What A Difference A Day Makes

Take your Bibles over to Mark chapter 16. Mark chapter 16 is we're going to talk about the difference that a day makes.

Mark 16 · chapter mention Mark 16 · chapter mention

You know, as we think about this morning, we talk about the resurrection of our Savior.

I want you to understand the resurrection is not just an Easter theme.

You know, oftentimes we associate it with a certain time of the year.

But I want you to understand the resurrection is a theme that the Scripture that's important to us every day.

It's important to us throughout the year, throughout the weeks, throughout the moments of life.

The resurrection is a pivotal dynamic in the life of a believer.

It's a pivotal dynamic in history.

But, you know, we understand the reality of the change that a day makes to life.

You know, life changes sometimes. It's sometimes slow.

And other times it's in a moment.

But in the course of a day, even things change.

And we're going to see here this morning, as we go into Mark chapter 16, the reality of that change.

Mark 16 · chapter mention

And how quickly things change.

Because that was never more true than this day that Jesus rose from the dead.

If you think about just a few days previous, you know, Joseph and Nicodemus had taken Jesus down off the cross.

They'd wrapped his body and they'd anointed it with the spices and, you know, the myrrh and the aloes that they put on upon the body.

And they had placed him in the tomb.

You know, it was a dark and troubling day that had just overwhelmed the hopes of all those that had followed Jesus.

I mean, we find here that his disciples were just in mourning.

They were weeping, you know.

There was a brokenness to them because of what had taken place when they saw Jesus die that day upon the cross.

I mean, I don't think we can even grab a hold of the reality of what they may have been thinking and processing of trying to sit through.

We put all our hopes into Jesus and now he's gone.

I mean, that was what they had going for a couple of days.

They were there while Jesus lay in the tomb.

They were there, but while his disciples were mourning, we're going to find here,

there was a couple of women who were followers of Jesus who were preparing to honor the Lord one last time.

Because they wanted to go and put additional anointments on his body with the sweet spices.

And, you know, this is something that's important because it's mentioned in each of the Gospels.

Each one of the Gospels makes a reference to these women going on the first day of the week to the tomb and what their purpose was.

You know, that they went there and it gives us a glimpse into that.

But Mark's Gospel focused upon the news of the resurrection and its implication directly for humanity.

Because I want you to understand the news that Jesus is alive,

the fact that they said he is risen, changed the world forever.

I want you to understand it was a moment in history that morning when that news arrived

that Jesus had risen from the dead, things changed.

Things had changed totally different from that they were before.

And the fact that Jesus is alive then made a difference in their day.

You know what? The fact Jesus is alive makes a difference in our day.

The resurrection is essential.

So, if you found Mark chapter 16 this morning, let's stand together

Mark 16 · chapter mention

in honor of the reading of the Word of God here this morning.

And we'll read down through verse 8 here today as you follow along.

And it says,

And he said,

Let's pray.

Let's pray.

Let's pray.

Let's pray.

Let's pray.

Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, as we just look at your Word here this morning, I pray just have your hand upon each one, Lord,

as we realize the importance of what we're speaking of here today, Lord,

the pivotal nature of the fact that you overcame death.

Lord, the victory that you have in the resurrection is our victory in you.

And Lord, we pray just have your hand upon each one here today, Lord, that we might not just think of it as a theme or an idea or something that gets spoken about,

but, Lord, the reality of the impact it has and should have upon our lives.

And, Lord, we just pray just to work with each heart, each life here today, Lord.

You know each one.

Lord, you know those that understand the importance of the resurrection and the impact it has on their lives.

But, Lord, there may be some here today that have not called upon you not realizing the difference that day made.

Even for their day today, Lord, it might make a difference in their life.

And, Lord, we just give you all the praise and glory and honor in Jesus' name.

Amen.

May be seated.

You know, as we look here this morning, as the body had been placed in the grave,

the Sabbath had hindered the women from going to the tomb.

You know, and we can talk about the things and the schedules with that.

But, you know, the fact is that they were not able to because of their responsibility of the Sabbath.

They were to rest.

There were things they were to do there in where they were and things they were supposed to obey according to the law of Moses.

But they had a desire to anoint the body of Jesus.

You know, it had been there since they witnessed Joseph and Nicodemus prepare it for burial.

You know, as Joseph and Nicodemus had carefully wrapped the body,

they had applied the spices and the myrrh and the process, it tells us in John 19,

and placed them in the tomb and it was sealed with a stone.

