Easter 2026 - "The Indestructible Life" (1st service) - Pastor Brad Neuschwander (April 5, 2026) | Life Bible Church

Welcome to the Life Bible Church podcast. We

want to thank you for joining us today and we

hope you find today's sermon impacting as you

listen to it wherever you are in your daily walk.

To find service times and watch messages online,

see our website at lifebiblechurch .org. Now,

enjoy this week's message. I want to talk this

morning about indestructible life. kind of meeting

as a team here about six months ago, and they

were asking, what's your theme for Easter? And

of course, I don't know six months in advance.

I barely know one week in advance what I'm doing

on a Sunday morning. And so we prayed about it.

We felt like this was the title that God was

kind of just putting on the team's heart, an

indestructible life. You know, the bottom line,

and we can go right to slide on the second page,

that first slide on the second page that says,

Easter is about God's remarkable reclaiming of

the way, truth, and the life for mankind. That

is what Easter is about. In all that is gonna

be said and done, all that's sung, all that's

prayed, the communion service, the reality gets

down to Jesus' statement in John 14 where he

said, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

No man comes to the Father but by me. You can

turn me down just a little bit, David. That'd

be great. I'm gonna preach a bit this morning.

The reality is that's what Jesus said. He was

the way. He is the truth and he is the life.

And Easter is about claiming that way, truth,

and life for all who will say yes to him. Because

Jesus didn't just open the door for himself.

The whole point of Easter was Jesus would actually

become the door and become the path, the way,

the guide, the grace, and the one that would

cause us to be introduced and reestablished with

the Father because of sin. And as we begin to

understand the reality of how incredible this

message is, Sitting down to prepare for this

week and just spending time in the scriptures,

I went four different messages. Now, I'm not

gonna preach all four this morning. But I was

like, Lord, I could do this and I could do this.

And I started to put scriptures down. And I realized

how many paths. that are all one road that leads

only through Jesus, the Bible has placed to get

us to understand how incredible this gift of

God's good news actually is. You know, you have

to start from a place of understanding that everything

that we've been born into is temporary. I've

said it so many times, you've heard me say it,

everybody has a shelf life. Your milk will curdle.

right? We deal with it in the reality that everything

that we know in this world is temporary. In fact,

as one scripture says, one translation says,

everything is temporal. One translation says

everything is transient, which means it's only

around for a short season or time. But what we

deal with with God and what we deal with with

what he's put inside of us is that he has put,

the Bible says in Romans, he's put eternity in

our hearts. Meaning what? There's something,

even in the midst of sin, Even in the midst of

fallenness, even in the midst of that which has

degraded your body, and you can just, I don't

want you to look around and look at who's degraded

and getting older. That's not the point. But

the point is, all of us are facing this thing

that causes us to what? Diminish. He's put eternity

inside natural. Because of sin, what Adam and

Eve traded, they traded for all of us, the Bible

says, without going into the number of scriptures

that talk about this. In essence, because we're

all born out of Adam, all of us have now gotten

something transitory and temporary in our body

and in our soul. The Holy Spirit writes this

in... Romans 6, 23, when it says, the wages of

sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal

life in Jesus Christ our Lord. Easter boldly

proclaims that it could only be Jesus, could

only be Jesus, who could do, well, he's, He's

many, many things. It says the Bible says that

all the mysteries are summed up in Christ. But

three of the greatest mysteries are these. He

could only be the sacrificial lamb that would

pay for sin. He could only be the high priest

that could actually administrate before the Father

and us and bring reconciliation. And he's the

only one that can be king of kings. Now for me

to teach all three of those in depth would take

us a year series. And you're not here for a year

series, so I'm gonna start with just wherever

I feel led, hallelujah. I'm gonna start with

a couple of the gospels here. Luke, John, Mark,

I want to deal with just. The resurrection this

morning. Because we sang about the blood and

we sang about the cross. And absolutely all of

those are true. And Good Friday represents the

goodness of him being the lamb of God. The death,

burial, crucifixion of Jesus. We'll talk about

it a bit. Had to happen. But if it was just about

death, we alone are miserable. Because then someone

has to keep dying. But the death that Jesus gave

us, he did once and for all. And the power of

his death and the power of the truth of the cross

is indemnified by the resurrection. Luke 24 verses

one through following says this, but on the first

day of the week at early dawn, they went to the

tomb taking spices that they had prepared. And

they found the stone had been rolled away from

the tomb. When they went in, they did not find

the body of the Lord Jesus. And while they were

perplexed about this, two men stood beside them

in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened

and bowed their faces to the ground, the men

said to them, why do you seek the living among

the dead? He is not here, but he is risen. Remember

how Jesus told you while he was still in Galilee.

