Vision Series 2023
Series: Jesus. All about Life
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 9th April 2023
Passage: Mark 16:1-8
00:00:00 --> 00:00:04 Well, good morning everyone. My name's Steve Jeffery. I'm a senior pastor here at St Paul's.
00:00:05 --> 00:00:10 I got a sense this morning someone in this building is walking with a significant limp.
00:00:11 --> 00:00:16 That's not a spiritual moment. It's because the sole of your shoe was just down the front here.
00:00:17 --> 00:00:21 And so if that's yours or your kids, you might want to come and grab that because
00:00:21 --> 00:00:23 they're going to be suffering by the end of the day.
00:00:23 --> 00:00:30 I'm grateful that you're in here today in this building on this special occasion.
00:00:31 --> 00:00:33 So why are we here?
00:00:34 --> 00:00:44 Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus was born in 10 BC and he died in 1854.
00:00:44 --> 00:00:55 He was as surprised as anyone else in the world at the time that he became the most powerful person in the world in AD 41
00:00:55 --> 00:01:00 when he became, at the age of 50, emperor of the Roman Empire.
00:01:01 --> 00:01:07 When Claudius was a child in an obscure part of the Roman Empire,
00:01:08 --> 00:01:12 a poor teenage girl gave birth to a son and named him Jesus.
00:01:12 --> 00:01:19 Unlike Claudius, Jesus was born in obscurity.
00:01:20 --> 00:01:21 He wasn't born in a palace.
00:01:23 --> 00:01:34 Just before Claudius became emperor, this same Jesus was crucified by the Roman Empire on a cross just outside of Jerusalem.
00:01:34 --> 00:01:46 Jesus lived roughly half the time that Claudius lived and he died a public, shameful and excruciating death.
00:01:47 --> 00:01:53 Claudius was an accomplished historian, an accomplished writer.
00:01:54 --> 00:01:56 Jesus, on the other hand, never wrote a book.
00:01:56 --> 00:02:04 Unlike Claudius, Jesus never raised an army and expanded an empire.
00:02:05 --> 00:02:11 And in fact, Jesus never ruled over a realm in his short life.
00:02:12 --> 00:02:20 And yet 2 years later, you could be forgiven for not knowing anything about Claudius at all.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:33 On the other hand, Jesus became, by any measure, the most influential person who has ever lived in the history of humanity.
00:02:35 --> 00:02:35 Why?
00:02:36 --> 00:02:37 Even to this day.
00:02:38 --> 00:02:38 Why?
00:02:39 --> 00:02:43 One reason throughout history, scholars have said,
00:02:43 --> 00:02:48 one reason for that is because of his exquisitely beautiful life.
00:02:50 --> 00:02:51 Only two people in history,
00:02:52 --> 00:02:57 only two people in history have ever caused so many people to wonder
00:02:57 --> 00:03:02 if they were in fact more than just human beings.
00:03:03 --> 00:03:04 Two people.
00:03:05 --> 00:03:05 Buddha
00:03:05 --> 00:03:07 and Jesus Christ.
00:03:08 --> 00:03:09 Jesus of Nazareth.
00:03:09 --> 00:03:18 Unlike Buddha, Jesus was the only one of those two who claimed to be, in fact, more than just a human being.
00:03:20 --> 00:03:24 The main reason for his influence, though, is not just the exquisiteness of his life,
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 but is why we're here today.
00:03:28 --> 00:03:32 And in the next little while, I want to just take a look at that outrageous claim
00:03:32 --> 00:03:35 that around about 2 years ago,
00:03:36 --> 00:03:39 a man who died an unbelievably horrible death
00:03:39 --> 00:03:43 came back to an unbelievably wonderful life
00:03:43 --> 00:03:47 and offers to include us in that life
00:03:47 --> 00:03:50 if only we would align ourselves with him.
00:03:52 --> 00:03:53 And so I got three points.
00:03:53 --> 00:03:56 If you got the St. Paul's app in front of you,
00:03:56 --> 00:03:57 you can open this up and follow along.
00:03:57 --> 00:03:58 Really simple.
00:03:58 --> 00:04:00 Well, resurrection is reasonable.
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 Resurrection is relevant.
00:04:02 --> 00:04:04 And the resurrection is good.
00:04:04 --> 00:04:07 That's kind of where I'm heading in these three points real quick.
00:04:07 --> 00:04:08 So the resurrection is reasonable.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:14 The fact that Jesus was crucified was not unusual.
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 Around Jesus' time,
00:04:16 --> 00:04:20 there were dozens of little movements within the Roman Empire
00:04:20 --> 00:04:25 where the leader declared themselves to be the Messiah of the Jewish nation,
00:04:25 --> 00:04:27 but also the Messiah of humanity.
00:04:27 --> 00:04:29 As Jesus himself did.
00:04:29 --> 00:04:30 And in every case,
00:04:31 --> 00:04:34 those leaders were executed for leading some kind of a rebellion.
00:04:36 --> 00:04:39 And in every case,
00:04:39 --> 00:04:41 those little rebellions,
00:04:41 --> 00:04:42 those little movements
00:04:42 --> 00:04:47 collapsed the moment the leader was executed.
00:04:48 --> 00:04:50 Except for the Christian faith.
00:04:52 --> 00:04:53 Except for Christianity.
00:04:53 --> 00:04:55 It exploded from that moment.
00:04:55 --> 00:05:00 So how is it possible that Jesus,
00:05:01 --> 00:05:03 a born into Jewish man,
00:05:03 --> 00:05:06 was able to get the Jewish people around him
00:05:06 --> 00:05:12 to believe that he wasn't just the long-awaited Jewish Messiah,
00:05:12 --> 00:05:15 but that he was, in fact,
00:05:16 --> 00:05:17 God himself?
