying to get it done. But the sun had set and now they sat.
Alone in their sorrow, sadness, and disappointment, their depression, their sickness,
knowing that they could not anoint the body of Jesus Christ until after Sabbath was over, early Sunday morning.
Now, the book of Matthew tells us more details. It tells us that this was just as the sun was dawning.
The disciples, that is the female disciples of Jesus, had left the home and had made their way over to the grave that Joseph of Arimathea had purchased.
And there they were ready to anoint the body of Jesus Christ.
The Gospel of Matthew also tells us that guards, the Roman guards, were no longer there.
Before the sun had come up, a bright, shining light had shined through the cave and an earthquake had taken place
and moved the stone out of the way. And the Roman soldiers, as strong as they were, fainted right there in front of Jesus Christ down to the ground.
And they ran away. Now they arrived, these disciples of Jesus, as the Roman soldiers scamper away to the left.
You can see the disciples of Jesus, these women, coming to the right.
The sun is coming up and as they arrive, the Bible says,
but they found the stone was rolled away from the tomb.
What do you think that would have been like?
Can you imagine yourself in that place filled with sorrow and discouragement, sadness and despair,
carrying ointments and oils and fragrant spices so that you could give them as a gift to the one you loved who had died.
And their grave has been dug up.
The confusion, the fear, the terror perhaps.
And look at what the Bible says takes place. You say, well, Jesus rose from the grave, but they didn't know that yet.
They did not see this and think, yes, they saw that and thought, what happened to his body?
And bringing the spices, the Bible says, verse 3, then they went in and they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
So they enter into the tomb. Now, I've never, I've seen many dead bodies.
Some that many have been prepared for funerals. I've seen dead bodies that had not been prepared for funerals.
But I've never entered into a sepulchre or a tomb where I thought a dead body was supposed to be.
I got to tell you, if I were entering a tomb that I thought a dead body, I'd be jumpy.
I'd be a little nervous. Right? How about you? So there they go. The stones rolled away.
They peek inside. The sun is just barely coming up and they see inside of the shadows and they look around and there's no body.
And they slowly back out of the tomb and then the most shocking thing happens.
As they stand there, two men appear.
Right in front. Look what it says. It says in verse 4. It says,
And it happened that there were greatly perplexed about this and behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.
You know, I'm not sure that angels really are comfortable interacting with mankind.
Can you imagine this moment? All of a sudden you're standing there and your fear is inside of you.
You're ready to be, like, figure out what's going on.
And all of a sudden two people are just standing there and they're just like, hey, what's up?
Like, this would freak me out. And these poor angels probably don't know how to interact with mankind
because they've known every time we show up and announce ourselves to mankind, they lose their cool.
And so angels always say exactly the same thing. When an angel shows up, the first thing the angel will say is,
Don't be afraid. Do you know why angels always say that to human beings?
Because angels, they don't know how to show up well.
They don't from the story. Like, look at what happens. They're just like, they're there.
And they're like, ah, don't relax. We're not good at this part, you know.
Look at what he says. It goes on. It says in verse 5,
Then they were afraid and they bowed their faces to the earth. And then the angels said to them,
I love this part. The angels look at them and say,
Why do you seek the living among the dead? Why are you here? You're looking for Jesus, right?
Like, yes. Well, why are you looking for living people among the dead? Jesus Christ is alive.
And in this very moment, the resurrection changes everything for these people.
Their life is over. And the moment Jesus rises from the grave, it changes everything.
Now my proposition to you today, for today's sermon, for the next 30 minutes that we have together is this.
Here it is. That the resurrection of Jesus Christ did not just change everything for them.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ changed everything for you.
And when I say you, I don't just mean broad humanity. I mean you. Your name. Your life.
Because Jesus rose from the grave, your entire everything has changed. And has changed in three ways.
How has the resurrection of Jesus Christ changed everything? Here is how it's changed everything.
Number one, it has changed everything by providing mankind.
Number one, it has given you. The resurrection has given mankind.
Number one, someone you can trust. The resurrection has given you someone you can trust.
How many of you are like me? You find it hard to trust people.
