Latest / Faith Church Podcast / Consider Him | Easter Sunday | Pastor Kami Palmer | Faith Church

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Consider Him | Easter Sunday | Pastor Kami Palmer | Faith Church · Faith Church Podcast

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I am so excited. I love Easter morning. I love
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Resurrection Sunday. It is what we are all about,
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right? It is what we are all about. And about
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a month ago, I preached a sermon on considering
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Him. Do you remember that? When we were talking
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about running our race, out of Hebrews 12, what
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did it say? To run our race well, we must consider
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him, right? And so I want to revisit for a moment
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that verse, because as we were considering him,
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we were considering him and his sacrifice of
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the cross. But I want for a moment to look at
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Hebrews 12, 2 again, and 3. And at the end of
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verse 2, it says he endured the cross, he scorned
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the shame, and he sat down at the right hand
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of God. He sat down at the right hand of God.
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So it then goes on to verse 3. Consider him who
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endured opposition. And so this morning, I want
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us to take a moment to consider him, the one
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that is right now seated at the right hand of
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the Father. In Matthew 27, we have the account
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of the resurrection. Let's read it. So if you
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have your Bible, take it out. We're going to
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start at the end of 27 and go into chapter 28.
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Starting in verse 65, it says, Take a guard,
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Pilate said. Go, make the tomb. as secure as
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you know how. They are wanting this sealed. They
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didn't want anybody trying to steal the body.
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They wanted this to be a sealed tomb. So set
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a guard and secure it. So they went and made
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the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone
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and posting the guard. After the Sabbath at dawn
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on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene
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and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
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There was a violent earthquake for an angel of
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the Lord came down from heaven and going to the
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tomb, rolled back the stone. And I love this.
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He sat on it. This is what I think about this
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stone. His appearance was like lightning and
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his clothes were white as snow. The guards were
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so afraid of him that they shook and became like
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dead men. The angel said to the women, do not
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be afraid for I know that you are looking for
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Jesus who was crucified. He is not here. Can
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you imagine? They've come looking for the body
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of Jesus. And the angel says, he is not here.
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He has risen just as he said. Come and see the
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place where he lay. Come check it out for yourself.
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See where he was lay. He's not there. And so
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just as we considered him a month ago upon the
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cross, today we're just going to walk quickly
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through three considerations from this passage.
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We're going to move through the first two fairly
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quickly because I want to focus on the third.
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But our first consideration of the risen Jesus
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comes out of verse 2. There was a violent earthquake
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for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven
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and going to the tomb, rolled back the stone
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and sat on it. Our first consideration today
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brings hope to us. Because how many of us have
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ever felt like in our life that certain situations
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or certain relationships are just sealed up good?
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There's no breakthrough in sight. There's no
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resurrection in sight. That thing is dead and
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sealed up in a tomb. Anybody ever felt like that
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in your life? Some of you today maybe are currently
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feeling that way. God, this situation seems like
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it will never ever change. It seems dead. It
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seems sealed up shut. But I have good news for
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you today. I have good news for your situation
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today. Heaven can shake things up a bit. When
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God says it's time to move the stone, I'm sorry,
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there's no guard that can stop that. There's
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no death that can stop that. It matters not what
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it appears in the natural. When heaven says it
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is time, the earth begins to shake. Those things
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in your life begin to shake. And nothing can
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withstand when God says it's time. It's time.
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It's time that those things, those places, those
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relationships be unsealed. It's time for what
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has been blockaged to be rolled away. It is time
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for dead things to come alive again. That's what
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happens when God says it's time. God has a way
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of shaking things up and opening things up. And
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man can't stop that. Man can, the enemy can come
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against you strong. He can try, he can try. But
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we know that he cannot prevail against God. Amen?
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And so take hope today and consider his resurrection.
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Consider that it wasn't just that he was close
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to death, it's that he had already died. It's
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that he had already been sealed up in a tomb.
