God’s Big Picture Plan for Resurrection Sunday

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Amen.

Amen.

Let's pray together, Church.

Lord Jesus, thank you.

We applaud you, God, for all that you've done, all that you're going to do, and all that you haven't done.

That you probably could have and should have.

You're a God of mercy and forgiveness.

We just saying that you hold the future, but you've also forgotten our past.

That puts you in an elite category, unlike anybody else in all of creation.

So we think about you in ways we don't think about anybody else.

We love you in ways that we don't love anybody else.

And so, Lord, we've gathered on this resurrection day to remember and to celebrate, not just the resurrection, but the big picture of what you're doing around the resurrection.

So, Holy Spirit, illuminate scripture today and strike the original match to set the flame off.

Uh, you did it in the beginning.

You do it every time your word is opened and preached.

And so do it in this room.

Encourage people with your word by your spirit.

This is my prayer.

We prayed in Christ's name, and everyone said, Amen, amen.

Here you have a seat.

If you got a Bible, I invite you to take it open up to Luke chapter 24.

Luke 24 · chapter mention

And if you don't have a Bible, don't sweat it.

Everything I say will come up on the screen here behind me.

I want to talk to you this morning about God's big picture plan for resurrection Sunday.

God's big picture plan for resurrection Sunday.

You say, What do you mean?

Most of the time, God is doing more than just what we can we can uh understand or imagine.

He's not playing checkers, he's playing chess.

I said it a couple uh Sundays ago that God's not just a God of instrumentation, he's a God of orchestration.

He didn't play like one instrument in the orchestra, he conducts the entire orchestra.

And so he's always doing more than we can see, and never is that more apparent than in the resurrection.

So if you're not careful, you miss that and you just kind of go, okay, the resurrection, it was promised, it was prophesied, it was predicted, then it happened.

Okay, what next?

I just want to pull the camera back.

Let me be clear.

I'm not minimizing the resurrection, I'm maximizing the big picture of what God is doing.

If that makes sense, say amen.

And so I want to give you the context when we're gonna start reading.

Uh, this is after the crucifixion, Jesus has already rose from the dead, he's appeared to people.

Many of them are still alive.

The Bible teaches in 1 Corinthians 15.

Why is that important?

Because if this was a myth or a legend, they could have disproved it because they had eyewitnesses that were still alive.

And so, and now in Luke, he's already appeared.

A couple men were walking down the road, and Jesus just kind of walks up beside them.

They didn't recognize him, they carried on the conversation, and then only after the fact they realized, oh my gosh, that was him, okay?

And so they went back to the other disciples and they're telling them, This is what happened.

And then Jesus shows up.

This is Luke chapter 24, verse 36.

Luke 24:36

He says, And as they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, Peace to you.

But they were startled and frightened, and they thought they saw a spirit.

And he said to them, Why are you troubled and why do doubts rise in your hearts?

See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.

Touch me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see that I have.

And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.

And while they were st and while they still disbelieved for joy, they were marveling.

He said to them, Have you anything here to eat?

And they gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and he ate it before them.

And then he said to them, These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me and the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.

And then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, Uh, Thus it is written that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and the repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

And you are witnesses of these things.

And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you.

But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.

Now, what do you mean, God's big picture plan for the resurrection?

I mean that God has raised Jesus from the dead, but he's doing a lot of other things.

I want to point to all that this morning, okay?

The first thing I want to point to is this.

Here's one of the things that God's doing.

He's establishing that something hard to believe would happen.

Something hard to believe would happen.

This is a reference to the resurrection.

It's difficult.

The disciples find it hard to get their head around it.

So if you're sitting here today, this morning, and you're like, hey, if I was honest, I kind of doubt some of this too.

I got questions about the Bible, I got questions about Jesus, I got questions about the existence of God.

Heck man, I got questions about you.

Look at me.

That's okay.

You're welcome here, and your questions are welcome here because this all started with something hard to believe that it was hard to believe that it would happen, so much so that it requires faith in order to believe it.

Now, faith is essential.

Now, it's not a matter of you not having faith.

Every one of you in this room has faith.

It's just what is the object of your faith?

What is your faith in?

For some of you, your faith is in yourself.

And on some days that feels good, and some days it's like, won't, won't, that's not so good.

Some of you, your faith is in science.

You read a lot, you research the internet or whatever.

Some of you, your faith is just in society.

You say, What do you mean?

Well, you say, Well, you know what they say.

You never know who they are, but they say it a lot, and that's enough for you.

Everybody has faith.

It's just a matter of where they put it.

Now, for the record, the disciples, they had some faith, but they also doubted.

So if you're doubting today, I'm not mad at you, I'm not hating on you.

