WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:02.640 I'm going to invite you to join me in the Word 00:00:02.640 --> 00:00:06.019 of God in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 00:00:06.019 --> 00:00:11.439 3. It reads this way, For I deliver to you first 00:00:11.439 --> 00:00:16.519 of all that which I also received, that Christ 00:00:16.519 --> 00:00:21.079 died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 00:00:21.480 --> 00:00:25.920 and that He was buried, and that He rose again 00:00:25.920 --> 00:00:30.460 on the third day. according to the scriptures. 00:00:30.899 --> 00:00:35.020 Somebody say amen for that. Now look at verse 00:00:35.020 --> 00:00:41.960 7. And after that, he was seen by James, then 00:00:41.960 --> 00:00:48.000 by all the apostles. And I'm just focusing a 00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:50.880 little bit on that verse. And after that, he 00:00:50.880 --> 00:00:54.619 was seen by James. Today I want to... Speak for 00:00:54.619 --> 00:00:56.659 a few moments on the thought. I want to talk 00:00:56.659 --> 00:01:00.840 about a resurrection reunion, a resurrection 00:01:00.840 --> 00:01:03.340 reunion. I'm going to invite you, if you would 00:01:03.340 --> 00:01:07.469 be so kind to pray with me just once again. asking 00:01:07.469 --> 00:01:10.349 God to speak to us today. Let us pray. Father, 00:01:10.430 --> 00:01:12.950 we thank you for your presence that we feel in 00:01:12.950 --> 00:01:15.790 this place. God, we thank you for that resurrection 00:01:15.790 --> 00:01:19.689 power that is still alive, is still working. 00:01:19.930 --> 00:01:22.730 We thank you, God, that over 2 ,000 years ago, 00:01:22.790 --> 00:01:26.010 Lord, you came out of that tomb and you conquered 00:01:26.010 --> 00:01:29.810 death. Oh, death, where is your sting? It was 00:01:29.810 --> 00:01:33.109 swallowed up in victory. And today, God, we pray 00:01:33.109 --> 00:01:35.409 and we ask that you would speak to us and that 00:01:35.409 --> 00:01:38.700 you would... transform us, God, and that you 00:01:38.700 --> 00:01:42.560 would show us, Lord, a better way. I pray today, 00:01:42.680 --> 00:01:45.120 God, that you would anoint all of our hearing 00:01:45.120 --> 00:01:47.159 and our understanding and that you would anoint 00:01:47.159 --> 00:01:50.260 my lips, Lord, to preach this word just as you 00:01:50.260 --> 00:01:52.959 gave it to me. I ask this right now in Jesus' 00:01:53.099 --> 00:01:57.920 name. Amen. Someone say amen. I want to talk 00:01:57.920 --> 00:02:03.239 about a resurrection reunion. After Jesus had 00:02:03.239 --> 00:02:06.180 risen, From the dead, the Apostle Paul gives 00:02:06.180 --> 00:02:11.979 us a small but revealing detail. He tells us 00:02:11.979 --> 00:02:19.159 that Jesus was seen by James. Now, at first glance, 00:02:19.219 --> 00:02:25.139 this looks like just a footnote tucked away in 00:02:25.139 --> 00:02:29.759 a larger story. But there's more happening here 00:02:29.759 --> 00:02:34.139 than meets the eye. As it turns out, this was 00:02:34.139 --> 00:02:39.199 not just a random appearance, not just another 00:02:39.199 --> 00:02:45.120 encounter that Jesus had in the aftermath of 00:02:45.120 --> 00:02:48.879 his resurrection. But this appearance of Jesus 00:02:48.879 --> 00:02:55.979 was deeply personal. It was more like a reunion 00:02:55.979 --> 00:03:03.840 of two half -brothers. Jesus. and James, coming 00:03:03.840 --> 00:03:09.039 face to face after years of misunderstanding 00:03:09.039 --> 00:03:16.639 and disbelief. For 30 years, James had lived 00:03:16.639 --> 00:03:23.500 with Jesus, eaten at the same table, slept under 00:03:23.500 --> 00:03:29.020 the same roof, and walked the same road. And 00:03:29.020 --> 00:03:36.229 yet the Bible says, that in John 7, 5, that his 00:03:36.229 --> 00:03:42.650 brothers did not believe in him, including James. 00:03:43.689 --> 00:03:49.689 This is an interesting situation going on here, 00:03:49.810 --> 00:03:55.129 is that Jesus' very own family was struggling 00:03:55.129 --> 00:03:59.969 to come to terms with whom Jesus claimed to be. 00:04:01.360 --> 00:04:06.879 And the one that grew up near Jesus, James, still 00:04:06.879 --> 00:04:12.680 really didn't know him. In fact, James and his 00:04:12.680 --> 00:04:18.060 other brothers even accused Jesus of being out 00:04:18.060 --> 00:04:22.480 of his mind. On one occasion, they not only questioned 00:04:22.480 --> 00:04:26.079 him, but they tried to stop him. Imagine that, 00:04:26.220 --> 00:04:31.569 the Son of God being misunderstood. By his own 00:04:31.569 --> 00:04:36.730 family. I want you to think about what that might 00:04:36.730 --> 00:04:40.209 have been like for Jesus himself. For his own 00:04:40.209 --> 00:04:45.149 family to not fully embrace who he said he was. 00:04:46.329 --> 00:04:50.689 His own family to be skeptical of the fact that 00:04:50.689 --> 00:04:55.269 he was the son of God. And that would include 00:04:55.269 --> 00:05:02.629 his brother James. lived in his shadow all of 00:05:02.629 --> 00:05:07.310 those years, seen Jesus not only in public but 00:05:07.310 --> 00:05:13.129 behind the scenes. He had a front row seat to 00:05:13.129 --> 00:05:17.310 the life of Jesus Christ. And still it seemed 00:05:17.310 --> 00:05:20.649 that he was struggling to fully accept, fully 00:05:20.649 --> 00:05:26.250 believe that Jesus was the Son of God. And all 00:05:26.250 --> 00:05:30.769 of this got me thinking about those. who believe 00:05:30.769 --> 00:05:35.449 in God, who have been around his presence, but 00:05:35.449 --> 00:05:41.050 don't have a personal revelation of who he really 00:05:41.050 --> 00:05:47.029 is. Amen. If it was true for James, it can be 00:05:47.029 --> 00:05:52.750 true for us. If it was true for James, it can 00:05:52.750 --> 00:05:59.009 be true for us. Indeed, you may not know. Jesus 00:05:59.009 --> 00:06:03.949 fully. You may not know him fully. You may not 00:06:03.949 --> 00:06:09.149 be able to see him clearly. So if I can for just 00:06:09.149 --> 00:06:12.949 a moment bring you into the world of James and 00:06:12.949 --> 00:06:16.970 help us to see him, see the Lord from his perspective, 00:06:17.069 --> 00:06:20.470 and you might be able to relate. You see, James' 00:06:20.610 --> 00:06:25.589 issue was not a lack of exposure, but rather 00:06:25.589 --> 00:06:30.579 a misunderstanding. of Jesus' real identity. 00:06:31.879 --> 00:06:36.220 Sure, he had heard his teaching. But everything 00:06:36.220 --> 00:06:40.899 that James heard, he filtered it through his 00:06:40.899 --> 00:06:46.120 own reasoning, his own logic, his own understanding. 00:06:47.019 --> 00:06:52.800 He saw the miracles, but he always found a way 00:06:52.800 --> 00:06:57.910 to explain them away. He saw the things that 00:06:57.910 --> 00:07:01.170 his brother was doing. Couldn't deny it. But 00:07:01.170 --> 00:07:05.069 somewhere in his mind, he found a way to excuse 00:07:05.069 --> 00:07:10.230 it, to fit it within his own reasoning, so that 00:07:10.230 --> 00:07:14.689 he wouldn't have to fully accept that Jesus was 00:07:14.689 --> 00:07:19.209 God in flesh. You see, in James' mind, Jesus 00:07:19.209 --> 00:07:22.410 could be a lot of things. He could be many things. 00:07:22.930 --> 00:07:27.060 He could be powerful. He was. No denying that 00:07:27.060 --> 00:07:30.759 his brother was powerful. He could be gifted. 00:07:30.800 --> 00:07:34.279 No denying that Jesus was gifted. He could even 00:07:34.279 --> 00:07:37.279 be prophetic. He could be all of these wonderful 00:07:37.279 --> 00:07:41.920 things. He was willing to accept that Jesus was 00:07:41.920 --> 00:07:44.480 all of these great and wonderful things, that 00:07:44.480 --> 00:07:47.079 he was one in a million even. He could accept 00:07:47.079 --> 00:07:50.480 that maybe his brother was even a prodigy, a 00:07:50.480 --> 00:07:54.029 genius. Something that only comes every once 00:07:54.029 --> 00:07:56.529 in a while. He can accept all of these things 00:07:56.529 --> 00:07:59.790 about Jesus and that he was something special. 00:08:00.089 --> 00:08:02.509 That he was a wonder. That he was different. 00:08:02.889 --> 00:08:08.009 And do all of that and yet still fall short because 00:08:08.009 --> 00:08:10.949 even though he can accept all those things, the 00:08:10.949 --> 00:08:13.529 one thing he was struggling to accept was that 00:08:13.529 --> 00:08:17.750 he was God. Because to accept that he was God 00:08:17.750 --> 00:08:22.069 was a step too far. And so he formed a version 00:08:22.069 --> 00:08:26.129 of Jesus in his mind that fit his comfort zone. 00:08:26.709 --> 00:08:31.610 A version of Jesus that he could understand, 00:08:31.790 --> 00:08:36.570 that he could fit in his proverbial box, that 00:08:36.570 --> 00:08:39.730 he could fit within his own paradigm of thinking. 00:08:40.450 --> 00:08:46.090 He put Jesus in his own, in a way that he could 00:08:46.090 --> 00:08:50.980 manage. He put Jesus... in his own mold, and 00:08:50.980 --> 00:08:55.840 most importantly, he made a version of him that 00:08:55.840 --> 00:09:00.500 didn't require him to fully surrender to him. 00:09:01.320 --> 00:09:04.019 So he was willing to accept all these things 00:09:04.019 --> 00:09:09.740 about Jesus without fully accepting him as his 00:09:09.740 --> 00:09:14.620 Lord and his Savior. And I want you to know that 00:09:14.620 --> 00:09:18.059 something very similar happens today when we 00:09:18.059 --> 00:09:25.149 don't Know him fully. So then people will build 00:09:25.149 --> 00:09:30.090 a Jesus in their mind that fits their preferences. 00:09:31.389 --> 00:09:35.169 They're willing to accept that this man Jesus 00:09:35.169 --> 00:09:39.769 is something different. Something one in a million. 