1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:04,760 Crossing family This week we have Matt Hessel bringing the 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:06,920 Word. He's the lead pastor of Life 3 00:00:06,920 --> 00:00:09,120 Bridge Christian Church in Northern Colorado. 4 00:00:09,560 --> 00:00:11,800 Matt and his wife, Kelly, have been married for 20 years and 5 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:14,920 have three children. But more importantly than that, 6 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:18,440 Matt has a deep passion for the local church, for preaching and 7 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:22,040 teaching God's Word unapologetically to help others 8 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:24,920 draw closer to Jesus. He wants to spend his life 9 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:27,280 making disciples and developing leaders. 10 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:30,760 Outside of ministry, Matt enjoys time with his family and close 11 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:34,000 friends, golfing, skiing, and reading. 12 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:37,920 He preached this year with us at our Uncommon Conference and I 13 00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:40,120 cannot wait for all of you to hear him. 14 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:43,120 So would you please give a warm crossing Welcome to our preacher 15 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:45,720 for this weekend and my friend Matt Hessel. 16 00:00:50,280 --> 00:00:51,840 Guys, how are you guys good this morning? 17 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:53,680 There we go. There we go. 18 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:56,720 Man, I am pumped to be here with you for a couple different 19 00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:59,200 reasons. Number one, I love your church. 20 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:01,720 But like Clayton said, I've gotten a chance to be here 21 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:03,880 before. And I hope you know this. 22 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:06,760 I I'm getting a gotten a chance to spend time at other churches. 23 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:10,600 This place is rare. You all have an incredible 24 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:13,200 church. If I live remotely close in 25 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:16,440 either Illinois, Missouri or Iowa, may I be a part of the 26 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:18,080 crossing? The other reason I'm looking 27 00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:18,960 forward to being here? Yeah. 28 00:01:18,960 --> 00:01:22,920 Get excited about your church. The other reason I've been 29 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:25,680 looking forward to this is because I love your pastor. 30 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:28,800 Clayton is a great friend of mine. 31 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:32,960 I, I laugh probably too much when Clayton and I get together. 32 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:36,120 I've been with him all weekend. Look, I, I got the cuts to prove 33 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:37,880 it. He had me cutting meat all day 34 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:40,800 on Friday and I'm all bandaged up because of it. 35 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:44,400 Like, I have so much fun with Clayton, but at the same time, 36 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:47,960 there's depth there. Like I, I am a better Christian. 37 00:01:47,960 --> 00:01:50,920 I'm a better man, I'm a better leader because of Clayton. 38 00:01:51,320 --> 00:01:54,680 And I think you know this, but sometimes it's good to hear from 39 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:57,440 an outside voice. He's the real deal. 40 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:00,640 He's the real deal. The same guy you see standing up 41 00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:04,200 here every week is the exact same guy that you would find 42 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:06,800 behind closed doors when nobody's looking. 43 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:10,199 He's not two different people. He might even actually be better 44 00:02:10,280 --> 00:02:14,000 one-on-one behind closed doors. You can't say that very often 45 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:17,000 about leaders, but you very much can say that about Clayton. 46 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:19,120 That's that's your pastor now? Yeah. 47 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:23,360 Get excited about him. Now. 48 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:25,040 I know that we're just getting to know each other. 49 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:26,800 Clayton said that my wife, Kelly, and I have been married 50 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:29,560 for 20 years. We've got three kids, Sawyer, 51 00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:32,040 Georgia and Sutton. I thought I would bring a 52 00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:33,600 picture of them so you can see my crew. 53 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:35,720 You want to see my family? Here's my family. 54 00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:44,840 Here's a picture of my family. Parents, that's real life, is it 55 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:47,760 not? That's totally real like that, 56 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:50,040 that pictures a little outdated. My kids are a little bit older 57 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:53,000 than that now, but it's one of my absolute favorite pictures 58 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:57,240 Every year at Christmas, I asked my wife Kel, can we make that 59 00:02:57,240 --> 00:03:01,920 our Christmas card this year and every year She says absolutely 60 00:03:01,920 --> 00:03:04,880 not. Now we we did take our kids to 61 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:06,600 Disney a couple of times when they were younger. 62 00:03:06,920 --> 00:03:11,160 I would never do that today because I don't want to take out 63 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:13,200 a second mortgage just to go to Disney World. 64 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:17,320 But it was pretty awesome taking them there, like seeing their 65 00:03:17,320 --> 00:03:20,240 faces light up when your kids meet their favorite characters 66 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:23,240 or maybe seeing my face light up when I meet my favorite 67 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:25,360 characters or going on rides with them. 68 00:03:25,720 --> 00:03:28,280 I was always really taken back by how pristine they would keep 69 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:29,920 that park. I mean, it's, it's pretty 70 00:03:29,920 --> 00:03:32,880 impressive the amount of details they go into to make the 71 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:37,040 experience amazing for every single guest is it's pretty 72 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:39,480 impressive. So, so really, if you take all 73 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:44,200 that into account, besides the fact that prices there are a 74 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:48,480 form of larceny, besides the fact that there are insanely 75 00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:51,960 long lines in oppressive heat, and besides the fact that you 76 00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:55,040 have people ramming their strollers into the back of your 77 00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:57,840 legs because they're not paying attention or let's be honest, 78 00:03:58,120 --> 00:03:59,440 they're yelling at their own kids. 79 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:02,960 Besides all of that, I mean, Disney's pretty awesome. 80 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:07,480 It, it is an attempt to create this utopia where you experience 81 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:10,600 some kind of bliss and joy, like where the weight of the world 82 00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:13,120 just comes off of your shoulders for a day. 83 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:16,959 What Disney World is trying to do in effect, is it's trying to 84 00:04:16,959 --> 00:04:19,160 fulfill a longing that's in all of us. 85 00:04:20,079 --> 00:04:23,080 There's a longing in every single one of us for something 86 00:04:23,080 --> 00:04:26,400 different right now, maybe for things to go back to the way 87 00:04:26,400 --> 00:04:29,720 they were always were, for things to actually be better. 