1 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:06,400 Amen. Someone say thank you Lord, 2 00:00:07,360 --> 00:00:09,000 Amen. He is good today. 3 00:00:09,560 --> 00:00:12,280 Amen And I'll echo my wife's words. 4 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:16,239 It's a good see yes, Hunter and McKenzie and they have two like 5 00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:19,960 visible but one invisible for my understanding on the way. 6 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:22,600 Amen. And so we're so happy for them. 7 00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:25,960 Amen with that and that sword. And Zoe, of course, has been 8 00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:29,720 adopted into their family now and carry the Adam's name. 9 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:33,600 And now they're having another, another atoms. 10 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:38,280 Can the world, can the world endure another atoms? 11 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:41,640 I'm sure they can. Kevin told me this morning that 12 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:43,920 that's just the way it works with their family, you know. 13 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:46,400 And so we're glad to see him this morning too. 14 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:49,400 Carol, it's good to see you rather than your little face 15 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:51,200 like in a bubble popping up online. 16 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:54,560 It's good to see you and in person and, and be able to shake 17 00:00:54,560 --> 00:00:57,720 your hand this morning. So glad to be in God's house. 18 00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:01,720 I'm going to be turning to the Gospel of John today, the Gospel 19 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:05,080 of John chapter #20 and I'm going to read a few verses of 20 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:09,520 Scripture, maybe a little bit more lengthy reading than than 21 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:13,400 typical, but John 20 verses 1:00 and 2:00. 22 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:17,600 And then I'm going to skip down to verse #11 this morning, Amen. 23 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:20,480 We're thankful we're able to gather today, Amen. 24 00:01:20,480 --> 00:01:24,360 Because of the Lord, we have religious privileges all across 25 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:28,640 this land today, Amen, For people to exercise their faith, 26 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:30,880 Amen. And we're able to do that this 27 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:33,960 morning. Our, our God is not in a grave 28 00:01:33,960 --> 00:01:36,560 and a tomb. If you go visit there unlike any 29 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:41,520 other that others may worship, He's not there, He's not there. 30 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:44,880 The tomb is indeed empty, and we're appreciative today of that 31 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:48,600 John chapter #20 and verse #1. The Bible says the first day of 32 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:54,320 the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, and 33 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:57,800 to the sepulchre, and see if the stone taken away from the 34 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:01,080 sepulchre. Then she runeth and cometh to 35 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:04,920 Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and 36 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:08,280 saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the 37 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:11,720 sepulcher, and we know not where they have laid him. 38 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:15,400 For verses 3 through 10, it will talk about Peter and John 39 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:18,360 running to the tomb and what they witness, and perhaps we'll 40 00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:19,800 touch on that just a little bit later. 41 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:21,920 But verse #11 continuing with Mary. 42 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:25,800 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre, weeping. 43 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:28,560 And as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the 44 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:32,680 sepulchre, and see if 2 angels in white sitting, the one on the 45 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:36,480 head, the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had 46 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:38,320 lain. And they saw. 47 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:41,320 And they say, rather unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? 48 00:02:41,720 --> 00:02:45,400 She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, 49 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:47,800 and I know not where they have laid him. 50 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:51,520 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back and saw 51 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:54,880 Jesus standing, knew not that it was Jesus. 52 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:57,880 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? 53 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:00,960 Whom seekest thou she's supposing him to be? 54 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:04,920 The gardener said unto him, Sir, if thou hath borne him hence, 55 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:09,120 tell me where thou has laid him, and I will take him away. 56 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:14,120 Jesus saith unto her, Mary, she turned herself, and saith unto 57 00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:19,960 him, Rabbini, which is to say, Master, a little while this 58 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:23,760 morning on this resurrection Sunday, want to minister with 59 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:26,840 this subject, and it is in question form. 60 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:30,080 What will you do with the empty tomb? 61 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:34,520 What will you do with the empty tomb? 62 00:03:34,960 --> 00:03:36,400 Amen. I'm going to ask God to help us 63 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:39,520 in the next few moments. Father, we need you today, God. 64 00:03:39,520 --> 00:03:42,560 We're thankful, Lord, for the opportunity to celebrate. 