It tells us in Mark 15, 47.

And we know something else too, that there was ladies watching that day where they laid him.

Now, this is important because they knew exactly where to go looking.

They knew exactly where they were to go to find Jesus or where they thought they were going to find Jesus.

You know, they knew exactly what was happening.

And I want you, as we go through, we'll see how that is important here to know too.

But because a little context is here, you know.

Have you ever asked yourself, why did the ladies watch and not help?

You know, I want you to understand that there's a lot of complexity in this passage also.

Because for them to properly observe the Sabbath and to go through the things for the Feast of Unleavened Bread that was beginning,

they weren't supposed to be in contact with the dead body.

If they weren't able to participate.

You know, oftentimes we forget that Nicodemus and Joseph removed themselves

because it would be a violation of the law because God told them that right before they weren't supposed to,

they'd be unclean for seven days.

There's a lot of complexity going through their minds.

How do I obey what God has told me but fulfill a responsibility that's a godly responsibility?

I mean, those are things we deal with today sometimes.

You know, I want you to understand, their life was just as complex as ours

when it comes to trying to figure out what is the right thing and the proper thing to do as they walk through.

I mean, I want you to get a context of these women because there was a quandary that they were.

Were they going to obey the Lord in preparation for the Sabbath?

Or were they going to remove themselves from being able to participate by doing what was right?

There was nothing wrong, but there was consequences to a decision.

And sometimes life is in conflict with itself when it comes to doing the right thing.

You know, it's no different than today.

We sometimes face those same problems.

And we need to understand, these women were walking through these things amongst themselves,

but I want you to understand, it didn't stop them from preparing to go as soon as they could.

They wanted to go and to do what they could to honor the Lord.

It was a labor of love for them.

There was no indication.

It's interesting, the disciples weren't the ones going.

You know, the 11 that were there, we'll find where they were.

Here's, these three ladies are the ones who made the effort,

made the priority, made the decision

that we're going to go ahead and move forward with honoring Jesus.

And we don't have time this morning to get into all the burial custom and things of the day,

but I want you to understand, what they brought was not to embalm Jesus,

but was to put sweet-smelling ointments upon it.

It was really to mask the decay of the body.

That's what they were thinking in their mind.

In their mind, Jesus was gone,

but yet they wanted to honor Him.

And by putting and preserving these smells upon Him,

and to put the anointing things upon Him,

and they had purchased what was required,

and they prepared for it.

And the Sabbath had now ended at 6 p.m. the night before,

and we need to realize that they were a distance away.

It was a two-mile walk back to the tomb.

At least, because the Bible says that they were staying in Bethany,

and the town of Bethany is about two miles outside of Jerusalem,

and the tomb was in Jerusalem.

And so they couldn't go after 6 o'clock when the Sabbath ended,

because they would have had to return in the dark.

You know, in those days, it was not safe to be out after dark,

especially walking through the countryside.

I mean, you see how they were walking through these things,

but they wanted to honor the Lord and to have even closure.

You know, sometimes when it comes to the death of somebody we love,

we need that closure.

That time of saying, you know, we can honor them in this moment.

But I want you to see what took place.

That's where we find the reality of verse 1,

is the Sabbath and the things that happened.

But notice verse 2,

and very early in the morning, the first day of the week.

You know, very early, it says these three women headed out towards the place

that Jesus was buried.

You know, and as they traveled, you know, like,

I find a little irony in this account too,

because it tells us the reality of people.

They set out, they said,

I mean, I imagine they made their list,

you know, we need this, and we need this,

and we need this over here,

and hey, do you have that?

Did you get this?

And the Bible tells us something that we can relate with.

They get to walk, and they're almost there,

and something dawns on them.

They rolled a big stone in front of the door.

How are we going to get in?

You know, I find that a real sense of understanding of life,

you know, that's something that you or I would do,

you know, get all the way there and figure out, oh.

You know, because look what the Bible tells us here.

As they walked, they went very early in the morning

at the rising of the sun.

Notice verse 3,

And they said among themselves,

Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?

You know, that was quite a dilemma.

I want you to understand,

they estimate the stone that they would have put in front of one of these doors

was probably a thousand pounds.

It would have required much strength

and probably multiple people to move this stone away.

You know, why they were considering the problem

and having doubts.

Did we walk all this way for nothing?

I mean, I can think about the things that phrase says

of the reality going through their mind

and they're doubting,

but you know, there's some things that happen behind the scenes

they didn't even know were going on.

