Easter Sunday 2020 sermon

All right, Welcome to our Easter message for to 20/20. We are doing things with a different outside. So it will not be able to do a live recording out there. So I'm doing a a different recording for for this to be something that can last. So today our message is that Jesus is our everything and nothing else will do the name of the song that we're going to be doing tomorrow just called nothing else and the words of nothing else are very powerful and obviously written from from the hearts of someone who who is very much in touch with their relationship with Jesus Christ and some of the words for nothing else. are these I'm caught up in your presence. I just want to sit here at your feet. I'm caught up in this holy moment. I never want to leave. Oh, I'm not here for blessings Jesus. You don't owe me anything more than anything that you can do. I just want you. I was working very moving and then I think those words will draw us into a time of reflection and then realizing how much Jesus means to us. But I don't think that's a some can can understand how we can be so over the head over heels in love with Jesus Christ a man who lived and died more than 2,000 years ago for some it just doesn't seem to be reasonable that people could say that Jesus is there life and that all they want is him. But all they want in their life is Jesus Christ and him for some people that just does not make sense. How can be how can people be so committed to this man who live so long ago, I think most of us know people who were committed. I want to tell you a story about an eye for an eye Jason. Jason lives in New Guinea with his family is doing missionary work there. Now a lot of people do missionary work and I admire everyone who has been called a to search up a Ministry, but the mission work that Jason and his family does is very different Jason lives in a in a place in New Guinea that has has not had their language translated that is not have someone to be able to write out their language. So Jason and his family have now been there on their 4th year and they're just now getting to the point where they understand the language enough that they're starting to write it and so it can be something that is written and once they have have broken the code of their language enough, they'll be able to to share the gospel in this way and Jason and his family have been I've been threatened by by people. Who were Claim to be rude to people and then that witch doctors and all kinds of people have come against him and tried their best to dissuade him. He was even very sick recently before he came back to United States. His wife is now having a another child child be born next month. We think. But he and his family have left the United States. He graduated from Liberty University. They have left the United States after they graduated together. They went to a training seminar and they became missionaries that they knew that they would be living far far away from everyone else to get to there to get to the place that they are serving. They have to go buy a plane and once they go by playing then they have to get in a smaller plane and then that smaller plane takes them to a place we have to get in the boat and then devote texting to a place to have to get into a canoe and then they have to canoe in to this place is so remote. So why would a man like Jason and his family to two young boys and now a little girl I think is on the way why would they give up everything to to worship? This is Jesus who lived so long ago. What is it about? What is it about Jesus that makes people react to him. So very strongly now. I have seen people react very strongly before but now I was raised in a different environment than a lot of people around here. You see I've seen people who were spinning in the spirit. Now if you've ever seen that it is quite remarkable woman had her head turned straight back or arms out to her side and she was just going in circles and there were people everywhere and she never hit anyone. He was spinning all around the sanctuary and she never bumped into anyone and she had no idea where she was going and she was doing it while going in circles eye witness people speaking in tongues, and I was even terrified one time when I heard a little a little lady who's the pastor's wife do the interpretation and the interpretation that came out of this very small lady sounded like something straight from the pit of Hell, I mean, Voice change it was really I was like, oh my gosh, I'm so odd that they that is happening and it really scared of him cuz I was not raised with speaking in tongues and and that kind of thing and I've seen people are up and down the aisles of the church when they felt inspired and actually we were in a rub Revival. My wife and I had just gotten together and we were sitting in the Revival and I came from a Free Will Baptist background. Now, we did not do the speaking in tongues in our church and we didn't do some of the other charismatic things but we we did have an expressive Jennifer with me my mom and myself and Jennifer got this revival and we were sitting in the fuse and and I was not shocking anything that happened but someone behind us just shout it out. Enjoy. And they shouted so loud that Jennifer shot up out of her seat because she had never experienced that before and she had no idea why this person behind her was responding so loudly and it went on and then the service was very loud have a Jennifer finally got used to it. But at that moment she didn't know how to react because she had never seen that before so, how can Jesus Christ coming to someone's life? So strongly that they react in these incredible ways. How is it looped that we can witness trouble people so radically transformed in their lives consider if you will Paul the Apostle Paul was actually working to kill Christians thinking that it was something justifiable because he was a Pharisee a good Jewish man in this new sect that have risen up and to be dealt with and He was actually killing Christians and and he thought he was in the right and on the road to Damascus as he was doing his job. He met Jesus Christ and his wife radically changed. He went from killing Christians to being the apostle that took the gospel from from the Jewish Community only to being the one who would take the message of Jesus Christ to the world. He brought it to the Gentiles and I'm a gentile. I'm so grateful that God called this Paul to to change his life. So dramatically from going from killing Christians to taking the gospel to people who needed it who were not in that Jewish Tradition now I've spoken before and I've preached at my Uncle Eddie. Eddie was not this great sinner or Troublemaker butts. He was he ran with a different crowd. He didn't go to church he and his his girlfriend at the time. I would spend the weekend with their motorcycle group and they would just go around right? I guess you can say he was just a black sheep of the family because because the rest of the Mullins is were we're pretty much straight laced and insertion and and had a heart for for being in church and Eddie wasn't and Eddie and his wife Susan were we have church service and it was a Revival church service in Jesus Christ spoke to both of them the Holy Spirit spoke to both of them and they accepted him and once they accepted him they he went from being a a guy who ran around with the motorcycle group on the weekends to being a man who is now a very strong leader in The Strokes honestly believe. He's a deacon. I don't know that for sure but he's a Strong strong leader in his church, and it only happened because Jesus Christ touched his wife and so people are radically changed when Jesus comes into their life. So what causes this to happen to people what causes to have some people that we've met some people that we know my short answer for that is that these people have meds and have a true relationship with Jesus Christ? You see Jesus was a real person. He lived over 2000 years ago in the Middle East he was born there. And as we know with all of our Christian Christian Christmas traditions, we know the story of his birth that he was born to a virgin God sent his son to marry and she can see if she was able to give birth to any without having any any human contact. It wasn't Joseph son. It was God's son. After he was born he was visited by.

