WEBVTT 00:00:00.720 --> 00:00:05.099 Happy Resurrection Day, or as most people know 00:00:05.099 --> 00:00:09.759 it, Easter. And I know that word has some controversy 00:00:09.759 --> 00:00:14.160 around it, but what we're celebrating is new 00:00:14.160 --> 00:00:19.120 life. It's resurrection. It's arisen from the 00:00:19.120 --> 00:00:23.800 dead testimony. And so this morning, we proclaim 00:00:23.800 --> 00:00:28.309 that we serve, that we live for. that we have 00:00:28.309 --> 00:00:34.090 been redeemed and saved by a risen Savior, a 00:00:34.090 --> 00:00:37.710 resurrected Lord. We don't serve someone laying 00:00:37.710 --> 00:00:40.710 in a tomb. We didn't gather here for someone 00:00:40.710 --> 00:00:43.890 who is dead. We gathered here for someone who 00:00:43.890 --> 00:00:48.030 is alive. Today is special for followers of Jesus. 00:00:48.700 --> 00:00:50.920 Today is a special day because we're not just 00:00:50.920 --> 00:00:53.700 remembering an ancient story. This isn't just 00:00:53.700 --> 00:00:56.439 a fairy tale, but this is something that really 00:00:56.439 --> 00:01:00.240 happened. It is the greatest moment in all of 00:01:00.240 --> 00:01:03.960 human history. Today is the day that we recognize 00:01:03.960 --> 00:01:07.260 that we celebrate with an extra emphasis a risen 00:01:07.260 --> 00:01:10.340 king. And because we're talking about a great 00:01:10.340 --> 00:01:13.959 comeback story, I want us to look at the life 00:01:13.959 --> 00:01:19.469 of a man named Douglas Bader. In 1939, Douglas 00:01:19.469 --> 00:01:24.370 Bader, a young British pilot, was training for 00:01:24.370 --> 00:01:28.469 his job. He was in the military. He was a pilot, 00:01:28.549 --> 00:01:31.329 and he was training for fighter missions. And 00:01:31.329 --> 00:01:35.430 in his training, he had a crash. His plane crashed, 00:01:35.709 --> 00:01:38.230 and because of his injuries, he had to have two 00:01:38.230 --> 00:01:40.829 or parts of both of his legs amputated. One of 00:01:40.829 --> 00:01:43.209 his legs was amputated just below the knee. One 00:01:43.209 --> 00:01:45.900 of them was amputated just above the knee. And 00:01:45.900 --> 00:01:47.620 so as you can imagine, that would make flying 00:01:47.620 --> 00:01:50.700 pretty complicated for Mr. Bader, right? It made 00:01:50.700 --> 00:01:53.359 life difficult for him, but he didn't give up. 00:01:53.379 --> 00:01:55.180 Even though he was told he may not walk again, 00:01:55.239 --> 00:01:56.840 he was told he definitely wouldn't fly again. 00:01:57.040 --> 00:01:59.879 Well, Douglas Bader was given two prosthetic 00:01:59.879 --> 00:02:02.299 legs. And if you can imagine prosthetic legs 00:02:02.299 --> 00:02:04.780 in 1939, I can't imagine they were that great. 00:02:04.980 --> 00:02:07.099 I mean, when I think of it, I think of like the 00:02:07.099 --> 00:02:11.289 peg legs that pirates have. Either way, Douglas 00:02:11.289 --> 00:02:15.930 Bader got these prosthetic legs. He learned how 00:02:15.930 --> 00:02:18.250 to walk again. He learned how to run again. He 00:02:18.250 --> 00:02:21.330 was able to train and eventually get back in 00:02:21.330 --> 00:02:25.150 active duty. And Douglas Bader, after relearning 00:02:25.150 --> 00:02:29.849 how to fly, he got back in the military and became 00:02:29.849 --> 00:02:32.430 one of the most successful pilots in British 00:02:32.430 --> 00:02:39.469 military history. He didn't just fly again. He 00:02:39.469 --> 00:02:43.169 had renewed life. Because I want you to imagine 00:02:43.169 --> 00:02:46.770 the thing that you have trained for so long to 00:02:46.770 --> 00:02:49.689 do, the thing that you knew was your purpose, 00:02:49.710 --> 00:02:52.150 that you felt was your calling, the thing that 00:02:52.150 --> 00:02:55.710 you believed was your life is taken away from 00:02:55.710 --> 00:02:59.129 you. And maybe you're laying in a hospital bed 00:02:59.129 --> 00:03:02.490 and you're thinking, it's all over. My dream's 00:03:02.490 --> 00:03:06.250 been cut away from me. Maybe for you, it's living 00:03:06.250 --> 00:03:08.930 in this life where you feel like things just 00:03:08.930 --> 00:03:11.870 don't go right, like nothing ever seems to work, 00:03:12.009 --> 00:03:14.770 and you just feel like you're as good as dead. 00:03:15.330 --> 00:03:17.689 Maybe it's you've been trying to achieve something. 00:03:17.729 --> 00:03:20.150 You've been trying to become something, and you 00:03:20.150 --> 00:03:21.870 just can't get there. You can't seem to make 00:03:21.870 --> 00:03:23.870 any headway, and it feels like your legs have 00:03:23.870 --> 00:03:26.930 been cut out from under you. I don't know what 00:03:26.930 --> 00:03:30.370 your dead moment looks like. But I do know that 00:03:30.370 --> 00:03:32.810 we all have that place where if we're not careful, 00:03:32.889 --> 00:03:35.629 we can live in the tomb. And for Douglas Bader, 00:03:35.710 --> 00:03:38.710 he's laying there and he's probably feeling sorry 00:03:38.710 --> 00:03:41.330 for himself. But I've got to imagine that somebody 00:03:41.330 --> 00:03:43.789 that accomplishes what he accomplished, he couldn't 00:03:43.789 --> 00:03:46.150 have stayed in that sorrowful state too long. 00:03:46.349 --> 00:03:48.849 I mean, I imagine he probably pretty quickly 00:03:48.849 --> 00:03:50.830 thought, I'm going to fly again. I don't care 00:03:50.830 --> 00:03:53.610 what that doctor says. I'm going to have my life 00:03:53.610 --> 00:03:56.969 again. I don't care what the doctor says. And 00:03:56.969 --> 00:04:00.750 I think about Jesus. laying in the tomb. I mean, 00:04:00.770 --> 00:04:04.569 he's dead. But I have to imagine that in whatever 00:04:04.569 --> 00:04:09.830 spiritual state he was in, he knew. He knew that 00:04:09.830 --> 00:04:12.990 this was not it. This wasn't the end of his story. 