WEBVTT 00:00:09.940 --> 00:00:12.699 Hey everyone, this is Josh from Encounter Church 00:00:12.699 --> 00:00:15.279 Henley and thanks so much for tuning into our 00:00:15.279 --> 00:00:19.000 podcast. Our prayer is that through this podcast 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:20.839 you can have an encounter with Jesus that will 00:00:20.839 --> 00:00:24.359 change your life. And now get ready for an inspiring 00:00:24.359 --> 00:00:29.500 message from our preaching team. I didn't want 00:00:29.500 --> 00:00:33.619 to be outdone by Tim, is the truth. I too love 00:00:33.619 --> 00:00:38.869 a quiz night. I, too, have chocolate. Mine should 00:00:38.869 --> 00:00:42.570 not cause concussions, however. Although not 00:00:42.570 --> 00:00:44.250 guaranteed, because I am doing the throwing. 00:00:44.409 --> 00:00:46.229 And for those of you that are familiar with my 00:00:46.229 --> 00:00:50.689 sporting prowess, prepare to be dazzled. Or the 00:00:50.689 --> 00:00:55.509 other thing. Watch out. OK, so this is not a 00:00:55.509 --> 00:01:00.409 promo for our upcoming Quiz Night, but it's also 00:01:00.409 --> 00:01:02.670 not not a promo for our upcoming Quiz Night. 00:01:03.549 --> 00:01:06.890 Tim has set the standard well. We're going to 00:01:06.890 --> 00:01:08.930 raise our hands, and then I'm going to call on 00:01:08.930 --> 00:01:10.950 you, and then if you are correct, I will throw 00:01:10.950 --> 00:01:15.390 you a chocolate. First question. True or false? 00:01:15.450 --> 00:01:18.290 Of the 100 plus pyramids in Egypt, Cleopatra 00:01:18.290 --> 00:01:22.189 only oversaw the building of two of them. True 00:01:22.189 --> 00:01:26.250 or false? This is literally, it's 50 -50. Somebody 00:01:26.250 --> 00:01:28.510 just have a guess. Yes. No, that's not a hand. 00:01:28.549 --> 00:01:31.530 That's Josh shaking. Yes, Josh. False. False 00:01:31.530 --> 00:01:36.329 is correct, sir. Cleopatra actually did not oversee 00:01:36.329 --> 00:01:39.769 any building of any pyramids, because Cleopatra 00:01:39.769 --> 00:01:42.150 was born closer to the invention of the iPhone 00:01:42.150 --> 00:01:45.530 than she was to the construction of the pyramids. 00:01:46.909 --> 00:01:50.530 Yeah, that's right. True or false? The Polish 00:01:50.530 --> 00:01:53.090 army during World War II contained a corporal 00:01:53.090 --> 00:01:56.670 named Wojciech, who was in fact a brown bear. 00:01:56.709 --> 00:01:59.829 I didn't see no hand. Anybody else? It is true. 00:02:00.510 --> 00:02:02.530 Wojciech the brown bear, the rest is history 00:02:02.530 --> 00:02:06.109 listeners, well done to you. Okay, we're going 00:02:06.109 --> 00:02:08.530 to change tact a little bit here. Can anyone 00:02:08.530 --> 00:02:10.409 tell me the year, if you've already answered, 00:02:10.469 --> 00:02:12.949 do not put up your hand again. Can anyone tell 00:02:12.949 --> 00:02:15.430 me the year that Star Wars A New Hope was released? 00:02:19.849 --> 00:02:22.270 I see a hand at the back. I see two actually. 00:02:23.490 --> 00:02:32.050 Yes. Yeah. Incorrect. Amy. Oh, we're so close. 00:02:33.229 --> 00:02:40.750 Yes? 77. I did, oh. If it hits someone else, 00:02:40.750 --> 00:02:44.870 it might be theirs. All right, last one. Last 00:02:44.870 --> 00:02:46.430 one, last one, last chance for a free. What do 00:02:46.430 --> 00:02:48.169 we got here? This is like a choc -mint -bubbly 00:02:48.169 --> 00:02:51.150 -bunny -bilby thing. Can anyone tell me what 00:02:51.150 --> 00:02:54.449 year France held its last execution by guillotine? 