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05 Apr 2015

Christ Is Risen Today!
  • Topic: CHRISTIAN LIVING, HOPE, OUTREACH, SALVATION MESSAGE, SPIRITUAL GROWTH, SPIRITUAL LIFE

Overview

1 Corinthians 15:17-20 Christ is Risen Today! Pastor Jason Lim 05 April 2015 Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live. " These are stunning words, especially when someone has just died. The resurrection of Jesus is a life-changing reality. Be sure to experience it for yourself in this sermon! Slides Transcriptions **Right Click to Do

1 Corinthians 15:17-20
Christ is Risen Today!
Pastor Jason Lim
05 April 2015

Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live."
These are stunning words, especially when someone has just died.
The resurrection of Jesus is a life-changing reality.
Be sure to experience it for yourself in this sermon!

Slides Transcriptions

Sermon Transcript

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I like us today to consider the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. On Friday, we looked at the death, the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Today, we are looking at the resurrection of our Saviour.

You know last week, there was only one thing that gripped the hearts of this nation. Everybody I think, was concerned and was looking eagerly as to what would happen as we remembered the passing of our founding Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew. I think it was the first time I really saw the whole nation pour out our emotions, that we were really deeply sorrowful and grieved with his passing away. More than a million people paid tributes to our founding Prime Minister in the various sites. More than 100,000 people lined the streets in a heavy downpour as his cortege were to pass the streets for the very last time.

I think all of us are sad because he passed away, all of us are sorrowful because he died. You know death is such a sad event, sad and sorrowful, and so final and so real.And as I listened and as I read all the tributes and eulogies given, it never really lessened the sorrow. I mean all it did was to make us miss him even more,make us even more sad because there is no eulogy,there is no message,there is no tribute that can bring him back to life. Death is final. Death is real. Death is sorrowful.And that's why, when Jesus Himself said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live”, these words are absolutely staggering.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.
Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,
(John 11:25 ESV)

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He said these words in the context of someone who has just died –Lazarus has just died. And Jesus says, don't you worry, don't you fear, don’t you sorrow too much because I am the resurrection and the life.These words are amazing words.These words will mean something to you today if someone around you is dying, or if you yourself, you are dying.These words are predicated on the reality that Jesus is risen today. He says the reason why you can live and not die is because I am the resurrection and the life, and I am risen.

Today as we remember resurrection Sunday,we are really remembering the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.You say,what has this got to do with me? Well, some of us treat Sunday, resurrection Sunday as just a story.It’s a nice story. I've heard of it since I was a child in Sunday school. Jesus is risen. But you’ve never really thought of what it means to you, what’s the impact upon your life. Maybe some of us think, alright, it is not just a story,it’s a real thing,it's history. But again, it doesn't quite impact your life today. Maybe even you came, you must be wondering, well, what is pastor going to talk about, the resurrection? Oh, I know about it already, and you thought you’d just be here to hear a story or history. No, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ has deep and profound impact on your life. It is a life-changing reality. So here it says, you’ve got to believe this, you’ve got to experience this, and you will rejoice in the fact that He is risen.

So how is the resurrection going to impact your life and mine? Paul the apostle wrote these words long time ago, in 1Corinthians 15.He says:

17 And if Christ has not been raised,
your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead,
The first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
(1 Corinthians 15:17-20 ESV)

Apostle Paul here tells you what's at stake.He says, if Christ has not been raised, what would it be like? And so he says, first of all, if Christ is not risen, “your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1 Cor 15:17).He says, if Christ went to the cross,He was dead on the cross,He was killed on the cross and if He didn’t rise,you will still be in your sins, because that would only prove when He said, I will rise again, I will defeat sin, He did not defeat sin. Sin defeated Him. He was supposed to conquer sin, death and hell. But now sin and death conquered Jesus Christ. In other words, He is a liar. In other words, He failed, because long ago, He said to one of the men who is sick, who is paralyzed, “Son, your sins be forgiven you”, but how can his sins be forgiven if the Saviour himself is defeated by sin? He would have absolutely failed if He did not rise from the dead, and that means He is a liar, that means He is a failure and that means you and I today would have no chance of having our sins forgiven.

