Easter at United City Church

We met very young.

I was fifteen, he was seventeen, and you know, we were young, we didn't know how to be married, we were young parents, our problems were pretty much ongoing from early, early on.

We were not working together, we were working against each other.

You know, just a lot of blaming and pointing fingers, and we have hurt each other in every possible way that she could hurt a spouse.

So we've been through a lot.

I was kind of born into addiction.

My mom had me at the age of 15, and I was her third child, and because of my mom's going through addiction to drugs, alcohol, when I was five years old, my mom had five kids, and we were taken from her by CPS, and all my brothers and sisters were put up for adoption except for me.

I ended up um meeting my dad for the very first time and giving custody to DM.

At 12 years old, I ran away with a guy, a boy that was my same age, and that's when my addiction started.

You know, we've only been married for eight years.

For us, it feels like a long time because there's been a lot of things that happened on our marriage, uh, specifically surrounding our kids, like starting our family, having our kids.

All of our children have been premature.

In the process, once we decided, like, yes, we'll have a third.

I had two miscarriages.

Um, and then we got pregnant and my water broke, and I was only 30 weeks.

So we knew from the prior labors that if my water was broken, they weren't gonna actively try to stop labor.

But what we didn't know is I wasn't in labor, my water just broke, which sent us on a whole new path of you're gonna be at the hospital until you have your baby.

I had her for 34 weeks, and she was fine, she was perfect.

So my addiction was to crystal methamphetamine, and I was a monster, top 10 most wanted in my county.

Eventually, my addiction led me to prison.

Not once, but twice.

I really believed with all my heart that I no longer had a purpose.

I was hopeless.

We're supposed to be united in oneness, and we could never figure that out.

I was miserable and I was selfish, and I was just ready to be like off of this seesaw.

I'm tired of riding this ride, and I'm ready to be out of the marriage.

It was only like four or five days after we brought her home that she had RSV.

Um I honestly believed that it was gonna take a miracle.

She needed the highest level of respiratory intervention that they could offer before intubating her.

It was gonna take a miracle for me to be have hope again.

Angie probably did one of the bravest things I've ever seen her do.

She basically told me, no, you're not leaving.

You're not getting a divorce.

We're gonna figure this out.

It was gonna take a miracle for me to not use drugs anymore.

So that's what caused me to reach out to God, to Jesus Christ, and tell him, hey, I need a miracle.

The posture of my heart was just on my knees, like, God do what only you can do right now.

And it was like that for everything that was coming up.

I just knew God wasn't done with us.

I could feel it.

So hand in hand we started walking together, facing the problems together.

Just Jesus was talking to us and saying.

And God proves to me every single day that he's not giving up on me.

Amazing power prayer.

Now she has hero.

It's amazing.

She starts usually see this.

It's a miracle really what it is.

Is it a little miracle?

Your marriage can be dead in the ground.

But we are a modern-day miracle.

We he has resurrected us.

We are totally different from where we were, and we've probably been experiencing the best part of our marriage ever, just within the last four years.

Because of what Jesus Christ did for me is continuously reminding me that he loves me.

Let me invite you to grab your Bibles, open them up with me to Luke chapter 24.

Luke 24 · chapter mention

Luke chapter 24.

Luke 24 · chapter mention

Let me add my word of greeting to Dave's earlier.

My name is Chris Cuba, and I have the privilege of not only being the lead pastor here at United City, but knowing these that you just saw, the modern day miracles, knowing their stories, having walked with them, being able to see how God has moved in their hearts and in their lives.

I want to take this opportunity really quickly just to welcome all of the men and all of the women at all of our correctional facilities this Easter.

We are so grateful to be able to bring this message to you.

Let's give it up for all of those folks that are joining with us online.

God has been moving, as Dave said, in so many different ways.

We're excited to see what the future is going to bring.

We start a new sermon series today called Wonder.

We're looking and seeing what it means to expect the unexpected.

For us to be able to consider the fact that the miraculous can happen, that the supernatural can intercede and come into the natural world.

I have three questions that I want to ask you today.

These are three potentially life-changing questions for you.

The very first one is this Do you need a miracle?

Do you need a miracle?

I looked up the word miracle in the dictionary on dictionary.com, and this was the definition.

I think it is very appropriate.

Here's what it says it says an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause.

Do you need a miracle?

And we throw this word out quite a bit, and it may lose a little bit of its meaning or a little bit of its punch.

