WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.419 Faith is more than a feeling or a theory. It's 00:00:03.419 --> 00:00:06.059 a decision that moves your feet, opens your hands, 00:00:06.219 --> 00:00:09.019 and activates God's promises. In our brand new 00:00:09.019 --> 00:00:11.820 book, Faith Act, Jeffrey and I take you on a 00:00:11.820 --> 00:00:13.839 powerful journey through some of Scripture's 00:00:13.839 --> 00:00:16.800 most transforming moments, where ordinary people 00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:20.699 dared to obey and saw heaven move on their behalf. 00:00:21.039 --> 00:00:24.140 Order your copy of Faith Act today on Amazon. 00:00:27.920 --> 00:00:32.299 Today we celebrate that He was resurrected for 00:00:32.299 --> 00:00:39.659 us. We're going to talk about how important the 00:00:39.659 --> 00:00:46.280 resurrection of Christ is. The account in John 00:00:46.280 --> 00:00:50.399 goes like this. John 20, starting in verse 1. 00:00:50.520 --> 00:00:54.539 Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, 00:00:55.560 --> 00:00:59.560 Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that 00:00:59.560 --> 00:01:02.700 the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 00:01:05.219 --> 00:01:07.560 Historians say that stone probably weighed two 00:01:07.560 --> 00:01:12.500 tons. The stone had been rolled away from the 00:01:12.500 --> 00:01:17.920 entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the 00:01:17.920 --> 00:01:24.719 other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. John's 00:01:24.719 --> 00:01:26.700 talking about himself. If you don't know that, 00:01:26.739 --> 00:01:30.840 he's talking about himself. And what an amazing 00:01:30.840 --> 00:01:33.019 way to talk about yourself when you're talking 00:01:33.019 --> 00:01:35.200 about Jesus. Say, I'm the one that he loves. 00:01:37.799 --> 00:01:40.900 Would anybody say that in this room? I'm the 00:01:40.900 --> 00:01:45.400 one that he loves. I'm the one that he loves. 00:01:46.159 --> 00:01:49.719 John had a revelation of the love of Christ. 00:01:50.939 --> 00:01:53.340 Unlike any of the other guys, greater than all 00:01:53.340 --> 00:01:55.420 the... rest of the people, but we should have 00:01:55.420 --> 00:02:00.219 a similar revelation. Everybody say, I'm the 00:02:00.219 --> 00:02:05.120 one that Jesus loves. She ran and found Simon 00:02:05.120 --> 00:02:07.900 Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus 00:02:07.900 --> 00:02:12.439 loved, Simon Peter and me, right? She said, they 00:02:12.439 --> 00:02:16.419 have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and 00:02:16.419 --> 00:02:20.020 we don't know where they have put him. Peter 00:02:20.020 --> 00:02:23.789 and the other disciple started out For the tomb. 00:02:23.990 --> 00:02:27.810 Still talking about himself. They were both running, 00:02:27.949 --> 00:02:31.650 but I can run faster than Peter is what he's 00:02:31.650 --> 00:02:35.189 saying. I outran him. But the other disciple 00:02:35.189 --> 00:02:40.909 outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He stooped 00:02:40.909 --> 00:02:45.110 and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying 00:02:45.110 --> 00:02:49.930 there. But he didn't go in. Then Simon Peter 00:02:49.930 --> 00:02:54.530 arrived and went inside. He also noticed the 00:02:54.530 --> 00:02:57.909 linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth 00:02:57.909 --> 00:03:01.250 that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and 00:03:01.250 --> 00:03:05.590 lying apart from the other wrappings. Then the 00:03:05.590 --> 00:03:08.569 disciple who had reached the tomb first also 00:03:08.569 --> 00:03:15.069 went in, and he saw and believed. Everybody say, 00:03:15.150 --> 00:03:22.629 he saw and he believed. For until then, they 00:03:22.629 --> 00:03:26.650 still hadn't understood the Scriptures that had 00:03:26.650 --> 00:03:33.689 said Jesus must rise from the dead. Now, in the 00:03:33.689 --> 00:03:37.830 Old Testament, there are as many as 574 Messianic 00:03:37.830 --> 00:03:42.830 prophecies that talked about Jesus, that were 00:03:42.830 --> 00:03:46.370 written before He actually took on flesh and 00:03:46.370 --> 00:03:52.500 was born in this earth. 