Celebrating Resurrection: Hope, Transformation, and Community

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
1. **John 20:11-18 (NIV)**
> Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" "They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. He asked her, "Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him." Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means "Teacher"). Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her.

2. **1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NIV)**
> Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

3. **1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 (NIV)**
> Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.

#### Observation Questions
1. What was Mary Magdalene's initial reaction when she saw the empty tomb and the angels? (John 20:11-13)
2. How did Mary recognize Jesus when she initially thought he was the gardener? (John 20:14-16)
3. According to 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, what are some attributes of love that are highlighted?
4. What does Paul say about the hope that believers have in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14?

#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why do you think Mary Magdalene did not recognize Jesus immediately? What does this tell us about her state of mind and expectations? (John 20:14-16) [35:09]
2. How does the description of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 relate to the resurrection of Jesus and the hope it brings? [31:01]
3. In what ways does the resurrection of Jesus provide hope for believers, according to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14? How does this hope differ from the hope of non-believers? [40:01]
4. How does witnessing a baptism, like Kareem's, serve as a reminder of God's power and the reality of the resurrection? [01:26:26]

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you felt despair or hopelessness. How can the resurrection of Jesus change your perspective on that situation? [39:01]
2. How can you show the attributes of love described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 in your daily interactions, especially in challenging situations? [31:01]
3. Think of someone in your life who is struggling with depression or despair, like Sherry. How can you offer them hope and support through prayer and action? [01:27:34]
4. How can you prepare your heart and mind to engage with the upcoming sermon series on the Book of Exodus? What steps can you take to ensure you are open to learning and growing through this study? [01:36:02]
5. If you are new to the church or know someone who is, how can you or they get more involved in the community? What steps can you take to make newcomers feel welcomed and integrated? [01:36:50]
6. How can you actively share the hope of the resurrection with others in your community? Identify one person you can share this hope with this week. [01:22:23]
7. Reflect on the evidence and testimony of the resurrection. How does this strengthen your faith, and how can you use this understanding to address doubts you or others may have? [01:01:49]

Day 1: Victory in the Resurrection
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the bedrock of Christian hope, offering victory over sin and death. This event is not merely a historical occurrence but a transformative reality that empowers believers to live with anticipation and joy. The assurance of salvation and the promise of eternal life provide a steadfast hope that permeates every aspect of life. This hope is not confined to the individual but extends to loved ones, offering comfort in the promise of a future reunion in the presence of God, where suffering and despair are no more. The resurrection is a testament to God's unfailing love and the ultimate victory believers have in Jesus.

"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." - Romans 6:5 ESV

Reflection: How does the hope of the resurrection shape your perspective on current struggles and relationships?

Day 2: Transformation Through Baptism
Witnessing the baptism of a new believer is a vivid demonstration of the gospel's transformative power. Kareem's public declaration of faith is a reminder that no obstacle is too great for God's redemptive power. Baptism symbolizes the believer's union with Christ in His death and resurrection, marking the beginning of a new life. It is a celebration of the victory over the forces that oppose God's work, including sin and Satan's schemes. The church rejoices in these moments, recognizing them as clear evidence of the resurrected Christ actively working in the lives of individuals today.

"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 support and encourage new believers in your community to grow in their faith? [01:26:26]

Day 3: Compassion for the Struggling
The church is called to be a community of compassion, especially towards those who are struggling with issues like depression and suicidal thoughts, as Sherry is. It is a reminder that the body of Christ must be a place of refuge and support, where fervent prayer and compassionate action are the responses to the real and often hidden battles faced by many. The church's role is to bear one another's burdens, seeking God's healing and presence in the lives of those who are suffering, and to be a tangible expression of God's love and care.

"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." - Galatians 6:2 ESV

Reflection: How can you actively participate in bearing someone's burden this week, offering them support and prayer? [01:27:34]

Day 4: Delving into Deliverance
The upcoming journey through the Book of Exodus is an opportunity to explore the depths of God's deliverance and faithfulness. As the story of Israel's liberation from Egypt mirrors the believer's redemption in Christ, studying Exodus can enrich understanding and draw parallels to the personal experience of salvation. It is a chance to delve into the narrative of God's mighty acts and promises, which are as relevant today as they were for the Israelites. The anticipation of learning and growing through this series is coupled with a reliance on God's guidance for a deeper revelation of His Word.

"Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered," - Psalm 105:5 ESV

Reflection: What is one area in your life where you need to experience God's deliverance, and how can you seek His guidance in that area? [01:36:02]

Day 5: Building Community through Welcome
The act of welcoming newcomers into the church community is essential for the growth and health of the church. By inviting new individuals to a welcome lunch, the church fosters a sense of belonging and purpose. This initiative is an integral part of building a supportive and growing community of faith. It provides an opportunity for newcomers to connect with church staff, learn about the church, and discover ways to serve. Such efforts are crucial in creating an environment where every member can thrive and contribute to the body of Christ.

"Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality." - Romans 12:13 ESV

Reflection: How can you personally contribute to creating a welcoming environment for newcomers in your church community? [01:36:50]

Amen. Christ is risen! I love it! I love that response: He's risen indeed! Let's try it again: Christ is risen! Amen!

We are so glad that you are here with us to celebrate the greatest event in all of human history: the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. It is something that was impossible in the eyes of the world. That's what makes it a miracle. That's what makes it God doing something that only God can do. And He's promised He will do it for us as well.

So we get to celebrate today the greatest hope that is known to mankind: the hope of life eternal, proven to be possible through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Jim had flown in from a long trip to the airport. He got off the plane, went down to get his luggage off of the carousel. He grabbed his suitcase off the carousel, headed out to ground transportation, hailed a taxi, got in, and started down the road. The taxi driver didn't say a word. He didn't say anything. He was busy checking his messages.

