Steve Gentry
[0:00] Well, this is your first time here. My name is Steve. I’m one of the pastors here. [0:05] I just want to thank you guys for being here. Jesus is alive and because of that [0:12] so can we be. Bad grammar, but good thought. Alright? Sometimes when you don’t [0:19] look at your notes you say things backwards. I don’t know why that happens. [0:22] Welcome to the village. Alright, well this morning we’re starting a new series. [0:28] Our series this morning is called Alive. And what we want to do is I just want to
[0:33] spend a few moments unpacking what it means to have life in Jesus. I think for [0:40] us as people it is very easy to identify with the death of Jesus, but I think it’s [0:47] a different thing altogether to identify with the risen Savior. And that’s what we [0:54] as a culture do every year. We at least go to church once a year and that is on [0:59] Easter Sunday. And what we celebrate on Easter Sunday is a reality that most of [1:05] us do not live out each and every day of our lives. But because of what Jesus has
[1:11] done, because of the fact that Jesus is not dead, we can have a life that is [1:19] lived each and every day the way that God specifically designed for it to be. [1:26] And anything less is not going to give you the satisfaction that you so earnestly [1:37] desire. See I believe that in each and every one of our lives we seek to be [1:44] satisfied in something. And everything that we do from our career to how we spend [1:51] our leisure time, to how we spend our vacations, to how we relate with our
[1:55] family, whether good or bad, it is ultimately because we are striving to find a [2:03] satisfaction that we cannot find. And no matter how hard we go after it, no matter [2:09] how hard we seek it, we will not find it apart from Jesus. Today what I want to [2:18] unpack and I want to begin a six week series for the next five weeks where we’re [2:23] going to talk about is what we are alive for. But today I want to just unpack the [2:28] truth of who we are alive in. And that is Jesus. The fact that yes, he did die on
[2:36] the cross, but he did not stay dead. And the reality of the fact that Jesus Christ [2:44] rose from the dead is the very hope that your life hinges on. If you do not have [2:53] the hope of the resurrection in your life this morning, then you do not have a [2:59] hope that will take you through the rest of your life. And you certainly do not [3:03] have a hope that will take you into eternity. Because I believe every single [3:08] one of you are here this morning because you know that there is something, there
[3:14] is something that is missing in our lives. And even the death of Jesus does [3:20] not offer us the hope that we so earnestly strive for. The death of Jesus [3:26] does not give us the satisfaction that our hearts desire. Because we can relate [3:32] with that. Each and every one of us are dying. Some of us sooner than later. Each [3:39] and every one of us have battled some type of sickness, some of us worse than [3:44] others. Each and every one of us has have encountered suffering of some type in our
[3:49] lives. And so the death of Jesus, it is somewhat good for us to hear that he died [3:56] for our sins. But even in that, it is not enough because we know what death is all [4:02] about. It surrounds us each and every day. We hear on the news of catastrophes. [4:09] We hear of tsunamis. We hear of tornadoes. We hear of car accidents. We hear of [4:13] suicide. We hear of loved ones with cancer. We hear of ourselves having cancer.
[4:19] So death is not something that we can find comfort in this morning. Death is [4:26] just an inevitable journey that we’re all headed towards. But death was not the [4:35] end of the story for Jesus. Certainly you have heard all week somewhere, whether [4:43] in the media or whether with friends, that many call this Holy Week. The week [4:49] in which we’ve kind of set aside to look at the journey that Jesus took while [4:53] he came into Jerusalem and then he was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane.
[4:58] His disciples scattered those who said they would always be by his side. They [5:03] leave him. And then Jesus goes through a trial and he’s found guilty of blasphemy [5:08] and he’s crucified and he dies after going through one of the worst beatings [5:13] that any of us can imagine. And in that each and every one of us can certainly [5:20] relate. I mean, how many of us have been betrayed by a friend or a loved one at [5:26] some time in our lives? All of us. We’ve all had friends. We’ve all had family
[5:33] members. Some of us have had husbands or wives or mothers or children to hurt us [5:39] so badly that we do not believe that we can recover. So in Jesus, we relate to [5:46] Yes, I’ve experienced that. And then he goes and he dies. And yes, in that we can relate.
