What Does Resurrection Power Mean For Me?

A beautiful song, and I hope the Easter service has already been a blessing to you. I know it has to me.

But I would like you to open the Word of God with me. If you didn't bring your own copy, that is fine. We should have one in the pew in front of you.

Someone else may grab that before you get your hands on it.

So if you would like to look on with the person next to you or use the Bible app on your phone, that is absolutely fine.

We will be looking this morning in John chapter 11. So if you would turn to John chapter 11.

John 11 · chapter mention John 11 · chapter mention

While you're turning there, I wanted to just share a couple of heartfelt thoughts about Easter with you.

Easter egg hunts are proof that your child can find things when they really want to.

Son, go bring me my keys, and they're right next to him. Where are they?

But if they're looking for eggs, they can find them anywhere.

The best Easter is one spent with your peeps.

How many of y'all actually like peeps?

Now I know why they keep making them. Okay.

How many of you had the Dr. Pepper ones?

Yeah, those are the only ones acceptable in Texas, I think.

There you go.

And then I'll just share this last one with you.

It's not meant to be an accurate portrayal of Scripture, but just take it for what it is.

What do you mean?

That wasn't you who just said good morning?

I'm not sure if that's exactly how it happened, all right?

But one can imagine.

All right, John chapter 11.

John 11 · chapter mention

Would you turn with me there?

John chapter 11.

John 11 · chapter mention

A man was sick.

Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.

Martha was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume, wiped his feet with her hair.

It was her brother Lazarus who was sick.

So the sisters sent Jesus a message.

Lord, the one who you love is sick.

So from this we realize Jesus was really close with these sisters and this brother.

They'd grown up together and they were dear friends.

So when Jesus heard it, verse 4, he said,

This sickness will not end in death, but it's for the glory of God,

so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.

Now Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus.

So when he heard that he was sick, he ran straight to them.

I was just seeing if your Bible said that.

Mine doesn't.

Y'all were paying attention.

Good for you.

No, he loved them.

So when he heard that he was sick, he stayed two more days in the place where he was.

Then after that, he said to the disciples,

Let's go to Judea again.

By the way, the last trip to Judea had not gone well.

Rabbi, the disciples told him,

Just now the Jews tried to stone you, and you're going there again?

Jesus said, Aren't there 12 hours in a day?

If anyone walks during the day, he doesn't stumble,

because he sees the light of this world.

But if anyone walks during the night, he does stumble,

because the light is not in him.

You'll notice a pattern.

Jesus talked like that sometimes.

When he was answering their clear questions,

he gave slightly less than clear answers sometimes.

But it was all leading to something that they weren't quite ready to hear yet.

So, verse 11.

He said this,

And then he told them,

Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep,

but I'm on my way to wake him up.

The disciples said to him,

Lord, if he's fallen asleep, he'll get well.

Don't you think he needs to sleep if he's sick?

They didn't realize he had died.

And Jesus knew it.

And that's what he called falling asleep.

Jesus, however, was speaking about his death,

though they thought he was speaking about natural sleep.

So, Jesus then told them plainly,

Lazarus has died.

I'm glad for you that I wasn't there,

so that you may believe.

But let's go to him.

Then Thomas, called twins, said to his fellow disciples,

Let's go too, so that we may die with him.

They don't know what's awaiting them

when they go to Judea and get to Bethany.

They don't know if the Jews are once again going to try to stone him.

They don't know if they're going to have to stand up for Jesus in his defense

and give their very lives for him.

This is a tense moment.

So what happens?

We get down to verse 17.

Then Jesus arrived,

and he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.

They had to walk, you know.

The journey took a long time.

Bethany was near Jerusalem, less than two miles away.

Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary

to comfort them about their brother.

So a lot of these Jews are there

who tried to stone Jesus last time.

And as soon as Martha heard that Jesus was coming,

she went to meet him,

but Mary remained seated in the house.