00:04:13.590 --> 00:04:16.089 And for you, whatever it is, if it's the failed 00:04:16.089 --> 00:04:18.490 relationships, if it's the crushed dreams, if 00:04:18.490 --> 00:04:20.350 it's the sin that keeps trapping you, if it's 00:04:20.350 --> 00:04:22.629 those moments in life where you just keep hearing 00:04:22.629 --> 00:04:25.250 that whisper in your ear of, this is just who 00:04:25.250 --> 00:04:27.860 you are. Or this is just what you're going to 00:04:27.860 --> 00:04:31.060 be. This is just your circumstances. This is 00:04:31.060 --> 00:04:35.660 your life. I don't know what your dead moment 00:04:35.660 --> 00:04:40.620 is. But the resurrection of Jesus shows us that 00:04:40.620 --> 00:04:45.800 we should never, ever believe that what's dead 00:04:45.800 --> 00:04:49.860 has to stay dead. And so first truth this morning 00:04:49.860 --> 00:04:52.240 that I want us to know is that what is dead does 00:04:52.240 --> 00:04:56.220 not have to stay dead. Because where? there is 00:04:56.220 --> 00:04:59.639 death. Jesus shows us that there is a chance 00:04:59.639 --> 00:05:03.040 for new life. And to illustrate that a little 00:05:03.040 --> 00:05:06.160 bit more, I think we have to go back to the gospel. 00:05:06.660 --> 00:05:08.800 And so we go to the gospel of Luke in chapter 00:05:08.800 --> 00:05:12.560 23, and we see the reality of what Jesus endured 00:05:12.560 --> 00:05:15.769 first, the death that he had to suffer. So I 00:05:15.769 --> 00:05:18.290 want you to read this with me. If it's underlined, 00:05:18.290 --> 00:05:20.009 I'd like you to read it out loud. I know there's 00:05:20.009 --> 00:05:22.769 a lot of text on the screen, but if you can see 00:05:22.769 --> 00:05:25.389 that, if not, in your Bibles, Luke 23, verses 00:05:25.389 --> 00:05:30.889 32 through 43 in total. Two others who were criminals 00:05:30.889 --> 00:05:33.670 were led away to be put to death with him. And 00:05:33.670 --> 00:05:35.389 when they came to the place that is called the 00:05:35.389 --> 00:05:38.670 skull, there they crucified him. And the criminals, 00:05:38.730 --> 00:05:41.310 one on his right and one on his left, and Jesus 00:05:41.310 --> 00:05:43.769 said, Father, forgive them, for they know not 00:05:43.769 --> 00:05:46.819 what they do. and they cast lots to divide his 00:05:46.819 --> 00:05:49.459 garments. And the people stood by watching, but 00:05:49.459 --> 00:05:52.139 the ruler scoffed at him, saying, He saved others, 00:05:52.319 --> 00:05:55.079 let him save himself, if he is Christ of God, 00:05:55.339 --> 00:05:58.620 his chosen one. The soldiers also mocked him, 00:05:58.759 --> 00:06:01.500 coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, 00:06:01.660 --> 00:06:04.160 If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself. 00:06:04.939 --> 00:06:07.899 There was also an inscription over him, This 00:06:07.899 --> 00:06:10.569 is the king of the Jews. One of the criminals 00:06:10.569 --> 00:06:12.990 who were hanged railed at him saying, are you 00:06:12.990 --> 00:06:16.430 not the Christ? Save yourself and us. But the 00:06:16.430 --> 00:06:19.149 other rebuked him saying, do you not fear God 00:06:19.149 --> 00:06:22.310 since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 00:06:22.430 --> 00:06:25.310 And we indeed justly for we are receiving the 00:06:25.310 --> 00:06:29.329 due reward of our deeds. But this man has done 00:06:29.329 --> 00:06:33.209 nothing wrong. And he said, Jesus, remember me 00:06:33.209 --> 00:06:35.730 when you come into your kingdom. And he said 00:06:35.730 --> 00:06:38.569 to him, truly I say to you, today you will be 00:06:38.569 --> 00:06:43.500 with me. and paradise. Jesus, completely innocent, 00:06:43.740 --> 00:06:47.680 having done no wrong in his life, having never 00:06:47.680 --> 00:06:50.819 sinned, having never committed any crimes, Jesus, 00:06:50.920 --> 00:06:55.519 perfectly innocent, willingly steps into suffering. 00:06:56.580 --> 00:06:59.399 willingly steps into a situation where he takes 00:06:59.399 --> 00:07:01.699 on punishment, where he takes on a beating, where 00:07:01.699 --> 00:07:04.220 he's mocked, where he has to suffer, where he's 00:07:04.220 --> 00:07:06.639 rejected and enduring this brutality, hanging 00:07:06.639 --> 00:07:09.579 between two criminals as if he were a criminal 00:07:09.579 --> 00:07:12.939 himself. Jesus in his perfect innocence does 00:07:12.939 --> 00:07:16.420 this. And for who? The people who would mock 00:07:16.420 --> 00:07:21.089 him? The people that would laugh at him and ridicule 00:07:21.089 --> 00:07:22.769 him, the people that would pretend they don't 00:07:22.769 --> 00:07:24.930 know him, the people that would betray him, the 00:07:24.930 --> 00:07:29.829 people that would beat him? Yes. Yes. Jesus would 00:07:29.829 --> 00:07:32.389 do that. And I believe he would do it a thousand 00:07:32.389 --> 00:07:35.050 times over for those people. And guess who else 00:07:35.050 --> 00:07:38.810 he did it for? Us. Because there are days where 00:07:38.810 --> 00:07:42.149 if I'm not careful, I act like I don't know Jesus. 00:07:43.120 --> 00:07:46.339 And maybe it's not like I actively pretend I 00:07:46.339 --> 00:07:48.519 don't know him, but I live in a way that the 00:07:48.519 --> 00:07:50.079 world sees me and they're like, there's no way 00:07:50.079 --> 00:07:54.100 that person knows Jesus. One of the worst insults 00:07:54.100 --> 00:07:56.360 I could ever get is when someone says, you're 00:07:56.360 --> 00:08:03.819 a preacher? Yeah, I know. And maybe for you, 00:08:03.879 --> 00:08:07.279 you haven't heard someone directly say, you're 00:08:07.279 --> 00:08:11.110 a Christian? You're a follower of Jesus? the 00:08:11.110 --> 00:08:14.730 one who was full of grace, who was sinless, who 00:08:14.730 --> 00:08:21.410 was merciful to death, he died for us, even when 00:08:21.410 --> 00:08:25.290 we don't live for him. And just like the man 00:08:25.290 --> 00:08:31.129 on the cross, Jesus forgives. And he looks at 00:08:31.129 --> 00:08:34.769 the crowd. He looks at the people scoffing at 00:08:34.769 --> 00:08:39.169 him, for the soldiers mocking him, for the man 00:08:39.169 --> 00:08:42.850 next to him, ridiculing him, and he says, Father, 00:08:42.990 --> 00:08:45.649 forgive them. They don't know what they're doing. 