574 prophecies. And here's 00:03:52.500 --> 00:03:57.360 the deal. He fulfilled every one. He fulfilled 00:03:57.360 --> 00:04:01.360 them all. But they didn't recognize it. They 00:04:01.360 --> 00:04:06.599 didn't see it. But John said, when he saw that 00:04:06.599 --> 00:04:13.879 the tomb was empty, he saw it. Now Mary was standing 00:04:13.879 --> 00:04:18.340 outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, She 00:04:18.340 --> 00:04:22.699 stooped in the tomb and looked in the tomb. She 00:04:22.699 --> 00:04:27.439 saw two white -robed angels, one sitting at the 00:04:27.439 --> 00:04:30.500 head, the other at the foot of the place where 00:04:30.500 --> 00:04:34.699 the body of Jesus had been lying. Dear woman, 00:04:34.959 --> 00:04:40.560 why are you crying? The angels asked her. Because 00:04:40.560 --> 00:04:44.120 they have taken away the Lord, she replied. And 00:04:44.120 --> 00:04:48.680 I don't know where they have put him. She turned 00:04:48.680 --> 00:04:52.720 to leave and saw someone standing there. It was 00:04:52.720 --> 00:04:56.620 Jesus, but she didn't recognize him. Dear woman, 00:04:56.860 --> 00:05:01.980 why are you crying? Jesus asked her, who are 00:05:01.980 --> 00:05:07.579 you looking for? Now, Mary thought he was the 00:05:07.579 --> 00:05:12.860 gardener. Sir, she said, if you have taken him 00:05:12.860 --> 00:05:16.560 away, tell me where you have put him, and I will 00:05:16.560 --> 00:05:25.050 go. And get him. Mary. Jesus said. That always 00:05:25.050 --> 00:05:34.810 makes me smile. Mary. Jesus said. See. She had 00:05:34.810 --> 00:05:40.269 heard that voice. Say her name. So many times 00:05:40.269 --> 00:05:44.490 before. That's why she instantly knew who it 00:05:44.490 --> 00:05:49.899 was. Mary. Jesus said. She turned to him and 00:05:49.899 --> 00:05:53.480 cried out, Rabbani, which is Hebrew for teacher. 00:05:55.040 --> 00:05:58.800 Jesus said, don't cling to me, for I haven't 00:05:58.800 --> 00:06:03.660 yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers 00:06:03.660 --> 00:06:07.879 and tell them that I am ascending to my Father 00:06:07.879 --> 00:06:15.879 and your Father and to my God and your God. She 00:06:15.879 --> 00:06:20.230 ran and told him. That's what happened on that 00:06:20.230 --> 00:06:24.610 first morning when they found that the tomb was 00:06:24.610 --> 00:06:27.069 empty and they found that Jesus was alive and 00:06:27.069 --> 00:06:32.569 He had risen from the grave. From that day forward, 00:06:32.670 --> 00:06:35.529 every time believers got together, I guess it 00:06:35.529 --> 00:06:37.850 was after Pentecost, every time they got together, 00:06:37.990 --> 00:06:43.050 they would greet each other by saying, He's risen. 00:06:46.949 --> 00:06:52.120 He's risen. And then the response to that would 00:06:52.120 --> 00:06:58.699 be, He's risen indeed. He's risen. Can I have 00:06:58.699 --> 00:07:03.180 a response? He's risen. He's risen indeed. That's 00:07:03.180 --> 00:07:05.860 the way they greeted each other for hundreds 00:07:05.860 --> 00:07:11.680 of years after the resurrection. When believers 00:07:11.680 --> 00:07:14.939 would talk to each other, they would talk about 00:07:14.939 --> 00:07:18.500 the risen Christ. Mary Magdalene found the disciples 00:07:18.500 --> 00:07:23.300 and told them, I have seen the Lord. Then she 00:07:23.300 --> 00:07:27.920 gave them his message. Look at the person beside 00:07:27.920 --> 00:07:30.180 you and tell them his resurrection was for you. 00:07:30.420 --> 00:07:36.759 It was for you. It was for you. We need to understand 00:07:36.759 --> 00:07:42.160 something. The resurrection is what sets apart 00:07:42.160 --> 00:07:47.600 Christianity from any other religion. Christianity 00:07:47.600 --> 00:07:52.500 stands or falls on the truth of the resurrection 00:07:52.500 --> 00:07:57.379 of Jesus. And the Bible confirms this. This isn't 00:07:57.379 --> 00:07:59.000 just something that the preacher is saying. I 00:07:59.000 --> 00:08:01.120 mean, this is what the Bible says. 1 Corinthians 00:08:01.120 --> 00:08:04.519 15 verses 14 through 19. Listen, it says this. 00:08:04.600 --> 00:08:09.439 If Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching 00:08:09.439 --> 00:08:14.220 is useless. Everybody say useless. And your faith 00:08:14.220 --> 00:08:19.279 is useless. Everybody say useless. See, we're 00:08:19.279 --> 00:08:23.779 just wasting our time. If Jesus didn't rise from 00:08:23.779 --> 00:08:28.699 the grave, I mean, some people, I don't even 00:08:28.699 --> 00:08:31.779 understand how some people who teach the Bible 00:08:31.779 --> 00:08:35.340 and teach preachers who preach the Word of God, 00:08:35.440 --> 00:08:38.720 they talk about, well, He didn't rise bodily. 00:08:38.820 --> 00:08:46.549 It wasn't some bodily resurrection. What a joke. 00:08:48.250 --> 00:08:50.769 Because the Bible says if he hasn't been raised, 00:08:51.090 --> 00:08:54.549 then all the preaching is useless and all the 00:08:54.549 --> 00:09:00.710 faith is useless if he hasn't been raised. And 00:09:00.710 --> 00:09:04.809 then Paul goes on to say, and we apostles would 00:09:04.809 --> 00:09:10.830 all be lying about God. So everything written 00:09:10.830 --> 00:09:12.789 in the Bible about Jesus being raised from death, 00:09:12.909 --> 00:09:17.139 that'd just be a bunch of lies. For we have said 00:09:17.139 --> 00:09:21.799 that God raised Christ from the grave, but that 00:09:21.799 --> 00:09:24.879 can't be true if