Nonsense, What if it is true? | Easter For The City 2026 | Full Service

But it was silent, still, hopeless. But on the third day, what seemed like the end, was the seed being sown. For unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. And in the darkness the light of the world was on the move. The stone was rolled away and the tomb stood empty. For Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. The first sign that death would not have the final word. For anyone who is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, behold the new has come. And the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you. Not a repaired life, but a new life. The same power that defeated death now lives within. As he said, I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit. And what was once dry, begins to live again. For now it is true, death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your sting? Its power is broken, and this is only the beginning. The river of the water of life, flowing through the throne of God, and the tree of life for the healing of the nations. Not a return to what was, but restoration beyond it. Now the dwelling place of God is with man, and death shall be no more. What was broken is made whole, what was distant is brought near. And because Jesus lives, life has begun again. Hallelujah. Jesus lives. He's your king, crucified. See the nails in his hands. See the wounds in his side.

See the crown, made to mark. Let it stand, prophesied. That it was not the end. Wipe the tears from your eyes. Don't forget, that he said, on the third, he will rise. He's alive. He's alive. He's alive. He's alive. He's alive. He's alive. He's alive. He's alive. The Lamb of God has overcome. My testimony is his blood. And if he said that it is done, it is done. So be it God. The weapons of the enemy. They have no power over me. The one with all authority covers me. So be it God. So be it God. It is final. It is risen. It is settled. It is finished. See that old grave. He was in it. Now he is in. He is risen.

It is final. It is risen. It is settled. It is finished. See that old grave. He was in it. Now he is in. He is risen. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah, hallelujah So beautiful, yeah What the Lord has done, it's settled and it's finished John chapter 20 says Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed Today we testify and we celebrate the victory of Jesus Come on churches, give him a shout of praise in his house this morning Welcome to Easter for the City We're so glad that you're here with us this morning I want you to know that if you're in this room, it is not by coincidence But the Lord has a purpose for you here That today, no matter how you've walked in, you're gonna leave with a Savior, with a friend, with new life Amen to that, come on Welcome to Easter for the City Now if you're new to Church for the City, or maybe you just don't attend regularly We don't want you to leave without getting connected to a local church

And there's two ways that you can do that You can text the number on the screen Or you can go to the connect table there in the lobby And you can get more information about anything that you need Sign up for things like baptism Take next steps in your faith Or go to an event like Open House at Church for the City Which is where you can learn about our church Learn where you can serve, learn where you can get plugged in and all of that and more We want to make sure that there is space for people in this service And so if you see any open spots in the middle of your rows I just want to ask if everybody can move in, squeeze into the middle So that people coming in can fill in the outside seats And whether you gave your life to Jesus recently, maybe today Or you've known Jesus for a long time but you've never been water baptized If I can encourage you, that's your next step And at Church for the City we actually do baptisms every Sunday Which means we're going to witness a baptism right now So if you can turn your attention to the screen We're going to watch Heather go public with her faith My name is Heather Before I truly had a relationship with God My life looked full from the outside But on the inside I was empty and lost I had a career, accomplishments, a beautiful family And a life I thought would make me feel complete I didn't tell anyone but I was fighting a silent battle within myself I kept trying to convince myself I was enough That everything was okay But deep down I always felt a piece missing

Then one day my husband was invited to CTC by Nathan and Stephanie Porter When he came home I saw something different in him A peace, a light, a joy I truly couldn't explain The following week I walked into CTC for the first time And I felt it, it was like God was saying welcome home As worship started I felt a weight lifted off me My heart was finally free A love I'd been searching for my whole life met me right there I felt peace, I felt joy, I truly felt complete We began getting more involved and connected at the church And during City Youth Conference I dropped my kids off And I felt an urge to stay I sat in the service and felt convicted upon hearing the message And at that moment I surrendered my life to Jesus Since giving my life to Jesus I've had this deep desire to know him more Now I have peace, I have joy And for the first time I feel whole and filled with purpose I have a desire to place him at the center of my life I feel alive My marriage is stronger than ever My kids have a hunger for his word And he has changed me and saved my life Today I go public with my faith Heather, Jesus said every disciple should be baptized In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit And because of your confession of faith Today I baptize you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ For the remission of your sins And according to scripture you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit Let's give the Lord a shout of praise

