"Come and See His Power"- Easter 2025

Church. All right, John chapter 20. We're going to dive right into the word

John 20 · chapter mention

of God today. John chapter 20. We're going to read verses one through nine of your Bible.

John 20 · chapter mention

And if you've been with us, you know that our theme this year,

our theme is come and see.

That's been our theme for the year. And we say this around here.

We say that an invitation to come and see is an invitation to transformation.

We believe that only Jesus Christ can change hearts and change lives.

And a lot of us, we've been beneficiaries of that.

And if you've not, then we invite

you to come and see for yourself the transformation in Jesus Christ.

So we're going to talk about in that same kind of line of this is my third week

now of preaching on this come and see series.

The first week I did come and see his purpose and the second week we did come

and see his passion. That was last week, Palm Sunday.

And then this week we're going to continue on that theme on come and see his power.

So let's look at John chapter 20 verses one through nine says this says now

John 20 · chapter mention

the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early while it was

still dark and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple who Jesus loved.

Now, first of all, this is John writing this. And I love the way that John refers

to himself as the disciple that Jesus loved.

You could tell that he had had Jesus in his life because I don't know about

you, but because of what Jesus, I can't speak for what Jesus did for you,

but I can speak for what Jesus did for me.

And because of that, I think, man, Jesus must love me more than anybody.

You can tell John's writing this. He's the one that the disciple that Jesus loved.

And he said to them, they have taken the Lord out of the tomb.

Mary didn't know that Jesus had risen. She should have, but he,

she didn't know that Jesus had risen and we do not know where they have laid him.

So Peter went out with the other disciple and they both were going toward the tomb.

Both of them were running together. And I love this other humble brag of John right here.

He's already referred to himself as the disciple who Jesus loved.

But then he says, but the other disciple outran Peter. And so he's like,

Jesus loves me more and I can run faster than Peter does.

And so he's just not a lesson of humility, I guess.

But he says, and they reached it. So he He reached the tomb first and he stopped to look in.

He saw the linen cloths lying there, but he didn't go in.

Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb.

And he saw the linen cloths lying there. And the face cloth,

which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths,

but folded up in a place by itself. We'll talk about that in just a moment.

Then the other disciple, John, who had reached the tomb first,

also went in and saw and believed. Notice that.

The Bible says he went into the tomb, he saw, and he believed.

For as yet they did not understand the scripture that he

must rise from the dead listen we're

here today because there's power in the resurrection we're here

today because the resurrection has the power to change our past

our present and our future we believe that so i want to preach on this thought

this morning come and see his power come and see his power let's pray as we

get ready to receive this morning father in the name of jesus we just thank

you for your word we thank you for your life this Resurrection Sunday.

And Holy Spirit, right now, I'll just ask you that you would speak to every heart in this room.

God, there's people here from different walks of life, different circumstances,

but only your word has the ability to speak something unique into every human heart.

And so we just ask you to do that right now. Speak into our hearts this morning.

In the name of Jesus, we pray. And the church said, amen, amen.

Preaching on this subject this morning, come and see his power.

I've already told you that the resurrection, because of the resurrection.

The power, Jesus has the power to change our past, our present, and our future.

And that's what I really want to, that's my thesis today. When we start looking

at the resurrection, I want you to remember this throughout the sermon,

that when we encounter the power of the risen Christ, that's why we're here today.

He's resurrected. When we encounter the power of the risen Christ,

everything changes. Here's what I love about that.

Our past is redeemed, our present is transformed, and our future is secured.

Think about that. That's the resurrection that we're celebrating right now,

that our past, no matter how bad it is, is redeemed, that our present,

no matter how confusing it could be, is transformed, and our future,

no matter how uncertain it may appear, is secured.

Now, when we look at this, I start thinking about the empty tomb.

This week, we were walking, me and Ashley, we went down to Oxbow.

We were walking around the lake down there, and we started thinking,

in my mind, I always try my sermons out on Ashley first, right?