You see, my friends, if you're here today for the first time, the deep need of the human soul is forgiveness. Many people come to church today looking for some ways by which they can get richer or healthier.That's not the message of the Bible. The message of the Bible is that we are sinners and we are cut off from the infinitely Holy God because of our sins and God is angry at sin. And if you have no forgiveness of sins, you pass from life to death, forever separated from the Holy God.There is no forgiveness apart from Jesus and it is scary that if Jesus didn't rise from the dead, we are all doomed in our sins.There is no one who can appease the holy wrath of God.

That's why Paul says, so much is at stake if Jesus didn't rise from the dead. He says not only will you not experience forgiveness, your faith is futile. In other words, all that we believe in, and all that we are practising today is in vain. There is no reason why you should come to church today,no reason whatsoever. There is no reason why we should read and preach the Bible. I mean, if Jesus didn't rise, He is a liar.He said openly,you destroy this temple and 3 days, I will raise it up again.But He didn't, if He didn't rise, If He failed at that one point, He is not someone we can trust.What the apostles have been preaching are lies,that Jesus is, no, he… that’s a lie.The Old Testament passages that say Jesus will rise, they are all liars. So, our faith is futile.There is no reason why I should stand here preaching God's Word.There is no reason why you should come for worship services.Your faith is futile.You don't have to live for Jesus.You don't have to give for Jesus.You don’t have to serve. All these things are vain, are pointless, you get it? if Jesus didn't rise from the dead.

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And not only that, he says not only is there no forgiveness and there is no need for real faith,there now, he tells us, there is no future:“then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished” (1 Cor 15:18). They are to be doomed, they are to be punished. So all those who died believing in Jesus, where are they right now? They are not with Jesus in paradise. They are now in the fires of Hades; they are now suffering right there. Why? Because Jesus did not rise.

And so if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then “we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Cor 15:19), we are the saddest people in the whole world. Paul is saying, if Jesus didn’t rise, all of us would gather out of Judaism,out of all our various false religions.And we say we are followers of Jesus,we are a joke of this whole world. We are the crazy people of this whole world. We follow a Saviour who’s a liar.We follow someone who says he will save, but he is a failure. So these are devastating words, it's pointless.

Alexander Maclaren, one of the preachers of old, he says:

“On the fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is suspended everything which makes the Gospel the good news. Strike that out, and what have you left?Some beautiful bits of moral teaching (added by pastor: how to be a good person, that's great), a lovely life marred by tremendous mistakes about himself and his own importance and his relation to men and to God,but you've got nothing left that is worth calling the Gospel.”

Yes, Jesus might have done some good things, healed some people, said some remarkable words; but He is a failure, He is not the Son of God, He is not theSaviour of man,you have no Gospel if there is no resurrection. So Paul lays out very clearly what's at stake.If world history ended on Good Friday, the whole world is doomed, all of humanity is doomed. There is no forgiveness, there is no point for faith, there is no future for anyone of us.

“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead” (1 Cor 15:20). I’ve read the Bible for many years and I've always been fascinated with words like, “therefore” and“but” and “and”. I don't think there's a bigger and more important and more powerful “but” in the whole Bible than this “but” (referring to 1 Cor 15:20), don’t you think? If Christ is not risen, this will be gone, this will be gone, this will be gone. But in fact, Jesus has been raised from the dead.This is the beautiful declaration of the Bible. Jesus Christ has been raised.In fact, that's what Paul says, now if He did not rise,yes, it will be absolute catastrophe and disaster. But, the reality is that He is raised.

You see, Paul himself is a witness of the resurrected Jesus Christ.He met Jesus on his way to Damascus. He says not only himself, but he realizes that the apostles have all met Jesus after his resurrection.And he says, not only myself and the 12 men whom He has spent time with, but also 500 over people, we saw Him in various occasions after He rose from the dead. And the apostles today, up till today, Paul says, are preaching the resurrection of Jesus Christ everywhere. This is what he said in earlier verses:

“and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one
time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen
asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.”
(1 Corinthians 15:5-8 ESV)

and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the 12. Then he appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time,most of whom, you can go and ask, are still alive. Don't believe the testimony of this resurrection of Jesus Christ, then go and ask these men even though some have fallen asleep –some have died. And then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles and last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. But in fact Christ has been raised, the empty tomb proves it. These 500 over men including myself, prove it. And the world is changed as a result of it.