Amen Let's continue to worship today Let's clap And I'm clean Sin was stained on me And shame was running deep But love was spilled on Calvary Oh hallelujah I'm clean And God how can it be I'm ransomed and redeemed I'm standing in your victory Oh hallelujah I'm washed in the water Washed in the blood I'm as good as new Oh hallelujah I'm washed in the water Washed in the blood all because of you Oh hallelujah I'm healed It's not what I have done But what you've done for me You've laid it all upon a tree Oh hallelujah I'm clean You've got how to let her come And your mercy is supreme I'm standing in your victory Oh hallelujah I'm washed in the water Washed in the blood I'm as good as new Oh hallelujah I'm washed in the water Washed in the blood all because of you Oh hallelujah I'm washed in the water Washed in the blood I'm as good as new Oh hallelujah I'm washed in the water Washed in the blood all because of you Oh hallelujah Cause you took away my faith And you nailed it to the cross You got me running out the grave Hallelujah here I come Cause you took away my faith And you nailed it to the cross You got me running out the grave Hallelujah here I come Cause you took away my faith And you nailed it to the broken cross You got me running out the grave Hallelujah here I come Cause you took away my faith And you nailed it to the cross And you came running to me Hallelujah here I come Say hallelujah here I come Hallelujah here I come

I'm not depressed anymore Hallelujah here I come My anxiety left me Hallelujah here I come Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah Thank you Jesus Cause I've been washed in the water Washed in the blood I'm as good as new Oh hallelujah I'm washed in the water Washed in the blood all because of you Oh hallelujah Come on lift it up Hallelujah Come on all authority on heaven and earth has been given to Jesus amen Come on we lift up our praise in our thanksgiving We don't have to be who we were yesterday Because of what Christ did on the cross And what he did when he rose from the grave There is hope for all who call upon the name of Jesus today Come on begin to give him praise and thanksgiving Oh we sing hallelujah to Jesus Behold the Lamb of God On the cursed cross The weight of every sin that on his shoulders Built and then betrayed Wrapped in all the shame Forsaken everything for my forgiveness No greater love than this Come on with your hands Hallelujah Hallelujah We praise upon the throne Hallelujah Oh we give you honor Jesus The darkness of the hill was defeated When Jesus proved the wrong, for death was

overcome And all the angels shouted, He is risen The tomb was opened wide And Alleluia, Alleluia We praise the Lamb upon the throne Alleluia You are worthy of our praise We sing alleluia To the King of kings and Lord of lords Forever and ever Soon the day will come The skies will open up And on the clouds we'll see the Lord descending The caves will open wide The dead in Christ will rise And He shall reign in glory never ending Behold the Lamb of God And Alleluia, Alleluia We praise the Lamb upon the throne Alleluia And the church sings Alleluia, Alleluia We praise the Lamb upon the throne Alleluia We're in awe of you Jesus We're in awe of you Lord We exalt you God And Alleluia, Alleluia We praise the Lamb upon the throne Alleluia I am an instrument of exaltation And I was born to lift the name above all You hear the melody of all creation But there's a song of praise that only I can bring Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one Only you Jesus Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one Only you Jesus You are the infinite God of the ages Yet you chose to make my heart your dwelling place You healed my brokenness, showed me your glory And I have songs of thanks, not even angels sing Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no, there is no one Only you, Jesus Who else is worthy?

Who else is worthy but our God? Only you, Jesus Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one Only you, Jesus Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one Only you, Jesus No one higher than you, Lord Lamb of God, anointed one Holy, holy Righteous one who shed his blood To prove to us the Father's love Jesus Christ, he lives Come on, we sing holy Holy, holy Lamb of God, anointed one Who was and is and is to come Seated on the throne above Holy, holy Righteous one who shed his blood To prove to us the Father's love Jesus Christ, he lives Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one Only you, Jesus Who else is worthy?

Who else is worthy? There is no one Only you, Jesus Lamb of God, anointed one Who was and is and is to come Seated on the throne above Holy, holy Righteous one who shed his blood To prove to us the Father's love Jesus Christ, he lives Holy, holy Lamb of God, anointed one Who was and is and is to come Seated on the throne above Holy, holy Righteous one who shed his blood To prove to us the Father's love Jesus Christ, he lives Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one Only you, Jesus Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one Only you, Jesus There is no one Only you, Jesus You are worthy of it all You are worthy of it all

For from you are all things And through you are all things You deserve it all You are worthy, You are worthy of it all You are worthy of it all For from You are all things To You are all things You deserve the glory You deserve You are worthy of it all You are worthy of it all For from You are all things To You are all things You deserve the glory For from You are all things To You are all things For from You are all things To You are all things For from You are all things To You are all things You deserve the glory For from You are all things To You are all things To You are all things To You are all things You deserve the glory For from You are all things To You are all things To You are all things To You are all things To You are all things

