Resurrection: The Power of Surrender and New Life

When Jesus was on the cross and he was suffering and dying, what was happening in that moment is he was taking on all of the sin of the world. The wrath of God was put on him. He was paying a debt for us. And when that happened and he gave up his last, he said, "It is finished." And then silence across the world. Darkness fell. The veil in the temple that separated people from the presence of God was was ripped in half. And he was taken down and put into a grave. And everyone felt like it was over. And then Sunday morning came and there was a great cracking noise and light shone out and the stone was rolled away and breath entered into Jesus's lungs and his blood surged and eyes that had been closed were opened and he got up and the king walked out of his grave. [00:31:08]

These disciples thought he was a king. that that he was God, but he was also a king. He was going to come and lift his entire people out of their subjugation. They were so hopeful. They were so excited. They had sacrificed so much to be with Jesus. And he had rode into Jerusalem to all of this praise. And they're like, "This is going to happen. He's going to raise an army and we're going to take over." And then the betrayal, the arrest, the sentencing, and then the beatings, the suffering. And by then they'd scattered, and then his death, and then the grave. See, the disciples and I have something in common. We forgot. [00:29:24]

Maybe you've forgotten who our God is. Maybe they didn't really get it. Maybe you don't really get it. Maybe I don't. But Jesus did. He knew what he was doing. He knew the character of his father. He knew that his father, our God, my God, resurrects what's dead. He brings dead things back to life. That's who he is. That's what he does. Guy, my God does that. And so when we think about the resurrection, we know that it is the focal point of all human history. All of it is focused on this one singular moment. Why? Why? Because something happened. [00:30:12]

But if my God resurrects that which is dead, can you hope today that he can resurrect that area that's dead in your life? Do you dare to hope? Do you dare to hope that the resurrection is not just for Jesus, but for you? That's a dangerous hope. It's a dangerous hope. But when you look back at the death and resurrection of Jesus, you got to realize that he was doing something for you. He was betrayed so that you could trust again. He was arrested so that you could be set free. He was mocked so that the shame you feel would be silenced. [00:34:30]

He was beaten so that your healing could begin. And he died so that you wouldn't have to. Not because he had to, but because he chose to. Not because he was compelled, but he was drawn by mercy. He didn't come with judgment. No, no, no. He was compelled and drawn by grace but for a reason. So that you you the person who said not me you you don't have to live buried under disappointment anymore. So that you don't have to be in tuned in your shame any longer. So that so that you don't have to make your home in hopelessness. [00:35:18]

My God resurrects that which is dead and he wants to do that inside of you. Dare you hope that that's true? I pray that God gives you a spark right now. Maybe you haven't felt in a while that something new can happen. Jesus isn't done yet. He didn't just tell them what would happen. He told them their role in it. It goes on, "The one who loves his life loses it. The one who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life." There's two different life words being used here. The first one is psyche. You might have recognized that. [00:36:13]

Psyche is this idea, the pursuit of se selfactualization, determination, being able to be autonomous. It's going after the desires of our heart, the pursuit of happiness. It's the American dream. It's what we all do as humans. We run after things. He says, "If you run after those things, you'll lose them." The second word, it's Zoe. It's the name of my niece. Zoe means life, abundant life, eternal life, full life, life that matters. And so what he's saying is if you run after this psyche life, you'll lose it. But if you surrender it, you'll actually find what you're really looking for. [00:36:57]

That's the irony of running after all of these things. running after control and security, running after purpose, running after money, whatever it is you're running after, it isn't actually the thing you want. You just want to feel safe. You just want to feel like you have a purpose. You just want to feel like you're connected. You want to feel loved. You want to have peace. And that is what Jesus offers you if if you learn how to die. how to die to the things of this world. Because if you cling to the things of this world, you can't take on what God has for you. [00:37:53]

So what do you need to die to? Because my God doesn't just resurrect that which is dead in your life. He will resurrect whatever dies. Whatever you surrender, whatever you give up, what is it that God has called you to give up? This is about surrender. Verse 26 pushes in even further. If anyone serves me, he must follow me. Follow me where? Into the grave. Into the grave. And where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, the father will honor them. This is about surrender. [00:38:51]

