The War is Over

How we doing, movement? How many of you are so thankful that you came here today for the next, what, three, four days? This is amazing. This is amazing. What a beautiful time of worship. I love how Levi just led us in a moment. And first, can we just thank Pastor Levi and Jenny and their amazing Fresh Life Church for hosting this, an incredible team for inviting us out in this field to worship God in. Thank you to every single youth pastor and parents who have come. This is so beautiful. I hope that everyone here knows how loved you are. I hope already right now, you're just sensing how loved you are, that people would just make way to make sure that you know that God loves you so much and has such a good plan for your life. And right before I walked out here, I actually started to remember this message that Ben Stewart preached. Ben and Donna are here. Let's go. So excited to hear from Ben. But Ben preached this message a few years ago and it was so passionate, it was so convicting. He was talking about how we've lost the ability to just be in awe of God,

because you can't really be in awe when you're constantly distracted, right? And I was just thinking about how right now, like no one has their phones out. And isn't it a beautiful thing that we're just captivated by the glory of God? And so I just wanna take a moment to look around. Have you ever been to a wedding and they're about to get married and the pastor's like, stop, look around. Look at every guest here, take it in. Don't miss this moment. So everybody just take a minute, look around. We're in Montana. This is gorgeous. Look at how tall the trees are. Look at how beautiful the mountain is. Feel how perfect the weather is. Look at the sky, look at the sunset, it's stunning. And you know what's crazy? When God made that mountain, He said, that's good. And when He made those tall trees, He said, that's good. And then He made the sun that's just exquisitely beautiful and somehow not burning us up. And He said, that's good. And we're gonna see stars tonight and they're gonna be stunning. If we're lucky enough, we'll see a shooting star. And He said, that's good. But if everybody would just put your hand

over your heart for a second and feel a heart beating. And look at the people that you're with and think about a relationship that's been formed. The thoughts that you get to have. When He made you, He said, that's very good. How wild is that? Friend, you are so loved. And I just wanted to back that up because it's one thing to just hear you're loved, but it's another thing to stop and consider that the God of the universe created you with intentionality and gave you breath inside of your lungs and allowed you to live this life and this time in history, meaning He has something special for you. And I believe that with my whole heart. I'm someone who came to a summer camp when I was 17 years old and it changed everything about the rest of my life. It was the first day I started journaling about this idea of live original, what it would look like to maybe share with girls the message that had changed my life. I mean, I literally started journaling in my journal at a summer camp at 17 and now I'm living that out. So just don't underestimate what God is gonna do in these days. Don't underestimate what the power of the Holy Spirit can do in you. Let's pray. God, thank you for this day.

Thank you for this movement. Thank you for what you're doing in Montana, but not just Montana. We know this conference doesn't just start here and end here in a few days. It starts here and it goes on till eternity, God. I thank you that you are going to do something powerful in people's lives. And I pray that you would give us the ears to hear what you're speaking. God, give us the eyes to see your glory all around us and give us a heart to receive your word. God, I pray tonight we take it personally for maybe the first time. Maybe they've heard these words their whole life, but tonight is the night they believe them and that will change everything. So God, this is all for you. This is all for your glory, all for your name and it's in your name we pray, amen. Amen. Okay, movement conference. Here's the thing. I came with some good news and some bad news. So what do we want first? Good news, bad news, good news, bad news. Okay, do we go bad first and do we end on good? I like it. That's what I was thinking. If you said good, I was gonna be totally confused

because I think we should go bad news and then get better, right? Okay, okay, okay. Bad news, there is a legitimate enemy who is at war for our souls. Dang it, bad news. Bad news is that. Now I could skip to the good news. We all know what the good news is. We could get to that. But the problem is we can't just do that because it's not just that simple because I could come here and I could say that's bad news. There's an enemy and he's at war for our soul, but clearly he's not getting any of us, right? Clearly, because we're at movement conference and we were just worshiping and it was. so awesome, and we're smiling, and we know we're loved, so we don't really have to dwell on the bad news. But we all know that that's not the reality, right? We all know that it's bad news because it's very real. It's bad news because there is an enemy, and his sole mission is to steal, to kill, and to destroy. And yes, we know the good news, and we're gonna get to that. We know that Christ comes to give life and life abundantly. We know all the good news, but let's sit here in a second and just consider that there's bad news, and there's this enemy, and he comes to kill, steal, and destroy.

