Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Foreign.
[00:00:08] He's risen indeed. Amen.
[00:00:11] The waiting is over. He's no longer in the tomb. Can we stand for a moment as we pray?
[00:00:19] Jesus, we love you. We turn our hearts towards you. Lord, we thank you that we are not alone, but that you are with us.
[00:00:27] That heaven is with us.
[00:00:29] That your Holy Spirit is with us this afternoon.
[00:00:33] Holy Spirit, we ask that you would come and that you would reveal Jesus to us this afternoon.
[00:00:38] That you would tear any veils that are over our eyes. We would see him clearly, that we'd see his beauty.
[00:00:44] That each one of us would leave here today with a greater revelation and understanding of who your son is and what he did for us.
[00:00:53] Have your way. Lord, we pray this in Jesus name. Amen.
[00:00:57] We can be seated.
[00:01:00] I'm coming expectant for the. For more of Jesus today. Amen.
[00:01:05] I don't know why else we would be here. We come together to gather in his name and to experience Him.
[00:01:11] Heaven is with us. And I'm believing that each one of us can leave here with a greater experience of him.
[00:01:16] It's impossible to see the beauty of Jesus without the Holy Spirit revealing him to us.
[00:01:21] And my prayer this afternoon is that the Holy Spirit would reveal Jesus to us.
[00:01:26] Many walked with him but never discovered his beauty.
[00:01:29] It requires humility to surrender and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal him to us. And I pray that happens for all of us this afternoon. I want to start off in Genesis chapter three. If you have your Bible, turn with me to Genesis chapter three.
[00:01:45] Genesis chapter three. We're going to go back to the very beginning as we pick up here in Genesis chapter three. God of course has created Adam and then Eve and he's formed the world with his words. And Adam and Eve are living with God. And I think as we look at this picture of who Adam is and Eve and their relationship with God and how they were tainted to do life. That's really important for us because I think many of us, if we were honest and we reflected on our Christian walk, we would relate more to Adam after the fall than before.
[00:02:20] If we were really honest and reflected your Christian walk, do you relate more to how Adam was before the fall or after?
[00:02:28] That's an important question for us to ponder as we even start this journey. But let's look at what Adam. What happens with Adam here? Satan shows up and begins to deceive and I want us to look at the outcome of the moment that they partake in sin. The Bible says death enters and in that moment, Romans speaks about how one man Sins or death entered into all that. In some ways, Adam messed it up for all of us.
[00:02:52] Thanks, Adam.
[00:02:54] Adam sins and sin enters into humanity. But first death enters in.
[00:02:58] And you begin to see here what the immediate response is in Genesis, chapter three, verse seven.
[00:03:06] Then the eyes of both of them were open and then knew that they were naked.
[00:03:14] And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. Who told them they were naked?
[00:03:21] No one told them they were naked. No one told them to hide. But can I tell you, the proclivity of human nature is that when death enters, you run from God.
[00:03:31] You run from his presence.
[00:03:33] You run from intimacy with Him. There's many in this room, believers or unbelievers, that are still running from the presence of God.
[00:03:39] Because that's what sin and death does. It cause a separation. I'm not saying you intentionally run.
[00:03:45] Think about it. If you knew how good he is, why would you be running from the secret place if it wasn't for death, sin and separation.
[00:03:51] If God longs to meet with you in your room, why is it so hard for us to go and be with Him? Surely something is wrong.
[00:03:58] So what I'm proposing to you is it's not always intentional. I'm saying it's the natural outcome of sin and death is to subconsciously run and hide from the presence of God.
[00:04:07] And you can come to church, you can sing, you can experience him here. But throughout our weeks, we're running from Him. It's the natural proclivity of humanity is to hide from God. Nobody taught them to hide. Nobody explained. Satan didn't say sin and then hide. He just said sin. And they sinned. And the outcome was hiding.
[00:04:25] And since then, humanity's been hiding. There's many in this room that are still hiding today.
[00:04:30] Hiding from people.
[00:04:32] If people really knew me, would they want me? If people really knew me, would they love me? If people really knew me, would they accept me?
[00:04:40] And even in community, no one truly knows who you are. The problem with that is that if nobody knows who you are, no one can truly love you.
[00:04:46] They only love the version of yourself you present.
[00:04:50] So, yes, you can never be rejected, but also you can never be truly loved.
[00:04:55] You only present a character of yourself.
[00:04:58] And that's what Adam and Eve start doing. They start hiding. See, when you wear a mask, it's easy because no one can reject you.
[00:05:04] They reject the version you express or show them. But the problem with that is that no one can ever love you because they're just loving the version you express or show Them.