[6:00] But where our relation seems to stop is with the very thing that we celebrate on [6:07] Easter Sunday morning, because I can relate with a dead Jesus. I’m headed there. [6:15] I know that I can relate with a betrayed man. I know that.
[6:24] His resurrection is something else. I struggle to relate with that. I struggle [6:34] to find where his resurrection fits inside of my life. The gospel of Jesus fits [6:44] perfectly into everything that I experience. I can find some form of inspiration in every [6:51] single place of the story until he rises from the dead. And then he’s someone I do [6:56] recognize. He’s a man with absolute hope. He’s a man who shows himself risen, transformed. [7:05] It says his countenance was like lightning. He was brand new. Something had changed. And
[7:12] then he has the audacity to look and say, This can be yours. Because I don’t understand [7:22] that. If you have your Bibles open to 1 Corinthians chapter 15 this morning, [7:30] because I believe that the apostle Paul, when he penned this, that’s the mentality that he had. [7:36] Because we focus so much on the cross. We focus so much on the death because it makes sense.
[7:47] But then Paul gives us this reality in 1 Corinthians 15 when he unpacks the resurrection for us. [7:53] And I’m going to start reading this morning in verse 1. Now I would remind you, brothers, [7:59] of the gospel I preach to you. So this, he’s a reminder. He’s giving them a reminder of [8:06] something he thinks they already know in their minds. And I don’t believe there’s a person in [8:11] here this morning who has not at some point or another heard the story of the death of Jesus. [8:18] Maybe you’ve even heard the story of the resurrection of Jesus, but it hasn’t quite impacted your life
[8:25] yet to where you can say full, with complete confidence, with bravery, with knowledge, [8:34] with lifestyle, where you say, I am alive in Christ. You may even say it and sing it, [8:40] but there’s a piece in your mind, there’s a piece back in your subconscious that says, [8:45] I’m struggling, though. I don’t feel alive. I don’t feel satisfied. And so Paul is writing [8:53] to a group of people that know the information of the gospel. He’s reminding them of something [9:00] he says, which you received in which you stand. Now, for the next five weeks, we’re going
[9:07] to unpack that one word, stand. But that’s the next five weeks. We’re not going to unpack it today.
[9:14] And by which you are being saved. If you hold fast to the word I preach to you, [9:20] unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, [9:27] that Jesus Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, and that [9:33] he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures. Now there’s something that I want you to see. [9:40] I want you to see the order of importance that Paul points out here. He says of first [9:46] importance that Christ died for our sins. And I cannot neglect that phrase this morning,
[9:54] because without death, he couldn’t have risen. He would have just always been alive. So for [10:01] resurrection to have happened, Jesus had to die. But here’s what I want to spend five minutes on. [10:06] Why did Jesus have to die? Jesus had to die because sin destroys life. I do not think that most of us possess [10:18] a realization of the gravity of our own sin. We believe sin exists. We believe that there are people [10:26] that are sinful, but those are the people that are far worse. They’re in a penitentiary somewhere. [10:30] They’re on the run. They’ve done things far worse than I have. But I want you to understand this morning
[10:36] that you are sinful. You do not sin and then become a sinner. You do not sin and then become someone who is sinful. [10:50] Instead, you sin because you are sinful. Romans chapter five says that through Adam, the story of Adam and Eve, [11:01] Genesis chapter one, a true story, it says that through Adam sin was passed to all men. In other words, [11:09] when Adam sinned, when you read the story, the disease of death entered into his life. And when he had children, [11:19] when Cain and Abel and then Seth, when all of these children began to be born to Adam and Eve, each and every one [11:26] of them were born with the same disease their parents had because of their disobedience to God. They were born sinful.
[11:35] And because of that, everyone from that point forward died. Death exists because of sin. The greatest revelation [11:45] of sin is the fact that each and every one of us, if we live long enough, will die. All of us. Even Shakespeare [11:56] realized that the only thing certain death and taxes and some of you avoid taxes. So the only thing that’s sure [12:02] is death. All right, April 18th gone guys. Hope you got it in. You’re going to die. And that’s grim reality for
[12:28] you. I know it’s not going to be a reality. It’s going to be a reality. It’s not going to be a reality. It’s going to be a reality. [12:32] It’s not going to be a reality. It’s not going to be a reality. It’s not going to be a reality. It’s not going to be a reality. [12:32] [12:32] It’s not going to be a reality. It’s not going to be a reality. It’s not going to be a reality. It’s not going to be a reality. [12:33] It’s not going to be a reality. It’s not going to be a reality. It’s not going to be a reality. It’s not going to be a reality. [12:42] And then boom, there goes one on my foot. And so I inevitably pretend it doesn’t hurt on the inside. I’m crying like a baby.