It's hard for you to trust people.
The older I grow, the more cynical I get. The older I grow, the more skeptical I get of mankind.
And the temptation is that as I grow skeptical of mankind, I become skeptical of God and His kind.
Do you understand? Because we think that God is like man and that man is like God, but we're not.
We are different from one another.
Humans aren't born this way. Not really. I think humans are born in sin, but they're not born skeptical.
They believe. It's true. Childhood innocence. I remember when my son was just about two years old.
How old are they when they just start standing up and like going like this? How old are they?
What is that? It's been a long time. One? Is it one? Okay. So normally one.
My son was like three. He's not the brightest. He's a good... He's back for Thanksgiving.
All right. I'm just kidding. Kind of. You know him. Anyway.
He's just starting to stand, you know? And I put him on the counter in the house.
And I would say to him, I know there's some grandmas in the room and you're about to lose your mind.
It's okay. It's all right. I put him on the counter in the house. He's 20 years old now.
He was like one or two or seven at the time and I turned him up there and I would say,
okay son, mom's not here. Jump to daddy. And he would get up to the edge, you know, like this.
You know what I mean? You ever see the little toddlers? They get up to the edge and like ready to go.
And this kid, he had no doubt in his mind. He would fling himself off just catching my arms, you know.
Just fully, completely trusting that his daddy is going to catch him.
Do you know why? He doesn't doubt me. He looks at me and sees the greatest man who has ever lived.
He's got the strength of Samson and the wisdom of Solomon, you know.
He knows that I can grab ahold of him and hold on to him. Why?
Because he hasn't lived long enough to become skeptical of man.
My son is 20 years old today. I'm going to go home this afternoon. We're going to put up Christmas lights.
I'm going to put them on top of the roof. I'm going to say, son.
Jump to your daddy. He's going to throw himself, fling himself. How many of you agree this is not a good idea?
You know why it's not a good idea? Here's why. It's because as he has grown older,
not only has he grown wiser and more skeptical maybe of man, I've grown older and a little bit weaker.
And my capacity to catch him the way I once did is no longer there.
This is what we do with God. We assume that God is like man.
And that God has somehow grown older and has lessened his capacity to catch you if you throw yourself fully into his arms.
And with the resurrection of Jesus Christ, his taught humanity, those of us who follow Jesus Christ,
it has taught us this principle that God never loses his capacity.
The Heavenly Father never grows weak. He never grows weary. He never grows tired.
He is always able to grab ahold of you and save you if you throw yourself into his arms.
Look at what the Scripture says as the story continues.
Remember, these women have arrived at the tomb. And as they're at the tomb, the angels show up out of nowhere.
And they say, why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen.
And I'm sure that the angels are thinking to themselves, how do you not know this?
Imagine being an angel. Imagine as an angel, you are watching humanity's story.
God Himself, the Son of God, becomes a man and he dies for mankind.
And the angels are watching the entire time as Jesus is telling them over and over,
I'm going to die, I'm going to get buried, I'm going to rise from the grave.
How many of you remember Jesus told his disciples in the Gospel of Luke?
I'm going to die, I'm going to be buried, I'm going to rise from the grave.
Does anybody in this room remember how many times in the Gospel of Luke we've studied it together,
how many times did Jesus tell the disciples? Does anybody remember if you remember? Raise your hand.
Remember the number? You remember the number? Anybody remember the number? Neither do I.
I almost looked it up this week just to be sure. And then I thought, wait a second, that's not the point.
The point is you don't remember how many times, I don't remember how many times, neither do the disciples.
Why? Because human beings have an incredible capacity to forget what God has said.
And Jesus told them over and over and over, we're going to go to Jerusalem, they're going to kill me,
then I'm going to be buried, then I'm going to rise from the death.
Good it? Got it? Great. And we're all like, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh. What did He say?
But from the angels' perspective, look, don't you remember how He spoke to you when you were still in Galilee,
saying the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified in the third day rise again?
And then finally, the disciples of Jesus, the women, remembered His words.
My hope for you is that today you would remember the words of Jesus Christ.
Look, look, look, look, I get it. You've been disappointed.
