You are invited to stop letting your past mistakes or current struggles define who you are today. Instead, embrace the declaration of your new life through baptism and walk in the peace that surpasses understanding. Let this truth free you from anxiety and help you find joy in God's kingdom.
We love because he first loved us. And I wanna point out something, and I want us to participate together in something. The body of Christ is the local church and connected to the global church. The global church is the body of Christ. So by loving the church, you're loving Jesus.
Body of Christ. Right now, today, all over the world, a little ahead of us in Europe, in The Middle East, little behind us in the West Of America. There's more people meeting, celebrating Jesus than ever before in history. Today. The Bible says his church goes from *glory* to glory.
Now I know that culture wants to say that it's in decline. No. No. It's it's not.
There's revival going on throughout Latin America. There's revival throughout Central America. There's a restoration of the church in Europe going on right now. There's revival underground in China. I'm getting pictures of our sister churches that we've been helping to plant and build in Pakistan.
The church around the world is thriving. I
don't want us to get so pigeonholed into our circumstance that we miss what Jesus is doing. So I just
want you to gather together in prayer with me. Let's let's let's go to the Lord in prayer asking him to bless his church. This local body but also the body of Christ. Some of you as you pray, you'll, god will put a nation on your heart. Just begin to pray for the that nation and the and the church in that nation.
Begin to pray for that denomination. Begin to pray for that your the the the church your brother or your cousin went to this morning. Begin to pray for the local body in Pinellas County and in Tampa Bay. But let's pray together for his church, because God is about his church. You know why?
Because it's his bride. It's his beautiful bride. And by loving the church, we're loving Jesus.
So, father god, we come together and let's just if
you wanna pray with me, pray out loud. If you wanna agree, that's fine. But father, we come together blessing your bride. Father, we pray for the global church. We pray for revival.
*Lord, we pray for for those that just walked in the aisle and said a prayer but no transformation happened. Lord god, we pray that they realize it's about more than a prayer but father, they're born again and transformed "from the inside out"* in such a way that your life becomes their life and everybody can't help but see them and see the love of Jesus. Father god, we pray for the denominations in Pinellas County, the different divisions and everything. Whatever it takes for unity, lord god. Whatever it takes for them to unify under the blood of Jesus Christ and what you have done in you.
Thank you lord that we have unity and maturity in you. Father, I thank you for what you're doing in Pakistan. I thank you for what you're doing in China. I thank you for the reports that I'm getting I'm getting from India, in Brazil, in Latin America, all of Latin America, lord god, Central America. Lord, I thank you for the underground church in Ukraine and in Russia, lord god, that what you're doing, you're going to change culture and that we get to be a part of it.
*Lord god*, let us not be so focused on the little minute things of our life that we miss out on the joy of being a part of your church. Lord God, let the actions of our heart, the actions, the the the the the words of our mouth, the actions of what we do declare that we love you because we love your church.
*Lord God, we repent of every time we ever downed the body of Christ* because it was against our preference. We repent, Lord God, of every time that we downed the
body of Christ and and spoke not your word over her because it was against what we thought or our own junk that's been in our own heart. Lord, we repent and we build her up and let our lives and our actions from this day forward always build up the local church and the global church and everywhere around. In Jesus name we pray, we love you.
Amen. Praise the Lord. Hey, before you're seated, why don't you high 5 3 or 4 people? Tell them how beautiful they look today or how cool they look if they're a dude. Man, I see more beautiful beards out there than normal today.
That's man, I like it. Amen. Hallelujah. My wife does not. She wishes she could've been here today.
My little baby girl, 6 years old. We took her to the the emergency room last night. You know, I'm I'm the Bible says not to be unaware of the attacks of the enemy. I knew it was the night before Easter, so it wasn't like I was scared. We took her to the emergency room because her heartbeat was was going crazy.
It's not normal. We prayed and just believed, and it's amazing having a joy and a peace that surpasses every circumstance. It's real. I mean, her heartbeat was 210. For 30 minutes and and we're like, where'd this come from?
What's going on? We took her to the yard just to get her checked out. We're standing in god's goodness. It's what you do. You can have a "peace that passes understanding".