Because we know she needs more preaching than anybody here, but I try them out

on, I know Tony's clapping on that.

He realizes that, but I try them out on her first because the real reason is,

is because a lot of you guys, you'll shake my hand on the way out,

no matter how bad it is, you'll say, good job this morning, and you'll keep

on walking, and you'll probably repent later for lying. It's okay. And I appreciate that.

But I tried out on Ashley because she's like, no, you probably should change that up.

And so I was kind of trying some of my sermon material out on her as we were

walking around. And I was thinking about empty promises.

Has anybody ever had an empty promise in their life that you thought you had

hope in it, but you were left unfulfilled?

Now, for some of you that don't know, most of you home folks,

you do know about my, I know, this is old man problems, all right?

So if you're under 30 years old, just kind of, you know, just kind of pacifies right here.

But, but I got like this old man's stomach right now.

It's happened as I age. I don't know why I've got acid reflux.

It just happens. I can't eat anything after six o'clock.

I can't drink water after. Anybody got any else except for this stuff?

It's like, yeah, I mean, it's, it's terrible. I see a several of you guys,

Isaac, you do not. There's no way. My goodness.

I have to say, I'm just like, like I said, I can't eat tomatoes.

I call them death apples now. I got that from Brad.

Those are death apples. I cannot eat tomatoes.

And so I was thinking about Empty Promises. Now, I am a sucker for a good infomercial, all right?

I love an infomercial gets me

every time because I think that's going to work. That's going to happen.

And so I saw this advertisement for these vitamins and this supplemental powder

stuff. And it was supposed to cure acid reflux.

And it was a little pricier than I probably paid money for under normal circumstance.

And so I didn't tell Ashley has behind it. And so I went ahead and ordered it.

And man, I was faithful to this stuff. I'd take the vitamins every time they

told me to take those vitamins.

And I would, I drink that powder every time it told me to drink that powder.

And for weeks I use this stuff. And you know what I began to realize that every

time I took that vitamin, it gave me heartburn.

Every time I drank that powder, I felt like it was right here,

but you know what? Mama didn't raise no quitter. I kept on going.

I was taking those vitamins. I was drinking that powder and all that kind of

stuff, and every time I would take it, it was just heartburn and acid reflux, and what I found was,

cure that was promised was non-existent. Now, I say that knowing for some of

you, it wasn't something as trivial as acid reflux.

For some of you, you've seen relationships like that. You've had family problems like that.

You had problems in your career, your home, your children, and you've looked

for answers. And when you thought you found an answer, those answers were empty.

Has anybody ever faced that before? It can be so disheartening when we look

for answers in the wrong places, and we end up disappointed.

We see it all through life. How often is it does life offer us empty promises,

promotions that leave us empty inside, relationships that promise fulfillment,

and all they do is leave us disappointed, money,

job opportunities that we think is going to be the answer to turning the corner

in our life, and at the end of the day, it leads to stress and anxiety,

and we feel so empty inside.

Man, that's the story of a lot of our lives. And so when we start thinking about

empty, most of the time it's disappointing.

But when we come to the empty tomb, it's a different story. Amen.

That's what I've been thinking about for the past several weeks is that there's

so much in life that leaves us feeling empty.

And it's kind of a common theme in life a lot of time.

But where we come to something different is in the promise of the empty tomb,

the promise of resurrection day, the promise.

Music.

In life. If you believe that, give the Lord a hand clap of praise. I believe that.

See, the reason why that matters to us is because no matter what you're going

through, the empty tomb changes everything.

No matter what you've tried in the past and what you've been promised that's.

Music.

Failed you, the empty tomb and the resurrection changes everything.

Because when it comes down to it, Jesus doesn't just have the power to fix what is broken.

He has the power to make us new. See, that's what's so glorious about it,

is that we look at our life and we think, well, if I fix, and I've been here before,

if I fix one thing, then I've got six more that's just as broken as this one

thing, and I'm still just as hopeless.

Jesus didn't come to fix what was broken. Jesus come to make your life new.