See, Easter isn't, hey, do you believe in this? It's really not about that. It's not about do you believe in the idea that Jesus died for my sins and rose again. It isn't up here. It isn't just do I believe in it. It's will I join in it? Will I be part of it? Well, I go through this process. See, what's happening is as us as Christians, we're running into again and again where our way rises up its ugly head and it goes after things and we have to learn how to take it and say, you know, I need I need to die to that and lay it down and put it in the grave because it isn't going to give me what I'm looking for. [00:39:18]

It only comes from being in Jesus. So, what does what needs to die in you? Is it your pride? At the end of this gathering, I'm going to call people forward to go talk and maybe even talk about and get prayed for. Your pride will keep you from coming forward because you don't want people to see you. Is it what is it? Is it that addiction that needs to die? You even be trying to kill it for years, but does it need to die your way? Your way of control? Is it the rage that needs to die? The bitterness that needs to die? The things you're holding on to? [00:40:05]

I don't know what it is, but I'm praying right now that the Holy Spirit just shows you what it is. Why? Because on the other end of its death is a resurrection of something greater and new and full and beautiful. What needs to die because my God resurrects what dies. But if you don't kill it, if you don't let it die, if you don't surrender it, he's not going to bring it back. Doesn't work that way. Romans puts it this way. I love Romans so much. But in this verse, it talks about baptism. Baptism is what we're going to do in two weeks. [00:40:56]

It's a symbol of something, but it's so much more. Easter isn't a commemoration of event. It's a confrontation of death. And baptism is a symbol of our new life. Let me read it. It says it like this. Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death? That's why when we go down into the water, they go under the water. They go below the water. Why? Because they're entering into the tomb, into the grave. They're dying to themselves. And when they come out of the water, they're coming out in new life. [00:41:36]

He doubles down on it. Therefore, we have been buried with him through baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. What we do is we die to things and rise. That's why we're doing this series that we're doing. We're talking about this process over and over again. But it's why we baptize. You don't bapt get baptized once, go down into the grave once and come out once. You start there and then you continue that pattern again and again and again and each time God gives you a gift, a gift of new life that you feel. [00:42:04]

For if we have become united in him in the likeness of his death, certainly we will also be in the likeness of his resurrection. I forgot. I forgot who my God is. I forgot. And when he said and I felt that it was over, I had a choice to make. I could have clinged on to it and fought. I could have. It was within my power to do so. But he said, "You got to let it go." But I forgot that if I let it go and let it die, that God would bring it back to life in a new way. I forgot that. I thought it was over. [00:42:57]

A failure. And yet what God did afterwards is he brought me to a new place, a new calling, a new future, a new hope. And it is hitting my heart in ways the others could never do. It's changed me to someone who relies on him more. It's given me more peace, more joy, more passion, more purpose in life. And it'll do the same for you if you let it die. If you let it die. So, here we are at the moment. For some of you, you have some dead things in your life, some things that happened, and you don't ever think, maybe something happened to you a kid, and you don't ever think you'll be able to trust or love people the same way. [00:43:33]

Maybe it's more recent. Maybe it was last week, maybe it was today. And what God wants to do is bring that back to life. Nothing is wasted in Jesus because my God resurrects what dies and what is dead. And as some of us know, we need to die to some things. And you're going to need to come forward and confess those things or talk about them and just say, "Hey, man. I I've got some things that I need to leave behind so that I can rise a new life." And that there's those of us right now who have never truly followed after Jesus. Not in this way, not in the way you're talking about. [00:44:23]

And it's time to die to yourself so that you could truly live. so that your sins and brokenness and pain and suffering can be paid for, but also so that you can join Jesus in the resurrection. That's what Easter is about. That's what we're going to do in a moment is our prayer team's going to come forward. Some of them are already here. They'll be up here and then they'll be at the tables. And I want you to come down. You can have a conversation or just come and get prayer. They are here to help you discern what God is doing inside of you so that you can experience new life. [00:44:59]

