THE RESURRECTION CHANGES EVERYTHING

More than 2,000 years ago, there was a man born who changed everything. He laid aside his purple robe for a peasant tunic. He was rich, yet for our sake he became poor. This man lived in poverty and was raised in obscurity. He received no formal education and never possessed wealth or widespread influence. He never traveled extensively. He seldom crossed the boundary of his country which he lived in. But this man's life has changed the course of history. In infancy, he startled a king. In childhood, he amazed religious scholars. In manhood, he ruled the course of nature, walked on stormy waves, and hushed the raging sea to sleep. He healed multitudes without medicine and made no charge for his services. He never practiced psychiatry, yet he healed more broken hearts than all doctors far and near. He never wrote a book, yet his life inspired more books than any other man. He never wrote a song, yet he has furnished the theme for more songs than all songwriters combined. He never founded a college, yet all the schools put together cannot boast of having as many students. He never marshaled an army. He never drafted a soldier or fired a gun, yet no leader ever had more rebels surrender to him without a shot fired. Herod couldn't kill him. Satan couldn't seduce him. His enemies couldn't destroy him. The grave couldn't hold him. And after three days, he rose again and is alive forevermore. He is the ever-perfect one. He is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and he stands upon the highest pinnacle of heavenly glory, proclaimed by God, acknowledged by angels, adored by his people, and feared by demons,

as he is the risen Lord and Savior forevermore, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, the one we love, the one we worship, the one we await. This isn't just a good story. This is what we celebrate today. Because after the crucifixion, they said Jesus is dead. But on the third day, on that Sunday morning, God said Jesus is alive. And when Jesus walked out of that grave, we can be assured that the resurrection changes everything. Lord, we thank you for this day. We thank you for a day that we can celebrate the greatest accomplishment in history, your resurrection. So we celebrate you. We celebrate life. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Hey, can you tell two people the resurrection changes everything? Come on, tell two people close by. That's right. You know, as I look back on my life, there are moments, there were moments and discoveries that truly changed everything for me. Going back to my childhood, I remember learning to read. Does anybody remember, like, when you put letters together and you're like, oh, wait, a whole new world came to life because you learned to read. I remember at four years old discovering my dad's secret stash of Nestle Crunch chocolate bars. Changed everything for me. I remember getting in my car to drive for the first time without anybody supervising me when I had my official license. Anybody remember that? Yeah, it changed everything.

I remember getting married to the most incredible woman in the world. Thank you for the woos. I remember having a baby. That changed everything. Like, now there's this little human being who can do nothing for himself, and Lord, help us keep him alive. Throughout history, we can look back on moments and even discoveries and technological advances that truly changed everything. You think back to 3500 B.C., the invention of the wheel. How many can agree the wheel changed everything? How about in the 19th century, electricity and the light bulb? It changed everything. The Internet, and of course, nowadays we have smartphones. Now check this out. Many technological advances come around, and they change everything for a time, and then they get outdated, and something else comes out that's better and newer and changes everything again. But today, I want to talk to you about a game changer that has not been replaced in over 2,000 years, and never will be replaced, and I'm talking about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus raising from the dead changed everything because it changed the previous reality in such a significant way, and there is no other game changer that has entered history or that ever will that can replace the resurrection. Now, why did the resurrection change everything? Well, first, let's start off because Jesus was dead. This is proven. This is clear. There's no arguments against that. But then we find out on the third day that Jesus rose back to life. Even though it seemed like it was over, even though it seemed like there was no hope, Now, if we're honest in a room like this today,

all of us here have had moments when we felt life hopeless. Can I get an amen? Moments where something fell apart, a dream crumbled, a relationship ended, a marriage fractured, a sense of purpose diminished, a hope for the future disappeared. Maybe you walked in today carrying some heavy burdens in your heart. Maybe your soul is crushed. Maybe you feel broken. Maybe you walked in with a smile on the outside, but deep down on the inside, something feels lifeless. And so we are here to determine the fact that the resurrection does matter, not just historically, not just religiously, but personally for you and for me. And I wanna see that the resurrection of Jesus is not just something that happened. It's something that changed everything. So if you have your Bibles, let's go to Luke chapter 24. This is the only Bible verse that I'm gonna ask you to open up to the rest. They're all gonna be on the screens for the benefit of time sake, but Luke chapter 24 has one of the accounts of the resurrection, and I'm gonna read verses one to eight. Luke 24, one to eight, and it says, on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.