00:08:46.169 --> 00:08:48.750 And I don't want you to mistake that for weakness. 00:08:49.870 --> 00:08:53.110 Jesus forgiving, Jesus showing mercy, Jesus showing 00:08:53.110 --> 00:08:55.750 grace, there is not weakness. That is strength 00:08:55.750 --> 00:08:58.309 to a degree that I can't even imagine because 00:08:58.309 --> 00:09:00.470 we live in a world that says, if they hurt you, 00:09:00.509 --> 00:09:02.250 hurt them back. We live in a world that says, 00:09:02.269 --> 00:09:03.830 if they're going to kill you, kill them first. 00:09:04.629 --> 00:09:08.629 But Jesus says, put me on the cross. I'll take 00:09:08.629 --> 00:09:13.379 it. And Lord, God, give them life through my 00:09:13.379 --> 00:09:18.460 death. It's a grace that is so bold that we can't 00:09:18.460 --> 00:09:20.259 even imagine it. And right there next to him, 00:09:20.299 --> 00:09:23.340 you see the gospel in real time. This man who 00:09:23.340 --> 00:09:26.379 admits his guilt, who realizes that he deserves 00:09:26.379 --> 00:09:29.759 where he's at. You see a man who looks to Jesus 00:09:29.759 --> 00:09:32.779 and he admits his guilt and he says, Lord, would 00:09:32.779 --> 00:09:35.120 you remember me when you get to your kingdom? 00:09:35.159 --> 00:09:37.399 Essentially he's saying, would you give me access? 00:09:37.860 --> 00:09:41.039 Would you just remember me enough? And when I 00:09:41.039 --> 00:09:44.679 hear that, I think about Lazarus. And when Lazarus 00:09:44.679 --> 00:09:46.480 and the rich man, the rich man goes down to Hades 00:09:46.480 --> 00:09:50.179 and Lazarus is in Abraham's bosom and the rich 00:09:50.179 --> 00:09:51.919 man is looking up to heaven and he's saying, 00:09:51.980 --> 00:09:55.139 would you just give me a drip of water? Well, 00:09:55.179 --> 00:09:57.120 I can't give a drip of water to somebody I don't 00:09:57.120 --> 00:09:59.279 know exists. And so I think this criminal is 00:09:59.279 --> 00:10:01.799 saying, Lord, would you just grant mercy for 00:10:01.799 --> 00:10:05.620 even a sinner like me? And Jesus says, absolutely. 00:10:06.419 --> 00:10:10.159 Today you'll be with me in paradise. That's the 00:10:10.159 --> 00:10:14.720 gospel. That's the Jesus way. It's a man who 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:17.370 doesn't have time to clean himself up. A man 00:10:17.370 --> 00:10:19.590 who doesn't have time to earn anything or get 00:10:19.590 --> 00:10:21.549 everything right and check all the boxes and 00:10:21.549 --> 00:10:23.850 dot all the I's and cross his T's. This is a 00:10:23.850 --> 00:10:26.850 man who just has to place his faith in who Jesus 00:10:26.850 --> 00:10:31.009 is. And so I want to make this clear as possible. 00:10:31.970 --> 00:10:37.470 Jesus died in our place for our sin. He rose 00:10:37.470 --> 00:10:41.629 again so that we could be forgiven. So that we 00:10:41.629 --> 00:10:44.629 could have more than just new life. So that we 00:10:44.629 --> 00:10:47.919 could have full, abundant life. Eternal life. 00:10:49.000 --> 00:10:53.679 That's the good news. And the good news is that 00:10:53.679 --> 00:10:58.299 what looks like defeat on the cross, what looks 00:10:58.299 --> 00:11:00.840 like the end of the story, what looks like the 00:11:00.840 --> 00:11:03.059 moment that it all ends and we close the curtains 00:11:03.059 --> 00:11:05.580 and it's over, what looks like defeat is actually 00:11:05.580 --> 00:11:08.519 the setup for the greatest victory in history. 00:11:09.679 --> 00:11:12.850 Because there's more to the story. It's not over. 00:11:13.070 --> 00:11:15.929 And this is how the story continues in Luke chapter 00:11:15.929 --> 00:11:19.730 24, verses 1 through 12. But on the first day 00:11:19.730 --> 00:11:21.809 of the week, at early dawn, they went to the 00:11:21.809 --> 00:11:24.950 tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And 00:11:24.950 --> 00:11:27.250 they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 00:11:27.450 --> 00:11:29.730 But when they went in, they did not find the 00:11:29.730 --> 00:11:32.870 body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed 00:11:32.870 --> 00:11:36.690 about this, behold, two men stood by them in 00:11:36.690 --> 00:11:39.519 dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened 00:11:39.519 --> 00:11:41.519 and bowed their faces to the ground, the men 00:11:41.519 --> 00:11:43.899 said to them, why do you seek the living among 00:11:43.899 --> 00:11:48.379 the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember 00:11:48.379 --> 00:11:50.960 how he told you while he was still in Galilee 00:11:50.960 --> 00:11:53.840 that the son of man must be delivered into the 00:11:53.840 --> 00:11:57.879 hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the 00:11:57.879 --> 00:12:04.620 third day rise. The tomb is empty. They just 00:12:04.620 --> 00:12:07.590 witnessed this death. They've probably spent 00:12:07.590 --> 00:12:11.370 the last three days sobbing. And you've mourned 00:12:11.370 --> 00:12:14.330 the loss of a loved one before. I mean, you know 00:12:14.330 --> 00:12:18.950 what that feels like, to grieve, to feel like 00:12:18.950 --> 00:12:21.950 you can't do anything but cry, to feel like there's 00:12:21.950 --> 00:12:23.769 no hope for tomorrow, to feel like there's no 00:12:23.769 --> 00:12:26.610 reason to keep going. Maybe for you, it was like 00:12:26.610 --> 00:12:28.429 you just couldn't even get up off the couch. 