88 00:04:30,640 --> 00:04:33,080 Because you can look at how messed up our world is right 89 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:35,640 now. I mean, how many times do you 90 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:38,200 open up your phone and just scroll through your phone and 91 00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:40,320 feel like, oh, I'm really glad I looked at that. 92 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:44,000 I don't, man. Everything is fear based now. 93 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:46,480 Everything looks like it's a dumpster fire. 94 00:04:46,680 --> 00:04:49,280 You've got political divisions that are the most intense that 95 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:52,280 that in my lifetime. Violence everywhere. 96 00:04:52,280 --> 00:04:55,920 Crime keeps going up. You've got global conflicts all 97 00:04:55,920 --> 00:04:59,280 over the place. People are just at each other's 98 00:04:59,280 --> 00:05:01,040 throat, man. It just the, the world's messed 99 00:05:01,040 --> 00:05:03,240 up right now. Or you can look right around you 100 00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:06,080 or look at what's going on in your own life and intuitively, 101 00:05:06,080 --> 00:05:09,560 you know, this is not how things are supposed to be. 102 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:12,200 There's there's got to be something better. 103 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:14,320 There's supposed to be something better. 104 00:05:14,960 --> 00:05:18,120 Paul talks about this in first Corinthians 15 verse 51. 105 00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:22,000 Here's what he says. Listen, I tell you a mystery. 106 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:24,840 We will not all sleep. He's talking about people who 107 00:05:24,840 --> 00:05:27,280 would die. We're not all going to die, but 108 00:05:27,280 --> 00:05:30,680 we will all be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an 109 00:05:30,680 --> 00:05:34,320 eye at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the 110 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:37,360 dead will be raised in perishable, and we will be 111 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:40,120 changed. For the perishable must clothes 112 00:05:40,120 --> 00:05:43,800 itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 113 00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:47,000 When the perishable have been clothed with imperishable, and 114 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:50,040 the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written 115 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:53,080 will come true. Death has been swallowed up in 116 00:05:53,080 --> 00:05:55,080 victory. Where, O death is your victory? 117 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:58,400 Where, O death is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and 118 00:05:58,400 --> 00:06:02,120 the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, he gives 119 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:04,680 us the victory through our Lord Christ Jesus. 120 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:05,960 Paul's given a glimpse of heaven. 121 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:10,040 He's saying, guys, the mess that you all see right now, every 122 00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:12,720 time you open up your phone or you watch the news, what's going 123 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:15,840 around you, what might be going on in your own life, the mess 124 00:06:15,840 --> 00:06:17,840 has a timeline. It's on the clock. 125 00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:21,040 There is victory over death. There is eternal life. 126 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:24,880 There are immortal bodies. That longing that Disney World 127 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:29,440 tries to fill in all of us, that comes way short, or maybe we 128 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:34,720 hope that success or stuff or status or sex, maybe those 129 00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:37,120 things will fill that hole in all of us, but those can't 130 00:06:37,160 --> 00:06:39,280 either. What Paul is saying is that 131 00:06:39,280 --> 00:06:42,680 longing that's in all of us is actually a longing for heaven. 132 00:06:43,680 --> 00:06:46,560 We're all meant for heaven. We are wired for it. 133 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:50,200 And that desire for heaven, it can only be fulfilled in Jesus. 134 00:06:50,560 --> 00:06:53,240 John describes in Revelation 21. Here's what he said. 135 00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:55,680 This is one of the coolest passages in the entire Bible. 136 00:06:56,160 --> 00:06:59,560 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the earth. 137 00:06:59,560 --> 00:07:02,800 First earth had passed away. There was no longer any seed. 138 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:07,200 I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of 139 00:07:07,200 --> 00:07:11,360 heaven from God, prepared as a bride, beautifully dressed for 140 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:13,800 her husband. And I heard a loud voice from 141 00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:18,400 the throne saying, Look, God's dwelling place is now among the 142 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:20,840 people, and He will dwell with them. 143 00:07:21,320 --> 00:07:24,800 They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as 144 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:26,920 their God. He will wipe away every tear 145 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:30,920 from their eyes. There will be no more death or 146 00:07:30,920 --> 00:07:34,720 mourning or crying or pain. How good does that sound? 147 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:37,320 For the older things have passed away. 148 00:07:38,400 --> 00:07:41,480 He was now seated on the throne, said, I am making everything 149 00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:42,640 new. I'm making it all new. 150 00:07:42,640 --> 00:07:45,960 Verse 6 It is done. I am the alpha and Omega, the 151 00:07:45,960 --> 00:07:48,120 beginning and the end to the thirsty. 152 00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:51,920 I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of 153 00:07:51,920 --> 00:07:54,800 life. Those who are victorious will 154 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:58,400 inherit all of this, and I will be their God and they will be my 155 00:07:58,400 --> 00:07:59,880 children. That sounds pretty awesome. 156 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:02,400 Like John's giving a glimpse of heaven. 157 00:08:03,320 --> 00:08:05,680 So the first question has to be how? 158 00:08:06,760 --> 00:08:10,200 How do we get that? How do we experience that? 159 00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:12,480 John says there's people who are victorious. 160 00:08:12,480 --> 00:08:14,360 They do. Paul says people who have been 161 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:17,560 given victory, they do. All right, cool. 162 00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:20,440 So where does that victory come from? 163 00:08:21,640 --> 00:08:22,800 Guys? That's a great question. 164 00:08:22,800 --> 00:08:24,960 I'm glad you're asking that because that's in my notes. 165 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:26,240 So this is going to go great today. 166 00:08:26,920 --> 00:08:28,840 You got to go all the way back to the beginning of 15. 167 00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:31,840 We're about ready to close out this series in First 168 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:34,240 Corinthians. So Paul's going to bring it all 169 00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:37,760 back to what's most important. He says this chapter 15, verse 170 00:08:37,760 --> 00:08:39,039 one. I'm going to read a chunk of it 171 00:08:40,120 --> 00:08:42,200 now. Brothers and sisters, I want to 172 00:08:42,200 --> 00:08:44,840 remind you of the gospel that I preached to you, which you 173 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:46,880 received and which you have taken your stand. 