They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. We can assume those are angels. In their fright, the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, I love this question, why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, he has risen. Remember, he told you, remember how he told you while he was still with you in Galilee, the Son of Man will be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified, and on the third day be raised again. Then they remembered his words. Now I love, in verse five, the question that the angels ask, why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, he has risen. That single declaration changed history, but more importantly, it changes lives. And today I wanna unpack for you four ways the resurrection changes everything. How many ways? Four, number one, the resurrection changes our hope. Everybody say hope.

Not wishful thinking hope, not positive thinking hope, resurrection hope. And here's why that matters. The Bible teaches us that if you're kind of new to church or new to God or new to the Bible, it's really important that you hear this. The Bible teaches us that as human beings, our biggest problem is not outside of us, it's inside of us. Our biggest problem is not world war, it's not issues or circumstances or even government or president. Our biggest problem is a three-letter word called sin. Sin, the truth is, spiritually speaking, we are all in our human nature spiritually dead, not physically, spiritually dead, which means we're separated from God and disconnected from the life that he created us to live. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans three, verse 23, for everyone has sinned, we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Pause, how many have sinned? All, and all fall short of God's glorious standard. Now, some sins are big and obvious. Some sins are small and hidden. Some people sin loudly, some people sin silently, but the reality is every one of us has sinned and therefore every one of us are sinners. So let me clarify something for those who are new to this. Christianity is not about bad people becoming good,

it's about dead people coming alive. That's the heart of the gospel. And here's where the resurrection changes everything. Listen to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, verse 21. He says, so you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam in our human nature, everyone who belongs to Christ spiritually will be given, here it is, new life. Did you catch that? We will be given new life. Let me put it this way. If someone is drowning, they don't need swimming tips. If someone is drowning, they don't need a little encouragement. Come on, you can do it. If someone is drowning, they need rescue. Let's go a step further. If someone has already drowned, they don't need coaching, they need resurrection. And so this is the condition of our lives, spiritually speaking, without Christ. We're not struggling swimmers, we are spiritually lifeless. And that's why the resurrection matters so much. Can I say this? Hope is alive because Jesus is alive. Can I get an amen? And thank God our hope is not based on our own strength,

it's based on his resurrection. Number two, the resurrection changes our identity. Say it with me, identity. And this is where many people misunderstand Christianity as well, because culture says, hey, just try. By harder. Hey, just be a good person Hey do some good works because if you're really really really good, then you're gonna deserve it and you're gonna earn it You can fix yourself Somehow we have this humanistic idea where we weigh the good we weigh the bad and you know what if I do a little more Good than bad that I'm a good person and I deserve heaven I deserve God's forgiveness and God's favor, but the Bible doesn't teach us this The problem is not that we need improvement. The problem is that we're guilty Scripture says in Romans 6 23 the wages of sin is death We already we already clarified that we're all sinners The wages of sin is death the weight wages are something that you earn what we earn because of our sin is spiritual death Separation from God that's bad news What that means is listen to me. What that means is we cannot fix ourselves Well, I'm pretty handy pastor. I you might be handy But you and I cannot fix ourselves No amount of good works. No amount of religion. No amount of human effort can erase our guilt Here's the heart of the gospel. I promise you this is one of my favorite verses You should learn this verse Romans 5 8, but God demonstrates his own love for us in this While we were still sinners Christ died for us Not after we cleaned ourselves up not after we got our act together and we improved ourselves no no while we were still Sinners Jesus went to the cross and he paid the price that we could never pay on our own He took our guilt. He took our shame He took our punishment and then he rose again and because he rose we are given a new identity I like this line grace doesn't just improve you it transforms you Are any of you like me when you wear a white shirt kind of like what I'm wearing it's like you're on you're on high

defense Right when you wear a white shirt or where it's like the spaghetti is coming from somewhere, right? Imagine you're wearing your favorite white blouse or white shirt and it's the one that your fate your favorite person your life gave you and It's worth worth a lot. It's valuable to you and all of a sudden you spill you spill stuff on it gets stained So what do you do? you try to use all the secrets and you scrub it and you rinse it and Sometimes the more you try to fix it the worse the stain gets anybody been there That is what sin is like We try to clean ourselves up by ourselves But we can't remove the stain and that's why we need Jesus because when Jesus steps in through his grace He doesn't just clean the stain. He gives us a brand new garment Because of the resurrection the stained life is gone and the new life has begun. I love 2nd Corinthians 517 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone a new life has begun What does that mean? It means if you're in Christ, you are not who you once were Come on, tell somebody cuz I said you are not who you were not if you're with Jesus You are not defined by your past. You are not trapped by your failures You are not marked by your shame in Christ. You are forgiven. You are accepted and you are called a child of God So I ask you today. What label do you keep on that God already erased? Failure take it off Addict take it off divorced dumb dirty Jesus already died those might describe your past but they don't define your future because the resurrection means you get a new identity Number three the resurrection changes our direction. I'm gonna say direction Because once Jesus brings us to new life a new identity. He wants us to walk in a new path This is where culture pushes back as well because many people say there's many ways to God Oh, all religions are good. All of them are gonna lead you to God, honey. Just pick whichever one you like No, no, no. No, no. No, the Bible is very clear. Listen to me. The Bible is clear The Bible is not harsh. The Bible is not arrogant. The Bible is clear in that. There's only one way back to God first Timothy 2 5 for there is one God and One mediator who can reconcile God and humanity the man Christ Jesus Resurrection proves that Jesus is not just one option among many Jesus is the only way

