Living Transformed: Embracing the Resurrection of Christ

### Bible Reading
1. Romans 13:1 - "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God."
2. Romans 6:23 - "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
3. Hebrews 12:1-2 - "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

### Observation Questions
1. What does Romans 13:1 urge believers to do, and how does it relate to becoming more like Jesus? [56:38]
2. According to Romans 6:23, what are the consequences of sin, and what is the gift that God offers? [01:01:39]
3. In Hebrews 12:1-2, what are believers encouraged to do in order to run the race marked out for them? [01:26:18]
4. How does the sermon describe the significance of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection in relation to our salvation? [58:13]

### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the act of confessing Jesus as Lord serve as an act of surrender, and what does it imply about our daily lives? [01:14:58]
2. What does it mean to believe in the resurrection as a declaration of hope and trust in the power of God? How does this belief shape our identity and destiny? [01:15:26]
3. Why is it important to make a daily decision to turn away from sin, and how does this choice impact our journey of transformation? [01:24:55]
4. How does the symbolism of baptism represent our union with Christ in His death and resurrection? What does this outward expression signify about our inward transformation? [01:19:33]

### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your own life. Are there areas where you struggle to surrender control to Jesus? What steps can you take this week to practice surrendering those areas to Him? [01:14:58]
2. How does your belief in the resurrection influence your daily actions and decisions? Can you identify a specific situation where this belief has given you hope and courage? [01:15:26]
3. Identify one area of your life where you need to turn away from sin. What practical steps can you take to align this area with God's desires? [01:24:55]
4. Have you been baptized? If not, what is holding you back from taking this step? If you have, how can you continue to live out the commitment you made during your baptism? [01:19:33]
5. The sermon mentioned fixing our eyes on Jesus to run the race marked out for us. What distractions are currently hindering you from focusing on Jesus, and how can you minimize them this week? [01:26:18]
6. How can you actively embody the likeness of Jesus in your interactions with others this week? Think of a specific person or situation where you can demonstrate Christ-like love, grace, or service. [56:38]
7. The cross and the empty tomb are central to our faith. How can you remind yourself daily of the significance of Jesus' sacrifice and resurrection? Consider creating a daily habit or ritual that helps you keep this focus. [01:27:30]

Day 1: Surrender in Confession
Confessing Jesus as Lord is a profound declaration of surrender, a pivotal moment where one acknowledges the authority of Christ over their life. This confession is not a mere utterance but a commitment to a journey of discipleship, where the values and principles of Jesus are learned and lived out. It is a conscious decision to walk in obedience, to let go of self-direction, and to embrace the guidance and teachings of Jesus. This act of surrender is the gateway to a transformed life, one that is continually shaped and molded by the hands of the divine potter.

"Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." - Matthew 10:39 ESV

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you find yourself holding back from surrendering to Jesus? What would surrendering this area to Him actually look like in terms of daily habits? [07:40]


Day 2: Anchored in Resurrection Hope
Belief in the resurrection is a transformative experience that goes beyond accepting a historical event. It is an affirmation of hope and trust in the power of God, a conviction that as Jesus was raised from the dead, so too are we promised a new life. This belief is not passive; it actively shapes one's identity and destiny, providing a firm anchor in the promise of eternal life. It empowers individuals to live with purpose and courage, knowing that their future is secured in the hands of a loving God.

"And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins." - 1 Corinthians 15:17 ESV

Reflection: How does your belief in the resurrection influence your daily decisions and interactions with others? [01:15:26]


Day 3: The Daily Choice Against Sin
Choosing to follow Jesus is a daily exercise in turning away from sin and aligning one's will with that of God. It is a continuous journey of self-examination and repentance, where one must identify and forsake the aspects of life that conflict with God's desires. This choice is not without struggle; it requires a steadfast commitment to pursue righteousness and to embody the holiness to which believers are called.

"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions." - Romans 6:12 ESV

Reflection: What specific steps can you take today to turn away from a recurring sin in your life? [01:24:55]


Day 4: Baptism as a New Beginning
Baptism is a powerful symbol of one's union with Christ in His death and resurrection. It represents the inward transformation that occurs when one accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior. Through baptism, believers publicly declare their intention to leave behind their old self and to step into a new life characterized by faith and obedience to Christ. It is a milestone in the Christian journey, marking the beginning of a life lived in the light of Jesus' teachings and love.