Right? You can have a joy and a peace that, like, overcomes every circumstance. And if I'm if I'm honest and I just not to I just wanna because I love you. If you're not living in that, then life probably sucks. I'm I'm I'm just just being candid.
It's the the life that God wants you to live. His kingdom is a kingdom of righteousness, **peace and joy* in the Holy Spirit*. And so like the excuses that we make in order to sit in our anxiety, in order to sit in our depression, and how life's been going. If you enjoy living that way, then keep doing it. But you're only going to get the same results if you keep thinking and doing the same things, right?
You want to experience the true like joy and peace that you can have in Christ Jesus? It's in Christ. So, we need to get out of our own mindsets. The way that the world thinks the Bible says do not conform to the pattern of this world that's talking about the thinking of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. You want your life transformed so that you have a peace and a joy that passes every circumstance.
Well, then we need to get out of it's all about me and put our mind back on the the fact that it's all about Christ. And so in the midst of this craziness that went on last night. Right? I had a a real, I'm not like faking it till I make it. I had a real joy and a peace on the inside knowing that god's with me.
Knowing that he's good and no matter what happens, he's going to work this out for good but I'm standing in healing. I'm standing in and what God has spoken. I'm standing in in in him in the midst of it. So we're in the emergency room. You know what?
She's just full of joy and peace and like laughing and and having a good time even though her heart's going crazy and come to find out, basically, she got the flu. That's what it was. And and we caught it as her body was reacting to catching the flu. So that that's basically what it was. But praise the Lord, man.
Praise the lord. That's all it was. But you know what? Even if it was worse, guess what I'd still be doing? You know why?
Because my joy and my peace are not based in how life's going. My joy and my peace aren't based on whether or not I had a good day yesterday. You know what? Because God's in me, I have a good day every day no matter what's going on, and I allow what's going on to overcome and impact the circumstance around me. So people see what's happening and they're like, why are you responding that way?
It dumbfounds people.
You know why? Because my mind's not in me anymore. It's in Christ. I want it for everybody. It's that good.
I
didn't walk an aisle and pray a prayer to get to heaven. That's not Christianity. Christianity is about transformation. It's I walked an aisle and prayed a prayer confessing with my mouth what I believed in my heart that he's Lord. And if he's really Lord, then he's Lord over every circumstance.
So you can confess with your mouth that he's Lord and not really believe it in your heart and nothing will change. But when you believe it in
your heart and you confess with your mouth, man, everything shifts because I'm confessing the truth of who I know he says that I am and man, then my life begins to resurrect to represent the very life of Jesus because he resurrected.
Mind if I just share my heart with you today? My name is David John Phillips. I have the joy of getting to be the pastor. I say it every Sunday, I'm not going to miss today. There's no place I'd rather be, nothing I'd rather be doing.
And I'm so glad you got to spend your Sunday. You chose to get up and come out of your comfortable house to come here in order to experience the love of Jesus. And our prayer is that you walk away from here today. Having such an encounter with *God* that you pursue *truth* and stand in it and remain in it so that your life experience the freedom that comes from remaining in the truth. And guess who truth is?
Jesus. He is truth. The same spirit of truth is the spirit of freedom. You can't experience truth without experiencing freedom. And if you are, then it's just, if you're experiencing, you're thinking you're believing truth, but
your life's not experiencing freedom, then you're fooling yourself and you're living a deception.
I want to break the deception today so that you can stand in
the truth until you experience greater freedom in every area of your life. And when people see you, they say, man, you must have spent time with Jesus because there's "no other explanation" for the result and the fruit of what's coming out of your mouth. What's coming out of your actions? Why do you love people in the way that they don't deserve to be loved? Nobody does that.
Jesus.
Today's Easter. *Resurrection Sunday*. We're gonna do things a little different. I'm gonna read 2 chapters of the Bible to you. And I want you to I'm going read John-19.
Actually, I'm going read John-18:28 through John-20. It's going be about 10, 12 minutes. And I want you to "be careful how you hear". Jesus said, be careful how you hear. I want you to just some of you may want to close your eyes just to get rid of the distractions.