174 00:08:47,200 --> 00:08:50,840 By this gospel, you're saved if you hold firmly to the word I 175 00:08:50,840 --> 00:08:53,200 preached to you. Otherwise you believe that in 176 00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:55,920 vain for what I received I passed on to you. 177 00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:57,920 As a first importance, here's what it is. 178 00:08:58,320 --> 00:09:00,760 That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 179 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:03,880 that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day 180 00:09:03,880 --> 00:09:07,160 according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas. 181 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:09,920 That's Peter. And then the 12th after that He 182 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:13,560 appeared to more than 500 of the brothers and sisters at the same 183 00:09:13,560 --> 00:09:15,520 time. Most of them are still living, 184 00:09:15,680 --> 00:09:17,440 though some have fallen asleep, some have died. 185 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:21,200 Then he appeared to James and then to the apostles, and last 186 00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:24,160 he appeared to me. He's saying, so out of 187 00:09:24,160 --> 00:09:27,480 everything that I've said to you in this letter, this, the 188 00:09:27,480 --> 00:09:30,960 resurrection, this is the most important thing. 189 00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:35,400 Jesus walked out of his grave, which means one day you can walk 190 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:38,160 out of yours and experience eternal life with an immortal 191 00:09:38,160 --> 00:09:41,640 body in the paradise of heaven with Jesus. 192 00:09:43,640 --> 00:09:47,360 That's what's important. And the resurrection makes all 193 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:51,960 of that possible. No more pain, no more crying, no 194 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:54,920 more death, no more mourning, no more messed up stuff in our own 195 00:09:54,920 --> 00:09:56,920 lives around us or over the world. 196 00:09:57,560 --> 00:10:00,640 That and the resurrection makes all of that possible. 197 00:10:01,600 --> 00:10:03,600 There was a guy named Yaroslav Pelican. 198 00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:05,400 How would you like to have that name? 199 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:09,200 He was a renowned scholar for the history of Christianity. 200 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:13,600 And he said if Christ is risen, then nothing else matters. 201 00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:19,280 And if Christ is not risen, then nothing else matters. 202 00:10:20,400 --> 00:10:22,840 It's that important. In fact, you could say it this 203 00:10:22,840 --> 00:10:26,760 way. Jesus walking out of a grave 204 00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:29,680 after three days changes all the history of the world. 205 00:10:30,720 --> 00:10:35,160 But if he didn't, then there's no meaning in this life 206 00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:38,320 whatsoever. Nihilism becomes our only 207 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:40,560 option. You can say that the 208 00:10:40,560 --> 00:10:43,880 resurrection of Jesus is actually the hinge that all of 209 00:10:43,880 --> 00:10:47,600 history swings on, but what if it's a lie? 210 00:10:49,440 --> 00:10:51,880 What if the whole thing's a lie? What if it's a myth? 211 00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:55,240 What if it's a fairy tale? What if it's a big hoax to try 212 00:10:55,240 --> 00:10:58,480 to just dupe, at this point, billions of people? 213 00:10:59,560 --> 00:11:03,680 I mean, because the last time I checked, the mortality rates for 214 00:11:03,680 --> 00:11:07,440 humans, is that 100%? Last time I checked, I don't 215 00:11:07,440 --> 00:11:09,640 know if there's new data out, but it's still the mortality 216 00:11:09,640 --> 00:11:13,080 rates at 100%. I've never seen somebody die and 217 00:11:13,080 --> 00:11:15,840 then three days later that guy's walking around with a cup of 218 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:18,440 coffee like nothing happened. Like I haven't seen that. 219 00:11:18,440 --> 00:11:20,200 I'm, I'm assuming you haven't either. 220 00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:23,160 So since none of us have seen somebody resurrect from the 221 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:26,520 dead, let's just say for a second that the resurrection of 222 00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:29,840 Jesus didn't happen. What would that mean? 223 00:11:30,840 --> 00:11:32,440 Well, first of all, it would mean that your faith is 224 00:11:32,440 --> 00:11:36,560 completely pointless. Christianity is not a religion. 225 00:11:37,720 --> 00:11:39,640 It's not. I'll have people, especially 226 00:11:39,640 --> 00:11:42,120 where I live in Colorado, a lot of people will say to me, hey, 227 00:11:42,120 --> 00:11:43,520 Matt, I'm not, I'm not religious. 228 00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:44,760 I'm not, I'm not religious at all. 229 00:11:45,480 --> 00:11:48,080 And my response back to them will be, I'm not either. 230 00:11:49,160 --> 00:11:52,960 I'm not either. Religion is what you have to do 231 00:11:52,960 --> 00:11:57,000 to make yourself right with God. It's what you have to do to to 232 00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:00,040 set things right to earn your way back to God, to please God. 233 00:12:00,040 --> 00:12:01,240 And then you're good. Then you're in. 234 00:12:01,240 --> 00:12:05,040 That's religion. So whether that's Islam or 235 00:12:05,040 --> 00:12:08,280 Mormonism or Hinduism, you can fill in the blank with whatever 236 00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:10,880 world religion. They're all saying the exact 237 00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:14,000 same thing. They're just saying it in very 238 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:17,840 different ways. It's all about you and what you 239 00:12:17,840 --> 00:12:20,440 have to do to make things right, what you have to do to earn your 240 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:22,800 way, what you have to do to please God, and hopefully you're 241 00:12:22,800 --> 00:12:24,720 good at that point. That's religion. 242 00:12:25,160 --> 00:12:26,720 Christianity is completely different. 243 00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:29,720 Christianity is not about what you've done. 244 00:12:30,200 --> 00:12:34,400 It's about faith in what's been done for you, for you through 245 00:12:34,400 --> 00:12:37,560 Christ, faith in Christ. Christianity is not an idea, 246 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:39,800 it's not a perspective, it's not a principle. 247 00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:43,840 It's news, good news that something happened. 248 00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:48,640 And if that something didn't happen, then your faith in my 249 00:12:48,640 --> 00:12:53,160 faith is completely pointless. I mean, that means this whole 250 00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:56,040 church thing is a massive waste of time. 251 00:12:56,880 --> 00:12:59,800 Like what we're doing right now. If the resurrection didn't 252 00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:03,800 happen, this, this is a waste. Church is a really, really lame 253 00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:07,360 hobby. If this is your hobby, come on. 254 00:13:07,440 --> 00:13:11,040 Like there's better things to do with your time If it didn't 255 00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:14,080 happen, I wasted my time getting on a plane to come here. 256 00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:16,800 And you shouldn't listen to anything that I say right now. 257 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:18,320 You shouldn't be listening to me at all. 258 00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:21,680 Paul says this in verse 14. He says if Christ has not been 259 00:13:21,680 --> 00:13:26,320 raised well, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 260 00:13:26,680 --> 00:13:29,640 He keeps going to verse 17. And if Christ has not been 261 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:33,080 raised, your faith is futile. You are still in your sins. 262 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:35,040 And those who have fallen asleep, those who have already 263 00:13:35,040 --> 00:13:40,080 died in Christ, they're lost. If only for this life, we have 264 00:13:40,080 --> 00:13:42,880 hope in Christ. If that's it, then we are all 265 00:13:42,880 --> 00:13:45,080 people. We have all people must be 266 00:13:45,080 --> 00:13:49,800 pitied, he's saying. He's saying that if Jesus did 267 00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:54,040 not rise from the dead, if the resurrection didn't happen, then 268 00:13:54,040 --> 00:13:57,200 we're fools. If the Bible says that about us, 269 00:13:58,040 --> 00:14:01,240 it says we're fools because we banked everything on this one 270 00:14:01,240 --> 00:14:03,000 event. And if it didn't happen, we 271 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:05,960 should be pitied because we've been duped more than anybody 272 00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:09,840 else on the planet. He says if it didn't happen in 273 00:14:09,840 --> 00:14:13,480 verse 30, he keeps going, then why do we endanger ourselves 274 00:14:13,480 --> 00:14:16,240 every hour? He says I face death every day. 275 00:14:16,680 --> 00:14:20,160 Yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our 276 00:14:20,160 --> 00:14:22,440 Lord. If I thought wild beasts in 277 00:14:22,440 --> 00:14:24,640 Ephesus, he's not talking about actual animals. 