For instance, if we are late somewhere, we're frantically trying to get everybody into the car and get where we're trying to go as quick as we possibly can.

And if we just so happen along the way, hit every single green light and make it to our destination, having made up the time that we had not factored whenever we were late going to that place, we say that was a miracle, right?

Or perhaps if you find yourself and you're up there and you are up to bat, it's a key moment in the game.

There are runners on base, you are behind by maybe a run, and a single hit is gonna be able to not only tie the score, but put your team on top, and you are in the midst of a huge slump and you get the hit.

What do you say?

That was a miracle.

Or perhaps you may get up tomorrow morning and you may head downtown that that's where you go to work, and on your drive downtown, you may be driving and realize there is no traffic.

Now hang on a second, that actually would be a miracle in every way, would it not?

But but we throw these words out there so often, but that's not what I'm talking about.

I'm not talking about the, oh, that was a miracle, meaning that was just really nice.

I'm talking about do you need a situation in your life where something outside of you, something supernatural, comes into your human existence that is beyond comprehension and beyond explanation.

Maybe you find yourself like Craig and Angie, that was the first couple that you met in that video.

Her line was this we've done everything we can possibly do in order to hurt each other in a marriage.

Maybe that's where you find yourself today.

Maybe you find yourself at a place of despair, maybe you find yourself at a place of hopelessness.

Maybe you can relate to Mary's soul, the second one that you met on that video.

Who through circumstances that were well beyond her choosing and well beyond her situation, she now finds herself at a place where at 12 years old she's on the run.

And addiction became a part of her life, and then all of a sudden it led to a pattern of despair and desperation.

Maybe you find yourself today addicted in some way to something.

Maybe you find yourself in a situation to where you're not really sure how to get out of the mess that is your life.

Maybe some of you need a medical miracle today.

Maybe you find yourself like David and Courtney were, who is already it was a miracle that this child was even born, but then not after this premium was born gets RSV.

I remember talking to them at the hospital and they needed a miracle.

If God didn't intervene in that little girl's life, she would not have made it.

Maybe you find yourself for either yourself or somebody else close to you needing a medical miracle.

Maybe your finances are a wreck.

Maybe you are purposeless and aimless.

Maybe you find yourself here in church today because it is a tradition, but the reality is you are so far removed from anything that we've talked about, you just feel like you are lost.

Maybe some of you, your story is that you find yourself on a treadmill today that is running at full speed.

You don't know where it's going, and you're not sure if you want to go there.

Do you need a miracle?

If I had to guess, all of us that are here and all of us that are online would say, in some way, in some fashion, we need God to do something supernatural in our natural world.

Which ultimately then leads to the second question that I have for you today, and it's this where are you looking for a miracle?

If you need a miracle, where are you gonna go to look for one?

Where are you gonna go for the help that you need?

Today we celebrate the greatest miracle that has ever existed, and that is the miracle of the fact that Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

He is not dead, he is alive, and today we not only celebrate that, but we're gonna see we can experience the miracle of resurrection.

Look with me at Luke chapter 24.

Luke 24 · chapter mention

I want to begin reading in verse 1.

It says, But on the first day of the week at early dawn, they went to the tomb and taking the spices they had prepared.

And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.

But when they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by 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 is risen.

Remember how he 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 on the third day rise.

Let me give you some context for this verse.

This is talking about they as two women.

These two women got up early and they went to the tomb.

And just a few days prior to this, this would they were going to find the body of the one who was Jesus, who just recently, right before this took place, was one who spoke with such authority in his words that literally people were clamoring around just to hear him speak.

They wanted to hear what he had to say because they knew what he had to say just hit and sounded differently than everybody else.

He backed this up not only with authoritative teaching, but the Bible tells us that he also performed miracles along the way.

He healed blind people, he made those who were mute be able to speak.

He allowed a situation to where there was a lack of food and there was thousands of people.

And the Bible says that with just a few fish and a few loaves, he fed thousands of people.

This Jesus was one that everyone was hopeful for.

He just seemed to be different than everybody else who had come before, claiming to have authority and claiming to have power, and they thought maybe, just maybe, this is the one who's gonna be different.

He's gonna get us out of our situation.

But now we find him in Luke chapter 24.

Luke 24 · chapter mention

He was sentenced to die on a cross.

He was beaten.

He gave his life there on that cross, and the Bible says he was then placed in a tomb.

These women get up very early, and it says that they're going there to the tomb with funeral spices because ultimately they were trying to get out what inevitably at that moment would have been the physical stench of death.