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And in the natural, we would say, well, that's
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done and over. It's time. We're going to be like
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the disciples and we're going to go back to our
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old lifestyle and we're going to start fishing
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again. What appears in the natural isn't always
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the truth. And we got to begin to ask heaven
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for truth over our situation. Over that thing
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that feels sealed up. We got to begin to ask
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God for his truth. Right? And so we consider
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the shaking of heaven and its ability to unseal
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things. So take hope today. Our second consideration.
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This is so good and this should Build such trust
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in you in verse 6. He is not here. He has risen.
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Catch this phrase, just as he said. Just as he
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said. Jesus had already spoken when he was walking
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the earth of his death and resurrection. And
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here we see the fulfillment of what he said.
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Jesus is true to his word. And some of you have
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had even, not even recently, but I would say
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5, 10, 15, 20 years ago, Jesus say something
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to you. And you haven't seen it come to pass
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yet. But can I say to you today that when Jesus
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says something, when he says something, you can
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take that as done. You can take that as done.
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Just as he said. And so, whatever your... relationship
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issues whatever your struggles that you're believing
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for can I just say this to you whatever Jesus
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has said about it is what you should say about
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it whatever he has said about your marriage and
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the promise you've received maybe that's what
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you should say over your marriage whatever God
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has said over your children Maybe you should
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quit talking about how much trouble they're causing
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you right now and begin to talk about what Jesus
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has said about your children. Maybe it's your
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job. You should ask Jesus, Jesus, what do you
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say about this job? And maybe you should start
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saying that. And so today, when we consider the
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resurrection, we do it. Because just as he said,
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so he says over you. And so this leads us to
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the heart of this, consideration number three.
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I've been preaching myself happy for a couple
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of weeks over consideration number three. He
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is risen. He is risen. In Hebrews 12, what did
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we just read? He sat down at the right hand of
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the throne of God. Consider him. The risen Jesus
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is not a meek Jesus that shed his glory to walk
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the earth. Darren read it a few moments ago,
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didn't he? He made himself of no reputation to
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walk this earth. Jesus is not that right now.
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Isaiah 53 says that there was no beauty about
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him. There was nothing that would attract you
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to Jesus. Can I say today, he is risen and that
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is not who he is today at the right hand of God.
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And so for a few moments, I want us to consider
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him the one seated at the right hand of God.
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In Revelation chapter 1, starting in verse 10.
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On the Lord's day, there's something that happens
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about on the Lord's day, right? Something that
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happens. That's why church is so good. I was
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in the spirit, John said, and I heard behind
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me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said, write
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on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven
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churches. Listen, the disciples hadn't seen the
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risen Jesus. A few of them had seen Jesus when
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he appeared at his transfiguration with Moses
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and Elijah. So they'd had a taste of it. But
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they had not seen Jesus risen and seated at the
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right hand. And so Jesus is wanting now to reveal
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himself to the church. saying, you knew me as
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this meek, unappealing man, but I want you to
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know me now as the risen one. Here is what I
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look like. So send it out to the churches. I
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turned around in verse 12 to see the voice that
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was speaking to me. And when I turned, I saw
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seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands
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was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe
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reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash
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around his chest. The hair on his head was white
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like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were
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like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze
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glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like
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the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand
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he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth
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was a sharp double -edged sword. His face was
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like the sun shining in all its brilliance. This
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is the risen Savior. This is the one whom we
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now consider at the right hand of the Father.
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And so let's just take for a moment time to consider
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him. He's dressed in a robe to his feet with
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a golden sash that speaks of royalty. and priestliness.
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His hair was white as wool, as snow, as seen
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as the Ancient of Days. His eyes were blazing
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fire, filled with divine knowledge and insight,
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piercing the hearts of man. The risen Savior
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looks at you. There's no hiding anything. We
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may think we're hiding, but he sees. He sees.