But I just want you to take in what happened here. His story is enough. Doesn't need any embellishment. Amen? Amen.
And we're gonna talk about its importance for a little bit. Then after that, we're gonna take communion together, worship him through giving, and we're going to have baptism. We'll call it a day. Amen? *John-18:28*.
Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas. You know what? Before I do this, I got to do 1 thing. Every Sunday, Geo comes and brings me an ice cold thing of water. I didn't ask him to do that.
He just does it. Geo, would you stand up? Would you wave at the crowd? Geo, would you remain standing? Would you look at me real quick?
I want you to know that at the last song, as I was standing over there, talking about how much we love *God*. God was telling me how much he loves you. And and, your heart to go over and above to do this is an expression of how much you love God too. You're precious to him. You're valuable to him.
You matter. And, man, because of that, you matter to us. And we're so thankful that you're here. Would you guys give him a big old hand? Man, that water's good too.
I don't think the live cameras are working, so I'm gonna sit here. Don't beat me up because the the light's making shadows and stuff. Camera people beat me up for this but it's all good. They're they're really good at their job. *John-18:28*.
Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now, it was early morning and to avoid ceremonial uncleanliness or uncleanness, cleanness. They did not enter the palace because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. So, Pilate came out to them and asked, what charges are you bringing against this man? If he were not a criminal, they replied, we would not have handed him over to you.
Pilate said, take him yourself and judge him by your own law. But we have no right to execute anyone, they objected. This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die. Just so you know, every prophecy and there were hundreds was fulfilled by Jesus' life showing that he actually is who he says that he is. Pilate went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus, and asked him, are you the king of the Jews?
Is that your own idea? Jesus asked. Or did others talk to you about me? Am I a Jew? Pilate replied.
Your own people and chief priest handed you over to me. What is it you have done? Jesus said, my kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.
You're a king then, said Pilate. Jesus answered, you say that I'm a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into this world is to testify to the truth. Everyone everyone on the side of truth listens to me. What is truth?
Retorted Pilate. With this, he went out again to the Jews, gathered there, and said, I find no basis for a charge against him, but it is your custom for me to release to you 1 prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release the king of the Jews? They shouted back. No, not him.
Give us Barabbas. Now Barabbas had taken part of an uprising in an uprising. It's interesting. They wanted to give up an innocent man and receive back a murderer because they hated the truth coming out of his mouth. That's what religion will do.
A lot of times religion will see freedom and persecute it. You know what? In Pakistan, we're about to do a crusade between 13 and 15000 people. It's going be awesome. And we're not getting persecuted right now by the Muslims or by the Hindus.
We're getting persecuted by the believers. Ain't that is that interesting? Believers in a radius, you know, about 3 or 4 hours away. They're hearing about it and they're starting to come against it because they want the fame. Ain't that interesting?
Religion always persecutes *freedom*. *John-19*. Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him with a purple robe and went up to him again and again saying, hail, king of the Jews and they slapped him in the face.
Once more, Pilate came out and said to the Jews, just so you know that flogging was a big deal. I know I just read over it. But he should have died there. But he chose to stay alive because he had to finish his task. Once more, Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.
When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, "here is the man". As soon as the chief priest and their officials saw him, they shouted, crucify, crucify. But Pilate answered, you take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him. The Jewish leaders insisted, we have a law and according to that law, he must die because he claimed to be the son of god**.
Jesus said, he was the son of god**. Claim to be God in the flesh. A good prophet and a good teacher doesn't do that. So Jesus is either a lunatic or he is who he says he is. When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid and he went back inside the palace.
Where do you come from? He asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. Do you refuse to speak to me? Pilate said. Don't you realize that I have the power to either crucify or free you?
Jesus answered, you would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore, the 1 who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin. From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, if you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar. When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement, which in Aramaic is Gabbatha.
It was the day of preparation of Passover. It was about noon. Here is your King pilot said to the Jews, but they shouted take him away. Take him away. Crucify him.
Shall I crucify your King pilot asked this is telling. We have no king but Caesar. The chief priests answered, *Lord God*, let our lives declare that you're our king. Finally, Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus.
Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There, they crucified him. With him, 2 others. 1 on each side of G and Jesus in the middle. Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross.
It read, Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews. Many of the Jews read the sign for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek. The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, do not write the king of the Jews, but this man claimed to be the king of Jews. Pilate answered, what I have written, I have written. When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, divided them into 4 shares, 1 for each of them with the undergarment remaining.
This garment was seamless, woven in 1 piece from top to bottom. Let's not tear it, they said to 1 another. Let's decide by lot who will get it. This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled. They divided my clothes among them and cast slots for my garments.
Just another prophecy from hundreds of years before that was 100% fulfilled. So this is what the soldiers did. Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary, the wife of Clopus, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said, woman, here is your son. And to the disciple, here is your mother.
From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. Verse 28. Later, knowing that everything had now been finished and so that scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, I am thirsty. A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, **it is finished**.
With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. That word, it is finished. The original context is, it has been finished. The original word, it has been finished. It is finished and will continue to remain finished in the future.
What Jesus did not just didn't just matter for then, but it matters for your life and it matters forever. We'll talk about why. Now, it was the day of preparation, verse 31, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath. They asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus and then those of the other but when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.
Instead, 1 of the soldiers pierced Jesus side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth and he testifies so that you may also believe. These things happen so that scripture would be fulfilled. Not 1 of his bones will be broken and as another scripture says, they will look on the 1 they have pierced.
Blood and water flowed from his side. What was happening there? Little side note, he was birthing the church. The burial of Jesus. Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus.
Now, Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes about 75 pounds. Taking Jesus' body, the 2 of them wrapped it with spices and strips of linen.
This was in accordance with the Jewish burial customs. At the place where they where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden And in the garden, a new tomb in which no 1 had ever been laid because it was the Jewish day of preparation. And since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. What a beautiful picture. Adam was created in a garden, given life to.
Jesus **resurrected** from a garden, giving life to the church. We'll get into to chapter 20. Right now, the death of Jesus, the crucifixion, him pouring out his blood. Why is it important? You know, ask most Christians, they'll say, well, it's important because because of that, we're washed clean.
Like he forgave us of our sin. He died to forgive us of our sin. And while that is true, he did die on a cross and part of what he did in shedding his blood was for forgiveness of our sin. But I just think that most Christians over focus on sin. Like, if what if the bigger deal was that *God* created Adam in the beginning in the garden very good.
And he was good. And sin came in because of some stupid choices and tainted mankind. And so Jesus' death was not just to forgive us of our sin, but to pay a price in order to declare and restore our created value. *God* wanted to wash you clean, but also he wanted to restore your value. I've said this before, but it's worth saying *again* so you hear it again, but also for the new people.
This phone is only worth what someone would pay for it. If you if nobody would pay more than $15 for this phone, then this phone's only worth $15. Somebody actually pays $15. Now, we know it's an iPhone. We pay monthly for it.
Ends up being, what, $600 or something? 800? I don't know. A lot. But that's what it's worth.
Something's only as valuable as what someone else would pay for it. And that means Jesus died on a cross paying his life for you. Redemption means restoring something to its value. Redeeming it. He died on a cross redeeming you restoring you to value declaring that your worth the life of God.
*Son of God*, God in
the flesh died on a cross paying his life for you. Your worth the life of Jesus. The father declared it so. He was **restoring your value** and he was washing you clean, but also he did that not just to restore your value to where Adam was.
Another little tidbit. Adam never ate of the "tree of life". So he never had the life of God on the inside. Jesus
made you clean, restored your value, declaring you worth the very life of God. And then, when you're born again, when you believe that Jesus died and rose again on you in your heart and you confess him as Lord, you're transformed because he places his value in you. He places his life.
*John-20*. Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark. I got to say this too. Some people are like, are all about the sweet by and by. And I mean, I can't wait because to be absent with the body is to be present with Christ and that's awesome.
But if He placed His life in us, then shouldn't we experience the result of that life being us now? So then we have to ask ourselves, in the areas that we're not, why? Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, I got good news for you on that 1. So just let it sit. Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw the stone had been removed from the entrance.
