Life Like No Other (RTP)

Death is defeated… our King is alive! How many are thankful for that truth today?

I am so glad you could be with us in this special time of praise and worship. This service is designed to be a celebratory experience that is focused on the resurrection of our Lord and Savior.

Good Friday was just a few days ago. We call it Good Friday but in reality, it was a pretty rough day.

Jesus was arrested, humiliated, beaten and scorned. The crowds called for His crucifixion and Pilate gave into their demands.

He was nailed to the cross and set on a hilltop to die. The hope of His followers diminished by the minute as Jesus’ life slowly drained from His body.

In his last breath He proclaimed, “It is finished,” and then He died on the cross.

And He was right… the payment of death for our sins had been made in full. but in order for that payment to be complete, Jesus had to die.

It can sometimes be hard for us to realize that there is no resurrection… without there first being a death.

Jesus gave His life in place of ours. His lifeless body was placed in the tomb and it was sealed with a stone and the governor’s legal authority.

It would appear that the world… had expressed it’s final say. Death is final. Death isn’t something you walk away from.

But the death of Jesus… wasn’t the end of the story… it was the beginning of a new chapter. Jesus did indeed die and our sins were nailed to the cross with Him. But three days later, Jesus walked out of the grave! Jesus was raised to life!

And today, because of what Christ has done, we are offered something extraordinary - life more abundantly!

This morning we are going to talk quickly about the new life God has offered us through Jesus. It is a life that cannot be found in this world and it truly is Life Like No Other!

Where the wages of our sins was looming over us… where it appeared that sin and death would have the final say… God spoke up and said otherwise!

You need to understand something very important this morning: in Christ… DEATH NO LONGER HAS AUTHORITY OVER YOU. Death and sin no longer have mastery over you. In Christ… DEATH HAS BEEN DEFEATED ONCE AND FOR ALL. It’s done. There is no scheduled rematch, there is no renegotiation to be had. JESUS CONQUERED DEATH and in doing so… He now offers life more abundantly to those who choose to follow Him!

The world thought it was over. The enemy thought he had won. But the world and the enemy had no authority to exercise in this moment. For just when they thought it was over...

God Had the FINAL Say.

How many realize today that all power and authority belongs to our God? I want you to see how the authority of our God was displayed in the resurrection of our Savior. But before God’s authority was realized… man’s authority was being pushed in every which direction.

Let’s take a quick trip down memory lane.

When Jesus was arrested, Peter tried to have the final say when he cut off the ear of one of the soldiers.

At the trial, the high priest exercised his authority regarding the interpretation of Scripture. He accused Jesus of blasphemy.

Before Herod in Luke 23, Jesus’ identity was questioned and mocked. Herod sent Him off in disbelief and disrespect.

Before Pilate, authority was given to the crowd to choose who would walk free… Jesus or Barabbas. The crowd choose to free the criminal and condemned Jesus to die. Pilate washed his hands of the matter and turned Jesus over so the sentence could be carried out.

On the cross, Jesus was crucified and left to die on the hilltop. The cross NEVER failed to do what it was designed to do.

In the grave, death was prominent. Death would have the final say. Jesus was no more. His body was lifeless, and the hope He spoke of seemed to have gone to the grave with Him.

Behind the stone… sealed by the governor… there was no sign of life. Pilate’s seal was placed on the stone making it a crime to open the tomb.

We see a lot of authority exercised in this story -and death appeared to have the last say. No one walks away from death.

And who was to argue with the authority being expressed? Who could say otherwise regarding the events that had just taken place? Who on earth had any higher authority?

No one on earth had any higher authority… true enough. But the One who made the earth had yet to speak. God would have the final authority.

Matthew 28:1–7 NIV

1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

I LOVE THIS STORY! Look at those last few words: NOW I HAVE TOLD YOU! When God made the announcement that His Son had been raised from the dead, He showed the world who had the final say!

My point in all of this is simple… the world tried to have final say regarding the identity and life of Jesus. But God would make the declaration that death couldn’t even hold Jesus Christ down!

And let’s be clear regarding something important: The world’s authority did not take Jesus’ life from Him… In humble submission to God, Jesus laid down His life for the will of the Father.