00:05:17 --> 00:05:22 That was incomprehensible to the Jewish nation.
00:05:23 --> 00:05:25 And it still is this day.
00:05:27 --> 00:05:33 And how is it possible that within 200 years of Christianity beginning,
00:05:34 --> 00:05:37 that it was dominant in the Roman Empire,
00:05:37 --> 00:05:46 despite incredibly significant attempts by every Roman emperor to stamp it out throughout the empire?
00:05:47 --> 00:06:00 How is it possible that today Christianity is the largest and most widespread culturally and geographically of all religious faiths?
00:06:00 --> 00:06:03 Of all the major faiths in the world,
00:06:04 --> 00:06:08 they normally dominate one area in the world and have a smattering here and there.
00:06:08 --> 00:06:15 The Christian faith is equally spread across cultures and continents around the globe.
00:06:15 --> 00:06:20 It is spread into all layers of society,
00:06:20 --> 00:06:23 into very different cultures and languages.
00:06:23 --> 00:06:24 How is it possible?
00:06:26 --> 00:06:29 Well, the Bible says that after Jesus was killed,
00:06:30 --> 00:06:32 he came back to life and appeared to his followers.
00:06:33 --> 00:06:36 And so Paul wrote this in 1 Corinthians 15,
00:06:36 --> 00:06:39 a public document in the Roman Empire.
00:06:39 --> 00:06:41 I'll pick it up at verse 3.
00:06:41 --> 00:06:44 What I received I pass on to you as of first importance,
00:06:44 --> 00:06:47 that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures,
00:06:47 --> 00:06:48 that he was buried,
00:06:49 --> 00:06:52 that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures,
00:06:52 --> 00:06:55 and that he appeared to Cephas and then to the Twelve.
00:06:55 --> 00:06:59 After that, he appeared to more than 500 of the brothers and sisters at the same time,
00:07:00 --> 00:07:01 most of whom are still living,
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 though some have fallen asleep.
00:07:03 --> 00:07:06 And then he appeared to James and then to all the apostles.
00:07:06 --> 00:07:11 And last of all, he appeared to me also as to one abnormally born.
00:07:12 --> 00:07:17 The historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ is formidable.
00:07:18 --> 00:07:22 For one, British scholar N.T. Wright wrote a very significant work
00:07:22 --> 00:07:28 attesting to the historical evidence simply called the resurrection of the Son of God.
00:07:28 --> 00:07:35 And in that book, he suggests that if you don't begin with an imposed philosophical bias,
00:07:35 --> 00:07:38 against the possibility of miracles,
00:07:39 --> 00:07:44 the resurrection has as much attestation as any other historical event.
00:07:47 --> 00:07:51 And if you do have a philosophical bias against miracles,
00:07:52 --> 00:07:55 he suggests you must be able to explain every event in the world.
00:07:59 --> 00:08:02 What that means is whether you believe it or whether you don't,
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 you are taking a step of faith.
00:08:05 --> 00:08:12 Which is the very first message that we preached in this whole series way back in February.
00:08:13 --> 00:08:17 There's no 100% watertight argument for the existence of God.
00:08:18 --> 00:08:22 And there's no 100% watertight argument for the non-existence of God.
00:08:22 --> 00:08:25 That means every single person is taking a step of faith.
00:08:25 --> 00:08:32 Every single person is a believer in something.
00:08:32 --> 00:08:41 And yet, I know this is 2023 and most people around us just don't believe that,
00:08:41 --> 00:08:43 don't believe in the possibility of resurrection.
00:08:44 --> 00:08:47 It comes as shock to us that they didn't believe it in the first century either.
00:08:49 --> 00:08:51 The very first believers in Jesus didn't believe in the resurrection,
00:08:51 --> 00:08:53 weren't expecting it, weren't looking for it.
00:08:53 --> 00:08:57 As you read through Mark's account of the life of Jesus,
00:08:57 --> 00:09:03 you notice that Jesus tells his followers very clearly on three separate occasions
00:09:03 --> 00:09:08 that he will die and that he will rise again.
00:09:09 --> 00:09:12 And the weird thing is, third day after his resurrection,
00:09:12 --> 00:09:16 no one's expecting it.
00:09:17 --> 00:09:20 You see that in the Mark passage that was just read out to us.
00:09:21 --> 00:09:25 You know, the followers of Jesus, those early disciples, the blokes,
00:09:25 --> 00:09:31 you know, they're not hanging around on the first Easter day
00:09:31 --> 00:09:35 wondering whether they should at least go to the tomb and check it out.
00:09:36 --> 00:09:38 You know, wake up for breakfast.
00:09:38 --> 00:09:42 First, hey guys, you think we should just wander down to the tomb and just,
00:09:43 --> 00:09:44 you know, Jesus mentioned it.
00:09:44 --> 00:09:45 Should we just check it?
00:09:47 --> 00:09:50 The women have bought spices to anoint a dead body.
00:09:52 --> 00:09:56 They were expecting to prepare his body for burial.
00:09:59 --> 00:10:02 The three women who eventually go to the tomb
00:10:02 --> 00:10:06 were wondering who's going to open the tomb for them.
00:10:06 --> 00:10:09 They prepared everything except how to get in.
00:10:11 --> 00:10:14 And their first thought at seeing the stone rolled away
00:10:14 --> 00:10:18 and the tomb empty was not that Jesus had come back to life,
00:10:18 --> 00:10:20 as he said he would.
