Sunday Service
Thank you everyone for joining us this morning and happy Easter to everyone. You for Christians all around the world. This is the most exciting. The most blessed in the most celebrated day of the year because he is risen.
He is risen. He is risen.
Yes, Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain three, some power, and wealth, and wisdom, and strength, and honor and glory. And praise to him who sits on the throne and to the lamb. Be praise and honor and Glory forever and ever on men, let me open it with a word of prayer this morning star heads. Almighty God today, we were Joyce with all of Heaven because Jesus is risen. The grave could not hold him and death. Could not defeat him and sin has lost its power forever because of him because he lives. We have hope because he conquered death, we have Victory because he reigns, we have nothing to fear our hearts, with your Resurrection Power, renew our Spirits with your love to let us walk boldly in the freedom that Christ has one for us and they are alive. The clear, the truth that he is risen. He is risen indeed in the mighty name of Jesus. We pray this morning on men, You for the past five weeks, we've been in a series called Against All Odds. You saw the video there, any series based around Isaiah chapter 53, in the Old Testament is Isaiah's in a cradle book. Book in chapter 3, at 53 is an incredible chapter, the prophet, Isaiah recorded, his prediction seven hundred years before Jesus was ever born. Imagine that imagine what happened to seven hundred years ago for ourselves and Isaiah 53 describes 24 actions. That the Messiah would experience that were fulfilled by Jesus during Holy Week. He predicted that Jesus would be despised that he would be betrayed that he would be rejected that he would be silent when facing his accusers that he would bear our sorrows and our sins. And that by Baron are since he would heal or our sicknesses and pay the price for our wrongdoing. No, Isaiah predicted that that he would be successful and with over 2 billion Christians today in the world, he's by far the most successful person that ever lived and that he would also raise the dead. Which he will do when he returns. There's 24 predictions and all I'm the reason we're called we called the series Against All Odds, it's because of the chance of a filling. Just ate prophecies was. So, tiny, would be virtually impossible. We talked about. Not for sermon of the series. The chance of fulfilling 58 prophecies is one in 1017 chance of actually, feeling just a prophecy or not one with 17 zeros behind it. And the English word for that is 104 trillion, not such as to Thrift filling a prophecies. So what are the odds of anyone? 48, Prophecies of scripture that number but Jesus not only fulfilled. 48 prophecies in his death, but he fulfilled A332 prophecies in his lifetime as well. What are the odds? You know, there are possible but our savior makes the impossible possible doesn't eat. Praise the Lord for that today. Being Easter, it's all about Jesus resurrection from the dead. You know, we are the are the odds. What are the odds that a dead person could come back from the grave? You what are the odds of that? I know where, you know, where this happened. A few times you do mostly involves an emergency room or not forgetting table or some baby baby being trapped in icy water and being revived afterwards. It happens but not very often but Jesus wasn't revived. He was resurrected. He was fully dead and came back to life. And what are the odds that someone who had been crucified pronounce Dead, Bite by a professional Roman executioner, it was because you had it a spear thrust up into his heart and there was clear pericardial fluid dust out of his side of him. When the spear went into it is showing that has Hearts have been pierced and the chambers of his heart has collapsed. I knew you had his body Pride. From the nails that were held on the cross. And then he was rapping 200 lb of spices including his face and his nose and mouth, they would have been laid behind a 2000 lb Stone.
How could he move on? How could you walk 14 Mi that afternoon and convince his friends that he was completely restored to life. How could he have done that? The odds are zero that he could have done that in Jesus. Resurrection was a miracle and it was Against All Odds that somebody could have done that. New Muhammad is still in the great. Buddha is still in the grave. Confucius is still in the grave, but Jesus is Alive because he rose from the dead, and he offers that same eternal life to everyone who believes in him and puts their trust in him.
but can you imagine what that first day was like, Is the buzz in the excitement, feel the air who is all they see that. That's something and usual had taken the place. And no one seemed to understand stood what happened that day. There was a flurry of activity from from the very people who are too afraid to be seen or heard after the violent activities of it that week. You know, his disciples all ran from him and they were hiding, they were afraid.