About 20 minutes into the ride, Jim had a question for the taxi driver, so he leaned up and tapped him on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me." The taxi driver went, "Ah!" He swerved off the road, went through three lanes of traffic, almost got him killed, and stopped on the other side of the road.

Jim said, "I don't understand. What in the world happened?" He said, "Well, this is my first day driving a taxi. For the past 50 years, I drove a hearse for the local funeral home. You don't expect dead people to tap you on the shoulder, do you?"

And yet what we celebrate today is someone who came back from the dead, victorious over death. He was victorious over sin and death as He came forth from that grave.

We are finishing up a series today called "Love Notes." In this series, we've been in 1 Corinthians chapter 13, where we've looked at all the different attributes of love, God's love, agape love, as it's revealed in Scripture and revealed through the actions and the work of God.

I want to go back there because this is the culmination and the climax of understanding God's love. It is truly pictured best in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Let's pick up here in verse 4 again of 1 Corinthians 13.

"Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud. It does not dishonor others. It is not self-seeking. It's not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth."

We've covered all of that. We've covered all of those attributes in the series. And you can go back and catch any of those on our YouTube channel if you missed any of them.

And in verse 7, it says this about love, leading into verse 8: "It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." And then it says this: "Love never fails."

Now, we've been sharing this on our social media. And a couple of people have been saying, "Well, God's love may never fail, but man's love fails." And I understand what they're saying. That's why it's so important for us to learn to love like God loves so that our love won't fail either.

Because we can count on the love of God. And if we love like God loves, people will be able to count on us and our love for them. And it's only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can learn to love like we've been talking about.

It's only by listening to the Word, spending time with God, and letting His Spirit reign and rule in our hearts that we can love like God loves. But we can enjoy how God loves us. Because God's love never fails.

We join over 2 billion people around the world celebrating the resurrection today. Isn't that amazing? Over 2 billion Christ followers who are proclaiming that Jesus is alive and well and ruling at the right hand of the throne of God because death did not hold us back. It did not hold Him, and it could not conquer Him.

Satan has lost this war, and God has won. We should not be surprised by that because God is greater than Satan. He's the one that kicked him out of heaven to start with, right? He's more powerful than Satan and the work of Satan.

And it is the work of Satan to bring sin and death into the world. And God has proven His power over Satan's schemes to destroy us.

So today I want us to look at a passage in the Gospel: John chapter 20. If you'll be turning with me there, you can pull it up on your smartphone or tablet. We'll put these verses up on the screen for you.

It's an encounter that happens after Jesus has risen from the dead. It's that morning, that first Easter morning, if you want to call it that. People get all upset sometimes when the church says, "Happy Easter."

Here's what I want you to know: For Christ followers, Easter is a huge day because it's when we celebrate the resurrection. Other people can celebrate other ways, other things that they want to celebrate, but we use it as a time to mark our celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

So I don't mind saying "Happy Easter," as long as we understand what we're celebrating on Easter is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

So here we are at that first Easter morning, that first morning of the resurrection of Jesus. He'd been in the grave. This is the third day, like He said, He would rise on the third day.

And we pick up in the account in John chapter 20, beginning with verse 11.

Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and another at the foot.

They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"

"They've taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they've put him."

At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. Would you expect to see a dead guy standing there?

People sometimes think, "Well, why didn't she recognize him?" Because she's just thinking there's somebody standing. She may even just saw him in her peripheral vision, didn't even realize it was Jesus, okay?

He asked her, "Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you're looking for?"

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you've carried him away, tell me where you've put him, and I will get him."

Jesus said to her, "Mary."

She turned around toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabbanai!" which means teacher. That's where we get the word rabbi.

Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"

Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news, "I've seen the Lord," and she told them what he had said, that he said these things to her.

What an encounter Mary Magdalene had! You have to remember, if you know Bible history, that Mary Magdalene was someone who had been healed by Jesus from demons that had possessed her. She had then become a follower of Jesus and helped support his work and ministry and often traveled with him to the different places that he would travel.

And she was so blessed by what Jesus had done for her, she gave her whole life to honoring him and serving him. And so of all the people that show up at the graveside that morning, Mary and some of the other women show up first to find that the tomb is empty.

But notice that when Jesus said her name, she recognized him. The Bible says that the shepherd knows their sheep and the sheep know the voice of the shepherd, that when the shepherd calls, you recognize his voice.

Jesus is that good shepherd, and Mary recognized him when she heard him speak her name. She realized this was her good shepherd that she had committed to following.

So the first of the three things that we need to remember today about God's love never failing is that because God's love never fails, we don't have to despair no matter what we're facing in this world.

There are people in the audience today hearing the message online today that have gone through deep despair, deep sorrow, relentless grief in their lives. And maybe you're experiencing that right now: the loss of someone that you love, a broken relationship, hopes that have been just destroyed.

Maybe you faced something that you never thought you would have to face, having to deal with things you never thought you would have to deal with. Because God's love never fails, you don't have to despair even when it gets to that.

Even when you get to that point where you think you're at the wrong place, you're at the wrong bottom, and there's no place to turn, nowhere to go. Mary and those other women were feeling that that morning when they went to the tomb.

You see, all their hopes and dreams had been that Jesus was their Deliverer, their Messiah. They lived for Him, they served Him, they wanted to honor Him, and they wanted to be with Him. And they had witnessed Him being beaten and then being nailed to a cross, His body dying there, and being put in that tomb.

And they had witnessed all of that. Imagine the grief they were feeling, the despair that was crushing their lives at the moment when they went to that tomb that morning.

And yet they saw that there was no reason to despair when Mary heard Jesus call her name. She realized then that He had kept His promise, that He had overcome even death itself.

For Christ followers, this is a hope that the world does not know, cannot understand. This is something that a non-believer has nothing to hold on to like this.

When bad things come for a non-believer, when death strikes to a family, a friend of a non-believer, when something, dream, or hope doesn't happen for a non-believer, where can they turn? There's nowhere for them to find hope.

