Greg Laurie - Death Died When Christ Rose! (07/06/2017)
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Pastor Greg Laurie explains the true meaning of Easter through a fun interaction with his grandkids and a message from John 21 titled "Death Died When Christ Rose." He emphasizes that Easter is about Jesus' death conquering sin and His resurrection defeating death, offering new bodies, eternal relationships, and victory over the grave for all who believe.
Fun Easter Explanation to Grandkids
Now I want to tell you the story of Easter. Do you know what Easter is all about? It's about a rabbit that came to us. We call him the Easter Bunny. And the rabbit gives away eggs and little peeps for the kids to eat. And it's really fun to be with. And he has whiskers that look like this. And he's a rabbit. And here's his hand. And he runs around. That's what Easter is all about. Right? No! It's not about the Easter Bunny. It's about God. It's about God? Wait a second. I know what Easter is about. Easter is about the Easter duck. And he says... Right? No! Easter is not about a rabbit. Easter is not about a... Then what is Easter about? God! What do you mean, God? Easter is about God.
What do you mean? Jesus. Jesus. He had the right answer. Because he came to this earth for a reason. He came to this earth, yes, to give the best teachings that were ever given. Yes, he came to give sight to people who couldn't see and give the ability to hear to people who couldn't hear. But you know the main reason he came? Why, Riley? Because he died on the cross. He came to die on the cross. But before he went to the cross, he came in on the back of a donkey and the people were so excited. Everybody was so happy. But you know what? He died on the cross. Yeah, but why, Stella? Why? Because he loves us. Why? Because he loves us. He died there. And you know what a lot of people thought? Imagine if you were following Jesus and all of a sudden he just died. It would be so sad. Jesus isn't around anymore. We'll never see him again.
Can you imagine how sad that would be? Yeah. But he came to die on the cross and do another thing. And what was the other thing? To rise again. That happened early Easter morning. He Rose again from the dead. And then do you know what Jesus did? He flew into the sky. He did. He flew into the sky. We call it the ascension. But he went back up to heaven. And you know what he said to all of his disciples? You guys, go out and tell everybody about me. And you want to know one more thing? One day Jesus, who died, who Rose again from the dead, and went up into the sky, is going to... Explode. Come back again. No, he's not going to explode. He's going to come back again to this earth, and he's going to come and put his kingdom on the earth. He came back to life. He's going to what? He came back to life. He came back to life. He did come back to life. This Easter, it's really important that we remember why Jesus came. KC, happy Resurrection Day. One, two, three, go. Happy Resurrection Day.
Greeting and Introduction on Easter Sunday
Good morning. Yes, I own a suit. Wow. I'll start wearing a suit more often. That's amazing. Well, good morning. He is risen. Let's try that one more time. He is risen. That's right. Well, it's good to be with all of you. Let's grab our Bibles and turn to John chapter 21. Quick poll. How many of you are visiting Harvest for the first time? You've never been here before. Raise your hand up. Welcome. Welcome to all of you. Welcome to you guys outside in the amphitheater, up in the court as well. The title of my message is Death Died When Christ Rose. Let's pray together.
Father, now as we come back to this wonderful Easter story. The story of the resurrection of Jesus. I pray that it will resonate in the hearts of those that believe it. And it will speak for the first time to those who don't believe it yet. We commit this time of Bible study to you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen.
The Grandkids Video and Easter Truth
Well, that little video with my grandkids was fun to shoot. My favorite line was when I said, Jesus died on the cross. He Rose from the dead. And one day he's going to do another thing. And I wanted someone to say he's going to come back. But instead, Allie said, he's going to explode. Thankfully, that's not true. But that was a funny line, wasn't it? I mean, you've got to love kids. Heard a story about a Sunday school teacher that just finished teaching her third graders about Jesus rising. She told the class that he was put in a tomb, but he came back to life. And then she asked the class, What do you think the first words of Jesus were when he came out of the tomb? And one little girl was waving her hand back and forth. And the teacher said, Okay, what were the first words of Jesus when he Rose again? And the little girl said, Ta-da! That's pretty good.