00:02:55.030 --> 00:02:58.560 Or guillotine, if you want me to be fancy. Last 00:02:58.560 --> 00:03:04.479 execution by guillotine in France. Incorrect. 00:03:06.780 --> 00:03:15.020 I'm not saying. You already answered. Cara. 1977. 00:03:18.340 --> 00:03:24.340 In fact, France held the premiere of Star Wars 00:03:24.340 --> 00:03:27.449 A New Hope. and held their last execution by 00:03:27.449 --> 00:03:31.729 guillotine less than 24 hours apart. In Marseille 00:03:31.729 --> 00:03:33.870 was the premiere of a futuristic space epic, 00:03:35.150 --> 00:03:39.009 which featured a young farm boy, the force, some 00:03:39.009 --> 00:03:41.150 kind of growly dog thing that walks on two legs. 00:03:42.430 --> 00:03:44.430 And on the other side of the country in Devereux, 00:03:44.590 --> 00:03:46.590 someone is executed by a method that screams 00:03:46.590 --> 00:03:50.780 powdered wigs and let them eat cake. The made 00:03:50.780 --> 00:03:53.740 -up future and the very very real past colliding 00:03:53.740 --> 00:03:55.939 in such a way that if it wasn't true you wouldn't 00:03:55.939 --> 00:04:01.000 believe it Now Mark Twain once said truth is 00:04:01.000 --> 00:04:04.500 stranger than fiction Because fiction is obliged 00:04:04.500 --> 00:04:09.800 to stick to possibility and the truth isn't So 00:04:09.800 --> 00:04:12.280 what are we meant to do with that truth? How 00:04:12.280 --> 00:04:13.879 are we meant to begin to reconcile something 00:04:13.879 --> 00:04:16.079 when it's so out of frame of context that it 00:04:16.079 --> 00:04:18.370 seems downright unbelievable? How are we meant 00:04:18.370 --> 00:04:20.490 to respond when something that seems so unbelievable 00:04:20.490 --> 00:04:26.370 is true and as a result changes everything? Now 00:04:26.370 --> 00:04:27.990 on Maundy Thursday, if you were here, Pastor 00:04:27.990 --> 00:04:30.129 Tim shared with us the types of people that were 00:04:30.129 --> 00:04:33.689 present at Jesus' crucifixion. What they would 00:04:33.689 --> 00:04:36.170 have each felt looking upon the body of the sacrificed 00:04:36.170 --> 00:04:40.509 Jesus, limply hanging to a cross. Now the women 00:04:40.509 --> 00:04:44.089 featured in today's passage were there. These 00:04:44.089 --> 00:04:46.410 women would have believed that this story and 00:04:46.410 --> 00:04:50.810 that theirs with it was finished. That the prophet 00:04:50.810 --> 00:04:54.449 they had been following had died, and that the 00:04:54.449 --> 00:04:58.769 cross was the end of their story. So these women 00:04:58.769 --> 00:05:02.389 travel to the site of Jesus' tomb as one last 00:05:02.389 --> 00:05:07.050 act of love. They arrive with spices to anoint 00:05:07.050 --> 00:05:12.149 and prepare his body for burial, to offer an 00:05:12.149 --> 00:05:14.790 act of humility and grace to an executed friend 00:05:14.790 --> 00:05:20.060 and teacher. They had absolutely no way of predicting 00:05:20.060 --> 00:05:22.699 what they would find, because how could they? 00:05:25.160 --> 00:05:27.519 These women travel to Jesus' tomb expecting to 00:05:27.519 --> 00:05:29.879 have to implore the soldiers present to roll 00:05:29.879 --> 00:05:33.040 the stone away, to permit them access to the, 00:05:33.120 --> 