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His feet like bronze in a furnace. Strong and
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steadfast, able to subdue his enemy and your
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enemy. His voice. was like the sound of rushing
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waters full of divine authority. Just as he said,
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when he speaks, authority is released. He held
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the seven stars, which were the ministers of
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the seven churches he was writing to. Isn't that
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good to know, though? He is able to hold you.
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This risen Savior is able to hold you. Out of
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his mouth, a two -edged sword that wounds and
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heals. And his face like the shining sun. This
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is the radiance of Jesus that will one day light
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the new creation. He's the source of the light
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of the new creation. This is our risen Savior
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today. This is the one that even now is looking
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down upon us from heaven. This is the one even
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now that lives within you. Can you imagine? This
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risen one lives within you. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
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And so I think John's response is interesting
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because John's response to this revelation is
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the same as the guards at the tomb. And it says
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that John, in verse 17, when he saw him, he fell
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at his feet as though dead. I mean, can you imagine
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if we were able to see Jesus? This is the Jesus
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that Gary can see right now. Here's Jesus' then
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response to John falling at his feet as though
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dead. Jesus places his right hand on him and
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says, do not be afraid, John. Do not be afraid.
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I am the first and the last. I am the living
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one. I was dead and now look. I am alive forever
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and ever and ever and ever. I am alive and I
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hold the keys of death and Hades. Consider him
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today. Consider him today. This is not the meek
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and mild Jesus we saw on earth. He's got blazing
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eyes. He's got a sword coming out of his mouth.
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He was the first and the last. He was dead and
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he's alive. Consider him. You say, okay, I consider
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that. But what does that mean now for my life?
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I can't imagine considering this Jesus and it
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not affecting my life. When Jesus was walking
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on earth, when he had chosen to have no reputation,
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when he had chosen to put off all of his rights
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in heaven and glory and became man, and he walked
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this earth, What he was doing was teaching us
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what life on this earth looks like. We walk in
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meekness and humility. That's what the word calls
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us to. We walk in forgiveness and love of our
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betrayers, even as Jesus did his betrayer. We
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walk. preferring one another. We walk in the
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gentleness that Darren preached about last week.
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He's a gentle God, even in all of his glory.
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We walk allowing God to be our defender. And
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so even as we live, as Jesus lived on this earth,
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We are able to live it knowing this truth, okay?
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Because I think this was the key. Jesus was able
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to do it knowing his truth. We are able to walk
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in that same likeness of Jesus because we know
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this, according to Ephesians 2, verse 6. God
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raised us up with Christ. and seated us with
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him in the heavenly realms within Christ Jesus.
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In order that in the coming ages he might show
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the incomparable riches of his grace expressed
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in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. Listen,
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we are able to walk the life that Jesus walked
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in meekness, in humility, in forgiving, in living
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unoffended, in preferring one another, in that
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deep humility. Why are we able to do that? Because
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we know who we are. We know where we're seated.
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And just as Jesus is currently seated with the
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Father, God has raised you and I up to be seated
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even now with him in those heavenly places. I
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can walk in humility because I know where I am
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seated. And I don't need to tell you about it.
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I don't need to tell you how great I am. No,
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because my greatness would only come because
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of Jesus anyway. So there's nothing in me. It
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is all this glorious Savior that lives in me
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and that I am allowed to be seated with. And
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so I can walk in humility. I can walk forgiving
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because I saw Jesus do it. And I know where I'm
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seated with him even now. It brings freedom.
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It allows us to walk in freedom. I don't have
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to prove anything. I'm already seated with Christ
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in the heavenly places. I don't have to earn
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anything. Because of the cross, I'm seated in
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heavenly places. It is by his grace. It is by
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his grace that we are seated with Christ in heavenly
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places. One day we will see the fullness of that
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face to face. Today we see through the glass
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darkly, right? We see with a veil. There will
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come a day when that veil will no longer be there.
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We will see face to face. We will see in all
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the fullness, in all of the glory. And until
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that day, as long as we tread this earth, we
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tread it as Jesus, exalted, glorious one walked
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it. Today, we're considering who the risen Christ
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is. The one with the blazing eyes and the sword
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coming from his mouth, who at his own accusation
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said not a word. He didn't say a word, did he?
