Why the Resurrection Matters

Open your Bibles, if you would, to Luke chapter 24.

Luke 24 · chapter mention

Luke chapter 24.

Luke 24 · chapter mention

If you're using the Pew Bible, it's on page 884.

! Luke chapter 24.

Luke 24 · chapter mention

We're in our home stretch, really,

this final chapter of the Gospel of Luke.

We've been working through Luke for the last four years,

off and on.

And we come now at last to this final chapter,

which is perhaps the most exciting

and the most important chapter in the Gospel of Luke

is the culmination of Christ's ministry

and this resurrection that we'll look at this morning

comes to meet us and remind us of who Jesus really is.

If you joined us just a couple of days ago on Good Friday,

we had a chance just to share with you

some of the reasons why the cross had power.

What was it about the cross that was necessary

and what did the cross accomplish for us?

And maybe those of you who've been part of the church

for a long time, you've heard this message,

you've heard this text preached,

maybe for decades, time and time and time again.

But it's been my prayer this morning

that we would come to this text

and be reminded in a fresh way of the wonder

and the essential nature of the resurrection.

Why does the resurrection matter?

Does the resurrection matter?

Was it really important?

If the cross accomplished all that it accomplished,

was the resurrection necessary?

Of course, the resurrection was necessary.

And because the resurrection is necessary

and kind of lays that final foundation

of true hope in God,

it has been that truth,

that doctrine that has been assaulted

going all the way back to the beginning.

From the very first century,

you remember in this final week

of Jesus' public ministry there in Jerusalem,

Jesus is actually confronted there

by a group of Sadducees who,

if you remember,

they didn't believe in the resurrection.

And of course, as the church got started,

the doctrine and the truth of the resurrection

had been assaulted and had been put down

from the very beginning.

The apostle Paul deals with this

even in this message to the Jews and the Gentiles.

In 1 Corinthians 1, verse 23,

1 Corinthians 1:23

he draws attention to it.

He says,

To the Jews, this gospel was a stumbling block

into the Greeks' foolishness.

This crucified Savior that was resurrected from the grave

was a stumbling block for Jews

and was absolute insanity for the Gentiles.

Later, in his letter,

Paul's letter to the church of Corinth,

he spends an entire chapter,

chapter 15,

trying to help the church

understand the significance of the resurrection.

Did it matter?

We'll come back to this chapter a couple of times

throughout our time this morning,

but in verses 12 and 13 of 1 Corinthians 15,

he says this,

Now, if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead,

how can some of you say

there is no resurrection of the dead?

But if there is no resurrection of the dead,

then not even Christ has been raised.

Then Paul's address to the unbelievers in Athens,

in Acts chapter 17, verses 31 and 32,

Acts 17:31

we find the apostle Paul in the Areopagus.

This is a gathering place of the elite thinkers,

the philosophers of that day,

and the apostle Paul is proclaiming the gospel,

and he says in verses 31 and 32,

he says,

He has fixed a day

on which he will judge the world in righteousness

by a man whom he has appointed,

and of this he has given assurance

to all by raising him from the dead.

Now, when they heard of the resurrection of the dead,

some mocked, but others said,

We will hear you again about this.

The essential nature of the resurrection

built into the gospel,

and even though it was a stumbling block for the Gentiles,

the apostle Paul knew it was necessary.

Of course, the church of Thessalonica,

the hope of the resurrection,

helped them endure the hardship that they would face.

And then to the church of Rome,

Paul reminded them of this doctrine

that was essential for salvation

in Romans 10, verse 9, when he says,

Romans 10:9

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord

and believe in your heart

that God raised him from the dead,

you will be saved.

A belief in a confidence,

a knowledge, and a faith in the resurrection

is essential for salvation.

So it should be no surprise then

that this truth, this doctrine

of the resurrection of Christ

has been assaulted from the very beginning.

And the church has been confronted

by those various heresies

that have sought to bombard the church

and try to strip it away from this essential truth.

There was a heresy known as docetism

in the first and second century

that claimed that Jesus only had a physical body,

and so thus suffering death

and resurrection was only an illusion.

This, in the second century,

transitioned to the Gnostic heresy,

which claimed that the physical world is evil

and that salvation comes through secret

or spiritual knowledge.

For them, the resurrection was just symbolic.

It was not physical.

So it stripped the resurrection of any power.

Arianism, in the fourth century,

claimed that Jesus was a created being,

not co-eternal with God,

and thus, while not directly denying the resurrection,

it robbed the resurrection of its purpose in power.