To give you a transformed life.

The Bible says, if any man be in Christ, he's a new creature.

Old things have passed away. behold, all things have become new.

That's the newness of life that we're saying. And that's why we say,

come and see the power of the resurrection this morning.

See, it's not a power that just restores what is broken. It's a power.

I love this part right here.

It's a power that brings life where death once reigned.

See, some of you, I look at it. See, I know some of you, right?

And some of you know me and you, we've known each other long enough to know

that we've not always been this way, but there's a power in Jesus Christ that

brought life where death once reigned.

And that's why people see you out there and say, well, Glenda,

you don't act like you used to act. You know why?

Because there's life where death once reigned. They look at you and they say,

Hannah, you don't act like... No, because there's life where death once reigned.

And they look at Vip and say, well, Vip's still crazy, but there's life now

where death once reigned.

We see it. We see it in our lives.

See, sometimes even in Christianity, we think about the doctrine of the resurrection,

and we live almost like resurrection is not a reality in our life.

First Corinthians chapter 15 says it this way, and if Christ has not been raised,

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

your faith is futile, and you're still in your sins.

In other words, if it had not been for the resurrection.

I know we celebrate Christmas, and we get excited about Christmas,

and we should celebrate the birth of our Savior, but the reality is if it had

not been for resurrection, then Christmas would be no more than a birthday,

not much different than yours or mine.

Because of the resurrection, everything that we believe has power.

Spoken to people before and they'll say, well, you know, Scott,

I can, I can, I guess, believe that Jesus was a good man.

I can almost believe that there was miracles and signs and wonders and things

of that nature. But, but I don't know about this resurrection.

I want to say this right now.

Everything we believe hinges on the doctrine of the resurrection.

Jesus is either Lord of law, Lord of all, or he's not Lord at all.

If he's not resurrected, then you throw away the virgin birth.

If he's not resurrected, then you throw away the healing of your body.

If he's not resurrected, you throw away your salvation. But the reality is the

doctrine of the resurrection says that Jesus is exactly who he says he is.

Because of his resurrection, we have forgiveness for our past.

We have power for our present, and we have hope for our future.

See, in the Old Testament, they told us it was coming. In the Old Testament,

it wasn't just a story, because sometimes people that have no history,

they try to think, well, it was just a story that a group of Jesus' followers

made up, when in reality,

hundreds of years before the birth of our Savior, Isaiah prophesied.

Yet it is the will of the Lord to crush him. You know what that is?

That is crushing of our Savior.

That's the death of our Savior. But Isaiah didn't stop there.

He went on and said, he shall see his offspring. In other words,

he's going to live again.

And it goes on and says, he shall prolong his days. In other words,

he's going to have a kingdom to which there is no end.

He's going to sit on a throne to where now there's not going to be any end to

his rule and to his reign. That's the Jesus that we're talking about this morning.

The New Testament fulfillment of that, we read about it in the book of Colossians chapter 1 and verse 8.

Colossians 1 · chapter mention

And the Bible says, and he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning.

Firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

See, what the gospel writer, what the New Testament writer is saying is that

Jesus' resurrection was not just about conquering death for himself.

It was about paving the way for us to experience the same life,

the same immortality, the same glory that Jesus Christ has paid for everyone.

I started thinking about this this past Friday, and I know someone had sent

me something along these lines, and me and Pastor J.R.

Had talked about it a little bit yesterday, but many of us gathered over here

on Friday, Good Friday, and we had the church open for times of prayer and communion.

I know a lot of you came by and came to the church here and was thinking about

the sacrifice of Jesus, just like our children betrayed that he went and suffered that cross.

The Bible says he laid his life down, right nobody nobody

forced jesus on he laid his life down at

any time he could have called legions of angels and and

rescued him but he laid his life down freely so he

could take it back up again but that words i started thinking about the words

of jesus as he hung on the cross and we've heard it many times i think even

the drama alluded to it that jesus and his final moments on the cross said it

is finished i started thinking about those words because those words it is finished.

