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00:00:01
Easter Service
61 Plays7 months ago
In this sermon, Ridley Barron preached about the profound significance of the resurrection of Jesus and its implications for believers. Barron highlighted the importance of understanding the reasons behind the resurrection and its impact on the lives of individuals. He emphasized the power of God, the validation of Jesus' claims, and the assurance of eternal life through faith. Barron encouraged listeners to consider the transformative effects of embracing the message of the resurrection and to reflect on their response to Jesus' sacrifice.
Timestamps:
00:00 Explore Christianity's well-documented impact on human history.
06:51 Facing fear with belief in resurrection's power.
10:31 Christ's victory over sin gives us power.
14:11 Pilate's question: What will you do?
18:42 Believe in Jesus, live for him, pray.
21:07 Embracing Jesus transforms and completes our lives.
23:13 Newcomers seek community and spiritual guidance.
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Transcript
Reflecting on the Gospel's Impact
00:00:00
Speaker
After all the incredible music we heard this morning and the testimonies and the kids, I almost feel like I don't have to preach a word. Don't worry, I will. I'll come up with something to say. But you've heard the gospel over and over and over and over again this morning. And what that means is, at this moment, you have become responsible for a message that was meant for you. You say, we don't believe that any one of you here this morning by accident.
00:00:30
Speaker
We believe you are here because God had a divine appointment for you to hear something. For some of you, it's a message you've heard many times before, and you want to be affirmed, and you want to hear it again, and you want to be encouraged by that message, and that's important. For others of you, it may be a message you haven't heard in a long time, and it's time for you to re-embrace what Christ did for you.
Unchanging Message of God's Love
00:00:53
Speaker
And there's still some of you here today, who for the first time, maybe at first, that message cleared.
00:00:59
Speaker
And we've heard exactly what it is that we are here to do, to celebrate, to honor what we've been singing about. This July, I will have been a pastor for 39 years of some type, some variety. I know I don't look that old, but 39 years of this. And I want to tell you, in 39 years of doing this, there is nothing I can do to improve on the message you have just heard. That message is this.
00:01:29
Speaker
God loved the world so much that he gave his only son so that you may have an opportunity for eternal life. For many years as a pastor I've stood in front of congregations like this and have talked about this Easter message, this message of the resurrection and I've many times have talked about why we can know it's true.
The Historical Evidence of Resurrection
00:01:49
Speaker
How can we have confidence it's true?
00:01:52
Speaker
And this morning I decided to take a little bit different route. Now if you're one of those who's sitting out there and maybe you're just here to kind of kick the tires on Christianity and maybe to ask some questions, I will tell you there is no more well-documented event in human history than the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If you don't know that, if you've never heard that, if you don't know what that evidence is, come see me, call me, come sit down with one of our staff and let us tell you
00:02:20
Speaker
Why not just do we think, or we suspect, or it might be a possibility, but we know that somewhere in the Middle East there's a tomb that's empty and it had Jesus's name. But I want to answer a different question this morning, and it's this question. Why does it matter? Why does it matter? So yeah, I'm willing to admit it. I'm willing to agree that maybe, just maybe, Jesus was able to do what the Bible tells us.
00:02:49
Speaker
Maybe just maybe that stone rolled away and that angel appeared and all of that is great and wonderful Maybe because these guys saw Jesus alive after he supposedly died Maybe it turned them from a bunch of cowards to some courageous fools who were willing to die for what they saw But why does it matter to me right here in the year 2024? Well, the first reason I would give you is this
00:03:17
Speaker
it gives testimony to the power of our God. You see, in resurrecting Jesus from the grave, God reminded us that he has the final word over every moment of your life. Birth to death, now let's go all the way back before that, conception to death. God knows you by name. And I want you to know that this morning, I want you to hear that this morning and understand, there's nothing about your life that is hidden from you.
00:03:47
Speaker
Those of you who are sitting up there against the back wall because you thought maybe this morning you could hide in the shadows, God's there. Those of you who came reluctantly today thinking maybe if I sit with my family and I'm really, really quiet, he won't notice that it's been 365 days since I was at church last time. It's not me that matters. It is the God who knows you, who sees you, and who loves you with every ounce of his being. And that God has the final word of your life.
Validation of Jesus' Divinity
00:04:17
Speaker
And the resurrection proves that for us. Another reason I think it's important is that it validates Jesus' claim that he is the one true son of God. There is no other. No one can state the claim that Jesus did. No one has ever lived a perfect life. No one has ever died the death that belonged to somebody else. And nobody has ever kicked open a grave the way Jesus did.
