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Easter Sunday | Calvary Church Service | 9:00am

April 6, 2026 Calvary Church Messages

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[music]
>> Hey.
>> [music]
[music]
>> Hey.
>> [music]
[music]
>> When the King speaks a word, [music] it
cannot be overturned. It's as good as
done.
And when heaven touches earth, it can
never be reversed. It's the kingdom
come.
So, get the liars out the way. They
don't have the final say. There is only
[singing] one.
The sovereign and supreme. Every word he
speaks is holy.
The Lamb [music and singing] of God has
overcome
and his testimony is his blood.
And if he said that it
[singing and music] is done, it is done.
So be it, God.
>> [music]
>> To the one [music] on the throne who
cannot be overthrown, [singing]
sing hallelujah.
To the last and the first ruler of the
universe, sing hallelujah. [music]
To the alpha [music] omega, the master,
the [singing] maker, the name above
every other [music] name.
Give him all the praise. He is holy.
Above
has overcome.
My testimony [music]
is his blood.
And
if he said [music] that it is done, it
is done.
So be it, God.
>> [music]
>> The weapons
of the enemy,
they have [music]
no power
over me.
And
with all
authority covers me.
So be
it, God.
So
be it, God.
>> [music]
>> So
be it, God.
From a throne to a cross,
who would pay such a price for the sin
of the world? Here's your king
crucified.
See the nails
on his hands.
>> [music]
>> See the wounds [singing]
in his side. See the crown
into mud.
But instead [singing]
prophesied
that it was not the end.
>> [music]
>> Wipe the tears from our eyes.
Don't forget [music and singing]
what he said.
On the third,
he would rise.
>> [music]
>> He's alive.
He's alive. He's alive.
He's alive.
>> [music]
>> He's alive.
He's alive.
The Lamb
>> [music]
>> of God
has overcome.
My testimony
is his blood.
And
if he said
>> [music]
>> that it is done,
it is done.
So be
it, God.
The weapons [music]
of the enemy,
they have no [music] power
over me.
And
with all
>> [music]
>> authority
covers me.
So be
it, God.
>> [music]
>> So be
it, God.
It is final.
It is written.
It is settled.
It is finished.
See that
>> [music]
>> old grave?
He was in it.
Now he
isn't.
It is
final.
It is written.
It is settled.
It is finished.
See that
>> [music]
>> old grave?
He was in it.
>> [singing]
>> Now he
>> [music]
>> isn't.
He is risen.
Hallelujah.
Hallelujah. [music]
Hallelujah.
Hallelujah. [music]
Hallelujah.
>> [music]
[music]
>> I remember the first time I heard him
speak.
He called me by my name.
Mary.
It was a small moment, but
I had never felt more seen and known.
I
wasn't the same back then. I
was barely living.
But he brought life
to me.
The words he said, the miracles he
performed, it was all so amazing.
And then he was gone.
His life snuffed out like the flame of a
candle.
And as I stared up at the cross,
it felt like my whole world had just
been plunged back into that darkness.
We walked slowly to the tomb that
morning.
I carried the burial spices,
a weight that has never felt heavier.
We didn't say much as we walked. We
weren't even sure how we would get
inside. Would the guards turn us away?
Would they help us roll back the stone?
And
and then we saw it.
While we were still a ways off, the
the stone
had been rolled away.
Our steps quickened and so did our
heartbeats.
We rushed into the tomb
and it was empty.
He wasn't there.
My heart sank into my stomach.
What had they done with his body?
My eyes brimmed with tears as a wave of
despair crashed over me.
Why didn't we walk faster? We could have
guarded the tomb. Our last chance to
show him the honor he deserved was just
snatched away in the night.
We could have done more.
I had failed him.
And then they appeared.
Their clothes gleaming white and they
asked us,
"Why do you look for the living among
the dead?"
And then they said the words still
echoing through my soul.
"He is not here.
He has risen."
My mind couldn't comprehend it.