What I want you to sense though, it doesn't say it directly, but it's implied in the text, is not only were these women going to the grave in order to give this funeral spices to get rid of the physical stench, but there was an emotional stench as well.

They had despair.

These two women, they they come to the tomb, and it says that two men dressed very in dazzling apparel tells them, Why are you here?

Why are you looking in the grave for Jesus?

Don't you remember what he said?

He said that he would one day rise again.

Here they were trying to manage a hopeless situation, and Jesus had already performed the miracle and done what he all along said he would do.

This is the power of the resurrection.

This is the power of a miracle.

What happens is your life begins to change when you experience a miracle.

All of a sudden, the things that you look to are different, and all of a sudden, all of your priorities are shifted because the supernatural has come into the natural.

Here's the issue with all of us we still go looking for life where dead stuff is.

I want you just to consider and think about a few places.

Maybe this is the case for you.

One, maybe for you, it's stuff.

The assumption and the thought is if I can buy more, if I can acquire more, if I can get more things, it's gonna feel that longing and that angst and that tension that exists in my heart.

And ultimately, then when I get this, I'll be satisfied.

We do this all the time.

We think when we get the new phone, when we get the new app, when we get the new car, when we get the new house, when we get the new clothes, that's gonna be the answer to all that we are wanting.

Here's the problem for just a short little time.

When you get something brand new, man, it is a really good feeling.

It's a rush, is it not?

Uh I have uh lost some weight recently, and in tribulal tradition, uh, ever since I was little, we always get new clothes for Easter.

And so I got some new clothes for Easter, and I'm not gonna lie, I feel really good right now, all right?

In fact, some of you, you can tell you've got new clothes for Easter, and you look really good right now.

In fact, do me a favor, turn to your neighbor and say, You look really good today, all right?

Do that really quick.

All right.

Here's the deal.

I don't know if they meant it, but I'm serious.

You look great right now, all right?

You look wonderful, and there's no question about it.

There is a rush that comes when you get something new.

The irony was this past week, whenever I got my new Easter clothes, they got shipped, they came to the house, and I was trying them on in my bedroom.

And so I'm there in my bedroom, getting my clothes, making sure they fit just right.

And in the corner of my eyes, I'm looking in that mirror, I noticed that there is a box in the corner of our bedroom.

And I go over there and I look in that box, I ask Hillary what that box is for, and that box is full of a bunch of clothes and a bunch of shoes that I recognize because they're all my clothes and my shoes.

I said, What is this?

And she said that, oh, those are all your old clothes that I'm gonna be selling on Poshmark or on eBay.

And here's the thing there was an Easter outfit in that box.

What does this show us?

No matter how good that feeling and that rush is when you acquire something new.

Here is the problem with things that are new, eventually they become old.

You see that nice new Easter outfit that you've got on today, one day will either be sold at a garage sale, will be sold online, or if nobody is willing to give you any money for it, you're just gonna give it away or throw it in the trash.

That's what happens.

You can't find life where dead things are.

Maybe we think it's acquiring stuff isn't like money.

If I can just make more money, if I can just have more money, if I can just save more money.

We all know the truth, though.

You can't ever have enough money.

You can't find life where dead things are.

Maybe for some of you it's not stuff, maybe for others it is others.

Literally, it's relationships.

So if the marriage isn't working, just get rid of the marriage and go find another relationship.

If you're in the midst of a dating relationship and you're just not feeling it, I promise you, the thought is the problem isn't you, it's gotta be with that other person that you're dating.

And so, therefore, you want to switch that relationship.

And what we do is we begin to go to other people to try to find life in those relationships.

Here's another subtle one.

I I can totally see this.

We have got four kids, my kids are all active, my kids are all involved.

I see this all the time.

What parents will begin to do is they will throw every single dollar, time, and attention, everything they've got into the success and the fulfillment of all of their kids, whatever it is that they want in order to make them successful.

Here is what they then discover along the way.

You got a big old ban of trophies that nobody's talking about.

Or how about that day when you've given your whole life to something only for them to come and say, I don't want to play that anymore.

And you realize that you tried to find life where dead things are.

Maybe for some of you, it is people's perception of you.

I'm not talking about their real life, actual perception of you.

I'm talking about their online perception of you.

This is whenever you begin to post things and your followers begin to tell you how much they approve or disapprove of what it is that you have posted.

Here is the problem.