[00:05:12] So Adam and Eve, they instantly hide from God.
[00:05:15] And what's wild to me is the next verse. They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.
[00:05:22] What does it sound like for God to walk in your garden?
[00:05:26] I can't even comprehend that God would walk by them. What does that sound like for God to walk by you?
[00:05:32] And what form is he even in when he's walking by them?
[00:05:36] But this shows in the cool of the day. So Adam and Eve's experience before the fall was them walking with the God who made them walking with him. Not just believing in him, but experiencing him.
[00:05:50] I guarantee you Adam and Eve didn't have the theology that you don't have to experience God.
[00:05:58] I guarantee they weren't like, hey, Eve, you don't have to feel him. Just trust they knew him, they experienced him. When was the last time you felt God walk with you? Not at church daily.
[00:06:12] They're walking with him in the day. See, many people are like, well, brother, I just can't feel God. I'm in a desert season. Okay, there's two different types of desert seasons. You either lost there or you led there.
[00:06:26] Two examples. Jesus, desert season, not one complaint.
[00:06:31] If anything comes out with more authority than he went in, comes out with more authority. And he's not lost. He's led there.
[00:06:40] The Bible says the Holy Spirit led him there to be tempted by the enemy.
[00:06:46] That's in your Bible. Matthew 3. Read it for yourself. Don't take my word for it led him there.
[00:06:52] God will use temptation to form Christ in you. He plays the enemy.
[00:06:59] The enemy probably thought it was such a good idea to tempt Satan until Jesus defeated him with the Word led there. Comes out with more authority than he went in. Ministered to by angels as he comes out. Think about the humility of Jesus, where he's dependent on God to the point of where angels have to help him come out of the desert.
[00:07:18] Let's talk about strength.
[00:07:21] You never need God. Is that true strength, comfort. Jesus is led there and then depended upon angels to strengthen you. Imagine me trying to live a life that's not dependent on him, so he comes out with more authority. 40 days. The other wilderness season. Israel meant to be in the wilderness. 40 days. How long are they there? 40 years.
[00:07:45] Why?
[00:07:46] Because they sinned.
[00:07:48] They were lost. This is how you ask many people, like, I'm in a desert season. Okay, did it start with being led there or did it start with sin?
[00:07:59] That's important because if you sin, God didn't lead you there, you got lost.
[00:08:06] And if you got lost, you don't wait for it to end. You repent.
[00:08:11] You repent your way out of that. Desert season, the desert season. When he leads you, you surrender your way out of it.
[00:08:18] Many of us have lived lives void of his presence, and that's not his will for our life.
[00:08:24] You may have convinced yourself of that. Many of us figure out a way to do life outside of his presence. Just because you're surviving doesn't mean that's how God created it.
[00:08:34] Good word, Dylan.
[00:08:37] We're going to get into it this morning like I've been pondering the humility of Jesus, even in the lead up to the crucifixion.
[00:08:45] What does he do when he has this prayer and he goes, man, I don't know if I can do this. God can this cup pass before me.
[00:08:53] But even if it doesn't, I'll do your will.
[00:08:57] So his first prayer is, God, give me relief.
[00:09:00] Many of us pray that, but few of us pray. But even if you don't strengthen me to do it, we all pray, give me relief. How many of us pray? But if you don't strengthen me to do it, if God himself in the flesh has to pray for strength for where he's going, what makes me think I don't have to have a prayer life?
[00:09:24] I'm more convinced than ever. Please hear me today. The Christian walk is impossible without a prayer life.
[00:09:31] It's trying to walk a path that Jesus never walked.
[00:09:35] The humble love to pray.
[00:09:37] God, I need you relieve this. But even if you don't relieve it, strengthen me to do it. How will you carry a cross without a prayer life?
[00:09:48] Don't listen to anyone that says it's possible. It's not possible.
[00:09:52] The humble prayer.
[00:09:54] Followers of Jesus pray so Adam and Eve, sin and death enters. And the Bible says through death, sin enters.
[00:10:03] First Corinthians 15:56 says this.
[00:10:09] The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
[00:10:17] So when death enters, then sin enters through death.
[00:10:21] Death is separation from God. And through that we go to sin and lesser lovers and other things.
[00:10:29] And this is why Jesus comes. He comes what? To restore us back to how we were created to live before the fall, how Adam lived with God. That is what Jesus comes for.
[00:10:41] And he comes and dies. Of course, we know this. But he comes in the likeness of sinful flesh.
[00:10:48] You see, in order to defeat death, God had to put on a body that was capable of death.