I'm saying, hey, the Bible understands that because the disciples had two responses to the resurrection: doubt.

And then the Bible says they disbelieved for joy, which is a beautiful phrase.

So we'll start with it in verse 38.

First of all, it says that Jesus says, hey, why is there doubt?

Why is there doubt in your hearts?

Why do you doubt this?

Doubt refers to this internal mental dialogue.

It sounds kind of like, you know, yeah, but I heard and I saw one time and a coworker said to me, and I couldn't answer this question.

And well, my grandma got cancer and died.

And how would a good God let that happen?

I mean, he's really good.

That's the genesis of doubt.

Doubt comes from a lot of places, but it keeps you from one thing.

Let me say that again.

Doubt comes from a lot of places, but it keeps you from one thing.

The purpose of doubt is to keep you from the truth.

Because if you get to the truth, the Bible says the truth is what sets you free.

So they had doubt.

So if you have doubt, you're in good company.

But something happened, and in verse 41, it says this that they disbelieved for joy.

Disbelieved for joy.

What does that mean?

It means this there's a feeling of being overwhelmed with happiness because you're struggling to process and believe that something so incredible has happened and you wanted it to happen, and you believed it might happen, and you wanted it, but then happily you're like, What?

This is what it means to disbelieve for joy.

I saw a clip two weeks ago.

Man, the CEO of his company has a small company, they're very successful, has like 20 employees, uh, and he takes good care of his employees.

He found out that one of his employees, by the way, I put in the application, I'll let you know if I get hired.

Here's why I applied.

Well, he found out one of his employees' dream car was a Ferrari somar BR54 F40, whatever.

$295,000.

And the CEO of the company bought it for one of his employees.

Now, here's how he gave it to him.

He got all but he got it specced out.

He talked to the guy's girlfriend and friends, found everything, ordered it, had it delivered on the parking lot at their company, and they were just walking out to go to lunch.

And his employee just talked, well, oh my gosh.

And he goes, What?

He goes, Man, that is a beautiful car.

And he goes, Yeah, I don't know who it is.

The CEO said, I don't know who it is.

And he's like, Yeah, it's a in the kit, that that kid, he's like 32.

The employee starts out, this is the Ferrari, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

And he same the interior that he wanted, the color, the wheels, everything.

He's just like walking around, going, Oh, that's incredible.

He's like, Come, we're gonna go to lunch.

And they're walking to the CEO's car, and the CEO pulls the key out of his pocket and says, Hey, by the way, that's just not a car, that's your car.

And the and the guy goes, Shut up.

Now, by the way, if you've got keys in your pocket for my car, I ain't saying shut up.

I'm saying let's stand for the benediction and beat the Methodists to the golden cora right now.

Amen.

Yeah, and then the guy he disbelieved for joy.

Because when I read this in the Bible, I was like, disbelief for joy.

But they were like, the guy was like, No, no, seriously, you you know, you don't you don't have to do that.

And the guy's walking toward him with a key going, Yeah, that's what made it so enjoyable.

I didn't have to, I wanted to.

There you go, bro.

It's your car.

And this guy went down like he was shot out of a cannon.

He just called, he's like, Oh my gosh, that's the disciples.

Now, ask yourself this question: how did they go in verse 38 from we doubt this, we got doubt in our heart, to verse 41?

No, why?

Shut up, you really did.

What happened?

Look at me.

What happened was they experienced Jesus.

He said to them, Hey, look at me.

Touch me, touch me, give me something to eat.

I'm not a ghost, I'm not Patrick Swayze.

I didn't come here to make pottery and make out.

I'm the real thing.

And they're just like, What are you?

Oh my gosh.

Now be careful, okay?

Look, are you still with me?

Was it Patrick Swayze?

Everybody under 30 has no idea what you're laughing about right now.

That's because old people rule.

Yes.

Now, by the way, this is what happened with how they moved from doubt to disbelief.

They experienced Jesus.

Now, let me just say this: make sure that you're not looking to people or the church to be to you what only Jesus can be to you.

There's a lot of church hurt in America nowadays.

That's a very popular phrase.

Uh, I have friends that are counselors, and they're like, Yeah, we're seeing the people, a lot of church hurt, and we recommend your church to them.

I said, Everyone's welcome here, okay?

We're not a perfect church, we're a good church, but there's a lot of church hurt, and some of it comes from not a lot, but some of it comes from because you want people or the church to be to you what only Jesus can be to you.

Now, this all started again.

Remember what we're talking about.

We're talking about that, hey, this something part of God's plan is it's something hard to believe what happened, the resurrection, and it happened.

Here's how you should think about the resurrection.

I love uh Yaroslav Pelican.

He said this, he's a theologian, writer, and thinker.