303 he was visited by Wiseman. We we always imagined history because they brought three years but he was visited by wise men who sought him and who who were who were looking for him and when they finally got there he was as he was a small child and they they worshiped him. He had the angels to appear to his birth May the angels appear to Shepherds to announce his birth in the Shepherds came and worshiped him that night and then actually hear it the key when he found out there was another king of the Jews. I tried his best to to actually kill Jesus so his birth and his his early life was incredible and he when he was born and he was raised in that place now, he live most of his life and the place where he was born except for a few years in Egypt. He never traveled more than 90 miles away from his childhood home. Jesus ministered in the place where he was born. We've heard the stories if you gone to church is if you got a church that all you've heard the fact that he healed the sick he gave sight to the blind. He drove out demons. He taught great truth. That's a inspired people and those same truths are being taught today and this brings us to the probably the most extraordinary quality of Jesus. And his entire existence 33 years never did one thing wrong. He never sent he he he raised the dad. He didn't respect the the the rules of the religious people that they tried to force on him. Actually. He rewrote the rules. But Jesus never sent Jesus at various time claimed to be the Son of God the Messiah even God himself and that's what got so many people riled up against him because they saw someone claiming to be God who could not possibly be God. They did not have the concept of the trinity. The Jewish leaders, so hated Jesus this perfect man. They so hated him. They got the Romans who agreed to execute this savior. They didn't realize that that's exactly why Jesus had come in the first place. Jesus had two left Heaven agreed to leave his his his holy place to separate himself from the father to give himself as a sacrifice for us. You've done nothing to earn an execution on a criminal's cross, but the Bible tells us that Jesus knew, that's why he came. Want to read to you from Philippians chapter 2 beginning it verse 5 make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus who existing in the form of God did not consider equality with God as something to be used for his own Advantage instead. He emptied himself by assuming the form of a slave take it on the light and when he is calm as a man in his external form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a cross for this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name so that the name of Jesus every knee will bow of those who wore in heaven and on Earth and under the Earth. And every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. self this real sinless. Jesus was killed. He was beaten and when he was beating he felt every blow every stripe every every whip stripe. He felt he was in painfully nailed to a cross and he hung on that cross for much of a day on that Friday. He was bleeding struggling to breathe and an agonizing pain and then his heart stopped. He stopped breathing. Is brain function ceased? this perfect man, Sent From Heaven What's that? His death shocked the few family and friends that he had and they took his body off of the Cross themselves. And then they took him to a borrowed tomb and laid him in there on Friday afternoon.

I can only imagine how they were feeling. Although he instead he was going to do this. I'm sure they were feeling defeated and and just I could not believe that this man who would who come and change the world so much. That he was now dead. He's been hung on a cross and this this man who had done nothing wrong. Had given his life.