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In fact, Isaiah 53 says that. He came as a lamb
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to the slaughter and he didn't utter a word.
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Today, as the risen one, his word is like rushing
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water. There is nothing quiet about his words
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today. Today his voice can be sounding throughout.
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When he sounds his voice, things begin to shake.
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He is quiet no longer. This is your Jesus. You
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may not understand everything about him. or what
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this thing we call Christianity is all about.
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But all you really need to know is that Jesus
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put all of that gloriousness aside in heaven,
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came down to a cross to take our punishment that
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we deserved for our sin, to die a horrible, horrible
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death. And then days later to overcome that death.
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And the good news is that this same Jesus wants
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a relationship with you. He wants a relationship
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with me. He wanted himself made known. He wants
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us to choose him. To choose to answer his call.
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So the choice is ours, isn't it, though? He doesn't
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force any of us. He gives us all free will to
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make the choice. But he's calling to us, come.
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Come to me. I'm just waiting. I'm just waiting
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for you. And so the choice is ours. The choice
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is ours if we're going to live with a sense of
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being defeated in life when it gets difficult.
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Or we can remember the one who lives. Things
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got a little difficult for Jesus, didn't they?
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When we stopped, this is why I love Holy Week,
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because we stopped to consider the beating that
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he took, the thorns that went in. In fact, they
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said the beating was so strong, it probably,
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and so long, his spine would actually be exposed.
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For like 10 hours, he was mocked. Jesus knows
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what it is to have a difficult life. The good
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news is, though, is that no matter how difficult,
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and I think that the martyred church has the
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sense that we have not experienced before, because
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even in their own pain and suffering and martyrdom,
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They experience the risen Savior in a way that
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we haven't experienced. They have walked in a
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very real way the journey that Jesus walked.
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And they do it with a joy that is unexplainable.
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Why? Because they are now, they're walking the
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path of the risen Savior. They're walking, they
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know what this is that Jesus has walked. The
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pain and the suffering. And on the other side
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of it, the glory of having done it with the risen
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Savior. And so you, in your difficulties, listen,
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the risen Savior wants to come alongside. of
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you, in your difficult, hard places, in your
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woundedness, in your betrayal, and you're feeling
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as though you're shut up and dead and sealed
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up. Jesus, the risen Savior, knows what that
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is, and he's shown us, hey, there's another side
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to this. There's the resurrected side. You're
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going to make it to the resurrected side. So
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hang on. Don't give up. Don't give up. Keep choosing.
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Keep choosing. Keep choosing every day. Yes to
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Jesus. Yes to the risen Savior. The choice is
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ours. The truth is that we are his bride. And
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I know that doesn't make a lot of sense. But
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he is the bridegroom. We are the bride. And what
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Jesus desires is a people that reflect some of
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that fire in his eyes. He desires a people who
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speak the words that he speaks. He desires a
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people that carry the wisdom of the ancient of
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days. He desires a people that knows whatever's
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going on in this earth. We are a people in the
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spirit realm who are seated with Jesus. Hallelujah.
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And so today, the worship team is going to come,
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and I wanted to leave some space here for us
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to respond. Because for some of you, you've never
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maybe heard this call to become that follower
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of Christ, to say, I hear him calling to me,
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saying, I want to do this life with you. I want
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you to receive and accept the sacrifice that
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I made on your behalf. And I want to raise you
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up to be seated with me. Some of you, you've
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never made that choice. And today is the day
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to answer the call, to say yes to the risen one.
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And some of you in this room today, you're in
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consideration number one. You need breakthrough.