Then Mary said to Jesus,

I'm sorry, Martha said to Jesus,

Lord, if you had been here,

my brother wouldn't have died.

We've seen you heal people with sicknesses.

We know you could have intervened.

You ever ask that question?

God, if you had just intervened,

this wouldn't have happened.

Why did you choose to let this happen?

Martha is experiencing that

in the loss of her dear loved one at this moment.

So,

verse 22,

her faith comes through strong.

Yet even now,

I know that whatever you ask from God,

God will give you.

Jesus tells her,

your brother will rise again.

Now we get to look ahead

and see what happened in the story

so we know what Jesus is talking about.

But Martha doesn't know.

So she believes,

like she was taught from an early age,

that there would be a resurrection of the dead

someday far off in the future

when God would raise up those

who were his children

who had gone before.

And so she says,

I know.

I know he'll rise again

in the resurrection

in the last days.

And Jesus said to her,

you don't understand.

I am the resurrection.

He said,

I am the resurrection.

I am the life.

The one who believes in me,

even if he dies,

will live.

Everyone who lives

and believes in me

will never die.

Do you believe this?

This is a critical moment

in Martha's life.

And she says,

yes, Lord.

With as much faith

as she can muster

despite her grief

in that moment,

she says,

yes, Lord.

I believe you are the Messiah,

the promised one

that we've always been told about

who would come

and deliver us

and bring us salvation.

You are the Messiah,

the Son of God

who comes into the world.

Having said this,

she went back

and she called Mary

and she said in private,

the teacher,

Jesus,

he's here

and he's calling for you.

And as soon as Mary heard this,

she got up quickly

and went to him

and Jesus hadn't yet come

into the village,

but he was still in the place

where Martha had met him.

And the Jews who were there

with her in the house

consoling her,

saw Mary gets up quickly.

She runs out

and they follow her

supposing that she's going

to the tomb

to cry over her brother.

Well, we got to go with her.

We got to comfort her.

Verse 32,

as soon as Mary came

to where Jesus was

and saw him,

she fell at his feet

and she's so brokenhearted

and she says,

Lord,

if you'd been here,

my brother wouldn't have died.

You see their faith.

It's really strong.

Their faith is really strong.

When Jesus saw her crying

and the Jews who had come

with her crying,

he was deeply moved

in his spirit

and troubled.

Where have you put him?

He asked.

Lord,

they told him,

come and see.

Verse 35,

what does Jesus do?

He wept.

He cried.

So the Jews said,

see how he loved him.

Couldn't he,

who opened the blind man's eyes,

also have kept this man

from dying?

Remember what these people did

the last time he was around there.

So not only do they see

his display of emotion,

think if he cared so deeply

about this guy,

why didn't he keep him

from dying?

Is he really who he says he is?

I don't think so.

Verse 38,

then Jesus deeply moved again.

You know what that word

deeply moved means?

It means he was angry.

We see it twice here.

In verse 33,

Jesus sees Mary crying.

He sees the family crying

and weeping over their brother's loss.

And it says he was deeply moved.

Your Bible might say troubled.

It might even say angered

in his spirit.

That is what it's trying to tell us.

It says that Jesus was angry.

Why was he angry in this moment?

Well, you've got to go

all the way back

to the beginning of creation.

You've got to go back

to when God made the heavens

and God made the earth

and he made mankind.

And what was one of the first things

man did after God made him?

What did he do?

He sinned.

He disobeyed.

Right?

Since then,

and that's what we do too.

As soon as we get the chance,

we mess it up, don't we?

We're experts at that.

It all started way back

with Adam and Eve

and it's passed on

in every single one of us,

you and me.

We look nice.

We dressed up for Easter.

I don't usually look like this

on a Sunday morning,

but that's all right.

Neither do you, by the way.

It's Easter.

We all doll up for some reason.

By the way,

there's a family photo backdrop

back there

if you want to take advantage

of everybody looks nice for once.