"We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." - Romans 6:4 ESV

Reflection: In what ways can you live out the symbolism of your baptism in your everyday actions and choices? [01:19:33]


Day 5: Living in Light of the Cross and Tomb
The cross and the empty tomb stand at the center of Christian faith, symbolizing the sacrifice made for humanity's freedom and the victory over sin and death. These pivotal events compel believers to live lives that reflect the love, grace, and truth of Jesus. By fixing our eyes on Him, we draw inspiration to become beacons of hope in a world that is in desperate need of the light of Christ.

"Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was." - Romans 6:5 ESV

Reflection: How can you embody the hope of the resurrection in a practical way in your community or family today? [01:27:30]

**Well, happy Resurrection Sunday!** [Applause]

Everybody, hey! You know today's going to be a special day 'cause I'm wearing a suit. Uh, so take it all in, you know, enjoy this moment. You don't get another one for 365 more days. Uh, next week I'll be back in some Jordans and a hoodie, and it's going to be way more comfortable. It's going to be great!

But I am excited about today because we get to close out a six-week series that we've been on—a journey really as a church, not just here on Sundays but in our small groups throughout the week. We've been on this journey to become more like Jesus.

And maybe you're here today because it's Easter. Maybe a friend invited you, maybe a family member invited you, maybe this is your first time back in church in a long time, and you're thinking, "I missed five conversations. I am going to have no idea what's going on today." Don't worry, I'm going to catch you up like super fast. In fact, we're going to use a song to help us get back on the same page.

See, I think that songs help us kind of remember and retain details a little bit better as we sing things. But, uh, I can't sing very well, so I'm not going to torture you in that way. But we will look at this song that's been kind of like an anthem for us. It's called "No Turning Back," and it says, "I want to walk just like you. I want to talk just like you. Lord, keep my eyes on you. Take up my cross just like you. Lay down my life just like you. Lord, keep my eyes on you."

Why? Because I have decided to follow Jesus. And so we've been kind of singing that song over the last few weeks. For those of us that have decided to follow Jesus, this is what it's all about. We are all now on a journey to becoming more like Him and less like us.

Later on this year, we're going to do a series called "More Than a Song," where we're going to look at the theology and the scriptures behind some of our favorite worship songs. And this song in particular, there's a lot of Bible behind these lyrics. But one of the key verses is Romans 13:11 that says, "But be like the Lord Jesus Christ."

So Paul starts off with the word "but" because before that, he's telling us all these things we shouldn't be doing. He's given us a whole list of "don't do this, don't do this, don't do this." But he doesn't want to just leave it with the negative; he wants to give you the alternative. And so instead of doing those things, "but be like the Lord Jesus Christ."

So that when people see what you do, what happens? See, they see Christ. So our whole goal over these last five weeks, as we've been talking about becoming more like Jesus, we want to learn how to look like Jesus, think like Jesus, pray like Jesus, serve like Jesus, and love like Jesus so that when people see us, they get to see Him instead of just us.

And today, we're going to kind of put a bow on that conversation. We're going to close it out by looking at what it means to live like Jesus. But before we get there, I want to talk about how we got here to Easter Sunday. What is Easter all about? How do we get to this place?

Because today we are celebrating the resurrection of our Savior, and we need to understand as Christians, we don't follow Jesus because He hung on a cross. Okay? The Romans killed a lot of people that way. We don't follow Jesus because He was crucified. We follow Jesus because He said He was going to be crucified and that three days later He was going to walk out of an empty tomb. And then He pulled it off!

And it's because of the empty tomb that we say, "All right, now if you tell me you're going to die but three days later you're coming back, and then you do it, I don't know, I'm just going to listen. I'm going to pay attention to what you have to say." And so that's what we're doing. We are celebrating. We're not worshiping Jesus because He hung on a cross; we follow Him because He walked out of a tomb. And that's what we recognize and that's what we celebrate today on Easter—a Savior who claimed to be God and then proved it.

That's pretty awesome! But it is the cross that brings us to the tomb, right? There is no Easter Sunday without first a Good Friday. And so I just want to take a moment to talk about the cross because maybe you're wondering, like many people have wondered before, why did Jesus have to die? Why was Jesus crucified?

And there's really three answers to that question depending on what perspective you're taking. So if you're looking at the Jewish perspective, Jesus was crucified for blasphemy. Jesus claimed to be God. So if somebody ever tells you, "Hey, where in the Bible does Jesus say He's God?" just look at the fact that He was crucified. Like, the whole point of the Jews crucifying Him was because He claimed to be God.