65 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:44,680 God. We have gathered together, Lord, 66 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:48,600 with that mindset of celebration and Thanksgiving and gratitude 67 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:50,240 today. I pray you would touch our 68 00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:54,120 hearts and minds this morning. Let that living word, I pray, O 69 00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:56,520 God, express itself to us in such a way. 70 00:03:56,800 --> 00:03:59,920 God that we can understand, God that we can glean something, 71 00:03:59,920 --> 00:04:02,120 Lord, from the story and from Scripture. 72 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:05,840 God, that will help Lord enrich and embedder our lives by the 73 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:10,080 power of the Holy Ghost. I pray today in Jesus name a man 74 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:13,480 and you may be seated today in Jesus name. 75 00:04:16,959 --> 00:04:20,279 There is this morning, and I believe all of us have probably 76 00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:25,160 had that experience of where your feet are standing at a 77 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:30,120 place where soil has just freshly been turned to over. 78 00:04:30,120 --> 00:04:35,320 There's a unique power in standing before a tomb or before 79 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:38,160 a grave. It it brings finality. 80 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:42,880 It speaks speaks of endings. There's a lot of whispers of 81 00:04:42,880 --> 00:04:46,440 loss and whispers of absence whenever your feet are standing 82 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:49,720 at a grave. A tomb is tombs where we lay to 83 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:52,080 rest. What we can can no longer be 84 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:54,960 fixed, right? It's whenever everyone has shook 85 00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:59,560 their head, all the measures have been taken in order to try 86 00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:04,720 to help to fix, repair, whatever it may have been that caused 87 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:07,080 that moment. And so it's that place where we 88 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:11,880 lay that to rest, where with all the other efforts now have been 89 00:05:12,040 --> 00:05:14,800 exhausted. It's where we go when when the 90 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:18,640 fight is over and when hope seems to be extinct. 91 00:05:18,720 --> 00:05:21,120 Distinguished. Our feet are found at that 92 00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:23,200 grave. Nothing else can be said. 93 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:27,400 I often say that as I stand at a graveside service that I know 94 00:05:27,400 --> 00:05:30,400 that there's nothing else that can be sad or nothing else that 95 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:33,680 can be done. It's not necessarily thought of 96 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:38,760 as being a place for beginnings or the place of fresh starts. 97 00:05:38,760 --> 00:05:42,800 It's it's, it's a punctuation mark of a period at the end of 98 00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:47,080 the sentence in many regards. It's where some even quote UN 99 00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:50,640 quote bury their dreams. It's where we set there and we 100 00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:56,240 hug next and we shed tears and we say our goodbyes to what was 101 00:05:56,240 --> 00:06:00,400 and we brace ourselves to live without what we've lost. 102 00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:04,080 It's why it's why tombs and those things can be so uneasy 103 00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:07,000 sometimes. Graves can be things that can 104 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:10,600 almost make us tremble as we walk out upon that sacred 105 00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:16,840 ground, because it reminds us of our limits, reminds us that us 106 00:06:16,840 --> 00:06:20,840 too may perhaps have a day of an appointment with a grave. 107 00:06:21,080 --> 00:06:25,160 And it confronts us, really confronts us with all of our our 108 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:27,880 helplessness, with all the strength that we think and 109 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:32,200 thought we had in that moment. It seems like just not enough. 110 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:37,400 It's the silence of a grave that sometimes can even scream louder 111 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:39,120 than the words. Hey, it's over. 112 00:06:39,120 --> 00:06:42,040 The grave has a louder voice than all of that. 113 00:06:42,440 --> 00:06:47,400 And yet, in the case of Jesus Christ, the tomb didn't close a 114 00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:52,200 chapter, but in reality it opened a whole new book for 115 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:55,280 humanity. On that resurrection morning, 116 00:06:55,400 --> 00:06:59,240 something impossible had happened according to nature, 117 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:02,440 According to the religious, seeing something history had 118 00:07:02,440 --> 00:07:08,640 never seen before took place. A man who was crucified, dead 119 00:07:08,640 --> 00:07:15,360 and buried got up and to this day we still do not see him with 120 00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:18,160 our eyes as those of the 1st century. 121 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:22,400 They had the privilege of seeing the risen Savior after he arose 122 00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:24,680 from the grave. They could handle him, touch 123 00:07:24,680 --> 00:07:29,280 him, speak verbally to him and see him visibly with their eyes. 124 00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:33,640 Us, this generation, we don't have that opportunity per SE of 125 00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:36,360 Jesus being in flesh, walking among those. 126 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:40,680 But unlike the 1st century, again, we've not handled him. 127 00:07:40,680 --> 00:07:44,000 We've, we've not had a mere period of visitations of him in 128 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:48,320 his earthly body like they did, but he did leave us with a 129 00:07:48,480 --> 00:07:52,840 enduring sign of his resurrection and that is an 130 00:07:52,840 --> 00:07:55,960 empty tomb. And So what confronts us this 131 00:07:55,960 --> 00:08:00,720 morning to use my subject for us today, what will we do in our 132 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:06,520 generation with the empty tomb? It was custom, Jewish custom 133 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:09,200 that loved ones whenever they had died, when they have 134 00:08:09,200 --> 00:08:13,120 deceased and been put in the grave, that Jew custom was they 135 00:08:13,120 --> 00:08:18,080 would visit the deceased tomb for three days after burial, 136 00:08:18,360 --> 00:08:20,720 they would constantly go to the tomb. 137 00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:25,560 They believed that the spirit of the one that deceased hovered 138 00:08:25,560 --> 00:08:30,200 near the body during those three days, and so they would often go 139 00:08:30,280 --> 00:08:33,559 and visit. However, we understand that the 140 00:08:33,559 --> 00:08:37,280 Sabbath law would prevent anybody from visiting. 