The Resurrection Reunion

I'm going to invite you to join me in the Word

of God in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

3. It reads this way, For I deliver to you first

of all that which I also received, that Christ

died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

and that He was buried, and that He rose again

on the third day. according to the scriptures.

Somebody say amen for that. Now look at verse

7. And after that, he was seen by James, then

by all the apostles. And I'm just focusing a

little bit on that verse. And after that, he

was seen by James. Today I want to... Speak for

a few moments on the thought. I want to talk

about a resurrection reunion, a resurrection

reunion. I'm going to invite you, if you would

be so kind to pray with me just once again. asking

God to speak to us today. Let us pray. Father,

we thank you for your presence that we feel in

this place. God, we thank you for that resurrection

power that is still alive, is still working.

We thank you, God, that over 2 ,000 years ago,

Lord, you came out of that tomb and you conquered

death. Oh, death, where is your sting? It was

swallowed up in victory. And today, God, we pray

and we ask that you would speak to us and that

you would... transform us, God, and that you

would show us, Lord, a better way. I pray today,

God, that you would anoint all of our hearing

and our understanding and that you would anoint

my lips, Lord, to preach this word just as you

gave it to me. I ask this right now in Jesus'

name. Amen. Someone say amen. I want to talk

about a resurrection reunion. After Jesus had

risen, From the dead, the Apostle Paul gives

us a small but revealing detail. He tells us

that Jesus was seen by James. Now, at first glance,

this looks like just a footnote tucked away in

a larger story. But there's more happening here

than meets the eye. As it turns out, this was

not just a random appearance, not just another

encounter that Jesus had in the aftermath of

his resurrection. But this appearance of Jesus

was deeply personal. It was more like a reunion

of two half -brothers. Jesus. and James, coming

face to face after years of misunderstanding

and disbelief. For 30 years, James had lived

with Jesus, eaten at the same table, slept under

the same roof, and walked the same road. And

yet the Bible says, that in John 7, 5, that his

brothers did not believe in him, including James.

This is an interesting situation going on here,

is that Jesus' very own family was struggling

to come to terms with whom Jesus claimed to be.

And the one that grew up near Jesus, James, still

really didn't know him. In fact, James and his

other brothers even accused Jesus of being out

of his mind. On one occasion, they not only questioned

him, but they tried to stop him. Imagine that,

the Son of God being misunderstood. By his own

family. I want you to think about what that might

have been like for Jesus himself. For his own

family to not fully embrace who he said he was.

His own family to be skeptical of the fact that

he was the son of God. And that would include

his brother James. lived in his shadow all of

those years, seen Jesus not only in public but

behind the scenes. He had a front row seat to

the life of Jesus Christ. And still it seemed

that he was struggling to fully accept, fully

believe that Jesus was the Son of God. And all

of this got me thinking about those. who believe

in God, who have been around his presence, but

don't have a personal revelation of who he really

is. Amen. If it was true for James, it can be

true for us. If it was true for James, it can

be true for us. Indeed, you may not know. Jesus

fully. You may not know him fully. You may not

be able to see him clearly. So if I can for just

a moment bring you into the world of James and

help us to see him, see the Lord from his perspective,

and you might be able to relate. You see, James'

issue was not a lack of exposure, but rather

a misunderstanding. of Jesus' real identity.

Sure, he had heard his teaching. But everything

that James heard, he filtered it through his

own reasoning, his own logic, his own understanding.

He saw the miracles, but he always found a way

to explain them away. He saw the things that

his brother was doing. Couldn't deny it. But

somewhere in his mind, he found a way to excuse

it, to fit it within his own reasoning, so that

he wouldn't have to fully accept that Jesus was

God in flesh. You see, in James' mind, Jesus

could be a lot of things. He could be many things.

He could be powerful. He was. No denying that

his brother was powerful. He could be gifted.

No denying that Jesus was gifted. He could even

be prophetic. He could be all of these wonderful

things. He was willing to accept that Jesus was

all of these great and wonderful things, that

he was one in a million even. He could accept

that maybe his brother was even a prodigy, a

genius. Something that only comes every once

in a while. He can accept all of these things

about Jesus and that he was something special.