It's from the Greek words, tetelesta.

Tetelesta is the Greek word. It's one word that our English word,

it takes three words to say that phrase.

But tetelesta is the it is finished in the Greek. And it's actually the words

that we see written in John chapter 19.

John 19 · chapter mention

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, it is finished.

And he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

See, tetelesta is the perfect tense, which in the Greek is a complete action

with ongoing results. I love that right there.

Because when Jesus said, it is finished, he didn't just say, this part is over.

He was saying, it is finished. The work that I'm finishing right now,

it's not just a work for now, but it's a work for eternity.

And I love the deeper I began to dig into this, the more I saw the theological

significance. because that tetelesta has three different meanings,

three different representations all connected together.

The first one is the debt is paid in full.

I love this. I started reading the history on this.

And in ancient times, if you had owed a debt, then you were issued a certificate

of that debt and you had to pay that debt.

And everywhere you went, you had proof that there was a debt hanging over your head.

But when you finally paid that debt off, then the debtor would take and they

would write tetelestai across that paper that showed your debt.

Showing that you are no longer a servant to that debt.

You're no longer responsible for that debt. And I started thinking about that in my life.

I was yet dead in my trespasses and sins.

I owed a debt that I could not pay. I had a sin debt that I owed,

that I had no way of paying on my own.

But Jesus Christ, when he went to that cross, he said, I'm writing tetelest

across your debt because you don't owe the debt any longer.

Your debt has been paid in full.

So when we read Colossians chapter two, that's what the Bible is talking about.

Jesus stamped paid in full on the debt of humanity.

But not only that, when Jesus said it is finished, he said the mission is complete,

but not only that, he said, also I have victory over sin and over death.

When he cried out, and many writers and many historians believe that when he

cried, he didn't whisper it out, but they believe that with a loud voice he

cried from that cross. It is finished. Why?

Because he was signifying that once and for all, he is triumphant over sin and death.

Isaiah chapter 53 points it out. He was pierced for our transgressions,

Isaiah 53 · chapter mention

and with his wounds we are healed.

John chapter 17 says, I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work you gave me to do.

John 17 · chapter mention

That's the power of the cross and the power of the resurrection.

And yet so many people choose. I want to say this. You choose because it's a choice.

The Bible says today is the day of salvation. So many people choose to live

their life without the power of the resurrection.

Why would we choose that? Why would we choose to struggle through life without

the power and the hope that only Jesus Christ could bring?

And I think the reality is because we don't truly understand who Jesus is and the price that he paid.

So this morning, I want to give you these three keys before we,

because I think we need to see his power.

I want to give you these three keys to seeing the power of the resurrection

before we're through today.

And you can write these down, encourage you to write these down and think upon

these, reflect upon these this week.

And as you, as you leave this place, and this is not an exhaustive list.

If you're not a home person, you know, this, that I always say,

you know, I'll give you three keys to this.

I get to the back door and somebody's like, well, there's a fourth and there's

a fifth. There's probably a hundred of them, but, but this is the three that

I'm going to leave you with in the next few minutes that we're together.

All right. So the first key is this. Number one is I think we have to see the empty tomb and believe.

We find that in the scripture, right? On April the 17th, 1997,

I gave my heart to Jesus Christ.

That's, that's, that's my spiritual birthday.

And, and you know what, every year, Krista, I'm not sure where Krista is right

now. She's wandering around here somewhere.

All right. So she's out there, out there getting ready. All right.

But, but every year, Krista on April 17th, she don't even text me on my natural

birthday, but every single year on April 17th, 19 or April 17th, she texts me and says,

happy Jesus birthday every single year because that is the date that I accepted Christ.

That's when I truly saw for myself spiritually.

I didn't have to fly to Jerusalem and look at an empty tomb over there in the

garden to know that the tomb was empty.

That's the date where I realized I had an encounter with Jesus that caused me

to realize that tomb is empty, that he's not there anymore, that he's risen

with all power in heaven and in earth.