I could barely breathe. What did this
mean?
But before they left, they said,
"Remember."
And in that moment,
I did.
Every word he said, every miracle he
performed, it all came rushing back.
And I remembered how it felt
when he called me by my name.
Good morning, Calvary Church. He has
risen.
Will you stand with us as we sing
praise to Jesus this morning?
>> [music]
>> We remember that he lived, he died, and
he defeated sin and death, and he is
worthy of praise this morning. [music]
We believe that he rose
and that he is our salvation this
morning. Let's join together and sing,
[music]
I believe there is one salvation.
I believe there is one [music]
salvation,
one doorway that leads to life, one
redemption, one confession. I believe
[music]
in the name of Jesus Christ.
Sing, I believe in the crucifixion. By
his blood I have been set [music] free.
I believe in the crucifixion.
By [music] his blood I have been set
free.
I believe in the resurrection. [music]
Hallelujah, his life is destiny.
All praise [music] to God the Father,
all praise to Christ [music] the Son,
all praise [singing] to the Holy Spirit.
Our [music] God has overcome.
The king who [music] was and is evermore
will be.
In Jesus' mighty name
>> [music]
[music]
>> I believe in the hope of heaven.
>> [music]
>> I believe in the hope of heaven. He's
preparing a place for me.
Far beyond [music]
what hearts imagine, ears have heard,
or [singing] eyes have
seen.
I believe that a day is
>> [music]
>> coming.
He's returning to claim his [singing]
bride. Like the old
keep it burning. See the lamb [music]
rose a roaring lion.
>> [singing]
>> All praise to God the Father,
all praise to [music] Christ the Son,
all praise to the Holy
Spirit.
>> [music]
>> Our
God has
>> [singing]
>> overcome.
The king
who was
and is
evermore
>> [music]
>> will be.
In Jesus' mighty name
I believe.
>> [music]
>> Sing, crown him with many crowns.
>> [music]
>> Crown him with many [singing] crowns,
the lamb upon his throne.
How
>> [singing]
>> how the
heavenly
anthem drowns
the music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing
of him who died for me.
>> [music]
>> And hail
him as thy matchless king
>> [music]
>> through all eternity. [singing]
Crown him. Crown him the Lord [music] of
life
who triumphed o'er the grave
and rose victorious [music and singing]
in the strife for those he came to save.
His glory [music and singing] now we
sing
who died and rose on high
who died [music and singing] eternal
life to
bring
and lives that
death may [singing] die.
May no one ever be ashamed
of the gospel of Jesus [music] Christ.
How could How could I ever walk away
from the one
>> [music]
>> who saved my life?
May no one ever be ashamed
of the gospel
>> [music]
>> of Jesus Christ.
How could I ever walk
>> [music]
>> away
from the one who
saved my life?
May no one ever be ashamed
of the gospel
>> [music]
>> of Jesus
Christ.
How could I
ever walk [music] away
from the
one who saved my life?
You sing, all praise.
All [music] praise to God the [singing]
Father,
all praise to Christ the Son,
>> praise.
all praise to the Holy [singing]
Spirit. [music]
Our God has overcome.
The
king who
was and is
evermore will be.
In
Jesus' mighty
>> [music]
>> name I believe.
All [music] praise to God the
Father,
all praise to Christ the Son,
all praise to the
Holy Spirit.
Our God
>> [music]
>> has overcome.
The
king who
was and is
evermore
>> [music]
>> will be.
In
Jesus' mighty
name I
believe.
In
Jesus' mighty
name I [music] believe.
I believe, I believe.
>> [music]
>> We sing [music] to our lamb
for the sacrifice he made for us. We
sing, behold the lamb upon the cross.
>> [music]
>> Behold the
lamb
upon the [singing] cross [music]
who takes away
the sins of [singing and music] all.
Forgiveness
flows
from hands [singing and music] and feet.
As violence meets
the prince of [singing and music] peace.