00:05:37.959 from the entrance to this, sorry, to permit them 00:05:37.959 --> 00:05:40.500 access so that they can take on this one last 00:05:40.500 --> 00:05:42.939 act of grace, this one last act of love for a 00:05:42.939 --> 00:05:46.629 fallen friend. But what they find is that the 00:05:46.629 --> 00:05:49.029 stone has already been rolled away So they go 00:05:49.029 --> 00:05:52.089 inside to investigate and find if you hear the 00:05:52.089 --> 00:05:54.790 odds are you know this one that the tomb is empty 00:05:54.790 --> 00:05:59.029 They are confused they are lost how could this 00:05:59.029 --> 00:06:04.170 be? So two men in dazzling white robes Depending 00:06:04.170 --> 00:06:07.089 on your translation likely angels appear and 00:06:07.089 --> 00:06:09.850 tell them why are you looking among the dead 00:06:09.850 --> 00:06:14.019 for someone who is alive? He isn't here. He is 00:06:14.019 --> 00:06:16.800 risen from the dead Remember what he told you 00:06:16.800 --> 00:06:20.759 in Galilee, and if you don't don't worry We can 00:06:20.759 --> 00:06:23.259 go through the magic of scripture back and he 00:06:23.259 --> 00:06:25.680 said the son of man must suffer many things and 00:06:25.680 --> 00:06:28.560 be rejected by the elders the chief priests and 00:06:28.560 --> 00:06:31.120 the teachers of the law and he must be killed 00:06:31.120 --> 00:06:35.740 and on the third day be raised to life and In 00:06:35.740 --> 00:06:38.439 that moment these women remembered what their 00:06:38.439 --> 00:06:42.500 teacher had said And in that moment, not only 00:06:42.500 --> 00:06:46.660 do they remember, but they believe. Why else 00:06:46.660 --> 00:06:48.980 would they run back to the disciples? Why else 00:06:48.980 --> 00:06:50.480 would they run back? Not just to the gathered 00:06:50.480 --> 00:06:52.980 disciples, but the scripture is very clear. They 00:06:52.980 --> 00:06:57.339 run back to tell everyone else. Because they 00:06:57.339 --> 00:06:59.620 know that this knowledge isn't for a select few. 00:06:59.920 --> 00:07:02.220 This knowledge isn't for an inner circle. That 00:07:02.220 --> 00:07:05.680 this knowledge and that this truth is for everyone. 00:07:08.639 --> 00:07:13.930 But, and again, I'm going to quote. The story 00:07:13.930 --> 00:07:19.730 sounded like nonsense to the men. Truth is stranger 00:07:19.730 --> 00:07:24.410 than fiction, remember? And it says, the truth 00:07:24.410 --> 00:07:26.389 sounded like nonsense to the men who did not 00:07:26.389 --> 00:07:32.649 believe them. Peter, the only one who jumps up. 00:07:33.569 --> 00:07:35.329 And not to declare, don't worry you gathered 00:07:35.329 --> 00:07:40.870 women. I believe you. No, he runs off to check 00:07:40.870 --> 00:07:43.230 for himself. I know there are women in this room 00:07:43.230 --> 00:07:46.269 that can relate to this so heartily right now. 00:07:46.589 --> 00:07:48.009 I think, yeah, why don't you go and look, mate? 00:07:49.209 --> 00:07:52.410 These women were witnesses of Jesus's death. 