Run, Don't Walk

Intro

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Happy Easter!

If you would do me a favor so we can get everyone in, everyone scoot inward

Giving

not for me to get a new sports car

Every dollar you give is invested into the Kingdom of God and is used to let people know about the love of Jesus

But if you have a sports car to give away, let’s talk after service

Pray over giving

SERIES:

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We’ve been in a series called Holy Week

The last 4 weeks we’ve been taking a look at the last week of Jesus’s life on Earth

And how passionate Jesus is about you and me knowing that at the end of the week he would give up his life as a sacrifice so that we could be in right-standing with God

He entered into Jerusalem hearing shouts of praise from the people saying

Hosanna Hosanna blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord

knowing that by the end of the week that same crowd would be shouting

Crucify him, crucify him, we want Barabbas!

Good Friday is the day that signifies where Jesus was whipped, beaten, and nailed to the cross

And as he was being tortured he continued to cry out to God

Father forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing

And as he gave up his spirit,

the earth shook

rocks began to split apart

The veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom

signifying that there is no more separation between God and man

And Jesus was laid in a rich man’s tomb

But c’mon church, he did not stay there for long

Not even death could stop the King of Glory

He rose in power & authority

And he is alive and well today

sitting at the right hand of the father

and he is in this room as well

We know that the cross and the grave was not the end of Jesus’s story, but the beginning of a new chapter in ours

amen?

Guys, today is the climax of Holy Week, the Resurrection of our Savior & Friend Jesus!

We just got word from our friends over in Israel this week

The tomb is still empty

SCRIPTURE:

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Let’s celebrate

Luke 24:1-12 NLT

Page # __635__ in your Afresh Bibles

BACKGROUND:

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We are able to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus today because we have the full story

I want you to place yourself in the shoes of the Apostles who didn’t get the luxury of reading the story, but instead they were living it

They’re living in Luke 23!

according to them, right now there is no Luke 24!

According to them,

Jesus is dead

His followers are devastated

They just watched their best friend die

Clearly he wasn’t who he said he was

Because of that, lot’s of things are going through the apostles minds

The last 3 1/2 years of their lives have been wasted following this man

You ever have a bad breakup like that? like what a waste of time

This how they felt but 10x worse

They left their families/lifestyles/houses for this Jesus guy

He PROMISED eternal life, and he couldn’t even save himself from death?

So they’re processing all of these emotions

But we know that’s not the end of the story

COMMENTARY:

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touch your neighbor - the original spice girls

BIG IDEA:

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I want to take a look at the posture of Peter this morning

His best friend

this man he had been following for 3 1/2 years

the guy that he knew suffered a gruesome death on the cross

But out of fear, Peter abandoned Jesus in his last moments on earth

He hears that there’s a chance of what he spoke about coming back alive after death to be true

He drops everything and runs to see for himself.

because Jesus is that good - he’s worth running to

I want to title this message:

Run, Don’t Walk

Neighbor:

After this, we’re gonna go for a run

PRAY

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RUNNING

Run, Don’t Walk

Is there anyone here who actually enjoys running as a hobby?

Like you go running for “fun”?

what is wrong with you?

There’s no argument good enough to can convince me running is fun

Have you ever seen someone after they’ve gone on a run?

and looked at their posture

*dying struggling to take a breath*

There’s no way you can convince me that this is fun!

There’s no way that exerting yourself to the point of

your vision tunneling in

your mouth is dryer than the Sahara desert

almost passing out

There’s no way that this is a recreational hobby

STEPHANIE’S WATER BROKE

When we had our son

My wife’s water broke on Christmas 5 weeks before her due date

I didn’t know what to do!

I was freaking out - and normally I’m the calm one

and I didn’t have anything packed for the hospital

I didn’t walk, I sprinted

Adrenaline kicked in

I was jumping down like 6 stairs at a time

threw everything in the back of the car, no suitcase, just arm-fulls of clothes

When we got to the hospital I was holding Stephanie’s hand and she was like you’d better slow down right now I’m going to pass out

I didn’t realize how fast I was making her walk

I was freaking out!

Not once during that entire experience did I think to myself, wow this is really fun

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Running is not fun

There’s a reason that not once in the Bible does it ever say Jesus ran from town to town doing ministry

Because even God doesn’t like to run

And that’s kinda scriptural.