And that's what we see in the scripture in our text today.

Our text said this. It said, Simon Peter came and followed him,

went into the tomb, saw the linen cloth lying there in the face cloth,

which had been on Jesus's head, not lying with the linen cloth,

but folded up in a place by itself.

He saw and believed.

The Bible shows us here there's something about seeing and believing.

Now, that seeing there doesn't have to be a natural sense of seeing, but it's a recognition.

It's an acknowledgement. It's an enlightenment that we get that the eyes of

our understanding are open and we realize that he's not dead anymore. Amen.

That he wasn't just a man. He was the son of God.

100% man, 100%. People say, was he 50 feet?

No, he was 100% man, yet 100% God. Born of a virgin.

And he's not dead any longer, but he's resurrected.

I started thinking about that folded napkin that we read about right there,

that folded cloth that was over his face.

The Bible says that it was folded and laid aside from the other clothes.

According to this Jewish custom, it was their Jewish tradition that when a master

had finished eating, that if he intended to leave and never come back,

he would wad the cloth up and he would either throw it in the floor or throw

it somewhere on the table with the other stuff.

But there was a Jewish tradition that if the master was pleased and he was coming

back again, then he would fold up that napkin.

He would fold up that cloth and he would lay it on the corner of the table to itself.

In other words, when Peter and John ran into that tomb, they didn't just see

a wad of clothes folded somewhere. They saw a napkin folded.

And in their tradition, they understand what we don't understand.

I'm going to say this right now.

The Bible wasn't written in Dixon County or Wise County. And so we look at this,

and they don't speak to our tradition.

But according to their Jewish tradition, they would have looked at this,

and they would have known that the Master is telling us that He's not leaving

forever, that He's pleased with us, and He's coming back again.

I'm here to tell a church full of people on a Sunday morning in Norton,

Virginia, that Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father,

but He's coming back again. Amen.

I know this world seems a mess, but Jesus is coming back again.

I know you may be discouraged and overwhelmed, but Jesus is coming back again.

If you believe that, give the Lord a hand clap of praise. I believe that.

See, it's so different when Lazarus was risen from the dead. He came out.

He was still bound, and they had to take off his grave clothes.

But when they came to see the tomb of Jesus, the grave clothes were laying there,

signifying that he had power over sin and death.

See, I told you this. When I accepted Christ, I saw in my heart,

I saw that that tomb was empty.

Now, I also got to say that I have seen the real tomb over there,

the perceived British-owned real tomb over there, and it's empty as well.

But the reality is we must get the understanding in our hearts that Jesus is alive.

No wonder the angel in Luke chapter 2 at 24 said, Why do you seek the living among the dead?

Luke 2 · chapter mention

He is not here. He has risen.

Why is it that we're looking for hope in the things of this world?

Why is it that we're looking for happiness in relationships?

Why is it that we're looking for relief and financial security?

Those are dead things. Those are things that are going to pass away.

That money, you're going to spend it or it's going to burn up one day.

The reality is it's a dead thing. Why are we looking for the living among the dead?

Only Jesus is alive. 45, according to the Barna Group, 66% of Americans say

that they're Christians.

Only 45% of them say that the resurrection impacts their daily lives.

I'm going to say this right now. If the resurrection is not impacting your daily

life, then you're not a Christian.

Amen. He's either Lord of all or he's not Lord at all.

You're either a follower or you're not. That's what it comes down to.

See, here's what we have to ask ourselves. Are we living like the tomb is empty

or are we still stuck in dead places?

Are we still stuck in dead places? And so we have to see the empty tomb and believe.

But the second thing, I really believe this is the second key we need to be

aware of, is we have to encounter the living Christ.

That if Jesus truly is alive, there is an encounter that we all must have where

we acknowledge the price that he paid and what he's doing in our lives.

Here's what the Bible says. The Bible says that after they had gone in,

they found the empty tomb.