00:10:21 --> 00:10:23 Their first thought was that someone had stolen the body.
00:10:26 --> 00:10:27 That is, the point is,
00:10:27 --> 00:10:30 the resurrection was just as difficult for these guys
00:10:30 --> 00:10:32 as it is for us.
00:10:32 --> 00:10:39 What Christians believe
00:10:39 --> 00:10:43 is that the New Testament record about Jesus is true
00:10:43 --> 00:10:47 and that these accounts of what happened in the life of Jesus
00:10:47 --> 00:10:50 are totally different than myth.
00:10:50 --> 00:10:54 They're not even written the way myth is written in the first century,
00:10:54 --> 00:10:57 in the way that Greek and Roman myth is written.
00:10:57 --> 00:11:04 Mythology in the first century is shrouded in a distant past
00:11:04 --> 00:11:07 that does not connect with real history.
00:11:08 --> 00:11:12 The New Testament books are talking about real history.
00:11:12 --> 00:11:13 Pilate the governor,
00:11:14 --> 00:11:15 Herod the king from Galilee,
00:11:16 --> 00:11:17 Caiaphas the high priest,
00:11:17 --> 00:11:21 these people are known in history outside of the New Testament.
00:11:21 --> 00:11:25 The accounts of the New Testament were all written
00:11:25 --> 00:11:28 while eyewitnesses were still alive.
00:11:29 --> 00:11:31 I could spread a rumor to say,
00:11:32 --> 00:11:35 someone I've just known has just come back to life.
00:11:36 --> 00:11:39 Someone that you all know has just come back to life.
00:11:39 --> 00:11:42 It would take no time at all to disprove that
00:11:42 --> 00:11:44 if it wasn't true.
00:11:44 --> 00:11:48 These New Testament accounts were written
00:11:48 --> 00:11:49 while the eyewitnesses were still alive.
00:11:50 --> 00:11:53 Paul's letters were written within 15 to 30 years
00:11:53 --> 00:11:54 after the death of Jesus.
00:11:54 --> 00:11:56 This is not mythology.
00:11:57 --> 00:12:00 Scholars call it eyewitness history.
00:12:02 --> 00:12:03 And what's more,
00:12:05 --> 00:12:08 the enemies of Jesus would have loved nothing better
00:12:08 --> 00:12:10 than to be able to wheel the body of Jesus
00:12:10 --> 00:12:13 back into Jerusalem in a wheelbarrow,
00:12:13 --> 00:12:14 dump it in the center of the town
00:12:14 --> 00:12:16 and say, there you go.
00:12:16 --> 00:12:17 There's your Messiah.
00:12:18 --> 00:12:18 What a hoax.
00:12:22 --> 00:12:24 The Romans stationed their own soldiers
00:12:24 --> 00:12:25 at the entrance of the tomb.
00:12:26 --> 00:12:28 They were protecting it themselves
00:12:28 --> 00:12:30 and it was empty.
00:12:30 --> 00:12:32 There was no dead body.
00:12:34 --> 00:12:35 And the thought
00:12:35 --> 00:12:39 that these cowardly disciples
00:12:39 --> 00:12:41 who abandoned Jesus
00:12:41 --> 00:12:43 and his crucifixion
00:12:43 --> 00:12:45 for fear of their own lives
00:12:45 --> 00:12:48 would suddenly agree amongst themselves
00:12:48 --> 00:12:49 to come up with
00:12:49 --> 00:12:52 the classic April Fool's joke,
00:12:53 --> 00:12:55 steal the body
00:12:55 --> 00:12:58 and then die themselves
00:12:58 --> 00:12:59 for that hoax
00:12:59 --> 00:13:02 is just nonsense.
00:13:04 --> 00:13:06 It's lunacy to think that.
00:13:06 --> 00:13:12 The point of all this is simply to say
00:13:12 --> 00:13:14 that when we Christians say
00:13:14 --> 00:13:16 that Jesus risen from the dead,
00:13:16 --> 00:13:18 we're speaking historically.
00:13:20 --> 00:13:22 It's not a spiritual thing.
00:13:23 --> 00:13:23 It's not mythology.
00:13:24 --> 00:13:26 It's not emotional.
00:13:26 --> 00:13:28 It's historical.
00:13:28 --> 00:13:32 The New Testament uniformly teaches
00:13:32 --> 00:13:35 and assumes that Jesus lived in history,
00:13:35 --> 00:13:38 that he died as a substitute for sinners
00:13:38 --> 00:13:41 and that he rose again on the third day.
00:13:42 --> 00:13:43 Which brings me to my next point.
00:13:43 --> 00:13:46 What's the relevance of the resurrection?
00:13:48 --> 00:13:51 Philippians 3 verse 20 to 21,
00:13:51 --> 00:13:52 which is just read out to us by Aidan,
00:13:52 --> 00:13:55 reveals at least some of the relevance of it.
00:13:55 --> 00:13:57 But our citizenship is in heaven
00:13:57 --> 00:13:59 and we eagerly await a saviour from there,
00:13:59 --> 00:14:00 the Lord Jesus Christ,
00:14:01 --> 00:14:02 who by the power that enables him
00:14:02 --> 00:14:04 to bring everything under his control
00:14:04 --> 00:14:06 will transform our lowly bodies
00:14:06 --> 00:14:09 so that they will be like his glorious body.
00:14:10 --> 00:14:13 What is assumed in Philippians 3,
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14 in those verses right there,
00:14:15 --> 00:14:18 is that Jesus was raised from the dead,
00:14:18 --> 00:14:21 that he is now alive and very powerful.
