The Big Final Three Easter: Good Friday- Cultural Jesus is Crucified, The Real Jesus or The Cultural Jesus?, and Responding to the Real Resurrected Jesus.

What Kind of God Would Demand the Cross?

• The kind of God who takes sin seriously — and love even more so.

• The kind of God who restores what was broken not by avoiding pain, but by absorbing it.

Justice and Mercy Met

• This was not divine abuse.

• This was divine justice and divine mercy, meeting in one moment, on one hill.

• The Father did not take the Son’s life.

• The Son laid it down — willingly, knowingly, obediently.

• One God. One plan. One cross.

The Heart of God Revealed

• Through the cross, we don’t just see what sin deserves —

• We see what God desires:

Restoration. Reconciliation. Holiness with us again.

• God wasn’t content to leave creation fractured.

• He would restore it — not by rewriting the law,

• But by fulfilling it in blood.

The Cost of Restoration

• The cross is not just a picture of how broken we are —

• It’s a picture of how holy God is.

• Restoration in God’s kingdom is never cheap.

• It required a perfect sacrifice.

• A holy God, fully satisfied.

• A broken world, brought back to Him.

The Only One Who Could

• It had to be the real Jesus.

• No one else could carry the weight.

• No one else could finish the work.

• And when He did, He didn’t say “I am finished.”

• He said, “It is finished.”

Restoration Secured

• The cross was not cruelty.

• It was costly love — perfectly just, and eternally good.

• And because of that love, restoration is not just possible — it’s promised.

Sunrise Service: “The Real Jesus or the Cultural Jesus?”

Text: Luke 24:1–12

Big Idea: The resurrection forces us to ask: Are we following the real Jesus — or a version shaped by our culture, preferences, and comfort?

HOOK – Familiar, but False

If you live in the Bible Belt, you’ve probably grown up around Jesus your whole life.

You’ve heard His name, gone to church, maybe even prayed the prayer.

But here’s the hard question:

Are you following the real resurrected Jesus… or the cultural Jesus?

The cultural Jesus is easy to live with:

• He doesn’t offend you.

• He agrees with your politics.

• He blesses your lifestyle.

• He demands very little.

But the real Jesus — the one who was crucified and raised from the dead — doesn’t exist to fit your life.

He came to call you out of it and make you new.

LOOK – Resurrection Confronts False Belief

Luke 24:1–12

The women come to the tomb early in the morning.

They’re not coming to see a risen Savior — they’re coming to preserve a memory.

• They bring spices for a dead body.

• They come with love — but no expectation.

• Even the disciples don’t believe their report.

Then the angels ask the most important question:

“Why do you seek the living among the dead?”

In other words:

“Why are you looking for a Jesus who stays buried?”

That’s what the cultural Jesus does:

He stays in the tomb where you left Him.

He doesn’t interfere with your plans.

He doesn’t rise to rule.

But the real Jesus? He gets up and changes everything.

TOOK – Who Are You Actually Following?

So this morning, we have to wrestle:

Are we following the Jesus who was actually raised from the dead?

The Jesus who:

• Calls you to repentance, not just comfort

• Tells you to take up your cross, not just go to church

• Doesn’t just improve your life — He replaces it with His own

Or are you following the cultural Jesus?

• The polite, harmless mascot of your upbringing

• The one who fits in your back pocket but never takes over your heart

The tomb is empty. That’s not just news to celebrate — it’s a decision to make.

You don’t get to customize Jesus.

You either receive Him as He is — crucified, risen, and reigning —

Or you walk away with nothing but tradition and a tomb.

Closing Challenge:

The cultural Jesus never confronts you, never changes you, and never saves you.

But the real Jesus? He walked out of the grave.

And He’s calling you — not to admire Him, but to follow Him.

So which Jesus is yours?

Because He is not here.

He is risen.

And He will not be remade in your image.

Easter Worship Service

Title: Responding to the Real Resurrected Jesus

Text: Luke 24:36–49, 1 Corinthians 15:3–8

Big Idea: The resurrection is more than a miracle to celebrate — it’s an invitation to believe, surrender, and be restored by the real Jesus.

RECAP – If You Missed This Weekend, Here’s What You Need to Know

This weekend, we’ve been asking a hard but honest question:

“Are you following the real Jesus — or the cultural version of Him?”

Good Friday,

We looked at how people chose a political revolutionary named Barabbas over Jesus — not because Jesus failed,

but because He didn’t fit their expectations.

They didn’t want a Savior on a cross. They wanted a Savior on their terms.

Sunrise Sunday, (this morning)

We saw how even those who loved Jesus went to His tomb expecting to find a body, not a risen Lord.

But the angels asked, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”

It was a wake-up call:

The real Jesus doesn’t stay buried.

He gets up.

And He changes everything.

TRUTH – The Real Jesus Is Alive

And today — Easter Sunday — we celebrate the moment that changed the world.

Jesus didn’t rise to give us a holiday.

He rose to give us hope, life, and restoration.

He is not a mascot for our values.

He is not a symbol of religious comfort.

He is the crucified, risen King — and He came to make all things new.

GOSPEL – A Call to Believe

If you’ve never fully believed in the real Jesus — not just the Jesus of your culture or childhood, but the Jesus of the cross and the empty tomb —

then today is your invitation.

Here’s the truth:

• You and I were made for God.

• But sin broke everything — our relationship with Him, with each other, even with ourselves.

• And no amount of religion, good behavior, or self-help can fix that.

But Jesus — God in the flesh — stepped into our brokenness.

• He was rejected in our place.

• He was crucified for our sin.

• And three days later, He walked out of the grave so we could walk into new life.

That’s the gospel.

That’s the real Jesus.

And the only right response is this:

“I believe. I surrender. I trust You with everything.”

MOSAIC RESPONSE – Come Bring Your Brokenness

Today, we’re not just going to tell you that Jesus restores.

We’re going to show it — together.

At the front of the room is a wooden cross covered in mastic.

Next to it are buckets of broken tile pieces.

Those pieces represent us:

• Our broken stories

• Our hidden shame

• Our hurt and our hardness

• Our sin and our scars

And today, if you’re ready to follow the real Jesus — or even if you just need to come back to Him again —

we invite you to come forward.

Take a piece.

Press it onto the cross.

And as you do, whisper a prayer:

“Jesus, I bring my brokenness to You. Restore me.”

This isn’t just symbolic — it’s spiritual.

It’s an act of surrender.

It’s a public confession:

“I believe You’re alive. I believe You restore. And I believe You’re not done with me yet.”

FINAL WORD – The Mosaic of Grace

By the end of this service, that cross will be covered in fragments.

And it will tell the story of a God who takes broken pieces —

and makes something beautiful.

This is what the real Jesus does.

So don’t wait.

Come when you’re ready.

Bring your piece. Bring your pain. Bring your whole heart.

He is risen.

He is restoring.

And He is calling you by name.