00:04:45
Speaker
I told him this morning, our son and I service me and I have a funky imagination, alright? You hang around a little while and you'll know I dream about some really dumb things, alright? This isn't a dumb one, this is a good one. I imagine that that first Easter Sunday, that that Friday when Jesus died, that all of heaven and earth came to a standstill. Because the moments between his death and his resurrection, all of the world was forced to live through moments that never thought it would have to live.
00:05:15
Speaker
The creation watched the creator die. And so there was silence, even in heaven. Keep in mind, angels don't have full knowledge. So as we're watching what's about to unfold and what's going on in Jerusalem, those angels held their breath going, what do we do now? This was God's plan. This was what he intended. This was what it was all about. So what do we do now? He's dead.
00:05:44
Speaker
And so the angels sat in silence and watched. And then somewhere out of the back corners of heaven, the voice of God whispered resoundingly. Three, two, one. Watch what happens. You see, our God has the authority over everything there is in this universe. You're struggling, you're facing today. God's got control over it.
00:06:14
Speaker
the things that you lie awake and fear of because you don't know what's going to happen next, God's got control of that. That depression that weighs you down, that anxiety that keeps you from breathing, that loneliness that seems to overwhelm you, God's got it all in the palm of his hand. And he says, if you will trust me with this, I'll get you through it. Now I want you to hear something. God never says, I'll take it all away.
00:06:40
Speaker
Even the Psalmist, in one of the most famous Psalms there is, said these words. He said, even though I walked through the valley of the shadow of death, he didn't say that God was gonna keep him from the valley of the shadow of death. He said, I'm gonna walk through that valley and I'm gonna walk through it with the God who loves me. And that's how he knew he would come out on the other side. Another reason why I think that the resurrection is so important for us is that if Christ wasn't raised for the dead,
00:07:10
Speaker
then we won't be even. See, the Bible describes Jesus this way. He is the firstborn of all the dead, the first one to come alive again and to step out of the grave. And because of that, he has proven that he has conquered the very worst fear that any human has, death.
The Power of Resurrection in Believers' Lives
00:07:29
Speaker
the thing that keeps us awake, the thing that causes us to catch our breath when we're in a near miss action or something happens, or when the world seems to be falling apart around us, we fear death and God says, fear not my child for I am with you. And I hold the keys to death and hell in the grave. Another reason why the resurrection is so important is because if Christ was not raised from the dead, his sacrifice for our sin was not sufficient.
00:07:58
Speaker
It doesn't matter. It doesn't count. Jesus's resurrection proved his death was accepted by God as atonement for our sins. Now here's the part where some of us kind of get lost in the leads. I want you to understand something. I want to put it as simply as I can to you because I love you enough to tell you, you're awful. Yeah, I hear that. You're awful and so am I.
00:08:25
Speaker
Because I try really hard to do good things. And I try really hard to be that good boy my mom and dad raised me to be. And I think I've got it together. And all it takes is a few moments to look at my life and realize I just don't have the power to do this all by myself. But God never intended this to. God said, I know what you've done. I know what you will do. I know everything about your life. And because of that, I know that your sin requires some atonement.
00:08:52
Speaker
And there's only one thing that can do that and it's my son. And so he offered his son to die for our sins. The resurrected Christ is the canceled check on our deposit. It means that God accepted what his son had done for us. If Jesus had stayed dead, that would prove his sacrifice was not sufficient. As a result, believers would not be forgiven. They would remain dead and we would have nothing to live for.
00:09:23
Speaker
that praise God that you're using. No reason this matters to you and me is because those who believe will be raised to eternal life like Jesus. Wouldn't it be real depressing right now if you thought this was all you had to live for? I mean, yeah, we have some high points, right?
00:09:42
Speaker
We have some good moments. There's some exciting things in life. There's the day our baby is born. There's the day we get to take that dream vacation. There's the day we get that promotion we've ultimately been working for. But can I just tell you that none of that will matter if we don't have eternal life to live for? It just won't matter. Because what happens when you get to the end of 70 plus years, whatever God chooses to bless you with, what happens when you get to the end of that and you look back and go, none of this goes with me?
00:10:11
Speaker
The bank account stays, the house stays, the wife stays, the kids stay, the hobbies stay. All I've got to live for is when he's promised me an eternity. And that door was opened by the resurrected Jesus Christ. Another reason why the resurrection is important is this. It proves his victory over my sin. His victory over my sin.