Mary Magdalene is walking down the road. She encounters someone that she thought

was the gardener. And the Bible says this.

Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there.

And she did not know that it was Jesus.

Jesus said to her, Mary. Now notice this. She turned and said to him in Aramaic,

Rabboni, which means teacher.

In other words, when you encounter Jesus, you understand who he really is.

Oh, man, I got to say this right now, because for my entire childhood,

I was raised in church. You've heard me tell the stories.

I had perfect attendance in Sunday school. I was in the Christmas plays and the Easter plays.

I would sing the little songs. I mean, we were those church kids like,

man, those Addison kids need some help. Thank you.

I remember one time, Sid Renfro was doing a children's program,

and she asked us, she said, does anybody got a song to sing?

And my brother raised his hands, and she thought he was going to sing, Jesus Loves Me.

And she put the microphone up to him in front of the whole church,

and he said, Elvira, giddy-up-a-oom-bop-a-mow-mow.

Some of you guys know the Oak Ridge Boys, but that's what, yeah,

yeah, so we were raised in church.

We knew all the, listen, I knew the scripture just as well as the preacher did

when he got up and preached about, maybe not just, but I knew what he was talking about.

But the reality is I had never had an encounter with the risen Savior for myself.

I knew the stories. I knew the scripture.

I could quote them. I had the perfect attendance in Sunday school,

but I did not have a personal encounter with the Savior.

But when I had a person, the same way Mary Magdalene, when I encountered the

Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, there was something in me that realize it's more

than just a church experience.

It's more than just a children's class that they go to.

It's more than just a Sunday obligation that we have.

There is a living Savior that He loves us and He died for us,

and there's a life that He wants us to live when we encounter Him.

Isaiah chapter 43 says, Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by my name.

Isaiah 43 · chapter mention

You are mine.

I love that right there because it so shows ownership. When I realize that Jesus,

the living Christ, he was my savior.

No longer was I my own. I became, I belong to Jesus. Amen.

We used to sing that song. You can take this whole world, but give me Jesus. No turning back.

No, you know why? Because when you experience the risen savior,

Everything you are, everything you have belongs to Jesus.

According to LifeWay Research, 62% of Christians say they've never had a personal encounter with Jesus.

And of course, my experience and probably your experience would tell you that

if you've never had a personal encounter with Jesus, then how could you possibly

be saved? I'm not talking about a church experience.

That's what I'm trying to point out right now. I'm not talking about a church

experience. I'm not talking about having a cold chill when somebody sings a

high note during one of the worship songs.

I'm talking about encountering the living Savior.

Many know about him. But have you truly met Jesus? That's what we need to ask

ourselves. Have you truly met Jesus?

So number one, we got to see the empty tomb and believe. Number two,

we have to encounter the risen Savior for ourselves.

Know Jesus for yourself.

And number three, I think this is pivotal right here. I think we have to walk in resurrection power.

There is a walk, there is a lifestyle, there is a life that God has called us to live.

After the resurrection, Jesus to his disciples, John chapter 20 and verse 21

John 20 · chapter mention

says, Jesus said to them again, peace be with you.

As the father has sent me, even so I'm sending you.

Jesus was commissioning disciples. He was showing people that this is not just

about a church experience. This is a life that you live in every sector of your

life, in every sector of the world.

See, that's when you know the church is being the church.

That's when you know that it's not just about the four walls of the church.

It's not just about the Easter Sunday morning service. And listen, I thank God for people.

Of course, our ad campaign has been going out. We've been on social media,

and we've had mail outs and billboards and everything else.

And I've had many of you telling me that, man, I've been inviting people to

church. I've been telling people about the resurrection. You know what that is?

That's what we need to be doing every single day of our lives,

not just on Easter, because the resurrection is not just an April event.

The resurrection is not just an Easter holiday event.

The resurrection is a change in our lives that impacts us every single day of our lives.

See, this is the resurrection power that the early church experienced.

Romans chapter 8 and verse 11 says it this way. If the spirit of him who raised

Romans 8 · chapter mention

Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead

will also give you life in your mortal bodies.

