He is Risen
Notes
Transcript
INTRO: Invitation into the Story
I want to tell you a true story today.
A story about someone I know really well.
It’s my story…
The story of how the resurrection of Jesus changed not just what I believe…
But how I live…
Because He Lives.
EARLY LIFE: The Approval Story
My story begins in 1980, when I was born in Worcester, Massachusetts.
I’m the oldest of three boys, and grew up with loving parents.
And from a young age, I can remember being driven by a need for people to like me.
Because of that, I became the kind of kid who could get along with just about anyone.
Easygoing. Likable. Friendly.
But while I had a lot of acquaintances…
I didn’t have many deep friendships.
Because I was afraid—
that if people really got close…
if they really knew me…
they might not like what they saw.
So I learned how to be friendly…
but kept people at a safe distance.
PERFORMANCE LIFE
I also learned what it took to keep people happy.
I got good grades
I respected my teachers
I became an Eagle Scout
At home, I obeyed my parents—
at least when they were looking.
And when I didn’t… I got pretty good at covering it up.
I went to church.
I learned how to talk and act at church…
I believed in God.
But I treated Him just like everyone else in my life.
I did what I thought was enough to earn His approval…
and I kept Him at a distance.
THE QUESTION (CENTER OF THE STORY)
But underneath all of that… there was a question that never went away:
How do I know if I’m really okay with God?
How can I know that He approves of me?
And let me tell you—
living with that question… is exhausting.
And I think many of you know exactly what I’m talking about.
Because on a very fundamental level… this is what we all do.
It’s what Adam and Eve did in the garden—
after they sinned, they covered themselves…
they hid from God and each other…
they kept their distance.
And we’re still doing the same thing today.
We try to manage how we’re seen…
While keeping a safe distance…
So we won’t be rejected.
But Looking back on that time in my life…
I was alive in the medical sense—
I had a pulse, I was breathing…
But I wasn’t really living.
TURNING POINT: “MY DEATH”
Now, to tell you how my life changed Because He Lives…
I first have to tell you the story of my death.
Fast forward to the winter of my sophomore year in high school.
I was on a retreat with my church youth group.
And one night, as I listened to the speaker…
it was like God was speaking directly to that question in my heart:
How can I know I’m right with God?
How can I know He approves of me?
Up until that moment, I assumed there must be something I could do…
Something I could achieve…to finally know I was okay.
But then he read these words from Romans 3:
“None is righteous, no, not one…
no one does good, not even one.”
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
And then this from Romans 6:
For the wages of sin is death…
Now, I knew I wasn’t perfect…
but I thought I just needed to be good enough.
Like God graded on a curve.
But if this was true…
then only one sin was enough for God to condemn me!
And suddenly, that question in my heart wasn’t quiet anymore…
It was burning!
If nothing I do is good enough…
Then how can I be right with God?
That night, it felt like my entire way of thinking was collapsing.
And I came face to face with something I had been avoiding my whole life:
The thing I feared most—rejection…
Was the very thing I deserved from God.
And I owed Him my life…
as payment for my sin.
And then came the answer to my question—
but not in the way I expected.
From Romans 5:8
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
And this changed everything.
Because it meant that the life I owed God…
was paid for me by Jesus Christ when He died on the cross!
It meant this was true:
There was nothing I could do to make myself right with God…
but there was something Christ had already done for me.
Listen to the rest of Romans 6:23…
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And this was a gift — more valuable than all the treasure in the world!
It wasn’t something I could earn—
It was something I could only receive.
But to receive that gift…
I had to let go of my old way of living.
Listen to how Jesus explains this in Luke’s gospel:
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
Jesus’ call to truly live is also a call to die. It was a call to let go of my old life…
So, that was the day I died.
The day I let go of trying to earn approval…
the day I stopped trusting in myself…
and placed my faith in Jesus Christ
who died for me.
But here’s where the resurrection of Jesus changed everything for me…
There was still something I needed to understand.
Because for most of my life, I had lived with this question:
How do I know I’m really okay with God?
I believed that Jesus died to pay for my sin.
But I didn’t want to just hope it was true…
I wanted to know that it really worked?
And this is where the resurrection of Jesus changes everything.
Because the cross tells me what Jesus did…
but the empty tomb tells me whether it worked.
This is what Paul says in Romans 4:
[Christ] was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
In other words—
He died to pay for my sin…
and He rose to prove that I’m right with God.
The cross is the payment…
the resurrection is the proof.
And Because He Lives…
I don’t have to wonder anymore!
Because if Jesus stayed dead…
I would still be wondering.
Still hoping.
Still unsure.
But He didn’t stay dead. — He rose.
Which means:
My sin really is paid for.
My debt really is gone.
And I really am right with God.
I don’t have to wonder anymore!
And not only that…
But Because He Lives…
I’m not the same person anymore.
Before that moment, my whole life was built on trying to earn approval…
trying to manage how people saw me…
trying to prove that I was enough.