00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:30.419 You couldn't get out of the bed. You couldn't 00:12:30.419 --> 00:12:33.519 turn the lights on because you were just so sorrowful. 00:12:33.580 --> 00:12:35.500 And to that, we look at it. And that's why we 00:12:35.500 --> 00:12:37.620 say for the Christian, we don't grieve like the 00:12:37.620 --> 00:12:39.480 world grieves because we know there's more to 00:12:39.480 --> 00:12:42.279 this. And for these disciples, for these followers 00:12:42.279 --> 00:12:44.840 of Jesus, they're grieving. But what the angel 00:12:44.840 --> 00:12:47.240 wants them to know and what Jesus is trying to 00:12:47.240 --> 00:12:49.379 show is we don't grieve like the world grieves 00:12:49.379 --> 00:12:51.639 because there's life on the other side of this 00:12:51.639 --> 00:12:54.080 tomb. Why are you looking for the living among 00:12:54.080 --> 00:13:00.070 the dead? Why are you grieving? Didn't he tell 00:13:00.070 --> 00:13:02.230 you? Didn't he tell you that he was going to 00:13:02.230 --> 00:13:04.690 live again? Didn't he tell you that death would 00:13:04.690 --> 00:13:09.269 be defeated? And this wasn't random. It wasn't 00:13:09.269 --> 00:13:11.330 unexpected. At least it shouldn't have been because 00:13:11.330 --> 00:13:14.750 Jesus had promised it. God promised it way before 00:13:14.750 --> 00:13:18.230 any of these people were ever on earth. This 00:13:18.230 --> 00:13:19.950 was something they should have known was going 00:13:19.950 --> 00:13:22.970 to happen because as I like to say, God promised 00:13:22.970 --> 00:13:25.509 it and we serve the ultimate promise keeper. 00:13:26.570 --> 00:13:30.129 Our God has never once not fulfilled his promises. 00:13:30.429 --> 00:13:33.090 And so when Jesus tells them and when God tells 00:13:33.090 --> 00:13:35.049 them, when the prophets had told them that the 00:13:35.049 --> 00:13:37.549 son of man would come, he'd live, he would die, 00:13:37.649 --> 00:13:39.809 he would be buried and he would rise again. When 00:13:39.809 --> 00:13:42.409 that was the promise made, the promise was going 00:13:42.409 --> 00:13:45.789 to be kept and you could bank on it. And what 00:13:45.789 --> 00:13:50.370 we see is resurrected life. And I love the question 00:13:50.370 --> 00:13:53.750 the angel asks, why do you seek the living among 00:13:53.750 --> 00:13:59.409 the dead? He's not here, but he's risen. He's 00:13:59.409 --> 00:14:03.110 alive. You know, they came expecting a dead man. 00:14:04.669 --> 00:14:07.610 They came like we go to the tombstone of our 00:14:07.610 --> 00:14:10.970 loved one. Maybe we put flowers on the tombstone 00:14:10.970 --> 00:14:14.090 and we make sure it looks good. That's what they 00:14:14.090 --> 00:14:16.990 were doing. They were coming to make sure Jesus 00:14:16.990 --> 00:14:23.470 was good, but he wasn't there. He wasn't there 00:14:23.470 --> 00:14:26.120 for them to mourn. He wasn't there for them to 00:14:26.120 --> 00:14:27.820 grieve. He wasn't there for them to lay by his 00:14:27.820 --> 00:14:33.080 tombstone to sob. He was risen. God interrupts 00:14:33.080 --> 00:14:36.379 that sorrowful expectation of death with life. 00:14:38.039 --> 00:14:42.860 And I hope you hear this today. Our God still 00:14:42.860 --> 00:14:49.620 interrupts sorrowful death with life. Spiritual 00:14:49.620 --> 00:14:54.190 death and physical death. Again, the Christian 00:14:54.190 --> 00:14:56.990 doesn't grieve like the world grieves. Because 00:14:56.990 --> 00:15:02.389 we know that there's something beyond this. And 00:15:02.389 --> 00:15:06.559 in the spiritual sense, Yeah, we may feel dead. 00:15:06.639 --> 00:15:08.519 We may feel like we're separated from God. We 00:15:08.519 --> 00:15:10.600 may feel like we just, we can't get our life 00:15:10.600 --> 00:15:13.039 right and nothing seems to be going right. We 00:15:13.039 --> 00:15:14.940 may feel like we've tried and we've tried and 00:15:14.940 --> 00:15:17.379 we've tried, but we just don't seem like we have 00:15:17.379 --> 00:15:20.019 that abundant life. We don't have that new life 00:15:20.019 --> 00:15:22.700 that Jesus promised. But what I want you to know 00:15:22.700 --> 00:15:25.700 is if you will give your life to God, he absolutely 00:15:25.700 --> 00:15:30.200 will resurrect it. It just requires you actually 00:15:30.200 --> 00:15:34.009 dying to yourself. Because something can't be 00:15:34.009 --> 00:15:35.929 risen from a grave if it had never died in the 00:15:35.929 --> 00:15:39.029 first place. And so we walk around and we say, 00:15:39.070 --> 00:15:41.009 I just don't feel like I've got that new life 00:15:41.009 --> 00:15:43.129 that Christians talk about. I don't feel like 00:15:43.129 --> 00:15:45.210 I've got that resurrected life that Christians 00:15:45.210 --> 00:15:47.190 talk about. And the question I would ask is, 00:15:47.250 --> 00:15:51.740 have you died? How can you be resurrected? How 00:15:51.740 --> 00:15:53.820 can you rise again a new life if you never murdered 00:15:53.820 --> 00:15:56.179 your flesh? And so we look at this, and our God 00:15:56.179 --> 00:15:58.700 is still a promise keeper. And if he promised 00:15:58.700 --> 00:16:01.320 redemption, if he promised resurrection, I'm 00:16:01.320 --> 00:16:05.399 telling you it will be true. We find ourselves 00:16:05.399 --> 00:16:11.220 looking for life among, or we find ourselves 00:16:11.220 --> 00:16:15.360 looking among dead people. Maybe we're living 00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:20.590 in a dead space. But we were called to be made 00:16:20.590 --> 00:16:26.610 alive. Jesus rising from the dead, coming out 00:16:26.610 --> 00:16:29.649 of the grave, leaving the tomb empty. That is 00:16:29.649 --> 00:16:34.190 the assurance of life for us because it's the 00:16:34.190 --> 00:16:38.230 ultimate promise kept. And I don't know about 00:16:38.230 --> 00:16:40.409 you, but when people keep their promises and 00:16:40.409 --> 00:16:42.750 over time they keep keeping their promises, they 00:16:42.750 --> 00:16:45.960 build equity with me. Maybe you've heard somebody 00:16:45.960 --> 00:16:48.659 say, hey, haven't I earned the benefit of the 00:16:48.659 --> 00:16:52.220 doubt? And if you're like me, some people would 00:16:52.220 --> 00:16:54.419 look at me and be like, no, you haven't, because 00:16:54.419 --> 00:16:59.379 you flake. But for Jesus, for God, he has never 00:16:59.379 --> 00:17:03.019 flaked. He's earned the benefit of the doubt. 