there's no resurrection of the 00:09:24.879 --> 00:09:29.559 dead. And if there's no resurrection of the dead, 00:09:29.860 --> 00:09:35.519 then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ 00:09:35.519 --> 00:09:38.600 has not been raised, then your faith is useless, 00:09:38.679 --> 00:09:43.919 and you are still guilty of your sins. Without 00:09:43.919 --> 00:09:48.240 the resurrection, We're all hopelessly and helplessly 00:09:48.240 --> 00:09:55.559 lost. We're guilty. We're guilty. In that case, 00:09:55.580 --> 00:09:58.980 all who have died believing in Christ are lost 00:09:58.980 --> 00:10:04.039 too. And if our hope in Christ is only for this 00:10:04.039 --> 00:10:10.000 life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in 00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:15.779 the world. Because we just... believed a bunch 00:10:15.779 --> 00:10:18.940 of lies and wasted her time on a bunch of lies. 00:10:20.840 --> 00:10:23.419 Like I said, without the resurrection, Christianity 00:10:23.419 --> 00:10:26.059 would be no different than any of the other man 00:10:26.059 --> 00:10:30.580 -made religions in the world. But the resurrection 00:10:30.580 --> 00:10:38.360 sets us apart. Here's the good news. 1 Corinthians 00:10:38.360 --> 00:10:44.970 15, 20. In fact, after Paul wrote all that, led 00:10:44.970 --> 00:10:47.429 by the Holy Spirit, breathed the word of God. 00:10:47.970 --> 00:10:50.309 After all that, after he said it'd be useless, 00:10:50.470 --> 00:10:54.090 we'd be lost, he says, wait a minute, in fact, 00:10:54.269 --> 00:10:58.470 Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the 00:10:58.470 --> 00:11:02.090 first, everybody say first, he's the first of 00:11:02.090 --> 00:11:07.409 a great harvest of all who have died. He has 00:11:07.409 --> 00:11:12.389 been raised from the dead. The resurrection validates 00:11:12.389 --> 00:11:17.509 who Jesus is. It validates everything he said. 00:11:18.710 --> 00:11:22.730 It validates every promise that he made. It validates 00:11:22.730 --> 00:11:30.029 the gospel. It puts a stamp on everything that 00:11:30.029 --> 00:11:33.710 Jesus said. Because without the resurrection, 00:11:34.029 --> 00:11:36.789 we couldn't trust him. He would have just been 00:11:36.789 --> 00:11:40.179 a good moral teacher. With the resurrection, 00:11:40.320 --> 00:11:44.879 now we know He is God. He's the risen Christ. 00:11:47.159 --> 00:11:50.799 Because of the resurrection, we can have some 00:11:50.799 --> 00:11:56.539 things. You can have confidence. You can have 00:11:56.539 --> 00:11:59.000 confidence in the promises of the Word of God. 00:11:59.039 --> 00:12:02.580 You can have confidence in your faith because 00:12:02.580 --> 00:12:07.200 of the resurrection. Because of the resurrection, 00:12:08.159 --> 00:12:10.539 You can also have some more things. You can have 00:12:10.539 --> 00:12:15.559 everlasting life. And you can have abundant life. 00:12:16.179 --> 00:12:22.559 Life to the fullest. An overflowing life with 00:12:22.559 --> 00:12:32.200 peace and joy. It's for us. 1 Corinthians 15, 00:12:32.279 --> 00:12:35.600 22. Just as everyone dies because we all belong 00:12:35.600 --> 00:12:41.159 to Adam. Everyone who belongs to Christ will 00:12:41.159 --> 00:12:50.779 be given new life. John 11, verses 25 and 26. 00:12:51.700 --> 00:12:56.539 Jesus said, this is before he went to the cross. 00:12:58.059 --> 00:13:00.120 He was going ahead and let us know some things, 00:13:00.179 --> 00:13:02.320 some very important things. He says, I am the 00:13:02.320 --> 00:13:06.899 resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes 00:13:06.899 --> 00:13:12.799 in me will live even after dying. Everyone who 00:13:12.799 --> 00:13:17.460 lives in me and believes in me will never, ever 00:13:17.460 --> 00:13:22.960 die. Because of the resurrection, everything 00:13:22.960 --> 00:13:27.259 he said, every promise he made is true. It's 00:13:27.259 --> 00:13:32.460 been verified by his resurrection. John 10, 10. 00:13:33.559 --> 00:13:37.340 Jesus tells us, Why he came. I came that they 00:13:37.340 --> 00:13:41.860 may have life. And that they may have it more 00:13:41.860 --> 00:13:49.899 abundantly. Because of the resurrection. His 00:13:49.899 --> 00:13:52.940 promise is fulfilled. And it's fulfilled for 00:13:52.940 --> 00:13:59.899 you and for me. We can have eternal life. We 00:13:59.899 --> 00:14:03.820 can have abundant life. And I've got to tell 00:14:03.820 --> 00:14:05.840 you, when I say abundant life, I'm not talking 00:14:05.840 --> 00:14:08.820 about everybody living in a 5 ,000 square foot 00:14:08.820 --> 00:14:10.980 house and driving a Bentley. That's not what 00:14:10.980 --> 00:14:16.120 I'm talking about. Because there are people who 00:14:16.120 --> 00:14:20.019 have way more than we have who wind up committing 00:14:20.019 --> 00:14:24.299 suicide. So abundant life is not found in possessions. 