He said, if Christ is not risen, nothing else matters.

If Christ is risen, nothing else matters.

It's kind of the dividing line.

Here's the second part of this big picture that God wants us to understand that we would have a Bible we can believe.

We can have a Bible, we have a Bible that we can believe.

Look at verse 44.

He says, Then he said to them, Uh, these are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets in the Psalms must be fulfilled.

Now, I want to draw your attention to that word, everything.

Everything.

What's Jesus talking about?

He's saying to these cats, hey, everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.

Now, Law of Moses, prophets, that's reference to the Old Testament, okay?

It's not like there's the Old Testament and the New Testament, and they're separate.

No, no, no.

It's one book, 1,500 years, 66 books in the Bible, and they all say the same thing about the same God, okay?

And so when Jesus comes along, he's saying, Hey, not only did I rise from the dead, but I'm here to validate the reality and the authority and the truthfulness of the Bible.

Then you say, Well, I don't know what you mean.

Here's why you're probably thinking, hey man, you say that because you're a preacher, because if the Bible isn't true, you got to get a real job.

Well, I do believe the Bible's true, okay?

And I'm in good company by believing that because Jesus believed that.

Look at what he says.

I read it, but I don't think you heard it.

Here, verse 44 again.

He says, These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you.

That everything written about me and the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled.

Here's what I'm saying: Jesus pointed not to his words, but to the word.

He said, Here's the authority.

What I told you back then was in the Bible.

And basically he's saying, You you have a Bible that you can trust, that you can believe.

The task, and this is tragic nowadays, unfortunately, the task is to find a church that actually teaches it and believes it.

I don't blame the people.

I blame preachers that try to be creative instead of just have good content.

Okay?

Now, if you look in the New Testament, uh, you'll see this little phrase, this happened to fulfill what was written.

This happened to fulfill what was written.

Sometimes it's verbatim like that, other times it's changed a few words.

But basically the same thing.

What is that referring to?

Basically, what he's saying is this the life, death, burial, resurrection, ministry, everything about Jesus was a fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament.

Like, don't turn there now, but if you just go to one chapter in the Bible, Matthew chapter 2 talks about how Jesus was born, where he came from, how he got here.

Matthew 2 · chapter mention

Matthew chapter 2, verse 15, verse 17, verse 23, I'll say that phrase.

Matthew 2:15

This happened so that it would be fulfilled.

This happened so that it would be fulfilled.

And so with the resurrection, one of the things that God is saying to us is, I did this so that you would believe you would know you have a Bible that you can believe.

Here's the third thing.

Uh, the the the third part of the big picture of the resurrection is that Christ should suffer.

That Christ should suffer.

It's verse 46.

Now, think about this.

If you were going to start a movement, and would you start it by saying, hey, the leader of the movement is gonna suffer?

Don't you want to follow this guy?

But here's the thing that distinguishes Christianity from all the other world religions.

All other world religions, without exception, check me on this.

It's about they have a list of rules, they have a book, and the book is about how you have to suffer and you have to sacrifice to get to this disembodied state of nirvana, this heightened existence somewhere in the metaphysical universe, ethereal, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah.

Christianity comes along, and look at me.

Our leader sacrifices himself.

He sacrifices himself in your place and for your sins.

And so when the Bible says that Christ would have to suffer, it's not like cosmic divine child abuse.

No, the Old Testament talked about it, the New Testament talked about it.

Jesus himself talked about it.

Three times in Luke's gospel, Jesus is walking with his disciples.

That's the 12 guys he hung out with the most.

And they're walking, and he wants them to understand hey, y'all think I'm gonna go to Jerusalem and win an election and overthrow the Romans and set up and we're gonna have impose tariffs on everybody and make America great.

No, I'm sorry, wrong guy.

Uh it's just a joke.

It's Easter preacher, shut up.

Make sure you have the right messiah.

That's all I'm saying.

Uh so back to the Bible.

Uh Christ would suffer.

Jesus walking down the road, Luke chapter 9, verse 22, he says to the guys, he knew it, and he's trying to convince everybody else, okay?

Luke 9:22

He says this he says to them, the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and on the third day be raised.

So, okay, you've convinced me, but why?

If you're God, why would you set it up this way?

Why does Christ have to suffer?

Three reasons.

Number one, because we've all sinned and fallen short of God's standard.

That's why I just tell people in council all the time sin is a universal problem.

There's nobody in this room or in this world that hasn't sinned and fallen short of God's standard.

Secondly, because our sin separates us from God.

Now think about this.

He has to suffer because sin separates you from God.

What does that tell you about God's design for your relationship with Him?

Here's the third thing why Christ said to suffer, because sin requires a sacrifice for us to be reconciled to God.