Behold the king,
the light of the world,
the lamb that was slain,
the lion who roared,
mighty to save.
The fullness [music] of God
won't be kept [singing] in a grave.
The darkness, your hour [singing]
is over.
>> [music]
>> Behold the
lamb,
his dying plea. [music]
Behold the grace
of Calvary. [singing]
The
>> [music]
>> broken cross
soon to
be
the emblem of the risen
>> [music]
>> the risen king.
Behold the
king,
light of the
the light of the world,
>> [music]
>> the
lamb that was slain,
the
lion who roared,
mighty to [music] save.
The fullness of God
won't be
kept in a grave.
The darkness, your
hour is over.
Light of [music] the world,
the
lamb that was slain,
the
lion who roared,
mighty to save.
>> [music]
>> The fullness of God
won't be
kept in a grave.
The
>> [music]
>> darkness, your
hour is over.
>> [music]
[music]
>> I sing no enemy can hold you down cuz
there's nobody in the grave.
>> [music]
>> No enemy can hold you down
cuz [music] there's nobody in the grave
now. One head gets to wear that crown
cuz there's nobody [singing and music]
in the grave. No enemy. No enemy can
hold you
cuz there's [music] nobody [singing]
in the grave now.
One head gets to wear that crown
cuz there's nobody in the grave now.
No enemy can hold you down
cuz there's [music] nobody in the grave
now.
One head gets to wear that [music] crown
cuz there's nobody in the grave now.
No enemy can hold you down [music]
cuz there's nobody in the grave now.
One [music] head gets to wear that crown
cuz there's nobody in the grave now.
Light [music] of the world
the lamb that was slain
the lion arose
mighty [music] to save
the fullness of God
won't be kept in the grave.
>> [music]
>> Darkness, your hour
is over.
Light of the world
the lamb that was slain [music]
the lion arose
mighty [music] to save
the fullness of God
>> [music]
>> won't be
kept in the grave.
Darkness, your hour
is over.
No enemy [music] can hold you down
cuz there's nobody in the grave now.
[music]
One head gets to wear that crown
cuz there's nobody in the grave now.
No enemy can [music] hold you down
cuz there's nobody in the grave now.
One head [music] gets to wear that crown
cuz there's nobody in the grave now.
Cuz there's [music] nobody in the grave
now.
Cuz there's nobody in the grave now.
>> [music]
>> Father, we come before you this morning
thankful for what you have done.
Thankful that there is nobody in the
grave now because you were raised to
life.
And we praise your name.
And as we sing these songs of love to
you this morning, as we allow your word
to impact your hearts, as we spend time
talking to you, would you just move
among us? Would you have your way?
Would you have hearts that are soft,
that are ready, willing and open to what
you have to say to us this morning?
Thank you for your love for us.
That you loved us first.
Would you continue to call names to you
this morning, Father?
And then we pray.
Amen.
Church, you can be seated.
Well, church, as you're getting seated
seated, as the ushers come forward, let
me let me be maybe not the first, maybe
not the fifth, maybe not the 75th,
but let me wish you a happy Easter. But
more important than that, a happy
Resurrection Sunday that we are gathered
together today to celebrate a lion
that rose from the dead, a lamb that was
slain for for all mankind. That Jesus
came and died on the cross. I want to
just share a real quick passage of
scripture with you. So, the book of
John, so Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, at
the beginning of John,
John says this as he sees Jesus coming.
John the Baptist says, "Behold
the lamb of God
who takes away the sins of the world."
Today, we celebrate that lamb that that
gave his life freely for us so that we
could have eternal life. And so, I just
want to say as we've as we've gathered
together, as we've worshipped,
I I want you to hear, no matter
where you're coming from this past week,
that we don't we don't come to God
because we have our life together. We
don't we don't show up here because
we've got it all figured out.
But as broken and imperfect as we are,
we serve a holy God that loved us in
spite of our sin, he sent his son. And
so, our prayer for you today is that you
will see Jesus. And And really, as a
staff this week, we spent time in this
room praying over seats, praying for
each of you that that you would get to
experience who this Jesus is today. And
our heart desire is that you will come
to know him if if you do not know him.