278 00:14:24,640 --> 00:14:27,160 He's talking about people that were just they were beasts. 279 00:14:27,600 --> 00:14:30,800 If I thought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human 280 00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:35,080 hopes, what if I gained? If the resurrection didn't 281 00:14:35,080 --> 00:14:39,480 happen, then facing risk and opposition where it's risking 282 00:14:39,480 --> 00:14:42,840 your own life seems like a pretty stupid thing to do, 283 00:14:42,840 --> 00:14:46,800 doesn't it? Now you know this, but 284 00:14:46,800 --> 00:14:50,360 Christianity and the value system of the culture that we 285 00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:53,720 currently live in, they're not very compatible together. 286 00:14:55,120 --> 00:14:59,240 The world says affirm yourself, Christianity says. 287 00:14:59,680 --> 00:15:03,600 Deny yourself, the world says. You do you. 288 00:15:04,480 --> 00:15:07,000 Christianity says. Imitate Christ. 289 00:15:08,240 --> 00:15:11,200 The world says my body, my choice. 290 00:15:12,840 --> 00:15:15,920 Christianity says. You are not your own. 291 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:20,800 You were bought with a price. The world says do whatever feels 292 00:15:20,800 --> 00:15:22,880 good to you sexually, as long as there's consent. 293 00:15:23,920 --> 00:15:26,600 Christianity says flee from sexual immorality. 294 00:15:27,400 --> 00:15:31,920 The world says live your truth. Christianity says Jesus is the 295 00:15:32,360 --> 00:15:34,360 truth. There is serious opposition 296 00:15:34,360 --> 00:15:37,200 between the world that we live in and the truth of the gospel. 297 00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:39,360 And some people are going to get very, very upset about it. 298 00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:44,720 So to follow Jesus, you're going to face opposition. 299 00:15:44,720 --> 00:15:48,000 It's going to happen. To follow Jesus, you're going to 300 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:51,160 risk something. It will cost you something. 301 00:15:51,360 --> 00:15:56,120 So if the resurrection didn't happen, why risk it? 302 00:15:57,480 --> 00:16:00,760 Why face opposition? Why put yourself in a position 303 00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:03,920 that's going to cost you something over something that 304 00:16:03,920 --> 00:16:07,080 never happened? Might as well live it up. 305 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:09,320 Might as well live it up while you can. 306 00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:15,320 Paul says, hey, if the dead are not raised, then let us eat and 307 00:16:15,320 --> 00:16:19,080 drink because tomorrow we die. It's quoting Isaiah 22. 308 00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:24,160 If the resurrection never happened the whole you do you 309 00:16:24,160 --> 00:16:27,560 life philosophy that's very popular in our culture. 310 00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:32,240 Which is just another way of saying humanism makes sense. 311 00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:35,400 The resurrection didn't happen, might as well live it up and 312 00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:39,080 live for pleasure while you can. Then he quotes a famous Greek 313 00:16:39,080 --> 00:16:42,280 poet. Bad company corrupts good 314 00:16:42,280 --> 00:16:45,040 character. Which is 100% true. 315 00:16:45,840 --> 00:16:48,320 This is a lesson that my wife and I are trying to teach our 316 00:16:48,320 --> 00:16:50,840 kids who are in that phase right now. 317 00:16:50,840 --> 00:16:52,280 Hey, who you surround yourself with? 318 00:16:53,160 --> 00:16:55,040 If you're running with bad company, it's going to corrupt 319 00:16:55,040 --> 00:16:55,960 you. Let me say it this way. 320 00:16:55,960 --> 00:17:00,920 This is what I tell my kids. Show me who your friends are and 321 00:17:00,920 --> 00:17:02,760 I'll show you who you'll be in five years. 322 00:17:04,200 --> 00:17:07,000 But if the resurrection never happened, then who cares who you 323 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:08,440 hang out with? Doesn't matter. 324 00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:11,720 Who cares if they corrupt your good character because death is 325 00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:14,119 final. Doesn't matter at all if the 326 00:17:14,119 --> 00:17:17,880 resurrection isn't true. If it never happened, then 327 00:17:17,880 --> 00:17:20,680 you're going to constantly be stuck in self preservation mode. 328 00:17:22,480 --> 00:17:25,920 Because if this life is it, and we know that death is 329 00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:31,560 inevitable, then you're going to have to self preserve and self 330 00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:36,760 promote at all costs so that you get as much satisfaction as you 331 00:17:36,760 --> 00:17:40,160 possibly can for yourself in this life, even at the expense 332 00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:43,040 of other people. Is that really how you want to 333 00:17:43,040 --> 00:17:47,200 live? I mean, if this is all that 334 00:17:47,200 --> 00:17:50,120 there is, you're going to be stuck going back and forth 335 00:17:50,120 --> 00:17:54,280 between I want to exploit and explore life for all that it is. 336 00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:58,680 Back and forth between that and everything is a potential threat 337 00:17:58,880 --> 00:18:01,520 to my satisfaction and my survival. 338 00:18:01,600 --> 00:18:03,960 So I got to preserve even at the expense of other people. 339 00:18:04,600 --> 00:18:09,040 I got to have it all, and at the same time, I got to avoid it all 340 00:18:09,080 --> 00:18:12,960 at all costs. So your entire life, you are 341 00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:15,960 going to feel this tension and every aspect of your life that's 342 00:18:15,960 --> 00:18:17,520 going to make you feel like you're stuck. 343 00:18:18,960 --> 00:18:20,600 Maybe you feel like you're stuck right now. 344 00:18:21,840 --> 00:18:24,320 It's going to make you feel like you're missing out on something. 345 00:18:24,760 --> 00:18:28,000 You'll never be content. There always needs to be more. 346 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:31,640 Or I'm always a victim about something and it's going to make 347 00:18:31,640 --> 00:18:33,720 you feel like you can never experience real peace. 348 00:18:34,120 --> 00:18:40,680 So let me say this, if death is the end, if it's the end, then 349 00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:43,520 you would be a fool not to live to enjoy the moment. 350 00:18:44,240 --> 00:18:52,200 But if death is a door, then you would be a fool to live only to 351 00:18:52,200 --> 00:18:56,240 enjoy the moment. Now if the resurrection is true, 352 00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:02,720 if Jesus walked out of a grave, that changes everything. 353 00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:07,240 If the resurrection is true, you don't have to self preserve 354 00:19:07,360 --> 00:19:10,520 because ultimately if your faith is in Christ, you win. 355 00:19:11,360 --> 00:19:14,320 The resurrection actually gives you something that hedonism 356 00:19:14,320 --> 00:19:17,120 cannot. It gives you the ability to live 357 00:19:17,120 --> 00:19:21,040 and enjoy life without fear. You don't have to be afraid of 358 00:19:21,040 --> 00:19:25,040 any kind of risk or opposition, even if it goes to worst case 359 00:19:25,040 --> 00:19:26,600 scenario. Jesus died. 360 00:19:26,640 --> 00:19:30,440 OK, man, I met with a guy that was planting churches in 361 00:19:30,440 --> 00:19:33,800 Pakistan. He's from Pakistan. 362 00:19:33,800 --> 00:19:37,080 And he asked, hey, he told me, hey, Westerners get killed over 363 00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:40,000 there because they think that they're killing Christians and 364 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:42,600 Americans at the same time. Hey, brother, would you come and 365 00:19:42,600 --> 00:19:46,120 teach us? And I'm like, OK, well, I have 366 00:19:46,120 --> 00:19:49,920 blue eyes. I'm going to stand out, man. 367 00:19:49,920 --> 00:19:51,280 If God wants me to come teach, cool. 368 00:19:51,280 --> 00:19:52,960 But I mean, is that kind of reckless? 369 00:19:53,040 --> 00:19:57,040 And this was his response. Brother, if you die, you die. 370 00:20:01,960 --> 00:20:05,840 But he's right, isn't he? If the resurrection is true, why 371 00:20:05,840 --> 00:20:08,080 do you have to fear that? Why do you have to fear risk 372 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:10,720 your opposition? Why do you have to fear missing 373 00:20:10,720 --> 00:20:11,400 out? You don't. 374 00:20:11,480 --> 00:20:13,240 You don't even have to fear death. 