00:07:52.670 --> 00:07:55.350 They have seen his empty tomb. They have been 00:07:55.350 --> 00:07:57.589 told by angels what has happened. They remember 00:07:57.589 --> 00:07:59.610 the words that Jesus himself had told them about 00:07:59.610 --> 00:08:01.970 his death and resurrection. They believe they 00:08:01.970 --> 00:08:04.370 understand the gravity of what this means and 00:08:04.370 --> 00:08:07.050 they rush back to tell the others. But this truth 00:08:07.050 --> 00:08:09.750 is so unbelievable that even those who were closest 00:08:09.750 --> 00:08:12.509 to Jesus, even those who had sat under his teaching, 00:08:12.810 --> 00:08:14.810 even those who had seen him perform miracles 00:08:14.810 --> 00:08:18.410 here on earth, who had told them exactly what 00:08:18.410 --> 00:08:25.500 was going to happen. did not believe. Because 00:08:25.500 --> 00:08:28.579 hearing something or being told something and 00:08:28.579 --> 00:08:31.980 bearing witness to it and believing it are very, 00:08:32.139 --> 00:08:36.179 very different things. And only Peter goes to 00:08:36.179 --> 00:08:40.299 check. And when he sees for himself, does he 00:08:40.299 --> 00:08:42.820 have the same huzzah moment that the women have 00:08:42.820 --> 00:08:48.860 just had? No. No, it very clearly tells us Peter 00:08:48.860 --> 00:08:56.769 goes home. wondering what has happened. Now in 00:08:56.769 --> 00:09:03.429 his heart, you think Peter has to know. The women 00:09:03.429 --> 00:09:05.190 have told him, these trusted women, these people 00:09:05.190 --> 00:09:08.529 that have been in his circle as well. Jesus himself 00:09:08.529 --> 00:09:13.649 had told him what was going to happen. But the 00:09:13.649 --> 00:09:15.529 truth still remains that this truth is stranger 00:09:15.529 --> 00:09:18.129 than fiction. This truth is hard to get your 00:09:18.129 --> 00:09:21.340 head around. Comprehending this specific truth 00:09:21.340 --> 00:09:24.059 was darn near inconceivable. There was no context 00:09:24.059 --> 00:09:27.200 before for a man bringing himself back to life. 00:09:30.340 --> 00:09:34.639 But what if he wasn't just a man? What if Jesus 00:09:34.639 --> 00:09:39.580 was exactly who he said he was? One with God 00:09:39.580 --> 00:09:42.279 the Father, both Son of Man and Saviour of Man. 00:09:44.859 --> 00:09:47.500 What if the most unbelievable moment and event 00:09:47.500 --> 00:09:50.039 in human history was so strange that it had to 00:09:50.039 --> 00:09:56.759 be true? And if it wasn't true then you wouldn't 00:09:56.759 --> 00:10:01.860 believe it either. And for me it's in the details 00:10:01.860 --> 00:10:04.600 that the truth of this story actually starts 00:10:04.600 --> 00:10:08.019 kind of reveal its own truth. The deliverers 00:10:08.019 --> 00:10:10.860 of this earth -shattering news is a group of 00:10:10.860 --> 00:10:14.929 women. In ancient Rome, women were barred from 00:10:14.929 --> 00:10:18.389 giving formal testimony. And under rabbinic law 00:10:18.389 --> 00:10:20.730 under the Talmud, they were disqualified from 00:10:20.730 --> 00:10:23.669 giving testimony. Women denoted as being as unreliable 00:10:23.669 --> 00:10:29.889 as gamblers, usurers, and robbers. Women were 00:10:29.889 --> 00:10:36.690 not seen as trustworthy witnesses. Sorry. Which 00:10:36.690 --> 00:10:38.830 makes this one of the passages of the Bible. 00:10:39.669 --> 00:10:42.210 Hear me out. All of that reasoning combined. 