And it's not just like hypothetically he comes to kill, steal, and destroy. He's actively killing, stealing, and destroying. Like we would be lying if we said that bad news doesn't affect us. We would be not being truthful, not being honest, not being authentic to say that he hasn't been stealing things from most people in this room right now. He's stolen so many of our joy, the joy that the Lord gave us, the joy that's a strength, the joy that we're singing about. So many of us came here tonight, and night one, if you could just be honest enough and open enough to just say, man, I came depressed. I have been battling depression. My joy has been stolen. I'm sad. I'm struggling. Maybe you came here tonight, and he's stolen your peace. You're like, man, I hear about peace that surpasses all understanding. I want peace. I can sing about peace. I can hear about peace, but all I feel is anxiety. I remember just years of walking through anxiety and panic attacks. The worst of that was when I was in high school. I know that journey, so, so real, and I feel for those who came in here with that.

It's a very real struggle. So many of us, maybe the enemy has stolen our security. We're feeling insecure. We're jealous of other people. We can't even handle other people's success. We can't scroll social media three times without feeling insecure and envious and wishing we had what someone else had. So we can't just act like that's not there because as long as we just ignore it and act like that's not there and just try to cover it, then I don't really think we're gonna be healed from it. And so we have to talk about the bad news for a second because there is a very real enemy, and I think we should just go ahead and get it over with at the beginning. Is that fair? Is that okay? Is this too honest, too fast? Okay, this is good. This is good. Y'all came to be real. This is real. This is honest. I have dealt with all of those things. I have let the enemy steal a lot of those things from me. And the thing is with this bad news is this has been bad news that's been around for a really long time. So Genesis 3, the enemy comes on the scene, right?

And the enemy convinces Eve that this apple would be better than everything else that God had for her, right? And he made this apple look so desiring. That was the apple that the Lord said, don't eat from. But Eve's like, oh, it looks so good. And she started thinking, man, that would just be so good to eat that apple and it looks good for me and surely it is good for me. And then I could know good and evil like God and I could be like God. And so why would it be such a bad thing? And the enemy deceived her to thinking, yeah, you should actually take that apple. And so Eve took the apple, Adam took the apple. This is the beginning where sin enters the world. And this is when the bad news really began. And the reality is it's still the bad news, but we're still taking the apple. We're still taking that apple thinking that something can give us what our hearts desire more than what God, the creator of the universe could give us to satisfy our souls, right? Another message I remember hearing at Passion, so many of these messages have been so impactful for me. John Piper was talking about how the essence of good and evil isn't just doing the right thing or the wrong thing. It's really the essence of evil is desiring something more than you desire God. And that's where it starts right here in the beginning.

And so if you read the Old Testament, the bad news kind of trickles because God's like, hey, this isn't how I intended it. God's like, I didn't intend for you to live in sin forever. I didn't intend for you to have to know the weight of that. And so I'm gonna take you out of the garden, take you out of the space that you're gonna live forever because that would ruin the whole plan, right? So I'm gonna remove you from this. And the whole Old Testament is this journey of man trying to get back into that perfect union with God. But the whole Old Testament, you realize, man in and of their own strength cannot be perfect enough for a holy God. And so here's the good news. Instead of us having to work to be perfect enough to be in the presence, in the union, in a relationship with the holy God, instead of us having to put on a mask and be perfect and do all of the rituals and be so religious, instead of that, God had a better idea. And the better idea was a relationship. And the better idea is instead of us having to work our way to him, he sent his son to us. And so the good news is probably news you've heard before. But I'm gonna tell you, I heard this for a long time in my life and it didn't change me until I realized the gravity of what this is saying. It's John 3, 16. For God, the God who created the heavens and the earth,