But Mary realized when she saw Jesus on the other side of the grave, she realized there's every reason to have hope in Him.

You see, we as people who know and follow Jesus, we have a hope that overcomes the world and overcomes the problems of the world, so we don't have to despair.

There's a passage in 1 Thessalonians 4 where Paul is talking about the hope that we have. And he says in verse 13, "Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind who have no hope."

So what? Hope. See, he doesn't say we don't grieve when we are Christians. He doesn't say we don't mourn the loss of people that we love or dreams that have been shattered. Of course that hurts. And of course we will mourn those things.

But not like the rest of the world that has no hope. He goes on to say this: "For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him."

That's where the hope is. That's what the world doesn't know. That's what they don't have. And that's why things are so crushing to people who don't know Jesus.

That's why they have so much trouble coping with disappointment and loss and suffering in this world. It's because they don't know the hope that we know in the resurrected Lord.

Maybe you're here today and you haven't known that hope in your life, and something has happened to you, to your family, to somebody that you care about. I want you to know that when Mary met Jesus out of that tomb alive and well, she realized that her hope was real and true.

And I want you to know that too. God wants you to know that. Jesus wants you to understand that He is that hope for you.

In Hebrews 2, verse 14 and 15, it says this: "Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might break the power of Him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death."

For so many people, that dark cloud of death hangs over them, and it just puts a cloud on everything they're doing in their lives. But we have the power of Him who holds the power of death living in us as Christ followers.

The scripture tells us that the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is now in us, in you also. Why should you despair when you have the embodiment of the spirit of God that raised Jesus from the dead living in you?

We don't need to despair over anything. Because God's love never fails. He made provision for us for whatever things would cause us to despair in this world through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

See, His love always protects, right? It always takes care. He always gives us the hope of that one that is loved. And that's the way God loves us.

He has made sure to provide for us everything we need, even in the face of the consequences of sin in this fallen world and all the disappointments and hurts and pains that we might experience.

He has made provision for all of that to take care of those that He loves, even at the price of His son Jesus having to die on the cross to give that hope to us. But He was willing to do that so that you and I can live with that hope every day.

So because God's love never fails, we don't have to despair.

And secondly, because God's love never fails, we don't have to fear anything in this life. We have nothing to fear.

Let's pick up in this story again in verse 19.

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."

After He said this, He showed them His hands and sighed. The disciples were overjoyed because they saw the Lord.

On the evening of that first day of the week. What's the first day of the week? Sunday. That's why we have Easter on Sunday. The celebration of the resurrection on Sunday. It's because it was a Sunday morning that they came to that tomb and found that Jesus had risen from the dead.

Amen. But because He had risen from the dead, they didn't have to fear anymore. Why were they hiding in that upper room with the doors locked? Because of what? Fear.

They were afraid. If they killed Jesus and they know we were His disciples, they know we were connected to Him. What are they going to do to us now? And so they were afraid, and they were hiding out, and they were scared just like any of us would have been.

But when Jesus appeared there, showed them His hands, showed them the wound in His side where they had stuck Him with a spear, they knew, "What have we got to be afraid of? This guy just conquered death. What else could anybody do to us worse than that?"

Worse than what they did to Him and the beating and the spitting in His face and the humiliation that He suffered and the pain of the cross and the death that He died in the grave that He had to go into.

What could anybody do to us worse than that? And He's already defeated that. He's already overcome that. What do we have to be afraid of in this world that anybody could do?

That's why He says in Hebrews 13 and verse 6, "So we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.'"

I love this next phrase. Listen to it: "What can mere mortals do to me?"

What can mere people, men and women in this world that look like they want to be so threatening to me, what can those mere mortals do to me that God has not already proven? He's more powerful than what they could do.

We don't have anything to be afraid of as followers of Jesus Christ. I know there's things. It doesn't mean we never get scared as Christians. There are things that scare me sometimes.

I've talked about this before, but one of the things that really scared me as a young boy growing up was the flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz. When I saw that movie the first time, I had dreams about those monkeys coming to get me.

And you know, I look at it now, and it doesn't look very realistic when you see the movie now, but as a kid, that looked pretty realistic to me, and I was scared.

And I had to remember, even as a young kid, even though I wasn't really raised in church, I always felt the presence of God around me in my life. And I remember thinking, "Well, flying monkeys are scary, but God's bigger than flying monkeys."

He's bigger than anything that could come into my life that could make me be afraid for a moment. He's not saying you never get afraid. He's saying you know where to go when you get scared.

You know who to go to when you get scared about something. And you know the one you have to go to is greater than the fear, the thing that you're afraid of every time.

"What can mere mortals do to me?"

The Apostle Paul, in writing to the church at Rome in Romans 8, beginning with verse 31, I say this about a lot of passages like this, but this is one of the most powerful sections of scripture you can ever read here in Romans 8, beginning with verse 31.

It says this: "What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"

And that phrase "against us" means who has the power to come up against us victoriously. That's what he's saying. If God is for us, who out there, what out there has the potential to defeat God if he's for us or to defeat us if we know God is for us, on our side, pulling for us, there for us, providing for us?

What or who should we be afraid of? If God is for us, who could be against us?

And here's why he's going to tell us why we can have this confidence: "He who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?"

He's talking about all the things we need in response to anything that comes against us. He's not talking about giving you every wish that you've got. You know, "I want a new Porsche," so God's going to give me that. No, that's not what he's talking about.

A little red sports car would be nice, but no, that's not what he's talking about. He's talking about when anything or anyone comes up against us, God makes sure we have everything we need.

He provides for us everything we need so that whatever that is coming against us cannot win this battle, cannot defeat us in Christ. It's not because we're so strong; it's because God is for us. God is with us; He's not against us.

And so we can have that confidence. How do we know that? Because He didn't even withhold His son from us, His one and only son. If He would do that for us, what would He not do for us that we really need Him to do?

