Resurrection brought life. Not just to Jesus, but to us. Resurrection brought life. Now it's interesting because as we look at this It's very interesting Friday was one of the darkest days for the followers of Jesus Mary watched her son go through one of the most painful agonizing And humiliating deaths that anyone could ever possibly go through and so they watched this happen she watched her son die in agony and pain and there was nothing she could do about it all she could do was just stand there and cry his disciples the majority of his disciples took off and left who was basically alone after all those years of healing of teaching of feeding multitudes he was on a hillside basically alone hanging on a cross all by himself when Jesus died Saturday was the Sabbath so nothing could be done Jewish law said the Sabbath day you didn't do anything you did nothing so they just took Jesus' body down on Friday and laid it in an empty grave in a borrowed tomb and they said Sunday, first day of the week we'll come and prepare Jesus' body I can imagine how Mary must have felt knowing that she was going to the tomb to prepare her son's body to find Mary oh but the joy that was about to take place. Oh, what the joy that was about to happen. Oh, what the joy that they were about to receive. It says in verse 1 of Matthew 28, it says, And in the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn towards the first day of the week, no longer reason to take off the inevitable, it was about the time to prepare the body, came Mary Magdalene into the oven, Mary, to see the sepulcher. It was not a visit. They were coming for a purpose. But as they were on the way, behold, there was a great earthquake. It was more than just an earthquake. It was a supernatural shaking. It was something that was saying, Okay, it is time to wake up. It is time to get up. It is time to do something. That is what the church of the living God needs. We need a supernatural earthquake to wake us up. And the angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back a stone from a door and sat upon it. Now I want you to understand something. The angel rolled back the stone not so that Jesus could get out. Oh no, because Jesus was already gone. It was so that the others could get in and see that Jesus was not there, but was risen as he said. That was the reason the angel came and rolled back the stone. And his countenance was like lightning in his rain and white as snow. And for fear of him, the keepers did shake and become as dead men. I want you to understand, these are brave warriors, brave Roman soldiers that have gone through some amazing battles, and yet, in this situation, they fainted dead away. it's amazing to think about these men that had seen some of the most horrible type of deaths and stuff and some of the most horrible events in their lives as warriors literally faint at the sight of an angel amazing and the angel answered and said unto the women fear not ye for I know you see Jesus which was crucified I love that I only know why you're here. I only know why you're here. And then he says in verse 6, He is not here for he is risen as he said These are beautiful words He not here but he risen as he said See, Jesus was not quiet about the fact that what was going to happen. He made it perfectly clear. Even in John chapter 2 and verse 19, he said, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Now many people thought he was talking about the Jewish temple But what he was talking about was the temple that housed his spirit The temple of clay Because he knew that there was coming that time When he was going to be crucified He was going to die And he said to his disciples He made it perfectly clear Tear down this temple Destroy this temple And in three days I will raise it up Now the interesting thing to me is when they heard these words, if they really understood it, which they always said, oh, we understand what you're talking about. You know, they made it perfect. Oh, we're following you, Jesus. Well, if they knew that, where were they on Sabbath morning? Why were they not at the empty tomb on Sunday morning? Why were they not there? Why was it just Mary Magdalene and the other Mary? Why was it just those two? Why wasn't it not the other people? Why wasn't all of Jesus' followers there? Why weren't they all ready to greet him? Why weren't they there way long before he even left? Why were they not there to see him come out? You ever wonder about that? That bothers me. Because if I knew the scriptures, if I believed the scriptures, if I believed Jesus' word that he said, in three days I will rise again. You know what I'd have been doing? Saturday night I'd have been camping out at the empty tomb or at the tomb waiting. That's where I would have been. I'd have been waiting there. If I had believed that Jesus was going to come alive again I'd have been there waiting. I'd have camped out. But only two came. He said he's not here but is risen as he's dead. And then he says, come and see the place where the Lord lay. Literally saying, come, come, and see for yourself. Why? Because sometimes we have to see it to what? Believe it. Right? That's true. Thomas himself, when Jesus came alive and he came to his disciples, Thomas wasn't there. And when they found Jesus alive, they ran to Thomas and they said, You missed it! Jesus came back and he said, I don't believe it. I don't believe a word of it. Listen, I'll take my finger, I'll put it in the finger, in the prints in his hands, and I'll put my fist into the side where it was driven by that spear. I will not believe. So sometimes you've got to see it to believe it. And that's why the angel said, I know sometimes you don't believe it. Come look, you can see for yourself. He is not here, but it's risen, as he said. Now, why did he say that? Simply because those warriors were guarding that temple, or that tomb, okay? They were guarding it. So nobody was going to take that body out. and when the angel rolled back that stone he said go look for yourself nobody stole the body he's alive he's alive come see the place where the Lord did lay and after they looked he said go quickly there's no time to waste that should be our mindset in this generation There's no time to waste. There's no time to waste to be in God's house. There's no time to waste to share the blessing of God with other people. There's no time to waste to tell people about how good God has been to you. There's no time to waste to share the blessings. There's no time to waste. Time is running out. We're on the farther end of Jesus' coming, second coming. And we need to be ready to go. Because at any moment, at a moment's notice, we don't know when. But it didn't happen today. out of moments notice, the trumpet should sound and the dead in Christ will rise first. And then we which are alive and remain will be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. What does it say? And so shall we ever be with the Lord. We need to be prepared. We need to be ready. There's no time to waste. Go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead and behold he goes before you to Galilee. There you shall see him lo I have told you So Mary and the other two Marys sat in the tomb and cried Right? No. What did they do? It says that they departed