00:14:21 --> 00:14:25 And the reason why Paul assumes it in Philippians 3
00:14:25 --> 00:14:29 is because he clearly states it in Philippians chapter 2.
00:14:30 --> 00:14:31 And in Philippians chapter 2,
00:14:31 --> 00:14:35 you will never read anything anywhere in any literature
00:14:35 --> 00:14:38 more sweeping, more important and more true.
00:14:40 --> 00:14:42 Referring to Jesus, it says,
00:14:42 --> 00:14:44 who being in very nature God,
00:14:44 --> 00:14:47 did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 but made himself nothing,
00:14:49 --> 00:14:50 taking the very nature of a servant,
00:14:50 --> 00:14:51 being made in human likeness.
00:14:52 --> 00:14:54 And being found in appearance as a man,
00:14:54 --> 00:14:56 he humbled himself and became obedient to death,
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 even death on a cross.
00:14:57 --> 00:15:00 And therefore God exalted him to the highest place
00:15:00 --> 00:15:03 and gave him the name that is above every name,
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 that at the name of Jesus,
00:15:04 --> 00:15:07 every knee should bow in heaven and on earth
00:15:07 --> 00:15:08 and under the earth,
00:15:08 --> 00:15:11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord
00:15:11 --> 00:15:13 to the glory of God the Father.
00:15:15 --> 00:15:20 That's why Christianity has spread the way it has.
00:15:20 --> 00:15:25 And 50 people a day are still becoming Christians
00:15:25 --> 00:15:28 because of that statement there,
00:15:28 --> 00:15:31 of who Jesus is and what he's achieved.
00:15:32 --> 00:15:35 Jesus was and is equal with God.
00:15:35 --> 00:15:36 He is God.
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 He became a human being.
00:15:37 --> 00:15:39 He obediently suffered and died.
00:15:39 --> 00:15:42 That means that his death was a plan.
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 It wasn't an accident of nature.
00:15:44 --> 00:15:45 It was a plan.
00:15:48 --> 00:15:51 And the point of the plan was that Jesus Christ
00:15:51 --> 00:15:54 would be a substitute for sinners,
00:15:54 --> 00:15:56 as Ash has just indicated,
00:15:57 --> 00:16:00 and that everyone who trusts in him
00:16:00 --> 00:16:04 would have sin forgiven.
00:16:04 --> 00:16:09 This was God's plan for the salvation of humanity.
00:16:09 --> 00:16:10 And it says,
00:16:10 --> 00:16:12 Therefore, because of that plan,
00:16:13 --> 00:16:15 God exalted him to the highest place,
00:16:15 --> 00:16:17 raised him from the dead and exalted him to the highest place.
00:16:18 --> 00:16:23 Because of the obedient and successful life and death,
00:16:24 --> 00:16:26 God raised him from the dead
00:16:26 --> 00:16:30 and gave him great glory as Lord of the universe.
00:16:30 --> 00:16:33 That is, this day,
00:16:33 --> 00:16:35 we don't just celebrate Jesus came back to life,
00:16:36 --> 00:16:39 but we acknowledge that he rules.
00:16:41 --> 00:16:42 He reigns.
00:16:43 --> 00:16:45 You see it there in verse 21,
00:16:45 --> 00:16:49 by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control.
00:16:49 --> 00:16:51 Now, in one sense,
00:16:51 --> 00:16:53 he's got the right to rule because he's the God who made everything,
00:16:54 --> 00:16:56 not just because he died and rose again.
00:16:58 --> 00:17:01 That is, he did not have to die and rise again
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 in order to be who he actually is.
00:17:05 --> 00:17:07 This gives him, however,
00:17:08 --> 00:17:10 because of his death and his resurrection,
00:17:11 --> 00:17:13 not just the right to rule
00:17:13 --> 00:17:16 because he's God,
00:17:16 --> 00:17:19 but right to rule because he suffered
00:17:19 --> 00:17:21 and redeemed all of humanity.
00:17:23 --> 00:17:25 And the impact of Easter Sunday
00:17:25 --> 00:17:29 is that there is no higher authority,
00:17:30 --> 00:17:33 but this higher authority lived,
00:17:35 --> 00:17:37 who lives now and reigns now,
00:17:37 --> 00:17:40 sacrificed his life for our life.
00:17:41 --> 00:17:43 That's the kind of authority you'd want to submit to.
00:17:43 --> 00:17:49 There is no place,
00:17:49 --> 00:17:51 there is no sphere of reality,
00:17:52 --> 00:17:54 there is no dimension of existence
00:17:54 --> 00:17:56 anywhere in the universe
00:17:56 --> 00:17:59 that is not under the absolute authority
00:17:59 --> 00:18:05 of the merciful, loving, benevolent Lord Jesus Christ.
00:18:06 --> 00:18:08 And when the world in which we live
00:18:08 --> 00:18:11 doesn't look like it's under the authority of this God,
00:18:11 --> 00:18:15 it would be wiser for us to marvel
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 at the mystery of his ways
00:18:16 --> 00:18:18 than to question the scope of his power.
00:18:20 --> 00:18:23 Christ's power pervades the universe
00:18:23 --> 00:18:27 from the largest to the smallest elements of reality.
00:18:29 --> 00:18:31 There's not a single area of his life,
00:18:31 --> 00:18:32 of our lives,
00:18:32 --> 00:18:35 that is not to be surrendered to this Jesus.
00:18:35 --> 00:18:37 That's the point of Easter Day.