Some of you have been disappointed by somebody who said that they would be married to you for better or worse,
rich or poor, sickness and health.
Some of you have been disappointed by some children who have run away from you.
For some of you, you've been disappointed by parents who did not take care of you.
For some of you, you've been disappointed by spiritual leadership.
For some of you, I myself may have been the disappointment.
And mankind has always and will increasingly disappoint you.
And what we often do is we remember the disappointments of man, and we forget the words of Jesus.
And Jesus says, I will never leave you forsake you.
Jesus says, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
And what the resurrection does, what it provides, all of mankind.
And I don't just mean all of them. I mean you, if you'll receive it.
What the resurrection gives you is it gives you someone you can trust.
And that person is the person of Jesus Christ. If you believe it, say amen.
Number one, the resurrection changes everything. How?
Because it provides you, it gives you someone you can trust.
Number two, it gives you somewhere you can turn.
If Jesus is the person you can trust, the people of Jesus are somewhere you can turn.
Have you ever been at the end of your rope and you thought I've got nobody to turn to?
Have you ever got to the end of yourself and you thought, I literally have nowhere I can turn for help?
What the resurrection of Jesus Christ does is it not only gives you someone you can trust, Jesus.
It gives you somewhere you can turn and that is the people of Jesus.
As you believe and receive Jesus Christ as your savior, the gift is not only eternal life.
The gift of God is the church of God. It's supposed to be the people you can go to when you're in need.
When you're hurting.
And so the disciples of Jesus, these women, are in the similar scenario.
They just found out Jesus rose from the grave. What are they going to do the moment they find out about this amazing truth?
They want to go tell the rest of the people of Jesus.
Look what happens in verse number nine through twelve.
And they returned from the tomb and told all the things to the eleven and all to the rest.
So immediately these women said, okay, we got to go tell everybody about Jesus' resurrection.
So where do they go? They go to the eleven disciples and the rest of the disciples.
Now according to the other gospels, the Bible tells us they were in the upper room where they had eaten the last supper.
They were still waiting there.
And so they all ran back to tell them and as soon as they got back and told them, all of the disciples were like,
thank you ladies for telling us about Jesus.
We believe every word that you said. Is that what they said? Yes or no? What do you think?
That is not how it goes.
In fact, look at what it says.
It goes on in the next verse and says, it was Mary, Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them.
They told these things to the apostles.
Now why does the Gospel of Luke go out of its way to tell us exactly who it was, who the names of these women were?
Why do you think?
Well the answer to that question is remember the Gospel of Luke is a collection of interviews
that Luke wrote after interviewing specifically Mary the mother of Jesus and multiple other individuals who were there.
And now this is decades after Jesus was buried and rose from the grave and the Christian church was spreading all over the world.
The early disciples in the church became the leaders of the church, both the men and the women,
and these people became almost like Christian, early Christian celebrities,
in that everybody knew who they were, they trusted these women, they knew their names.
And so Luke is going out of the way to say, you have to understand who it was who first looked into the two.
And he names all of these people.
Now the other Gospels tell us, it wasn't just them, there was a woman named Solomon that was there as well, the mother of several of the disciples.
These are trustworthy people and they all are going to find out or to let the male disciples know that Jesus was there.
That Jesus was risen from the grave.
So all the women go to tell the men that Jesus rose from the grave, insert your own joke right here.
Okay, so there's a thousand you can pick from.
All right, here it is.
But they do not believe, look what it says,
and their words seem to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.
It is incredibly disheartening when you go through trauma and tragedy,
and then you share the trauma or tragedy you've been through with those that are supposed to be the ones that love you and you love,
they share the relationship with Jesus Christ,
and they don't believe you.
It's not just trauma and tragedy, it's blessing and beauty.
When you go through a miracle, something incredible has actually taken place in your life,
and you want to go and tell the people around you, you say, hey, hey, this is what's going on,
and then you're not believed.
Essentially what happened here in this story is fascinating to me.
It was a small group of women in the broader community of the church who experienced something amazing,
and the small group went to go tell the broader group of the church,
and the smaller group was like, ignored.
But what I love about this story is this.
