Good morning. He is risen. Amen. I want to welcome
all of you here this morning for our Easter Resurrection
Sunday service. Those of you joining us online,
I want to welcome all of you as well because
we are here today to celebrate the most important
event in all of history from the very beginning
of time, and that is the resurrection of Jesus
Christ. And that is exactly what we're celebrating,
the fact that our Lord and Savior came back to
life. You know, this past week, we have looked
at so many elements of what the Bible tells us
is the Holy Week. Last week, we started with
the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and
looked at how that was his public proclamation,
that he was indeed the long -awaited Messiah,
the King of Kings, the one who had been... looked
forward to for generations, the King, the Messiah,
the Savior, and that initial excitement by all
the people on that triumphal entry as they cried
out, Hosanna is the King, Hosanna in the highest,
blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
We read how that quickly soured as the week went
on, and as we got to the end of the week, those
shouts turned into crucify him. Give us the murderer
instead of the innocent man. Crucify him. And
we talked about some of that on Friday night.
But the reason the people turned against him
so quickly during this week was because he didn't
come to overthrow Rome, which was their hope,
their expectations. The people's need, our need
today, was not the change of our outward... circumstances,
it was the change of our internal circumstances.
The change of a hopelessly corrupted heart and
a nature bent on rebellion against God. Ultimately,
the human race's denial of his kingship over
the hearts and minds of humanity. That is what
needed to change. And so he came. But because
he came to give the people what they needed instead
of what they wanted, he was given over to be
crucified on the cross, where he died, paying
the price for your sin, paying the price for
my sin, paying a price we could never pay on
our own, no matter how hard we tried or how long
we had to try. We could not pay that price. And
so he died on that cross on this place called
Golgotha, and his death on the cross Paying our
price for sin won us a victory we could never
possibly win on our own. It won us a victory
over the power of sin, which became powerless
to rule over us from that point forward for those
who put faith in Jesus Christ. We gained victory
over the penalty that was due to us for sin,
paid by his shed blood. Paul the Apostle said
this in Colossians 2, verse 14. Speaking of Jesus,
he says he erased the certificate of debt. with
its obligations that was against us and opposed
to us. And he has taken it away by nailing it
to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities
and disgraced them publicly. He triumphed over
them in him. And it was that serpent of old,
the devil, the one who originally tempted Eve,
where she ate and gave to her husband, who also
ate, leading to the fall of man. All of that
was dealt with, just as was prophesied in the
very beginning. As Jesus' death on the cross
crushed the head of Satan. And after being crucified,
the body of Jesus was placed into the tomb of
Joseph of Arimathea. Placed into this not yet
used tomb carved out of the rock near Calvary.
A tomb. We've talked a lot about that this morning
and Friday. A grave. A cave, if you will. A cave
of darkness. A place. That represented isolation.
A place that represented separation and fear
and shame. A place of death. A place of the end.
A place that when we think of them, we figure
life is over. It is done. Places like this also
represent our condition outside of Christ. The
condition of humanity from birth. One, of being
isolated from God because of our sin. One of
looking forward to an eternity isolated from
God because of our sin. Once our body dies, secondly,
our soul would die being completely separated
from him. The curse of sin was dealt with by
Jesus. The curse of sin that placed us in spiritual
death row was dealt with by Jesus. Jesus died
on that cross and then was put into that dark
tomb, that grave, to set us free. He was placed
in that tomb to unshackle us from the power of
sin and death. But that is not all. For three
days later, after dying on the cross, after laying
in that tomb, he got up and he walked out. Because
death had been defeated forever. You can clap
for that. Absolutely. His empty tomb loudly proclaims
the truth that through Jesus Christ and through
faith in him, you and I too can walk out of the
grave of death. We can walk out of those shackles.
We could walk into the light, set free from the
power of that which condemned us. That is what
we celebrate here today, Easter Sunday morning.