Here's the line. I like to I like to learn I like you to learn you can't follow Jesus and continue in the same direction In fact, if you're continuing in the same direction, I would question if you're really following Jesus Why ask me why ask me why because following Jesus requires something very important called repentance When you and I read the word repentance in the Word of God, it comes from the original Greek word metanoia. Everybody say metanoia Metanoia means a change of mind or a new way of thinking that leads to a new direction So repentance is not feeling sorry Repentance is not feeling guilty repentance actually literally means changing direction 180 degree turn Let me give you an example. I remember a few years back just Lynn and I we were at a pastor's event in another country It was a small island, and we had a day off, and we rented this little tiny electric car. It was just the two of us, barely fit in it, and even the streets were on different sides, everything was different. So we went out, we left the hotel, and I started driving, and when we turned a corner, getting to the little town, there was this old man on the corner, this crazy old man started screaming at me, hey you, hey you, turn around! And I'm like, oh my, I said, Ghislaine, don't look to the right, there's a crazy man screaming at us over there. And then, you know, I just kind of went by, and about 10 seconds later, I realized that I was going in the wrong direction on a one-way street. It was a tiny street and tiny car, so I did like a little 12-point turn,

because it was so small. Got around, and this time when I passed down that street by that same man, my view and opinion about this man changed, because this time I didn't see him as a crazy person, I realized that he was my best friend trying to look after me, and so I put down the window, I said, thank you, sir, for keeping the streets safe, God bless you. And I say that because when you hear a Christian or a pastor like this one today say, hey, you gotta repent, you gotta change direction, you gotta turn, it's not because we're a crazy person saying, hey, gotta turn, no, no, it's because we wanna help you to not crash, because you're going in the wrong direction. Repentance is a new way of thinking that leads to a new direction. Jesus answered, John 14, six, I am the way, the truth, and the life. Nobody gets to Papa, nobody gets to heaven unless it's through me. The resurrection proves that Jesus is who he said he is. What direction are you headed in life right now? Toward God, or your own way? Toward purpose, or emptiness? Toward eternal life in God, or toward destruction? The good news is you and I don't have to keep going the wrong way, we don't have to keep staying lost,

we can turn around, because Jesus is the way, and he gives us new direction, amen? Number four, last one, the resurrection changes our future. And this may be the most important question anyone will ever face, this question, what happens after we die? Because, whether we think about it or not, death is coming for every single one of us. Nobody escapes death, nobody avoids death, physically, on this earth. The Bible says in Romans 6, 23, check it out, for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Did you hear that? Death is the wage, eternal life is the gift. I can't earn it, it's not a wage that I earn, I can't deserve it, it's a gift that I can receive. Let me give you a line here that's very important. Death on this earth is not the end. And here's what scripture makes very, very clear. When we take our last breath on this earth, that's not the end, there is more. The resurrection proves that life continues beyond the grave, this is very, very clear. Because Jesus rose, death is not the finish line, eternity is real, everybody say eternity. Eternity is not just a men's fragrance. It is a final destination. So the real question is not, will you live forever? You will.

The question is, where will you live forever? Heaven or hell? The Bible doesn't talk about a gray or a third or a purgatory, that's all religion. The Bible's very clear. So I think many people misunderstand this. And we treat this life here on earth as if this was home. Let me tell you the difference between hotel and home. Hotel is not your home. When you go to a hotel, you don't take all your possessions, all your clothes, because it's not your home. That's not your pillow, that's not your bed, that's a temporary place. And some of us see this life here on this earth as home and we fail to realize that this is hotel. Let me give you an illustration. Life. Life. This rope represents your life. The whole rope is your whole life. This red part, it represents your life here on earth. This is when you were born, boo-boo, gaga, baby. This is when you start eating food. This is when you start growing up, elementary school. This is when you discover your dad's secret chocolate stash. This is middle school and high school. This is when you start driving. This is where you start going. This is where you get your job. This is when you start a family.