00:17:04.460 --> 00:17:07.759 And he offers not just life, but a better life. 00:17:07.980 --> 00:17:11.720 He offers full, abundant, eternal life, a life 00:17:11.720 --> 00:17:14.319 that is different from the world. It is the Jesus 00:17:14.319 --> 00:17:16.980 way, the way that looks brand new, the way that 00:17:16.980 --> 00:17:20.079 is distinctly recognizable. That's the life that 00:17:20.079 --> 00:17:22.380 he offers. As one writer put it, the resurrection 00:17:22.380 --> 00:17:25.220 is not the reversal of a defeat, but the unveiling 00:17:25.220 --> 00:17:27.660 of a victory. When victory happens, you get the 00:17:27.660 --> 00:17:31.309 gold medal. You get the nice jacket. My brain 00:17:31.309 --> 00:17:33.529 goes to NFL Hall of Famers and they get the gold 00:17:33.529 --> 00:17:35.750 jacket. And I got to tell you, if I was an NFL 00:17:35.750 --> 00:17:37.430 Hall of Famer and I had a gold jacket, I'd wear 00:17:37.430 --> 00:17:39.970 that thing everywhere. Because I would want people 00:17:39.970 --> 00:17:43.269 to know exactly who I am. I'd go to Walmart and 00:17:43.269 --> 00:17:45.049 before I get out of the car, throw the jacket 00:17:45.049 --> 00:17:49.450 on. Just so people know. That's the life Jesus 00:17:49.450 --> 00:17:51.390 offers. He offers a life that when people see 00:17:51.390 --> 00:17:55.009 it, they recognize exactly who you are. It's 00:17:55.009 --> 00:17:57.150 a life that if you go out in the community, they 00:17:57.150 --> 00:17:59.369 know the type of person you are. They know the 00:17:59.369 --> 00:18:02.450 person that you say you serve. And you don't 00:18:02.450 --> 00:18:04.609 just say you serve it. You live like you serve 00:18:04.609 --> 00:18:07.789 him. They know your savior. They know your king. 00:18:08.009 --> 00:18:11.789 They know the life that you have. Because you 00:18:11.789 --> 00:18:15.289 don't look like dead people. Dead people look 00:18:15.289 --> 00:18:18.849 like skeletons. They maybe have like rags on 00:18:18.849 --> 00:18:21.569 them. There used to be a movie on Disney Channel 00:18:21.569 --> 00:18:23.829 called Unwrapped. Anybody ever watch that one? 00:18:24.549 --> 00:18:26.890 Under wraps, under wraps. It was like the mummy 00:18:26.890 --> 00:18:28.849 came to life and everything was really scary. 00:18:30.089 --> 00:18:32.089 But he just like walked around and you could 00:18:32.089 --> 00:18:33.930 tell, like you're like, that's a dead person. 00:18:34.069 --> 00:18:36.430 That is a mummy. That's not a living person. 00:18:36.990 --> 00:18:39.549 And for us, we understand, like if you're in 00:18:39.549 --> 00:18:41.930 Christ, you know that those outside of Christ 00:18:41.930 --> 00:18:44.619 are currently dead. that they don't have the 00:18:44.619 --> 00:18:47.299 connection to the giver of life being God. And 00:18:47.299 --> 00:18:50.039 so you look differently than the dead person. 00:18:50.099 --> 00:18:52.140 You don't have the bandages and the wraps on 00:18:52.140 --> 00:18:54.819 you. You look like somebody who's alive. You've 00:18:54.819 --> 00:18:57.799 got the gold jacket on. You should be recognizable. 00:18:59.279 --> 00:19:01.299 And so what does all of this mean for us? Because 00:19:01.299 --> 00:19:03.440 we've got to have a point, right? The first thing 00:19:03.440 --> 00:19:06.160 I want you to hear is we don't just admire the 00:19:06.160 --> 00:19:09.450 resurrection. I got to say this, and it shouldn't 00:19:09.450 --> 00:19:11.809 be like a stepping on toes thing. I'm glad people 00:19:11.809 --> 00:19:14.509 are going to church. But this morning, right 00:19:14.509 --> 00:19:17.089 now, there are a lot of people sitting in pews, 00:19:17.089 --> 00:19:18.710 sitting in seats. There may be someone in this 00:19:18.710 --> 00:19:21.230 room right now sitting in the seat to admire 00:19:21.230 --> 00:19:25.509 the resurrection. They're admiring this thing, 00:19:25.650 --> 00:19:29.509 this story, this concept. But this isn't just 00:19:29.509 --> 00:19:32.470 a concept that we look at. It is the way we should 00:19:32.470 --> 00:19:34.509 live. It's the life that we're supposed to be 00:19:34.509 --> 00:19:37.230 living in. It's not just something that, you 00:19:37.230 --> 00:19:39.250 know, you've got the inspirational quotes that 00:19:39.250 --> 00:19:41.109 you put on your wall, maybe in the classroom. 00:19:41.230 --> 00:19:44.349 We've got the things, the golden rules and all 00:19:44.349 --> 00:19:46.690 that stuff. It's not those things that we look 00:19:46.690 --> 00:19:49.460 at and we're like, that's a cool quote. It's 00:19:49.460 --> 00:19:51.880 not like a, that's a cool teaching and yeah, 00:19:51.940 --> 00:19:54.440 that's really respectable that you follow that 00:19:54.440 --> 00:19:56.700 teaching. That's not what we're talking about. 00:19:56.779 --> 00:19:59.539 We're talking about a new way of living. The 00:19:59.539 --> 00:20:02.279 Jesus way is not something that we just believe. 