00:10:42.669 --> 00:10:45.289 makes this to me, one of the passages of the 00:10:45.289 --> 00:10:49.590 Bible reassures me of its validity. This is one 00:10:49.590 --> 00:10:52.129 of the passages of the Bible that actually speaks 00:10:52.129 --> 00:10:56.789 to the truth of the Bible. Because if you were 00:10:56.789 --> 00:10:59.570 looking to fabricate a story for control, selfish 00:10:59.570 --> 00:11:02.129 ends, political gain, money, fame, whatever it 00:11:02.129 --> 00:11:04.090 might be, in a time such as this, where women 00:11:04.090 --> 00:11:07.210 are seen as unreliable, as robbers, and gamblers, 00:11:07.289 --> 00:11:11.029 and just weren't even to hold testimony, and 00:11:11.029 --> 00:11:12.549 you had a story that you thought might change 00:11:12.549 --> 00:11:14.309 the course of human history or shape the world, 00:11:14.450 --> 00:11:16.610 our very souls, wouldn't you just leave that 00:11:16.610 --> 00:11:22.389 part of the story out? Or wouldn't you change 00:11:22.389 --> 00:11:24.149 it, like, just a little bit so that Peter was 00:11:24.149 --> 00:11:28.129 the first one on the scene? Like, it'd just be 00:11:28.129 --> 00:11:30.129 leaving out a little piece of information, right? 00:11:32.870 --> 00:11:35.110 Wouldn't you remove every angle that people can 00:11:35.110 --> 00:11:42.659 have to pick holes in your story? You might but 00:11:42.659 --> 00:11:55.039 Luke doesn't none of the Gospels do There is 00:11:55.039 --> 00:11:59.919 some we have a team I'm sorry they will let us 00:11:59.919 --> 00:12:06.700 know if we need to add help Luke's gospel doesn't 00:12:06.700 --> 00:12:12.179 change the story None of the gospels change the 00:12:12.179 --> 00:12:20.720 story. Why? Because the truth doesn't make concessions 00:12:20.720 --> 00:12:25.500 for your comfort. As Charles Spurgeon once said, 00:12:25.899 --> 00:12:28.559 let the pure gospel go forth in all its line 00:12:28.559 --> 00:12:31.320 like majesty and it will soon clear its own way 00:12:31.320 --> 00:12:36.200 and ease itself of its adversaries. The Bible 00:12:36.200 --> 00:12:38.600 is the ordained word of God. There is not a word 00:12:38.600 --> 00:12:42.679 that's in here by accident. Why are we left with 00:12:42.679 --> 00:12:45.100 a story of women finding an empty tomb and reporting 00:12:45.100 --> 00:12:47.519 the news? Why are we told that even Peter, the 00:12:47.519 --> 00:12:49.500 man whom Jesus would eventually use to build 00:12:49.500 --> 00:12:51.919 his church, went to an empty tomb, saw nobody, 00:12:52.179 --> 00:12:54.399 just the remnants of Jesus robes, and then left 00:12:54.399 --> 00:12:59.039 confused rather than assured? Probably because 00:12:59.039 --> 00:13:05.820 it's true. But friends, I would argue that we 00:13:05.820 --> 00:13:11.539 as people, much like the Pharisees, Much like 00:13:11.539 --> 00:13:13.299 initially these women, much like Peter, much 00:13:13.299 --> 00:13:15.840 like the disciples, we have a truth problem. 00:13:17.820 --> 00:13:20.240 And the problem is not that we struggle to tell 00:13:20.240 --> 00:13:23.019 the truth. For most of us, we actually want to 00:13:23.019 --> 00:13:24.799 tell the truth. That is something we want to 00:13:24.799 --> 00:13:27.379 do and we choose to do. I think that for many 00:13:27.379 --> 00:13:30.100 of us, we sometimes struggle to believe the truth. 00:13:31.820 --> 00:13:34.279 Even when it's placed directly in front of us. 00:13:35.059 --> 00:13:37.080 And I think it's because the truth can make us 00:13:37.080 --> 00:13:40.759 really uncomfortable. I think it's because the 00:13:40.759 --> 00:13:45.220 truth challenges our preferences. The truth, 00:13:45.340 --> 00:13:47.480 when believed and applied, can literally change 00:13:47.480 --> 00:13:50.139 our entire perspective on life and the thereafter. 