You can't just say, Oh God, I'm sorry.

No, no.

Sin requires a sacrifice.

Uh what does that mean?

Because of that, the suffering of Jesus wasn't some pointless punishment.

No, it was a particular payment.

It was, hey, this is for a specific reason.

Think about it like this, okay?

Christ didn't have to die to be perfect.

That wasn't part of the deal.

Dying didn't make him perfect.

He was already perfect.

And by perfect, I mean sinless.

Never broke a law, never broke a command.

Sinless.

But you're smart people.

I know it's Easter, but think a little bit.

He doesn't have to die to be perfect.

So then you got to be thinking, okay, he could have lived to be 160, 127, 98, puttered around his garden, just kind of hung out and then died of old age, but it wouldn't have changed anything.

He would have still been perfect.

So why did God let it make it?

Not let it, but God made it play out that way.

One simple reason.

Because our sins do not require perfection.

Our sins require sacrifice.

Now here's where I want you to think a little bit.

Your sins do not require perfection.

That's humanity's response.

When you sin, when you fall short, when you're not quite there.

We we don't say perfection, but our sins require uh sacrifice.

Uh, but man's response to our sin is perfection.

We want to have the perfect house, we want to have the perfect kids.

Good luck.

Uh you wanna you wanna live in the perfect.

I miss some people in the first service and say, hell, we're moving to Kerrville, moving to Kerrville, too many people in Katie.

And I said, and and our Fulsher, and I said, Kerrville's gonna be Fulsher in 10 years.

News flash, okay?

We're running out of paces to escape the city, but I digress.

Yes, yes, but our response to our sin is perfection.

You say, What do you mean?

I want to have the perfect body, I want to be six percent body fat, I want to have a perfect wife, I want to have a perfect husband, blah, blah, blah.

Listen, and I'm not against any of that stuff.

Get in shape, have a good way, all this stuff, but your sin is your perfection.

You're you're you're you're not you say, I want to be perfect, I want to be better.

You can desire to be better every day of your life, and you'll never be good enough to pay for your sin.

Because your sin requires not just sacrifice, but a perfect sacrifice.

Let's see, God's up the anti even more right there.

And so this is why Christ has to suffer, okay?

Our sin was paid for on the cross.

Christ dies in our place and for our sin.

This is why the death of Jesus Christ is very purposeful, and this is why Christ has to suffer.

God ordained it.

God said it has to be this way.

Here's the fourth part of the big picture I want you to see.

Around the resurrection, that on the third day he would rise from the dead.

That on the third day, right?

Verse 46, that on the third day he would rise from the dead.

Now, we hear rise from the dead, and most preachers focus on that.

And I just want to tell you, you're never gonna convince me that Jesus Christ didn't rise from the dead.

You know why?

I believe it in the Bible, I believe it by faith when I read it, but the Bible also says this that the same power that God used to raise Christ from the dead, being physically dead, was the power that he used to raise me from being spiritually dead.

So I believe it, not just in intellect, but in experience.

Because in July of 1982, I heard the gospel and it quickened my heart.

And I was like, oh my gosh, this is incredible.

And I responded.

And so I don't just know about it, I I I've tasted it, I've experienced it.

But but again, we we talk about rising from the dead, but I want to talk about that on the third day.

Because think about it.

If the if the Bible just said, well, Jesus is gonna rise from the dead, period.

Then somebody could come along three days later and go, hey, has Jesus gotten up from the dead yet?

Well, nobody's going to.

Have faith, brother.

Two months later.

Amen.

Jesus gonna rise from the dead?

No, but he's going to.

Any day now, six years later.

Let me guess, Jesus hadn't risen from the dead, but he's going to.

Why does God say on the third day?

He was prophesied in the Old Testament.

Jesus told his disciples of the New Testament, and it happens right here.

Why?

Here's why, okay?

Because in the Bible, there's a third-day pattern of new life and covenants being established.

There's a third day pattern.

Now, I know we preachers can say stuff and you're like, what?

Think of it like this: good stuff happens on the third day.

By the way, there's your next tattoo.

You're welcome, kids.

Good stuff happens on the third day.

Absolutely.

He said, What do you mean, this pattern?

I'll just show you.

Just I just, it's it's other places, okay?

But Genesis chapter 1, verses about 9 to 13, 14.

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

And God's creating out of nothing, ex ni hello for your theologians.

And he's got water and he's got space.

And then it says this, and God created the earth and trees and rocks and dirt, everything you walk on and dig in, and shrubs.

And then it says this, it says there was evening and there was morning the third day.

Like, okay, something good happened on the third day.

The earth came into existence.

All right.

You fast forward to Genesis chapter 22 by verse 4.