00:18:37 --> 00:18:41 This Easter Day is not mere symbolism
00:18:41 --> 00:18:45 of how to endure hard things in life
00:18:45 --> 00:18:49 and to rise above difficulties.
00:18:50 --> 00:18:53 Easter Day means that Jesus Christ
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 rules the universe
00:18:54 --> 00:18:57 as the name, as Philippians 2 says,
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 that is above every other name
00:18:58 --> 00:19:01 and he calls all people to surrender
00:19:01 --> 00:19:03 to his loving authority.
00:19:03 --> 00:19:06 And 2 years later,
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 that continues to happen
00:19:07 --> 00:19:09 across every generation,
00:19:10 --> 00:19:12 culture, language, people, group, and nation.
00:19:15 --> 00:19:18 Easter Day is a public declaration.
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 This is news.
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 Not symbolism.
00:19:24 --> 00:19:27 This is news for all people.
00:19:27 --> 00:19:30 It's not like the news bulletin on TV
00:19:30 --> 00:19:33 about something that's happened
00:19:33 --> 00:19:35 that doesn't cause you to stop cooking dinner
00:19:35 --> 00:19:37 in order to turn it up.
00:19:37 --> 00:19:39 It's not one of those kind of news bulletins
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 kind of things.
00:19:41 --> 00:19:43 This is life-changing news.
00:19:44 --> 00:19:47 This is stop and listen and reflect news.
00:19:49 --> 00:19:52 The difference between the bulletin news
00:19:52 --> 00:19:55 and the life-changing news is this.
00:19:55 --> 00:19:59 Suppose you hear the news on the TV
00:19:59 --> 00:20:04 that 10 children in Chatswood
00:20:04 --> 00:20:07 were hit by cars while playing
00:20:07 --> 00:20:11 in their front yards in the last 12 months.
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 And you hear that news
00:20:13 --> 00:20:15 and you go,
00:20:15 --> 00:20:17 what a tragedy.
00:20:18 --> 00:20:21 That was really hard for those parents.
00:20:22 --> 00:20:24 And you continue to cook your dinner.
00:20:25 --> 00:20:28 And then, as you do that,
00:20:28 --> 00:20:30 suddenly the front door of your house
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 bursts open
00:20:31 --> 00:20:33 and your 10-year-old son
00:20:33 --> 00:20:35 comes screaming into the house
00:20:35 --> 00:20:35 with the news
00:20:35 --> 00:20:37 that your 8-year-old daughter
00:20:37 --> 00:20:39 has just been hit by a car
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 in the front yard.
00:20:42 --> 00:20:44 It's exactly the same news.
00:20:46 --> 00:20:48 But this time it's different.
00:20:48 --> 00:20:52 The first piece of news was true.
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 There was good evidence for it.
00:20:54 --> 00:20:56 Now there's a piece of news
00:20:56 --> 00:20:58 that goes straight to the core of your being
00:20:58 --> 00:21:00 and it shakes you.
00:21:00 --> 00:21:04 Everything in you comes alive
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 to the reality
00:21:05 --> 00:21:09 that this news is now about you.
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 It's personal.
00:21:10 --> 00:21:14 It will change everything in your life.
00:21:14 --> 00:21:16 It will break your heart.
00:21:16 --> 00:21:18 It will shatter things in you
00:21:18 --> 00:21:20 more deeply than has ever been touched.
00:21:21 --> 00:21:23 That's the news of Christmas.
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 Easter.
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 Come back for Christmas.
00:21:25 --> 00:21:27 That's the news of Easter.
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 Jesus is God.
00:21:30 --> 00:21:33 He died for your sin against God.
00:21:33 --> 00:21:36 He was raised triumphantly from death
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 for life eternal
00:21:37 --> 00:21:40 and he will never ever die again
00:21:40 --> 00:21:42 and he rules over the universe.
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 And he has been appointed
00:21:44 --> 00:21:46 as ruler of the universe
00:21:46 --> 00:21:49 and he offers every single one of us
00:21:49 --> 00:21:52 life as he himself is alive.
00:21:57 --> 00:21:59 What that means is
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 that this resurrection of Jesus
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 is so, so good.
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 It's so good.
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 It's not just plausible and relevant.
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 It is good.
00:22:07 --> 00:22:09 Jesus comes to every individual,
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 every culture
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 and he offers
00:22:11 --> 00:22:14 to fulfill their deepest desires
00:22:14 --> 00:22:16 and their best aspirations.
00:22:17 --> 00:22:19 As we've been investigating here
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 in the last couple of months
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 of the church,
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 we're running with the theme
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 Jesus is all about life.
00:22:24 --> 00:22:26 We've seen that Jesus offers us
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 this stuff on the board,
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 meaning, satisfaction,
00:22:29 --> 00:22:31 freedom, identity, hope, justice,
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 a whole range of things.
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 Fundamentally though,
00:22:33 --> 00:22:35 because of his resurrection,
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 he offers us
00:22:36 --> 00:22:38 the thing that we all
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 want to hang on to.
00:22:40 --> 00:22:40 Life.
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 The free gift of life.
00:22:45 --> 00:22:47 And he's not calling us
00:22:47 --> 00:22:49 like every other religion
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 in the world,
00:22:50 --> 00:22:52 like every other philosophical system,
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 earn your life.
00:22:53 --> 00:22:55 He's giving it to us.
00:22:55 --> 00:23:00 He's not showing us
00:23:00 --> 00:23:02 the way to live
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 in order that we might
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 find ourselves acceptable.
00:23:07 --> 00:23:09 He's achieved it for us.