Now that sets out the biggest comeback in the history of the world and here's how the events unfolded as told in the gospel of Mark chapter 16 beginning it first one. When the Sabbath was over Mary Magdalene Mary the mother of Jesus and Salome A-Rod spices so that they could go and annoy him very early in the morning on the first day of the week. They went to the tomb Sunrise. They were saying to one another who will roll away the Stone from the entrance of the Tomb for us. Looking up a observed at the stone, which was very large had been rolled away. And when they enter the tomb they saw a young man dressed in a long white robe sitting on the right side. They were amazed and alarms don't be alarmed. He told them you're looking for Jesus a Nazarene. He was crucified. He has been resurrected. He is not here see the place where they put him. About to go tell his disciples and Peter he's going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there just as he told you. The place where they put Jesus body was now empty and here was it a supernatural being telling them. He's risen he's not here and then Jesus proved it to them. He appeared in verse 9 to Mary Magdalene than a few verses later reappeared the two others and then in verse 14, he appears to the remaining disciples. And if you're mean in 1st Corinthians 15 chapter 2 verse 6, it said that Jesus appeared over 500 people at one time after he was resurrected. Jesus who gave his life did not stay in the grave, but he was Victorious over the grave and he lives again. When I was 13 years old Jesus became real to me. No, I haven't seen his face. They started my heart's on Easter night when I was in 7th grade, and I accepted Jesus as my savior. My cousin Diane. Oh, I was in charge of the Easter program at her church. Another Free Will Baptist Church. That was between our town in another town. And she you put on this big big production and she she needed someone else to be a Roman soldier the one of the two people who who put Jesus on the cross drive him down the the aisle of the church to Seagal gotha where he was crucified. My friend Jason was the other Roman guard and we were we were dressed in. 1980s Easter gear we we have these white linen dresses. We have these fake Roman helmets and we held Faith Spears as we pushed the man. We will call a man playing Jesus down the aisle. They got him up there and they turn the lights off in the church. And the man playing Jesus name was Rodger. He lay down on the cross. And Jason and I each took a hammer and we had nails that were already driven into the to the cross and they backlit the scene. I pulled out folders sheets in front of the altar lay back lit it. And with complete silence Jason and I took our Hammers and we beat those nails. And you can hear metal hitting metal and Nails going into Woods. And as I was doing that.

It dawned on me that my skin. I put Jesus on the cross.

That's what I was when I was portraying in this play. Was something that I had actually done. My sin Place Jesus on the cross. And I became convicted and I was the Holy Spirit was just all over me and I just could not believe that that I had done that and then I realized I needed forgiveness and I needed it right then. At the end of the play is the as the pastor of the church stood up to give habitation.

So does anyone here want to accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior?

And I'm not always stepped out and came to the altar. Iran cause I had met Jesus. And he had told me that I needed him. And of all the things out there that I needed what I needed most was Sam to be my savior. So I came to the to the pastor of him playing a disciple. He was wearing a robe.

And I prayed the prayer and I asked Jesus to be my savior and on that night. I accepted Jesus into my heart.

To change my life.

Gave me what no one else could give. He forgave me of my sins and he sent me on A, New Path.

That's how I met Jesus and it was on was on Easter night going to happened. I hope you can feel Jesus presence wherever you are right now. He's there with you. I know he's there. And he wants you to allow him. To make himself known to you. Is he that's why Easter means so very much to me and to many others here today is because we realize that Jesus is alive and well and that he wants us to know him as Savior. He's deeply concerned for us. He gave himself and that his his death on the cross was not wasted. It was done to redeem you and me and everyone else. The resurrection also was real. Cuz I know the one who died, but who steal lives I have a relationship with him. It means I can fully trust that Jesus the Savior all that he said all that he did and all the he said that he was still doing the future was true. It means that I'm clean before God, even though I am far from perfect. I'm not good enough. But he forgave me anyway, it also means that I will live forever with him. It means it one day. I will lay my eyes on the one who gave so very much to to get me. It means I serve the one and only true and living God.

It means that I am serving the Risen King. So today I wonder. Do you know him? Have you ever met him? If not, I have good news. He knows you and he's been pursuing you all of your life and he's calling to you right now down deep in your heart. Will you answer him today? Will you respond to him today? Do you want a life or God moves and directs? Do you want your life change and restored that can happen right here right now. Do you want him in your life? Here's your chance to tell him he's here. He hears you. Everyone who can hear my voice if you don't know him accept Jesus Christ today. right now don't delay. He's only a prayer away.

Open your hearts and your minds and allow him to come in say father. I realize I'm a sinner Lord. I ask you to forgive me and Lord. I ask you to become Lord Of My Life. Lord, please allow me to know you in that way. That's only those who who who have given their lives father can possibly know you. And Lord, I will give you my praise. I'm so thankful father for what you've done.

And Lord, I accept your free gift. If you've done that right here and right now. He has forgiven you.

You don't have to worry about him. Seeing any more. He has a line some new life for you. Allow him will allow him folks to to be the god that only he can be for you.

If you made a decision you need someone to talk to you. I would love to be the one to to talk with you. Give me a call to church.

It's easy to find me. I'm around even this time of Separation. I come to church at least some everyday. I'm continuing to to do my do my Ministry in to figure out how I can continue to serve him even in this time of difficulty.

This is your chance. Don't turn him away. He's here for you right now. Play with me. Heavenly father. Thank you for this beautiful day follows. Thank you for your word and for your message and for your for our savior or help us to to accept him help us Lord to know that he's there for us always. But I'm thankful for this day that we have to celebrate the resurrection and Lord. I trust you with my life.

Or maybe focus our hearts and Minds not too fond of what is happening around this father, but I'll find you. I give you praise glory and honor and I ask this in Jesus name.

Happy Easter. I'm so glad that you've chosen to listen to this and I hope it's been a blessing to you. And once again if we can meet your needs and anyway, please let us know if you want to be there for you and we'll go out today with a different version of Crown Him With Many Crowns. The first one was at what's from Westminster Abbey? And this one is a an acapella version. God bless you Happy Easter.