that the son of man must be delivered into the

hands of sinful men and be crucified and rise

on the third day. And they remembered his words

and returning from the tomb, they told all these

things to the 11 and the rest. Mark's gospel

says it this way in Mark 16, verse six. And the

angel said to them, do not be alarmed. You seek

Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He has risen.

He is not here. See the place where they laid

him? Go tell his disciples and Peter that he

is going before you to Galilee. There you will

see him just as he told you. And then John writes

it this way. John 20 verse 19. On that evening,

John 20:19

now listen, this is the morning. We just read

the account of the morning of the tomb. The morning

of the first day, that Sunday morning, that what

we would call Easter resurrection morning. Now

John in chapter 20 points to that same day, that

evening as the day was about to close. But before

the day, and I love this, before the day closes.

He rose early in the morning and revealed himself

to two that would be witnesses, just like he

sent witnesses before him while he was on the

earth, sent them two by two, proclaiming, come

on somebody, proclaiming that he would come and

he would visit every town, he would visit every

place and declare that the kingdom of God was

come. Now in the same fashion, in the same way

that Jesus always taught and always did, he met

the two at the tomb. told them to go testify,

and before the day was over, he showed himself

to the rest. That is the kind of God that we

serve. And that is who we honor and bless. He

is risen. And when he wrote this, he said, as

the disciples were behind locked doors. Let me

tell you something about Jesus. Let me tell you

something about the risen God. You may have your

doors locked, but he knows how to get behind

it. He is able to pick any lock. He is able to

get behind any wall. He's able to get into any

house. There's no sin. There's no darkness. There's

no failure that's walled up something too big

for Jesus. Why? Because he broke out of the prison

called hell and destroyed and took the keys of

death. And his first statement is, I told you

so. No. No. That'd be my first statement. But

it wasn't Jesus' first statement. His first statement

is, peace be with you. Why? Because peace was

with them. They didn't have it. Come on, listen

to me. The gospel's right in John 20 right here.

They didn't have it because they locked the doors.

They were afraid. The moment Jesus comes behind

locked doors, he's the only one that can say,

peace be with you, because I'm standing right

there. Jesus alone, let's try to describe some

of this. Jesus alone is the only holy sacrifice.

Talking about his birth, he was born, what we

would say, Flesh and blood, the divinity of God,

God's holy word, as you would call it, as the

scripture calls it, and in the gospel of John,

as John framed it, in the beginning was the word,

the word was God, the word was with God. The

word came forth from God and we beheld him. Meaning

what? It's said right here, the word was now

wrapped in flesh and blood and he manifested

himself and we touched him. The living word of

God that came from the Father yet was wrapped

in our humanity. Jesus would be the only one

as the holy sacrifice whose flesh was the fulfillment

of the promise according to David. The promise.

Of what? That from your line there would come

a Messiah. The promise that David's line and

kingship. That all the way back to Abraham. That

God would bless those who blessed him. And in

your seed. Not seeds. In your seed all the nations

of the world would be blessed. Jesus Christ becomes

the fulfillment of that Messiah. He's the holy

sacrifice. And what was done to him? To take

on the sin of the world. It wasn't just crucifixion.

For there have been many people by the Romans

got crucified. But the agony of the soul that

started the crucifixion process. Started the

night after this communion supper. Started the

night of the fulfillment of the Passover supper.

It started with the agony of the soul. When he

crossed over the brook Kindron. Crossed into

the garden of Gethsemane. And cried out. God

if it's any other way than going through what

I'm about to go through let this cup pass from

me. The agony of the soul. The personal betrayal

of disciples. The kiss of the betrayer. The religious

leader's rejection. Pilate's political rejection.