You know, that's true with a lot of things in life.

Sometimes we look at things going on in our life,

we don't realize that God's already working in other ways.

Because what Mark doesn't record for us

is something that Matthew does,

and that's the fact that the Jews,

the leaders that had crucified Jesus,

had went to Pilate after he was buried

and said,

Pilate, we need to set a watch on the sepulchre.

We need to set a watch there because,

and I find this a little interesting too,

that the disciples were mourning,

but the enemies of Jesus were saying,

hey, he said he was going to rise the third day.

That the enemies of Jesus grabbed a hold of what Jesus said

more than the ones that were following him.

But we find they set a watch.

I mean, you imagine if the ladies would have showed up

and the Roman watch was there,

not to let, that they couldn't get in.

They had problems that God dealt with before

that they didn't even know about.

Because you know what happened?

The angel came and rolled away the stone,

and it tells us that they fell over as dead men.

And when they did get up,

it says they ran away.

You know, it's interesting that God provided a way

for them to understand the reality of the resurrection,

and they didn't even realize it happened until later.

They didn't realize what God was doing,

that they might know what was taking place.

That watch had been set to keep them from moving the stone.

You know, we find here that the post of the Roman guard

had been there, but they had fleen.

You know, you can read about that in Matthew chapter 27.

Matthew 27 · chapter mention

You know, I imagine if had they known that,

their fear would have overwhelmed them,

and they probably wouldn't have went.

Because they were thinking,

how are we going to overcome this?

Not only the stone,

but now we have a Roman watch that says we can't open it.

But God already took care of it.

You know, we see this Mark 16 is filled with despair and doubt,

but we find that something happens.

By the time they arrived, the guards had run away.

You know, Matthew 28 in verse 2 tells us this,

And then you go down into verse 11,

and it says,

Now when they were going,

behold, some of the watch came into the city

and showed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.

You know, I want you to understand that the angel came

and rolled that stone away that day?

Because sometimes people think the angel rolled the stone to let Jesus out.

I want to let you know,

they didn't roll the stone away to let Jesus out.

It was to let us know He wasn't there.

To let us understand that He wasn't there.

You know, Jesus didn't have a problem.

You know, a little later in John chapter 20,

John 20 · chapter mention

in verse 19, it says,

Jesus appeared in a locked room with the other disciples.

You know, I want you to understand,

the stone in the sepulchre wasn't sealed to keep Jesus in.

It was open that we might know it was empty.

That there was going to be no doubt of these things.

And we see that we needed to know that Jesus has risen from the dead.

But we find here when Mary Magdalene,

Mary the mother of James and Salome,

arrived at the tomb,

everything had changed.

You know, a few days earlier,

their hopes had been crushed.

I mean, they looked at Jesus as to deliver the one that had been promised.

Their hopes had been dashed.

They had a sense of grief and hopelessness.

But that changed in a moment because the tomb was empty.

You know, I want you to understand,

it's a great thing that Jesus came and died on the cross.

That's an important element of the gospel.

But the gospel is completed when we understand that he rose from the dead.

Because he didn't just pay for our sin,

he was victorious over it.

Over the very penalty of sin.

You know, the resurrection is victory.

You know, it's like a victory celebration.

Declaring to everybody that things have been taken care of.

That things have been settled.

It's something we can rejoice in and not doubt.

You know, look over to 1 Corinthians chapter 15 for a moment.

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

1 Corinthians chapter 15.

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

Look here in verse 19.

You know, 1 Corinthians 15 talks specifically about the resurrection.

It deals with the fact that Jesus is risen.

And the importance of it.

And it tells them here as Paul is talking to those at Corinth.

Because there were some who said,

well, the resurrection's already passed.

And, you know, they were telling people that they had missed the boat.

You know?

But notice he says,

if in this life only we have hope in Christ,

we are of all men most miserable.

Now, I want you to understand what he's saying.

What he's saying here, if our hope is only in what we have here,

in Christ,

you've missed the most important thing.

Because what we have in Christ is because he's alive.

And we are alive in him.

Notice what it says in verse 20.

But now is Christ risen from the dead

and become the first fruits of them that slept.

This is an important reality to understand

that if Christ didn't rise from the dead,

we don't serve a dead Savior.

We serve a living one.

We serve one that was not only able to pay,

but able to be victorious.

He is the one that was able to do above and beyond

what we could even imagine that he could do for us.

You know, the problem I think today is

there's many people live their life in light of the tomb,

the place where death reigns.