[12:49] I get out to my truck, tears streaming. But when I’m in there, I’m like, that’s nothing. No. Put it back up there. [13:01] Death is coming. My foot was the evidence yesterday.
[13:08] But here’s the reality. You’re a sinner. [13:12] And here’s what sin does. [13:15] God created all that is. [13:19] Colossians chapter 1 verse 16 actually puts it this way. [13:22] For by him, and he’s speaking of Jesus here. [13:26] Read the book of Colossians. It’s a book about Jesus.
[13:29] He says, by him, Jesus, all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, [13:37] where the thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created through him and what? For him. [13:46] So here’s the thing. Everything that exists, exists because of God. [13:51] And everything that exists, exists for God. [13:54] So when sin entered into the world, here’s why sin brought death. [13:58] God is the source of life.
[14:02] Sin is the rebellion against what God has said to do or not to do. [14:08] And when you sin against God, you live an active rebellion against the source of life. [14:13] And God decreed that when sin enters into your life, [14:17] you are disconnected from the very source that gave you life in the first place. That is God. [14:22] So death comes because of sin. Sin destroys life. [14:30] But here’s the grim, yet hopeful reality.
[14:35] Each and every one of us deserves to die, not just physically, but spiritually, [14:42] and continue in this death far into the afterlife. [14:48] But here’s how John Piper puts it. [14:50] God is not content to leave all people under his wrath. [14:56] And you may ask, well, just because man sins and man is sinful, why does he deserve the wrath of God? [15:03] Couldn’t God just say, it’s okay, I’m going to sweep it under the table?
[15:09] He couldn’t. He said why? Because God is just. [15:14] Sin is against his nature. He’s holy. [15:17] The scriptures actually say that God hates sin because it is completely against him. [15:22] And in his holiness and in his justice, God cannot even look onto your sin. [15:27] And he has to find a way to make your sin right for him to continue in his justice. [15:34] And because he’s perfect, he’s a perfect creator.
[15:38] Because of that, he must seek that justice. [15:42] But he could not seek it in us. [15:44] Because Ephesians 2.1, here’s how it puts it. Ephesians 2.1 says simply, [15:49] and you were dead in your trespasses and sins. [15:54] So while death is something that I’m headed for at the end of my physical life, [15:58] it is also a reality that I live in every single day, separated from God.
[16:06] So long as I am separated from God, it is as if I am a walking dead man [16:11] because I cannot live connected to the source of life. [16:16] Therefore, I cannot have the life that I was created to have. [16:21] You wonder why you cannot find satisfaction. [16:24] No matter how hard you try. [16:26] It is because you are disconnected from the very source of life that you were created to live with and live for.
[16:32] God. [16:34] But he was not content to simply find justice by destroying us. [16:40] Because ultimately, that is what we deserve. [16:43] We disconnected ourselves from him. [16:45] We die. [16:47] We should be disconnected forever under his wrath against sin.
[16:51] But here’s how Piper puts it. He doesn’t leave us there. [16:53] He says, God is not content to leave all people under his wrath, [16:57] nor can he simply sweep sin under the rug of the universe. [17:00] He can’t just say, oh, that’s okay, I’ll give you a mulligan. [17:04] Because then he would be unjust.
[17:07] When someone sins against you, you seek justice, yes?
[17:15] Therefore, his love and his justice conspire to make a way for sinners to be saved [17:23] and God’s justice to be vindicated.
[17:28] Here’s the answer. [17:29] The answer is the death of Jesus Christ. [17:33] In the death of Jesus Christ, God finds the justice for sin that he deserves.
