It Is Finished — Now Arise: Rise Into New Life

Apr 05, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Joy That Motivated the Ultimate Sacrifice

The Father’s heart overflowed with joy in giving His Son for the world. This was not an act of reluctant obligation but one of profound love and delight. Similarly, Jesus Himself was motivated by a joy set before Him, which empowered Him to endure the cross. This divine joy is the foundation of our salvation, a gift born from the deepest wellspring of love. It is an invitation to understand the heart behind the sacrifice. [11:15]

“For the joy that was set before Him [Jesus] endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2, NKJV)

Reflection: When you consider the truth that God gave His Son and Jesus endured the cross out of joy, how does that reshape your understanding of His love for you? What might it look like to receive this gift not with guilt, but with the joy in which it was given?

Day 2: It Is Finished, But the Call Continues

The work of redemption was completed at the cross; the price for sin was fully paid. Jesus’ declaration, “It is finished,” signifies the accomplishment of this divine mission. However, this completion is not an end but a new beginning for all who believe. The finished work of Christ now issues a personal call to every heart. It is an invitation to step into the life His victory has secured. [13:43]

“When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.” (John 19:30, NKJV)

Reflection: In what area of your life are you still trying to earn what Christ has already finished? How can you move from striving to resting in the completeness of His work this week?

Day 3: Leaving the Grave Clothes Behind

The resurrection of Jesus was fundamentally different from the resuscitation of Lazarus. Lazarus emerged from the tomb still bound by the grave clothes of his former death, needing others to loose him. Jesus, however, left His grave clothes behind, folded and abandoned in the tomb. This powerful image signifies a complete break from death and the old life, stepping into a new, unshackled existence. [18:19]

“And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Loose him, and let him go.’” (John 11:44, NKJV)

Reflection: What are the ‘grave clothes’—old mindsets, sin patterns, or shame—that you have emerged from but have not yet fully taken off? What is one practical step you can take this week to cooperate with God in loosening them?

Day 4: Arise Into Your Identity as a Child of God

The ultimate purpose of the incarnation and the resurrection was an exchange of identity. The Son of God became the Son of Man so that the sons and daughters of men could become children of God. This is not merely a theological concept but a present reality for those who receive Him. You are called to arise from a life of spiritual death and walk in the light and authority of your true lineage. [19:04]

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” (John 1:12, NKJV)

Reflection: If you truly believed today that you are a fully loved and accepted child of God, how would that change your approach to your challenges, your relationships, and your purpose?

Day 5: Embracing the Garments of New Life

Resurrection life requires resurrection clothing. It is possible to be saved yet still walk in the old garments of shame, self-hatred, and failure. God’s desire is to clothe you anew with garments of praise, joy, and righteousness. This is a daily process of allowing His truth to replace the lies of the past, stepping into the brilliance of who He says you are. [36:14]

“To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” (Isaiah 61:3, NKJV)

Reflection: Where have you been wearing the heavy garment of a ‘spirit of heaviness’ instead of the ‘garment of praise’ God has for you? What would it look like to intentionally put on thankfulness and praise in that specific area today?

Sermon Summary

Joy fills the space as the congregation celebrates resurrection with worship, giving, and a dramatic presentation that points to the central exchange of Easter: God gave his only Son, and the Son endured the cross for the joy that followed. The narrative contrasts two resurrections—Lazarus, who was raised but remained bound in grave clothes, and Jesus, who rose leaving grave linens folded in the tomb—using that contrast to show the difference between resuscitation and full resurrection life. Grave clothes become a vivid metaphor for sin, shame, fear, old identity, and lingering limitations that still cling to people even after new life begins.

An urgent call emerges: arise. Scripture motifs compel immediate response—now is the day of salvation; heaven’s life should be present now, not only in the future. The call to arise frames salvation as both an inner transformation and a public unbinding: some step forward for prayer and new commitment, while others are invited to remove old garments and take on new clothes of praise and purpose. The talk lays practical pathways for follow-up—connection cards, next steps, small groups, events for men and young adults—so new decisions lead into sustained spiritual growth.

The resurrection also carries communal responsibility. Freedom does not remain private; those who are loosed become instruments to free others and to reveal the sons and daughters of God. The cross’s finished work creates a mandate to move from a buried old life into active mission. Calls to confession, to receive prayer, and to accept community support stress that transformation happens day by day, while the church offers tools—Bibles, classes, teams—to help carry the change forward. The service closes with declarations of newness, a corporate proclamation to leave the grave closed, and practical invitations to connect, serve, and grow in resurrection power.