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Chuck Colson, he says:
“If one is to assail the historicity of the Resurrection and therefore the deity of Christ, one must conclude that there was a conspiracy — a cover-up if you will — by eleven men with the complicity of up to five hundred others. To subscribe to this argument, one must also be ready to believe that each disciple was willing to be ostracized by friends and family, live in daily fear of death, endure prisons, live penniless and hungry, sacrifice family, be tortured without mercy, and ultimately die — all without ever once renouncing that Jesus had risen from the dead.”

if one is to assail the historicity, in other words the veracity, the accuracy,the reliability of the resurrection and therefore the deity of Christ, if Christ did not rise from the dead, He is not God. But because He rose, it proves the deity of Christ, one must conclude that there was a conspiracy. Haha, if you say Jesus didn’t rise, alright,then there must be a kind of a plan, foil(pastor meant to say ploy), a kind of a conspiracy, a cover-up if you will, by 11 men with the complicity of up to 500 others. To subscribe to this argument, one must also be ready to believe that each disciple was willing to be ostracized by friends and family, live in daily fear of death, endure prisons, live penniless and hungry, sacrifice family, be tortured without mercy, and ultimately die, all without ever once renouncing that Jesus had risen from the dead.For one man to do this, possible; for 500 over men to say, Jesus is risen even though you kill me and separate me from family,he says this is highly impossible.

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead. And the resurrection of Jesus Christ becomes the most significant event of the whole of human history. That's why today we have the AC and the B…, no, what AC…BC and the AD calendar. That's why today, there are more pieces of art, more pieces of literature, more architectural buildings about Jesus than anybody else in this world. And even though Jesus had only walked within or moved around a 200 mile radius during his time, the legacy and impact of Jesus Christ now reaches every nook and cranny in this whole world. Why? Because Jesus is raised from the dead.

Josh McDowell, he says:
“After more than 700 hours of studying this subject, and thoroughly investigating its foundation, I've come to the conclusion that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the most wicked, vicious, heartless hoaxes ever foisted upon the minds of men or it is the most fantastic fact of history.”

What is set before you today is a choice. You either think that, what the Bible says is the greatest joke and conspiracy and hoax in the world, or you believe that this is the most fantastic fact of all history.

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1. The Reality of Forgiveness

Paul says, if Jesus didn't rise, there is no forgiveness, no faith, no future. But, but in fact, He is risen and therefore, let's consider what does it mean if He is raised from the dead.It means, first of all, that we have the reality of forgiveness. It means that sin and death did not conquer Jesus. Indeed, Jesus conquered sin, death and hell.

During the battle of Waterloo, it was between England and France and there was general Wellington from England fighting Napoleon from France.The whole of England was waiting eagerly about the results of the war and in those days,you don't have SMS or WhatsApp, or Internet, Facebook to say who won and post pictures.What they had was to transmit messages via blinking lights on church towers.So they started to blink or transmit the message after the battle, but it was a very foggy day and so, the message transmitted was not a complete one. England received those news, those words: "Wellington defeated" and the whole nation was plunged into sorrow for a few hours. Wellington is defeated, they say, but soon the fog cleared and the full message came across: "Wellington defeated Napoleon” –makes a whole world of difference, don’t you think?

You know on Good Friday, it certainly sounded like:“Jesus defeated”. There He lays, or He is hanging on the cross and the next day,He is in a tomb and Saturday is such a gloomy day. Nobody really knows if He is truly able to save us from our sins.He is the one who says, it is finished but He looks like He is finished. Is His sacrifice sufficient? Is His offering of His life acceptable before God? No one knows until Sunday, Sunday when the full message came:“Jesus defeated death and He rose from the tomb and from the grave”. You know what the resurrection is all about? On the cross, Jesus says it is finished and on Sunday, God says it is finished. God is giving public testimony that indeed sins have been dealt with. It is God’s “Amen” to Jesus’ “it is finished”. That's why the Bible tells us in Romans 4, that the Lord was delivered up for trespasses and raised for our justification.

