NJ - Easter 2026 - HE IS RISEN

HE IS RISEN

MESSAGE TITLE: THE INVITATION

Forgiveness, Redemption, Salvation = RESTORATION

INTRODUCTION

Happy Resurrection Sunday. It is great to have you joining us today @ Oasis. We pray that you have had an amazing week filled with God’s blessing, and have sensed the love of Jesus in your life this Easter. There is nobody like our Jesus and I am so excited to celebrate with you—to celebrate Jesus and His triumph over sin, hell, death, and the grave. There is no greater message than the message of Easter. The message of Jesus’ resurrection. It’s the glue that holds our faith together.

The story of Easter is about a loving God who gave His son for our salvation/redemption.

It is about Gods son, who was obedient even unto death. (For the joy set before Him He endured the cross)

We are the recipients of the everlasting love of the Father even though we were and are sinners.

In this, we are reconciled to God through Jesus Christ and He has given us the ministry of reconciliation.

If you are here at Oasis for the first time, or maybe you’re new to the whole church experience. I want to let you know the reason we’re making a big deal about Jesus is because He is not just some person; He is not just some man. He is God, and He is alive forevermore.

LETS OPEN OUR BIBLES TO JOHN 21

OPEN IN PRAYER

Father, we come to You now in the name of Your Son, Jesus. We say thank You for Your Word. We ask now that Your Word would be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Holy Spirit, we ask that You would reveal to our hearts afresh the person of Jesus. May we see Him in Your Word today. May we see Him in His beauty and in His majesty. May we see His kindness and His grace afresh. We ask these things in Jesus name. We pray that the Lord Jesus You would be lifted high in this service today. Amen.

John 21:1–7 NKJV

1 After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?” They answered Him, “No.” 6 And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. 7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea.

John 21:8–11 NKJV

8 But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. 9 Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.” 11 Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken.

John 21:12–13 NKJV

12 Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.” Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?”—knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish.

MESSAGE TITLE: THE INVITATION

THE INVITATION

From the scripture we have just read, we see the resurrected Jesus calling out to His disciples. He offers and extends to them an invitation. He says, “Come and eat breakfast.

At first glance, this scripture may not seem like a very powerful Easter verse. There are no stones being rolled away. There are no angels. There is no thunder and lightning. There are no soldiers, no trumpets, no fanfare, just breakfast.

Sharing of a meal wasn’t just about sharing food. There is deep and profound relational significance in a meal. Sharing a meal with someone is the ultimate expression of fellowship and acceptance.

Not only is this an expression of friendship and relationship, but we’re going to see that this meal sharing is actually about restoration, it’s about reconciliation, and it’s about grace.

You see, when Jesus invites His disciples to eat, He is not just feeding them; He is welcoming them back.

If you were to back up in the story a few chapters—go to John 18 and 19—on the night that Jesus was betrayed, arrested, put through a mock trial, and then beaten mercilessly, He was paraded around and then ultimately crucified on a cross.

These men, His disciples, the ones who He counted on, the ones who He had lived with, walked with, taught, and tutored for three years, His closest friends.

We read that they abandoned Him, they doubted Him, they betrayed Him and denied Him. The Bible says, “They were like sheep scattered without a shepherd.”

Here, just a couple of chapters later, in John 21, we see Jesus inviting them back to the table, as it were. He is making breakfast for them on the beach.

My friend, this is the heart of Easter—Jesus is inviting broken people (US) to come and sit with Him. Inviting broken people (US) to come and know Him. Inviting broken people (US) to come, experience, and receive His grace.

Easter isn’t just something that we believe in; Easter is something that we can step into. It’s an experience.

The resurrection is not just a past event; it is a present invitation.

No matter where you’ve been, no matter what you’ve done, no matter where you currently are, Jesus is calling out to you and extending to you an invite.

He is saying, “come, sit with Me at the table. Come and have breakfast.”

When He invites us,

He is inviting us to more than a meal.

He is inviting us into a brand-new life.

He is inviting us into a life of communion.

He is inviting us into a life of restoration and purpose.

This is the invitation of Easter.

JESUS MEETS US RIGHT WHERE WE ARE AT

Luke 19:1–10 NLT

1 Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. 3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” 6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7 But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled. 8 Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” 9 Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

Jesus extends grace, restoration, and purpose

John 21:15–18 NIV

15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” 16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” 17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”

As we reflection on this story of Jesus and Peter on the beach after the resurrection. We see Jesus extends grace, restoration, and purpose, using Peter’s failure as a mirror for our human experience.

The Power of Sensory Memory

You can imagine in this encounter of Peter and Jesus.

Peter, sitting by a charcoal fire, and the smell of the fire physically transported him back to the night he denied Jesus three times by a similar fire.

The smell of the charcoal represents the "flood of unwanted memories" and

The shame of past failures that many of us carry.

I think that Peter may have jumped over to get to Jesus first,

Trying to hide his shame from the other disciples

Thinking the worst, that he was in trouble

But Jesus does the opposite, He shows love, heals Peter and restores him

Have you ever had one of those moments when a smell will take you straight back to a memory?

GOOD MEMORY

I have one of those moments every time I smell the rain coming.

Rachel and I were young and madly in love with each other

Walking in the middle of a storm, in the rain

BAD MEMORY

Bad smell, could have been a bad memory

Man with leprosy at a little town called Enngonia, in NSW near Burke

Bad smell turned into a good memory

Jesus took Peter’s bad moment/memory, healed him and restored him

Took a bad memory and turned it good

Restoration Over Retribution

Jesus’ response to Peter’s failure is not one of shame, lectures, or an angry attack that severely criticised him. Instead:

A Table of Grace: Jesus prepares breakfast, choosing service and friendship over punishment.

Matching Grace to Failure: By asking Peter "Do you love me?" three times, Jesus creates three new moments of grace to overwrite the three moments of denial.

Healing, Not Re-wounding: Jesus addresses the failure not to make Peter relive it, but to "rewrite the narrative."

Recommissioning and Purpose

Peters failure did not disqualify him, nor does our failures disqualify us from our calling.

Jesus doesn't just forgive Peter; He recommissions him by telling him to "feed my sheep."

Peter is transformed from a "coward" who denied Christ to a bold martyr who preached the resurrection.

So the Core Message of Easter today is if we let it: The Resurrection power takes the "ashes of our worst moments" and builds them into something new.

CONCLUSION

As we conclude today, can I ask the worship team to come back up?

We can apply Peter’s story to our lives. I want to challenge the common fear that "if people (or God) knew the real me, they wouldn't want me."

The devil wants you to think that, but i am here to tell you that Gods love for you is unconditional

Because of Gods love, He gave His only Son. John 3:16-17

John 3:16–17 NKJV

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Our identity in Christ isn't earned; it’s inherited. God’s love for us is based on the fact that He made you and owns you—"He loves us because where His" — this is not on what we do or how well we perform.

It is who we are and who we were created to be. His children in relationship with Him

Summary Quote: "Grace doesn’t pretend that our failures never happen. Rather, it redeems them and it repurposes them. It doesn’t just restore our relationship with Jesus; it reawakens our reason for living."

CLOSE IN PRAYER

SALVATION OPPORTUNITY - Ps Rachel