Easter 2025
Notes
Transcript
Welcome: Multisite & No Matter
Welcome: Multisite & No Matter
Hello and welcome to Prairie Lakes Church!
Hey—if this is your first time with us, or your first time in a long time, let me talk to you for just a second—because there’s a few things that might be a little different for you than what you expected (maybe).
First thing is this:
We’re a multisite church—which means that we’re one church in multiple locations across Iowa. We’re broadcasting live here in Cedar Falls, and you might be joining us from Decorah, or Osage, or New Hampton up north; Fort Dodge or Grinnell in the central part of our state, Independence in the east… or online.
And on a weekend like this, Easter weekend, around 6,000 of us or so are gathering together. Which is pretty cool.
But that leads me to the second thing that you need to know:
You are more than just 1 in a few thousand people.
You’re more than just a face in a crowd.
You’re more than just someone who comes to church a couple times a year. You are more than that.
And we know that here. In fact, we believe it.
Here’s what we believe about you at Prairie Lakes Church:
We believe that no matter who you are, where you’ve been, what you’ve done, or what’s been done to you,
God loves you a whole lot.
You don’t have to have it all figured out.
You don’t have to agree with all of what we say before you show up.
You can just come as you are. And you can look for God here.
Because God meets us and loves us right where we’re at.
Now he loves us too much to leave us right where we’re at. But he does meet us right where we’re at. He does.
And we believe he’s got something for you today.
Okay? So, welcome to Prairie Lakes.
Hey: we don’t have a lot of traditions around here—mostly because we’re a church made up of people who come from all different kinds of traditions.
But one of the things we like to do on Easter is a bit more traditional, and might be familiar to you if you went to church as a kid on Easter. Because your church probably did this as well.
But here’s what we like to do on Easter:
I’m gonna say “He is Risen,” and across Iowa, out loud, you’re gonna say back to me, “He is Risen Indeed.”
Okay? Ready?
Here we go:
“He is Risen” (He is Risen Indeed!)
One more time:
“He is Risen” (He is Risen Indeed!)
Yeah. And he is.
Let’s talk about it.
Good Advice But Not Good News
Good Advice But Not Good News
My wife and I have two kids. Almost 15 | and 12 going on 17.
Old enough to stay home by themselves | while mom and dad get to go out and do fun things without them—like we did a couple of weeks ago when we saw a musical at the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center at the University of Northern Iowa.
And it’s the best. No need for a babysitter. They can make their own food. They can keep themselves alive. And we can go out together and have a good time.
But here’s what we always say to them as we walk out the door. Last thing we say to them—
And it’s not “I love you.” Okay? If you’re a good parent, that’s probably the last thing you say.
But if you parent like we parent, the last thing you say before you walk out the door is:
Be…
Good.
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Be good.
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Like:
Don’t do anything stupid. Don’t make dumb decisions.
Don’t fight.
Don’t burn the house down. Turn the oven or the stove off if you’re making food.
Don’t watch things you shouldn’t watch.
Be good. Be good.
Now:
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“Be good” is good advice.
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“Be good” is good advice. It’s gonna work out a lot better for you and me if we take that advice.
Be good. Don’t be a liar. Be an honest person.
Be good. Treat everyone with respect. Do unto others what you have them do unto you.
Be good. Eat healthy. Take care of yourself. You’ve only got one body and this one life.
Be a good spouse. Be a good parent. Be a good person.
Be good.
Be good is good advice…
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“Be good” is good advice.
But it’s not good news.
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And there’s a difference. There’s a difference between good advice and good news.
Because:
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“Be good” is good advice.
But it’s not good news.
Because I can be good—until I can’t.
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And this is my story:
I was raised in a home and in a family that made much of God and much of Jesus. We were regular, dedicated church attenders and members.
Which meant this for me:
I had every reason to be good. I knew what it meant to be good. I knew what the Bible said about what was right, and what was wrong, and what was at stake.
I knew—by heart, even—verses like these in Romans:
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Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death…
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I knew that God expected me to be good—but that I was not.
Because I knew that this thing called sin—every time I fell short of doing the right thing, of being the good person that God has every right to expect me to be—
I knew that every one of my sins introduced a little bit more death in my relationship with God—more distance between me and God.
I knew it.
I knew that I should be good. And I knew what was at stake if I wasn’t.
In other words:
I didn’t have an excuse. I couldn’t claim ignorance.
Oh, the irony of being raised in good, Christian home. You get a lot of good advice. But you still need good news.
It’s like Paul said to the Romans just one chapter later:
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Romans 7:21-23 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.
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Be good is good advice. But it’s not good news. Because we can be good—until we can’t.
Because sin—our sin—frustrates even the best of us and the best of our intentions.
We need more than just good advice. We need some good news.
Good News
Good News
The same guy who wrote those verse in a letter to churches in Rome 2,000 years ago wrote other letters to churches in an ancient port city called Corinth. And near the end of his first letter to them, he writes this:
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1 Corinthians 15:1–2 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
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That word “gospel” is probably one you’re familiar with. You’ve heard it before. But my bet is that when you hear it or see it, you don’t think what the Corinthians thought.
Because when you and I hear that word “gospel” today, we might think about a style of music. Or a style of preaching.
And it’s kind of a churchy word, too. Kinda conjures up images of wooden pews and hymnals and people wearing their Sunday best while a preacher pounds the pulpit and passes the plate.
But none of that would have been going through the Corinthians’ minds as they read this word in Paul’s letter (mostly because none of that existed yet).
Here’s what they would’ve been thinking about as they read it:
They would’ve remembered when Paul first came to their city.
He wasn’t from there; he actually had to have traveled (i.e., sailed) a ways to get their port city.