00:14:30.379 --> 00:14:33.179 Doesn't mean God is against you having anything 00:14:33.179 --> 00:14:38.279 either. Some people would go on the far opposite 00:14:38.279 --> 00:14:41.500 and say that, but all I can tell them is like, 00:14:41.580 --> 00:14:44.840 well, go check out Abraham and check out David. 00:14:47.639 --> 00:14:50.679 I mean, if somebody can give billions of dollars 00:14:50.679 --> 00:14:54.059 in an offering, they're not broke, busted, and 00:14:54.059 --> 00:15:04.830 disgusted. So God's not against you having things. 00:15:05.090 --> 00:15:08.610 He says that the love of money is the root of 00:15:08.610 --> 00:15:12.070 all evil. It's when that's what our passion is. 00:15:12.129 --> 00:15:16.230 If your passion is money, see, our passion has 00:15:16.230 --> 00:15:21.610 to be God. I'll get off of that. Because I'm 00:15:21.610 --> 00:15:25.570 talking about the resurrection. Because of the 00:15:25.570 --> 00:15:29.129 resurrection, you can have it. You can have everlasting 00:15:29.129 --> 00:15:33.049 life. You can have abundant life because of the 00:15:33.049 --> 00:15:37.029 resurrection. Because of the resurrection, here's 00:15:37.029 --> 00:15:41.490 something else. The Holy Spirit can now live 00:15:41.490 --> 00:15:47.389 inside of you and empower you. And without the 00:15:47.389 --> 00:15:52.830 resurrection, that wouldn't happen. Listen to 00:15:52.830 --> 00:15:55.690 Romans 8, 11. The Spirit of God who raised... 00:15:56.000 --> 00:15:58.220 Jesus from the dead. Everybody say resurrection. 00:15:59.419 --> 00:16:02.440 The Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead 00:16:02.440 --> 00:16:07.580 lives in you. And just as God raised Christ from 00:16:07.580 --> 00:16:11.259 the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies 00:16:11.259 --> 00:16:21.379 by the same Spirit living within you. I'm not 00:16:21.379 --> 00:16:23.080 even preaching. I'm just reading the Bible to 00:16:23.080 --> 00:16:30.320 you. Ephesians 1, 19 and 20. I also pray that 00:16:30.320 --> 00:16:33.860 you will understand the incredible greatness 00:16:33.860 --> 00:16:43.620 of God's power for us who believe Him. Listen, 00:16:43.820 --> 00:16:48.620 this is the same mighty power that raised Christ 00:16:48.620 --> 00:16:52.679 from the dead and seated Him in the place of 00:16:52.679 --> 00:16:56.250 honor at God's right hand. In the heavenly realms. 00:16:58.190 --> 00:17:01.169 And then it goes on to say that in Christ we 00:17:01.169 --> 00:17:07.890 are seated with Him. In heavenly places. Same 00:17:07.890 --> 00:17:13.710 power that raised Christ from the dead. If you're 00:17:13.710 --> 00:17:17.990 in Christ today, that same power is in you. That 00:17:17.990 --> 00:17:22.680 same potential is in you. Same Holy Spirit. that 00:17:22.680 --> 00:17:27.119 raised him from the grave, is in you. Because 00:17:27.119 --> 00:17:29.220 of the erection, the Holy Spirit can live inside 00:17:29.220 --> 00:17:34.920 you and empower you. Living with that kind of 00:17:34.920 --> 00:17:40.759 power, we should never be pitiful. I'll keep 00:17:40.759 --> 00:17:43.299 going. Because I'm preaching about the resurrection. 00:17:44.339 --> 00:17:48.980 Because of the resurrection, get this, sin has 00:17:48.980 --> 00:17:58.599 no power over you. Unless you let it have power 00:17:58.599 --> 00:18:03.339 over you. It has no power over you anymore. Romans 00:18:03.339 --> 00:18:07.200 6, 14. Listen, sin is no longer your master. 00:18:08.579 --> 00:18:11.960 For you no longer live under the requirements 00:18:11.960 --> 00:18:15.980 of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom 00:18:15.980 --> 00:18:23.519 of God's grace. So sin is no longer your master. 00:18:25.069 --> 00:18:27.170 Look at the person beside you and tell them, 00:18:27.230 --> 00:18:41.710 quit letting sin be your master. Quit. Because 00:18:41.710 --> 00:18:43.890 of the resurrection, sin has no power over you. 00:18:43.910 --> 00:18:46.349 Because of the resurrection, listen, the enemy 00:18:46.349 --> 00:18:55.140 has no power over you either. Have you ever heard 00:18:55.140 --> 00:18:57.019 somebody say, well, the old devil's just beating 00:18:57.019 --> 00:19:00.880 me up? He's just beating me up. I'm having a 00:19:00.880 --> 00:19:02.700 tough week, man. That old devil's just beating 00:19:02.700 --> 00:19:10.960 me up. Only if you let him. Because of the resurrection, 00:19:11.200 --> 00:19:14.480 the enemy has no power over you. Listen, Colossians 00:19:14.480 --> 00:19:19.160 2, 13 through 15, you were, everybody say, used 00:19:19.160 --> 00:19:24.339 to be, you were dead because of your sins. and 00:19:24.339 --> 00:19:27.119 because of your sinful nature, and because your 00:19:27.119 --> 00:19:31.740 sinful nature was not yet cut away, then God 00:19:31.740 --> 00:19:37.720 made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all 00:19:37.720 --> 00:19:42.779 your sins. See, you used to be dead, but now 00:19:42.779 --> 00:19:44.900 God has made you alive. If you're in Christ, 00:19:45.059 --> 00:19:50.160 you've been made alive. Listen, He canceled. 