and then let us go to God in prayer. Gracious Heavenly Father, we come to you this morning
simply saying thank you for getting up. Thank you for not coming down from the cross and
thank you for the fulfillment of the prophecy. Thank you Lord with all power, mercy, love
and grace we wave. I ask you Lord that I need your help this morning to continue to call
upon you but move me behind the cross. I know there's room behind the cross for you to hide
me and shield me but protect me Lord so only your word can come forth. On this day, sunrise
service Easter Sunday morning, Lord we are just grateful for the love you gave us then
and now and forever. With all power we thank you for your forgiveness. With all mercy we
thank you for your graciousness but with the love of Jesus Christ we bring forth your word
in the name of Jesus our Father. Amen. Usher you may be seated and we thank you for your
service this morning. Mr. Gordon couldn't have done it without you this week from the
palms to the counting and everything else. Thank you for being the man who helped me
get the cross, nail it back together and everything else. We thank you Dr. Finney for being here
this morning, Ms. Marietta and the Mass Choir and everyone who is present. For Wren Lloyd
and the breakfast crew who is preparing us a breakfast this morning and anyone and everyone
who has come forth to praise the Lord I thank you for your presence this morning. Amen.
Can't do it without you. Can't do it without you. This sermon this morning is simply titled
Thanks Jesus. But if it had a subtitle I'd simply say it's All Shook Up. That's right
I said All Shook Up. I know if you were an Elvis fan way back when there's a song called
All Shook Up but it's not that kind of shape up. But I want you to begin with me to imagine
the conversation that the two Marys were having on the way to the tomb. For you see it was
early in the morning and they needed to check the tomb before anything happened and they
were going along the way and we are going there with them. As they journeyed through
and prepared to get to the tomb all of a sudden there was an earthquake and they were all
shook up. The ground was moving with great force it moved from side to side it really
caught them off balance and they were all shook up. Out of nowhere they saw an angel
rolling the stone back and the earth was shaking from side to side and then the earth was shaking
from side to side and then a brilliant payment of respect. Can you imagine their conversation?
Can you imagine them being worthless in all of this? But remember I said they were all
shook up. They didn't know what they saw they didn't know what they were experiencing they
saw this angel. Verse 4 simply says they were shaken not just the Marys but the guards that
were guarding the tomb were shaken. It even implies that they were shaken so much they
were stunned and they looked like dead men. Dead on their feet. For you see they were
speechless and they were unable to say thank you Lord for getting up. Thank you Lord for
making us believe what was right in front of our eyes. They didn't have an opportunity
to say thank you for the rain. Thank you for the blue sky. Because for you see they were
all shook up. They were just standing there they were like in awe and they were all shook
up. Yes that's right the guards were shook up both of the Marys were shook up the earth
was shook up the ground was shook up and on this sunrise service some of us are shook
up. We can be honest some of us this is not our hour. When the alarm went off we got shook
up. What is this? It's raining this is great sleeping weather what? Is it that early? You
see we were all shook up. Many of us began to shake up the alarm clock. Give me one more
snooze. They hit it one more snooze. Maybe I'm not hungry they said they're going to
feed us at the church. I'll shake this clock up. Early in the morning the stone was rolled
again and everyone who experienced it and the world that was present whether they were
counted for or not the Pharisee, Pilate, his wife, Romans, the Caesar all experienced at
that moment what it's like to be on a ship. Can you imagine an earthquake the magnitude
combined with the devastation of maybe tsunami in the 21st century and the rattling of the
world because the living station was no longer in the sea. He rose with all power and the
world was shook up. I'm not just saying any kind of shake up this morning. I'm saying
Jesus rose and as 21st century Christians we ought to shake up the world with that great
news. I'm not just saying any kind of shake up this morning. I'm saying Jesus rose and
we ought to shake up the world with that great news. Jesus got up. The stone turned away.
The gods were in shock. Mary times two was sitting there saying what and the angel simply
said to her, why are you making this? As the gospel message goes forward the angel does
speak to the women. If you look with me in verses five and six of that passage it simply
says the angel said to the women do not be afraid for I know you are looking for Jesus
who was crucified but he is not here. He has risen and come and see the place where he
lay. It didn't say come and see the place where he lay down. It didn't say come and
see the place where he lay. It said come and see the place where he lay. So the point here
is that the angel was informing the women that Jesus had gone from the place that they
had laid him. He had left already. He had already gotten out. And this is not like a
discovery when you find your missing keys after a 20 minute search around the house.