To You are all things To You are all things To You are all things To You are all things To You are all things To You are all things To You are all things To You are all things To You are all things To You are all things To You are all things To You are all things To You are all things To You are all things To You are all things To You are all things To You are all things To You are all things To You are all things school year, you're gonna see a video and following that will be a QR code. If you need a safe place for your children to be, where it's going to be a good spiritual environment, a safe place, well-developed and qualified team who will love on your children and teach them the way of the Lord, CTC Kids Academy is one to worthy of consideration. So you'll see a video and then we'll get into the work. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Very good. The CTC Kids Academy is a place where kids can come. We have classrooms for three and four year olds as well as four and five year olds. It's really a place where education and faith just meet. They also learn about the Bible and about God. We just

don't build them up in their competencies, we also build them up in their character and again it's all built on the foundation of Christ. It's located at Church for the City, upstairs on the second floor, where we actually hold some of our Sunday classrooms as well. Every week we have a new Bible story. It's really heavily focused on phonics in the threes and four class. They're learning the very basics of letter recognition, their letter sounds. Everything builds from the threes and fours class to pre-k and then on to other grades as well. Once they hit pre-k, we start with all the vowels. They get a strong knowledge of the vowels and then we go into the consonants, then helps us build into the blends, which is the start of early reading. The center of the entire curriculum is the Word of God. Every day the kids have a Bible lesson. Building a strong faith with the children and talking openly about God brings them more awareness for not only just in our Bible time, but even throughout the day. A parent is ill at home, a student has been sick, and anything as little as if they fall on the playground and get a boo-boo, we can pray over that right there, which you can't do in other schools. My kids come home and they're like, Mama, let's pray and let's pray before a meal. They pray together, they do chapel. What's really neat about chapel is that we've incorporated the CTC staff. And they show the kids that they matter and that it's not just their teachers that care about them and want to build them up, but those in the church. We do songs of worship and praise, the kids get their wiggles out, and how they integrate what they've been learning during the week. That's kind of when the Bible and Jesus like comes to life for them and becomes tangible. Any family can enroll in CTC Kids Academy. You do not have to be a Christian, you don't have to attend our church. But the beautiful thing is they're gonna see radical change in their children and how much love that their children cultivate for the Lord. It's been a blessing for us as a family, especially for me as a mom. Three and four and five-year-olds grow in their faith and be able to even minister to us as teachers, but also people that they're gonna see on the playground at, you know, around town or

other schools that they may attend. You can just see the joy that's in them. Kids have an opportunity to see their teacher imitate Christ, and then they can follow in that. It's something that we get to enjoy. There aren't any kids that are too young to learn the gospel, to learn about God, and to learn how important it is to live for him. Amen. Yeah, there's a QR code there if you need a good safe place for your child. I'm telling you, CTC Kids Academy is just it. I want to thank you for your generosity also. We are able to do this, Easter for the city and so many other things in our community because of your generosity. So thank you so much for your giving, and there'll be opportunities to give. They should be listed on the screen. You'll see them also on your way out. All right, I think I'm ready to go right on into it. I know you just stood, and thank you for standing, but I want to stand one more time, and if you'll take your Bible, we're gonna go to Luke chapter 24, and I'm gonna read verses 1 through 12. Luke chapter 24, verses 1 through 12, as we look at the resurrection of our Lord. Amen. Amen. Here's the Word of the Lord. Matthew, Mark, Luke chapter 24. But on the first day of the week at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared, and they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. But when they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel, and as they were frightened and bowed... their faces to the ground the men said to them why do you seek the living among the dead he is not here but he but has risen remember how he told you while he was still in galilee that the son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and crucified on the third day rise and when sorry be crucified on the third day rise and they remembered his words and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest now it was mary magdalene and johanna and mary the mother of jesus and the other women with them who had told these things to the apostles but these words seemed to be to them an idle tale and they did not believe them but peter rose and ran to the tomb stooping and looking in and he saw the linen cloths by themselves and he went home marveling at what had happened