00:20:02.380 --> 00:20:06.640 It's something we live. Jesus is alive. And if 00:20:06.640 --> 00:20:09.259 Jesus is alive, then we should be living like 00:20:09.259 --> 00:20:12.099 we're alive too. But unfortunately, so many of 00:20:12.099 --> 00:20:15.140 us are living under wraps. So many of us are 00:20:15.140 --> 00:20:18.339 living in the tomb. And what I want you to hear 00:20:18.339 --> 00:20:21.160 is the same thing that Jesus said to Lazarus, 00:20:21.220 --> 00:20:27.549 get up and come out of that grave. Get up. For 00:20:27.549 --> 00:20:29.769 the Christian, for the one in Christ who has 00:20:29.769 --> 00:20:31.910 been redeemed, who's had their life changed, 00:20:32.049 --> 00:20:34.269 at least hopefully you have had your life changed. 00:20:34.410 --> 00:20:37.390 We should be out of the grave. I think too many 00:20:37.390 --> 00:20:39.390 of us, and this is why I love baptism, too many 00:20:39.390 --> 00:20:41.890 of us, we go under the water and it seems like 00:20:41.890 --> 00:20:44.289 we went under the water and the old flesh started 00:20:44.289 --> 00:20:46.150 to separate, but we carried them back up with 00:20:46.150 --> 00:20:48.170 us. And that is not how we were supposed to live. 00:20:48.269 --> 00:20:50.309 When we go under the water, we leave the dead 00:20:50.309 --> 00:20:54.309 body there. And we come back as something new. 00:20:55.180 --> 00:20:58.859 So we don't just admire this raised living. We 00:20:58.859 --> 00:21:04.799 live it. Yeah, we still face hardship. We still 00:21:04.799 --> 00:21:07.700 face death. We still face danger. We still face 00:21:07.700 --> 00:21:11.319 uncertainty, insecurity, but we cannot let that 00:21:11.319 --> 00:21:16.539 keep us in the grave. This past week, I was speaking 00:21:16.539 --> 00:21:19.740 at a Christian school in Montgomery, and my topic 00:21:19.740 --> 00:21:23.089 was confidence in Christ. And I told the story 00:21:23.089 --> 00:21:26.849 about Michael Phelps in the 2008 Olympics. Michael 00:21:26.849 --> 00:21:30.890 Phelps was doing his 200 -meter butterfly. And 00:21:30.890 --> 00:21:33.109 as he's swimming, he gets about halfway through, 00:21:33.170 --> 00:21:35.930 his goggles started to fill up with water. And 00:21:35.930 --> 00:21:38.230 if you've ever swam with water in your goggles, 00:21:38.470 --> 00:21:40.829 you know that that's a very uncomfortable thing 00:21:40.829 --> 00:21:44.450 to do. And for most people, at least I would, 00:21:44.630 --> 00:21:47.049 I would just throw my hands up and quit. Like, 00:21:47.049 --> 00:21:49.200 I can't keep going. I can't see anything. How 00:21:49.200 --> 00:21:51.019 am I going to swim if I can't see? Well, Michael 00:21:51.019 --> 00:21:52.900 Phelps doesn't stop swimming. He doesn't skip 00:21:52.900 --> 00:21:55.839 a beat. He keeps on swimming and he gets to the 00:21:55.839 --> 00:21:57.819 end and guess what happens? He wins the gold. 00:21:58.940 --> 00:22:01.500 Yeah, life's going to be uncertain. It's going 00:22:01.500 --> 00:22:04.059 to be uncomfortable. It may even be dark sometimes 00:22:04.059 --> 00:22:06.359 and we don't know what's in front of us, but 00:22:06.359 --> 00:22:09.579 we have to keep going because we know that on 00:22:09.579 --> 00:22:13.980 the other side of this dark period is gold. It's 00:22:13.980 --> 00:22:19.079 life. And so, yeah, it may be hard. But because 00:22:19.079 --> 00:22:21.619 of the confidence we have in the Savior who defeated 00:22:21.619 --> 00:22:26.299 death, we keep living. And the next thing I want 00:22:26.299 --> 00:22:29.819 us to know is resurrection power isn't just a 00:22:29.819 --> 00:22:35.799 concept. The power of a resurrected Savior, the 00:22:35.799 --> 00:22:39.960 power of a God who has come to this earth, lived, 00:22:40.079 --> 00:22:42.660 died, and then got out of the grave, defeated 00:22:42.660 --> 00:22:47.000 death. That power that Jesus has given to us 00:22:47.000 --> 00:22:50.339 is not a concept. It is a real life changing 00:22:50.339 --> 00:22:53.119 truth. It should reshape everything about us, 00:22:53.140 --> 00:22:56.440 the way we think, the way we speak, the way we 00:22:56.440 --> 00:22:59.079 live, the way we respond to the world around 00:22:59.079 --> 00:23:05.140 us. That power is real. And maybe for you, that 00:23:05.140 --> 00:23:07.000 means forgiving someone you've been holding on 00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:09.180 to bitterness toward. Maybe for you, it's forgiving 00:23:09.180 --> 00:23:11.710 yourself. for the way that you've lived or the 00:23:11.710 --> 00:23:13.490 things that you've done or the things you haven't 00:23:13.490 --> 00:23:16.930 done. Maybe it's stepping into obedience in an 00:23:16.930 --> 00:23:18.970 area that you have been very resistant to God 00:23:18.970 --> 00:23:22.670 in. Maybe it's trusting and taking a step in 00:23:22.670 --> 00:23:25.170 faith because you have been holding back and 00:23:25.170 --> 00:23:27.470 you just haven't been able to step forward, but 00:23:27.470 --> 00:23:31.069 you hear this idea of the risen Savior and it's 00:23:31.069 --> 00:23:33.329 challenging you. And if it's challenging you, 00:23:33.349 --> 00:23:36.789 let me tell you, take the challenge. Let it go. 00:23:37.049 --> 00:23:41.680 Go with it. Maybe it's encouraging somebody who's 00:23:41.680 --> 00:23:43.779 barely holding on. I don't know what the next 00:23:43.779 --> 00:23:45.980 step for you is, but I know there's a next step 00:23:45.980 --> 00:23:50.160 because there always is. And I also know that 00:23:50.160 --> 00:23:53.500 if Jesus walked out of the grave, if Jesus was 00:23:53.500 --> 00:23:56.579 able to come back to life, then whatever he calls 00:23:56.579 --> 00:23:59.920 you into, you can trust him. Because if he's 00:23:59.920 --> 00:24:02.859 got that kind of power over death, he has power 00:24:02.859 --> 00:24:09.019 over your life. And it may cost you. It may even 00:24:09.019 --> 00:24:12.839 hurt. It may be difficult. It may make you have 00:24:12.839 --> 00:24:15.359 to change a lot of things about yourself. It 00:24:15.359 --> 00:24:17.559 may make you go to places that you didn't want 00:24:17.559 --> 00:24:19.519 to go. It may make you leave places that you 00:24:19.519 --> 00:24:22.940 don't want to leave. But I promise you, it is 00:24:22.940 --> 00:24:25.500 worth it. And I also promise you that it won't 00:24:25.500 --> 00:24:28.559 defeat you. Because in this world, though pain 00:24:28.559 --> 00:24:33.019 may be real, it may feel like it is everything. 