You know, trapped in darkness and death.

We live in a dark place in this world.

There's darkness all around.

You know, look over to Ephesians chapter 2 for a moment.

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

Ephesians chapter 2.

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

And notice what it tells us here in Ephesians 2.

It says,

And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins.

Death.

I mean, the reality is we're faced with the fact of death.

The wages of sin is death.

When we leave this life, it's going to be by death.

Least high odds.

Unless you're one of the ones that are alive and remain

and are caught to meet him in the air.

Amen?

Now, I'll take that one.

I'll take option B.

But you know what?

I want you to understand the reality of option A of death

is what we face.

What we need to consider that death

is what happens in this life.

But notice in verse 2, it says,

Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world,

according to the prince and power of the air,

the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.

I want you to understand that oftentimes people live in light of death,

not understanding that we ought to live in light of a Savior who is risen.

In light of life, not in light of death.

You know, we have a generation that's wrapped in death.

I mean, you look around you.

I want you to pay attention this next week.

Look at how many symbols, how many things,

how many elements are associated with death.

Skeletons, killing, destruction.

We live in light of death

instead of living in the light of Jesus Christ.

That is life.

There's a lot of people today that live in light of that.

They're lost in a world.

But, you know, sometimes even as a believer,

I think we can still get caught up in living on the reality of a death

instead of the factual reality in Christ.

You are made alive.

We are different.

You know, take a look over to Romans chapter 1 for a moment.

Romans 1 · chapter mention

Romans chapter 1.

Romans 1 · chapter mention

It says this,

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven

against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men

who hold the truth in unrighteousness

because that which may be known of God is manifest in them.

For God has showed them unto them.

For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world

are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made,

even the eternal power and Godhead.

So they are without excuse

because when they knew God,

they glorified Him not as God,

neither were they thankful

because it became vain in their imagination.

Their foolish heart was darkened.

You know, I want you to understand,

we're not to live in darkness and death.

We're supposed to live in light and life.

Why can we do that?

Because of what Jesus did.

Because He's alive.

He is the one.

And we notice here as they arrived at the tomb,

it was open for them to investigate.

You know, look at verse 4 in our text here this morning.

It says,

And when they looked,

they saw the stone was rolled away,

for it was very great.

And entering into the sepulcher,

you know,

and entering into the sepulcher,

they saw a young man sitting on the right side,

clothed with a long white garment,

and they were affrightened.

You know what?

I want you to understand,

they went into that tomb still expecting to see Jesus.

They said the stone may have been rolled away,

but they had an expectation of finding a body.

But when they got in there,

there was none.

You know,

I think the reality of the other Gospels

reveals to us that,

you know,

they were questioning,

did somebody steal his body?

Did somebody take it?

You know,

where have you taken him

that we might go and take care of it?

They didn't want the body of Jesus

desecrated or destroyed.

They said it's important.

But their mind still wasn't on the fact he'd have risen.

Their mind was on the fact,

where's the body?

You know,

they're living in light of death.

They're living in the dynamic and the thought

that death was it.

Instead of living in the light of the resurrection,

you know,

the angel there was sitting.

You know,

they were taken back.

It says they were frightened.

Now,

now this is an interesting word,

a frightened,

because,

you know,

it's not just fear.

You know,

it's one of those moments in life.

Have you ever been scared,

but amazed at the same time?

I mean,

that's what this word talks about.

It's like something so extraordinary

that you don't know whether to be joyful or fearful.

You don't know whether to rejoice or to cry.

It's that dynamic that they were faced with.

They didn't understand what was happening.

And look here at verse 6.

What the angel said unto them,

he says,

he saith unto them,

be not afraid.

You know,

he says,

don't be scared or amazed here of what's going on.

Don't be overwhelmed by in the moment.

Don't be overwhelmed by what you're seeing.

You know what the angel was saying?

He says,

hey guys,

hey ladies,

I want you to understand that it's not what you see on the surface.

It's not what it seems to you.

They had a lot of things rolling around in their mind,

trying to figure it out.

And the angel looks at them and says,

hey,

don't fear because I want you to know what the reality is.

You know what?

Oftentimes things are not as they appear on the surface.

Sometimes our mind always plays to the worst things.

You know?

But you know what?

I want you to know that things are not as bad as your mind and your heart and the devil often tells you.

Because you know what?

The devil tries to get you off track and your mind tries to play games because you always go to the negative of reality of those things.