Surely something had happened but what was it? The celebration of the Resurrection. The continued for all these years because despite of all the the concerted effort to disprove it, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead stands because it was stood the scrutiny of an investigation one after another. You're the book case for Christ written by Lee Strobel. Lee Strobel was an investigative journalist and he was going to prove that Christ that the resurrection was not true. He has somebody, you know, how can I prove that Christ was introduces of you. Look at the resurrection, if you can disprove the resurrection, all of Christianity Falls and he couldn't do it. In fact, Lee Strobel ended up becoming a pastor after trying to prove there was wrong and you realize that it was. All right. He actually wrote a book called the case for Easter as well. Your secular professors of history and archaeology who have set out to disprove. The fact that the resurrection head Has Come Away with the clear testimony that history itself. Proves that the resurrection really happened. The proof is in history, I think about it. In terms of the day Jesus was dead. He was buried and he came back to life. He was risen from the dead and I Proclaim right now that if Christ can rise from the dead, then you and I can trust him with their problems of our lives, with the worries of our lives and with the struggle of Our Lives because he could overcome anything. And we think of Easter, we think of things being full. What I mean by that you do, first are Easter Easter, baskets are full. If you're a child and you got a full Easter basket this morning. Next, you almost Church buildings are are full on Easter morning. Also the air is full of Music on on Easter morning and then many houses are filled with family. It's a day of being full of stress, also brings with it, some things that are empty when we hear the word empty, we think of something that is lacking or something that's missing. You like a like an empty gas tank or an empty place or or an empty wallet. Today is ice considered the subject of being empty at Easter and let's do it with two viewpoints. The first Viewpoint, I want to look at is the first Easter. in our scripture text, we discovered that As we have already mentioned earlier today, is that the days seem to have an unusual are about it, the scripture that was read to us from Nancy this morning. You the ladies went up Before Dawn and they headed to the grave, and I can only imagine the emptiness that they felt inside, who had been killed and crucified and put into that tomb. They knew that he was dead. Their hearts were filled with love from for the one that they had called Lord. But now that they were broken, they are filled with hurt and anguish and pain as they made their way. Now, it's a sun rose and the journey to order to think about all that they saw. You would have saw the empty cross as they headed towards the grave of Jesus. Quite likely did. The daylight Just Begun began to rise? And as I walked past the place of crucifixion.
It was located on a hill at a place called yellow gotha, which means the place of the skull and it was an ominous looking Place. Could because the hill look like a skull,
The three crosses were still there in place. On the picture of serves as a reminder of their three days earlier and possibly the twos began to flow once they started thinking about that. But now will you stay at? Get the cross is empty and he reminds you and me that the wages of sin is death, without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin and then when we are sinners, Christ died for us, not when we were good, but when we were bad Christ died for us. He died in our, our place, the cross is empty because Jesus died for us.
I want you to close your eyes for a second. I want you to picture of what those ladies made a picture of the cross.
The cross is there. And it's empty and there's blood on the cross. The blood of Jesus should have been a hard blood but it was his blood that was on the cross.
He died for our sins. That's not all your eyes now. This fall the ladies. Then they shot her and the tears flow as they look towards the cross.
You're broken. Remembering the violence, three days earlier that that's happened. Refresh tears began to flow down their cheeks.
They were focused on taking care of Jesus, and it seemed that they had forgotten. Get to know each other material that they had to go and they had to remove a 2-ton Boulder. That was rolled in front of the entrance. They had their spices, they had everything to finish off the anointing of Jesus, for his burial, but when they arrived, what they discovered, it was nothing. Nothing shy of a miracle you discovered that the tomb that the grave was empty
I discovered an empty grave and Matthew's account. Give us the impression. He felt the earthquake has, as Nancy read. Earlier, almost saw the stone rolled away. While the three other accounts in the Bible agreed, that the stone was rolled away when the woman got to the tomb. Let me actually read it to you too. Matthew 28.
In Matthew 28:2 talks about how the stone was rolled away from the earthquake.
Matthew 28. I'm going to start at verse when it says after the Sabbath at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene any other Mary went to look at the two. There was a violent earthquake for an angel of the Lord, came down from heaven and then going to the tomb, roll back the stone and sat on it disappears was like lightning and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him. That they became like the angel said that the women do not be afraid for. I know that you are looking for, Jesus was crucified. He is not here. He has risen just as he said, come and see the place where he laid and then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead. He is gone ahead of you in Tagalog, of the there, you will see him. Now, I have told you
Could you imagine the emotions are going through their mind at first when they saw this giant stone, that was rolled away.
How about going inside?