00:24:33.180 --> 00:24:36.750 Pain is only temporary. Death is only temporary. 00:24:36.829 --> 00:24:40.009 Again, we serve a God who got up from the great. 00:24:40.430 --> 00:24:43.730 And if he can do it, we can too because of him. 00:24:44.170 --> 00:24:46.750 And so we live like the resurrection is real. 00:24:46.890 --> 00:24:50.230 We live like the resurrection has power in our 00:24:50.230 --> 00:24:53.390 lives. And so this morning, I want to speak really 00:24:53.390 --> 00:24:56.410 quickly directly to anyone here who has never 00:24:56.410 --> 00:25:00.210 placed their trust in Jesus. Maybe... This is 00:25:00.210 --> 00:25:03.450 all new to you. Maybe you've heard these stories, 00:25:03.490 --> 00:25:06.009 and you grew up hearing about Easter, and you 00:25:06.009 --> 00:25:08.170 grew up hearing about Jesus, and maybe you even 00:25:08.170 --> 00:25:10.829 grew up in a Christian home, but you never placed 00:25:10.829 --> 00:25:14.970 your life in Jesus' hands. Maybe you've never 00:25:14.970 --> 00:25:18.890 given your life up so that he can redeem it. 00:25:19.549 --> 00:25:22.769 I want to tell you straight up this morning that 00:25:22.769 --> 00:25:26.180 this isn't just any old story. This isn't just 00:25:26.180 --> 00:25:29.920 some fairy tale that we gather over and you talk 00:25:29.920 --> 00:25:32.220 about like the good old days of high school football, 00:25:32.460 --> 00:25:34.519 like you make yourself sound like you were better 00:25:34.519 --> 00:25:37.900 than you were. No, this is real. This is true 00:25:37.900 --> 00:25:41.059 story. It is actually very historically proven. 00:25:41.220 --> 00:25:45.099 It's scientifically verifiable. And so what I 00:25:45.099 --> 00:25:47.380 want you to hear and I want to challenge you 00:25:47.380 --> 00:25:50.619 is to understand and to believe, to have faith 00:25:50.619 --> 00:25:54.799 in that this is a promise fulfilled. And it's 00:25:54.799 --> 00:25:58.559 an invitation to step into life because Jesus 00:25:58.559 --> 00:26:02.319 didn't rise just to prove something. He didn't 00:26:02.319 --> 00:26:05.460 get out of the grave just to make something cool 00:26:05.460 --> 00:26:07.539 happen. Like this isn't Houdini breaking out 00:26:07.539 --> 00:26:10.460 of the water. Like this is Jesus, the son of 00:26:10.460 --> 00:26:13.420 God, came to earth, rising from the grave to 00:26:13.420 --> 00:26:19.220 secure something for us. He came and rose to 00:26:19.220 --> 00:26:23.900 secure new life. He rose to secure forgiveness, 00:26:24.140 --> 00:26:28.420 to secure a promised relationship, a restored 00:26:28.420 --> 00:26:33.339 relationship with God. And in order to receive 00:26:33.339 --> 00:26:36.400 what he has secured for us, we have to give up 00:26:36.400 --> 00:26:39.859 something of ourselves. We have to give up the 00:26:39.859 --> 00:26:42.039 life that we're holding on to. We have to give 00:26:42.039 --> 00:26:44.680 up to the life that this world has sold us. See, 00:26:44.779 --> 00:26:47.180 when I say give your life to Jesus, what I mean 00:26:47.180 --> 00:26:50.569 is trusting in him. following him and surrendering 00:26:50.569 --> 00:26:53.690 your life, the control of your life to living 00:26:53.690 --> 00:26:57.109 in the way of Jesus. And that begins with faith. 00:26:57.529 --> 00:27:00.990 Just like the man on the cross next to Jesus. 00:27:01.910 --> 00:27:07.069 And that faith leads to the promise. And that's 00:27:07.069 --> 00:27:11.549 why baptism is so powerful. Because in baptism, 00:27:11.690 --> 00:27:14.670 we go under the water. And in that water, we 00:27:14.670 --> 00:27:18.660 die to our old life. We leave that body, that 00:27:18.660 --> 00:27:21.339 life in the grave. We don't bring it back with 00:27:21.339 --> 00:27:24.619 us. We come out of the water and we are resurrected 00:27:24.619 --> 00:27:29.059 just like our Jesus. We are raised to a new life 00:27:29.059 --> 00:27:32.380 in Christ. A life that looks different. A life 00:27:32.380 --> 00:27:35.039 that should feel different. A life that lives 00:27:35.039 --> 00:27:38.079 different. And a life that spreads light to others. 00:27:38.660 --> 00:27:41.480 And I believe that with everything in me. Because 00:27:41.480 --> 00:27:43.640 I've experienced it. I've seen it in others. 00:27:43.700 --> 00:27:45.400 And I would go as far as to say I'm sure there's 00:27:45.400 --> 00:27:49.039 about a... 55, 70, maybe even more people in 00:27:49.039 --> 00:27:51.279 this room who would say the same thing, that 00:27:51.279 --> 00:27:54.420 it is the life that Christ has provided that 00:27:54.420 --> 00:27:58.440 has changed them. You can be raised from the 00:27:58.440 --> 00:28:02.359 dead. Every one of us can be raised from the 00:28:02.359 --> 00:28:05.380 dead. And if you are in Christ, you will be raised 00:28:05.380 --> 00:28:08.700 from a physical death one day. And that is good 00:28:08.700 --> 00:28:12.029 news. The good news that we can go from guilty 00:28:12.029 --> 00:28:15.450 to forgiven. The good news of knowing that we 00:28:15.450 --> 00:28:17.829 can go from feeling hopeless to knowing that 00:28:17.829 --> 00:28:20.890 we can accomplish, that we can fulfill the calling 00:28:20.890 --> 00:28:25.430 that was set for our lives. And so if something 00:28:25.430 --> 00:28:28.630 is stirring in you right now, if there's a feeling 00:28:28.630 --> 00:28:32.170 in you, like maybe you're considering something 00:28:32.170 --> 00:28:35.509 or you don't know what the feeling is, well, 00:28:35.589 --> 00:28:37.430 I'm going to ask you to not ignore that feeling. 