But look,

we make ourselves look

as pretty as we can,

but the truth is,

you and I are on equal level.

We're all sinners.

We're all bad.

At our core,

we're not good.

We're selfish.

We're self-centered.

We're unreliable.

We're dishonest.

At our core,

that's who we are.

We try to be better.

We try to overcome that.

We try to be there

for the people we love.

And you know what we do?

We let them down.

We let ourselves down.

Jesus knows that.

That is why he was angry.

Because of the damage

that sin had done

on this world.

I can only surmise that,

but based on what he has taught us

through his word,

we can pretty,

be pretty accurate

and pretty sure

that Jesus was moved

and troubled

and angry

because this is only happening

because of sin.

These people

would not experience

this loss,

this sadness,

this sorrow,

this heartbreak

that was never meant for them

when my father and I created

this world,

created them,

and we're seeing

the awful effects

of sin.

You want to know why

the horrible things

happen in this world?

Sin.

That's why.

And it's awful.

And God hates it.

He's moved by it.

He's angry at it.

Moved enough

to make a way

to solve it.

Move enough

to give an answer.

To give a way of escape.

So,

Jesus is moved again

in verse 38

and he comes to the tomb

and it was a cave

and the stone was lying

against it.

You know,

a little rock

was up against it.

No,

it was huge.

It was huge.

It would have taken

multiple men

to move this thing.

It was huge

covering the stone entrance.

And Jesus says,

remove the stone.

How many days

had Lazarus been dead?

Four.

That body was smelling fresh,

wasn't it?

Jesus says,

remove the stone.

The dead man's sister,

Martha,

told him,

Lord,

there's already a stench

because he's been dead

four days.

Verse 40,

Jesus said to her,

didn't I tell you

that if you believed

you would see

the glory of God?

See, Martha,

you didn't even know

how big your faith was.

You said the right thing.

You had enough faith,

but you didn't realize

what you were saying.

That what God

would give me

if I asked it

could come to pass.

So they removed the stone.

Then Jesus raised his eyes

and said,

Father,

I thank you

that you heard me.

He already knew.

He already knew

what was going to happen.

I know that you always hear me,

but because of the crowd

standing here,

I'm saying this

so that they can believe

that you sent me.

And after this,

he shouted with a loud voice,

Lazarus,

come out.

And the dead man

came out.

Y'all,

this had never happened before.

Okay?

And it's never happened since.

Except for one moment.

We're going to get there

in just a minute.

Okay.

After this,

he said,

Lazarus came out,

come out.

The dead man came out,

bound hand and foot

with linen strips

and his face

wrapped in a cloth.

Somebody was talking to me

before the service

and they said,

this is a good thing

that this didn't happen in Texas

where you got a bunch of

cowboys strapped up

and they just were watching

The Walking Dead

the night before.

Don't get me started on that.

And they see

the dead guy

walking out,

bound up.

He knew the time

and the place

and the culture

to do this.

All right?

It might not have gone

that well in Texas.

I'm not going to say

who told me that

right before church.

But it was funny.

All right.

And he came out

all bound up,

head to foot,

his grave clothes

looking like a mummy,

his face wrapped in a cloth

and Jesus said,

unwrap him,

let him go,

loose him,

free this guy,

he's alive.

So,

this was a great story.

We're so happy

for this family

that lost their brother

and then Jesus stepped in

and he came back to life.

but what about

all the families

whose loved ones

didn't come back to life?

Jesus didn't raise them

from the dead.

Because Jesus

did not come here

to extend our life

on this earth.

He didn't come here

just to

pull off

the greatest miracle

that we'd ever seen,

raise a dead man back up

after four days.

I understand

there have been

medical marvels

where the heart stops

and some of you

in this room

I know have even

experienced

being pronounced dead

and then

God brings you back.

I don't think

any of you

have been out

for four days.

That was a

once in a

history moment.

So,

why did he do it?

He did it

number one

so the people

would see

that he came

from God.

But there was

a second reason.