It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
(Romans 4:24-25 ESV)

He is now given the approval by God the Father. Indeed, it is finished. Amen, it is well done and all our sins can be forgiven because of the Lamb of God. And that's why today, folks,there is no salvation anywhere else. There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. God has attested: my son has paid it all, it is finished.

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
(Acts 4:12 ESV)

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2. The Reality of our Faith

Not only is that a reality of forgiveness, now, there's a reality of our faith. It makes sense now for us to read the Bible. It makes sense for us now to follow God's word. It makes sense right now for us to live the Christian life; because if Jesus is risen, He now lives in me by His Spirit. I can have that spirit-empowered life. I can live the life of Christ because He is risen and He lives in me. Now it makes sense for me to serve God. It makes sense for me to now give to Punggol fund.It makes sense for me to give my life fully for Jesus’ sake.It makes sense for me to pray. It makes sense for me to serve Him with all my heart, because He is risen. It makes sense now for me to trust Him, even though life is uncertain because I know that He will work all things together for good, to them that love God.And Paul really builds upon this point.At the end of 1 Corinthians 15, he says, “therefore”.

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
(1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV)

This therefore is there for something.The “therefore” is there because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.Because Christ is risen, you will be risen with Him.And therefore, my brothers, in the meanwhile, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord(he is not dead, he is alive),your labour is not in vain. It makes sense now for me to serve Him with energy, with all that I’ve got.

My friends, it is so sad when I see Christians, just lumber along,when I see Christians giving half-hearted efforts for the Lord, I see Christians just treating Christianity as a CCA (abbreviation for co-curricular activity), just something extra to your life. My friends, the question for you is, do you really believe Jesus is alive? If you don’t think he is alive, then don’t bother doing anything. Why bother to read the Bible? Why bother to serve? There is no point. But if He is indeed risen, then I think it is all or nothing.

Paul says:

What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
(1 Corinthians 15:32 ESV)

What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus. He was really in trouble at Ephesus, people were clamouring, lynching him for his life. But he says, why do I do that? He goes on to say, if the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. If Jesus didn't rise, why bother, why take risks, why be persecuted, why give my life? Enjoy life today, because if Jesus didn't rise, there is no future anyway.

Enjoy now.Squeeze every bit of pleasure I have from this life, because there is no more joy in the next-to-come.But if Jesus is alive,then I don't have to squeeze every bit of pleasure from this world; but I can give my life in this world, because I serve a risen Saviour. Paul has such an abandonment to self, because he believes firmly in the resurrection of Christ. Do you? Will you? This is the faith we are talking about, suspended upon the resurrection, the fact that Christ has been raised from the dead. It’s the reality of our faith.

3. The Reality of our Future

And finally he says, there's a reality of our future. You see, Christ rising from the dead is not just about himself. Christ rising from the dead means... Remember what he said in John 11? I am the resurrection and the life,but it’s not just about me. He that believes in me, though he dies, he shall also live. And Paul knows this. He says, in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, and he now becomes the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep (1 Cor 15:20).First fruits means the 1st sampling of the harvest of the crop.And if Jesus is the first fruit, the rest will be like him.

What a tremendous thought: that on the cross was a mangled mass of flesh– bloody and broken, absolutely disfigured, absolutely ruined, but if Jesus who was so disfigured and ruined on the cross will rise to a glorious, beautiful, powerful, incorruptible body,so will you. And here we are in this life, always wanting to look pretty, no pimples and that becomes our obsession. What a waste of time. Oh ok, it is not absolutely a waste of time, but you know what I am trying to say. So concerned about the here and now, and we forget this glorious reality of our promised future.

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What a tremendous message.The resurrection of Jesus Christ means I’ve forgiveness for my sins. I have the reality of the future glory that is to come, and today, I live my faith with all seriousness,and joy and confidence. It’s a life-changing truth, folks.This is not a story alone. This is not just history alone. This is theology, which will make sense and be beautifully seen in your Christianity. You see, if you believe you serve a risen Saviour, you live a different life from if you serve someone who you are not sure of if he’s alive. He is risen today. There's something for you to believe, there’s something for you to experience, there’s something for you to rejoice.