Whether it is your family, whether it is your friends, or whether it is your followers, you will not find life from others.

Because you can't find life where dead things are.

Maybe then for some of you it's not stuff, maybe for some of you it's not others, and so therefore it's self.

You find yourself in a situation to where you know what, I'm gonna get myself.

out of this problem that I find myself in.

I may not have been the reason why I'm in the conditions that I'm in, but I can assure you of this.

I'm gonna make sure and grab the bull by the horns and I'm gonna get myself out of it.

And maybe for you, you feel like it all depends upon you.

Here is the problem.

You see, you may not be willing to admit it, but you know you can't be the savior.

You can't be the one that does it all.

You can't be the one that can get yourself out of it.

And so no matter what it is, you can't find life where dead things are.

Why is that the case?

Because the Bible tells us that our problem is ultimately not outside of us.

Our problem is inside of us.

It's sin.

And because of sin, we are all broken.

We have a broken world with broken systems and broken relationships and we ourselves are broken.

And so no matter what you do, no matter what stuff you accumulate, no matter what relationships you may have with others, or no matter how much you rely upon yourself, what you will discover is this it's as fruitless as bringing funeral spices.

Just hoping you can get this in jail.

Instead we know the Bible tells us in Luke 24 begins to show us that the real story that we celebrate today is not the fact that Jesus Christ died on a cross for us.

Praise God for that but the fact that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and he is alive.

And so the story of Easter the story of the gospel for you today is that you can find life in one of the most unexpected places and that is from the Savior who died but then rose again.

Romans chapter 8 verse 11 look at what it says it says these words it says if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who dwells in you the resurrection isn't just something that we celebrate the resurrection is something that we can experience what I want you to hear me say today is that the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is the same power that is available to us so that we can see literally the supernatural come into the known and the natural and do things in our lives that cannot be explained any other way than from God.

Romans 8:11

It is because of this belief and it is because of this promise that we know that we can experience a miracle in your life where God brings joy and peace and blessing and healing whenever he changes the circumstances of your situation but here is the beauty of the gospel even if he chooses not to change your circumstances there can still be a miracle because the work of Jesus is one that is not just on the outside but the work of Jesus is in our hearts continue reading with me in Luke 24 in verse 8 it says and they remembered his words and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with him who told these things to the apostles that these words seemed to them an idle tale and they did not believe them.

Peter rose and ran to the tomb stooping and looking in he saw the linen cloths by themselves and he went home marveling at what had happened the third and final question the most important question of them what are you going to do with Jesus going to do with Jesus were so amazed by what they saw that they couldn't help but immediately start telling everyone about the fact that Jesus is not dead he is alive he is risen there are two different reactions here in this text in verse 11 it says that the disciples and the rest thought it was an idle tale and they didn't believe it.

Is that your story today?

You find yourself here at church but honestly you're not really sure if you buy into all this stuff you're not really sure if Jesus actually did what he said that he did maybe you hear about miracles and you hear even about the miracle of the resurrection and you think that's all nice and that's all good but that doesn't mean that he can do anything right now in my life today.

Maybe for some of you you've bought into religion along the way thinking that if you just simply do enough good things and avoid enough bad things, if you go to church as often as you think that you should it's going to make this right spiritual mixture and that somehow at the end of the day you're gonna be right with God.

The Bible tells us that none of us are righteous none of us measure up to the standard all of us fall short.

Your religion and you already know it don't work maybe for some of you you just assume that maybe God does that kind of stuff he just doesn't do that kind of stuff for you.

In verse 12 though it says that Peter heard about what took place and it says that he goes to the tomb he sees the linen cloth he sees that the tomb is empty and he marveled he would later write in 1 Peter chapter 1 verses 3 and 4 blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ according to his great mercy he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance that is imperishable undefiled and unfading kept in heaven for you that same mercy that same resurrection power that same inheritance is available to you today and God can and wants to do a miracle in your life the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is the same power that is alive and available to us not so that we can somehow manipulate it and get whatever it is that we want but make no mistake about it for God's glory and for God's name we believe in a miracle working wonderworking God.

