Real Life

DT: Only Jesus gives real life, because only Jesus died for our sins and rose again to forgive us, restore us, and transform us.

Introduction

Have you ever read a headline and thought to yourself “I have WAY more questions than answers”? Here’s one:

“Woman discovers plant she's been watering for two years is actually plastic”

So many questions… How does this happen? How did she not know? And where did all the water go?

It’s easy to hear a story like this and think “How did she miss it?” But friends, the temptation to water fake plants is real for all of us.

Okay… so maybe not literal plants - but we all have the temptation to pour our time, our energy, our love, and our attention into things that look good on the surface, but ultimately can’t grow, and can’t give life.

We chase success, approval, comfort, entertainment, even good things that become ultimate things for us. And at the end of the day, we find ourselves exhausted, still looking, still searching. The truth is, you can give your best to something that was never real in the first place. And just like that woman, you might not even realize it until life forces you to slow down and take a closer look - until something shifts, and you finally notice that what you’ve been pouring into isn’t growing, isn’t changing, and isn’t alive.

I believe that every person sitting in this room today was created on purpose for a purpose. I believe every one of us was created in the image of God, and we were designed to know Him, to reflect Him, and to find life in Him.

In the fourth gospel in the New Testament, John says this…

John 3:16–17 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

If you get nothing else today, I hope you get this:

Jesus wants to forgive us, restore us, and transform us.

So when we ask ourselves what real life looks like, we don’t have to be left wondering. God didn’t just tell us, he actually showed us.

God’s love isn’t just spoken. It’s shown.

We live in a world of cheap love. People say “I love you” all the time, but it doesn’t always mean much. I end up doing premarital counseling on a fairly regular basis, and one question that I always ask is some variation of this “Why do you want to get married?” I think sometimes couples think it is a trick question, but I’m genuinely curious. Often, answers given are some form of “We love each other.” Which is a nice thought that sounds all warm and fuzzy… but what does it even mean? Because let’s be honest, if you don’t have a clear foundation beyond love as a feeling, things will get very tough when things start to get rough.

Here’s the thing about God… God showed his love for us. Shortly before he went to the cross, Jesus is in the garden and we read this fascinating interaction he has. A band of soldiers has come to arrest him

John 18:4–8 ESV

Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.”

He knew what was going to happen… and he did it anyway. He didn’t run. He didn’t hide. He didn’t resist. Even after they fell to the ground, he asks again, almost like “Hey guys, don’t miss that I’m the one you are looking for.”

Why? Because he knew his mission was the cross. And here’s what’s amazing to me. Romans 5 says:

Romans 5:8 ESV

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

It wasn’t after we cleaned ourselves up or got our act together. It was while we were still sinners… while we were still watering fake plants and chasing the things that can’t give life, God the Son came to rescue us.

1 John 4:9–10 ESV

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

That word at the end isn’t one we use in our everyday conversation, but it is an extremely important word in the Bible. It is a sacrifice that turns away wrath. It was actually was used fairly regularly in ancient times by pagans referring to their gods. See, the gods were seen as angry and unpredictable. And so in order to appease the wrath of their god, they would offer some sort of a sacrifice, a propitiation.

In the biblical worldview, sin has entered the world and left a rift between God and humanity. And no matter how hard humanity tries they can’t make up for it. They can’t offer enough propitiations, enough sacrifices, to get right with God. 

But Jesus can. Jesus, the sinless one is the only one who can serve as this perfect sacrifice.  But here’s the difference between those pagan sacrifices and the sacrifice of Jesus. According to the Bible, Jesus isn’t just a good teacher, a sinless man, a good example, or one whose practices we ought to model our lives after. What sets Jesus apart is this: Jesus is God. 

And so here is what this means. Sin has separated us from God. A sacrifice is needed, but a sacrifice that will last isn’t possible, at least from us. So God does what only God can do. He puts on skin and moves into the neighborhood. Jesus is born as a baby, lives a perfect life as a man, and dies an unjust death. Why? Love. God’s wrath is dealt with by God’s Love. 

The cross isn’t sentimental. It’s sacrificial.

Those crosses that we wear around our necks or hang on our walls are not just a nice sentimental thing. The cross is a symbol of the lengths to which God went in order to give life. 

When Jesus died on the cross, He wasn’t just showing compassion. He was taking your place. He was standing in for you and for me, bearing the judgment that we deserve, so we could be brought into the life and love of God that we don’t deserve. That’s what the cross means. And that’s what makes the gospel good news.

If the story ended with Jesus in the tomb, I’m not sure it would actually carry the weight it does. But three days later, the tomb was empty. Jesus rose from the dead. And that changes everything.

The resurrection isn’t pointless. It’s powerful.

In John 20, we read about Mary Magdalene going to the tomb. She’s heartbroken, confused, and expecting death. But instead, she hears her name. “Mary.” She turns around and sees Jesus alive. And suddenly, hope is no longer a dream… it’s a person.

Jesus defeated death. And His resurrection proves that everything He said is true: sin can be forgiven, life can be restored, and death is not the end. That’s real power, not just to inspire you for today, but to secure your eternity.

In bit, you are going to see a few baptisms. There’s a lot we could say about baptism, but here is one of the things Paul tells us in Romans 6…

Romans 6:3–6 ESV

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

When someone is baptized, here’s what’s happening. They are proclaiming with their words and acting out the story of the gospel. That Jesus died, was buried, and rose again - and they are saying, “That’s my story now too.” Going under the water represents dying to their old life without Christ. Coming out of the water represents being raised to new life through Him. It’s not just a ceremony, it’s a powerful declaration: I’ve been forgiven, I’ve been restored, and now I’m being transformed. Only Jesus can do that, because only Jesus conquered the grave.

Conclusion

So here’s the question I want to leave you with today:

What have you been watering? What are you pouring your time, your love, and your hope into?

Is it something that looks good on the surface but can’t actually give you life?

Because only Jesus gives real life. Only Jesus died for your sins and rose again to forgive you, restore you, and transform you.

Maybe you’ve been chasing after comfort, control, achievement, approval. Maybe you’ve even believed that your sin disqualifies you from life with God. But today, the invitation is wide open: Come to Jesus.

You don’t need to clean yourself up first. You don’t need to figure everything out. You just need to respond to the love that has already been shown.

John 1:12 ESV

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

Today, you can stop watering fake plants. Today, you can start walking in real life. If that’s you, I’d love to have a conversation about next steps.

Let’s sing.