Genesis 22 · chapter mention

All right, actually, Genesis 22, verse 1, God calls a man named Abraham and he says, Abraham, I want you to take your son, your only son, Isaac, and offer him up, sacrifice him on a mountain that I will show you.

Genesis 22:1

Abraham trusted God, so he got his son.

He got the wood, they're on the journey, and he's going along.

His son says, Hey, Dad, we got everything for the sacrifice.

Where's the lamb?

Abraham says, God will provide a lamb, son.

Keep walking.

And then the Bible says this on verse 4 of Genesis 22.

Abraham looked up on the third day and he saw the place where he said, Sacrifice his son.

Now, did he sacrifice his son?

No, he raised the knife to do it, but God stopped him and said, Look, there's a lamb over there caught in the trees.

Use him.

Way back in Genesis, God was already telling us this is how it's going to go down, folks.

This is why Jesus is going to come.

But again, Genesis 22, 4, on the third day.

Jonah chapter 1, verse 17.

Jonah 1:17

By the way, if you're visiting today, we preach the books of the Bible.

We just finished the book of Acts.

On May 11th, we're going to start the book of Jonah.

And I'll explain to you why the Bible says, just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days, so was the Son of Man in the belly of the earth.

But in Jonah chapter 1, verse 1, Verse 17 it says this in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights was Jonah.

Jonah 1:1

Why was he three days?

But here's my favorite one.

This is the last one, Hosea chapter 6, verses 1 and 2.

Hosea 6:1

I brought this thing because I want you to see it.

Otherwise, you'll think you're just making that up, man.

You just found three days in the Bible.

Now, a long time ago, we our kids were, our girls were little, we had a suburban, okay?

And a suburban has three seats to it, okay?

Did you know that?

Say amen.

Well, my kids realized if I'm in the second seat, my dad can drive and still reach me.

Say we would get in the third seat.

And I would be like, I do not believe in gentle parenting.

I will pull the suburban over on the side of the road and we'll have us a little square dancing session right here.

But my kids took after their mom, they were obedient, and that never had to happen.

I would just look at them, they're like, okay, well, she's touching me still.

That's your biggest problem, you're gonna be okay.

All right, knock it off.

Uh and so why'd I tell you that?

Hosea, Old Testament Hosea, God grabs a rearview mirror and looks at his people and says, Knock it off, I'll pull this thing over.

They didn't.

And this is what happens: Hosea chapter 6, verse 1.

Hosea 6:1

God's got on them.

And they said, Come let us return to the Lord.

For he has torn us, but he will heal us.

He has wounded us, but he will bandage us.

He will revise us, revive us after two days, he will raise us up on the third day.

Hello.

He will raise us up on the third day.

Why?

That we may live before him.

This is what I mean when I say there's a three-day cycle of life and covenant in the Bible.

So God puts himself on the hook when he says, and he will rise on the third day.

He doesn't just leave it, he will rise, and it's it it we got we got no deliverables here.

We can't say, hey, it's on this day.

No, on the third day, he will rise.

Why?

Because God is a God that keeps his word.

Ask yourself this morning: is there anything in your life that you cannot trust that kind of God with?

See, here's the fifth thing I want you to see.

The change will be possible for everyone.

This is a part of God's big picture plan around the resurrection.

I'm not just raising my son from the dead.

That is nothing to me, okay?

I'm the Lord God Almighty.

Is anything too difficult for me?

This is what he says in Isaiah.

The change will be possible for everyone.

It's verse 47.

Listen carefully.

After he says that, hey, he would raise on the third day in this, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations.

Uh, just break it down in little word couplets.

First of all, he says that repentance and forgiveness of sins.

Look at me.

Repentance and forgiveness.

The church talks a lot about forgiveness.

We love forgiveness.

People love to be forgiven.

But look at me.

Let me love you enough to tell you this.

If all you ever do is ask God for forgiveness and you never repent, you'll never know the power that comes with being a Christian.

Okay?

And I will go one further.

Without repentance, there is no forgiveness.

Because you know in your heart, hey, I'm just feeling bad and I don't want to feel bad.

So let me just say, hey, God, please forgive me.

Repentance and forgiveness.

You can't separate those two.

Repentance, what is repentance?

Repentance means this.

You're walking this way and you turn and you walk this way.

Long time ago in the army, they would say, repent, and they would turn.

Now they say, about face.

It's that.

It's a change of mind that leads to a change of heart that leads to a change of behavior.

And so the Bible says very clear that repentance and forgiveness of sins, listen, look at me.

They would have never changed the world if all they preached was forgiveness.

Because God would just be this big, benevolent grandpa in the sky who loves us and forgives us and understands it's hard.

It's 2025.

It's hard out here.

No, he's the God of all things, and he says, repentance and forgiveness.