that God, for God so loved the world that he sent his one and only son. That if you, every one of us, if you believe in him, if you put your faith in him, you will not perish, you won't die, but you will have everlasting and eternal life. That is the best news you will ever receive in your entire life, that God so loved the world that he sent his only son. And that son made a way for us. What do you mean he made a way for us? How did he make a way for us? Well, he lived a perfect life. He became the spotless lamb and he died a death on the cross that was really ours to die, but he took on our sin on the cross. And when his blood was shed for us on our behalf, that blood of Christ covers all of your sins that you've ever done in life, that you ever will do in life, when you put your faith in him. So if you came here tonight, and when I said, put your hand on your heart, and I'm like giving you this beautiful message that God loves you, and you're just thinking, no, he couldn't love me, everything I've done, everything that I am, everything that I want, no, the blood of Jesus covers you. And when God sees you, he sees you as pure. How? Because he sees his son when he looks at you,

his son's sacrifice, when you come under that blood. And then the coolest thing is, Jesus didn't just stay dead. He didn't just stay in the grave. How can we dance on the grave that we once lived in? Because Jesus rose from the grave. Because three days later, he came back to life. And he ascended into heaven. And when he ascended into heaven, he gave us the hope in heaven, so that this, thank God, is not the end. Thank God this is not it. I mean, really, that would not be good, right? There's so much bad here. Thank God there's something better to look forward to, and it's restoring that perfect unity with God, and it's gonna be beautiful, and it's gonna be wonderful. And you say, how can I get there? By the blood of Jesus. How can I get there? By a relationship with Jesus. How? By belief in Jesus. That is good news. And so here's the good news about the bad news, is that that enemy we have that's at war for our soul, in Revelations it says that the enemy is defeated by what? The blood of the Lamb, and the power of our testimony. So the enemy's defeated by the blood of the Lamb. Well, the blood of the Lamb's been shed. It's been shed, so the war's over.

So the enemy's been defeated, so we can walk in that victory. Wow, this is good news. This is good news. I started thinking today, I've been thinking about this the past couple of days. In August 14th, 1945, news broke out around America that the war was over. That Japan had surrendered, the war was over, and you've probably seen pictures of this. Because these are the pictures in Times Square, where they're dipping the nurse, and the kiss is happening, and they're all freaking out, and they're hugging. And you see out over Times Square, this banner of the war is over, and they're shouting, and they're singing, and they're just pumped, they're stoked, because they just found out the best news, the war is over. And I was thinking about it, and I was like, okay, all the New Yorkers found out the war was over, but how did everybody else found out the war was over? Because they didn't have cell phones. And I don't know about y'all, but how many of you get your news from your phone? Every news that's coming to me, I'm getting a notification about it. Actually, my news is mostly coming from social media,

because I don't really watch the news, look at the news. Can y'all relate? And so I'm thinking, how did everybody find out that the war was over? So I'm looking this up, and it's amazing, because it's like, okay, where the radio took over, and they're saying the war is over, and there's flyers that the war is over, and Times Square saying the war is over. It said, though, that however, because we didn't have phones, technology could not keep up with the word of mouth from the people spreading the news that the war was over. And so most people found out that the war was over because a person told them the war was over. Most people found out that the war was over because all of the sudden, church bells were ringing, and people were running out of their homes, and businesses were closing, and they were running out of the businesses, and they were taking to the streets, and they were hugging each other, and they were dancing. They were singing because they were so excited that the war was over. And so the news came from the excitement of the people.

It wasn't just on technology to share it. It wasn't something you casually glanced at. Oh, war's over, cool. Move on. No, no, no, no, no. Because that war affected everybody's life in a very dramatic, negative way. And so when everybody found out that the war was over, they had the same reaction, and it was to jump up and down, freak out, scream, and then go share it with somebody. And so there's something about this good news that I want us to understand. Number one, you got to receive the good news for yourself. And number two, you got to share the good news with someone else. The enemy will be defeated by the blood of the lamb and by the power of your testimony. Receive the blood of the lamb. Share your testimony. The war is over. I called my great-grandmother today, right before I came here, and I said, Memo Jo, do you remember August 14th, 1945? And she said, oh, yes, I do. I was 14 years old in junior high. She's 95. She said, I was 14 years old in junior high. She said, I'll never forget that day.