141 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:41,200 The tomb of Jesus on that day wasn't allowed. 142 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:43,919 They wouldn't want to divide, defy, or do anything to 143 00:08:43,919 --> 00:08:46,760 themselves to do so, so no one would approach it. 144 00:08:46,760 --> 00:08:50,320 That's the reason why the day between crucifix and 145 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:54,480 resurrection seems to be so silent on that second day. 146 00:08:54,760 --> 00:08:57,240 But early that morning when they could visit. 147 00:08:57,240 --> 00:09:02,040 The Bible speaks of 1 character, a woman in particular that seems 148 00:09:02,040 --> 00:09:06,320 to be with some other women, but Mary is a little bit ahead. 149 00:09:06,320 --> 00:09:10,560 The rest she's drawn a little quicker to the tomb than the 150 00:09:10,560 --> 00:09:13,480 rest. This is a woman that had a 151 00:09:13,520 --> 00:09:19,040 transformed past by the Lord. This is a woman that had a heart 152 00:09:19,040 --> 00:09:21,040 that seemed to be devoted to the Lord. 153 00:09:21,040 --> 00:09:24,320 She, she could not wait. If you can only imagine, you 154 00:09:24,320 --> 00:09:26,360 know how it is sometimes when you're waiting to go on the 155 00:09:26,360 --> 00:09:28,480 trip, it's like, let's just leave a little early. 156 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:33,800 She, she could not wait to get to the tomb, and as soon as she 157 00:09:33,800 --> 00:09:37,720 could, she was going out there. The Bible even tells us this, 158 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:42,400 that she was going while it was still dark. 159 00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:46,320 She came to the tomb when darkness was still hovering over 160 00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:48,480 the earth. She was making her way there, 161 00:09:48,720 --> 00:09:52,440 not out of obligation, of course, but out of her devotion. 162 00:09:52,440 --> 00:09:55,960 She was making her way there. But this darkness that the Bible 163 00:09:55,960 --> 00:09:59,080 speaks of, that while it was yet dark, we're not just even 164 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:00,960 talking. And we are to a certain degree, 165 00:10:00,960 --> 00:10:04,640 but not just talking about a natural darkness that happens in 166 00:10:04,640 --> 00:10:08,720 the early morning before the sun comes over the horizon, but I 167 00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:12,720 believe that darkness could also be seen for the condition of 168 00:10:12,720 --> 00:10:15,480 that time. There's emotional darkness. 169 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:18,400 There's a lot of confusion even in the minds of some of the 170 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:20,600 disciples and the people of that day. 171 00:10:20,880 --> 00:10:24,000 There's spiritual darkness. There's circumstantial darkness 172 00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:27,000 all around. The people thinking is not this 173 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:29,720 the third day? And yet it seems as though they 174 00:10:29,720 --> 00:10:33,240 have not seen anything. And here's a woman that's on her 175 00:10:33,240 --> 00:10:37,160 way in the middle of all of this type of darkness that if anybody 176 00:10:37,160 --> 00:10:41,000 knew darkest darkness in those senses of emotional and 177 00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:46,160 circumstantial, she knew because she was the woman that had seven 178 00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:50,520 devils in her at one time. If she ever knew darkness, she 179 00:10:50,520 --> 00:10:54,280 knew darkness in her past. She knew what that felt like. 180 00:10:54,280 --> 00:10:56,600 She knew what she had experienced. 181 00:10:56,600 --> 00:11:00,680 She knew the torment, if you will, of that darkness in her 182 00:11:00,680 --> 00:11:03,880 own life. Yet in the dark of that early 183 00:11:03,880 --> 00:11:06,840 morn, Mary went, and she didn't look. 184 00:11:06,840 --> 00:11:11,040 She went not because the light was over the horizon, or the 185 00:11:11,040 --> 00:11:14,040 weather perhaps was just right, or the lighting was just right. 186 00:11:14,200 --> 00:11:17,400 She didn't wait for the perfect moment, as others might have 187 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:20,200 been waiting for it to go. No, she went. 188 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:23,520 Even though there wasn't any light left, even though there 189 00:11:23,520 --> 00:11:26,720 wasn't any light shining yet. She says, I'm going to go. 190 00:11:26,920 --> 00:11:29,640 It might not be the perfect time, but I'm going to go 191 00:11:29,640 --> 00:11:32,520 nonetheless. And she comes with her grief, 192 00:11:32,760 --> 00:11:36,680 She comes with her worry, She comes with her despair, she 193 00:11:36,680 --> 00:11:40,280 comes with her bewilderment. She came, if you will, to the 194 00:11:40,280 --> 00:11:43,000 tomb broken. She came grieving. 195 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:46,240 She came uncertain about what's going on. 196 00:11:46,360 --> 00:11:50,120 She came with questions. Maybe she came with some doubts. 197 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:53,480 She came with what she's seen on that early morning prior to 198 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:56,000 getting there, thinking this is an unfinished work. 199 00:11:56,200 --> 00:12:00,400 She's coming with love, Amen. And those others may have been 200 00:12:00,400 --> 00:12:03,880 journeying with her. She's being pushed out among all 201 00:12:03,880 --> 00:12:07,360 the rest because she wasn't just visiting the grave. 202 00:12:07,600 --> 00:12:12,360 She was seeking her savior. She was seeking her savior. 203 00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:16,200 It wasn't about Amen, just going Amen and seeing what's 204 00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:19,280 happening, like being someone on the outskirts of just did it 205 00:12:19,280 --> 00:12:22,600 happen or did it not happen? She was seeking her savior. 206 00:12:22,760 --> 00:12:25,480 And there's all types of other people that would come. 207 00:12:25,480 --> 00:12:28,520 Even in John 20. There'd be Peter and there'd be 208 00:12:28,520 --> 00:12:30,400 John and there would be the other women. 209 00:12:30,640 --> 00:12:34,480 But Mary, Mary was first. Mary was first. 210 00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:39,080 And the miracle, though, for Mary remains the same for every 211 00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:42,760 other person that would come in the daylight, The miracle that 212 00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:46,080 she experienced in the darkness on that early morning was the 213 00:12:46,080 --> 00:12:48,960 same. The tomb was empty. 