Okay? And so not only that, but He was also very disruptive to their way of living, right? He kept poking at them, saying, "You're living like hypocrites. You're saying things you shouldn't be saying. You're doing things you shouldn't be doing. You're not following God the way you're supposed to follow God." And they didn't like that, so they wanted to get rid of Him.

So from a Jewish perspective, Jesus was crucified for blasphemy. From the Roman perspective—because the Romans are the ones that carried it out—He was crucified for treason. He claimed to be king. Caesar doesn't like that, right? Especially not in places he controls. And then the Jewish religious leaders used that claim to be king to then make a false accusation against Jesus that He was trying to lead a rebellion, that He was leading an insurrection against Rome. And so they enlisted the Romans to carry out the crucifixion.

But really, the only true answer to that question, the only one that really matters, the only perspective that matters, is God's perspective. See, from God's perspective, Jesus was crucified for redemption. God set all of this in motion for our benefit. Jesus was crucified to pay the debt for my sin and for your sin, to redeem all of mankind back into relationship with Him.

From God's perspective, it's all about redemption. See, we are created in God's image, and we had this perfect, beautiful, incredible relationship with Him. Adam and Eve were able to walk in intimate relationship with God. That is until they broke literally the only rule in existence. And what they did was they chose sin over following God. They chose sin over relationship with God.

And we can judge them for that and look down at them for that, but guess what? We're guilty of the same thing. Every time we choose sin over relationship with God. And so because of that, sin is introduced to mankind. There's a separation now between God and man. And with that sin and with that separation from God comes eternal death. In fact, that's what Romans 6:23 tells us: "For the wages of sin is death."

What's a wage? It's what you earn for what you do. So when you work your job, you earn a wage. So the wage of sin is death. Another way to put that is your ultimate grand prize for sin is eternal death. Another way to put it is the debt you owe to sin is your very life.

And so man introduced sin, so then God introduced a system to put the punishment of that sin, the debt that we owe to sin, onto something else. And in the Old Testament, that process was animal sacrifice. And so over and over and over again, as the people are learning just how much God hates sin and just how high of a price it is for forgiveness of sin, sacrifice after sacrifice after sacrifice after sacrifice is made until finally God steps in and says, "That's enough! I'm now going to give you one final sacrifice. Instead of an animal shedding its blood for your sins, I'm going to shed my own blood for your sins. I'm going to become your sacrifice."

That's why Jesus told His disciples, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." His blood to pay your debt. And so the crucifixion may have been carried out by the Romans at the pressure of the Jews, but it was orchestrated by God for you and for me.

And one of the most beautiful pictures of this ugly cross is the fact that Jesus was hung on a cross that was intended for someone else. And we mean that both figuratively, of course, but also literally. I don't know if you've really thought about that much, but Jesus didn't hang on a cross that was made for Him.

We read the story in Luke 23. It says, "Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people and said to them, 'You brought me this man, Jesus, as one who was misleading the people. And after examining Him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against Him. Jesus is innocent. And neither did Herod, for he sends Him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by Him. I will therefore punish and release Him.'"

But they all cried out together, "Away with this man and release to us Barabbas."

So what's happening here is the Roman authorities were given a little bit of flexibility, especially during culturally relevant moments. They could try and appease a crowd, appease a group of people that they are oppressing by releasing to them one of their prisoners, saying, "Hey, we're going to let this guy go free" as a way of just playing nice with the people we're subjugating.

And so in this moment, it's the Passover, so it's culturally relevant for him to do this. They're starting to create an uproar, and so they cry out for this man Barabbas to be the one set free as part of this tradition.

So who's Barabbas? Well, Luke goes on to tell us about Barabbas. He says he's a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder. Kind of ironic, right? That the crime that Jesus is falsely accused of is the crime Barabbas is actually guilty of. He's guilty; Jesus is innocent.

And Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus. You got to be thinking from Pilate's perspective, "I got a guy that actually did the crime, and I got a guy that didn't do the crime." But they kept shouting, "Crucify! Crucify Him!"

A third time he said to them, "Why? What evil has He done? I have found in Him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release Him." But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that He should be crucified, and their voices prevailed.

So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted, and he released the man Barabbas who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked. But he delivered Jesus over to their will.