She was in San Diego, and she said, everyone took to the streets in San Diego. She said, actually, I'll never forget seeing people trying to flip a car because they were just so excited. They just thought, let's flip the car. Why not? I mean, she said, you've never seen an outburst of excitement like when everyone found out that the war was over. She said, it was just so wonderful. It was so exciting. It was one of the best days of her life. She's 95, and today, on the phone with her great-granddaughter, she's telling me details about the moment she found out the war was over and what she saw in other people and how they were so excited. They just thought, we'll flip a car, because why not? And I said, do you remember who told you that the war was over? Did you hear it on the radio? Did your parents tell you? And she said, oh, honey, I would never remember who told me. I just remember the effect it had after. And I thought, man, that's so powerful, because again, movement's just not something that you experience here and leave

and never talk about again. It's not about who you heard it from. It's not about the way that it was spoken. It's about the moment that you received it, believed it, and the after effect it had, because the reality is I was in a lot of church services, a lot of camps, and a lot of conferences before I was 17. I heard it a lot of times. I had great parents, grew up in summer camp, grew up doing the whole thing, but something about when I was 17, everything changed, I think, because I really believed it and I was willing to lay my life down and surrender for it. And then I couldn't wait to share it. You couldn't stop me from sharing it. I was like, I have a YouTube. I'm gonna share it on my YouTube. I have a blog. I'm gonna share it on my blog. I'm doing social media. I'm gonna share it on my social media. Let's do a podcast. Let's share it with more people. Hey, I'm at a nail salon. Have you heard about Jesus? You can't make me stop telling people, because when you've lived in the war and you've seen life one way,

then you realize it doesn't actually have to be that way because the war is over and you believe you've been set free from that. Well, one, you live different. And two, why wouldn't you tell somebody about it? Because again, it's good news. People say, oh, are y'all scared to share your faith when you were on TV? What are we scared of? This is good news. This is good news. Are you scared to share your faith on social media? I hear they're blocking people and there's like shadow banning and the algorithm gets you. It's good news. Doesn't matter. Doesn't matter what they do. I'm responsible for telling people it's good news. Are you scared to share your faith with people because people might think you're weird? It's good news, right? It's good news. I think sometimes we have to back it up and be like, what is the news? Is it really good? Has it really changed me? And if it has, certainly we're talking about. So I wanna go to Matthew 28. Matthew 28 is a story of when Mary was hit

with some good news, but she was kind of in this limbo like we are because she got this news, but it seemed crazy. It was wild. It was contrary to things she had just seen. And it was gonna take some faith, one, to believe the good news and two, to share the good news. And I wanna talk to us about this tonight because again, if it's good news and we really believe that and we break it down and it really is good news, so why do we not share? Why do we not share? And I wanna talk about three reasons why I think that gets in the way of us sharing. The three reasons are one, maybe disbelief. We're gonna break that down in a minute. Two, maybe it's fear. And then three, maybe it's insecurity. And we're gonna look at how Mary tackled all of those things in this story in Matthew 28. Matthew 28 is the story of the resurrection. So a lot of our faith right here is falling on this moment being true, and I love this story. Matthew 28, verse one says, "'Now after the Sabbath, "'towards the dawn of the first day of the week, "'Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.'" Why were they going to see the tomb?