[00:10:58] To defeat death, he must put on a body that is capable of death. He never takes off divinity, but he puts on humanity.
[00:11:07] This preaches that God can sympathize with us. Hebrews 2:17 says this.
[00:11:13] Therefore in all things, yet we made like his brethren in every way. He was made like us.
[00:11:20] That he might be a merciful and high priest in things pertaining to God to make propitiation for the sins of his people. We have a merciful and high priest.
[00:11:31] Even in your moment of hardship. He knows what hardship feels like.
[00:11:37] Romans 8:3 says, he came in the likeness of sinful flesh.
[00:11:42] In the likeness of sinful flesh. The humility of Jesus to take on the limitations of his creation.
[00:11:49] We have to let this sink in on Resurrection Sunday that he takes on limitation. We have to understand the humility that Jesus possesses when he comes.
[00:12:00] This should be mind boggling to us that God himself will choose to put himself in a woman that exists in him.
[00:12:10] So he's put as a seed into Mary. Mary exists in him. Colossians says, the dependency and the humility of Jesus to go. I will come out dependent on my own creation.
[00:12:22] The one I formed in her mother's womb. I will be put into her womb.
[00:12:28] The one I intricately knit and knew before the foundations of the world. I will submit myself into her womb.
[00:12:35] And then I'll come out and be dependent on her.
[00:12:38] And then when we're going to give birth. This is so like beautiful. Mary is knocking on people's doors, like saying, hey, I have the Savior of the world in my stomach.
[00:12:52] Yet there's not one house she shows up to that she tries to convince them.
[00:13:00] No convincing.
[00:13:02] She knows his worth.
[00:13:06] Knocks on the door, hey, you let me in. No. Okay.
[00:13:09] What?
[00:13:10] Why not? Do you know what I've got in me?
[00:13:13] Hey, the one in me made you and is gonna save you.
[00:13:16] No convincing.
[00:13:19] See, Jesus is still like that today. He knocks on the door of your heart. He won't open it.
[00:13:24] He waits for you to open it.
[00:13:27] And then he's lowly enough to be like, none of you want me. I'm not going to choose a palace.
[00:13:33] I'm not going to go to a palace. I'm going to choose to be born with some animals in a manger.
[00:13:40] Free of reputation, free of people's opinion. We'll read it in Isaiah 53. A root out of dry ground. He's not just born in a manger. He's born in a manger in a city where nothing good comes from.
[00:13:55] You see, if he gives up his reputation and cares so little about reputation, why are we so fixated on our reputation.
[00:14:03] It's time to get free from the fear of man.
[00:14:07] It's time to get free from reputation.
[00:14:11] Jesus cared very little about people's opinions.
[00:14:15] And I really feel this, that I'm even prophesying the next two or three months. God is about to press on reputation in our community.
[00:14:22] He's about to set us free from the fear of man.
[00:14:25] We become comfortable trying to impress people. And God wants to set you free why? Because that's what freedom looks like.
[00:14:34] We weren't made to be a puppet on the strings of people's opinions.
[00:14:37] We weren't made to show up trying to impress people. What do people think about me? Who cares? What does your Father think about you?
[00:14:43] What does God think about you?
[00:14:47] He's not concerned. What will people think about me? He doesn't have to prove himself where he's brought up, how he's brought up his family.
[00:14:55] God defines who he is.
[00:14:57] This is the humility of Christ put into a body.
[00:15:03] Let's look at Isaiah 53, actually. Why not?
[00:15:15] Verse 2.
[00:15:20] For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant.
[00:15:25] That shows his humility. That he'll show up like. He'll grow up like a tender plant. And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness. A root out of dry ground is prophesying the town that he'll be born in. That no one would expect for God to be born there.
[00:15:41] No one would make it up. That God would be born in a town where nothing good comes from.
[00:15:46] No formal comeliness. You see the reality of Jesus. Then he goes on to say, well, the reality of Jesus, I think many of us misunderstand, is that thousands walked by him and never saw who he was.
[00:16:02] Thousands. Many of us just would have walked by and be like, oh, he's just a carpenter. Or that Jesus got Joseph's son.
[00:16:08] We think he was walking around, everyone's like, here he is. No. Most of his life, no one knew who he was.
[00:16:14] No comeliness, no form, no outward appearance that would point to him.
[00:16:19] Why? Because we don't fall in love with just how he looks. We fall in love with his nature.
[00:16:24] The Holy Spirit reveals his beauty to us.
[00:16:28] The Holy Spirit has to do it for you. It will not be the outcome of your works.