Though most of the people did not believe the women,
there was one guy who said, what happened?
Who do you think of all the disciples is the one person who believed and went to seek the tomb himself?
Who was it? Who was it? Peter.
Peter.
Some of you are like, what is that? I thought Peter was the idiot. He kind of is.
You study, some of you are like super religious, and you're like, how dare you say that about St. Peter?
Read the Bible.
He's like clearly the number one disciple who's also the number one dummy. You know what I mean?
And I'm telling you, he makes mistake after mistake after mistake, but you know what I love about Peter?
Even though he makes mistake after mistake after mistake, Peter was a true believer.
That's why I love Peter, because I feel exactly the same way, man.
I make mistake after mistake after mistake, but when it comes down to it,
I believe that Jesus Christ rose from the grave, and that's exactly what Peter did.
Peter said, wait, what? And he jumps out of the house, and look, he goes running.
Look how fast he runs. But Peter ran to the tomb and stooping down and saw the linen clothes lying by themselves,
and he departed marveling to himself at what had happened.
Wow. By the way, Luke tells us Peter went.
Do we know if there was any other disciple that went with Peter? Does anybody know?
Anybody know who the other one was? John. How do we know John went?
Because John's gospel tells us. In fact, of the four gospels, the only one who tells us that John went was John's gospel.
John says, Peter wasn't the only one, I was there too. And then he adds a really funny footnote.
He says, by the way, I beat him there. Go ahead and read it.
You can imagine Peter looking over to John's like, I got you.
And Peter's like, nobody will ever know. And John's like, it's true, look it up.
They both go in and they look around. Why? Because they believe.
Now look, look, here's what the resurrection does. It doesn't just give you a person you can trust.
It gives you a people you can trust. People that will listen to you. Somewhere you can turn.
Look, I got to just be real practical with you this Christmas time.
One of the greatest things that have helped me in my life is having a small group of people I can go to in times of difficulty.
I have a small group that I go to every Tuesday morning.
I have a small group I go to every Friday morning. You know what's great about me for that?
I love church, like I love coming and doing this with you and we do the big church together.
But I got to tell you, that's not my favorite thing about church.
I love having a small group that I can go and I can share my burdens with people.
I can share the prayer requests that I do not share here.
I can tell them the struggles that I'm facing.
I can walk them through what's going on with my family, with my work, with my background, with what's going on in me, with Josh.
Not pasteurize, but Josh at a small group. It's a huge help to me.
My question to you is this, do you have a place like that?
And my further question is, if not, why?
Why is it that you feel like you can be stronger than the disciples of the Bible or the pastor that preaches you on Sunday
when we are offering you groups of people you can go to and turn to in time of need and say, I need help, I need strength?
Can you pray for this? Can you give me advice? Can you give me counsel?
See, the resurrection of Jesus Christ not only gives you a person you can trust, it gives you a place you can turn
in the moment that you need it most, that is the people of God.
But it provides a third thing. Here's the resurrection of what it provides in number three.
Not only does the resurrection provide someone you can trust and somewhere you can turn,
it provides you something to live for.
Have you lived long enough to get to a place where you realize that life can be really, really pointless?
Oh, I hate this.
See, it rarely comes to me by teenagers or those in their 20s, sometimes even in their 30s,
but by the time we get to our 40s and 50s, this sense that life is meaningless, empty, vapid, in vain,
is really, really palpable among people.
You say, Pastor Josh, do you feel that way? Not even in the slightest. You say, why not?
Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
You see, the purpose of humanity changes dramatically when you grasp the resurrection of Jesus Christ and what it means.
So Paul explains all of this to a group of Christians called the Corinthians.
I want you to say Corinthians. Say it with me. Corinthians.
I'm going to turn away from Luke chapter number 24, which is something we don't normally do,
and I'm going to jump to an entirely different passage for the rest of the 10 minutes of the sermon.
If you're ready for it, say amen.
First Corinthians chapter number 15, it'll be on the screen.
It explains what the resurrection does to a Gentile community.
That means those of us who are not of Jewish descent need to understand what the resurrection actually means.
It means the re-establishment of humanity.