Because Jesus had just died. Jesus had just been crucified on the cross. He was buried, and this is at the time he was buried, and they were going to continue the mourning process. So they were going to do some of the ritual things that they would have done at the time when someone died. And so they're going to do that. They're fully expecting Jesus to be dead. They're fully expecting Jesus to be in the tomb because they had just seen him crucified. But verse two, it says, "'And behold, there was a great earthquake, "'for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven "'and rolled back the stone and sat on it.'" Now this is crazy. Just want us to acknowledge, this is crazy. Because sometimes we'd be reading our Bible, acting like it's chill, and it's not. We're reading our Bible, drinking our coffee, and we're like not even acknowledging that the whole earth was shaking, and an angel's coming down and sat on the stone. And it says, "'His appearance is like lightning "'and his clothing white as snow.'" Now let me tell you, this next verse proves how crazy this is. Verse four says, "'And for fear of him, "'the guards trembled and became like dead men.'" Okay, that's important. Why is that important?

Because this was so terrifying that the guards fainted. So in other words, let's act like this was happening right here at movement. All of a sudden, we're out here, we're chilling, we're worshiping God, things are great. We're expecting the night to go a certain way. And all of a sudden, the ground begins to shake. And then all of a sudden, the stage is kind of rolling away. And all of a sudden, out of nowhere, you see an angel of the Lord descend, sit right here on the stage. His appearance is like lightning white as snow. He looks at all of us and every single security guard out here faints. Oh, not a good sign, okay? Because it's that terrifying. It's that miraculous. It's that crazy. It's that unheard of. But somehow, although the guards who are there to protect the place are so shaken up by this that they literally faint, Mary and the other Mary are still standing. That's impressive. That's on faith. Okay, because if all the guards faint and I'm sitting here just as a woman, like looking at them, like, what you got to say? That's crazy, y'all. That's crazy.

Let's just acknowledge that that's faith right there. So they're looking at him and the angel says to the woman, do not be afraid. Why did the angel say that? Because it was terrifying. So he says, don't be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified, period. He's acknowledging Jesus was just crucified. I know you're coming to see him. I know you thought he was dead. Don't be afraid. I know this is crazy, but actually he's not here for he has risen. And he said, come see this place where he lay. Then the angel says, go quickly and tell his disciples that he's risen from the dead and behold, he is going before them. He will meet them in Galilee and there you will see him again. Okay, that's a lot to take in. So Mary's having this moment right now where she's receiving this news from the angel that's telling her not to be afraid, although things look really scary. The man who's her friend Jesus, who just died and was crucified on a cross, is actually not in the tomb, don't worry, his body wasn't stolen or anything. He actually rose back to life and he's gonna meet you with everybody,

but just trust he's gonna be there. And in the meantime, I want you to go and I want you to tell everybody this news. And I want you to tell them that Jesus is gonna meet them there. That's a lot to take in. Because Mary had to decide in that moment, one, do I believe this for myself? Do I believe this is true? Do I receive this good news? Do I receive that Jesus was crucified and he actually rose to life again? Do I believe that? And if I do believe that, and I'm the one that knows about it, then I'm gonna be the one that has to go run and tell everybody in faith that Jesus is alive, he's coming back and he's going to meet with them. And the reality is, we're all in that tension a bit. Because we're also having to believe that Christ was crucified and raised from the dead. Now we're living in a little bit of a better time because now the spirit of God is alive and living inside of us as an advocate. You get to ask, you get to some good stuff. So I'm not skipping over that. just mean that we're having to believe that this news is true and receive that. And then we're having to decide, okay, if I'm the one that knows about it,

then I'm gonna be the one that's responsible to share it with other people in faith. And I'm not just telling them what Jesus did for them, I'm also declaring that he is one day going to come back, which I believe with my whole heart. So that's the other part of this good news. So Mary's sitting here pondering this. So why would she not share? Well, one, like I said, why would we not share? Maybe disbelief. Maybe you don't believe that that's true. Maybe you have so many thoughts that's fighting that belief in your mind and you're having just a hard time to accept that. Why? Because it's impossible. Why? Because it would require a miracle. Why? Because it would have to be God. And here's how I think Mary received it. Here's how I think Mary didn't faint when the guards did, is because Mary knew Jesus. Mary walked with Jesus. Mary saw what Jesus was capable of. Mary saw the miracles. Mary knew her friend. Mary knew if there was one person who could die on the cross and actually raise back again and call us all home, it would be Jesus.