00:09:39.789 --> 00:09:43.129 Something that is unlike everybody else. They're 00:09:43.129 --> 00:09:46.590 willing to accept that this Jesus is something 00:09:46.590 --> 00:09:51.980 otherworldly even. But still finding a way to 00:09:51.980 --> 00:09:56.240 fit this Jesus into their worldview. Finding 00:09:56.240 --> 00:10:01.240 a way to incorporate Jesus into how they already 00:10:01.240 --> 00:10:05.139 see the world. And they try to find a spot for 00:10:05.139 --> 00:10:09.679 Jesus in that world that they have already made 00:10:09.679 --> 00:10:12.759 up in their mind. A world that they have already 00:10:12.759 --> 00:10:17.960 created, an ideal that they already have, a philosophy, 00:10:18.039 --> 00:10:21.580 an ideology that they already live with, whether 00:10:21.580 --> 00:10:24.860 they realize it or not. Everybody has an ideology, 00:10:25.139 --> 00:10:28.940 whether they realize it or not. Everybody has 00:10:28.940 --> 00:10:32.519 a theology, whether they call it that or not. 00:10:32.639 --> 00:10:35.480 Everybody has a philosophy, whether they call 00:10:35.480 --> 00:10:38.019 it that or not. And what many people do today 00:10:38.019 --> 00:10:40.860 is when they encounter or when they hear about 00:10:40.860 --> 00:10:44.799 Jesus, they put Jesus into, they find a spot 00:10:44.799 --> 00:10:48.980 for him within that ideology, within that philosophy, 00:10:49.220 --> 00:10:52.940 within that worldview. And they go, okay, Jesus 00:10:52.940 --> 00:10:55.919 fits right here. That's comfortable. That's nice. 00:10:56.039 --> 00:10:59.360 I'm willing to accept. that a couple of times 00:10:59.360 --> 00:11:03.620 a year we could celebrate him at Christmas or 00:11:03.620 --> 00:11:06.919 at Easter, at other times, and we could recognize 00:11:06.919 --> 00:11:09.940 him on certain holidays, and we could recognize 00:11:09.940 --> 00:11:14.259 him as being a moral man or a teacher. They accept 00:11:14.259 --> 00:11:18.899 him as a teacher, but not a Lord. As a helper, 00:11:19.000 --> 00:11:23.039 but not a ruler. As a man of God, but not God 00:11:23.039 --> 00:11:26.620 incarnate. They don't fully deny him, but they 00:11:26.620 --> 00:11:31.899 also don't fully accept him either. And there 00:11:31.899 --> 00:11:35.879 are many today that have found a way to fit Jesus 00:11:35.879 --> 00:11:41.860 into their thinking. Like James must have had. 00:11:41.919 --> 00:11:44.600 Because there was no way James could deny the 00:11:44.600 --> 00:11:46.720 fact, the things that his brother was saying 00:11:46.720 --> 00:11:49.320 were true. I mean, he couldn't deny the miracles 00:11:49.320 --> 00:11:51.620 that he saw. He couldn't deny. I mean, there's 00:11:51.620 --> 00:11:54.299 just certain things he couldn't deny. And there's 00:11:54.299 --> 00:11:57.360 something special about him. But still he was 00:11:57.360 --> 00:12:00.179 struggling. And that's why at one point him and 00:12:00.179 --> 00:12:03.240 his brother tried to stop Jesus. Okay, time out. 00:12:03.360 --> 00:12:06.080 I think our brother Jesus is going a little too 00:12:06.080 --> 00:12:09.820 far with this thing. So while Jesus was teaching, 00:12:10.019 --> 00:12:13.899 they tried to stage an intervention and get between 00:12:13.899 --> 00:12:16.700 Jesus and his mission and try to convince him, 00:12:16.759 --> 00:12:18.759 come on, Jesus, why don't we just go back home? 00:12:18.860 --> 00:12:20.700 Mom will cook us a dinner, and we'll just forget 00:12:20.700 --> 00:12:23.559 about all this. Because you're sounding kind 00:12:23.559 --> 00:12:25.399 of crazy right now. You're going a little too 00:12:25.399 --> 00:12:28.700 far. You're starting, you know, you... I don't 00:12:28.700 --> 00:12:30.899 know. People are starting to worship you now. 00:12:31.039 --> 00:12:33.879 And you're starting to act like God now. And 00:12:33.879 --> 00:12:37.179 so we need to save you from yourself. And James 00:12:37.179 --> 00:12:40.600 was struggling with that. The fact that Jesus 00:12:40.600 --> 00:12:43.620 wasn't just a holy man or wasn't just a good 00:12:43.620 --> 00:12:46.379 man, wasn't just a godly man, but that he was 00:12:46.379 --> 00:12:48.779 God himself. And maybe there's somebody here 00:12:48.779 --> 00:12:51.580 today or somebody watching online when you watch 00:12:51.580 --> 00:12:54.100 this message that you're close enough to know 00:12:54.100 --> 00:12:57.600 and believe something, but not surrendered enough. 