[17:45] In the death of Jesus Christ, God also finds a way to give the love and the grace [17:52] that he so passionately desires to give us. [17:56] God does not find pleasure in condemnation. [18:01] God finds his joy in redemption through Jesus Christ. [18:06] Even though we’re sinners, we do not deserve this. [18:10] Romans chapter 5 verse 8 puts it this way.
[18:12] But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, [18:17] Christ died for us. [18:19] In the next two verses he says, if someone dies for a good man, [18:23] that seems like a good thing to do. [18:24] But who would die for a bad person? [18:27] That doesn’t even make sense.
[18:32] Jesus comes and gladly gives his life for us. [18:37] Colossians chapter 2 puts it this way. [18:39] And you who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh. [18:44] In other words, circumcision stood as this testimony that we belong to God. [18:50] He says, in your flesh, in your sin, you do not belong to God. [18:54] You do not bear the mark of belonging to God.
[18:58] And he says, God made us alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses. [19:05] But how did he do it? [19:06] Verse 14 says, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands, [19:14] this he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
[19:19] On the cross, Jesus, gladly, willingly, sinless, perfect God, [19:26] goes to the cross, takes our sin onto himself, [19:31] and he pays the debt that we could not pay for the sins of all humanity. [19:38] John chapter 19 verse 31, verse 30, [19:41] when Jesus had received the sour wine, [19:42] Jesus is on the cross and they give him sour wine, this type of medication,
[19:46] they gave him a sour wine and he said, it is finished, and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. [19:53] The reason I point that out to you this morning, [19:55] I want you to understand the significance of when Jesus is on the cross, [19:58] he says it is finished and then he gives up his spirit. [20:02] Jesus is God. Man cannot kill him. [20:05] We try. It doesn’t work.
[20:09] Jesus is on the cross and he gives up his own life. [20:13] When he says it is finished, what he is saying is the same Aramaic word that he says there, [20:20] totelis, die, is the word that means there is completion. [20:24] A debt has been paid in full.
[20:28] Jesus on the cross proclaims the gospel, saying sin has been paid for. [20:35] It is over.
[20:41] But his actions, where sin are concerned, are not quite over. [20:49] When Jesus says it is finished on the cross, he gives up his spirit. [20:52] He dies. He physically dies. [20:55] And I’m not going to go through all of the academic evidences of the resurrection this morning [21:00] because I don’t think that you need it. [21:01] I’ll just mention the fact that you can come and I’ll have coffee with you.
[21:04] And you can tell me all the reasons that you don’t think Jesus wrote the gospel. [21:06] But every single one of them are really wishy washy. [21:11] One of them says that they found the wrong tomb.
[21:15] How could they have done that when a rich man named Joseph of Arimathea donates his tomb? [21:20] He’s on the council of the Sanhedrin. [21:23] They know where his tomb is. [21:24] The groundskeeper knows where the tomb is. [21:28] Better than that, some people say Jesus wasn’t really dead when they took him off the cross. [21:32] So you’re telling me a man was beaten so harshly that a lot of people died after that beating.
[21:38] Then he’s crucified. [21:40] A spear thrust and burst the sack under his heart that holds the fluid that supports his heart. [21:45] It pours out. [21:46] He’s got wounds on his wrists, wounds on his feet. [21:51] They take him off the cross. [21:53] He’s barely recognizable as a human being.
[21:55] He’s been beaten so bad. [21:56] They put him in the tomb. [21:57] He comes to rolls a huge boulder away from the tomb after he’s been beaten to death, [22:03] then runs seven miles down the road to meet two guys that are walking down the road, [22:10] has pancakes with them, then runs over back to the same area to have a meeting with the disciples. [22:17] I don’t know of anyone that could have done that.
[22:21] Even if he had survived, he had limped out and passed out in the garden. [22:27] Not to mention it was three days later he hasn’t eaten. [22:32] No theory holds up.
[22:37] You must come to terms and explain that the tomb is empty and they cannot find the body. [22:48] In two thousand years they have not found the body. [22:52] Where is it? [22:53] I know. It’s in heaven.
[22:58] Jesus rose from the dead. [23:00] But here’s how Paul puts it. [23:02] Skip down to verse 17 of chapter 15.