With all that had taken place there was ONE AUTHORITY that came out on top - the authority of God the Father. Death would not be the end of Jesus… it would only be the beginning of a new chapter… a new chapter of life to the full. A new chapter that would be offered to all who would believe!

And this new chapter isn’t experienced from within a tomb… this new chapter finds no hope in a grave… but finds new hope in what comes afterwards.

Remember, there is no resurrection without death coming first. But Death would only signify the end of a chapter, not the end of the story.

Today we celebrate new life… life like no other! And...

Life Like No Other is Found OUTSIDE the Grave.

First off… let’s talk about how we might find ourselves in the grave.

The grave I am speaking of today is a spiritual death that begins the moment sin enters the picture.

The Bible says in Romans 6:23 that The wages of sin is death. The earned outcome of our sin is death.

Sin is lawlessness. Sin is direct disobedience to God. The Bible states that every person has sinned and that the consequence of sin is death.

Sin is something we cannot escape on our own. And life like no other cannot be found within the grave sin has created.

And with sin… comes accusation.

Satan is identified in Scripture as the accuser (Revelation 12:10). What does he accuse us of? Of our sin.

Satan tempts us to sin, then beats us over the head with our sin. He deceives people into believing that life can be found in sin, then heaps on the death once the sin is committed.

The weight of the accusation is heavy. The guilt sometimes unbearable. But then the enemy tempts us with something else as a means to lessen the load… only to create more despair and destruction.

Satan leads us to believe that if one particular sin didn’t do it for us, then this other sin certainly will. He will use our feelings against us. Such action is not breaking chains… it is only creating new ones. It is only placing us deeper in the grave.

Here’s the problem… nothing and no one of this world has the power and authority to call you out of this grave.

The life we are looking for… the life God created us… was surrendered the moment sin became our reality. It cannot be found in the grave.

But thanks be to God… He unleashed a redemptive plan through His Son Jesus Christ that the curse of sin would be broken and the power of the death would be destroyed! Remember, the resurrection proves that God has the final word!

God’s word to you is life! God’s word to you is forgiveness! God’s word to you is victory! God’s word to you is freedom! God’s word to you is true and proven.

What you are looking for… what you are hoping for… what you have been longing for and dreaming of cannot be found in the grave of sin! It can only be found in the One who overcame sin, death, and the grave… His name is Jesus! We do not look for Him among the dead… HE IS RISEN! And He’s calling you to resurrection! His Word IS the final word… and He is offering you life to the full… life that cannot be found in this world. It’s life that can only be found in Jesus!

Are You Ready to Come Alive?

Are you ready to step out of the grave? Are you ready to leave death behind you? Are you ready to trust in the authority of God… and to place your faith in Christ Jesus? Are you ready to receive life to the full in the place of spiritual death and despair?

Listen to me… your feelings my be playing tricks on you right now. You might be asking “How can I feel alive when surrounded by so much that is robbing me of life?” That’s the grave talking. That’s your old self talking. That’s the accusations of the enemy trying to shine through.

Hear me, when you give your life to Jesus, when you step out of that grave… you leave behind that which placed you there.

Your sin has no authority over you. Your addictions have no authority over you. Your feelings have no authority over you. Your sickness has no authority over you. This world has no authority over you. Your worry or anxiety has no authority over you. Those old chains of bondage have no authority over you.

All these things that were once controlling are defeated by the power and authority of Jesus Christ! Through Jesus, your sins were nailed to the cross. He fought the battle… He paid the price… and He offers Life like no other… life more abundantly in place of the grave!

Still on the fence? Look at how Romans 6:8-10 says it in the Message Bible

Romans 6:8–10 MSG

8 If we get included in Christ’s sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. 9 We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. 10 When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us.

CALL TO PRAYER - So… it’s time to move… from a place of death to a place of life to the full… it’s time to move out of the grave through the grace and forgiveness offered through Jesus.

I want us to stand… and if you desire new life in Christ, I want you to meet me in these altars. We are going to pray for chains to break… for the grave to be defeated. Why do I want you to move today? Because you’ve got to step out from where you are into the new promised reality Jesus is offering. You cannot experience life to the full with one foot still stuck in the grave!

And for those in your seats… I want us to move in worship. I want us to lift up those who are responding and to lift up our praise to the One that made life more abundantly a possibility!