00:12:57.710 --> 00:13:05.629 to believe everything. He said, there's something 00:13:05.629 --> 00:13:08.330 about this God that's got to be. I know that 00:13:08.330 --> 00:13:09.710 there's something different. There's something 00:13:09.710 --> 00:13:13.350 genuine. There's something that's not like everything 00:13:13.350 --> 00:13:17.330 else. But I've come to tell you today that Jesus 00:13:17.330 --> 00:13:20.950 is not just another prophet. He's not just another 00:13:20.950 --> 00:13:23.970 holy man. He's not just another preacher. He's 00:13:23.970 --> 00:13:26.850 not just another religious, someone who started 00:13:26.850 --> 00:13:31.659 a religion. He is God. Almighty. He is God in 00:13:31.659 --> 00:13:35.580 flesh. He is the great I am wrapped in human 00:13:35.580 --> 00:13:43.080 flesh. Somebody give him some praise today. So 00:13:43.080 --> 00:13:49.759 James, his struggle was the fact that even though 00:13:49.759 --> 00:13:54.899 he had seen Jesus, he didn't really know him. 00:13:55.600 --> 00:13:58.519 He wasn't seeing him correctly, and so God wants 00:13:58.519 --> 00:14:01.600 to open someone's eyes today so that you can 00:14:01.600 --> 00:14:06.620 see Jesus as he is. Somebody say amen. And if 00:14:06.620 --> 00:14:10.879 that's not your struggle today, then I want you 00:14:10.879 --> 00:14:16.139 to consider another aspect of what may have limited 00:14:16.139 --> 00:14:20.879 James from seeing Jesus, and that is that you 00:14:20.879 --> 00:14:25.720 may overlook his presence. You may overlook his 00:14:25.720 --> 00:14:32.299 presence. It wasn't just a misunderstanding that 00:14:32.299 --> 00:14:39.360 limited James. It was also familiarity. You see, 00:14:39.379 --> 00:14:44.740 James grew up with Jesus. He knew his voice, 00:14:44.899 --> 00:14:51.799 his routines, his patterns. He had memories of 00:14:51.799 --> 00:14:58.259 being around him. Memories of playing together, 00:14:58.620 --> 00:15:03.820 spending time together, playing tag together, 00:15:04.159 --> 00:15:07.279 eating together. He had all these memories of 00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:13.360 being around him, growing up with him. And in 00:15:13.360 --> 00:15:17.600 that sense, he knew him. But over time, what 00:15:17.600 --> 00:15:23.639 should have produced wonder and awe became common. 00:15:25.710 --> 00:15:31.350 And that, that right there is the hidden danger. 00:15:32.110 --> 00:15:39.690 When something sacred becomes common, it can 00:15:39.690 --> 00:15:50.909 lose its significance. It becomes ordinary. Maybe 00:15:50.909 --> 00:15:55.539 this happened to James. Because he got so used 00:15:55.539 --> 00:16:02.639 to Jesus. He got so used to Jesus that he stopped 00:16:02.639 --> 00:16:11.559 being moved by who he was. You see, if you don't 00:16:11.559 --> 00:16:15.320 relate to the first point, I believe that there's 00:16:15.320 --> 00:16:19.000 some of us who can relate to this second point 00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:25.460 here. I've been around him. So much so and so 00:16:25.460 --> 00:16:30.539 long so that what is sacred has become common. 00:16:31.679 --> 00:16:37.320 You can grow up in and around church. You can 00:16:37.320 --> 00:16:41.419 even feel the presence of God again and again. 00:16:41.600 --> 00:16:46.039 You can hear preaching Sunday after Sunday. You 00:16:46.039 --> 00:16:50.539 can be around. things of God. But slowly what 00:16:50.539 --> 00:16:53.539 begins to happen over time as something begins 00:16:53.539 --> 00:16:58.820 to shift. The sacred becomes common. And the 00:16:58.820 --> 00:17:03.820 presence is taken for granted. I come to tell 00:17:03.820 --> 00:17:06.559 somebody today that you don't stop believing. 00:17:07.519 --> 00:17:15.740 You stop responding. You don't stop believing 00:17:15.740 --> 00:17:20.869 he's God. But you stop responding to him. Why? 00:17:21.470 --> 00:17:26.430 Because it becomes common. It becomes ordinary. 00:17:26.970 --> 00:17:32.569 It becomes average. It becomes just another service. 00:17:32.650 --> 00:17:38.230 Just another, oh, it's just another Easter. But 00:17:38.230 --> 00:17:45.769 is it? But is it? It's just another Sunday. It's 00:17:45.769 --> 00:17:50.190 just another weekend. But is it? Have we lost 00:17:50.190 --> 00:17:57.730 the wonder and the fire and the respect even 00:17:57.730 --> 00:18:03.670 or the awe, the significance of what it means 00:18:03.670 --> 00:18:09.980 to be a child of God, to know his presence? And 00:18:09.980 --> 00:18:13.400 to be changed and transformed by that presence? 00:18:13.519 --> 00:18:17.519 Or has the presence of God become so familiar 00:18:17.519 --> 00:18:21.619 and so common and so routine to us that it no 00:18:21.619 --> 00:18:26.279 longer impacts us and moves us the way that it 00:18:26.279 --> 00:18:28.299 ought to? Hello, somebody. I'm talking to you 00:18:28.299 --> 00:18:33.299 right now. Has it become so routine that we can 00:18:33.299 --> 00:18:36.000 sing the song and it no longer brings tears to 00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:38.700 our eyes? Hello, somebody. I'm preaching here 00:18:38.700 --> 00:18:42.240 today. Has it become so routine? I already know 00:18:42.240 --> 00:18:45.119 the story. I already heard that preaching. I 00:18:45.119 --> 00:18:47.519 don't care how many times you've heard the preaching, 00:18:47.640 --> 00:18:50.460 how many times you've sung the song. There is 00:18:50.460 --> 00:18:53.480 something powerful. There is something beautiful. 