But he had a really interesting story when he arrived—one that a bunch of them came to hear him share firsthand:
Paul was his Roman name—but his parents named him Saul, which was a Jewish name. According to the Jewish Scriptures, Saul was the very first king of Israel.
And like his namesake, the Saul of their day set out to do great things for his God. Very zealous.
But like it so often is with religious zeal, Saul began to justify doing evil things in God’s name.
By his estimation, this growing movement of Jesus followers in his day weren’t just preaching heresy—they posed a real threat to the one, true, Jewish faith; a threat that ought to be eliminated. Exterminated, even.
And so Saul set out to do just that. The same guy who sailed into their town in the name of Jesus once hunted and murdered those who claimed his name.
Until one day…
As Saul was on the road to hunt Christians in the town of Damascus, Jesus himself appeared, knocked Saul off his donkey, told him to stop, and gave him a completely different direction and mission.
The same guy who once breathed what the New Testament calls “murderous threats” against Jesus followers was now breathing out Jesus’ message.
And that’s what the word “gospel” means.
It’s a message.
But not just any message.
A good message.
“Gospel” means “good news.”
And what Paul says to the Corinthians about this good news is this:
When you stand on this good news, you’re saved.
When you stand on this good news—
When you hold firmly to it—
You’ll be rescued like I was rescued.
It’s more than just good advice:
It’s good news.
And Paul’s about to share exactly what this good news is:
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1 Corinthians 15:3–5 “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.”
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That was the good news. (3) things:
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The Three-Part Good News
Jesus (the) Christ died for our sins
Jesus (the) Christ was buried
Jesus (the) Christ was raised after 3 days in the grave
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Now, what’s the deal with all of those “the’s”? Why is the word “the” in between “Jesus” and “Christ?”
Well, that’s because “Christ” isn’t Jesus’ last name (even though it kinda looks like that in Scripture.)
“Christ” means “God’s Anointed One.” Jesus is the one God chose uniquely to come and rescue us. To come and save us. To be our Messiah.
Jesus was born of Mary. But Jesus was the Christ—the one sent by God to save us.
The Gospel: Be Good or Believe?
The Gospel: Be Good or Believe?
And here’s how he did it. First:
Jesus died for our sins. The debt that our sin creates in our relationship with God—Jesus paid for that debt.
Sometimes we like to say things like “time heals all wounds.” And sometimes it does.
But sometimes it doesn’t.
Every time someone wounds us by sinning against us, it breaks the relationship. And other times, it even ends the relationship.
Sometimes it breaks it beyond repair—either because they don’t seek to be forgiven, or because they feel like it can’t be forgiven, or even because the debt feels so big that you feel like you can’t forgive them.
Whichever of those might be the case, sin creates a debt that breaks the relationship.
But Jesus’ death on the cross pays the debt of our sin completely. Fully.
There’s nothing that we have done that the cross didn’t cover. Jesus paid it all.
You and I don’t approach God from this place of debt that needs to be filled with being good. We approach God from a place of confidence because Jesus was good enough for us. That’s good news.
Here’s more good news:
Jesus was buried.
Might sound weird, but that’s also good news for us. Here’s how:
The wages of sin is death. That’s how it works. Sin creates death in relationships by creating distance or separation.
And that’s how it should work with us and God, too. Our sin creates distance between us and God. Separation between us and God.
But as Jesus descends into the grave, he takes upon himself the separation from God that we should have experienced. Jesus was separated from God so that we don’t have to be.
Which means this for you and me:
No matter who you are, where you’ve been, what you’ve done, or what’s been done to you, there is nothing anymore that separates you and God besides your own unbelief. Nothing.
You might feel far away. But you’re not. Because in Christ, God has drawn near.
You’re not too far gone. You’re not beyond redemption.
On the contrary:
Jesus says that your Father in heaven looks upon you like a dad looking out the window hoping that his wandering, wayward child will come back home. Longing for the day that you return. Hoping that you know:
There’s no bottom to the depths of his love for you.
Jesus’ grave is good news for us because it means there’s no place that we can go where God can’t find us. If he reached Jesus in the grave, he can reach you. No matter where you are.
And on Easter Sunday, the last and most important part of this good news is this:
Jesus was raised from the dead.
But so what? So what?
A guy was raised from the dead 2,000 years ago. Even if I believe that, why does that matter for me?
Remember what we said:
The wages of sin is death.
The same guy that wrote that also wrote this:
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1 Corinthians 15:56 For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power.
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Which means that people might die because of science,
But they stay dead because of sin.
Jesus died because of nails that pierced his hands and his feet,
Because of a crown of thorns that pierced his scalp,
Because of a whip made up of nine strips of leather laced with broken glass and stone that sliced his back,
Because eventually he ran out of the physical strength required to push himself up on that cross to take his next breath.
That’s how he died.
But that’s not why.
Why did he come? Why did he live? Why did he die?
Why?
For our sins. Because we had a debt we couldn’t pay.
Why was he buried?
For our death. Because our sin created such a gap in our relationship with God that we couldn’t close it.
And why was he raised from the dead?
Well, put simply:
Because he had to be raised. Because the grave couldn’t hold him.
Sin is what keeps us in the grave. But Jesus had no sin.
And his resurrection proves that. It proves that he was sinless. Which proves that he was sent by God (just like he said). And it proves that his sacrifice was sufficient (just like he said). And that it was for us (just like he said).
The grave couldn’t hold him because sin had no hold on him.
And just like God reached Jesus down in the grave and brought him back to life,
Through Jesus, God can reach you today.
No matter who you are. Where you’ve been. What you’ve done. What’s been done to you.
Dead people are of no help.
But good news:
Jesus isn’t dead. He’s alive. And he can help.
Which is good news, because you and I need more than just good advice.
The gospel—God’s message to us, on Easter, isn’t “be good.”
It’s believe.