That's the gospel.

Forgiveness only, not the gospel.

That's our preference.

That's not good news.

That's that's bad news.

But then he says this of sins.

Three little phrases I want to draw your attention to.

Of sins in his name to all nations, of sins.

What's the big deal about that?

Well, the Bible uses two phrases forgiveness for sins.

This is about a payment, okay?

And then there's forgiveness of sins.

This is about the removal of how you feel about your sin.

Let me demonstrate.

Forgiveness for sins.

If I was in a restaurant this week and I looked up and saw one of you and recognized you as being from my church, I'd be like, oh, you know what I'd do?

I would say to my your waitress, I'd say, hey, bring me their check.

I want to pay that guy's lunch over there.

Him and his friend.

Well, yeah, you know, I know one of them, I don't know the other one, but I just want, we want me to tell him, no, I don't tell them.

I paid for your lunch.

So you don't have to pay for it.

God pays for your sins on the cross.

You don't have to pay for it, okay?

That's forgiveness for sins.

Forgiveness of sins is God comes along and realizes that you still feel shameful and embarrassed and humiliated by your sin, and he takes that feeling away.

Does that make sense?

Say amen.

Now you got to ask yourself today, do I need God to forgive me?

Or do you need to forgive yourself by asking or ask God to take away the feeling that won't get off of you for something you did in your past?

Forgiveness of sins and forgiveness for sins.

He does both, okay?

But then he says this, in his name.

In his name, not religion, not the name of religion or pop psychology or self-help, in his name.

Why is forgiveness only in Jesus' name?

Because Jesus is the only one who's died on the cross to make payment for your sins.

Uh in the New Testament, the book of the Gospel of Mark, chapter two, Jesus is talking, and all of a sudden, I mean, it's a the the the building is just packed with people, so much so they couldn't even get in.

And so some friends heard that Jesus was there and then he healed people, and they were like, dude, we got a paralyzed friend.

And they're paralyzed friends, they go to his house, they're like, What are you doing?

Is this some kind of practical joke?

And they said, dude, Jesus is down the street, get on the stretcher, we're going.

They get him on the stretcher, they get there, and the crowd of people that couldn't get in, they're like, yeah.

And so they look around, they go, Oh, there's a side stair on the side of the other house.

They go climb up on the top, they start digging a hole, they duct tape the guy to the stretcher and you start winching him down.

And the guy comes lowering through the ceiling.

Would you like to be at a church that happened one time?

Wade Burgess would have a conniption.

The Building and Grounds Committee does not approve of this.

This, check me on this.

Mark chapter two.

They lower the guy to the thing.

Jesus is just talking, and he looked at him and he looked, because there's people in the room called Pharisees, kind of the religious police, okay?

They're just a bunch of religious weasels, they just exploit people, and they're over there.

Jesus looks at them because he knows what they're thinking.

He says, Hey, pop quiz, hot shot.

Which is easier to say to the paralyzed guy, hey, you're healed, get up and walk, or to say to this man, your sins are forgiven.

And Jesus, before they answer it, he's like, I tell you what, I'll do both.

And then the Pharisees lost them, but they said, And this is the question they ask: Who can forgive sins but God alone?

And Jesus says, You got yourself a point there.

Here's what Jesus is saying.

I'm not just forgiving his sins, I'm forgiving his sins because I am God in the flesh.

Who can forgive sins but God alone?

That's a great point, Knucklehead.

I'm right here in front of you.

This is what we mean when the Bible means what it says the forgiveness is in his name to all nations.

Why?

The reality of forgiveness is a universal need because sin is a universal problem.

You'll never meet anybody that doesn't have the need to get for to be forgiven by God, to repent and be forgiven by God.

You should ask yourself today, has that ever happened to you?

I'm not talking religion, I'm talking a relationship, okay?

Here's the last thing, okay?

This is part of God's plan, not just raising Jesus from the dead.

He's doing so much more.

And if you don't train your eye to see it and look in the Bible, you'll miss it.

Here's one of the better parts, okay?

I won't say the best, but one of the better parts is this that we would have the capacity to do what God requires.

Just verse 49.

He says, And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you, but stay in the city until you're clothed with power from on high.

What?

He's talking about the Holy Spirit, okay?

The promise of the Father.

Here's the promise of the Father.

No one comes into a relationship with God, and you don't get the power of God living inside of you in the form of the Holy Spirit.

Now, you do not know this unless you were volunteering this morning, but we had a 7:30 service this morning, and we lost power on our entire campus.

I'm up here talking, the screens went dark, everything went dark.

I had to pull up my cell phone and put it on here so I can see what time it was.

And here's the worst part for me my microphone stopped working.