The Bible tells us in the book of Acts that you will receive power and the Holy

Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses.

See, I look at all of that and I think, Are we walking in resurrection power

or are we living as if Jesus is still in the tomb?

Are we walking in resurrection power or are we living as if Jesus is still in the tomb?

And I hope the answer is not the latter.

Hope you'll come help me as we close this down this morning.

I started thinking about this idea of, are we seeing Jesus? Are we seeing the

empty tomb and believing?

Are we seeing the risen Savior for who he truly is?

Are we walking in resurrection power? Because that's the power that gives us

transformation for our past, our present, and our future.

Our past is redeemed. Our present is transformed. Our future is secured.

That's what we're talking about in the resurrection this morning.

You need to remember that. Write it down.

Do something. Our past is redeemed. Our present is transformed.

Our future is secured. That's the power of the resurrection.

I started thinking, are we convinced yet? Are we convinced yet?

A couple of things. Number one, I didn't tell you this.

The first witness of the resurrection was Mary Magdalene, the witness of the resurrection.

Now, I'm not trying to dig myself a hole here.

I think I did at the 9 a.m. but in

that culture sometimes we

read this we don't like i said the bible

wasn't written in west norton all right that culture

women didn't have value as a

matter of fact the gospel is the most one of the most liberating forces

for women in all of human history the first

witness of the resurrection was a woman what's significant

about that and what what is even more evidence infallible

proof is what the bible calls it uh that

that the resurrection of jesus is real and not just a made-up story

is that in those days women did

not have legal authority to testify as a witness on legal matters or any other

matters they had no authority or no right to testify as a witness they were

not considered to be reliable witnesses because of a male-dominated society,

and yet the bible according to scripture the first witness of the resurrection was a woman,

so if i'm trying to make up a story and i'm trying to get you to believe it.

I'm not going to go and choose somebody i'm

not going to make up a story and choose somebody that i

know will not be considered a reliable witness

and make you try to believe my story you know what it shows it shows the bible

is true and the resurrection happened just like it said it did i started thinking

about even more more proof of the resurrection.

You've got the witnesses of the resurrection that most of them were beaten in

prison and martyred and not a single one recanted on their story of the resurrected christ.

So let me drive this home just a little bit further so some

of you got some you know years like me uh this

is charles colson charles colson

was an advisor to president nixon yes that

sounds like it is what it is right he

was involved in watergate for his

role in watergate he spent time in prison while

in prison he encountered the resurrected savior he he gave his heart to jesus

christ is what i'm saying there he gave his heart to jesus christ and mr colson

said this about the resurrection he said i know the resurrection is a fact and

watergate proved it to me wow really,

because 12 men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead.

Then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it.

Everyone was beaten, tortured, stoned, and put in prison. They would not have

endured that if it weren't true.

He said, on the other hand, Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men

in the world, and they couldn't keep alive for three weeks.

He said, you're telling me that 12 apostles could keep alive for 40 years?

He said, absolutely impossible.

You know why? Because Jesus is alive. Because the resurrection is real.

Because the many infallible proofs and the eyewitness testimony are all real.

Jesus is alive today. And here's what he's alive for. He's not just alive for

us so we can have a service.

He's alive so that he can redeem your past, transform your present, and secure your future.

That's what he's here for today. Let's all stand all over this building.

This morning no doubt there's,

okay,

no doubt there's people here,

that you have things that you're struggling with I've got those things from time to time,

empty promises things that you're trying to find hope where there is no hope,

those are the things that we struggle with and yet

we try to work those out without the power of the resurrection without the power

of the resurrection I want to tell you there's hope for you today there's hope

for you today there's hope in Jesus Christ he doesn't want you to continue to

and maybe you're like well Scott you know my my life is pretty good well I settled for.

Have you ever met somebody and say, how you doing? They say,

I'm making it. That's the story, isn't it? Some people are settling with just making it.