Because he was

signifying

the main

moment

in all of history

that was coming.

And it was coming

pretty soon

after this.

It's when

once again

he would turn

death into life.

Once again

someone would die.

Once again

he would be buried

in a tomb.

The stone

would block

the door.

And once again

it would be

rolled away

at God's command.

And Jesus

would walk out.

Would you

go with me

quickly

to Matthew

28?

While you're

turning to

Matthew 28

I want to

talk to you

this morning

about

resurrection

power.

Folks,

this is a

different kind

of power

than you

have.

It's a

different kind

of power

than I

have.

I've been

going to the

gym a little

bit more

lately.

I've been

trying to

get more

powerful.

Highly mixed

results on

that.

Okay?

It's a long

slow process.

You might be

a very

powerful person

in your world.

You might

have a lot

of power

at your job.

You might

have a lot

of power

in the

community.

Or you

might be

at the

complete

opposite

end of

the

spectrum

and feel

very

powerless.

Everybody

wants to

feel powerful.

Everybody

wants to

feel like

they're in

control.

But I'm

talking about

a different

kind of

power than

you or I

could ever

access.

This is

resurrection

power.

This is

power over

life and

death.

Matthew

28.

Would you

read it

with me?

Matthew

Verse

1.

I

got to

get there

myself first.

Hang on a

minute.

There we

go.

Matthew

28.

And

verse

1.

After

the

Sabbath,

as the

first day

of the

week was

dawning,

Mary Magdalene

and the

other Mary

went to

view the

tomb.

For

context,

Jesus had

just died

on the

cross.

He had

given us

the ultimate

sacrifice to

pay for

our sin.

You heard

the testimony

from those

two young

ladies this

morning.

I believe

that Jesus

died for

my sin.

And this

is what we

had just

seen happen

in Matthew

27.

So,

first day

of the

week is

coming.

The two

Marys go

to the

tomb.

And there

was a

violent

earthquake

because the

angel of

the Lord

descended

from heaven

and approached

the tomb.

He rolled

back the

stone and

was sitting

on it when

they arrived.

His

appearance

was like

lightning.

His

clothing was

as white

as snow.

The guards

were so shaken

by fear of

him that they

became like

dead men.

Yeah,

if I saw

this happen,

I might

become like

a dead

man too.

I probably

wouldn't say,

did you say

good morning?

No,

I didn't say

it.

Who's that?

And what

happened to

that stone?

Boom,

I'm fainted,

I'm on the

ground.

The angel

told the

women,

don't be

afraid because

I know you're

looking for

Jesus who

was crucified.

He is

not here.

Let's say it

again.

Ready?

He is not

here.

He has

risen.

That's right.

Just as

he said.

Did you

forget?

Remember when

he said,

I can build

this temple

up and I

can tear it

down in three

days.

I can

build it

again.

Wasn't

talking about

the building,

he was

talking about

his body.

Then go

quickly,

the angel

tells the

Mary's,

and tell

his disciples

he's risen

from the

dead,

and indeed

he is going

ahead of you

to Galilee.

You'll see

him there.

Matthew

gives us

this incredible

account of

something that

completely

changes the

game.

You can be

reading the

whole Bible

starting in

Genesis all

the way up

through Matthew

27, and

then you get

to Matthew

28, and

it's like,

whoa, wait

a minute.

It's all

true.

He actually

did it.

I caught

the little

hints maybe

along the

way, talking

about the

resurrection and

saying he's

got to do

this, and

then he's

going to rise

again, and

he actually

did it.

That's

something that

you can't

do.

That's

something that

your power

can't

control, but

there's a

different power

here.

I want to

share this

quote with

you.

The resurrection

with God

the Father's

way of

authenticating

all the

truths that

were declared

by Jesus.

You go

back and

you look

at the

Sermon on

the Mount.

You look

at all the

things that

Jesus did,

all the

things he

said, all

of a sudden

they become

this little

word called

gospel.