Herod's humiliation. The scourge that tore him.

front and back, the humiliation of the Roman

guard, the crown of thorns, the carrying of the

sentence of death on the beam with the weight

under being scourged almost to death, the searing

pain of the nails in his hands and his feet,

and the suffocation of crucifixion along as his

joints were being pulled and stretched apart.

The incredible love that the father had to send

his son. to do that for us, to the lengths that

the father goes, to fully embrace the breadth

and the scope of the horrific treatment of his

innocent, holy, never sinned son, to subject

him to rejection, to the suffering, and to be

torn to shreds, battered and then traded for

a criminal to be crucified. It's hard to fathom.

The father placed the son in our place. He took

our punishment. He paid our debt to do what?

To make reconciliation because of sin's breach

and mar and destruction of all that was right

and holy. He bridged that of being a holy sacrifice,

giving his body. and his blood. That's why we

take, and we will take at the end of service,

this table. It's not just the blood. It's the

body and the blood. Everything offered by the

son was offered to bring reconciliation, relationship,

alignment, and allegiance back to the father.

John 1 20, excuse me. John 1 verse 29 says, as

John 1:29

John the Baptist was preaching and he saw Jesus

coming toward him, he let out the exclamation,

behold, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin

of the world. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian

church in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21 that

2 Corinthians 5:21

says, for our sake. Come on, can you say that

with me? For our sake. One more time. For our

sake. God made Jesus Christ. To be sin. The one

who knew no sin so that in Jesus we might become

the righteousness of Christ. The righteousness

of God. In Jesus. You see, there is no righteousness

outside of Jesus. Let me say that again. It's

a great fallacy. That because God sent his son

into the world to die, which most people can

quote John 3 .16. The key of John 3 .16 is whoever

believes in him. Believes is not an external

thing. Jesus qualifies it later. Whoever lives

and believes in me. Meaning what? You can't just

believe that Jesus was the good news. You actually

have to believe and be in him. Being in him is

what makes you righteous. Not just declaring

that he is God's son. What a great lie. The enemy

has tried to move through the body of Christ,

trying to take Christianity into a believism

or a mental truth only. It never was presented

as that. It was a belief that required all of

you. That's what actually procures salvation.

And I loathe those that try to remove the restraints

and the demands of what God put on pulling on

his son's blood. To cheapen it and to only make

it a mental ascent is the greatest lie of all.

Why? Because demons believe and do not get salvation.

The reality. That the father through his unmatched

and unmerited love willingly gave his son Jesus

Christ who willfully and humbly embraced all

that was prepared for him. A table and a cup

of wrath. That's why Jesus is worthy to be worshiped.

That's why he's what we sang here this morning.

There's only one found worthy. He's to be honored

and adored forever. That's why in Revelation

chapter five, you'll see the scene of heaven.

And they'll say, worthy is the lamb who was slain

to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength

and honor and glory and blessing. And every creature

in heaven and earth and under the earth and such

as are in the sea and all that are in all areas

of the universe saying what? blessing and honor

and glory and power to him who sits on the throne

and to the lamb forever and ever. Not only is

Jesus the lamb of God, the holy sacrifice that

could actually pay for our sin and bring us into

reconciliation, but in order to actually put

the blood on the altar and then officiate, he

would have to do what? He would have to be the

high priest. He's the mediator of the new covenant.

In order to break the power of the old covenant,

which was bound to every... piece of law that

was written in Moses's regulations or if you

will what God put in Moses's life to teach the

people about God's holiness there would have

to be a priest that would satisfy the requirements

of all that was written and now could mediate

it as one who would give grace as the one who's

fulfilled it where no one else could. First Timothy

2. 5 through 6 says this, for there is one God

and there is one mediator between God and men,

the man Jesus Christ, who gave himself as a ransom

for all. Hebrews 9 .15 says it this way, therefore

Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant so that

those who are called may receive the promised

eternal. inheritance. Hebrews 12, 24 says it

this way, Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant

and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better

word than the blood of Abel. That's what we sang

that last song. Your blood speaks a better word.