From the very beginning,

from the first century on,

the church has dealt with this assault

to the resurrection.

But I want you to understand this morning,

the resurrection matters.

The resurrection matters.

And because of the resurrection,

we can have hope.

Paul describes this again

in 1 Corinthians 15, verse 17,

1 Corinthians 15:17

when he says,

If Christ has not been raised,

your faith is futile,

and you are still in your sins.

Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ

have perished.

If in Christ we have hope,

in this life only,

we are of all people the most to be pitied.

Without the resurrection,

Paul says in this chapter,

1 Corinthians 15,

your preaching is in vain.

Your faith is in vain.

Your hope is in vain.

If your hope is in this life only,

then let's eat and drink,

because tomorrow we're going to die.

What's the point?

This morning I want us to understand,

and we will see from our passage today,

five reasons,

and there are many,

but this morning,

we're just going to look at five reasons

why the resurrection matters.

So if you're there with me,

Luke chapter 24,

Luke 24 · chapter mention

I'm going to read the first 12 verses,

and then we'll begin our time this morning.

It says,

But on the first day of the week,

at early dawn,

they went to the tomb,

taking the spices they had prepared,

and they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.

But when they went in,

they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

While they were perplexed about this,

behold,

two men stood by them in dazzling apparel.

And as they were frightened

and bowed their faces to the ground,

the men said to them,

Why do you seek the living among the dead?

He's not here,

but has risen.

Remember how he told you,

while he was still in Galilee,

that the Son of Man must be delivered

into the hands of sinful men,

and be crucified,

and on the third day rise.

And they remembered his words.

And returning from the tomb,

they told all these things to the eleven,

and to all the rest.

That was Mary Magdalene,

and Joanna,

and Mary the mother of James,

and the other women with them

who told these things to the apostles.

But these words seemed to them an idle tale,

and they did not believe them.

But Peter rose and ran to the tomb.

Stooping and looking in,

he saw the linen cloths by themselves.

And he went home marveling

at what had happened.

The passage opens in these first three verses

with this group of individuals.

We find this personal pronoun,

they, that's used in four different ways

here in the first three verses.

They went to the tomb.

They found the stone rolled away.

They went in.

They did not find the body.

Well, who is the they?

We need to refer back

to the previous chapter.

In the last few verses,

give us a clue

who these individuals are.

In Luke 23, verse 55,

Luke 23:55

it says,

the women who had come with him from Galilee.

And in 24, verse 10,

we find Mary Magdalene, Joanna,

Mary, the mother of James,

and other women who were there.

It's the women who came from Galilee

who are there at the tomb.

And they've already prepared for this day.

As we find in Luke 23, verse 56,

Luke 23:56

it says,

after having seen the tomb

where Jesus was laid,

they returned and prepared spices and ointment.

They had seen how Joseph

and Nicodemus had prepared the body in haste.

And so they could do a proper burial,

they also prepared over the next day and a half

so they could be ready in devotion.

And they come at early dawn,

as we find here in Luke 24, 1.

They come to prepare the body.

Matthew says it was towards the dawn.

The Gospel of Mark says,

very early on the first day of the week,

the sun had not yet risen.

And John's account is,

while it was still dark,

somewhere between 3 o'clock in the morning

and 6 o'clock in the morning,

these women came in devotion to prepare the body.

This is their last respects.

They want to show honor to Jesus' body.

But the last time they saw Jesus,

there was a problem for them.

A problem that we find in Matthew 27,

Matthew 27:59–61

verses 59 to 61.

It says that Joseph took the body

and wrapped it in clean linen,

shrouded and laid it in his own new tomb,

which he had cut out of the rock.

And he rolled a great stone

to the entrance of the tomb and went away.

This becomes the burning question

as we find in the Gospel of Mark.

They ask themselves,

who will roll away the stone from the tomb?

But in Luke 24, verse 2, we see,

Luke 24:2

and they found the stone rolled away.

Problem solved.

Jesus raised from the dead.

The stone was still intact.

How he did not need the stone to be removed

in order to leave the tomb,

but we find from Matthew's account

how that stone was rolled away.

Matthew 28, verse 2, it says,

Matthew 28:2

And behold, there was a great earthquake,

for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven

and came and rolled back the stone

and sat on it.

Why was the stone rolled away?

Well, the stone was rolled away

to demonstrate and to prove

that God's truth is accessible.

God's truth is open.

God's truth is available.

God's truth is public.

It was verifiable.