And we had not a crowd this big, but a pretty good crowd.

And so I'm pushing my voice, and while I'm talking to them, the whole time I'm thinking, I don't think I can do this for three services.

Like the guy on Star Trek.

I do not have the power.

And while I'm talking to them and projecting my voice to the theater seats, the Holy Spirit said, You ever notice you got to try real hard when you don't have the power?

Somebody got it.

I would say the same thing to you.

Some of you I just explained your life, you're trying really hard because you don't have the promise of the Father, the power of the Spirit inside of you.

You should ask yourself, has that ever happened to me?

The promise of the Father.

The promise of the Father is that, hey, you'll have the power to do what the Bible teaches, requires a command.

People say to me all the time, well, I could never live like the Bible talks about.

No one can unless the Spirit of God lives inside of you.

I couldn't.

Here's what it comes down to.

When you live, when the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of you.

I try to explain this to one of my brothers one time when I first became a Christian.

He goes, What's it like?

And I said, Uh, well, I don't know if it makes sense to anybody, but I now live from the inside out, not from the outside in.

He's like, it's when I got married.

Men in my family are not very moral people.

I just say it.

That's putting it lightly, okay?

And so lots of cheating, lots of lying, lots of whatever.

And so when I married my wife, I'm the only man that's still married to my first wife.

I get together with my family, they all give me marriage advice.

I'm like, nah, you're the fat man trying to sell me slim fast.

Stop talking.

And one of my brothers is like, I mean, come on, really?

I mean, how?

I mean, really, one woman, like one, I mean, really, one woman.

And I said, Yeah, see, see, I live from the inside out, not the outside in.

What does that mean?

Because he's not a believer.

I said, here's what it means.

I walk into a room, if I see a pretty girl, the outside doesn't get inside of me.

I see a pretty girl, I go, Oh, it's a beautiful woman.

I have one of those at home.

Anyway, what are we doing for lunch?

And he said, Oh, you're a better man than me.

I said, No, I'm not better, I'm different.

I have a power, I have a capacity inside of me.

Let me say this and we'll be done.

You still with me say amen.

Where the gospel gives me responsibility, the gospel also gives me capacity.

It would be a hate crime for God to drop this on you and go, here, do your best.

I'll be back and I'm taking names in the meantime.

No, the promise of the Father is that when you come to faith, here's how you know you came to faith and didn't just cry and get wet with a preacher.

The Spirit of God came to live inside of you.

And you have gospel responsibility, that doesn't bother you.

Why?

Because you also have gospel capacity.

I'm capable.

I'm capable.

So I said my brother, he's like, So, I mean, like, really, like, never.

I mean, just just just us boys talking.

I'm like, you can't fathom being a one-woman man.

I mean, come on, man.

I'm like, by the way, it's not because I'm a preacher, it's not because I'm better than you, you're more moral.

The Holy Spirit inside of me leads me into the truth, and the more I experience the truth, the more I want to reject the lie.

Whatever, bro.

Marcia's a good woman.

I said, hey, don't worship my wife, don't worship my marriage.

You were created to worship God.

I don't got time for a sermon.

All right.

Hey, somebody in this room, you're trying to push a boulder up a hill.

Because you don't have the power.

So you should ask yourself, and I'm done.

You should ask yourself, has it ever happened for you where you've got a relationship with Christ?

Where you just said, you know, God, hey, man, I sinned against you.

I put it in the ditch.

I ain't gonna lie about that.

You and I both know.

But also, I understand I went to Easter and this man surrounded by flowers said that you've died on the cross for my sins, I can be forgiven.

Not just forgiven, hear me now.

Not just forgiven, but free.

Free and able.

That's the Christian life.

And if you've never experienced that, I'd love you to experience that.

If you have questions about that, I'd love to talk to you.

Email me.

Come see me after the service.

Right now, let's pray together and think about what we heard.

Bow your head if you would.

If you're our guest, just relax.

We like to teach the Bible, and then we give you some soul space to think about it.

Some questions come up on the screen, that's for your consideration.

We talk about these in our small groups.

You can discreetly take a picture if you'd like in just a minute.

But right now, just ask, hey God, what had my name on it?

Why'd I come to this church today?

Maybe because you're looking for a church.

And if you are, I'd love you to be a part of this.

These are great people you're sitting around.

But I want to just preach to you.

I want to be your pastor, I want to know your name, I want to know your kids' name.

So think about it.

But more importantly, man, if you don't, if you've never experienced Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit, think about that.

You ain't got to use big words.

You use your words.

God understands you.

He created you.

You kidding me?

Before a thought is in your head, he knows it.

Before a word is on your tongue, he knows it.

He did what he did to make possible what you were created for.

And that's a relationship with him that brings him glory and brings you pleasure.