We seem overwhelmed of just what happened in the moment and we're not seeing the big picture about what's taking place.

But notice here he affirms to them why they're looking for the body of Jesus.

Notice what he says here.

Now this is important for us this morning.

He says,

Did you seek Jesus of Nazareth which was crucified?

I want you to understand he affirmed what their fear was.

Yes, Jesus died.

I want you to understand it's important to know that Jesus died.

It's important to know why he died.

He didn't die just because he was a good person.

He didn't die just to make us good.

He died that he might pay the price for our sin.

He was the sacrificial lamb of God.

They're affirming to them exactly the first thing Jesus had been telling him.

Telling the disciples and these ladies would have heard it too.

He says here,

You seek Jesus of Nazareth which was crucified.

And now notice the next phrase.

He is risen.

He's not here.

You know what he says?

Yes, the circumstances that you thought were going on were.

But you know what?

I want you to understand God's above your circumstances.

He says the reality isn't what you think it is.

The reality is, yes, Jesus died.

But the reality is, yes, Jesus rose again.

That we have a Savior that's living.

The fact of the resurrection is critical for us.

He is risen.

It was a message of peace to a troubled heart.

A message of a risen Savior.

You know, one put it this way.

The angel wanted them to know that his cry of,

It is finished, did not mean that he was finished.

He died, but he did not stay dead.

His joyous cry is, He is risen.

It is finished as he paid the price of sin.

The victory is, he is risen.

He has overcome death.

The victory that is there.

You know, the reality.

The angel wanted them to know that the power of death had been swallowed up by a far greater power of life.

The empty tomb is not a place of despair and defeat.

The empty tomb is a place of glory, a place of power, and a place of hope.

You know, what we have in Christ, when he rose again, is far greater than anything this world offers.

The resurrection is essential.

But I want you to see something here that's important too.

The angel didn't just say, take my word for it.

You know, I think this is an important element because even when we're witnessing to somebody,

one of the things is, is I don't expect somebody just to take my word for it, but investigate.

Is that what God said?

Notice what he tells them here.

Last part of verse 6.

Notice what he says.

He's not here.

Behold the place where they laid him.

Now this statement has a lot of punch.

Because we've got to go back up.

Look back up into verse, chapter 15.

And notice in verse 47, a few days earlier.

And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph beheld what?

Where he was laid.

Now the angel looks at him and says, hey, look.

See, validate the reality of the resurrection.

See it for yourself.

See what has taken place.

Behold where they laid him.

They were witnesses to Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus placing Jesus' body there.

You know what?

This is another validation that Jesus wants them to know for sure.

He didn't want to just take somebody's word for it.

It's something that we need to know, that the world needs to know, that Jesus has risen.

They'd seen all that had happened.

You know, it's interesting.

The Bible tells us that what they saw.

The other gospels revealed that they saw the strips of clothes that they had wrapped him in

basically collapsed there where they had placed him.

With this wrapping around his head had been carefully removed and placed.

It'd been folded there.

You know, I want you to see this was not a place of chaos.

Like somebody came and stole the body.

You know, this is another reality that we can understand.

It was not somebody coming and taking the body.

It was like a place of calm.

When Jesus rose again, it wasn't a big disturbance.

Basically, everything was there just because he passed through it.

You know, he folded up his little head covering there and placed it at the head.

I mean, it was a, you know, even Jesus, when he got up, he made his bed.

That's one you can tell your kids, I guess.

But no, seriously, he wanted them to understand that it was not a chaos that happened.

It was a calm, intentional reality.

It was something that was set forth.

Because it's a message of the power of God that proves all that had been said about him.

Go back to John chapter 11 for a moment.

John 11 · chapter mention

John chapter 11.

John 11 · chapter mention

Here Jesus is speaking to Martha.

Verse 25 says,

And Jesus said unto her,

I am the resurrection and the what?

Life.

He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.

And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.

Believeth thou this?

Even before he had physically resurrected, he's looking at Martha, one of his followers,

who had just lost her brother.

Her brother Lazarus is there in a tomb.

And Jesus says, do you believe that I am the life and the resurrection?

Am I that it's living?

I am the resurrection and the life.

You know, the resurrection is critical.

But notice the message, verse 7, back in Mark chapter 16, it says,

Mark 16 · chapter mention

But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee,

and there shall you see him.

And now notice that last phrase, as he said unto you.

You know, as he had told them.

You know, I want you to see here that Jesus had already instructed the disciples even before his death.