[23:06] Because a lot of us, we find our hope in the cross. [23:08] It’s finished. That’s it. [23:10] Paul doesn’t believe so. [23:11] Paul writes in verse 17. [23:13] He says, [23:14] And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins.
[23:22] If all you can identify with in your life is the death of Jesus, [23:28] and you cannot identify with the resurrection of Jesus, you are still dead in your sins.
[23:40] He goes on.
[23:42] He says, [23:42] Then those also who have fallen asleep, a nice way to say they’ve died, in Christ have perished. [23:49] What he says is, if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, those loved ones who proclaimed him as Savior that you have, [23:56] that have died before you, they’re all in hell.
[24:03] Because the story is not finished with the death of Jesus. [24:06] If Jesus died, he was a human. [24:09] Excuse me, if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, he’s a human being.
[24:14] If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, he couldn’t have paid the penalty for my sins. [24:18] Because if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, that means that that wage of sin that Paul talks about in the book of Romans, [24:26] he paid it for himself.
[24:29] Because if he didn’t rise from the dead, then he’s condemned. [24:35] If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, he is not God. [24:39] If Jesus did not rise from the dead,
[24:46] then we are condemned. [24:49] But, if Jesus rose from the dead, then that changes everything. [24:55] Because here’s the thing, if he hadn’t risen from the dead, he couldn’t have been the sacrifice for my sin. [25:00] Because his death couldn’t have paid the price for my sin. [25:03] And you say, why? [25:04] Because the only person that could pay the price for humanity’s sin is someone that is sinless.
[25:09] Someone that is perfect. [25:11] Someone that has not sinned. Someone that is God. [25:13] But if he stayed dead, that means he had to die for his own sin. [25:21] And it is through the resurrection that we can face the reality and we can proclaim, [25:27] Jesus died for my sin because he had no sin. [25:30] And because he had no sin, he had power over death because he is God.
[25:36] But if he rose from the dead, he is God and you must deal with that. [25:42] Because if he is God, then he must be listened to. [25:46] He must be followed. [25:48] If he rose from the dead under his own power, he’s clearly better than me. [25:52] Because if you kill me, that’s it. [25:56] I’m not coming back.
[25:59] But Jesus did. [26:01] And Paul says, that is what our hope hinges upon. [26:05] If Jesus did not rise from the dead, we have none.
[26:10] Look back in verse 19, he says, if in Christ we have hope in this life only, [26:16] we are of all people most to be pitied. [26:21] Because if all I have hope for is the fact that Jesus died, then sin still destroys all life.
[26:30] You see that this morning?
[26:33] The resurrection of Jesus defeats sin.
[26:41] Because if he hadn’t risen from the dead, sin would have defeated him. [26:46] But you see that very sin that destroys life, that very sin that Jesus took on to himself, [26:52] that very sin, Jesus took it willingly and then he overcame that sin. [26:58] Because he rose from the dead, defeating sin. [27:03] If Jesus rose from the dead, if God can take death and bring it to life, [27:10] then there is hope that he can do the same thing to me.
[27:16] There is hope that he can resurrect me. [27:19] There is hope that I can rise from the death that I live in, day in and day out, in my sinfulness.
[27:30] And that is the only hope that I have in this life. [27:36] In Ephesians chapter 1, verse 19 through 20, Paul puts it this way. [27:40] He says, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believes, [27:46] according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ, when he what? [27:51] Raised him from the dead and seated him at the right hand in the heavenly places.
[27:59] In other words, the resurrection is God who is completely all powerful.
[28:06] Spoke the world into existence. [28:09] There’s no greater power than that. [28:11] The resurrection is God taking all of his power, all of his might, [28:17] and directing it completely towards us, towards me, a sinner who does not deserve him, [28:25] a sinner who deserves to be condemned. [28:27] I have never done anything righteous in my life.
[28:31] I don’t deserve this. [28:32] But God points his immeasurable riches, points his power towards me. [28:37] And in the resurrection, he brings Jesus up. [28:40] God the Son, part of the Trinity. [28:42] Jesus rises up under his own power, sits in the heavenly places at the right hand of the Father. [28:48] And then he points that resurrection power at me.
[28:52] And he says, have life. [28:54] I’ve defeated sin.