All of a

sudden they

become truth.

all of a

sudden they

become something

that we have

to build our

lives around.

Why?

Because he's

God.

Because he

holds power

over life and

death and no

one else does.

Because then

everything he

said, everything

he taught has

been authenticated

because he is

who he says he

is and he did

what he said

he would do.

A couple of

thoughts before

we leave here

this morning.

Number one,

resurrection power

requires our

faith.

Resurrection power

requires our

faith.

Back in John

John 11 · chapter mention

chapter 11,

we saw it

happen.

We saw the

faith give way

to Jesus'

miracle.

And throughout

all of Jesus'

time, walking

around this

earth, healing

people, you

read through the

gospels, Matthew,

Mark, Luke,

John, you see

all these stories

of Jesus going

and healing the

sick.

And you know

what he says

almost every

time?

Your what?

Faith has

made you whole.

Your faith has

healed you.

And that's what

resurrection power

requires.

If you want to

tap in to God's

power, the power

that you don't

have, that requires

faith in him.

Resurrection power

requires faith.

Romans chapter 10

Romans 10 · chapter mention

and verse 9,

Paul wrote the

book of Romans

as a letter to

the church in

Rome and he

says this,

if you declare

with your mouth

Jesus is Lord

and believe in

your heart that

God raised him

from the dead,

there's that

resurrection power,

you will be

saved.

Why?

Why does that

save you?

We talked about

this subject a

little bit on

Wednesday night

in our worship

training, our

evangelism training,

sorry, on

worship Wednesday.

And we talked

about this.

Why does

belief that God

raised Jesus

from the dead,

why is that

what saves you?

Anybody want to

take a stab at it?

Why isn't it being a

good person?

Why isn't it going

to church every

week?

Why isn't it giving

a certain amount of

money to the church?

Why isn't it being an

upstanding member of the

community?

Why isn't all these

other things we read in

the Bible, why is it

belief that God raised

Jesus from the dead,

why is that what

saves you?

That's right.

Because that's

something we can't

do.

Only God can do

that.

So if you believe

that Jesus raised

from the dead by

God's resurrection

power and you

declare with your

mouth, Jesus is

Lord.

You know what

Lord is?

He's in control.

He's in command.

You're giving it

over.

Folks, y'all look

nice this morning.

You really do.

But look, some of

you are genuinely

good, upstanding

people and you've

tried to be that as

long as you can.

But you've never

made Jesus Lord.

You've never done

this.

You might believe

that God raised him

from the dead but

you've never humbled

yourself to say, you

know what?

I'm letting go.

I'm giving it all

up and saying, Jesus,

you are now Lord.

And because of that,

I'm so sorry to tell

you that someday

there's going to be

people gathered in

heaven.

We read about it in

the scriptures and

they stand before God

and say, Lord, Lord,

you were my Lord.

Lord, I believed in you

and his response because

he knows you never made

him Lord.

His response is going to

be, depart from me.

I never knew you.

I don't want that for you.

I don't want that for me.

I don't want that for my

family.

So our heart at this

church and God's heart

for you and for me is

the same that we would

declare with our mouth,

Jesus is Lord.

And while we are doing

that, we believe in our

heart that God raised him

from the dead.

And what happens at that

moment?

We are saved.

Saved from what?

Saved from the punishment

of sin.

Saved from the power

of sin and given this

new resurrection power.

I don't want to live

under the power of sin.

I don't know about you,

but it's hard to break.

The power of sin is

really hard to break.

But resurrection power

can break it.

Resurrection power can

break your addiction

that not even your

husband knows about.

That not even your

wife knows about.

That not even your

parents know about.

Resurrection power can

break the chains of

fear of depression that

have been holding you

back and keeping you

from being the real you.

Resurrection power can

bring light into your

darkness that you try to

keep hidden so well.

There are historical

proofs of the

resurrection and we

don't have time to get

into them all, but I can

share just a couple of

them with you today.