quickly and the sepulchreed with fear and great joy and did run bringing the disciples' word. It was beautiful. It was a beautiful event to see the fact that Jesus was not dead, but he was alive. And to hear the fact that he was coming to meet them in Galilee. Wow. You know, I sat there when I read that. I honestly thought about this. These words here. These words here. go tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead and behold he goes before you into Galilee there you will meet him and I thought about that I thought about that today and I thought what if an angel appeared to someone and said the Lord is going to be a Don't Rain Wesleyan Church on Easter Sunday. Wonder how many people would make their way to the church. Because it would be like, oh, we can't miss it. Right? I'll sacrifice anything. I'll put on my best. I'll try my best to be in church because I can't miss it. You know what? God is here every Sunday. God is here every Sunday. He visits every Sunday. He is here. Hallelujah. He is here. Bless his name. He is here. Holy, holy, I'm going to bless his name again. He's here every week. How often would we be here if we knew Jesus would come every week? But Jesus is here every week. His presence is here every week. He's here all the time. You can feel it. You can feel it. It's here. He's here. Now I want to tell you something. The interesting thing is the fact that Jesus said, I am the resurrection. See, on Wednesday, on Holy Wednesday, just a few days prior to his death, Jesus spoke to Martha when they sent word that Lazarus and his friend had died they sent for Jesus and Jesus came and Martha approached him and she said well if you would have been here Lazarus wouldn't have died and Jesus answered her and he said I am the resurrection and the life he that believeth in me though he were dead yet shall he live and whosoever liveth and breatheth in me shall never die he made those words perfectly clear Jesus said I am the resurrection there is no other resurrection but me and he proved it on Easter Sunday morning when he came out of the grave alive forevermore and he said I am the resurrection and the life he that believeth in me though we were dead yet shall we live there is nothing beyond the realm of possibilities with God God can bring the dead to life again. God can heal the sick. God can unstop deaf ears. He can clear up blinded eyes. He can make them mute to talk again. He can do anything. He can clear up cancer. He can clear up heart disease. He can clear up blocked arteries. He can clear up kidney problems. He can do anything. There is nothing beyond the realm of possibilities with God. simply because Jesus died on the cross, shed his blood, laid in a tomb, but rose again, and with his stripes we are healed. Nothing is beyond his possibilities. Nothing is beyond the realm of possibilities because he is the resurrection and the life. Hallelujah. When Jesus conquered the grave, he conquered death. Now we can honestly say, O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? Jesus' resurrection brings new life. A life of victory, a life of hope, a life of peace, a life of triumph. Jesus' resurrection brought life. Life to himself, but most importantly of all, life to us, if we'll just but accept it. for just but accepted. Do you want a life of victory? Do you want a life of hope? Do you want a life of peace? Do you want a life of triumph? It is here. It is here right now today. If you'll just accept it, you just reach out and say Lord I want that life I want that life of victory I need that life of victory I need it today I want us to bow our heads for just a moment. I want you to look in your heart today. I want you to think about this today. Do you have that life of victory? When Satan comes in like a flood, do you say, I raise up that standard against you, Satan? Or do we sit and crawl into a ball and sit there and go, oh, I'm just so defeated. Jesus' resurrection brought victory. But it's just a matter of, do we live that way? Do we live the resurrection every day in which we live? Or do we live defeated every day in which we live? You can live victorious. Would someone be honest to God today? Not to me, but I want you to raise your hand to God today and say, I want a life of victory. I want to live the resurrection every day. Would somebody be honest and raise up the hand today and say, Pray for me, Jason. Pray for me, Pastor Jay. Hands going up today. That's beautiful. Maybe you're watching the video today and you're saying, I want that life of victory too. Wherever you're watching it, raise up your hand and say, Lord, I need that life of victory. I want to live the resurrection. Father God, today you saw the hands in this house. And even maybe somebody that has watched this video and said, I want a life of victory today. I want to live the resurrection. I pray right now, Jesus, in Jesus' name. In the glorious name that is above every other name. In the name of Jesus that came out of the grave. Jesus who came out of the grave alive forevermore. We pray right now for these ones that raised up the hand. Father God, I pray that you will put upon them the glorious resurrection and that they will live the resurrection. That they will live the resurrection every day in which they live. Not just on Easter Sunday. Not just on Easter Saturday. Not just on Easter Monday. But then going forward. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, back next Sunday then all the next week and all the next week after that, clear through July and August and September and October, clear up through to Christmas time and then clear up till the next year, may we continually live the resurrection and have that glorious victory in Jesus, I pray that right now in Jesus name I pray Father God that you will touch these lives today in Jesus' name. That, Father God, they will be blessed beyond measure in Jesus' name. That they will have the victory in their lives in Jesus' name. I pray it right now. Father, we thank you that you do care, that you are concerned and that you love us. And, Father God, today I just want to thank you for your son's sacrifice. Father, I never want to take for granted the fact that he loved me so much and he loved us so much that he was willing to die on a cross for our sins. But most importantly of all, Father God, I want to praise you that he is alive. And because he lives, I have victory. I want to thank you for that today, Father. I want to praise you for that today. Father God, I just want to give you all praise and honor and glory for the victories that are coming today in people's lives. For those ones that are seen and go to see that miracle of a life that is victorious because of the resurrection. I thank you for it now in Jesus' name. And now, Father God, I just want to thank you. I want to praise you that you do care and you're concerned. And now, Father, as we finish up today, I just want to say again thank you. thank you for it all thank you for the blessing thank you for the touch of the Master's hand thank you for the resurrection and Father for all that you are and all that you do we give you all praise and honor and glory for it all for it's in Jesus name we pray and we say a hearty amen Thank you. Amen.
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