214 00:12:48,960 --> 00:12:52,480 What I'm saying this morning is this, you don't have to worry. 215 00:12:52,480 --> 00:12:56,600 Wait for the perfect opportunity to come to the empty tomb. 216 00:12:56,840 --> 00:13:00,440 It's not when everything in your life is just exactly the way you 217 00:13:00,440 --> 00:13:03,680 think it should be and the American Dream is being played 218 00:13:03,680 --> 00:13:06,480 out in your story. No, you can come while it's 219 00:13:06,480 --> 00:13:09,040 still yet dark. You can come whenever 220 00:13:09,040 --> 00:13:12,760 circumstances are not favorable in your life, when you have some 221 00:13:12,760 --> 00:13:15,520 questions and you have some doubts and you've been filled 222 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:19,480 with despair because the miracle of the empty tomb, regardless of 223 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:22,400 where you are in life, it's going to spell the same. 224 00:13:22,640 --> 00:13:25,240 It's empty. And there is a power in the 225 00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:29,120 risen Christ that's available for whosoever. 226 00:13:29,400 --> 00:13:35,280 Will we have to wait for perfect conditions to experience the 227 00:13:35,280 --> 00:13:39,760 risen King? Because we all find ourselves in 228 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:43,640 seasons of darkness. We all find ourselves confronted 229 00:13:43,640 --> 00:13:47,960 with grief, confusion, sometimes uncertainty. 230 00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:51,880 Ray. But even in the dark, the tomb's 231 00:13:51,880 --> 00:13:54,240 empty. This morning. 232 00:13:54,240 --> 00:13:58,320 If I say it like this, the perfect moment for you is the 233 00:13:58,320 --> 00:14:02,840 present moment. For you, the perfect moment is 234 00:14:02,840 --> 00:14:06,040 the present moment, even if it's later in your life. 235 00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:08,920 It's like Brother McGee, I'm in the golden years of my life. 236 00:14:09,560 --> 00:14:15,080 My ship has already sailed. I've shown up too late to the 237 00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:18,040 tomb. I've shown up too late to the 238 00:14:18,040 --> 00:14:21,440 grave. Somebody's got there ahead of 239 00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:23,640 me, but the invitation is still the same. 240 00:14:24,200 --> 00:14:28,080 Regardless where you are in your personal physical story of life, 241 00:14:28,360 --> 00:14:32,720 young, middle-aged, golden years, the message is still the 242 00:14:32,720 --> 00:14:36,280 same. Come and see is what they said. 243 00:14:36,680 --> 00:14:41,440 Come and see and you might not encounter the risen Christ in 244 00:14:41,440 --> 00:14:46,920 the same way as somebody else, but the tomb is still testifying 245 00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:50,360 that it is empty. Young or old, if you're a 246 00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:54,160 skeptic, it's empty. If you're seeking for him, it's 247 00:14:54,200 --> 00:14:56,320 empty. If you're early in your life, 248 00:14:56,320 --> 00:14:57,880 you empty. It's it's empty. 249 00:14:57,880 --> 00:15:00,720 If you're late, if this is a later season in your life, it's 250 00:15:00,760 --> 00:15:02,920 empty. Notice what the Bible says in 251 00:15:02,920 --> 00:15:05,920 the Gospel of Mark. And we carry these, these 252 00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:10,040 stories of the resurrection and the death and the crucifix all 253 00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:12,760 through the Gospels in Mark 16 and verse 3. 254 00:15:12,760 --> 00:15:17,120 This is what the Scripture says. And they said among themselves, 255 00:15:17,280 --> 00:15:19,760 who shall roll us away the stone? 256 00:15:19,760 --> 00:15:22,800 These are Mary and a couple of the other women that's on their 257 00:15:22,800 --> 00:15:26,840 way to the tomb, another side of what happens in the resurrection 258 00:15:26,840 --> 00:15:29,680 story. Who shall roll us away the stone 259 00:15:29,680 --> 00:15:33,880 from the door of the sepulcher. And when they look, they saw 260 00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:38,720 that the stone was rolled away, for it was very great. 261 00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:43,960 Mary knew, several of them knew that whenever they went home on 262 00:15:43,960 --> 00:15:47,640 that, that night that Jesus was crucified, they knew and had 263 00:15:47,640 --> 00:15:50,360 seen a stone rolled upon the door. 264 00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:53,320 They understood that there was a Roman seal on that. 265 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:56,520 They understood that there would be soldiers guarding that. 266 00:15:56,520 --> 00:16:01,000 So as she is on her way on that, on that morn, she's thinking in 267 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:04,800 her mind, if we're going to do anything concerning the body of 268 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:11,160 Christ, what are we going to do about the large stone that is at 269 00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:12,800 the door? Amen. 270 00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:14,880 They're, they're even asking them among themselves. 271 00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:18,920 They know it is a obstacle that they're going to have to contend 272 00:16:18,920 --> 00:16:20,960 with. What are, what are we, what are 273 00:16:20,960 --> 00:16:25,440 we, us girls going to do about the stone? 274 00:16:25,680 --> 00:16:31,040 But the Bible says when she arrived, the stone was already 275 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:34,320 rode away. The very thing that she thought 276 00:16:34,320 --> 00:16:37,760 would be an obstacle. Amen to the tomb. 277 00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:41,400 The very thing that she thought was an obstacle to the body of 278 00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:45,960 her Lord had already been handed handled before she got there. 279 00:16:46,200 --> 00:16:49,440 And so if you're approaching the Lord today and thinking, but 280 00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:52,960 there's a lot of obstacles in the way there, there seems to be 281 00:16:52,960 --> 00:16:56,560 a lot of things between me and him, and I don't know if I can 282 00:16:56,560 --> 00:16:59,000 approach him. I don't know if I can get there. 283 00:16:59,160 --> 00:17:03,200 If that's looming in your mind today, I guarantee you if you 284 00:17:03,280 --> 00:17:07,319 start to make your way toward the tomb, He already made 285 00:17:07,319 --> 00:17:11,480 provision to start removing some of the obstacles out of the way. 286 00:17:13,760 --> 00:17:17,040 Hey man, someone shame in because some of it's like, no, I 287 00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:20,560 can't approach that because I got the obstacle of my past. 288 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:23,960 No, I can't approach that I got the obstacle of my shame. 