That's what I want to talk about. The resurrection of Jesus. You see, when Jesus died on the cross, he conquered sin. But when he Rose again from the dead, he defeated death. And that's what I want to talk about a little bit, death. That's not a subject we usually want to discuss, maybe especially on an Easter morning. But when you get down to it, that's what Easter is all about. Easter is about the death of death. Because Jesus came to conquer death.
Facing Death Honestly as Christians
We don't like to discuss this subject of dying. It's a hard subject for us to talk about. You know, sometimes people will say Christians have their head in the sand, and they don't deal with reality, and they live in a dream world. Au contraire. That's French for snails with garlic. No, that's Escargot. Au contraire. To the contrary, I think Jesus... I think that Christians deal more honestly with death than most nonbelievers do. Because we'll talk about it. We'll discuss it. We'll wrestle with it. But a nonbeliever, they don't even want to use the word death. They'll use other words. Well, when they passed away. Or when they expired. Or we'll refer to someone who has died as the dearly departed. Or maybe you'll sort of make light of it. Well, they kicked the bucket. Or they cashed in their chips. You know, we don't want to deal with it. It's a hard subject to grapple with.
Actor Bradley Cooper, who was the star of the film American Sniper, was interviewed a while back. And the interview happened to happen just after Bradley Cooper's father died. And here's what he said in this interview. All right, I'm going to die too. He says after thinking about his own mortality. Here it is. It's not in a book. It's not in a movie. It's not in a story that was told to me. It's not driving by an accident or watching it on TV. It's someone you like dying in front of you. And Bradley Cooper says, And so I said, okay, this is death. And it's going to happen to me one day. End quote. That's true. Even if you're the sexiest man alive. Now that's what People Magazine said about Bradley Cooper. They offered it to me. I turned it down. Should have wore my suit. I would have won for sure. Don't clap. That's really not good. No pastor wants to ever be called the sexiest man alive. Trust me.
But as I've said before, the statistics on death are quite impressive. One out of every one person will die. So we have to face it. Because only those who are prepared to die are really ready to live. And I'll tell you what. Life goes by so quickly. You know, it just seems to be like a flash. I've noticed that it seems like time accelerates as you get older. And I read an article recently that said the reason for that is because you had most of your major life experiences when you were a younger person. You know, the first time you did this, the first time you did that. And as you get older, you settle into a routine. And you don't have that many new experiences. Thus life seems to accelerate. So their solution was have more new experiences in life. But most of us would rather take a nap. You know, or go back to our comfortable routine. But life goes by so fast.
I mean, my generation, the baby boomers, we celebrated our youth. One of our theme songs was Forever Young. I'm amazed the Rolling Stones are still touring. You know, they're still singing that song, Time is Still on My Side. Have you seen Keith Richards lately? Time is not on his side. You know, this generation has gone from sex, drugs, and rock and roll to nip, tuck, and Botox. That's a reality. And we've gone from acid rock to acid reflux. Pretty sad. And then there are people that are in denial. You know, they don't want to admit they're getting older. Just a thought. If you're 65, you cannot shop at Forever 21. So just stop it now. They should card you when you come in. Excuse me, ma'am, how old are you? You're too old. Leave now. You know, all the lotions and potions are not going to extend your life one day. You can eat your tofu and your wheat grass and your organic foods, but life is going to come to an end.
I read an interesting article about a woman who lived to be 105 years old. This is a true story. She lived in Texas. She had seven children. So they asked her to reveal the secret of her longevity. How did she live to be 105? Here was her answer. Her name is Pearl Cantrell. She says, I love bacon. I eat it every day. Now that's my kind of woman.
Easter's Core Message – Death Died When Christ Rose
But today is the day that we Mark the death of death. Death died when Christ Rose. Because Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. He that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And it is whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Now some of you are listening to me saying, Greg, what are you, crazy? What are you talking about? Death died. People still die. Don't you watch the news? Haven't you heard about all the horrible things that are happening in our world right now and the death of people? How can you say death died?
Look, I'm not in denial. I know people die. I've had to look at this up close and personal with our own son. Last Wednesday would have been his 40th birthday. And we would have had a party. And we would have kidded him about getting old. But instead, there was no party. And it was a sad day, to be honest. Because he's been in heaven for seven years. I understand that we die. And I understand that our bodies go into a grave. But here's what I'm saying to you. This is my hope on Easter Sunday of 2015. Death is not the end. Sure, our bodies go into the ground, but the soul lives on forever. And the Bible says that one day our body will be resurrected as well. Death is not the end of the road. It's only a bend in the road. And when Jesus died and Rose, he rendered death powerless.