00:23:10 --> 00:23:12 He's swapped his eternal life
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 for death
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 so that we
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 who are enslaved
00:23:15 --> 00:23:17 to our own sin,
00:23:17 --> 00:23:19 enslaved to our own selfishness,
00:23:20 --> 00:23:22 who deserve death,
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 are set free
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 and given life forever.
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 Did you notice that?
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 I know it was really quick.
00:23:28 --> 00:23:30 The two massive implications
00:23:30 --> 00:23:30 for us
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 in Philippians 3.
00:23:32 --> 00:23:33 They're staggering
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 and they're filled
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 with hope
00:23:35 --> 00:23:35 and joy
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 and life.
00:23:36 --> 00:23:38 The first is in verse 20
00:23:38 --> 00:23:38 where it says,
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 our citizenship
00:23:39 --> 00:23:39 is in heaven.
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 The resurrection of Jesus
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 guarantees
00:23:42 --> 00:23:44 an eternal home.
00:23:44 --> 00:23:44 Life
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 beyond
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 this life.
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 It's another way
00:23:48 --> 00:23:48 of saying
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 that the person
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 who trusts in Jesus,
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 you have security
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 forever.
00:23:52 --> 00:23:55 nothing can take
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 it away from you.
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 I went to a funeral
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 on Thursday
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 for a young guy,
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 37,
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 and there was
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 a little video clip.
00:24:03 --> 00:24:03 This was someone
00:24:03 --> 00:24:05 who trusted in Jesus.
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 There's this little video clip
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 where they just,
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 he died from cancer,
00:24:09 --> 00:24:11 he could hardly speak
00:24:11 --> 00:24:13 and his last words
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 on the screen
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 were,
00:24:16 --> 00:24:18 don't fear for me,
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 I am home
00:24:19 --> 00:24:21 and I am happy.
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 I am home
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 and I am happy.
00:24:30 --> 00:24:30 You see,
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 what Jesus promises
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 is where he is
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 there,
00:24:33 --> 00:24:33 you have the privilege
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 to be
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 as he is alive
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 forever
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 so you can have
00:24:37 --> 00:24:37 life forever.
00:24:38 --> 00:24:38 Which leads
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 to the second implication
00:24:39 --> 00:24:41 which says
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 that very simply
00:24:42 --> 00:24:44 in Philippians 3.21
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 that Jesus
00:24:45 --> 00:24:45 will transform
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 your body
00:24:46 --> 00:24:48 into be like
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 his resurrected body.
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 The Lord Jesus Christ
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 who by the power
00:24:53 --> 00:24:53 that enables him
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 to bring everything
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 under his control
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 will transform
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 our lowly bodies
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 so that they will be
00:24:58 --> 00:25:00 like his glorious body.
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 The resurrection
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 of Jesus
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 is the answer
00:25:04 --> 00:25:06 to our deepest
00:25:06 --> 00:25:08 longing in life
00:25:08 --> 00:25:10 and that is
00:25:10 --> 00:25:12 to live life
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 well forever.
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 We want to be young
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 and vibrant
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 and healthy
00:25:17 --> 00:25:19 because those
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 were the days
00:25:20 --> 00:25:23 before emotional pain,
00:25:23 --> 00:25:23 the burden
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 of responsibility,
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 the frailty
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 of a life
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 slowly
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 epping away.
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 In fact,
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 this is unique
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 about the Christian faith.
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 The Christian faith
00:25:36 --> 00:25:39 is the only
00:25:39 --> 00:25:41 philosophical system,
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 it's the only religion
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 in the world
00:25:44 --> 00:25:46 that actually promises
00:25:46 --> 00:25:48 renewed
00:25:48 --> 00:25:50 new and perfect minds,
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 new and perfect hearts
00:25:52 --> 00:25:54 and bodies
00:25:54 --> 00:25:54 that are new
00:25:54 --> 00:25:56 and perfect forever.
00:25:56 --> 00:25:58 It's the only religion
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 and philosophical system
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 that says that life
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 beyond this world
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 is as physical
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 and real,
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 more physical
00:26:04 --> 00:26:04 and real
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 than this world.
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 It's the only one.
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 It's not clouds
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 and harps
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 and that kind
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 of stuff.
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 The message
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 of Easter
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 is not that Jesus
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 died
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 so that we can
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 float around
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 in disembodied
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 souls
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 in some
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 fluffy realm
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 somewhere.
00:26:25 --> 00:26:28 the physical
00:26:28 --> 00:26:28 resurrection
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 of Jesus
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 guarantees
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 a physical
00:26:31 --> 00:26:31 life.
00:26:32 --> 00:26:32 The resurrection
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 changes
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 everything
00:26:34 --> 00:26:35 in life.
00:26:36 --> 00:26:36 This is
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 hope.
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 Hope
00:26:39 --> 00:26:39 for the wheelchair
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 bound.
00:26:41 --> 00:26:41 Hope
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 for the person
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 with crippling
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 emotional pain.
00:26:45 --> 00:26:45 Hope
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 for every human
00:26:46 --> 00:26:46 being
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 who is yet
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 to face
00:26:48 --> 00:26:48 the thing
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 that we fear
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 the most,
00:26:51 --> 00:26:51 death.
00:26:51 --> 00:26:54 the message
00:26:54 --> 00:26:56 of Easter
00:26:56 --> 00:26:56 is that the
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 creator and ruler
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 of the universe
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 has died for us
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 and that if we
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 trust in him
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 he'll one day
00:27:02 --> 00:27:04 bring us back
00:27:04 --> 00:27:04 to physical
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 life.