We can have that confidence. He says in verse 33, "Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies."

We're living in a culture today where Christians are being challenged and attacked more often than ever I've seen in my lifetime. So there are people coming against us as Christ's followers.

But listen, in face of that, no matter how bad that might get, no matter what it is they try to do, who is it that justifies us? Not the world. We don't need to have their approval. We don't need to have their support to know who we are and where we stand with Christ.

It is God who justifies, not the world. So we don't need to worry about making sure the world is pleased with us. Who do we need to stand before and be right with? God the Father. He's the one that will justify us, not because we've done everything right, but because of what Jesus did for us on the cross.

So he says, "Who shall separate us?" I'll go back one verse. "Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is also interceding for us."

Where is Jesus now? At the right hand of the Father. What's He doing right now? Interceding for us. He's at work on our behalf right now at the right hand of the Father.

We know He is still there alive. No matter who comes against us, He says, "Who is the one who condemns?" You know what the world can't do? They're trying. The world can't condemn us. They can't.

Now they're saying they condemn us. They're saying they condemn what we believe as not true. They're saying they condemn us for this and that reason, but the world doesn't have the power to condemn. Only God has the power to condemn. Only God.

And God does not condemn us in Christ. Just the opposite. God has provided for us and lifted us up with Christ.

So he says, "He's there interceding for us." In verse 35, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble?" Check out this list. "Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?"

As it's written, "For your sake we face death all day long; we're considered as sheep to be slaughtered."

Then he says, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."

He's not finished. The list goes on: "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor demons, the present nor the future, nor any powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

That's a pretty good list for us to have hope and confidence no matter what comes up against us. I mean, think about the things we get worried about and scared about and concerned about. Do they fit in that list? Absolutely! None of those things can condemn us or overcome us in Christ.

None of those things, even death itself. How do we know that? Because God gave up His son for us on the cross, and He conquered death already.

We have that hope, that power, that in Christ Jesus our Lord, nothing can separate us from the love of God. That also means not only what the world does to us, but what we do to ourselves sometimes, right? We mess up. We come short. We don't always handle everything the way we should.

Can that separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus? It cannot! Nothing shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Where is our hope? It's in the way God loves us with this agape love that always seeks what's best for us, of His love for us. It's that agape love that always makes sure He has provision for whatever we're going through.

It's that agape love that puts that hope in our hearts that we don't give up and quit before we realize the fullness of the reward that God has waiting for us.

We can hold on because we know that hope of the love of God for His people.

So because God's love never fails, we don't have to despair. And we don't have to be afraid. We don't have to fear anything that we might face in this world.

But there's a third one: because God's love never fails, we don't have to doubt either. We don't have to let doubt rule in our hearts and our minds.

Let's pick up again in John 20 in verse 24.

Now I'm going to tell you ahead of time, I've talked about this before. I think Thomas gets a bad rap. My middle name is Thomas, and I think Thomas gets a really bad rap.

What do we always call Thomas? Doubting Thomas. Well, guess what? All the other disciples did. They doubted too. And you know there are going to be some times where Satan whispers doubt into your mind, into your heart.

Let's be honest. Don't we sometimes at least have moments where Satan gets us to let a little doubt creep in? Now hopefully it doesn't happen very often.

Let's just use that doubt to get Christ followers to question and give in and maybe give up, not continue to follow the way that God's called us to.

In verse 24, it says this: "Now Thomas, also known as Didymus, was one of the twelve. He was not with the disciples when Jesus came."

Remember that first time He appeared in the upper room? Who wasn't there? Thomas wasn't there. When Jesus showed him His hands and His side, he wasn't there the first time.

Now it doesn't tell us where he was. Evidently, he didn't get the email or the text, and he didn't show up for the meeting. He didn't know the location of the hiding place, so he didn't make it there.

But for whatever reason, he wasn't there the first time they have seen Jesus, the other disciples. They have been able to see the scars in His hands and the scar on His side. They've been able to see all of that and spend that time with Jesus.

Thomas hasn't had that yet. That's why I think he gets a bad rap. He didn't have the advantage yet that the others had when Jesus appeared to them.

Verse 25: "So the other disciples told him, 'We've seen the Lord.'"

Well, yeah, hearing it from somebody is one thing, but being there and seeing it for yourself, that's something else, isn't it?

I mean, you could tell me some good news that I really want to be true, but sometimes the news is so good it's hard for me to accept without seeing it for myself. Isn't that true for you?

Certain things, unless you see it with your own eyes, hear it with your own ears, and touch it with your own hands, it's hard to really believe fully something like that, especially something as miraculous as a dead man alive again standing in their presence.

That's a tough one. You see, that had never happened before except through Jesus.

So how do we know? How does Thomas know for sure? Well, it says in the next verse: "But he said to them, 'Unless I see the nail marks in His hands and put my finger where the nails were and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.'"

That's pretty bold, isn't it? I mean, Thomas had been with Jesus like the others throughout his ministry. He had witnessed the miracles that Jesus had performed. He had heard Jesus talk about rising from the dead. Jesus had spoken to that.

And yet he says, "I'm not going to believe unless I see it for myself." Now I think that's why they call him doubting Thomas. That even then, even with the testimony of the others, he's still doubting.

But remember, cut him some slack. The others already had exactly what Thomas is asking for. They already had that experience. They already had that presentation of Jesus risen from the dead right there with them.

So he's just saying he wants what all the other disciples had just already received from Jesus. That's all he's asking for: "Let me see what you guys saw for myself."

Now the good news about the way God loves us is He loved Thomas too, even in his doubt.

So when you experience moments of doubt, here's what you need to know: that doesn't separate you from God's love either. God doesn't stop loving you because you have moments of doubt. He doesn't go anywhere. He doesn't leave you because you're doubting for a moment.