I heard a pastor talk about what happens when a bee stings you. When a honeybee stings a person, they can't pull their little barbed stinger back. This is a one-off experience for them. So they better think carefully about who they're going to sting. Because once they do it, they're not going to survive. And so what happens is when they sting you, not only is a stinger left in you or whoever they stung, but also part of the bee's abdomen and digestive tract as well as their muscles and their nerves and this massive abdominal rupture kills the bee shortly after it stings. And that's what happened when Jesus died on the cross. The devil said, okay, this is my moment. I'm going to sting him. I'll have a role in his death. And when he dies, that's the end of him and Satan flew off thinking he had succeeded. But the sting of death was his own defeat, you see. Because 1 Corinthians 15 says, death has swallowed up in victory O death, where is your victory? O grave, where is your sting? Where is the sting of death for the believer? It's ripped out because at the cross Jesus took the stinger out of death. And this is a great truth.
The First Easter – In Real Time Perspective
So let's go back in our imaginations for a moment 2,000 years to the first Easter. Let's try to put ourselves in the shoes or the sandals of those first century believers and kind of follow it in real time. See, the problem for Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John was they never read the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They didn't know how the story ended. And in their story, here's Jesus who they believe is the Messiah. Here is Jesus who they believe is going to establish his kingdom on the earth. Here is Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the back of the donkey as one who is conquering. So they lay the palm branches down and say Hosanna which means save now. Here is Jesus. who's talking crazy talk when he's saying I'm going to be betrayed and I'm going to be crucified and I'm going to rise again from the dead. They're thinking what are you saying? You're the Messiah.
Here is Jesus who's betrayed by one of their own Judas Iscariot. Here is Jesus tried on false charges and sent to be executed and they're hoping for a last minute miracle. Maybe he'll come off that cross. They even mocked him some that were standing there. Oh sure Jesus could have come off that cross. Yes Jesus could have saved himself but if he had chosen to save himself he could not have saved others so he stayed on the cross and he died for your sin and he died for mine but that was devastating to the disciples because in their mind he failed in his mission. Now he's laid in a tomb and they don't know what to do. They're scattered. They don't know how to deal with this. They loved him. They dedicated their lives to him and suddenly he's gone. Despite the fact that he said the son of man speaking of himself will be crucified and arise again three days later. They missed it.
And so here comes Mary Magdalene early on the first Easter morning not to see the risen Lord but to anoint the dead body of. here he's risen and then she actually meets the risen Christ. Peter and John come running to the tomb they find it empty. Jesus appears to the disciples in the upper room and says to the skeptical Thomas put your hands in the wounds in my hand and in my side. Here's Jesus joining two disciples on the Emmaus road who are walking away and he enters into a discussion with them. Here is Christ appearing to 500 people at one time. He's appearing over and over again. He was risen again.
John 21 – Resurrection Appearance and Breakfast
So now we come back to one of those. resurrection appearances in John 21. I'll read a few verses. Let's look at it together starting in verse 3. Simon Peter said I'm going fishing. We'll come too they all said. So they went out into the boat and they caught nothing all night. At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach but the disciples couldn't see who he was and he called out fellows have you caught any fish? No they replied. He said throw out the net on the right side of the boat and you'll get some and so they did and they couldn't haul in the net because there were so many fish in it then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter it's the Lord when Simon Peter heard it was the Lord he put on his tunic for he had stripped for work he jumped into the water headed to shore and the other stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore for there was they were about 100 yards from the shore when they got there they found. And Jesus said, bring some of the fish you've just caught. So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. And Jesus said, come now and have some breakfast. None of the disciples dared ask him, who are you? They knew it was the Lord. Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead. We'll stop there.
So here now, standing before them, is the resurrected, physical Jesus. Still burying in his body the marks of the crucifixion with those wounded hands, he prepared a meal of fish for them. He wasn't a phantom. He wasn't an illusion. He wasn't a ghost. In fact, he had to actually say to them over in Luke 24, 39, I'm not a ghost, guys. And to prove it, he said, give me something to eat. And he took a piece of fish and he ate it. It's not like he was translucent. You could see the fish going down. He wasn't hovering above the ground. He was really risen in a physical body.