It was open.

Of course, Jesus' life in ministry

were also accessible.

But in the defining moment,

which would validate his message

and his ministry,

in the culminating end of his life here

in the resurrection,

it was made public.

And the reason for it to be made public

was so that in this public spectacle,

in confirmation of all that Jesus had said,

Jesus and God is inviting those who would see

to observe and believe.

He's inviting those who, through faith,

would see the evidence of all that Jesus had spoken,

would look into this empty tomb,

would remember his words,

and would believe.

The accessibility of this truth

that was available to anyone

who lived there in the first century.

We know this was public

because these women came.

And they see and they observe for themselves

that the stone is rolled away,

the tomb is empty.

We know it was public

because Peter and John would come

towards the latter part of this passage.

They too would look in

and marvel at the empty tomb.

We know it was public

because the soldiers saw it.

We know this from Matthew's account.

In Matthew 28, verse 11,

Matthew 28:11

it says,

while they were going,

behold, some of the guard went into the city

and told the chief priests

all that had taken place.

We also know that this was public

because the religious leaders

would have seen it.

In Matthew 28, verses 12 and 13,

Matthew 28:12

when they had assembled with the elders

and had taken counsel,

speaking of the chief priests,

they gave a sufficient sum of money

to the soldiers and said,

tell the people,

his disciples came by night

and stole them away

while we were asleep.

They knew the tomb was empty,

not only in hearing from the soldiers,

but in confirming for themselves.

They needed to manufacture a story,

and this was the story they manufactured.

We also know this is public

because the people in Jerusalem

would have seen it.

In Matthew 28, 15,

so the soldiers took the money

and did as they were directed,

and this story has been spread

among the Jews to this day.

Those who went and observed the tomb,

those who heard this story

would have propagated the same message.

It was public.

It was open.

It was available.

We also know it was public

because Jesus would appear to Peter

and then to the 12

and 500 disciples at once,

as we find from 1 Corinthians 15.

It says,

For I delivered to you

as of first importance

what I received,

that Christ died for our sins

in accordance with the Scriptures.

that he was buried,

that he was raised on the third day

in accordance with the Scriptures,

and that he appeared to Cephas

and to the 12.

Then he appeared

to more than 500 brothers at one time,

most of whom are still alive,

though some have fallen asleep.

Then he appeared to James,

then to all the apostles.

Last of all,

as to one untimely born,

he appeared to me.

The resurrection proves

that the truth of God,

his resurrection especially,

is public.

It's open.

It's available.

It's accessible.

And it invites the observer,

those who would understand

and learn the details

of his resurrection,

it invites us to believe.

It invites us to have faith.

Second, we see in verses 4 and 5,

the resurrection matters

because it proves

that Christ's sacrifice

was acceptable.

His sacrifice was acceptable.

Notice with me in verse 4.

While they were perplexed,

speaking about the women,

behold, two men stood by them

in dazzling apparel.

And as they were frightened

and bowed their faces to the ground,

the men said to them,

why do you seek

the living among the dead?

He is not here,

but he has risen.

The women have made their way

to the tomb.

It's a small enclosure

that was cut out of the rock.

And so they make their way

into the tomb

to get a closer look.

And to their amazement,

the tomb is empty.

And then all of a sudden,

two men in dazzling robes

come and are standing by them.

This word for dazzling

is the word to glisten,

to flash, to gleam like lightning.

It's the same word

that Jesus uses of himself

when he speaks of the lightning

that's going to streak

across the sky

at the coming of the Son of Man.

It's going to be obvious.

This brilliance

in the wee hours

of the morning

certainly would have caught

these women off guard

and struck fear into them.

And as they are afraid,

they fall to the floor

in recognition

of the presence

of these heavenly messengers

and they bow their face

to the floor.

They know immediately

that these are angels.

There they are

in the presence

of this tomb.

They had been present

in the tomb

just as they were present

to the shepherds

there at Christ's birth.

At Christ's birth

and now

at Christ's resurrection.

Remember,

at his birth,

the angels would sing

on the hillside,

glory to God

in the highest

and on earth,

peace,

goodwill

to men.

The angels

who represented

God,

his message,

who have now come

to make the words

of Christ known.

They have ministered

to Christ

throughout his ministry.

Gabriel, remember,

he came to Mary

at the very beginning

to announce

the birth of Christ.

And then, of course,

the angels

who announced

the birth

of Christ

to the shepherds.

The angel

who ministered

to Christ

at his temptation

in the 40 days

in the wilderness.