That he was a wonder. That he was different.

And do all of that and yet still fall short because

even though he can accept all those things, the

one thing he was struggling to accept was that

he was God. Because to accept that he was God

was a step too far. And so he formed a version

of Jesus in his mind that fit his comfort zone.

A version of Jesus that he could understand,

that he could fit in his proverbial box, that

he could fit within his own paradigm of thinking.

He put Jesus in his own, in a way that he could

manage. He put Jesus... in his own mold, and

most importantly, he made a version of him that

didn't require him to fully surrender to him.

So he was willing to accept all these things

about Jesus without fully accepting him as his

Lord and his Savior. And I want you to know that

something very similar happens today when we

don't Know him fully. So then people will build

a Jesus in their mind that fits their preferences.

They're willing to accept that this man Jesus

is something different. Something one in a million.

Something that is unlike everybody else. They're

willing to accept that this Jesus is something

otherworldly even. But still finding a way to

fit this Jesus into their worldview. Finding

a way to incorporate Jesus into how they already

see the world. And they try to find a spot for

Jesus in that world that they have already made

up in their mind. A world that they have already

created, an ideal that they already have, a philosophy,

an ideology that they already live with, whether

they realize it or not. Everybody has an ideology,

whether they realize it or not. Everybody has

a theology, whether they call it that or not.

Everybody has a philosophy, whether they call

it that or not. And what many people do today

is when they encounter or when they hear about

Jesus, they put Jesus into, they find a spot

for him within that ideology, within that philosophy,

within that worldview. And they go, okay, Jesus

fits right here. That's comfortable. That's nice.

I'm willing to accept. that a couple of times

a year we could celebrate him at Christmas or

at Easter, at other times, and we could recognize

him on certain holidays, and we could recognize

him as being a moral man or a teacher. They accept

him as a teacher, but not a Lord. As a helper,

but not a ruler. As a man of God, but not God

incarnate. They don't fully deny him, but they

also don't fully accept him either. And there

are many today that have found a way to fit Jesus

into their thinking. Like James must have had.

Because there was no way James could deny the

fact, the things that his brother was saying

were true. I mean, he couldn't deny the miracles

that he saw. He couldn't deny. I mean, there's

just certain things he couldn't deny. And there's

something special about him. But still he was

struggling. And that's why at one point him and

his brother tried to stop Jesus. Okay, time out.

I think our brother Jesus is going a little too

far with this thing. So while Jesus was teaching,

they tried to stage an intervention and get between

Jesus and his mission and try to convince him,

come on, Jesus, why don't we just go back home?

Mom will cook us a dinner, and we'll just forget

about all this. Because you're sounding kind

of crazy right now. You're going a little too

far. You're starting, you know, you... I don't

know. People are starting to worship you now.

And you're starting to act like God now. And

so we need to save you from yourself. And James

was struggling with that. The fact that Jesus

wasn't just a holy man or wasn't just a good

man, wasn't just a godly man, but that he was

God himself. And maybe there's somebody here

today or somebody watching online when you watch

this message that you're close enough to know

and believe something, but not surrendered enough.

to believe everything. He said, there's something

about this God that's got to be. I know that

there's something different. There's something

genuine. There's something that's not like everything

else. But I've come to tell you today that Jesus

is not just another prophet. He's not just another

holy man. He's not just another preacher. He's

not just another religious, someone who started

a religion. He is God. Almighty. He is God in

flesh. He is the great I am wrapped in human

flesh. Somebody give him some praise today. So

James, his struggle was the fact that even though

he had seen Jesus, he didn't really know him.

He wasn't seeing him correctly, and so God wants

to open someone's eyes today so that you can

see Jesus as he is. Somebody say amen. And if

that's not your struggle today, then I want you

to consider another aspect of what may have limited

James from seeing Jesus, and that is that you

may overlook his presence. You may overlook his

presence. It wasn't just a misunderstanding that

limited James. It was also familiarity. You see,

James grew up with Jesus. He knew his voice,

his routines, his patterns. He had memories of

being around him. Memories of playing together,

spending time together, playing tag together,

eating together. He had all these memories of

being around him, growing up with him. And in

that sense, he knew him. But over time, what

should have produced wonder and awe became common.