Key Takeaways

1. Resurrection demands personal arising The resurrection does not only stand as past history; it requires an individual response to step out from old patterns and claim active life. Rising means choosing daily to live by resurrection reality rather than buried habits. This is not a one-off event but a continual posture of obedience and refusal to re-dress in old identities. [79:04]
2. Leave behind the grave clothes Grave clothes represent the visible evidence of past bondage—shame, fear, sin patterns, and an orphan mindset—that still cling when life returns. True resurrection removes those residues; it calls for deliberate unwrapping, confession, and community help to throw away what used to define a person. The folded linens at the tomb model intentional victory: leave the old where it belongs. [78:19]
3. Resurrection life is present now Salvation arrives as present reality: “today is the day of salvation” locates resurrection power in current experience, not merely in future hope. Living resurrected life means practicing spiritual disciplines, claiming freedom in concrete choices, and expecting transformation in relationships, work, and sorrow. The call insists on immediate change—alive now, not later. [80:50]
4. Freedom becomes an assignment Personal freedom carries communal purpose: those released from bondage bear responsibility to help liberate others and to reveal God’s children. Liberation reshapes mission—freedom fuels service, advocacy, and intercession that address generational brokenness and communal pain. The risen life thus multiplies, not conceals, its newness. [88:13]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[09:14] - Joyful worship and greeting
[09:49] - Play introduced
[10:45] - The Father’s joy in giving
[11:15] - Jesus endured the cross
[13:22] - Offering, events, and invitations
[15:52] - Prayer over the offering
[73:18] - Reflection after the play
[74:13] - Theme: It is finished; Now arise
[78:19] - Grave clothes left at the tomb
[79:04] - Call to arise and identity
[86:18] - Paul’s call: Awake and arise
[88:59] - Altar call and decisions
[101:31] - Declaration and new garments
[103:15] - Closing, next steps, blessing

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading: John 20:1-8 (NKJV)
Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed.

Observation questions

What did Peter and the other disciple see when they entered the tomb that was different from what they expected to find?
What specific details are given about the state of the grave clothes and the handkerchief?
According to the message, what is the significant difference between Lazarus coming out of the grave and Jesus coming out of the grave? [01:21:57]
What do the grave clothes represent, according to the message shared today? [01:22:56]

Interpretation questions

Why is it significant that Jesus left the grave clothes behind, folded in the tomb, rather than having them removed by someone else?
The message states that "Lazarus came back to life, but Jesus stepped into a new kind of life." [01:21:57] What does this distinction mean, and what are the implications of this new kind of life for a believer?
The statement was made that "grave clothes are the evidence of where you were not who you are." [01:23:15] How can a person know the difference between an identity defined by their past and an identity defined by their new life in Christ?
What does it mean that our freedom is not just for us, but is also an assignment to free others? [01:28:13]

Application questions

What are the "grave clothes"—the old mindsets, sin patterns, shame cycles, or fears—that you find yourself still wearing even after receiving new life? [01:27:02]
The call is to "arise" now, not later. [01:20:50] What is one practical step you can take this week to actively step out of a "buried" habit and choose to live by resurrection reality?
Who in your life can you ask to help "loose" you from something that is binding you, just as Lazarus needed others to unwrap him? [01:21:12]
The resurrection carries a communal responsibility; those who are loosed become instruments to free others. [01:28:13] Who is one person in your sphere of influence that God might be calling you to help liberate from their own grave clothes?
Self-hatred and an inability to forgive oneself were mentioned as specific grave clothes. [01:36:47] If this is a struggle, what would it look like to truly receive God's forgiveness for a specific failure and finally take that shame off?
The folded linens were a sign of intentional victory. [01:24:14] What is one thing from your past that you need to intentionally leave behind in the grave this week as a declaration of victory?
Resurrection life is meant to be lived fully now. [01:20:50] In what area of your life (relationships, work, sorrow) do you need to start expecting transformation and living like you are fully alive today?