[00:16:35] Because even once he resurrects, his best friends don't recognize him till the Holy Spirit opens their eyes.
[00:16:43] His best friends.
[00:16:45] You're a gardener? No, I'm Jesus.
[00:16:48] Hey, throw your net on the other side. Okay. They'll do it. When they do it, Fish, it's Jesus.
[00:16:54] Why? Because they know his nature.
[00:16:57] They're walking with him, talking to him. When did they. When was it revealed that it was Him? When he broke the bread.
[00:17:04] So it's his nature that they're revealing who he is and they're falling in love with the person of who Jesus is.
[00:17:10] The Holy Spirit has to teach us and reveal Jesus to us. The prayer today is, God, Holy Spirit, reveal Jesus to me.
[00:17:19] That's how we see Him. That's how we experience Him.
[00:17:22] It goes on to say in verse two, and when we see him, there's no beauty that we should desire Him.
[00:17:29] This is talking. This passage is prophesying the cross.
[00:17:33] It's prophesying the suffering servant.
[00:17:37] Why is there no beauty that you should desire him?
[00:17:42] Because he's beaten beyond recognition.
[00:17:46] Have you ever tried to look at somebody that is beaten so badly you can't even recognize who they are?
[00:17:52] That's why Isaiah is prophesying, your Savior will be beaten. No one will look at him and desire Him.
[00:17:59] Even his best friends would not be able to recognize him because he's so beaten.
[00:18:05] Not just his body, but his face, his ribs and bones would have been exposed.
[00:18:11] See, we have to learn to behold this version of Jesus because this is the version that sets us free.
[00:18:18] Why is it so hard to behold him when we're living in sin? We don't want to look at that because we know that he didn't just die as us. He died because of us.
[00:18:29] He died because of me.
[00:18:31] He died because of you.
[00:18:35] And he's the one who we love and the one, our friend and our Savior and our Lord. And he's beaten beyond recognition. Not for somebody else.
[00:18:45] Not just for them. Not just for your neighbor, your spouse, your friend, your child. For you and for me.
[00:18:52] So we must learn to behold the crucified Christ because in that is freedom from sin.
[00:18:58] He was beaten beyond recognition so you could see yourself again.
[00:19:04] We can never lose sight of this.
[00:19:07] That's how we walk in. True freedom is a revelation of the crucified Lord in numbers. It says they hang the serpent. And what happens? Anyone that stares at the bronze serpent gets free from the serpent's bite.
[00:19:22] You want to get free from sin? Behold the crucified Christ.
[00:19:27] It's hard to sin and watch your Lord marred beyond recognition.
[00:19:32] What did he pay for us? Did he pay for us to act free or to actually be free?
[00:19:37] Our Savior was beaten and marred to not come in here and act free.
[00:19:43] Did he die for us? To act free. And did he die for us reputation? Or did he die for you to experience the joy of your salvation?
[00:19:52] What did he actually pay for our freedom?
[00:19:57] Beaten beyond recognition. We hid our faith from him. The Bible says he was despised and rejected by men acquainted with grief. He's acquainted with your hardship. What a Lord we serve.
[00:20:08] He's not distant from you in hardship. He's near to you.
[00:20:12] You suffering. I know someone else who suffered.
[00:20:16] You're in pain. I know someone else who was in pain. You rejected. I know someone else who was rejected.
[00:20:22] What a faithful and merciful high priest we serve.
[00:20:27] Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Your grief? My grief.
[00:20:32] We esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. He was wounded for our transgressions, for my transgressions and for your transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities, and the chastisement of our peace was upon him.
[00:20:47] And by his stripes we are healed.
[00:20:51] And by his stripes we are healed. The payment of our peace was upon him.
[00:20:57] And that's where you see this verse, quoted multiple times in the New Testament. By his stripes, we are healed. You don't just have access into forgiveness. You have access to healing because of his body.
[00:21:08] If he paid for your body. If he paid for healing, we should walk in what he paid for.
[00:21:18] Romans 4:25 says, he who is delivered up because of our offences and was raised for our justification.
[00:21:28] One of my favorite parts of the Crucifixion story is that as he's crucified, his very last words.
[00:21:37] Well, right before that, he says the Scripture, like, it seems kind of random in the moment. It says the veil was torn from top to bottom.
[00:21:46] It seems so random. There's nothing about the temple, nothing about the tabernacle. And suddenly in Matthew, as he's breathing his last, it goes, the veil was torn from top to bottom. I was always so confused. Like, why add that right in this passage with nothing to do with the veil?