And so the innocent dies for the guilty. The sinless dies in place of the sinful. The spotless, perfect Lamb of God dies on a murderer's cross.

Now, I've been teaching on Tuesday nights. We have our Life University course, and I've been teaching about biblical interpretation. And one of our rules for biblical interpretation is that you should never, ever, ever, never, never, never, ever replace a Bible character with yourself. It's a very American way of reading the Bible because everything revolves around us, right? And so we think the Bible should revolve around us too.

And so, uh, we try and make the Bible all about us. And here's the problem: the Bible was written to you, but it wasn't written about you. Okay? And what happens is when we remove a Bible character and place ourselves in their place, we actually ruin the message that God was communicating in that.

So I hate to break it to you, but you are not David fighting Goliath every time your boss is mean to you. Okay? David is David; Goliath is Goliath. And if there's any other picture happening there, it's actually a beautiful one because David is a representation of Jesus. Goliath is a representation of death. When David conquers Goliath, Jesus is showing you how He is going to conquer death.

And when you put yourself in that place and remove David and remove Jesus from the story, man, you messed up! Like, that is a horrible way to read the Bible. So don't do it ever, ever, ever, ever. 99.99% of the time, do not do that.

The one time you can do that, the only time you can do that, is right here because God put Barabbas into the narrative so that you would see yourself at the crucifixion. The whole point of Barabbas being there is so that God could show you what He was doing figuratively and literally.

The crowd didn't free Barabbas; God's love did. "For God so loved the world that He gave His Son." Barabbas is in the story so that you can see yourself. Can you imagine how Barabbas must have felt that day? I mean, he knows he's guilty. He knows he is about to die a horrible death. That cross that Jesus is going to hang on was created that day for Barabbas to hang on. He knows it's the end. He knows he's guilty.

And as they lead him out of his cell, he knows this is the end. I'm just a dead man walking. I'm guilty of the crime, and now the punishment has come. And they bring him out, and they take his hands, and instead of nailing his hands to a cross, they take his chains off and they set him free.

How confused do you think Barabbas was in that moment? He knows that he's guilty. He knows that he is, according to the law, deserving of the death that is coming to him, and yet he's been given freedom instead of death. Jesus died in the place of Barabbas as an illustration that He was also taking your place.

Jesus died the death that we deserved. See, you and I, we were found guilty. And I know that a lot of us, we don't like to think in those terms 'cause we're good people, right? You're a good person. Just compare your life to what's going on in the news right now and some of the just foolishness and craziness, and you're like, "Man, I didn't kill nobody. I didn't go to those parties with P. Diddy." Like, none of that stuff happened.

But we like to look at ourselves and we say, "I'm good. I'm not like those people. I'm innocent." But are you? Because here's the crazy thing: the Bible says the wage of sin is death. It doesn't say the wage of murder. It doesn't say the wage of adultery. It doesn't say the wage of the really big, bad, ugly sins. No, no, no. It just says the wage of sin. Guilty of one, guilty of all.

So if you have ever lied, if you have ever stolen, if you have ever cheated, if you have ever looked at somebody of the opposite sex with some unclean thoughts about what you would like to do with that person that wasn't your spouse, if your boss ever walked in and your first thought was, "I can't believe this idiot's about to ask me to do something again," then you're guilty.

And the wage of sin is death. We're all guilty. I'm not innocent; I'm guilty too. And we are all on our way to pay the penalty for our sins. And then all of a sudden, Jesus shows up. And Jesus walks in, and He takes our place on a cross built for Barabbas, on a cross built for you.

In fact, that's the prophecy in Isaiah 53. This is a Messianic prophecy. It means it's written hundreds of years before Jesus about Jesus and says the fact is it was whose suffering? Our suffering. He took on Himself. He bore whose pain? Our pain. But we thought that God was punishing Him, that God was beating Him for something He did. But He was being punished for what we did.

He was crushed because of whose guilt? Our guilt. He took the punishment that we deserved, and this brought us peace. We were healed because of His pain. We had all wandered away like sheep; we had gone our own way. And yet the Lord put all our guilt on Him.

I want you to just sit with that for a moment. Everything you have ever been guilty of, every thought you shouldn't have had, every word you shouldn't have said, everything you shouldn't have done, all of the guilt for every single one of those is placed on Jesus on the cross.