What's a better word? One form of blood, Abel's

blood, the first murdered person on the earth.

Jesus, the father actually said to Cain, Through

the word of God, I hear the blood of your brother

crying out. What was it crying out for? Justice.

But Jesus' blood speaks better than Abel's blood.

Instead of justice, Jesus' blood cries out, I've

taken it. It's finished. You're forgiven. Jesus

becomes our living high priest. Hebrews 7, verses

Hebrews 7:17

17 says this, for it is witnessed of Jesus Christ,

you are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

And that means an eternal office, if you will.

It was not without an oath for those who formerly

became priests under the old covenant were done

so without an oath. But this one, Jesus, was

made a priest with an oath by the one, meaning

God, who said the Lord has sworn and will not

change his mind. You are priest forever. This

makes Jesus Christ the guarantor of a better

covenant. And then I love this last one. This

is the title of our message this morning. Verse

15 and 16, this becomes more evident that there

was another priest in the likeness of the eternal

office of the priesthood called Melchizedek.

Verse 16, who has become a priest not on the

legal requirement concerning a bloodline from

Levi, but by the power of an indestructible life.

You see, the high priest of our faith the very

mediator of the new covenant of God, lives in

the power of eternity. He lives in the power

of eternity. That's why three days in a tomb

could only happen. Otherwise, without the indestructible

eternal life that he came from, lived in, and

is now raised in, we would have no hope. He's

indestructible. Death could not hold him. He

could not be held by Hades or by death. Jesus

was made in our likeness, yet he was completely

God and had within himself, what? Life within

himself. And when the Bible says, I have the

power to lay, Jesus said, I have the power to

lay my life down. I have the power to take my

life up again. He was not talking about natural

humanity. He was talking about the power of defeating

the foe of natural life and being raised now,

bringing natural life under the jurisdiction

and back to the place that it would submit to

the eternal life of God. That's why Hebrews chapter

two, verse 17 and 18 says it this way. Therefore,

Jesus Christ had to be made like his brothers

in every respect so that he could become the

merciful, faithful high priest of service to

God to make propitiation for the sins of his

people. What does that mean? Propitiation is

just a high dollar word that's payment. He became

God's visa. I don't want to cheapen it up, but

that's the issue. God used his son's blood and

life as payment to satisfy the righteousness

and the judgment that was broken because of broken

relationship and sin. Jesus' life became payment

to satisfy the holy nature of God. See, that's

what we forget. We often... travel in the circles

outside of the understanding of the fear of the

Lord or the holiness of the Lord. It's easy to

make Jesus sound more like us than the reality

that he is. As much as he's been made like us,

he is actually altogether different and he's

more like his father because he and the father

are one. We tend to try to pull things down and

move it into our framework and think that way.

He had to satisfy the requirements that holiness

broken and righteousness broken had to be satisfied

that justice was required. Judgment was required

in order for God to actually have relationship

with you and I. You see, grace isn't cheap. It

is super expensive. Hebrews 9, 11 says it this

way. When Christ appeared as the high priest

of good things that are to come, Jesus entered

once and for all into the holy places, not by

the means of blood of bulls and goats, but by

the means of his own blood, thus securing eternal

redemption. These truths. The wonderful redemption

truth is and was done out of God's love for us.

For our sake, Jesus would embrace the Father's

will and endure all to become, as God would give

him, as it says in Hebrews chapter 1, a name

Hebrews 1 · chapter mention

higher than every name and all things would be

given now to the Son because of his faithfulness

and that he completed all of the Father's will.

Not only is he a mediator of our covenant, we're

getting close. That's the fastest three -pronged

message I've ever preached in my life. Not only

is he a sacrificial lamb, not only is he high

priest, but now he is living king. Mark 15, one

and two says this. As soon as it was morning,

the chief priests held a consultation with the

elders and the scribes on all of the council.

And they bound Jesus. They led him away to be

delivered over to Pilate. And Pilate asked Jesus,

are you the king of the Jews? And Jesus answered

him, you have said so. John 18 says it this way.