[00:22:01] And then you start to study. And Hebrews 10 speaks about this, how you and I have access into the Holy Spirit because of the blood of Christ.
[00:22:09] And when you start studying the temple, the Spirit of God lived on one side of a veil, and the veil separated the temple in two. This. This was the side where everyone could come in. This side was the holy of holies, and in between was a veil 5 inches thick that couldn't be torn by man. And on this side of the veil, the holy of holies.
[00:22:29] Only one person once A year could come in to make sacrifice for their sins. What's fascinating to me is that person had to wear a robe with bells on the robe and a rope tied to their leg.
[00:22:40] Because if he wasn't sanctified correctly, he would go in and die in the presence of God.
[00:22:45] And when they stopped hearing the bells ringing, they started pulling the rope. Because how many of you know, if you die, I ain't going in?
[00:22:53] So they'd pull the rope out. That's the holiness and the presence of God that we're talking about today is that same Holy Spirit is the one we engage with.
[00:23:03] Don't tell me holiness doesn't matter.
[00:23:06] So this would happen.
[00:23:08] And the Bible says, okay, the moment Jesus dies, the veil is torn. Now, that veil, which is. If you look it up in scripture, the veil is three colors. In the bottom is red.
[00:23:19] Red speaks of humanity. The top is blue, which speaks of heaven.
[00:23:24] What happens when you mix red and blue?
[00:23:26] Purple for all the artists in the room.
[00:23:29] Red, humanity, blue, heaven, God. Middle purple. So the veil is torn the moment Jesus dies. What are those three colors speaking of?
[00:23:41] Man, God, royalty.
[00:23:46] Who is the veil? Jesus.
[00:23:49] That's why when Jesus dies, the veil is torn. Where? From bottom to top. No, no, because that would mean man did it.
[00:23:55] You thought you saved you top to bottom. Meaning it is a work of God.
[00:24:02] God tore the veil. You don't deserve it. You didn't earn it. God did it for you.
[00:24:08] Why? So that you could go into the temple? No, no. So that he could come out and be with you.
[00:24:13] This is the gospel.
[00:24:15] Jesus dies. His flesh is pierced. His flesh was the veil. It comes out. Now God will live with man.
[00:24:22] You are called to live like Adam lived before the fall. Walking with God.
[00:24:29] Walking with him. The veil is torn.
[00:24:33] He comes out.
[00:24:36] Let's turn to John, Chapter 20.
[00:24:54] Before we read. There, Jesus dies.
[00:24:58] He gets put into the tomb.
[00:25:02] Death took the bait and accepted Jesus.
[00:25:07] Death was in turmoil because it took a body and discovered God.
[00:25:12] How foolish was Death.
[00:25:15] It had received thousands or millions of bodies before, but never one that would destroy it.
[00:25:21] Death was in turmoil because it took a body and discovered God.
[00:25:26] John Chrysostom says it like this. Christ has risen and you, Death, are overthrown.
[00:25:33] Christ is risen and the demons have fallen.
[00:25:36] Christ has risen and life is liberated.
[00:25:39] Christ is risen and not one dead remains in the tomb.
[00:25:43] O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?
[00:25:48] Death took a body and encountered God crumbling before the unseen divinity.
[00:25:54] O Death, where is your sting? See, as believers, Death used To mock us. Now we mock death.
[00:26:00] Death, where is your sting? You think I'm afraid of going to heaven?
[00:26:05] Are you going to threaten me with eternal life? With the God who made me?
[00:26:09] Oh no, I get to do life with my Creator.
[00:26:12] On Easter. We mock death.
[00:26:15] What was this thing of death? Sin. And he goes, oh, death, where is your sting?
[00:26:20] Because sin is done away with.
[00:26:23] This is the good news. If we're still bound by sin, it's because we haven't experienced his death. Burial and resurrection.
[00:26:29] Death has no sting any longer if we bound by sin. You don't have to wait to die to be free from sin.
[00:26:36] Death is not your Savior. Jesus is death, where is your sting?
[00:26:44] You don't have to live bound by sin for the rest of your life.
[00:26:47] I don't know who told you that.
[00:26:50] Was his blood not enough for you?
[00:26:52] Was his blood not enough? Was the sacrifice not enough?
[00:26:58] Jesus gets laying in that grave. How foolish the grave was to receive him in the grave. I was reflecting on this yesterday, Holy Saturday, this day that Jesus is put into a grave.
[00:27:12] It's mind boggling. The humility of God to completely surrender himself to his Father.
[00:27:19] He says in Luke 23, I surrender my will into your hands. I surrender my spirit into your hands.