so far the reading of the word can you say amen lord it's so good to be together all mine to worship worship the king of glory the risen savior father we're thankful for the service first service this morning and lord the many ways that you minister to your people and i'm trusting the same even now lord as i bring forth the word of god i'm i'm asking for your anointing but lord that the words that are spoken lord will minister to people right where they are may the holy spirit speak may the word of god speak and lord as we celebrate the the risen savior let there be so much joy and excitement about what you have done for us that we may embrace this opportunity not only to glorify you but live for you you're a good god a good lord a good savior and we give you thanks in christ's name we pray amen amen you may be seated now i i think if you've been at ctc any length of time and heard any any manner of messages here you're you know very much that the heart of christianity is not a new approach a new approach to morality nor is it giving you some new insights on the universe the heart of christianity is that a dead man walked up out of a grave that's the heart of christianity and because of that everything changes we've been walking through this with the apostles creed and we've talked already about believing in god the father almighty creator of heaven and earth and that we believe in the son his only son and lord who was crucified he was conceived actually by the holy spirit and born of the virgin mary he suffered under pontius pilate was crucified dead and buried and descended to the grave and then it goes on to say the third day he rose again from the dead and obviously our focus this morning is the resurrection of christ when you when this passage that i just read there's some words that i wanted to stand out there in verse number four you see the word perplexed in verse six you see the word remember in verse eight you see the word remembered in verse eleven you see two words that says idle tale and then in verse number 12 you see the word marveled what you see here being described by luke the writer is a movement from confusion that those who were at the tomb had to remembrance to belief i'm i'm very much aware as as a pastor that even people who are faithful followers of christ will at times wrestle with their belief they'll wrestle with their belief and here the resurrection it just seems like nonsense they have never known crucifixion had been going on actually for a while there but they had never known of anyone who was executed by crucifixion actually coming back to life that was nothing that had ever been seen but for us christianity absolutely stands or falls on the claim that christ did rise from the dead and so we're going to look at that from a few angles here and one is the confusion

the confusion we see at the tomb the women get there very early in the morning very early way before sunlight, they get to the tomb and understand is they're not coming with hope. They're not coming with any thought of doing anything except preparing his body for burial, knowing that they're Jewish people. Of course, when Jesus was taken off the cross, which was right before Sabbath began, it was against the law for a body to be hanging through the Sabbath. So somewhere before 6 p.m., Jesus was crucified at 3 p.m. on that Friday. Somewhere before 6 p.m., they took him off the cross. He was taken by Joseph of Arimathea, and he was put in a tomb. Because of their Sabbath, there was no ability, no time for them to actually go and do the work of preparing the body. You got to, of course, you understand that this is a time we didn't call morticians or anybody to come pick up the body. These families took care of these things themselves. And so because of that, there was no time to prepare the body for the burial. So these women are coming with spices. They're coming to take care of the body. They're coming to anoint a corpse. This was going to be the best opportunity for them to find some kind of, get some kind of closure of what's happened to Jesus. And again, because they were the ones responsible of taking care of any dead person in their family, they understood death very well, probably better than many of us do. They'd seen bodies up close, and they knew when somebody was dead. They knew if a person was dead, that person was dead. So after seeing what Jesus experienced, him being beaten, him being crucified, him being pierced, there was no category in their minds that this person was going to be alive. That didn't fit nowhere in their thinking. And so when these women came, they did not have faith in a resurrection, not at all. So they didn't come packing their lawn chairs and snacks and bringing their popcorn waiting for a miracle show. That was not what was happening. They brought spices, heavy spices, because they expected the dead to stay dead. Are y'all following me on this? And so when they arrived, the stone is rolled away. The body is gone. The Bible says that they were perplexed. This word means confused. They were disoriented. They were unable to make sense of the reality. What they saw didn't match their expectation. They had an expectation in their head and the reality didn't match it. I was gonna say, I don't know if you've ever been to an all-Black funeral, but since most of y'all ain't Black, then you haven't been. So I just wanted to catch myself. You've never been to an all-Black funeral if you ain't Black. But the first time, I was young, but I went to a funeral of all-Black folks.