So, she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciples to the 1 Jesus loved and said, they have taken the lord out of the tomb and we don't know where they put him. So, Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running but the other disciple outrun Peter and reached the tomb. Now, I always think that's funny because John is the guy that wrote this book is the other disciple and he had just had to put it in his book that he outrun Peter. Just so you know, Peter, I won.
I think I think Peter had already died maybe when he wrote this. I I don't remember exactly but if so, it was like, you see this from heaven. 'Sup? We'll talk about this for eternity. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb.
He saw the strips of linen lying there as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus' head. The cloth was still lying in its place separate from the linen. Finally, the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went inside. He saw and believed. They
still
did not understand understand from scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead. They just believed without understanding. Isn't that interesting? You realize we can believe before we understand? Oh, man, that's good.
Then the disciples went back to where they were staying. Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw the 2 angels in white seated where Jesus' body had been. 1 at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, woman, why are you crying?
They have taken my Lord away, she said, and I don't know where they have put Him. At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there. But she did not realize that it was Jesus. Some people say, well, if I see Jesus, if you see Jesus, you might not recognize him. I pray you do.
And just so you know, Jesus is here. Hopefully, you see him and recognize him and receive him because he loves you. He asked her, Woman, why are you crying? Who's it you're looking for? Jesus spoke to her and she didn't recognize that it was Jesus' voice.
Sometimes we need to be around others to teach us how to hear the voice of our Lord. Sometimes we need to stay, stand. Thinking he was a gardener, she said, Sir, if you've carried him away, tell me where you have put him and I will get him. Jesus said, Mary. She turned him and cried out in Arabic, Rabboni, which means teacher.
Jesus said, Do not hold on to me for I've not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, I am ascending to my Father, to your Father, to my God and your God. Mary Magdalene went to the disciples and said, I've seen the Lord. And she told them that He had said these things to her. Come on, that's good.
To my Father and to your Father. Old Testament, they called Him God. New Testament, Jesus transformed things so that they called Him Father. So that we can call Him Father. I talked with someone a band can come up.
I talked with someone just about my relationship with Jesus and hearing the Lord. Man, I really love this person a lot. And he was just kind of dumbfounded that nobody had ever really practically talked to him about what it looks like to hear God's voice in your daily life. And I was kind of dumbfounded that he was dumbfounded by that or dumbfounded by how he was dumbfounded about hearing God's practical voice. Why?
Because if Christianity is really a relationship, then it's more than just getting up and going to church on Easter, and Christmas, and a couple Sundays each month, and reading your bible, and praying, and by prayer, saying a bunch of things to God but not really knowing what he says. A relationship is 2 way. Like it's it's it's knowing the voice of God and probably listening more than you speak because he knows a little bit more than you. Come on, that was good. Okay.
So we just talked about the resurrection. Why is the resurrection important? Like, why are we here today on a on a Easter Sunday? Why is there more people gathering around the world than ever before? Like, why do we celebrate this?
Because it's vital? In 1 Corinthians-15, it says, and I read. But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, verse 12, how can some of you say that there's no resurrection of the dead? If there's no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, here it is, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
Verse 16, for if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile. You are still in your sins. Then the those who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost and if only if only for this life, we have hope in Christ. We are of all people most to be pitied.
It's that important. If Christ hadn't been raised, Christianity is junk. He didn't really raise from the dead. But he did. A lot of people want the logical proofs that he raised from the dead.
I'll go there for a second. I'll give you 5, but then I'll give you the more important 1. Okay? Deal? Deal.
5. Just remember alive, a l I v e. Appearances. Logical proofs. Appearances.
Jesus appeared to over 500 people before he ascended to heaven after he rose from the dead 3 days after dying on the cross. Appeared to over 500 people. It was so significant that Paul, when he penned The letters that he wrote, he said. Hey, if you have any questions about this, just go talk to 1 of the witnesses. They saw him.
If it was a big false thing. You wouldn't tell people 20 years later that there were still some people alive that saw him because you'd be found out. That makes sense? A, appearances. 2, some of you aren't gonna like this 1.
The low status of women. Not saying, ladies, that you have a low status today. But 2000 years ago, was the fact. Culture didn't look at women as in the image of God, and you are. You are created in the image of God.
