Dead Things Come Alive| Follow-Walking in the Way of Jesus | Easter Sunday April 5, 2026

We have a new identity. We are no longer defined by our sin, our shame, our failure. We're defined by being alive in Christ. So we can look at our past and we say, am no longer that person. I have been made new in Christ Jesus. I have been raised from the dead. It means that we don't have to be stuck in patterns we cannot change. That the same power that is at work in Christ Jesus to bring him back from the dead is at work in each one of our hearts. [00:40:14] (29 seconds)  #AliveInChrist

That we know that God's grace has been extended us and his power is at work in us. That when we face our last day, we know that it'll simply be a transition into the next day, which is living in his age, in his eternity, in delight and joy for all time. Why? Because Jesus has been raised from the dead and will raise you with him. If Jesus rose from the dead, our faith is not futile. If Jesus rose from the dead, our failures are not final. If Jesus rose from the dead, our future is not fearful. You may not understand it, but it doesn't mean you can't believe it. That's the first step of faith. [00:41:21] (42 seconds)  #ResurrectionHope

They don't find the courage within them. It comes from this outside event. They are confronted with the fact that Jesus is alive, and that's where they find their boldness. That's where they find their stature. That's where they find their confidence to change the trajectory of their lives. As long as Jesus was persecuted, suffered, and dying, and dead, they were overcome by fear. But if he had risen from the dead, everything changes. [00:32:15] (27 seconds)  #BoldBecauseHeLives

And to each one of them, they would lose their life for his sake. They would not die for a myth, would they? They would die for something that was a historical fact. Our faith is not built on feelings. It's not built on sincerity. It's not built on moral effort. Our faith is built on the undeniable fact that Jesus is alive. [00:32:42] (25 seconds)  #FaithOnJesusAlive

That through faith, his victory becomes our victory. His life becomes our life. His standing and position become our standing and position. That's the grace of God to restore our original design, where we are connected to God for all of eternity. Where we live in harmony with him, in love with one another, at peace with ourselves. That's our new standing. That's our new reality. It changes everything. It reorders our existence. [00:39:44] (30 seconds)  #VictoryBecomesOurs

In this story, fear is not failure. It's actually the proper appropriate response when our assumptions crumble. When we think the world is supposed to function a different way, and God interrupts and displaces all of that, we will feel that sense of anxiety, a deep sense of of fear, if you will. Before we understand what god is doing, kinda need to feel the weight of it. [00:34:41] (25 seconds)  #FearBeforeUnderstanding

We may not understand the implications of it completely, but if we're willing to engage on the basis of its historicity, the truth for each one of us, it can bring about change. At the same time, we know that fear precedes understanding. See, this resurrection disrupts all of the categories. Death is no longer permanent. Control is actually an illusion, and God is not manageable. [00:34:13] (28 seconds)  #DeathIsNotFinal

When you encounter divine reality, when you encounter God breaking in to your reality, we should be afraid. We should be in awe. We should be carrying with us a deep sense of discontentedness. Disruption reminds us that the resurrection confronts before it comforts. Emotion is not only understandable, it's appropriate. Because if Jesus had been raised from the dead, it's not an isolated event. It means something personal to each one, And it does for us too. [00:33:35] (38 seconds)  #AweBeforeComfort