But first, we're gonna spend some time worshiping
him with our dear friend, Dennis Agajanian, who
is here with us this morning. And his friend,
Lonnie, who... I was told they've been singing
together for 30 plus years, and so we're very
excited to have them here with us to celebrate
everything that this morning is. But first, if
you will all join me in prayer. Father God, we're
so grateful to you. We're so grateful, Lord,
that from the very beginning you had a plan to
redeem us from sin. Lord, as you knew that mankind
would disobey you, and that because of that,
death would enter the world, forever separating
us from you, Lord. It may have looked like forever
for us, but it wasn't forever for you. God, you
came to this earth, clothed yourself in flesh.
Father, you sent your son into this world to
live a perfect life and then to die the death
we deserve. But Lord, that death was the perfect
atonement for all of our sin. A perfectly acceptable
sacrifice to you, God, for everything wrong we
have ever done, will ever do. Lord, it was all
paid by you. Then, Lord, you went into that grave,
and Lord, for most of your disciples, the women
that were following you, that was the end. Lord,
that was the end, because even though they had
seen Lazarus raised from the dead, the one who
raised him was now dead. And Lord, what was possible
then? They thought it was over, Lord, but God,
three days later, you proved that it was not
the end. You proved that death could not hold
you. And Lord, as much as we think of tombs and
all that they represent, Lord, your empty tomb
shouts truths that are glorious to behold, truths
that change everything, God. And we're so excited
to look at those today and to celebrate you,
to lift your name up. So God, be glorified in
this place. Be glorified in our lives. We love
you so much. It is in Jesus' name we pray, amen.
You know, the day Christ died was the first half
of the most important event in all of history.
Matthew says that when Jesus was dying on the
cross, at noon in the very middle of the day,
darkness covered the land for three days. A darkness
that represented the sin that he was becoming
for us. And when Jesus died, we're told that
the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom.
The veil that separated humanity from the presence
of God. A veil that was only Penetratable by
one man, the high priest, once a year. But God
himself tore that veil because when Jesus died,
access to God was available to all people at
all times. It tells us that the ground began
to shake with an earthquake. But something much
greater than these events was happening. Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, was reconciling man to
God. His was the final sacrifice. once and for
all to take away the sin of the world. John said
in his gospel in chapter three, verse 16, for
God loves the world in this way. He gave his
one and only son so that everyone who believes
in him will not perish, but have eternal life.
You see, if Jesus had not died, there would be
no way for us to be forgiven. There would be
no way for us to be redeemed and saved. But how
do we know this? Well, the empty tomb of Jesus
shouts those answers loud and clear. If you have
your Bible with you or your app or your tablet
or whatever device you're using, we're going
to be in Luke chapter 24. And it says this in
Luke 24 starting in verse 1. On the first day
of the week, very early in the morning, they
came to the tomb, bringing the spices that they
had prepared. They found the stone rolled away
from the tomb. They went in but did not find
the body of the Lord Jesus. You see the... The
they that came to the tomb was a group of women
that had been traveling with Jesus all the way
from Galilee down here into Jerusalem over the
course of his ministry. There was a number of
women that followed Jesus, whom Jesus healed,
set free, did miracles in their lives. And when
he was crucified at the very end of the previous
chapter, Luke 23, it tells us that these women,
quote, observed the tomb and how his body was
placed inside. What that means is they watched
him be buried. They watched his body placed within
that tomb. They observed eyewitnesses to him
being put behind that stone, sealed away. And
for all of their lives, every time they had witnessed
something like this, the person behind that rock
stayed forever behind that rock, dead forevermore.
And so it says they went to prepare spices and
perfumes for him after the Sabbath. So after
the Sabbath, they could come and anoint the body.
And the reason they did this was because they
expected to find the body already in decomposition.
We know this from medical science today that
after three days, the body, after the soul has
left the body, begins to decompose after three
days. And this was a normal practice in those
times, a practice of anointing to help deal with
the odors and whatnot that would come from a
decomposing body. Now, when we visit a graveside
today, many of us, if not all of us, have loved
ones that are buried in a place near enough where
every once in a while or often we go visit. When
we do that, We expect that the body will be there.
We don't go to the funeral place, the rest home,
the cemeteries, whatever they are, the mausoleums.