How dare anybody down someone created in the image of God? But low status of women. So if you're going to create a hoax, you probably don't use a woman as the first testimony of Jesus being risen, Mary Magdalene at the tomb. Probably wouldn't be a good idea. Hope you're smarter than that.
So they wouldn't have done that too. A L I instant documentation for those history buffs out there. Alexander the Great, you know the Napoleon, all the all the people of of history are the the Babylonian Empire, the Greek Empire, all those things. They're documented 3, 4, 500 years after the fact, and we only have 6, 7 manuscripts at the most of those. And we take it as a 100% fact.
We have thousands of manuscripts that prove that the Bible is what it says. And they were written from 10 to 30 years after Jesus rose again. In historical documentation, that's instant. And yet, we doubt. Text criticism says the Bible is accurate.
Just saying for those history buffs out there. A L I V, **voluntary suffering**. These disciples ran and hid at the crucifixion, and then something changed to where they were willing to be boiled in hot oil declaring that Jesus had risen. They were willing to be crucified upside down. They were willing to be beheaded, speared to death.
They were willing to go to the ends of the earth declaring what Jesus had done, voluntary suffering. That wouldn't happen unless this Jesus was real. And then the last 1, e, empty tomb. Do you realize the disciple I mean, not the disciples, but the Roman guards that were guarding the tomb? If they let someone into the tomb, if they messed up their post, they would be killed.
And so even facing death, they went and reported to their leader that an angel had come and Jesus was gone. All they had to do was produce a body. Never did. Here's your logical proofs for your mind, but really, that doesn't change the heart. What changes the heart is believing whether or not you understand.
So I wanna give you that proof. Jesus is risen. He has. And my proof is myself. If you keep this unmuted.
I was depressed. On antidepressants, on and off antidepressants, 6 to 8 years. Anxiety sucks. Just real candid. Apologize if that offends you.
Prideful. Thought lived like I was the sinner of the universe. Didn't really know how to love others without getting something from them. And so that really the root of that was insecurity. I was over concerned with what other people thought.
And then I had a counter, an encounter, another 1 with the risen Lord. And he revealed to me how much he loved me. And so my life went from those things to joy and peace. The joy and peace I talked about in the beginning. From being all about me to learning what it looks like to live for someone other than myself.
To be able to love my wife in the way that Jesus loves me, and to grow in that. Anger issues healed. Many issues healed. The more that I grew in my understanding of the life that was placed in me. My life is a demonstration, a proof of the resurrection power of Jesus.
I wanna ask you a question. I want you to be bold. If your life, if you've been born again and you've seen the transformation life of Jesus *Christ* in your life, would you raise your hand high? Now, if you're unashamed and you want to declare it as a proof, I'm going to ask you 3 simple questions. It's going be easy, guided.
I want 3 descriptive words, adjectives of who you were before Christ. Me? Simple. I was depressed, prideful, and didn't know how to love others. Just know how love me.
Then I'm gonna give I'm gonna ask 3 descriptive words, who you are now. I'm gonna say, is Jesus your Lord? Hopefully, you'll say yes. And then 3 descriptive words of who you are now. For me, now I'm full of joy and peace, learning what it looks like to be humble and how to love others more than I love myself.
It's a beautiful life. Those of you that raised your hand, who would be bold enough to go first? Raise your hand. I'll come to you. Miss Judy, would you stand up?
Would you give me 3 descriptive words to describe who you were before Jesus? Yes. I was unkind. I was selfish, and I was a liar. Is Jesus Christ your Lord now?
Yes. His life has changed you? Yes. Who are you now? I am a child of God.
Give me 3 descriptive words to describe you. I love me now. Yeah. I'm loving. Come on.
I'm kind. I'm sincere. Mhmm. She is. You're selfless.
Selfless. Come on. Is that true about her? It's very true. She she brought this whole most of this row.
It's very true about her. Your life is proof that Jesus has resurrected. Somebody else. Come on, Daniel. Stand up.
