Declared Beforehand: Christ's Resurrection and Our Allegiance

What's it gonna take? If you're waiting for a demonstration, let me tell you what the next profound demonstration is going to be, the second coming. The second coming is our resurrection. It will be the final evidence that our faith was not in vain. But at the second coming, if you haven't accepted the declaration, then you're going to face utter destruction. There's no more proof coming. Without faith, it's impossible to please God. You gotta have the faith to believe that which was declared. [00:56:18] (42 seconds)  #FaithNotProof

When in the course of human history, the time arrives that sin must be dealt with, payment must be provided, a new people created, and sin, Satan, sickness and death defeated, then the son of man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners to be crucified and on the third day, be raised again. Two thousand years ago before Christ ever died, he declared. And what is true for this nation is actually, Luke will tell us today, true for the church of Jesus Christ, that what birthed this church was a declaration. [00:35:50] (44 seconds)  #DeclarationBirthedChurch

He's told the group of followers three times, I will raise myself from the dead. And grief has the capacity to remove our memories from our mind. Just takes it right out of your heart. But the declaration has the capacity to bring it right back. And on the third day to be raised again, then they remembered his words. See what they remembered at that moment? The declaration. Oh, I forgot that part. I remember they handed over, saw that. Remember the crucified, saw that. [00:45:42] (47 seconds)  #DeclarationRestoresMemory

He's gonna raise himself from the dead in three days. Oh, my good gracious. See, it changes everything. Doesn't it? We have to remember what he said if we're going to fully experience what he did. And for us, it isn't just that he was gonna raise himself from the dead. It's never less than that. Do you what do you remember about what he said? Do you remember when he said, I and the father are one? If you've seen me, you've seen the father. [00:46:31] (30 seconds)  #RememberHeSaidIt

And God knew you needed to know that he declared before the foundation of the world that he knew you and that he chose you and all your life he's been calling you. And what he's asking you, telling you, begging you, exhorting you to do is to believe in the power of the last part of that declaration that he literally raised himself from the dead. Without that, we have nothing, Paul says. But with that, we have everything. So the question today is going to be, what do you need to believe? [01:09:12] (41 seconds)  #ChosenBeforeCreation

But you don't need that to experience the power of it. What you need is faith to believe in the power of a declaration that was offered prior to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And the fulfillment of this includes you. That God chose you before the foundation of the world. That the reason there was even a declaration to start with is because there was no possible way you could be delivered. [01:08:38] (34 seconds)  #FaithInGodsDeclaration

But these two men, which we now know are angels are like, but you're looking for the living among the dead. He's not here. He is risen. Now, here's where it changes. Remember how he told you. Okay? Are they gonna be given this powerful demonstration in Luke's gospel about the resurrected state of Jesus Christ? No. The only thing they got is an empty tomb and two dudes that are dressed really nice. [00:43:43] (28 seconds)  #EmptyTombIsNotProof

But they didn't believe the women, not because they were women. Okay? Had nothing to do with it. It's because their words seemed like nonsense. That's so good. You know why those words seem like nonsense? Easy question. Because they are. They are. Don't make any sense. Come on. You're telling me a holy perfect God sent his holy perfect son to pay an awful price for something he never did to save people who despise his father, would rather crucify the son than obey him. [00:50:58] (39 seconds)  #TheirWordsSeemNonsense

And if anybody really, when you think about it, could have used just a piece of proof, it would have been Peter. Can you give me a little something more to get because I am I am rattled in my guilt, totally devastated by my disobedience. And what gets him moving? A declaration. Remember how he said he'd have to be handed over and crucified, and on the third day, raise himself again from the dead? There you go, Peter. Peter like, what? [00:55:16] (37 seconds)  #DeclarationMovedPeter

I see I promise you, you walk every day of your life in the full freedom of a declaration you don't even know the words of. Never doubting their clarity nor their veracity. And you know what you can see? The effect is a 250 year old nation. Same thing with the church. We're still here. Two thousand years later, still talking about a homeless itinerant Jewish carpenter who was flat broke on the day he died, who told everybody, everybody, three times before the day, three times on the day. I told you this. [01:09:55] (48 seconds)  #LivingDeclarationFreedom

One thing I can tell you, he believes what he believes. You may not agree. It's I'm okay with that. I'm it's okay. You may not like the way I preach. I listen, I don't ever listen to my sermons because I don't like the way I preach any more than you do. It's like disturbing. I live like, oh, who listens to that? But I can tell you one thing. I believe what I believe without question. And I'm telling you, he raised himself from the dead on his own power, strength, and authority. [01:11:09] (41 seconds)  #HeRaisedHimself

And what's so profound about that? He declared in advance he was going to do it, and he did it. Be honest with you, you're not getting anything else from God but that. That's it. You don't want the next demonstration. Mm-mm. Mm-mm. You don't want that. You wanna surrender. Hey, and think about this. It's not that hard. I pledge allegiance to the flag of The United States Of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. How many times have you pledged allegiance to that flag? [01:11:49] (44 seconds)  #SurrenderToTheDeclaration

I can offer you evidence. I've got no proof. I can't repeat it. But here's what I do know. He was sure hoping you'd believe it, that you are literally a part of the purpose for which he declared what he declared. Is your citizenry in his kingdom matters deeply to him. And that he knows and Luke knew as he wrote to Theophilus and the father knew as he led Luke to do so, that none of us in this room would have a tangible, measurable, repeatable experience with what had happened. [01:07:51] (47 seconds)  #CitizenOfGodsPurpose

In their fright, the women bowed down with their faces to the ground. But the men said to them, this is great, why do you look for the living among the dead? And I challenge you with this question. Are they really looking for the living among the dead? No. They're looking for the dead among the dead. And not to be crass, but it's the same reason we go to the cemetery. We're there to look for the dead among the dead and honor them. [00:42:47] (32 seconds)  #LookingForLivingAmongDead

He doesn't have a demonstration to offer them, but he sure does have remembrance of a declaration. And the power of that declaration is it was made before Jesus ever died. Three times in the gospel of Luke. Three times on resurrection Sunday, they're brought back to the declaration. What do we do on the July 4? We come back to the declaration. Right. And if you and I can do the same thing. [00:39:11] (38 seconds)  #RemembranceOnResurrection

When they came back from the tomb, these are the still the women, which is so beautiful when you think about the gospel of Luke. Where did it start? With women. Where does it end? With women. The women had to have the faith to believe that God would do something in a womb, and they had to have the faith to believe that God had done something to empty the tomb. Men, you can laugh ladies, you owe me, send the offering plate around again, that should get me a little bit bigger offering. [00:50:09] (32 seconds)  #WomenAtTheCenter

In the absence of other things, there's a lot of possible explanations for why this tomb is empty. These ladies, they go and they're like, okay. While they were wondering about this, and this word comes up three times today, wondering, and it's three different Greek words. This is at a loss, is what the word means. No cognitive capacity to even rationally think about what had what they're seeing. It's not like, I wonder what that they're they're like, what the good God. What what the where? [00:41:56] (39 seconds)  #LostAndWondering