Senior die, young men dressed in white robes. And hearing him speak to you at all. Sounds kind of spooky. I don't know about you, but a lot of us are afraid of
People don't normally walk into to an open, a freshly open grave. Most of the time they're afraid of it, but none of these truth are really a big deal. The big deal was when they got in there. Jesus was gone. His body wasn't there. When the young man said, he is not here. He has risen just as he said, come and see the place where he lives
Anyone who's a skeptic considered it? As if Jesus was alive, someone would have told the truth. The soldiers would have spilled the beans, and they would have talked to religious leaders and civil Jesus, still alive. He was revived produced, the body. When the rumors got other, Jesus has risen from the grave and that he was alive. Even if he was dead, they would have produced a body. The disciples would have told the truth that they were being tortured. And when they were being tortured and killed, just think about that. The disciples he witnessed it. And many years later, they all died being crucified themselves, many things happening to them. They would have surely said, oh no, it wasn't true. I'm I'm going to tell you right now. I just made it out because I want to keep the story going. They would have spilled the beans. They would have said something.
Witness testimony. And as I said earlier, historical evidence points to the truth. The Jesus is Alive. The grave is empty. Death has been defeated when I think of the verse, which says Where, Oh death, where is your Victory? And where, oh death is your sting. I'm reminded that our Lord has won the war and as a winter heat transfer, is that Victory to us as well. If we accepted the First Corinthians 15:3 Christ says that Christ died for our sins. According to scripture was buried and was raised on the third day.
Up from the grave, he arose with a mighty Triumph O'er. His foes Heroes Victor from the empty grave and because the grave is empty, we have a reason to Rejoice. Today we have a reason to celebrate, not only because the empty grave but also because of the empty grave clothes, In King James Bible, John says they saw his linen clothes, lying there. Why did John think this was important to mention that the empty clothes were lying there? We really don't know, but may suggest that Jesus left his grave clothes empty, because he left his Earthly struggles behind him. He was now in heaven with his father. Again, perhaps he took off his Barrow closed. Like one day, his children will discard their fleshly bodies.
When I see those grave clothes, it reminds me of a show. Which of the body of Jesus was covered in. And I'm, I also reminded that our bodies are a lump of clay that one day we will cast off as well. Almost every week we hear of someone dealing with the death of a loved one.
You this old body, one day will be used up just like Jesus clothes, were were used up. He was ready for something better in his case, he was returning to his heavenly father is home. You're the picture of the the empty cross and the empty tomb and the clothes serve as a reminder that God can take tragedy and turn it into Triumph. She makes the impossible possible.
He did that on the first Easter and he will do it again for you and me, if we put our trust in him.
That brings us to the final Easter consider this question. What If today was your final Easter today, was final day that you lived. They could be exactly that. I remember this church being filled with many seniors who were part of our church. But today many of them have left this world and gone to be with their father in Heaven. Some will say yeah, but they were all. Did they live their life?
We also hear stories of young people that passed away, and accidents, and cancer is, and things like that.
No one is guaranteed tomorrow. Will you be driving home from church today and get in a car accident and died on the way home? Any minute, the trumpet call of God could sound. And what if that was today?
One day, you will split the sky to call all those. He know who know him home. Can we sing the song? So I got a few weeks. So give me all the oil in my land and it's based on the story of the ten virgins knew that it had their lamps for when the bridegroom, but some of them didn't have oil in their lamps, they weren't prepared. And the scripture says, here's the bridegroom. Come out and meet him, but the oil in their land, their lamps are empty and they missed their opportunity. Don't miss yours. When I think of those empty lamps heating oil, I reminded of The Emptiness emptiness of some people. Some people have an empty life. We live in an age of extreme dizziness. There's always seems to be one more meeting to attend. One more job to do. One more activity to take part of one more thing to do. All the times or lives are overloaded of all our schedules were being full or lives. Can feel empty. How many times do you hear about that? About actors? Famous people that say, I'm busy all the time but I'm feel so empty inside.
All it takes for us to feel empty. Not to have an ultimate purpose in our life. Jesus came to give our life purpose and meaning get the day, many lives are still empty.
And we see this played out by those who were considered rich and famous and even politicians.
Those who have material possessions, they are considered rich, they they have huge bank accounts, they have large houses, they have more than what they need. Get, they treat people so poorly. They look down on them.
They treat him so poorly and they think that they're better than these other people. How many people have an empty hope for those who think the world would get better? Just because we are good people. You might want to turn on the news and see what's happening in our broken world today. Your Wars and there's a rumors of wars and what kind of Hope does that leave for our children with the future?