We don't go there and say, I wonder if their
body's going to be there. Because we're sure.
We're sure that the body's going to be there.
Especially if we saw them buried there. If it
was someone that you were present at their funeral
and you watched their body be interred. And so
when you go and visit, you know. And then you
go and you remember their life. But the mere
fact that you're standing there at a graveside,
you remember death as well. You remember the
loss. As you look around the cemetery, you are
reminded that death is going to come from everybody,
come for everybody. That every single one of
us are going to face that death one day. And
very often at times like this, whether it's at
a funeral or a graveside, we reflect on the brevity
of life. We reflect on how short it is. Right?
You look back and you realize, where did all
the time go? You're already at the end. And for
many, those dreams and those hopes and those
goals and all those things that maybe they never
got to accomplish now feel like fleeting things.
that you'll never ever get to experience. Now
although a grave and a tomb remind us of those
things, it should also remind us that the consequence
of sin is sure. It is absolute. Nobody outside
of a relationship with Jesus Christ gets away
from the consequence of sin. And the first consequence
of sin is that our physical bodies die. Everything
in creation is dying. And that is one of the
penalties that came with sin entering the world,
that our physical body, which, believe it or
not, was meant to be eternal, will face death.
And that's why we have cemeteries all over the
world. That's why we have all buried loved ones
or been to services for friends or people we
knew, because every single one of us will face
that as we get towards the end of our life. The
Bible tells us, for all have sinned. all have
come short of the glory of God. The Bible says,
for the wages of sin is death. And since all
have sinned, all will die. So these women came
to his tomb, ready with these spices, with absolute
certainty that his body would be there, coming
to do what you did when your loved ones passed
away. But they arrived and they found that this
giant stone that is rolled over the front of
the tomb was gone. It was rolled away. It wasn't
there. The tomb, the opening, it was exposed.
Well, from their expectation, that was terrible
in so many different ways. Because, of course,
the body's in there. And so all the stuff that
would come from that, they were worried. They
go in and they see that the body is not there.
There is no body. where a body should be. You
can imagine their surprise. Instead of a tomb
occupied by death, and all that it would remind
them of in regards to that, it was empty. But
not completely empty. The body may not have been
there, but the grave clothes were still there.
And the napkin, it says, the linen that was over
his head was neatly folded and placed there as
well. A tomb occupied by death says much. We've
talked about these things already. But what does
an empty tomb tell us? What does the empty tomb
of Jesus tell us? What did it tell them? Well,
naturally, they were perplexed, it says. They
were surprised, and the only plausible explanation
was a natural explanation. That if the body wasn't
in the tomb, you know, Mary Magdalene ran to
tell Peter somebody stole his body. That is the
only way she could think to explain that a body
who she had observed die on the cross, observed
being buried in this tomb could possibly be not
occupying that tomb anymore. Somebody stole the
body. Verse 4 of Luke 24 we read on. While they
were perplexed about this. Suddenly two men stood
by them in dazzling clothes. So the women were
terrified and bowed down to the ground. Why are
you looking for the living among the dead, asked
the men. He is not here, but he has risen. Remember
how he spoke to you when he was still in Galilee,
saying, it is necessary that the Son of Man be
betrayed into the hands of sinful men, be crucified,
and rise on the third day. And they remembered.
His words. Suddenly, as they're wondering what
this all means, pow, boom, bright light. We can't
see. These two men standing there, they're angels
that the other gospels tell us that had arrived
to tell them that yeah, the body you were expecting
to find, the body of the man you loved and had
followed for so many years, he's not here. But
I love how the angels said it. They didn't say
it's. not here. Referring to just a lifeless
corpse. They say, he is not here. He is risen.
Just like he said he would. I find that funny
so many times, myself included. We read the word
of God. Jesus says something. God says something.
And then two seconds later, we're like, that
can't happen. And then we go back and we read
it and we say, oh, the word of God, and then
we look away. Well, I forgot already. He told
you this would happen. Look what the angel says.