Takeaway Truths from the Resurrection
So you say, all right, well, that's great. But listen, this has a lot to say to us today on Easter of 2015. 15, there's some takeaway truths from the resurrection of Jesus for us. Number one, because of Jesus' resurrection, I will one day receive a new body. Because of Jesus' resurrection, I will one day receive a new body. Not a different body than I'm in now, just a radically upgraded version. You see, Jesus Rose with a real body, in a real world, in a real way, with a real voice, and commissioned his disciples to do real work until they in their own time would be raised again and real bodies to be with him. But there's a lot of confusion about our resurrection body. A poll was taken among Americans and they were asked if they believed in the resurrection of the dead and of the two-thirds who said they did. They did not believe they would have bodies after the resurrection. What, are we going to be a bunch of ghosts floating around? Casper, the friendly ghost. No. He's going to give us a body. And this is what we see in Christ. He rises again. And we're going to have a body like his because 1 John 3, 2 says, Beloved, now we're the children of God. It's not yet been revealed what we will be, but when he is revealed, we shall be like him, for we will see him as he is. Job said, In my flesh I will see God. I will see him with my own eyes, I and not another.
All right, so with that in mind, let's think about the resurrection body of Jesus Christ. What do we know about it? Number one, he was recognizable, still bearing the scars of the crucifixion. Number two, he did not have the normal limitations he had before. He was able to do things like appear in a room without using a door. Or fly, if you will, in his ascension. As I said to my grandkids, Number three, he ate food. So this addresses an often asked question, Will we know one another in heaven? Will we recognize each other when we get to heaven? The simple answer is, Do you think you'll be more stupid in heaven than you are on earth? And you're gonna know more when you get there, not less. So, did the disciples recognize Jesus after he Rose? Yes. Did Jesus recognize the disciples after he Rose? Yes. Will we recognize one another? Again, the answer is yes.
You know, we talk about the differences. from when we go from earth to heaven, there's similarities. For starters, no more senior moments. Isn't that great to know? No more. Malzheimer's disease. Oh, that's when you lose your car in the mall. You don't know where it is, so you set off your emergency, you know, your little alarm to find it. I'm the only person that does that. You're gonna know more when you get to heaven. the next point is, because of the resurrection of Jesus, our bodies will no longer age or get sickness or break down.
Now, some of you are young. Some of you think you are young and you shop at Forever 21. But for those who are still young, you know, you're saying, man, I'm young. I don't care about a new body. I kind of like the body I'm in right now. In fact, I was just taking a selfie of myself as you were making that point. I even have a selfie stick that I carry around, you know. Okay. But you know, one day you're gonna get older. You know, it's funny when you're a young kid and you look at old people and you wonder, where do these people come from? That's you in the future. You start on wheels, you end on wheels. You start in a stroller, you end up in the wheelchair. You start in diapers, you end up in diapers. No, I'm not there yet. But you see, there are differences and there are similarities as well, but we're gonna have that new body that he's going to give us and when we're in that new body, we're gonna be able to do a lot of things and one of those things we're gonna be able to do is eat. And I'm really excited about this because I like to eat.
How many of you like to eat? Okay, good. How many of you don't like to eat? You really don't like to eat? Okay, get out. Leave. Go. We don't want you here. No, we do. Just eat. Will you? And the Bible tells us that when we're up with the Lord in heaven that we will be able to eat. We're reading in Revelation 19, 9 that there is the wedding supper of the Lamb. I love the fact that it's called the wedding supper of the Lamb. You know, in California we usually call supper dinner. But I was raised for many years by my grandparents who were from Arkansas and they called it supper. One of the greatest moments of the day was when my grandmother that we called Mama Stella said, supper's on! Because that meant you were gonna eat some amazing food. Because she never reheated anything. She made the best fried chicken you've ever had in your life. Mashed potatoes. And because she was from the South we had crazy stuff like collard Greens. You ever had collard Greens? Black-eyed peas. Fresh cornbread. But her crowning achievement as I've told you before was this biscuit.