[28:58] You say, but sin is powerful. [29:01] You don’t know the power that sin has over me. [29:04] You don’t understand. [29:05] I cannot get out of this condemnation. [29:08] I don’t want out of this condemnation. [29:09] Sin is the only power I know.
[29:13] But on the resurrection morning, Jesus showed a greater power than sin is capable of putting forth. [29:20] When sin had killed him because he took it gladly. [29:23] And then he rises up and he says, sin, where is your power? [29:26] Death, where is your sting? [29:28] I have overcome sin and I give my life to all who will believe in my loving power. [29:35] And some of you may say this morning, well, that’s arrogant.
[29:37] Why is Jesus the only way? [29:39] Why is God so arrogant? [29:41] It is not arrogant for Jesus to be the only way. [29:43] He has to be the only way because he’s the only one that ever rose from the dead. [29:47] He’s the only one that ever could. [29:49] He’s the only one that is God.
[29:51] Who else could there be?
[29:55] Jesus is God for your sin to be defeated. [29:59] For you to find hope in your sin, you must today turn to Jesus.
[30:08] Whether you’re a college professor or a plumber, whether you are rich or whether you are poor, [30:13] whether you think you’re better than that or whether you think you’re the worst sinner, [30:16] whether you have all the self-righteousness or you say, I’ve never seen righteousness in my life, [30:21] you need Jesus because in your self-righteousness, you think you’re as good as God. [30:25] And that is a sin of arrogant pride. [30:27] Or whether you think you are the most wicked person ever, you need God because in him alone is found
[30:32] righteousness that can save you. [30:33] You need Jesus.
[30:37] You’re not smarter than him. [30:40] You’re not too dumb for him. [30:42] You need Jesus.
[30:47] Jesus defeated Seth.
[30:52] Romans chapter six, verse five. [30:56] For if we have been united with him in a death like his, remember that death we can all look at [31:00] and say, I deserve it. [31:01] I’m headed there. [31:03] I can be united with Jesus in him. [31:05] I get it.
[31:08] Paul writes, if I can be united in a death, then look at this. [31:13] We shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
[31:20] We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to [31:26] nothing so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
[31:33] You tell me this morning, you say, but I’ve done so much wrong. [31:38] Jesus paid for it. [31:40] You look at me this morning and say, I enjoy sin so much. [31:43] You’ll enjoy him more. [31:45] You say, but sin has the power I’m striving for. [31:48] Oh, no, it doesn’t.
[31:49] It can’t take death and bring it back to life. [31:51] But Jesus can. [31:53] You say, but where is the hope for my sin? [31:56] The hope is in Jesus. [31:57] Second Corinthians, chapter five, verse 21. [31:59] I love it.
[32:00] I shout it from the rooftops. [32:02] God made him to be sin who knew no sin so that we might become the righteousness of God. [32:10] I don’t care what you’ve done. [32:12] I don’t even care who you’ve killed. [32:14] Jesus can save you. [32:16] The worst of sinners can come to Jesus because he took the worst to the cross onto himself.
[32:24] He took the sin of the thief. [32:26] He took the sin of the murderer. [32:28] He took the sin of the adulterer. [32:31] He took the sin of the fornicator. [32:33] He took the sin of the pervert. [32:35] He took the sin of the child molester.
[32:38] He took everyone’s sin onto the cross with himself. [32:42] And you say, but I don’t have any sin. [32:44] That’s a sin.
[32:48] Liar.
[32:52] He took it. [32:55] But he didn’t. [32:56] The thing about Jesus, he doesn’t take it begrudgingly. [32:58] He doesn’t say, well, all right. [33:02] I’ve got to die for you dirty sinners. [33:04] Now it says in Hebrews, it says, for the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross.
[33:13] Because he looked on the other side of that pain and he said, I’m redeeming mankind if they’ll just trust in me. [33:21] The resurrection of Jesus gives hope.
[33:31] The resurrection of Jesus gives hope. [33:34] Just give me a few minutes and I’ll let you go.
[33:38] The resurrection is our hope of transformation. [33:40] You say, but do I need to be transformed? [33:42] Yes, if you’re not transformed, then you will die in your sin.
[33:46] The resurrection of Jesus is our hope of transformation. [33:50] And you say, prove it to me. [33:52] I’ll try.