And we're excited, we're so thankful
that you're here. Uh we're we're really
excited just for you to hear about
Jesus, hear about what he's done for us.
And so, what we're going to do is before
we go into the the teaching part, and
Carlos is going to be coming up and
sharing from God's word,
I want to just take a moment and pray
for you. I want to pray for you that
just no matter what you're walking in
with,
that God will just kind of calm your
heart.
That you will be able to see him, that
you'll be able to
clearly hear what his son has done for
you.
Let's pray.
Jesus, as we've just proclaimed these
words to you,
that it's because of your resurrection
that we have hope today.
That you're you can't be found in a tomb
anywhere.
But Jesus, we know that as your word
says that you are seated at the right
hand of the throne of God. And so,
we celebrate that not just today, we
celebrate that every day.
But Lord, as friends have gathered,
family members have gathered today,
God, I don't know what they're walking
in with, what their week, what their
month, what their year has been like.
But God, may you stir hearts, may you
stir minds today so that they may see
your love for them, that they may see
grace outweighs anything else, that your
grace was poured out on the cross
so that we as broken, imperfect people,
we can come to know you because of your
son, Jesus. And so, we thank you. Thank
you for the opportunity now we have to
open up your word. Uh may ears and
hearts be receptive. In your name we
pray. Amen.
>> [music]
>> Well, as our Quakertown campus joins us
via simulcast, I want to say a big good
morning to all of you in Quakertown and
happy Easter. Happy Easter all of you
joining us online as well. And to all of
you here, happy Easter.
Now, when you think about Easter, I I
have a question for you. What are some
words that come to your mind when you
think about Easter? Like uh maybe if
you're older, you might think of Easter
bonnets.
Is that a thing anymore? That doesn't
feel like that's a thing anymore.
All right, so I'm I'm I almost wore one
today, but
Easter bonnets, or maybe if you're
younger, you think of like Easter
baskets,
Easter eggs,
the candy in the Easter eggs. My
question is,
why does Reese's
only make the chocolate peanut butter
egg? I mean, they should be all year
round.
For some Right?
That's going to be the only thing you
agree with me today on. That's it.
Like we think of that, right? We think
of like
jelly beans.
Brach's way better than Jelly Bellies.
But is there anything more
disappointing?
Is there any Is there anything more
disappointing
than accidentally eating the licorice
jelly bean?
I mean, that's the worst. That's
absolutely horrible.
What are some other words? We think
church, right? Some of you think of
church, you come to church. On Easter
Sunday, you think of tomb.
Think of angels, maybe.
Today, we're going to talk
about probably the most important word
when it comes to Easter.
That word is resurrection.
See, the resurrection
is the central focus
of the Christian belief.
The resurrection is not meant to be
symbolic. It's not meant to be a
metaphor. Here's what the resurrection
is.
The resurrection is the claim
that Jesus
really did live a life.
He really was a person. He was fully
God, fully man.
And that he really did die.
He didn't go into a coma.
He died.
And then the resurrection is the claim
that on the third day
that stone rolled away.
And his heart
began to thump.
His heart began to beat.
The resurrection is the claim that Jesus
rose from the dead alive
and eternally victorious.
And if the resurrection is true
then everything changes.
Because if the resurrection is true and
Jesus rose from the dead, then Jesus is
who he said he was and he did what he
said he would do.
You see, when Jesus died on that cross,
his disciples, his friends, everybody
thought that his story had ended.
But our big idea for today
our big idea for this whole sermon today
is this.
Because Jesus is alive
the end became the beginning.
Because Jesus is alive, the end became
the beginning.
If you have a Bible, you can turn to
Luke chapter 24. If you don't have a

Luke 24 chapter mention
Bible and you want to use one of the
Bibles at Calvary in Saucon, and then
the seat rack in Quakertown in the back
of the room, turn to page 722.