And that, that right there is the hidden danger.

When something sacred becomes common, it can

lose its significance. It becomes ordinary. Maybe

this happened to James. Because he got so used

to Jesus. He got so used to Jesus that he stopped

being moved by who he was. You see, if you don't

relate to the first point, I believe that there's

some of us who can relate to this second point

here. I've been around him. So much so and so

long so that what is sacred has become common.

You can grow up in and around church. You can

even feel the presence of God again and again.

You can hear preaching Sunday after Sunday. You

can be around. things of God. But slowly what

begins to happen over time as something begins

to shift. The sacred becomes common. And the

presence is taken for granted. I come to tell

somebody today that you don't stop believing.

You stop responding. You don't stop believing

he's God. But you stop responding to him. Why?

Because it becomes common. It becomes ordinary.

It becomes average. It becomes just another service.

Just another, oh, it's just another Easter. But

is it? But is it? It's just another Sunday. It's

just another weekend. But is it? Have we lost

the wonder and the fire and the respect even

or the awe, the significance of what it means

to be a child of God, to know his presence? And

to be changed and transformed by that presence?

Or has the presence of God become so familiar

and so common and so routine to us that it no

longer impacts us and moves us the way that it

ought to? Hello, somebody. I'm talking to you

right now. Has it become so routine that we can

sing the song and it no longer brings tears to

our eyes? Hello, somebody. I'm preaching here

today. Has it become so routine? I already know

the story. I already heard that preaching. I

don't care how many times you've heard the preaching,

how many times you've sung the song. There is

something powerful. There is something beautiful.

There is something marvelous about coming into

the house of God and feeling the presence of

God. Somebody ought to praise him right now.

concerned. I'm just going to preach real to you.

Pastor, it's Easter. I know it's Easter. I'm

going to behave, but I've got to preach real

to you. Somebody say, go ahead. I'm not so concerned

about the lost who don't know him. Yes, I'm concerned,

and I want to see them. But today, I am also

concerned about the found who still don't know

him. I'm concerned about us, about us who have

become so accustomed and so conditioned to being

in his presence that it no longer moves us to

an altar. It no longer causes us to weep. It

no longer causes, because we have lost sight

of who he is in our life. Oh, my God, have mercy

on us today. God forbid. Here's the issue, my

friend, is that you can be around his presence.

And not be changed by his presence. Oh, hallelujah.

Why? Because Jesus becomes familiar to you. It's

a name that you always hear. It's a story that

you already know. And you become familiar with

it. So it no longer moves you. And it no longer

tugs on you. And there's no longer that sense

of urgency. And there's no longer that sense

of, you know, that word. to do something. Oh,

but I wonder today if there's a group of people

this afternoon on this Easter Sunday that says,

I'm not going to let this be just another Easter.

I'm not going to let this just be another Sunday,

another resurrection Sunday. Oh, I'm not going

to just let this be another time that we gather

here in this temple. But I have come today to

have a fresh encounter with all my, is there

anybody here today? that is hungry for a true

encounter with God? Is there somebody here today

that is hungry for a true revelation of who God

is? I wonder if you can worship him for a moment.

I'm not going to preach very much longer, but

I've got to preach this to somebody today that

we would know him. Paul said that I may know

him in the power of his resurrection and in the

fellowship of his suffering. Anybody want to

know him today? I never want the presence of

God to become ordinary. I want it always to be

special, to be beautiful, to be different. For

the presence of God to change you, you must have

a personal revelation of who he is. And he must

become more than a story. He must become more

than your parents, God. He must become more than

your grandparents, God. More than Abuelita's

God. And more than your old pastor's God. He

must become your God. You know, Mary always believed

that her son was the son of God. It was the brothers

that were struggling with it. James just couldn't

wrap his mind around it. He said, I grew up around

this thing, man. I already know how this thing

goes. And there are a lot of Christians like

that. You know, I got this thing memorized. I

can do church, you know, blindfolded with my

hands tied behind my back. And that becomes part

of the problem. It just becomes religion. He

must become more than just a tradition. More

than just a religious idea. He must become your

everything. I'm going to ask you a question.