00:19:51.529 --> 00:19:56.190 the record of the charges against us, and took 00:19:56.190 --> 00:20:04.910 it away by nailing it to the cross. I spent most 00:20:04.910 --> 00:20:07.390 of my life thinking that there was this book 00:20:07.390 --> 00:20:10.549 in heaven that was writing down everything that 00:20:10.549 --> 00:20:14.930 I ever did wrong. And then when I got to heaven, 00:20:15.069 --> 00:20:18.269 when I got to heaven, I thought there was going 00:20:18.269 --> 00:20:22.339 to be this projector. that was going to show 00:20:22.339 --> 00:20:26.400 everybody everything that I'd ever did wrong. 00:20:27.799 --> 00:20:29.779 Anybody ever thought that before? Am I the only 00:20:29.779 --> 00:20:32.940 one that ever thought that? And I was going to 00:20:32.940 --> 00:20:42.660 be so ashamed. Obviously, I didn't. I think I 00:20:42.660 --> 00:20:46.960 read this verse, but I didn't hear it. See, you 00:20:46.960 --> 00:20:50.740 can hear the Word of God with your ears. and 00:20:50.740 --> 00:20:58.759 still not hear it. Listen. God canceled the record 00:20:58.759 --> 00:21:03.359 of the charges against you when you came into 00:21:03.359 --> 00:21:05.900 a relationship with Christ. When you were born 00:21:05.900 --> 00:21:09.180 again, God canceled that record of all the charges 00:21:09.180 --> 00:21:11.700 against you, and He took it away, and He nailed 00:21:11.700 --> 00:21:15.440 it to the cross. So it doesn't exist anymore. 00:21:17.259 --> 00:21:21.480 In this way, this is... This is how he did it. 00:21:22.220 --> 00:21:26.400 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers 00:21:26.400 --> 00:21:30.519 and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his 00:21:30.519 --> 00:21:37.740 victory over them on the cross. Because the enemy 00:21:37.740 --> 00:21:40.539 likes to whisper to all of us, don't you remember 00:21:40.539 --> 00:21:43.299 what you said? Don't you remember how you acted? 00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:48.240 Don't you remember what you did? You're a sorry, 00:21:48.319 --> 00:21:51.240 good -for -nothing Christian. Don't you remember 00:21:51.240 --> 00:21:58.200 that? Don't you remember? Nope. God don't remember 00:21:58.200 --> 00:22:02.660 it, so I don't remember it. He has sprinkled 00:22:02.660 --> 00:22:04.960 his blood on my conscience is what we found out 00:22:04.960 --> 00:22:12.160 in our study. So because of the resurrection, 00:22:12.279 --> 00:22:17.500 the enemy has no power over you. Here's something 00:22:17.500 --> 00:22:19.880 else. Because of the resurrection, you can stand 00:22:19.880 --> 00:22:25.059 in the authority of Christ. Just like a policeman 00:22:25.059 --> 00:22:29.259 stands in the authority of the government, right? 00:22:31.799 --> 00:22:35.799 Can a Polk County Sheriff's deputy stand out 00:22:35.799 --> 00:22:40.700 on 27 and physically, by his own power, stop 00:22:40.700 --> 00:22:44.569 any cars? No, but if he's wearing his uniform, 00:22:44.710 --> 00:22:46.769 he can walk out there, he can have his car parked, 00:22:46.869 --> 00:22:49.569 and he can walk out there and do this, and everybody 00:22:49.569 --> 00:22:51.869 will stop. Even the largest transfer trucks. 00:22:52.910 --> 00:22:59.470 Why? Because he's operating in an authority that's 00:22:59.470 --> 00:23:08.849 higher than his own. As followers of Christ, 00:23:12.490 --> 00:23:16.509 As the people of God, that's the way we're supposed 00:23:16.509 --> 00:23:21.170 to live our lives. Walking and standing in the 00:23:21.170 --> 00:23:24.950 authority of Christ. We are His representatives 00:23:24.950 --> 00:23:29.589 in the earth. We are His ambassadors. We represent 00:23:29.589 --> 00:23:36.730 His kingdom. So we stand in His authority. Jesus 00:23:36.730 --> 00:23:39.190 came and told His disciples, I have been given 00:23:39.190 --> 00:23:42.640 all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, 00:23:42.720 --> 00:23:46.940 you go. You go in my authority, he said. I am 00:23:46.940 --> 00:23:52.140 authorizing you to go in my authority. So because 00:23:52.140 --> 00:23:54.200 of the resurrection, you can stand in the authority 00:23:54.200 --> 00:24:00.819 of Christ. And because of the resurrection, those 00:24:00.819 --> 00:24:07.640 who are in Christ will be resurrected too. We 00:24:07.640 --> 00:24:11.700 can be resurrected too. 1 Corinthians 15, 21. 