Verse 37, Pilate said to Jesus, so are you a

king? And Jesus answered, you say that I'm a

king. And for this purpose I was born. And for

this purpose I have come into the world. I bear

witness to the truth. First Timothy, as Paul

is writing young Timothy who's pastoring a church

in Ephesus that at that point in time was the

largest church as most scholars believe in the

earth. Some people say it had over 200 ,000 connected

people to it. gathered a congregation of over

25 to 30 ,000 in its gatherings, in its corporate

gathering, but under the time of the reign of

the power of Rome and as they were martyring

Christians, Paul was writing to Timothy to be

strong and he closes his statement in 1 Timothy

6. He says, now in the presence of God who gives

life to all things and of Jesus Christ who is

the testimony, who in his testimony before Pontius

Pilate made a good confession to keep the commandment

unstained and free from reproach until the appearing

of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display

at the proper time. He who is blessed and only

sovereign, the King of kings and the Lord of

lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells

in an approachable light, whom no one has ever

seen or can see, to him be the honor and the

eternal dominion. Jesus is King of kings and

Lord of lords. Jesus, both in his life and in

his death, was victorious. In his life, He was

victorious as not one sin was able to cling to

him. Jesus, in his death, because of his victorious

living and obedience to the Father, had what?

Full authority to take on the world's sin and

to be the penalty, punishment, and the propayment

for that sin. And to raise again with the power

now, the power of the authority of breaking the

thing that held men and women bound their whole

life. And that's what we started with. What's

held us. The fear of death. The certainty of

death. The ugliness of death. We have a choice.

God did all of that by sending his son. I'm gonna

come back to death and the grave and hell and

sin. That's a larger series. But the reality

is today it was about a choice. Because of the

resurrection, you have a choice. Prior to the

resurrection, you didn't have a choice. Our choice,

and that's why it's called the age of grace.

God in his mercy, his patience and his long suffering

gives us grace to choose a path that we decide

to walk in our own personal lives. We live in

the days of having a choice. That's why many

scholars call this the age of grace. Here's our

choices. We can choose to stay the way we are,

the way we were born, which is what? Under the

influence, power, and dictates of control of

sin. We can choose to stay in our own deception.

We can follow our own heart. We can follow our

own soul. We can try to mitigate and navigate

all the courses of life by our own free will.

We can stay and choose to live under that deception

of our own thinking, which the Bible says is

ruled by man's rebellion and by the God of this

world directing and guiding us under the slavery

of an idea that we're free by ourselves. But

because we've been given a choice, we can stand

in defiance of what has been given. by the father

through his son. And at the end of days, we will

be able to offer a form of argument or try some

form of negotiation for the penalties that are

required for sin. We have that choice, but let

it be known to you and all that are listening,

although that is a choice, that choice has no

means to deal or secure freedom. from the eternal

power that God put in mankind that is now broken

and fallen under the curse of sin. It's a bondage.

And the Bible calls it death, not just natural

death, but the Bible calls it an eternal death,

a perishing. The choice will there be and fall

short because nothing but holy blood. can actually

pay the price to remove the curse of eternal

death and judgment. You see, that's why the resurrection

is such a big deal. Because only God established

right from the beginning of our understanding

of everything that he gave us in the scriptures,

right from the beginning of Genesis all the way

through to the book of Revelation, blood, holy

blood is required to pay for sin. That's why

standing on your own merits, that's why standing

and trying to negotiate with good works is such

buffoonery. That's a great word. Eternal death

and judgment require holy blood. Or, here's the

other choice. The other choice is to accept God's

amazing grace, unrivaled mercy, by faith and

volition of our own free will. To recognize that

in my own accord, I have no capacity to garner

or to present myself as having payment for my

own life. This is a choice. It's actually choosing

God's plan Of exchange. Which on the real market.

Is crazy. Taking my jacked up life. And trading

it. For God's perfect. Son's life. But he made

the terms. See this choice at the core. Is the

choice of. Now hear me. It's not just a belief.

It's a choice of surrender in believing. The

choice of welcoming the gospel. The choice of

embracing God's incredible gift of grace and

love and forgiveness. As I repent of my sin.