00:18:53.680 --> 00:18:57.019 There is something marvelous about coming into 00:18:57.019 --> 00:19:00.519 the house of God and feeling the presence of 00:19:00.519 --> 00:19:03.500 God. Somebody ought to praise him right now. 00:19:23.369 --> 00:19:25.230 concerned. I'm just going to preach real to you. 00:19:25.349 --> 00:19:28.769 Pastor, it's Easter. I know it's Easter. I'm 00:19:28.769 --> 00:19:30.670 going to behave, but I've got to preach real 00:19:30.670 --> 00:19:35.670 to you. Somebody say, go ahead. I'm not so concerned 00:19:35.670 --> 00:19:41.329 about the lost who don't know him. Yes, I'm concerned, 00:19:41.430 --> 00:19:44.130 and I want to see them. But today, I am also 00:19:44.130 --> 00:19:47.150 concerned about the found who still don't know 00:19:47.150 --> 00:19:52.529 him. I'm concerned about us, about us who have 00:19:52.529 --> 00:19:57.210 become so accustomed and so conditioned to being 00:19:57.210 --> 00:20:00.609 in his presence that it no longer moves us to 00:20:00.609 --> 00:20:04.029 an altar. It no longer causes us to weep. It 00:20:04.029 --> 00:20:06.829 no longer causes, because we have lost sight 00:20:06.829 --> 00:20:11.529 of who he is in our life. Oh, my God, have mercy 00:20:11.529 --> 00:20:15.450 on us today. God forbid. Here's the issue, my 00:20:15.450 --> 00:20:18.829 friend, is that you can be around his presence. 00:20:18.990 --> 00:20:23.769 And not be changed by his presence. Oh, hallelujah. 00:20:23.849 --> 00:20:28.230 Why? Because Jesus becomes familiar to you. It's 00:20:28.230 --> 00:20:31.869 a name that you always hear. It's a story that 00:20:31.869 --> 00:20:36.309 you already know. And you become familiar with 00:20:36.309 --> 00:20:39.690 it. So it no longer moves you. And it no longer 00:20:39.690 --> 00:20:42.289 tugs on you. And there's no longer that sense 00:20:42.289 --> 00:20:44.990 of urgency. And there's no longer that sense 00:20:44.990 --> 00:20:49.880 of, you know, that word. to do something. Oh, 00:20:50.160 --> 00:20:53.839 but I wonder today if there's a group of people 00:20:53.839 --> 00:20:57.660 this afternoon on this Easter Sunday that says, 00:20:57.740 --> 00:21:00.279 I'm not going to let this be just another Easter. 00:21:00.440 --> 00:21:03.000 I'm not going to let this just be another Sunday, 00:21:03.140 --> 00:21:06.700 another resurrection Sunday. Oh, I'm not going 00:21:06.700 --> 00:21:09.579 to just let this be another time that we gather 00:21:09.579 --> 00:21:12.920 here in this temple. But I have come today to 00:21:12.920 --> 00:21:16.099 have a fresh encounter with all my, is there 00:21:16.099 --> 00:21:18.700 anybody here today? that is hungry for a true 00:21:18.700 --> 00:21:21.339 encounter with God? Is there somebody here today 00:21:21.339 --> 00:21:24.539 that is hungry for a true revelation of who God 00:21:24.539 --> 00:21:27.599 is? I wonder if you can worship him for a moment. 00:21:27.779 --> 00:21:30.440 I'm not going to preach very much longer, but 00:21:30.440 --> 00:21:33.259 I've got to preach this to somebody today that 00:21:33.259 --> 00:21:36.400 we would know him. Paul said that I may know 00:21:36.400 --> 00:21:40.859 him in the power of his resurrection and in the 00:21:40.859 --> 00:21:44.359 fellowship of his suffering. Anybody want to 00:21:44.359 --> 00:21:50.619 know him today? I never want the presence of 00:21:50.619 --> 00:21:54.680 God to become ordinary. I want it always to be 00:21:54.680 --> 00:22:02.920 special, to be beautiful, to be different. For 00:22:02.920 --> 00:22:06.680 the presence of God to change you, you must have 00:22:06.680 --> 00:22:11.480 a personal revelation of who he is. And he must 00:22:11.480 --> 00:22:14.920 become more than a story. He must become more 00:22:14.920 --> 00:22:25.539 than your parents, God. He must become more than 00:22:25.539 --> 00:22:29.460 your grandparents, God. More than Abuelita's 00:22:29.460 --> 00:22:34.440 God. And more than your old pastor's God. He 00:22:34.440 --> 00:22:42.200 must become your God. You know, Mary always believed 00:22:42.200 --> 00:22:46.559 that her son was the son of God. It was the brothers 00:22:46.559 --> 00:22:52.599 that were struggling with it. James just couldn't 00:22:52.599 --> 00:22:55.259 wrap his mind around it. He said, I grew up around 00:22:55.259 --> 00:22:57.460 this thing, man. I already know how this thing 00:22:57.460 --> 00:22:58.779 goes. And there are a lot of Christians like 00:22:58.779 --> 00:23:04.099 that. You know, I got this thing memorized. I 00:23:04.099 --> 00:23:07.279 can do church, you know, blindfolded with my 00:23:07.279 --> 00:23:10.619 hands tied behind my back. And that becomes part 00:23:10.619 --> 00:23:17.660 of the problem. It just becomes religion. He 00:23:17.660 --> 00:23:20.589 must become more than just a tradition. More 00:23:20.589 --> 00:23:24.970 than just a religious idea. He must become your 00:23:24.970 --> 00:23:29.869 everything. I'm going to ask you a question. 