[00:27:27] Acts chapter two says, and God raised him.
[00:27:31] The lack of control that Jesus possessed.
[00:27:36] So many of us want to follow God and keep control.
[00:27:41] Holy Saturday declares, that's impossible.
[00:27:44] You want to follow him. He will force you to give up control.
[00:27:49] We think we have so much control over our lives. You know what's fascinating to me is when people have a near death experience, they often come to the Lord.
[00:27:58] They often get saved. Why? Because you have so much control. Until you can't save yourself.
[00:28:04] Till you're on your deathbed. Who's going to give you another day? Can you give yourself one?
[00:28:09] Fascinating.
[00:28:11] Till everything falls apart. And you don't realize that you actually didn't have control of your business. The economy could crash in a moment.
[00:28:19] Who then is going to help you?
[00:28:21] See, we think we have so much more control than we do.
[00:28:26] What a facade it is. You can't even promise yourself tomorrow.
[00:28:32] See, if we follow Jesus, it will bring us to the end of control.
[00:28:38] He was the pattern, son, for you and I. He walked the road that you and I will walk.
[00:28:43] Because, yes, he meets you at the cross, then he gives you a cross. And the crosses he gives us will destroy control in us.
[00:28:53] I've been meditating on this during Holy Week. One of my favorite authors says this.
[00:28:59] The cross and I think this is going to be helpful for some people in the room. The cross is not revealed to those who pursue it with the wisdom of the flesh.
[00:29:08] The cross is revealed to those who carry a cross.
[00:29:16] You can't approach this with your mind.
[00:29:19] You meet him and your gift is one of these.
[00:29:23] And what a gift it is.
[00:29:25] It'll bring you to the end of yourself.
[00:29:28] It will kill control in you.
[00:29:30] It will bring you to freedom. The one with the least control is the most free.
[00:29:36] What's on the other side of freedom from control?
[00:29:39] Resurrection, life.
[00:29:42] It's like God. If you don't. If you don't take my future, I don't have anything.
[00:29:47] That's freedom.
[00:29:49] My future, yours. My family, yours. My finances, yours, my job, yours. It's all yours, God.
[00:29:58] That's freedom. The one who holds on so tightly is not free. They bound.
[00:30:04] They are the Lord of their own life.
[00:30:08] Oh, the humility of Jesus to lie in a grave fully trusting that his Father will resurrect him.
[00:30:15] This is freedom.
[00:30:17] And then he raises up from the grave and I love this. He comes out of that grave. How foolish it was to accept him.
[00:30:26] Because he destroyed death through death.
[00:30:31] He comes out and he comes to Thomas and the disciples begins to reveal himself. But what's fascinating is after his resurrection, he still carries his scars.
[00:30:42] Why?
[00:30:44] Is it because he could not? Absolutely not. This is a divine decision.
[00:30:50] You go. Why would you keep the deformities of the cross?
[00:30:54] Friend, you're completely wrong. Scars are not a deformity, they're a trophy.
[00:31:00] He keeps the trophies.
[00:31:03] He keeps his trophies.
[00:31:05] Oh, you thought you killed me. I destroyed you. I nailed the handwriting of requirements that was contrary to me to the cross, their trophy. Some of the early church actually believed that the martyrs of our faith got to keep their trophies too.
[00:31:23] I love that the martyrs of our faith, the ones who died for him, get to keep their trophies. Meaning they get to keep their scars. Because us in our fallen world still think that those scars are deformities. But actually they're trophies.
[00:31:37] The only church I said when angel shows up to an angel. But if Jesus shows up to you, you look for the scars.
[00:31:43] No scars. It's not Jesus.
[00:31:48] Look at John 20. Actually, it's biblical for some of you that aren't so sure.
[00:31:54] Verse 19. Then the same day at evening being the first day of the week, the doors were shut and the disciples assembled for the fear of the Jews.
[00:32:04] And I love this. They're afraid. They're in fear.
[00:32:09] And Jesus stood in the midst of Them said, peace be with you.
[00:32:13] You would think that's enough.
[00:32:15] And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad.
[00:32:22] Then why not before? Because the hands are the ones that prove that it's him.
[00:32:28] When the enemy brings up your sin, remind yourself of the hands of Christ. They're a reminder that sin is defeated. Death is defeated.
[00:32:36] In his hands are healing. There's so much talk in the body of Christ. We are the hands and feet of Christ. Amen. We call to advance his kingdom. But don't you ever forget his hands and feet have scars.
[00:32:47] Don't you ever forget that. His hands and feet preach a message of dependency and hardship, not strength without him.