It means the glorification of God and the future kingdom of God.
The resurrection means Jesus Christ died and was buried and rose from the grave,
and so you too will one day die, but that's not the end.
You'll be buried and you'll rise from the grave as well.
That's what he says to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verses 20 through 22,
but now Christ is risen from the dead and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
First fruits, it's like a farming term.
It's like the first crops that come out of the ground are not the only crops that come out of the ground.
Paul is saying Jesus Christ was the first one to rise from the grave,
but he's not the only one who's going to rise from the grave.
He goes on,
For since by man death came, by man also came the resurrection of the dead.
It was man who brought death into the world.
Which man brought death into the world?
Church, tell me, which man brought death into the world?
Tell me.
Adam.
For it is Adam and Adam all have died, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
This is called theology and the modern church likes to ignore it,
but it's so important for you to understand.
Listen, listen, listen.
Jesus Christ, Adam died and from his, excuse me, Adam sinned,
and because of his sin, he brought death into the world.
But God himself sent the son of Adam, the son of Adam, the son of man.
And he, through his death, brings everlasting life.
So that just as we all die because of the sin of Adam, now we all will be made alive because of the death of Jesus Christ and his resurrection.
Now what that means practically for you and me is two major shifts as it relates to our mindset.
For Christians, and if you're not a Christian, I'm so glad you're here.
Genuinely, you're seeking and looking about truth and you're trying to find what is true in the world.
We're so glad you're here.
Let me explain to these Christians and help you understand what Christians believe.
Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, this has changed everything for you.
Now you have eternal life and earthly purpose.
Meaning your body will one day die, go into the ground,
and then one day God himself will raise you up in the same way he raised up Jesus Christ.
Eternal life.
Friend, the life you're living right now is not the end.
But that's what most of the world believes.
Some inside the world today think they're so modern and intelligent and brilliant because they've come up with this idea of after death, that's the end.
My modern perspective and thought.
This is all ancient philosophies that go back to even the time of Rome.
Like a man named Seneca.
Seneca was an ancient Roman stoic philosopher.
This was his statement and this is a major depressing thought.
I'm going to call it depressing thought number one because I've got others to share.
Look at this one.
Look what Seneca said.
He said, there is nothing after death and death is nothing.
Only the finishing post of one short race. To the ambitious, give up your hopes.
To the anxious, give up your fears.
Why?
Because vast chaos and the hungry mouth of time consume us all.
Seneca did not work for Hallmark.
And what's funny is that today we have people just like there were 2,000 years ago who believe themselves intellectual superiors to the rest of us weak-minded people.
Because you are so depressed with the shortness of your lifespan that you somehow feel your intellectual prowess has allowed you to understand what the rest of us don't.
And that there is no life after death.
Let me be very clear with you.
I do believe there is no life after death for a lot of people.
And I believe for you, your afterlife will be defined as eternal death in a place called hell.
But Jesus Christ was buried and he rose from the grave.
And all those who put their faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Son of Adam, will not only have their sins forgiven today, but they will be buried one day after their death and they will rise from the grave.
This was the same philosophy.
By the way, Seneca was preaching his message at the exact same time Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul were preaching the gospel.
In fact, Seneca was, according to Roman history, born on exactly the same year that Jesus Christ was born.
So these two competing philosophies are going around the Roman world.
And you know what Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 to the Roman community?
This is what Paul says, death because of the resurrection, death is swallowed up in victory.
Death, where is your sting?
Grave, where is your victory?
The sting of death is sin and the strength of the sin is the law.
But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through Jesus Christ.
He's saying, I understand we live in a modern Roman philosophy world that believes that after death there's nothing.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
For in reality Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died, rose from the grave and now offers eternal life to anyone who receives it.
This is what the resurrection changes for you.
Is the reality that eternal life is yours and the re-establishment of God's kingdom is at hand.
But not only does it give you eternal life, listen, the resurrection of Jesus Christ gives you earthly purpose.
It means that what you do in this world actually matters.
Okay, now look up here, some of you are going to view this as just positivity on steroids.
Some of you are going to say, oh, you're just a Mr. Optimistic glass half full kind of guy.