And then the angel

who strengthened Christ

there in the garden

of Gethsemane.

there before

his crucifixion.

And here again,

the angels are here

to carry a message

and to minister

the message

in the service

to God.

Jesus,

who was the beloved son

and whom the father

was well pleased.

But on the cross,

he had endured

the wrath of God

for sin.

And Jesus would cry,

my God,

my God,

why have you

forsaken me?

And the question

on the cross,

perhaps,

in the minds

of those

who were standing

there would be,

is this the end?

Has God forsaken

Christ forever?

And the angels

are here,

the servants

of the Most High

who are serving

Christ again,

now,

as messengers

of his word.

And Jesus'

sacrifice

was acceptable.

and here

are those angels

demonstrating

in a visible

way

that the service

and sacrifice

of Christ

was accepted

by God.

We find from

Ephesians 5,

Ephesians 5:2

verse 2,

it says,

and walk in love

as Christ loved

us and gave

himself up

for us,

a fragrant

offering

and a sacrifice

to God.

Christ's sacrifice

was well-pleasing.

It was acceptable

to God.

And in Hebrews

Hebrews 9:11

chapter 9,

verses 11 and 12,

it says,

but when Christ

appeared

as a high priest

of the good things

that have come,

then through

the greater

and more perfect

tent,

not made with hands

that is not

of his creation,

he entered once

for all

into the holy places,

not by means

of the blood

of goats

and calves,

but by the means

of his own blood,

thus securing

an eternal redemption.

How was that possible?

Well,

it was possible

because the sacrifice

of Christ,

this once-for-all

offering

of the precious

blood of Christ

was accepted

by God.

The resurrection

proves

the accessibility

of truth.

The resurrection

proves the

acceptability

of Christ's

sacrifice.

And in verses

6 and 7,

we see the resurrection

matters because it

proved that Christ's

word was dependable.

His word

was dependable.

Notice in verse 6,

it says,

he is not here,

but has risen.

Remember how he told you

while he was still

in Galilee.

The son of man

must be delivered

into the hands

of sinful men

and be crucified

and on the third day

rise.

Jesus had prophesied

at least on three

occasions that he

would be delivered

over,

that he would be

crucified,

that he would die

and rise again.

and according to

his very word

to these women

there in Galilee,

Jesus had done

exactly as he said.

The word

of the prophets

and the word

of Christ

were dependable.

Paul,

in speaking to the Jews

in Antioch

and Pisidia,

would use the

prophets

in his

gospel

proclamation

to help affirm

that it was the

prophets who would

talk about

this resurrection.

In Acts chapter 13

Acts 13:34–35

verses 34 to 35,

the apostle Paul

in his sermon

says this,

and as for the fact

that he raised him

from the dead,

no more to return

to corruption,

he has spoken

in this way,

I will give you

the holy

and sure blessing

of David.

Therefore,

he says,

also in another psalm,

you will not let

your holy one

see corruption.

These two phrases

that are lifted

first from Isaiah

Isaiah 53 · chapter mention

chapter 53

and the second

from Psalm 16,

the apostle Paul

uses these phrases

to describe

this future

prophetic word

of how Christ

would see

resurrection.

He would come

to life

and Jesus

was alive

and Jesus

was the

resurrection

and the life

as he had promised

Mary and Martha

just a few months

earlier at the grave

of Lazarus.

And Jesus

remains the living

God.

And as the living

God,

he is active,

he is present,

he is eternal,

and thus he is

powerful,

the source of life

and sustainer

of life.

Jesus will say

in John 11,

25,

I am the resurrection

and the life.

Whoever believes

in me,

though he die,

yet shall he live.

it's because of

the dependable

word of Christ,

this confirmation

of resurrection

that Jesus

raised from the dead

and now extends

to us this promise

of eternal life

for those who

would believe.

And we can trust

this dependable word

because of the

confirmation

of this resurrection

of Christ himself.

He becomes

the first fruits

of resurrection.

And so the effects

of the resurrection

are to be experienced

today in newness

of life,

this life not just

for the future,

but a life that we

can enjoy today

as we find in Romans

Romans 6:1–4

chapter 6,

verses 1 to 4.

What shall we say then?

Are we to continue

in sin that grace

may abound?

By no means.

How can we

who died to sin

still live in it?

Do you not know

that all of us

who have been baptized

into Christ Jesus

were baptized

into his death?

We were buried

therefore with him

by baptism into death

in order that

just as Christ

was raised from the dead

by the glory of the Father

we too might walk

in newness of life.