You have kids. You're working, you're going strong. You're starting to gain a little extra weight in extra places. Now your kids are going up. Now your kids are graduating. Now your kids have, your babies have babies and you're a grandparent. Now you retire. You enjoy your Sundays at Vertical Church as you have your whole life. Boo. You retire, you come to the end. By God's grace, maybe 75, 80, maybe 90, maybe 100. And then your life here ends. But eternity is just, just beginning. It's just beginning. It's just beginning. Now look at the problem. The problem is we spend so much time. energy, resources, focusing in on this, life on earth, eternity, life on earth, eternity. Are we not seeing it sometimes? We're so short-sighted that the end of life here is just the beginning of eternity. Live for the world that you're in today because this is just a hotel. And so anybody who calls me foolish for spending time investing it in the kingdom or for giving my tithe 10% of what God gave me and above and beyond that to the kingdom, it's because I'm looking about this. I'm thinking about this. Because too many are not thinking about this, they're only thinking about this. And so it's important to consider this.

What are you doing today to prepare for eternity? Don't be so focused on this when there's so much more of eternity. Here's the hope of the gospel. Because of Jesus' resurrection, we don't have to live with an uncertainty about our future. We don't have to fear death. We don't have to wonder, will I go to heaven? Why? Romans 10 verse 9 says, if you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10 verse 13 says, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. I hope that everyone includes you and me. John 3 verse 5 says, Jesus replied, I assure you, this is very important, no one can enter the kingdom of heaven without being born of water and the spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. Here it is. Don't be surprised when I say, Jesus says, you must be born again. It's not, you must be religious. You must go to church 2.3 Sundays a month. No, no, no. You must be born again. Not physically, spiritually. That's the moment when you truly make a confession for Christ. When you receive Jesus as your personal Savior. When you repent of your sins. That begins, hopefully today, if you've never made that decision. So if your life ended today, where would you spend eternity? Heaven or hell? Not based on feelings. Not based on guesses. Based on the truth of God's word.

Because the resurrection means heaven is not wishful thinking, it is a promised future for those who are in Christ. Because he lives, our future is secure. So I want to, I want to show you guys something. One of the most important things that Easter reminds us is this, dead things don't stay dead when Jesus is around. And speaking of that, there's a powerful story that I want to share with you today of a family here at Vertical who experienced a situation that appeared to be hopeless. In fact, it appeared to be lifeless. And I want you to connect this to spiritually what's the truth about all of us. I'm going to ask worship team if they can come up and get in position. Now as the worship team sings this song called, I Know a Name, I want you to think about this truth. And in the middle of the song as you hear and watch this video testimony, I want you to consider the fact that dead things come alive at the name of Jesus. The resurrection changes everything. Enjoy this moment. I know a name that can silence roaring waves. I know a name that can empty out a grave. I know a name. It's the only name that saves and is worthy of our praise. I call you Jesus. I call you, I call you healer. Risen and reigning in power. Something comes out of the grave. Every time I call you Jesus, I call you, I call you savior. Worthy of glory forever. Something comes out of the grave. Every time I call your name. I have a king with dominion over death.

He holds the keys in his holy nails God hands. He is the healing and freedom. ♪ That has crushed the serpent's head ♪ ♪ Our resurrected great I am ♪ ♪ I call you Jesus, I call you, I call you healer ♪ ♪ Risen and reigning in power ♪ ♪ Something comes out of the grave ♪ ♪ Every time I call you Jesus, I call you, I call you healer ♪ ♪ I call you, I call you savior ♪ ♪ Worthy of glory forever ♪ ♪ Something comes out of the grave ♪ ♪ Every time I call your name, chains break, dry bones wake ♪ ♪ Every time I call your name, the gates of hell shake ♪ ♪ Every time I call your name, chains break, dry bones wake ♪ ♪ Every time I call your name, the gates of hell shake ♪ ♪ Every time I call your name, the gates of hell shake ♪ ♪ Every time I call your name, the gates of hell shake ♪ On March 3rd, 2023, I experienced one of the most horrific moments of my life when my son was found drowning in the canal behind our home. That day, we were coming back from a splash pad with a friend who came to visit. I grabbed my son and I placed him next to my husband. I said, please hold him because the front door is open. When I came out, everything changed. I didn't hear my son anymore. I started shouting his name immediately because I knew every second counted. I ran outside, calling for him everywhere. I got there and saw my son in the canal. I threw myself on the ground, crying out, please Lord, don't let my son die. He was rushed to the hospital and placed on a breathing tube