It is bigger than that. This is bigger than leaving your pew on the Bible. I mean your
Bible on the pew and when you come back Miss Patterson is already straightened up and you
are looking around the church saying who has my Bible. This is bigger than putting your
favorite food in the refrigerator and coming back and trying to figure out who in the world
has made it. It is not one of those kind of discoveries on moments. It is bigger than
that. And God is telling us this day. Just say thank you. Thank you Jesus for giving
us. Thank you Jesus for fulfilling the prophecy. Thank you Jesus for doing exactly what you
said. In other words even though we are shook up and our foundation has been moved from
side to side we have to be able to say unto God thank you Lord. Thank you Lord. Thank
you Lord. After they were shook up and they kind of got themselves on firm ground and
the angels spoke to the women he gave them instructions. And I want to say to the women
isn't it interesting that the angels spoke to the women. This is nothing against the
brothers in the crowd but women can tell the message quick, fast and in a hurry. All they
need is just a few instructions and they can get it out. Even back in the day when there
was no cell phone they were equipped to share the message. For you see the angel came to
the two women and gave them these two instructions. First recognize that Jesus has already been
risen. Don't get confused I know you are shook up but I need you to go tell the truth. Tell
them that Jesus is not here for two minutes so don't even waste your time coming here.
You can check out the spot where he was laying but he is gone so first of all tell him that
Jesus is not here. Second off make sure you tell them that Jesus is going ahead of us
to Galilee and you will have an opportunity to see him there. That is good news for 21st
century Christians because it implies and lets us know Jesus is already in the forefront.
He has already handled our situation. He has rose from the dead. He knows what is going
on. He is gone before us and he is going to meet us there. Men Jesus has a plan and an
option for you. He wants you to meet him on the road to Galilee. He wants you to see him
as he comes into your presence but Jesus through the angel gave the women the job that moment
to go and tell. It doesn't mean that you don't have a purpose. It doesn't mean that God is
not using you intrinsically through empowerment and many other things but at that moment the
women will give an instruction even though they were all together. God this is an honest confession. It is not personal. I don't know how women are wired. I don't know how men are wired. God did that but there are times when down there will look at me and think
she has made 15 calls in 32 minutes and I need her to get off the phone and she just
says one more. I just have to share that with one more person. Love us for the job that
God has put in us. Don't play a hate. It is all good. We all have a purpose in the kingdom.
But he told them at that moment to spread the word. He figured the women could get it
out quicker than the men did and when the men got it out they got it out like men get
it out. They went to the cave or they went to their home. They processed the difference
but when he spoke to them they saw it too. Yes realize that the guards were still silent.
It doesn't say in that passage whether they ever got over being shook up. It doesn't
even say that they spoke any words at that point. But none of us need to forget that
even when you shook up the Lord can speak to you. Even when your life is in a challenging
state Jesus can still whisper on you from an angel's ear. Maybe you don't know for
sure what your angel is but live long enough. Have enough conversations right next to the
tomb and you'll know what your angel's voice sounds like. My angel's voice is my grandmother
when Jesus wants to really get my attention. He sends that voice in the green room. At
first I used to be shook up when it happened but then I got aware of what it was. So just
as the women became aware of Jesus' actions through the angel it's okay to be shook up
but it's not okay to turn our ears away. That's right. He's speaking to each and every one
of us all along the way. Go hear him. Hear him. Ask upon him. Step out on faith because
if you read Psalm 118 it says Jesus is good and his steadfast love endures forever. It
doesn't say his steadfast love only endures if you're not shook up because the character
of Jesus makes us proclaim you are my God and I assault you. Oh give thanks for he is good
for he is good and his mercy endures forever. When Miss Sinning read the passage and we
got to the point of the other additional verses and it says the Lord is my strength and my
might and he became my salvation and then we jump over to verse 21 and it says I thank
you for you have answered me and you have become my salvation. It doesn't look like
they're still shook up because they're saying in that passage in spite of it all I'm a
thank you. In spite of it all I don't have to ignore that Jesus might have been given
a death sentence on the cross for the sins of humanity and though he accepted he rose,
though Jesus was rejected as the king just as the builder rejects a stone and they look
at the plans and say well maybe that rock won't forhear he still rose. In spite of all
that he says I am still the servant, I am still the king, I am the most high God and
because we love, because we love the most high God even when we're shook up keep your
feet still. So on this sunrise, each suspended minute turn to your neighbor and say to your
neighbor neighbor all neighbor you may be shook up but God rose up. Turn to your neighbor
and say neighbor even say it out to the neighbor that's not sitting here just say it to the
neighbor that's all around you Lord I thank you that even though I'm shook up Jesus got
up he rose from the dead. So I say to you this morning rise as we sing our hymn of invitation
on page 314 in the garden. If there's anyone that doesn't know Jesus as their personal
savior or fear they need to recommit today is a great day. The doors of the church are open.