00:10:38
Speaker
and it provides us the power to live with victory. You know the Bible tells us that the same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in you and I. The same power that caused him to step out of a grave is the power that you and I are given to live, that you overcome our sin, to live lives that are righteous as the Bible describes it. And lastly, I think the important reason for the resurrection and it proves
00:11:05
Speaker
that he was absolutely sinless, he was absolutely perfect, that nothing about him could be diminished. He was a pure, true, wholesome God. The scripture said that God's Holy One would not see one moment of decay. Not one moment of decay. Did you ever wonder why Jesus had to stay in the grave for three days?
00:11:29
Speaker
There's lots of theories about it, because, I mean, Jesus could have easily died, and God could have brought him immediately back to life, right? How many of you have ever asked that question? Anybody? Okay, then I'm not gonna talk about it, I mean, here I have some questions. No, I have asked that question, because here's why. I believe that, number one, if Jesus had died and God had brought him all back to life immediately, what would the skeptics have said? He never died. He just passed out.
00:11:56
Speaker
Okay? And they try to use that argument now, it just really doesn't work because guys that have been beaten within an inch of their life and lying in the grave for three days don't have the ability to move stones by themselves. Okay? So why three days? Because it was a popular Jewish conception that three days that the soul lingered around the body and then it would disappear. Then it would go wherever souls go. And so Jesus
00:12:24
Speaker
stayed for three days under the command of his father to prove he was really, totally, completely, absolutely dead so that he could then say, I will literally conquer all that you have to be afraid of. So I've given you the reasons why the resurrection is important. Let me just tell you what you need to do about it. You need to change your life in light of what Jesus has done for you.
00:12:51
Speaker
You see, God had a plan from the very beginning that He was going to create this world so that you and I could have a relationship with Him. That relationship was blown by Adam and Eve. We love to point the finger at them, but the truth is, even if that had not happened, how many of you would be perfect without Him? Don't raise your hand, because you'll be wrong. None of us could be perfect without Him. And so, because we're human, and because God loves us enough to give us this choice,
00:13:19
Speaker
We chose wrongly, we choose poorly, we make huge errors and mistakes, and God says, I can't live with that, I've got to give them another option.
Personal Response to Jesus' Sacrifice
00:13:31
Speaker
That option was the ultimate solution we know as Jesus Christ. So Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, died on the cross that belonged to you and to me, and then three days later,
00:13:47
Speaker
accomplish the unbelievable, the impossible. He conquered death. So that's three steps out of four years before step. This is the one that's the most important. You've got to decide what you do in that. You remember the story of the energies of his life when he's going through the trials?
00:14:17
Speaker
And he gets to the point where Jesus is standing in front of Pontius Pilate, who is the Roman governor at that point. He's in charge. He's one of the men who's going to determine Jesus's fate. And he has this little interview with Jesus, this little dialogue where he's trying to figure out who this guy is and why he's so important. And he gets to that end of that conversation, and he says to the crowd as they have been yelling that they won't go around this in exchange for Jesus' life, he says, what should I do
00:14:46
Speaker
with Jesus. If you don't hear anything else that I say to you this morning, this is what I want you to hear. What will you do with Jesus? Because here's the thing, you got a lot of options. You could put him on a shelf as an emergency.
00:15:09
Speaker
pulling down, say a prayer, whenever something bad goes on, or when somebody hurts your feelings, or maybe when things seem a little dark, he becomes your 911 Jesus, if you will, right? Or, you can carry him around like a good luck token. You know, when you come up to bat, Jesus helped me get a hit. When you go in for that interview, Jesus helped me get this job. When you're in trouble with your wife, Jesus helped me.
00:15:40
Speaker
I thought I'd get an amen out of that one. But here's what you can't do. You can't ignore him. You can't ignore him because this morning you've heard everything you need to know to be saved. You've heard everything you need to know to have a right relationship with God that's made possible by the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In just a few minutes I'm going to ask you, what are you going to do with Jesus?
00:16:12
Speaker
He's calling like him. You think that's an accident, but he and I have that prearranged. Let's all stand up and sing Jesus is tenderly calling. I'm scared. Resurrection is the end of a glorious story.
00:16:44
Speaker
I mean, everything about Jesus' life would have been beautiful. I mean, how can you fault a guy who touches people who have leprosy and makes them whole again? How can you fault a guy who reaches down into the mud and uses that mud to bring sight to a man who's been blind all of his life? How can you fault a good teacher who's willing to sit on a stump and let children come and sit on his knee and say, except for those who get children to come into me and do not forget? Everybody likes that kind of guy, right?
00:17:15
Speaker
But you know what the difference is between Jesus and Santa Claus? Santa Claus never died for you. Santa Claus couldn't have died. And if he had, it wouldn't have made a difference. So who you got all for your children up to? By the way, dance instructor never died for your children. Your schoolteachers never died for your children.