I've never had a biscuit like it. I can still taste it today. And one day when we get to heaven we'll be able to sit down with the great men and women of God and have a meal. We're told in Matthew 8-11 you'll be invited to the wedding feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. Can you imagine sitting down for a meal with a great man or woman of God? You can talk to Mary or Ruth or Moses or Noah. You could be at a table eating. You could say, Moses, would you pass the manna please? I'm going to try it. Or you could say, Elijah, my steak isn't fully cooked. Could you give it a little more fire? Could you do the thing you do? Come on. Hey, Lot, could you pass the salt? I need... Oh, Lot, get over it. If you didn't get that joke, read your Bible. That's all I could say.
But also in these new bodies God is going to give us, listen to this, we're going to have resurrected relationships. Resurrected relationships. I want you to notice that after Jesus comes back from the dead, he picks up where he last left off. I love that. You know, and when you have someone that's close to you that's suddenly taken through death, that's very hard. Have you ever been on a phone, your cell phone, talking to someone and it cuts out? But you didn't know it cut out. You know, and you're still telling them something and they're not responding. Maybe you're proposing. So my question is, will you marry me? Silence. Silence. Well, you lost him three minutes ago. So that's a problem. I'm not going to say what soul service cuts out more than another AT&T, but. that's what it's like when a loved one suddenly leaves. You can't call them. You can't phone them. You can't text them. You can't email them. But one day, we'll pick up where we last left off and we'll be reunited with loved ones that have gone on before us. You know, when Jesus was risen, there was a familiarity with his followers, a connection to the past, how glorious that's going to be. And that day is coming when we're reunited with those loved ones.
Final Judgment and Assurance Through Christ
But there's one final thing I'd like to say about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I mean, it's glorious we're going to receive a new body. It's glorious we're not going to have any illnesses or problems like we've had before. It's glorious that we'll be able to be together and feast together. But there's one other point I want to make and that is when we face that final day, there's also going to be a final judgment. Acts 17. 31 says, He is appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this by raising Him from the dead. Yeah, there's a final judgment. Now look, I'm not afraid of the final judgment because I already know that I'm going to heaven. And that's because I know that when Jesus died on the cross, He faced the judgment for me that I should have faced. At the cross, Jesus bore the sin of the world including mine and He absorbed the wrath of God. And because of that, I don't fear that final day of judgment. You see, we owed a debt we could not pay. But He paid that debt for us in our place. And so, I've got that covered.
But there's some of you here right now and some watching that don't have that assurance. It kind of freaks you out when you think of a final judgment. When you think of the fact that everything you've ever said or done is recorded. And there are no secrets. When you think that you're going to have to face up to past sins that perhaps you even think you've successfully covered up and hidden. Or maybe you think if you're a good person God will let you in to heaven. Well look, I hate to break this to you but good works won't get you to heaven. And even if that were true. for the point, there's no way you've done more good things than bad things in life. I heard a story about a man who died and went to heaven. He was greeted by Peter at the pearly gates. Peter says, okay, here's how it works. It takes a thousand points to get into heaven.
This is a true story. No, it isn't. It's a stupid joke but it makes a point. You need a thousand points to get into heaven. The guy said, okay. So Peter says, tell me all the good things you've done and I'll give you points accordingly. The guy said, oh, okay, good. Let me start by saying I've been married to the same woman for 50 years. I've never cheated on her. I've not even cheated in my heart. Peter says, that's good. We'll give you three points for that. Three points? How many do I need to get in? A thousand. Oh, wait, I went to church every Sunday. I went to midweek Bible studies. I went to prayer meetings and I tithed. How's that? That's good for one point. One point? Well, look, I started a soup kitchen downtown for those that were homeless and I also volunteered at the hospital and I would visit people. That's good for two more points. The guy's exasperated. He says, at this rate, the only way I'm going to get into heaven is by the grace of God. Peter says, that's worth a thousand points. Come on in. See, that's how it works. The only way you're going to get into heaven is by the grace of God. Because heaven is not for good people. Heaven is for forgiven people.