You gotta get to know him. I remember someone wrote me a letter one time. It was like a fan mail, but it was very simple. It said, dear Sadie, she went all the way to the middle of the line page and she said, how do you know, underline know, God is real? All the way to the bottom of the page, practical answers only. I wrestled with that paper for a long time. I kept it on my desk for at least a year and I thought about it for a long time. How do I know God is real? I could have told her a lot of reasons that makes me feel and know God is real. Most of them though, based off of personal experience. Most of them based off of things I felt she could probably argue me back with. So I kept thinking about it. What could I say in practical answers only that would maybe help her in her faith to know God is real? About a year goes by. Christian and I were hanging out with Louie and Shelly Giglio and I love to bring my hard questions to Pastor Louie Giglio. So I said, Louie, I have a question for you. I got this letter about a year ago. This girl said, how do you know God is real? And then she said, practical answers only.

And I said, so Louie, I wanna ask you, how do you know God is real? And I'm gonna be honest with you, I've heard a lot of Louie Giglio sermons. I thought he was gonna go a lot of different ways. I thought he was gonna talk about maybe how he's seeing God in the galaxies. You know, when he was studying for that indescribable message. I thought he might talk about the laminate message he preached one time about seeing the cross and the anatomy and all of these different revelations and discoveries that I've heard Pastor Louie preach. But Pastor Louie turned around and looked at me as quick as one could answer. A question I thought about for over a year, he said in a second, he looked at me and he said, because the Bible, period. And I was honestly embarrassed that I hadn't even thought about that. I was looking for every other reasoning as to how God is real, to prove God is real. And I hadn't even thought about the best evidence for the gaze, the Bible. And I think a lot of us do that. We want God to prove it to us, show us, but I'm not gonna pick up the very thing that you've already given me and shown me. Prove it to me, show me. I already did when I sent my son to die for you.

Prove it to me, show me. He has. I was thinking about how I'm someone, Christian and I both, we're so bad at opening our mail. We get mail and then we don't open it. How pointless is that? We have all these letters and then we open them and we're like, oh, we were invited. We missed the day or oh, we were this and we missed that and we needed to know that and whatnot. And I think about that. It's like, we wanna be invited, but we don't even look in the mail and open up the letter and read that you're invited. You are invited. Christ died for you. He rose again, you're invited into that. If you wanna know that, get to know him. If you wanna know that, read the word. Sit with him, speak to him, listen for his voice. Ask him to reveal himself as you study the word. Mary could trust that that could be true, that the impossible could be made possible because she had seen the one who had time and time again already done the impossible and made things possible. She knew him. Number two, maybe fear. Maybe fear keeps us from saying things. I know fear kept me from doing it for a long time. Anxiety, crippling anxiety attacks,

not even making me wanna go places. I always say it like this. It was like just totally writing my story. It was the reason I said yes to things, the reason I said no. no to things, the thing that kept me from everything, anxiety attacks. Anxiety is something that I still sometimes wrestle with. I still meet God in those places when I feel anxiety. But you know what I've come to realize is that anxiety isn't always a bad thing. Anxiety is a human thing. Anxiety doesn't disqualify you from doing something. Anxiety sometimes is just gonna be there and that's the place that you're gonna meet God in and then God's gonna give you peace in the midst of the anxiety. I started to realize that when God would come to all these people throughout the scriptures and the first thing he would say was do not be afraid, it wasn't to just be like, don't be afraid, why would you be afraid? It's not like he just hates fear so much that he put it in the Bible so many times. God says that because he knows we are afraid. God says do not be afraid because he has so much compassion on our humanity knowing I know this is scary. I know I'm putting you in a place to trust. I know I'm putting you in a place of faith. You're having to have confidence

in the things you hope for. You're having to be assured of the things you cannot see. That's a scary place to be. I know I'm asking you to walk on the water when all you can see is big waves and a storm but I want you to trust that I'm there so I'm gonna go ahead and tell you you don't have to be afraid. I'm gonna speak to what you're already feeling and then I'm gonna meet you in it. And when he says don't be afraid he often times would say don't be afraid and then follow that up with for I will be with you so hear me to those who are struggling with fear that does not disqualify you. Almost every single person God called was also dealing with fear because he was calling to the things that are bigger than themselves so of course that's scary. My heart's racing. Do I feel a little anxious? Yes, this feels bigger than who I am. This feels bigger than what I'm capable of but God I trust you. I wanna know you even in that space. I trust you'll meet me there. I trust this is bigger than me. I trust this is bigger than if I could say things accurately or great or whatever. I trust you're moving in people's hearts.