289 00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:27,800 No, I can't approach that I got the obstacle of my doubt and my 290 00:17:27,800 --> 00:17:30,840 fear. How do I get past my past? 291 00:17:31,040 --> 00:17:34,440 How can how can I do what I need to do? 292 00:17:34,440 --> 00:17:36,760 How can I make this work? I'll tell you how. 293 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:41,280 Go on and start the trip with just one step and watch the 294 00:17:41,360 --> 00:17:45,680 obstacle that's looming the greatest in your mind. 295 00:17:51,040 --> 00:17:54,720 What are we going to do? You may be sitting here today 296 00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:59,200 wondering that what am I going to do about this XYZ? 297 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:03,960 Make the trip. Make the trip. 298 00:18:04,720 --> 00:18:07,640 If you'll pursue him, he'll clear the path. 299 00:18:08,360 --> 00:18:14,680 He'll help make the path clear. The stone was rowed away. 300 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:18,600 I say this and I think about this every resurrection, but the 301 00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:23,240 stone was rowed away. Not so he could get out. 302 00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:28,400 He was already out. The stone was rowed away so you 303 00:18:28,400 --> 00:18:34,280 could get in. Resurrection Day today is so 304 00:18:34,280 --> 00:18:37,640 that you might get in. So the invitation of come and 305 00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:41,480 see, you are invited to come and be a part Amen of this body of 306 00:18:41,480 --> 00:18:44,680 Christ that he calls himself. It's an invitation. 307 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:47,640 It's not an exit as much as it is an entrance. 308 00:18:47,840 --> 00:18:58,420 It's an invitation. It was for our benefit. 309 00:18:59,820 --> 00:19:06,200 It was providing access to justify and even validate what 310 00:19:06,200 --> 00:19:11,200 he said he would do. Look again in our text of John 311 00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:14,000 20 and verse 10. Then the disciples went away 312 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:18,600 again into their own home. This is after Peter and John's 313 00:19:18,600 --> 00:19:19,960 been there. They've looked at it. 314 00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:26,960 They went back home, the Bible says, but Mary stood without it. 315 00:19:26,960 --> 00:19:31,080 The sepulcher weeping as she wept, she stooped down and 316 00:19:31,080 --> 00:19:34,080 looked into the sepulchre. She sees 2 angels, one at the 317 00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:37,400 head, one at the feet. There where Jesus had lain. 318 00:19:38,800 --> 00:19:40,320 They send her. Why are you weeping? 319 00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:42,240 She says because they've they've taken. 320 00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:47,640 Take it away my Lord. I don't know where they've laid 321 00:19:47,640 --> 00:19:51,560 him. Peter and John had come to the 322 00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:54,720 tomb, almost had a foot race it would seem. 323 00:19:55,160 --> 00:19:58,000 One to ride before the other. One went in before the other, 324 00:19:58,600 --> 00:20:00,080 but they went in. Eventually. 325 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:02,680 They saw the linen clothes in the napkin line there in the 326 00:20:02,680 --> 00:20:05,320 absence of a body, and they went home. 327 00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:14,600 But not Mary. She stayed, She lingered, she 328 00:20:14,600 --> 00:20:18,360 wept. Her grief just it wasn't just 329 00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:22,760 theoretical. Her grief was deeply personal. 330 00:20:25,160 --> 00:20:26,960 That's the man that delivered me. 331 00:20:28,600 --> 00:20:35,280 Seven demons. That man saw me at my worst. 332 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:48,520 That man saw me at my worst. And he gave me unconditional 333 00:20:48,520 --> 00:20:57,280 love despite my worst. And so pardon me if I'm a little 334 00:20:57,280 --> 00:21:04,360 concerned about where he's at. Pardon me if I'm a little 335 00:21:04,360 --> 00:21:07,240 concerned about where his body is. 336 00:21:09,080 --> 00:21:13,400 Because I've ran into a lot of other people in my life that saw 337 00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:19,040 me at my worst and didn't have the compassion, didn't have the 338 00:21:19,040 --> 00:21:26,880 understanding that that man had. Other people can leave and go 339 00:21:26,880 --> 00:21:32,560 home, but I got to linger because he waited on me. 340 00:21:34,640 --> 00:21:36,600 Oh, I feel the Holy Ghost right now. 341 00:21:36,840 --> 00:21:42,160 He, he waited on me. Of all the disciples that he 342 00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:45,800 had, Mary perhaps, maybe one of them to owed him the most. 343 00:21:45,800 --> 00:21:49,600 She was, she was willing then, at this moment, to do the most. 344 00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:53,080 She looks into the tomb. She sees those angels. 345 00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:55,960 She sees them there where he would have been laid. 346 00:21:55,960 --> 00:21:59,760 She, she understands that the empty grave is just not an 347 00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:02,720 absence in this moment, But there is it. 348 00:22:02,720 --> 00:22:05,600 It's almost signifying that there was something here. 349 00:22:05,920 --> 00:22:07,280 Amen. And there's almost something 350 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:10,640 still here, though I don't see it with my eye right now. 351 00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:15,160 This, this, this place of death had become a new mercy seat, if 352 00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:17,240 you will. Amen for Mary. 353 00:22:17,560 --> 00:22:20,000 Amen. It's been a place where God had 354 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:24,960 met with them, with all the world, right here in a tomb, not 355 00:22:24,960 --> 00:22:27,800 with judgment, but with resurrection power. 356 00:22:28,040 --> 00:22:32,400 And she asked him, where has Jesus been taken? 357 00:22:32,640 --> 00:22:34,720 It wasn't a theological question. 358 00:22:34,960 --> 00:22:38,400 It was the words of love that was porn from her mouth. 