He said, guys, this is what's going to happen.

I'm going to go to Jerusalem.

I'm going to die.

They're going to put me in a grave.

And I'm going to rise again.

And then Jesus tells them along the way here, we're going to find that he gives them another statement.

He says, after I'm risen, I'll see you in Galilee.

Look over to Mark chapter 14 for a moment.

Mark 14 · chapter mention

Going to Jerusalem, that final time, Jesus had told them what was going to happen.

Here they are right before Jesus gets ready to go to the cross.

He's instituted the Lord's Supper and they're talking and speaking about these things.

And notice in verse 27, and he says, all ye shall be offended because of me this night.

For it is written, I will smite the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered.

Now notice verse 28.

But after that, I am risen.

I will go before you into Galilee.

You know, I want you to understand that God gave them the direction they needed to walk through the trial that was before them.

God provided them hope before it even happened.

Think about what Jesus said to them.

He says, guys, it's going to be pretty devastating, but I'm going to rise again on the third day, just like I told you.

And when you hear that I've risen again, head to Galilee because I'm going to meet you there.

That was before Jesus went to the cross.

You know, think about what a difference a day makes.

What started as a day of doubt and despair became a day that transformed our relationship with God.

It is through the resurrection, the power of the resurrection, that one is born again.

That we can be made new.

You know, the gospel is only complete with a living Savior, a Savior that's alive.

You know, look over to 1 Corinthians 15.

Paul here is reminding the church at Corinth.

He says, for I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received,

how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.

You know, I want you to understand, you can't be saved until you realize the penalty requirement of sin.

Until you realize you're a sinner, that of yourself there is no hope.

You're facing the penalty of your sin.

Notice verse 4, and that he was what?

Buried.

Look where they laid him.

And that he did what?

He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.

I want you to understand the resurrection wasn't a new thing.

It wasn't something that was added after Jesus.

Oh, Jesus died.

Now we've got to do something else.

I want you to understand, that guess was God's plan all along.

His plan, the Bible tells us, from the very foundation of the world,

to save me, to save you.

It was a plan that he had.

Look over to Romans chapter 4.

Romans 4 · chapter mention

Romans chapter 4, look at verse 24.

Romans 4 · chapter mention

The Bible tells us this,

But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed,

if we believe on him that what?

Raised Jesus, our Lord from the dead,

who was delivered for our offenses.

That's the penalty of sin.

And notice what it says,

But was raised again for our justification,

that we might be just before God.

Not in ourselves, but in our living Savior.

A Savior that's alive.

A Savior that is there.

The resurrection still changes lives today.

Now I want you to understand,

the resurrection is just as important for the preacher as it is for you.

Each one of you, there's no difference.

The resurrection changes lives today.

It changed my life.

When I believed I was changed in the moment,

I was transfigured from death to life.

The Bible says that I was dead in my trespasses and sins,

but He has quickened us.

He has made us alive in Christ.

That happens when one calls upon the Savior.

It changes lives today.

This morning, I want you to understand,

is a morning that can change death and despair to hope and life.

It did it that day that we read about in Scripture,

but it also happens every time somebody gets saved.

They move from death to life in Christ.

You know, this morning, what about you

when it comes to the reality of a resurrected Savior?

Are you living in light of despair and darkness?

Are you living in hope and life?

Because we have a risen Savior.

Where are you with Him today?

Do you know Christ as your Savior?

Are you living in light of the resurrection?

You know, living in light of the resurrection,

to know the power of His resurrection, the Bible tells us.

That's how a believer ought to live.

Is that happening in your life?

You know, where are you at with the Lord today?

His heads are bowed and eyes are closed this morning.

What about you today?

What have you done with the reality of the resurrection?

Maybe you're here today and don't know what it means

for the reality of salvation of what God offers.

Why not settle that with Him today?

Maybe you're here this morning and you know the Lord is Savior,

but you're not living in the light and life

that comes through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

What about you today?

Heavenly Father, as we just come before you this morning,

Lord, we thank you for the awesome reality of the resurrection.

That it wasn't just an event,

but it's something that allows us to be transformed,

changed in a moment to be a new creature in Christ.

Lord, I pray you just know each heart,

each life here today, Lord, there's no hiding from you.

Lord, help us to be honest with you today.

Lord, help us to live in light of the resurrection.

Lord, let this be a day that makes a difference.

Lord, we ask it all in your precious name.

As heads are bowed,

Lord, put in love with you today.

Lord, put in love with you today.