It requires our faith,

but God knows how weak

our faith is and so

there are historical

proofs that Jesus came

back to life.

One of them is the

accounts of so many

that came after him.

Historians, writers,

some Christian, some

non-Christian, some were

not even followers of

Jesus.

I encourage you if you'd

ever like to, and I can

point you in the right

direction if you'd like,

but to do a Google search

or do a study, I can even

give you some resources

that would talk about

from a non-Christian's

perspective the historical

proofs that Jesus, this

man who was crucified,

actually was seen alive.

There are historical

proofs of his resurrection

and that can help our

faith, but that resurrection

power must require your

faith.

It must require you to say

whether the proofs are

there or not, whether the

world says he did it or

not, I know in my heart

because God has revealed

to me that Jesus rose

from the dead.

I make him Lord.

Number two, resurrection

power responds to God's

will.

What happened?

When Jesus said, Lazarus,

come out, what happened?

He obeyed.

He obeyed that power.

He had no choice.

God holds the power over

death and life.

You might feel like you're

in a season of death right

now.

You might feel like you're

trapped and you can't seem

to come out of it.

God holds the keys to it.

He has power over it.

You make him your Lord and

you taste his power.

Maybe you made him Lord at

some point in your life, but

you've kind of strayed away

from him.

You've kind of wandered

away and it's time to come

back and say, God, you are

my Lord.

You are my Lord.

Rescue me.

Let me taste your power yet

again.

It responds to God's will.

John chapter six and verse

40.

This is the will of my

father that everyone who

looks on the son Jesus and

believes in him should have

eternal life and I will raise

him up on the last day.

There's another resurrection

coming.

Isn't that crazy?

We've seen one back in John

11 with Jesus raising

Lazarus from the dead.

We've seen another one,

which is what Easter is all

about with Jesus himself

rising from the dead.

There's another resurrection

coming.

When our time on this earth

comes to an end, someday we

don't know when it's up to

God.

We don't have to worry about

it.

Might be tomorrow.

Might be a thousand years

from now.

I don't know, but Jesus is

coming back and there will be

another resurrection of the

dead.

You and I will be caught up

together to meet him in the

clouds and they will get to

be forever with the Lord.

Now we might already be dead by

then and they will be with the

ones that are coming down to

receive all those who are

alive and still here.

But there is a resurrection

coming and we will be raised up

on the last day.

That's God's will.

And we must always obey God's

will.

The dead have no choice but to

rise to life when God speaks

it.

Darkness has no choice but to

flee when God's will is spoken.

It has no power over resurrection

power.

Ephesians chapter 1.

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

Would you turn there?

It's our final passage for you to

turn.

Ephesians chapter 1.

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

If you'd like to just listen,

that's fine too.

We're just going to read a

couple verses.

Ephesians 1 verse 19.

Ephesians 1:19

For sake of time, I'm going to

go ahead and read Ephesians

Ephesians 1:19

1 verse 19.

I'm going to back up and read

18 for you.

I pray.

Paul's writing this one to

another church in Ephesus and

he says, I pray that the eyes

of your heart may be

enlightened.

By the way, Paul himself is

another historical proof of

Jesus' resurrection.

He wasn't there when it

happened.

But God himself stopped him on

the road to a place called

Damascus.

Stopped him in his tracks and

completely changed his life.

Completely rerouted his life

instead of being the axe man,

the hit man for the government

with a license to kill and going

out and hunting illegal

Christians.

Because that was illegal back

then.

We couldn't do then what we do

today, meeting in church like

this.

And Paul was the hatchet man for

the government to go hunt them

down and bring them to a bloody

justice.

God stopped him in his tracks and

converted him that day.

Revealed him and that he tasted

resurrection power like he had

never known or believed in before.

And all of a sudden, Paul became the

most dogmatic, the most public,

the most dedicated, and loud

proponent of faith in Jesus Christ.

Became his follower.