00:17:45
Speaker
Your boss never died for your children. So be very careful who you choose to make an item. I was reading an article this week, preparation for this, very disturbing fact. Right now, the Church of England, known as the Anglican Church, also part of the Episcopal Church,
00:18:12
Speaker
3% of the ministers in the Episcopal Church in England do not even believe in God. 3%. An even larger percentage do not believe he was resurrected from the dead. You're going, why are you telling me that? Because my first question, it may be yours is, well, if you don't believe, then why do you serve?
00:18:37
Speaker
If you don't believe, why do you give your life to serve something you don't really believe in? And he got me thinking this morning as I was getting ready for you and praying for you guys this morning. I probably need to ask you this question. If you really believe that Jesus died and was resurrected, why don't you live like that? Why didn't I live like that?
00:19:06
Speaker
Why do we have to keep convincing ourselves over and over again? He's worth living with. Why do we have to keep telling ourselves over and over again that this empty grave really does change everything? And when we say it changes everything, it ought to start with our hearts. Submitting ourselves to Him, living our lives for Him, giving all glory to Him.
00:19:38
Speaker
That's what today is all about. So what would you do with Jesus? Can you join me as we pray? Father, we believe your word is eternally true. We believe, we believe that all of us here have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. All of us, pastor included,
00:20:10
Speaker
We also believe that the word teaches us that the only way to cover our sin is for blood to be shed for our sin. But that blood can't just come from anywhere. It's got to come from a perfect sacrifice. Perfect sacrifice is Jesus Christ Himself. The word goes on to teach us that for three days darkness and the devil thought it had won.
00:20:38
Speaker
For three days, the world believed it was over. For three days, darkness rained over the earth. For three days. But then God had the final word. And because of his power, death was defeated, the grave was open, Jesus was resurrected, and we have a chance at new life.
00:21:07
Speaker
We have a chance at new life. But we have to decide what we're gonna do with Jesus. Do we receive Him? Do we accept Him? Do we give our sins to Him so that His blood can cover our mistakes, our failures, our rebellion? Do we believe that? Do we give it all to Him and some mineralize to Him so that He now becomes Lord of our lives?
00:21:36
Speaker
Because until you become Lord, it's an incomplete transaction. So Father help us answer the most important question we will ever answer. What do we do with this man named Jesus? How do we rearrange our lives around the one life that has given himself for me?
Living Fully in Faith
00:22:12
Speaker
So I want you to sit there for just a second. I want you to take a deep breath. I want you to look at the person next to you and say, we made it. And boy, you look good. But you sure would look better with Jesus. Hey, this is a time where you can answer that question.
00:22:40
Speaker
I've got staff and volunteers who are going to come now to the front of the stage as they take their place. Maybe today, you're just here because you're going, you know what? It's been a long time since I darkened the doors of the church. I need to get back into church. I need to be in this community that John talked about. I need people to encourage me. Guys, life's hard, right? And what you need is somebody good-looking like John
00:23:05
Speaker
to come alongside and stand beside you and say, let me tell you how we can get through this life together. Maybe there's some of you here, maybe you're newer to this community. And when those couples settled that stage and said, you know what? I came to this community and I realized there was something that was lacking for me. Maybe you're one of those couples and you'd love to come up here and say, hey, what do I do to get involved in this church? Because I need this.
00:23:32
Speaker
Maybe, just maybe, some of you have heard the Gospel for the first time today. And can I just tell you, sometimes it's a little scary to answer that question, what do I do with Jesus? But can I tell you, it looks like maybe 700, 800 people here. Can I just tell you that 99% of them are cheering for you? And the other 1% is you? Because everybody here would love
00:24:01
Speaker
to watch her life get changed. Everybody here would love to hear how her marriage got reconciled today. Everybody would love to hear how her dad stepped up and said, you know what, I'm not going to let the world decide about you.
00:24:26
Speaker
They would love to watch a mother come forward and say, you know what? I've wasted my life on frivolous things. Now it's time to invest in what Christ wants me to invest in. I'm going to put him over my life. We're going to sing a song in the main from the first note. Wherever you are, I'd love for you just to come and have a talk with these people here. No commitment required. Questions answered. Conversations had.
00:24:56
Speaker
Don't worry that there's 15 other people moving. Don't worry if there's nobody moving. You do whatever God has laid on your heart. You be obedient in this moment. And then prepare to be surprised. Because I believe in my imagination, on that day when God got to one, that the angels leaned in with anticipation going, man, watch what's about to happen. This is about to get really, really good. Really, really good.
00:25:25
Speaker
And that's just the beginning of what it looks like when you give your life to Jesus. You stand, listen, and if you need to come, don't hesitate.