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 Richer and
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 fresher and
00:27:07 --> 00:27:07 more beautiful
00:27:07 --> 00:27:09 than anything
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 that we've ever
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 experienced before.
00:27:11 --> 00:27:15 if you
00:27:15 --> 00:27:15 can't
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 imagine
00:27:16 --> 00:27:16 a life
00:27:16 --> 00:27:18 with
00:27:18 --> 00:27:18 everything
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 evil
00:27:19 --> 00:27:19 with
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 everything
00:27:20 --> 00:27:20 broken
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 with
00:27:21 --> 00:27:21 everything
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 frail
00:27:22 --> 00:27:22 with
00:27:22 --> 00:27:22 everything
00:27:22 --> 00:27:23 dark
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 with
00:27:24 --> 00:27:24 everything
00:27:24 --> 00:27:24 horrible
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 taking
00:27:25 --> 00:27:25 out of
00:27:25 --> 00:27:25 it
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 and all
00:27:26 --> 00:27:26 that's
00:27:26 --> 00:27:26 left
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 is just
00:27:27 --> 00:27:27 the
00:27:27 --> 00:27:27 sunshine
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 and the
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 beauty
00:27:29 --> 00:27:31 perfection
00:27:31 --> 00:27:33 if you
00:27:33 --> 00:27:33 can't
00:27:33 --> 00:27:34 imagine
00:27:34 --> 00:27:34 that
00:27:34 --> 00:27:36 neither
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 can I
00:27:37 --> 00:27:41 our
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 frail
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 imaginations
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 frankly
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 cannot
00:27:45 --> 00:27:45 take it
00:27:45 --> 00:27:45 in
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 because
00:27:46 --> 00:27:46 we've
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 never
00:27:47 --> 00:27:47 experienced
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 it
00:27:48 --> 00:27:50 but as
00:27:50 --> 00:27:50 you read
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 several
00:27:51 --> 00:27:51 chapters
00:27:51 --> 00:27:51 earlier
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 in 1
00:27:52 --> 00:27:52 Corinthians
00:27:52 --> 00:27:55 it says
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 what no eye
00:27:56 --> 00:27:56 has seen
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 what no ear
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 has heard
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 what no
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 human mind
00:28:00 --> 00:28:00 has conceived
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 the things
00:28:01 --> 00:28:01 that God
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 has prepared
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 for those
00:28:03 --> 00:28:03 who love
00:28:03 --> 00:28:03 him
00:28:03 --> 00:28:05 the
00:28:05 --> 00:28:05 resurrection
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 means
00:28:06 --> 00:28:06 the
00:28:06 --> 00:28:06 maker
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 of all
00:28:07 --> 00:28:07 time
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 and space
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 has
00:28:09 --> 00:28:09 stepped
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 into
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 this
00:28:11 --> 00:28:11 world
00:28:11 --> 00:28:11 his
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 world
00:28:12 --> 00:28:12 out of
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 love
00:28:13 --> 00:28:13 for us
00:28:13 --> 00:28:15 it means
00:28:15 --> 00:28:15 that we
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 are worthy
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 of his
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 death
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 and he
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 wants us
00:28:20 --> 00:28:20 in his
00:28:20 --> 00:28:20 life
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 it means
00:28:21 --> 00:28:21 that we
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 are more
00:28:22 --> 00:28:22 seen
00:28:22 --> 00:28:23 we are
00:28:23 --> 00:28:23 more
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 known
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 we are
00:28:25 --> 00:28:25 more
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 loved
00:28:26 --> 00:28:26 than we
00:28:26 --> 00:28:26 could
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 dare
00:28:27 --> 00:28:27 to
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 hope
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 it means
00:28:29 --> 00:28:29 the
00:28:29 --> 00:28:29 greatest
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 offer
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 ever
00:28:31 --> 00:28:33 the
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 greatest
00:28:34 --> 00:28:34 offer
00:28:34 --> 00:28:34 that has
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 ever
00:28:35 --> 00:28:35 been
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 made
00:28:36 --> 00:28:36 is
00:28:36 --> 00:28:36 sitting
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 on
00:28:37 --> 00:28:37 the
00:28:37 --> 00:28:37 table
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 waiting
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 to be
00:28:39 --> 00:28:39 taken
00:28:39 --> 00:28:39 up
00:28:39 --> 00:28:44 so
00:28:44 --> 00:28:44 friends
00:28:44 --> 00:28:44 I'm not
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 sure
00:28:45 --> 00:28:45 how you
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 feel
00:28:46 --> 00:28:46 about
00:28:46 --> 00:28:46 Jesus
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47 today
00:28:47 --> 00:28:50 I get
00:28:50 --> 00:28:52 the mood
00:28:52 --> 00:28:52 of our
00:28:52 --> 00:28:52 culture
00:28:52 --> 00:28:54 that the
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 Christian faith
00:28:55 --> 00:28:55 feels like
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 old clothes
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 you've
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 long got
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 sick of
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 or clothes