As we repent of independence, of rebellion. And

bring our life into alignment and to allegiance

under what? Kingship. Because it's not enough.

Just to say, save me. The second part that says

you live is you have to embrace kingship. This

is where the cutting of the truth has to be sharp.

Because it's not just about... having the announcement

that Jesus paid the price. It's the announcement

that you take to your heart and you say, not

only do I recognize the power, the grace, and

the authority of this gift and its marvelous

love, but I willingly accept Jesus and I ask

him to bring his kingdom, his crown, his authority

over my life and I will be subject to it for

the rest of my life. That's when, as savior and

king, we receive forgiveness of our sins. We

gain freedom from the chains, the weight and

the consequences of that sin called what? This

is the big one, eternal death and judgment. There's

only two choices. The apostle Paul speaking in

an amphitheater. to a bunch of Epicurean and

stoic philosophers and contemporary thinkers

of his day in Acts 17, 24, and I shortened it

up just a bit just to get to the point, said

this, the God who made the world and everything

in it being Lord of heaven and earth does not

live in temples made by men, nor is he served

by man's hands as though he needed anything since

he himself gives. to all mankind, life and breath

and everything. The apostle Paul by that statement

was saying, every single person in this room,

every single person that's watching online, every

single person on the earth, because of life and

breath and eternity in their heart, have three

witnesses that will stand inside of them as they

look at who he is and have to give an account.

I will either give an account, of my own accord

and fall woefully short or I will give an account

not because of what I did, but because I willingly

asked Christ to be in me. And because I'm in

Christ, now all that is Christ becomes mine.

He continues on in verse 26. And Paul writes

under the Holy Spirit, speaking to this group

of educated philosophers and thinkers. He said,

and God made from one man every nation of mankind

to live on the face of the earth. And having

determined allotted periods and the boundaries

of their dwelling places that they should seek

God and hope that they might feel their way toward

him and find him. Yet, God is actually not far

from each of us. For in God, in him we live and

move and have our being, even as some of your

own prophets have said. For we indeed are God's

offspring. Being then God's offspring, we ought

not think that the divine is like gold or silver

or stone or an image to be formed by art or the

imagination of man. Continuing on. These times

of ignorance, God overlooked. But now he commands

all people everywhere to repent because he's

fixed a day when he will judge the world in righteousness

by a man whom he has appointed. And of this,

he has given assurance to all men by raising

him from the dead. The gospel of Jesus Christ,

the raising of the dead is tied to the judgment

and the putting down of eternal death. You see,

you can't just have a story about how amazing

love is if you don't know how amazing what you've

been saved from is. it doesn't become that amazing.

And isn't that what now two generations in our

Western world have experienced? They've experienced

a gospel that does not actually tell them what

they're actually getting saved from. What actually

awaits because of what was broken clear back

thousands of years ago that we were all born

into. We try to explain a gospel and a God that's

full of love without the reality that the whole

reason of his love was to keep us from what was

awaiting us. Here's the resurrection truth. Jesus

did not rise from the dead 2 ,000 years ago on

that first Easter Sunday morning. If he didn't

rise, we of all people are miserable. Then it

means that in our 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, some of

us 90, this is it. If this is it, yuck. The apostle

Paul put it this way. In 1 Corinthians 15, if

Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty

and your faith is empty. And on top of it, we'll

be found as false witnesses of God because we've

testified of God that he raised Christ up. And

if he did not raise him up, in fact, the dead

do not rise. And if the dead do not rise, then

Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen,

your faith is futile and you're still in your

sins. Then those that have fallen asleep in Christ

have actually perished. And if in this life we

only have hope in Christ, we of all men are pitiable

because we haven't really understood that Christ

had to rise. If he didn't, this is a miserable

life. Jesus' victory is a victory for all of

us who choose Christ. He secures our victory

on the cross and in the resurrection. Jesus now

lives in the power of an indestructible life.

Trent, would you tell all of the ensemble to

come on out? I just need to get them here so

I don't go over time. Trust me, it takes a lot

to keep me restrained. All right. When it talks

about indestructible life, what's he talking

about? That word eternal life. Eternal life.

