HE IS RISEN | Coastal Church

Apr 05, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The God who seemed distant is now here.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ forever changed our relationship with God. It bridged the chasm that sin had created, eliminating the distance between a holy God and humanity. This is not a distant historical event but a present, living reality for all who believe. The same power that raised Christ from the dead now takes up residence within us, making His presence immediate and personal. We are no longer in a long-distance relationship with our Creator. [39:29]

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) (Ephesians 2:4-5 NLT)

Reflection: Where in your life have you been feeling a sense of distance from God? What would it look like to intentionally acknowledge His close, indwelling presence in that specific area today?

Day 2: God pursues you because He loves you deeply.

Salvation begins not with our own initiative, but with the relentless, loving pursuit of God. He is the one who draws us to Himself, often in ways we may not even recognize at first. This pursuit is not based on our worthiness or our having everything figured out. It is motivated solely by His rich mercy and profound love for us. He comes to rescue us because we cannot make the journey to Him on our own. [54:37]

For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. (John 6:44 NLT)

Reflection: Can you recall a recent moment or circumstance where you sensed God gently drawing you closer to Himself? How did you respond, and how might you respond differently knowing it is an act of His love?

Day 3: Resurrection power frees you from what holds you down.

The same power that rolled away the stone from Christ's tomb is able to roll away anything that entombs us. This resurrection power is not only for our initial salvation but for our ongoing liberation from sin, shame, addiction, and destructive patterns. We have been united with Christ in His death and resurrection, which means we are no longer enslaved to the old ways of living. We have been set free to live a new life. [57:29]

For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. (Romans 6:4 NLT)

Reflection: What is one specific thing—a habit, a thought pattern, a fear—that you have been feeling stuck in, and what would it look like to declare over it today, "By resurrection power, I am free from this"?

Day 4: God’s power within you is for your everyday life.

The indwelling Holy Spirit is not a temporary visitor or a weekly experience; He is a permanent resident who empowers our daily walk. This resurrection power provides strength when we are weak, perseverance when we want to quit, and renewal for our minds. It is not about mustering our own willpower but about relying on the divine power that originates from God and is readily available within us for every moment and every challenge. [01:03:07]

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. (Romans 8:11 NLT)

Reflection: As you look at the ordinary tasks and potential challenges of this week, which one feels like it requires more strength than you have? How can you consciously depend on God's indwelling power rather than your own in that situation?

Day 5: Open the door to let resurrection power in.

Access to this transformative power requires welcoming it into every area of our lives. God stands at the door and knocks, offering a deep, friendship-based relationship, but He will not force His way in. We must willingly open the door and grant Him full access, not just to the foyer but to every room—including the messy ones we'd rather keep closed. We cannot experience the full benefits of His power if we only allow Him to leave it on the doorstep. [01:05:54]

“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.” (Revelation 3:20 NLT)

Reflection: Is there a part of your heart or a area of your life that you have been hesitant to fully open up to God? What is one practical step you can take this week to open that door and invite Him in?

Sermon Summary

Resurrection power brings light into darkness and carries people out of spiritual death into true community and communion with God. Romans 8:11 declares that the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead now lives within believers and will give life to mortal bodies. That presence removes distance: God no longer remains remote but draws people close, rescuing those who cannot reach him on their own. Ephesians 2:4–5 emphasizes that mercy and love animate this rescue—grace gives life where sin once left only death.

Resurrection power does more than secure forgiveness. Baptism illustrates a new identity: burial with Christ and rising into a new life. That power rolls away the stones of shame, addiction, anger, and every weight that keeps people bound. Believers can stop living under old masters and start choosing obedience as a response to life already given, not as a way to earn it.

Resurrection power also equips daily living. The Spirit provides real strength in weakness, endurance when quitting feels tempting, and transformation through the renewing of the mind. Access to this power requires an open door: Jesus stands and knocks, inviting an intimate, ongoing friendship rather than a distant transaction. Responding requires simple, decisive steps—admit sin, believe Jesus rose for sinners, and commit to surrender—so that the Spirit can move from doorstep to dwelling.

The call extends beyond emotional responses or holiday rituals. Resurrection power does not exist merely to assemble people on Sundays, fix political systems, or manufacture perfect family photos. It pursues the broken, frees the trapped, and sends the renewed back into daily life to love and serve. Practical next steps include baptism, engaging with discipleship resources, and joining community that helps faith grow beyond initial decisions. Angels and heaven celebrate turning toward God; demons quake at surrendered hearts. Those who respond find not removal of troubles but companionship through them—resurrection power walking with people every step.