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 you would
00:29:01 --> 00:29:01 mean
00:29:01 --> 00:29:02 seen dead
00:29:02 --> 00:29:02 wearing
00:29:02 --> 00:29:02 at all
00:29:02 --> 00:29:04 or even
00:29:04 --> 00:29:04 clothes
00:29:04 --> 00:29:04 from a
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 different
00:29:05 --> 00:29:05 culture
00:29:05 --> 00:29:05 not your
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 own
00:29:06 --> 00:29:08 maybe
00:29:08 --> 00:29:08 you've
00:29:08 --> 00:29:08 been hurt
00:29:08 --> 00:29:08 by
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 Christians
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 or you've
00:29:10 --> 00:29:10 seen
00:29:10 --> 00:29:10 Christians
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 hurt
00:29:11 --> 00:29:11 others
00:29:11 --> 00:29:13 and I'm
00:29:13 --> 00:29:13 sorry for
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 that if
00:29:14 --> 00:29:14 that's your
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 experience
00:29:15 --> 00:29:17 or it's
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 quite possible
00:29:18 --> 00:29:18 that you've
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 already rejected
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 something that
00:29:20 --> 00:29:20 you don't even
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 really understand
00:29:21 --> 00:29:24 you've never
00:29:24 --> 00:29:24 really thought
00:29:24 --> 00:29:24 about
00:29:24 --> 00:29:29 maybe you've
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 tuned in
00:29:30 --> 00:29:30 today
00:29:30 --> 00:29:32 living the
00:29:32 --> 00:29:32 dream
00:29:32 --> 00:29:34 or maybe
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 you've
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35 tuned in
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35 today
00:29:35 --> 00:29:37 trudging
00:29:37 --> 00:29:37 through a
00:29:37 --> 00:29:37 muddy
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 field of
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 hopelessness
00:29:39 --> 00:29:41 none of
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 us
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 and I
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 mean none
00:29:44 --> 00:29:44 of us
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 come to
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 today
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 none of
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 us come
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 to questions
00:29:49 --> 00:29:49 of faith
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 without
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 some
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 experience
00:29:52 --> 00:29:52 or some
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 feelings
00:29:53 --> 00:29:54 good or
00:29:54 --> 00:29:54 bad
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 just or
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 indifferent
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 we're
00:29:57 --> 00:29:57 all in
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 that boat
00:29:58 --> 00:30:00 if we
00:30:00 --> 00:30:00 dig deeper
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 though
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 and allow
00:30:02 --> 00:30:02 ourselves to
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 pause long
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 enough
00:30:04 --> 00:30:05 we all
00:30:05 --> 00:30:05 long for
00:30:05 --> 00:30:06 hope beyond
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 the grave
00:30:07 --> 00:30:09 we all
00:30:09 --> 00:30:09 long for
00:30:09 --> 00:30:09 it
00:30:09 --> 00:30:11 some kind
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 of happy
00:30:12 --> 00:30:13 ending in
00:30:13 --> 00:30:14 our lives
00:30:14 --> 00:30:16 that's why
00:30:16 --> 00:30:17 we love
00:30:17 --> 00:30:17 Hollywood
00:30:17 --> 00:30:19 and we
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 hate movies
00:30:20 --> 00:30:20 that don't
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 have a happy
00:30:21 --> 00:30:21 ending
00:30:21 --> 00:30:24 we love
00:30:24 --> 00:30:24 the happy
00:30:24 --> 00:30:24 ending
00:30:24 --> 00:30:26 for our
00:30:26 --> 00:30:26 lives and
00:30:26 --> 00:30:27 for our
00:30:27 --> 00:30:27 loved ones
00:30:27 --> 00:30:29 so whether
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 you think
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 that hope
00:30:31 --> 00:30:31 of everlasting
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 life is
00:30:32 --> 00:30:32 pure
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 naivety
00:30:33 --> 00:30:35 or wondering
00:30:35 --> 00:30:35 if there
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 might just
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 be a God
00:30:37 --> 00:30:37 who you
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 can know
00:30:38 --> 00:30:40 I want to
00:30:40 --> 00:30:40 tell you
00:30:40 --> 00:30:40 Jesus is
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 for you
00:30:41 --> 00:30:44 I want to
00:30:44 --> 00:30:45 encourage you
00:30:45 --> 00:30:45 don't bury
00:30:45 --> 00:30:46 your brains
00:30:46 --> 00:30:48 don't bury
00:30:48 --> 00:30:49 your brains
00:30:49 --> 00:30:52 I would
00:30:52 --> 00:30:53 ask you
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 to ask
00:30:54 --> 00:30:54 the awkward
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 questions
00:30:55 --> 00:30:58 to reckon
00:30:58 --> 00:30:58 with the
00:30:58 --> 00:30:59 hardest
00:30:59 --> 00:30:59 truth
00:30:59 --> 00:31:02 that shadow
00:31:02 --> 00:31:02 each one
00:31:02 --> 00:31:03 of our
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 mortal lives
00:31:04 --> 00:31:06 take a
00:31:06 --> 00:31:06 fresh look
00:31:06 --> 00:31:07 at the
00:31:07 --> 00:31:07 resurrection
00:31:07 --> 00:31:08 claim
00:31:08 --> 00:31:10 and consider
00:31:10 --> 00:31:10 if it is
00:31:10 --> 00:31:11 just wishful
00:31:11 --> 00:31:12 thinking
00:31:12 --> 00:31:13 or whether
00:31:13 --> 00:31:14 it might
00:31:14 --> 00:31:15 be
00:31:15 --> 00:31:16 against
00:31:16 --> 00:31:17 all odds
00:31:17 --> 00:31:19 be all
00:31:19 --> 00:31:20 our wildest
00:31:20 --> 00:31:20 dreams
00:31:20 --> 00:31:21 come true
00:31:21 --> 00:31:23 Jesus
00:31:23 --> 00:31:24 is
00:31:24 --> 00:31:25 all
00:31:25 --> 00:31:26 about
00:31:26 --> 00:31:26 life
00:31:26 --> 00:31:34 the
00:31:34 --> 00:31:35 how
00:31:35 --> 00:31:36 love
00:31:36 --> 00:31:38 God