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You need the sealed tombs of your situations
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to be opened. And you need resurrection power
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to come forth in those places. He wants to do
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that for you today. Some of you need to just
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hear what he's saying. In the most difficult
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places of our life, there is one thing in every
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situation that has been my guarantee. And in
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some of those situations, I've seen the other
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side. Some of them I'm still walking through
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and I haven't seen the other side. And in every
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one of them, here's my guarantee. I have heard
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what Jesus has spoken. over it. And it has produced
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faith that makes me immovable. And it's not how
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great I am walking through it. The immovableness
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comes because I have heard what Jesus has said.
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And when you hear the voice of Jesus, you become
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immovable, just as he said. Some of you need
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to hear his voice today. You've been feeling
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like you've been tossed and turned. And I'll
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tell you what will solve that problem is to hear
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what Jesus is saying over you. To hear his word.
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And so in a moment, as the team leads us in worship,
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our elders are going to come. And they're going
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to pray with you. That happens when we pray with
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one another. There's an agreement that comes
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as we pray with one another. And today we want
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you to have that opportunity. And so if you need
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to hear a word from God, if you need breakthrough
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to happen, if you need God to shake things up,
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we want to pray with you today. And if you need
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to become a Christ follower for the first time
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today, our elders would love to pray with you
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that you might receive the great gift of salvation
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that is the working of the cross and the resurrection
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of Christ. Allowing you, just as Gary did so
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many years ago. Man, does anybody know how long
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Gary was a follower of Christ? It had to have
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been like 50 years, I think. 47? 47 years he
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followed Jesus. I want that kind of legacy. And
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for some of you, this will be day one of your...
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Gary had a day one. And some of you today need
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a day one. Maybe... You've been kind of halfway
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deciding. Today, the risen one is calling. Man,
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get all in with him. This earth is so fleeting.
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This time is so fleeting. The resurrected one
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is waiting for us. He's preparing heaven for
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us, for you. This 70, 80, 90 years on earth is
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like this. Come on, we got to get all in. Our
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Savior's awaiting us. Our Savior's preparing
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a place for us. Our Savior's saying, come on,
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come on. I know what it's like. I've walked that.
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I've been there. I've been tempted by that. Come
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on, I'm waiting for you. I've got good things
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I'm planning for you. Let's get all in. Let's
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get all in. And so will you stand with me this
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morning? And I'm going to ask if our elders would
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just kind of come and make their way across the
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front. And as the team leads us in a moment of
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worship, some of you, I'm going to be preaching
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a sermon soon on what is found in the throne
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room of God, in the presence of God. But one
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of the things found there is bravery, is courage.
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And some of you need to step out in courage.
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and get to one of the elders can we kind of move
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around some of you are all crowded down there
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come on over here there we go but you may take
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a courageous moment of stepping out but i guarantee
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you the risen savior will meet you as you take
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that first step and so father right now we thank
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you that in your great plan and purpose you sent
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your son to this earth. You sent your son to
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take on the death and punishment that our own
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sin deserved. And then you resurrected him and
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you caused him to be seated next to you even
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now. And so Jesus, we turn our gaze, our consideration
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upon you, the risen Something that you know not
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of, that you can't even imagine for your life.
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So come on, son. Come on, daughter. Run to me.
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Run to me. I'm going to help you. I'm going to
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help you. I'm going to help you. And so, Father,
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I ask that even now your Holy Spirit would begin
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to instill courage and bravery for people to
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begin to step out and make that step toward the
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resurrected Savior. Thank you, Lord. Thank you,
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Lord. All right, the team's going to begin to
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lead. And as we begin to sing and begin to worship,
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I want to encourage you to find your way down
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here to some of the elders to begin to pray for
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you. Do not leave. Do not leave like you came
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in. The wonderful resurrected Savior. His eyes
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are upon you and he's just longing for you to
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move toward him. His heart's longing for you.
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And so don't leave and not take that step toward
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him. He's so good. He's so kind and so loving.
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Thank you, Lord. Let's just begin to worship.
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If you're not coming forward, let's just begin
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to worship here. Let's just begin to worship
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this risen one that is seated at the right hand
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of the Father. Let's begin to lift up that heart
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of worship to him. Thank you, Lord.