375 00:20:13,440 --> 00:20:17,640 In fact, death is one of the ways that you know, you know at 376 00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:20,600 your core that the resurrection is actually true. 377 00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:24,760 And the way you know it's true is by how we all feel about 378 00:20:24,760 --> 00:20:27,400 death. Like there's, there's sadness, 379 00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:29,280 right? There's there's grief whenever 380 00:20:29,280 --> 00:20:32,000 we go to a funeral or you see a tragic death on the news, 381 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:33,880 there's, there's sadness and grief to that. 382 00:20:33,960 --> 00:20:36,600 Why? It's because we all know at our 383 00:20:36,600 --> 00:20:38,800 core that this isn't the way it's supposed to be. 384 00:20:39,320 --> 00:20:41,920 See, you and I have bought into a lie that we've been told our 385 00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:44,760 entire lives. And usually this lie has been 386 00:20:44,760 --> 00:20:47,480 told out of good intentions. It's an attempt to make us feel 387 00:20:47,480 --> 00:20:49,480 better, but it's still a lie. Here it is. 388 00:20:50,520 --> 00:20:55,760 Death is a natural part of life. That's just not true. 389 00:20:57,240 --> 00:21:00,160 First of all, it's an oxymoron like death and life that they 390 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:01,960 they cannot coexist with each other. 391 00:21:02,080 --> 00:21:04,960 I cannot be dead and alive at the same time. 392 00:21:04,960 --> 00:21:10,080 That cannot happen. It's not true because there's 393 00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:11,880 nothing at all natural about death. 394 00:21:12,360 --> 00:21:14,880 Nothing at all. We weren't created to experience 395 00:21:14,880 --> 00:21:17,040 death. We were created to experience 396 00:21:17,040 --> 00:21:20,200 eternal life with God in relationship, face to face. 397 00:21:20,440 --> 00:21:22,080 There's nothing natural about death. 398 00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:24,240 It was never part of God's natural plan. 399 00:21:24,360 --> 00:21:27,000 But death is very much a part of our reality right now, is it 400 00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:29,440 not? Some of you know, this thing of 401 00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:32,480 it. Well, it's very much a part of 402 00:21:32,480 --> 00:21:37,160 our our reality today. And the reason why we experience 403 00:21:37,160 --> 00:21:40,240 it today is because we live in a world that's been broken by sin 404 00:21:40,400 --> 00:21:43,760 and in desperate need and hope of redemption and restoration. 405 00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:46,200 That's why when people quote that part of First Corinthians 406 00:21:46,200 --> 00:21:49,960 at a funeral, when they say where, where death is your 407 00:21:49,960 --> 00:21:52,880 victory, where is your sin? Man, I hate it when people do 408 00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:54,400 that. It's just taking that verse way 409 00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:56,960 out of context because I want to stand up and say this thing is 410 00:21:56,960 --> 00:22:00,240 right here. He's in the casket right there, 411 00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:02,560 she's in the casket right there. That's the thing. 412 00:22:02,640 --> 00:22:05,120 The thing of death is being removed later, but right now 413 00:22:05,120 --> 00:22:09,960 it's a part of our reality. We live in an unnatural world 414 00:22:10,280 --> 00:22:13,640 that is desperately right now waiting for redemption and 415 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:16,840 waiting for reconciliation and waiting for restoration, waiting 416 00:22:16,840 --> 00:22:19,320 to come back to the plane that God always designed for it. 417 00:22:19,520 --> 00:22:23,080 The resurrection of Jesus means that hope is valid and one day 418 00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:28,080 that hope will be realized. Knowing the death isn't the way 419 00:22:28,080 --> 00:22:32,440 things are supposed to be means we know that resurrected life is 420 00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:35,320 now. Still, you might think, OK, 421 00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:38,440 cool, Matt, that's I, I get it. But I think you're stretching it 422 00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:42,600 a bit. OK, if you want to deny the 423 00:22:42,600 --> 00:22:46,120 resurrection of Jesus, then you also have to deny history. 424 00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:50,160 The very beginning of First Corinthians 15, Paul lays out 425 00:22:50,320 --> 00:22:52,840 four different historical realities about the 426 00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:55,600 resurrection. So if you want to deny the 427 00:22:55,600 --> 00:22:59,360 resurrection of Jesus, then you have to explain these historical 428 00:22:59,360 --> 00:23:03,560 realities. If you're not a Christian, have 429 00:23:03,560 --> 00:23:06,680 the intellectual honesty to objectively look at these 430 00:23:06,680 --> 00:23:09,360 things. Don't just gloss over them or 431 00:23:09,360 --> 00:23:11,720 dismiss them, but wrestle with them. 432 00:23:12,720 --> 00:23:16,920 The truth's not, not, not scared of you poking at it or exploring 433 00:23:16,920 --> 00:23:18,600 it. If it's really true, it has 434 00:23:18,600 --> 00:23:21,800 nothing to be afraid of. So go after it, examine it, try 435 00:23:21,800 --> 00:23:24,720 to poke holes in it, look at it, wrestle with it. 436 00:23:25,120 --> 00:23:28,520 And if you are a Christian, these four realities are meant 437 00:23:28,520 --> 00:23:31,640 to encourage you. The first historical reality is 438 00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:35,840 this, the burial of Jesus. Jesus was crucified and killed 439 00:23:35,840 --> 00:23:39,760 by the Romans and then buried. This is a fact that historians 440 00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:42,200 agree on. There is no debate among 441 00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:45,560 scholars or historians about the fact that Jesus was killed by 442 00:23:45,560 --> 00:23:48,520 the Romans. The Islam would would say that 443 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:50,320 Jesus was never crucified at all. 444 00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:53,200 And then other religions would say he didn't rise from the 445 00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:54,280 dead. And then other people will 446 00:23:54,280 --> 00:23:56,720 explain this and say, OK, well, yeah, they killed him. 447 00:23:56,720 --> 00:23:59,880 But then he wasn't really dead. He revived it three days later 448 00:23:59,880 --> 00:24:02,760 in the tomb. First of all, that's just, 449 00:24:02,760 --> 00:24:06,600 that's a huge stretch #1 the Romans were experts at killing 450 00:24:06,600 --> 00:24:09,080 people. The Persians invented 451 00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:11,560 crucifixion. The Romans perfected it. 452 00:24:12,120 --> 00:24:13,360 They knew how to torture someone. 453 00:24:13,560 --> 00:24:16,400 They knew how to kill him. They were not taking someone off 454 00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:21,040 the cross unless they were dead. And then to just suddenly revive 455 00:24:21,040 --> 00:24:23,840 3 days later, you weren't really dead, you just were unconscious. 456 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:26,520 With the amount of torture and trauma Jesus went through, 457 00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:30,640 that's a medical impossibility. He was killed by the Romans. 458 00:24:30,640 --> 00:24:33,480 He was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea and then the 459 00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:35,080 Romans put guards to guard his tomb. 460 00:24:36,120 --> 00:24:39,560 Joseph was a part of the the court that condemned Jesus and 461 00:24:39,560 --> 00:24:42,000 Roman guards were not falling asleep on the job and they were 462 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:43,720 not being overtaken by fishermen. 463 00:24:44,440 --> 00:24:47,240 So if this was all a hoax, you wouldn't write that into the 464 00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:48,880 story because nobody would have believed you. 465 00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:52,120 He was killed and he was buried, which leads to the second 466 00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:54,640 historical reality, the empty tomb. 467 00:24:56,320 --> 00:24:59,920 On day three, Jesus's tomb was empty. 468 00:25:00,880 --> 00:25:03,040 Everybody at the time agreed on that. 469 00:25:03,880 --> 00:25:06,320 Nobody said, oh, wait, hold up, hold up. 470 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:10,080 Jesus is right here. We just got the wrong tomb. 471 00:25:10,080 --> 00:25:12,240 My bad. Like that didn't happen. 472 00:25:12,880 --> 00:25:15,280 The tomb was empty. It was completely empty. 