He's going to be betrayed. He's going to be crucified
out of all the possible deaths that existed,
and he's going to rise on the third day. Like,
what did they not understand? Now, whether it
was their grief, Whether it was that part of
them that even though they had seen miracles
and walked with Jesus and all of this, that there
was that part of them that still was like, I
don't know if I could believe that. Either way,
it says, when the angels told them, they remembered.
And so, the gospels go on to tell us that they
run back to tell the rest of the disciples. And
I know what you're all thinking right now, right?
The most important question. What about the spices?
Did they just leave him on the ground? That doesn't
matter, okay? Let's move on from the spices.
They run back to the disciples. This empty tomb
of Jesus, instead of being a quiet, dark place
of death and despair, was now proclaiming an
amazing truth, a truth that was being proclaimed
loud and clear. And the number one thing that
this empty tomb was proclaiming to them is that
They and we don't have to be afraid of death
anymore. Everybody's afraid of death in one way
or the other because it represents the end. I
want to have a family before I die. I want to
achieve this in my life. I want to achieve this
in my business, in my career. I have so many
things I want to do, God. But death is the end
of everything. It's done. And so people are afraid
of death. Fear, just in general, it's a universal
experience of all of mankind. We all have things
we're afraid of. The young are afraid of rejection
by their peers. The old are afraid of getting
sick. There's fear of lightning, tornadoes, planes,
financial ruin, assault, cancer. If you're bored
one day, go Google how many phobias there are.
Guess how many there are. They don't know. Because
every possible thing in existence, somebody has
a phobia for it, including a phobia of phobias.
There is a scientific word for that that I did
not write down. But one of the big fears that
mankind has is death, dying, the separation.
People are afraid because some, they don't know
what happens after. Right? Is there an afterlife?
Is there not an afterlife? Do I just cease to
exist or am I going to stand before God or some
go Buddha or, you know, they have all these weird
notions and different reasons for fearing death.
For some, it's just simply the separation from
their loved ones or the idea of fading into obscurity.
For some, they fear death because simply the
idea of non -existence is just scary to them.
But the empty tomb of Jesus declares that death
isn't the end. Death isn't the finality that
we think it is. There is such thing as life after
death. You see, because the Bible tells us very
clearly we are not just physical beings. As creations
of God, we are created in his image. The Father,
Son, and the Spirit is a trinity. We are created
in the image of God. We have a body, we have
a soul, and we have a spirit. And when our physical
bodies die, Our soul lives on. Our soul lives
on because it's eternal. And all the religions
in the world have their own story of what happens
to the soul when your body dies. They all have
a story about where you go or how you get there
or what happens when you get there. Out of all
the religions in the world. And if you don't
believe me, I challenge you to go look it up.
Out of all the religions in the world and all
their stories about the afterlife and how you
get there, Christianity is the only one who has
the head of its religion, the foundation, the
purpose, the meaning of its religion, rise from
the dead. Jesus himself is alive. Muhammad didn't
rise from the dead. Confucius didn't rise from
the dead. You go down the list. No, no, that
God thing isn't true. Here's my false story about
what death and afterlife is like, and they're
still dead. But Jesus' tomb says we don't have
to fear death. It also tells us that death isn't
the end. It tells us that what he said about
death and the afterlife, it's true. He corroborated
it by his coming back to life. And some people
are like, well, just anybody could say anything
they want about anything, so where's your proof?
And I don't have time to go through the mountains
and mountains and mountains of evidence that
the resurrection of Jesus Christ truly did happen.
But Paul the apostle says that after Jesus rose
from the dead, Peter saw him, eyewitness. The
rest of the 12 apostles saw him, eyewitnesses.
And then 500 others at one single time. saw the
risen Lord. And what Paul says in that, and he
goes, and most of those people are still alive.
You can go ask them. You can go talk to them.
Then he says, James, and then the rest of the
apostles, and then Paul humbly says, and then
finally, to myself. It's not just some story.