But what He wants you to do with that doubt is go back to the evidence, the testimony that is there to support your faith.

So it says in verse 26: "A week later, His disciples were in the house again, and I love the note, and Thomas was with them."

He got that text. He got that email. He showed up for that meeting, right? Now I'm sure he shows up this time because they've still been talking about what they saw and what they heard.

They've been talking about how great it is that Jesus is alive, that He's risen from the dead.

So it says Thomas was with them, and though the doors were locked—remember last time what were they? In the upper room, they were in this room, and the doors were what? Locked.

"And though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you.'"

Now if all of a sudden a figure appears in a locked room, don't you want to hear those words first? Peace! Peace be with you. I would. That's the first words I'd want to hear out of His mouth: "I'm not here to hurt you. Don't be afraid. Peace be with you."

Then He said to Thomas, "Listen to what He says to Thomas. It's almost like He knew what Thomas had said. 'I'm going to put my finger here. See my hands? Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.'"

Those are the exact things that Thomas asked for, worded exactly the way Thomas asked to be able to be seen in his life.

Jesus loved Thomas even when he was doubting. He loved him enough to make sure He provided for him what he needed.

How can we know that God's love is going to be there for us? Because even when we're doubting and imperfect and not doing everything we ought to do, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

He's still there for you. And in your doubt, turn to Jesus. In your doubt, turn to His Word. In your doubt, turn to the evidence. In your doubt, turn to the history of His faithfulness.

In your doubt, make sure you don't turn to the world with that doubt. You turn to God with that doubt because His love will not allow you to be separated from Him, even in your doubt.

We don't have to doubt. He says, "Stop doubting and believe."

Verse 28: "Thomas said to Him, 'My Lord and my God!'"

Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen Me, those who have not seen and yet have believed."

He goes on in verse 30, John does, to say this: "Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples which are not recorded in this book."

Another passage says it kind of this way: there was so much other evidence there that this book can't contain them all.

Okay, there's no way He could give us every detail of everything Jesus did, but He gives us enough.

He says, "Here's the reason these things are written." But these are written that you may what? Believe.

Believe what? That Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. Why is that important? And that by believing, you may have life in His name.

This evidence is there for us. Something you need to know, and this is a criticism of Christianity all the time.

We on social media have posted this invitation for people to come join us for our Easter celebrations today, and there are a whole bunch of people. I left comments open on it on purpose because I knew there might be people with legitimate questions that we would try to respond to and answer.

We would try to do it offline and in private, but we would try to respond to them. And I got a lot of responses on there from people who said, "It's all a fairy tale." It's a bunch of, you know, they even use cursing and foul language on that post, just an invitation to come celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Because those people, many of them, for whatever reason—and I don't know all their reasons—many of them have had bad experiences with church or bad experiences with Christians or they've been treated badly by someone who claimed to follow Jesus.

All these things have happened to them in their lives. Here's what I want all of them to know, and if any of them are listening today online: that doesn't make God stop loving you.

Doesn't mean that what Jesus did on the cross is not real either. Just because you doubt, just because you don't believe.

You see, if something's true, it's true whether you believe it or not. And so their doubt doesn't change my belief. It doesn't change my confidence in what I believe.

Because God does not ask us to check our brains at the door when we become followers of Jesus Christ. He knew that we would need evidence and testimony that we could feel good about and strong about so that when we face trials and temptations and questions, the doubt would not crush us.

We could hold on and still believe and walk forward in faith. And so He says here in John's gospel that these things were written, that we do have written—not all of the things were written down, but these are written so that we can have confidence.

The evidence God wants us to have, the evidence of our faith. He never asks us to have faith without evidence, ever.

And friends, as Christ followers, you need to know, and as doubters, you need to know that there's evidence out there if you're looking for the truth.

Jesus said, "If you seek Me with all of your heart, you will find Me." What He means is you will find Me to be true. You will find Me to be who I claim to be. You will find Me to have told the truth to you about all of these things.

If you seek Me honestly, sincerely, with all your heart. A lot of people say they've checked it out, but they weren't seeking to find out if it was true or not.

They were seeking to try to make themselves not be obligated to that truth, not be held accountable to that truth. That's what a lot of those doubters were seeking to do.

But if you're sincere about wanting to know the truth about Jesus, that's what a lot of those doubters—and they didn't ask any of us to check our brain at the door and just accept blindly this testimony about something so grandiose and so miraculous that we just accept it without any evidence.

He's given us so much evidence, the body of evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It's amazing. It is tremendous.

If you want to dig deeper into this, I'm going to share just a few things real quick showing all the evidence that points to the truth and the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It still requires an element of faith, just like your faith in anything else does with the evidence you have for that. There's still an element of faith there with anything and everything.

You see, there is no absolute proof for anything. You could still have some doubts about anything, except maybe that the preacher is short. You've got absolute proof standing in front of you.

When it comes to the resurrection, we're not asked to just blindly believe this story.

I'm going to mention just a few things. The evidence of the eyewitness accounts is one of the most powerful evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Think about this: if you have to go into a court of law today and you have to have a defense for some charge you have against you about something they say you did that you did not do, what would be the best evidence you could present? An eyewitness account of what happened.

Not just any eyewitness account, but a reliable person who gives an eyewitness account that shows that you didn't do the thing that you're charged with or that you did do the thing you want them to know that you did do.

Eyewitness testimony would be one of the most powerful evidence you could have. Well, we have eyewitness testimony from people who would be considered to be the most reliable eyewitnesses you could have.

You know why they're so reliable? Because they went to their graves, even though they were persecuted and executed for proclaiming Jesus was alive, they never changed their story. That's powerful eyewitness testimony.

John, the same author of the Gospel of John, in 1 John, another letter that he wrote, 1 John 1, beginning with verse 1, he says it this way: "That which was from the beginning, listen to this, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we've looked at and our hands have touched, this we proclaim concerning the word of life."