473 00:25:15,880 --> 00:25:18,880 So it was empty either by means of resurrection, which was the 474 00:25:18,880 --> 00:25:23,440 claim of hundreds of people at the time, or it was empty by 475 00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:25,160 other means. And you have to come up with an 476 00:25:25,160 --> 00:25:28,840 explanation of those means. There have been so many 477 00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:32,880 different attempts to explain why the tomb was empty besides 478 00:25:32,880 --> 00:25:36,000 resurrection, and none of them come close to holding water. 479 00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:40,160 On top of that, the empty tomb was first found by women. 480 00:25:40,920 --> 00:25:44,320 Here's why that matters. In the 1st century, women's 481 00:25:44,320 --> 00:25:46,160 testimony was not permissible in courts. 482 00:25:46,960 --> 00:25:50,240 So if you were making this whole story up, you would never say 483 00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:53,000 that your first, your first eyewitnesses were a group of 484 00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:54,880 people that couldn't testify to it. 485 00:25:55,640 --> 00:25:58,680 You would have lost credibility to the resurrection claim, which 486 00:25:58,680 --> 00:26:01,160 is a big claim, right, To claim that somebody rose from the 487 00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:03,040 dead. You would have lost credibility 488 00:26:03,040 --> 00:26:05,720 for that claim immediately. If you would have said that 489 00:26:05,720 --> 00:26:08,640 women found the tomb first, you would have never said that 490 00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:14,560 unless it was true. Because if it's true, who cares 491 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:17,160 who found him? The story is the guy's alive and 492 00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:20,920 he's not here anymore. Which leads to the third reality 493 00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:25,520 post resurrection appearances. Paul says that after the 494 00:26:25,520 --> 00:26:29,240 resurrection, Jesus appeared to Peter, then the 12 apostles, 495 00:26:29,360 --> 00:26:34,040 then to more than 500 people at the same time, then to James, 496 00:26:34,200 --> 00:26:37,520 and then to Paul. He's saying Jesus appeared to so 497 00:26:37,520 --> 00:26:39,400 many different people after the resurrection. 498 00:26:39,640 --> 00:26:42,560 Most of them are still alive. So if you don't believe me on 499 00:26:42,560 --> 00:26:44,680 this, and I get it, if you don't believe me, if you think I'm 500 00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:47,920 crazy, if you think I'm lying, go ask them. 501 00:26:48,120 --> 00:26:50,040 They're still alive. They would love to tell you. 502 00:26:51,360 --> 00:26:54,600 And then there's the fourth reality, the reactions of the 503 00:26:54,600 --> 00:26:58,120 other disciples, like here's what here's what happens. 504 00:26:58,120 --> 00:27:01,840 Like the way the disciples reacted after the resurrection 505 00:27:01,840 --> 00:27:05,920 of Jesus is one of the things that is always, this is the one 506 00:27:05,920 --> 00:27:07,280 of the things that's always grabbed me. 507 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:10,920 Here's what goes down. The 12 were killed in some 508 00:27:10,920 --> 00:27:13,080 pretty brutal ways, except for John. 509 00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:15,720 They tried to kill John by dipping him in boiling oil. 510 00:27:15,920 --> 00:27:17,440 He didn't die. So that kind of freaked 511 00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:19,680 everybody out and they just marooned him on an island. 512 00:27:20,760 --> 00:27:23,280 So the other eleven were killed in brutal ways. 513 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:27,200 Most of them were given the opportunity to denounce Jesus 514 00:27:27,480 --> 00:27:29,160 and stop preaching the resurrection. 515 00:27:29,240 --> 00:27:31,640 You can save your own life if you stop talking about this 516 00:27:31,760 --> 00:27:34,200 Jesus walking out of a grave. They all refuse to. 517 00:27:35,160 --> 00:27:39,040 Every single one of them willingly chose death instead of 518 00:27:39,200 --> 00:27:41,880 stop. Stop talking about Jesus being 519 00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:44,600 resurrected. Now here's my question with 520 00:27:44,600 --> 00:27:49,480 that. Why would you die for something 521 00:27:49,480 --> 00:27:54,920 that you knew was a lie? The disciples had first hand 522 00:27:54,920 --> 00:27:57,840 knowledge. They would have absolutely known 523 00:27:57,960 --> 00:28:00,520 whether the resurrection was true or the whole thing was a 524 00:28:00,520 --> 00:28:02,200 lie. They were even accused of 525 00:28:02,200 --> 00:28:05,040 stealing the body. So if they were stealing the 526 00:28:05,040 --> 00:28:06,600 body, they know the whole thing's a lie. 527 00:28:07,760 --> 00:28:10,680 Like why would you do that? Especially when you don't get 528 00:28:10,680 --> 00:28:12,360 anything in this life from that lie. 529 00:28:12,520 --> 00:28:15,760 They didn't gain financially or politically or socially from 530 00:28:15,760 --> 00:28:18,120 this lie. In fact, they lost everything. 531 00:28:18,120 --> 00:28:20,480 It was the opposite. They lost everything, including 532 00:28:20,480 --> 00:28:22,080 their lives. So you're telling me they would 533 00:28:22,360 --> 00:28:25,880 willingly give up everything, including their lives in brutal 534 00:28:25,880 --> 00:28:28,520 ways for something they knew for a fact was a lie? 535 00:28:29,360 --> 00:28:32,040 People will die for stuff they believe in all the time. 536 00:28:32,040 --> 00:28:35,160 That happens all the time. Nobody dies for something they 537 00:28:35,160 --> 00:28:39,080 know for a fact is a lie. So the only logical explanation 538 00:28:39,080 --> 00:28:44,640 is to give up everything to lose your life. 539 00:28:45,840 --> 00:28:47,520 It's because they saw the resurrect of Jesus. 540 00:28:47,880 --> 00:28:50,600 They saw him, they heard him, they touched him. 541 00:28:52,640 --> 00:28:57,840 If the resurrection is true, everything they lost, everything 542 00:28:57,840 --> 00:29:02,080 they went through, everything that you're going through right 543 00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:06,040 now, everything you've struggled through in the past, and the 544 00:29:06,040 --> 00:29:08,240 opposition you're going to face in the future for following 545 00:29:08,280 --> 00:29:10,760 Jesus because the resurrection is true. 546 00:29:11,400 --> 00:29:17,320 It's all worth it, those historical realities that change 547 00:29:17,320 --> 00:29:21,520 the reality of history. So because of what Jesus has 548 00:29:21,520 --> 00:29:26,200 done, here's the truth. This life is the closest that 549 00:29:26,200 --> 00:29:29,920 some people will ever come to hell, and that's great news. 550 00:29:30,960 --> 00:29:34,800 But at the same time, this life is the closest some people will 551 00:29:34,800 --> 00:29:37,960 ever come to heaven. That's terrifying. 552 00:29:39,560 --> 00:29:41,040 It all comes down to the resurrection. 553 00:29:42,880 --> 00:29:46,600 Do you believe it? And if you really believe it, 554 00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:50,120 it's going to show up in the way that you live. 555 00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:55,520 Here's how Paul, Paul ends first Corinthians 15 verse 51. 556 00:29:55,880 --> 00:30:01,440 Therefore, my brothers, stand firm, let nothing move. 557 00:30:01,440 --> 00:30:05,560 You always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord because 558 00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:09,800 guys, because you know that your labor and the Lord is not in 559 00:30:09,800 --> 00:30:11,880 vain. So how do you live like that 560 00:30:11,880 --> 00:30:14,760 right now? Go back to the beginning of 15. 561 00:30:15,840 --> 00:30:19,080 You got to remember what's of first importance, because 562 00:30:19,080 --> 00:30:23,200 whatever's of first importance to you will drive the way that 563 00:30:23,200 --> 00:30:25,960 you live. I mean, just look at yourself. 564 00:30:26,800 --> 00:30:29,280 I mean, what you do, how you live, what comes out of your 565 00:30:29,280 --> 00:30:32,680 mouth, what you spend your money on, what you do with your money, 566 00:30:32,800 --> 00:30:34,960 what you do when nobody is looking. 567 00:30:35,160 --> 00:30:38,880 Take all of that into account. And what would other people say 568 00:30:38,880 --> 00:30:42,760 is of first importance to you? Ask somebody who knows you 569 00:30:42,760 --> 00:30:45,000 really well and loves you enough to tell you the truth. 