If you don't own a Bible, take that one
home. It's our gift to you. We believe
that the Bible is filled with
life-changing truth. So, take that home.
But we're going to start Luke chapter

Luke 24:1
24, verse 1.
On the first day of the week, very early
in the morning
the women took the spices they had
prepared and went to the tomb.
They found the stone rolled away from
the tomb.
But when they entered, they did not find
the body of the Lord Jesus.
Okay, here's the first thing that we
need to understand about the
resurrection.
What we need to understand is that
nobody was expecting it.
In fact, when the women were going to
the tomb, they came expecting death.
The story doesn't begin of Resurrection
Sunday. The story doesn't begin with
people outside of the tomb with banners
saying, "Welcome back."
Or banners saying, "You did it."
They didn't have lawn chairs outside of
the tomb just waiting. They're like,
"Ready?"
They didn't do that.
They came expecting death.
You see
the story
of the resurrection doesn't begin with
this confident faith. It actually begins
with honest grief.
And so, the women go to the tomb and
they're carrying spices because that's
what you did
when a body was dead and it was being
prepared for that time of just being
wrapped up and in that tomb. You carried
spices.
From their's perspective, the story was
over.
It was over.
And what we need to understand is that
the resurrection
is not wishful thinking.
It's not wishful thinking.
It's a reality that breaks into the
moment when death seems final.
If we were to continue on,
we'll see this unpacked a little bit
more.
In verse 4, while they were wondering
about this
suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed
like lightning stood beside them. In
their fright, the women bowed down with
their faces to the ground, but the men
said to them
"Why do you look
for the living among the dead?
He is not here.
He has risen.
Remember
remember how he told you while he was
still with you in Galilee, 'The Son of
Man must be delivered over to the hands
of sinners, be crucified, and on the
third day be raised again.'"
Then
they remembered his words.
You see, the next thing that we learn
about the resurrection is this.
Jesus said it
and then he did it.
Jesus said it and then he did it.
These men with these gleaming white
clothes come and they ask the question,
"Why do you look for the living among
the dead?" And then they said
"Remember
remember how he told you."
And what happens to women? They remember
his words and everything
changes. Everything changes.
See, the resurrection is not just a
miracle.
It's a fulfilled promise.
It's a fulfilled promise. Jesus didn't
just rise, he kept his word.
He kept his word.
His word was true.
You see, the resurrection doesn't call
us to blind optimism.
It doesn't call us to pretending that
everything is okay.
In the midst
of the darkness, the resurrection calls
us
and asks us
if we will believe that Jesus tells the
truth.
Because
if Jesus is alive
then the ultimate test
for the truth of his words was passed.
Even death
couldn't stop him from fulfilling his
word.
If Jesus is alive
neutrality is not an option.
You either trust Jesus
or you don't.
You either trust that he did what he
said he would do or you don't.
Jesus said it
and then he did it.
Let's keep going on and as we read in
verse 9, "When they came back from the
tomb, they told all these things to the
11
and to all the others. It was Mary
Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of
James and the others with them who told
this to the apostles, but they did not
believe the women because their words
seemed to them like nonsense."
Peter, however, got up and ran to the
tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of
linen lying by themselves and he went
away wondering to himself what had
happened.
What we need to understand is that the
resurrection confronted unbelief.
The resurrection confronted unbelief.
So, the women burst into the room and
they tell the the disciples the story.
And what happens?
The disciples say, "Amen.
We knew this would happen."
No, that's not what happened.
They said the same thing that happens
when my wife bursts into the room and
starts talking to me.
"Nonsense."
>> [laughter]
>> She's coming to the next service. I'm
not going to do that in that one.
He said, "Nonsense.
This is ridiculous. This is impossible."
The resurrection didn't make sense.
But then there's Peter.
What does Peter do?
Peter
starts to hear the words.
Something starts to stir inside of him.
He doesn't have everything figured out.