00:24:11.900 --> 00:24:16.920 So you see, just as death came into the world 00:24:16.920 --> 00:24:21.480 through a man, everybody say Adam. Now the resurrection 00:24:21.480 --> 00:24:26.700 from the dead has begun through another man. 00:24:26.960 --> 00:24:32.740 Everybody say Jesus. So because of the resurrection, 00:24:33.039 --> 00:24:39.779 those in Christ will be resurrected too. This 00:24:39.779 --> 00:24:41.940 has been a lot of verses and it's been very fast, 00:24:42.039 --> 00:24:48.119 but listen. If you're in Christ today, you can 00:24:48.119 --> 00:24:50.160 agree with these statements, you can say these 00:24:50.160 --> 00:24:53.440 statements. Because of the resurrection, I have 00:24:53.440 --> 00:24:57.380 confidence in my faith. Because of the resurrection, 00:24:57.660 --> 00:25:00.279 I have confidence in the promises of God's Word. 00:25:01.880 --> 00:25:04.700 Because of the resurrection, I have eternal life. 00:25:04.819 --> 00:25:06.880 I'm not waiting to get it, I have it. I have 00:25:06.880 --> 00:25:09.880 eternal life. And I have abundant life, life 00:25:09.880 --> 00:25:14.319 to the fullest. A life filled with the peace 00:25:14.319 --> 00:25:19.500 of God and the joy of God, the life of God. Because 00:25:19.500 --> 00:25:24.720 of the resurrection, I live empowered by the 00:25:24.720 --> 00:25:28.500 Holy Spirit, and He lives inside me. Because 00:25:28.500 --> 00:25:31.460 of the resurrection, sin no longer has any power 00:25:31.460 --> 00:25:34.619 over me. Because of the resurrection, the enemy 00:25:34.619 --> 00:25:37.059 has no power over me. I'm not going to listen 00:25:37.059 --> 00:25:40.880 to your lies anymore. Because of the resurrection, 00:25:41.039 --> 00:25:44.480 I stand in the authority of Christ in this world. 00:25:44.500 --> 00:25:47.519 And because of the resurrection, I will be resurrected 00:25:47.519 --> 00:25:53.460 too. Everyone who's in Christ, everybody say 00:25:53.460 --> 00:26:00.220 in Christ. Everyone in Christ. This is not a... 00:26:00.400 --> 00:26:02.980 This is not an exhaustive list of what the resurrection 00:26:02.980 --> 00:26:08.460 has provided for you, but it's a good start for 00:26:08.460 --> 00:26:15.279 us to live in that when we're in Christ. But 00:26:15.279 --> 00:26:24.319 I have a question. Are you in Christ? That's 00:26:24.319 --> 00:26:29.000 the vital question today. It's the most vital 00:26:29.000 --> 00:26:31.259 question you can ever ask anybody. Are you in 00:26:31.259 --> 00:26:40.259 Christ? What does that mean? Well, it means that 00:26:40.259 --> 00:26:43.759 you've come to the point in your life where you 00:26:43.759 --> 00:26:46.180 first of all recognize that you need Christ. 00:26:49.440 --> 00:26:52.940 And then you've received Christ. You've acknowledged 00:26:52.940 --> 00:27:01.240 Christ. And you're living for Christ. So, are 00:27:01.240 --> 00:27:06.619 you in Christ? How do you recognize your need 00:27:06.619 --> 00:27:10.039 for Him? Well, the Bible tells us in Romans 3 00:27:10.039 --> 00:27:15.880 .23 that all of us have sinned. All of us have 00:27:15.880 --> 00:27:18.019 sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. 00:27:18.099 --> 00:27:24.759 We've all messed up. We've all messed up. The 00:27:24.759 --> 00:27:29.000 Bible says, Romans 6, 23, that the wages of sin 00:27:29.000 --> 00:27:31.680 are the paycheck that you deserve and I deserve 00:27:31.680 --> 00:27:33.720 for sin, even though I'm a preacher. I mean, 00:27:33.720 --> 00:27:36.319 I've been preaching almost 35 years. I still, 00:27:36.460 --> 00:27:41.339 if I get what I deserve, I get spiritual death. 00:27:44.500 --> 00:27:51.640 The wages or the paycheck of sin is death. Spiritual 00:27:51.640 --> 00:27:54.180 death, being separated from God for all of eternity. 00:27:55.539 --> 00:28:01.400 That's what I deserve. That verse doesn't stop 00:28:01.400 --> 00:28:05.839 there. It says the wages of sin is death, but 00:28:05.839 --> 00:28:10.460 then it says, but the gift of God is eternal 00:28:10.460 --> 00:28:15.259 life. I'm here today to tell you that God has 00:28:15.259 --> 00:28:20.559 a gift for you. That gift is eternal life. Now, 00:28:20.599 --> 00:28:25.519 how do you receive that gift? Because I found 00:28:25.519 --> 00:28:28.200 out just because a gift is offered doesn't mean 00:28:28.200 --> 00:28:35.559 a gift is received. One time I bought gifts for 00:28:35.559 --> 00:28:38.700 extended family and there was some family drama 00:28:38.700 --> 00:28:41.140 going on. Anybody ever had any family drama before? 00:28:41.220 --> 00:28:45.900 There's some family drama going on. So we take 00:28:45.900 --> 00:28:48.980 the gifts. We invite the extended family to the 00:28:48.980 --> 00:28:51.529 party. They decided they didn't want to come 00:28:51.529 --> 00:28:56.250 to the party. So we left the gifts for the children 00:28:56.250 --> 00:29:03.549 only to come back a month later. All the Christmas 00:29:03.549 --> 00:29:06.650 decorations were down, but the gifts that we 00:29:06.650 --> 00:29:09.589 left for our extended family, you know what? 00:29:10.569 --> 00:29:12.910 They were still there and they were unopened. 