359 00:22:38,840 --> 00:22:42,960 Tell me where you've laid him and I'll take him away. 360 00:22:42,960 --> 00:22:47,400 Can you imagine that just for a moment, a lone woman saying, if 361 00:22:47,400 --> 00:22:51,400 you can tell me where the body is, I'll carry it away. 362 00:22:51,640 --> 00:22:56,040 Some lone woman going to carry the dead way of a man that's in 363 00:22:56,040 --> 00:22:59,320 a lifeless man in a tomb. How in the world you think 364 00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:02,960 you're going to do that, Mary? Because Mary's love wasn't 365 00:23:02,960 --> 00:23:07,360 intimidated by the weight or the burden of carrying her Savior 366 00:23:07,520 --> 00:23:11,160 because she remembered the way that he had lifted up off of 367 00:23:11,160 --> 00:23:13,520 her. My God, I imagine she's probably 368 00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:18,760 saying if I can carry 7 devils inside my body, I can carry 1 369 00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:30,680 Savior if it's necessary. She's willing to do this if I 370 00:23:30,680 --> 00:23:34,520 speak just to 1st Apostolic Church, just for a moment here. 371 00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:42,200 When you think what he's carried for you, your guilt, your shame, 372 00:23:42,640 --> 00:23:46,400 your failures. Carrying him is not a burden. 373 00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:52,240 Being mindful of him is not a burden. 374 00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:56,760 Jesus has freed me. So there's nothing but he would 375 00:23:56,760 --> 00:24:00,480 even ask if he did. There's nothing that He wouldn't 376 00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:04,800 ask of me to carry. That seems too heavy when I 377 00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:10,560 think what He carried for me and look at verses 14 through 16 378 00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:12,320 this morning. I'm not going to read them, but 379 00:24:12,640 --> 00:24:16,080 it seems whenever Mary first has this interaction with Jesus, she 380 00:24:16,080 --> 00:24:19,640 doesn't fully recognize him. And we talked a little bit about 381 00:24:19,640 --> 00:24:22,400 this last week, but not only that, grief can be very 382 00:24:22,400 --> 00:24:24,440 blinding. Whenever you're in the emotional 383 00:24:25,160 --> 00:24:27,720 moment of just being totally distraught, it can be very 384 00:24:27,720 --> 00:24:30,120 blinding and trauma and things like that. 385 00:24:30,120 --> 00:24:32,760 It can just totally even disfigure everything that's 386 00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:35,720 familiar to you. And she's in that place right 387 00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:38,560 now and she doesn't totally recognize Him right away. 388 00:24:38,920 --> 00:24:42,120 But the moment that she did recognize him is when he said 389 00:24:42,120 --> 00:24:48,320 her name was in a sentence per SE, just her name. 390 00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:55,440 And he says Mary one word and everything changed concerning 391 00:24:55,440 --> 00:24:59,720 her understanding. He didn't rebuke her. 392 00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:04,840 He didn't explain all of the the theological measures of what 393 00:25:04,840 --> 00:25:11,680 just happened. He just said Mary, and it wasn't 394 00:25:11,680 --> 00:25:16,520 his appearance then that revealed him to her. 395 00:25:17,400 --> 00:25:23,400 It was his voice. It's his voice. 396 00:25:24,720 --> 00:25:32,320 The scripture says that the shepherd can call his sheep by 397 00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:38,120 their name. She's not recognizing him in the 398 00:25:38,120 --> 00:25:44,640 moment, but she recognizes the familiarity of that one saying 399 00:25:45,080 --> 00:25:49,280 Mary. Perhaps she heard that same 400 00:25:49,280 --> 00:25:53,760 voice trying to pull her out of the vices of seven demonic dark 401 00:25:53,760 --> 00:25:56,680 forces one day. Perhaps in that hour she heard 402 00:25:56,680 --> 00:25:59,920 the same voice, Mary, and there's something that's 403 00:25:59,920 --> 00:26:01,520 clicking in her spirit right now. 404 00:26:01,680 --> 00:26:05,080 I know that voice. She turns to respond to him. 405 00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:09,680 Rabbani, which means master. But if you look a little further 406 00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:13,080 at it there in the scripture, it means more than master. 407 00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:17,320 It actually means my master. That changes the story. 408 00:26:17,520 --> 00:26:20,640 I can call master here, master there, master everywhere, but 409 00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:23,960 whenever I put the my on the front of that, that gets very 410 00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:26,880 personal. He's not just any master or that 411 00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:29,800 person's master or that society's master. 412 00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:31,920 He's my master. Something. 413 00:26:32,080 --> 00:26:34,200 Oh my God, I'm here to tell you today. 414 00:26:34,400 --> 00:26:38,600 You can leave a empty tomb this morning with on your lips, my 415 00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:41,600 master. Not just master, not just 416 00:26:41,600 --> 00:26:48,640 acknowledgement, not just my master, but Oh yes. 417 00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:57,520 Smarty. He knows your name. 418 00:26:59,800 --> 00:27:05,360 He knows your name before he forever started stitching 419 00:27:05,360 --> 00:27:10,360 together the fiber and the veins and the arteries and the cells 420 00:27:10,640 --> 00:27:16,360 that make you who you are. He knew your name and he's not. 421 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:30,800 I said your name. I know the world may know you by 422 00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:34,480 your title and they may know you by by your job description. 423 00:27:34,760 --> 00:27:39,080 But he knows your name. Not just your reputation, but 424 00:27:39,080 --> 00:27:41,360 your name. He knows your story. 425 00:27:41,680 --> 00:27:44,480 He knows your pain. He knows your change. 426 00:27:44,880 --> 00:27:46,560 He knows the journey you're being on. 427 00:27:46,800 --> 00:28:00,320 He Oh yes, Woo. And it just something that 428 00:28:00,320 --> 00:28:06,520 happens when you hear him call your name. 429 00:28:07,840 --> 00:28:10,240 Everything else fades in the background. 430 00:28:10,720 --> 00:28:15,360 Everything else slips into oblivion when he calls your 431 00:28:15,720 --> 00:28:21,560 name. But she didn't recognize how 432 00:28:21,560 --> 00:28:26,080 recognition dawns on her at the hearing of her name. 433 00:28:28,760 --> 00:28:31,480 At that point, the resurrection makes sense. 434 00:28:32,240 --> 00:28:34,800 At that point, it becomes very personal. 435 00:28:37,640 --> 00:28:40,480 There could be someone that's walked in here today because in 436 00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:43,440 the days and the weeks leading up to this service deciding 437 00:28:43,440 --> 00:28:45,560 where you're going to go and where you're going to be, he's 438 00:28:45,560 --> 00:29:01,280 been calling your. Peter and John, they visit the 439 00:29:01,280 --> 00:29:04,000 tomb as well. John 20 verses 3 through 10. 440 00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:06,760 You can look at it again. I'm not going to read it this 441 00:29:06,760 --> 00:29:11,920 morning for time purposes, but Peter and John ran to the tomb. 442 00:29:12,600 --> 00:29:14,600 The Bible says that John outran Peter. 