"The life appeared; we've seen it and testified to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we've seen, what we've heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us, and our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ."

You know what John's saying? I understand you need evidence. God understands you need evidence. That's why we're here and recording what happened and testifying to what happened because we saw it with our own eyes.

We touched it with our own hands. We experienced it in person. We know what we're talking about, and we're willing to die for that testimony. And they did.

That is powerful, and that's not just one person. That's all of the disciples. In fact, it says that Jesus appeared over a period of 40 days to them in person, to over 500 at one time.

On one occasion, Jesus appeared alive again over a period of 40 days. He made sure we had the evidence of the eyewitness testimony of the people that were there at the time and experienced all of this that had happened and then told their stories about it.

Oh, there's other powerful areas of evidence. One of my favorites that people don't think about a lot of times is the conversions of James and Saul.

Now think about this for a moment. James is a particular case because he was the earthly brother of Jesus. You might say the half-brother, right? Because God was not his father in the same sense that Jesus had Father God, right?

But he was born to Mary and Joseph in their union in their marriage, so he grew up with his brother Jesus. And he was, if you go back and read the account early on, not a believer at all that his brother was God in the flesh.

I've got two brothers. I've never thought either one of them were God. And I can assure you I love my brothers, but they would have a hard time convincing me they were God in the flesh.

Think what it would take to convince James to actually accept the possibility that the brother he grew up with was the Messiah, the Son of God, his Savior that died on the cross for him.

That conversion to me is one of the most powerful conversions in all of the stories of conversion in the New Testament, that James would come to believe.

And the book of James in the New Testament, he's the one that wrote that. This is the guy that came to know and believe that Jesus was the Messiah, the Savior.

It would take some powerful evidence, wouldn't it, to convince anybody that their brother was actually God in the flesh?

But then Saul, think about him. He had been a persecutor of Christians, right? He had decided that all of this movement toward followers of Jesus Christ needed to be destroyed, needed to be put down.

And instead, he tells about this experience he had on the road to Damascus. He tells about how Jesus Himself, the risen Lord, appeared directly to him, told him to go into the city where somebody was going to tell him what God's call was for his life to go be an apostle to the Gentiles.

And he changed so dramatically that people had a hard time believing that Saul really had become a follower of Jesus. I mean, one day he's persecuting Christians; the next day he's saying, "I am one."

There had to be something really dramatic that happened to go from that place to that other place so quickly. And he says it was the fact that Jesus appeared to him, risen, alive, reigning at the right hand of the Father.

He went on to write this in 1 Corinthians 15, beginning with verse 3: "For what I received, I passed on to you as of first importance."

In other words, in all of life, this is the most important thing I want you to understand. That's what he's saying. Paul is saying this is the most important thing in life. Catch this: "That Christ died for our sins according to what it had been prophesied," right?

A whole other area of evidence: all the prophecies about the Messiah, the coming of the Savior, the Deliverer. All of those prophecies were fulfilled in whom? Jesus. And only in Jesus were all those prophecies fulfilled. No other person has ever lived that fulfilled all those prophecies except one.

So he says that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to what the Scriptures—the prophecies. Jesus Himself prophesied that He would rise up on the third day, conquering sin and death.

So all of that was fulfilled. It says that He appeared to Cephas—that's another name for Peter—and then to the twelve.

After that, He appeared to more than 500 of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom he says are still living, though some have fallen asleep.

Now why does Paul put that in there? It's because it's a hard story to believe. And he says, "You know what? I'm not the only one who's an eyewitness to the risen Savior. He appeared to so many people. A lot of them are still alive. You can go talk to them right now."

These eyewitnesses that are still around, they can tell you what they saw, what they heard, what they touched, what they experienced with the risen Jesus.

He's challenging them if they have doubts to put it to the test, to go look at the evidence, to talk to these eyewitnesses yourself if you need to so that you can know for sure that what I'm telling you is the truth.

Now if you were lying about something, would you tell them to go talk to all those eyewitnesses? Absolutely not! Would you encourage that? Absolutely not! That would be the most foolish thing you could do if you knew you were telling a lie about this.

Then He appeared to James and then to all the apostles, and last of all, He appeared to me also as to one abnormally born.

I love that phrase because Paul's admitting, "I didn't become an apostle the same way the other guys did. I was abnormally born into this in a different way than the others."

The others had been there with Jesus the whole time and followed Him through His whole ministry. I came later in a different way to believe and follow Jesus, an abnormal birth into this faith than what the others had.

But he's saying, "I had this experience that caused me to believe." There's more and more evidence. There's the evidence of the beginning of the church among the Jews.

Think about what had to happen for thousands of Jews to be convinced Jesus was actually their Messiah. But the early church began exclusively among the Jewish population.

The day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2, after the resurrection of Jesus, 3,000 Jews heard the message, were so convinced of it, they were baptized that very day and became followers of Jesus.

And the church was launched among the Jewish people. Think of what had to happen to convince them that Jesus really was the Messiah. There had to be something so dramatic that after nailing Him to a cross and condemning Him, they now wanted to change and follow Him as Lord and Savior of their lives.

The fulfilled prophecies, the evidence of changed lives even since the time of those conversions.

As a pastor, I've had the honor and privilege. We've been at Lakeshore now as a church. Lakeshore is celebrating the 50th Easter celebration of the resurrection as a church this year. Isn't that great? I love it.

Now, I'm old, but I haven't been here for all 50, okay? This is my 33rd year. We're celebrating the resurrection of Jesus with Lakeshore.

My family and I have loved the fact that we've got a church family that comes around us and that we can be with who believe what we believe about Jesus.

And you know if you're part of this family, that's what we stand on at Lakeshore. You see, from the very beginning of the church, the central message of the church was Jesus died according to the Scriptures, that He was buried according to the Scriptures, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

God has kept His promises to send us a Savior. And the Apostles never wavered from that testimony. And they never, the early church never wavered from making sure that was the message that they were proclaiming to the world.