Let me now take the other side of this. No matter how bad you've been or what horrible things you've done, even you can get into heaven. Now, granted, some of us are better in one sense than others are. Some of us are worse. But no matter what you've done, Christ would forgive you if you would ask him to. We always talk about the thief on the cross next to Jesus. But actually, the word that is used in the original language is not really translated thief. He was a serious criminal, a murderer, probably an insurrectionist leading a rebellion against Rome. We would call him a terrorist today. He was there for serious capital crimes. Yet, when he turns to Jesus and says, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom, Jesus says, truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise. No matter what sins you've committed, God would forgive even you.
Invitation to Salvation and Recommitment
So, here's what I want to ask you. Do you know that you are right with God this Easter of 2015? Do you have a relationship with him? Do you know with certainty that you will go to heaven when you die? If you don't, here's what you need to do to change that. Here's what you need to do to be certain you'll be ready to meet the Lord one day. Here's what you need to do to have your sins forgiven. Number one, you have to admit you're a sinner. the Bible says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Every one of us have broken his commandments. Every one of us have fallen short of his standards which by the way are complete perfection. So we've all sinned. Now granted some have sinned more than others. But God doesn't grade on the curve. And one sin is enough to keep you out of heaven. The Bible says if you offend in one point of the law you're guilty of all of it.
So realize you're a sinner. Yet the Bible says while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. And that brings me to point to realize or recognize that Christ died on the cross for you. Do you think if good works would get you to heaven Jesus would have suffered and died as he did on the cross? Of course not. Because there was no other way to bridge that gap between you and God. Because there was no other way for you to be forgiven. Jesus died in your place. And why did he do that? Because he loves you. If you ever tempted to doubt God's love take a long look at the cross. Jesus said for God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son and whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. The Bible says God demonstrated his love toward us that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.
Number Three You Must Repent of Your Sin What does that mean to repent? It means to change your direction. Sometimes we're sorry for what we do. That's wrong. But we keep doing it. Repentance is being sorry enough to stop. The Bible says godly sorrow will produce repentance so you need to change your direction. It's sort of like hanging a U-turn and the road of life instead of walking away from God you're going to walk toward him. You need to repent of your sin because the Bible says God has commanded people everywhere to repent.
Then you must receive Jesus Christ into your life as your Savior and Lord. This is really the bottom line. Being a Christian is having Christ live in you. You can't live off the relationship of someone else. You know maybe you came here today with Christian parents. you say well my parents are Christians that ought to work for me no you have to be born again maybe you're here because a Christian brought you but there has to be the moment when you believe you say well I'm an American does that help not really. and I don't care how young you are you can believe in Jesus you saw me talking to my grandkids and they're getting it. Theology. But we're getting there. I remember in a conversation I had with Dr. James Dobson. I asked him, Dr. Dobson, when did you ask Christ to come into your life? And I was surprised by his answer. He said, at age four. I said, really? You remember that? He says, I remember it very well. Even a young child can come to Christ. But listen to this. If you're 94, you can come to Christ.
So, whatever your age, you have to say, Lord, come into my life. Jesus said, you must be born again. Jesus says, I stand at the door of your life, and I knock. And if you'll hear my voice and open the door, I'll come in. You must receive Christ. And then you must do it publicly. In our last service, we called people to come to Christ. And so many people came and stood before this platform, saying they wanted their sin forgiven. And we're going to do that again today. Because Jesus said, if you will acknowledge me before people, I will acknowledge you before my Father and the angels in heaven. But he added, if you deny me before people, I'll deny you before my Father and the angels in heaven.
That's why in a moment, I'm going to ask you to make a public stand for Jesus Christ. You know, we all heard that tragic news of what happened in Kenya this last week. When these Islamic terrorists were hunting down people. And they asked them a question. Are you a Christian or are you a Muslim? And if they said they were a Christian, they were shot on the spot. And many courageous men and women lost their lives. I'm not going to hold a gun to your head. But those people were willing to die facing the barrel of a gun. Are you willing to stand for Christ in an environment like this? And say, I don't care what others think. I don't care what others say. He's worth following. I'm going to ask you to make a public stand for Christ in a moment.
And there's one final point. You need to do it now. You do not want to put this off. You don't want to wait for another day. Because there is coming a moment when Jesus will return. He will return to this earth. And for those who are ready, they'll be caught up to meet Him in the air. The Bible says. And for those that are not ready, they'll be left to face judgment. Are you ready to meet the Lord? What if He came back tonight? Would you be confident you're ready? And then there's death. And you don't know when death is going to come. You think, well, I'm going to live a long life. Maybe you will. Maybe you won't. But be ready now. Settle it now.
