The Comeback

Apr 5 | The Comeback | Luke 24:1-7 

Give a hand clap for Stephanie - We value prayer here at Restoration and if you hang around us long enough, we hope you would as well. We pray every Wednesday morning on zoom for 30 mins and I would love to have you join us.  

YOU Card Announcement - Give a hand to all our first time Guests. Again welcome and thank you for joining us this morning for our second Service. As mentioned earlier, there's a YOU Card on your seats when you arrived, please make sure to complete it and drop it off at the Next Steps Banner to pick up a special gift that we have for you.  

Photobooth and Food Truck 

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Open your bible, if you have one, to Luke 24. 

When death strikes, it is hard to find other types of moments that can rival the emotions you feel. Death is like a permanent marker on a white board that you so desperately want to erase and take back but no matter hard you try you can't make it go away.  

I was 16 years old when I had my first encounter with the emotions that came from losing a loved one. My mom was special but 18 years ago, she encountered an event that she could not reschedule.  

We can reschedule all types of events but when death comes, it's go time.  

When you look at the long list of history of the who's who. They've all gone to a place where they could come back from. A place that has no respect of persons. Presidents, kings, queens, intellectuals, leaders of religious movements have all met death and waved the white flag.  

But we sit here today, not in sadness but in joy because there was one who had met death face to face, nose to nose, forehead to forehead, and when it looked like death had yet again added to its number, we sit here today celebrating the greatest comeback known to man.  

We are here today celebrating the most important aspect of our Christian faith. We celebrate the man whom the world thought was dead, but three days later he was alive and well because death could not hold him down.  

And I hope you would leave here today knowing that the same God who raised Jesus from the dead is still working today.  

The resurrection is not only an event that we can celebrate but also one that we can learn from. 

Whether you are a devoted follower of Jesus or you and Jesus are in a rocky place, there is much to learn about God in the resurrection of Jesus. In revealing the resurrection to the women who were went to the Tomb early Sunday morning, God also revealed things about himself that we need to remember and keep close to chest.  

I don't plan to hold you too long today so I want to encourage you three simple truths about God that we can learn from the resurrection.  

Here's the first encouragement for you today: God still moves even when your faith is lacking.  

The measure of your faith does not always impact the move of God in your life.  

Let me explain.  

In Luke 24:1-3, the women who have been the most loyal and faithful followers of Jesus came to his tomb with spices to care for the body of Jesus. 

It says "On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb. But when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. " 

The women came to the tomb expecting to see a dead body. 

When Jesus was on that cross, and he took his last breath, it was almost time for Sabbath to begin. Sabbath is a 24hour day of rest for the Jews where they are limited in what they can do.  

When he died, they had but a few hours before the sun sets and sabbath begins and so to make sure no one ran afoul of the sabbath rules, Jesus was hurriedly buried.  

But on this Sunday morning, the women came to finish what was started.  

More than that, the women came to the tomb expecting to find a dead body because they lacked faith in the words of Jesus when he said he would rise from the dead.  

It was such common knowledge that even the enemies of Jesus told Pilate in Matthew 27:63 "“Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’" 

But nonetheless here they were very early in the morning to spice up his dead body so the smell won't be too bad.  

You ever prayed, and the prayer gets answered and then you're surprised it got answered?  

You see friends, you can believe in Jesus but have moments of unbelief for the things he's said.  

You can believe Jesus is the son of God who died to save you and forgive you of your sins but have moments where you fail to believe that he loves you; you can have moments where you struggle to believe that he will never leave nor forsake you; where you struggle to believe that he knows what you're going through, where you fail you believe that he wants what is good for you.  

Here me this morning your moments of doubt does not stop God from being who he is to you. The women lacked faith that Jesus would rise on the third day but when they got to the tomb the stone was rolled away with no body to be found.  

A man once cried out to Jesus, "I believe but help my unbelief." 

The resurrection shows that God is not handcuffed by your unbelief but rather he moves in-spite of it to awaken your faith. 

Here's the second encouragement for you today: God is not silent even when you have no words.  

In Luke 24:4, the women upon seeing there was no dead body in the tomb, were perplexed. They stood there wondering. They were baffled. They were at a loss for words. (“While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.) 

They may have been at a loss for words, but God was not silent toward them in that state. He sent his messengers to provide comfort. He sent his messengers to remind them about the words of Jesus.  

Sometimes life hits you so hard, it's hard to find words to explain. You are in state of shock and awe.  

In those moments, it can feel like you're all alone. I want to encourage you this morning that God is not silent even in your moment of silence. Just as he provided comfort to the women when they were at a loss for words, he has promised to also provide comfort for you.  

The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:3-5, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles" 

On this very first resurrection Sunday 2000 years ago, God showed he is a God of comfort who is not silent toward our silence.  

The comfort may look like God placing you in a church community where people who love Jesus can encourage you and walk through life with you. It may look like God sending strangers to remind you what he has already spoken over your life.  

Can I encourage you this morning? No matter where your struggles are with Jesus today, don't run away from him, run towards him like these women did. He is still moving in-spite of your unbelief, he is not silent even when you have no words.  

Here's the third encouragement for you today: God still brings life even where death reigns 

**Music Team** 

The two men who appeared to the women declared them "Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen!" 

Death is anything that prevents you from living the life God has created you to live.  

The resurrection was a prelude for what God was getting ready to do in the lives of all who put their faith in Jesus. 

The bible says that all people are dead in their sin. Here what that means, it means we love our sins so much that we don't have the life of God in us.  

But because of the resurrection of Jesus, here me this morning, there is hope for you and you don't have to stay dead in your sins.  

There is hope for your story to be changed by God. You don't have to be a slave to your addictions anymore. There is hope. You don't have to live as a victim for the sins that were done to you anymore. There is hope. You don’t have to keep carrying shame like it’s your identity anymore. There is hope. You don’t have to be defined by your worst mistakes anymore. There is hope. You don’t have to stay stuck in same cycles anymore. There is hope. You don’t have to stay spiritually dry and disconnected from God anymore. There is hope. You don’t have to carry guilt that Jesus already paid for anymore. There is hope. You don’t have to keep running from God like He’s against you anymore. There is hope. You don’t have to keep numbing the pain just to get through the day anymore. There is hope. You don’t have to live with bitterness controlling your heart anymore. There is hope. You don’t have to keep striving to prove your worth anymore. There is hope. 

There is hope for a change. 

Because Jesus died and rose from the grave, you can place your faith in today and watch the dead things in your life come alive.  

If you're here today and you know you've fallen off the Jesus wagon or maybe you’ve never been on it, I want you to know that I jumped on that wagon years ago in a service just like this one and I've never regretted it.  

I don't want you to go home today knowing you're still not on the wagon. Jesus died and rose from the dead so you can have life and hope that does not disappoint. There's no better time that to get right with God than today!  

If that's you right now, I want to pray for you. Getting right with God is simple as ABC. It's confessing that you aren't right with him and you want to. It is believing that your sins are forgiven because Jesus died and rose from dead. If you believe that today, close your eyes right where you are and open the palm of your hands as though you're physically receiving the prayer.  

Salvation Prayer 

Come on give God a hand clap. If you received that prayer, we want to know about it so we can help you on this journey. On the back of YOU Card, simply check the box that says "My life was changed by Jesus for the first time today" and take it to the blue banner right outside the door that says that says New Believer. Someone will be there talk to you and pray with you. We also have a gift for you to help with your decision today.   

Closing Prayer