That word in the Greek is the word zoe. It's

a very unique word in the Greek. It means as

principle of life, a better life in an absolute

sense. But more than that, in the New Testament

language, it means the life of God. So when you

are reading about this word called life, there

are multiple words in the Greek, just like there

are multiple words for love in the Greek. There's

four different words for love. Each have a different

meaning. There's words for life. Zoe is the word

that the gospel or the Greek uses to describe

the life of God. And by describing the life of

God, that's why John 3, 16 and other verses like

it, he's saying, whosoever believes in him shall

not perish, but have eternal life. It's not just

eternal life, it's eternal life of God. It means

that whoever accepts Christ Now is by faith in

Christ. Not just has eternal life. But has the

life that God has. Minus his divinity. Everything

else minus his divinity. He now gives us in that.

Which is joy. Peace, security, life, everything

that is in the atmosphere of heaven without any

form of decay, without any form of breach, without

any form of sin, without any form of sickness

or weakness, those who have life not only will

get him, but get his life of where he lives around

us, in us, and through us, and there will never,

ever be another separation. The Zoe life of God.

And Jesus makes it clear. As John was writing

in John 5, verse 26, he says, for as the father

John 5:26

has Zoe in himself, life in himself, so he has

granted the son to have Zoe in himself. Jesus

makes it really clear as he goes further into

John. The gospel of John in John chapter 11,

John 11 · chapter mention

talking to Martha and Mary about their brother

Lazarus. Jesus said to Martha, I am the resurrection

and the life. Now listen, here's where the power

of the truth lives. Whoever believes in me, though

he dies, yet shall he prosper. Whoever believes

in me, though he die naturally, yet shall he

Zoe. And everyone who lives and believes in me

shall never die. Notice that Jesus puts the emphasis

on living as you believe. It's not a, hear me,

it's not a one time confess something is true.

It's a one time, if you will, confess it's true

and a lifetime of living it. First John, as he

writes again, just bringing this point home,

that which was from the beginning. That which

we have heard and seen, 1 John 1, 1 through 3.

We've seen it with our eyes. We've looked upon

and have touched with our hands concerning the

word of life. The life, the Zoe, was made manifest.

And we have seen it. And we testify and proclaim

to you the eternal life which was with the Father.

and was made manifest to us that we have seen

and heard and we proclaim this to you so that,

please hear me, so that you too may have fellowship

with us for indeed our fellowship is with the

Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. This is

the Zoe life. So that what we were estranged

from, thank you guys, you can go ahead and prepare.

Thank you. What we were estranged from. And I

could go into myriads of scripture, but let me

just go into Ephesians chapter two. You can find

it down the line. He says, we were estranged.

Having no hope. We were not heirs. We were considered,

what the Bible calls, far off. We didn't have

the oracles. We didn't have the promises. We

were born, for the majority of us, we were born

Gentile. We were born sinful. And it's only because

of Jesus that he would now bring and tear down

the wall of separation that kept us from God

and bring both Jew and Gentile into one Thing

that he is building called the redeemed people

of God, his church. So that you could what? Have

fellowship with the father and the son. And that

fellowship would be what? The foundation of it

would be Christ and the life of it would be his

indestructible life. That you step into him and

he comes into you. An indestructible life now

comes to you. What used to hold us down? Death.

The fear of death. The demise, the aging, the

weakness. That which has a shelf life. That all...

fades, even though we live it out until Christ

comes, it all fades and diminishes because the

diminishing now leads us to a graduation where

the apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15 that

this tent must give way so that the new building

could come. What's the new building? You and

Christ, Christ and you, giving you a new body,

a new home. and a new place with him forever.

But you don't have to wait for that in heaven.

You can actually start operating in Zoe and in

fellowship with the Father and the Son right

now. That's the beauty of resurrection. That's

the beauty of who Jesus is. Before we take communion

this morning, I'd like you to just, if you would,

bow your head and close your eyes for a moment.

In this room, I recognize there are many that

are followers of Jesus Christ. And what I'm saying,

hopefully, is just reaffirming and building your

faith and causing you to know and understand

how powerful a salvation is that you have from

Christ. But there are others in this room that

do not know the one that I'm talking about. They

have Somehow believed or missed the truth. That

there is a choice that can lead them out of their

own self -deception. Out of hardness of heart.