00:23:29.990 --> 00:23:38.289 Is he the reason you live? Is Jesus the reason 00:23:38.289 --> 00:23:45.069 you live? If you can't live for him, you would 00:23:45.069 --> 00:23:52.359 never die for him. I would die. Would you? How 00:23:52.359 --> 00:23:54.279 could we say we would die for him if we can't 00:23:54.279 --> 00:23:58.200 live for him? Let me ask you another question. 00:23:58.259 --> 00:24:04.700 Is he your everything? Amen. You can go ahead 00:24:04.700 --> 00:24:08.819 and say amen. Is he your everything? Don't get 00:24:08.819 --> 00:24:15.279 quiet on me. Can the world take everything as 00:24:15.279 --> 00:24:16.819 long as they don't take your Jesus from you? 00:24:19.079 --> 00:24:21.779 Isn't that what some of us used to say? You can 00:24:21.779 --> 00:24:24.839 have my car. You can have my house. But don't 00:24:24.839 --> 00:24:28.039 take my God. I wonder if that's still how people 00:24:28.039 --> 00:24:32.440 feel today. Because it seems like when things 00:24:32.440 --> 00:24:34.779 get taken away from us, all of a sudden we lose 00:24:34.779 --> 00:24:39.900 our faith. No, no, no. You can have the money. 00:24:40.059 --> 00:24:43.170 You can have. the status. You can have the house. 00:24:43.269 --> 00:24:45.589 You can have the stuff, but don't take it because 00:24:45.589 --> 00:24:48.789 he's my everything. I don't know what I would 00:24:48.789 --> 00:24:55.049 do without Jesus. I don't know about you, but 00:24:55.049 --> 00:24:59.029 I don't know what I would do without him. He 00:24:59.029 --> 00:25:04.430 is my Lord. He is my desire. Hallelujah. Why 00:25:04.430 --> 00:25:07.309 don't we just love him today? Thank you, God. 00:25:14.440 --> 00:25:16.900 stand today spiritually, I want you to know there 00:25:16.900 --> 00:25:20.579 is hope. There is hope because the resurrection 00:25:20.579 --> 00:25:29.980 of Jesus reveals who he really is. Just give 00:25:29.980 --> 00:25:33.480 me a few more moments before I conclude everything 00:25:33.480 --> 00:25:38.759 in James' life changed at one defining moment. 00:25:40.359 --> 00:25:47.420 The resurrection. Before that, Jesus could be 00:25:47.420 --> 00:25:53.019 questioned. He could be misunderstood. He could 00:25:53.019 --> 00:25:59.200 even be dismissed. He could be written off, explained 00:25:59.200 --> 00:26:09.680 away, reasoned. You could even argue with him, 00:26:09.720 --> 00:26:17.859 his points. His positions. His claims. But the 00:26:17.859 --> 00:26:24.380 resurrection changed everything. The resurrection 00:26:24.380 --> 00:26:28.799 has a way of breaking through every misunderstanding 00:26:28.799 --> 00:26:34.619 and shattering every layer of familiarity. Why 00:26:34.619 --> 00:26:41.579 is that? Because you cannot argue. With an empty 00:26:41.579 --> 00:26:53.440 tomb. Cannot argue with an empty tomb. The resurrection 00:26:53.440 --> 00:26:59.380 confirmed to the world and to his loved ones, 00:26:59.619 --> 00:27:06.319 his family, his own brother, that Jesus was who 00:27:06.319 --> 00:27:11.309 he said he was. That Jesus is. who he says he 00:27:11.309 --> 00:27:18.190 is, God in flesh. No one else could do what he 00:27:18.190 --> 00:27:22.630 did. No one else could conquer death the way 00:27:22.630 --> 00:27:26.549 that Jesus did. Not a prophet, not a preacher, 00:27:26.809 --> 00:27:30.670 not a moral teacher, not an upstanding or right 00:27:30.670 --> 00:27:34.170 -standing citizen, not a politician, not a king 00:27:34.170 --> 00:27:37.450 or a prince or a governor. Nobody else could 00:27:37.450 --> 00:27:43.809 do what Jesus did. And so when he rose from the 00:27:43.809 --> 00:27:50.789 grave, it changed everything. It radically revolutionized 00:27:50.789 --> 00:27:56.569 James' whole paradigm about who his brother had 00:27:56.569 --> 00:28:00.430 been claiming to be. All of the sudden, every 00:28:00.430 --> 00:28:04.849 argument, every question, every doubt, every 00:28:04.849 --> 00:28:12.390 confusion. Jesus Christ and in those moments 00:28:12.390 --> 00:28:19.430 after Jesus had resurrected everyone had scattered 00:28:19.430 --> 00:28:24.910 and Jesus was making appearances to different 00:28:24.910 --> 00:28:31.650 people Jesus was showing himself alive whoo hallelujah 00:28:31.650 --> 00:28:35.210 like he did with the disciples and with doubting 00:28:35.210 --> 00:28:38.230 Thomas who he said to feel the nails that were 00:28:38.720 --> 00:28:41.859 the nail prints in his hands. He was appearing 00:28:41.859 --> 00:28:46.279 to others, showing himself alive. But before 00:28:46.279 --> 00:28:51.180 he got to the masses, before he got to all the 00:28:51.180 --> 00:28:56.359 apostles, Paul tells us that he had a meeting 00:28:56.359 --> 00:29:02.839 with James. He had a meeting with James. What 00:29:02.839 --> 00:29:08.599 grips me is that after Jesus rose, He didn't 00:29:08.599 --> 00:29:14.059 go to the temple. He didn't go looking for strong 00:29:14.059 --> 00:29:20.240 believers. He didn't go to the religious elite. 