But something in him has been awakened.
Something like hope.
Something like longing.
There might just might be a possibility.
And Peter gets up and he runs.
He runs.
And maybe that's where some of you are
at today as well.
You're not certain.
You're not certain of this this good
news of Jesus. You're
you're not settled,
but you're unable to ignore
the possibility.
There's something about that possibility
that just can't be ignored.
Because if Jesus is alive, then
everything changes.
You see, sometimes faith does not begin
with certainty.
Sometimes it begins when you can no
longer ignore the possibility.
When you can no longer ignore the
possibility.
And Peter, he sees the empty tomb,
and he leaves marveling.
Marveling, not fully understanding, but
unable to ignore what is happening.
See, the resurrection doesn't always
remove all your questions,
but it will confront you with something
you can't ignore.
It will confront you with something you
can't ignore.
And what we can't ignore is this.
Jesus has defeated death.
The empty tomb is not just proof
that Jesus is alive,
it is proof that death has been
overthrown.
In the Bible, we read a little bit more
of this in 1 Corinthians chapter 15.

1 Corinthians 15 chapter mention
The author writes this, and he writes
these words. He says, "Where, oh death,
is your victory?
Where, oh death, is your sting? The
sting of death is sin, and the power of
sin is the law, but thanks be to God.
He gives us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ."
When the author of 1 Corinthians wrote
this, he wasn't speaking theoretically.
He taunts death.
You see, on the cross, Jesus dealt with
our sin,
and through the resurrection, he defeats
death.
That means that death no longer has the
final word.
Death no longer has the final word over
your story.
Jesus does.
The empty tomb points to a greater
reality.
The reality that Jesus passed through
death and conquered it.
And conquered it.
Death met Jesus
and lost.
And lost.
Jesus has authority
over death.
And if he has authority over death,
he has authority over everything.
Everything.
And because of that,
because of that,
the story which everyone thought had
ended,
the story of Jesus' life which everyone
had thought as was done,
because of that,
the end was not the end.
It was the beginning.
You see, the resurrection
begins a new reality.
It begins a new reality.
Because Jesus rose, what looked like the
end became the beginning, not just for
him,
but for us.
The resurrection is not simply the
continuation of a story, it is the start
of a new reality.
It is the beginning of fulfilled
promises. Everything that Jesus said is
now proven true.
It is beginning of defeated death. The
grave no longer has the final word.
It is the beginning of a living hope,
not wishful thinking, but something
alive and secure.
1 Peter chapter 1 says it this way in

1 Peter 1 chapter mention
verse 3, "Praise be to the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his
great mercy, he has given us new birth
into a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead."
Hope is not a feeling we try to hold on
to.
Hope is not a feeling we try to hold on
to.
>> [snorts]
>> It is a person
who walked out of a grave.
It is a person who walked out of a
grave.
That's huge.
Because there's different responses to
the resurrection in Luke 24, just like
there are different responses to the
resurrection today.
In Luke 24, we see people who witnessed
and then they believed.
We see people who doubted, and they
wrestled.
Then we see some like Peter who just
runs towards the evidence.
Maybe that's
very descriptive of all of us today,
right? Some of us
we believe the truth of the
resurrection.
Some of us are still wrestling and
uncertain. Some of us are just running
towards the truth, uncertain of it, but
there's a possibility we just can't
ignore anymore.
The question is this.
The question is not
"What do you feel?"
Question is not what do you feel.
The question is, "What will you do with
the risen Jesus?"
What will you do with the risen Jesus?
If the resurrection is true, then Jesus
is not just part of history.
He is Lord.
He died for our sin. He rose in victory,
and he calls people to trust him.
The resurrection
is not just something to believe. It is
someone to trust.
It is someone to trust.
You see, Luke 24 tells us that yes,
Jesus was crucified. Yes, he was buried,
but he rose.
He rose again.
And again, that means that what looked
like the end
was not the end. It was the beginning.