RUNNING IS A RESPONSE

Running is a response to urgency.

If you’re running, there’s usually a good reason to be.

You don’t see people running in airport because they just want to get to the waiting area faster, no their plane is on the runway about to leave them!

If you’re running in a race, the urgency is to get a good position

If you see a parent running after their child, it’s probably because they’re about to get into something

We don’t have a dirty house, but my son will find the most obscure random things on our floor and immediately stick it into his mouth

If you’re running on the treadmill, more than likely it’s because there’s an urgency to stay fit, right?

When me and my friends used to go ding dong ditching in our neighborhood, you didn’t leisurely walk away from the house

You sprinted like your life depended on it, because it did!

I’m so glad I grew up before ring cameras

WE’RE ALL CHASING AFTER SOMETHING

Running is a response to urgency.

I think if we’re all honest, we can admit that there’s something in our lives that we’re running after

There’s something that we’re all chasing after something

There’s something that we believe is urgent that needs us to run and fix it

Maybe you’re running after marriage

Society says that you have to find “the one” by a certain age

Maybe you’re the only one in your friend group that isn’t married yet

Running after prosperity

I have to make 6 figures by the time I’m 35

I gotta grind and work 80 hour weeks to get there

Running after a nicer house/car

Running after a good job

Maybe you don’t know what you’re chasing after, all you know is that you don’t have it yet.

I think we can all admit that there are things we’re running after

And we’re running and running

out of breath

our proverbial calves are killing us

we’re on the verge of passing out,

but we think we’re so close,

so we might as well push through the pain to try and achieve what we’re seeking after

Let me just say, that these aren’t necessarily bad things

And there’s nothing wrong with pursuing these things

But the problem I see a lot of our society facing is that as we’re chasing after these goals in our lives

exerting all of our energy,

we’re hanging on to the hope that this will be what fulfills us.

This is what is going to satisfy us

all The suffering

all the pain

all the muscle aches that I endure

will all be worth it when I get that/there.

And this is the posture we live our lives with

*dying, out of breath*

What happens is what we believe is a finish line is actually just another checkpoint.

We’ve got even further to go than we expected.

running is a response, but what initiates this lifestyle/posture?

What sends us running?

A glimpse of hope.

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I believe it’s engrained in the human heart that we are longing for something that will satisfy it.

We’re all searching for what will quench our thirst

satisfy our hunger

This is why we jump at that job opportunity

this is why we have 18 different dating apps

you’re running with a glimpse of hope

THIS IS WHY PETER RAN

This is why when Peter heard that the grave where Jesus was, was empty...

He dropped everything and ran out the door

There was a glimpse of hope

There was an urgency to see these things for himself

Because realize;

Peter had been following Jesus for 3 1/2 years

Peter had discovered something in Jesus

His heart burned when Jesus spoke to him

There’s nobody that loved him like Jesus

There’s nobody that spoke with such authority and power like Jesus

Nobody was patient with him like Jesus

faithful

merciful

ignites my spirit

Because of this, the news that the grave was empty sent Peter running

Because Jesus is worth running for

I need you to hear this today

Nothing Satisfies you like Jesus.

No temporary pleasure of this world

No amount of money

power

status

your spouse

And everything else that we run after that isn’t Jesus will leave us tired, hungry, and broken

Jesus said this in John 6:35:

John 6:35 NLT

35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

In other words he is the one who sustains our spirit.

Everything that your spirit longs for is found in the person of Jesus

PETER’S SHOES

But put yourself in Peter’s shoes for a moment

If Jesus is dead, none of that matters.

If Jesus is dead, then all of this is a lie

If Jesus is dead, then there is no eternal life

If Jesus is dead, then we’re still stuck in our sin with no way out

we might as well just do whatever we want

All of these thoughts are going through Peter’s mind

If Jesus is dead then nothing he said has any weight to it

If Jesus is dead, then he must’ve just been a good man, not the God-man

If Jesus is dead, then the last 3 1/2 years of my life have just been a giant waste

But Mary came with some unexpected hope

Jesus isn’t dead, he is alive

I love what Peter does, he doesn’t say

woah that’s awesome

He doesn’t take her word for it

He’s got to go and see for himself

And he drops everything and runs to the tomb

I believe it’s crucial for us to have this same posture, too

Don’t take someone else’s word for it

Discover Jesus for yourself;

Know Jesus for yourself

so often I see this in the church where we just take someone else’s word for it

We’re dependent on church leaders/pastors to tell us who Jesus is

and to tell us what rules to follow

We’re dependent on our parents to tell us who Jesus is

And that is a great start, but Jesus did not die a gruesome death on the cross

and resurrect from the grave 3 days later

Just so we could listen to someone talk about him

He did it so that WE could talk TO him.