443 00:29:14,600 --> 00:29:19,000 He didn't go in though when he got to the to the opening of the 444 00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:24,520 tomb, Scripture describes as though he stooped, He saw the 445 00:29:24,520 --> 00:29:27,560 linen clothes. Peter arriving just a little bit 446 00:29:27,560 --> 00:29:30,600 later. Second, he did not just stay at 447 00:29:30,600 --> 00:29:35,080 the opening, but he went on end. He saw more than what John had 448 00:29:35,080 --> 00:29:38,760 saw as a result. He saw the linen clothes, yes, 449 00:29:38,760 --> 00:29:42,400 but in addition he saw the napkin that was voted together 450 00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:45,480 by itself. And then John, I guess, well, he 451 00:29:45,480 --> 00:29:47,120 went in. I can, you know, type of thing. 452 00:29:47,840 --> 00:29:52,240 You know how we are humanity. So John goes in, and then John 453 00:29:52,240 --> 00:29:55,960 saw everything Peter had saw. And the Scripture puts this 454 00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:59,600 little tagline then on John's experience, him having seen 455 00:29:59,600 --> 00:30:03,720 everything that Peter had saw. The Bible says he saw it all and 456 00:30:03,720 --> 00:30:12,280 believed. Again, John's believing not 457 00:30:12,280 --> 00:30:18,080 because he saw Jesus, but because he saw what Jesus left 458 00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:26,680 behind. Grave clothes, napkin folded 459 00:30:26,680 --> 00:30:33,520 together. No rush, no panic, no robbery. 460 00:30:34,120 --> 00:30:39,720 Just order, intention, a serenity of peace. 461 00:30:43,320 --> 00:30:45,920 There are times, and you may be here this morning, you may have 462 00:30:45,920 --> 00:30:48,520 visit the tomb and you're not seeing the complete picture 463 00:30:48,520 --> 00:30:53,840 perhaps of the resurrection. But if you stay around the empty 464 00:30:53,840 --> 00:30:58,840 tomb long enough, you'll start to see what he left behind. 465 00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:04,880 Sometimes for our generation, it's what's in the lives of the 466 00:31:04,880 --> 00:31:10,960 people that know him. The testimony left, the witness 467 00:31:11,520 --> 00:31:18,760 left, the sign left, the change lives that are left, the word of 468 00:31:18,800 --> 00:31:23,640 God that is left. And when we see that, oftentimes 469 00:31:23,640 --> 00:31:28,120 we believe. So you may not see in Jesus in 470 00:31:28,120 --> 00:31:33,840 the flesh, but can you still believe by the things that he's 471 00:31:33,840 --> 00:31:43,080 left that you see a parent in the lives of others is really 472 00:31:43,080 --> 00:31:46,280 that's how we live. We're living a life by faith, 473 00:31:50,040 --> 00:31:53,120 not because we see him in his flesh and blood form as they 474 00:31:53,120 --> 00:31:58,720 did, but we see the chain of events of results of what he 475 00:31:58,720 --> 00:32:08,560 left when he went away. So we talked about Mary, the 476 00:32:08,560 --> 00:32:15,360 other women, Peter, John, but what about you? 477 00:32:18,080 --> 00:32:22,360 What will you do with the empty tomb? 478 00:32:23,640 --> 00:32:26,760 Because each one that came to the tomb responded a shade 479 00:32:26,760 --> 00:32:31,120 differently. Mary lingered and stayed. 480 00:32:32,520 --> 00:32:37,360 Peter walked away, pondering John's believing. 481 00:32:38,920 --> 00:32:41,040 But the power of an empty tomb is this. 482 00:32:41,040 --> 00:32:48,320 It demands a response from each one, and it requires a response 483 00:32:48,320 --> 00:32:53,280 from you. You may not understand 484 00:32:53,280 --> 00:32:56,880 everything. Many of them did not. 485 00:32:59,240 --> 00:33:01,840 They didn't understand all the dynamics of what had just really 486 00:33:01,840 --> 00:33:06,280 happened in those three days. Scripture even says to us in 487 00:33:06,280 --> 00:33:09,680 verse 9 of John 20 speaking that they did not yet understand that 488 00:33:09,680 --> 00:33:14,920 he must rise from the dead. Didn't even really get that. 489 00:33:16,040 --> 00:33:17,440 Listen to me this morning though. 490 00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:23,080 Understanding is not a prerequisite to belief. 491 00:33:28,400 --> 00:33:31,680 You can believe something without understanding the full 492 00:33:31,680 --> 00:33:37,880 dynamics of something. Every time you get into your 493 00:33:37,880 --> 00:33:41,840 vehicle and you put that key in the ignition and you turn it 494 00:33:41,840 --> 00:33:45,520 over. Is there anybody here that can 495 00:33:45,520 --> 00:33:49,200 stand up and tell me all the mechanical processes that 496 00:33:49,200 --> 00:33:51,320 happened the moment that you turn that key? 497 00:33:52,600 --> 00:33:56,960 No, couldn't begin to tell you, but it works, don't it? 498 00:33:59,240 --> 00:34:01,840 I can go back here and turn on or off that light switch back 499 00:34:01,840 --> 00:34:04,040 there. Lights going to come on and off, 500 00:34:04,680 --> 00:34:08,199 but I can't explain to you everything that needs to be 501 00:34:08,199 --> 00:34:09,600 explained. What happens with the 502 00:34:09,600 --> 00:34:12,040 electricity and through the light bulbs and and the ohms and 503 00:34:12,040 --> 00:34:13,639 the voltage. And I cannot explain that. 504 00:34:13,639 --> 00:34:16,960 I don't understand that. But it works. 505 00:34:16,960 --> 00:34:21,920 And when I flip it, in essence, it's an act of faith. 506 00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:24,920 It's going to work, but I don't understand it. 507 00:34:25,560 --> 00:34:29,600 But my understanding doesn't keep me from believing and 508 00:34:29,600 --> 00:34:34,199 responding. So you might not know everything 509 00:34:34,199 --> 00:34:36,880 about the crucifix. You might not know anything 510 00:34:36,880 --> 00:34:39,600 about the resurrection. You might know it, not know much 511 00:34:39,600 --> 00:34:43,120 of anything about a life of God. But you don't have to understand 512 00:34:43,120 --> 00:34:46,920 everything in order to respond by faith. 513 00:34:53,080 --> 00:34:54,800 You can believe for what you do understand. 514 00:34:54,800 --> 00:34:58,480 John's like he's not here. I believe that it's there's some 515 00:34:58,480 --> 00:35:02,960 things left you can obey. You can obey before you have 516 00:35:03,040 --> 00:35:06,280 every answer and let me tell you, I'm 40 be 47 years old 517 00:35:06,280 --> 00:35:08,480 right here. I still don't have every answer, 518 00:35:09,120 --> 00:35:12,560 but I believe and I can tell you it works. 519 00:35:16,520 --> 00:35:19,120 The old song used to say concerning the experience of 520 00:35:19,120 --> 00:35:25,120 God's Spirit inside of one. We used to sing it that I can't 521 00:35:25,120 --> 00:35:30,160 explain it, but I got it. I got it, I got it. 522 00:35:30,920 --> 00:35:33,520 There's something about the power of the Holy Ghost. 523 00:35:34,000 --> 00:35:38,240 I can't explain it. What's that? 524 00:35:38,720 --> 00:35:41,360 Not having the full understand of all the dynamics of it. 525 00:35:42,240 --> 00:35:44,800 But that didn't keep me from experiencing it. 526 00:35:49,560 --> 00:35:53,040 So you don't have to fully comprehend in order to fully 527 00:35:53,040 --> 00:36:00,040 receive for that matter, and this is kind of a side note, but 528 00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:02,920 the Scripture tells us that when you receive God's Spirit, it 529 00:36:02,920 --> 00:36:04,760 becomes a on board teacher to you. 530 00:36:05,480 --> 00:36:09,000 You'll lead and guide you into all truth comes a teacher to you 531 00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:14,360 if you'll stand with me this morning Paul wrote and if 532 00:36:14,360 --> 00:36:16,040 there's ever a chapter in the Bible you want to read 533 00:36:16,040 --> 00:36:18,800 concerning resurrection, please just read First Corinthians 15. 