Easter

- Good morning, Springhouse.

It's a good day to be in the house of the Lord.

Welcome, my name is Kevin.

I have the privilege of serving as lead pastor

here at Springhouse.

If you are new with us today, welcome.

Thank you for joining us today.

And if you join us on live stream,

thank you for joining us as well.

It is a peculiar day here, but like Barbie said,

every time we get together, it's a little different.

It's a little strange, but you know what?

Here's the thing that we can count on every single time.

God is incredible.

He is perfect.

He's real and He is alive, amen.

He is risen.

He is risen indeed.

Would you guys stand with me this Easter morning

and we're going to read a couple of the scriptures

and I'd like you to read it as if you believe

that your God is alive today, okay?

So here we go, let's read it together.

Hallelujah for the Lord God almighty reigns.

Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory.

For the wedding of the Lamb has come

and His bride has made herself ready.

Fine linen, bright and clean was given her to wear.

Blessed are those who are invited

to the wedding supper of the Lamb.

These are the true words of God.

Let's say that again.

These are the true words of God.

And one more, everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord

will be saved.

Father, I thank you for your word

and that it is true and active and alive

and I thank you, Lord, that you are moving

in our midst today.

God, I pray, Lord, that we will receive everything

you have for us in Jesus' name.

And before you are seated, I would like you to hug

the neck of someone you don't like.

(congregation laughing)

(congregation chattering)

- Fired.

All right, you may be seated.

I'm expecting some repenting and conversations

in the foyer after service is over today.

God is good.

Today is Resurrection Sunday.

We celebrate our resurrected King.

And this is the time when, this is the thing we celebrate

where everything changed, everything changed.

We look at love defeating death, grace that covers shame

and an invitation that changes eternity.

It's good news, anytime someone is brought

from death to life, that's good news.

Anytime bondage is broken and liberation is gained,

that's good news.

And the gospel of Jesus Christ, it's good news.

It really is good news.

Guys, can I just tell you, I am actually

in the next few weeks going to be the father of a teenager.

It is hard to believe time is just fleeting,

it is moving forward.

I'm gonna be a father of a teenager,

but would you know that it wasn't my preteen

who rolled her eyes at me this week,

it was my nine year old Ruby.

And I had an out of body of experience with that,

because if you know, I've worked with children

for over two decades and I'm not used to children

rolling their eyes or saying no to me,

especially when they're my own.

Because I'm responsible for that one.

But that did happen this week and it helped me realize

that guys, our choices matter, our choices matter.

And I believe that the greatest decision

that you'll ever make is the one to follow

the Lord Jesus Christ.

The greatest decision that you'll ever make in your life

is to proclaim him as your king.

And so why would, if that's the greatest decision,

of course, who am I to say it,

but I believe that's the greatest decision

'cause it's been my greatest decision that I've made.

But if it's true that it's the greatest decision

ever to be made, how come so many people

have not made this choice yet?

How come so many have not made the choice to follow Jesus?

The choices we make are important.

February 14th, 1990, I gave my heart to Jesus,

but I didn't give it to him in the way

that you might suspect, you know,

this relational loving God that we talk about

that I believe is the God of the Bible.

No, I was in a service where they told me about hell

and I didn't wanna go there.

And so much so, they went as far as putting my little hand,

my little third grade hand over a flame and saying,

"I want you to hold this here as long as you can."

And I couldn't hold it there very long until I said, "Ouch."

And then they said, "Now, do you want your soul

"to be like that forever?"

And I said, "Oh no, give me Jesus,

"give me a fire extinguisher, give me water,

"whatever you gotta give me, I'll do whatever it is.

"I wanna be saved," you know?

But here's the truth of the matter.

I love that later on in life,

I was actually introduced to the God of the universe

who knows my name.

The God of the universe who wants to have a relationship

with me, you see, there are people who believe

that God is on his throne with a magnifying glass

looking to catch you for your next left wrong turn

and to smite you for it.

But I don't believe that's the God we serve.

In fact, I believe because of Jesus' blood,

all of those wrongdoings that we've done, guess what?