Verse 11: "The Lord says my servant who always does what is right will make His people right with me. He will take away their sins." He was considered a criminal, but the truth is He carried away the sins of many.

Jesus literally died on Barabbas' cross, but He also died on your cross and on my cross. Jesus hung on a cross that was built for you. I want you to notice the last line of this verse says, "He carried away the sins of who? Of many."

I hate this verse. I don't hate it; I love it, but I don't like it. And it's okay to not like some of the Bible. It doesn't mean you can ignore it; it doesn't mean you can change it. But you're free to not like it.

Here's why I don't like this: I wish it said "all." Just one little change, not "many," "all." Why? Why? Why can't it just say "all"? It would make evangelism so much easier. It would make ministry so much easier. It would make life so much easier if it just said "carried away the sins for everyone." I'd be so happy!

But it doesn't say that. The Bible tells us that Jesus died for everyone, but He only carried away the sins of many. And so the greatest question you need to ask yourself is, "How do I get on this list?"

I don't know about you, but if there's a list, I want to be on it. This is the list I want to be a part of. So how do we get on that list?

So we read earlier Romans 6. We're going to read the second half of it. The first part says, "For the wages of sin is death," and then there's a comma, not a period. It continues, "but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

What Jesus did for us is referenced or described in scripture as a free gift. But how many of you know that there's something you have to do in order for a gift to become yours? Not a trick question, right? What do you have to do? You got to receive it, right?

I had a gift sitting in my office for like two months for a friend of mine. It took two months for him to go into my office and pick up the gift that I had waiting for him. But it did not become his until he took possession of it, until he actually received it.

The gift was waiting, but he had to go do something about it. Salvation is a free gift from God, but like any other gift, we have to actually take possession of it. We have to receive it.

And so how do we do that? Well, a few chapters later in Romans 10 says, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Period.

Thank you! I love this! It outlines the two things that need to happen. One, there's a confession that Jesus is Lord. What that is, that's an act of surrender. That's saying, "I'm not the one in control. I'm not the one in charge. I'm not my master. Jesus, You're my master."

And with that is an implication that I'm going to now do what You tell me to do when You tell me to do it because You are the master, not me. And then there's this belief in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. This is a statement of faith. It's saying, "I'm putting my belief, I'm putting my faith, I'm putting my trust, I'm putting my hope in Jesus and what He did on the cross and the fact that He was raised from the dead," which means I will one day be raised to new life as well.

And so this is how you receive the gift. This is how you get on the list. And so right here in the middle of the message, before we go anywhere else, I want to give you an opportunity to receive that gift. Because how inappropriate would it be if I told you all about this eternal life in God but I didn't give you a chance to walk it out, to live it out?

And so right now, all over the room, I'm just going to ask you to bow your heads, close your eyes. Whether you're in the room or you're online, if you're not on the list but today you're ready to, today you're recognizing, "I need to make a decision. I need to receive this gift. I am guilty of sin, and I need Jesus in my life."

And I'm going to lead you in a prayer. You can repeat after me, or you can just put it in your own words. But if you're ready to receive that gift of salvation, say something like this: "Dear Jesus, forgive me. I know that I'm guilty. I know that I've sinned, and today I surrender to You. Today I make You the Lord of my life. And by faith, I know that You are alive, and because You're alive, I can live. So Jesus, thank You for dying on the cross for me."

In Jesus' name, amen. Amen! Amen! Can we take a moment to celebrate that? Come on! The Bible says that there's a party in heaven when just one sinner comes back home. Come on now!

I got a feeling the party in heaven's a lot more fun than this party right now. But hey, here's the thing: I would love, though we believe here at CLC that this is the greatest decision of your life, but it's also like the starting line, not the finish line, right?

Because what this means is you are now on a journey to becoming like Jesus. You're now on this path to surrender daily to the Lord of your life. And so here's what I want to do: if you prayed that prayer with me, why don't you text the word "LIFE" to the number on the screen, or you can use the QR code if it's faster, easier for you.

But what this does, it'll just connect you with somebody on our team where we can give you some resources, we can answer some questions for you, and give you some resources that you can live this out so you can walk out your next steps. And we want to be able to do that with you.

And so, uh, why don't you take a moment to do that right now? And for everybody in the room that either just prayed that prayer or prayed that prayer a long time ago, what do we do now, right? We've accepted the free gift of salvation from God. We've been brought back into a right relationship with Him. Now what?