Key Takeaways

1. Resurrection power makes God present The Spirit who raised Jesus now lives inside believers, shifting God from distant judge to present companion. That presence changes how prayer, temptation, and decision-making feel: not alone, but led and renewed from within. This nearness invites persistent relationship, not occasional contact. [39:01]
2. Resurrection frees from slavery to sin Burial with Christ and rising with him symbolizes decisive liberation from patterns that once defined a life. Freedom does not erase temptation, but it changes the default: habit no longer rules, choice aligned with new identity does. The stone rolled away signals that shame, addiction, and anger can lose their grip. [56:02]
3. Resurrection empowers ordinary daily life The same Spirit who raised Christ supplies strength for weakness, endurance for trials, and renewal for the mind. Empowerment appears in small moments—resisting an impulse, choosing kindness, showing up again—because power now dwells inside, not merely as an idea but as practical enablement. Letting the Spirit in changes ordinary routines into arenas of grace. [1:01:29]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[34:36] - Easter celebration and opening prayer
[36:50] - Coastal values and mission
[38:24] - Key verse: Romans 8:11 read together
[41:26] - Personal story: long-distance relationship to closeness
[49:28] - Salvation explained: Ephesians 2:4–5
[56:02] - Freedom pictured in baptism (Romans 6:4)
[1:01:03] - Empowerment by the Spirit in daily life
[1:06:20] - Invitation: open the door to Jesus
[1:10:07] - Prayer, response, and next steps

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
Romans 8:11 (NLT)
The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

Observation questions

According to Romans 8:11, who lives inside believers, and what does this Spirit do?
In the sermon, what analogy was used to describe a distant relationship with God compared to a close one? [47:05]
What does Ephesians 2:4–5 say is the reason God gave us life through Christ’s resurrection?
How is baptism described as a picture of new life in Romans 6:4? [56:02]

Interpretation questions

What does it mean that the same Spirit who raised Jesus now lives in believers? How does this change a person’s daily experience of God?
Why does the resurrection power free us from slavery to sin rather than just forgiving us? [55:27]
How does the idea of God “drawing” or even “dragging” people toward Himself (John 6:44) reflect His heart toward those who feel distant from Him? [53:56]
In what ways does resurrection power provide strength in weakness or renewal of the mind, as mentioned in the sermon? [01:01:29]

Application questions

In what areas of your life do you still feel like you’re in a “long-distance relationship” with God, and how can you embrace His nearness today? [47:05]
What “stone” needs to be rolled away in your life—shame, addiction, anger, or something else—that’s keeping you from walking in freedom? [57:29]
How can you rely on resurrection power this week in a specific situation where you feel weak or tempted to quit? [01:03:07]
Is Jesus knocking at a door in your heart that you’ve been hesitant to open? What would it look like to let Him fully into that area? [01:04:56]
In what practical ways can you live out your new identity in Christ this week instead of falling back into old patterns? [58:50]
Who in your life needs to hear that resurrection power brings freedom, not just forgiveness? How can you share this hope with them?
What’s one step you can take to grow in intimacy with God beyond a Sunday-morning relationship? [50:19]

Sermon Clips

34s

#GodRescuesYou

“That word actually has has the literal meaning of being dragged. And it's not like God's gonna drag you to himself against your will. It's that he's rescuing you, and you can't make the distance. You can't travel to him. He has to go and rescue you. And he's not waiting for you to get your act together. He's coming because he loves you too much to leave you where you're at.”

41s

#FreedByResurrection

“Resurrection power can deliver me from what is holding me down. It will free you from what has bound you. Because a lot of people are saved but still stuck. In Romans chapter six verse four, it says, we died. He's speaking spiritually, for we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the father, now we also may live new lives.”

46s

#ResurrectionBridgesTheGap

“Easter came to eliminate the distance between God and you. The resurrection power isn't a phone call away or a short drive away. The Holy Spirit lives in everyone who believes. So we have resurrection power. What does this resurrection power do? Resurrection power saves me. Now I say me because I don't know about you. Not because God's only gonna save me because I'm so good.”

41s

#ConnectWithGodDaily

“I'm not special. I'm only saved because God sent Jesus to to take away my sin and to give me what I didn't deserve. I wanna tell you that God didn't raise Jesus from the dead so we can gather here weekly and connect with him. God raised Jesus from the dead so you can connect with him in between Sundays. Is he saying we don't have to go to church? No. Stop trying to get out of church.”

42s

#GodIsPursuingYou

“But have you ever those of you who are just kinda sampling Jesus, you're like, I'm a stay at a distance. Have you ever felt like God might be pulling you closer? And you might be like, I'm just not ready for that yet. But you feel something, maybe someday. That is God himself pursuing you. We see in John six forty four, Jesus says, for no one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws them to me.”

45s

#ResurrectionTransforms

“Jesus didn't raise from the dead to make people better so much as he raised from the dead so that they could have a relationship with God. And that relationship would transform them and make them better. God gives you resurrection power. God gives resurrection power to save me and you. Number two, resurrection power to free me. So resurrection power does not just save me and then like walk away.”

43s

#EasterTransformsLives

“The God the point is the God who seemed distant is now here. That is what Easter is all about. The power that raised Jesus from the dead is at home within us. And I wanna I wanna I wanna tell you, like, God's already been working this morning. It's exciting to, I love to be at a church where people don't stay the same, but they're transformed. You know, there's people that I've given up on, but God didn't. And we get to see them transformed.”

46s

#MercyThatPursues

“God raised Jesus from the dead because he's so rich in mercy because he loved us too much to be left powerless. God loved you, loves you too much to leave you at a distance. So the resurrection power saves you not because you finally figured it out, but because he's pursuing you. Pastor Ron mentioned that perhaps you've been dragged here this morning. You know, your mom, your dad, neighbor,”

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