It was the beginning of a restored
relationship with God, the beginning of
freedom from sin, the beginning of new
life that lasts now and forever.
The resurrection doesn't just give you
hope for someday.
It doesn't just give you hope for
someday.
It gives you a starting point for today.
So, where
are you at with all of that?
Where are you at with all of that?
See, here's the invitation of Easter.
The invitation of Easter is this.
Come as you are.
Trust Jesus.
Receive what he has done.
That's the invitation of Easter.
Come as you are.
Not try to clean yourself up.
Not try to be like, "I I I don't know.
I'm not sure that I'm good enough to
come
to No, come just as you are.
Trust Jesus.
And receive what he has done.
Through the resurrection, Jesus invites
you into his story and into his hope.
Now, maybe today
you wouldn't call yourself a Christian.
Maybe you're unsure about what you
believe. Maybe you even have had
some difficult moments with churches in
the past. Maybe you've even been hurt by
churches.
And if that's you, just before I go any
further, I'm sorry that that happened.
Especially if I'm the one who hurt you,
I'm sorry that that happened.
We're imperfect people who serve a
perfect God.
And this God loves you
more than you could possibly imagine.
So, I don't know where you're at,
but what I do know is this.
If the resurrection is true,
then Jesus is alive.
And this is not just a story to admire.
It's an invitation to accept.
Jesus did for us
what we could not do for ourselves.
He entered into our brokenness. He
carried our sin. He faced death in our
place and rose again
so that we could be forgiven.
Brought back to life, back to God, and
given new life.
And if you are here and you're just
like, "Okay,
I want to trust Jesus. I want to receive
what he's done.
How do I do that?"
Just tell him.
In a moment we're going to pray together
and during that time you can just tell
him.
You could say something like this,
"Jesus, I believe you are alive.
I know I need your forgiveness.
I turn from running my life on my own
and I place my trust in you.
Forgive me.
Make me new and lead me from this day
forward."
Don't have to worry about the words
matching perfectly.
It's not about the words.
There are no magic words. It's not about
the way you say the prayer, it's the one
whom you're praying the prayer to.
So in a moment we'll pray and if that is
your prayer,
if today
you choose to
come to Jesus,
trust him,
and receive what he has done,
you make that prayer your own.
And you tell him right where you are.
Let's pray.
Lord, I thank you for your goodness. I
thank you
for the resurrection.
God, I thank you that the end was not
the end, it was just the beginning.
The beginning of
our being able to live a life with you.
I thank you that Jesus defeated death,
that he kept his word.
Lord, I ask you that if there is anyone
in here
who needs to trust you, that they would
allow their hearts to be open to you.
Father, for those of us in this room who
do trust you and who are following you,
I ask you that you would make the beauty
of the resurrection just a little bit
more real in our hearts today.
That we would stand in wonder and
amazement
and that we would overflow with the joy
that that new life brings and that we
would bring that joy that comes from the
gospel, that comes from the good news of
Jesus to everyone we come in contact
with.
We pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
>> [music]
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>> We were pretty quiet that day.
Unusual for us.
We were huddled up together in silence,
our minds racing with
thoughts and fears.
He was gone.
And then they came and barged in,
talking over each other in a babbling
mass of words.
They ended the silence.
At first we didn't understand what they
were saying. It was all just
words.
Words began to
emerge.
Tomb,
empty,
angels, remember what he said?
Andrew was the first to respond,
"Nonsense." But I
I wasn't so sure myself.
In fact, my heart began to race a little
faster,
pumping the blood to the tips of my
fingers and the
tips of my toes.
Could it be true?
My heart pumped even faster.
My brain began to explode with questions
and while the others were still mocking
the women, I stood up. I could no longer
hear anything but my heart racing. Could
it be true?
I took a step towards the door and then
I
I ran.
My feet were rushing in rhythm to my
heart's excitement and I had to see for
myself. Could it be true?
When I got there, very suddenly, I
realized that the stone was rolled away
from the entrance to the tomb.