We could have relationship with him

because he made us blameless through his sacrifice on the cross

God gave us this word not so that we can find a bunch of rules to follow

but so we can discover the beauty of his heart

and know how much he loves us in spite of everything we’ve done

Come on, just the story of the cross is enough for you to see the fathers heart for you!

That cross is a death that we deserve

through all the wrong

all the sin

all of the corruption

that cross is OUR penalty

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And Jesus willingly took our place.

Don’t settle for someone else’s word

Don’t settle for just hearing someone else’s testimony,

Let God write yours.

Don’t take someone else’s word for it, we’ve got to go and see Jesus for yourself.

Don’t even take my word for it see Jesus for yourself.

See hope for yourself

UNBELIEVING APOSTLES

But you know what baffles me about this story?

The fact that the Spice girls didn’t just come and tell Peter the news about the empty tomb

They told all 11 apostles that were together

And even though they all got the same message/word, Peter was the only one who let it move him.

Only Peter dropped everything and ran to the tomb

the apostles missed out on the miracle that Peter got to see

because of their uncertainty

These guys have been with Jesus for years

They’ve seen all the miraculous things that he’s done

They’ve seen him walk on water

they’ve seen him heal the sick

cast out demons

feed 15,000 people with just a little boys lunch

they’ve seen him bring other people back to life

But for Jesus to come back to life himself?

I don’t know..

They said it’s too good to be true

But Peter said it’s too good to not believe!

He reacted out of hope instead of hopelessness

The rest of the apostles did not go because of their disbelief/uncertainty

just because it doesn’t make any sense to them

Please hear me today;

Don’t let uncertainty paralyze you.

.keep you from moving toward Jesus

Please don’t miss out on the goodness of a relationship with Jesus just because you don’t fully understand him

We don’t have to have it all figured out to follow Jesus

if we knew everything there was to know about God, he would cease to be God

he is the all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present God who exists outside of time and space

And we expect that in our 20, 30, 40 years of living on this earth that we should know everything about God who has no beginning and no end??

Please don’t think that I’m up here coming from a place of total knowledge and understanding

God continues to blow my mind every day with new things I never knew about him

I don’t have it all figured out

Nobody has to, because nobody can!

So don’t let the burden of not understanding everything weigh you down and paralyze you from running to Jesus!

Because that’s what the other 10 apostles did.

skepticism kept them still

and they missed out on the miracle

Peter didn’t run to the tomb because he knew exactly what was going on

If you remember, the Bible said Peter went home wondering what had happened

He didn’t understand it yet, but he witnessed it

And Peter went on to be one of the greatest church planters in history

all because he didn’t let uncertainty keep him still.

I love what the author of Hebrews writes:

Hebrews 12:1–2 NLT

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

Run to Jesus

give your pursuit of him all that you have

exert everything that you have chasing him

We can because of the cross

We were lost and dead in our sin,

but through his sacrifice, through his mercy, through his grace

he made it possible for us to come to him

He made it possible for us to live a shame-free life

So let’s not let anything get in our way of him

no distractions

Let’s stop running after the things that can’t fill the void in our spirit

because let’s just be honest with each other, has that really been working out?

I’m not trying to call you out, but if the shoe fits...

Let’s be willing to look ridiculous

I promise you, you’ll find that he’s really, really close.

this forgiveness is free

RESPONSE:

Maybe you feel like you’re sitting still

Maybe you’re running away from Jesus

I don’t want to call you out - but hows that going for you?

is it working?

run to Jesus

Leave everything else behind

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God let people know how much you love them today

Let them feel your warm presence, your sweet embrace

prodigals coming home

Flashlight Easter Egg Hunt!

20 mins

we will give you a flashlight

you can use your own baskets if you want, but Stephanie will give you one if need be

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I wonder how many of us are missing out on the presence of Jesus in our lives simply because we’re unwilling to move from where we are