Is he the reason you live? Is Jesus the reason

you live? If you can't live for him, you would

never die for him. I would die. Would you? How

could we say we would die for him if we can't

live for him? Let me ask you another question.

Is he your everything? Amen. You can go ahead

and say amen. Is he your everything? Don't get

quiet on me. Can the world take everything as

long as they don't take your Jesus from you?

Isn't that what some of us used to say? You can

have my car. You can have my house. But don't

take my God. I wonder if that's still how people

feel today. Because it seems like when things

get taken away from us, all of a sudden we lose

our faith. No, no, no. You can have the money.

You can have. the status. You can have the house.

You can have the stuff, but don't take it because

he's my everything. I don't know what I would

do without Jesus. I don't know about you, but

I don't know what I would do without him. He

is my Lord. He is my desire. Hallelujah. Why

don't we just love him today? Thank you, God.

stand today spiritually, I want you to know there

is hope. There is hope because the resurrection

of Jesus reveals who he really is. Just give

me a few more moments before I conclude everything

in James' life changed at one defining moment.

The resurrection. Before that, Jesus could be

questioned. He could be misunderstood. He could

even be dismissed. He could be written off, explained

away, reasoned. You could even argue with him,

his points. His positions. His claims. But the

resurrection changed everything. The resurrection

has a way of breaking through every misunderstanding

and shattering every layer of familiarity. Why

is that? Because you cannot argue. With an empty

tomb. Cannot argue with an empty tomb. The resurrection

confirmed to the world and to his loved ones,

his family, his own brother, that Jesus was who

he said he was. That Jesus is. who he says he

is, God in flesh. No one else could do what he

did. No one else could conquer death the way

that Jesus did. Not a prophet, not a preacher,

not a moral teacher, not an upstanding or right

-standing citizen, not a politician, not a king

or a prince or a governor. Nobody else could

do what Jesus did. And so when he rose from the

grave, it changed everything. It radically revolutionized

James' whole paradigm about who his brother had

been claiming to be. All of the sudden, every

argument, every question, every doubt, every

confusion. Jesus Christ and in those moments

after Jesus had resurrected everyone had scattered

and Jesus was making appearances to different

people Jesus was showing himself alive whoo hallelujah

like he did with the disciples and with doubting

Thomas who he said to feel the nails that were

the nail prints in his hands. He was appearing

to others, showing himself alive. But before

he got to the masses, before he got to all the

apostles, Paul tells us that he had a meeting

with James. He had a meeting with James. What

grips me is that after Jesus rose, He didn't

go to the temple. He didn't go looking for strong

believers. He didn't go to the religious elite.

He didn't hold a press conference. He didn't

go around and making a lot of noise or looking

for the best of the best. But when he rose, hallelujah.

He went looking for James. He went looking for

James. For the one who misunderstood him. For

the one who struggled to believe. For the one

who was skeptical. He went looking for James.

And I came to tell you today that he's coming

looking for you. I said he's coming looking for

you. James was not looking for Jesus. But Jesus

was looking for James. James was not searching

for him. But Jesus was searching for James. The

one who was struggling. Listen, it doesn't matter

where you're at today in your faith. Where you're

at in your life. Where you're at in your walk

with God. In your understanding. You may have

questions. You may have doubts. You may have

your own. fears and uncertainties. You may have

your own amount of skepticism about maybe not

that God is real, but you may be doubting what

He wants to do in your life. You may be struggling

to accept that He's in control of things. You

may be wrestling in your own mind, your own faith.

You may be struggling to establish your own faith.