And friends, I, as a pastor, I want you to understand there are some churches today that call themselves progressive that are now preaching that it wasn't actually a physical resurrection from the dead.

Friends, if that's true, we have no business being as a church. We have no business having faith in God or putting our faith in Jesus Christ because He's no more than some other teacher.

And not only that, He was a liar if He didn't actually raise from the dead. And all of the Scripture is false if part of it's false. You need to understand that.

And here at Lakeshore, we are firmly committed to the fact that our faith is like our own showing on the cross. We go back sometimes with a doubt that comes in that Satan might put into our heart or our mind of one of our believers.

We believe if we go back and look at the evidence and testimony, that our faith will again be renewed and strengthened, and we'll continue to move forward in our walk with Christ.

And I have, as a pastor, over those years of proclaiming the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, I've seen that power change lives dramatically by the thousands.

I know what the power of the resurrected Lord can do in the hearts and the minds of an individual who puts their faith and their trust in the testimony of the truth of Scripture.

I've seen lives redeemed from the pit of hell through the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And that testimony has been there over and over again throughout all the ages since Jesus conquered death for us.

And you know some people too, and maybe you're one of them, that's been powerfully, radically transformed by the resurrected Lord and putting your faith in Him.

Because the resurrection, because the love of God never fails, we don't have to despair. We don't have to fear.

And friends, He's given us the evidence so we don't have to be lost in doubt moving forward in our faith.

Since the love of God never fails, since Jesus really did rise from the dead, there is no childhood trauma, no moral failure, no diagnosis of terminal illness.

There is no episode of failure, no bad thing of any kind. Even death itself is not final. God's love never fails.

It always protects, it always trusts, it always hopes, it always perseveres. It never will fail you if you put your hope and your trust in Him.

Amen. Amen.

So today, as we do each day, each Lord's Day, each time we present this message, we're going to offer this time of invitation.

Maybe there's someone who needs that hope today. And you realize that the source that you need to go to is Jesus Himself.

Well, He loves you. He's never stopped loving you. He's ready to welcome you today into His family, into that hope that is provided through the resurrection, conquering sin and death for you and for all of us.

Let's pray together.

Father, we thank You that in Jesus, we thank You that in the celebration of the resurrection, our hope is renewed. We are encouraged. We are strengthened. We are given all the provision we need to continue to move forward in faith when we see the testimony and the evidence to support our faith.

Father, we thank You that in that faith we can celebrate today the greatest event in all of human history when Jesus conquered sin and death.

And He promises that in Him, we can too. Because of that, we have the hope not only of our own salvation, but we have the hope that those we love and care about can be raised up to eternal life with You too.

That there will be this great reunion one day when Jesus appears because He is alive. He is at Your right hand, Father. He is waiting to come back and take us to be with Him forever.

Because we have that hope, we can live with great anticipation of this great reunion when Jesus appears again and we go home to be with You forever.

Where there's no more sin, there's no more death, there's no more dying, there's no more suffering, there is no more reason to despair or fear because it's all been destroyed through Jesus.

So, Father, today we just offer You praise and celebration. In the name of Jesus, our resurrected Lord. Amen.

As we stand and sing, we invite You to come today.

Have a seat, please, for just a moment. You guys, come on up here. Hit the mic here. Come right up to this mic.

Here we go, man. Turn about your name. Kareem comes today. I know Jeremy's been talking with him and sharing the good news of the gospel.

And he said he wanted to give his life to Jesus and be baptized into Christ today. Now, Jeremy shared with me that Satan tried everything to keep him from being here today.

His car blew up on Friday, right? Literally exploded. Work didn't want to let him off. All these things, you know, to try to keep him from being here.

But who's more powerful than Satan? God is. Absolutely. Absolutely.

Kareem, I want to ask you to repeat after me a profession of your faith.

I believe that Jesus is the Christ. He's the Son of the living God. And I do accept Him as my Lord and my Savior.

Jeremy, I'm going to ask you if you would to go back with him and help him get ready for the baptism. Okay? You know where to go back there for the baptismal room?

Yeah. Right around there. Right around there. There you go.

All right, man. Good. By the way, Jeremy, you're not supposed to outdress the pastor. Man, guy's sharp.

All right, Lucy, come on up. Lucy came to ask for prayers. Well, she just heard from her daughter, Lucy, that her other daughter, Sherry, is going through a time of deep depression and even suicidal thoughts.

So we want to lift her up today. The battle is real. Some people, especially with depression, it's more than others might be experiencing.

And sometimes it's easy for us to not think as much about how powerful that is if we're not dealing with it ourselves. But this is a real thing. And people do battle it.

And Satan uses it so powerfully sometimes to destroy people. And so we don't want to let that happen.

Let's lift up Sherry in our prayers right now and the work of God in her life. Okay?

Father, we just want to lift up Sherry to You. We know, Father, that when thoughts of depression and suicide come in, it's a powerful thing.

And it can be overwhelming sometimes for people. So we pray that now more than ever she would sense Your presence and Your power and Your provision right now at this moment.

That she would witness Your presence more and experience it and feel it more than she ever has before. To be reassured that You're there for her.

And Your love hasn't stopped. And You have a plan and a purpose for her. Father, help her to sense that and to hold on and to continue to take steps to get help to move past this.

Because there are those out there that can help provide the help that she needs. Father, I pray You would provide those people to cross her path.

And help her to have that contact with people that could give her counsel and guidance and direction to work through this. And that she would experience a renewal of her faith and her joy of her salvation through Jesus.

In whose name we pray. Amen.

God bless you. Thank you.

At this time, Ed's going to come and lead us in a time of communion around the Lord's table.

Kareem, based upon your profession of faith that you do accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, that I now baptize you in the name of the Father, of the Son, and the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of your sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Amen. Amen.