Sermon Clips

47s

#AriseItsNotOver

“when he was up on that cross and he said it's finished, it doesn't mean it's over. The price that needed to be paid was finished. But the truth is it's time for you to arise. The Apostle Paul says in Ephesians four five fourteen, he says, awaken. Awake, oh sleeper. He says, arise from the dead. There are so many people of us that we're living this life but we're really dead inside. We've been walking around like zombies. We've been walking around in our grave clothes. The apostle Paul says, therefore, awake you who sleep. Arise from the dead and Christ will give you light.”

48s

#HeIsResurrection

“See, the contrast here, g Lazarus had to be resuscitated. Jesus, he is the resurrection. Lazarus came back to life, but Jesus stepped into a new kind of life. See, Lazarus, he smelled. Lazarus had the old man all over him. He had the old life all over him. But when Jesus rose, he was something different. He looked different. He smelled different. Mary Magdalene and the others, they came with the essential oils. They came with those oils to make him smell. But he didn't need any of this earthly stuff because heaven was already on him. Heaven was already in him. Life was overflowing from him.”

60s

#FoldedClothesVictory

“He folded those clothes with intentional victory. See, the understanding is when you get up from the table and you fold your handkerchief, you fold your cloth, you're saying, I'm coming back. Those clothes were laid there and that thing that was wrapped around his head, it was folded because the truth is he's coming back. The cross speaks victory. The cross speaks healing. It speaks salvation. He is the lamb that was slain from the beginning of time. The cross, I am grateful for. But this day, that grave, it is still open. And I was there a couple years ago and nobody's in that grave. There's no one in that grave.”

43s

#UnbindAndRise

“Lazarus, he came out alive but he was still bound. In John chapter eleven forty four it says, he came out bound hand and foot with his grave clothes. He was alive but he was restricted. He was moving but he was limited. He needed others to lose him. Lazarus might have had life but he was still wearing the death clothes. Some of you in this room right now, he's calling your name. He's calling your name but those death clothes. Maybe the truth is maybe you're still in the grave. Maybe you're still in that tomb and you haven't come out to grab hold of the word of life yet.”

51s

#AnswerTheCallToday

“He's calling you up. He's calling you to arise. Your freedom is not just for you though. Your freedom is also it's an assignment so you can free others. See when when the son and the grandson came to the Lord, it wasn't just for them. They became an instrument in seeing mister Ernest come to the Lord as well. And I'll tell you what, this is actually a true story. This is based off of a true story. Both of these accounts of something that happened two thousand years ago and something that happened just a few months ago. God is calling you. I ask you this question. Is today your day? The day of your salvation.”

49s

#ShedGraveClothes

“You need the life of God right now. See, the truth is some of you believe in God. Some of you believe in Jesus, but you're still wearing those grave clothes. Wow. You were saved, but the truth is some of you are stuck. You are stuck. He's calling you out. Don't be stuck any longer. Don't be bound any longer. See, what are some of those grave clothes today for you and I? Some of them are old mindsets, sin patterns, shame cycles, fear of even stepping into your purpose. And some of you, you have an orphan mentality which means I'm all by myself. Nobody loves me. I'm off on my own.”

40s

#LazarusComeForth

“And Jesus said, it's for the glory of God that that this has happened and he opens that grave if you remember the story and he says, Lazarus, come forth. He says, Lazarus, come on out of here. Four days dead. The bible says that if you're in the King James, it says the man stinketh. He smelled. He started to to lose all of the body functions and all. But Jesus, he is the resurrection and he is the life. And he said, Lazarus, come forth and Lazarus came forth and he was bound. He was bound with those grave clothes.”

64s

#DailyRenewal

“The bible says that we gotta do this day by day, step by step. You can't do this just one time a year. You can't do this at Christmas and Easter and and once in a while, you need people in your life to lock arms with. Self hatred needs to go. Shame needs to go. Some of you have done some self mutilation. You've cut yourself. You've even thought about taking your own life. But I'll say today, God wants to forgive you. God wants to heal you. Today, God wants to put some new clothes on you. He wants to put garments of praise for your spirit of heaviness. He wants to put joy inside of you so that day after day you don't hate life, you don't hate yourself.”

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It Is Finished — Now Arise: Rise Into New Life

Devotional

Day 1: The Joy That Motivated the Ultimate Sacrifice

Day 2: It Is Finished, But the Call Continues

Day 3: Leaving the Grave Clothes Behind

Day 4: Arise Into Your Identity as a Child of God

Day 5: Embracing the Garments of New Life

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

It Is Finished — Now Arise: Rise Into New Life

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