So use me God. Don't let fear disqualify you. Fear might just be a part of the story. You just gotta learn to run with it and Mary did. And the last thing that we might be facing is maybe insecurity, maybe shame. Maybe those things are tied together. Mary could have thought that. Mary could have thought who am I to deliver this news? At the time a woman's testimony didn't really matter much. Would they believe me? Would they think I'm crazy? I'm gonna go tell them all that the person who we all just saw as crucified is actually living and he's gonna meet us there. Would anybody listen to me? Would anybody actually go and trust that he's gonna meet them there? They're gonna think I'm nuts. Maybe you're dealing with that. Who am I? I can't be the one. They all know what I did last year. They all don't know what I did last night. They all saw me in my past. They all saw me in my brokenness. You know what? That's fine. It's actually good. They're gonna see a transformed person now.

They're gonna see a living testimony now. Man, they're gonna see greater is he living in me than he who's living in the world. They're gonna see scripture come to life. They're gonna see the power of the resurrection in you. You're the walking testimony. Don't let that insecurity stop you. Don't let that shame stop you. The war is over. The enemy is defeated. And the beautiful thing about the war being over too, another reason people were rejoicing is because it meant someone was coming home. And like this is saying, Jesus is back. Like we're saying, Jesus is coming back. That is news worth sharing. And here they are in this place. Are we going to believe that? Are we going to tell somebody about it? And I want you to listen to what Mary did. This is one of my favorite verses because I get so much encouragement from it. In Matthew 28, verse eight, after she received this news, guys, right after they said, and this is what the angel told her, it said, so they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy. And they ran to tell the disciples. With fear.

It's a very real part of the story. It didn't naturally just go away. Again, they were dealing with the impossible. With fear. How'd they overcome it? With great joy. What did they do? They ran. Some of you might be afraid when you leave here. Some of you might feel a little nervous when you leave here. But what will keep you running? Great joy. Confident hope. Confident trust that this is true. Even Jesus, you know, before he endured the agony of the cross, when it said, He was thinking about the future. He was thinking about what was to come with great joy. He endured the cross with fear, but great joy. They ran. To do what? To tell the disciples. And behold, verse nine, didn't even have to wait long, Jesus met them and said, greetings. And he came and they came and took hold of his feet and they just began to worship him. Can you imagine? Right in that moment, right when they decided to run, he greets them, I'm here, I'm with you, I'm here.

I don't know if they had to wait till they got there. It seems like not because he's telling them, go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee. It seems like Jesus met them on the way. It seems like the minute that they stepped out in faith, the minute that they, with fear, decided, I'm just gonna run anyways. I'm gonna go tell this story. I've been changed by this. My savior's alive. Jesus met them in that moment and they just begin to worship him. They just begin to worship their king. They just begin to worship the one who had just conquered the grave, who had just taken away the sting of death. And Jesus said, guess what he said? Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. He met them in their moment, met them in their humanity, met them in their timidness. And he said, go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee and there they will see me. You say, did they go tell them? Yes, they did. Because if you go down, it's the great commission. Now the 11 disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain, to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw them, they worshiped them, but some doubted.

And then Jesus said, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, go movement, go. Therefore make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all I've commanded you. And behold, I will be with you. Do not be afraid. I will be with you till the very end of the age. You say, well, did the disciples go and tell? Well, we're talking about it 2,000 years later in Montana. Yes, they did. Yes, they did. Died deaths because of it, because that's how much they believed in it, but told so many people, who told so many people, who told so many people, the war is over. The war is over. They were so excited. The enemy had been defeated. Death had been conquered. I'm not gonna live like I'm still in the war. Maybe tonight, for the first time, you haven't just heard the message, but you're receiving the message. Maybe for the first time, it's like John 3, 16 just was like, whoa. Wow, I believe that. I believe that.