Even though he wasn't one of the

original twelve.

Yet another proof of the power of

Jesus' resurrection.

So this guy then is writing all

these letters to these churches

as God uses him over the years.

And he says,

I pray that the eyes of your

hearts may be enlightened so that

you may know what is the hope of

his calling.

What is the wealth of his glorious

inheritance in the saints?

That's us.

And what the immeasurable greatness

of his power toward us who believe

according to the mighty working of

his strength.

Yeah, I would say his strength is

pretty mighty, isn't it?

There is nothing our God can't do

even when facing death.

Verse 20,

He exercised this power in Christ

by raising him from the dead

and seating him at his right hand

of the heavens far above every

ruler, far above every authority,

every power and dominion,

every president, every congressman,

every boss, everyone who abuses

their power, abuses their authority.

He is far above them all.

Not only in this age,

but also in the one to come.

And he subjected everything under

his feet and appointed him,

Jesus, as head over everything for

the church, which is his body,

the fullness of the one who fills

all things in every way.

When we are called as the church,

the body of Christ,

you realize what that is?

Jesus raised his body back to life.

We are the living embodiment

of resurrection power.

That's what the church is.

That's what it must be.

So,

I want to take you here

and we'll be done.

Resurrection power renews our hope.

It renews our hope.

1 Peter chapter 1 and verse 3.

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

According to his great mercy,

he has called us to be born again

to a living hope

through the what?

According to his great mercy,

he's called us,

caused us to be born again

to a living hope

through the resurrection.

Of who?

Jesus.

Yeah.

That's where we get our hope.

Because he's not dead,

he's alive.

You didn't know you were going to have

to participate this morning.

He's not dead,

he's alive.

Amen.

You'll hear some people saying this morning

and if you've never heard it,

that's alright,

you're hearing it now.

He is risen.

He is risen indeed.

You said,

I knew this was a cult.

No, y'all,

we just really believe it, okay?

We just really believe it.

Because we have experienced

resurrection power,

many of us in this room.

We have tasted that living hope

and we know

that he has caused us

to be born again

through

the resurrection of Jesus Christ

from the dead.

That renews our hope.

If you are without hope this morning,

if you have a relationship

that seemed hopeless,

if you have something in your life

that just bears no hope,

may I introduce you

to a living hope.

May I introduce you

to resurrection power

and I can understand

why your situation

seems hopeless.

I can understand

like Martha and Mary

thought Lazarus' situation

was hopeless.

I can understand

how Jesus' followers

thought his death

was hopeless,

but I promise you

there is nothing

that is hopeless

when faced

with resurrection power.

Isaiah 43, 19,

you don't need to turn there,

I'm just gonna

read it for you.

Look,

I'm about to do

something new,

a new thing.

Even now it's coming.

Don't you see it?

I will make a way

in the wilderness,

rivers in the desert,

life

in a tomb

and turn it empty.

I will bring death

to life.

I will bring

dry bones

back to life.

God can do

anything.

God can do

all this

and so much more.

You have every reason

to hope.

Robert Platt said this,

the resurrection

gives my life

meaning

and direction

and the opportunity

to start over

no matter what

my circumstances.

Maybe somebody

in this room

needs to start over.

Maybe you're looking

for meaning

and direction.

You've come

to the right place.

It's not me.

It's not this church even.

It's Jesus

and his resurrection.

Easter Sunday,

there's no better time

than to renew

your faith

or maybe place it

for the first time

in Jesus

and his resurrection

and what it means

for you.

The power

that you have access to.

You will receive

power

when the Holy Spirit

comes on you

and you will be

my witnesses.

You've got a room

full of witnesses

in this church.

But we must

not only

wear witness

of this

to each other

but to those

who don't know.

We must take

the power

of his resurrection

to the ones.

You know

what we're talking

about, right?

The ones.

Slip your hand

out if you know

what I mean

by the ones.

Yep.

Yep.

All over.