[00:32:56] When people preach about the hands and feet, it's very rare that they preach about the hardships. But that's what his hands and preach a message on hardships. Come. But he is stronger.
[00:33:05] God, take this away. But even if you don't strengthen me to do it.
[00:33:10] That's why you and I are called to live lives that resemble the crucified Christ.
[00:33:16] Lives of weakness, lives of dependency, knowing that that is true freedom.
[00:33:22] Lives of giving up control.
[00:33:25] Let's talk about the resurrection life. It's the life of freedom from control, freedom from sin.
[00:33:32] I'm no longer the Lord of my life.
[00:33:35] Adam took it into his own hands. And through Jesus, we give it back to the Lord. You are the Lord of my life.
[00:33:43] His hands tell a message. His scars preach a message. Let's turn to First Corinthians 15 and read it again in verse 55.
[00:34:00] Thank you, Jesus. Verse 55.
[00:34:05] O death, where is your sting?
[00:34:08] O Hades, where is your victory?
[00:34:10] The sting of death is sin. And the strength of sin is the law. But verse 57. But thanks be to God who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
[00:34:23] Sin has no sting and death has no power.
[00:34:27] It's defeated in him. Let's turn to Romans, chapter five.
[00:34:33] Romans, chapter five.
[00:34:37] I often think about this, and I love Resurrection Sunday because I think it's only through the window of resurrection that you can rightly see the Cross.
[00:34:48] Only through this perspective. Now you see why he died. It all makes sense why this happened, why it went this way. He died for us to be free. He died for our sins to be forgiven. Of course. Yes. And he disarmed powers and principalities.
[00:35:06] He put the authority back in our hands. You see, the reason why Resurrection Sunday in our Christian faith hinges upon this day.
[00:35:14] Because if he doesn't resurrect, then none of his other promises you can stand on.
[00:35:20] See, Resurrection Sunday preaches. Yes, and amen.
[00:35:24] Every promise. If he can defeat the grave, he can heal you.
[00:35:28] If he can defeat the grave, he can mend your family. If he can defeat the grave, can he not provide for you?
[00:35:36] See, every other struggle hinges on this. If Jesus died and defeated the grave, he can come through for you.
[00:35:43] That's why we remind ourselves that we don't serve a God who lies.
[00:35:49] If he can defeat the grave, what problem in this room is too great?
[00:35:55] Oh, you thought your problem was too big for God?
[00:35:59] Romans 8 says that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead now lives in you and lives in me. Nothing is too great for him.
[00:36:14] Today I believe God is bringing us into more freedom.
[00:36:16] What is resurrection life like?
[00:36:20] What does it look like to live truly free?
[00:36:24] Free from sin, free from reputation. He is our model in his presence.
[00:36:33] Psalm 16 says, in his presence is the fullness of joy.
[00:36:38] You want joy? Stop pursuing joy.
[00:36:44] Start learning how to live in his presence.
[00:36:47] When you pursue joy, you have to live in comfort to experience it. The Christian life will not be comfortable.
[00:36:54] Do you understand how that doesn't work?
[00:36:56] If you pursue joy, then you pursue comfort. But the Christian life will not be comfortable.
[00:37:02] Carrying one of these is not comfortable.
[00:37:06] See, we don't pursue joy. We pursue his presence.
[00:37:11] And his presence is found in those who live lives separate to him by the grace of the Holy Spirit.
[00:37:17] The most joy filled place to be is under one of these.
[00:37:22] What is resurrection life?
[00:37:24] Do you have to wait to heaven to experience it?
[00:37:28] No.
[00:37:30] He leaves you here to experience it now.
[00:37:33] Not once a week on a Sunday morning. Although I come hungry every week, I wake up hungry every morning.
[00:37:42] He wants to walk with you.
[00:37:46] What a joy.
[00:37:48] Romans, chapter 6, verse 5.
[00:37:52] For if we have been united together in the likeness of his death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection.
[00:38:01] Free.
[00:38:05] Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.
[00:38:18] O death, where is your sting? Where is your sin?
[00:38:23] There's a people that are free.
[00:38:25] God wants to bring us into this freedom. One of my quotes that's been going through my mind over and over again.
[00:38:32] One of the early church fathers says this. The cross was a pulpit from which the teacher taught the world.
[00:38:43] The cross was a pulpit from which the teacher taught the world.
[00:38:47] What did he teach?
[00:38:48] It's finished.
[00:38:51] The reign of death is finished. The reign of sin is finished. The days of control are finished. The law Is fulfilled.
[00:39:00] The cross was a pulpit from which the teacher taught the world. What? Lowliness is freedom.