And we're going to worship in just a second. And what we're going to do is praise God for who he is and what he is doing. But if you walk out of here, if you walk out of here and you don't let something go, then you will miss out on the joy and power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ who walked out of the grave so that you can walk out of your graves. So when we stand in a moment, I want us to focus in on what's going to happen next and how God's going to move. Will you stand? Stand with me and focus on what God is going to do in this moment. [00:45:19]

If you feel you want to get prayer, if you're moved by the spirit to do that, come down now. The tables over here to the left or to the prayer team who will be on my right and left in just a moment. come up now. Don't wait. Don't let pride get in the way. Don't let fear get in the way. You don't have to have the right words. But God, I pray that your presence, your spirit would fall in a fresh and new way. And you would point at and highlight the things that you want to bring back to life. And for those who need to follow after you, I pray they come forward and talk. [00:45:58]

But if they're going to stay in their seat, God, I pray that they would say something like this. If they want to follow after you, say something like this, how loud or in your heart, if this is your journey, if God is moving in your heart, you could say something like this. God, I need someone to rescue me. Rescue me from my brokenness, pain, what I've done, what others have done to me. and I believe that you died for me, but you also rose for me. Amen. And that you're calling me to this pattern of dying to myself and rising in new life. I don't fully understand it yet, but I say yes. I say yes. [00:46:37]

Make me new and I will follow you from here on out. I pray that God would move in you and all of us and that during this next song you would come forward and receive prayer. Do not wait. Do not resist if you feel God is moving in your heart. If you're feeling a weight or a heaviness or a emotion, that is God moving on you because he loves you. He loves you so deeply. He died for you. And he's calling out to you by name. He's calling out Sarah, Mike, George, come, come to me. I want to stay in this heavy moment. I encourage you to listen to these words with a new perspective and worship God. [00:47:27]

I stand at the graveside of people who have lost their loved ones. And there's this moment where you can offer comfort and a future, but we really weren't meant to die. And so something inside the human spirit rebels at the graveside and says this isn't how it should be. And so I I uh think about that a lot and I it doesn't just apply this loss, this death doesn't just apply to when we lose loved ones. In this world, if you live any length of time, there are things that die. relationships, friendships, hopes, dreams. And a couple years ago, I had that happen to me where there was something that God had called me to and I had sacrificed so much for it and it was hardgoing. [00:28:00]

And then there was this moment where I knew it was over. And no one knew. It wasn't some proclamation. It wasn't like if you were in the room, you might not have seen it. But in my heart, I remembered. I remember it so vividly that I know what clothes I was wearing. I know what people were wearing in the room. I know what lighting. I know what time of day it was. I knew everything because in that moment there was a drop in my stomach and I knew this is done. This is over. And I can't imagine how devastating the death of Jesus must have been to his disciples. [00:28:48]

He was saying He was saying something. Was he giving them an agriculture lesson? No. He's saying, "This is me. I'm going to die so that you can live. I'm going to die so that this can spread." And he was inviting you into that moment. Many of us have experienced death. I I don't know about you. Many of us at this point in your life, you've probably experienced someone who's died. But but maybe you've experienced a death in a marriage. Maybe a death in a calling, a job. It's it's over. All of us have felt loss, deep loss, stuff we don't want to think about. Maybe it's been dead so long we don't even recognize it anymore. [00:34:07]

But Jesus did. He knew what he was doing. He knew the character of his father. He knew that his father, our God, my God, resurrects what's dead. He brings dead things back to life. That's who he is. That's what he does. Guy, my God does that. And so when we think about the resurrection, we know that it is the focal point of all human history. All of it is focused on this one singular moment. Why? Why? Because something happened. When Jesus was on the cross and he was suffering and dying, what was happening in that moment is he was taking on all of the sin of the world. [00:30:44]

And when that happened and he gave up his last, he said, "It is finished." And then silence across the world. Darkness fell. The veil in the temple that separated people from the presence of God was was ripped in half. And he was taken down and put into a grave. And everyone felt like it was over. And then Sunday morning came and there was a great cracking noise and light shone out and the stone was rolled away and breath entered into Jesus's lungs and his blood surged and eyes that had been closed were opened and he got up and the king walked out of his grave. Hallelujah. [00:31:41]