When the Bible says there's fullness of life that we can have for ourselves,

transformation that we can see for ourselves, I want to say that that's for you today.

Every head bowed, every eye closed, nobody looking around.

You're here today, and Jesus, he's come so that he can redeem your past.

No matter how many mistakes you've made, no matter how ashamed you are, he can redeem your past.

He can give you hope right now for your present no matter what you're going

through right now jesus is the answer and i know many people think about what

comes next what comes after this life no matter how uncertain the future may

be for you you can have a secure future in jesus christ.

So this is very personal this between you and god but if you're here right now,

and we're not going to pull you out i know it's crowded we're not going to

pull you out we're not going to make a spectacle of you this is between you and god right

now if you're here and you'd say pastor scott

i i'm not born again i'm

not giving my heart to jesus or maybe i've just had a church relationship but

i've never truly encountered jesus and i want to give my heart to

him right now if that's you i just want you to raise your hand say pastor

scott be praying for me there's a hands going up who else who else there's

two who else you say that's me there's more who else

who else you say that's me there's more who else you say

that's me that's me there's already over a half dozen who

else you'd say that's me pastor scott i want you there's another

one there's another one yes who else who else

who else you'd say that's me pastor scott i want to give my heart

to the lord right where i'm standing this morning i want to know jesus for

myself god sees those hands god sees

us before we before we move along can we just do this right now

i want us to pray this prayer together if you raise your hand

saying you want to know the lord this morning if you pray the bible says that

all you got to do is confess with your mouth and believe it with your heart

and you're going to be saved so can we can we pray this prayer together i want

everybody in this building pray this prayer with me right now those that raise

your hand mean this prayer say dear jesus i come before you and i acknowledge my sin,

i know i've done wrong but i know you're the savior so i give you my life this morning.

I ask you to forgive me for every sin wipe me clean and i thank you and i promise today.

To live for you for the rest of my life because i'm saved and you are my lord,

in the name of jesus amen amen

if you prayed that prayer this morning then the bible says that if

you believe that in your heart you've confessed it with your mouth you need to find somebody

tell them that you gave your heart to jesus you can tell me on the way out in

just a little bit if that's you but here's what i want to do all this everybody

in here if you're born again and you'd say pastor scott i want to do a better

job living the resurrection each and every day in my life i just want you to

raise your hands that's me that's me this morning that's me can we just pray can we can we do this?

Can we join hands if you want to join hands with people who are with you or

even with, listen, there's people that you don't know. They're brothers and sisters in Christ.

Join hands and let's pray together this morning and say, Jesus,

let us live the resurrection and show the resurrection each and every day.

Father, we come before you in the name of Jesus. I pray for my brothers and

sisters right now in the name of Jesus.

God, I just ask you, Lord, Lord, just to stir our hearts to let us see for ourselves, God.

Let us see that the tomb is empty let us see that we

can personally encounter the lord jesus christ

let us see that you have commissioned us to go into all

the world and preach the gospel to every living creature and so father right

now we just give ourselves to you right now god we open our hearts to you right

now jesus more than ever we long to show your glory in the world that we live

in and lord we thank you for what you're.

Music.

Of the risen savior that we have hope today that's why we say you can take this whole world,

just give me jesus the bible says a

man he's found a treasure hidden in a field he sells all

that he has just so he could buy that field and obtain that that treasure

we found what the life-giving force

is it's jesus christ and only jesus amen

thank you for being with us at freedom of worship church today

are you glad for the resurrection we love

you we're so glad that you're here i think the

kids are coming back in right now we're going to give them just a moment to.

Music.

Get back with their parents all right also caitlin is going to be taking photos

in the foyer so if you want photos taken then we've got somebody available to

take photos of you guys this morning Otherwise,

oh, let's give the kids just another little minute right here.

I know, listen, that's, we just packed tight in here.

This church is tighter than last year's pants this morning, ain't it? Amen.

All right. God bless you guys. Have a great day. Happy Resurrection Day.

Thank you.