[33:56] The disciples are these 12 guys who followed Jesus for three years. [34:01] They see him under his power, raise Lazarus from the dead. [34:05] They see him heal the blind. [34:06] They see him make the lame to walk, the deaf to hear. [34:09] They see him do all of these amazing miracles. [34:11] All it would have taken for me was the water to wine thing.
[34:15] I’d have been like, but you’re God.
[34:17] I can’t do that.
[34:20] In the Garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus is arrested, [34:23] when he’s betrayed by Judas, they scatter. [34:28] You see cowards. [34:30] You see these men who tuck tail and run. [34:33] You see them. [34:34] And Peter is standing, watching Jesus through his trial.
[34:38] Peter looks at Jesus before this and he says, I’ll never leave you, Jesus. [34:41] I promise. [34:42] I’m tough enough. [34:44] I’ll be there. [34:45] Peter’s hiding, puts a cloak on. [34:47] He’s getting his hands warmed by a fire.
[34:49] Hey, aren’t you that guy? [34:50] No. [34:51] Don’t know him. [34:53] Who’s this Jesus guy? [34:54] I’m new in town. [34:56] Totally denies him.
[34:57] The rest of them run. [35:00] Then he’s crucified. [35:01] And what do they say? [35:02] They don’t stand there and say, oh, he’s going to rise. [35:05] No, they run and hide because they think they’re going to be arrested too. [35:08] Look, we don’t end up like Jesus.
[35:10] He’s dead. [35:13] They’re cowards. [35:15] Look at what happens after the resurrection.
[35:18] Look at what happens after they see the risen Savior. [35:21] You see these men transform from complete cowards to vicious warriors.
[35:29] Just weeks after their hiding, Peter is standing up in Jerusalem preaching the Gospel. [35:36] The same guy that’s denying him. [35:38] What changed? [35:39] The resurrection. [35:40] [35:40]
[35:40] [35:40] [35:40] [35:41] What changed them? [35:43] The resurrection. [35:45] When you see a person that was dead and then they’re alive, you tend to do whatever they say.
[35:54] Say, OK, I was wrong, clearly. [35:57] You do have that kind of power. [35:59] I’m in. [36:01] The resurrection transformed their lives completely. [36:05] Peter, the guy that denies him, preaches, starts the church. [36:09] Then a few years later, he’s crucified.
[36:14] He doesn’t run. [36:15] He looks at them and says, if you’re going to crucify me, don’t do it the same way you did to Jesus because I don’t deserve that good. [36:22] Turn it upside down. [36:23] A far more painful form of crucifixion.
[36:28] What could do that to a man? [36:30] What could give a man that type of confidence? [36:32] The eleven disciples that ran away, all of them are eventually martyred for the life of Jesus. [36:39] They’re going to die for their faith. [36:42] What does that? [36:44] The same thing that can take you from hopelessness, from lostness, from no satisfaction, from feeling like you’re just another day away from failure.
[36:59] From feeling like you cannot find satisfaction. [37:03] To a person that lives in victory and says, I am more than a conqueror in Jesus because he has conquered death. [37:11] And I have hope, not just in the next life, but I have hope in this life. [37:17] The resurrection of Jesus. [37:19] If you can identify with the death of Jesus, yet you cannot identify with his resurrection. [37:26] You need to be saved.
[37:29] Here’s how Peter puts it. [37:30] That same God that denied him in 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 3. [37:33] He says, blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ according to his great mercy. [37:38] He has caused us to be born again. [37:41] Same wording Jesus uses in John chapter 3. [37:44] To a living hope through what?
[37:46] The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. [37:49] Peter says, I have been born again. [37:52] If you want to know why I changed, it’s because I’ve been born again through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. [37:59] If you have not had that change, yet you’ve spent your entire life in church. [38:04] Yet you’re the most religious person ever. [38:06] You volunteer down at the homeless shelter.
[38:09] You do all this good stuff. [38:10] But you know that in your heart there is no change. [38:14] There is no passion. [38:15] There is no love for God. [38:17] There is no real worship. [38:19] You sing the songs and you’re like, can we get this over with?
[38:22] I got to get to TGI Fridays before the crowd does. [38:24] If you have no desire to worship him, you have not even got to worship him. [38:28] You have not been born again.