Go ahead, brother. So, before Christ, I was prideful I concur with that. Your life, Daniel, is "proof that Jesus" has **resurrected** and his life can transform us from the inside out. Somebody else. Angie, would you would you come up here?
Meet me halfway. How about that? Is Jesus your Lord and Savior? Absolutely. Has he transformed you?
A 100%. What what looks different? I know. I agree. Somebody else.
Angie, your life is proof that Jesus' life is in you because he's alive today. Somebody else. Loretta. Is Jesus your lord today? Oh, most definitely.
And how has he changed you? 3 words. She is grateful. Praise the Lord. Your life is proof that Jesus has raised again.
I see the change, Loretta. Somebody else. Stand up. If you if you don't mind, if you'll come over this way a little bit, it'd be great. What's your name?
Brandon. Brandon. Yes, sir. Give me 3 descriptive words before Jesus. Prideful, resentful, angry.
Is Jesus your Lord? Yes, sir. Awesome. Give me 3 descriptive words now. Loving, compassionate, and, just joyful, man.
It's fun, isn't it? Yes, sir. Thank you. There's many more testimonies in here. Our lives are proof of Christ.
It's a relationship, man. It ain't a bunch of religious effort. You'll never you'll never be able to do enough. It's allowing the life of Christ to transform you from the inside out. It's not about walking an aisle and saying a prayer and going out and and nothing changing.
It's about walking an aisle saying a prayer and allowing the life of God to transform you from the inside out. If it's real, it will. It always will. You know, in Acts, whenever the gospel is preached, baptism is always spoken about. Always.
The Ethiopian eunuch that was saved. Like they they saw some water. G of the, Philip was just presenting Jesus to him. They saw some water. He's like, what would prevent me from being baptized?
I want to
do it. That's
how important it is. You know why? You know why I think that a lot of and and maybe we haven't given enough weight to baptism here. Because a lot of people just think it's it's a cool thing and and like just merely a symbol. It's so much more than just a symbol.
It's signifying *transformation*. Like it's death, burial and resurrection. It's showing "new birth". When you go under the water, you're declaring that who I used to be is no more. That you're no longer defined by your past mistakes or your past actions or the past things that you did or or didn't do.
That you that is dead and you are dead to that. That's that's a baptism.
Until you you do baptism, is that the case? I hope so. Baptism is a declaration. I have died with Christ. I have been crucified with Christ.
I am buried with him and then when you come out of the water, you're saying, Christ resurrected life is now my life. I'm no longer the sum total of my feelings. I'm no longer the sum total of what everybody always said about me, or what I even I've said about myself. That is all dead. I am now who Christ says that I am and nothing more and nothing less.
*1 Corinthians-6*. Watch this. Verse 9 or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. This neither the sexually immoral nor the idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor the drunkers, nor the slanderers, nor the swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
Watch this. I love this part.
And that is what some of you were. *Transformation*. That is what you were. But I was born this way and you can be born again. You can be transformed.
If you still define yourself by your past, then you need a change of mind or you need to be born again from the inside and then change your mind because god didn't create you in order to stay in your sin. He created you to be transformed by his love and walk forward in his freedom allowing his life to transform you from the inside out. Every aspect of who you are. And when you receive it, you can't help but live it. Anything less is not the gospel.
That is what some of you were. If you've been born *again* and baptized, don't define yourself by those things anymore. It's gone. You're not that child that was hurt by his parents. That's not who you are anymore.
You're not that that kid that was orphaned and left alone. That's not who you are anymore. You have a heavenly father. You don't have to relate to yourself by what happened to you anymore. You're not the "sum of your circumstances".
Be free. You're the sum of what Jesus did. You're the result of his seed, of what he's sown in your life.
I'm getting too loud for the baby. Thank you for tuning in today to the real church podcast. I pray that you walk away today encouraged with a deeper understanding of how much *God* loves you. If you'd like to connect with us, we can't wait to reach out to you and pray for you. You can go to www.realchurch.us/connect.
And then also, if you would like to give to what God is doing in and through our ministry, you can do so at www.realchurch.uscom/giving. Died and rose again. Text any amount. To 84321. Don't put it off.
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*God* bless you. Have towels. We have everything that could take away all of your excuse.