What we experienced in the church was like what you think, people crying, people sorrow, people grieving. That's what I expected, and that's what took place. And then we have the, I think they call it the repass, where you go and gather at a home, and honestly, I was expecting the same thing. We're just gonna be sitting around sad and crying and doing more of what we just did. As I'm approaching the door with my family, the door was open, and I hear music. I hear Marvin Gaye bumping up in there. Folks in there talking about got to give it up, keep on dancing, and passing around cognac. They all got their red cups. That was nothing I expected, nothing I expected. The reality of that was nothing that I expected at all. They said to them, why are you looking for the living among the dead? It just made no sense. Their expectation was totally wrong. Shared with the first service, two Saturdays ago, the women had their women's brunch, and Tesla and I were all taking a walk while the brunch was going on, and we came around through the back of the date grove behind the church there. As I passed the playground equipment, I looked over and I saw Jaime and another Young man, they was over there fixing breakfast. It was smelling good. And I hadn't ate yet. So I just, you know, doing a pastoral duty, I just wanted to go over there and thank them. You know, thank them for volunteering and fixing the breakfast. And I'm just re-emphasizing how much I appreciate it. Eventually, they kind of caught on and one of them said, Pastor, do you want anything? And I said, you know, now that you ask, you know, sure, I'd be happy to take something. And Denise Sweet McGregor, I don't know if Denise is here, she popped out of the kitchen. And when she popped out, I said to Denise, Denise, can you grab me a little plate? These fellows are going to give me some breakfast. So she goes in. Now, I got to tell you, she comes back out. And what I expected was a plate, like a big, I've been knowing Denise for decades. She didn't been to my house. We didn't ate with her, had fellowship with her. She know I'm a grown man and I'm going to eat breakfast. So I'm expecting a plate. Denise comes out with something like this, something about this big. It was not what I expected. I looked at that. I said, Denise, why did you come out with that little plate? She said, Pastor, I did exactly what you asked me to do. You said, bring me a little plate. And here is what I know oftentimes about our approach to the Lord. He does exactly what he says he's going to do, but our expectation is off. Sometimes we have the wrong expectation. And that's what they're experiencing here. The second look I want you to see is that

the resurrection is explained by remembering. The angels say to them, he's not here. He has risen. And then they say something powerful. Remember, remember what he told you. Notice that they didn't give any new information. They point back to what Jesus had already said. The son of man must be delivered, crucified, and rise on the third day. And then the Bible says, and then they remembered his words. I'm telling you, I've learned this in my own life. I don't have doubt because of lack of evidence. When I experience doubt, it's because I've actually forgotten what Jesus has already done for me. It's because of forgetting. It's not a faith problem. It's a memory problem. I've forgotten the fact that the last time I got in a crisis and I cried out to the Lord, he delivered me. I forgot the fact that the last time that I got sick and I asked him for healing, he healed. I had forgotten the fact that the last time I was in a financial crisis, the Lord came through. Forgotten the fact that the last time you felt like the marriage was going to fall apart and the Lord restored it. This time when you got into argument, once again you thought the marriage was going to fall apart, but you forgot what he'd already done. Our problem is not necessarily the lack of evidence. It's that we forget what the Lord has already done for us. We forget what Jesus has said. We forget what Jesus has promised. We forget what Jesus has already proved. And when we forget, when we forget the word, then everything becomes uncertain. It always, it blows my mind every time that whenever I'm going somewhere and using my GPS, because of the way it is, you know, it'll give you the map, but it also lists every place that you're going, where you're going to turn, what highway you're going to be in, and of course you get a snapshot of that and you get it in your head. But I always go into a panic, even though I've seen where I'm going and know where I'm going, whenever I hit a spot and that wheel is just turning as if we just lost the signal, I go into a panic. That's the same thing we do with God. He's already told us what he's going to do. He's told us where he's going to take us. He told us what to expect with what he does, but whenever for some reason another we think that God has taken us in a tailspin, we go into a panic. Am I talking to the right church? And so that third angle is the response of the disciples. The resurrection sounded like nonsense. The women, they go and tell the disciples we went to the tomb. He's not there, and the angels told us that he did just what he told us he would. So they go and tell the disciples this, and it's interesting, these fellows basically told those women that's a bunch of nonsense. Now these are the disciples that follow Jesus.

they saw all the miracles they've heard every sermon they've seen Jesus do everything that he's done and they respond that's nonsense they didn't say it was confusion they didn't they didn't respond like oh I'm curious about this it was a complete dismissal not ten ten of them didn't even investigate didn't lean in just wrote it off similar to how many of us would if we just hear something that's just so unbelievable things that you would laugh off that this can't be real that's what they did with with the resurrection and and can I be honest I think that's where many people are still still today I I always and of course I'm a pastor on on Easter Sunday but whenever we come here on on Easter Sunday and and now of course where I live I don't get to pass people but here I get to drive by things when I see people at swap meets when I see people on the golf course when I see people going about doing everything except coming to church my mind is they didn't just dismissed the resurrection as if it's never happened and and and let's be honest why is it that people do this when they're confronted with the resurrection I think they dismiss it because there's something that they got to address and here's the issue if Jesus is alive then he has to be Lord if if if Jesus is alive then you have to do what Jesus tells you to do if Jesus is alive then you got to be accountable to him for righteousness and I think it's easier for some folks to just dismiss it as if it never happened to keep them from being in that situation so they consider it nonsense but then we have Peter Peter jumped up after everybody dismissed it Peter jumped up I'm thinking the scripture doesn't say it but I'm thinking Peter has kind of been in this situation before where he hasn't quite believed what Jesus said and then Jesus proved it you know he didn't really know if he was going to be able to walk on water but then Jesus proved it he didn't really know if they could catch fish after been fishing all night but then Jesus told him to cast out on the other side and Jesus proved it I think there was something in Peter that snapped and said just what if this dude actually got a body here what if he did so Peter goes he runs to the tomb he ran in he looks in he sees the linen cloths and the scripture says he was amazed he