Those have been covered.

Why were they covered?

Because the God who breathes stars

wants to be in communion and in relationship with you.

He is not far off, he can be found

and he can be found even today.

If you let yourself be found, he can be found today.

Our God, while he is sovereign,

he is full of kindness and compassion

and desires to be in relationship with you.

He's not up there looking for you to mess up.

He's there longing to be involved with your life.

He wants to be a part of your life.

We've been taking a journey this year at Springhouse

and I want to remind those of you who have been here

and I want to inform those of you who are new today

that you are part of the greatest story ever told.

You are a part of the greatest story ever told.

And as I mentioned last week,

if this truly is the greatest story ever told,

then what we are celebrating today here right now

is the climactic event that makes this story worth reading,

worth knowing and worth being a part of.

Jesus Christ rose from the dead, the power of the resurrection

the only religion on the planet whose God is alive

and wants the king that rules heaven,

wants those that he rules over

to be in communion and relationship with him.

Hallelujah, hallelujah, God is good, God is good.

This table that's set here this morning

represents the marriage supper of the lamb.

Do you know that if you are a believer here,

there's coming a day where we're gonna sit at a table

with our king and we're gonna feast with the king of kings

and the Lord of Lords.

And I've got some food up here and it's looking delicious.

Some of you were trying to put your grubby hands on it

before service started, but listen, it's some great food,

but I can tell you right now, it pales greatly,

vastly in comparison to what I think awaits us.

But the most important thing about that feast

is not the food at the table, not even really you and me,

is that Jesus Christ is gonna be sitting right there

and he's gonna receive all the glory and the honor

and we're going to get to be with him.

Here's the thing guys, it starts with an invitation.

It starts with an invitation

and the invitation is simply, will you come?

Will you come?

See, I bought into the notion early on

that I had to get myself cleaned up.

I had to come a certain way.

I had to achieve near perfection

before I could get close to the Lord.

But here, do you know what?

Can I just maybe highlight something to you?

Maybe this is an epiphany to some of you.

You're never going to achieve that goal.

It is impossible for us to become perfect enough

to be in the presence of a holy God.

Yet this holy God wanted to be in your presence

and wanted to be with you.

And so he made a way, he made a way

and it starts with an invitation.

If you are one of the few chosen ones with an invitation,

would you come and just cluster right in this corner for me?

And would you guys make your way down here quickly?

Just cluster right over here.

The people coming down here

before they got here this morning

or before they got in the ministry center,

they were handed a piece of paper

and that piece of paper said, you are invited.

You are invited.

And so these are the people who have been invited

to take part in this table.

Now, what I want you all to do is y'all,

do y'all think they're good looking?

If they're good looking, let's applause.

(congregation applauding)

I agree.

I think you're the best looking group of sinners

I've ever seen.

If you guys can, I've got sin to pass out.

I've got enough to go around for everybody.

So please take one and put it on.

Sin for you and sin for you and sin for you.

Lots of sin for you to get involved with here.

Let's see here.

Who wants to be prideful?

Here we go.

Stealing.

Oh, gossip's a good one.

Who wants a good gossip?

Coveting.

Here we go.

Idolatry.

Lust.

Who wants the lust?

You want a lust back there?

Here we go.

Slander.

Doubt.

Doubt.

Greed.

Okay.

Everybody got one?

All right, put that around your neck.

These guys look a lot like you do.

They're just carrying signs with the things written on it

so you can see.

And many of us contend with a lot of these

different things, though we don't wear signs.

And here's the thing.

The problem that's here is that you guys

have been invited to this table.

You've been invited to participate in a feast with the king,

but the problem is is that you have sin.

You are bound to sin in your life.

You're bound to these things.

And the only criteria that there is

is that you come to the table relinquishing your sin.

But here's the problem.

You guys don't have the power to relinquish that sin.

Now you can hide it, which we do.

Put it behind our back, act like it's not there.

But we really don't have the power

to get rid of any of this stuff.