But Because He Lives… I didn’t have to live that way anymore.
I didn’t have to pretend.
I didn’t have to hide.
I didn’t have to prove myself.
I was free.
And this is exactly what Paul says in Romans 6: Listen carefully…
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.
For one who has died has been set free from sin.
Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.
For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.
So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Now there’s a lot we could unpack here but I just want to highlight the main for you…
It says that when Jesus rose from the dead…
those who trust Him are made alive with Him now.
Which means this isn’t just about what happens after you die…
But the resurrection changes how you live right now.
And Because He Lives…
I don’t have to live the same way anymore.
Conclusion/Response (Gospel & Repent/Believe)
And here’s what I want you to hear this morning:
Because He Lives…
You can know you’re right with God!
My story… can become your story.
Because the truth is—
That question that haunted me—
“Am I really okay with God?”
That’s not just my question.
That’s your question too.
You might not say it out loud…
but it shows up in your life.
It shows up in the pressure you feel to prove yourself…
the fear of being exposed…
the need to be accepted…
the quiet uncertainty underneath it all:
“Am I okay… or not?”
And here’s what I want you to know:
You don’t have to live your life wondering.
You don’t have to keep trying to earn what you could never secure.
Because what you could never do for yourself…
Jesus Christ has already done for you.
He lived the life you couldn’t live—
perfect, without sin.
He died the death you deserved—
to pay for your sin.
And He rose from the dead—
to prove that it worked.
Which means this:
You can know—today—that you are right with God.
Not because of what you’ve done…
but because of what He has done for you.
But just like in my story…
This is not something you can earn.
It’s a gift.
And a gift cannot be bought or earned…
It can only be received.
Remember what Jesus said:
“Whoever would save his life will lose it…
but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”
There comes a moment…
when you must stop holding onto your old way of living—
trying to earn approval…
trying to stay in control…
And you surrender.
You let go.
And you trust Him.
And maybe for some of you…
that moment is right now.
Not next week.
Not when you “figure things out.”
Not when you “get your life together.”
Right now.
You can come to Jesus just as you are.
With your questions…
your past…
your sin…
your uncertainty…
And you can say:
“Jesus, I’m done trying to save myself.
I’m trusting You.”
And when you do…
What He did becomes yours.
Your sin is forgiven.
Your debt is paid.
And you are right with God.
And not only that…
But because Jesus is alive…
You don’t have to live the same way anymore.
So let me ask you the question one more time:
Are you okay with God?
And if you’re not sure…
You can be.
Today.
Right now.
Just turn to Him.
Trust in Him.
Receive His gift.
And know—with certainty—
That Because He Lives…
You can know you’re right with God —And live with Him today!
Prayer
Father, we come to You this morning with honest hearts.
For those of us who have been living with that question—
“Am I really okay with You?”—
thank You for giving us a clear answer in Jesus.
Thank You that He died for our sins…
and that He rose again,
so that we can know we are right with You.
And Lord, for anyone here today who is ready to stop striving…
ready to stop wondering…
and ready to trust in Jesus—
would You give them faith right now to turn to You?
Help them to let go of their old way of living
and receive the gift of life in Christ.
And for those of us who know You,
help us to live in the freedom of this truth—
that we are alive with Christ.
We pray this in Christ’s name — Amen.
Closing Song: Christ The Lord Is Risen Today
Closing Words:
Amen… what a joy to sing that together—
“Christ the Lord is risen today.”
And because He lives…
everything we’ve talked about this morning is true.
⸻
So let me ask you one more time:
Are you okay with God?
And if you’re not sure…
you don’t have to leave here wondering.
Because Jesus lived the life you couldn’t live…
He died the death you deserved…
and He rose again—
so that you can know you are right with God.
So, if today you’re ready to stop striving.
Then stop trying to earn it…
and trust in Him—
You can do that right now.
Right where you’re standing.
Turn to Him.
Trust Him.
Receive the gift.
And know—
with certainty—
That you are alive with Christ.
⸻
And for those of you who know Him—
Because He lives…
We don’t have to go back to the old way of living.
We don’t have to live for approval.
We don’t have to hide.
We are free!
So this week—live like that’s true.
Consider yourself dead to sin…
and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
⸻
Next Steps / Invitation Back
And if you’re here this morning and you’re still exploring…
still asking questions…
still trying to figure all of this out—
We would love to help you take a next step.
I hope you will join us next Sunday at 9am for the launch of Christianity Explored.
You don’t need to have anything figured out.
Just come.
We’d love to have you join us.
⸻
Now church—
as we go from here—
we go as people who are no longer wondering…
but who know.
So let’s go into this week
living with confidence in what Christ has done for us…
and bringing this good news of great joy to people all around us
who are still asking that same question:
“Am I okay with God?”
Because we know the answer.
Benediction: 1 Peter 1:3–5
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading…”
Amen! — Church you are sent!