00:29:21.640 --> 00:29:26.059 He didn't hold a press conference. He didn't 00:29:26.059 --> 00:29:30.339 go around and making a lot of noise or looking 00:29:30.339 --> 00:29:35.460 for the best of the best. But when he rose, hallelujah. 00:29:36.779 --> 00:29:44.140 He went looking for James. He went looking for 00:29:44.140 --> 00:29:51.680 James. For the one who misunderstood him. For 00:29:51.680 --> 00:29:57.480 the one who struggled to believe. For the one 00:29:57.480 --> 00:30:04.700 who was skeptical. He went looking for James. 00:30:07.400 --> 00:30:10.440 And I came to tell you today that he's coming 00:30:10.440 --> 00:30:17.299 looking for you. I said he's coming looking for 00:30:17.299 --> 00:30:28.579 you. James was not looking for Jesus. But Jesus 00:30:28.579 --> 00:30:35.740 was looking for James. James was not searching 00:30:35.740 --> 00:30:43.089 for him. But Jesus was searching for James. The 00:30:43.089 --> 00:30:45.869 one who was struggling. Listen, it doesn't matter 00:30:45.869 --> 00:30:49.029 where you're at today in your faith. Where you're 00:30:49.029 --> 00:30:54.410 at in your life. Where you're at in your walk 00:30:54.410 --> 00:30:58.390 with God. In your understanding. You may have 00:30:58.390 --> 00:31:05.410 questions. You may have doubts. You may have 00:31:05.410 --> 00:31:16.619 your own. fears and uncertainties. You may have 00:31:16.619 --> 00:31:21.519 your own amount of skepticism about maybe not 00:31:21.519 --> 00:31:24.140 that God is real, but you may be doubting what 00:31:24.140 --> 00:31:28.920 He wants to do in your life. You may be struggling 00:31:28.920 --> 00:31:35.779 to accept that He's in control of things. You 00:31:35.779 --> 00:31:40.920 may be wrestling in your own mind, your own faith. 00:31:43.279 --> 00:31:46.619 You may be struggling to establish your own faith. 00:31:47.039 --> 00:31:51.819 In other words, you may not be on the most stable 00:31:51.819 --> 00:31:56.039 ground today. But I came to tell you that's all 00:31:56.039 --> 00:32:01.140 right. Because if Jesus could go looking for 00:32:01.140 --> 00:32:13.210 James, he could come looking for you. I'm not 00:32:13.210 --> 00:32:17.789 sure I would have done what Jesus did. I don't 00:32:17.789 --> 00:32:24.410 know. Most men would have looked at James and 00:32:24.410 --> 00:32:28.529 said, hi, I told you. You didn't believe? You're 00:32:28.529 --> 00:32:33.990 out. You had your chance, buddy. The back of 00:32:33.990 --> 00:32:38.009 the line. You know, most people have been like 00:32:38.009 --> 00:32:42.569 that. Because we tend to favor those, let's be 00:32:42.569 --> 00:32:44.930 honest, that believed in us in the beginning, 00:32:45.069 --> 00:32:48.769 right? That's just human nature. We tend to favor 00:32:48.769 --> 00:32:51.470 those who believe in us, invest in us, are with 00:32:51.470 --> 00:32:53.970 us from the beginning. Oh, I always knew you 00:32:53.970 --> 00:32:57.269 were going to be somebody, huh? Oh, man. We take 00:32:57.269 --> 00:33:01.069 you out to dinner. I always believed in you. 00:33:01.829 --> 00:33:05.269 Thank God for those people, right? But what about 00:33:05.269 --> 00:33:08.109 those folks who didn't think you'd become anything? 00:33:10.440 --> 00:33:12.400 Like, nah, this is all going to be like, it's 00:33:12.400 --> 00:33:16.180 going to be over in like 20 minutes. What about 00:33:16.180 --> 00:33:19.259 those people? Let's be honest. The majority of 00:33:19.259 --> 00:33:23.960 us, when you arrive, you're like, you lost out. 00:33:26.619 --> 00:33:31.619 But not Jesus. Jesus said, I'm not going to hold 00:33:31.619 --> 00:33:38.119 it against you. You may have struggled to believe. 00:33:38.460 --> 00:33:43.289 You may have. Wrestle with questions. You may 00:33:43.289 --> 00:33:46.650 have not been on board from the very beginning. 00:33:46.829 --> 00:33:49.410 You may have had your doubts, James. You may 00:33:49.410 --> 00:33:58.190 have, you may have struggled to believe, but 00:33:58.190 --> 00:33:59.970 you're one of the first ones I'm coming back 00:33:59.970 --> 00:34:04.930 to. Imagine what James must have felt when he 00:34:04.930 --> 00:34:12.719 saw Jesus. I'm so sorry, Jesus. I was struggling. 00:34:13.380 --> 00:34:15.260 You know, I had a feeling it was you. I had a 00:34:15.260 --> 00:34:17.880 hunch it was you. I thought you might be God, 00:34:17.960 --> 00:34:20.539 but I wasn't sure. So, no, shh, it's okay, James. 00:34:23.880 --> 00:34:25.760 Please don't hold it against me. I'm sorry. I 00:34:25.760 --> 00:34:27.800 wanted to believe, but I, no, shh, it's okay, 00:34:27.920 --> 00:34:31.280 James. It's okay. James, James, it's okay. Relax. 