1 Peter 1:3

We believe that the resurrection proves that we are not just believing in something that happened back then that we hope has some effect for us today but instead when it comes to our relationships when it comes to our children when it comes to our addictions when it comes to our marriages that are broken we believe God desires to do a miracle do you believe that today would you bow your heads and would you close your eyes all across this room I invite you to do the same thing if you're joining me online do you need a miracle today do you need the supernatural to intervene in the natural you've been trying to figure it out on your own and it's not working you've been trying to do things to fix that angst and that tension is not working Jesus wants to do a miracle in your life something that's so powerful regardless if your circumstances change one bit you can be different if you need a miracle today would you just raise your hand no one looking around I just want to be able to see it would you raise your hands in a miracle in my life all over this room people are saying I need a miracle praise God for you guys all over Jesus just a moment what I'm gonna ask you to do those of you that lifted up your hands those of you that also would say I need a miracle today we want to pray for you we believe that there is power by lifting up these things to the name of Jesus and we want to pray with you in fact if you want to look up those that raise their hands and just look in front and look on the sides we've got team members all over the place we've got some in the middle of the aisles here as well we just want to pray with you we want to lift up your knee before the Lord today there is nothing that is too far for him to do there's no sin that is too great for him to forgive there is no medical or marriage situation that is beyond his ability to repair and so today I want to ask that you allow us to pray with and for you for a miracle some of you are in here today and you need the miracle of salvation you've heard about Jesus maybe you've recognized that there's been a gap in your heart a longing in your heart that is yet to be resolved let me tell you God made you for a relationship with him and he wants to save you and forgive you of all of your sins he died on a cross for you and he rose from the day and today from the dead and today can be your day of salvation if that's you I just want to ask that you voice the simple prayer with me right where you are just pray these words dear God I want a miracle I pray that you would save me and forgive me of all of my sin I believe that you died on a cross and I believe that you rose from the dead and right now I receive your gift of eternal life it's in the name of Jesus that I pray all of these things.

Amen would you look up here in just a moment we're all gonna stand up and when we do if you are someone who raised your hand or you would say I need a miracle today and you want to be prayed over we would love to invite you to come and to come to the sides come to the front and let us have the opportunity to pray with you today.

If you're here today and you just prayed that prayer with me giving your life to Jesus experiencing the miracle of salvation we want to celebrate with you as well I'm gonna ask you as well to come out from where you're seated and to come forward or come to the sides and let us talk with you pray with you celebrate with you for this decision that you have made let's all stand together and as we stand our team is up front and on the sides as God is leading you to move you do it right now come on for you man back here who else got for you guys keep coming come on keep coming over here church family let's just bow our heads in prayer together Father in heaven we come before you and we are so grateful.

Father as I just look out at this room I just know the stories of miracles that you've done in people's lives God I pray for Gene Griffin I'm just looking at him right now Lord I just pray God you're healing upon his life as he's battling so grateful that he's here and I thank you for a row of folks from oaks of righteousness the miracles you've done in their lives God just for the way that you have allowed their story not to be over but instead God you've got a future and a hope Father I thank you for the marriages that are in this room God that have been restored.

God I pray that you would let us be a people full of hope today.

John Adams pray God for you Father I pray that you would allow us to be a people that don't just believe that this is a story that happened in the past but instead God we would know that the resurrection power of Jesus is available for us today God may we not abuse it may we not try to use it but instead may we live in it may we walk in the freedom that comes with the fact that we are not bound to our sin.

That because of Jesus there is hope.

Father I pray that we would be a people that leave here differently I pray God that we would be a people who believe that you are not done with us yet that there is a next step for each and every one of us and that is to walk in obedience and faith to you knowing that when we do it will bring joy peace and hope.

So Father we thank you for the way that you've moved already this morning in both of our services and God we ask that you would continue to move in the ones ahead it's in the name of Jesus that I pray.

Amen and amen.

Real quick church before we are dismissed let's give the Lord a hand and celebrate we have services at 930 and at 11 every single week would love to invite you to come and be a part of that.

Real quickly before we are dismissed may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Happy Easter you guys have a great day take care you need a miracle you heard me just give a message about how God does miracles and the greatest miracle of all was the miracle of Jesus.

Do you know him?

Do you have a relationship with him?

I just led our church through a prayer and I want to invite you if you still have questions if you have a decision that you want to make that you would let us know by simply texting the word you see next to the number 55498.

We'd love to personally follow up with you to answer questions that you may have just to see how God can allow you and lead you to take your next step in your relationship with Him.

Thank you for joining us for this very special service here on Easter Sunday.

We'll resume our normal service times next week at 930 and 11 and we're gonna continue in our series called Wonder looking at the miracles of Jesus I invite you not only to come and be a part of it but to invite someone with you.

Look forward to seeing you there.

Take care and have a great weekend