570 00:30:45,600 --> 00:30:48,680 Would they say you live like you believe in the resurrection and 571 00:30:48,680 --> 00:30:50,440 that you believe Jesus is the Son of God? 572 00:30:50,560 --> 00:30:52,800 Would they say you live like you've been resurrected 573 00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:55,360 yourself? Or would they say you're living 574 00:30:55,360 --> 00:30:59,600 like a zombie? Zombies are walking around, but 575 00:30:59,600 --> 00:31:02,440 they're still dead. Ephesians 2 says this. 576 00:31:02,440 --> 00:31:04,800 This is also Paul. He says you are dead in your 577 00:31:04,800 --> 00:31:07,640 transgressions and sin in which you used to live when you follow 578 00:31:07,640 --> 00:31:11,640 the ways of the world. But this is a great but but 579 00:31:11,640 --> 00:31:16,280 because of his great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, He 580 00:31:16,280 --> 00:31:18,800 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in our 581 00:31:18,800 --> 00:31:21,440 transgressions. It is by grace you have been 582 00:31:21,440 --> 00:31:25,480 saved through faith. Are you living like you're 583 00:31:25,480 --> 00:31:26,880 saved? Are you living like you're still 584 00:31:26,880 --> 00:31:28,920 dead? Are you living like the 585 00:31:28,920 --> 00:31:30,840 resurrection really happened and you believe it? 586 00:31:31,760 --> 00:31:33,960 If the resurrection didn't happen, then believing in this 587 00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:35,720 whole Jesus thing, that's for fools. 588 00:31:35,840 --> 00:31:39,120 But because it did happen, because the resurrection of 589 00:31:39,240 --> 00:31:42,880 Jesus is true, and it's the event in history that changes 590 00:31:42,880 --> 00:31:44,680 everything, Don't live like a fool. 591 00:31:44,680 --> 00:31:48,040 Live like it's real. And because it's real, it 592 00:31:48,040 --> 00:31:51,920 requires a response from us. Jesus has given us victory over 593 00:31:51,920 --> 00:31:54,520 death because of what he did on the cross and then walked out of 594 00:31:54,520 --> 00:31:56,120 a grave. Because he's given you that 595 00:31:56,120 --> 00:31:58,680 victory. We win, so we live like we win. 596 00:31:59,480 --> 00:32:01,240 Maybe this whole church thing is brand new to you. 597 00:32:01,240 --> 00:32:03,600 Maybe you've never walked in into a church before. 598 00:32:03,600 --> 00:32:06,880 So let me say it as clearly and as simply as I possibly can. 599 00:32:08,000 --> 00:32:10,560 We have broken our relationship with the Creator of the 600 00:32:10,560 --> 00:32:12,280 universe. There is one God and he is 601 00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:14,280 alive. He made us in his image and he 602 00:32:14,280 --> 00:32:17,640 created us to have eternal life in relationship with him, but we 603 00:32:17,640 --> 00:32:20,680 rejected him and we broke that relationship with our own sin. 604 00:32:20,840 --> 00:32:23,640 I hate to break it to you, but you and I, we're all sinners 605 00:32:23,720 --> 00:32:26,080 like we just saw. That's the truth and there's 606 00:32:26,080 --> 00:32:28,560 nothing we can do to make it up. We can't earn our way back to 607 00:32:28,560 --> 00:32:30,200 God. We can't pay for that sin. 608 00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:33,240 But God being so rich in mercy because he's so good and he 609 00:32:33,240 --> 00:32:35,320 loves us so much, He says, guys, I got this. 610 00:32:35,560 --> 00:32:38,000 I'm going to send my my son. He's going to live the perfect 611 00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:39,920 life you were meant to live, but you could never live it. 612 00:32:40,120 --> 00:32:42,720 Then he's going to pay for your sins by being nailed to a tree. 613 00:32:42,800 --> 00:32:46,800 And then three days later he's going to prove that he is God by 614 00:32:46,800 --> 00:32:49,120 walking out of a grave on the cross. 615 00:32:49,400 --> 00:32:52,320 Jesus wrote a check for your sins, and at the resurrection 616 00:32:52,400 --> 00:32:56,080 that check cleared. Now we get to respond in faith. 617 00:32:56,080 --> 00:32:58,520 I'm putting my faith in Christ and I'm going to follow Him. 618 00:32:58,640 --> 00:33:00,080 It doesn't mean I've made anything up. 619 00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:01,280 It doesn't mean I have all the answers. 620 00:33:01,400 --> 00:33:04,000 I haven't cleaned myself up. I'm not trying to clean myself 621 00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:05,520 up. I'm not let Jesus do that for 622 00:33:05,520 --> 00:33:07,880 me, but I'm going to follow Him in faith and obedience. 623 00:33:08,400 --> 00:33:10,920 So if I can say what the Christian life is as simply as I 624 00:33:10,920 --> 00:33:13,800 can to anybody who's brand new to all of this, the Christian 625 00:33:13,800 --> 00:33:18,240 life is this Know Jesus, love Jesus, obey Jesus. 626 00:33:18,440 --> 00:33:20,640 The more you know him, the more you're going to love Him. 627 00:33:20,720 --> 00:33:22,520 The more you love him, the more you're going to obey Him. 628 00:33:22,600 --> 00:33:24,720 And the more you obey him, the more he will reveal more of 629 00:33:24,720 --> 00:33:26,680 himself to you. So you'll know him even more. 630 00:33:26,760 --> 00:33:29,320 You'll love him even more than you'll want to obey Him anymore 631 00:33:29,640 --> 00:33:31,440 even more. It just keeps going round and 632 00:33:31,440 --> 00:33:33,480 round and deeper and deeper and deeper and deeper. 633 00:33:33,560 --> 00:33:35,120 And there are people in this room right now. 634 00:33:35,240 --> 00:33:38,600 When you interact with them, you say they're different, they look 635 00:33:38,600 --> 00:33:40,800 like Jesus, they're bearing all kinds of spiritual fruit, 636 00:33:40,920 --> 00:33:43,280 they're making disciples, they're humble, they're 637 00:33:43,280 --> 00:33:44,600 servants. I want to be like them. 638 00:33:44,720 --> 00:33:46,840 It's because they know Jesus, they love them and they obey 639 00:33:46,840 --> 00:33:48,440 them, and that's what this church is doing. 640 00:33:48,560 --> 00:33:51,880 You can be a part of that. It requires a response. 641 00:33:52,800 --> 00:33:55,200 So if today you want to put your faith in Jesus, you come 642 00:33:55,200 --> 00:33:59,160 forward, you confess sin to God, not to somebody else. 643 00:34:00,240 --> 00:34:02,320 You confess sin to God because he's the one that paid for your 644 00:34:02,320 --> 00:34:04,200 sin. You repent. 645 00:34:05,080 --> 00:34:07,400 Repentance is gets a bad rap in our culture. 646 00:34:07,600 --> 00:34:09,760 It's actually one of the greatest gifts that God gives 647 00:34:09,760 --> 00:34:11,719 us. Repentance is freedom that he 648 00:34:11,719 --> 00:34:13,600 gives to you. It just means to turn around and 649 00:34:13,600 --> 00:34:16,960 run away from your sin. And then maybe you get baptized. 650 00:34:17,120 --> 00:34:19,719 Baptism is that next step. Baptism is a picture of you 651 00:34:19,719 --> 00:34:22,880 putting your faith in Christ, dying to yourself, being buried 652 00:34:22,880 --> 00:34:25,000 with Christ. That's why we go under the water 653 00:34:25,120 --> 00:34:28,159 and then being resurrected as a new creation with Christ. 654 00:34:28,480 --> 00:34:30,560 That's Romans 6 and 2nd Corinthians 5. 655 00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:35,000 Maybe that's your response. And then if you are a follower 656 00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:38,840 of Christ, the way we respond to the resurrection, besides 657 00:34:38,840 --> 00:34:41,760 obedience and following in faith, man, we worship. 658 00:34:42,719 --> 00:34:44,639 This church has a culture of worship. 659 00:34:45,280 --> 00:34:47,719 So when we get up here and worship again, sell out. 660 00:34:48,560 --> 00:34:50,040 You're not performing for anybody else. 661 00:34:50,280 --> 00:34:52,719 You're singing to him. You're praising him because man, 662 00:34:52,719 --> 00:34:56,159 I was dead in my transgressions. I was dead in my sin, but now I 663 00:34:56,159 --> 00:34:59,080 am alive in Christ because not what I've done, but because what 664 00:34:59,160 --> 00:35:01,280 Jesus has done with me. What a gift. 665 00:35:02,600 --> 00:35:05,720 So think about that and how you respond as we enter into a time 666 00:35:05,720 --> 00:35:13,880 of decision. You just heard a very simple 667 00:35:13,880 --> 00:35:17,240 depiction of what the good news is, the gospel of Jesus Christ. 668 00:35:17,480 --> 00:35:20,120 We win, all right? I mean, can we just claim that 669 00:35:20,120 --> 00:35:23,080 for a, for just a little bit, whether you're online or in this 670 00:35:23,080 --> 00:35:26,000 room, we win. We win because of Jesus Christ. 671 00:35:26,680 --> 00:35:29,640 Here's what he's done so far. You've heard he's victorious 672 00:35:29,640 --> 00:35:32,360 over sin. He your sin and my sin. 673 00:35:32,360 --> 00:35:35,200 He's victorious over shame. Whatever shame you may have 674 00:35:35,200 --> 00:35:37,800 carried into this room or wherever you're watching from, 675 00:35:37,960 --> 00:35:40,720 he's victorious over it. You can't take it with you any 676 00:35:40,720 --> 00:35:43,280 longer. He's victorious over death and 677 00:35:43,280 --> 00:35:46,920 he's victorious over the grave. Nothing could hold Jesus down. 678 00:35:46,920 --> 00:35:49,520 And and he has the power over it all. 679 00:35:49,880 --> 00:35:52,760 And for those of us in this room and watching online, we've never 680 00:35:52,760 --> 00:35:55,600 started an intimate personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 681 00:35:55,600 --> 00:35:59,760 Listen, if I could have a moment where we could just get outside 682 00:35:59,760 --> 00:36:02,200 of this room, or even if it took place in this room, if I could 683 00:36:02,200 --> 00:36:06,000 just sit across a table from you, or if I could just look at 684 00:36:06,000 --> 00:36:10,120 you, look in your eyes, I would simply just say this. 685 00:36:11,880 --> 00:36:18,760 Stop messing around with this. Stop playing with fire. 686 00:36:19,320 --> 00:36:22,760 If you're walking outside a relationship with Jesus, listen, 687 00:36:22,760 --> 00:36:28,000 come to him today, lay whatever you've been trying to run away 688 00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:30,040 from and just lay it down before him. 689 00:36:31,320 --> 00:36:36,840 That statement that Matt was kind of referring to, and I was 690 00:36:36,840 --> 00:36:39,280 just kind of listening to it. I was thinking about friends and 691 00:36:39,280 --> 00:36:43,080 family who are far from God, those who aren't walking inside 692 00:36:43,080 --> 00:36:45,720 that relationship with Jesus. I'm thinking of some of you in 693 00:36:45,720 --> 00:36:49,280 this room who may you've been coming for a while, but you're 694 00:36:49,280 --> 00:36:53,400 just, you're far from God. And you hear that, that this, 695 00:36:53,440 --> 00:36:58,400 this life, this is the closest that you or my friends and my 696 00:36:58,400 --> 00:37:00,400 family may ever experience heaven. 