00:28:38.509 --> 00:28:41.910 If there is a stirring, do not ignore that. Because 00:28:41.910 --> 00:28:44.710 that could just be God drawing you in. That could 00:28:44.710 --> 00:28:48.210 be Jesus calling you to get that new life that 00:28:48.210 --> 00:28:50.809 he's promised, that he came to secure. And for 00:28:50.809 --> 00:28:53.049 those of us that would say, well, I already believe, 00:28:53.170 --> 00:28:54.990 I've already been baptized, I already follow 00:28:54.990 --> 00:28:58.170 Jesus. If we sit in that boat, I want to ask 00:28:58.170 --> 00:29:02.150 you a question. Are you actually living the resurrected 00:29:02.150 --> 00:29:08.779 life? Or are you still holding on? Are you still 00:29:08.779 --> 00:29:11.960 holding on to the old self, to the old life, 00:29:12.140 --> 00:29:15.980 to the old passions, to the old desires? Are 00:29:15.980 --> 00:29:17.839 you still holding on to the same selfishness? 00:29:19.299 --> 00:29:22.599 Are you still holding on to the same greed, to 00:29:22.599 --> 00:29:25.500 the same lust, to the same addictions? Are you 00:29:25.500 --> 00:29:28.599 still holding on to the old life or are you living 00:29:28.599 --> 00:29:33.339 a new life? As it says on the screen, are you 00:29:33.339 --> 00:29:36.960 living the resurrected life? Or are you still 00:29:36.960 --> 00:29:41.680 living among the dead? I don't want to live among 00:29:41.680 --> 00:29:43.900 dead bodies. I'm just going to be honest. Like, 00:29:43.920 --> 00:29:46.880 that sounds terrifying. Does anybody live near 00:29:46.880 --> 00:29:49.240 a, like a, what are they called? Cemeteries. 00:29:49.259 --> 00:29:52.000 Anybody live near a cemetery? Okay. Does that 00:29:52.000 --> 00:29:56.420 creep you out? No? Oh, yes. Yeah. It's creepy. 00:29:56.640 --> 00:30:00.019 Well, we got one that says yes. My house growing 00:30:00.019 --> 00:30:02.400 up was like a block away from a cemetery, and 00:30:02.400 --> 00:30:03.980 I always thought that was the creepiest thing. 00:30:05.000 --> 00:30:08.400 I don't want to live among dead people. And likewise, 00:30:08.539 --> 00:30:13.099 if I have the ability to live a good living life, 00:30:13.160 --> 00:30:16.420 like abundant life, I don't want to live a life 00:30:16.420 --> 00:30:19.359 that stays in the bed all day. I don't want to 00:30:19.359 --> 00:30:22.000 live a life that sits on the sidelines. Maybe 00:30:22.000 --> 00:30:24.119 you played sports or maybe you were in theater 00:30:24.119 --> 00:30:27.119 and you got cast as the understudy, but you wanted 00:30:27.119 --> 00:30:30.279 to be the main character. You wanted to have 00:30:30.279 --> 00:30:33.450 the leading role. Well, in the life that Jesus 00:30:33.450 --> 00:30:36.009 has called us to, there are no understudies. 00:30:36.049 --> 00:30:39.809 You can be in the play too. You can be a part 00:30:39.809 --> 00:30:42.869 of the act. You don't have to sit on the sidelines. 00:30:43.710 --> 00:30:46.490 And what I mean by that is we don't have to live 00:30:46.490 --> 00:30:50.369 in the tomb. Just like Jesus lives outside of 00:30:50.369 --> 00:30:54.269 the tomb, we too can as well. So if there's a 00:30:54.269 --> 00:30:57.069 stirring in you or you're questioning, have I 00:30:57.069 --> 00:31:01.079 been living the resurrected life? I want to offer 00:31:01.079 --> 00:31:03.180 an invitation to you this morning because there 00:31:03.180 --> 00:31:06.400 is power in giving your life, surrendering your 00:31:06.400 --> 00:31:10.160 life to Jesus. There's power, as the song says, 00:31:10.220 --> 00:31:14.200 there's power in the blood. Power. There's power 00:31:14.200 --> 00:31:18.359 in the blood. There's power in the risen Savior. 00:31:18.779 --> 00:31:21.359 And that power isn't just a concept. It is the 00:31:21.359 --> 00:31:26.559 marker of our life. So this morning, if you are 00:31:26.559 --> 00:31:30.029 struggling, if you're questioning, If you don't 00:31:30.029 --> 00:31:32.769 know where you're at, if you're confused, wherever 00:31:32.769 --> 00:31:36.990 your life has you today, no matter how broken 00:31:36.990 --> 00:31:41.150 you may feel, no matter how lost you may feel, 00:31:41.250 --> 00:31:45.269 I want you to be able to trust and know that 00:31:45.269 --> 00:31:49.529 there is hope for a new life for you. And so, 00:31:49.549 --> 00:31:53.289 if you need prayer, if you need conversation, 00:31:53.630 --> 00:31:56.589 if you just need support, and if you are ready 00:31:56.589 --> 00:31:59.799 to give your life to Jesus, We want to offer 00:31:59.799 --> 00:32:01.400 you the invitation, and I want to give you this 00:32:01.400 --> 00:32:05.099 one last thing. I want you to just imagine what 00:32:05.099 --> 00:32:07.039 it would be like if you could take communion 00:32:07.039 --> 00:32:11.099 today for the very first time as a new creation. 00:32:12.059 --> 00:32:13.740 Because there are people in this room, I know 00:32:13.740 --> 00:32:15.759 you're in here. There are people in this room 00:32:15.759 --> 00:32:18.359 who have not given their life to Jesus yet, who've 00:32:18.359 --> 00:32:22.880 not had their life resurrected. Well, I want 00:32:22.880 --> 00:32:25.160 you to think about, as we get ready to take the 00:32:25.160 --> 00:32:28.700 Lord's Supper soon, you could take it. as a new 00:32:28.700 --> 00:32:32.720 creation this morning. Whatever the Spirit is 00:32:32.720 --> 00:32:35.779 stirring up in you, I want you to listen to it. 00:32:36.200 --> 00:32:38.819 And if you need to respond, please do now as 00:32:38.819 --> 00:32:39.960 we stand and as we sing.