Well, now, because of the cross and because of the empty tomb, now we live like Jesus. Without the cross, without the tomb, this can't happen. But now, because of Him, we can live like Him. And this process, it begins with your death.

We begin to live like Jesus when we die with Jesus. Now, nobody panic. Nobody go running for the doors. This is a figurative death; it's a symbolic death. It's not a literal death, okay? It's symbolic. In fact, it's a symbol that's represented in the act of baptism.

And so Romans 6:3 tells us that's what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it's like the burial of Jesus. When we are raised up out of the water, it's like the resurrection of Jesus. This is the image that we get. Baptism is laying down our old life, leaving it in the grave, and coming up in new life with Jesus.

The very next verse says, "For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His." This is an if-then statement. If-then statements in the Bible are my favorite because it tells me if I do my part, then God does His.

And so if we die with Him, we get to live like Him. That's a beautiful thing! And so today, not only do we get the opportunity to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, but we get to celebrate a couple of baptisms today too.

We're going to celebrate the baptism of Joseph and Gabriella. And I think Joseph's ready in the water. Hoping he is. There he is!

Yeah, church, will you do me a favor? Will you stretch your hands out towards Joseph? Let's pray for him.

So Father, we just thank You right now for Joseph, for the decision he's making to go public with his faith today. That as he leaves his old life dead and buried in those waters, he's going to come up in new life in You. And Father, we just pray that You would meet him in those waters today. In Jesus' name, amen! [Applause]

Amen! Love it! Love it! So while Joseph is getting out and Gabriella is getting in, I just want to tell you, if you prayed that prayer to receive that gift of salvation with us today, or maybe you prayed it a long time ago but you never took your next step, you never got water baptized, what are you waiting for? Amen!

Like, now is the time to do this. In fact, if you'll just text the word "BAPTISM" to the 708 number on the screen, what will happen? We'll connect with you, we'll get you scheduled for your baptism, we'll answer any questions you have, give you all the details you need.

In fact, just next week, we're going to be baptizing a bunch of people, and I would love for you to be a part of that group. And so if you have not been baptized yet, now's the chance. Now's the opportunity. Now is the time to take your next step to say, "I'm going to be buried with Christ so that I can live like Christ." Amen? Amen!

All right, let's see if Gabriella is ready. There she is!

All right, let's stretch our hands out. So Father God, right now we just thank You for Gabriella. We ask right now that You would just bless her and that as she makes this public decision to put You first in her life, that You would meet her in those waters. That as she goes down in the waters, she would leave that old life dead and buried behind her and that she would step into new life with You. In Jesus' name, amen! [Applause]

Amen! Yeah! Love it! All right, man, we're having a good time today! We got people got saved, people got baptized. It's Easter! We're celebrating! It's great!

So living like Jesus means we receive that free gift of salvation from Him. We're redeemed; we're brought back into relationship with God. We join Him in His death, burial, and resurrection through the act of baptism.

But there's another part of this death that we have to embrace, and that is when we choose to die to sin daily. Remember our song that we kind of kicked this off with? Well, it goes on to say, "The cross before me, the world behind me, no turning back."

And this is what it means to live like Jesus. The cross before me—that's keeping our eyes on Jesus, right? The world behind me—that's saying my sinful life, the sin is no longer going to be a part of my life. I'm putting that behind me. No turning back means I'm not going back to those things again.

Because what I'm going to do is every day I'm going to choose to live in a way that honors God and draws other people to Him. Sin is described in the Bible as rebellion against God. That anything that God says isn't good is sin. And then God tells us we have a choice to make: you can follow me or you can choose to continue living in sin, but you can't do both.

Jesus is the one that comes in and makes that choice possible for us. But you can't live like Jesus and live in sin at the same time. Because here's what Jesus said in John 8: "The truth is everyone who sins is a slave—a slave to sin."

Hold that thought, and we're going to jump over to Matthew where Jesus also says, "You cannot serve two masters at the same time. You'll hate one and love the other, or you'll be loyal to one and not care about the other."

And then He goes on to use money as an example. But how many of you recognize that the truth is much bigger than the single example He gives? And the truth is you cannot have two masters. Either you are a slave to sin or you are a slave to Christ, and you can't do both at the same time. You've got to make a choice.

And because of the cross, you now have the ability to choose. Does that make it easy to walk away from sin? Man, I wish! But because of the cross, it is possible. Amen!