In other words, you may not be on the most stable

ground today. But I came to tell you that's all

right. Because if Jesus could go looking for

James, he could come looking for you. I'm not

sure I would have done what Jesus did. I don't

know. Most men would have looked at James and

said, hi, I told you. You didn't believe? You're

out. You had your chance, buddy. The back of

the line. You know, most people have been like

that. Because we tend to favor those, let's be

honest, that believed in us in the beginning,

right? That's just human nature. We tend to favor

those who believe in us, invest in us, are with

us from the beginning. Oh, I always knew you

were going to be somebody, huh? Oh, man. We take

you out to dinner. I always believed in you.

Thank God for those people, right? But what about

those folks who didn't think you'd become anything?

Like, nah, this is all going to be like, it's

going to be over in like 20 minutes. What about

those people? Let's be honest. The majority of

us, when you arrive, you're like, you lost out.

But not Jesus. Jesus said, I'm not going to hold

it against you. You may have struggled to believe.

You may have. Wrestle with questions. You may

have not been on board from the very beginning.

You may have had your doubts, James. You may

have, you may have struggled to believe, but

you're one of the first ones I'm coming back

to. Imagine what James must have felt when he

saw Jesus. I'm so sorry, Jesus. I was struggling.

You know, I had a feeling it was you. I had a

hunch it was you. I thought you might be God,

but I wasn't sure. So, no, shh, it's okay, James.

Please don't hold it against me. I'm sorry. I

wanted to believe, but I, no, shh, it's okay,

James. It's okay. James, James, it's okay. Relax.

Chill, James, chill. I'm here. Hey, James, feel

me, James. It's me. I saw you die. You were on

that cross. I didn't think you, I know, I know,

I know. James, everybody was shouting crucify

James. Everybody left. Even Peter denied me three

times. It's okay, James, but I still came for

you. How would you respond today if Jesus came

for you? Would you stand with me this afternoon?

Let me tell you. Let me tell you what the hidden

power of Easter is. The hidden power of the resurrection

of Jesus. Let me tell you what the hidden power

is. It means that your failure is not final.

And your doubt. It's not your doom because Jesus

is alive. I said Jesus lives. Jesus got up out

of the grave and he came searching for you. I

wonder right now if there's somebody in this

place that says, God, here I am, Lord. I'm ready,

God. I'm ready to worship you like I never have.

ready to believe in you like I never have. I'm

ready to give all of me, God, like I never have.

If I served you with 50%, God, I'm ready to serve

you 100%. If I worship you, God, with 90%, if

I live with 99%, I'm ready to live for you 100%,

God. Here I am, Lord. If there's somebody today

that will open up your heart, to your heart,

I invite you at this very moment, the risen Savior

is here. God Almighty, Jesus Himself. He's knocking

on the door of your heart. He's saying, open

up, James. Oh, my God. Open up, James. I'm here.

Oh, I feel the Holy Spirit. Oh, God, I feel His

presence right now. Would you just, just... Just

respond to him today. Hallelujah. Would you close

your eyes in this place? I feel something special.

I feel God is just working on somebody's life.

Oh, you're about to have somebody right now.

Somebody right now is about to have a resurrection

reunion. You're about to reunite. You're about

to reconnect to the God of your childhood. You're

about to reconnect to the God that you first

gave your life to when you were baptized in Jesus'

name. You're about to reconnect to the God that

you felt the first time you spoke. The first

time you spoke in other tongues as the Spirit

gave you the utterance. You're about to reconnect

to the God that maybe you stopped believing in

all the way. when he didn't heal your loved one

like you thought he would, when he didn't cure

the disease like you thought he would, when he

didn't do the things that you thought he was

going to do for you, and so you lost a little

bit of faith in that moment, and you let go of

a little bit of your belief, and maybe you took

a step back, but right now, God's not holding

that against you. Jesus is not saying shame on

you for that. Jesus is not saying, well, you

should have believed in me. You had your chance.

Jesus is not saying, no, you know, you should

have known better than you did. He's not saying

I told you so. He's not saying you blew your

chance. He's not saying you blew, you had one

chance and you blew it. No, Jesus is saying,

I'm the God of mercy. I'm the God of grace. I

can't. future in my hands. I've got your destiny

in my hands.