My friends, if you're here today for the first time, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, according to the teaching of the Bible, is a fact. Sometimes we think that becoming a Christian, believing in the Bible, believing in the Gospel is all about a feeling. I don't feel like believing, I don't feel so spiritually, I don't feel so emotional.But let me tell you something: yes, there may be emotions involved, but faith is primarily believing the facts of the Bible. Faith is believing what God has said. Doesn’t matter really how you feel.

I tell you something about fact, alright? Eating char kwayteow is not good for your heart. Do you believe that? No, it feels so good; it’s good for my heart. No, no, no, no matter how you feel about eating char kwayteow, the fact remains. And many of us act based on our faith, faith in what medical science has told us, char kwayteow is full of oil and it chokes my heart vessels. So you don’t eat. You walk by faith, not by feelings.

The fact laid before you, not medical science but biblical revelation laid before you is, there is someone called Jesus Christ, who claims to be the Son of the living God, who said that He is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, who died on the cross, who had already said that if you destroy this temple, I will raise it up in 3 days. And who God said Amen to, because on the 3rd day, He was raised from the dead. This is the fact. The choice is yours if you would believe this fact or you would say this is the greatest hoax and conspiracy of all history.My friends, there is only one who did this – Jesus Christ. God has said Amen and it’s up to you now to say amen or you say “this is a lie”.

Why do we believe in Jesus? Because He's the only one who is risen. You know, every religion has some leader, every religion: Confucius, Buddha, Muhammad; but you know, none of them ever say I will rise again.In fact, they don't say, they obviously… their Scriptures,their teachings never say they rise again. Jesus said,He will rise again, and according to the Bible, He did rise again.

Someone has just converted from one religion to Christianity, and people asked him, why do you believe in Christ, why do you come to the Christian faith? He says, it is very simple.If you come to a fork of a road, there are two paths: one path is led by a man who is dead, the other is led by a man who is alive. Which one would you go? Which one would you go? Jesus says, I am the way, the truth and the life and I am alive; you can come to the Father through me. It's a fact, folks. Christ is risen. Believe it – a choice you can make today.

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I say to you, experience the resurrection of Christ. He is risen. So many Christians today think that the Christian life is about me trying to earn God's favour or me trying to be the good Christian. I don't deny that there is effort on the part of the Christian, there is; but you don't earn favour, neither do you do it on your own strength alone. He lives in you today. You can experience the spirit-empowered life. You can experience the holy Christian life, not because of just what you do, but because He does live in you. I hope today you’ll experience what it means to give your life for Jesus. Your faith makes sense.

I'm sure many of my friends look at me and they may smile at me, and they may say, wah, good that you found what you wanted to do. But they’ll all look at me, I suspect, with the heart saying this is such an idiot. Maybe not in those words, but they'll probably think “you’re such a fool”. You studied this, you did that and now you become what, a pastor? The world will say you are of all people, the most to be pitied. You realize that? But today, I live my life based on the fact. If Jesus didn't rise from the dead, I am an idiot – what a stupid fool. But now, I live my life on the fact. Instead of someone to be pitied, I think I'm someone to be congratulated. I think for your life,it's the same folks. So sad, if we know Jesus is alive but we live as if he's dead: we still live for the here and now, we live for ourselves, we try to squeeze every bit of pleasure from this world.

My friends, now I think serving God makes sense. Now, I think giving to Punggol Fund… now giving to Punggol Fund is so stupid, if Jesus is not risen. Stupid, you work so hard for your money...By the way, it's not your money, it’s God's money. But you work so hard, you have some money and you say, I give it Punggol and by the way, it doesn't have your name in Punggol, your name doesn't appear in the title deed. It’s not going to be used for your son's lodging or your daughter’s future, it is not. If you think about it, it’s so silly if Christ is not risen. But because He is alive, everything makes sense.

My friends, there’s something for you to rejoice: death to the Christian is not final. It is just a comma; it is not a full-stop. They say, it’s just a comma, and usher you in to a better life with Jesus Christ, forevermore. That's why, the psalmist can say, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me. We can cling on to those words: “I am the resurrection and the life”.