Out of the brokenness. Out of the path that they've

walked. You don't have to listen to the lies

of the enemy. That God won't forgive you. The

Bible and the Spirit of God say there is no sin.

that can hold you other than keeping your whole

life by rejecting the blood of Jesus. That's

the only sin. That's the only sin that will actually

send you. It's the unforgivable sin. Why? Because

only the blood of Jesus can pay the penalty of

eternal death and break the power of judgment.

Every other sin that you've done in your body,

every other sin that you've done in your mind,

every other thing that's done, no matter how

you've lived, even if you have in many ways defiled

and lived in lawlessness, I'm telling you now

by the power of his eternal blood and the working

of his word that raised Christ from the dead,

that same power that lifted Christ is able to

save you right now. So I don't know who you are,

but I know before I take this meal, this meal

represents, even though we call it a meal in

the natural, it's less than the snacks we give

our nursery. Right? Come on. I know you're praying,

but that was kind of funny. Hallelujah. In the

fact, just this little cup of juice and this

little piece of bread, and we call it a meal.

Why do we call it a meal? Because it represents

the fullness of who Jesus Christ is. The fullness

of his word and the fullness of the spirit of

God that brings revelation to cause you to be

satisfied in your heart and soul. If you're here

this morning, I'm not going to have you come

to an altar, although I'm going to have you come

to an altar right where you're at. I'm not going

to have you come and stand here. We're going

to get ready to take this table after you've

made a choice. But you have been given a choice

because of the resurrection of Jesus. You've

been given a choice because of the power of his

love and his grace. And if you're here this morning,

you need to get things right with God. Wherever

you're at, you need to make Jesus Christ not

only a belief that he died for your sin, but

that he now is going to be your king and you

will surrender to him. Whether you've walked

away backslid or you've never known him, I'm

asking you now. The choice comes to your heart.

And if that's you, you would say, you know what?

I want to believe and I want to live. I'll live

in that belief that Jesus forgives me. I'll welcome

his blood and I'll welcome his kingship. And

I will choose to follow him all of my days. If

that's you, I just want you to lift your hand

right where you're at. I'm going to send people

to you to pray with you. Just lift your hand.

Thank you. All over the building. Ministry team,

just keep them lifted up. They're going to come

follow. They're going to come right to you. Even

right now. And if you're standing behind somebody

that has their hand lifted, just touch them on

the shoulder and say, I'm right here to pray

with you. I'm right here to pray with you. Are

there any others? Come on. Are there any others

that would say, that's me? You got to lift the

hand high here so I can see it. This is about

the resurrection. This is about Jesus receiving

the honor that he deserves. All right. Thank

you for lifting your hand. Thank you. For those

that are praying, just pray with them. For the

rest of us this morning, the choir's gonna sing

a little bit. We're gonna worship the Lord and

we're gonna get ready to take this meal. Would

you? Would you just stand with me, those that

are not being ministered to, just stand, the

rest of the congregation. Lord Jesus, I want

to thank you that you are still drawing people,

men and women to you. I want to thank you for

the power of your blood. I want to thank you

for life. And I want to thank you that you are

no longer on the cross, but you are the risen

king. And Lord, we bless you this morning. We

come to this table now as believers of those

that have made a choice to say, I will take of

his cup. I will take of his body. I will drink.

I will drink what represents payment for my sin.

And I will eat what represents life of his word.

Lord, let today. This day, as we celebrate Easter,

Lord, let my faith and my strength in you be

revitalized and let joy come knowing that you

did it for me. We love you and we bless you.

In Jesus' mighty name, and everybody said, amen.

Now the ushers are going to go ahead and dismiss.

You can come on both sides of the table. You

can grab a cup and a piece of bread. There should

be a little tray of gluten -free bread if that

is what you need. Come, receive communion. We'll

take it together as a family. As you go back

to your seats, we'll do it all together as one.

Thank you for taking the time to listen to this

week's message. We are so grateful for those

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