[00:39:07] Humility is freedom. Scars are trophies.
[00:39:12] What did he teach? Freedom is available.
[00:39:18] He died so that we didn't have to.
[00:39:21] He was stripped naked and ashamed to take our shame.
[00:39:28] Stripped naked, we covered. He goes naked. Why? To take our shame.
[00:39:35] What a God we serve.
[00:39:37] The grave was so foolish because it lost all its power.
[00:39:42] Can we stand? Right now, God is calling sons and daughters into his presence, into resurrection life.
[00:39:54] This is what he longs for.
[00:39:58] Why did he make you? To survive or to know Him?
[00:40:05] Some of you are one moment of just giving up control, away from freedom.
[00:40:10] How much control do you actually have?
[00:40:14] Have you tried life doing your own way? Does it work?
[00:40:17] Have you tried pursuing joy? Did it work? Have you tried getting free on your own? Let me guess. It didn't work.
[00:40:24] See, the Bible says God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. He did everything. All that's required from you and from me is to receive what he did.
[00:40:33] He knocks every person in this room.
[00:40:35] Going to ask everyone to close their eyes right now in the overflow room, too.
[00:40:44] This afternoon, God knocks on every heart like Mary knocked on those doors, asking to give birth to the Savior.
[00:40:52] He knocks on your heart this afternoon, offering salvation.
[00:40:59] He's calling home, sons and daughters. He offers the cure for your sin.
[00:41:04] Some of us cannot say, oh, death, where is your sting? Because we still experience the sting of sin, the sting of bondage.
[00:41:14] We still live in the fall that Adam had running, hiding, controlling.
[00:41:23] We are still the Lord of our own lives.
[00:41:27] And this afternoon, God says, I'm knocking.
[00:41:30] All that I require is you opening your heart to me, and I'll do the rest.
[00:41:35] Have you come to the end of yourself?
[00:41:38] If that's you, and you know you need to come to the end of yourself, you know you want to experience resurrection life, that the life that you are living is not worth what Christ paid for.
[00:41:48] I want you to respond right now. If that's you, I want you to come forward boldly right now.
[00:41:53] We want to pray with you. I want you to respond right now. Come out of your aisles, Come out of your seats. That's okay. People will make room for you. Come forward right now.
[00:42:01] Anyone else? Come forward right now. Bless you, brother. Come forward right now. If you're in the overflow room, too, respond right now. Who else?
[00:42:08] Who else this afternoon goes, I need to get free. Bless you, brother. Who else? There's more.
[00:42:13] Maybe you've been coming for some time, but you know the life you're living is not worth what Christ paid for.
[00:42:19] Maybe you know what it's like to come here, but are you actually free? Are you actually experiencing resurrection life?
[00:42:26] Did Christ pay for the walk you're walking in right now? Is anyone else?
[00:42:30] We've all made this decision.
[00:42:32] I want to ask you to respond right now.
[00:42:35] Bless you, brother. Come.
[00:42:37] Anyone else in the room? Amazing. Bless you. If we can have some of our team pray with these individuals that responded.
[00:42:47] Thank you, Lord.
[00:42:49] Thank you, Jesus.
[00:42:52] Lord, bless each one of them.
[00:42:54] If we can have some of the ministry team pray and lead them in a prayer.
[00:42:59] Can we just close our eyes? Lord, we love you.
[00:43:01] The ministry team can come forward right now. Lord, we love you.
[00:43:06] There is none like you. Lord, how foolish death was to receive you because in it you defeated the power of death and sin.
[00:43:15] Lord, I thank you that no problem is too great in this room.
[00:43:19] I just see people right now surrendering their control to the Lord, surrendering their issue to the Lord. You've been holding it so tightly. Would you release it?
[00:43:27] Would you give it to him? Lord, I thank you for your healing presence touching bodies right now. That by your stripes we are healed.
[00:43:34] That by your sacrifice. Lord, I thank you for your presence drawing near to people right now that the veil is torn, that God can again dwell with humanity, that we don't serve a God that's afar off, but a God that came near.
[00:43:52] If you need prayer for anything at all today as we go back into worship, we would love to partner our faith with yours. If you need a miracle in your body, why not on this resurrection Sunday, see God, touch your body, be a miracle in your family or any area of your life. We would love to partner with you. As we go back into worship. Come up and find somebody up front. We would love to pray with you.
[00:44:14] Thank you for joining King Movement Online. I pray and hope that that sermon impacted you deeply. I would love if you shared this with a few friends and family. And before you go, don't forget to subscribe. See you next week.