That's what Paul's talking about in Romans 6. He says, "Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ. Don't go back to it and take it off the cross again. Let it stay nailed to the cross—a decisive end to that sin miserable life. No longer captive to sin's demands."

When Jesus died, He took sin down with Him. But alive, He brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you. God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word.

I love Eugene Peterson's paraphrase here: "You are dead to sin and alive to God." That's what Jesus did. That's the cross; that's the empty tomb. Because of Jesus, our sins are now no longer in control. Sin no longer has to have a hold on us because of Jesus.

One last verse for you—it's one of my favorites in the Bible. Hebrews 12 says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything—everything—not some things, not a few things, not a couple of things. Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles."

There is a sin that's trying to entangle you. It's trying to trip you up. It's trying to keep you from being able to do the next part where you run with perseverance the race marked out for you.

What's the race marked out for you? That is your purpose from God on this Earth. You were created with a race to run. It has been marked out for you by God. And when we run that race, it's possible because we fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

And all of that—throwing off the sin and everything that entangles us, everything that slows us down, running with perseverance, fixing our eyes on Jesus—all of it's possible because for the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

How does Jesus sit down at the throne of God if He's on a cross? He doesn't! It's the cross and the empty tomb 'cause He walked out of the tomb, and then He goes and takes His seat with God.

And because of this, now we get to live like Jesus. So this Easter Sunday, with our eyes fixed on Jesus, because of the cross and because of the empty tomb, we put sin to death so that we can look like Jesus and think like Jesus and pray like Jesus and love like Jesus and serve like Jesus.

And if that's too many things for you to remember, it's so that you can live like Jesus.

Let's pray. Father, we just thank You for this beautiful day and how You took something so ugly, so horrific like the cross, and You turned it into something beautiful for us.

Father, today we just say thank You that You died on a cross that was built for us. We say thank You, and we ask today that You would help us to say goodbye to sin, to nail it to the cross, to walk away from it, and to live every day in a way that honors You and will draw others to You.

That we would keep the cross before us, the world behind us, and we would never turn back—all because we have made a decision, we've made a choice to follow You. And so that's what we're going to do. In Jesus' name, amen! Amen! Amen!

I'm going to invite you to stand to your feet. We're going to close this Easter celebration with...

1) "Living Like Jesus means we receive that free gift of Salvation from him, we're redeemed, we're brought back into relationship with God. We join him in his death, burial, and Resurrection through the act of baptism. But there's another part of this death that we have to embrace, and that is when we choose to die to sin daily." [01:23:08 ](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



2) "You cannot have two masters either you are a slave to sin or you are a slave to Christ and you can't do both at the same time. You've got to make a choice and because of the Cross you now have the ability to choose." [01:24:55 ](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



3) "Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ. Don't go back to it and take it off the cross again. Let it stay nailed to the cross. A decisive end to that sin miserable life, no longer captive to sin's demands." [01:25:33 ](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



4) "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, so we can run the race marked out for us. This race is our God-given purpose on Earth." [01:26:18 ](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



5) "Because of Jesus our sins are now no longer in control, sin no longer has to have a hold on us. Because of Jesus, one last verse for you, it's one of my favorites in the Bible, Hebrews 12 says therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses let us throw off everything that hinders." [01:26:54 ](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



6) "This Easter Sunday with our eyes fixed on Jesus because of the Cross and because of the empty tomb we put sin to death so that we can look like Jesus and think like Jesus and pray like Jesus and Love Like Jesus and serve like Jesus." [01:27:30 ](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



7) "The crucifixion may have been carried out by the Romans at the pressure of the Jews but it was orchestrated by God for you and for me. One of the most beautiful pictures of this ugly cross is the fact that Jesus was hung on a cross that was intended for someone else." [01:03:36 ](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



8) "Jesus didn't hang on a cross that was made for him. Jesus literally died on Barabas cross but he also died on your cross and on my cross. Jesus hung on a cross that was built for you." [01:12:44 ](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



9) "The wage of sin is death. We're all guilty. I'm Not Innocent, I'm guilty too and we are all on our way to pay the penalty for our sins and then all of a sudden Jesus shows up and Jesus walks in and he takes our place on a cross built for barabus, on a cross built for you." [01:10:49 ](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



10) "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved. It outlines the two things that need to happen, one there's a confession that Jesus is Lord, that's an act of surrender." [01:14:58 ](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)