You know when Winston Churchill died or was about to die, he arranged his own funeral by the way. He is not afraid of death. He arranged his own funeral in an Anglican liturgy style and he had some favourite hymns sung and at the very end, he has this bugle call.The first bugle is the tune Taps, I'm not sure whether… (pastor attempted to vocalise the melody of Taps and then decided to spare the congregation)You know,the very sad one that says the day is over.It’s a tune that they used to say, someone has passed away, the military uses it a lot today. But immediately after this very sad bugle call is the uplifting reveille by the bugle, you know what…(pastor attempted to vocalise another tune) ok ok, I spare you again… that very uplifting one.You say why, because that tells you it's a new day. Winston Churchill, in his death, is telling the world, the day is over but reveille is coming, a new day is coming. This is not the end, because Christ is risen as the first fruits of those who believe in him; I will rise with Him.

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One of the things I appreciate about hymns of old, as you sing about it, is very, very often, the songwriter writes 3, 4 stanzas, and the last stanza is always about death but never in a discouraging scary way. It's always that joy, that anticipation I’ll be with Him. All this hangs on the reality He is risen. It's a life-changing truth, may that be something true for you, for each one of us today.

Let's bow for a word of prayer together. You know folks, this can just be another sermon. This can be something that you came to church, and you heard, and you’ll leave and you’ll say well, great story, interesting facts. And it would have done you no good if at this time, you're not reflecting and appropriating those realities for yourself. So I’d like to give you this time to reflect, to consider how this must be made true for your life. You see, some of you are here today and you’re invited by friends, your family, just to attend a Good Friday or a Easter Sunday service. But confronting you today, let’s not be unclear about this, confronting you today is the bold declaration of the Bible, God's Word. The words also of Jesus Christ that says, He is risen. What are you going to do about it? You say, I don't feel like believing in Jesus Christ. Well, it’s nothing to do with feelings. It's a fact, He rise, He rose, He was raised from the dead, He has conquered sin and death and hell.Tell me, is there any other solution in this world whereby your sins can be washed away? Is there any religion that says, you can do it completely and successfully? There is none, because all religions end up on the other fork. Follow me, I am dead. But here, Jesus says, follow me, I am alive. I’ve paid for your sins. I’ve cleansed you of all filth. I’ve appeased the holy wrath of God, and he that believes in me shall not perish but have everlasting life. It's a fact. What would you choose this morning? Would you humble yourself before God and say: I am a sinner, I cannot save myself and I will believe in Jesus Christ – the perfect sacrifice you gave, God; I’ll trust in His finished work, because you said it is finished as well when you raised Him from the dead. May today be the beginning of this new life in your soul, knowing Jesus having your sins forgiven.

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Then I speak to you, my brothers and sisters in Christ. How has your faith been? Sort of a, just by the way, let me give a little, sacrifice a little, do a little, or is it all for Jesus? You know why you want to do it all for Jesus, because He is risen. Don’t give half-baked things. When we give half-baked lives to God, it tells me something, it tells us something: we don't quite believe He is risen. We don't quite believe that there is a glorious future awaiting us. We don't quite believe in all the glorious promises in Scripture because, somehow, we don't think He is trustworthy. Think of ways, my friends, this will radically change your life. Think of your time. Think of your bank account. Think of all your gifts. Think of all the talents He has given you.Think of your goals, your ambitions in the light of the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Will you choose to live differently from today onwards? Let this be a life-changing reality for your soul.

My friends, I see some grey-haired men and women here,you’re in the twilight years, you know it and you’re facing death. It’s coming to you soon.You could see it. You’re weakening day by day and you’ve fear within your soul. My friends, you fear if you live by feelings but you cheer when you consider the fact He is risen and I will follow Him. Say with the psalmist, “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death” (you know what, it's just a shadow because Jesus has taken the blow for you),rejoice in sufferings today,rejoice in hope. What a new day, what a new morn, because He lives I can face tomorrow. May God bless each one of you with His Word.

Father, we thank you this morning.What a simple but earth-shattering reality. Let the profound teachings and implications of Your Word find good soil in all our hearts. I pray that for those who need forgiveness today, they will come to the foot of the cross and believe in Your Son. I pray for Christians today who are just limping along in their Christian life, that they would be energized with the reality of the resurrection. And I pray for those who are fearing and trembling and worrying, that they’ll find that solid hope in Jesus Christ, Your Son. Bless your people, dear God, bless each one here. We ask this now in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

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