There were hundreds of eyewitness accounts. In
any court of law in the world today, if you had
500 eyewitnesses to corroborate your story, that
would be considered overwhelming evidence. And
that's just one, like I said, in the mountains
of things. What else does the empty tomb say
to us? The empty tomb says that the sacrifice
of Jesus Christ on the cross, where he laid down
his life, it was acceptable to God the Father.
You see, there was nothing we could offer to
pay the price for our sins because we're corrupt.
But the fact that Jesus rose from the dead means
the sacrifice was enough to pay for all sin ever.
And his coming back from the dead is a proof
that God says, I accept that. I accept that on
your behalf. I accept that for your sin. Him
coming back to life and that tomb being empty
says that he defeated death. And he defeated
that which births death, sin. How do we know
that? Because it couldn't hold him. It has no
hold on him. Again, how many of us have ever
visited a graveside and, oh, they weren't there
anymore? Now, some of us are going to be, you
know, splitting hairs. Well, yeah, it happened
once. Yeah, because they moved the casket. Okay,
I get it. But alive? Walking? No. Death still
holds all who have died. Even Lazarus, he was
raised from the dead, but guess what? He one
day died again. Jesus is the only one who's alive
today. It says that he's the one who knows the
way out of the dark cave, the grave of hopelessness.
You see, Jesus not only came back to life, but
he walked out. Oh, and by the way, he left the
grave closed there just so there would be no
misunderstanding. Jesus said, I am the way, the
truth, and the life. Nobody comes to the Father
but through me. That means that it's him and
only him. He went into the tomb for us to save
us, and then he walked out showing us the way
to new life. It's in him and through him. I read
a story about a Muslim, a young Muslim man who
came to Christianity in Africa. And his friends
asked him, why did you become a Christian? And
he said this, well, it's like this. Suppose you
were going down the road and suddenly the road
forked into two different directions and you
didn't know which way was the right way to go.
And there at the fork in the road were two men.
One was dead, one was alive. Which one would
you ask? is the right way to go. What else does
the empty tomb of Jesus tell us? Not only that
we can be forgiven, not only do we not need to
fear death, not only are we set free from that,
but it says we can live a new life now as well
as an eternal life in the future. You see, Jesus
didn't just come and pay our fine and then leave
us locked up in prison. He didn't pay the fine
and then go away. But I'm still chained in here,
Jesus. Thank you for paying the fine, but the
doors are still locked. He unlocked the doors.
He came in to lead us out of the darkness and
into marvelous light. The empty tomb tells us
all, all who would believe in him and his death
and what he did to pay for you. It tells us all
that we could start over with a spotless record,
that we could leave that old life behind, that
dead life. Yeah, it could stay in the grave.
Because if you put your faith in Jesus, that
dead life has been crucified with him. 2 Corinthians
5 .27, Paul says, therefore, if anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed
away, and see, the new has come. And you might
say, well, new what? Well, a new heart, a new
born -again spirit, a new way of thinking, a
new way of doing things. How many of us in this
room this morning and watching online, you would
love to start your life over and maybe leave
some things out this time? Anybody? You could
think of a handful of things, maybe an encyclopedia
set of things you would like to leave out. Well,
we can't do that. But the Bible says we can start
over in the eyes of God. that we could have that
encyclopedia set of sins and wrongs and errors
wiped clean, deleted. If Jesus can change an
immoral woman into a godly woman, if he could
change murderers into apostles, if he could change
critical, harsh, judgmental people into people
known as people of love, then he could change
you too. If Jesus can walk out of the grave,
Into a new life. He could lead you out of the
grave into a new life too. He can give you that
clean slate. He could allow you to start over.
And this time, you could start over living with
the Holy Spirit of God dwelling within you. The
Holy Spirit of God teaching you and guiding you
and leading you. And then after when you stumble,
well, this is what the Bible says. There is now
no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
What means that you get to live day by day, walking
with the spirit of God guiding you, learning,
he's molding you, he's shaping you into the good,
righteous person God knows you to be. And you
go, but God, I know I'm a sinner. And he's like,
done, paid for. But God, how do I live for you?
How do I live this new life? Follow me. Follow
me, he says. The empty tomb also tells us that
resurrection and eternal life, they're possible.