00:13:53.100 --> 00:13:55.440 Especially if it's on its face, it seems unbelievable. 00:13:58.179 --> 00:14:00.399 We live in a world in which anything our political 00:14:00.399 --> 00:14:03.179 leaders don't agree with is deemed fake news. 00:14:04.240 --> 00:14:06.279 Well, we can't believe what we see with our own 00:14:06.279 --> 00:14:10.049 eyes, thanks to my best -made AI. But we can't 00:14:10.049 --> 00:14:14.549 even believe what we tell ourselves at time So 00:14:14.549 --> 00:14:16.730 we keep accepting convenient and comfortable 00:14:16.730 --> 00:14:19.149 lies rather than inconvenient and uncomfortable 00:14:19.149 --> 00:14:24.429 truths For so many of us in this room myself 00:14:24.429 --> 00:14:26.490 included far too often We have not just learned 00:14:26.490 --> 00:14:29.090 to accept the lies, but we have chosen to accept 00:14:29.090 --> 00:14:33.389 them or to adopt them as our own The lie that 00:14:33.389 --> 00:14:37.129 reconciliation is impossible the lie that we 00:14:37.129 --> 00:14:40.460 are unloved The lie that we are irredeemable, 00:14:40.679 --> 00:14:43.419 the lie that our sin disqualifies us, the lie 00:14:43.419 --> 00:14:45.600 that the pains of our past cannot be erased, 00:14:45.600 --> 00:14:48.779 and the lie that our story has already been written. 00:14:51.659 --> 00:14:54.120 I'm here to tell you today in Jesus' name that 00:14:54.120 --> 00:14:57.899 those are lies. That you have been told, or that 00:14:57.899 --> 00:15:00.340 you have told yourself, or that the world has 00:15:00.340 --> 00:15:03.899 tried to convince you is truth. They are lies. 00:15:05.539 --> 00:15:09.730 Jesus himself tells us, I am the way, the truth, 00:15:09.929 --> 00:15:14.389 and the life. Jesus is the truth that clears 00:15:14.389 --> 00:15:18.370 the slate. Jesus is the truth that leads to a 00:15:18.370 --> 00:15:23.370 life eternal. And without the truth of the resurrection, 00:15:23.509 --> 00:15:25.590 the women who went to check on Jesus, Peter, 00:15:25.590 --> 00:15:28.669 the other disciples, their story ends with a 00:15:28.669 --> 00:15:31.429 mercilessly beaten prophet lifelessly hanging 00:15:31.429 --> 00:15:36.080 from a gnarled wooden cross. Without the resurrection, 00:15:36.139 --> 00:15:38.299 they would have returned to their former lives, 00:15:38.740 --> 00:15:40.899 to their fishing boats, to their trades, to what 00:15:40.899 --> 00:15:45.139 it was they were doing before. Without the resurrection, 00:15:45.279 --> 00:15:50.820 we have the teachings of a wise prophet. But 00:15:50.820 --> 00:15:54.960 with the resurrection, with the truth of the 00:15:54.960 --> 00:15:57.419 resurrection, returning to who we once were before 00:15:57.419 --> 00:15:59.480 we knew that his truth is no longer an option. 