That's a good Easter celebration. There you go. I love it that we've got church members out there witnessing to family and friends and bringing others to come to know and follow Jesus.

That's what it's all about. Once you know the good news, we need to share it with everybody else, right? Because they need it too.

So we want to thank Jeremy and others that are doing that on a regular basis. We love that you're here today. We're thankful that you've taken the time to come and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.

If you are a first-time guest, please make sure if you haven't already stopped by the information counter, we've got a gift bag we'd love to give you to thank you for coming.

Here's something else you could do too. We have a new backdrop for pictures. So if you'd like to take a picture to celebrate and tag Lakeshore in it to celebrate that you celebrated the resurrection with us here at Lakeshore today, it's just outside the auditorium doors immediately to your right is that Lakeshore backdrop where you can take pictures there.

And you can hashtag "Love Never Fails Lakeshore Christian." Anything you want to put on there that's good and positive for you to do that and celebrate, get a good picture to remember this day by.

Because it's a great day of celebration.

Also, if you'd like to continue worshiping through the giving of an offering, we have offering boxes available, one in the back of the auditorium and one in the hallway as your exit there.

You can just drop your offerings in the top of that box. You could also give online at LakeshoreChristian.com or scan the QR code in your bulletin shell, and you can mail in offerings to the office here as well.

Any way that you do it, it's an act of worship, and it supports the work and ministry of the church.

In your bulletins each week, there's an insert that has announcements of activities that are going on as an outline you can follow along with and take notes on with the message each week.

But then on the other side, there's those announcements of things that are coming up. Next Sunday, I start a new message series.

I'm going to ask you to pray for me because this is going to be the first time I have preached sermons out of the Book of Exodus before. But this is the first time I'm going to preach directly all the way through the Book of Exodus from beginning to end.

It's going to be a long series. The Book of Exodus is a long book. So just be praying for me as I continue to prepare messages each week.

I always appreciate your prayers for that. I love to be in the Word and study and prepare messages. But it is something definitely need prayer to back it, right prayer behind it.

So I got this idea from a pastor friend of mine, and now I'm kind of thinking maybe I shouldn't have done that. He did a series like this and shared it with me, and I thought, "Yeah, that'd be a good one to do."

So now that I'm doing it, I'm not so sure that I know it's going to be good. I just say come at your prayers for that.

So we start that next Sunday. We hope you'll be back.

Also, if you are a first-time guest, you'll notice all the other announcements, but something coming up we want you to know about. We have a welcome lunch coming up for people that are new to Lakeshore.

It's going to be Sunday, April the 28th. It's very informative. It'll be after the 11 o'clock service. We'll have lunch for you if you pre-register for it.

We'll have your lunch for you, and then we'll have a time where you can ask questions. We'll tell you more about our church and its history and answer any questions you might have.

You'll meet me. You'll meet some of the staff that could be there for it and stuff like that. So we hope you'll plan to join us for that welcome lunch.

If you're new to Lakeshore, you've never been to one of those, it's a good way to find out more about the church and get a little more connected. Find out what opportunities there are to serve and things like that.

All right, let's all stand together. We're going to close with a word of prayer.

Normally I have Jeremy do this, but he's helping out his friend back there. They were just baptized, so I don't want them outshining me in that suit anyway.

So I'll lead us in prayer. Let's pray together.

Father, we thank you so much that we've been able to have a wonderful celebration of the resurrection today.

Father, we celebrate this in our lives every day. Help us to continue to live out the hope that we have in such a way that it's attractive to those who are looking for that hope themselves.

May we be that witness You want us to be to the reigning, living King of Kings and Lord of Lords, our Savior, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

1) "If something's true, it's true whether you believe it or not and so their doubt doesn't change my belief; it doesn't change my confidence in what I believe because God does not ask us to check our brains at the door when we become followers of Jesus Christ." [01:04:35](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



2) "God has proven His power over Satan's schemes to destroy us. So today I want us to look at a passage in the Gospel. John chapter 20. It's an encounter that happens after Jesus has risen from the dead. It's that morning, that first Easter morning." [34:02](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



3) "Jesus said if you seek me with all of your heart you will find me. What he means is you will find me to be true, you will find me to be who I claim to be, you will find me to have told the truth to you about all of these things if you seek me honestly, sincerely with all your heart." [01:05:38](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



4) "We're living in a culture today where Christians are being challenged and attacked more often than ever I've seen in my lifetime. So there are people coming against us as Christ's followers, but listen, in face of that, no matter how bad that might get, who is it that justifies us? Not the world." [49:58](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



5) "What can mere mortals do to me? The Apostle Paul in writing to the church at Rome in Romans 8 beginning with verse 31... says this, 'What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?'" [47:31](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



6) "Because God's love never fails, we don't have to despair and we don't have to be afraid. We don't have to fear anything that we might face in this world... because God's love never fails, we don't have to doubt either." [54:30](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



7) "I know what the power of the resurrected Lord can do in the hearts and the minds of an individual who puts their faith and their trust in the testimony of the truth of Scripture. I've seen lives redeemed from the pit of hell through the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ." [01:19:44](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



8) "Because God's love never fails, we don't have to despair. We don't have to fear. And friends, He's given us the evidence so we don't have to be lost in doubt moving forward in our faith." [01:20:36](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



9) "Father, we thank You that in Jesus, we thank You that in the celebration of the resurrection, our hope is renewed. We are encouraged. We are strengthened. We are given all the provision we need to continue to move forward in faith when we see the testimony and the evidence to support our faith." [01:21:50](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



10) "Because we have that hope, we can live with great anticipation of this great reunion when Jesus appears again and we go home to be with You forever. Where there's no more sin, there's no more death, there's no more dying, there's no more suffering, there is no more reason to despair or fear because it's all been destroyed through Jesus." [01:22:23](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)