We don't have to be afraid of death. We don't
have to listen to death and do what sin tells
us to do. We don't have to worry about, you know,
did God accept the sacrifice? We don't have to
worry about, you know, can I really live a new
life? But in the future, when my body dies, am
I really going to live again? The empty tomb
says yes. Because as Jesus was resurrected, you
too will be resurrected in Christ. There's no
uncertainty anymore. There's no question about
what's going to happen when you die. Jesus rising
from the dead proves the immense power of God
himself. The immense power of God that raised
Jesus from the dead, that power can raise you
too. It proves that Jesus is who he claimed to
be. When Jesus said, I am the Son of God. And
people get all twisted and upset about that.
He's the Son. Read it right there. When it says
Jesus is the Son of God, that word Son doesn't
mean biological offspring. It means of the same
nature but different. That he is the second person
of the Trinity, the Godhead. Jesus is God himself.
Come to this earth to live a perfect life, but
tempted in every way we are. Why? So that he
could sympathize with us. He gets it. And then
he went to that cross to die for our sins. He
had none. He went into that tomb dead. Yeah.
He did it for you and me, and then he walked
out. Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the
life. He was the sinless one. He was the innocent
one. And so he was the only one that could pay
the price. The Bible says that he would never
see corruption. The Bible tells us that Jesus'
body wasn't corrupt. He came back to life before
corruption took over. And Jesus does more than
just give life. He is life. That's why death
has no power over him. When we put our faith
and our trust in him, when we trust in his death,
his burial, and his resurrection, he confers
that life to us so that we too get to share in
his victory over death. What does that mean?
When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we are
born again. We are given new life. Our spirit
is made alive and reconnected to God. We now
have the power to say no when sin says yes. We
have the power to say, I'm not going to do that.
We have the power to say, no, I am not that person
anymore. That person is dead. I'm a new creature
in Christ. I don't have to listen to you, sin.
I don't have to listen to you, devil. I don't
have to listen to you, flesh. I have a new life.
Now, if you believe the tomb is empty and you
are following Christ, you've confessed him as
your Lord and Savior, then by definition, you
have followed him out of the tomb. The empty
tomb means there's no more walking in shame and
condemnation. There's no more walking in addiction
and habits that are gonna kill you. There's no
more walking in unforgiveness and bitterness.
There's no more keeping score on how many good
things did I do today versus how many bad things,
and did I balance the scale right so God's not
mad at me? There's no more defining yourself
by your past, but instead by your future. You
know, when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead,
The very first thing he told the people to do
was take off his grave clothes. Why? Because
living people don't wear dead people's clothes.
They're stinky. Remember the spices. You don't
go around with the trappings of your old life
and death hanging off of you. You shed those
things. There may be many here today. You believe
in Jesus for your salvation, but you're still
living as if he's lying in the tomb. Still giving
in to sin and temptation and giving in to the
wrong and going, oh, I can't do anything about
it. Yes, you can. The power that created the
entire universe dwells within you, God himself.
Can you imagine months after Jesus raised Lazarus
from the dead? He's still hobbling around in
those grave clothes. Eventually somebody's going
to be like, bro, why are you still acting like
you're dead? You're alive. What did Jesus say
to the paralytic? Take up your mat and walk.
You are no longer paralyzed. But what if a month
later you walked by and you saw him lying on
his mat still? Unmoving, you'd be like, what
are you doing, bro? You're not crippled anymore.
Get up and live. You're not in the place of despair
or darkness. You're not in the place of death.
You're not in the place of change. You're free.
And here's the big question for all of us this
morning. If Jesus walked out of the grave, then
why are you still crouched in the corner? Why
are you still sitting in that dark grave as if
the door isn't wide open? Why are you still sitting
there with nothing holding you down while the
stone has been rolled away? And Jesus is out
there saying, follow me. I'll lead you to life.
But you have to follow me. You have to trust
me. Those prison doors have been flung open,
ripped off the hinges. The stone has been rolled
away, cast away as far as you can imagine. And
if you have been crucified with Christ, it is
no longer you who live, but he who lives in you.