Final Invitation and Public Response
So we're going to pray. And I'm going to give you an opportunity to get right with God. Then I'm going to invite you to make your stand for Jesus Christ. Let's all bow our heads and everyone praying, please. Father, thank you for loving us so much that you sent Jesus to this earth to die. To rise. And now He offers forgiveness to those who will believe. Help those who do not yet know you to come to you now and receive your forgiveness, we pray. Now when our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we're praying, how many of you would say today, Greg, I want Jesus Christ to come into my life. I want Him to forgive me of my sin. I want to know with certainty that I will go to heaven when I die. Pray for me. I'm ready to say yes to Jesus. If that's your desire. If you want Christ to come into your life. If you want Him to forgive you of your sin, wherever you are. I want you to lift your hand up. And I'm going to pray for you. Lift your hand up where I can see it. You want Christ in your life. You want His forgiveness. You want your guilt taken away. God bless you. And I raise it in your hand. Now, I can't see all of you. Some of you are outside in the amphitheater. Some of you are in the court there. You raise your hand as well. God sees. Take that little step of faith. God bless all of you. Raising your hand.
When our heads are still bowed, maybe some of you would say, man, I haven't been to church for a long time. I know it's right. And I've fallen away and I'm kind of even ashamed. Well, listen, don't be ashamed. We're so glad you're here. This is the day for you to come back to Jesus. This is your moment to return to the Lord. Do you need to make a recommitment to Jesus Christ? Lift your hand up and let me pray for you right now. If you want to come back to the Lord again today. God bless you. Anybody else? Raise your hand up. God bless you. God bless all of you.
Lord, I thank you now for each one of these. Give them the strength to stand up and follow you and receive all that you have for them this day, this Easter. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.
Listen, everybody that Jesus calls, he calls openly and he calls them publicly. I already mentioned that statement of Christ when he said, if you will acknowledge me before people, I will acknowledge you before the Father and the angels in heaven. But then he added, if you deny me before people, I'll deny you before the Father and the angels. I'm going to ask you to make a public stand for Christ. So wherever you are, if you raise your hand, even if you did not, if you want your sin forgiven, if you want Christ to come into your life, if you want to know that you'll go to heaven when you die, or you've fallen away from the Lord and you want to come back to him again today, I want you to get up out of your seat, step into the nearest aisle and walk down here and stand in front of this platform. And we're going to lead you in prayer when you get here.
Come down from the balcony. Open up those side doors. You outside in the amphitheater, you come in here into the sanctuary and make your public stand for Christ. You in the court building, you go to the front of the room where the screen is. You in the court building, go forward to the screen. Get up and make your stand for Jesus Christ. Out there in the amphitheater, come on inside. The doors are open. Join us in the sanctuary. You are good, you are good, when there's nothing good in me. You are love, you are love, on display for all to see. You are light, you are light, when the darkness closes in. You are hope, you are hope, you have covered all my sins. You are peace, you are peace, when my fear is crippling. You are true, you are true, even in my wandering. You are joy, you are joy, you're the reason that I sing. You are life, you are life, in your death is lost its sting. Hello, I'm running to your arms, I'm running to your arms. The riches of your love will always be enough. Nothing compares to your embrace. Light of the world forever ends. There's still time. There's more of you that want to make this commitment. This is your moment. The Bible says today is the day of salvation.
What a great day to Mark. Easter 2015. That's the day I committed my life to Christ. That's the day I recommitted my life to Christ. It will be your spiritual birthday. What a perfect day to do it. There might be a few more of you. You're not too young to make this commitment to Jesus. Kids, listen, if you've understood what I've said, just like my grandkids, you grab mom, you grab dad or grandma or grandpa and say, I want to go forward. You can make this commitment, kids. You that are older, it's not too late for you. You can come to the Lord. You can come back to the Lord. There's still time. The group's gonna sing this through again if there's anybody else. In these closing moments, you come. And then we'll pray together. Anybody else? Come.