534 00:36:18,800 --> 00:36:24,760 Man talking about all the if ands and the what ifs if there 535 00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:27,160 wasn't and if there was a resurrection. 536 00:36:27,160 --> 00:36:30,440 Paul wrote basically that if Christ be not risen then our 537 00:36:30,440 --> 00:36:35,160 preaching is in vain. He said that your faith also 538 00:36:35,160 --> 00:36:41,240 your faith be in vain. And he said we would yet be in 539 00:36:41,240 --> 00:36:45,680 our sins if it were not for the resurrection. 540 00:36:46,280 --> 00:36:51,480 In other words, this morning, without the resurrection, we 541 00:36:51,480 --> 00:36:58,040 would have nothing. No hope, no forgiveness, no 542 00:36:58,040 --> 00:37:04,960 purpose, no future. But with the resurrection, 543 00:37:06,520 --> 00:37:13,360 everything changes. Because he lives, your sins can 544 00:37:13,360 --> 00:37:17,640 be forgiven. Because he lives, your past, 545 00:37:17,720 --> 00:37:23,440 whatever that looks like, whatever that looks like, can be 546 00:37:23,440 --> 00:37:27,520 redeemed. Because he lives, your future 547 00:37:28,200 --> 00:37:31,960 can be secured. Because he lives, as the writer 548 00:37:31,960 --> 00:37:35,320 said, he can turn your mourning into dancing. 549 00:37:35,680 --> 00:37:40,240 Because he lives, he can take your darkness, can turn it into 550 00:37:40,240 --> 00:37:42,960 life. Because again, the empty tomb 551 00:37:42,960 --> 00:37:47,280 isn't just a historical fact, it's a personal invitation. 552 00:37:48,440 --> 00:37:54,480 He still calls names. He still calls names, he still 553 00:37:54,480 --> 00:37:58,240 rolls away stones, he still leaves signs behind him. 554 00:37:58,840 --> 00:38:02,760 He still gives strength and life through his name. 555 00:38:03,400 --> 00:38:06,440 So again, I asked this morning, what will you do if we in bow 556 00:38:06,440 --> 00:38:10,800 our heads today? What will you do with the empty 557 00:38:10,800 --> 00:38:13,680 tomb? If you've never believed this 558 00:38:13,680 --> 00:38:18,160 morning, If you've never believed, maybe you're a John. 559 00:38:18,760 --> 00:38:21,680 If you've never believed, invite you to come today. 560 00:38:22,800 --> 00:38:26,600 Maybe you believe somewhere along the way and life grew 561 00:38:26,600 --> 00:38:31,040 weary. It got complex, got confusing. 562 00:38:31,960 --> 00:38:35,480 Perhaps you steered off a path that you once embraced. 563 00:38:37,080 --> 00:38:40,560 If that's you, the invitation is the same. 564 00:38:41,400 --> 00:38:46,440 Come. Or maybe, man, I feel the Holy 565 00:38:46,440 --> 00:38:53,480 Ghost on this this morning. Maybe you need to hear him call 566 00:38:53,960 --> 00:39:04,480 your name, your name. Maybe in this life you've been 567 00:39:04,480 --> 00:39:09,280 some like some of those in the New Testament that there's been 568 00:39:09,280 --> 00:39:12,720 things and consequences and circumstances that have happened 569 00:39:13,000 --> 00:39:17,840 in your life that now become the definer for you. 570 00:39:18,720 --> 00:39:23,920 You know, it's kind of like you're the blind man or you're 571 00:39:23,920 --> 00:39:33,080 the you're the one that stole the goods or you are a rebellor. 572 00:39:34,200 --> 00:39:36,800 Like no one calls you by your name anymore. 573 00:39:36,960 --> 00:39:40,120 They just call you by your mistake, and they call you by 574 00:39:40,120 --> 00:39:43,560 your infraction, and they call you by your confusion, and they 575 00:39:43,560 --> 00:39:48,720 call you by your past. Maybe you came today because you 576 00:39:48,720 --> 00:39:52,320 was hoping you would be at a place that rather than seeing me 577 00:39:52,320 --> 00:40:02,520 for my mistakes, I can enter. A place my feet can somehow just 578 00:40:02,520 --> 00:40:08,200 skirt the emptiness of a tomb. And rather than a reminder of 579 00:40:08,200 --> 00:40:15,880 what I've done or where I've been, I could hear him say Fred. 580 00:40:19,560 --> 00:40:25,160 Paula Hunter. I could hear him. 581 00:40:25,160 --> 00:40:32,640 Just say my name. He's alive today. 582 00:40:33,680 --> 00:40:38,160 The tomb is empty today. And your response to that tomb 583 00:40:38,520 --> 00:40:42,120 could mean everything for you at this juncture of the road. 584 00:40:42,480 --> 00:40:46,800 These altars are open. Listen, you can come here with 585 00:40:46,800 --> 00:40:49,760 your disbelief. You can come here with your 586 00:40:49,760 --> 00:40:51,960 questions. You can come here with your 587 00:40:51,960 --> 00:40:54,000 doubts. You can come here with your 588 00:40:54,000 --> 00:40:57,160 shame, your guilt, whatever it may be, whatever the laundry 589 00:40:57,160 --> 00:40:59,400 list may be. You can come today. 590 00:40:59,640 --> 00:41:02,040 It won't change the fact that the tomb's empty. 591 00:41:02,240 --> 00:41:05,200 It won't change the fact he's left some things behind, 592 00:41:05,400 --> 00:41:08,600 indicators of where he was. And it won't change the fact 593 00:41:08,600 --> 00:41:14,320 that he still knows your name. What will you do with the empty 594 00:41:14,320 --> 00:41:16,880 tomb today? Will you believe? 595 00:41:16,880 --> 00:41:18,560 What will you do with the empty tomb? 596 00:41:18,880 --> 00:41:21,000 Will you linger? What will you do with the empty 597 00:41:21,000 --> 00:41:23,280 tomb? Will you just leave pondering? 598 00:41:23,480 --> 00:41:26,120 There's a choice today. There's a response today. 599 00:41:26,400 --> 00:41:29,680 What will you do with the empty tomb? 600 00:41:30,000 --> 00:41:32,880 These altars are open. I'm asking as many that would 601 00:41:33,240 --> 00:41:37,200 that would respond could come or even in your Pew, or kneeling at 602 00:41:37,200 --> 00:41:39,840 your Pew, or with a raised hand or a closed eye. 603 00:41:40,040 --> 00:41:43,200 However it is you wish to express that, start having a 604 00:41:43,200 --> 00:41:48,320 conversation with God right now. I hear him calling names today. 605 00:41:48,680 --> 00:41:53,880 I hear Him calling names today. I just don't recognize. 606 00:41:53,880 --> 00:41:57,280 Let His name bring clarity. Let His name bring, let that 607 00:41:57,280 --> 00:41:59,440 name bring clarity into your life. 608 00:41:59,720 --> 00:42:03,880 Let that name, if you will clear up some confusion, you may not 609 00:42:03,880 --> 00:42:06,480 understand. Just believe, you may not 610 00:42:06,480 --> 00:42:08,960 understand. Just respond by faith and 611 00:42:08,960 --> 00:42:11,240 obedience and God will meet you there. 612 00:42:11,360 --> 00:42:13,800 He's removing the obstacles right now. 613 00:42:14,040 --> 00:42:16,360 And there's a great storm between me and Him. 614 00:42:16,560 --> 00:42:18,760 He's removing the obstacles right now. 615 00:42:18,960 --> 00:42:21,440 Is it dark in your life? Go on and come. 616 00:42:21,840 --> 00:42:22,120 Is it?