didn't stay in skepticism he kind of moved toward the evidence he didn't leave there triumphant he didn't leave there you know ready to preach he left there a little bit stunned but at least he tried to make sense of what he saw and I'm suggesting that people here that hear this message also do the same thing instead of just being somebody who heard the message and maybe even you've questioned the message that you respond to it and don't just dismiss it if you hear today something must be stirring in you there's something causing you to want to be in a place where you know you're gonna hear about a resurrected Lord something must be stirring I want to believe you're on the edge of belief and I can hear the Lord saying don't stay where you are just come and see because what you may think is nonsense absolutely is the most important event that's ever happened in the history of the world can you say amen and here's what I know if the resurrection is true then hear this Jesus has redeemed all of your sins now that alone yeah that's worthy of a praise all of your sins that's the good news of the gospel listen to what Romans 4 23 and 25 says it was recorded for our benefit assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead he has handed over to die because of our sins and he was raised to life to make us right with God just try to comprehend that for a moment the scripture is assuring us because of the resurrection of Jesus that every One of us is now counted righteous. Have you ever done anything that at the end of the day you think, I'm just a righteous person? None of us can get to that place of righteousness on our own. But because Jesus rose from the dead, it's not a pursuit that we have to have because Jesus has already accomplished it for us. He's the one that brings us into righteousness and raises, because he was raised,

we now are right with God. The resurrection is the proof. The resurrection, it's the proof that the cross has worked. It's like the receipt. Whenever you go to Sam's Club, I think Sam's Club is the only place that does this. Once you get all your stuff and you're on your way out, they got somebody there checking to make sure that you got in there what you said you got in there and check off that receipt. You don't mind, you don't mind walking up because you have no reason to be guilty. You don't mind approaching that person. When you're pushing that cart or boxes you're carrying from Sam's Club, you ain't trying to see, man, how can I dodge him? How can I get around him? I don't want them to ask me anything. You got no guilt. You got no shame because you got a receipt that says, everything in here is paid in full. It's the same thing with our life. I ain't trying to dodge God. I ain't trying to get around the Almighty. I'm not scared of the judgment seat of Christ because the blood of Jesus has paid the price for me. Everything is paid in full. Everything is paid in full. I got the receipt of what Jesus has done. And we need that because our sin, it's not a minor flaw.

We're not just people with weakness. We've rebelled against God. This is a cosmic treason. We were created by the creator and we have rebelled against him. That's a cosmic treason. It's us saying to God, you don't get to rule me. I get to rule my own life. The Bible is real clear to us that the wages of sin is death. The wages of sin is death. That's the curse. That's what's falling upon every human race. But on the cross, Jesus Christ has stepped into our place and the gift of God is life eternal through Christ Jesus. Can you say amen? Amen. And so Isaiah 53, five says this, but he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. Christ took that on. The crushing, the beating, the whipping, the piercing. Christ took that on so that we could be healed. He took the sting. It's very much like a bee sting. If you was trying to kill a bee and the stinger went into your hand, that bee goes to death.

He only got one sting in him. His life comes to a demise after that. Christ did that for us. The sting of death went in Jesus. When death hit Jesus, it took the sting out of death. That's why as believers, as people of God, we're not afraid of death. We got no concern about death. Death got no sting, no hold over us. As a matter of fact, when Jesus rose from the dead, Acts chapter two says that the reason that death could not hold him is that death was trying to break the law. The only way you can make somebody pay for their sins, the only way death can cause you to stay in the ground is because your sins haven't been paid for. But when your sins have been paid for, death is trying to break the law to keep you in. Death can't hold you down because death has no grip on you because Christ has taken the sting. Can you say amen? Amen. So even though death may come physically to all of us, the sting has been taken away. Death no longer can hold us under condemnation. I love when we sing that song, no guilt in life, no fear in death. This is Christ, this is the power of Christ in me. He's paid that price and the payment has been accepted. Here's the second thing I want you to take with you.