00:16:01.610 --> 00:16:04.250 Because Jesus resurrection is not the continuation 00:16:04.250 --> 00:16:06.570 of a story Jesus resurrection is the beginning 00:16:06.570 --> 00:16:11.070 of a new one One in which everything we thought 00:16:11.070 --> 00:16:16.090 we knew as truth is now replaced by a new truth 00:16:16.090 --> 00:16:20.269 The revealing of an empty tomb the physical sign 00:16:20.269 --> 00:16:22.809 of a promise that had been made and a truth that 00:16:22.809 --> 00:16:27.309 has now been born out The truth that Jesus was 00:16:27.309 --> 00:16:32.399 who he said he was the son of God sent down to 00:16:32.399 --> 00:16:35.200 earth to bear the weight of our sins and to reconcile 00:16:35.200 --> 00:16:38.259 us with God the Father and as a result everything 00:16:38.259 --> 00:16:48.120 has changed. We cannot go back. Leslie Newbiggan 00:16:48.120 --> 00:16:50.419 tells us that the resurrection is the revelation 00:16:50.419 --> 00:16:53.059 to chosen witnesses of the fact that Jesus who 00:16:53.059 --> 00:16:57.320 died on the cross is indeed King, conqueror of 00:16:57.320 --> 00:17:00.559 death and sin. Lord and Saviour of all, the resurrection 00:17:00.559 --> 00:17:03.559 is not the reversal of a defeat, but the proclamation 00:17:03.559 --> 00:17:07.460 of a victory. The King reigns from the tree. 00:17:08.259 --> 00:17:11.019 The reign of God has indeed come upon us, and 00:17:11.019 --> 00:17:13.400 its sign is not a golden throne, but a wooden 00:17:13.400 --> 00:17:18.779 cross." Banda, I'd love it if you could come 00:17:18.779 --> 00:17:27.500 back up for me. Prior to the resurrection, belief 00:17:27.690 --> 00:17:37.210 required trust. In its wake, only acceptance 00:17:37.210 --> 00:17:42.670 of truth. Jesus' resurrection played out the 00:17:42.670 --> 00:17:47.549 ultimate reversal of status, the ultimate in 00:17:47.549 --> 00:17:52.720 the conquering of death itself. and the living 00:17:52.720 --> 00:17:55.660 out of his key teachings in real time. The resurrection 00:17:55.660 --> 00:17:58.660 transforms this into a truth, to the event being 00:17:58.660 --> 00:18:02.140 a historical reality, not a fictional metaphor, 00:18:02.200 --> 00:18:06.259 it changes everything. Things we assumed impossible, 00:18:06.779 --> 00:18:09.279 replaced by the very possible, but only through 00:18:09.279 --> 00:18:14.539 God. A truth in which Jesus didn't only bring 00:18:14.539 --> 00:18:17.480 a vision of hope, Jesus came and said, I am hope. 00:18:18.000 --> 00:18:21.849 But more importantly, I am victory. And I am 00:18:21.849 --> 00:18:29.289 truth. Prior to the resurrection, if people had 00:18:29.289 --> 00:18:31.150 believed his truth, Jesus wouldn't have had to 00:18:31.150 --> 00:18:40.009 be executed to begin with. But he did. Jesus 00:18:40.009 --> 00:18:42.849 didn't come here to protect comfortable lies. 00:18:44.750 --> 00:18:47.569 Jesus came to reveal heavenly, world -changing, 00:18:47.950 --> 00:18:52.880 soul -altering truth. Sometimes those truths 00:18:52.880 --> 00:18:55.220 are subtle and sometimes they burst through the 00:18:55.220 --> 00:18:56.920 window like you've just pulled back the curtains 00:18:56.920 --> 00:19:07.619 on a dark room. My prayer today is that for some 00:19:07.619 --> 00:19:10.859 of you in this room, maybe for the first time, 00:19:11.859 --> 00:19:14.380 that this seemingly incredulously story rings 00:19:14.380 --> 00:19:20.200 true. That you can see the truth that Jesus is 00:19:20.200 --> 00:19:23.930 real. He came to earth to bear the weight of 00:19:23.930 --> 00:19:29.569 our sin, to be executed for our sin, to be resurrected, 00:19:30.670 --> 00:19:33.670 to ensure that we had a connection to God the 00:19:33.670 --> 00:19:38.950 Father for all of time. Jesus is real. Jesus 00:19:38.950 --> 00:19:41.710 loves you. He went to the cross for you and He 00:19:41.710 --> 00:19:43.970 rose three days later, the single greatest act 00:19:43.970 --> 00:19:48.009 of love of all time, followed by the single greatest 00:19:48.009 --> 00:19:54.019 act of heavenly power of all time. An act that 00:19:54.019 --> 00:19:56.220 ensures you are reconciled with a loving Father. 