697 00:37:00,400 --> 00:37:04,360 And can we just for a little bit just think the gravity of that 698 00:37:04,360 --> 00:37:09,360 situation? But it doesn't have to be that 699 00:37:09,360 --> 00:37:12,680 way. This life is is so temporary, 700 00:37:12,680 --> 00:37:16,400 it's so short. And I want every single one of 701 00:37:16,400 --> 00:37:17,760 you. I want all my loved ones. 702 00:37:17,760 --> 00:37:21,680 I want all my, even my enemies. I want every single person that 703 00:37:21,680 --> 00:37:24,960 listens to my voice. I want you to be able to call in 704 00:37:24,960 --> 00:37:26,240 the name of the Lord to be saved. 705 00:37:26,240 --> 00:37:29,840 That is why we do this invitation every single week. 706 00:37:29,920 --> 00:37:33,200 We give a people an opportunity just to respond to what Jesus 707 00:37:33,200 --> 00:37:36,640 has called them to. Scripture says in Romans chapter 708 00:37:36,640 --> 00:37:40,840 10 for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 709 00:37:42,120 --> 00:37:45,040 And it's not like, Hey, you might be if you call on the name 710 00:37:45,040 --> 00:37:48,680 of the Lord or hey, you could be, it says you will be saved. 711 00:37:49,880 --> 00:37:53,040 And so the invitation is very simple. 712 00:37:53,040 --> 00:37:55,280 And I want to make sure it's as direct as possible. 713 00:37:56,480 --> 00:37:58,880 You don't you're not saved because of what you've done. 714 00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:01,280 You're saved when you call on the name of Jesus. 715 00:38:01,280 --> 00:38:03,400 And that is the opportunity we have. 716 00:38:03,400 --> 00:38:08,400 So if you're in this room, you're watching online, now is 717 00:38:08,400 --> 00:38:10,480 going to be a good time or you're going to start maybe 718 00:38:10,640 --> 00:38:13,080 praying to the Lord. Maybe you're starting to call on 719 00:38:13,080 --> 00:38:15,040 his name right now. Jesus, I need you. 720 00:38:15,520 --> 00:38:18,480 But if you have questions in this room, we have a couple 721 00:38:18,480 --> 00:38:20,480 pastors are going to be up by the baptistry underneath the 722 00:38:20,480 --> 00:38:21,800 screen. They would love to answer any 723 00:38:21,800 --> 00:38:24,320 questions that you may have, maybe things you're wrestling 724 00:38:24,320 --> 00:38:26,120 with. Maybe you just need prayer. 725 00:38:26,120 --> 00:38:28,320 Maybe you just need to figure out what is your next step. 726 00:38:28,320 --> 00:38:30,600 I'm going to encourage you when the music starts and people 727 00:38:30,600 --> 00:38:33,400 start standing up and starting to sing, maybe you'll just take 728 00:38:33,600 --> 00:38:35,080 some steps and you'll just talk to them. 729 00:38:35,080 --> 00:38:37,400 Or if you're online, there's a chat host that's there and 730 00:38:37,400 --> 00:38:39,840 there's probably a link that's coming up right now in your chat 731 00:38:39,840 --> 00:38:42,840 where you just click it and you can connect with someone in this 732 00:38:42,840 --> 00:38:44,240 moment. But don't miss it. 733 00:38:44,880 --> 00:38:48,800 Don't complicate it. Everyone who calls on the name 734 00:38:48,800 --> 00:38:51,560 of the Lord will be saved. Call on his name, Jesus. 735 00:38:52,400 --> 00:38:56,760 For the rest of us in this room online, those of us who have put 736 00:38:56,760 --> 00:39:01,000 our trust and we are following Jesus, let's just take a moment 737 00:39:01,280 --> 00:39:03,120 and be encouraged again. Yes, we win. 738 00:39:03,120 --> 00:39:06,120 There's there's victory through Jesus and we've claimed that. 739 00:39:06,840 --> 00:39:10,880 But be encouraged by who you're chasing after, who you're 740 00:39:10,880 --> 00:39:13,320 following, how you're surrendering, how you're being 741 00:39:13,320 --> 00:39:18,400 obedient, how you love Jesus. It's worth it, it's worth it. 742 00:39:18,960 --> 00:39:22,720 Don't grow weary and doing good. Keep the faith, keep going. 743 00:39:22,920 --> 00:39:25,480 Don't give up. Don't let the world divide you. 744 00:39:25,480 --> 00:39:28,400 James Ford says man, don't be friends with the world because 745 00:39:28,400 --> 00:39:31,400 that makes you an enemy of God. We don't need to have both feet 746 00:39:31,400 --> 00:39:34,640 in both waters, man. Just be all in for Jesus. 747 00:39:34,640 --> 00:39:37,280 Continue to imitate him. Continue to deny yourself. 748 00:39:37,440 --> 00:39:41,760 Remember that you were bought at a price and He's the truth. 749 00:39:43,240 --> 00:39:47,280 And seek Him every single day, not just here, not just on 750 00:39:47,280 --> 00:39:51,240 Sunday mornings. So as always, these steps are 751 00:39:51,240 --> 00:39:54,600 open for all of us. There's nothing special about 752 00:39:54,600 --> 00:39:55,840 them. But it's an opportunity for us 753 00:39:55,840 --> 00:39:58,600 to just come lay down some things before Him, humble 754 00:39:58,600 --> 00:40:01,920 ourselves before Him, come close to Him and His promise and His 755 00:40:01,920 --> 00:40:03,680 word. And James also says he'll come 756 00:40:03,680 --> 00:40:08,800 close to you as we moved closer and closer to Thanksgiving. 757 00:40:08,840 --> 00:40:10,560 Maybe you're like me. You're starting to think about 758 00:40:10,560 --> 00:40:12,240 it. You're starting to think about 759 00:40:12,240 --> 00:40:15,080 the people who are going to sit around your table, the family 760 00:40:15,080 --> 00:40:16,840 you look forward to seeing every year. 761 00:40:17,480 --> 00:40:20,720 You know what conversations are about to come, but I want you to 762 00:40:20,720 --> 00:40:22,400 think about those who are far from God. 763 00:40:23,000 --> 00:40:25,840 Maybe during this time you start praying for those conversations, 764 00:40:25,840 --> 00:40:28,720 lifting their names up to the Lord and saying, Lord, would you 765 00:40:28,720 --> 00:40:30,440 give me a boldness this Thanksgiving? 766 00:40:31,400 --> 00:40:33,760 Don't let me be shy. Don't let me just go away from 767 00:40:33,760 --> 00:40:36,960 my faith. Let me proclaim it and ask God 768 00:40:37,160 --> 00:40:40,720 to let you share that good news. This Thanksgiving, we win 769 00:40:41,280 --> 00:40:43,040 because Jesus defeated the grave. 770 00:40:43,760 --> 00:40:46,120 We win because He defeated death. 771 00:40:46,600 --> 00:40:49,280 We win because He defeated your sins. 772 00:40:49,920 --> 00:40:52,600 He defeated my sins. And because of that, we have 773 00:40:52,680 --> 00:40:55,240 every reason to praise His name. So that's what we're going to do 774 00:40:55,240 --> 00:40:56,320 right now. Would you stand with me? 775 00:40:56,520 --> 00:41:00,200 We're going to praise His name. He is worthy, He is worthy of it 776 00:41:00,200 --> 00:41:02,160 all. Jesus, right now we lift up your 777 00:41:02,160 --> 00:41:04,400 name. We we give you thanks, We give 778 00:41:04,400 --> 00:41:06,040 you praise. God, thank you for the 779 00:41:06,040 --> 00:41:08,280 resurrection. Thank you for what you did. 780 00:41:08,280 --> 00:41:11,280 Lord, you didn't stay in a grave, You didn't stay in there, 781 00:41:11,280 --> 00:41:14,960 but you rose from the dead. You walked and you defeated 782 00:41:14,960 --> 00:41:18,600 death once and for all. And Jesus, I pray for that 783 00:41:18,600 --> 00:41:21,280 person, those people in this room, the people listening to my 784 00:41:21,280 --> 00:41:23,960 voice right now who have not claimed victory through your Son 785 00:41:24,000 --> 00:41:26,400 Jesus yet. I pray right now they call on 786 00:41:26,400 --> 00:41:28,960 your name. Lord, I pray for victory in 787 00:41:28,960 --> 00:41:31,280 their life. I pray, Lord, for, for just 788 00:41:31,440 --> 00:41:34,280 freedom in their life that they've been in bondage, they've 789 00:41:34,280 --> 00:41:36,440 been in sin. And Lord, you can free them from 790 00:41:36,440 --> 00:41:38,400 all of that. It is all because of what you've 791 00:41:38,400 --> 00:41:41,120 done on their behalf. And so God, during this time for 792 00:41:41,120 --> 00:41:43,400 us, the rest of us, let us humble ourselves before you. 793 00:41:43,400 --> 00:41:46,400 Let us sing praises to you. Oh, praise the name. 794 00:41:46,680 --> 00:41:49,080 Oh, praise the name. King Jesus, we love you and pray 795 00:41:49,080 --> 00:41:50,880 all this in your name, Amen.