My heart will sing. No other name. Jesus, Jesus. My heart will sing. No other name. Jesus, Jesus. Jesus, my heart will sing no other name. Jesus, Jesus. And oh, I'm running to your arms. I'm running to your arms. The riches of your love will always be enough. Nothing else to your embrace. Light of the world forever reign. Forever reign. I'm running to your arms. I'm running to your arms. The riches of your love will always be enough. Nothing else to your embrace. Light of the world forever reign. Forever reign. Forever reign. Forever reign. Forever reign. Amen. Praise the Lord. Amen. Amen. Amen.
Listen, you guys that came forward, I want to lead you now in a prayer. And this is a prayer where you're asking Jesus Christ to be your Savior and Lord. It's really a prayer that only you can pray. And let me say something. And maybe you're coming up here and you're standing here and you're thinking, you know, this isn't gonna work for me. Okay? Because I'm not the religious type. Guess what? When I prayed this prayer many years ago, I thought that same thing. I thought, this won't work for me. But Christ came into my life. Hey, God bless all of you. Come on down here. A whole bunch of you. God bless you guys. You're welcome. But listen, it is going to work for you. And I'm gonna tell you why. It's not an it. It's a hymn. Jesus will come into your life. He says, he or she that would come to me, I would in no way cast out or reject. So, he'll say yes to him when you say yes to him. Or he'll say yes to you, rather, as you say yes to him. So, as I pray this prayer, you pray it out loud after me. Again, as I pray, pray this out loud after me. Let's all bow our heads. Pray this after me now. Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. But I know you're a savior. Who died on the cross. And shed his blood. For every sin. I've ever committed. I'm sorry for my sin. I turn from it now. I choose to follow you. From this moment forward. As my savior and Lord. As my God and my friend. Thank you for calling me. And loving me. And accepting me. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
And God bless each one of you. God bless you. God bless all of you. Praise the Lord. Wow. Praise the Lord. Amen. Hey listen. For all of you that came forward. And there's so many of you winding around to the side there. For all of you that came forward. We have a Bible to give you. It looks like this one. This is called the Start Bible. This is the New Testament with some notes that I wrote. Designed for someone just like you. Making this commitment. David. We have one of these to give you. And we want to talk with you for a few moments. About what it means to be a Christian. Now. We're not done here. So we're going to sing another song or two. And have a few announcements. So we're going to wait on you. Don't worry about that. But I'm going to ask all of you folks that are standing up here. If you look for a moment over to my right.
This is Richard. He's one of our counselors. He's holding up a Start Bible. In a moment. Richard's going to lead you around to this room. Back in the corner. See back there. The doors are open. That's our room. We're taking you to. We're going to share these. A few words with you. Give you this Bible. And then you can come back and join your friends and family. So if you would please. All of you standing up here. Just turn this direction. This way. Turn to your left. Follow Richard. Go right up this way. Just right up this way. Just be patient. Go this way. All of you guys out there. We'll just bring it right around. So just hang on. This line will move. Right over this way. Folks, I want you to look at this. This is one of the largest responses we've ever had. To an invitation. In our church. Yeah. Yeah, you guys up there. You can come around this way. You come around this way. And go back there. These are all answers to prayer. So God bless you that took the time to bring a loved one. To bring a family member. A friend. A co-worker. To church. Because this is the answer to the prayer. This is why we do this. And we call people to Christ. And we join heaven and rejoicing. Because there's rejoicing in heaven over one sinner that comes to repentance. Look at all these folks. God bless all of you. Wow. We're gonna need a bigger boat. From the great theologian from Jaws. We're gonna overflow our counseling room for sure. But that's a good problem. Wow.
Okay. Listen. Let's pray:
Father, we give you glory for this. This is a work of the Holy Spirit. And we just pray for every one of these people. Man, they all have a story. And you know the story. And whatever it is up to this point. We pray the story will change. And that a new one will begin. Of walking with you. Lord, help them all to get rooted and grounded in the faith. And bless them as they hear more about following Jesus. And now, Lord, as we worship through our giving. We just see this as a privilege. Because when we give to you. We lay up for ourselves treasure in heaven. And we share in the fruit of what we have just seen. And Lord, we want to be a part of that. So bless now. As we receive the tithes and offerings we ask. In Jesus name. Amen.