00:29:12.930 --> 00:29:19.069 Our gifts were refused. Even though they were 00:29:19.069 --> 00:29:26.670 provided, they were refused. Jesus died on the 00:29:26.670 --> 00:29:31.269 cross to offer you His gift of eternal life. 00:29:32.390 --> 00:29:35.509 But you have to receive it. How do you receive 00:29:35.509 --> 00:29:39.210 it? The Bible says that we're saved by grace. 00:29:39.269 --> 00:29:42.930 Everybody say grace. That's because God has done 00:29:42.930 --> 00:29:46.950 something for us that we didn't deserve. His 00:29:46.950 --> 00:29:51.410 acts of kindness and favor towards us. That's 00:29:51.410 --> 00:30:00.269 grace. But we're saved by grace through faith. 00:30:02.009 --> 00:30:06.329 And that's how we receive His gift. It's through 00:30:06.329 --> 00:30:13.569 faith. So, we hear of God's love for us, and 00:30:13.569 --> 00:30:17.539 then we say yes to His love. Here's the way it 00:30:17.539 --> 00:30:20.400 worked in my life. This is just my testimony. 00:30:21.640 --> 00:30:24.740 One day I realized that my sins separated me 00:30:24.740 --> 00:30:29.700 from a holy God. And here's what I did. I asked 00:30:29.700 --> 00:30:34.200 Him to forgive me. I said, Jesus, thank You for 00:30:34.200 --> 00:30:38.240 dying for me on the cross. Thank You for shedding 00:30:38.240 --> 00:30:43.039 Your blood for me. Thank you for offering me 00:30:43.039 --> 00:30:45.740 your gift of eternal life. And Jesus, I ask you 00:30:45.740 --> 00:30:53.539 to forgive me, cleanse me, wash me. Jesus, I 00:30:53.539 --> 00:31:00.720 believe you died for me. And then the Bible says 00:31:00.720 --> 00:31:07.180 this, and I'm done. It says to call on the name 00:31:07.180 --> 00:31:14.109 of the Lord and you'll be saved. That's more 00:31:14.109 --> 00:31:17.809 than just saying Lord, because in the Bible it 00:31:17.809 --> 00:31:19.809 says there's a lot of people going to call Jesus 00:31:19.809 --> 00:31:21.829 Lord. They're going to say, Lord, didn't we do 00:31:21.829 --> 00:31:24.210 this spiritual thing in your name? Didn't we 00:31:24.210 --> 00:31:26.630 do this spiritual thing for you? Didn't we do 00:31:26.630 --> 00:31:35.269 this? And Jesus is going to say, I don't know 00:31:35.269 --> 00:31:44.279 you. So it's not just... saying the word Lord. 00:31:46.220 --> 00:31:49.380 Because Lord, listen, Lord is not just a name. 00:31:50.079 --> 00:31:58.779 It's a title. It's a title. To call Jesus your 00:31:58.779 --> 00:32:02.220 Lord means that you've surrendered your life 00:32:02.220 --> 00:32:07.500 to him. Lord means master, boss, the one in charge. 00:32:07.720 --> 00:32:10.460 So when you call on the name of the Lord, you're 00:32:10.460 --> 00:32:14.769 saying Jesus. I receive you as my Lord, my master, 00:32:14.849 --> 00:32:19.569 my boss. I give all that I am to you. Surrender 00:32:19.569 --> 00:32:22.849 my life to you. I want to live for you. I want 00:32:22.849 --> 00:32:26.309 to know you. I want to follow you. Is everything 00:32:26.309 --> 00:32:30.369 going to be perfect after that point? No. No. 00:32:32.470 --> 00:32:37.509 But that's the desire of our heart, is to live 00:32:37.509 --> 00:32:42.980 for him and know him. So I want to ask you, are 00:32:42.980 --> 00:32:49.700 you in Christ? Listen, I'm not asking you if 00:32:49.700 --> 00:32:55.720 you're a member of a church. I'm not asking you 00:32:55.720 --> 00:33:00.559 if you've been dip, dunked, or sprinkled. I've 00:33:00.559 --> 00:33:02.900 got a friend in Myrtle Beach that got dip, dunked, 00:33:02.900 --> 00:33:06.940 and sprinkled before she got saved. So none of 00:33:06.940 --> 00:33:09.730 that's going to get you there. God's not going 00:33:09.730 --> 00:33:14.430 to look at a church roll. He's going to look 00:33:14.430 --> 00:33:17.349 at the Lamb's book of life in heaven. Is your 00:33:17.349 --> 00:33:23.029 name written there? That's a question we have 00:33:23.029 --> 00:33:27.190 to ask ourselves individually. Are we in Christ? 00:33:29.630 --> 00:33:34.069 If you are, you're going to know it. It's not 00:33:34.069 --> 00:33:38.299 going to be, I hope so. You're going to know 00:33:38.299 --> 00:33:40.599 it if you're in Christ. Because you have a relationship 00:33:40.599 --> 00:33:47.920 with God. If you would, I want everybody to bow 00:33:47.920 --> 00:33:49.359 your head and close your eyes just for a minute. 