And to that I've got to say, yes I am.
But this is not positivity and positive affirmation and optimism preaching at you.
This is the reality of what the Word of God says.
Because of the resurrection, what you do, listen, every day with your life actually matters for something.
Don't you understand what I'm saying?
The people out there are going to tell you that everything you do doesn't matter.
You're a cosmic accident, a speck in an entire universe that nobody notices.
And they base this upon their feeling that maybe this is the case and it based on writings of ancient philosophers who had no better perspective than they.
I base my worldview not on the perspective of some other faulty man,
but on the very Son of God who died and was buried and rose from the grave.
And he says not only after death do you have eternal life, but that what you do in life actually matters.
And he gave a message to a guy named Paul who wrote a group of people in Corinth in 1 Corinthians chapter 15
and explained that what you do every day has consequence and matters for good.
It's our greatest fear I think as humans and Paul felt it as well.
It's the fear that your life is empty, meaningless, vapid, and vain.
Paul actually expressed this himself. Did you know this was Paul's greatest fear?
Paul says it. Even while he was a preacher, how many of you believe preachers should trust God?
Say amen. Yeah, I try to as well, but sometimes I doubt God.
And so did Paul. If you're a real Bible student, you're going to find this fascinating.
The apostle Paul was going around all the Roman Empire starting churches, all sorts of places.
He went to a place called Thessalonica, started a church, went to a land called Galatia, started a church,
went down to a place called Corinth, starting a church, and in Corinth he decides to write two letters,
two letters he writes, two letters he's going to write, one to the Thessalonians, one to the Galatians.
And in the letter, if you read it carefully, Paul opens up his heart and he reveals one of his greatest fears.
He says to them, while in Corinth, he writes two letters, he says to them in Thessalonica,
he says, I sent to know your faith lest my labor be in vain in the Lord.
He writes them and he says, I want you to know, I got to find out what's going on in Thessalonica.
Here's why, because I feel like what I've done is a waste of time there.
It's like the devil kept telling him, Paul, you're starting all these churches, Paul, you're trying to do your job,
but the reality is it doesn't matter, nobody cares, God doesn't notice, it's all going to fade away,
it won't be there, it's all vanity.
Has the enemy ever lied to you this way?
He does the same thing when he writes to the Galatians.
In Galatians chapter 3, he says to the Galatians, again, he's in Corinth and he writes one church in Thessalonica,
one church over in Ephesus, excuse me, over in Galatia, and he says to them, I feel like I started those churches in Galatia
and it was all for nothing, it was all vanity.
See, I know some of you feel that way, because I talked to you as your pastor.
It's like one diaper after another diaper after another diaper after another diaper...
You go to church, then you go to work, and then you go to work, then you go to work, and you go to bed,
you go to work, and then you go to work, and then you go to bed and you go to work, and then you go to work, then you go to
and then you get up and you get up, and then you go to works, and then you go to work, then you get up
work, and then you go to work, then you go to work, get a watch Netflix, and then you go to go bed, and then you go to work.
The cycle.
you start to lead a small group, you try to tell people about Jesus, you're trying to like do
something for God, and everything you seem to be trying to do, you're building a business,
you're building this business for your family, building this business for God, and you sit back
and it's like the devil keeps whispering, it's all in vain, it doesn't mean anything, you're doing
this for no reason. Can I tell you Paul was feeling exactly the same thing? But as the apostle Paul
was writing a letter to the Corinthians, that's right, from Corinth he wrote the Galatians and he
wrote the Thessalonians while he was starting a church in Corinth. But then three years later,
the apostle Paul finds himself in the city of Ephesus and he decides to sit down and write a
letter to them to help the Corinthians figure out how to do church. And at the end of the letter,
he talks to them about the resurrection. And at the very end of the chapter about the resurrection,
this is what the apostle Paul says to the church at Corinth. He says to them, don't give up. Therefore,
my beloved brother, and be steadfast, that is, don't give up, be immovable, don't get out of place,
do what God has called you to do in life. Always abounding in the work of the Lord, the work that
God has given you to do. Keep doing it. Why? Knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.