And for the first time since I had heard
the women, I
slowed down.
What was I expecting to see?
What did I expect would happen?
Slowly,
I walked through the entrance of the
tomb,
and he wasn't there.
Now, the strips of linen that they used
to wrap him with were there,
but he
he was not there.
Turning around, I exited the tomb.
What had happened [laughter] here?
What happened?
Now, maybe just
just maybe
it could
be true.
Well, Jesus didn't just die so that we
would just come here and sing some
songs. So, we're going to celebrate that
Jesus lives. Can I get an amen, church?
On a hill for sinners, just like you and
me.
On a hill [music] for sinners.
Come on.
His body broken,
the king [music] forsaken.
As he hung on that cross. Keep the hands
going.
The veil in pieces, [music]
the temple [singing] shaken.
They mourned the [music] savior,
but it wasn't for long. We sing the day.
Oh, he lives.
He's risen from the [music and singing]
grave.
Victorious,
our savior
reigns.
>> [music]
>> Oh, yes, he reigns.
He rose.
The stone [music and singing]
is rolled away.
Forever, our redeemer
>> [singing]
>> lives.
Oh, yes, he lives.
All right, back to here. Back to here.
Here in the silence,
he wasn't [singing and music]
over.
Oh, our redeemer
is getting ready to
rise.
And dawn that morning,
they came to [music] find him. And that
tomb was [singing] empty.
Cuz he is alive.
That tomb was empty.
>> [music]
>> Cuz he is alive.
He lives.
Oh, he lives.
He's risen from the [music] grave.
Victorious,
our savior
>> [music and singing]
>> reigns.
Oh, yes, he reigns.
He rose.
The stone [music]
is rolled away.
Forever, our redeemer
lives.
Oh, yes, he [music] lives.
>> [music]
>> Can we sing this together with all the
belief in our hearts that we got?
Jesus Christ crucified,
through his death there is life. By the
blood of the lamb, we have been [music]
forgiven.
Our debt has been paid. There is grace
[music] upon grace. Only one name that
saves. Sing the name. His name
is Jesus [music] Christ crucified.
Through his death,
there is [music and singing] life. By
the blood
of the lamb,
we have been forgiven. Praise God.
>> [music]
>> Our debt
has been paid. There is grace upon
[music] grace. Only one
name that saves.
And his name
>> [music]
>> is Come on, church. Jesus. He lives.
He's risen [music] from the grave.
Victorious,
our savior
>> [singing]
>> reigns.
Oh, yes, he reigns.
He rose.
The stone is rolled [music] away.
Forever, [singing]
our redeemer
lives.
Oh, yes, [music] he lives.
Oh, he lives.
He's risen from the grave.
Victorious, [music]
[singing]
our savior
reigns.
Oh, yes, he
reigns.
He rose.
>> [music]
>> The stone is rolled away.
Forever, our redeemer
lives.
Oh, yes, he
>> [music]
>> lives.
Jesus Christ
crucified,
through his death
there is [music] life. By the blood of
the lamb,
we have been
forgiven.
>> [music]
>> Our debt has been paid.
There is grace upon grace. Only one
>> [music and singing]
>> name that saves.
And his name is
Jesus.
>> [music]
>> Give him a shout of praise this morning,
y'all.
>> [music]
>> Well, church, let me say this again. It
is incredible day to gather with you to
celebrate a resurrected Jesus. I'm going
to say a real quick thank you to our
friends that are up in the Easter
lounge. Thank you so much for being up
there. Whether you're in the Easter
lounge or you're here,
Carlos asked this question.
What will you do
uh with the resurrected Jesus?
If if there's anything we can do to help
answer questions, if we can pray with
you after the service, we'll be up here.
We'll have a team of volunteers,
even in the Easter lounge, that would
love the opportunity to connect with
you, to pray with you. But as we as we
go out today, let's live in that reality
that that Jesus is alive, he's
resurrected, and that change