and sedated in the ICU for two weeks. The doctors told me many devastating possibilities that he may not survive, that he might not regain his movements in his arms, and that his vision might not return. But I continued to pray. Within three days, he was breathing on his own without the tube. Little by little, he regained his strength. That moment was the miracle. It was God who saved my son. And now I get to see my son develop beautifully every day. My family stays strong despite this very difficult season. Before this, my faith felt lifeless. God seemed distant, but he was there all along. In every moment of fear and pain, I saw his hands and felt his presence with me. What was once dead in me is now fully alive. This changed everything. There is nothing God cannot do. Not even death could hold him back. The resurrection changes everything. I call you healer Risen and reigning in power Something comes out of the grave Every time I call you Jesus I call you, I call you Savior Worthy of glory forever Something comes out of the grave Every time I call you Chains break Tribals wake

Every time I call you Megadeth of hell shake Every time I call you Bad things come alive In the name of Jesus ♪ Come alive, dead beasts come alive ♪ ♪ Dead beasts come alive in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ In the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ I call you Jesus, I call you healer ♪ ♪ Risen and reigning in power ♪ ♪ Something comes out of the grave every time I call you ♪ ♪ Jesus, I call you, I call you savior ♪ ♪ Worthy of glory forever ♪ ♪ Something comes out of the grave every time I call your name ♪ ♪ Every time I call your name ♪ ♪ Jesus, I call you, I call you savior ♪ Wow, you may be seated. I don't know if you can relate, maybe you've hadn't have a situation as dramatic maybe as this, or maybe you have. But here's the reality for all of us is that spiritually speaking, we're all in the same boat. We're all spiritually dead without Jesus. We've spoken today about hope, identity, direction, and future connected to the resurrection. In John 11, 25, Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live even after dying. What is he referring to? Eternal life.

But the resurrection isn't just something to admire, it's something to receive. And as a pastor, I have learned throughout the years, many will miss heaven by 12 inches. That's the distance between your head and your heart. Because many know about Jesus in their head, but they haven't received Jesus in their heart. They have Bible in their head, but they don't have salvation in their heart. They profess Jesus, but they don't confess Jesus. You can be religious and at the same time be lost spiritually. Romans 10, nine says, if you confess with your mouth, confess with your mouth means you put your mouth where your money's at. If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord. He's owner, he's master. And you believe in your heart. Check it out, God raised him from the dead. You believe in the resurrection. Savior, you'll be saved. Jesus also says, because there's the parts that are fun to hear and the parts that aren't fun to hear. If someone denies Christ, Jesus will deny that person before the father. Jesus also implies that a lot more people walk through the wide gate that leads to death and destruction as compared to those who walk through the narrow gate that leads to life. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ

as your personal savior, I wanna invite you today to do so. Remember, salvation has nothing to do with religion because religion changes no one. Salvation has to do with relationship. It's about knowing God. It's not about becoming a member of an institution. It's about surrendering your life and your heart to Jesus. So how do you receive the gospel? How do you receive salvation from God, the good news? A, admit, I'm a sinner, I need forgiveness. B, believe, Jesus is the only way to heaven. C, commit to a new life, a new way of living. The Bible calls it being born again, which means I don't continue in the same path I was. Repentance leads me to a new direction. If you've ever prayed the prayer of faith, I wanna invite you to pray this prayer. I'm not gonna ask anybody to stand up or come forward. Just from where you are, you can make a decision. You can say a prayer where you're declaring this with your mouth that you are choosing to believe in your heart. Whether you're here, whether you're watching online, this is your opportunity today. So let's bow our heads, let's close our eyes. You say today, you know what, pastor, I think I'm understanding the message a little more clearly today, and I'm ready to take that step. Well, we encourage you to pray this prayer.

With every head bowed, every eye closed, if you say today, pastor, please include me in this prayer. I am ready to repent of my sin and receive Jesus as my Savior and my Lord. With every head bowed, every eye closed. If that's you, just raise your hand real quick right now. I wanna know who I'm praying this prayer of faith with. I see one, I see two hands, I see three hands. I see four, five, six, seven, eight. Anybody else says this is my day? Nine, 10, thank you. 11 hands. You can put them down. Let's pray, let's pray. Repeat after me. Say thank you, Jesus, for loving me and for forgiving me. I recognize today I'm a sinner, I need forgiveness. Thank you, Jesus, for paying for my sins on the cross. I believe it in my heart, I confess it with my mouth. You died and rose again to give me eternal life. Jesus, I come to you. I open my heart and I receive you as my Savior and as my Lord. Holy Spirit, come into my life. Renew my mind and help me live a new life. Thank you, Lord, for loving me and for saving me. In Jesus' name I pray, amen, amen, amen. Praise God.