00:34:32.059 --> 00:34:41.000 Chill, James, chill. I'm here. Hey, James, feel 00:34:41.000 --> 00:34:47.800 me, James. It's me. I saw you die. You were on 00:34:47.800 --> 00:34:51.179 that cross. I didn't think you, I know, I know, 00:34:51.239 --> 00:34:55.199 I know. James, everybody was shouting crucify 00:34:55.199 --> 00:34:58.320 James. Everybody left. Even Peter denied me three 00:34:58.320 --> 00:35:03.320 times. It's okay, James, but I still came for 00:35:03.320 --> 00:35:09.329 you. How would you respond today if Jesus came 00:35:09.329 --> 00:35:14.489 for you? Would you stand with me this afternoon? 00:35:16.170 --> 00:35:19.449 Let me tell you. Let me tell you what the hidden 00:35:19.449 --> 00:35:24.090 power of Easter is. The hidden power of the resurrection 00:35:24.090 --> 00:35:26.750 of Jesus. Let me tell you what the hidden power 00:35:26.750 --> 00:35:32.210 is. It means that your failure is not final. 00:35:34.210 --> 00:35:39.719 And your doubt. It's not your doom because Jesus 00:35:39.719 --> 00:35:49.719 is alive. I said Jesus lives. Jesus got up out 00:35:49.719 --> 00:35:54.400 of the grave and he came searching for you. I 00:35:54.400 --> 00:35:56.980 wonder right now if there's somebody in this 00:35:56.980 --> 00:36:01.599 place that says, God, here I am, Lord. I'm ready, 00:36:01.739 --> 00:36:05.119 God. I'm ready to worship you like I never have. 00:36:06.110 --> 00:36:09.449 ready to believe in you like I never have. I'm 00:36:09.449 --> 00:36:12.750 ready to give all of me, God, like I never have. 00:36:13.070 --> 00:36:17.630 If I served you with 50%, God, I'm ready to serve 00:36:17.630 --> 00:36:22.630 you 100%. If I worship you, God, with 90%, if 00:36:22.630 --> 00:36:28.550 I live with 99%, I'm ready to live for you 100%, 00:36:28.550 --> 00:36:33.289 God. Here I am, Lord. If there's somebody today 00:36:33.289 --> 00:36:40.780 that will open up your heart, to your heart, 00:36:40.840 --> 00:36:44.920 I invite you at this very moment, the risen Savior 00:36:44.920 --> 00:36:51.539 is here. God Almighty, Jesus Himself. He's knocking 00:36:51.539 --> 00:36:56.059 on the door of your heart. He's saying, open 00:36:56.059 --> 00:37:03.460 up, James. Oh, my God. Open up, James. I'm here. 00:37:03.579 --> 00:37:07.280 Oh, I feel the Holy Spirit. Oh, God, I feel His 00:37:07.280 --> 00:37:10.960 presence right now. Would you just, just... Just 00:37:10.960 --> 00:37:13.900 respond to him today. Hallelujah. Would you close 00:37:13.900 --> 00:37:17.460 your eyes in this place? I feel something special. 00:37:17.639 --> 00:37:20.440 I feel God is just working on somebody's life. 00:37:21.360 --> 00:37:24.880 Oh, you're about to have somebody right now. 00:37:25.420 --> 00:37:28.039 Somebody right now is about to have a resurrection 00:37:28.039 --> 00:37:31.690 reunion. You're about to reunite. You're about 00:37:31.690 --> 00:37:35.510 to reconnect to the God of your childhood. You're 00:37:35.510 --> 00:37:38.489 about to reconnect to the God that you first 00:37:38.489 --> 00:37:41.829 gave your life to when you were baptized in Jesus' 00:37:42.010 --> 00:37:45.090 name. You're about to reconnect to the God that 00:37:45.090 --> 00:37:48.510 you felt the first time you spoke. The first 00:37:48.510 --> 00:37:51.630 time you spoke in other tongues as the Spirit 00:37:51.630 --> 00:37:54.389 gave you the utterance. You're about to reconnect 00:37:54.389 --> 00:37:58.550 to the God that maybe you stopped believing in 00:37:58.550 --> 00:38:03.119 all the way. when he didn't heal your loved one 00:38:03.119 --> 00:38:05.840 like you thought he would, when he didn't cure 00:38:05.840 --> 00:38:08.960 the disease like you thought he would, when he 00:38:08.960 --> 00:38:11.340 didn't do the things that you thought he was 00:38:11.340 --> 00:38:14.500 going to do for you, and so you lost a little 00:38:14.500 --> 00:38:17.760 bit of faith in that moment, and you let go of 00:38:17.760 --> 00:38:23.739 a little bit of your belief, and maybe you took 00:38:23.739 --> 00:38:29.139 a step back, but right now, God's not holding 00:38:29.139 --> 00:38:32.480 that against you. Jesus is not saying shame on 00:38:32.480 --> 00:38:34.840 you for that. Jesus is not saying, well, you 00:38:34.840 --> 00:38:37.440 should have believed in me. You had your chance. 00:38:37.820 --> 00:38:40.219 Jesus is not saying, no, you know, you should 00:38:40.219 --> 00:38:42.599 have known better than you did. He's not saying 00:38:42.599 --> 00:38:45.539 I told you so. He's not saying you blew your 00:38:45.539 --> 00:38:47.960 chance. He's not saying you blew, you had one 00:38:47.960 --> 00:38:50.480 chance and you blew it. No, Jesus is saying, 00:38:50.500 --> 00:38:55.460 I'm the God of mercy. I'm the God of grace. I 00:38:55.460 --> 00:39:19.820 can't. future in my hands. I've got your destiny 00:39:19.820 --> 00:39:20.539 in my hands.