And the life you now live, you live by faith
in the Son of God who loved you and gave himself
for you. That is your reality this morning. That
is the truth of your life this morning. Christian,
you are free. Christian, you have been set free.
Stop living in the tomb. The tomb is empty. He's
not there anymore. For he has risen. He is alive.
And he's alive in you as well. If the tomb is
empty, what it means is that the impossible is
now possible. You can walk out of the grave.
You can leave behind sin and death, all of it.
You can do it. Why? Because he did it. He led
the way. The Bible says that he was the pioneer,
the trailblazer of our faith. You can walk worthy
of the Lord in this life, fully pleasing him,
bearing fruit in every good work because he is
alive. Some of you are here this morning because,
well, it's Easter. Of course I go to church.
And I'm so glad you're here. But you don't have
a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Maybe
your spouse does. Maybe your friends do. And
maybe there's something in you that says, well,
you know, I better go to church in case God is
real. I don't want him to be mad at me. Or maybe
it's just a tradition for you to come to church
on Easter, but you've never fully got what it's
about. You've never put your faith and trust
in the God who created you and who died for you
and who rose from the grave for you. And you
are still shackled by sin. You've never acknowledged
your sin to God. You've never come before Him
and said, God, you're right. I've sinned against
you. But you've definitely experienced the result
of sin, in broken relationships, in broken promises,
in the loss of hope, in the disappointment and
the depression and the anxiety, all of that is
the fruit of sin. And you've experienced it.
And you've been living in a tomb, in a dark cave
of darkness and despair, full of guilt, shame,
regret, hopelessness. Well, guess what? Everything
we've been talking about today is for you too
if you put your faith in Jesus Christ. If you
trust in Him. You can't. You've tried. You can't.
Jesus did. And all you have to do is accept it
and you too will be set free. He died for your
sin too. He died to pay your penalty too. He
entered the tomb of your life just like he did
for everybody else. And he's telling you right
now, follow me. I've taken care of everything.
Trust in what I did. I died on the cross for
you. Believe I did that for you. Believe I am
God who shed his blood for you and you will be
wiped clean. You will be made right with your
creator. Just follow me, he says. Get up. Let's
walk out of the darkness together. Let me lead
you out into hope and peace and joy and forgiveness
and grace and mercy. Why? Because he says, I
am the way. And if you don't know me, I want
to give you life. The empty tomb of Christ says
to you this morning, you can start over. You
could start over with a new life, and it starts
with professing faith in who he is and what he
did. Let's pray. Father, we're so grateful for
your empty tomb. Lord, we know that you did all
this for us. Your word tells us that it was for
the joy set before you that you endured the cross.
But Lord, your word tells us that you didn't
just die. You came back to life, Lord. And God,
as we come to the tomb this morning, as people,
we look inside and it's empty. And Lord, we don't
have to think, did someone steal your body or
did they move the casket or any of that, Lord?
Because we know according to your word and the
testimony of so many in this room and in our
lives around us that you were alive. That you
walked out of that tomb. That the breath reentered
your lungs and you got up. Defeating death, defeating
sin, and proving to us that you are God. And
that as you came back to life, you can raise
us to life. Lord, we're so thankful for that.
But God, maybe there's some here today, Lord,
who've come to celebrate Easter. God, bless them
for that. But Lord, they don't have a saving
relationship with you. And Lord, they know it.
As I'm talking right now, they know that they
have never yielded their life to you. They have
never put faith in who you are and said, I believe
that you are God. And then I believe that you
died for my sin on the cross. That I believe
there is nothing I could do to pay my own price
and one day I will stand before God Almighty.