The life that Jesus

purchased for us

was not just a life

for eternity

but a life we can

begin to enjoy today.

This newness of life

through the power of God,

the dependable word

of God

that we can enjoy

for those

who believe.

We also see

in verses 6 and 7

the resurrection matters

because it showed

that God's power

is unstoppable.

God's power

is unstoppable.

The first phrase

of verse 6 is

he is not here

but he has risen.

And at the end

of verse 7

it says

he was delivered

into the hands

of sinful men

and crucified

and on the third day

he rose.

The greatest enemy

of humanity

is not Satan.

The greatest enemy

of you and I

of all of mankind

is sin and death.

Sin that we inherited

from Adam

that we gained from him

because of his initial sin

that was then transferred

onto us

and because

we are inherently

sinners

we sin.

Sin is the thing

that separates us

from God.

Sin is what leads us

inevitably

to death

not only in a physical way

but also

in a spiritual way

as we find

from Romans 6.23

the wages

of sin

is death

but

the gift

of God

is eternal life

through Jesus Christ

our Lord.

Why?

Because

of the resurrection.

His resurrection life

has purchased

for us

life

with God

through faith

in his son.

Jesus conquered.

Jesus

was ultimate.

Jesus

was powerful.

And love

his statement

in John chapter 10

John 10 · chapter mention

where Jesus

says this

he says

for this reason

the father loves me

because I lay down

my life

that I might

take it up again.

No one takes it

from me

but I lay it down

on my own accord.

I have authority

to lay it down

and I have authority

to take it up again.

This charge

I have received

from my father.

Jesus was not

a victim

of some

tragedy.

Jesus

walked

head long

into

crucifixion.

He laid

his life down

so that he could

raise it up again

so he might

offer us

victory

and deliverance

and salvation

over sin

and death

once for all

only for those

who believe.

He is the savior

of the world.

He did destroy

the ultimate enemy

of sin

and death.

We find from

Hebrews chapter 2

Hebrews 2:14

verses 14 and 15

it says

he himself

likewise

partook

of the same things

that through death

he might destroy

the one

who has the power

of death

that is the devil

and deliver

all those

who through

fear of death

were subject

to lifelong

slavery.

Jesus died

in our place

so that we

could enjoy

resurrection life

through him.

He conquered

and that conquering

power

is the same

conquering power

that we have

access to

through the work

of his Holy Spirit

we find in

Ephesians chapter 1

Ephesians 1:15

verses 15 and 21.