Everything seems to be getting worse instead of better. To place our faith in the government or or money or retirement disability, our lives on a sinking ship and on uncertainty, there's nothing more that devastating than the place. All your hopes and something only to discover that that something is flawed. An empty. Hope it is different than destroyed or no hope at all. Additionally, if our hope in Christ is only for this life. We are more than paid than anyone in the world.
At least, that's what the Apostle Paul writes in 1st Corinthians 15. For my final point, I just want to say that some people have an empty heart as well as of the old saying that there is a god-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person and it can never be filled by any created thing. It only can be filled by God made known through his son, Jesus Christ. In the Bible tells us that whatever is in our heart comes out in our, in our words, and our actions, and even in our lives, in our everyday lives. That is completely different than what the world teaches us. You're the rule states that no one really knows what another person hard it is. But the heart is the center of Who You Are. Romans 10 9. And 10 says, if you declare with your mouth, that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart, that God raised him from the dead, do you will be safe for? It is with your heart that you believe and are Justified and it is with your mouth that you were prep profess your faith and are saved.
Heart without Jesus is like a tea pot without teeth or coffee mug without coffee or cake plate. Without a cake on it. The heart without Jesus.
It's not right because all three of these things couldn't can be used for other things, but that's not what they're designed for. Our hearts can be filled with many other things.
But in the larger scheme of things will never be fully satisfied until it is filled with a presence of all of the almighty God With Jesus Christ. That's what our heart yearns for love and for peace and acceptance. Jesus said in the end times, people will be lovers of self. If you look around the world today, are people people lovers of self. Of course they are. When people drive the way people treat other people's and we can actually see that it in this Christian national love themselves and in love God, they can treat people other people anyway. They want because they think we'll all be safe. That's unbiblical. That's not what the Bible teaches us. That there are many people who like those foolish virgins. They're sitting around and waiting and believing that when the Lord comes, I can do whatever I want as long as I believe in him. You see things my way.
They're also be break the first commandment because they're making their own guard and they're not following the one. True God, that God commanded Us in the greatest commandment to love God. I love the Lord God with all your heart and all your soul and to love your brother and sister as the same. That you love yourself cuz God is love. The Bible tells us that God is love that we don't know what love is. His God, loved us first. And that is why he sent his son to die on the cross for our sins. And that's what Easter is all about. It's about love. John 3:16 Says, for God, so loved the world. He loved the world that he sent his one and only son that whoever believes in him, shall not perish but have everlasting life.
I want to tell you a story about a little boy named Philip. I think I've told you this story few years ago but it's such a good story. I want to tell you about him again. Because Philip never felt like he belong. He was a pleasant enough little boy, he acted a little bit different and sometimes seemed unusual to his eight year old classmates because Philip had autism.
Sunday school class before Easter Phillips teacher and introduce the special project. She gave the students plastic eggs outside and put it in the egg. Egg came back and had a pretty flower. And it said that came back a little butterfly in it. The next day and it has each of these eggs are opened. I'm in fire. The last leg was open but there was nothing in it. That stupid one of the kids said, another grumbled. Someone didn't do it, right. The teacher felt a tug on the back of her shirt. News Philip. He said that's mine and I did too. It's empty because of the tomb was empty.
It was an unusual talk to Silence from that time on. So it was accepted as part of the group. Because they realize that he was actually a lot smarter than they thought. He was
One day Philip was playing near the side of the road and you didn't see the car coming and he ran out in front of the car. You just hit is killed.
That is funeral the class B with air with her teacher. In a place where a simple remembrance on his coffin. And then usual, get that pull up. The Philip wasn't flowers. It was empty aches. Because it was a symbol that I'm that there is new life and Hope.
It was Philip a different child.
I hope to see how his friends that there is hope in the message of Easter in the empty tomb. Let us pray.
Our heavenly father. Thank you for Jesus. Thank you for the empty tomb. Thank you. The girls in the daddy takes away our sins that we can have everlasting life through him. Not only us the whole world, except in God, we give you praise and we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He's now in heaven with his father, sitting at the right hand of his father and one day, he will come again to take us home. When we look forward to that day, we will have new bodies, will have everlasting life. Just thank you in Jesus name, amen. I'm going to come back up. Google play. One of my most favorite songs, actually, I was younger. I didn't like this song because I didn't like the Gaithers. It's a Gaither song. The song is because he lives