And so Jesus extends an invitation

and he wants you to be at the table

and all you have to do is come,

but here you go, when you come,

he offers you an opportunity to make a choice.

And the choice is, will you allow me, says Jesus,

to take your sin and allow me to redeem your life?

Will you allow me to have your sin

and will you allow me to redeem your life?

And once you stand redeemed,

then the table of the Lord is yours.

And so he says, give me that blasphemy.

You are redeemed.

He says, give me that wrath.

You are redeemed, my child.

Witchcraft, not anymore, redeemed.

Fornication, not anymore.

My child, you're redeemed.

Drunkenness, no more.

Set free, redeemed.

Coveting, redeemed.

Pride, redeemed.

Doubt, redeemed.

Stealing, redeemed.

Gossip, redeemed.

Come on up here, guys.

Envy, redeemed.

Gluttony, redeemed.

(mouse clicking)

What is this one?

You were hiding it.

Idolatry, redeemed.

Slander, adultery, lust and greed.

All redeemed.

See how easy that was?

They made a choice to render their sin

and accept the gift of salvation.

Here's the deal.

The Bible tells us this.

Our sin separates us from God.

Our sin separates us from God.

Your iniquities, iniquities means sin,

have made a separation between you and God.

The wages of sin is death.

You see, sin doesn't just come in

and it just doesn't make us bad.

Sin makes us dead, but that's why Jesus came.

He didn't come to hand out rules.

He came to remove sin.

He didn't come to condemn the world, but to save it.

And he did so by laying down his life,

dying on a cross so that you and I could live.

So that you and I could live.

See, the rest of this verse, there's more to it.

The wages of sin is death,

but the gift of God is eternal life

through Christ Jesus our Lord.

It is a gift.

Guys, eat.

Please eat.

Enjoy the cheesecake, enjoy the cheese,

all of those things,

because you've been invited to the feast.

You've been invited to sit at the table

and to enjoy these things.

And guys, he has invited you to be a part of his table.

And so, how is it?

Is it good?

Is it good?

You enjoying yourself?

Here's the thing.

When we're at the table, we will feast,

and we will celebrate, and we will share our stories.

We'll share our stories with one another,

and we'll share them joyfully

because Jesus is at the center of the stories.

Guys, some of my best moments,

my best memories and best stories

have been shared around a table with people I love.

And this is going to be an opportunity for us to share

in the greatest story ever told.

Guys, can I tell you that my dad walked out of my life,

but praise the Lord, Jesus met me right there.

Can I tell you that when I was a little kid,

I got in a pool, I fell in, and I almost drowned,

but Jesus saved me.

Can I tell you that there was a time

when I wanted to take my life,

I wanted to run my car into a wall and take my life

because I didn't think I was worth it,

and God Almighty in an audible voice said,

"Kevin, I'm not finished with you yet."

Can I tell you that he took a little ragtag 16-year-old

and allowed me to manage a restaurant at such a young age

and be a part of a ministry?

Can I tell you that he looked at me

and he saw it fit to give me a beautiful wife in Sherry

who loves the Lord,

someone I never thought I was gonna find.

Can I tell you that my two-year-old at the time, Ruby,

almost lost her life in the hospital,

but Jesus touched her and she is alive

to stay here and roll eyes at me all day long.

(congregation murmurs)

Can I tell you that I've longed

for a David-Jonathan friendship

and the Lord has supplied somebody in my life.

Can I tell you that just a couple of years ago,

I was in an accident that I should have lost my life,

but the Lord supplied an angel to pull me out of the car

and I'm alive today.

Guys, Jesus has been such a massive part of my life.

He has done so much for me,

let alone given me the gift of salvation.

What is your story?

And I look around the table.

John, you have a story.

Ashley, you have a story.

You all have a story.

Don, you have a story.

And we're gonna sit around this table

and it's not just gonna be Landon

and it's not just gonna be Taylor,

but guess who else is gonna be there?

Moses.

Moses, can you tell us what it was like

when you split the sea?

David, can you tell us what it was like

when you took those stones and you killed Goliath?

Esther, can you tell us what it was

to approach the throne of the king?