Paul will pray

for the church

when he'll say

for this reason

because I've heard

of your faith

in the Lord Jesus

and your love

for all the saints

I do not cease

to give thanks

for you

remembering you

my prayers

that you might know

what is the

immeasurable

greatness

of his power

towards us

who believe

according to the

working of his

great might

that he worked

in Christ

when he raised

him from the dead

and seated him

at his right hand

in the heavenly places

far above all rule

and authority

and power

and dominion

and above every name

that is named

not only in this age

but also in the one

to come

Jesus Christ's power

is unstoppable

and because of his

resurrection power

by his grace

and through his Holy Spirit

he gives us access

to enjoy

that same power

the power

to live a life

that is growing

in likeness to Christ

the power

to kind of live

a life

that begins

to demonstrate

a heart of love

and faith

towards him

and love

towards one another

it's a power

to overcome

the power

of sin

in our life

and to live

in a way

that is pleasing

to God

power to grow

and power

to suffer

the power

of God

through the power

of his Holy Spirit

living within

and finally

the resurrection

matters

because it proves

that the gospel

is credible

the gospel

is reliable

notice

beginning in verse 8

it says

and they remembered

his words

and returning

from the tomb

they told all these things

to the eleven

and to the rest

they remembered

this word

in the Greek

is a passive

which means

they were recipients

of this remembering

it wasn't an active

remembering

it was a reciprocal

kind of remembering

it was a work

of God

on their life

to help them

finally remember

help them finally see

help them finally compute

all of the factors

that were in front of them

now they're beginning

to make sense

these women

needed

an awakening

they needed sight

they needed the work

of the spirit

in their life

to open their eyes

to remember

and to see things

for how they were

up to this moment

they couldn't put it together

all the evidence

was there

and Jesus

clearly states

that the work

of the spirit

was necessary

to do

this work

of remembrance

John 14 26

says

the helper

the holy spirit

whom the father

will send in my name

he will teach you

all things

and bring

to your

remembrance

all that I have

said to you

that work

of the spirit

to help them

remember

and guess what

and they

remembered

they remembered

and this flood

of emotion

and faith

and hope

began to ignite

their hearts

and what does

it lead them to

it leads them

to testimony

it leads them

to witness

it leads them

to proclaim

this work

that they saw

here at the tomb

up to this point

the words

had been hidden

but now

this gospel

seems credible

this gospel

is verifiable

and even though

these words

as we find

seemed like

an idle tale

in other words

it was too good

to be true

God would take

the beginnings

that seed

of faith

that was planted

in their hearts

and the words

of Christ

and begin

to develop

that so that

by the time

we get to

Acts chapter 1

Acts 1 · chapter mention

we see

the beginnings

of this church

so small

120 believers

now begins

to propagate

this message

and this work

of God

in their lives

this testimony

of the gospel

that has become

very credible

verses 9

it says

and returning

from the tomb

they told

all these things

to the eleven

and to the rest

that was Mary Magdalene

and Joanna

and Mary the mother

of James

and the other women

with them

who told these things

to the apostles

but these words

seemed to them

an idle tale

and they did not

believe them

but Peter rose

and ran to the tomb

stooping

and looking in

he saw the linen

claws by themselves

and he went home

marveling

at what had happened

of course

the fragile faith

this words

that were too good

to be true

would develop

into the strengthening

power of God

working in their life

to help them

be people of faith

it transformed

their life

it helped them

to be a unified

group of individuals

it helped them

to speak

with courage

it helped them

to love one another

it helped them

to suffer well

in very difficult times

especially

at the beginning

of the start

of the church

and as a result

we find

this church

that began

as just 120 believers

would bear fruit

and for 2,000 years

we have experienced

the blessing

of this credible

gospel witness

in the lives

of those

who have gone before

who have demonstrated

their faith in God

through good times

and hard times

and this will continue

to endure

until Christ comes

and it's because

of the credibility

and the power

of the resurrection

that Paul concludes

his chapter

in 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

chapter 15

in this way

he says this

therefore

my beloved brothers

be steadfast

immovable

always abounding

in the work

of the Lord

knowing

that your labor

is not

in vain

your labor

in the Lord

is not

in vain

because

their preaching

was no longer

vain

because of a resurrection

that happened

that the hope

that they would experience

would continue

after death

that this life

wasn't all

they were going

to live

the apostle Paul

concludes this chapter

with a certainty

of the credibility

of the resurrection

and what it would produce

in the lives

of true believers

and those who would be

filled up

with a desire

to be steadfast

and immovable

in continuing

to proclaim

like these women did

this message

of the gospel

wherever they would go

I wonder this morning

have you placed

your faith

in Christ

not just

in his death

but especially

in understanding

the power

of his resurrection

and all that

is available

to us

because of

his resurrection

power

the power

of the resurrection

to lead us

to real life

not just

eternal life

but life today

have you come

to a place

of recognizing

your sin

your need

for God

have you

confessed your sin

have you

recognized

that he is the Lord

as Paul says

in Romans

Romans 10:9

chapter 10

verse 9

if you confess

your sin

he is faithful

and just

to forgive

your sin

and to

cleanse you

oh that's

1 John 1 9

sorry

Romans 10

9

if you confess

with your mouth

thank you

getting some help

here from the front

if you confess

with your mouth

that Jesus is Lord

and believe

in your heart

that God raised

him from the dead

you'll be saved

have you placed

your faith

in Christ

have you confessed

it with your mouth

do you believe

not only that

Jesus died

but that he rose

again

and for those

of us who have

placed our faith

in Christ

in that way

is there

an ongoing

testimony

of a life

that is steadfast

a life that is

resolute

a life that is

robust

and confident

because of

the dependability

of the word

of God

and because

of the hope

we have

after this life

to lead us

to Christ

is there

a ministry

a ministry

of confidence

in the fact

that God's work

the Lord's work

will never be in vain

praise the Lord

for his resurrection

God thank you

for sending your son

Jesus

thank you for his work

on the cross

thank you that

you have accomplished

this on

our behalf

and I pray this morning

Lord

if there's anyone

who does not know you

as their savior

that you would

convict their hearts

and lead them

to yourself

thank you that

your truth

is accessible

but Lord

I pray

that just as

these women

needed the Holy Spirit

to inform

their hearts

I pray

that you would

do the same

for us

inform our hearts

convict us of sin

lead us to yourself

in Jesus name

Amen

Amen