We're doing this thing

called who's your one

and everybody

is praying

for someone

in their life

who they want

so desperately

to meet Jesus.

follow him.

We can be his witnesses

of resurrection power.

So our takeaway

this morning

are you missing out

on the resurrection power

that God

is offering you?

I hope not.

I pray not.

And if you are,

if you know deep

in your heart

that you are,

I pray that you'll use

these next couple minutes

to seek deeply

in your heart

number one,

am I a child

of God?

God,

not am I a good person,

not do I try

to go to church

when I can,

not do I try

to help my neighbor.

Those are all good things.

There's a lot of people

trying to do those things.

But have you confessed

with your mouth

that Jesus is Lord?

Have you declared

that publicly?

Do you believe

in your heart

that God raised him

from the dead?

is he your Lord?

Then if he is,

you have that

resurrection power.

We don't always use it.

Sometimes we miss out on it

when it's right there

for us to claim.

Would you bow your heads

with me now?

God,

every heart in here

needs you.

Starting with me,

we are desperate

for you, God.

We're all busy.

We're all overwhelmed.

We're all distracted.

We're all hurting

in some way.

We're all broken.

We're all imperfect.

But Jesus Christ,

you hold the keys

to something

far more powerful,

the ultimate enemy,

and you've conquered him

time and time again.

Conquer him again

in our lives.

Conquer him again

in our hearts.

Let the wife

and the mom

who can't seem

to figure out

what it's all there for,

got hurt in her heart

that nobody knows about.

You be the great

comforter for her, God.

You show her

your power.

The busy man

who's trying to hold

it all together,

not sure how finances look,

not sure how relationships look,

got his own struggles

and demons.

I pray that you would

have power over that

right now.

That you would draw them,

that you would say,

I am here for you.

You didn't just walk

in this morning

to check a box

that you went to church

on Easter.

You came to encounter Jesus.

You came to taste

his resurrection power.

And God,

I pray that you would not

let my words be

what are echoing

in their ears,

but let your words,

I am the resurrection,

I am the life,

let that be

what takes root.

Church,

with that in mind,

our heads are bowed,

our eyes are closed.

I'm going to extend

one invitation to you.

Would you keep

your heads bowed

and your eyes closed

for privacy?

If God's drawing you now

and you say,

I want to respond to him

and maybe for the first time

in my life,

I want to genuinely

make Jesus my Lord.

I want to become

a follower of Jesus

and taste his resurrection

power today.

If that's you,

would you just slip

your hand up now

and I'll pray for you.

So I want to choose

Jesus today.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

You can put your hands down.

Thank you.

God, you see those

who raised their hands.

Work on their heart.

Draw them right now, God.

don't let them

walk out of here

without finding out

how they can become

your child.

If you slipped your hand

up a moment ago,

please find me

right after the service.

I'll be in the back.

Would you come to me

and we can go off,

we can find a quiet spot,

we can sit,

open the word of God

and just very briefly

show you the simple way

of placing your faith

in Jesus.

For the rest of us

in this room,

if you say there's

an area of my life

that I'm struggling with

and I need God

to show his resurrection power,

I'm praying for that now.

Would you slip your hand up

and I'll pray for you too.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

God, I need his resurrection power

in my life.

There's an area

Satan's got a stronghold.

It's hard.

It's tough.

Thank you.

Thank you.

You can put your hands down.

Thank you.

Thank you.

God, I might have missed some hands,

but you saw everyone

and you know

what's going on in their hearts

right now, God.

Move.

Show them.

Let them hear your voice.

Let them feel your peace

and then teach them

how to run to you every day.

Choose you

over their own strength.

Jared's going to lead us

very briefly

in a verse of this song.

This is a time

you can sing along.

You can keep your seats.

You can stand.

You can come down here

at these steps.

You can kneel and pray.

If you'd like to talk to me,

I'll be right down here.

This is a time

for God to just do some business

in this church.

Give us a couple minutes

before we dismiss this morning.