00:19:58.460 --> 00:20:00.880 An act that has the ability to erase any lies 00:20:00.880 --> 00:20:03.059 or untruths we have allowed to take hold in our 00:20:03.059 --> 00:20:05.400 hearts. Replacing each and every one of them 00:20:05.400 --> 00:20:07.980 with the truth of a love poured out for us, a 00:20:07.980 --> 00:20:11.400 grace we don't deserve, and a salvation that 00:20:11.400 --> 00:20:17.059 we cannot earn, merely accept. Because you cannot 00:20:17.059 --> 00:20:18.799 take anything from God that He's not willing 00:20:18.799 --> 00:20:24.039 to give. And for those of you that already believe, 00:20:24.059 --> 00:20:27.259 I ask you to take the time as we respond in worship 00:20:27.259 --> 00:20:31.259 and prayer to remind yourself of this truth, 00:20:33.500 --> 00:20:36.400 to cry out to God for His intervention, to wipe 00:20:36.400 --> 00:20:38.880 away any of the lies you have allowed to settle 00:20:38.880 --> 00:20:45.880 within yourself, for a fresh revelation of Him 00:20:45.880 --> 00:20:53.869 today, the most holy of days. Let's pray together. 00:20:55.609 --> 00:21:00.789 Heavenly Father, we come to You once more to 00:21:00.789 --> 00:21:05.470 thank You for Your willing sacrifice. To thank 00:21:05.470 --> 00:21:07.470 You for Your desire and willingness to take on 00:21:07.470 --> 00:21:10.089 the weight of our sins, Father, only as an act 00:21:10.089 --> 00:21:15.109 of grace. To ensure that we had a relationship 00:21:15.109 --> 00:21:17.569 with God the Father from here into the thereafter, 00:21:17.990 --> 00:21:20.660 Father. that you overcame time and space, you 00:21:20.660 --> 00:21:22.799 overcame death itself, Father, to give us new 00:21:22.799 --> 00:21:29.619 life. To ensure that you were not a God who was 00:21:29.619 --> 00:21:31.839 distant, but that you were a God that was so 00:21:31.839 --> 00:21:36.359 close you can hear our inner thoughts. So Father, 00:21:36.380 --> 00:21:40.720 I pray as we enter into this time, that we reveal 00:21:40.720 --> 00:21:44.559 ourselves to you anew, as you reveal yourselves 00:21:44.559 --> 00:21:51.900 anew to us every morning. Father, any lies that 00:21:51.900 --> 00:21:57.079 we have allowed to sit in us, Father, I pray 00:21:57.079 --> 00:21:59.079 that You will reveal to us again once more that 00:21:59.079 --> 00:22:02.339 they are not of You, that they are not Your words, 00:22:02.359 --> 00:22:05.240 they are not Your truths, because Your truths 00:22:05.240 --> 00:22:08.779 say that we are loved. Your truth says that we 00:22:08.779 --> 00:22:10.859 are saved. Your truth says that we have been 00:22:10.859 --> 00:22:17.700 set free. Thanks so much for tuning into this 00:22:17.700 --> 00:22:20.829 week's message. If you felt challenged or need 00:22:20.829 --> 00:22:23.369 prayer, we'd love to hear from you on Instagram 00:22:23.369 --> 00:22:26.569 at encounterhenley. Or if you're interested in 00:22:26.569 --> 00:22:29.109 how you can support this ministry, please go 00:22:29.109 --> 00:22:33.910 to our website encounteradelaide .com .au Thanks 00:22:33.910 --> 00:22:35.930 again for listening. God bless you.