If it's true, you can have new life. If the resurrection is true, the power of new life is here. Sin didn't just bring a curse over us. Sin released us into corruption, but death is working in our human heart. You can see it. In people's lives, you can see it in addictions. You can see it in selfishness. You can see it in anger You can see it in lust You can see it in lies. You can see it in broken relationships That death is at work in the human heart But Jesus didn't just merely forgive you for your sins and leave your life unchanged Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ Not only did he forgive your sins, but he rose that you may be a new person a New person in Christ Jesus brand new in him. Listen to Romans chapter 6 verse number 4 for we died and were buried with Christ by baptism and Just as Christ was raised from the dead By the glorious power of the Father now, we also may see me may live new lives Because of the resurrection of Jesus our lives are new not the cleaned-up version Not the new and improved version, you know anything that they say new and improved That means they didn't get it right the first time not not the cleaned-up version not the new and improved version not the polished up version, but an absolute new creation a New creation 2nd Corinthians 5 17 says this means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person The old life is gone a new life has begun Consider Mary Magdalene who was one at this At the tomb of Jesus and honestly, I I didn't mention this in the first service but every time I read Mary Magdalene if I could just say something it was many of you know, I was diagnosed with with Prostate cancer a few years ago and you know walk through a process for Almost a year and then Virginia and I went to Jerusalem to Israel and

Actually, it was in the home of Mary Magdalene where I got prayed for and the healing began It was in that home that that tumor began to get smaller and smaller and smaller and smaller So every time I read about Mary Magdalene, I get a little emotion, but think about Mary Magdalene When Jesus found her scripture says she had seven demons She was just totally in bondage Utter ruin a life that was beyond repair Imagine what her life must have looked like broken and an outcast and haunted and hopeless Kind of person that most folks would give up on and yet Jesus healed Jesus restored her Jesus called her by name Mader one of the witnesses here of the resurrection think about that Look at the grace and the power and the mercy that's given to this woman who had such a horrible Horrible life and that may be your story. Maybe it ain't maybe it ain't seven demons person next to you may say it's 11 demons But maybe it ain't seven But but but you got habits you can't break You got patterns that you can't outrun You got a shame that you you can't silence and you got wounds that you cannot heal I want you to hear me on this There's more healing in Jesus than there is brokenness in your life There's more forgiveness in Jesus than there is sin that you could have committed There's more power and the resurrection than the ruin of your past He can put you back together I don't care how you've been torn apart and he can build you up for a life forever Evermore this is the power of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ And if it's true Then every sad thing will come untrue Every sad thing in your life will come untrue because of the resurrection Death oftentimes feels like it's final loss feels permanent I Get that I understand that but the resurrection said this ain't the end The Bible talks about the resurrection of Jesus being the firstfruits of something new here's first Corinthians 15 20 through 23 it says but in fact Christ has been raised from the dead

He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died Everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. Do you hear that? Everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life, but there's an order Christ raised at the first of the harvest then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back That's where our hope comes in Death can seem final. It can seem cruel. It can seem irreversible Some of you know that grief, you know a person buried a parent spouse or a sibling a child a friend You may feel that ache even now as I talk about it, but here's what I know here's what i know no matter how that grief may come maybe for some people it's not even the death of a loved one for some people honestly it's the fear of their own death and if you're apart from christ then then you ought to be afraid because death absolutely is certain but the resurrection says that death doesn't have the last word there is a day coming when every tear from our eye will be wiped clean everything has been made wrong will be made right a day is coming when all pain will be healed all graves will be empty and sorrow will be undone i love the writing of lord of the rings when tolkien says that every sad thing will come untrue every sad thing that's what gives us resurrection hope that there's going to be a day that no matter what we're experiencing now if you're somebody in a wheelchair there's going to be a day you get to walk if you if you if you're blind there's going to be a day you get to see if you came here there's going to be a day you get to hear whatever that situation is all of that comes back because the lord restores us to the glory that he designed for us it's it's not a denial of pain it's a transformation of pain we don't pretend that things don't bother us but believing in jesus christ absolutely gives us victory so know this we may have to go through a grave but it don't end there it don't stop there the empty tomb is not the end place for us that's just a doorway to what god has for us and so let me close with this if it's true then those who wait on god will not be disappointed if the resurrection is true those who wait on him will experience no disappointment can i just challenge you with the question why did you think god waited when jesus died on the cross on friday because of who god is and the power that he exercises