Ask yourself today why you wouldn't want that.

Let's think just for a little bit.

Yes, God, that's our prayer.

Only you can do that.

And so we ask you to do it.

Give us ears to hear, eyes to see, and the power to do it, and we'll do it.

Pray for people that are trying to do it in their own strength and their flesh.

They just get tired, they quit and just surrender.

It's not religion, it's a relationship.

It's not just forgiveness, it's freedom.

So, Lord, thank you that these people have gathered here in this room to hear your word.

They didn't come to hear a man, they came to hear your word because we were created for the truth.

That's what sets us free.

That's what you create us to have, but Adam and Eve forfeited that in the garden.

And big Jesus came to give it back to us and say, You're free.

Stop living in bondage.

Come on, man.

Thank you for freedom.

It's an expensive thing and always has been.

Lord, we just want to say too, we've not lost sight of that.

So thank you for our freedom in Christ because of Christ.

So we pray in his name, and all God's people said amen, amen, amen.

If you're our guest today, let me say thanks for being here.

I know it's it's kind of precarious when you go check out a new church, especially on Easter.

A lot of people, and so I'm glad you're here.

Uh, all we ask of you is if you just text text welcome, that number on the screen that gives us a record of your visit.

We'll shoot you back a text.

Uh, we will not crowd you.

We do not believe in guilt, manipulation, or shame.

We believe in truth and freedom.

Okay.

We want, we want, we'll shoot you a text back because we want to answer any questions you have and we want to help you take your next step in your spiritual journey.

We've got things going on in the life of our church we want people to know about and participate in, and we make you aware of those every week by way of our video announcements.

So just give your attention to the screens for like two minutes.

Here's what's happening at Grand Parkway Baptist Church.

Pine Cove is bringing all their fun and amazing staff back to Grway.

Campers will encounter Jesus through Bible study, worship, and meaningful time with their counselors, while also enjoying plenty of exciting camp activities.

This program is designed for kids currently in kindergarten through fourth grade and will run from 9 a.m.

to 4 p.m.

each day, June 16th to the 20th.

Our next men's breakfast, Monday, May 6th.

Plan to join us for a hearty breakfast and meaningful connection.

Our speaker will be Matt Barnhill.

This is a great opportunity to enjoy good food, spend time with other men in the church, and be encouraged in your walk with Christ.

Finally, Why Weekend is all about helping students understand why they believe in Jesus.

From Friday, April 25th through Sunday, April 27th, students will dive into their faith, learn how to defend it, as 1 Peter 3.15 calls us to, and explore what it really means to follow Jesus.

The deadline to register is Monday, April 21st.

For more information or to register for these events, please visit our website at gramparkway.org.

If you have any questions or want someone to pray for you, find one of our pastors or elders at the front of the stage at the conclusion of our service.

I got tickled watching the Pine Cove announcement because I used to work at a kids' camp.

We had a coat hanger and a pack of hot dogs.

Uh they got all this stuff.

I'm like, I feel cheated.

Uh by the way, the Y weekend deadline that that's tomorrow, okay?

Parents, you want kids to be a part of this.

It's gonna be a great time.

Uh, it's gonna be uh uh uh about apologetics, how about defending your faith, understanding your faith.

Then they're gonna have a blowout party after it's all over out the student building.

Uh, last thing I want to say.

You saw thinking about men's breakfast.

Um, people have asked me before, hey, I'm not a man, can I still come?

Absolutely.

May 6th, we do a May, June, July, and August.

We just do it in the summer.

Uh in the student building is the building right here at the end of our property back here.

You go back there, there's some pickleball courts and basketball courts.

Uh, that's the student building.

Got a slanted roof.

It says 5 45.

Uh, I get there at six because 5 45, I don't think Jesus is up that early.

Uh people working in the oil field get there like 4 30.

What are y'all doing?

I'm like, yeah.

Uh, but you're welcome.

You don't have to be a part of our church.

Matt Barnhill is a counselor in our city, the godly man.

He said, we speak at that.

We have different speakers at every one of them.

Love you.

It's free.

We have uh Whataburger uh taquitos, and so it's all free.

You're more than welcome.

Put it in your phone, May 6th, 6 o'clock, right there.

You'll be done by 7.

Get off to work, okay?

All right.

We'd like to conclude our service with a spoken blessing.

So if you would stand to your feet.

Hold your hands out.

Put your hand over that baby's mouth.

I know that baby.

His name's Dalton.

Relax if you're visiting.

Oh.

Because Jesus didn't want you going through life raising your voice.

He provides the power.

And because he provides the power, obeying him is not labor, it's reflex.

Depart now and learn to enjoy the power of God that resides in you.

In the name of the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Bless you.