[38:32] You can punch me in the face for saying that later if it makes you angry. [38:36] You have not been born again. [38:37] You can do it twice now.
[38:42] You need to be born again. [38:45] You need the hope that only the resurrection has. [38:47] The death of Jesus is not where you find your identity. [38:51] And most of you have lived your entire life finding identity in the death. [38:55] You need to find your identity in the resurrection. [38:57] Life is found in Jesus.
[39:02] It’s found nowhere else. [39:05] But right now, right now you can experience what life is meant to be lived for. [39:11] You can be alive in Jesus. [39:14] He’s come to give it to you. [39:16] Look at the words of Jesus. [39:17] In John chapter 11 verses 25 through 26.
[39:20] In John chapter 11 he says, he’s talking to Martha. [39:24] Right before he raises his friend Lazarus from the dead. [39:28] Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. [39:34] Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live. [39:37] And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. [39:41] Do you believe this?
[39:44] If you do, then what are you spending your life pursuing? [39:48] What are the evidences in your life that you believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ? [39:54] John, in another one of his books, 1 John. [39:58] It’s like he wrote sequels.
[40:02] I don’t know why I just said that. [40:04] 1 John chapter 5 verse 12. [40:07] Whoever has the son has what? [40:09] Life.
[40:12] Whoever does not have the son of God does not have life.
[40:18] Do you have life this morning?
[40:22] Do you truly have life?
[40:26] Just be real with me this morning. [40:27] I mean, don’t say anything, but it’s rhetorical. [40:31] Do you have life?
[40:35] Do you identify with the resurrection of Jesus Christ? [40:39] Does each and every day when you get up and when you go through your day, are you alive? [40:46] What are you pursuing?
[40:49] Are you pursuing wealth? [40:52] Fame?
[40:54] Sex? [40:55] Drugs? [40:57] What are you pursuing?
[41:01] Just a bigger paycheck? [41:03] A bigger house? [41:05] Folks, that’s not life.
[41:09] If you’re pursuing everything but Jesus, you have not been born again.
[41:22] If you’re just pursuing a good time apart from God, you’ll not find it.
[41:32] The hope of your life is in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
[41:43] Right now every week here at the village, we do this thing called the Lord’s Supper. [41:50] Jesus instituted it right before he went to the cross. [41:54] It seems kind of, I’ll be honest, grotesque.
[42:00] We have juice and we have bread. [42:05] Week in and week out, we end our services by calling people forward to partake of both. [42:10] Jesus said that the bread represents his body, which was broken for our behalf on the cross. [42:16] The cup represents his blood, which was shed for us to cover our sin.
[42:26] But here’s the cool thing about the Lord’s Supper. [42:30] We celebrate the death of Jesus because we know it wasn’t the end.
[42:36] When we take that bread and then we take that cup, what it represents is life leaving the body of Jesus. [42:44] But what it symbolizes, and it just symbolizes this when we take it into ourselves, is Jesus giving his life to us. [42:58] And we do this as a celebration.
[43:01] And sometimes people ask me, I don’t understand how that’s a celebration.
[43:06] Because we know Friday wasn’t the end of the story. [43:09] We know that on Sunday, he rose from the dead, giving us victory over sin, victory over death, so that I could be alive in Jesus.
[43:27] If you want that life this morning and you don’t have it, I beg of you to come up here and talk to me. [43:35] Go in the back, talk to one of our ushers, one of our prayer partners is back there.
[43:41] But if you don’t know Jesus, don’t partake of communion because it’s meaningless to you. [43:48] But if you don’t know Jesus and you aren’t alive in him, you can be alive today. [43:55] And you look at you can worship the creator of the universe with no fear.
[44:04] For the first time of your life today, being born again is not something that you do with great fear. [44:13] It’s not something that you do in embarrassment. [44:15] It’s something that you run to because you know you need to be redeemed. [44:26] Father, we love you. [44:30] We beg you this morning. Be glorified in our actions. Be glorified in the service. [44:37] Jesus, you are alive. And because of that, we celebrate.
[44:41] Because of that, we cling to you because it’s only in you that life is found.
[44:50] Lord, may we turn to you today and may we be alive in you.