couldn't he rose jesus up right away of course he could of course he could but why did he wait till sunday why leave a silence why leave a gap and oftentimes for us it we we feel like we're living in the gap that that place between friday and sunday oftentimes we live in that place of unanswered prayers oftentimes we live in that place where it seems like heaven is silent where promises feel like they're delayed those those moments when you ask where is god but but you gotta hear me on this the resurrection tell us that his silence is not an absence his delay is not a denial god was working on saturday even though nobody saw it he was preparing for his power to reveal to the world at a time when they didn't expect it how great he is even when you don't see it you know the song he's still working even when you don't feel it he's still working even when you see the darkness he is still working so you may feel abandoned you may feel like god is not there but i'm telling you if god did not abandon his son who was crucified and in the grave he absolutely will not abandon you not now and not never lamentations 319 through 26 says this the thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words i will never forget this awful time as i grieve over my loss yet i still dare to hope when i remember this the faithful love of the lord never ends his mercies never cease great is his faithfulness can you say amen his mercies begin afresh each morning i say to myself the lord is my inheritance therefore i will hope in him the lord is good to those who depend on him to those who search for him so it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the lord so let me encourage you don't give up don't walk away too soon don't confuse the silence of saturday as if it's the absence of god sunday is coming friday is not the end of it all sunday is coming and you can still see the good of the lord in the land look at psalm 27 13 yet i'm confident i will see the lord's goodness while i'm here in the land of the living can you say amen and so as i wrap this up i get it to them it seemed like nonsense but it was true then and it's true now and because it's true everything is different so the question is not a matter of fact is this true the question is do you believe or do you just admire the story or do you just think the story is inspiring Or do you just come to church on Easter because that's what people do Do you believe it if you believe it? I don't know why You would wait to let Jesus Christ be the Lord of your life to receive salvation

Jesus died on the cross for you and he rose for you so that you can trust him today Not just appreciate him not just thinking of think about it, but surrender to him to absolutely give your life to Jesus Christ And if you have done that They shared it very well Ryan and Nye did very well, then it's time to be baptized It's time to go public with your faith to take that step If you've trusted Christ the Savior now is the time to go public the baptism is that declaration that you belong to the Lord? You'll see numbers on the screen here If today if you want to commit your life to Jesus Christ you just text life to that number and you'll be considered in the number of the Family of God our team will work with you if you need to be baptized You just text baptism to that number and we'll make sure you get you get baptized But here's the last thing and prayer team. Can you come? You may need prayer You may need prayer here this morning There may be something that resonated with you with the life of Mary Magdalene Maybe some stronghold Maybe some addiction Maybe some affliction Maybe some fear maybe some oppression in your life that you need Jesus to break You don't have to leave here this morning without letting people pray for you because our God is able to break that stronghold over your life He's able to break that addiction over your life All you got to do is trust him just come and watch the power of the Lord God work in you You may need healing you may need freedom You may need deliverance of some sort trust me The resurrection power of Jesus Christ is for you and because of the resurrection Everything that's overwhelming your life can be broken by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ This is the day for you to be free. Will you stand with me? As I pray for you and pray with you leave here knowing this because Jesus is rose Because Jesus is alive Everything in your life

Can be different Everything in your life can change Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ father. I want to thank you for this opportunity. We've had to share To speak the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to minister to our community to our city To those that are part of CCC and even those that are abroad Lord I pray that you take the words of this message and minister to the hearts of everyone Those who need to come to Jesus today may today be the day that they surrender Those that need to be baptized may this be the day they make that commitment to go public and those who need prayer Lord May they come forth without fear without concern Without being look feeling like they're going to be looked upon with judgment. May they come and trust the power of Christ As Mary Magdalene was delivered Lord you are a deliverer You are a healer and father to you that we trust and so God we pray that you would be glorified in us From here as we go to our various places our homes and gather together. May you be exalted. May you be lifted up May you be glorified. We thank you for the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you Sing Hallelujah Christ is risen Bow down before him For he is Lord of all Sing Hallelujah Christ is risen Oh what a Savior Oh what a Savior Isn't he wonderful Sing Hallelujah Christ is risen Bow down before him For he is Lord of all Sing Hallelujah

Christ is risen Oh come to the altar Come to the altar ♪ Father's arms are open wide ♪ ♪ Forgiveness was born with the precious blood of Jesus Christ ♪ ♪ O come to the altar, the Father's arms are open wide ♪ ♪ Forgiveness was born with the precious blood of Jesus Christ ♪ ♪ O come to the altar, the Father's arms are open wide ♪ ♪ Forgiveness was born with the precious blood of Jesus Christ ♪ ♪ O come to the altar, the Father's arms are open wide ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, thank you, Jesus, it's only by your blood ♪ Come on, praise Him, church. Church we love you. We'll see you next Sunday at Church for the City. God bless.