00:33:52.359 --> 00:33:54.380 And if you're here today and you would say, Dean, 00:33:54.500 --> 00:33:58.440 I look at my life and I don't know that I have 00:33:58.440 --> 00:34:03.960 a relationship with God. I can't look back and... 00:34:04.379 --> 00:34:07.259 see a time when I've realized that I was a sinner 00:34:07.259 --> 00:34:09.760 and my sin separated me from a holy God. I've 00:34:09.760 --> 00:34:12.239 never asked Him to forgive me. I've never called 00:34:12.239 --> 00:34:14.420 on Him as my Lord. I've never surrendered my 00:34:14.420 --> 00:34:25.940 life to Him. If that's you, I want to lead you 00:34:25.940 --> 00:34:28.380 in a prayer, but please, please, please, please 00:34:28.380 --> 00:34:35.960 listen to what I'm going to say. Becoming a Christian 00:34:35.960 --> 00:34:41.940 is not repeating words after somebody. We can 00:34:41.940 --> 00:34:46.960 teach birds to repeat words after somebody. So 00:34:46.960 --> 00:34:51.880 it's more than that. I'm just going to help you 00:34:51.880 --> 00:34:55.579 put into words what I just said. But they have 00:34:55.579 --> 00:34:59.179 to be your words. It has to be your heart crying 00:34:59.179 --> 00:35:03.199 out to God to receive His gift of eternal life. 00:35:04.719 --> 00:35:06.420 So if that's what you want, I want to ask you 00:35:06.420 --> 00:35:11.860 to pray with me. One Friday morning, I prayed 00:35:11.860 --> 00:35:13.400 a prayer like this, and I want to tell you something. 00:35:13.420 --> 00:35:19.679 I've never been the same since. Let's pray. Jesus, 00:35:19.920 --> 00:35:23.780 I believe you are the Son of God. Tell him that. 00:35:23.880 --> 00:35:26.960 I believe you are the Son of God. I believe you 00:35:26.960 --> 00:35:33.000 died on the cross for me in my place, for my 00:35:33.000 --> 00:35:39.480 sin. You did it for me. And I believe that you 00:35:39.480 --> 00:35:48.920 rose again from the grave. Jesus, today, I ask 00:35:48.920 --> 00:35:51.340 you to forgive me of my sin. Thank you for dying 00:35:51.340 --> 00:35:56.179 for me, shedding your blood for me. I ask you 00:35:56.179 --> 00:36:03.760 to wash me clean. Forgive me. And Jesus, today, 00:36:05.449 --> 00:36:08.630 I realize that up until now, my life's just pretty 00:36:08.630 --> 00:36:14.389 much been all about me. But from now on, I want 00:36:14.389 --> 00:36:17.969 to live for you. I want to know you. I want to 00:36:17.969 --> 00:36:22.829 be in relationship with you, Jesus. I surrender 00:36:22.829 --> 00:36:27.809 all that I am to you. I ask you to be my Lord. 00:36:33.869 --> 00:36:39.510 Thank you. For forgiving me. Thank you for adopting 00:36:39.510 --> 00:36:43.610 me into your family. Thank you for giving me 00:36:43.610 --> 00:36:48.949 your gift of eternal life. Nobody's looking around. 00:36:51.369 --> 00:36:55.349 If you say, Dean, I just prayed with you. I just 00:36:55.349 --> 00:36:57.949 asked Jesus to forgive me. I just asked him to 00:36:57.949 --> 00:37:02.210 be my Lord. If that's you, would you raise your 00:37:02.210 --> 00:37:03.769 hand while nobody's looking around? I'm the only 00:37:03.769 --> 00:37:14.619 one looking around. Anybody? Anybody else? Okay. 00:37:17.380 --> 00:37:22.000 Everybody look this way. The Bible says there's 00:37:22.000 --> 00:37:27.179 rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God 00:37:27.179 --> 00:37:30.960 when one person turns from their sin and turns 00:37:30.960 --> 00:37:35.699 to God. I saw people moving around, but I saw 00:37:35.699 --> 00:37:38.619 one person raise their hand like, you know, some 00:37:38.619 --> 00:37:42.440 people are like, I don't know. I saw one person 00:37:42.440 --> 00:37:44.860 raise their hand. That means that there's a celebration 00:37:44.860 --> 00:37:49.179 going on in heaven. And I want to ask you to 00:37:49.179 --> 00:37:54.539 do one more thing. See, believing in Jesus is 00:37:54.539 --> 00:37:58.619 a personal thing. I can't do that for you. You 00:37:58.619 --> 00:38:05.039 can't do that for me. Listen, it can never be 00:38:05.039 --> 00:38:11.579 a private thing. Because Jesus said, I'll just 00:38:11.579 --> 00:38:14.119 always go with His words, right? Jesus said, 00:38:14.260 --> 00:38:16.639 if you're ashamed of me in front of other people, 00:38:16.760 --> 00:38:19.699 I'll be ashamed of you in front of my Father 00:38:19.699 --> 00:38:24.619 in heaven. It just comes down to that. So there's 00:38:24.619 --> 00:38:28.960 no such thing as secret Christians. It doesn't 00:38:28.960 --> 00:38:31.989 exist. That's why I'm going to ask you to do 00:38:31.989 --> 00:38:34.070 something right now. Now, while everybody's watching, 00:38:34.250 --> 00:38:37.889 I'm going to count to three. It's going to be 00:38:37.889 --> 00:38:39.989 really quick. We're not going to sing 47 verses 00:38:39.989 --> 00:38:44.530 just as I am. I'm going to count to three, and 00:38:44.530 --> 00:38:46.250 if that's what you did, whether you raised your 00:38:46.250 --> 00:38:49.309 hand or not, if today you asked Jesus to forgive 00:38:49.309 --> 00:38:52.449 you, and today you asked Jesus to be your Lord, 00:38:52.510 --> 00:38:55.389 I'm going to ask you to stand up on three. One, 00:38:55.389 --> 00:38:58.050 two, three. Stand up if that's what you did today. 00:38:58.949 --> 00:39:03.659 That's awesome. That's awesome. That's awesome. 00:39:05.099 --> 00:39:09.800 That's awesome. That's awesome.