And without Jesus, I know I will be guilty. Lord,
they've never then pleaded the blood of Jesus
and said, please forgive me, God. I trust in
what you did for me. I trust in the death of
Jesus. And Lord, they have never experienced
the new life that comes from the one who walked
out of the grave. While we're praying, heads
bowed and eyes closed, if you were in this room
this morning and God is speaking to your heart
about your need to be born again, Your need to
be forgiven of your sins. Your need to come to
Jesus Christ and receive the new life that he
has for you because the one you're currently
living is not working. And God is knocking on
your heart right now and you hear his voice saying,
come to me, follow me. If you're watching online
and you're having the same moment where God is
speaking to you no matter where you're at watching,
I want to give you this opportunity this Easter
morning. this resurrection Sunday, to come to
Christ, to be saved, to receive the grace and
mercy, the forgiveness of your sins, and the
new life he has for you. And so while we're praying,
if you want to receive Jesus Christ into your
life this morning and be saved, I just want you
to raise your hand where you're seated. Raise
a high so I can see it. I see you on the side
as well. You on the side as well in the back.
Anybody else? I see you guys in the back as well.
God is speaking to you back on the left. I see
you as well this morning. More importantly, God
sees you. I see you on the side. Anybody else?
You want to be saved today. You want that resurrected
life because the one you're living is dead. Jesus
is here right now ready to save you. Anybody
else? Just raise your hand so I could see it.
God bless you on the side. If you're watching
online, obviously I can't see you. But if you
want to give your life to the Lord today and
receive the forgiveness that I've been talking
about, to receive the new life that Jesus has
for you, I would just like you to type into the
chat box that I am giving my life to the Lord
this morning. In a moment, I'm going to pray
with those of you that have raised your hand,
but I want to give one more moment to anybody
else. Maybe you've been hesitating for some reason.
You're not sure. God is knocking. you feel it
in the pounding of your heart, you need to be
saved today. Just raise your hand where I can
see it and let me pray with you this morning.
God bless you. Father God, we are so grateful
that your spirit is moving in this church. Father
God, we are so grateful that you died on the
cross for our sins, Lord, that those in this
room and watching online who have said yes. I'm
raising my hand. I'm typing in the chat. I'm
saying, I want to be saved. I need to be saved
today. God, we are so grateful that you died
for them. And Lord, we trust in your word and
your promises. Let's say if we believe in our
heart and confess with our mouth, we will be
saved. And so for those of you that raised your
hand while we're all still praying together,
if you've raised your hand in this room this
morning to receive Christ, or if you're watching
online and you wanna receive Jesus this morning,
I'm gonna lead you in a prayer right now, and
I just want you to pray with me out loud. It's
nothing in the particular words that are used.
This is about you meaning this from your heart.
But it's simply a prayer of confession and asking
God to come into your life. And so pray with
me. Those of you that raised your hand, you need
the Lord this morning. Say, Father God. I know
I've sinned against you. I know I am guilty.
My life has been one of death. So many things
have suffered because of my sin. In God, there
is nothing I could do about it. But I believe
this morning, that you can. I believe, God, this
morning that you can change my heart. And so,
God, I put my faith in you. I believe you came
to this earth. I believe you lived on this earth.
And I believe you died on this earth for my sin.
I believe you were buried essentially in my grave.
But Lord, this Easter morning, I believe that
you rose from the dead, walking out of that grave.
And I believe, Lord, that you can give me new
life too. Thank you for loving me so much. Thank
you for doing all of this for me. Help me to
live for you. Help me to walk in the light. Help
me to shine your glory. It is in Jesus' name
I pray. Amen. Congratulations. Those of you that
have... Put your faith in Jesus this morning.
You have entered into a relationship with the
creator of the universe, the one who created
you. He wants you to know him. He wants you to
walk with him. What does that mean? It means
a whole lot of things, but simply put, read his
word because that is how God speaks to us. Worship
him because he is worthy of the glory. Talk to
him in prayer. If you gave your life to the Lord
this morning, we have these white packets up
in the front pews or in the back as you leave
today. We call them new believer packets. And
it's a whole slew of resources to help you start
this relationship. And whether you plug in here
or another church, plug into a Bible teaching
church that is gonna teach you the word of God,
that you would know the lover of your soul more
and more each day. For the rest of us, we have
an opportunity. every day to take this message
to a lost and dying world, to tell them that
the tomb is empty, that Jesus is alive, for he
is risen. God bless you guys.