Guys, we're gonna hear these stories.

We're gonna hear these stories

and we're going to be around a table

and we're gonna celebrate a risen savior.

They're all gonna point to Jesus.

And there's gonna be laughter.

Revelation tells us that there's gonna be no more pain,

no more tears, no more death.

Guys, are you excited about that day

when we don't have to contend with all of those things?

Mary Magdalene, what was it like to be the very first one

to hear he's not here, he's alive?

Guys, I mean, come on,

there's gonna be stories around this table.

There's gonna be great and glorious stories,

but here's the thing.

There is a seat that is available.

There's a seat that's empty

and you have a seat at the table

and I'm wondering which one of you

is supposed to be sitting right here today.

Which one of you has not taken the invitation seriously

to say, Jesus, I wanna be at that table.

I wanna be with you.

I wanna be a part of the story.

Someone here has bought into the lie

that I can't accept the invitation

because I'm not good enough.

I'm dirty, you don't understand what I've done this week.

You don't understand what my life is like.

Some of you may have been introduced to the name of Jesus

or maybe you're just here because it's Easter Sunday

and that's what you do on Easter Sunday.

But can I tell you that there's this great,

glorious, God breathing, a star breathing God

who loves you, who wants to see you saved

and pulled out of the muck and mire.

He wants to meet you where you are

and he's got a glorious plan for your life.

Can I tell you that he's available in this room right now?

Guys, I believe that there's supposed to be a moment in time

for every single person.

Mine was February 14th, 1990.

There should be a moment in time for every single person

where you acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus Christ

and you say, hey, God, I can't do this by myself.

I need your blood to cover my sin.

Would you forgive me?

And would you begin to allow me to walk with you?

Every person should be able to point back

to a specific moment in time when that was said,

when that conversation was had.

And maybe you're sitting here,

maybe you've been coming to church for a very long time

but you say, I don't know that I've ever had

that actual moment.

Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

Whoever puts their faith in Jesus Christ will be saved.

He is a great glorious God and you have a seat at the table.

You have a seat at the table.

Is the seat empty?

Is your seat empty?

He sees you, he knows you,

he loves you.

He's got a plan for your life.

Would you accept the invitation this morning?

If you are a pastor here at Springhouse,

would you come to the sides of the stage for me quickly?

And this is what we're going to do this morning.

We're going to partake in the Holy Communion.

You see, on this side of eternity,

we've also been given a table to participate in.

And that's the table of grace.

And Jesus says that when we come to the table of grace,

he wants us to remember him.

And so today we're going to do that.

We're going to come to the table

and we're going to remember him.

But I'd be remiss to not give the opportunity

for those who say, you know what?

I've never really settled the matter with the Lord.

I've really never settled the matter with the Lord.

And today is the day of salvation.

Today would be a day that these pastors

who are lined up here would love to introduce you

or to tell you about Jesus

and to make that matter settled in your heart.

Now you guys, this is a part of worship.

You're going to stay right here

and you're going to feast while we do communion.

You're not moving one place.

Continue to eat, continue to enjoy

because this is a part of your worship this morning.

And for the rest of us,

we're going to join them in this act of worship

by receiving the elements,

which are the bread and the body of Christ.

And so we do this by the means of intension,

which means to dip.

And so we will invite you to go to the back or to the front.

Somebody will give you a cracker and they will say to you,

this is the body that was broken for you.

You'll dip it into the cup and they will say,

this is the blood that was spilled for you.

Guys, you have a seat at the table.

And when you take the seat, you'll get to say,

let me tell you what Jesus did for me.

Let me tell you what Jesus did for me.

Father, I thank you for who you are.

I thank you for the great gifts you've given us.

The very best gift you ever gave was your son, Jesus.

And God, I ask Lord that you had blessed this time

where we remember you.

I thank you, Lord, that you broke this bread.

Your blood was spilled, God, for the remission of our sins.

And we remember you in this moment,

not just your death or burial,

but today, God, we remember that you are alive.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Stand with us, you are released to partake in communion.

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