I believe that Jesus died to take away my sin. I believe that. I feel the weight of my sin that I can't carry anymore. I've been trying to bust past it and do all the right things and prove myself, but I'm not good enough. I need a Savior, and Jesus can be that for me, and I'm gonna put my belief in Him. Maybe that's you. And if that's you, I'm gonna give you a very strong charge, because there are going to be moments of this conference that are going to be eyes closed and heads bowed, but I'm just gonna say this moment is not that moment. This is a moment, if you're willing to say, I believe in Jesus Christ, and tonight I'm giving my life to Him. I'm laying down my old self. I wanna be crucified with Christ, and I wanna come alive again. I wanna dance in the grave I was living in yesterday. I wanna become a new creation, and I believe in Jesus Christ. I can do that, and I accept the invitation from heaven. If that's you tonight, I wanna ask you at Movement Night One to stand up and to come right here at this fence. I already see people standing. You didn't even wait. Let's go, dude.

Let's go. Let's go. That's how you respond to the message of the gospel. If that's you tonight, stand up and come. This is you saying, afraid yet filled with joy, I'm running. Afraid yet filled with joy, I'm running. I'm gonna go. I receive the message, and I'm gonna tell the message. Come on, I receive the message, and I'm gonna share the message. That's powerful. Thank you, God. Thank you, God. Thank you, God, that you make all things new. Thank you, God, that you are doing wonderful things, God. Thank you, God, for a people willing to say, I believe in Jesus Christ. And who the Son sets free. is free indeed. So tonight I believe that Jesus Christ is setting you free. I believe tonight some of you came here with some really heavy stuff, living in bondage, living in sin, living in war, letting the enemy defeat you, but tonight you're covered in the blood of Christ. Tonight you're being set free by the blood of Christ. From here on out, you're making a decision, I'm gonna live my life for Christ. I'm gonna live my life for Christ, living my life for His glory.

It's mine, it's yours, take it Lord. Dying with you, rising with you. If you see members of your youth group or your kids up here, I just encourage you, just as we pray, if you'll come up, lay hands on them. You can go ahead and come up. Some of you leaders lay hands on the kids. Some adults in here too. It's beautiful what God's doing in your heart tonight. Can we just surround them? If you're sitting in your seat, you'll just reach out a hand to these believers, these disciples about to be on mission, getting the good news out. You're gonna walk a little lighter, you're gonna stand a little taller. Your faces are gonna be radiant before the King of Kings. You're pure in Him, friend, you're pure in Him. Doesn't matter what you come from, you're pure in Him. God, I thank you for how good you are. I thank you that you are the creator of the heavens and the earth, and that you care about us. Who is man that you would be mindful of us, yet you made us in your image and you sent your Son to die for us. God, we honor you, we give you the praise, we give you the glory, we wanna worship you, God. I thank you, Lord, that when there was no other way, you made a way.

I thank you, God, that you sent your one and only Son, whose name was Jesus, down to earth. And I thank you, Jesus, that you lived a perfect life and died a death that could have been ours, should have been ours. Thank you for your sacrifice. If you're up here today, would you say to God, thank you for your sacrifice, Jesus. Thank you for your extravagant love, God. Thank you for your grace that is undeserved and could not be earned. Thank you, Jesus. I believe in you, Jesus. I believe in what you did for me. I believe you conquered the grave. I believe in the hope of heaven. I believe in the hope of heaven. And I believe your Spirit has the power to transform my life. So I invite you, God, to abide in me. Would your presence fill me? Thank you. I choose to live my life for you. I lay my life down for you. Send me to tell your good news. Give me courage. Give me faith. Give me boldness. As I declare the mysteries of the gospel to my generation,

we put our hope in you, Jesus.